December 20, 1941
World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

Saturday, 20 December 1941


AVG: P-40 Warhawks from the American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers" based at Kunming Airfield intercept Japanese Army Air Force (JAAF) aircraft over Kunming, the first air combt by the AVG. The AVG is under control of Chinese Air Force and will protect southwest China and the Burma Road.

Burma: Indecisive fighting continues on Krian R front and along Grik road.

FEAF: The air echelon of the 30th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 19th Bombardment Group (Heavy), transfers from Clark Field to Batchelor Field near Darwin with B-17's. The ground echelon is reassigned to the 5th Interceptor Command (Provisional) and will fight as infantry as infantry on Luzon.

IJA: In the early morning, Japanese forces land at Davao on Mindanao and quickly overcoming light opposition of about 2,000 Filipino troops, seizes Davao and its airfield. On Luzon, Japanese detachment at Vigan begins advancing southward toward Lingayen Gulf.

Unarmed U.S. tanker Agwiworld is shelled by Japanese submarine I-23 off the coast of California, 37°00'N, 122°00'W.

IJN: Japanese submarine I-17 spots SS Emidio and surfaces then opens fire with her 14cm deck gun and scores five hits about 25 miles west of Cape Mendocino, Humboldt County, California at roughly Lat 40°33'N, Long 125°00'W. At the same moment, the radio operator transmits an alert to the U.S. Navy. As the crew was lowering their lifeboats, one of the shells hits an unlauched lifeboat causing three to fall into the sea and drown in rough seas. The sub ceased fire and submerged before two U.S. Navy planes arrived and dropped charges without any results. After the planes depart, Japanese submarine I-17 resurfaced and fired a torpedo that hit the stern and exploded in the engine room. Aboard, two of the three crew still working inside were killed by the blast. The surviving crew reach Blunt Reef while the the tanker drifts northward until grounding on rocks off Crescent City, California.

USN: Admiral Ernest J. King is appointed as Commander in Chief (CinC), U.S. Fleet.

Survivors of U.S. freighter Lahaina sunk on December 11, 1941 by Japanese submarine I-9, aided by Coast Guard cutter Tiger, reach land at Sprecklesville Beach, near Kahului, Maui, having lost four of their number during their ordeal in their one lifeboat.

PBY Catalina from VP-23 lands in the lagoon at Wake Atoll to deliver information to the garrison concerning the relief efforts then underway.

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