December 22, 1941
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

Monday, 22 December 1941

Caribbean Air Force: The 20th Transport Squadron, Panama Air Depot, transfers from France Field to Waller Field, Trinidad with C-39's, C-47's and C-49's. A detachment of the squadron remains at Howard Field.

IJN / IJA: Between 1:10am to 4:30am a Japanese invasion force of warships escorting seventy-six transports with the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) 14th Army under the command of General Masaharu Homma organized in three convoys enter Lingayen Gulf and anchors. The escorting cruisers and destroyers begin a preinvasion bombardment as the soldiers are loaded into landing craft for landings at Agoo, Caba and Bauang.

IJN: Between 1:10am to 4:30am a large Japanese invasion force of warships escorting seventy-six transports with the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) 14th Army under the command of General Masaharu Homma organized in three convoys enter Lingayen Gulf and anchors. The escorting cruisers and destroyers begin a preinvasion bombardment as the soldiers are loaded into landing craft. At dawn, the Japanese land at three locations: Agoo, Caba and Bauang.

IJA: At dawn, Japaanese 14th Army under the command of General Masaharu Homma begins landing on the eastern side of Lingayen Gulf at three locations: Agoo, Caba and Bauang.

FEAF: At 5:45am twelve P-40E Warhawks from the 17th Pursuit Squadron and 20th Pursuit Squadron each armed with six 30 pound fragmentation bombs from Clark Field led by 1st Lt. Lt. Col Boyd D. "Buzz" Wagner attack Japanese ships and forces landing at Lingayen Gulf. Arriving over Agoo, they saw Japanese transports and landing barges. Leading the attack, Wagner makes a dive bombing attack and salvoed all his bombs on a group of boats near shore pulling up at 1,500' then strafed warships and encounters anti-aircraft fire. Intercepted by "Nates" Wagner's P-40 sustained damage to the cowling and shattered his canopy and was wounded in the shoulder with splinters hitting his face and eyes. Withdrawing, he formed up with two other P-40s from the squadron that helped guide him back to base and landed safely.

Nine B-17's take off from Batchelor Field on a bombing mission against Japanese shipping in Davao Bay and returning land at Del Monte Airfield. HQ 7th Bombardment Group and the ground echelon of the 9th Bombardment Squadron, 11th Bombardment Squadron and 22d Bombardment Squadron and attached 88th Reconnaissance Squadron arrive at Brisbane from the US. The air echelons of the 9th Bombardment Squadron and 11th Bombardment Squadron are enroute from the US to Australia with B-17's; the air echelons of the 22d Bombardment Squadron and 88th Bombardment Squadron are operating from Hickam Field until January 5, 1942 and February 10, 1942 respectively with B-17s. The 16th Bombardment Squadron, 17th Bombardment Squadron and 91st Bombardment Squadron, 27th Bombardment Group transfer from Ft William McKinley to Lipa Airfield, San Fernando and San Marceleno respectively without aircraft.

Australia: "Pensacola Convoy" arrives in Brisbane, where Brig Gen Julian F. Barnes Task Force South Pacific becomes U.S. Forces in Australia (USFIA) as the first American troop detachment in Australia.

Contribute Information
Do you have photos or additional information to add?