THURSDAY, 29 JANUARY 1942
China: In the afternoon on 29 January the commanding officer, Yoshio Hirose, led 20 Ki-27s of the77th Sentai on a sweep over Rangoon.
Six Hurricanes had got off, together with a number of P-40s. Pilot Officer Storey (BD921) climbed fast to 2,000 feet with Squadron Leader Carey (BE171), from which vantage point they saw below six Ki-27s above cloud base at 12,000 feet. The two Hurricanes dived down at 420 mph to attack but, as they approached, the Japanese fighters disappeared into the clouds. The pair swept up again into the sun, rolled over, and saw some of the little fighters come up through the cloud again. Two of these appeared to become separated, but some P-40s engaged them at that moment. Carey and Storey went into a dive for a second attack, when they saw one P-40 with three fighters on its tail, obviously being out-turned. Coming down in a steep right-hand spiral at 310 mph. they selected one each. Storey got in two steady bursts, seeing hits, and his victim fell away to port. Meanwhile, Carey's first burst sent his target crashing straight down.
Two AVG aircraft were apparently lost, Matt Kuykendall force-landing at Mingaladon wounded in head and leg. The Americans claimed heavily, believing that they had shot down a dozen fighters to bring total claims for the action to 14. In the 1st AVG Squadron, Squadron Leader Sandell claimed three, Flight Leader Bond two and one damaged, Bob Little, Bob Prescott and John Dean one apiece. Squadron Leader Newkirk and Flight Leaders Hill, Bacon and Lawlor made the three other claims for the 2nd AVG Squadron.
The 77th Sentai had again suffered quite heavily, losing four Ki-27s. Sergeant Major Nagashima was reported killed, while Warrant Officer Yoshida, Sergeant Major Kanda and Sergeant Kojima all failed to return. Only the 3rd chutai, which was providing top cover, vas able to make any worthwhile claims in a fight with "ten plus Spitfires and some P-40s"; Lieutenant Kawabara claimed two shot down, Warrant Officer Honma and Sergeant Kobayakawa one each, and one was credited to the missing Sergeant Major Kanda. The only other claim, for one probable, was made by Lieutenant Nakao of the 1st Chutai.
Malaya: Withdrawal toward Singapore continues. Additional elements of Br 18th Div arrive at Singapore; also, a sq of obsolete light tanks arrives from India, the only tanks to reach Malaya.
CENTRAL PACIFIC (Hawaiian Air Force): HQ 18th Bombardment Wing is inactivated
and replaced by the HQ VII Bomber Command which is activated at Hickam Field. B-17's
of Task Group 8.9 fly from Canton to Palmyra. The 70th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) arrives in Fiji from the US with P-39's.
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC (Far East Air Force): B-17s take off from Palembang to bomb Kuantan Airfield in Malaysia scoring numerous hits on runways and hangars. Lost is B-17E 41-2476 pilot 1st Lt. Walter W. Sparks, Jr. (MIA) bombing Balikpapan. Meanwhile, correspondent George A. Weller departs Singapore for Java.
U.S. Army: On Luzon, II Corps withstands further efforts of Japanese to breach MLR. In I Corps area, troops of 1st and 11th Divs operate against Little and Big Pockets, respectively, in effort to determine their strength and disposition, and evoke sharp opposition. Scouts of 1st Bn, 45th Inf, prepare to assist 11th Div in attack on Big Pocket. In South Sector, after half-hour arty preparation augmented by fire of mine sweeper offshore, 3d Bn of 57th Inf (PS) attacks and clears Longoskawayan Pt; enemy remnants are being mopped up. 3d Bn of 45th Inf (PS) continues to make slow and costly progress at Quinauan Pt. In Anyasan-Silaiim sector, Scouts of 2d Bn, 45th Inf, prepare for attack and are reinf by 1st Bn of Philippine Constabulary and 1st Bn of 12th Inf (PA), both of these having been relieved at Quinauan Pt. Co A of 57th Inf is to guard West Road.
NEI: Japanese occupy Pontianak, on the west coast of Dutch Borneo.
Japanese land at Badoeng Island and Mampawan, Celebes.
U.S. Navy: Combined Chiefs of Staff establish ANZAC Area, covering ocean expanses between Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia. This area is to be under U.S. naval command.
U.S. troops arrive in Fiji.
Minesweeper USS Quail (AM-15) bombards Japanese troop concentrations at Longoskawayan Point on the Bataan Peninsula.
Oiler Ramapo (AO-12) arrives at Bora Bora to support survey operations being carried out by USS Sumner (AG 32).
5" projectiles with radio proximity fuzes (VT fuzes) were test fired
at the Naval Proving Ground, Dahlgren. The top secret technology was developed by the National Defense Research Committee (NDRC) / Office of Scientifc Research and Development (OSRD) "Section T" led by Dr. Merle Tuve. During tests, 52% of the fuzes functioned
satisfactorily by proximity to water at the end of a five mile trajectory. This
performance, obtained with samples selected to simulate a production lot, confirmed
that the radio-proximity fuze would greatly increase the effectiveness of anti-aircraft
batteries and led to immediate small scale production of the fuze at Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory.
