JAPAN ATTACKS
December 1941 - March 1942
During 1941 Japan continued with its plan to conquer China and to accomplish this goal it needed to take the oil fields of the Dutch East Indies which in turn meant war with the British in Burma and also the United States. So in order to retain control of the Pacific Ocean they needed establish a huge defence perimeter which had no place for United States naval forces.
At about 1.40am on the night of December 6-7, British positions at Kota Bahru in northern Malaya came under fire from Japanese naval ships two miles off the coast. A few hours later on the morning of December 7, 1941 the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour. Then the Japanese forces moved quickly, on December 8, they landed at eight locations in Thailand. On December 10, they landed in the Philippines and also took Guam. On December 11, they invaded Burma, on December 16, they invaded British North Borneo. On December 18, they invaded Hong Kong.
On December 22, they invaded Luzon in the Philippines. On December 23, they took Wake Island and General Douglas MacArthur began his withdrawal from Manilla to Bataan in the Philippines with Manilla falling on January 2, 1942. On January 4, 1942 they bombed Rabaul for the first time. On January 7, they completed their capture Sarawak and took Jesselton. On January 11, they invaded the Dutch East Indies landing at Tarakan and Manado. On January 19, they took North Borneo. On January 23, they landed at Rabaul, New Britain and Kavieng, New Ireland as well as at Bougainville in the Solomons and Kendari in the Celebes.
On January 24, they landed at Balikpapan in Dutch Borneo. On January 25, they landed at Lae in New Guinea. On January 27 they landed at Pemangkat, Dutch Borneo. On January 30, they captured the naval base of Amboina.
On February 3, Japanese began air raids on Port Moresby. On January 14, the invasion of Sumatra with landings at Palembang. On February 15, the British surrendered to the Japanese in Singapore. On February 19, Darwin was bombed twice by Japanese aircraft and the Japanese invade Bali. On February 20, Japanese forces landed on Timor. On February 23, a Japanese submarine shelled an oil refinery near Santa Barbara, California.
The Japanese goal from the beginning was to take control of New Guinea and then to subjugate Australia and with this accomplished it would then bring to a close their Great Asia War.
Initially Japanese forces had a four to one superiority in the air and their pilots having fought in China were mostly much more experienced than the Allied pilots they flew against. Their ground troops were well trained and equipped and many had also seen service in China leading up to WW2. The Japanese troops were also recognised as some of the best jungle fighters in the world. By contrast the allied troops they came into contact with had no recent combat experience, they were ill equipped and mostly supplied with and using outdated equipment and communication networks.
The Japanese had planned well and moved quickly, with troops landing in Malaya, several hours before their air attack on Hawaii.
1. Malaya 1.40am on the night of December 6-7, 1941. - 2. Pearl Harbour a few hours later on the morning of December 7, 1941.
3. Philippines and Guam on December 10, 1941. - 4. Burma on December 11, 1941. - 5. Borneo on December 16, 1941.
6. Hong Kong, December 18, 1941. - 7. Luzon on December 22, 1941. - 8. Wake Island and Kuching on December 23, 1941.
1942
9. Sarawak on January 7, 1942. - 10. Tarakan and Menado on January 11, 1942. -
11. Rabaul and Kavieng on January 23, 1942. - 12. Kendari on January 24, 1942. - 13. Ambon on January 31, 1942.
14. Macassar on February 9, 1942. - 15. Palembang on February 14, 1942. - 16. Bali on February 18, 1942.
17. Dili and Koepang on February 20, 1942. - 18. Batavia and Surabaya on March 1, 1942.
19. Lae and Salamaua on March 8, 1942.