http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1941/dec41/f18dec41.htm
Hong Kong garrison fighting back
Thursday, December 18, 1941 www.onwar.com
Indian troops transporting ammunition to Hong KongIn Hong Kong... Japanese land forces during the night on Hong Kong Island between North Point and the Lei U Mun Channel. The landings are successful despite counterattacks by the undermanned British and Canadian forces on the island.
In the Mediterranean... British convoy reaches Malta with much needed supplies. Force B, part of its escort turns back to Egypt while Force K searches for the Italian convoy it engaged the day earlier. Force K runs into a mine field which sinks one destroyer and one cruiser. Both of the other cruisers are damaged. Also, Italian midget submarines penetrate the British fleet’s anchorage at Alexandria, while the net defenses have been lowered to allow Force B’s return to port. They place explosives under the battleships Queen Elizabeth and Valiant. Both sink to the bottom of the harbor. The British have lost their striking force from Malta and the Mediterranean Fleet has lost its only battleships. Coupled with the loss the American ships at Pearl Harbor and the British ships in the east, the Allies now have a serious lack of capital ships.
On the Eastern Front... Field Marshal Bock is replaced by Kluge as part of change of command due to German set backs. Like Brauchitsch, the reason given for the replacement is illness.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/18.htm
December 18th, 1941
UNITED KINGDOM:
Frigate HMS Spey launched.
Submarine HMS United launched.
Minesweeping trawlers HMS Earraid and Sir Galahad launched.
Corvette HMS Potentilla launched.
Destroyer HS Kanaris (ex-HMS Hatherleigh) launched.
(Dave Shirlaw)
GERMANY: U-707 is launched.
U-256, U-407, U-601 commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
MEDITERRANEAN SEA: The British convoy reaches Malta and Force B heads back for Egypt, leaving Force K to search for the Italian naval force. Ships of Force K, the British Flotilla assigned to protect Malta and its shipping, hit an Italian moored minefield 20 miles (32 kilometres) east of Tripoli, Libya. The light cruiser HMS Neptune and destroyer HMS KANDAHAR are sunk, the light cruiser HMS Aurora is badly damaged and the light cruiser HMS Penelope is slightly damaged. The sinking of HMS Neptune causes the death of 150 New Zealanders, the nation’s greatest loss at sea in World War II. The site of the stricken ships limping back to the Grand Harbour brought a sense of fear into the Maltese people, who depend on the protected convoys to survive. (Jack McKillop)
HONG KONG: The days appear to be numbered as a British colony as 40,000 Japanese troops stand by to storm and island defended by just 8,000. This evening a contingent of Japanese troops succeeded in establishing a bridgehead at Tai Koo on Hong Kong Island, after crossing the 500-yard stretch of water separating the island from the mainland and landing between North Point and the Lei U Mun Channel. The landings are successful despite counterattacks by the undermanned British and Canadian Royal Rifles of Canada. The first wave of Japanese troops land in Hong Kong with artillery fire for cover and the following order from their commander: “Take no prisoners”.
Japanese gunners, aided by superb intelligence, have targeted and destroyed pillboxes, fixed defences and air-raid shelters on the island’s North Shore. After overrunning a battery of anti-tank guns manned by local volunteers, Tanaka’s men rope together all 20 survivors of the action, and bayonet them to death. Japanese shoot and bayonet to death eight Canadians, four RAMC soldiers, and three St. John’s Ambulance men. After seizing the Lei Yu Mun Channel, the Japanese 38th Division storms across Hong Kong Island from east to west, splitting the two British defending brigades. The Japanese quickly take control of key reservoirs, threatening the British and Chinese inhabitants with a slow death by thirst. (Jack McKillop)
The Hong Kong governor, Sir Mark Young, urged on by messages from Mr Churchill, continues to reject Lt-Gen Takaishi Sakai’s offers to surrender “on the grounds of humanity.” Today Sir Mark “flatly rejected” the third such offer in five days.
inhabitants with a slow death by thirst. (Jack McKillop)
MALAYA: The Indian 11th Division completes their withdrawal behind the Krian River and is held in reserve in the Taiping area. Forces defending the Grik road are further reinforced. After visiting forward areas, Lieutenant General Sir Arthur E. Percival draws up plans for a withdrawal behind the Perak River; he also decides to amalgamate certain units, among them the Indian 6th and 15th Brigades (to be designated the Indian 6/15 Brigade) and to incorporate the Indian 12th Brigade Group in the Indian 11th Division. (Jack McKillop)
The Japanese occupy Penang which was evacuated by the British yesterday. (Jack McKillop)
All combat-worthy aircraft in Malaya are ordered to fly to Singapore. (Jack McKillop)
BORNEO: For a second day, Dutch reconnaissance aircraft from Singkawang, Borneo, make reconnaissance flights over the Japanese invasion fleet. A Dutch Dornier Do-24 bombs and sinks Japanese destroyer HIJMS Shinonome off Miri, Borneo. (Jack McKillop)
COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: On Luzon, the Japanese Legaspi detachment reaches Naga. (Jack McKillop)
The French 14,000-ton motor mail vessel Marechal Joffre, manned by a scratch crew that includes aviation personnel from Patrol Wing Ten (PatWing 10), departs Manila Bay for Balikpapan, Borneo, and then to Australia, New Zealand and finally, San Francisco arriving in April 1942. Marechal Joffre will be formally acquired by the Navy and commissioned as the transport USS Rochambeau (AP-63) on 27 April 1942. (Jack McKillop)
U.S.A.: Censorship is imposed with the passage of the first American War Powers Act. The War Powers Act is passed by Congress, authorizing the president to initiate and terminate defence contracts, reconfigure government agencies for wartime priorities, and regulate the freezing of foreign assets. It also permitted him to censor all communications coming in and leaving the country. President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed the executive news director of the Associated Press, Byron Price, as director of censorship. Although invested with the awesome power to restrict and withhold news, Price took no extreme measures, allowing news outlets and radio stations to self-censor, which they did. Most top secret information, including the construction of the atom bomb, remained just that. The most extreme use of the censorship law seems to have been the restriction of the free flow of “girlie” magazines to servicemen-including Esquire, which the Post Office considered obscene for its occasional saucy cartoons and pinups. Esquire took the Post Office to court, and after three years the Supreme Court ultimately sided with the magazine. (Jack McKillop)
In another executive order, President Roosevelt directs a commission, to be headed by retired Supreme Court Chief Justice Owen J. Roberts (Roberts Commission), to “ascertain and report the facts relating to the attack made by the Japanese armed forces upon the Territory of Hawaii on December 7, 1941...to provide bases for sound decisions whether any derelictions of duty or errors of judgment on the part of United States Army or Navy personnel contributed to such successes as were achieved by the enemy on the occasion mentioned; and if so, what these derelictions or errors were, and who were responsible therefor.” In addition to Justice Roberts, the commission’s membership includes retired Admiral William H. Standley and Rear Admiral Joseph W. Reeves; Major General Frank R. McCoy, USA (Retired) and Brigadier General Joseph T. McNarney, USA. (Jack McKillop)
An order is promulgated giving CINCUS direct operational control over the USN’s forces. (Keith Allen)
MacArthur is promoted to General. (Jack McKillop)
Destroyer USS Corry commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
HAITI: Port Au Prince breaks off diplomatic relations with Berlin. (Mike Yared)
CANADA:
Corvettes HMCS Halifax and Vegreville arrived Halifax from builders Montreal, Province of Quebec.
Corvette HMCS Charlottetown arrived Halifax from builder Quebec City, Province of Quebec.
1941 - Corvette HMCS Fredericton arrived Halifax from builder Sorel, Province of Quebec. (Dave Shirlaw)
U.S.A.: Destroyer USS Corry commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
NORTH ATLANTIC: The German submarine U-434 is sunk north of Madeira, Portugal, in position 36.15N, 15.48W, by depth charges from the British escort destroyer HMS Blankney and the destroyer HMS Stanley. 42 of the 46-man crew survive. (Jack McKillop)