May 22, 1941: Chinese communists deny claim by the governing nationalists that it is not doing enough to fight Japan May 23, 1941: Following agreement with Moscow, Japan moves troops from Soviet border to war in China May 24, 1941: Japanese Army insists it will defeat China militarily not through negotiations May 25, 1941: Tough…
May 15, 1941: Battleship USS Washington is commissioned May 16, 1941: US Naval officer and Japanese linguist Joseph Rochefort is assigned to head Station Hypo, a unit of code breakers in Hawaii May 17, 1941: United States Army Air Force announces it has placed an order for 250 B-29 bombers May 18, 1941: China says…
May 8, 1941: Japanese newspaper Japan Times Advertiser says war in China should end May 9, 1941: Massive Japanese air raid on China’s wartime capital of Chongqing May 10, 1941: Eugen Ott, German ambassador to Tokyo, holds talks with Japanese and Italian officials on future of Axis alliance May 11, 1941: Walt Disney Corp. agrees…
May 1, 1941: Japanese troops make landing in southern China in yet another attempt to cut off supply lines to Chiang Kai-shek‘s forces May 2, 1941: Chinese Foreign Minister Guo Taiqi says China, the United States and Britain must unite in a democratic alliance if totalitarian control of the world is to be avoided May…
April 24, 1941: The passenger ship TSS Zealandia unloads Australian troops at Rabaul in the South Pacific April 25, 1941: Japan considers setting up puppet state in southeast China’s Fujian province April 26, 1941: General Douglas MacArthur, military advisor in the Philippines, says that in case of war with Japan, the United States should seize…
April 17, 1941: US Ambassador to Tokyo Joseph Grew warns in message to Washington that a powerful group in the Japanese Army believes ‘the time is now ripe for a move southward while Japan’s position is still strong’ April 18, 1941: Admiral Husband Kimmel, commander in chief of the United States Pacific Fleet, calls for…
April 10, 1941: Japan’s Navy sets up First Air Fleet consisting of aircraft carriers Kaga and Akagi and their aircraft units April 11, 1941: Eelco van Kleffens, foreign minister in Dutch government-in-exile, leaves London for negotiations in Netherlands East Indies with Japanese on access to the colony’s oil and rubber April 12, 1941: Japanese Foreign…
April 3, 1941: Heavy cruisers USS Portland and Chicago depart Fiji islands at head of flotilla after month-long Pacific tour showing the flag in large parts of the vast ocean. Image: Naval History and Heritage Command April 4, 1941: Japanese Foreign Minister Matsuoka Yosuke, visiting Berlin, obtains German promise of assistance if Japan attacks the…
March 27, 1941: During visit to Berlin, Japanese Foreign Minister Matsuoka Yosuke tells his German counterpart Joachim von Ribbentrop that their Axis partnership is “a pact of peace March 28, 1941: Japanese troops continue advance north of Hong Kong, seizing town of Jieshi March 29, 1941: Japanese spy Yoshikawa Takeo begins sending reports to Tokyo…
March 20, 1941: China’s First Lady, Soong Mei-ling also referred to as Madame Chiang Kai-shek, thanks the United States and Britain for help in war against Japan March 21, 1941: Visit by US flotilla to Sydney, Australia, is seen as a signal to Japan that America remains committed to Pacific region. March 22, 1941: Japanese…
