Feb 26, 1942: Fighting rages near Pegu in Burma, as Japanese troops seek to exploit bridgehead gained at Sittang River Feb 27, 1942: Japanese Navy wins victory in Java Sea as it clashes with fleet of US, British, Australian and Dutch vessels Feb 28, 1942: Japanese forces land on island of Java, Dutch East Indies…

Feb 19, 1942: Japanese carrier-based planes raid the port city of Darwin in the first attack on the Australian mainland Feb 20, 1942: Edward Henry (“Butch”) O’Hare, pilot on board aircraft carrier Lexington, becomes the US Navy’s first official fighter ace after he shoots down five Japanese bombers in one day over the South Pacific…

Feb 12, 1942: US-led troops, many of them local Filipino draftees, offer resistance as Japanese forces apply pressure along entire front on Bataan peninsula Feb 13, 1942: Japanese paratroopers land near strategic oil refineries at Palembang in Dutch East Indies Feb 14, 1942: Dutch-led Indonesian troops pose with captured Japanese flag as battle of Palembang…

Feb 5, 1942: RMS Empress of Asia, an ocean liner converted into a troop transport, is sunk by Japanese dive bombers while carrying men and materiel to the beleaguered garrison in Singapore Feb 6, 1942: Japanese forces continue their advance in Dutch East Indies, seizing Samarinda on east coast of Borneo. Photo shows Japanese soldiers…

Jan 29, 1942: US troops arrive on Fiji, preparing to replace New Zealand forces on the islands Jan 30, 1942: British-led troops evacuate from Malaya into Singapore Japanese military admits setbacks in southern China, at time of rapid offensives elsewhere in the Pacific Jan 31, 1942: Japanese forces occupy the city of Moulmein in southern…

Jan 22, 1942: On Malay peninsula, battle of Muar River ends in Japanese victory Jan 23, 1942: US Lieutenant General Joseph Stilwell, seen above with Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek and China’s First Lady Song Meiling, accepts assignment as Chiang’s Allied chief of staff and main US military representative in the China theater Japanese forces land…

Jan 15, 1942: Japanese forces occupy Labuan island off British Borneo Jan 16, 1942: Japanese troops advance in British colony of Burma and are greeted as liberators in several locations Jan 17, 1942: Chinese forces in possession of large amounts of Japanese equipment after battle of Changsha. On photo above, two Chinese soldiers wearing captured…

Jan 8, 1942: While Japanese forces are victorious everywhere else in Asia, the Chinese army force them into retreat at city of Changsha British General Archibald Wavell, supreme commander of Allied forces in the Far East, inspects Malay front, where defending troops, including a large contingent of Indians, are under severe pressure from advancing Japanese…

Jan 1, 1942: Japanese and Indian troops engaged in fierce battle for control of city of Kampar on Malay peninsula Jan 2, 1942: Japanese forces occupy Philippine capital of Manila Jan 3, 1942: General Archibald Wavell, supreme commander of American, British, Dutch and Australian forces in the Far East, is ordered to hold the Malay…

Dec 25, 1941: British-led forces in Hong Kong surrender to the Japanese Army Dec 26, 1941: Philippine capital of Manila is declared an open city, indicating it will not be defended militarily, amid US hopes it will escape destruction at the hands of the Japanese invasion force Dec 27, 1941: Lieutenant General Sir Henry Royds…