{ Friday - 02/20/1942 }

PORTUGUESE TIMOR - Japanese forces invade.

{ Saturday - 02/21/1942 }

GERMANY - The pocket-battleship Admiral Scheer and the cruiser Prinz Eugen leave for bases in Norway.

BURMA - The British 17th Indian Division begins retreat to the Sittang River through Kyaikto.

{ Sunday - 02/22/1942 }

LONDON - Air Marshal Harris, is appointed head of Bomber Command. He will be responsible for implementing the new policy of "civilian target" bombing from the Air Ministry.

WASHINGTON - General Douglas MacArthur is ordered to leave the Philippines and establish new headquarters in Australia.

BURMA - Japanese troops continue their advances against the British 17th Indian Division at Mokpalin on the Sittang River. Fighting is extremely heavy.

{ Monday - 02/23/1942 }

BURMA - A large part of the British 17th Indian Division is trapped on the east bank of the Sittang River when the only accessible bridge is destroyed. Most of the troops escape to the other side of the river, but all of their heavy equipment is lost.

{ Tuesday - 02/24/1942 }

EASTERN FRONT - The Soviet Winter Offensive is slowing in the face of greater German resistance. In the north, the Red Army have encircled German 2nd Corps of the German 16th Army, just south of Lake Ilmen in the Demyansk region. The entrapped German troops will hold until relieved in April because the Luftwaffe manages to drop 270 tons of supplies to them daily.

WAKE ISLAND - Admiral Halsey on board the USS Enterprise leads task force in a successful attack on Wake Island. 

{ Wednesday - 02/25/1942 }

LONDON - The American, British, Dutch, Australian Command (ABDA) is dissolved. General Wavell again becomes the Commander in Chief, India. The Dutch General Ter Poorten takes command in Java.

{ Thursday - 02/26/1942 }

WASHINGTON - Soviet Ambassador Litvinov demands the Allies open a second front. He states that "only by simultaneous offensive operations on two or more of the fronts can Hitler's armed forces be disposed of."

EASTERN FRONT - The Red Army engages the German 16th Army near Starya Russa, inflicting heavy casualties. 

BURMA - The Japanese cross the Sittang River and now threaten to capture the Rangoon-Mandalay railway.