Editing 1942 (section)

===February===
{{Main|February 1942}}
* [[February 1]]
** WWII: [[Marshalls–Gilberts raids]]: Admiral [[William Halsey Jr]] sends airstrikes from the carrier [[USS Enterprise (CV-6)|USS ''Enterprise'']] against [[Kwajalein Atoll|Kwajalein]], [[Taroa Island|Taroa]], [[Wotje Atoll|Wotje]] in the [[Marshall Islands]]. At the same time, cruisers and destroyers bombard Taroa and Wotje. The strikes inflict light to moderate damage on the three islands' naval garrisons, sink three warships and damage several others, including the light cruiser [[Japanese cruiser Katori|''Katori'']] and damage 15 Japanese aircraft. Further south, the carrier [[USS Yorktown (CV-5)|USS ''Yorktown'']] attacks [[Jaluit Atoll|Jaluit]], [[Mili Atoll|Mili]] and [[Butaritari|Makin]] in the [[Gilbert Islands]]. They inflict moderate damage to the Japanese naval installations and destroy three aircraft. 
** WWII: The ''[[Kriegsmarine]]'' introduces the [[Cryptanalysis of the Enigma#M4 (German Navy 4-rotor Enigma)|M4 (German Navy 4-rotor)]] [[Enigma machine]] for [[U-boat]] traffic, blinding Allied [[cryptanalyst]]s to their radio signals for most of the year.
** WWII: The Command staff of the United States [[VIII Bomber Command|Eighth Air Force]] reaches England.<!-- becomes active in the [[European Theater of Operations]], but won't fly missions until July 4, 1942, using borrowed British planes[http://www.taphilo.com/history/8thaf/index.shtml] --->
** [[Mao Zedong]] makes a speech on "Reform in Learning, the Party and Literature", starting the [[Yan'an Rectification Movement]] in the [[Chinese Communist Party]].
* [[February 3]] &ndash; WWII: Rommel suspends his offensive in Cyrenaica.
* [[February 7]] &ndash; [[United States Maritime Commission]] fleet operations are transferred to the [[War Shipping Administration]] (lasting until [[September 1]], [[1946]]).
* [[February 8]]
** WWII: [[Fall of Singapore|Battle of Singapore]]: Japanese forces of the [[5th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)|5th Division]] and [[18th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)|18th Division]] (some 23,000 men) begin to cross the [[Straits of Johor|Johor Strait]] and attack the Australian [[22nd Brigade (Australia)|22nd Brigade]] (some 3,000 men) at [[Singapore in the Straits Settlements|Singapore]]. 
** WWII: [[Daylight saving time]] goes into effect in the United States.
** WWII: Top United States military leaders hold their first formal meeting to discuss American military strategy in the war.
** [[António Óscar Carmona]] is elected president of Portugal.
* [[February 9]] &ndash; The [[ocean liner]] {{SS|Normandie}} catches fire while being converted into the troopship USS ''Lafayette'' (AP-53) for WWII at Pier 88 in New York City; she capsizes early the following morning.
* [[February 11]]&ndash;[[February 13|13]] &ndash; WWII: [[Operation Cerberus]]: A [[Kriegsmarine]] (German navy) squadron comprising the [[German battleship Scharnhorst|''Scharnhorst'']] and [[German battleship Gneisenau|''Gneisenau'']], heavy cruiser [[German cruiser Prinz Eugen|''Prinz Eugen'']] and their escort, dash from [[Brest, France|Brest]] through the [[English Channel]] to German ports; the British fail to sink any of them.
* [[February 14]]&ndash;[[February 18|18]] &ndash; WWII: [[Battle of Bilin River]]: Indian forces of the [[17th Infantry Division (India)|17th Division]] under General [[Sir John Smyth, 1st Baronet|John Snyth]] are ordered to halt the Japanese advance but are outflanked and retreat to the [[Sittaung River|Sittang River]]. 
* [[February 14]] &ndash; WWII: 
** [[Battle of Palembang]]: Japanese paratroopers (240 men) are dropped near [[Palembang]], and capture the oil refinery complex undamaged. Dutch forces counter-attack and manage to retake the complex but take heavy losses. A planned demolition fails to do any serious damage to the refinery, but the oil stores are set ablaze.
** The {{SS|Vyner Brooke}}, Scottish steamship, is bombed and sunk by Japanese planes while evacuating nurses and wounded servicemen from Singapore. Rescue boats with many survivors reach [[Bangka Island]].
* [[February 15]] &ndash; WWII: [[Fall of Singapore]]: Commonwealth forces under General [[Arthur Percival]] surrender to the Japanese [[Twenty-Fifth Army (Japan)|25th Army]]. About 80,000 British, Indian, Australian, and local troops become prisoners of war, joining the 50,000 soldiers taken in the [[Malayan campaign]]. 
* [[February 16]] &ndash; WWII: [[Bangka Island massacre|Bangka Island Massacre]]: Japanese soldiers [[Machine gun|machine-gun]] 22 [[Australian Army Nursing Service|Australian Army nurses]] and 60 Australian and British soldiers and crew who have survived the sinking of SS ''Vyner Brooke''.
* [[February 18]] &ndash; WWII:
** [[Japanese occupation of Singapore]]: ''[[Sook Ching]]'' &ndash; Japanese forces begin the systematic extermination of perceived hostile elements among [[Chinese Singaporeans]].
** More than 200 American sailors die in [[Newfoundland and Labrador|Newfoundland]] when {{USS|Truxtun|DD-229|6}} runs aground near Chambers Cove and {{USS|Pollux|AKS-2|6}} runs aground at Lawn Point.
* [[February 19]] &ndash; WWII:
** [[Bombing of Darwin]]: The Japanese [[1st Air Fleet]] under Admiral [[Chūichi Nagumo]] bombs [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]], Australia. This force comprises the aircraft carriers [[Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi|''Akagi'']], [[Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga|''Kaga'']], [[Japanese aircraft carrier Hiryū|''Hiryū'']] and [[Japanese aircraft carrier Sōryū|''Sōryū'']] and a powerful force of escorting surface ships. During the attack, 188 planes led by [[Mitsuo Fuchida]] destroy 11 vessels and wreck a lot of the harbor infrastructure, killing some 240 people.
** A returning Japanese fighter plane crashes on [[Melville Island (Australia)]] and its pilot, [[Hajime Toyoshima]], becomes the first Japanese captured on Australian soil, when [[Indigenous Australians|indigenous resident]] [[Matthias Ulungura]] takes him prisoner. 
** President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] signs [[Executive Order 9066]], allowing the United States military to define areas as exclusionary zones. These zones affect the [[Internment of Japanese Americans|Japanese]] on the West Coast, and [[Internment of German Americans|Germans]] and [[Internment of Italian Americans|Italians]] primarily on the East Coast.
* [[February 19]]–[[February 23|23]] &ndash; WWII: [[Battle of Sittang Bridge]]: Indian forces of the 17th Division are ordered to defend the Sittang Bridge, but eventually blow up the bridge to halt the Japanese advance to [[Yangon|Rangoon]]. Survivors of the 17th Division (some 3.500 soldiers) swim and ferry themselves over the Sittang River.
* [[February 20]] &ndash; Lieutenant [[Edward O'Hare]] becomes America's first U.S. Navy [[flying ace]] of the war.
* [[February 21]] &ndash; WWII: [[Invasion of Sumatra]]: Japanese forces of the [[38th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)|38th Division]] under General [[Tadayoshi Sano]] capture [[Bandar Lampung|Tanjungkarang]] airfield, which is put to work for air operations against [[Java]].
* [[February 22]] &ndash; WWII: General [[George Marshall]] transmits a direct order to [[Douglas MacArthur|General MacArthur]] in [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|President Roosevelt]]'s name, ordering MacArthur himself to turn over command of the [[Philippines]] to a subordinate, and report to Australia to assume command of the large American force being built up there. The orders are worded to allow MacArthur to choose the exact moment of his [[Douglas MacArthur's escape from the Philippines|departure]]; for various reasons, he will not leave until March 11.
* [[February 23]] &ndash; WWII: {{Ship|Japanese submarine|I-17||2|up=yes}} fires 17 high-explosive shells toward an [[oil refinery]] near [[Santa Barbara, California]], causing little damage.
* [[February 24]]
** [[Struma disaster|'' Struma'' disaster]]: {{MV|Struma}}, carrying Jewish refugees from Axis-allied Romania to British-administered Palestine, is torpedoed and sunk by {{Ship|Soviet submarine|Shch-213||2|up=yes}}, killing about 791 men, women, and children, with only 1 survivor.
** [[Propaganda]]: The [[Voice of America]] begins broadcasting.
** [[Internment of Japanese Canadians]] is ordered.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Sugiman |first=Pamela |year=2004 |title=Memories of internment: narrating Japanese Canadian women's life stories |journal=The Canadian Journal of Sociology |volume=29 |issue=3 |pages=359–388 |jstor=3654672 |doi=10.1353/cjs.2004.0049|s2cid=144013114 }}</ref>
* [[February 25]] &ndash; "[[Battle of Los Angeles]]": Over 1,400 AA shells are fired at an unidentified, slow-moving object (probably a meteorological balloon) in the skies over Los Angeles. The appearance of the object triggers an immediate wartime blackout over most of [[Southern California]], with thousands of air raid wardens being deployed throughout the city. At least 5 deaths are related to the incident. Despite the several-hour barrages no planes are downed.
* [[February 26]] &ndash; The [[14th Academy Awards]] ceremony is held in Los Angeles; ''[[How Green Was My Valley (film)|How Green Was My Valley]]'' wins [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]].
* [[February 27]] &ndash; WWII: 
** [[Battle of the Java Sea]]: An allied ([[ABDA]]) task force of 14 vessels under [[Netherlands|Dutch]] command, trying to stem a Japanese invasion of the [[Dutch East Indies]], is defeated by a 19-vessel Japanese task force in the [[Java Sea]]; 2.300 sailors die, including the commander, Admiral [[Karel Doorman]]; Japanese attain naval hegemony in East-Asia.
** The [[USS Langley (CV-1)|USS ''Langley'']], first aircraft carrier of the [[United States Navy]], is attacked by 9 Japanese bombers while ferrying a cargo of USAAF [[Curtiss P-40 Warhawk|P-40]] fighters to Java. ''Langley'' is so badly damaged that she has to be [[Scuttling|scuttled]] to avoid falling into Japanese hands.