CBI - China: Day 115 of 154 of the Japanese Invasion of Manchuria.
1933 — , January 10
CBI - China: Day 10 of 142 of the 1st Battle of Hebei.
1937 — , January 10
Spain: Day 178 of 985 of the Spanish Civil War.
1938 — , January 10
Spain: Day 543 of 985 of the Spanish Civil War.
CBI - China: Day 188 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 33 of 54 of the Battle of Nanking.
Day 29 of 50 of the Rape of Nanking.
1939 — , January 10
Spain: Day 908 of 985 of the Spanish Civil War.
CBI - China: Day 553 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
1940 — , January 10
ETO: A German plane makes a forced landing at Malines, Belgium. The occupants are unable to destroy the maps and battle plans they carry, details of upcoming German invasion plans set for January 14, which are passed on to the Belgian and Dutch governments.
Spotlight...
10 Jan 40: The German plane forced down over Belgium
The Mechelen Incident is the name given to the 10 Jan 40 event during which a German aircraft with an officer on-board carrying the plans for Fall Gelb (Case Yellow), a German attack on the Low Countries, crash-landed in neutral Belgium. This prompted an immediate crisis in the Low Countries and amidst the French and British authorities, whom the Belgians notified of their discovery. However the crisis abated relatively quickly once the 14 Jan date mentioned in the plans passed without incident.
It has been argued that the incident led to a major change in the German attack plan, but this hypothesis has been disputed.
CBI - China: Day 918 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 57 of 381 of the Battle of South Guangxi.
1941 — , January 10
USA: Roosevelt introduces his Lend Lease bill to the House of Representatives.
ETO - UK: Day 127 of 258 of the Blitz.
Eastern Front: Soviet-German trade pact is signed affirming current trade agreements.
MTO: German aircraft surprise the British fleet in the Mediterranean, damaging the HMS ILLUSTRIOUS and HMS WARSPITE. Both ships survive and arrive at Malta the next day. The Luftwaffe begins heavy air attacks on Malta.
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Related dates...
06 Jan 41: Luftwaffe launches first attacks against convoys bound for Malta
10 Jan 41: Luftwaffe begins heavy air attacks on Malta
01 Apr 42: Luftwaffe informs Hitler that they simply cannot sink the island
15 Apr 42: George Cross is awarded to the people of Malta
10 May 42: Kesselring prematurely says Malta has been neutralized
21 May 42: Hitler indefinitely postpones an invasion of Malta
10 Oct 42: German, Italian bombers begin 8 day offensive against Malta
18 Oct 42: Axis daylight bombing raids over Malta are finally suspended
30 Jan 45: Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill meet in Malta
MTO - North Africa: Day 33 of 63 of the UK's Operation COMPASS, their campaign in North Africa against the Italians in Egypt and Libya.
East Africa: Day 215 of 537 of Italy's East African campaign in the lands south of Egypt.
CBI - China: Day 1,284 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
CBI - Thailand: Day 102 of 221 of the Franco-Thai War (Vichy France vs Thailand).
1942 — , January 10
PTO - Hawaii: In preparation for a possible invasion by Japanese troops, Hawaii's military governor issues an order that will soon replace all regular US paper currency on the islands with notes with the word "HAWAII" overprinted on both sides.
Spotlight...
Hawaii overprint note
After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 07 De 41, the United States recognized that a forthcoming Japanese invasion of Hawaii was a very real possibility. Not only was the US militarily unprepared at the moment, but economically as well. Japanese troops could have access to a large amount of US currency.
To avoid this possibility, Military Governor Delos Carleton Emmons recalled $200 million worth of US currency in Hawaii to be set on fire. The Federal Reserve replaced all that money with special bills with with brown treasury seals and serial numbers and the word "HAWAII" across the reverse side and in two small places on the obverse. Denominations included $1, $5, $10 and $20 notes.
In case of a Japanese invasion, these special notes could quickly be made worthless, preventing the Japanese from holding millions of American dollars.
The new overprinted notes were first issued on 25 Jun 42. They would remain in use until 21 Oct 44. Many notes were saved as curios and souvenirs by servicemen.
Note:
Japanese Invasion Money
During the war, the Japanese Military Authority routinely issued "invasion money" after the conquest of colonies and other states and would have likely done so in Hawaii had they invaded.
Beginning with the capture of the Philippines, the Japanese military confiscated all hard currency, both on a federal and individual level, replacing it with locally printed notes bearing a proclamation of military issue. All notes carried the name of the issuer as "The Japanese Government" while some notes proclaimed "promises to pay the bearer on demand." Called "Mickey Mouse Money" by local Filipinos, it was valueless after the overthrow of the Japanese, and tons of it were burned.
After WWII, an organization called "The Japanese War Notes Claimants Association of the Philippines, Inc" was founded on 08 Jan 53. Its purpose was to pressure the Philippine and US governments to redeem or to pay a fraction of the value of the Japanese military issues of currency for the Philippines. However, the Filipino legislature was not interested in pursuing the matter and nothing ever came of it.
Court battles against Japan raged through the 20th century with cases going to Japan's highest courts. But no person issued Japanese invasion money in place of their own has ever been awarded compensation. Japan has only made restitution on a national level, but not to any one individual.
Related dates...
10 Jan 42: Order is issued to print Hawaii overprint notes
25 Jun 42: Hawaii overprint notes are first exchanged
15 Aug 42: Only Hawaii overprint notes will now be accepted
21 Oct 44: Use of Hawaii overprint notes comes to an end
ETO - Germany: Colonel-General Ernst Udet commits suicide because of his failure to provide adequate replacements and new improved aircraft models to the Luftwaffe.
Russian Front - North: Day 125 of 872 of the Siege of Leningrad.
Russian Front - North: Day 2 of 29 of the Battle of Toropets, Russia. A failed attempt to break the siege at Leningrad.
Russian Front - Center: Day 3 of 103 of the Battle of Vyazma, Russia.
Russian Front - Center: Day 3 of 103 of the Battle of Sychevsk, Russia.
Russian Front - South: Day 73 of 248 of the Siege of Sevastopol, Crimean Peninsula. All further German attacks against the Crimean fortress of Sevastopol are stopped for the winter.
CBI - Burma: Day 28 of 164 of Japan's Invasion of Burma.
CBI - China: Day 1,649 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 18 of 99 of the 3rd Battle of Changsha.
CBI - Malaya: Day 34 of 55 of the Battle of British Malaya.
PTO - Borneo: Day 26 of 107 of the Battle of Borneo.
PTO - Dutch East Indies: Japan declares war on Netherlands as Japanese troops invade the Dutch East Indies.
PTO - Philippines: Day 34 of 152 of the 1st Battle of the Philippines.
1943 — , January 10
Russian Front - North: Day 490 of 872 of the Siege of Leningrad.
Russian Front - North: Day 53 of 59 of the Battle of Velikiye Luki, near Leningrad. This stalemate does help ease the siege a little, but mostly it keeps German troops from being sent to other fronts.
Russian Front - North: Day 251 of 658 of the Siege of the Kholm Pocket, USSR lays siege to the Kholm Pocket but the Germans hold out for a about a year and a half.
Russian Front - South: Day 142 of 165 of the Battle of Stalingrad, bloodiest battle in human history. Soviets begin Operation RING, the final annihilation of the tattered remnants of German 6th Army at Stalingrad.
Russian Front - South: Day 30 of 69 of the USSR's Operation LITTLE SATURN. A successful drive into the Northern Caucasus and the Donets Basin pushing the Axis troops out.
MTO - Tunisia: Day 55 of 178 of the Battle of Tunisia. RAF and US Air Forces provide Allied air support.
CBI - Burma: Day 21 of 104 of the 1st Battle of Arakan. US 10th Air Force provides air support.
CBI - China: Day 2,014 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
PTO - Alaska: Day 218 of 435 of the Battle of Kiska, Aleutian Islands.
PTO - Malaya: Day 326 of 357 of the Battle of Timor Island, a long guerrilla war ending in Japanese victory.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 53 of 66 of the Battle of Buna-Gona. 5th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - New Guinea: For the fifth day in a row, the US 5th Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force continue attacking the same Japanese convoy, which had left Lae yesterday.
PTO - Solomon Islands: Day 157 of 187 of the Battle of Guadalcanal. US 5th Air Force supports ground forces in the battle area.
1944 — , January 10
ETO - Germany: Day 54 of 135 of the Battle of Berlin (RAF bombing campaign). Small raids are made on Berlin, Solingen, Koblenz and Krefeld by 20 Mosquitos. No losses.
Russian Front - North: Day 855 of 872 of the Siege of Leningrad.
Russian Front - North: Day 616 of 658 of the Siege of the Kholm Pocket. USSR lays siege to the Kholm Pocket but the Germans hold out for a about a year and a half.
Russian Front - Center: The Soviets capture Lyudvipol, 2-3 miles across the Polish border. The Russians propose a new Polish border further west on the so-called Curzon Line.
Russian Front - South: Day 18 of 113 of the USSR's Dnieper-Carpathian Offensive in southwestern Ukraine.
Russian Front - South: Day 18 of 22 of the Battle of Zhitomir, Russia. This will create a 70 mile gap in the German line.
Russian Front - South: Day 6 of 12 of the Battle of Kirograd, Ukraine.
MTO - Bulgaria: US 15th Air Force B-17s bomb at Sofia.
MTO - Yugoslavia: US 15th Air Force B-24s bomb at Skoplje.
MTO - Italy: All but one of the Fascist ex-ministers on trial are sentenced to death at Castel Vecchio.
MTO - Italy: RAF and US Air Forces provides air support for the Allied ground troops.
CBI - Burma: Day 12 of 99 of the 2nd Battle of Arakan.
CBI - Burma: US 10th Air Force attacks a variety of targets.
CBI - China: Day 2,379 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
US 10th and 14th Air Forces bomb transportation type targets sinking a few boats on the Yangtze River.
PTO - Malaya: US 5th Air Force B-25s bomb at Koepang, Timor Island.
PTO - Marshall Islands: US 7th Air Force B-24s bomb several islands in the Marshalls.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 114 of 219 of the Battle of Shaggy Ridge. 5th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 111 of 162 of the Battle of the Huon Peninsula. 5th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 27 of 597 of the Battle of New Britain. US 13th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - Solomon Islands: Day 71 of 295 of the Battle of the Bougainville Islands.
1945 — , January 10
ETO - France: Day 163 of 284 of the Battle of Brittany.
ETO - France: Day 118 of 236 of the Siege of Dunkirk.
ETO - Belgium: Day 26 of 41 of the Battle of the Bulge. US 9th Air Force provides air support.
ETO - Belgium: Day 11 of 26 of Operation NORDWIND, the last major German offensive of World War II on the Western Front.
ETO - Germany: Day 114 of 145 of the Battle of Hürtgen Forest.
ETO - Germany: US 8th Air Force heavy bombers attack a number of targets in Germany.
Russian Front - Finland: Day 118 of 223 of the Lapland War. Finland and Russia have joined forces to kick the Germans out of Finland's most northern province. The German 7th Gebirgs division retreats from its positions in Lataseno. Only a very small portion of Finland is still in German hands.
Russian Front - Center: Day 88 of 206 of the Battle of the Courland Pocket in Latvia.
Russian Front - Center: Day 81 of 99 of the Siege of Memel, a border town of Lithuania and East Prussia.
Russian Front - South: Day 74 of 108 of the Battle of Budapest, Hungary.
MTO - Italy: US and Royal Air Forces provides air support for the Allied ground units.
CBI: US 14th Air Force hit targets at French Indochina and Burma.
CBI - Burma: Day 285 of 302 of the Chinese Salween Offensive. US 10th Air Force provides air support.
CBI - China: Day 2,745 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
PTO - Alaska: US 11th Air Force B-24s bomb at Kurabu Airfield on Paramushiru Island.
PTO - Japan: US 7th Air Force B-24s bomb the airfields on Iwo Jima during the day and again at night.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 380 of 597 of the Battle of New Britain.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 264 of 481 of the Battle of Western New Guinea.
PTO - Philippines: Day 83 of 299 of the 2nd Battle of the Philippines, aka the Liberation of the Philippines or the Philippines Campaign.
PTO - Philippines: Day 27 of 244 of the Battle of Luzon. 5th Air Force provides air support, bombing enemy positions near Manila.
1946 — , January 10
London: The United Nations holds its first General Assembly with 51 member nations represented.
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Related dates (United Nations)...
12 Jun 41: Inter-Allied Declaration is signed in London, first step to the UN
14 Aug 41: Atlantic Charter signed, defining goals for post-war world
01 Jan 42: First use of term "United Nations" in Washington DC
24 Oct 45: UN Charter ratified by 5 members of Security Council
19 Dec 45: Eleanor Roosevelt appointed delegate to the UN
10 Jan 46: First General Assembly held, 51 nations represented
17 Jan 46: First Security Council meeting, adopting rules, procedures
12 Apr 46: The League of Nations holds its final meeting
24 Jan 46: First resolution adopted, focusing on atomic energy
10 Dec 48: General Assembly adopts Declaration of Human Rights
24 Oct 49: Cornerstone laid for UN Headquarters in New York City
Spotlight...
