CBI - China: Day 117 of 154 of the Japanese Invasion of Manchuria.
1933 — , January 12
CBI - China: Day 12 of 142 of the 1st Battle of Hebei.
1937 — , January 12
Spain: Day 180 of 985 of the Spanish Civil War.
1938 — , January 12
Spain: Day 545 of 985 of the Spanish Civil War.
CBI - China: Day 190 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 35 of 54 of the Battle of Nanking.
Day 31 of 50 of the Rape of Nanking.
1939 — , January 12
Spain: Day 910 of 985 of the Spanish Civil War.
CBI - China: Day 555 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
1940 — , January 12
Finland: Day 44 of 105 of the Russo-Finnish War. At the height of the cold weather spell in Europe, 50 inches of frost is reported in some places. Not snow... but frost!
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Dates related to Mother Nature...
12 Jan 40: 50 inches of frost is reported in Finland
13 Nov 41: Temperature on Russian Front drops to -80°F
18 Mar 44: Mount Vesuvius begins a six-day eruption
23 Mar 44: Mount Vesuvius' eruption slowly subsides
05 Jun 44: Rough seas in the English Channel postpone D-Day invasion
19 Jun 44: Channel storms begin, wreaking havoc on the Mulberries
23 Aug 44: B-24 crashes into school during violent thunderstorm
09 Dec 44: Patton's Weather Prayer circulated to the Third Army
05 Jun 45: 30 American ships damaged by typhoon near Okinawa
CBI - China: Day 920 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 59 of 381 of the Battle of South Guangxi.
1941 — , January 12
ETO Norway: Recruiting of Norwegians for the German Nordland Regiment of the 5th SS Motorised Division Wiking begins.
ETO - UK: Day 129 of 258 of the Blitz.
MTO - North Africa: Day 35 of 63 of the UK's Operation COMPASS, their campaign in North Africa against the Italians in Egypt and Libya.
East Africa: Day 217 of 537 of Italy's East African campaign in the lands south of Egypt.
CBI - China: Day 1,286 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
CBI - Thailand: Day 104 of 221 of the Franco-Thai War (Vichy France vs Thailand).
1942 — , January 12
PTO - Dutch East Indies: Day 2 of 2 of the Battle of Tarakan. Outnumbered Dutch forces on the Indonesian island of Tarakan surrender to the Japanese. All POWs are executed, retaliation for the destruction of the oil installations there.
Spotlight...
The 700 oil wells, oil refinery and airfield on the Indonesian island of Tarakan was one of the main objectives for the Empire of Japan in the Pacific War.
The Dutch colony was the fourth-largest exporter of oil in the world, behind the US, Iran, and Romania. President Roosevelt's executive order of 26 July 1941 ended all American oil exports to Japan, which eliminated 93 percent of its oil supply; a factor that influenced the decision to attack Pearl Harbor and then seize control of the East Indies without American interference.
The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army or Koninklijk Nederlands Indisch Leger (KNIL) was the main defense against the Japanese invading the Netherlands East Indies. Dutch forces had been severely weakened by the defeat and occupation by Nazi Germany of the Netherlands itself in 1940. Nevertheless, at the start of the Pacific War, in December 1941, Dutch forces in Indonesia numbered around 85,000 troops, a combination of European and indigenous regular soldiers, locally organized militia, territorial guard units and civilian volunteers.
The KNIL air force numbered 389 planes of all types, but was largely outclassed by superior Japanese planes. The Royal Netherlands Navy Air Service also had significant forces in the Dutch East Indies. The DEI campaign of 1941-42 saw the Dutch and associated allied forces quickly defeated.
Dates related to oil in World War II...
03 Mar 38: Oil is discovered in large quantities in Saudi Arabia
26 Sep 40: FDR imposes an embargo on the export of aviation fuel
01 Aug 41: US announces oil embargo against all aggressor nations
12 Jan 42: Dutch POWs executed for destruction of oil installations
25 Mar 42: Standard Oil pleads "no contest" over synthetic rubber
01 May 42: PLUTO pipeline under English Channel is tested
15 May 42: Gasoline rationing goes into effect in the eastern US
28 Jan 44: US, UK place oil embargo on Spain for supplying Germany
05 Mar 44: Gen Spaatz issues "Oil Plan" to bomb Germany's fuel
05 May 44: Spain stops exporting Tungsten to Germany for US oil
12 May 44: US 8th AF begins bombing oil production in Germany
12 Aug 44: PLUTO pipeline is laid across English Channel
16 Aug 45: Gasoline and fuel oil rationing comes to an end
WWII Store items related to oil...
The Great Oil Conspiracy: How the US Government Hid the Nazi Discovery of Abiotic Oil from the American People
Oil & War: How the Deadly Struggle for Fuel in WWII Meant Victory or Defeat
Russian Front - North: Day 127 of 872 of the Siege of Leningrad. German Army Group North is denied permission to withdraw from the Lake Ilmen area.
Russian Front - North: Day 4 of 29 of the Battle of Toropets, Russia. A failed attempt to break the siege at Leningrad.
Russian Front - Center: Day 5 of 103 of the Battle of Vyazma, Russia.
Russian Front - Center: Day 5 of 103 of the Battle of Sychevsk, Russia.
Russian Front - South: Day 75 of 248 of the Siege of Sevastopol, Crimean Peninsula. All further German attacks against the Crimean fortress of Sevastopol are stopped for the winter.
MTO - Egypt: British troops capture Sollum.
CBI - Burma: Day 30 of 164 of Japan's Invasion of Burma.
CBI - China: Day 1,651 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 20 of 99 of the 3rd Battle of Changsha.
CBI - Malaya: Day 36 of 55 of the Battle of British Malaya.
PTO - Borneo: Day 28 of 107 of the Battle of Borneo.
PTO - Philippines: Day 36 of 152 of the 1st Battle of the Philippines.
1943 — , January 12
ETO - UK: US 8th Air Force: Flying borrowed Spitfires, the 4th Fighter Group patrols over the Channel.
Russian Front - North: Day 492 of 872 of the Siege of Leningrad.
Russian Front - North: Day 55 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 1 of 19 of USSR's Operation ISKRA (Operation SPARK) on the southern shore of Lake Ladoga, north of Leningrad. This Soviet victory will help ease the siege at Leningrad a little bit more.
Russian Front - North: Day 253 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 144 of 165 of the Battle of Stalingrad, bloodiest battle in human history. The Soviets gain several more streets in Stalingrad.
Russian Front - South: Day 32 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. The Germans abandon a 300 miles salient in the Caucasus and withdraw toward the Kuban Bridgehead.
MTO - Libya: Free French forces from Chad drive the last Germans troops out of the Fezzan in southern Libya. RAF and US Air Forces provide air support.
MTO - Tunisia: Day 57 of 178 of the Battle of Tunisia. RAF and US Air Forces provide Allied air support.
CBI - Burma: Day 23 of 104 of the 1st Battle of Arakan. US 10th Air Force provides air support.
CBI - China: Day 2,016 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
PTO - Alaska: Day 220 of 435 of the Battle of Kiska, Aleutian Islands. US 11th Air Force B-24s cover a small US Army and Navy force landing troops unopposed at Amchitka.
PTO - Malaya: Day 328 of 357 of the Battle of Timor Island, a long guerrilla war ending in Japanese victory.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 55 of 66 of the Battle of Buna-Gona. 5th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - Solomon Islands: Day 159 of 187 of the Battle of Guadalcanal. 5th Air Force provides air support.
1944 — , January 12
Germany: 74 members of the "Solf Circle" resistance group of anti-Nazi German intellectuals are arrested by the Gestapo after being betrayed by an infiltrator. Most will be tried, tortured and executed.
Spotlight...
This spotlight is under construction. Be patient.
Johanna Solf
Russian Front - North: Day 857 of 872 of the Siege of Leningrad.
Russian Front - North: Day 618 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 20 of 113 of the USSR's Dnieper-Carpathian Offensive in southwestern Ukraine.
Russian Front - South: Day 20 of 22 of the Battle of Zhitomir, Russia. This will create a 70 mile gap in the German line.
Russian Front - South: Day 8 of 12 of the Battle of Kirograd, Ukraine.
MTO - Italy: RAF and US Air Forces provides air support for the Allied ground troops.
MTO - Morocco: Churchill and de Gaulle meet for talks at Marrakesh.
CBI - Burma: Day 14 of 99 of the 2nd Battle of Arakan.
CBI - Burma: US 10th Air Force attacks enemy troops and supply lines.
CBI - China: Day 2,381 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
PTO - Marshall Islands: US 7th Air Force attacks several targets in the Marshalls.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 116 of 219 of the Battle of Shaggy Ridge. 5th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 113 of 162 of the Battle of the Huon Peninsula. 5th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 29 of 597 of the Battle of New Britain. US 13th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - Solomon Islands: Day 73 of 295 of the Battle of the Bougainville Islands.
CBI - Thailand: US 14th Air Force bombs the Bangsue marshalling yard at Bangkok.
1945 — , January 12
ETO - France: Day 165 of 284 of the Battle of Brittany.
ETO - France: Day 120 of 236 of the Siege of Dunkirk.
ETO - Belgium: Day 28 of 41 of the Battle of the Bulge. The German NORDWIND offensive is stopped 13 miles from Strasbourg. British and US forces link up in the Laroche area. US 9th Air Force provides air support.
ETO - Belgium: Day 13 of 26 of Operation NORDWIND, the last major German offensive of World War II on the Western Front.
ETO - Germany: Day 116 of 145 of the Battle of Hürtgen Forest.
ETO - Germany: US 8th Air Force heavy bombers attack targets along the Rhine.
Russian Front - Finland: Day 120 of 223 of the Lapland War. Finland and Russia have joined forces to kick the Germans out of Finland's most northern province.
Russian Front - Center: Day 90 of 206 of the Battle of the Courland Pocket in Latvia.
Russian Front - Center: Day 83 of 99 of the Siege of Memel, a border town of Lithuania and East Prussia.
Russian Front - Center: Day 1 of 23 of the Battle along the Vistula and Oder Rivers in central Poland and eastern Germany. This will put the Soviets in position to kick off their drive to Berlin.
Russian Front - South: Day 76 of 108 of the Battle of Budapest, Hungary.
MTO - Italy: US and Royal Air Forces provides air support for the Allied ground units.
CBI - Burma: Day 287 of 302 of the Chinese Salween Offensive. US 10th and 14th Air Forces provide air support.
CBI - China: Day 2,747 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
PTO - Japan: US 7th Air Force B-24s bomb the airfields on Iwo Jima during the day.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 382 of 597 of the Battle of New Britain.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 266 of 481 of the Battle of Western New Guinea.
PTO - Philippines: Day 85 of 299 of the 2nd Battle of the Philippines, aka the Liberation of the Philippines or the Philippines Campaign.
PTO - Philippines: Day 29 of 244 of the Battle of Luzon. 5th Air Force provides air support.
Day-By-Day listings for January 12 were last modified on Sunday, March 11, 2018
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