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Operation compass
Operation compass was the first large allied military operation of the western desert campaign during second war. British and other commonwealth forces attacked Italian forces in western Egypt and Cyrenaica from Dec 1940 to Feb 1941. The western desert force with about 30,000 men, advanced from mersa matruh in Egypt on a five day raid against 10th army, which had about 150,000 men in fortified posts around sidi Barrani and in Cyrenaica. -
Battle of ko chang
The Battle of Ko Chang ended in a decisive victory for the Vichy French naval forces during the Franco-Thai War. Molotov meets German Ambassador Schulenburg in Moscow. The Soviets are surprised that they have not received any answer from Germany to their offer to join the Axis (November 26, 1940). Schulenburg replies that it has to be first discussed with Italy and Japan. -
Lend lease bill
President Roosevelt signs Lend lease bill to give aid to Britain and China. Allied them with food, oil, and materiels between 1941 and August 1945. This included warships and planes along with other weaponry. In return the U.S. was given lease on army and naval bases in allied territory during the war. A total of 50.1 billion ( equivalent to 667 billion today ) worth of supplies was shipped. -
Ponary massacre
Ponary massacre killings begin, with the shooting of Soviet POWs captured during Operation Barbarossa, which began two weeks earlier, and with the deportation of hundreds of Jews from Vilnius to Soviet dug fuel tank pits near the Ponariai suburb of Vilnius, where they are shot or buried alive. Reports by survivors are accepted as hallucinations. The mass deportations and shooting of Jews continued until 1941. Hungarian troops take over Stanisławów and other towns in what is now Ukraine. -
Japan bombs Pearl Harbor
Japan bombs Pearl Harbor on December 7. They also attack many more countries. -
Japan invades countries
Japan invaded countries like British Borneo, Hong Kong and Luzon in the Philippines -
Japan bombs Manila
Manila declared open city on December 26,1941 and on the next day Japan bomb Manila -
Withdrawal from Manila
General Douglas begins a withdrawal from Manila to Batan. Japan takes Wake Island
