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• Vichy government in France tried General Gamelin, Leon Blum, and Paul Reynaud for being responsible for 1940 defeat, but the trial would not be carried through. ww2dbase [TH]
• US President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, allowing the US military to relocate Japanese-Americans to internment camps. ww2dbase [Internment of Japanese-Americans and Japanese-Canadians | CPC]
• The Canadian Parliament voted for military conscription. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Mandalay, Burma came under aerial attack for the first time. Meanwhile, the Japanese 143rd Regiment, having crossed the Bilin Estuary arrived at Taungzon, effectively bypassing the British and Indian positions along the Bilin River; Lieutenant General Hutton had no option but to permit a withdrawal to the Sittang. ww2dbase [Invasion of Burma | AC]
• Georg von Bismarck was promoted to the rank of Generalmajor. ww2dbase [Georg von Bismarck | CPC]
• Mitsuo Fuchida led the first of two waves of attacks during a raid on Darwin, Australia. ww2dbase [Mitsuo Fuchida | CPC]
• The US Marine Corps 9th Defense Battalion arrived at Guantanamo Bay on the island of Cuba from Norfolk, Virginia, United States via USS Biddle. ww2dbase [CPC]
• USS Skipjack attacked a Japanese ship east of Borneo; both torpedoes missed. ww2dbase [Skipjack | CPC]
• Tanikaze began escorting carriers toward Darwin, Australia. ww2dbase [Tanikaze | CPC]

• Luigi Torelli sank British freighter Scottich Star in the Atlantic Ocean, killing 4 of 73 aboard. ww2dbase [Luigi Torelli | CPC]

• Japanese carriers launched 152 bombers and 36 fighters at 0845 hours. The attack force reached Darwin, Australia at 0958 hours and attacked the port city for the subsequent 42 minutes, sinking US destroyer USS Peary (93 killed, 49 survived), US transport USAT Meigs, merchant ship Zealandia, US merchant ship Mauna Loa, British freighter Neptuna, British tanker British Motorist, and coal storage hulk Kelat. 7 Japanese aircraft were lost in this first raid, while 7 American P-40 fighters were destroyed (4 in combat, 3 on the ground). Later in the day, 54 land-based bombers based in Kendari, Celebes, Dutch East Indies arrived for a second raid, destroying 6 Australian Hudson light bombers, 1 US B-24 Liberator bomber, and 2 US P-40 fighters. ww2dbase [Attack on Darwin | Darwin, Northern Territory | TH, CPC]
• US Army 14th Reconnaissance Squadron pilot Major Richard Carmichael, leading a flight of 12 B-17 bombers, arrived at Townsville, Queensland, Australia. ww2dbase [Townsville, Queensland | CPC]

• The Japanese base at Truk, Caroline Islands reported sightings of US destroyers nearby. ww2dbase [Truk | CPC]
• Tenryu arrived at Truk, Caroline Islands to receive additional anti-aircraft weaponry. ww2dbase [Tenryu | Truk | CPC]

• HMS Hermes departed Colombo, Ceylon to receive Swordfish torpedo bombers of 814 Naval Air Squadron in the Indian Ocean. ww2dbase [Hermes | Colombo | CPC]

• Japanese troops landed at Denpasar, Bali in the Dutch East Indies unopposed before dawn. At 0700 hours, as the Japanese troops transports departed Bali and began to sail for their home ports, 20 American aircraft attacked the convoy, damaging transport Sagami Maru. At 2200 hours, as the Japanese convoy sailed through the Badung Strait, it was engaged by Dutch cruiser De Ruyter, Dutch cruiser Java, and 3 US and Dutch destroyers; Dutch destroyer Piet Hein was sunk by Japanese torpedoes in the battle, killing 64. ww2dbase [Dutch East Indies Campaign, Java | Bali | CPC]
• In the Battle of the Java Sea, Dutch destroyer HNLMS Piet Hein was sunk by Type 93 torpedoes launched from Japanese destroyer Asashio with a loss of 64 men including the captain. ww2dbase [Type 93 | Dutch East Indies Campaign, Java | Badung Strait | DS]

• A Japanese floatplane flew near Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii in a reconnaissance mission. ww2dbase [Pearl Harbor Navy Base and Ford Island Naval Air Station | Honolulu, Oahu | CPC]

• Yamato departed Hashirajima island in Hiroshima Bay, Japan with Battleship Division 1 for training in the Iyo Nada. She returned later on the same day. ww2dbase [Yamato | Hashirajima, Yamaguchi | CPC]

• Akagi's aircraft participated in the raid on Port Darwin, Australia and saw 9 ships damaged and 18 aircraft destroyed. ww2dbase [Akagi | CPC]
• Ariake and Yugure joined the carrier force sailing toward Darwin, Australia. ww2dbase [Attack on Darwin | Yugure | CPC]

• Naka departed Jolo, Philippine Islands. ww2dbase [Naka | Jolo, Sulu | CPC]

• Major changes were made to the British War Cabinet. Sir Stafford Cripps became Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Commons. Mr. Clement Atlee became Secretary for the Dominions and Mr. Oliver Lyttleton was appointed Minister of State with special responsibilities for all branches of production. Outgoing Ministers of the Cabinet were Lord Beaverbrook, Sir Kingsley Wood and Mr. Arthur Greenwood. ww2dbase [Clement Attlee | London, England | AC]

• USS Saratoga arrived at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for more extensive repairs following being damaged by a torpedo. ww2dbase [Puget Sound Navy Yard | Saratoga | Bremerton, Washington | DS]
• Fletcher-class destroyer Nicholas was launched at the Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, United States. ww2dbase [Nicholas | Bath, Maine | DS]

19 Feb 1942 Interactive Map