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• Soviet Army took Kaluga near Moscow, Russia. ww2dbase [Battle of Moscow | TH]
• Indian 11th Infantry Division withdrew from Kampar Hill in western Malaya, falling back to a new defensive line at the Slim River. ww2dbase [Invasion of Malaya and Singapore | CPC]
• Following a heavy bombardment, Japanese Lingayen Force penetrated the US-Filipino Guagua-Porac defensive line at Luzon, Philippine Islands and captured the town of Guagua and the Del Carmen airfield. On the same day, American B-17 Flying Fortress bombers from Australia attacked Japanese shipping at Malalag Bay, Davao, Mindanao, damaging cruiser Myoko. ww2dbase [Invasion of the Philippine Islands | CPC]
• Soviet cruiser Krasnyi Kavkaz was damaged by German Ju 87 aircraft but was able to reach Novorossiysk, Russia for repairs. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Repair ship Akashi arrived at Davao, Mindanao, Philippine Islands. ww2dbase [Akashi | CPC]

• 16 Type 96 G3M bombers of Chitose Air Group of Japanese Navy 24th Air Flotilla, based at Truk in Caroline Islands, were spotted over Tabor 90 miles north of New Britain at 1000 hours. They reached Rabaul, New Britain at 1100 hours, where they were able to attack various military facilities with minimal resistance (only 2 Wirraway fighters scrambled, while anti-aircraft guns were ineffective). Shortly before sundown, 11 Type 97 H6K flying boats of Yokohama Air Group attacked the Vunakanam Airfield on New Britain; Australians failed to open fire with the anti-aircraft guns altogether, while most of the Japanese bombs missed the airfield. ww2dbase [New Guinea-Papua Campaign, Phase 1, Bismarck Islands | Rabaul, New Britain | CPC]

• Chinese troops continued to put pressure on the Japanese offensive on Changsha, Hunan Province, China. ww2dbase [Third Battle of Changsha | Changsha, Hunan | CPC]

• USS Skipjack arrived at Balikpapan, Dutch Borneo and took on fuel. ww2dbase [Skipjack | Balikpapan, Borneo | CPC]

• East of Lahaina Roads, Hawaii, Japanese submarine I-19 prepared to launch her E9W1 "Slim" floatplane for a night reconnaissance over Pearl Harbor. The submarine is spotted and an American patrol vessel. After the launch of the floatplane, I-19 spent the next hour successfully evading the patrol vessel. Nearly 3 hours later, the floatplane returned and reported 1 carrier (USS Saratoga), 9 cruisers, and 6 smaller warships in Pearl Harbor. ww2dbase [Pearl Harbor Navy Base and Ford Island Naval Air Station | Oahu | CPC]

• Japanese occupations authorities in Hong Kong posted an English-language notice in a local newspaper, requiring all "enemy nationals" to assembly on Murray Parade Grounds. ww2dbase [CPC]

• RAF Blenheim bombers from No. 21 and No. 107 Squadrons based in Malta raided the Italian base at Castelvetrano destroying eleven Axis transport aircraft on the ground and thereby hindering the amount of supplies and reinforcements that could be forwarded to North Africa. ww2dbase [Castelvetrano, Sicilia | AC]

• Nachi received light shrapnel damage in the searchlight (wounding one officer) in Malalag Bay, Davao Gulf, Philippine Islands from US B-17D bombers. Later in the day, Rear Admiral Takeo Takagi transferred his flag from Myoko to Nachi; Myoko had received a direct hit during the same attack. ww2dbase [Nachi | Malalag Bay, Davao | CPC]
• USS S-41 departed Lingayen Gulf in the Philippines for the Dutch East Indies. ww2dbase [S-41 | Lingayen Gulf | CPC]

4 Jan 1942 Interactive Map