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• German submarine U-108 sank British freighter Ocean Venture 50 kilometers east of Hampton Roads, Virginia, United States. ww2dbase [Second Happy Time | CPC]
• The main Japanese offensive against Singapore began. Australian troops stationed on the northwestern coast of Singapore initially inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese landing, but confusion of battle caused them to retreat prematurely, providing Japanese a beachhead by nightfall. ww2dbase [Invasion of Malaya and Singapore | CPC]
• The United States Navy acquired the civilian ship Steel Architect, which was still under construction, for military service. She was to be the future escort carrier Copahee. ww2dbase [Copahee | CPC]

• Akagi arrived at the Palau Islands, having abandoned the pursuit of the American fleet. ww2dbase [Akagi | Palau | CPC]
• Kaga arrived at Palau Islands, Caroline Islands. ww2dbase [Kaga | Palau | CPC]

• Japanese troops landed 50 miles southeast of Bandjarmasin, Dutch Borneo and began marching toward the Martapoera airfield. ww2dbase [Dutch East Indies Campaign, Borneo | Bandjarmasin, Borneo | CPC]
• The Japanese invasion fleet arrived off Makassar, Celebes, Dutch East Indies. USS S-37 attacked the fleet at 2036 hours, firing four torpedoes at the escorting destroyers, sinking Natsushio (10 killed, 229 survived). ww2dbase [Dutch East Indies Campaign, Celebes and Moluccas | Makassar, Celebes | CPC]

• U-132 arrived at La Pallice, La Rochelle, France, completing her second war patrol. ww2dbase [U-132 | La Rochelle, Poitou-Charentes | CPC]
• Morosini arrived at Bordeaux, France at 1415 hours for mechanical repairs. ww2dbase [Morosini | Bordeaux, Aquitaine | CPC]

• In Germany, Albert Speer was appointed the Minister of Armaments and Munitions to succeed Fritz Todt who was killed when his aircraft exploded shortly after take off near Rastenburg, Ostpreußen (East Prussia), Germany. ww2dbase [Albert Speer | Fritz Todt | Rastenburg, Ostpreußen | AC]

• USS Grampus departed Pearl Harbor, Oahu, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol. ww2dbase [Pearl Harbor Navy Base and Ford Island Naval Air Station | Grampus | Pearl Harbor, Oahu | CPC]

• While in landing pattern at Martuba airfield in Libya, Hans-Joachim Marseille in his Bf 109 fighter encountered five Hurricane fighters that tried to jump him; he was able to break off from his landing approach, out-maneuver his attackers, and shot down two of them in return (his 37th and 38th kills). Later in the day, several British Blenheim bombers, escorted by P-40 and Hurricane fighters, attacked Martuba; Marseille shot down two of the fighters, bringing his score to 40 kills. At the end of the day, against orders, he flew over an enemy airfield to drop a note that stated Flight Sergeant Hargreaves (his 37th kill) was captured and uninjured; this personal mission led to Marseille being grounded by his commanding officer Gerhard Homuth. ww2dbase [Hans-Joachim Marseille | Martuba | CPC]

• Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru departed Wotje, Marshall Islands. ww2dbase [Hikawa Maru | Wotje | CPC]

• Japanese submarine I-4 sank Singaporean merchant ship Ban Ho Guan off Java, Dutch East Indies. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Tanikaze completed escorting duty for carriers in the Central Pacific Ocean. ww2dbase [Tanikaze | CPC]

• American troops attacked and wiped out a Japanese infiltration force at Quinauan Point, Bataan on the Philippine island of Luzon; 600 Japanese troops were killed while the US-Filipino forces suffered 500 casualties. Meanwhile, General Masaharu Homma called off the first offensive against Bataan and fell back to more defensible positions while waiting for reinforcements. ww2dbase [Invasion of the Philippine Islands | CPC]
• Ed Dyess led the first American landing of WW2 at Agloloma Bay, Bataan, Philippines. ww2dbase [Invasion of the Philippine Islands | Ed Dyess | Agloloma Bay | CPC]

• Soviet 3rd Shock Army, 4th Shock Army, and 11th Army linked up at Zaluch'e, Russia and encircled 90,000 German troops and 10,000 auxiliaries around Demyansk, Russia. ww2dbase [Rzhev-Vyazma Offensive and the Demyansk Pocket | Demyansk, Leningrad | TH, CPC]

• USS Grayback departed the East Coast of the United States for the Hawaiian Islands. ww2dbase [Grayback | CPC]

• Japanese submarine I-69 shelled Sand Island, Midway Atoll, causing minor damage to the radio towers. US Marine Buffalo aircraft of VMF 221 squadron counterattacked and damaged I-69. ww2dbase [Midway Bases | Midway | CPC]

8 Feb 1942 Interactive Map