What a big day in 1941 this was! The Japanese invade the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong, Malaya and the Dutch East Indies. They also invade the portions of Shanghai administered by European powers and bomb American bases in the Philippines. Because of the time difference, these events - which took place west of the International DATE LINE - happened while it was still December 7 to the east of this line. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor the U.S. Congress passes a declaration of war against Japan. The Republic of China officially declares war against Japan. The Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in China issues a proclamation which declared war against Japan and Germany on behalf of Korean people, who were under Japanese occupation since 1910. (This didnt stop Korean guards brutally assaulting Allied POWs) First Japanese attack on Wake ISLAND. HMA Ships VAMPIRE and VENDETTA, (destroyers), and BURNIE, GOULBURN, BENDIGO, and MARYBOROUGH, (corvettes), were at Singapore when Japan mounted her first air raid at 0300. MANOORA was also at Singapore, and KANIMBLA was on passage from Penang to Singapore. HMAS VAMPIRE, (destroyer), put to sea the evening of commencement of hostilities with ships commanded by the British naval commander, ADML Sir Tom Phillips, RN, HM Ships PRINCE OF WALES and REPULSE, (battleships), TENEDOS, ELECTRA, and EXPRESS,(destroyers). The war signal, Commence hostilities against Japan, was received at 7.43 am. The siege of Tobruk ends after 242 days. Australian Navy, Air Force and Army units served in its defence. Australian Navy ships were heavily involved in the resupply of the fortress with what became known as “The Scrap Iron Flotilla”. Cost to the Navy was 25 ships sunk and 9 seriously damaged. The nine RAN ships EMPLOYED on the Tobruk Ferry HMA Ships STUART, VAMPIRE, VENDETTA, VOYAGER, WATERHEN, (destroyers, the Scrap Iron Flotilla), NAPIER, NIZAM, PARRAMATTA, and YARRA. WATERHEN and PARRAMATTA were lost in the operation. Australian ships were credited with making 139 individual passages, with 39 by VENDETTA being a RECORD number of runs of any ship in the Tobruk Ferry.
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 00:02:38 +0000