28 January 1939

GERMANY: Berlin: President of the Reichsbank Funck sends a memorandum to the OKW on the use of prisoners of war to make up labour deficiencies which would arise in case of mobilisation. (More...)

GIBRALTAR: The U.S. freighter SS Sarcoxic is detained temporarily at Gibraltar for several hours by British authorities; the freighter SS Waban, bound for Italy and Greece, is also held there briefly but is allowed to proceed after one item of cargo is seized as contraband and 34 detained for investigation.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: SS Eston, a straggler from Convoy FN-81, struck a mine laid by U-22 on 20 Dec 1939 and sunk near Blyth. The master and 17 crewmembers were lost.

At 0421, the unescorted SS Eleni Stathatou was torpedoed and sunk by U-34 about 200 miles west of the Scilly Isles.

SS Flora was last seen in The Downs and was reported missing thereafter. At 2000, U-44 reported the sinking of a steamer west of Figuera la Foz. This must have been the Flora.

ALASKA: A survey of the eight proposed radar sites in Alaska determines that only three are acceptable and additional surveys are required for the other five. Continuing an effort to increase the defence of the territory, U.S. Secretary of War Henry Stimson approves the establishment of 12 radar stations.

Minesweeper HMCS Courtenay laid down Prince Rupert, British Columbia.

Minesweeper HMCS Georgian launched Toronto, Ontario.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Scharnhorst and Gneisenau sight the British cruiser Naiad in the Iceland-Faroe strait and turn around. (Navy News)

GERMANY: Rastenburg: Hitler decorates the Luftwaffe ace pilot Adolf Galland with the Diamonds to the Knight's Cross. Göring is appalled that the jewels are paste.

U-489 laid down

U-91 commissioned.

U.S.S.R.: Soviet Marshal Konstantin Timoshenko advances into the Ukraine. The Ukrainians are happy to see him, as the Germans have been practicing massacres.

LIBYA: The Indian 4th Division is authorized to withdraw from Benghazi since armored elements of the 13 Corps, British Eighth Army, are too busily engaged to assist it. The Indian 7th Brigade, the last to withdraw, finds its line of retreat blocked but breaks out to the south and eventually makes its way back to Eighth Army. Rommel's troops enter Benghazi as the British retreat; this is the fourth time the city has changed hands.

REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA: Pro-Axis extremists blow up five power stations in an attempt to sabotage supplies to the Rand gold mines.

PACIFIC OCEAN: The British carrier HMS INDOMITABLE delivers 48 Hurricane fighters, destined for Singapore to Java.

The aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) becomes the first heavy ship to refuel at sea by night, doing so in the central Pacific at 2000 hours local from the oiler USS Platte (AO-24), under blackout conditions. The successful evolution takes five hours.

LOUISADE ARCHIPELAGO: The Japanese land on Rossel Island, the easternmost island of this archipelago. The island is located about 490 miles (789 kilometres) east-southeast of Port Moresby, New Guinea, and 420 miles (676 kilometres) west-southwest of Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, an ideal position to block shipping from either point. The Japanese immediately begin building an airfield.

BURMA: Pilots of the 1st and 2d Fighter Squadrons, American Volunteer Group (AVG, aka, “The Flying Tigers”), shoot down six Nakajima Ki-27, Army Type 97 Fighters (later given the Allied Code Name “Nate”) over and near Mingaladon Airdrome, Rangoon, between 1150 and 1210 hours local.

MALAYA: East Force continues their unopposed withdrawal toward Singapore Island. The Japanese reach Benut and continue southward behind the Indian 11th Division. A gap develops between the two brigades of the Indian 9th Division withdrawing along the railroad and the 22d Brigade becomes isolated from the main body. In Singapore, Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding Malaya Command, summons his commanders and finds he has no reserves and only one of the island’s 15-inch (38,1 cm) guns points northward.
Four USAAF Far East Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses from Java stage through Palembang Airdrome on Sumatra and attack Kuala Lumpur.
Only 21 of the 51 Hawker Hurricane fighters that arrived in Singapore on 13 January are still serviceable.

NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: USAAF Far East Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses based at Singosari Airdrome, Java, attack Kendari Airdrome on Celebes Island.
The RAAF begins evacuating the two flights of No. 13 Squadron, with its few remaining Lockheed Hudson bombers, from Laha Airdrome on Ambon Island.

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: In the II Corps area on Bataan, the 41st Infantry, Philippine Army (PA), completes its movement into the Sector C line, taking up positions between 31st and 51st Divisions, PA, elements. The Japanese renew their attack against the corps in the evening: some Japanese troops cross the Tiawir River in front of Sector D, where they are halted; others attempt to move forward in Sector C without success. From the west coast, in the I Corps area, the Japanese move eastward along the corps' main line of resistance to the 1st Division, PA, sector, where defence preparations are not yet completed; during the night of the 28/29th, the Japanese breach the main line of resistance (MLR) there and pour southward through the gap. As the enemy force becomes divided in dense jungle, two pockets, called the Little Pocket and the Big Pocket, are formed, Little Pocket about 400 yards (366 meters) below the MLR and Big Pocket nearly a mile (1.6 kilometres) behind the MLR. In the South Sector, Scouts of 2d Battalion, 57th Infantry, Philippine Scouts (PS), attack Longoskawayan Point and advance two thirds of its length before artillery support is obstructed by Pucot Hill. The 3d Battalion of the 45th Infantry, PS, attacks the enemy beachhead at Quinauan Point, but jungle terrain and the enemy make progress slow and costly. At night the 3d Battalion is reinforced by Company B of the 57th Infantry, PS. In the Anyasan-Silaiim sector, the ground echelon of the USAAF’s 17th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) and Philippine Constabulary elements push almost to the coast of Anyasan Bay, but the Constabulary troops, fearing a counterattack, withdraws in confusion after dark.

AUSTRALIA: The USAAF activates the first U.S. air transport unit in Australia. None of its original complement of 14 officers and 19 enlisted men had been trained for transport operations; they just happened to be available. The aircraft assigned to the unit are two old Douglas B-18 Bolo bombers, one Douglas C-39 (Model DC-2-243) transport which had been flown down from the Philippines and five new Douglas C-53 (Model DC-3A-405) transports recently arrived from the U.S. None of these aircraft has a cargo door, i.e., one wide enough to load and unload cargo other than humans.

The Australian Directorate of Air Transport is formed at Amberly Field, Brisbane, Queensland.

U.S.A.: The Air Corps Ferrying Command was ordered to arrange for ferrying 60 B-25s by an means to destinations specified by the Dutch Government. Consolidated Aircraft was contracted to fly 8 aircraft in February 1942; 16 in March; and from 15 to 32 per month until all 60 were delivered. The Dutch also contracted with the British Overseas Airways Corp (BOAC) to ferry 20 aircraft from West Palm Beach, Florida, to Australia via Africa.

The Air Force Combat Command activates Headquarters 8th Air Force at Savannah AAB, Savannah, Georgia, under command of Brigadier General Asa N Duncan. The 8th is originally designated as the U.S. air element of Operation GYMNAST, the early plan for the Allied invasion of northwest Africa.

BRAZIL: The Brazilian government breaks off relations with the Axis along with Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay.

The Third Conference of Foreign Ministers of the (21) American Republics at Rio de Janeiro is concluded. Despite the efforts of Argentina and Chile, Pan-American unity is preserved; within days, all Latin American nations that had not already done so (except Argentina and Chile) sever ties with Germany, Italy, and Japan. Today, Brazil and Paraguay break diplomatic relations with Germany, Italy and Japan.

ATLANTIC: “Sighted sub, sank same." During an antisubmarine sweep astern of convoy HX 172, the crew of a PBO-1 Hudson of USN Patrol Squadron Eighty Two (VP-82) based at NAS Argentia, Newfoundland, attacks a surfaced submarine off Cape Race, Newfoundland. Although the pilot (Aviation Machinist's Mate First Class Donald F. Mason) reports "sighted sub, sank same," no U-boat is lost on this date.

GERMANY: All men between 16 and 65, and women between 17 and 45, are to be mobilized for war work.

U-239, U-852 launched

U-960 commissioned.

U.S.S.R.: The destruction of the Italian Alpini divisions "Julia" and "Cuneense" is completed by the Red Army at Novo-Georgievka and Valuiki. The retreat, a slow advance of more than 300km succeeded in saving the remnants of the Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia, the Tridentina division, and of the stray units of Germans, Romanians and Hungarians, trapped with them. (Francesco Dall'Aglio)

PACIFIC: The Japanese submarine I-165 left Surabaya on 21 January 1943 headed for the Western Australian coastline. It arrived at a position off the small township of Port Gregory, north of Geraldton, at around midnight (Tokyo time) on 28 January 1943. Commander Tatenosuke Tosu fired about 10 shells from the 3.9-inch (100-mm) deck guns of I-165 towards Port Gregory. The purpose of the attack was apparently to draw the Allies attention away from the fierce battle at Guadalcanal.

Submarine USS Shark laid down.

Minesweeper USS Control launched.

The motion picture "Star Spangled Rhythm" opens in Hollywood. This film is a star-studded extravaganza filled with songs and sketches and minimal plot. Directed by George Marshall, it stars Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Fred MacMurray, Franchot Tone, Ray Milland, Dorothy Lamour, Paulette Goddard, Mary Martin, Dick Powell, Betty Hutton, Eddie Bracken, Veronica Lake, Alan Ladd, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, William Bendix, Jerry Colonna, Macdonald Carey, Walter Abel, Susan Hayward, Robert Preston, Arthur Treacher, Cecil B. DeMille, Eva Gabor, Diana Lynn and Preston Sturges.

UNITED KINGDOM: London: Official statements concerning the sickening cruelty of the Japanese towards prisoners of war were made today in Britain and the United States. The British foreign secretary, Anthony Eden, said: "Let the Japanese government reflect in time to come that the record of their military authorities in this war will not be forgotten." The House of Commons and both houses of Congress heard blood-curdling accounts of the inhuman conditions the prisoners are kept in - without sufficient food, water or shelter - and barbarous tortures used by guards.

Frigates HMS Waldegrave and Whitaker commissioned.

Frigate HMS Halladale launched.

GERMANY: U-1272 commissioned.

CANADA: Corvette HMCS Kitchener completed refit Liverpool, Nova Scotia.

U.S.A.: A memo signed by General Walter Bedell-Smith, Chief of Staff to the Supreme Allied Commander, General Dwight D. Eisenhower: "It is highly desirable that the [French] division should be composed of white personnel, which points to the second armoured division, which has only one quarter native troops and is the only French division which could be made 100 per cent white."

This is in reference to the French division which will be part of the Allied invasion force at Normandy. (Henry Sirotin)

Destroyer escort USS Wingfield commissioned.

Destroyer escort USS Le Ray Wilson launched.

U-271 Sunk west of Limerick, in position 53.15N, 15.52W, by depth charges from a US Consolidated PB4Y-1Liberator aircraft (VB-103/E, based in St. Eval, Cornwall under operational control of RAF No. 19 (General Reconnaissance) Group, RAF Coastal Command). The PB4Y crew caught U-271 on the surface and dropped six depth charges causing the sub to settle by the stern and sink. 51 dead (all hands lost).

U-571 Sunk west of Ireland, in position 52.41N, 14.27W, by depth charges from an Australian Shorts Sunderland MKIII aircraft (RAAF-Sqdn 461/D, out of Pembroke Dock, Wales). 52 dead (all hands lost). Unlike many U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes. U-571 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss. (Alex Gordon and Jack McKillop)

UNITED KINGDOM: On it's second flight in the UK the Lockheed P-80 fighter jet, YP-80A-LO , USAAF s/n 44-83026, msn 080-1005, crashes killing the pilot.

FRANCE: Versailles: Eisenhower returns the command of the US Ninth Army, temporarily given to Montgomery, to Bradley.

GERMANY: Berlin: Civilians are ordered to start digging anti-tank ditches around the city.
The 1st Belorussian Front enters Pomerania.

Allied PoWs are marshalled by their German captors in prison camp Stalag Luft III, near Sagan, in southeastern Germany to be marched 90 kilometres across frozen countryside to Luckenwalde, near Berlin.

From the memoirs of Tom Hough, Canadian fighter pilot: The order came with characteristic German terseness. All Allied prisoners, more than 1,000 aircrew from Canada, Britain and other Commonwealth countries, were to be ready to evacuate Stalag Luft III on 30 minutes' notice.

Despite the horrors of the march, a comic incident occurred when a German officer made an unusual appeal, Mr. Hough wrote. "'If the kriegie who has stolen [his] birthday goose from his staff-car does not return it forthwith, you'll all have to sleep in the snow. If he returns it immediately, no questions will be asked.' The word was that it was too late, but apparently the officer settled for a D-bar [chocolate] and an unstated number of cigarettes." (Henry Sirotin) Article by Buzz Bourdon, Globe and Mail, Thursday, May 5, 2006. Page S9. Link

BULGARIA: Sofia: Prince Cyril of Bulgaria is sentenced to death for war crimes he committed when he was regent in 1943-44.

LITHUANIA: Memel is occupied by the Russians, completing their occupation of Lithuania.

POLAND: Konev's Red Army troops capture the Dabrowa coal mining area and the towns of Beuthen and Katowice.

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: Three USMC R4D5 (DC-3; C-47 type) aircraft from Squadron VMR 152 navigated for a flight of SBDs from Peleliu to Luzon. They arrive Luzon on the 29th. The SBDs were sent to assist the army for their dive bomb capabilities. (Bob Austin - Marine, navigator)

CHINA: The first supply convoy reaches China from Burma, via the reopened Ledo Road.

CANADA: Patrol vessel HMCS MacDonald paid off and returned to Dept of Fisheries.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: A German minesweeper collided with U-1163 off Dronthein in Norwegian waters, damaging the U-boat slightly.

1951: At 12.30 am Marshal of Finland, Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim died at Lausanne, Switzerland, where he had spent most of the time tending his health since he retired the Presidency in 1946. He will be buried at Helsinki on 4 February. The Marshal was 83 years old when he died, born on 4 June 1867.