Japanese cancel Baker Island landings. Rangoon under assault!

ACTION SUMMARY: CINCPAC has ordered two battlegroups, including the U.S.S. Lexington battlegroup, to stand down from their movements in defense of Baker Island. U.S. recon planes reported that the Japanese transports approaching Baker Island have turned around. At dawn, the U.S. Southern Destroyer force that had sailed at high speed to Baker Island hove into sight of the atoll to await the arrival of enemy ships that never arrived. CINCPAC has ordered for the destroyer force to remain on station for another day before returning to Canton Island. The Lexington will return to station at Palmyra Atoll where a replenishment group is based.

The Japanese opened their ground offensive against Rangoon where the 2nd Burma Rifles is entrenched. It has been reported that there is heavy fighting in the Rangoon outskirts as the 18,000 men of the 5th Imperial Guards Division is advancing on the Burmese colonial capital. At this very moment, the transport Briton Star has arrived off the city to take on the base personnel trapped in the city. A squadron of Buffalo fighters then based at Rangoon have since transferred to Andaman Island, the critical fulcrum of Operation Fullback.

The Japanese are preparing to renew their full-scaled offensive down the Malay Peninsula as Allied intelligence reported Japanese Army Air Force squadrons have moved into forward airbases.

Elsewhere, Chinese forces are unable to extricate themselves from their positions at Hanoi where heavy Japanese artillery has pinned down their retrograde movement back to the Chinese border. Meanwhile, Japanese reinforcements from Siam are approaching to completely cut off the two corps at Hanoi.



The Chinese Nationalist Army renewed its offensive in Wuchow after three days of rest and regrouping. Today's attack was costly with 2,500 Chinese casualties against well-entrenched Japanese troops.

No other action today. The Phillipines front remains quiet, though Japanese troops continue to stage just outside of Manila's outskirts in preparation of their final assault against the two Phillipino Divisions trapped there.

No warroom today.