February 23, 1942
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

MONDAY, 23 FEBRUARY 1942

US-UK: United States and United Kingdom sign mutual-aid agreement on settlement of lend-lease obligations.

Burma: Violent fighting for Sittang R bridgehead continues. Ind 17th Div destroys Sittang bridge at 0530 to prevent enemy from using it, although 16th and 46th Brigs are still E of the river. Remnants of these brigs eventually cross in small craft or by swimming, but battle of Sittang bridgehead is disastrous for Ind 17th Div; 46th Brig must be broken up to provide replacements.

NEI: Japanese Army report they have captured Ambon Island. Lt. General George H. Brett Deputy Supreme Commander for the American British Dutch and Australian Command (ABDACOM) is flown from Java to Australia.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA (SWPA, 5th Air Force): First American bombing mission against Rabaul.  A group of four B-17s took off from Townsville before midnight on February 22, 1942 an overnight flight arriving arriving February 23, 1942 at dawn to bomb Japanese shipping in Simpson Harbor near Rabaul. Inbound, they experience bad weather that broke up the formation with the B-17s flying individually to the target area with B-17 pilot Speith aborting due to bad weather. Only two B-17s manage to bomb the target, and all are intercepted by Japanese fighters from the 4th Kōkūtai (4th Air Group). Returning, B-17E 41-2446 (aka "Swamp Ghost') runs out of fuel and force lands into Agaiambo Swamp in northern New Guinea. The other B-17s land at 7-Mile Drome near Port Moresby to refuel then is returns to Garbutt Field.

Two B-17s bomb Denpasar Airfield from 27,000' through thick clouds.

Major General Lewis H. Brereton, Commanding General 5th Air Force, departs for India after issuing an order terminating headquarters, 5th Air Force. Until September 3, 1942, units of the 5th Air Force are under control of ABDACOM and then Allied Air Force (SWPA).

IJN: Shortly after 7:00pm, Japanese submarine I-17 surfaced off Coal Oil Point a few hundred yards off the Ellwood Oil Field. Over twenty minutes fired 17 shells from her 14cm deck gun at the Richfield aviation fuel storage tanks on the bluff. The shots were mostly wild, one landing more than a mile inland. The closest shell exploded 27m from one of the fuel tanks. The shelling caused only minor damage to a pier and a pump house.

At night, Japanese submarine I-9 surfaces and launches her E9W1 floatplane on a reconnaissance mission over Pearl Harbor. Due to limited visibility the pilot and observer cannot identify any ships. The floatplane returns to the submarine but during recovery, both wings were damaged.

U.S. Navy: Submarine Tarpon (SS-175) is damaged when she runs aground in Boling Strait, NEI and becomes stranded.