Far East
Malaya: FALL OF SINGAPORE. General Percival surrenders unconditionally to General Yamashita, who was outnumbered more than 1-to-3. 80,000 PoWs taken, which is the most terrible British defeat in military history.
Malayan Campaign Losses:
Japanese | Allied |
|
|---|---|---|
Dead | 3,507 | 8,708 |
Wounded | 6,150 | (incl in PoWs) |
PoWs | - | 130,000 |
Guns | ? | c.740 |
Machine-guns | ? | 2,500+ |
Small Arms | ? | 65,000 |
Armoured Cars | ? | c.200 |
Rail engines, trucks | - | c.1,000 |
Light Planes | - | 10 |
Burma: Commonwealth forces withdraw to river Bilin.
Sea War
Atlantic: Brazilian ships Buarque and Olinda sunk by U-boats off American east coast (February 15 and 18).
Pacific: Japanese seaborne reinforcements land at Palembang (Dutch East Indies).
Home Fronts
Britain: Mrs Churchill’s Red Cross Fund for Russia reaches £ 1.5 millions.
