February 20th 1942, Vichy France.
Leaders of the French Third Republic are trailed in Vichy because of their contribution to the humiliant defeat of 1940. Former Prime ministers Édouard Daladier, Léon Blum and Paul Reynaud have a very good defence. The trails are publicly mocked and they are never finished.
February 22nd 1942, Great Britain.
Air marshal Sir Arthur Harris takes command of the RAF BC.
February 23rd 1942, London, Camberra, Wellington and Washington.
The Allies ratify their mutual assistance agreement.
February 24th 1942, Pacific Ocean.
The USS
Enterprise leads a force to attack the Japanese at Wake Island.
February 25th 1942,
The ABDA is dissolved and General Sir Archibald Wavell becomes commander in chief of India.
February 25th 1942, Los Angeles.
A false alarm in the city starts an anti-aircraft barrage.
February 26th 1942, Kiel.
RAF bombers make a raid against the German battle-cruiser
Gneisenau. The damages are so severe, that her repairs wouldn’t be finished before the end of the war.
February 27th – February 29th 1942, Far East.
5 cruisers and 9 destroyers of 4 Allied nations under Dutch rear admiral Karel Doorman fight a Japanese force of 4 cruisers and 13 destroyers at Java Sea. After useless initial attacks, the Japanese cause severe losses to the Allies thanks to their faster and long-range torpedoes. The Allies lose 5 cruisers and 5 destroyers. Doorman dies. Japan loses 2 transport ships, 1 cruiser and 6 destroyers are damaged.
February 28th 1942, France.
British paratroopers make a raid against a German radar station at Bruneval, near Le Havre. The force escapes by sea with captured equipment.
February 1st – February 9th 1943, Guadalcanal.
Japanese war ships evacuate 13.000 men from the isles during the night. This means the first big Japanese defeat on the ground, they had some 10.000 killed and the Americans 1.600.
February 1st 1943, Soviet Union.
Field marshal Friedrich Paulus formally surrender the German VI army and all the troops inside Stalingrad pocket —93.000.
