Eighty Years Ago: Asia Pacific, March 12 – 18, 1942

March 12, 1942: British aircraft carrier HMS Formidable leaves Cape Town for the Indian Ocean in preparation of possible Japanese offensive there

March 13, 1942: Japanese Army sends Sakaguchi Detachment from newly conquered Dutch East Indies to its parent unit, the 56th Division in Burma

March 14, 1942: Soldiers of the 7th Australian Division return home from the Middle East as Australia is faced with the more immediate task of defending itself against possible Japanese invasion

March 15, 1942: The Japanese Army’s 55th Division continues advance in Burma as British 1st Burma Division retreats towards India

March 16, 1942: British General William Slim leaves India to take command of Burma Corps

March 17, 1942: Less than a week after being evacuated from the Philippines, General Douglas MacArthur arrives in Australia with his wife and four-year-old son

March 18, 1942: Soldiers of the Chinese 200th Division rush towards Burmese city of Toungoo to secure Allied forces’ eastern flank against Japanese advance

Categories: War

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