9th April
After four months' epic resistance the 76,000 emaciated and diseased US and Filipino troops and civilians defending Bataan have surrendered. Major-General King said that he was defying orders not to surrender from Major-General Wainwright, now on Corregidor, in order to avoid a "mass slaughter" by the 50,000 strong Japanese enemy. 2,000 men were evacuated to Corregidor, which is still holding out.
The PoWs pose a logistics problem to their captors who are now turning their attention to the island of Corregidor. The Japanese therefore plan to move the prisoners to Camp O'Donnell, but with the nearest railhead 65 miles away they will have to force march them there.
The Australian attack drives over the Thai border. Thai army units are mysteriously absent, leaving any defence to the Japanese, as the internal struggle in the Thai government intensifies. However the local population, both Malay and Thai, seem more than happy to see the Australians. The Japanese have been acting more as troops occupying a defeated enemy than allies. The 9th Australian Division, with some armour support, forms a 'shoulder' to prevent the Japanese from the east interfering, while the rest of the Australian corps turns west to crush the Japanese between them and Slim's advancing infantry. Given the impending monsoon season, Blamey informs Alexander than he intends to stop at the original pre-war lines of defence in Thailand in the east and centre, but will join up with Slim on the west coast to form a solid defence line across the peninsular. This line will be strengthened during the wet season ready to be used as a base for a new advance to drive the Japanese back to FIC once conditions make this possible.
13th April
Vice Admiral Ghormley, USN, is assigned as Commander-in-Chief South Pacific (COMSOPAC). He is to command all Allied base and local defence forces (land, sea, and air) in the South Pacific Islands, with the exception of New Zealand land defences. His line of demarcation with Somerville is set somewhat tentatively as east of New Guinea.
The British and Australian governments officially approve the appointment of General Blamey as commander DEI/Australia. He will take over formally once he is satisfied he can leave the Malaya offensive in the hands of his divisional commanders and General Alexander.
A mixed force of British, Australian and Dutch troops is landed on Bali. Around 6,000 men are involved, outnumbering the Japanese some 2:1. There are also allied troops remaining hidden from before the invasion, who have been passing on information on the invaders. While the battleship Warspite and some cruisers are available for support of the landings, in fact they are unopposed by the Japanese. It is expected to take some weeks at least to clear the island, depending on what sort of defence the Japanese make. In the meantime Somerville is withdrawing his heavy forces back to Malaya to replenish.
16th April
Japan invades the island of Panay with a 4,000-strong force. The Japanese Kawamura Detachment (41st Infantry Division) lands unopposed at Iloilo and Capiz on Panay Island.
April 17th
The RAF follows up with its heavy night-time attacks with a daylight raid on the MAN diesel factory at Augsberg. Some 80 bombers leave the factory in burning ruins in a precision attack. Despite the speed of the Mosquito, 10 bombers are lost to various causes, most to AA fire.
General MacArthur, currently residing in Australia, is ordered back to Washington to discuss his next appointment.
April 18th
A totally unexpected air raid today by American bombers on large Japanese cities, including Tokyo, has shocked Japan. The raid, by 16 B-25 bombers, was launched from the deck of the American aircraft carrier USS Hornet some 650 miles from Tokyo. The Hornet was in company with the carrier USS Enterprise, as the bombers on Hornet prevented her from operating her normal aircraft complement.
After completing their bombing runs, all 16 aircraft cleared the Japanese home islands and continued westwards towards the coast of China. The raid was planned deliberately as a psychological shock to the Japanese and a much needed boost to American morale which has suffered from a cataract of military disasters since the Pacific war began. The US Army Air Force crews volunteered and trained vigorously in secret for this unorthodox and dangerous mission. To take off from the deck of an aircraft carrier with the very heavy fuel load required as well as bombs was a problem never before encountered by army pilots.
The raiding B-25s were unopposed when they crossed the Japanese coast. The raid was led by Colonel James Doolittle. His plane roared over Tokyo at a height of 1,200 feet just as an air-raid practice ended and the barrage balloons had been winched down. He dropped his incendiaries before the real alarm was sounded. Over China it was night and the weather was bad. A few pilots force landed their planes and of 63 crewmen who parachuted, five died and eight were captured. The raid has caused little material damage but has boosted Allied morale
Although the bombers were launched early as a suspicious Japanese craft had been seen, it appears this did not make a sighting report, as the Japanese appear to be unaware of the source of this raid. President Roosevelt refers to Shangri-La in a radio broadcast, which hardly enlightens the Japanese command.
General Blamey signals General Alexander (copy to London) that all Japanese troops that invaded Malaya have either been captured or driven out of the country. Churchill is delighted, and sends a congratulatory telegram. The success of the Australian units is apparently ameliorating his earlier disparagement of them.
20th April
The Japanese conquest of the central Philippines is nearly complete as Cebu and Panay are conquered. Small U. S. and Filipino garrisons have fled into the hills of Leyte, Samar, Negros and Bohol, but organised resistance has finished.