Manila - a lull in bombing - but only a lull.
December 16, 1941 – Day Of Infamy: Plus Nine – Suspicious Calm In Manila – Anxiety In Singapore – Attack On Maui
December 16, 1941 – NBC Red Network News Of The World – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
December 16, 1941 – Seven more shopping days until Christmas was anything but festive. News for this day continued with reports of fresh attacks by Japanese ships and submarines on two islands in the Hawaiian group, including one attack taking place on Maui just 80 miles away from Pearl Harbor. Another attack took place on the remote outpost of Johnston Island, some 700 miles away from the Hawaiian group. But no new attacks on Manila.
From London came reports that a real threat from Japanese forces was developing around Singapore and that Allied naval forces no longer had superiority over Japan. That superiority of ships was the original planned defense of Singapore. Now it was looking grim as well as pessimistic for the Dutch Islands on the other side of the straits, which would be open and vulnerable. That would leave American naval ships with no repair base in the far Pacific. Reports also indicated Hong Kong was in imminent danger.
Meanwhile, German cross-channel guns were firing again on Dover. British planes crossed the channel and the guns fell silent a half hour later. Russian forces were continuing to score gains across the Eastern front which was welcome news to the Allies.
News from Manila was one of an eerie calm settling over the city, as there hadn’t been any fresh attacks from the air in over two days. The lull however only served to put Philippine defenses on higher alert. But the break did give everyone a chance to do more preparing for what was surely to become further attacks in the coming days.
And that’s just a little of what was going on, this ninth day since the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor ushered America into the war. It was all reported via the NBC Red Network News Of The World program, December 16, 1941.
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