Day 886 February 2, 1942

At 7.46 AM, U-751 hits Dutch tanker Corilla, carrying 10.500 tons of aviation fuel, with 1 of 3 torpedoes. Corolla does not explode, there are no injuries and the tanker returns to Halifax for repairs.

Near Pico Island in the Azores, British destroyer HMS Westcott (escorting troopship Llangibby Castle to Gibraltar) sinks U-581 with depth charges (3 killed, 37 taken POW by HMS Westcott). Leutnant zur see Walter Sitek swims 6 km to shore and returns to Germany through neutral Spain. He will go on to command 3 U-boats (U-17, U-981 and U-3005) and survive the war.

Off the East coast of England, German bombers sink British minesweeping trawlers HMT Cloughton Wyke and HMT Cape Spartel.

Soviet 3rd Shock Army attack Kholm. The 5500 German troops, Gruppe Scherer, encircled are being supplied by airdrops on the tiny town.

President Roosevelt and Army Chief of Staff George Marshall confirm American General Joseph “Vinegar Joe” Stilwell to oversee cooperation with China as Chief of Staff to Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek.

Luzon, Philippines. Overnight, just North of Lingayen Gulf, US submarine Seadragon attacks a Japanese supply convoy and sinks transport ship Tamagawa Maru. Also overnight, Japanese amphibious landing to reinforce the earlier landing at Quinauan Point in the South of Bataan is foiled by combined attack of artillery, infantry weapons and bombing by 4 Curtiss P-40 Warhawks with 100 lb antipersonnel bombs (Americans have prior warning from documents found on a dead Japanese soldier). During the day, American troops with tanks fail to dislodge Japanese beachheads at Quinauan Point. On the Orion-Bagac line, US-Filipino II Corps clears Japanese troops from the Little Pocket.

Singapore. Japanese bombing of docks and naval base forces Allied warships to leave for safer harbours in the Dutch East Indies.

Ambon, Dutch East Indies. Japanese minesweeper W-9, W-11 and W-12 are damaged by Dutch mine while minesweeping in Bay of Ambon (W-9 sinks). Pockets of Australian “Gull Force” start surrendering under shellfire from Japanese warships in the Bay plus bombing and strafing from the air.