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• A two-day debate in British House of Commons ended with many being critical of the policy of bombing German cities. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | TH]
• Tatsuta Maru departed Mereyon, Palau Islands. ww2dbase [Tatsuta Maru | CPC]
• Major General Smyth requested that Lieutenant General Hutton grant him sick leave but received no reply. ww2dbase [AC]
• Italian submarine Torelli sank Panamanian tanker Esso Copenhagen 525 miles east of Trinidad; 1 was killed, 38 survived. On the same day, Italian submarine Da Vinci sank Brazilian ship Cadebelo 800 miles east of Guadeloupe; everyone aboard was killed. ww2dbase [Second Happy Time | CPC]

• HMS Indomitable arrived at Port Sudan in British East Africa and received Hurricane fighters and personnel of No. 30 and No. 261 Squadrons. ww2dbase [Indomitable | Port Sudan | CPC]

• German submarine U-156 sank British tanker La Carriere 70 miles south of Puerto Rico; 15 were killed, 26 survived. ww2dbase [Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico Campaigns | Caribbean Sea | CPC]
• Luigi Torelli sank Panamanian freighter Esso Copenhagen in the Atlantic Ocean, killing 1 of 39 aboard. ww2dbase [Luigi Torelli | CPC]
• Leonardo da Vinci sighted Brazilian freighter Cabedello, carrying coal and sailing toward Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in the Atlantic Ocean at 0922 hours. At 0944 hours, the Italian submarine fired two bow torpedoes, both hitting the freighter and sinking her in six minutes. Leonardo da Vinci sighted three lifeboats and tried to pick up survivors for interrogation, but rough seas created the danger of accidental ramming, so commanding officer Luigi Longanesi Cattani gave the order to resume the patrol. None of the survivors would be rescued, and thus the entire crew of 54 were ultimately lost in this attack. ww2dbase [Second Happy Time | Leonardo da Vinci | CPC]

• USAT Ancon and USAT Hugh L. Scott arrived at Brisbane, Australia, delivering ground echelons of 3rd Bombardment Group (Light and 22nd Bombardment Group (Medium) of the United States Army Air Forces. ww2dbase [Brisbane, Queensland | CPC]

• HMS Hermes arrived at Trincomalee, Ceylon and disembarked Swordfish torpedo bombers of 814 Naval Air Squadron. ww2dbase [Hermes | Trincomalee | CPC]

• Akagi departed Staring Bay, Celebes, Dutch East Indies with the Striking Force to cover the invasion of Java. ww2dbase [Akagi | Staring Bay, Celebes | CPC]
• In the Dutch East Indies, the second of two Japanese invasion fleets for Java departed from Balikpapan, Borneo; the fleet was consisted of 41 troop transports and escorted by 5 cruisers and 16 destroyers. ww2dbase [Dutch East Indies Campaign, Java | Balikpapan, Borneo | CPC]
• Japanese carriers departed from Kendari, Celebes to patrol waters off Java and Australia. ww2dbase [Kendari, Celebes | CPC]
• Japanese submarine I-158 attacked Dutch freighter Boeroe off Java, Dutch East Indies at 1015 hours but was driven off by an escort; at 1130 hours, I-158 attacked again, sinking Boeroe with two torpedoes; all 70 aboard survived. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Kaga departed Staring Bay near Kendari, Celebes, Dutch East Indies. ww2dbase [Kaga | Staring Bay, Celebes | CPC]
• Naka departed Makassar, Celebes, Dutch East Indies. ww2dbase [Naka | Makassar, Celebes | CPC]

• The first A4 rocket was placed on Test Stand VII at Peenemünde, Germany. ww2dbase [Peenemünde Army Research Center | Peenemünde, Pommern | AC]

• Joseph Stilwell arrived in India. ww2dbase [Joseph Stilwell | CPC]

• Rear Admiral Keiichi Onishi was named the chief of staff of Chinkai Guard District in southern Korea. ww2dbase [Chinkai Guard District | Chinkai, Gyeongsangnam | CPC]

• The Soviets began trials for a new submachine gun to succeed the proven PPSh-41 design. ww2dbase [PPS | CPC]

• The keel of destroyer Success was laid down by J. Samuel White on Isle of Wight, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Stord | Cowes, England | DS]

• At 0225 hours, radar operators in Los Angeles, California, United States picked up an unidentified airborne target 120 miles off the coast. Air raid sirens sounded, anti-aircraft emplacements were manned, and shore batteries were alerted. Shortly after 0300, one of the area’s coastal anti-aircraft positions started firing. Searchlights snapped on, other gun batteries joined in, and invasion alerts were flashed. The shooting continued sporadically for nearly an hour. Over 1,400 anti-aircraft shells were fired that damaged no aircraft. There had been no aircraft in the skies at all. Wide-spread damage to civilian property resulted from falling anti-aircraft shells and shrapnel. Five people died; two from heart attacks and three in automobile accidents. This incident became known as the Battle of Los Angeles. In the following days, the incident was well-reported in the press. ww2dbase [Japanese Attacks on the Continental United States | Los Angeles, California | CPC]
• USS Hammann departed San Francisco, California, United States as a part of Task Force 17. ww2dbase [Hammann | San Francisco, California | CPC]
• Battleships USS Tennessee and USS Maryland depart Puget Sound Naval Shipyard after repairs. ww2dbase [Puget Sound Navy Yard | Maryland | Tennessee | Bremerton, Washington | DS]

25 Feb 1942 Interactive Map