In East Africa… Allied forces cross the border from Kenya into Italian Somaliland. General Cunningham is in command and his forces are 11th and 12th East African Divisions and 1st South African Division. The main attack will not begin until February 10th.

In Greece… Prime Minister Metaxas dies. His successor is Alexander Korizis. Korizis is less decisive than Metaxas and does not have as good a relationship with the Greek Commander in Chief, General Papagos. Although he is, if anything, more ready to accept British help this change does not contribute to the smooth running of discussions with the British.

In North Africa… The Italians pull out of Derna and begin a precipitate retreat toward the west along the coast road.

In Washington… Secret staff talks begin between British and American representatives. The talks will continue until March 27th. They produce conclusions code named ABC1 which state that Allied policy in the event of war with Germany and Japan should be to put the defeat of Germany first. The talks mark an important stage in the development of cooperation between the US and Britain. As well as their important decisions they accustom the staffs to working with each other.