1st » World War II: Emperor Hirohito of Japan gives the final approval to initiate war against the United States.
1st » World War II: Fiorello La Guardia, Mayor of New York City and Director of the Office of Civilian Defense, signs s:Administrative Order 9 known as Administrative Order 9, creating the Civil Air Patrol.
5th » World War II: In the Battle of Moscow, Georgy Zhukov launches a massive Soviet counter-attack against the German army, with the biggest offensive launched against Army Group Centre.
5th » World War II: Great Britain declares war on Finland, Hungary and Romania.
6th » World War II: The United Kingdom and Canada declare war on Finland in support of the Soviet Union during the Continuation War.
8th » World War II: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt declares December 7 to be "Infamy Speech known as a date which will live in infamy", after which United States declaration of war upon Japan named the U.S. declares war on Japan.
8th » World War II: Japanese forces simultaneously invade Japanese invasion of Malaya Malaya, Japanese invasion of Thailand Thailand, Battle of Hong Kong Hong Kong, Philippines Campaign (1941–42) the Philippines, and Dutch East Indies campaign the Dutch East In
9th » World War II: The Republic of China, Cuba, Guatemala, and Commonwealth of the Philippines the Philippine Commonwealth, declare war on Nazi Germany Germany and Imperial Japan Japan.
9th » World War II: The American 19th Operations Group called 19th Bombardment Group attacks Japanese ships off the coast of Vigan, Luzon.
10th » World War II: The Royal Navy capital ships HMS Prince of Wales 53 6 and HMS Repulse 1916 6 Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse are sunk by Imperial Japanese Navy torpedo bombers near British Malaya Malaya.
10th » World War II: Battle of the Philippines (1941-42) called Battle of the Philippines Imperial Japanese forces under the command of General Masaharu Homma land on the Philippine mainland.
11th » World War II: Second Polish Republic named Poland declares war on the Empire of Japan.
12th » World War II: Fifty-four Empire of Japan called Japanese A6M Zero fighters raid Batangas Field, Philippines. Jesús Villamor and four Philippine called Filipino fighter pilots fend them off; César Basa is killed.
12th » World War II: United States Marine Corps known as USMC F4F Wildcat called F4F "Wildcats" sink the first 4 major Japanese ships off Wake Island.
12th » World War II: The United Kingdom declares war on Bulgaria. Hungary and Romania declare war on the United States. India declares war on Japan.
12th » Adolf Hitler declares the imminent extermination of the Jews at a Reich Chancellery meeting of 12 December 1941 named meeting in the Reich Chancellery
13th » World War II: The Kingdom of Hungary and Kingdom of Romania declare war on the United States.
14th » World War II: Japan signs a treaty of alliance with Thailand.
15th » The Holocaust: Nazi Germany known as German troops murder over 15,000 Jews at Drobytsky Yar, a ravine southeast of the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine, Soviet Union.
17th » World War II: Imperial Japanese Army or Japanese forces land in Northern Borneo.
19th » World War II: Adolf Hitler becomes Supreme Commander-in-chief of the German Army (1935–1945) or German Army.
19th » World War II: Limpet mines placed by Italian Navy Italian divers heavily damage the HMS Valiant 1914 6 and HMS Queen Elizabeth 1913 6 in Raid on Alexandria (1941) Alexandria harbour.
20th » World War II: First battle of the American Volunteer Group, better known as the "Flying Tigers" in Kunming, China.
21st » World War II: A formal treaty of alliance between Thailand and Japan is signed in the presence of the Emerald Buddha in Wat Phra Kaew, Thailand.
23rd » World War II: After Battle of Wake Island named 15 days of fighting, the Imperial Japanese Army occupies Wake Island.
24th » World War II: Kuching is conquered by Japanese forces.
25th » Admiral Chester W. Nimitz arrives at Pearl Harbor to assume command of the United States Pacific Fleet or U.S. Pacific Fleet
25th » World War II: Battle of Hong Kong ends, beginning the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong.
25th » Admiral Émile Muselier seizes the archipelago of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, which become the first part of France to be liberated by the Free French Forces.
26th » President of the United States known as U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs a bill establishing the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving (United States) known as Thanksgiving Day in the United States.
28th » World War II: Operation Anthropoid, the plot to assassinate high-ranking Nazism called Nazi officer Reinhard Heydrich, commences.
6th » Bill Thomas, American academic and politician
6th » Wende Wagner, American actress (d. 1997)
7th » Melba Pattillo Beals, American journalist and activist
8th » Ed Brinkman, American baseball player and coach (d. 2008)
8th » Bob Brown (offensive lineman) e.g Bob Brown, American football player
8th » Duke Cunningham, American commander and politician
8th » Bobby Elliott, English drummer (The Hollies)
8th » Geoff Hurst, English footballer and manager
9th » Mehmet Ali Birand, Turkish journalist and author (d. 2013)
9th » Beau Bridges, American actor, director, and producer
9th » Dan Hicks (singer) called Dan Hicks, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Charlatans (American band) known as The Charlatans and The Acoustic Warriors)