January 19
Africa, Eritrea
British forces in the Sudan, led by General William Platt, begin attacking Italian forces, heralding the start of General Sir Archibald Wavell's campaign against Italian East Africa.

January 24
Africa, Libya
The British 4th Armored Brigade engages Italian tanks near Mechili. The Italian forces in Libya are now divided, with units inland positioned around Mechili, and other forces on the coast around Derna. They do not support each other and both face encirclement.

January 29
Africa, Italian Somaliland
British forces based in Kenya led by General Sir Alan Cunningham begin attacking the Italian colony's garrison in the next stage of their campaign against Italian East Africa.

Politics, United States
A significant advance in Anglo-US cooperation begins with staff talks in Washington. A decision, code-named ABC1, is eventually made that places Germany's defeat as the principal Allied aim in the event of the US declaring war. These talks lead to a US mission in March to visit potential sites for military bases in Britain.

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