1942:
* Japan invades the Dutch East Indies, and are actually welcomed by the local Indonesians who have grown tired of living under Dutch colonial rule (the enemy of my enemy...). Many Indonesians actually welcomed the Japanese with open arms. The Dutch aren't so keen and execute a Scorched Earth strategy, deliberately destroying much of the East Indies' infrastructure before leaving.
* A Jewish girl turns 13 and begins documenting her life. Her family flee to the Netherlands and hide in an attic. Her name was Anne Frank.
* In Papua New Guinea, Australian and Japanese forces battle each other in the Kokoda Track Campaign. Many local Papua New Guineans assisted Australian forces and came to be known as the 'Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels,' including carrying wounded Australian soldiers under heavy enemy fire. In spite of this, the Australian government has not officially recognised the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels' contribution and many Aussie lives saved (e.g. better foreign aid to improve local health, education in villages around the Kokoda track etc.). On a darker note, Australian forces also bullied local PNGs into only assisting them, and any locals accused of assisting the Japanese were brutally punished, even publicly executed in front of children.