April 3, 1942:

Chester Nimitz was named Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas, a joint command. The admiral also kept his other title, Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet.

U.S. and Allied forces retreated in Bataan, the peninsula guarding Manila Bay of the Philippine Islands. Japanese forces had already forced General Douglas MacArthur’s troops from the Philippine capital, and MacArthur himself fled for Australia on President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s orders. U.S. troops, commanded by his replacement, Admiral Edward King, would surrender within days.

Brandus, Paul. This Day in U.S. Military History (p. 91). Bernan Press. Kindle Edition.