The First Battle of Hong Kong was one of the first battles of the Pacific Theatre of World War II. It began on February 27th 1942 and was a Japanese victory. During the battle, heavy cruiser Thunderchild was sunk protecting civilian evacuee transports from a Japanese flotilla comprised of a Kongo-class fast battleship and two destroyer squadrons as they left the harbor.[1]
Hong Kong would be retaken in the Second Battle of Hong Kong in 1944.[2]