23 Aug 1940
- German propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels launched a new campaign that stressed the British fighting spirit in an attempt to rally Germany behind the war effort. ww2dbase [Joseph Goebbels | CPC]
- Australian cruiser HMAS Sydney, Australian destroyer HMAS Stuart, and British destroyers HMS Diamond, HMS Ilex, HMS Juno bombarded the Italian seaplane base at Bomba, Libya. ww2dbase [CPC]
- German submarine U-37 torpedoed Norwegian ship Keret in the Atlantic Ocean 500 miles west of Ireland at 0222 hours, killing 13; 7 survivors in a lifeboat and a raft were rescued by British ship Trident. In the general area, at 1250 hours, U-37 sank British ship Severn Leigh, killing 32 crew and 1 gunner; 10 survivors would make it to Outer Hebrides, Scotland on 5 Sep. ww2dbase [First Happy Time | CPC]
- Destroyers USS Walke and USS Wainwright departed Pará, Brazil for the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. ww2dbase [CPC]
- James Lacey was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal. ww2dbase [James Lacey | CPC]
- The British RAF flew a retaliation strike against Berlin, Germany. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | Berlin | CPC]
- British destroyer HMS Hostile (H55) hit a mine 10 miles east of Cape Bon, Tunisia at 0317 hours, killing 5 and wounding 3. The mine was laid by Italian destroyer Maestrale during the night of 8-9 Aug 1940. After the survivors were taken aboard by destroyers HMS Hero and HMS Mohawk, HMS Hero (H99) scuttled Hostile with torpedoes. ww2dbase [CPC, HM]
- Rain and clouds prevented the Germans from mounting large raids against Britain, giving the British airmen a chance to rest and crews a chance to repair airfields. Single-aircraft raids were, however, mounted against southern and central England, as were raids against shipping; two merchant ships were sunk and one was damaged by He 115 torpedo bombers. Overnight, German bombers raided British cities; British fighters shot down two of the night raiders with no losses of their own, while anti-aircraft gunners claimed a third. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | CPC]
- Heavy cruisers USS Wichita (with chief of Cruiser Division 7 Rear Admiral Andrew C. Pickens on board) and USS Quincy arrived at Montevideo, Uruguay. ww2dbase [Quincy (New Orleans-class) | Montevideo | CPC]

23 Aug 1940 Interactive Map
Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you. Please help us spread the word: Stay updated with WW2DB: |
Search WW2DB

News
- » USS Orlean's Bow Found (22 Jul 2025)
- » The Emperor of Japan Planned to Honor WW2-era Japanese POWs in Mongolia (4 Jul 2025)
- » US State Lawmaker John Winter Caught Using Racial Slur "Jap" and Apologized (11 Jun 2025)
- » Race, Holocaust, and African-American WW2 Histories Removed from the US Naval Academy Library (7 Apr 2025)
- » US Government Plans to Purge WW2 Information (17 Mar 2025)
- » See all news
Random Photograph
M26 Pershing tanks and crews of US 73rd Heavy Tank Battalion, Busan, Korea, circa mid- to late-1950Current Site Statistics
- » 1,180 biographies
- » 337 events
- » 45,098 timeline entries
- » 1,246 ships
- » 350 aircraft models
- » 207 vehicle models
- » 376 weapon models
- » 123 historical documents
- » 261 facilities
- » 470 book reviews
- » 28,466 photos
- » 365 maps
Famous WW2 Quote
"Since peace is now beyond hope, we can but fight to the end."Chiang Kaishek, 31 Jul 1937
Support Us

Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!

Or, please support us by purchasing some WW2DB merchandise at TeeSpring, Thank you!