1 Jan 1868
1 Jan 1874
1 Jan 1876
1 Jan 1878
1 Jan 1880
1 Jan 1882
1 Jan 1883
1 Jan 1884
1 Jan 1885
1 Jan 1887
1 Jan 1888
1 Jan 1889
1 Jan 1890
1 Jan 1891
1 Jan 1892 Japan
1 Jan 1893
1 Jan 1896
1 Jan 1897
1 Jan 1898
1 Jan 1899
1 Jan 1900
1 Jan 1902
1 Jan 1906
1 Jan 1907
1 Jan 1912
1 Jan 1913
1 Jan 1914
1 Jan 1915
1 Jan 1916
  • Denise Bloch was born.
    » In-depth article
  • Lieutenant R. B. Davis of the British Royal Naval Air Service was awarded the Victoria Cross for valour whilst flying a Nieuport fighter.
1 Jan 1918
  • The British Cabinet, hearing false rumours of Bolshevik atrocities at Irkutsk, Russia, sent a telegram to US President Wilson asking that he reconsider the proposal to land an Allied force in the Far East to safeguard the 600,000 tons of supplies and other interests at Vladivostok.
  • The Allies decided to supply the Ukraine and Romania through Persia and Siberia in the event of a renewed German offensive in the east. It was further decided that, for this purpose, the Trans-Siberian railway must be brought under Allied control. This would naturally involve the commitment of ground troops to the region.
1 Jan 1919 Russia
  • The VO, or Military Department, the Soviet military intelligence service, was renamed OO, or Special Department.
United Kingdom
1 Jan 1920
  • Andrew McNaughton was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel.
    » In-depth article
Byelorussia
  • The Byelorussian Communist Organization was founded as a separate party.
Photo(s) dated 1 Jan 1920
Oklahoma at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, 1 Jan 1920
1 Jan 1921
  • Pierre Barjot was assigned to the ship Aldebaran and served in Asia.
    » In-depth article
1 Jan 1922
1 Jan 1923

Canada
1 Jan 1924
1 Jan 1926

Russia
  • Kliment Voroshilov became a full member of the Soviet Politburo.
    » In-depth article
United Kingdom
1 Jan 1927

United Kingdom
  • The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was founded by Royal Charter, replacing the British Broadcasting Company Limited.
1 Jan 1928
1 Jan 1929
  • Ira Eaker served as the chief pilot aboard the aircraft "Question Mark" on a quest to break the endurance flight record.
    » In-depth article
  • Trento was commissioned into service.
    » In-depth article
Canada
  • Andrew McNaughton was promoted to the rank of major-general.
    » In-depth article
1 Jan 1930
1 Jan 1933

China
1 Jan 1934
  • Germany passed the "Law for the Prevention of Genetically Diseased Offspring".
  • Georg von Bismarck was promoted to the rank of Major.
    » In-depth article
  • Brummer was commissioned into service.
    » In-depth article
Germany Libya
  • Italo Balbo was named the Governor-General of Italian Libya.
1 Jan 1935
  • Werner Mölders began receiving fighter pilot instructions at the flying school in Tutow, Germany and the Jagdfliegerschule near Munich, Germany.
    » In-depth article
  • Admiral Canaris was appointed head of the German Abwehr (Military Intelligence Department).
    » In-depth article
1 Jan 1936
1 Jan 1937
  • Battleship King George V was laid down.
    » In-depth article
  • The United States began withholding taxes from payrolls per the Social Security Act legistration.
  • François Darlan was made the chief of staff of the French Navy.
    » In-depth article
  • Captain Clement Moody was named the commanding officer of HMS Eagle.
    » In-depth article
1 Jan 1938
  • Cruiser Köln began two months of repairs at Kiel, Germany.
    » In-depth article
  • Lord Gort was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath.
    » In-depth article
  • George Giffard was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath.
    » In-depth article
China
  • Japanese Army General Iwane Matsui reportedly told a Japanese diplomat "[m]y men have done something very wrong and extremely regrettable" regarding the atrocities committed in Nanjing, China.
    » In-depth article
  • Chen Shaokuan was named the supreme commander of the Chinese Navy.
    » In-depth article
United Kingdom
  • Although Hurricane fighters had been arriving for the past week, this date was the official date that No. 111 Squadron RAF (based at RAF Northolt, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom) converted to operate these newly developed fighters.
    » In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 1 Jan 1938
A Japanese newspaper reporting a killing contest held by the Japanese Army in Nanjing
1 Jan 1939
1 Jan 1940
  • Age of conscription increased to 27 in the United Kingdom, thus adding two million potential conscripts for military service.
  • German submarine U-58 sank neutral Swedish steamer Lars Magnus Trozelli with one torpedo 50 miles northeast of Aberdeen at 1100 hours, killing 7. The survivors were picked up Norwegian merchant ship Ask.
  • 1,000 men from the Finnish 9th Division under the command of Captain Eino Lassila skied into their attacking position; when they arrived at 2300, they were looking down a large Russian tank and artillery concentration on the Raate Road.
    » In-depth article
  • Between the start of the European War on 1 Sep 1939 and this date, 15,600 British men registered themselves as conscientious objectors.
  • 10,000 Japanese troops launched a counter-attack in eastern Shanxi Province in China in an attempt to relieve the nearly-surrounded Japanese 36th Division. It would be driven back by stiff Chinese resistance within the next two days.
    » In-depth article
  • Tingfang Bie passed away.
    » In-depth article
Germany
  • Robert von Greim was promoted to the rank of Generalleutnant.
    » In-depth article
Gibraltar
  • British authorities detained several American ships at Gibraltar to search for contraband.
United Kingdom
  • German aircraft bombed RAF Coastal Command at Sullom Voe in the Shetland Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom damaging light cruiser HMS Coventry and ground facilities with the loss of one Ju 88 bomber.
    » In-depth article
1 Jan 1941
  • Negotiations began between Germany and Bulgaria to use Bulgarian territory as a staging area for Operation Marita, the German invasion of Greece.
    » In-depth article
  • In Hitler's New Year's Order of the Day, he promised the Wehrmacht the completion of the "greatest victory in our history" on the Western Front.
    » In-depth article
  • The United Kingdom suppressed the Daily Worker, a Communist publication.
  • British General O'Connor's Western Desert Force in Egypt was reorganized as the British 13th Corps. Meanwhile, in Libya, RAF aircraft continued to bomb the port of Bardia and the airfields at Tobruk, Derna, and Benina.
    » In-depth article
  • In the Gibraltar Strait, British destroyers HMS Duncan, HMS Firedrake, HMS Foxhound, HMS Jaguar, and HMS Hero stopped a French convoy from Casablanca, French Morocco. The convoy was consisted of French ship Chantilly, French tankers Octane and Suroit, and Danish ship Sally Maersk. HMS Jaguar attacked Chantilly, causing 2 killed and 4 wounded, leading to the convoy's capture.
  • The BBC aired the Brains Trust for the first time. This radio programme which had five men discussing such diverse subjects as philosophy, art and science was surprisingly a great success, frequently having a regular audience of ten million listeners.
  • George Giffard was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath.
    » In-depth article
  • Arthur Coningham was Mentioned in Despatches.
    » In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 1 Jan 1941
B-18 Bolo bomber port wing with low-drag experimental panel, Langley Field, Virginia, United States, 1 Jan 1941; note P-43 Lancer fighter in background
1 Jan 1942
  • The United States introduced a ban on the purchase of new private cars and trucks in order to conserve steel.
  • Jean Moulin, the former mayor of Chartes, parachuted into France in an effort to coordinate and unify resistance groups.
    » In-depth article
  • British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, US President Franklin Roosevelt, Soviet Ambassador Maxim Litvinov, and Chinese Ambassador Song Ziwen (also known as T. V. Soong) signed the Declaration by United Nations during the Arcadia Conference in Washington DC, United States.
    » In-depth article
  • Allied powers announced preliminary plans for punishing enemy war criminals after the war.
  • Oberstgeneral Ernst Udet, head of the Luftwaffe's Production and Development, committed suicide over his perceived inability to properly perform his mission.
  • Douglas MacArthur accepted a payment of US$500,000 from Philippine President Manuel Quezon for his pre-war service.
    » In-depth article
  • General der Artillerie Robert Martinek succeeded Wilhelm Weiß as the commanding officer of the German 7th Mountain Division.
  • Four Australian Hudson medium bombers attacked Kapingamarangi northeast of Rabaul, Bismarck Islands, causing light damage.
    » In-depth article
  • George Brett was named the Deputy Supreme Commander of the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDA).
    » In-depth article
China
  • Chinese troops launched a counterattack at Changsha, Hunan Province, China.
    » In-depth article
Malaya, Singapore, and Borneo
  • Japanese troops continued the assault on Kampar, British Malaya; both sides incurred heavy casualties in the morning. Meanwhile, Japanese 11th Regiment landed in the Bernam River 35 miles to the southwest. In London, England, United Kingdom, Winston Churchill complained of the British Royal Navy's inability to disrupt Japanese shipping in Malayan waters.
    » In-depth article
Philippines
  • American and Filipino forces south of Manila, Luzon, Philippine Islands abandoned their positions and joined the defenses north of the city, which would fall back across the Calumpit bridges by the end of the day. Meanwhile, the Japanese sent a message to the mayor of Manila announcing that the Japanese forces would arrive on the following day.
    » In-depth article
Ukraine
  • Soviet cruiser Molotov arrived at Sevastopol, Ukraine with 700 men of the Soviet 386th Infantry Division.
    » In-depth article
  • Historical document written: US Navy Report of Japanese Raid on Pearl Harbor, Enclosure E, Commander Patrol Wing ONE
    » In-depth article
  • Historical document written: US Navy Report of Japanese Raid on Pearl Harbor, Enclosure E, Commander Patrol Squadron Eleven
    » In-depth article
  • Historical document written: US Navy Report of Japanese Raid on Pearl Harbor, Enclosure E, Reports by Survivors
    » In-depth article
  • Historical document written: Declaration by the United Nations
    » In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 1 Jan 1942
Canadian Prime Minister King, British Ambassador Halifax, and Chinese Ambassador Song with US President Roosevelt, Washington DC, United States, 1 Jan 1942Female workers in a factory in Leningrad, Russia, 1 Jan 1942Leningrad after a German air raid, Russia, 1 Jan 1942
1 Jan 1943
  • Tatsuta Maru arrived at Makassar, Celebes.
    » In-depth article
    » Tabular Record of Movement
  • I-168 arrived at Guadalcanal with 15 tons of cargo; she was chased away by two patrol boats after only 60% of her cargo had been unloaded.
    » In-depth article
    » Tabular Record of Movement
  • German 1st Panzer Division withdrew from Terek area in southern Russia to prevent encirclement by the Soviet Salsk-Rostov and Mozdok-Stavropol Offensive Operations.
    » In-depth article
  • In a letter to Chester Nimitz, Bill Halsey described Miles Browning as someone who "has an uncanny knack of sizing up a situation and coming out with an answer" in an attempt to save Browning's career as the temperamental Browning had made many political enemies.
    » In-depth article
  • USS Gar reported firing four torpedoes against two Japanese ships on this date, hitting one of them with one torpedo and causing damage.
    » In-depth article
  • The US 2nd Marine Aviation Engineer Battalion and the US Army 27th Division arrived at Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
    » In-depth article
  • HMS Activity began hosting deck landing training.
    » In-depth article
  • Frustrated with the poor performance of the German Navy, Adolf Hitler angrily ordered the decommissioning of the entire German high seas fleet.
    » In-depth article
  • Claus von Stauffenberg was promoted to lieutenant colonel.
    » In-depth article
  • Wolfgang Falck was promoted to the rank of Oberstleutnant.
    » In-depth article
  • Lord Gort was promoted to the rank of field marshal.
    » In-depth article
  • Archibald Wavell was promoted to the rank of field marshal.
    » In-depth article
Hawaii
  • A new marine railway for handling destroyers and submarines began construction at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, US Territory of Hawaii.
Photo(s) dated 1 Jan 1943
Crusader Mk III tank in North Africa, 1 Jan 1943Soviet troops charging near Leningrad, Russia, 1 Jan 1943; note PPD submachine gun
1 Jan 1944
  • Petr Novikov passed away.
    » In-depth article
  • General Mark Clark became the commander of US Fifth and Seventh Armies.
    » In-depth article
  • Soviet forces closed to within 30 miles of the old Polish frontier.
  • Robert Saundby was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
    » In-depth article
  • The Japanese Navy 11th Air Fleet was reorganized to contain two air flotillas, one air group, one seaplane tender, and two destroyers. The 13th Air Fleet was assigned to the Southwest Area Fleet with two air flotillas and one air group.
  • USS Pintado was commissioned into service, Lieutenant Commander Bernard A. Clarey in command.
    » In-depth article
  • USS Finback sank a Japanese tanker in the East China Sea, hitting her with 5 of 6 torpedoes fired.
    » In-depth article
  • USS Puffer sank Japanese freighter Ryuyo Maru and damaged another ship south of the Philippine Islands; she expended 7 torpedoes and observed 4 hits.
    » In-depth article
  • Light carrier Hosho was assigned to Training Force of the 5th Force.
    » In-depth article
    » Tabular Record of Movement
  • Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein was named the commanding officer of Nachtjagdgeschwader 2.
    » In-depth article
  • USS Ray sank Japanese converted gunboat Okuyo Maru in the mouth of Ambon Bay, Java, Dutch East Indies, hitting her with 3 of 6 torpedoes fired.
    » In-depth article
  • George Giffard was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath.
    » In-depth article
Caroline Islands Germany
  • 421 RAF Lancaster bombers attacked Berlin, Germany; 28 aircraft were lost. 15 Mosquito aircraft attacked Hamburg in diversion.
    » In-depth article
Italy
  • The Brigata Marina naval infantry unit of the pro-Allied government in southern Italy was renamed "San Marco".
United Kingdom
  • Allied convoy RA-55A arrived at Loch Ewe, Scotland, United Kingdom.
    » In-depth article
United States
  • Dwight Eisenhower arrived in Washington DC, United States where he and his wife would take a brief break from the war.
    » In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 1 Jan 1944
Princeton off Puget Sound Navy Yard, Washington, 1 Jan 1944, 1 of 3Princeton off Puget Sound Navy Yard, Washington, 1 Jan 1944, 2 of 3Princeton off Puget Sound Navy Yard, Washington, 1 Jan 1944, 3 of 3USS San Diego off San Francisco, California, United States, 1 Jan 1944, photo 1 of 2
See all photos dated 1 Jan 1944
1 Jan 1945
  • Some time during this month, Oberleutnant Otto Wermuth took command of German submarine U-530.
    » In-depth article
  • Fregattenkapitän Frotz-Henning Brandes took command of cruiser Köln.
    » In-depth article
  • Air Vice Marshal J. W. Baker became the commanding officer of the No. 12 Group RAF.
  • German troops began a withdrawal from Ardennes in the Belgian-German border region. Meanwhile, in retaliation for the Malmedy massacre, US troops massacred 30 SS prisoners at Chenogne, Belgium. In the air, the German Luftwaffe launched Unternehmen Bodenplatte, which consisted of 800 aircraft conducting low-level strikes against snow-bound Allied airfields in the Netherlands and Belgium. They destroyed 220 aircraft, mainly on the ground, but lost 188 aircraft of their own, as well as many experienced pilots who could not be replaced. This operation failed to achieve its goal of wiping out Allied air power based in the region.
    » In-depth article
  • When his 9 Squadron Lancaster bomber from Bardney was hit and set on fire in a raid on the Dortmund-Ems canal, wireless operator RAF Flight Sergeant George Thompson gallantly braved the flames to save his mid-upper and rear gunners who were trapped in the inferno. The rear gunner later recovered but Thompson's burns were so severe that three weeks later he developed pneumonia and died in a hospital. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.
  • American aircraft attacked Japanese airfields at Negros Island and Luzon (Clark Field) in the Philippine Islands.
    » In-depth article
  • 100 male and 100 female Polish prisoners of the Gestapo from block 11 in Auschwitz I camp were transferred by SS doctor Fritz Klein to the chief of Auschwitz II-Birkenau Crematorium V Erich Muhsfeldt. Muhsfeldt's men executed these police prisoners by firing squad.
  • USS Kete began lifeguard duty off Ryukyu Islands, Japan.
    » In-depth article
  • Otto Skorzeny departed Cologne, Germany to return to the field headquarters of German Armored Brigade 150.
    » In-depth article
  • Captain Chuzaburo Yamazumi was named the chief of staff of the Japanese Navy 3rd Air Fleet.
  • USS Wake Island arrived at Kossol Roads, Palau Islands, loaded ammunition and other supplies, and departed for the Philippine Islands.
    » In-depth article
  • USS Pintado arrived in Brisbane, Australia, ending her third war patrol.
    » In-depth article
  • German submarine control requested a position report from U-869, which did not respond.
    » In-depth article
  • Heinz Guderian requested Adolf Hitler to allow reinforcements to be sent to German units in Hungary and Poland.
    » In-depth article
Caroline Islands
  • US Army troops landed on Fais Island in the Caroline Islands to capture and destroy a Japanese radio station.
Japan
  • 19 American B-24 bombers based in Saipan, Mariana Islands struck Japanese positions at Iwo Jima.
    » In-depth article
  • Five Japanese submarines departed Inland Sea, Japan with Kaiten submarines aboard. I-36 sailed for Ulithi in the Caroline Islands, I-48 for Hollandia in New Guinea, I-53 for Palau Islands, I-56 for the Admiralty Islands, and I-58 for Guam in the Mariana Islands.
    » In-depth article
  • Historical document written: Hints on Diet During Recuperative Leave for Liberated Prisoners of War
    » In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 1 Jan 1945
Japanese top level meeting before Emperor Showa, 1 Jan 1945RA-24B-15-DT Banshee aircraft (serial number 42-54736) preparing for take off on Morotai in the Moluccas, 1 Jan 1945; note C-47 Skytrain and hulk of C-45 Expeditor fuselage
1 Jan 1946 United States
  • Arthur Harrison Graubart of the US Navy was named the commanding officer of the captured German cruiser USS IX-300 (formerly Prinz Eugen).
    » In-depth article
  • Historical document written: Imperial Rescript Renouncing Divinity
    » In-depth article
1 Jan 1947
  • The American and British occupation zones in Germany merged to form the Bizone, which later became the Federal Republic of Germany.
  • Hjalmar Siilasvuo passed away.
    » In-depth article
  • Miles Browning retired from the US Navy.
    » In-depth article
  • The Atomic Energy Act of 1946, signed into American law by US President Harry Truman on 1 Aug 1946, came into effect. Manhattan Project was thus turned over to the newly established civilian United States Atomic Energy Commission.
    » In-depth article
  • Escort carrier Makin Island was sold for scrap.
    » In-depth article
  • Kashima was decommissioned from service.
    » In-depth article
    » Tabular Record of Movement
  • Formidable was decommissioned from service.
    » In-depth article
  • Smalley was decommissioned from service.
    » In-depth article
  • Philip was decommissioned from service.
    » In-depth article
  • Shad was decommissioned from service.
    » In-depth article
United States
  • USS Mingo was decommissioned at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California, United States and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet.
    » In-depth article
  • Joseph Rochefort retired from the US Navy.
    » In-depth article
1 Jan 1948
  • The nationalised British Rail came into existence.
  • Nymphe was decommissioned from service.
    » In-depth article
1 Jan 1951

Photo(s) dated 1 Jan 1951
P-51 Mustang fighter of the US 5th Air Force dropping two napalm bombs in North Korea, 1 Jan 1951
1 Jan 1953

Photo(s) dated 1 Jan 1953
Battleship New Jersey firing a six-gun salvo at an enemy troop concentration near Kaesong, Korea, 1 Jan 1953US Marines fighting in Korea, 1 Jan 1953; note Corsair in flight overhead
1 Jan 1954
1 Jan 1955
1 Jan 1956
1 Jan 1957
1 Jan 1958
1 Jan 1961
1 Jan 1964

Ceylon
  • Rohan Amerasekera was promoted to the rank of air commodore in the Royal Ceylon Air Force.
    » In-depth article
1 Jan 1965
1 Jan 1966
1 Jan 1968
1 Jan 1969
1 Jan 1971
1 Jan 1972
  • Submarine Guitarro was struck from the US Naval Register as she was sold to Turkey, with which country she had been operating since 1954.
    » In-depth article
1 Jan 1973
1 Jan 1974
1 Jan 1980

Photo(s) dated 1 Jan 1980
Museum ship Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, 1 Jan 1980, 1 of 2Museum ship Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, 1 Jan 1980, 2 of 2
1 Jan 1981
1 Jan 1990
1 Jan 1996
  • Arleigh Burke passed away.
    » In-depth article
  • Submarine Becuna became part of Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.
    » In-depth article
1 Jan 2012

Photo(s) dated 1 Jan 2012
Battleship Iowa at Terminal 3, Richmond, California, United States, 1 Jan 2012

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis




Share this article with your friends:
 Facebook  Reddit
 Twitter  Digg
 StumbleUpon  Delicious


Stay updated with WW2DB:
 RSS Feeds
Advertisement                    Close
Search WW2DB & Partner Sites
News

Random Photograph
Haruna after her modernization, circa 1934-36
Haruna after her modernization, circa 1934-36



Site Sponsors


Advertise on ww2db.com


Current Site Statistics

Famous WW2 Quote
"Goddam it, you'll never get the Purple Heart hiding in a foxhole! Follow me!"

Captain Henry P. Jim Crowe, Guadalcanal, 13 Jan 1943