15 Jan in WW2 History | World War II Database

15 Jan 1893

Dragisa Cvetkovic was born.
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15 Jan 1910

Chuichi Nagumo was promoted to the rank of ensign.
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15 Jan 1930

Cruiser Köln was commissioned into service with Fregattenkapitän Ludwig von Schröder at the helm.
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15 Jan 1931

Louisville was commissioned into service.
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15 Jan 1933

Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein became a group leader (Kameradschaftsführer) in the Hitler Youth organization.
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15 Jan 1934

Russia

Boris Shaposhnikov was awarded his first Order of the Red Star.
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15 Jan 1937

USS Pollack was commissioned into service with Lieutenant Clarence E. Aldrich in command.
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Hermann Göring met Benito Mussolini; when Göring brought up the topic of the German wish to annex Austria, Mussolini showed disapproval.
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15 Jan 1939

In the Soviet Union, the Regime introduced the compulsory "Labour Book" for all workers, in which were inscribed details of all the jobs that the worker had held and any infraction of discipline, punishments and reprimands. No worker could change employment without written permission from his Plant Director in the Labour Book.

15 Jan 1940

German submarine U-44 torpedoed and sank Norwegian steamer Fagerheim in the Bay of Biscay at the early hours of the day, killing 15. The 5 survivors were taken to Vigo, Spain. At 0700 hours, U-44 fired shots at Dutch merchant freighter Arendskerk; realizing his ship could not out run the German submarine, captain of the Arendskerk gave the abandon ship order. Arendskerk was subsequently torpedoed and sank, but all 65 of her crew members survived, rescued by Italian steamer Fedora.
British government revealed that nearly twice as many people had been killed on the roads than the number of people killed in enemy action. The blackout was among the chief reasons.
Kapitän zur See Ernst Kretzenberg took command of cruiser Köln.
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15 Jan 1941

Overnight, Wellington bombers of No. 57 Squadron RAF attacked Emden, Germany while 76 RAF bombers attacked Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
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British minelaying cruiser HMS Adventure hit a mine and became damaged in Liverpool Bay en route from Milford Haven, Wales, United Kingdom. She was towed into Liverpool for repairs.
Italian submarine Luigi Torelli attacked an Allied convoy 350 miles west of Ireland, sinking Norwegian ship Brask (12 killed, 20 survived) and Greek ship Nemea (17 killed, 14 survived).
The Japanese Navy formed the 11th Air Fleet with the 21st, 22nd, and 24th Air Flotillas with Vice Admiral Eikichi Katagiri in command and Rear Admiral Takijiro Onishi as his chief of staff.
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French Indochina

Ships of the French Groupe Occasionnel squadron made rendezvous at 1600 hours 20 miles north of Poulo Condore (Con Dao) archipelago south of French Indochina, and began moving toward the Thai-Cambodian border at 2115 hours.
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Iceland

In Iceland, 133 miles-per-hour winds sank three PBY Catalina aircraft of US Navy squadron VP-73 and sank two PBM Mariner aircraft of US Navy squadron VP-74.

Netherlands

Egmont Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld achieved his second victory, shooting down a British Whitley bomber over northern Netherlands.
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15 Jan 1942

German authorities began to deport Jews from the Lodz ghettos to the Chelmno Concentration Camp.
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The German Armeegruppe Mitte began to fall back from the Kaluga area, forming a new defensive lines 20 miles to the west.
Allies formed the ABDA (American, British, Dutch and Australian) command in the Pacific region to counter Japanese advances.
German submarine U-552 sank the ship Dayrose at 0138 hours; 38 were killed, 4 survived. To the south, German submarine U-123 sank British tanker Coimbra off Sandy Hook, New Jersey, United States at 0941 hours; 36 were killed, 10 survived. At 1134 hours, again off New found, U-203 sank Portuguese trawler Catalina, killing all aboard. Near the end of the day at 2317 hours, U-553 blew the bow off of the tanker Diala; 57 were killed, 8 survived; the wreckage of Diala remained afloat.
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US Marine Corps Brigadier General Henry L. Larson was appointed the first military governor of American Samoa.
USS S-36 spotted a Japanese destroyer off Dutch Borneo at 0500 hours, but was discovered by the destroyer, which attacked with depth charges, severely damaging the submarine.
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Philippine 51st Division withdrew from the Salian River valley on the eastern side of the Abucay-Mauban defensive line on Bataan Peninsula, Luzon, Philippine Islands.
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Japanese troops crossed the Gemencheh Bridge over the Kelamah River in British Malaya at 1000 hours to attack Australian-held positions at Gemas; although the initial attack failed with the loss of six tanks, subsequent attacks and flanking maneuvers forced the Australians to fall back to the Gemas River. Elsewhere, Japanese 4th and 5th Imperial Guard Regiments wiped out forward positions held by elements of the Indian 45th Brigade north of the Muar River.
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Transport Chateau Thierry and converted passenger liner Strathaird departed New York, New York, United States with 3,900 troops of US 34th Division aboard, bound for Britain. This convoy, codenamed AT10, was escorted by 5 US destroyers.
British destroyer HMS Hesperus rammed German submarine U-93 while the submarine attempted to attack Allied convoy HG78 580 miles west of Gibraltar, followed by gunfire and depth charge attacks, leading to the submarine being abandoned; 6 were killed, 40 survived. HMS Hesperus would reverse course for Gibraltar to receive repairs.
A British Swordfish aircraft sank German submarine U-577 with depth charges 60 miles north of Sollum, Egypt, killing all 43 aboard.
USS Wichita collided with US freighter West Nohno and British trawler HMS Ebor Wyke and was grounded near Hrafneyri Lighthouse in poor weather in northern Russia.
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Caroline Islands

Kaga arrived at Truk, Caroline Islands.
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China

Chinese troops repulsed the Japanese attack on Changsha, Hunan Province, China.
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The Japanese-controlled Ryojun Naval District (previously known as Port Arthur; now Lushunkou, Liaoning Province, China), Kwantung Leased Territory in northeastern China was decommissioned from service.

United States

USS Gar departed San Francisco, California, United States.
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Historical document written: Letter from Franklin Roosevelt to Kenesaw Landis
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Historical document written: US Navy Report of Japanese Raid on Pearl Harbor, Enclosure E, USS Selfridge
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Photo(s) dated 15 Jan 1942

Letter from Roosevelt to Landis regarding professional baseball in the United States during WW2, 15 Jan 1942

15 Jan 1943

The keel of submarine Tang was laid down.
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Konstantin Rokossovsky was promoted to the rank of colonel general.
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The Pentagon, the new building in Virginia, United States and the future home of the US Department of War, was dedicated.
USAAF B-24 bombers attacked a Japanese convoy 200 miles south-southwest of Rangoon, Burma, sinking Nichimei Maru. Unknown to the American airmen, the transport was carrying Allied prisoners of war, 500 of whom would be lost in the sinking.
The US 2nd Marine Regiment departed Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands for New Zealand.
The keel for submarine Manta was laid down.
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Light carrier Hosho was assigned to the 3rd Force of the Mobile Force Training Force.
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2 companies of "Loreto" combat engineers battalion of the Italian Air Force were transferred by ship from Sicily, Italy to Tunis, Tunisia; the remaining two companies of the 1st Air Force Assault Regiment "Amedeo d'Aosta" would remain in Sicily to repair airfields.

British Western Pacific Territories

US Navy SBD Dauntless dive bombers from Henderson Field, Guadalcanal and USAAF B-17 bombers attacked a convoy of nine Japanese destroyers northeast of New Georgia, Solomon Islands; four Japanese destroyers were damaged. A lone B-17 bomber attacked the Japanese airfield on Ballale island, Solomon Islands. To the north in the Caroline Islands, three transports escorted by destroyers departed from Truk for Bougainville with Japanese Army troops transferred from China.
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Photo(s) dated 15 Jan 1943

Soviet soldier waving a red flag at a building off the central square in Stalingrad, Russia, Jan-Feb 1943

USS Iowa at the New York Naval Shipyard, New York, United States, 15 Jan 1943, photo 1 of 2

USS Iowa at the New York Naval Shipyard, New York, United States, 15 Jan 1943, photo 2 of 2

15 Jan 1944

Soviet forces launched a new offensive near Leningrad, Russia.
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Prichett was commissioned into service.
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Caroline Islands

Repair ship Akashi completed the repair work for light cruiser Nagara at Truk, Caroline Islands.
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Iceland

Allied convoy JW-56A sailed into a storm off the Faroe Islands; it was redirected to Akureyri, Iceland for shelter.
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Italy

German XIV Panzer Corps abandoned Monte Trocchio, Italy and fell back across the Rapido River; US II Corps would capture Monte Trocchio later in the same day. Meanwhile, General Juin's French troops captured Monte Santa Croce.
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15 Jan 1945

Adolf Hitler ordered Panzerkorps Grossdeutschland to move from East Prussia, Germany to Poland to counter the Soviet Vistula-Oder Offensive. This counterattack would be repulsed by the Soviet 1st Byelorussian Front.
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German report noted that the total number of prisoners in concentration camps was 714,211; there were about 40,000 guards at the camps.
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Germany

Adolf Hitler departed the Adlerhorst headquarters in Wetterau, Germany, returning to Berlin.
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Taiwan

USS Ticonderoga launched Air Group 80 aircraft for strikes on Taiwan; 1 aircraft was lost.
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The Inrin Temporary Prisoners of War Camp in central Taiwan was closed.

United Kingdom

German V-2 rocket hit Rainham, London, England, United Kingdom at about 2345, killing 14 and seriously injuring 4.

United States

USS Iowa arrived at San Francisco, California, United States.
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Photo(s) dated 15 Jan 1945

Helldiver aircraft over Hornet, South China Sea, mid-Jan 1945, photo 2 of 2

Helldiver aircraft over Hornet, China Sea, mid-Jan 1945, photo 1 of 2

Australian Boomerang fighter of No. 5 Squadron RAAF taxiing past RNZAF F4U-1 Corsair fighters, Cape Torokina, Bouganville, Solomon Islands, 15 Jan 1945

15 Jan 1947

Hornet (Essex-class) was decommissioned from service.
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15 Jan 1949

China

Chen Changjie was captured by Chinese Communist forces in Tianjin, China.
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15 Jan 1950

Romania

Petre Dumitrescu passed away in Bucharest, Romania.
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United States

Henry Arnold passed away in Sonoma, California, United States.
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15 Jan 1952

USS Sea Cat arrived at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Pennsylvania, United States for conversion into a Fleet Snorkel submarine.
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Russia

The Military Tribunal of the Moscow District sentenced German prisoner of war Karl Kosch 25 years in prison for war crimes and for being a German spy.
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15 Jan 1968

Netherlands