3 Jan 1868
- Emperor Meiji declared the new official name of his country to be Empire of Great Japan.
3 Jan 1883
- Clement Attlee was born.
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3 Jan 1886
- Herbert Morrison was born.
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3 Jan 1903
- Adolf Hitler's father, Alois Hitler, passed away.
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3 Jan 1905
- Nobuhito was born.
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3 Jan 1918
- A British Emissary, R. H. Lockhart, was ordered to Russia to open relations with the Bolsheviks.
3 Jan 1925
- Mussolini claimed political responsibility of the murder of Socialist politician Giacomo Matteotti.
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3 Jan 1931
- Marshal Joseph Joffre, the former French Commander-in-Chief (1914-1916), passed away.
3 Jan 1932
- Japanese troops captured Jinzhou, Liaoning Province, China.
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3 Jan 1934
- Tatsuta Maru arrived at San Francisco, California, United States.
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» Tabular Record of Movement
3 Jan 1937
- Spanish Nationalist forces captured a seven-mile stretch of the Corunna Road north of Madrid, Spain. For the following 12 days, Spanish Republican forces would attempt to counterattack to regain the road, with high casualties on both sides, ending in a stalemate.
» In-depth article
3 Jan 1939
- The Hepburn Board of the US Navy submitted a request to the US Congress for the expansion to Midway, Wake, Johnston, and Palmyra Atolls in the Pacific Ocean.
3 Jan 1940
- American freighter Mormacsun was intercepted by the Royal Navy and diverted to Scotland for searches.
- Russian submarine S-2 was sunk after hitting a naval mine in the Sea of Aland; all 50 aboard were lost.
- Battle of the Raate Road: Troops of Finnish 9th Division continued to attack the Russian concentration along the Raate Road, they failed to cut the column but they did manage to pin down the Russians. Finnish troops focused on attacking field kitchens and bonfires to keep the Russians in the cold. Meanwhile, Finnish Colonel Siilasvuo dispatched another two regiment-sized task forces, traveling toward Raate Road on skis, to aid the assault.
» In-depth article
3 Jan 1941
- Luftwaffe X Fliegerkorps arrived in Italy.
- At 0530 hours, the British artillery barrage began, hitting Italian defensive positions at Bardia, Libya. At 0600 hours, Australian 6th Division began its assault from the west, clearing anti-tank obstacles for the 23 tanks of the British 7th Royal Tank Regiment that began attacking at 0650 hours. Between 0810 and 0855 hours, battleships HMS Warspite, HMS Valiant, and HMS Barham, along with destroyers, monitors, and gunboats, bombarded Bardia with 244 15-inch shells, 270 6-inch shells, 250 4.5-inch shells, and many smaller caliber shells. The ground forces would penetrate 2 miles into the Italian lines.
» In-depth article - RAF bombers attacked Bremen and the Kiel Canal in Germany. The Kiel Canal Bridge suffered a direct hit and collapsed on Finnish ships Yrsa.
» In-depth article - German bombers attacked Bristol, England, United Kingdom overnight for 12 hours, targeting the docks and the railway station. 149 were killed and 351 were wounded. The granary on Princes Wharf was destroyed, along with most of the 8,000 tons of grain inside.
» In-depth article - The Corpo Aereo Italiano, which had been participating in the Battle of Britain alongside Luftwaffe units at Belgian bases, was recalled to Italy after suffering heavy losses.
- Photos dated 3 Jan 1941
3 Jan 1942
- US and Filipino troops fell back to the Guagua-Porac defensive line, 15 miles from the Bataan peninsula on Luzon, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article - Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Cummings led a counter attack against the Japanese at Kuantan, Malaya, in which all of his men were killed or wounded, and he was bayoneted twice in the stomach. Rallying the remnants of his force under fire, he was wounded again, but succeeded in saving many lives. He was awarded the Victoria Cross.
- The Japanese made an amphibious attack at Kuala Selangor in western Malaya, which was repelled by Indian troops. In eastern Malaya, Japanese troops pushed through Indian 9th Division defenses and crossed the Kuantan River, capturing the airfield nearby.
» In-depth article - British Colonel Arthur Cummings, commanding officer of the Indian 12th Frontier Force Regiment, gallantly led a rearguard unit near Kuantan, Malaya as the main body of his division retreated further south, suffering a bayonet wound in his stomach and a gunshot in the arm. He would survive the war and be awarded the Victoria Cross for this action.
- Australian 39th and 53rd Battalions arrived at Port Moseby, New Guinea from Sydney, Australia.
- Japanese submarine I-158 sank Dutch ship Langkoeas off Bawean Island, Dutch East Indies; all 94 aboard escaped on lifeboats. I-158 rammed one of the lifeboats and attacked the others with machine guns, killing many of the survivors. Ultimately, only 3 would survive.
- Five freighters and one tanker departed Messina, Brindisi, and Taranto in Italy to form convoy M.34, carrying 1,200 troops, 54 tanks, artillery pieces, armored cars, 1,000 tons of ammunition, and 5,300 tons of fuel for Tripoli, Libya. A powerful escort force of 4 Italian battleships, 5 cruisers, 19 destroyers, and 5 torpedo boats provided cover from a distance.
- The B-25D variant of the B-25 Mitchell aircraft took its first flight; all B-25D aircraft were built at Kansas City, Kansas, United States.
» In-depth article - Shokaku was undocked at Kure, Japan.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement - USS Pollack fired a torpedo at a Japanese ship off Honshu, Japan; the torpedo missed.
» In-depth article - USS Skipjack attacked a Japanese submarine in the Dutch East Indies with four torpedoes and observed two explosions; in actuality no damage was done.
» In-depth article - Photos dated 3 Jan 1942
3 Jan 1943
- Soviet troops captured Mozdok, Russia.
» In-depth article - President Wladyslaw Raczkiewicz of the Polish government-in-exile in London, England, United Kingdom urged Pope Pius XII to denounce German atrocities against the Jews.
» In-depth article - Lieutenant R. T. G. Greenland RNVR and Leading Signalman A. Ferrier penetrated Palermo harbour in Sicily, Italy on a Chariot human torpedo and sink the Italian light cruiser Ulpio Traiano.
- The Japanese leadership in Rabaul, New Britain received the text of the Army-Navy Central Agreement on South Pacific Area Operations, which called for the strengthening of Solomon Islands and New Guinea footholds upon the completion of the evacuation of Guadalcanal.
- USAAF heavy bombers attacked the docks and U-Boat pens at Saint-Nazaire, France, starting several fires.
- USS S-28 crossed the International Date Line.
» In-depth article - I-168 arrived at Shortland Islands in the Soloman Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement - Repair ship Akashi completed refitting light cruiser Sendai at Truk, Caroline Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
3 Jan 1944
- General Montgomery was ordered home to take command of British troops in the Allied Expeditionary Force.
» In-depth article - US Fifth Army began its offensive against the Gustav Line in Italy.
» In-depth article - USMC ace pilot Major Greg "Pappy" Boyington was shot down in his Corsair fighter by Japanese Navy pilot Captain Masajiro Kawato flying a Zero fighter.
- 8 RAF Mosquito aircraft attacked Solingen and Essen in Germany.
» In-depth article - The US destroyer Turner mysteriously exploded in a harbor in New Jersey, United States, killing 153 crewmen. The lives of the 165 injured survivors were saved by the airlifting in by helicopter from Brooklyn, New York, United States of supplies of blood plasma. It was the first time that a rotary wing aircraft had been used in a rescue operation.
- USS Scorpion refueled at Midway Atoll.
» In-depth article - Photos dated 3 Jan 1944
3 Jan 1945
- US First Army launched an attack on the northern flank of the Ardennes bulge in Belgium. Meanwhile, 1,100 Allied bombers, escorted by 11 fighter groups, bombed railroad and communications centers in western Germany.
» In-depth article - German V-2 rocket hit the Royal Hospital in Chelsea, London, England, United Kingdom at 0850 hours, killing 5 and injuring 19.
- In the Philippine Islands, the forward elements of the American invasion fleet for Luzon passed through the Surigao Strait. In support, aircraft of Task Fleet 38 struck Japanese airfields in Taiwan.
» In-depth article - 57 American B-29 bombers attacked Nagoya, Japan, while 21 other bombers attacked other Japanese cities.
» In-depth article - In preparation for the attacks on Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and mainland Japan, Admiral Nimitz was given command of all involved naval forces, while General MacArthur was placed in command of all ground forces.
» In-depth article - Air Group 80 aircraft from USS Ticonderoga struck Taiwan; 1 man and 1 aircraft were lost.
» In-depth article - USS Hoe arrved at Fremantle, Australia, ending her seventh war patrol.
» In-depth article - USS Wake Island transited the Surigao Strait in the Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article - German submarine control expressed "considerable anxiety" over the fate of U-869, which had not responded to requests for report for the past four to five days. Meanwhile, around the same time, the Americans had intercepted enough German radio messages to deduce that a German submarine was heading toward New York City, New York, United States and began to assemble a hunter-killer group to intercept it.
» In-depth article - Light carrier Hosho conducted a training exercise at Kure, Japan.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement - Photos dated 3 Jan 1945
3 Jan 1946
- The British Reconnaissance Corps was disbanded at the Reconnaissance Training Centre, Catterick, North Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom after a parade.
- Photos dated 3 Jan 1946
3 Jan 1947
- John Kennedy began his tenure in the United States House of Representatives for the 11th District in the state of Massachusetts.
» In-depth article
3 Jan 1948
- The former King Mihai I of Romania was exiled out of the country.
» In-depth article - 2nd Royal Berkshires departs Rangoon, Burma, on HMS Scythia as the last British battalion to leave the country that so many had died to liberate.
3 Jan 1950
- USS Bugara completed a scheduled overhaul at San Francisco, California, United States and returned to Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
» In-depth article - London was decommissioned from service.
» In-depth article
3 Jan 1953
- John Kennedy began his tenure as a United States Senator for the state of Massachusetts and ended his tenure in the United States House of Representatives.
» In-depth article
3 Jan 1973
- Douglas Bader married Joan Murray Hipkiss, daughter of a wealthy steel industrialist.
» In-depth article
3 Jan 1991
- USS Missouri arrived at the Strait of Hormuz off Iran.
» In-depth article
Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis
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Famous WW2 Quote
"Among the men who fought on Iwo Jima, uncommon valor was a common virtue."Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, 16 Mar 1945
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