2 Oct 1871
2 Oct 1882

Russia
2 Oct 1886
2 Oct 1887
2 Oct 1900
2 Oct 1918
2 Oct 1935
  • The French Battleship Dunkerque was launched at Brest shipyard in France.
    » In-depth article
2 Oct 1936
  • Werner Mölders received the Dienstauszeichnung 4th Class award.
    » In-depth article
2 Oct 1937
  • Japanese 2nd Brigade of the Chahar Expeditionary Force attacked Gouxian, Shanxi, China, defended by Chinese 19th Army.
    » In-depth article
China
  • Japanese aircraft sank Chinese gunboat Chuyou at Jiangyin, Jiangsu Province, China.
    » In-depth article
2 Oct 1939 Photo(s) dated 2 Oct 1939
Arthur Greiser in Posen, Wartheland, Germany (now Poznań, Poland) shortly after German conquest, 2 Oct 1939Rundstedt and Blaskowitz reviewing the German victory parade before the opera house in Warsaw, Poland, 2 Oct 1939
2 Oct 1940
  • British destroyers HMS Havock and HMS Hasty sank Italian submarine Berillo 50 miles south of Crete, Greece; all 45 aboard Berillo were rescued.
  • British cruisers HMS Orion and HMS Sydney bombarded the Italian-controlled port of Maltezana, Stampalia, Greece.
  • German submarine U-32 sank British ship Kayeson 400 miles west of Ireland at 1825 hours; the crew abandoned ship in lifeboats but none were seen again.
    » In-depth article
  • George Patton was promoted to the temporary rank of brigadier general.
    » In-depth article
  • Adolf Hitler ordered Hans Frank and other Nazi officials in occupied Poland to keep the standard of living low and to deprive the Polish population of education, for that the Polish people were now mere low laborers of Germany. Additionally, he ordered that the Polish gentry to be exterminated.
    » In-depth article
United Kingdom
  • A German Ju 88 bomber became lost in the darkness during an early-morning reconnaissance mission and landed at Brightlingsea, Essex, England, United Kingdom at 0630 hours and was captured. During the day, the German Luftwaffe launched 6 raids of Bf 109 and Bf 110 fighters and fighter-bombers against London and Kent in southern England; only one of the raids contained bombers. The Germans lost 5 bombers and 5 Bf 109 aircraft, while the British lost 1 fighter without the loss of its pilot. Overnight, London, Manchester, and Newcastle were bombed.
    » In-depth article
2 Oct 1941
  • The remainder of the German Armeegruppe Mitte launched Operation Typhoon, the attack on Moscow, Russia. Meanwhile, the German Panzergruppe 2 under General Guderian was split into two pincers at Sevsk, Russia; the northern pincer moved toward Bryansk while the northeastern pincer moved toward Orel.
    » In-depth article
  • The keel of Britain's last battleship, HMS Vanguard, was laid down at Clydebank, Scotland, United Kingdom.
  • After sundown, in England, United Kingdom, German bombers attacked the Tyneside and Tees-side areas in northern England (50 were killed, 250 buildings were destroyed, shipbuilding and repairing facilities at South Shields severely damaged) and Dover area in southeastern England (10 killed).
    » In-depth article
  • German submarine U-94 chased and attacked British tanker San Florentino 600 miles west of Ireland over a course of six hours, sinking her at 0552 hours; 23 were killed, 35 survived. 250 miles east of Iceland at 0652 hours, German submarine U-562 sank British catapult armed merchant ship Empire Wave; 29 were killed, 31 survived. At 0709 hours, west of Ireland, German submarine U-575 sank Dutch merchant ship Tuva; 1 was killed, 34 survived.
  • British submarine HMS Perseus sank German ship Castellon 60 miles west of Benghazi, Libya.
  • The third Messerschmitt Me 163A rocket-powered prototype aircraft, piloted by Heini Dittmar, achieved an unofficial world speed record of 623.85 mph.
    » In-depth article
2 Oct 1942
  • US Marine 5th Defense Battalion occupied Funafuti, Ellice Islands.
  • Yekaterina Budanova shot down a Ju 88 bomber and a Bf 109 fighter over Stalingrad, Russia.
    » In-depth article
  • USS Grampus began her fourth war patrol.
    » In-depth article
  • Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
    » In-depth article
  • ShCh-307 attacked Finnish merchant ship Wanda in the Sea of Åland; both torpedoes missed.
    » In-depth article
  • The troopship Queen Mary collided with (and sank) one of her escorts, the light cruiser HMS Curacoa, off the Irish coast with the loss of 239 lives.
Australian New Guinea Caroline Islands United States
  • Bell P-59 Airacomet jet fighter took flight for the first time at Muroc Dry Lake, California, United States. The first turbojet-driven aircraft to be built in the USA, the P-59 fighter proved unacceptable as a stable gun platform and was quickly relegated to a training role where it would provide the USAAF with a nucleus of trained jet pilots for later aircraft.
Photo(s) dated 2 Oct 1942
Smoke rising from various districts of Stalingrad, Russia, Oct 1942, photo 1 of 5Ju 87 Stuka dive bomber over Stalingrad, Russia, 2 Oct 1942Smoke rising from various districts of Stalingrad, Russia, Oct 1942, photo 5 of 5Smoke rising from various districts of Stalingrad, Russia, Oct 1942, photo 4 of 5
See all photos dated 2 Oct 1942
2 Oct 1943
  • USS Cod arrived at Brisbane, Australia.
    » In-depth article
  • Orders were given by the German government to deport Danish Jews to concentration camps.
    » In-depth article
  • RAF aircraft bombed München, Germany.
    » In-depth article
  • Louis Mountbatten departed Northolt, England, United Kingdom.
    » In-depth article
  • Eight of the ten sections of USS ABSD-1 arrived at Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides.
    » In-depth article
Dutch East Indies Italy
2 Oct 1944
  • The Warsaw Uprising ended in failure after 63 days of fighting largely due to lack of food and ammunition. 15,200 insurgents and 20,000 civilians were killed, while the German occupation forces suffered 16,000 killed. Many buildings were destroyed in the fighting.
    » In-depth article
  • 2nd Canadian Infantry Division marched north from Antwerp, Belgium toward South Beveland, the Netherlands.
    » In-depth article
  • USS Mingo sank four small Japanese ships with her deck gun.
    » In-depth article
  • Friedrich Christiansen ordered a raid on the village of Putten, Gelderland, the Netherlands as retaliation for the killing of his subordinate Leutnant Sommers by resistance fighters. Many civilians were subsequently executed and 661 men were deported to labor camps.
    » In-depth article
  • USS Wisconsin was attached to the US Navy Pacific Fleet.
    » In-depth article
Caroline Islands Italy Japan Philippines Russia
  • Vsevolod Merkulov submitted a report to Lavrentiy Beria detailing the intelligence he had gained from an American atomic scientist.
    » In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 2 Oct 1944
Hodges at Verviers, Belgium, 2 Oct 1944
2 Oct 1945
  • Dwight Eisenhower informed George Patton that Eisenhower was to announce Patton's transfer from US 3rd Army to US 15th Army on the following day.
    » In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 2 Oct 1945
Collapsed Ki-21 bomber, Penfoei, Timor, Dutch East Indies, 2 Oct 1945; the aircraft had an accident while bringing General K. Yamada to Timor for the surrender ceremony without anyone being hurt
2 Oct 1948

Photo(s) dated 2 Oct 1948
Harry Truman with his wife Bess and daughter Margaret waving from the train during the 1948 Presidential campaign, somewhere in the United States, 2 Oct 1948
2 Oct 1950

Photo(s) dated 2 Oct 1950
F4U-4B Corsair fighter of US Navy squadron VF-113 in flight over USS Missouri, Inchon, Korea, 2 Oct 1950, photo 1 of 2F4U-4B Corsair fighter of US Navy squadron VF-113 in flight over USS Missouri, Inchon, Korea, 2 Oct 1950, photo 2 of 2
2 Oct 1952

United States
2 Oct 1954
  • Captain Claude Ricketts was named the commanding officer of USS Saint Paul.
    » In-depth article
2 Oct 1967
  • USS Sea Robin entered Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Pennsylvania, United States for a scheduled overhaul.
    » In-depth article
2 Oct 1975

Photo(s) dated 2 Oct 1975
Empress Kojun, First Lady Betty Ford, Emperor Showa (Hirohito), and President Gerald Ford walking toward the East Room of the White House, Washington DC, US, 2 Oct 1975
2 Oct 2010

Photo(s) dated 2 Oct 2010
Spitfire and Hurricane fighters on display at the San Francisco International Airport, California, United States, 2 Oct 2010, photo 1 of 2Spitfire and Hurricane fighters on display at the San Francisco International Airport, California, United States, 2 Oct 2010, photo 2 of 2Liberty ship Jeremiah OLiberty ship Jeremiah O

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




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Random Photograph
F4U-1A Corsair of Marine Squadron VMF-216 taxis down the strip at Torokina, Bougainville, Solomon Islands, Dec 1943. Note TBM Avengers and NE-1 Grasshoppers parked along the strip.
F4U-1A Corsair of Marine Squadron VMF-216 taxis down the strip at Torokina, Bougainville, Solomon Islands, Dec 1943. Note TBM Avengers and NE-1 Grasshoppers parked along the strip.



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