1 Feb 1908
- Mamoru Shinozaki was born.
» In-depth article - Kilkis was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
1 Feb 1915
- Queen Elizabeth was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
1 Feb 1916
- Malaya was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
1 Feb 1917
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
- James Lacey was born in Wetherby, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom.
» In-depth article
1 Feb 1920
- The South African air arm was created out of a squadron (1. The Suid Afrikaanse Lugmag) that had been attached to the Royal Flying Corps during the Great War.
1 Feb 1923
- The Italian Fascist Party established the paramilitary Blackshirt legions.
1 Feb 1924
Russia
Russia
- The United Kingdom officially recognized the Soviet Union.
1 Feb 1926
Kirghizia
Kirghizia
- Kirghiz Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic was formed within Russia.
1 Feb 1927
- Franklin Roosevelt founded the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation in the United States to further the research of poliomyelitis and for the care of poliomyelitis patients.
» In-depth article
1 Feb 1929
- Wilhelm Keitel was promoted to the rank of Oberstleutnant.
» In-depth article
1 Feb 1931
- Hugo Sperrle was promoted to the rank of Oberstleutnant.
» In-depth article
- Henry Arnold was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel.
» In-depth article
1 Feb 1932
- Light carrier Hosho arrived off the mouth of the Yangtze River in China.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Japanese carrier Hosho and the Japanese Navy Destroyer Division 3 arrived off Shanghai, China to support the battles in the city. Also on this day, the United Kingdom and the United States demanded Japan to cease the fighting in Shanghai.
» In-depth article
1 Feb 1934
- Werner Mölders was promoted to the rank of Oberfähnrich.
» In-depth article - Ernst Röhm suggested to the Reich Defence Council that his SA should take over all defence duties and that the German Army be relegated to the task of training his men.
1 Feb 1938
- Koichi Shiozawa was named the commanding officer of the Japanese 5th Fleet.
» In-depth article
- Robert von Greim was promoted to the rank of Generalmajor.
» In-depth article
1 Feb 1939
- Georg von Bismarck was promoted to the rank of Oberst.
» In-depth article - Lieutenant Commander Wilhelm Fröhlich took command of U-36.
» In-depth article - Granatiere was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
1 Feb 1940
- Soviet artillery pieces fired 300,000 shells in the Summa sector of the Karelian Isthmus on this date at the start of a new Soviet offensive against the Finnish forces.
» In-depth article - German submarine U-13 torpedoed and sank Swedish steamer Fram in the Aberdour Bay, Scotland at 0143 hours. 9 were killed and 14 were rescued by destroyer HMS Khartoum and armed trawler HMS Viking Deeps.
- German submarine U-59 torpedoed and sank British coaler Ellen M. 20 miles east of Southwold, Suffolk, England, killing the entire crew of 9.
- SS-Reichsführer Himmler ordered inspections of potential sites for a planned concentration camp. Among those inspected was the camp at Oswiecim, Poland, known in German as Auschwitz.
» In-depth article - In Britain, the Admiralty took over the responsibility for the building and repair of merchant shipping and concluded an arrangement to buy old cargo ships from the United States.
- In Russia the noted stage director, Vsevolod Meyerhold, having been tortured into confessing that he was the leader of an anti-soviet Trotskyite, was convicted in camera, and was executed on the following day.
- The keel of refrigerated cargo ship Telemachus was laid down.
» In-depth article
- Hans-Joachim Marseille was awarded the Pilot's Badge.
» In-depth article
- The keel of battleship Alabama was laid down at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Virginia, United States.
» In-depth article
1 Feb 1941
- At Maug Island in the Mariana Islands, Orion received one Japanese-built E8N float plane, purchased from Japan earlier that year, from German ship Munsterland.
» In-depth article - Indian 4th Division captured Agordat, Eritrea, Italian East Africa while Indian 5th Division captured Metemma, Abyssinia. 2nd Lieutenant Premindra Singh Bhagat of the Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners won the first Victoria Cross for the British Indian Army in WW2 for a "...continuous feat of sheer cold courage" clearing 15 minefields and 55 miles of roads in 48 hours.
» In-depth article - German submarine U-48 sank Greek ship Nicolas Angelos with a torpedo and shots from the deck gun south of Iceland at 2215 hours. The crew was took to the lifeboat, which was never found.
- The US Marine Corps brigades stationed on the east and west coasts of the United States were reorganized as the 1st and 2nd Marine Divisoins, respectively; it was the first time the USMC organized units on the divisional level. To the south on the island of Cuba, the US Marine Corps 4th Defense Battalion arrived at Guantanamo Bay from Parris Island, South Carolina, United States.
- Oberstleutnant Benno Kosch was named the commanding officer of the German Kampfgeschwader 55 wing.
1 Feb 1942
See all photos dated 1 Feb 1942
- Soviet Army began attacking towards Vyazma.
- Vidkun Quisling formed his government in Norway.
» In-depth article - PT boats and P-40 aircraft repulsed the Japanese landing attempt on southwest Bataan at the Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article - Cruiser Köln began four months of repairs and refits in Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
» In-depth article - The British formed the RAF Regiment to defend airfields as the British Army could not provide such services. This regiment would eventually grow to the size of 50,000 men.
- Mitragliero was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article - The United States Marine Corps redesigned Air Detachment, Marine Barracks, Parris Island in South Carolina, United States to the Marine Corps Air Station, Parris Island.
- Dutch forces at Passo, Ambon, Dutch East Indies surrendered.
» In-depth article
- Akagi departed Truk, Caroline Islands in an attempt to catch the enemy carrier force that attacked the Marshall Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement - Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru departed Truk, Caroline Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement - Kaga departed Truk, Caroline Islands in search of US carriers near the Marshall Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- USS Lexington supported the air offensive against Marshall and Gilbert Islands indirectly by operation in the vicinity of Christmas Island.
» In-depth article
- The United States launched its first air offensive against the Gilbert Islands as aircraft from US carriers USS Yorktown and USS Enterprise struck Japanese bases in the island group.
- USS Grampus arrived at Pearl Harbor, Oahu, US Territory of Hawaii.
» In-depth article
- Allied convoys PQ-9 and PQ-10 departed Reykjavík, Iceland together.
» In-depth article
- Japanese troops reached Singapore, pausing for the following few days to prepare for a landing on the island. Meanwhile, General Arthur Percival announced that "the battle of Malaya has come to an end and the battle of Singapore has started.... Today we stand beleaguered in our island fortress. Our task is to hold this fortress until help can come."
» In-depth article
- The United States launched its first air offensive against the Marshall Islands as aircraft from US carriers USS Yorktown and USS Enterprise struck Japanese bases in the island group. US cruisers USS Northampton, USS Chester, and USS Salt Lake City also bombarded atolls in the Marshall Islands, sinking gunboat Toyotsu Maru and transport Bordeaux Maru and damaging cruiser Katori, submarine I-23, minelayer Tokiwa, and several others. USS Chester sustained damage from a Japanese dive bomber during the attack; 8 were killed, 21 were wounded.
See all photos dated 1 Feb 1942
1 Feb 1943
See all photos dated 1 Feb 1943
- Cruiser Köln departed for the Baltic Sea.
» In-depth article - Japanese troops began to be evacuated from Guadalcanal by destroyers commanded by Rear Admiral Shintaro.
» In-depth article - As of this month, 1,622,000 prisoners of war and 4,121,000 foreigners were now serving as forced laborers in Germany.
- Trapped in the ruins of a department store in Stalingrad, Russia, Paulus surrendered along with 16 of his generals; Paulus became the first German field marshal to surrender to an enemy force. The battle for the city had cost the Germans 110,000 dead and 107,000 taken prisoner. The Soviets had lost an estimated 250,000 men and 250,000 civilians.
» In-depth article - At Auschwitz Concentration Camp, SS personnel selected 20 Jewish prisoners who were already working at the crematorium in Auschwitz I and readied them for work in the soon-to-be-ready new crematoriums in Birkenau.
» In-depth article - USS Tunny entered waters off China.
» In-depth article - The Fletcher-class destroyer USS De Haven was sunk by Japanese aircraft off Savo Island, Solomon Islands.
- Destroyer Yukikaze evacuated troops from Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
» In-depth article
- Repair ship Akashi completed the repair work for destroyer Oyashio and began repair transport Nankai Maru at Truk, Caroline Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Joseph Stilwell departed Chongqing, China for India.
» In-depth article
- Germans fell back from Demyansk, Russia.
- The keel of CV-14, originally destined to be USS Hancock, was laid down at Norfolk, Virginia, United States.
» In-depth article
See all photos dated 1 Feb 1943
1 Feb 1944
See all photos dated 1 Feb 1944
- The British Air Headquarters Air Defences Eastern Mediterranean was renamed the Air Headquarters Eastern Mediterranean; Richard Saul remained its commanding officer despite the name change.
» In-depth article - Franz Kutschera passed away.
» In-depth article - A new satellite camp of Auschwitz III (Monowitz), located at the Guenthergrube in Ledziny, Poland opened. This new satellite camp would house 300 prisoners for coal mining for the German industrial firm I. G. Farben.
- Graph was decommissioned from service.
» In-depth article
- The United States Marine Corps established a new 4th Marine Regiment at Tassafaronga, Guadalcanal (the original 4th Marine having been lost at Corregidor in the Philippine Islands in 1942) drawing its manpower from the deactivated Raider battalions.
- German 44th Infantry Division fell back near the Rapido River toward Monte Cassino, Italy.
» In-depth article
- Allied convoy JW-56B arrived at the Kola Inlet near Murmansk, Russia.
» In-depth article
See all photos dated 1 Feb 1944
1 Feb 1945
- USS Sea Cat departed Guam, Mariana Islands for her second war patrol.
» In-depth article - US First Army captured Remscheid in Germany, east of Düsseldorf. On the same day, US Seventh Army reached the Moder River and the Siegfried Line/Westwall.
» In-depth article - Küstrin, Germany, surrounded by Soviet troops, was declared a Fortress City.
» In-depth article - British fighter ace Robert Roland Stanford Tuck, shot down and captured on 28 Jan 1942, escaped from his prisoner of war camp, subsequently making his way through the Russian lines to the British Embassy in Moscow and then home.
- USS Segundo arrived in the East China Sea.
» In-depth article - Warspite was decommissioned from service.
» In-depth article - Light carrier Hosho arrived at Tokuyama, Japan, refueled, and departed to conduct a training exercise as a target vessel.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Bulgarian People's Court found Dobri Bozhilov guilty of being a traitor to Bulgaria and sentenced him to death. The execution was carried out later on the same day.
» In-depth article - Bulgarian People's Court found Bogdan Filov guilty of being a traitor to Bulgaria and sentenced him to death. The execution was carried out later on the same day.
» In-depth article
- The Taiwan District Army was formed within the Japanese Tenth Area Army with the former commanding officer General Rikichi Ando of the former Taiwan Army at its head.
» In-depth article
1 Feb 1946
- Isherwood was decommissioned from service.
» In-depth article
- Soviet prosecutors in Nürnberg, Germany brought out Friedrich Paulus and Erich Buschenhagen by surprise as witnesses in the war crimes trials.
» In-depth article
1 Feb 1947
- Renshaw was decommissioned from service.
» In-depth article
- Roderick Carr retired from military service.
» In-depth article
- USS Saint Paul conducted training operations off San Diego, California, United States.
» In-depth article
1 Feb 1948
- Vittorio Veneto was decommissioned from service.
» In-depth article
1 Feb 1950
- USS Missouri was refloated; she had accidentally grounded off Hampton Roads, Virginia, United States on 17 Jan 1950.
» In-depth article
1 Feb 1955
United States
United States
- USS Barbero entered Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California, United States for conversion to launch Regulus nuclear cruise missiles.
» In-depth article
1 Feb 1960
France
France
- Pierre Barjot passed away in the Neuilly-sur-Seine commune of Paris, France.
» In-depth article
1 Feb 1961
- USS Copahee was sold for scrap.
» In-depth article
1 Feb 1962
- Hobart was decommissioned from service.
» In-depth article
1 Feb 1968
- USS Sea Robin completed a scheduled overhaul at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Pennsylvania, United States.
» In-depth article
1 Feb 1969
Japan
Japan
- Morihiro passed away of lung cancer at St. Luke's Medical Center in Tokyo, Japan.
» In-depth article
1 Feb 1971
United States
United States
- USS Saint Paul arrived at Bremerton, Washington, United States.
» In-depth article
1 Feb 1991
- New Jersey was decommissioned from service.
» In-depth article
1 Feb 2009
Philippines
Philippines
- The US Navy announced the discovery of the wreck of USS Flier in the Balabac Strait, Philippine Islands.
» 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
"With Germany arming at breakneck speed, England lost in a pacifist dream, France corrupt and torn by dissension, America remote and indifferent... do you not tremble for your children?"Winston Churchill, 1935