2 Feb 1889
France
France
- Jean de Lattre de Tassigny was born in Mouilleron-en-Pareds, France.
» In-depth article
2 Feb 1900
- Maksim Saburov was born in Druzhkivka, Russia (now Donets'ka, Ukraine).
» In-depth article
2 Feb 1906
China
China
- Admiral Baron Sotaro Misu succeeded Admiral Baron Yahachi Shibayama as the commanding officer of the Ryojun Naval District (previously known as Port Arthur; now Lushunkou, Liaoning Province, China), Kwantung Leased Territory in northeastern China.
2 Feb 1916
- British Chief Petty Officer Hill of the Royal Naval Air Service became the first man in history to be called a tank driver when he took the controls of the new invention at the official unveiling ceremony.
2 Feb 1932
- The International Disarmament Conference began at Geneva, Switzerland, embracing 60 nations including the Soviet Union and the United States. It would prove to be a fruitless attempt to ensure world peace.
- Prince Hiroyasu was assigned to the Japanese Navy General Staff.
» In-depth article
2 Feb 1933
Germany
Germany
- In Berlin, Germany, Adolf Hitler met with top military leaders, ensuring that he would cooperate with the military, easing their fears that the Nazi SA organization would one day overtake the traditional military. On the same day, he attended the premiere of the film "Dawn" which was set in a doomed German submarine and was about sacrifice in war.
» In-depth article
2 Feb 1934
Photo(s) dated 2 Feb 1934
Photo(s) dated 2 Feb 1934
2 Feb 1937
- Osami Nagano was named the commander-in-chief of the Japanese Navy Combined Fleet.
» In-depth article
2 Feb 1938
China
China
- Troops of Japanese No. 1 Yokosuka Special Naval Landing Force, 284 men, landed at Yantai, Shandong Province, China, supported by light cruiser Kuma (flagship of the operation). No. 5 Sasebo Special Naval Landing Force and No. 6 Sasebo Special Naval Landing Force would soon arrive to reinforce No. 1 Yokosuka Special Naval Landing Force, which met unexpected resistance.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- In the Soviet Union, the State General Planning Commission (Gosplan) was divided into two sections. The first, of four departments, dealt with major macro-economic variables, investment, finance and regional/sector planning. The second, of twenty departments, was responsible for each major industrial branch, foreign trade, food and communications. Gosplan could now claim to be overseeing the entire state economy with the right to dictate (to regional commissions) production targets and financial budgets.
2 Feb 1939
- Hungary broke relations with the Soviet Union.
- Polish submarine Orzel was commissioned into service with the Polish Navy.
» In-depth article
2 Feb 1940
See all photos dated 2 Feb 1940
- Soviet troops continued to assert pressure on Finnish defensive positions on the Karelian Isthmus. Meanwhile, Finnish 9th Division continued their attempt to encircle troops of the Soviet 54th Division near Kuhmo. At the Viipuri Bay, Soviet troops attempted to launch an offensive, but was disrupted by Finnish aircraft.
» In-depth article - German submarine U-59 torpedoed and sank British steamer Creofield at 0624 hours 20 miles off of Lowestoft, Suffolk, England, killing 9. At 2040 hours, in the same general area, she torpedoed and sank British steamer Portelet, killing 2 with 9 survivors rescued by Finnish steamer Oscar Midling.
See all photos dated 2 Feb 1940
2 Feb 1941
- Indian 5th Division captured Italian fortifications defended by 8,000 troops and 32 field guns at Barentu, Eritrea, Italian East Africa. To the east in the Indian Ocean, British aircraft carrier HMS Formidable launched aircraft in the Indian Ocean to mine the harbor of Mogadishu, Italian Somaliland.
» In-depth article - Australian troops advanced west from Derna, Libya, continuing to push back the Italian troops. Meanwhile, Richard O'Connor received the authorization from Archibald Wavell to use tanks of British 7th Armoured Division to flank the Italian retreat.
» In-depth article - Torpedo bombers from British carrier HMS Ark Royal attacked the hydroelectric plant at the Santa Chiara Dam on the Tirso River on Sardinia, Italy. The attack failed to damage the facilities. One Swordfish aircraft was shot down, with its crew of 3 taken prisoner.
» In-depth article - British trawler HMT Almond hit a mine and sank off Falmouth, England, United Kingdom, killing 19.
- German armed merchant cruiser Atlantis stopped and captured Norwegian tanker Ketty Brøvig in the Indian Ocean overnight. With 6,370 tons of fuel oil and 4,125 tons of diesel oil from Bahrain aboard, Ketty Brøvig was to be used as a supply ship for German raiders and warships deployed at sea.
2 Feb 1942
- The US Congress appropriated US$26.5 billion for the US Navy; between Jun 1940 and this date, American expenditure on the military totalled at US$115 billion.
- HMS Indomitable, with her escorting Australian destroyers Nizam, Nestor, and Napier, arrived at Trincomalee, Ceylon.
» In-depth article - USS Gar departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol.
» In-depth article - German submarine U-751 damaged Dutch tanker Corilla off Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada at 0746 hours; Corilla was able to return to Halifax for repairs. To the south, German submarine U-103 sank US tanker W. L. Steed 100 kilometers east of Virginia, United States, killing 34 of 38 aboard. On the far side of the Atlantic Ocean, near Pico Island of the Azores islands, British destroyer HMS Westcott sank German submarine U-581 with depth charges; 3 were killed, 37 of the survivors were captured; commanding officer Leutnant zur see Walter Sitek was able to swim 6 kilometers to shore and eventually return to service via Spain.
» In-depth article - Lieutenant-General Thomas Hutton, the GOC Burma Army, was injured when the Lysander aircraft in which he was flying to meet with Chiang Kaishek crash landed near Lashio, Burma.
- On Ambon, Dutch East Indies, Australian troops fell back to Amahusu while Japanese troops attacked various pockets of resistance.
» In-depth article - Japanese minesweeper W-9 struck a Dutch naval mine and sank in the Bay of Ambon, Dutch East Indies.
- German bombers sank British minesweeping trawlers HMT Cloughton Wyke and HMT Cape Spartel east of England, United Kingdom.
- US President Franklin Roosevelt officially named Joseph Stilwell as the Chief of Staff to Chinese Generalissimo Chiang KaiShek.
» In-depth article - While at sea, USS Lexington received orders to set sail for Canton Island, Phoenix Islands.
» In-depth article - Kaga set sail for Palau Islands, Caroline Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Major General Tomitaro Horii ordered Lieutenant Colonel Masao Kuwada of Japanese 3rd Battalion to pursue Australian troops who had previously fled into the jungles of southern Gazelle Peninsula on New Britain; Kuwada delegated the task to Lieutenant Tadaichi Noda. After sundown, six Japanese flying boats were launched from Rabaul to attack Port Moresby in British Territory of Papua; they would arrive over the Seven Mile airfield on the next date.
» In-depth article
- Japanese warships began to patrol in waters near Java, Duth East Indies paving way for the invasion fleet. Ahead of the warships were Japanese bombers, which attacked Surabaya, Java and other military targets. Meanwhile, cruiser USS Houston, cruiser USS Marblehead, and 7 Dutch and American destroyers departed Surabaya to intercept a detected Japanese troop convoy sailing toward Java.
» In-depth article - Japanese minesweeper W-9, W-11, and W-12 were damaged by Dutch mines while minesweeping in the Bay of Ambon in the Dutch East Indies; W-9 would sink shortly after.
- Tatsuta Maru departed Yokohama, Japan.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Japanese aircraft attacked naval facilities at Singapore, forcing Allied warships to withdraw for the Dutch East Indies.
» In-depth article
- US submarine USS Seadragon attacked a Japanese supply convoy north of Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, Philippine Islands and sank transport Tamagawa Maru.
» In-depth article - An assault was mounted by US troops, supported by tanks, against the Japanese beachheads at Quinauan Point, Bataan, Luzon, Philippine Islands; it achieved little. To the north, on the Orion-Bagac defensive line, a US-Filipino attack wiped out a small pocket of trapped Japanese attackers.
» In-depth article
- Soviet 3rd Shock Army launched an attack on the German troops trapped in Kholm, Russia.
» In-depth article
2 Feb 1943
See all photos dated 2 Feb 1943
- The last of the German Sixth Army surrendered in Stalingrad, Russia. On the same day, a German reconnaissance aircraft was dispatched to fly over Stalingrad, confirming that all fighting had ceased.
» In-depth article - Ettore Bastico stepped down as the Governor-General of Italian Libya, succeeded by Giovanni Messe.
» In-depth article - USS Tunny made radar contact with a ship off Hong Kong at 2130 hours.
» In-depth article - USS Runner attacked and claimed the sinking of a Japanese transport in the western Pacific; she reported 6 torpedoes expended and 4 hits.
» In-depth article
- Repair ship Akashi completed the repair work for transport Sanyo Maru and began repairing destroyers Akizuki and Hatsukaze at Truk, Caroline Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement - Irako supplied food to seaplane tender Sanyo Maru at Truk, Caroline Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- The construction of Graf Zeppelin was stopped at Stettin, Germany (now Szczecin, Poland).
» In-depth article
See all photos dated 2 Feb 1943
2 Feb 1944
See all photos dated 2 Feb 1944
- A transport from Trieste, Italy arrived at Auschwitz Concentration Camp. Most of the prisoners were sent to the gas chambers upon arrival.
» In-depth article - Luzk and Rovno, Ukraine were captured by the Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front.
- The Warsaw area HSSPF, SS-Brigadeführer Franz Kutschera, was assassinated at the gate to his headquarters.
- Stalin allowed USAAF aircraft to use Russian bases.
» In-depth article - Light carrier Hosho was assigned to the Combined Fleet as a training carrier.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Germans defeated American troops in the Battle of Cisterna near Anzio, Italy.
» In-depth article
- USS Tunny completed her repairs at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, San Francisco, California, United States.
» In-depth article
See all photos dated 2 Feb 1944
2 Feb 1945
- Lieutenant Jack L. Knight of Mars Task Force led an attack up a 400-foot only to find at the summit that they had entered a horseshoe shaped Japanese strongpoint. Wounded several times and with carbine ammunition exhausted, Knight organized another attack and was finally killed whilst tackling a sixth bunker. For his gallantry, Knight would ultimately be awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor, the only such infantry award made in the China-Burma-India theatre of war.
» In-depth article - French troops captured Colmar, France.
» In-depth article - Soviet 1st Byelorussian Front reached the Oder River, near Frankfurt, Germany. On the same day, the Soviet Stavka in Moscow, Russia declared the Vistula-Oder Offensive complete.
» In-depth article - Churchill and Roosevelt completed a three-day meeting at Malta; Churchill noted that Roosevelt's health was not at its best.
» In-depth article - Nazi German Gauleiter Karl Hanke announced the formation of new Volkssturm militia units at Breslau, Germany (now Wroclaw, Poland). On the same day, Major General Hans von Ahlfen was named the commanding officer of the Fortress City of Breslau.
» In-depth article
- Anglo-Indian troops captured Kangaw, Burma.
» In-depth article
- Isai Babich authorized the arrest of Soviet Captain Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn for his private criticism of Joseph Stalin.
- Lieutenant General Mikhail Krivenko was named the head of the Soviet Main Directorate for Prisoners of War and Interned Persons (GUPVI), replacing Ivan Petrov.
- German V-2 rocket hit Deptford, London, England, United Kingdom, killing 24.
- USS Franklin departed Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington, United States.
» In-depth article
2 Feb 1946
Japan
Japan
- Allied repatriation ship Hikawa Maru departed Uraga, Japan.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- USS Marcus Island arrived at Boston, Massachusetts, United States.
» In-depth article
2 Feb 1947
- Submarine Pollack was sold to Ship-Shape, Inc. of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States for scrap.
» In-depth article
2 Feb 1959
- USS Pompon was placed in reserve at Charleston, South Carolina, United States.
» 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
"Since peace is now beyond hope, we can but fight to the end."Chiang Kaishek, 31 Jul 1937