4 May 1911
United States
United States
- USS Idaho departed Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.
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4 May 1912
Photo(s) dated 4 May 1912
Photo(s) dated 4 May 1912
4 May 1913
United States
United States
- Feihong was launched by New York Shipbuilding in the United States without a buyer.
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4 May 1921
Taiwan
Taiwan
- Lieutenant General Heitaro Fukuda was named the commanding officer of the Taiwan Army.
- Harry Daghlian was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, United States.
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4 May 1923
Photo(s) dated 4 May 1923
Photo(s) dated 4 May 1923
4 May 1929
- USS Arizona entered Norfolk Navy Yard, Virginia, United States for modernization.
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4 May 1939
- Werner Mölders was awarded the Medalla de la Campaña and Medalla Militar by Spain.
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- Chinese troops attacked Japanese positions at Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China.
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4 May 1940
- German He 115 aircraft bombed British submarine HMS Seal in the Kattegat at 0230 hours. Seal dove from the surface to the depth of 30 meters in response while continuing to deploy mines, her primary mission. While evading anti-submarine trawlers at 1830 hours, she hit a mine and began to settle to the sea floor.
- 30,000 Allied troops were present near Narvik, Norway, including units of the French Foreign Legion, French mountain troops, Polish troops, the British 24th Brigade, and Norwegian troops, aiming to take Narvik from the Germans. Meanwhile, German 2nd Gebirgsjäger Division's mountain troops began marching 350 miles north from Trondheim, Norway to relieve the German 139th Gebirgsjäger Regiment in Narvik; detecting this, the Allies deployed 300 to 500 men each at Mosjöen, Mo, and Bodö in an attempt to stop this movement.
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- The keel of Shinano was laid down at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal in Yokosuka, Japan.
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» Tabular Record of Movement
4 May 1941
- Allied aircraft conducted a raid on Baghdad, Iraq.
» In-depth article - As the Axis offensive on Tobruk, Libya began to stall, Paulus ordered Rommel to besiege rather than eliminate Tobruk.
» In-depth article - 29th Brigade of the Indian 5th Division launched another attack at Amba Alagi, Abyssinia, capturing 3 hills between 0415 and 0730 hours.
» In-depth article - German submarine U-38 sank Swedish ship Japan off the coast of French Guinea at 1915 hours; her deck gun exploded during the attack, injuring the gun crew. The entire crew of 54 of Japan survived.
- German aircraft sank British minesweeper Fermoy in dock at Malta.
» In-depth article - The German bombing on Liverpool, England, United Kingdom that began on the previous date ended before dawn on this date, killing 850 people and destroying ammunition ship Malakand in the harbor.
» In-depth article - In a speech, Adolf Hitler said Winston Churchill was not a capable leader, both on political and military fronts.
» In-depth article - HMS Edinburgh supported the raid on Lofoten Islands, Norway.
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- The Politburo appointed Joseph Stalin the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars, thus taking over as the actual head of the Soviet government, which position was previously held by Vyacheslav Molotov.
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4 May 1942
See all photos dated 4 May 1942
- German submarine U-564 damaged US freighter Delisle just off the coast 10 kilometers south of Port St. Lucie, Florida, United States, killing 2 of 36 aboard. To the south, U-162 sank US ship Eastern Sword 12 miles north of Georgetown, British Guiana at 0943 hours; 16 were killed, 13 survived. Later in the day, U-162 struck again 40 miles northeast of Anna Regina at 1900 hours, stopping British schooner Florence M. Douglas, forcing her crew to abandon ship, and sinking the schooner with the deck gun. At 1904 hours, U-564 struck again, sinking British tanker Eclipse in shallow waters 3 miles off Daytona Beach, Florida; 2 were killed, 45 survived.
» In-depth article - In the late afternoon, German submarine U-507 sank US tankers Norlindo (killing 5 of 28 aboard), Munger T. Ball (killing 30 of 34 aboard), and Joseph M. Cudahy (killing 27 of 37 aboard) off the Florida Keys archipelago about 100 kilometers west of the tip of Florida, United States. At 2220 hours, U-125 sank US ship Tuscaloosa City 200 miles west of Jamaica; all 34 aboard survived.
» In-depth article - USS Gar reported sinking of a Japanese ship in daylight after hitting her with one of two torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article - Destroyer Yuzuki became the flagship of Destroyer Division 23 upon the loss of destroyer Kikuzuki off Tulagi, Solomon Islands.
» In-depth article - USS Trout sank Japanese auxiliary gunboat Kongosan Maru southeast of Japan.
» In-depth article - USS Greenling sank Japanese armed merchant cruiser Kinjosan Maru 100 miles north of Truk, Caroline Islands at 1825 hours, killing all aboard.
» In-depth article - Allied aircraft were launched from Queensland and Horn Island in Australia and from Port Moresby, Australian Papua to detect Japanese naval movements. At 1035 hours, a B-25 Mitchell bomber spotted carrier Shoho and her group.
» In-depth article - Soviet destroyers Sokrushitelny and Gremyashchy made rendezvous with Allied convoy PQ-15.
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- 6 B-26 Marauder bombers from Port Moresby, Australian Papua struck Vunakanau airfield at Rabaul, New Britain, damaging 5 Japanese bombers on the ground, detonating fuel drums, and destroying 2 gas trucks.
- USS Yorktown launched 12 TBD Devastor and 28 SBD Dauntless aircraft at 0700 hours, which reached the new Japanese positions at Tulagi in the Solomon Islands at 0850 hours; the attack damaged minelayer Okinoshima and destroyer Kikuzuki. At 1210 hours, a second attack wave hit Tulagi, sinking minesweepers WA-1 and WA-2 and damaging minesweeper Tama Maru; 87 Japanese personnel were killed during this second attack. USS Yorktown lost 3 aircraft, but all air crew were rescued. The Japanese withdrew from Tulagi temporarily, but would very soon return to complete the construction of a seaplane base.
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- Japanese troops captured Bhamo, Burma. Off the Burmese coast, with increasing malaria cases affecting the garrison's morale, Akyab Island was abandoned.
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- 121 British bombers (69 Wellington, 19 Hampden, 14 Lancaster, 12 Stirling, 7 Halifax) attacked Stuttgart, Germany, targeting the Bosch factory. All bombs missed the factory buildings but killed 13 civilians and wounded 37. One Stirling bomber was lost during the attack.
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- Joseph Rochefort's cryptanalytic team in Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii intercepted a radio message from battleship Kirishima to Isoroku Yamamoto's headquarters noting that due to Kirishima's repair work the battleship would not be able to participate in the upcoming campaign.
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- Kaga exited the drydocks of Sasebo, Japan and departed for the Inland Sea to join Carrier Division 1.
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» Tabular Record of Movement
- The Japanese bombardment of Corregidor, Philippine Islands heightened to soften the defenses for invasion scheduled on the next day. On the beaches of nearby Bataan Peninsula, 2,000 Japanese troops began boarding 15 barges.
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- HMS King George V arrived at Scapa Flow, Scotland, United Kingdom.
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See all photos dated 4 May 1942
4 May 1943
- Hitler postponed Operation Citadel, which ultimately would give the Soviets more time to prepare their defenses.
» In-depth article - RAF bombers conducted a raid on Dortmund, Germany late in the night and into the next day, killing almost 700. Log book of pilot J. H. Searby noted there were "considerable flak" and that he "took ciné (35mm) film hoping to get pictures to convince the 'public' that we do bomb Germany."
» In-depth article - The German Luftwaffe evacuation from Tunisia, Italian North Africa completed.
» In-depth article - A posthumous award of a Victoria Cross was made to Commander John Linton of HMS Turbulent after the submarine was declared lost. Turbulent had sunk one cruiser, a U-boat and 28 supply ships as well as destroying three trains with gunfire. She had been attacked 13 times and survived 250 depth charges.
- German submarine U-625 spotted Allied convoy ONS 5 in the North Atlantic at about 1200 hours local time. Several German submarines gathered and began attacking at dusk and lasted through the night into the next date, sinking 7 ships (British freighters L'Orient, North Britain, Harbury, Harpurley, Bristol City, and Wentworth; US freighter West Maximus). U-630 was lost during the attacks.
» In-depth article - The body of Glyndwr Michael was buried at the Cemetery of Solitude in Huelva, Spain as Major William Martin of the British Royal Marines.
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- The Soviet Directorate of NKVD Troops for Guarding the Rear of the Red Army was elevated to form its own main directorate.
- The "Grado" Battalion of the "San Marco" naval infantry regiment of Italian Navy was relocated to the regimental headquarters at Bizerte. Tunisia.
- The Vatican Secretary of State reminded the Apostolic Delegate in London, England, United Kingdom that the Vatican opposed establishing a Jewish homeland in British Palestine due to the area's sacred status to Christianity as the birthplace of Jesus Christ.
4 May 1944
- The United States government lifted rationing for most types of meat.
- RAF bombers struck Budapest, Hungary.
- A new German plan called for the deportation of 3,000 Hungarian Jews to Auschwitz Concentration Camp daily, starting on 15 May 1944. A meeting was held on this date in Vienna between German SS officials, Hungarian officials, and railroad officials to determine the logistics of such an operation.
» In-depth article - The US Joint Chiefs of Staff decided to preliminarily plan landing operations on Taiwan, Philippine Islands, and mainland China.
» In-depth article - James Johnson scored his 28th victory.
» In-depth article - USS Parche attacked a Japanese convoy south of Taiwan, sinking Taiyoku Maru and Shoryu Maru and damaging a third, hitting them with 7 of 10 torpedoes fired.
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- USS Flying Fish departed Majuro, Marshall Islands for her tenth war patrol.
» In-depth article - USS Alabama arrived at Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands.
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4 May 1945
See all photos dated 4 May 1945
- USS Trepang sank Japanese Minesweeper Number 20 in the Yellow Sea.
» In-depth article - Fedor von Bock passed away.
» In-depth article - Orion was sunk off Swinemünde, Germany (now Swinoujscie, Poland) by bombs. About 4,000 people, most of whom refugees, were killed.
» In-depth article - Charles Sweeney became the commanding officer of the 393rd Bombardment Squadron, Heavy which was a part of the USAAF 509th Composite Group designated to deliver the atomic bombs when they are ready.
» In-depth article - German forces in Denmark, the Netherlands, and northwestern Germany surrendered to British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, to be in effect at 0800 hours on the next day. Meanwhile, in Germany, US Ninth Army accepted surrender of German Ninth and Twelfth Armies and US Third Army accepted the surrender by Feldmarschall Paul von Kleist.
» In-depth article - US Seventh Army occupied Innsbruck, Berchtesgaden, and Salzburg in Germany.
- Operation Iceberg II was commenced by the Allies to support the campaign on Okinawa, Japan. Meanwhile, Japanese special attack aircraft sank two destroyers and damaged a number of other warships off the island, including British carrier HMS Formidable and American minesweeper USS Shea (hit by 1 of 7 Ohka special attack aircraft launched on this day).
» In-depth article - HMS King George V bombarded airfields in the Ryukyu Islands, Japan.
» In-depth article - Deutschland was decommissioned from service.
» In-depth article - The Fletcher-class destroyer USS Morrison was sunk by a Japanese special attack aircraft off Okinawa, Japan.
- The US submarine Lagarto was sunk by the Japanese minelayer Hatsutaka in the Gulf of Siam.
» In-depth article - Kurt Schuschnigg was liberated by American troops.
- USS Cero sank a Japanese transport east of Japan, hitting her with 1 of 2 torpedoes fired; an additional 3 torpedoes were expended (but missed) in attacking other ships in the same convoy.
» In-depth article - Pastor Hornig, Dr. Konrad, Bishop Ferche, and Canon Kramer, the three leading religious leaders in Breslau, Germany (now Wroclaw, Poland), unsuccessfully attempted to persuade German General of the Infantry Hermann Niehoff to surrender the city to the Soviets.
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- British troops entered Neuengamme Concentration Camp near Hamburg, Germany.
» In-depth article - Hans Fritzsche was brought to the Chancellory in Berlin, Germany to identity the body of Joseph Goebbels.
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- US Fifth Army moved up to the Brenner Pass on the Italo-Austrian border.
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- USS Spot arrived at Saipan, Mariana Islands, ending her second war patrol.
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- USS Springer set sail toward waters south of Japan on lifeguard duty.
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- USS Mingo entered Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California, United States for overhaul.
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See all photos dated 4 May 1945
4 May 1946
- Launched by Mrs. J. Hamilton Stubbs, HMCS Athabaskan was the last Tribal-class destroyer to be completed. Commissioned on 20 Jan 1948 her first commanding officer was Commander J. S. Davis RCN. Athabaskan saw considerable service in the Korean War and remained in Canadian service until Sep 1964, after which she was gradually run down and finally broken up in Italy in Jul 1969.
- Allied repatriation ship Hikawa Maru completed its repairs at Uraga, Japan.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- N. A. Rozanov stepped down as GUKR SMERSH's chief in the 2nd Byelorussian Front.
4 May 1948
United States
United States
- USS Chub departed New London, Connecticut, United States.
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4 May 1953
United States
United States
- USS Missouri arrived at Norfolk, Virginia, United States.
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4 May 1959
United States
United States
- USS Saint Paul departed Long Beach, California, United States for Yokosuka, Japan.
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4 May 1972
- Submarine Preveze (S 340) was decommissioned from service.
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4 May 1980
- Josip Tito passed away.
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4 May 1998
- Battleship Missouri was transferred to the USS Missouri Memorial Association.
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4 May 2008
Photo(s) dated 4 May 2008
Photo(s) dated 4 May 2008
Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis
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