19 Jul 1910
- Erwin Rommel was given the rank of Fahnenjunker (officer candidate) with the 124th Infantry Regiment of the Wüttemberg Army.
» In-depth article
19 Jul 1918
- The armoured cruiser USS San Diego (formerly the USS California) was lost after hitting a mine 10 miles off Fire Island, New York, United States.
19 Jul 1936
- General Francisco Franco flew from Tenerife, Canary Islands to Tetuan, Spanish Morocco to take over command of the Spanish Army of Africa. Meanwhile, he also appealed to Germany and Italy for volunteer fighters.
» In-depth article - The insurgent Spanish Nationalists succeeded in seizing power in Morocco, Navarre, Galicia, Old Castile, and Seville, but were thwarted in the key cities off Barcelona and Madrid. Santiago Casares Quiroga of the Left Republican Party resigned from the post of Prime Minister of the Republic; President Manuel Azana asked Diego Martinez Barrio, a member of the Republican Union Party, to form a moderate government which could negotiate with the rebels; when Barrio was unable to form a government which enjoyed and real support he resigned. Professor Jose Giral of the Republican Party would replace him and ordered that arms be distributed to the workers.
» In-depth article
19 Jul 1937
- In Munich, Germany, the "Exhibition of Degenerate Art" opened, containing some 650 exhibits confiscated from museums, galleries and public buildings by a committee set up by Goebbels. The Exhibition, opened by Adolf Ziegler, was an instant success with over two million visitors in the first four months; after which it went on tour around Germany.
19 Jul 1938
- Ludwig Beck met with German Army chief Walther von Brauchitsch, attempting to persuade him to use his influence to put a stop to the invasion of Czechoslovakia. He also offered suggestions on what he thought Adolf Hitler's government should be doing, mainly social and civil concerns, instead of provoking war at this stage of Germany's rearmament.
» In-depth article
19 Jul 1939
- British light cruiser HMS Mauritius was launched at the Swan Hunter shipyard in Wallsend, England, United Kingdom.
- The keel of submarine Tuna was laid down.
» In-depth article - Historical document written: No. 37, 40, & 44 : Messages from F. M. Shepherd to Halifax on Danzig
» In-depth article
19 Jul 1940
- The Two-Ocean Navy Act was passed by the US Congress.
» In-depth article - British General Alan Brooke took over as Commander-in-Chief of Home Forces, relieving Edmund Ironside. Ironside was promoted to Field Marshal as consolation; he had only been at the helm of Home Forces for two months.
» In-depth article - Adolf Hitler spoke to the German Reichstag about Allied warmongering and asked the United Kingdom to listen to reason and avoid war. Within an hour of the conclusion of the speech, the BBC broadcast an unofficial rejection to Hitler's bid for peace.
» In-depth article - Battle of Britain: Defiant turret fighters of No. 141 Squadron RAF were launched to protect a convoy off Folkestone, England but they were inadequate in defending against German aerial attacks. 6 of them were shot down by 12 German Bf 109 fighters within the first eight minutes of combat (10 killed, 2 survived), with the 3 remaining saved only by the arrival of Hurricane fighters of No. 111 Squadron RAF. Elsewhere, German bombers attacked various targets in southern and eastern Britain, leading to the loss of 3 Hurricane fighters, the death of 42 civilians in Glasgow, damage aboard destroyers HMS Griffin and HMS Beagle, and the sinking of tanker War Sepoy. The Germans lost 3 bombers and 3 fighters on this day.
» In-depth article - Günther von Kluge was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal.
» In-depth article - Hermann Hoth was promoted to the rank of general.
» In-depth article - Hermann Göring was promoted to the rank of Reichsmarschall, a rank created for him so that he would outrank all Field Marshals of the German military.
» In-depth article - Battle of Cape Spada: British destroyers HMS Hyperion, HMS Hasty, HMS Ilex, and HMS Hero engaged Italian cruisers Giovanni dalle Bande Nere and Bartolomeo Colleoni. As the British destroyers began to flee from fight, Australian cruiser HMAS Sydney and British destroyer HMS Havock arrived to lend help. Sydney disabled Bartolomeo Colleoni with gunfire, and Ilex and Hyperion launched torpedoes to sink her, killing 121. Giovanni dalle Bande Nere was able to withdraw. 555 survivors of Bartolomeo Colleoni was rescued by Ilex and Hyperion after the battle.
- British troopship Royal Ulsterman departed from Gibraltar for Madeira with evacuated civilians; she was escorted by destroyer HMS Velox.
- German submarine U-62 sank a British ship 30 miles northwest of Ireland; 13 were killed and 26 survived.
» In-depth article - German armed merchant cruiser Thor sank Dutch ship Tela off the coast of Brazil. The entire crew of 33 were taken prisoner.
- Hugo Sperrle was promoted to the rank of Generalfeldmarschall.
» In-depth article - Wilhelm Keitel was promoted to the rank of Generalfeldmarschall.
» In-depth article - Werner Mölders was promoted to the rank of Major.
» In-depth article - Daphne Pearson was awarded the Empire Gallantry Medal for her 31 May 1940 rescue of a pilot from a crashed bomber at RAF Detling, unspent ammunition exploding all around her. The medal was later updated to the George Cross in 1941.
- The British Army Intelligence Corps was established.
- The British Government removed the right of workers to strike.
- US President Roosevelt departed Washington Navy Yard, Washington DC, United States aboard presidential yacht Potomac, along with auxiliary vessel Cuyahoga, for a cruise in the Chesapeake Bay.
» In-depth article - Heinz Guderian was promoted to the rank of Generaloberst (Colonel General).
» In-depth article - Eduard Dietl became the first person to receive Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
» In-depth article - Ernst Udet was promoted to Generaloberst (equivalent to Air Chief Marshal of the British RAF).
- Walther von Brauchitsch was promoted to the rank of Generalfeldmarschall.
» In-depth article - The first prototype of the cavity magnetron was delivered to the British radar research center near Swanage, England, United Kingdom.
- The keel of British corvette HMS Kingcup was laid down.
- The keel of British submarine HMS Umbra was laid down.
- British corvette HMS Bluebell was commissioned into service.
- British corvette HMS Picotee was launched.
- British submarine HMS P611 was launched.
- British minesweeping trawler HMS Crestflower was bombed and sunk by German aircraft off Portsmouth, England, United Kingdom.
- Denmark withdrew from the League of Nations.
- British bombers attacked Bremen, Gelsenkirchen, Kassel in Germany.
» In-depth article - Wolfgang Falck was ordered to see Hermann Göring; during this meeting, Falck would be promoted to the rank of Major.
» In-depth article - Cruisers USS Wichita and USS Quincy arrived at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; destroyers USS Walke and USS Wainwright arrived later on the same day with Marines for Wichita and Quincy, respectively.
» In-depth article - Photos dated 19 Jul 1940
19 Jul 1941
- British radio station BBC broadcasted about the "V Army", informing the general public on the resistance movements in occupied Europe.
- British citizen George Armstrong was executed at Wandsworth prison for spying.
- Captured (by German armed merchant cruiser Atlantis on 10 Nov 1940) Norwegian tanker Ole Jacob arrived at Bordeaux, France, carrying aviation fuel and the captured crew of tanks Ole Jacob and Teddy.
- Italo Gariboldi stepped down as the Governor-General of Italian Libya, succeeded by Ettore Bastico.
- Submarine HMS Umpire collided with a trawler off Kent, England, United Kingdom during her sea trials, sinking in 60 feet of water; 22 men were lost.
- 11 British Blenheim bombers attacked an 8-ship German convoy escorted by 6 anti-aircraft ships off the Hague, Netherlands, sinking four of the transports and damaging another.
- Adolf Hitler ordered that American shipping were not to be attacked by German forces in order to keep the United States from fully entering the war.
» In-depth article - The keel of US destroyer Baldwin was laid down.
- The keel of US minesweeper Swallow was laid down.
- German submarine U-153 was commissioned into service.
- German submarine U-375 was commissioned into service.
- Winston Churchill decided to share military intelligence gained by deciphering the German Enigma-encoded messages with the Soviets, but the Soviets would not be told how the intelligence was gained; instead, they were told that the intelligence was gained through a spies in Berlin.
» In-depth article - Heavy fighting between German and Soviet forces took place near Lake Peipus near Leningrad, Russia.
» In-depth article - Adolf Hitler ordered the German 2nd Panzer Group to move south toward Kiev, Ukraine as soon as the group completed the conquest of Smolensk, Russia. Heinz Guderian, commanding officer of the 2nd Panzer Group, protested and cited Moscow, Russia as the logical primary target, but Hitler would overrule him.
» In-depth article - Fijian ship Viti departed Suva, Fiji for Gilbert and Ellice Islands with New Zealand military servicemen aboard; she was to drop off small reconnaissance parties on many of the atolls and small islands to act as lookouts, or "coastwatchers", to watch for German surface raiders.
- German submarine U-66 sank transport Holmside northeast of Cape Verde islands at 1042 hours; 21 were killed, 16 survived.
19 Jul 1942
- Heinrich Himmler ordered "Aktion Reinhard", the deportation of Jews in the General Government, was to be completed by 31 Dec 1942.
» In-depth article - British cruisers HMS Dido and HMS Euryalus and four destroyers bombarded Mersa Matruh, Egypt.
» In-depth article - Joseph Stilwell devised the X-Y Plan for 20 to 30 Chinese divisions to invade northern Burma with the ultimate goal being Rangoon in the south.
» In-depth article - US destroyer Saufley was launched.
- A He 112 fighter of Romanian Escadrila 51 Vanatoare squadron flew the very first night fighter mission in Romanian history.
» In-depth article - The Soviet 66th Naval Rifle Brigade arrived at Stalingrad, Russia and was assigned to the Soviet 64th Army.
» In-depth article - US Middle East Air Force launched B-24 bombers to attack Benghazi, Libya; at the same time, B-17 bombers of the same air force struck Tobruk.
- An Australian cruiser squadron, sailing as US Navy Task Force 44 and under British Royal Navy Rear-Admiral Victor A. C. Crutchley's command, arrived at Wellington, New Zealand.
- While on a reconnaissance mission, a US B-17 bomber spotted a Japanese convoy departing Rabaul, New Britain toward the island of New Guinea.
» In-depth article - Seaplane tender USS Casco arrived at Nazan Bay, Atka Island, US Territory of Alaska in the Aleutian Islands to establish a seaplane base. Meanwhile, US 11th Air Force conducted reconnaissance missions over Attu and Agattu elsewhere in the Aleutian Islands. Finally, cruisers of US Navy Task Force 8 bombarded Kiska.
- The US Navy opened the Intelligence Center/Pacific Ocean Area at Pearl Harbor in the Territory of Hawaii with 190 men in its staff to analyze captured documents, to interrogate prisoners of war, and to conduct other naval intelligence related activities.
- German submarine U-332 attacked transport Leonidas M. at 1655 hours, but the torpedo missed; at 1711 hours she opened fire with her deck gun, followed by another torpedo at 1725 hours and another at 1742 hours; Leonidas M. was hit by the third torpedo, sinking two captured. U-129 sank transport Port Antonio at 1912 hours; 13 were killed, a number of crew members survived.
» In-depth article - Robert Johnson joined the USAAF 61st Fighter Squadron at Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States, flying P-47B Thunderbolt aircraft.
» In-depth article - Shokaku arrived at Hashirajima.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement - Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru arrived at Surabaya, Java.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement - USS S-31 was ordered to move toward the Japanese-occupied Aleutian island of Kiska.
» In-depth article - Off Accra, British West Africa (now Ghana), USS Ranger launched 72 P-40 fighters for transfer to nearby airfields; they were destined to reinforce the 10th Air Force in India.
» In-depth article - Photos dated 19 Jul 1942
19 Jul 1943
- The Italian capital of Rome experienced its first air raid by the USAAF, which resulted in 1,500 civilian deaths; 157 B-17 and 112 B-24 aircraft embarked on this attack, 5 of which were lost. Most of the bombers focused on rail marshalling yards in or around the city.
» In-depth article - At Feltre, Italy, Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini met for the 13th and last time before Mussolini was ousted from power.
» In-depth article - German submarine U-513 was sunk by depth charges from a PBM-3C Mariner aircraft of US Navy Patrol Squadron 74 south east of Săo Francisco do Sul, Brazil; 46 were killed, 7 survived.
- 12 Polish prisoners of Auschwitz I camp were executed by hanging in front of the kitchen during roll call for helping three fellow prisoners escape. The men were Stanislaw Stawinski (No. 6569), Czeslaw Marcisz (No. 26891), Janusz Skrzetuski-Pogonowski (No. 253), Edmund Sikorski (No. 25419), Jerzy Wozniak (No. 35650), Józef Wojtyga (No. 24740), Zbigniew Foltanski (No. 41664), Boguslaw Ohrt (No. 367), Leon Rajzer (No. 399), Tadeusz Rapacz (No. 36043), Józef Gancarz (No. 24538), and Mieczyslaw Kulikowski (No. 25404).
- HMCS Huron (G24) was commissioned into service with Lieutenant Commander H. S. Rayner in command.
- Yekaterina Budanova shot down a Bf 109 fighter near Antracit, Luhansk, Russia, but her Yak-1 fighter also sustained damage and caught on fire. She landed safely, but when farmers rushed to help, they found her already dead.
» In-depth article - Dock No. 4 at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, US Territory of Hawaii was ready for emergency use.
- The keel of British minesweeper HMS Serene was laid down at Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- The keel of Canadian frigate HMCS Joliette was laid down at Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
- Canadian destroyer HMCS Huron was commissioned into service.
- Crew of Canadian destroyer HMCS Iroquois staged a brief mutiny by refusing to obey orders from Commander William Boyd Love Holms, for what they perceived as harsh treatment by the commanding officer.
- Pope Pius XII allowed citizens of Rome, Italy to take shelter in Vatican City.
- Destroyer escort USS Acree was commissioned into service.
- Destroyer escort USS Keith was commissioned into service.
- The US Naval Aircraft Factory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States was authorized to embark on the project codenamed Gorgon to develop air-to-air turbojet-powered remotely-controlled missiles.
- The US 633rd, 634th, and 635th Bombardment Squadrons (Dive) and the US 407th Bombardment Group (Dive) began operating from Amchitka, Aleutian Islands.
- Winston Churchill suggested using icebergs as floating airfields.
» In-depth article - British minesweeping trawler HMS Gillstone was launched.
- British destroyer HMS Undaunted was launched.
- Greek submarine Pipinos was launched in Britain.
- British submarine HMS Unswerving was launched.
- British frigate HMS Inver was commissioned into service.
- The German-sponsored French military formation Légion des Volontaires Français held a parade in Paris, France.
- German submarine U-854 was commissioned into service.
- The keel of German submarine U-825 was laid down.
- Japanese G3M bombers attacked the US airfield on Funafuti, Ellice Islands.
- Australian and American troops defended against repeated Japanese counterattacks at Mount Tambu, Australian New Guinea.
» In-depth article - US 7th Army and British 8th Army continued to make advances in Sicily, Italy; encountering resistance along the coast, Bernard Montgomery ordered his British 8th Army to take an alternate route, inland, toward Messina in the north. The Allied Northwest African Tactical Air Force launched B-25 bombers to attack Catania and Randazzo while US 9th Air Force P-40 aircraft bombed railroads and railcars at Alcamo to support the ground troops on Sicily. After sundown, Allied bombers struck Aquino and Nicosia.
» In-depth article - Soviet troops began to threaten German positions at Bolkhov, Russia.
» In-depth article - During the day, in the Solomon Islands, US B-17 aircraft bombed Kahili Airfield on Bougainville, B-17 and B-25 aircraft attacked Ballale Airfield on Ballale, while B-25, SBD, and TBF aircraft attacked Japanese positions at Bairoko, New Georgia. After sundown, US PBY and TBF aircraft attacked a Japanese task force near Choiseul Island east of Bougainville, sinking a destroyer and damaging a cruiser, but also losing several aircraft.
» In-depth article - Light carrier Ryuho departed Truk, Caroline Islands for Kure, Japan.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement - Destroyer Yukikaze escorted a troop transport run to Kolombangara, New Georgia, Solomon Islands.
» In-depth article - Photos dated 19 Jul 1943
19 Jul 1944
- Günther von Kluge was appointed the commanding officer of the German Army Group B (Heeresgruppe B).
» In-depth article - US 34th Division captured Livorno, Italy. The Germans set up about 25,000 booby traps as they evacuated the city.
» In-depth article - In France, Canadian troops cleared Caen's southern suburbs, capturing Vaucelles, Louvigny, and Flery-sur-Orne, while British 11th Armoured Division captured Bras and Hubert-Follie. In the afternoon, 262 US 9th Air Force B-26 Marauder and A-20 Havoc aircraft attacked bridges on the Loire River and Seine River and a fuel dump at Bruz, France.
» In-depth article - Franklin Roosevelt was nominated to run for a fourth term as the President of the United States.
» In-depth article - Raoul Wallenberg might have met with Adolf Eichmann at the Hotel Majestic in Budapest, Hungary.
» In-depth article - Claus von Stauffenberg was summoned to see Adolf Hitler at Rastenburg, East Prussia, Germany on the following day.
» In-depth article - In the Mariana Islands, US 7th Air Force launched P-47 aircraft based on Saipan to attack Tinian.
» In-depth article - US Far East Air Force dispatched B-24 aircraft to attack Yap, Ngulu, and Sorol in the Caroline Islands.
- German submarine U-968 was attacked by a British RAF Liberator bomber in the Atlantic Ocean; 1 was killed, 6 were wounded.
- The keel of US minesweeper Minivet was laid down.
- US destroyer Zellars was launched.
- Destroyer escort USS Wyman sank Japanese submarine I-5 360 miles east of Guam, Mariana Islands.
- German submarine U-2502 was commissioned into service.
- The keel of German submarine U-2513 was laid down.
- The keel of German submarine U-3507 was laid down.
- British minesweeper HMS Mameluke was launched.
- British destroyer HMS Saintes was launched.
- Destroyer escort USS Kenneth M. Willet was commissioned into service.
- From Britain, US 8th Air Force dispatched 5 B-17 bombers to drop propaganda leaflets in France and Belgium while 5 B-24 bombers paradropped supplies to French resistance fighters.
» In-depth article - 1,082 B-17 and B-24 bombers, escorted by 670 P-38, P-47, and P-51 fighters attacked factories (hydrogen peroxide, chemical, aircraft, and ball bearing), six rail marshalling yards, a dam, and four airfields in western and southwestern Germany; 17 bombers and 7 fighters were lost. From Italy, US 15th Air Force launched 400 B-17 and B-24 bombers attacked an ordnance depot, an aircraft factory, an automobile factory, and an airfield in the München (Munich) area; 16 US aircraft were lost.
» In-depth article - Soviet troops crossed the border into Latvia.
- Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru arrived at Davao, Philippine Islands; she was damaged by a mine just prior to arrival.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement - USS Croaker departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol.
» In-depth article - USS Rock detected a Japanese convoy in the Luzon Strait and attacked with ten torpedoes. She recorded six detonations, but was not able to observe whether any of the ships sank.
» In-depth article - USS Pompon departed for her sixth war patrol.
» In-depth article - Photos dated 19 Jul 1944
19 Jul 1945
- Japanese special attack aircraft damaged destroyer USS Thatcher off Okinawa, Japan; another special attack aircraft narrowly missed destroyer USS Charles J. Badger.
- After sundown, US 20th Air Force launched 27 B-29 Superfortress bombers to mine waters off Japan and Korea, 127 B-29 bombers to attack Fukui, 126 B-29 bombers to attack Hitachi, 91 B-29 bombers to attack Choshi, 126 B-29 bombers to attack Okazaki, and 83 B-29 bombers to attack the Nippon oil plant at Amagasaki; only 3 B-29 bombers were lost by the US 20th Air Force during this night.
» In-depth article - P-38 aircraft of US 13th Air Force attacked a Japanese suicide boat base in Sandakan, British Borneo, while US B-25 bombers attacked Japanese airfields at Jesselton (now Kota Kinabalu) to the west.
» In-depth article - Canadian corvettes HMCS Peterborough, HMCS Rosthern, and HMCS Owen Sound were decommissioned off Sorel, Quebec, Canada.
- Canadian anti-submarine patrol vessels ML 076 and ML 077 were decommissioned from service.
- The United States Congress ratified the Bretton Woods system of monetary management, which led to the establishment of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD).
- US Navy Task Force 38 carrier aircraft damaged carrier Amagi, carrier Katsuragi, and battleship Haruna at Kure Naval Shipyard, Japan. On the same day, Task Group 35.4 warships conducted a final bombardment of radar stations at Nojima Saki about 90 kilometers south of Tokyo.
» In-depth article - German submarine U-181 sank transport King Frederick off southern India in the Arabian Sea at 1703 hours; 27 were killed, 29 survived.
- USS Ticonderoga departed Guam, Mariana Islands.
» In-depth article - USS Tirante arrived at at Guam, Mariana Islands, ending her second war patrol.
» In-depth article - USS Bugara fired 9 torpedoes at a Japanese convoy south of Saigon, Indochina. All torpedoes missed.
» In-depth article - USS Sea Robin fired eight torpedoes at a Japanese tanker in the East China Sea, but all torpedoes missed.
» In-depth article - Photos dated 19 Jul 1945
19 Jul 1946
- New Mexico was decommissioned from service.
» In-depth article
19 Jul 1947
- Aung San was assassinated in Rangoon, Burma.
» 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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