1 Aug 1914
- Erwin Rommel was posted to the 124th Infantry Regiment of the Wüttemberg Army.
» In-depth article - Germany declared war on Russia while its troops violated the neutrality of Luxembourg.
1 Aug 1918
- The Royal Navy landed a small force of Marines on Modyngski Island, commanding the approach to Archangel, Russia.
1 Aug 1919
- Quintin Brand was given the rank of captain in the newly formed Royal Air Force.
» In-depth article
1 Aug 1921
- Vice Admiral Kiyokaze Yoshida was named the commanding officer of the Mako naval port at Pescadores islands, Taiwan.
- California was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
1 Aug 1923
- The value of the German Mark decreased to the level that it now cost about 1,000,000 Marks to exchange for US$1.
1 Aug 1924
- The Italian Milizia Volontaria Sicurezza Nazionale (National Security Volunteer Militia) was re-organized as a branch of the military.
1 Aug 1925
- Vice Admiral Nobutaro Iida was named the commanding officer of the Mako naval port at Pescadores islands, Taiwan.
1 Aug 1928
- Destroyer No. 34 was renamed Yuzuki.
» In-depth article
1 Aug 1929
- General Jiro Minami was named the commanding officer of the Japanese Chosen Army in occupied Korea, relieving Hanzo Kanaya. Minami named Lieutenant General Kotaro Nakamura as his chief of staff.
» In-depth article
1 Aug 1931
- Lieutenant General Saburo Hayashi was named the commanding officer of the Taiwan Army.
- Shigeru Honjo was named the commanding officer of the Japanese Kwantung Army in northeastern China.
- USS Arizona departed Norfolk, Virginia, United States for San Pedro, California, United States.
» In-depth article
1 Aug 1932
- Quintin Brand was transferred to the Egyptian government as the Director General of Aviation.
» In-depth article
1 Aug 1933
- Hugo Sperrle was promoted to the rank of Obserst.
» In-depth article - Major General Keikichi Ogushi was named the chief of staff of the Japanese Chosen Army in occupied Korea.
- General Iwane Matsui was named the commanding officer of the Taiwan Army.
1 Aug 1934
- General Kenkichi Ueda was named the commanding officer of the Japanese Chosen Army in occupied Korea, relieving Yoshiyuki Kawashima.
- Field Marshal Count Hisaichi Terauchi was named the commanding officer of the Taiwan Army.
1 Aug 1935
- Lieutenant General Ryuhei Ogisu was named the chief of staff of the Taiwan Army.
1 Aug 1936
- Start of the Olympic games in Berlin; anti-Semitic posters were temporarily removed.
- Georg von Bismarck was promoted to the rank of Oberstleutnant.
» In-depth article - Shunroku Hata was named the commanding officer of the Taiwan Army.
» In-depth article
1 Aug 1937
- Hideki Tojo led Japanese troops at Battle of Chahar.
» In-depth article - Wilhelm Keitel was promoted to the rank of General der Artillerie.
» In-depth article
1 Aug 1938
- Jewish medical doctors in Germany lost the right to insurance.
1 Aug 1939
- Erwin Rommel was promoted to the rank of Generalmajor.
» In-depth article - The Chinese 18th Squadron was relocated to Chongqing, China.
- German Ambassador to Britain Herbert von Dirksen reported to the Foreign Ministry in Berlin, Germany that the British-Soviet talks did not seem to be proceeding well.
» In-depth article - Hammann was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article - Sims was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
1 Aug 1940
- Soviet Foreign Minister reaffirmed Soviet neutrality while bad-mouthing the United States and the United Kingdom.
- 30 German He 111 aircraft reached Norwich, England, United Kingdom and bombed the Boulton-Paul Aircraft Works and the Norwich railway station without any opposition, killing 6 and wounding 54 civilians. Meanwhile, in Germany, Hitler issued Directive No. 17, calling for a temporary halt on attacks on British shipping, shifting attention to the RAF.
» In-depth article - In the morning, a British Spitfire fighter on a photo reconnaissance mission found a build-up of German aircraft on the the Cotentin Peninsula in France. At 1540 hours, 13 British bombers escorted by 10 fighters attacked, causing some damage but in turn losing 1 bomber and 2 fighters.
- Japanese Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsuoka asked French Ambassador to Tokyo Arsène Henry whether Japanese troops might be allowed to enter Indochina to occupy certain airfields; Henry implied that his government would reject such a request. Meanwhile, Japanese Army aircraft were transferred from Northern China to Southern China.
» In-depth article - A convoy consisted of 6 troop transports carrying 8,077 Canadian troops arrived in Scotland from Nova Scotia.
- Operation Hurry: British carrier HMS Argus set sail for Malta with 12 Hurricane fighters for reinforcement. She was escorted by Force H with battlecruiser HMS Hood, battleship HMS Valiant, aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, cruisers HMS Arethusa and HMS Enterprise, and 10 destroyers. Meanwhile, the Mediterranean fleet departed Alexandria, Egypt to conduct diversionary maneuvers in the area of Crete, Greece.
» In-depth article - German submarine U-34 detected British submarine HMS Spearfish on the surface in the North Sea and sank Spearfish with her last torpedo at 1904 hours, killing 41; one survivor, Able Seaman William Pester, was taken aboard U-34 as a prisoner of war. German submarine U-59 sank Swedish ship Sigyn at 0345 hours 60 miles northwest of Ireland; the entire crew was rescued.
» In-depth article - Italian destroyer Ugolino Vivaldi detected British submarine HMS Oswald on the surface 15 miles south of Sardinia in the Mediterranean Sea, charging batteries and performing routine maintenance. Oswald was sunk by ramming and depth charges. 3 were killed and 52 were taken prisoner.
- Italian submarine Goffredo Mameli sank Greek ship Roula 40 miles south of Crete, Greece; the entire crew was rescued.
- Dutch submarine O-21 fired two torpedoes at German submarine U-60 at the distance of 2 kilometers off Norway, but both of them missed their target.
- The US Navy established the new Alaskan Sector command within the Thirteenth Naval District.
- Adolf Galland was awarded the Knights Cross for achieving 17 kills.
» In-depth article - The Duke of Windsor, the former King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, received German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop's message. He turned down Ribbentrop's request for him to help bring peace between Britain and Germany, citing his loyalty to the British government. He did, however, maintain a channel of communications with Germany in the future should his assistance be helpful once again. To Ribbentrop's dismay, the duke departed for the Bahamas by the end of the day, ending the German attempt to use him to form a new pro-German leadership in Britain.
» In-depth article - Franz Halder and his staff began planning for the invasion of the Soviet Union.
» In-depth article - RAF bombers attacked the Krupp factory in Essen, Germany.
» In-depth article - Helmuth Brinkmann was named the commanding officer of German cruiser Prinz Eugen.
» In-depth article - Historical document written: Führer Directive 17
» In-depth article - Historical document written: Report on Liverpool
» In-depth article
1 Aug 1941
- The United States announced an oil embargo against all aggressor states.
- Hiroaki Abe became the commanding officer of Japanese Navy Cruiser Division 8.
» In-depth article - Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bomber took flight for the first time.
» In-depth article - Britain broke off diplomatic relations with Finland for invading Russia. Just over a year earlier, Britain had supported the Finns against the Russians.
- The US Navy established the Naval Air Station at Midway under Commander Cyril T. Simard.
- Nine British Blenheim bombers escorted by Hurricane fighters attacked Axis vehicles at Sidi Omar, Libya.
- Joseph Stalin, satisfied with the progress of the rocket-powered fighter development project, issued an ordered in late Jul (and dated for 1 Aug 1941) for a prototype aircraft to be completed in a little more than a month.
» In-depth article - Denmark established diplomatic relationship with the Japanese-sponsored puppet state of Manchukuo.
- USS Marlin was commissioned into service with Lieutenant George A. Sharp in command.
» In-depth article - Photos dated 1 Aug 1941
1 Aug 1942
- Marshal Andrey Yeryomenko was appointed the commanding officer of the Soviet Southeastern Front, charged with planning the defense of Stalingrad in southern Russia.
» In-depth article - The United States Navy Task Force 1, consisted of 7 battleships and 10 destroyers, set sail for the Hawaiian Islands, where it would remain to patrol the area during the Guadalcanal invasion.
- The United States Navy Bureau of Ordnance admitted problems with torpedoes, but only that they were running 10 feet to deep, refusing to address the detonator failure issue.
- The British Army Air Corps and Glider Pilot Regiment were established.
- Chiang Kaishek accepted Joseph Stilwell's X-Y Plan for an offensive into Burma on the conditions that British generals fully cooperate with the campaign and that the Allies would support the offensive from the air.
» In-depth article - Yukio Kasahara was named the chief of staff of Kenkichi Ueda (Japanese Kwantung Army in northeastern China).
- American born fighter pilot Dominic S. "Don" Gentile of No. 133 squadron RAF, flying a Spitfire fighter, shot down both a Focke-Wulf Fw 190 and a Junkers Ju 88 aircraft in the space of 10 minutes. This would earn him the award of the Distinguished Flying Medal.
- Wilhelm Beck was named the commanding officer of German cruiser Prinz Eugen.
» In-depth article - Captain Bunjiro Yamaguchi was assigned the commanding officer of light carrier Hosho.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement - Photos dated 1 Aug 1942
1 Aug 1943
- The Red Air Force's leading female pilot, Lydia Litvak, was shot down and killed.
» In-depth article - Amon Göth was promoted to the rank of SS-Hauptsturmführer.
» In-depth article - The puppet Burmese government declared war on Britain and the Untied States.
- Hitler ordered the Orel, Russia salient evacuated.
- USAAF bombed the oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania; 30% of the raid force was lost.
» In-depth article - Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein shot down three Soviet aircraft, increasing his victories to 46.
» In-depth article - Americans captured the Munda airfield on New Georgia in the Solomon Islands.
» In-depth article - Shokaku remained at Truk, Caroline Islands throughout the month of Aug 1943, except for two short sorties on 3 Aug and 25 Aug.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement - USS Finback damaged a Japanese transport in the South China Sea, hitting her with 1 of 4 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article - Irako transited the Bungo Strait between Shikoku and Kyushu, Japan and arrived at Kure, Japan.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement - Photos dated 1 Aug 1943
See all photos dated 1 Aug 1943
1 Aug 1944
- Manuel Quezon passed away.
» In-depth article - Seeing the Soviet forces were now on the other side of the Vistula River, the Polish Home Army began the Warsaw Uprising against German occupation troops.
» In-depth article - Soviet forces captured Lithuania, cutting all roads between Germany and the Baltic States.
» In-depth article - President Risto Ryti of Finland resigned; he was to be replaced by Marshal Carl Mannerheim.
» In-depth article - US 83rd Infantry Division became part of the XV Corps of the Third Army of the US 12th Army Group.
- The US 12th Army Group came into existence under the command of General Omar Bradley.
» In-depth article - General Philippe Leclerc's 2nd French Division landed on "Utah" beach, Normandy, France.
- Captain Taro Taguchi was named the chief of staff of the Japanese Navy 3rd Air Fleet.
- George Bush was promoted to the rank of lieutenant (jg).
» In-depth article - The Indian 111th Infantry Brigade, a Chindit formation, was allowed to return to front line service in Burma after health conditions improved.
» In-depth article - Joseph Stilwell met with Louis Mountbatten at Kandy, Ceylon to discuss Stilwell's temporary command over Mountbatten's theater while Mountbatten planned for a trip to Britain.
» In-depth article - Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru arrived at Yokosuka, Japan.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement - Tirpitz completed exercises at sea.
» In-depth article - USS Pollack served on lifeguard station in support of the air strikes on Woleai, Caroline Islands.
» In-depth article - USS Puffer attacked a Japanese convoy in the Dutch East Indies, firing 8 torpedoes and claiming 2 hits which sank a ship.
» In-depth article - USS Flying Fish departed Brisbane, Australia for her eleventh war patrol.
» In-depth article - Photos dated 1 Aug 1944
See all photos dated 1 Aug 1944
1 Aug 1945
- In the biggest air raid yet over Japan, 820 Superfortress bombers dropped 6,632 tons of high explosive bombs and incendiary bombs on four cities, bringing the total number of Japanese cities incinerated to 56.
» In-depth article - USS Cod was strafed by a Japanese aircraft while she was boarding a small Japanese vessel. The submarine dove and escaped the area; the boarding party was rescued by submarine USS Blenny two days later.
» In-depth article - USS Blenny reported sinking three small Japanese craft with the deck gun in the South China Sea off Malaya.
» In-depth article - Photos dated 1 Aug 1945
1 Aug 1946
- US President Harry Truman signed the Atomic Energy Act of 1946, placing nuclear weapon development in the United States in civilian hands.
» In-depth article - Photos dated 1 Aug 1946
1 Aug 1948
- Dong Zhao was relieved of his duty as the commander of the 1st Corps.
» In-depth article
1 Aug 1950
- Zhang Jinghui, a prisoner in the Soviet Union since Aug 1945, was extradited to Communist China.
» In-depth article
1 Aug 1952
- Andrew Higgins passed away.
» In-depth article - Photos dated 1 Aug 1952
1 Aug 1953
- Devonshire was decommissioned from service.
» In-depth article
1 Aug 1958
- Submarine Flying Fish was struck from the US Naval Register.
» In-depth article
1 Aug 1959
- USS Sennet's home port was shifted to Charleston, South Carolina, United States.
» In-depth article
1 Aug 1962
- Gordon Bennett passed away.
» In-depth article
1 Aug 1970
- USS Segundo was decommissioned from service.
» In-depth article
1 Aug 1990
- Lianzhong Sun passed away.
» 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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"Goddam it, you'll never get the Purple Heart hiding in a foxhole! Follow me!"Captain Henry P. Jim Crowe, Guadalcanal, 13 Jan 1943
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