2 Sep 1878
- Milan Nedić was born.
» In-depth article - Nobutaka Shioden was born.
» In-depth article - Werner von Blomberg was born.
» In-depth article
2 Sep 1917
- Wolfgang Kapp and Alfred von Tirpitz established the Fatherland Party with the aim of rekindling the militaristic spirit of 1914 by appealing for National unity to achieve a German victory.
2 Sep 1920
- The Russo-Polish peace talk moved to Riga, Latvia as the extent of the Bolshevik military defeat became known.
2 Sep 1937
- The F4F Wildcat fighter took its first flight.
» In-depth article - Tatsuta Maru arrived at San Francisco, California, United States; many of her passengers were refugees from Shanghai, China.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement - Craven was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
2 Sep 1939
- The United Kingdom passed the National Service Act.
- Germany annexed the Free City of Danzig. Adolf Hitler advised the United Kingdom and France that he would withdraw from Poland if allowed to keep Danzig and the Polish corridor.
» In-depth article - During the day, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and French Prime Minister Édouard Daladier issued a joint ultimatum to Germany, demanding the withdraw of troops from Poland within 12 hours. During the late hours of the night, Chamberlain attempted to convince Dalalier to carry out the threat from the earlier ultimatum by declaring war on Germany early in the next morning.
» In-depth article - The Germans began the construction of Stutthof Concentration Camp with labor of 65,000 Polish Christians.
» In-depth article - The Times Literary Supplement reported that the copy of the Magna Carta owned by the Lincoln Cathedral of England, United Kingdom, currently on display at the 1939 New York World's Fair, would remain in the United States under the care of the Library of Congress for the duration of the war. It would be stored at Fort Knox until its return to Lincoln in 1944.
- Benito Mussolini continued to urge peace between Germany, United Kingdom, and France, without any success.
» In-depth article - Photos dated 2 Sep 1939
2 Sep 1940
- Battle of Britain: In the morning, German bombers attacked Eastchurch (destroyed buildings and down to only one runway), Rochford (bombs fell on Gravesend instead of the airfield), Northweald (most bombers forced back), and Biggin Hill (suffered heavy damage). In the afternoon, Hornchurch (most bombs missed), Eastchurch (bomb dump detonated), and the Vickers bomber factory at Brooklands, Weybridge, Surrey was attacked. On this day, the RAF shot down 27 German fighters and 10 bombers, while British anti-aircraft fire shot down a further 1 fighter and 3 bombers; 20 RAF fighters were shot down, with 10 pilots killed. Overnight, German bombers attacked Liverpool, Manchester, and Sheffield.
» In-depth article - British submarine HMS Sturgeon sank German troop ship Pionier off Skagen, Denmark at 2000 hours. Most of the 750 to 1,000 German troops aboard Pionier, en route to Frederiksstad, Norway, were killed.
- German submarine U-58 departed Lorient, France; only 30 miles out of the port, she was detected by British submarine HMS Tigris, which fired a spread of torpedoes at her; all torpedoes missed. German submarine U-46 sank British ship Thornlea 200 miles northwest of Ireland at 2200 hours, killing 3; 19 survivors were rescued by Canadian destroyer HMCS Skeena, while another 14 survivors would be rescued on the following day by the Norwegian ship Hild. 200 miles west of the Isle of Lewis, Scotland, United Kingdom, German submarine U-47 sank Belgian ship Ville de Mons with four torpedoes at 1900 hours; all 54 aboard survived. Far to the south, German armed merchant cruiser Widder sank British tanker Cymbeline with the deck gun and a torpedo in the Central Atlantic 800 miles west of the Canary Islands, killing 7; Widder remained in the area for four hours and rescued 26 survivors.
» In-depth article - Franklin Roosevelt approved the "destroyers for bases" deal with the United Kingdom.
» In-depth article - US Secretary of State Hull and British Ambassador Lord Lothian concluded the destroyers-for-bases deal. The United States was to provide the United Kingdom with 50 WW1-era destroyers; the United Kingdom, in return, was to provide 99-years leases on land in the Bahamas, Antigua, St. Lucia, Trinidad, Jamaica, and British Guiana to build American military bases and to provide land in Newfoundland and Bermuda as gifts to the US. Planning was quickly placed in motion for the dispatch of US Marine Corps units to these newly gained future bases.
- No. 25 and 29 Squadrons RAF each received their first Beaufighter fighters.
» In-depth article - German submarine U-47 sank Belgian ship Ville de Mons with four torpedoes 200 miles west of Isle of Lewis, Scotland at 1900 hours. All 54 aboard survived.
» In-depth article
2 Sep 1941
- RAF bombers began daylight bombing of targets in northern France.
- Taiyo was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement - Photos dated 2 Sep 1941
2 Sep 1942
- British armored cars penetrated Axis lines near Alam el Halfa, Egypt, destroying many supply trucks. Erwin Rommel decided that he would withdraw since he could not gain initiative in battle.
» In-depth article - G1 and T1 Patrols of the British Long Range Desert Group departed from Faiyum, Egypt for a raiding mission against the Italian base at Barce, Libya.
» In-depth article - The first Hawker Tempest Mk V (HM595) aircraft flew for the first time. One of the fastest fighters of the war, the Tempest entered service in Apr 1944.
» In-depth article - Hans-Joachim Marseille was nominated to receive Diamonds to his Knight's Cross medal.
» In-depth article - Tatsuta Maru departed Lorenco Marques, Portuguese East Africa.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement - Destroyer Yuzuki departed Truk, Caroline Islands.
» In-depth article - Destroyer Yukikaze departed Saipan, Mariana Islands to escort carrier Unyo to Truk, Caroline Islands.
» In-depth article - USS Flying Fish attacked a Japanese ship off Truk, Caroline Islands; both torpedoes fired hit the target, but none detonated. She was damaged during the counterattack.
» In-depth article - Photos dated 2 Sep 1942
2 Sep 1943
- After enduring months of torture at the hands of the Gestapo, Josef Mahler, an emigré Communist Jew, expelled from the Netherlands in 1940, was executed in prison in Düsseldorf, Germany. The Gestapo had failed to obtain from him any confession of a conspiratorial nature.
- The British Royal Navy battleships HMS Warspite and HMS Valiant bombarded Reggio Calabria at the southern tip of Italy, eliminating a six gun battery.
» In-depth article - Light carrier Ryuho was assigned to the Standby Force of the Mobile Force of Carrier Division 2 of the Third Fleet.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement - Destroyer Yukikaze arrived at Kure, Japan where she would be drydocked for repairs and refitting.
» In-depth article - Repair ship Akashi performed repair work for cable layer Osei Maru at Truk, Caroline Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
2 Sep 1944
- German troops began evacuating the Aegean Islands.
- Canadian troops crossed into Belgium.
» In-depth article - While attempting to unclog a uranium enrichment device at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pennsylvania, United States for the Manhattan Project, chemists Peter Bragg, Douglas Meigs, and Arnold Kramish accidentally set of an explosion, which sprayed liquid uranium hexafluoride and hydrofuoric acid on them. Bragg and Meigs were killed, while Kramish and two soldliers, George LeFevre and John Tompkins, were seriously injured.
» In-depth article - The British 51st Highland Division entered Saint-Valery-en-Caux, France, where most of the original division had been taken prisoner in Jun 1940.
» In-depth article - Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru departed Yokosuka, Japan for her 21th voyage with the Japanese Navy.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement - USS Tunny surfaced late at night and set sail for home.
» In-depth article - USS Finback rescued downed aviator and future President of the United States George Bush off Chichi Jima, Bonin Islands.
» In-depth article - Irako arrived at Manila Bay, Luzon, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement - Photos dated 2 Sep 1944
2 Sep 1945
- V-J Day: Japan signed the surrender document aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
» In-depth article - Ho Chi Minh proclaimed the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in Hanoi.
- USS Missouri hosted the official ceremony during which Japan surrendered to the Allies.
» In-depth article - Historical document written: Japanese Instrument of Surrender
» In-depth article - Photos dated 2 Sep 1945
See all photos dated 2 Sep 1945
2 Sep 1946
- Light carrier Hosho began to be broken up for scraps by Hitachi Zosen, Sakurajima, Japan.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement - Submarine Skipjack was raised at Bikini Atoll.
» In-depth article
2 Sep 1947
- US President Harry Truman embarked USS Missouri at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
» In-depth article
2 Sep 1949
- The prototype of de Havilland Venom jet fighter took its first flight.
2 Sep 1953
- Jonathan Wainwright passed away.
» In-depth article
2 Sep 1965
- Émile Muselier passed away.
» In-depth article
2 Sep 1966
- Yasuji Okamura passed away.
» In-depth article
2 Sep 1970
- Pierre Kœnig passed away.
» In-depth article
2 Sep 1991
- American diver John Chatterton discovered the wreck of German submarine U-869 off of New Jersey, United States under 73 meters of water. He and fellow divers on the expedition was unable to identify the submarine, however.
» 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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