12 May 1944




See all photos dated 12 May 1944
- The German synthetic fuel plants at Brüx in southern Germany (post-war Most, Czechoslovakia) and Lüna-Merseburg, Lützkendorf, and Zeitz in eastern Germany were hit by 800 US bombers. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | TH]
- Kamal Ram of Indian 8th Punjab Regiment single-handedly took out two German defensive positions and joined another against a third near the Gari River in Italy. Later in the same day, he charged at a house held by the Germans, capturing two and killing one. He was later awarded the Victoria Cross, with King George VI pinning the medal onto his uniform in Jul 1944. ww2dbase [CPC]
- Anglo-Indian troops counterattacked at Tengnoupal, India, regaining territory lost during the Japanese attacks between 6 and 8 May 1944. ww2dbase [Battle of Imphal-Kohima | CPC]
- USS Nicholas, escorting a convoy of transport ships, arrived at Pavuvu Island, Solomon Islands. Nicholas immediately joined destroyers USS Radford, USS Hopewell, USS O'Bannon, USS Fletcher, and USS LaVallette and departed for Nouméa, New Caledonia. ww2dbase [Nicholas | Pavuvu, Solomon Islands | DS]
- USS Honolulu, USS Birmingham, and USS St. Louis departed Tulagi, Solomon Islands bound for exercises in the northern Solomon Islands. ww2dbase [Birmingham | St. Louis | Honolulu | Walden Ainsworth | Tulagi, Solomon Islands | DS]
- Shokaku departed Lingga, Dutch East Indies for the Tawi-Tawi anchorage in the Philippine Islands. ww2dbase [Shokaku | Lingga | CPC]
- Destroyer Yukikaze departed Lingga, Dutch East Indies. ww2dbase [Yukikaze | Lingga | CPC]
- U-2501 was launched at the Blohm und Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany. ww2dbase [U-2501 | Blohm und Voss | Hamburg | CPC]
- The USAAF 306th Bomb Group flying from RAF Thurleigh launched a bombing raid against aircraft facilities at Merseburg, Germany but could not drop their bombs because a lower flying squadron flew under them at the drop zone. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | RAF Thurleigh | Merseburg | DS]
- Near Cassino, Italy, engineers of Indian 8th Division successfully established a bridge to allow tanks of Canadian 1st Armoured Brigade to cross the Rapido River, while Polish troops engaged in fierce fighting with troops of German 1st Parachute Division at Point 593. ww2dbase [Battle of Monte Cassino | Cassino, Lazio | CPC]
- Landing ship No. 129 was completed. ww2dbase [No. 101/103-class | CPC]
- The keel of landing ship No. 157 was laid down by Hitachi Zosen. ww2dbase [No. 101/103-class | CPC]
- 39 German Sinti children, 20 boys and 19 girls, arrived at Auschwitz Concentration Camp. They were separated from their parents as a part of Eva Justin's dissertation "The fate of Gypsy children and their offspring raised in alien environments". She became a professor at Berlin University in 1943 and the paper was published in 1944. ww2dbase [Auschwitz Concentration Camp | Discovery of Concentration Camps and the Holocaust | Oswiecim | CPC]
- USS Wake Island arrived at Norfolk, Virginia, United States. ww2dbase [Wake Island | Norfolk, Virginia | CPC]




See all photos dated 12 May 1944
12 May 1944 Interactive Map
Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis
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