23 May 1942

- The British Commander-in-Chief of the Home Forces ordered an end to "blood-lust inculcation" in battle training. ww2dbase [CPC]
- The close escort force for Allied convoy PQ-16 was reinforced by 4 corvettes, 2 submarines, and 1 anti-aircraft vessel. ww2dbase [Arctic Convoys | CPC]
- US Navy intelligence officers determined that the Japanese fleet targeting Midway Atoll would likely depart on 26 May 1942. ww2dbase [Battle of Midway and the Aleutian Islands | CPC]
- Soviet submarine ShCh-205 sank Turkish merchant ship Safak off Burgas, Bulgaria; Safak was suspected of bringing arms for German troops fighting in Ukraine. ww2dbase [ShCh-205 | CPC]
- German submarine U-103 sank US tanker Samuel Q. Brown 100 miles east of Cozumel, Mexico at 0926 hours; 2 were killed, 53 survived. U-155 sank Panamanian ship Watsonville just off Saint Vincent island in the Lesser Antilles islands. ww2dbase [Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico Campaigns | CPC]
- German submarine U-432 sank British ship Zurichmoor 150 miles southeast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, United States just after 0000 hours, killing all 45 aboard. At 2200 hours, in the same general area, U-588 sank British ship Margot; 1 was killed, 44 survived. ww2dbase [Second Happy Time | CPC]
- Japanese and Chinese troops clashed along the Hsipaw-Mogok road in northern Burma. ww2dbase [Invasion of Burma | CPC]
- The United Stats Marine Corps established the Training Center, Fleet Marine Force at Marine Barracks, New River, North Carolina, United States. It was to include all Fleet Marine Force units and replacements except the 1st Marine Division. ww2dbase [CPC]
- The 4,626-ton German steamship Asuncion struck a mine laid by the Soviet submarine K-1 and sank north of Tromsø, Norway. ww2dbase [Norwegian Sea | HM]
- USS S-44 arrived at Brisbane, Australia, ending her first war patrol. ww2dbase [S-44 | Brisbane, Queensland | CPC]
- Reginaldo Giuliani arrived at Bordeaux, France. ww2dbase [Reginaldo Giuliani | Bordeaux, Aquitaine | CPC]
- I-168 departed Kure, Japan on her second war patrol in the Midway area. ww2dbase [I-68/I-168 | Kure, Hiroshima | CPC]
- Yamato arrived at Hashirajima island in Hiroshima Bay, Japan. ww2dbase [Yamato | Hashirajima, Yamaguchi | CPC]
- Tenryu arrived at Maizuru, Japan. ww2dbase [Tenryu | Maizuru, Kyoto | CPC]
- Hans-Joachim Marseille shot down two Baltimore bombers over Tobruk, Libya at 0720 and 0730 hours. ww2dbase [Hans-Joachim Marseille | Tobruk | CPC]
- USS Ranger and Augusta departed Port of Spain, Trinidad bound for Quonset Point, Rhode Island. ww2dbase [Augusta | Ranger | Port of Spain | DS]
- German 14th Division and 16th Panzer Division, moving northward, and German 3rd Panzer Division and 23rd Panzer Division, moving southward, linked up, thus completing the encirclement of the Soviet 6th Army and 57th Army at Izium, Ukraine. In the same area, German troops captured Chepel to prevent the Soviet 38th Army from attacking the eastern side of the newly formed encirclement. ww2dbase [Second Battle of Kharkov | Kharkov | CPC]
- Grand Duchess Charlotte arrived in Washington, United States and met with President Franklin Roosevelt. ww2dbase [Charlotte | Washington | CPC]


23 May 1942 Interactive Map
Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis
Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you. Share this article with your friends: Stay updated with WW2DB: |
Search WW2DB & Partner Sites
News
- » Joseph Eskenazi honored at US National World War II Museum (16 Jan 2023)
- » Beethoven Original Manuscript to be Returned to Heirs of its Pre-WW2 Owner (13 Jan 2023)
- » WW2DB's 18th Anniversary (29 Dec 2022)
- » Two WW2-era Aircraft Crashed During Dallas Air Show (14 Nov 2022)
- » Wreck of Samuel B. Roberts Found (27 Jun 2022)
- » See all news
Random Photograph
Current Site Statistics
- » 1,124 biographies
- » 334 events
- » 40,949 timeline entries
- » 1,201 ships
- » 346 aircraft models
- » 205 vehicle models
- » 368 weapon models
- » 123 historical documents
- » 248 facilities
- » 468 book reviews
- » 28,779 photos
- » 399 maps
Famous WW2 Quote
"No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. You win the war by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country!"George Patton, 31 May 1944
Support Us

Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!

Or, please support us by purchasing some WW2DB merchandise at TeeSpring, Thank you!