25 May 1941
- After being reinforced through Maleme airfield on Crete, Greece, German Stuka dive bombers attacked Allied lines at 1600 hours, softening defenses for a ground assault toward Galatas on the northern coast. Elsewhere on the island, German aircraft bombed Heraklion. ww2dbase [Balkans Campaign | TH]
- Battleship Bismarck sailed for Saint-Nazaire, closely monitored by Allied aircraft and warships. ww2dbase [Bismarck | CPC]
- British cruisers HMS Suffolk and HMS Norfolk lost radar contact with German battleship Bismarck at 0306 hours as the German ship unexpectedly turned west. Several hours later, the British learned of Bismarck's general area after intercepting a radio message sent by Admiral Lütjens. All British attempts to locate Bismarck on this date, however, failed. ww2dbase [Battle of Denmark Strait | CPC]
- German submarine U-103 sank Egyptian ship Radames off Monrovia, Liberia at 1631 hours, killing 1. At 2213 hours, U-103 struck again, sinking Dutch ship Wangi Wangi, killing 1. ww2dbase [CPC]
- Luftwaffe Lieutenant-General Kurt Student arrived at Maleme in Crete, Greece. ww2dbase [Kurt Student | AC]
- HMS Eagle arrived at Freetown, Sierra Leone, British West Africa and refueled. ww2dbase [Eagle | CPC]
- Pierre Laval criticized the Vichy French government during an interview with American journalist Ralph Heinzen in Paris, France. ww2dbase [Pierre Laval | Paris | CPC]
- Giulio Chialamberto was named the commanding officer of Alpino Bagnolini at Bordeaux, France. ww2dbase [Alpino Bagnolini | Bordeaux, Aquitaine | CPC]
- German Type IXC U-Boat U-505 was launched down at Deutsche Werft in Hamburg, Germany. ww2dbase [Deutsche Werft Hamburg | U-505 | Hamburg | DS]

25 May 1941 Interactive Map
Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis
Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you. Please help us spread the word: Stay updated with WW2DB: |
Search WW2DB
News
- » Japanese Emperor Visited Iwoto (Iwo Jima) (8 Apr 2025)
- » Race, Holocaust, and African-American WW2 Histories Removed from the US Naval Academy Library (7 Apr 2025)
- » US Government Plans to Purge WW2 Information (17 Mar 2025)
- » WW2DB's 20th Anniversary (29 Dec 2024)
- » See all news
Random Photograph
US tanker Dixie Arrow burning after being torpedoed by German submarine U-71, off North Carolina, United States, 26 Mar 1942Current Site Statistics
- » 1,167 biographies
- » 337 events
- » 44,601 timeline entries
- » 1,243 ships
- » 350 aircraft models
- » 207 vehicle models
- » 376 weapon models
- » 123 historical documents
- » 261 facilities
- » 470 book reviews
- » 28,498 photos
- » 365 maps
Famous WW2 Quote
"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."Winston Churchill, on the RAF
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!