5 Nov 1941
  • At a conference with Emperor Showa, Japanese leaders decided to go to war with the United States, United Kingdom, and the Netherlands in early Dec 1941 should diplomatic relations with the US did not improve by 1 Dec. ww2dbase [CPC]
  • Japanese passenger ship Kehi Maru hit a Soviet mine and sank 75 miles off Korea in the Sea of Japan; 131 were killed, 379 survived. ww2dbase [CPC]
  • Soviet submarine ShCh-324 was lost in the Baltic Sea off Tallinn, Estonia; she had presumably hit a mine. All 38 aboard were killed. ww2dbase [ShCh-324 | CPC]
  • Cordell Hull had learned, via Magic intercepts of Japanese messages to Kichisaburo Nomura, that 25 Nov 1941 was Japan's final deadline for the decision on war. ww2dbase [Cordell Hull | CPC]
  • U-576 completed her first war patrol. ww2dbase [U-576 | CPC]
Black Sea
  • Soviet submarine ShCh-214 sank Italian tanker Torcello in the Black Sea. ww2dbase [CPC]
Hawaii Photo(s) dated 5 Nov 1941
Cruiser USS Honolulu exercising in Hawaiian waters, 5 Nov 1941. Note her dark blue Measure 1 paint in anticipation of war. This paint led to the ship’s nickname “Blue Goose†that stuck with her throughout her career.

5 Nov 1941 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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Famous WW2 Quote
"The raising of that flag on Suribachi means a Marine Corps for the next 500 years."

James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy, 23 Feb 1945


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