5 Dec 1941

- Japanese invasion fleet boarded a Norwegian freighter and destroyed her radio. ww2dbase [Invasion of Malaya and Singapore | CPC]
- Japanese submarines surrounded Hawaii Islands. ww2dbase [Attack on Pearl Harbor | Detailed Timetable | CPC]
- Japan announced that recent troop movements in Indochina were merely precautionary. ww2dbase [CPC]
- The Germans canceled Operation Typhoon on this date during which the lowest temperature dropped to -36 degrees Fahrenheit (-38 degrees Celsius). Meanwhile, Soviet General Zhukov launched Konev's Kalinin Front against German forces northwest of Moscow, Russia at 0300 hours, meeting strong resistance. From Germany, Adolf Hitler ordered the transfer of the German 2nd Air Corps from Russia to the Mediterranean Sea region. ww2dbase [Battle of Moscow | TH]
- British 4th Armoured Brigade remained in the Libyan-Egyptian border region despite observing the withdrawing of Axis troops, unsure of Erwin Rommel's intentions. Meanwhile, German tanks attacked positions held by the Indian 11th Brigade near Tobruk, Libya. On the same day, Rommel was advised that supply situation would turn badly soon, and he considered withdrawing to the Gazala Line. ww2dbase [Operation Crusader | CPC]
- U-175 was commissioned into service. ww2dbase [U-175 | CPC]
- Joachim von Ribbentrop gave Japanese ambassador Hiroshi Oshima a draft document which noted that Germany would declare war on the United States should Japan and the US enter a state of war. ww2dbase [Joachim von Ribbentrop | CPC]
- Australian pilot Clive Caldwell, in a Tomahawk fighter, shot down five Stuka dive bombers in Libya. ww2dbase [Clive Caldwell | CPC]
- Soviet General Meretskov launched a final assault on German positions in Tikhvin, Russia, which was 110 miles east of Leningrad. ww2dbase [Siege of Leningrad | Kirill Meretskov | CPC]
- The E15K floatplane took its maiden flight. ww2dbase [E15K Shiun | CPC]
- The Germans captured the damaged and abandoned troop ship Iosif Stalin near the Estonian coast with 2,000 survivors still on board. ww2dbase [CPC]
- A suspected German Würzburg radar facility was detected at Bruneval in northern France. ww2dbase [Bruneval, Haute-Normandie | AC]
- USS Lexington departed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Islands to ferry US Marine Corps SB2U Vindicator dive bombers to Midway Atoll. ww2dbase [Lexington (Lexington-class) | Pearl Harbor Navy Base and Ford Island Naval Air Station | Honolulu, Oahu | CPC]
- USS Arizona arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii and was moored at Ford Island. ww2dbase [Pearl Harbor Navy Base and Ford Island Naval Air Station | Arizona | Honolulu, Oahu | CPC]
- USS Astoria departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii to join Task Force 12. ww2dbase [Astoria (New Orleans-class) | Pearl Harbor Navy Base and Ford Island Naval Air Station | Honolulu, Oahu | CPC]
- Irako was commissioned into Japanese Navy service with Captain Eisaku Tsuji in command. She departed Kobe, Japan. ww2dbase [Irako | Kobe, Hyogo | CPC]
- Hans-Joachim Marseille shot down a British Hurricane fighter while escorting Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers south of Bir el Gubi Libya at 1525 hours. It was his 26th kill. ww2dbase [Hans-Joachim Marseille | Bir el Gubi | CPC]
- Japanese aircraft conducted reconnaissance flights over the coasts of Luzon, Philippine Islands. ww2dbase [Invasion of the Philippine Islands | CPC]
- Bauyrzhan Momyshuly was seriously wounded in combat in Moscow Oblast, Russia. ww2dbase [Bauyrzhan Momyshuly | Moscow | CPC]


5 Dec 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
- » US Government Plans to Purge WW2 Information (17 Mar 2025)
- » WW2DB's 20th Anniversary (29 Dec 2024)
- » Wreck of USS Edsall Found (14 Nov 2024)
- » See all news
Current Site Statistics
- » 1,162 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
- » 28,631 photos
- » 429 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!