This day in military history..

May 21
853 Byzantines sack Damietta, Egypt
1455 1st Battle of St. Albans
1809 Battle of Aspern-Essling ends
1863 Siege of Port Hudson begins
1864 Red River Campaign ends
1940 Belgian Naval Yacht Aloha sunk by mine off Ostend
1941 Cruisers HMS Fiji and Gloucester, and Destroyer HMS Greyhound bombed/sunk off Crete. Dutch Minelayer Nautilus sunk in a collision off Saltfleet
1942 Mexico declares War on The Axis.
1943 U-569 damaged by Avengers and scuttled.
1944 Destroyer Asanagi sunk by USS Pollock northwest of Chichi Jima. RO-106 sunk by Destroyer Escort USS England north of the Admiralty Islands
1945 Gunboat Hashidate sunk by sub USS Picuda. IJN Sub Chasers CH-37 and 58, and Landing Ship No. 173 bombed/sunk by USN aircraft in the East China Sea.
1968 Sub USS Scorpion sinks
 
Last edited:
May 23
1430 Joan of Arc captured
1568 Battle of Heiligerlee
1706 Battle of Ramillies
1793 Battle of Famars
1862 Battle of Front Royal. Battle of Lewisburg
1863 Siege of Vicksburg begins
1864 Battle of the North Anna begins
1915 Italy joins the Allies
1939 Sub USS Squalus sinks, raised, repaired and put in service as Sailfish.
1940 French Destroyer Jaguar sunk by E Boats S-21 and 23, Destroyer Orage bombed/sunk off Boulogne
1941 Destroyers HMS Kelly and Kashmir, and MTBs 67, 213, 216, and 217 bombed/sunk, and R.N. Trawler HMS LOS XXIII scuttled, at Suda Bay. KOS XXIII raised, repaired and entered KM service as UJ-2104. French Gunboat Meuliere wreck on Corsica
1942 USN Patrol Craft YP-277 strikes a mine, burns and sinks at French Frigate Shoals.
1943 PT Boat Tender USS Niagra bombed/sunk near San Cristobal Island. PT-165 and 173 lost as deck cargo when tanker Stanvac Manila is sunk by I-17 south of New Caledonia. U-752 sunk by Swordfish from HMS Archer
1944 RO-104 sunk by Destroyer Escort USS England. KM Torpedo Boat Greif sunk off France.
1967 Egypt blokades Eilat
 
May 24
1822 Battle of Pichincha
1861 Union troops occupy Alexandria, Va. Col. Ellsworth of the 11th NY Zouaves is killed by a Hotel owner while removing a large CSA flag from the man's Hotel. The Hotel owner is then shot and killed with both men becoming martyrs.
1940 Germans capture Boulogne and Ghent. Destroyer HMS Wessex bombed/sunk west of Calais. French Destroyer bombed/sunk off Cape d'Alprecht. French Aux. Minesweeper La Matelot bombed/sunk, and Minesweeper Etoile De Nord sunk by mine, at Dunkirk.
1941 Battlecruiser HMS Hood sunk, and Battleship Prince of Wales damaged, by Battleship Bismarck. R.N. Trawler HMS Aurora II bombed/sunk at Tobruk.
1944 IJN Frigate Iki sunk by sub USS Raton in South China Sea. U-432 damaged by RAF PBY and scuttled off Norway. U-675 sunk by RAF Sunderland off Norway. RO-116 sunk by Destroyer Escort USS England north of the Admiraltys. KM Sub Chaser UJ-2223 sunk by USN PT boats off the Vada Rocks.
1945 U-979 run aground and scuttled at Amrum Germany
1982 Iran recaptures Khorramshar
 
May 25
1085 Castile captures Toledo
1862 1st Battle of Winchester
1864 Battle of New Hope Church begins
1865 20 tons of gunpowder in a depot in Mobile explodes causing 300 casualties
1933 1st flight Avia B-534 Fighter
1940 Depot ship HMS Mashobra bobmed/beached near Harstad. R.N. Trawler HMS Charles Boyes sunk by mine. French Aux Minesweepers La Jannine and La Trombe II bombed/sunk at Dunkirk
1941 Sloop HMS Grimsby bombed/sunk northeast of Tobruk
1942 Sub Tender Asahi sunk by USS Salmon in South China Sea.
1943 Italian Torpedo Boat Groppo bombed/sunk at Messina. U-467 sunk by USN PBY. U-414 sunk by Corvette HMS Vetch off Algeria
1944 KM Minesweeper M-35 sunk off France. U-990 sunk by RAF B-24 off Bodo. Ex Italian sub Beilul bombed/sunk at Monfalcone while being prepared for KM service.
1945 High Speed Transport USS Bates damaged beyond repair by Kamakazes off Ie Shima, decommisioned and used as Kamakaze bait and sunk by them on June 21. High Speed Transport USS Barry and LSM 135 sunk by Kamakazes off Okinawa.
1973 Greek Destroyer Velos Mutinys against the Govt during NATO manuevers
1982 Destroyer HMS Coventry and M/V Atlantic Conveyor sunk off The Falklands
 
Last edited:
May 26
451 Battle of Avarayr
1573 naval Battle of Haarlemmermeer
1644 Battle of Montijo
1736 Battle of Akia
1900 Battle of Palonegro ends
1940 Battle of Dunkirk begins. Cruiser HMS Curlew bombed/beached off Narvik. Boom Defence Vessel HMS Loch Shin and R.F.A. Tanker Oleander bombed/beached at Harstad. French Aux. Minesweeper Dijonnais bombed/sunk at Dunkirk.
1942 Battle of Gazala begins
1943 U-436 sunk by Frigate HMS Test and Corvette HMS Hyderabad west of Cape Ortegal
1944 RO-108 sunk by Destroyer Escort USs England off Seeadler Harbor, Manus.
 
May 27
927 Battle of the Bosnian Heights
1798 Battle of Oulart Hill
1799 Battle of Winterthuv
1813 Battle of Ft. George ends
1862 Battle of Hanover Courthouse
1863 Ironclad USS Cincinnati sunk by shore batteries at Vicksburg. Gunboat CSS Chattahoochie sunk by a boiler explosion at Blountstown, Fla. on the Apalachicola River, raised, repaired, returned to service.
1864 Battle of Pickett's Mill
1940 Battleship Bismarck sunk. R.N.Whaler Syvern bombed/sunk ay Suda Bay. Ocean Boarding Vessel HMS Registan bombed/beached at Falmouth, raised, repaired, returned to service. R.N. Trawler HMS Evesham bombed/sunk off Yarrow. R.N. Trawler HMS Thorbryn bombed/sunk off Tobruk.
1942 CAM ship SS Empire Lawrence bombed/sunk off Bear Island. US Army Transport Jack sunk by U-558 southwest of Haiti. Minesweeper HMS Fitzroy sunk by mine off Great Yarmouth
1943 Free French Destroyer Leopard wrecked near Tobruk
1944 US troops land on Biak. PT 339 wrecked off the north coast of New Guinea and scuttled. U-292 sunk by RAF B-24 west of Trondheim
1958 1st flight F-4 Phantom
 
May 28
585 B.C. Battle of the Eclipse
621 Battle of Hulao
1754 Battle of Jumanville Glen
1905 Battle of Tsushima ends
1935 1st flight BF-109
1940 Battle of Belgium ends, Belgium surrenders. Minesweeper HMS Brighton Belle struck a wreck and sinks in The Downs. R.N. Trawler HMS Thomas Bartlett sunk by mine off Calais. R.N. Trawler HMS Thuringia sunk by mine in the North Sea. French Aux. Minesweeper Marguerite Rose bombed/sunk at Dunkirk
1941 Destroyer HMS Mashona bombed/sunk off Ireland. R.N. Motor Launch ML 1030 lost south of Crete
1942 2nd Battle of Kharkov ends
1943 U-304 sunk by RAF B-24 southeast of Cape Farewell. U-755 sunk by RAF Hudson north of Mallorca. Seaplane Tender Kamikawa Maru sunk by USS Scamp in the Bismarck Sea.
1944 R.N. MTB 732 sunk by Free French Destroyer La Combattante in the English Channel. KM Sub Chaser UJ-2210 sunk by PT Boats off Italy
1945 IJN Coast Defence Frigate CD-59 severly damaged by mine off Sasebo and not repaired. Destroyer USS Drexler sunk by Kamakazes off Okinawa
1991 Ethiopian rebels capture Adis Ababa, Ethiopian Civil War ends
 
May 29
363 Battle of Ctesiphon
1108 Battle of Ucles
1167 Battle of Tusculum
1176 Battle of Legnano
1453 Siege of Constantinople ends
1780 Battle of Waxhaws
1781 Frigate USS Alliance captures Sloops HMS Atalanta and HMS Trepassey
1895 Japan invades Formosa
1918 Battle of Sardarabad ends
1940 1st flight F4U Corsair. Sloop HMS Bideford bombed/sunk, R.N. Trawlers HMS Calvi and HMS Polly Johnson bombed/sunk, Minesweepers HMS Gracie Fields and Waverly bombed/sunk, Destroyer HMS Grenade bombed/sunk, all off Dunkirk. Destroyer HMS Wakefull sunk by E Boat S-30 in the English channel. Destroyer HMS Grafton damaged by U-62 and scuttled off Neuport. French Aux Minesweeper Joseph Marie bombed/sunk at Dunkirk. KM Flackship VP-1109 sunk by mine off Norway
1941 Destroyers HMS Hereward and Imperial bombed/sunk off Crete. R.N. Trawler HMS Sindonis bombed/sunk at Tobruk
1942 1st flight CAC CA-12 Boomerang Fighter. U-568 sunk by 3 R.N. ships northeast of Tobruk
1943 R.N. MGB 110 sunk by KM ships off Dunkirk
1944 Escort Carrier USS Block Island sunk by U-549, in turn sunk by Destroyer Escorts USS Aherns and Eugene E. Elmore
1945 R.N. LCT 357 sunk by an explosion in Suda Bay
1982 Battle of Goose Green ends
 
May 30
1434 Battle of Cipany
1940 Armed Boarding Vessels HMS Cambrian sunk by mine, and HMS King Orry bombed/sunk, off Dunkirk. French Destroyer Bourrasque damaged by mine, then sunk by German artillery fire off Ostend
1943 Sub HMS Untamed sank in the Firth of Clyde. Raised, repaired, returned to service as Vitality. USN LCT 28 sunk by mine in the Med.
1944 R.N. Whaler HMS Firmament ran aground and sank off Alexandria.
 
May 31
1223 Battle of the Kalka River
1805 Battle of Diamond Rock begins
1862 Battle of Fair Oaks and Seven Pines begin
1864 Battle of Cold Harbor begins
1915 1st Zeppelin raid on London.
1916 Battle of Jutland begins
1940 U-13 sunk by Sloop HMS Weston southeast of Lowestoft. French Destroyer Sirocco torpedoed by E Boats S-23 and 26, then bombed/sunk off Dunkirk. R.N. Trawler HMS St. Achillaeus sunk by mine and Minesweeper HMS Devonia bombed/beached/abandoned off Dunkirk
1942 Accomidations ship HMAS Kuttabul sunk by IJN midget sub M-24. M-14, 21, and 24 lost in Sydney Harbor.
1943 U-563 sunk by RAAF Sunderland and an RAF Halifax in the Atlantic. U-440 sunk by RAF Sunderland northwest of Cape Ortegal
1944 Frigate Ishigaki sunk by USS Herring. RO-105 sunk by Destroyer Escort USS England northwest of the Admiraltys. U-289 sunk by Destroyer HMS Milne northeast of Jan Mayen. KM Minesweeper M-13 sunk by mine in the Geronde Estuary. Gunboat Kotaka bombed/sunk in the Yangtze.
1945 I-361 sunk by an Avenger from USS Anzio southeast of Okinawa.
 
June 1
1204 King Philip Augustus captures Rouen
1215 Battle of Zhongdu ends
1298 Battle of Turaida
1535 Siege of Tunis ends
1648 Battle of Maidstone
1679 Battle of Drumclog
1794 3rd naval Battle of Ushant
1813 USS Chesapeake captured by HMS Shannon
1862 Battle of Fair Oaks ends
1918 Battle of Belleau Woods
1939 1st flight FW-190
1940 R.N. Trawlers HMS Argyllshire sunk by E Boat S-35, and Stella Dorado sunk by E Boat S-34, Destroyer HMS Basilisk bombed/sunk, Gunboat HMS Mosquito and Destroyer HMS Havant bombed/scuttled, Rescue Tugs HMS St. Fagan and St. Abbs bombed/sunk, Aux Minesweeper HMS Brighton Queen and R.N. Trawler HMS Lord Cavan sunk by artillery, all at Dunkirk. R.N. Troopship Orford bombed/beached at Marseilles, Boom Defence Vessel HMS Astronomer mined or torpedoed and sunk off Aberdeenshire. French Destroyer Foudroyant and Aux Minesweepers Denis Papon, La Moussaillon and Venus bombed/sunk at Dunkirk.
1941 Cruiser HMS Calcutta bombed/sunk north of Alexandria
1943 U-418 sunk by RAF Beaufighter in the Bay of Biscay
1944 USS Herring sunk by shore batteries off Matsuwa. Tug USS Shahaka sunk in a collision with a floating dock between Cal. and Hawaii.
 
June 2
455 Sack of Rome begins
1098 1st Siege of Antioch ends(began 21 Oct, 1097)
1676 naval Battle of Palermo
1763 Chippewas capture Ft. Michilimakinac
1805 Battle of Diamond Rock ends
1865 Gen. Kirby Smith surrenders CS Army forces west of the Miss. River
1866 Battle of Ridgeway. Battle of Ft. Erie
1940 R.N. Trawler HMS Blackburn Rovers sunk by mine off North Foreland, R.N. Trawler HMS Westella sunk by mine while rescuing survivors of Blackburn Rovers.
1941 U-147 sunk by Destroyer HMS Wanderer and Corvette HMS Periwinkle west of Scotland. R.N. Whaler HMS Kos XXII bombed/sunk south of Crete.
1942 U-652 damaged by a Swordfish in the Gulf of Sollum, scuttled by U-81.
1943 U-105 sunk by Free French flying Boat off Dakar. U-202 sunk by Destroyer HMS Starling. U-462 sunk by RAF Halifax and 4 R.N. ships in Bay of Biscay. U-521 sunk by USN Patrol Boat PC-565
1944 KM Escort ship SG-11 sunk by Sub HMS Ultor off Port Vendres, France. Escort Awaji sunk by Sub USS Picuda in Bashi Strait off Yashu Island.
 
June 3
1665 naval Battle of Lowestoft
1785 Last Contenental Navy ship sold, no naval forces untill US Navy purchases in 1794
1861 Battle of Philippi
1865 Ironclad CSS Missouri surrenders on the Red River
1940 French Patrol Boat Purfina sunk by mine in Le Havre Roads
1941 R.N. decoy ship Mamari wrecked on the wreck of tanker Ahamo
1942 R.N. Whaler HMS Cocker sunk by E Boat S-57 east of Tobruk. Coastal Minesweeper USS Bunting sunk in a collision with USN Patrol Craft PC-569 in San Francisco Bay
1944 U-477 sunk by RCAF PBY west of Trondeim
1945 U-1277 scuttled off Oporto, Portugal
1969 Carrier HMAS Melbourne rams Destroyer USS Frank E. Evans, bow of Evans sinks, stern sunk as a target 10 Oct. 1969
 
June 4
1745 Battle of Hohenfriedeberg
1794 British capture Port-au-Prince, Haiti
1859 Battle of Magenta
1862 Confederates evacuate Ft. Pillow
1916 Russian Brusilov Offensive begins
1940 Battle of Dunkirk/Dunkirk Evacuation ends. French Aux. Minesweeper Emil Deschamps sunk by mine northeast of Foreness Point
1941 Minelayer HMS Van Meerlant sunk by mine off the Isle of Sleppey
1942 Battle of Midway: Carriers Akagi, Kaga and Soryu bombed/scuttled
1943 U-308 sunk by Sub HMS Truculent northeast of the Faroes. U-594 sunk by RAF Hudson west of Gibraltar. USN Sub Chaser PC-496 sunk by mine off Bizerte
1944 Allies capture Rome. U-505 captured by Boarding Party from Destroyer USS Pillsbury. R.N. LCT 2498 foundered in the English Channel. KM Minesweeper M-37 sunk off Estonia.
 
June 5
1284 Battle of the Gulf of Naples
1798 Battle of New Ross
1864 Battle of Piedmont
1900 British capture Pretoria
1916 HMS Hampshire sunk by mine, drowning Lord Kitchener
1940 KM Minesweeper M-11 sunk by mine off Rogoland, Norway.
1941 Balloon Barage ship HMS Lavinia L. bombed/sunk at Sheerness. R.N. Trawler HMS Ash sunk by mine in the Thames Estuary. Italian Gunboat Valoroso sunk by sub HMS Triumph.
1942 US declares War on Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania. Carrier Hiryu bombed/sunk off Midway. Dutch Harbor Air Raid ends, Japanese occupy Attu.
1943 U-217 sunk by Avengers from USS Bogue. Italian sub H 8 bombed/sunk at Spezia
1944 Minesweeper USS Osprey sunk by mine off Normandy. USN LCT-428 sank in the English Channel.
1967 6 Days War begins
 
June 6
1513 Battle of Navara
1762 Siege of Havana begins
1813 Battle of Stoney Creek, Ontario
1862 naval Battle of Memphis
1882 Battle of Embobo
1940 Armed Merchant Cruiser HMS Carinthia sunk by U-46 off Ireland
1942 Destroyer USS Hammann sunk by I-168. Cruiser Mikuma bombed/sunk
1943 Armed Yacht HMS Sargasso sunk in a collision off the Isle of Wight
1944 Destroyer Minazuki sunk by sub USS Harder of Tawi Tawi. Frigate CD-15 sunk by sub USS Raton in South China Sea.
Battle of Normandy begins: D-Day: Norwegian Destroyer Svenner sunk in the English Channel by KM Torpedo Boat. Destroyer USS Corry sunk by coast artillery off Utah Beach. Sub Chaser USS PC-1261 sunk by coast artillery. R.N. MTB 248 sunk in a collision in the English Channel. USN LCIs 232, 416, 497, 553, 85, 91, 92, 93, and R.N. LCI 185, USN LCTs 197, 22, 229, 25, 27, 294, 30, 332, 362, 364, 52, 397, 305, and R.N. LCTs 2191 and 2283 sunk off Normandy. Target Ship HMS Centurion sunk as a breakwater off Normandy.
1945 Gasoline Tanker USS Sheepscot wrecked at Iwo Jima.
1971 Battle of Long Khanh begins
1982 Israel invades Lebanon
 
June 7
1099 Siege of Jerusalem begins
1420 Siege of Undine ends
1863 French troops capture Mexico City. Battle of Milliken's Bend.
1880 Battle of Arica
1917 Battle of Messines begins
1942 Battle of Midway ends: Carrier USS Yorktown sinks from bomb and torpedo damage. Japanese occupy Kiska. Seaplane Tender USS Gannet sunk by U-653 off Bermuda. Italian Sub Veniero sunk by RAF PBY in the Med.
1944 Destroyer Hayanami sunk by sub USS Harder off Tawi Tawi. Transport USS Susan B. Anthony sunk by mine in the English Channel. Minesweeper USS Tide, USN LCT-486 and 458, and US Army Transport Frances C Harrington sunk by mines off Normandy. R.N. LCT 427 sunk in collision with Battleship HMS Rodney off Southampton. U-629 sunk by RAF B-24 west of Brest. U-955 sunk by RAF Sunderland in Bay of Biscay. U-970 sunk by RAF Sunderland west of Bordeaux
 
June 8
218 Battle of Antioch
1776 Battle of Trois-Riveieres
1862 Battle of Cross Keys. Battle of Port Republic begins
1928 KMT troops capture Peking
1940 Carrier HMS Glorious and Destroyers HMS Acasta and Ardent sunk by Gneisenau and Scharnhorst, and R.N. Trawler HMS Juniper and Troopship HMS Orama sunk by Cruiser Adm. Hipper, all off Norway.
1941 Allies invade Lebanon and Syria. R.N. Trawler HMS Cor Jesu bombed/sunk off Alnmouth. Italian Destroyer Antonio Usodimare sunk by Italian sub Alagi in the Sicilian Channel.
1942 Japanese Subs shell Sydney and Newcastle. U.S.A.T Sicilien sunk by U-172 south of the Dominican Republic
1943 Battleship Mutso sunk by magazine explosion at Hashirajima, Japan
1944 Destroyer USS Glennon damaged by mine, then shelled on the 9th, sinks on the 10th off Normandy. Destroyer Escort USS Rich sunk by glide bomb off Normandy. USN LST-499 sunk by mine off Normandy. R.N. LCT 875 lost, no details. Destroyer Kazagumo sunk by USS Hake in Davao Gulf. Destroyer Harusame bombed/sunk off Manokwari. U-373 sunk by RAF B-24 west of Brest. U-441 sunk by RAF B-24 off Ushant
1945 Minesweeper USS Salute sunk by mine in Brunei Bay. Crusier Ashigara sunk by Sub HMS Trenchant in the Banga Strait. Hydrographic Survey Ship Hakusa sunk by USS Cobia off Cape Camau, French Indochina.
1966 An F-104 and an XB-70 crash after a collision near Edwards A.F.B.
1967 Intelligence ship USS Liberty attacked/damaged by Israeli Air Force and Navy off Egypt
1982 HMS Sir Galahad and an LCU are bombed/sunk, Sir Tristan damaged, in Bluff Cove
 
June 9
721 Battle of Toulouse
1667 Raid on the Medway begins
1772Customs ship HMS Gaspee runs aground off Warwick, R.I. and is burned by smugglers
1798 Battle of Arklow. Battle of Saintfield
1862 Battle of Port Republic ends
1863 Battle of Brandy Station
1940 KM Flackship VP-801 sunk by mine off the Netherlands. French Aux Minesweepers Notre Dame Des Dunes and Madeleine Louise bombed/sunk off Dunkirk. R.N. Trawler HMS Dewey Eve sunk in a collision at Scapa Flow. Norwegian Sub B-3 scuttled off Norway sfter being crippled by a battery explosion
1942 Free French Corvette Mimosa sunk by U-124 in the Atlantic
1944 1st flight AVRO Lincoln. Destroyer Matsukaze sunk by USS Swordfish northeast of Chichi Jima. Destroyer Tanikaze sunk by sub USS Harder off Tawi Tawi. KM Destroyer Z-32 damaged and beached and Destroyer ZH-1 sunk in a surface action off Isle de Batz, France. Decommisioned Cruiser HMS Durban scuttled as part of Gooseberry 5 breakwater. USN LSTs 314 and 376 sunk by E Boats east of Cherbourg.
1945 Coast Defence Frigate CD-41 sunk with all hands by Sub USS Sea Owl in the Tsushima Strait
 
June 10
1329 Battle of Pelekanum
1619 Battle of Sablat
1719 Battle of Glen Shiel
1861 Battle of Big Bethel
1862 CS POWs being transported on the Union ship Maple Leaf to Ft. Delaware sieze control of the ship & escape back to friendly lines
1864 Battle of Brice's Crossroads
1871 Battle of Ganghwa
1918 Austro-Hungarian Battleship Szent Istvan sunk by Italian MAS boat
1920 Red Army captures Kiev from the Poles
1940 Norway surrenders. Italy declares War on the U.K. and France. Armed Boarding Vessel HMS Vandyck bombed/sunk off Andenes
1941 Sloop HMS Pintail sunk by mine in the Thames Estuary
1942 USAT Merrimack sunk by U-107 off Cozumel. Soviet Destroyer Svobodney bombed/sunk off Sevastopol
1944 USN LCT-209 lost off Normandy. R.N. MTB-681 sunk by KM warships off the Netherlands. U-821 sunk by RAF Mosquitos and a B-24 off Brest. RO-111 sunk by Destroyer USS Taylor north of the Admiraltys
1945 Destroyer USS William D. Porter sunk by Kamikaze off Okinawa. I-122 sunk by USS Skate in the Sea of Japan.
1945 Australians invade Brunei
 
Back
Top