This day in military history..

Dec 25
1553 Battle of Tucapel
1638 Siege of Baghdad ends
1837 Battle of Lake Okeechobee
1939 R.N. Trawler HMS Loch Doon sunk by mine off Blyth
1941 Battle of Honk Kong ends, MTBs 7, 9, 10, 11, & 27 and Gunboat (depot ship?) Robin scuttled to prevent capture. Destroyer HMS Thracian is damaged and beached, refloated, repaired and put in IJN service as PB-101. Japanese invade/capture Jolo. Sub USS Seawolf, bombed/sunk at Cavite on the 10th, is blown up to prevent capture.
1942 Sub HMS P48 sunk by Italian Torpedo Boats Ardente and Ardito north west of Zembra, Tunisia
1943 R.N. Trawler HMS Kingston Beryl sunk with all hands by a mine north west of Islay, Scotland
1944 Frigate HMS Dakins damaged beyond repair by a mine off Ostend, used as a depot ship, scrapped after the War.
 
Dec 26
1481 Battle of Westbroek
1776 Battle of Trenton
1793 2nd Battle of Wissembourg begins
1806 Battle of Pultusk. Battle of Golymin.
1861 Trent Affair ends
1862 Battle of Chickasaw Bayou begins
1864 1st Battle of Ft. Fisher ends
1940 Motor Attendance Craft MAC 5 sunk by mine north east of Gunfleet. Trawler HMS True Accord sunk in a collision with Trawler HMS Saronta at Yarmouth
1941 Soviet Patrol Ship MO-034 sunk by shore batteries off Reed-burun. Trawler HMS Henriette sunk by mine off Spurn Head. KM patrol ships V-5902 and 5904 sunk by HMS Ashanti off Norway. Minesweeper W-6 bombed/sunk by Dutch Army B-10s off Kuching
1942 U-357 sunk by Destroyers HMS Hesperus and Vanessa north west of Ireland. Italian minesweeper RD 30 sunk by aircraft at Bizerte.
1943 USMC lands on Cape Glouchester, New Britain: Destroyer USS Brownson bombed/sunk. Battle of North Cape: Battleship Scharnhorst sunk by Battleship HMS Duke of York
1944 Frigate HMS Capel sunk and Frigate HMS Affleck damaged beyond repair by U-486 off Cherbourg. Destroyer Kiyoshimo damaged by US aircraft, sunk by PT-223 south of Manila. U-2342 sunk by mine north of Swinemunde
1972 120 B-52s hit Hanoi
 
Dec 27
1655 Siege of Jasna Gora ends
1814 USS Carolina sunk by British field artillery south of New Orleans
1922 IJN Hosho commissioned, 1st purpose built Aircraft Carrier
1939 Battle of Kelja ends
1941 KM Patrol ships V-1502, 5102, 5108, 6114 sunk by HMS Onslow and Oribi at Maloy Island. Minesweeper M-557 sank in a storm off Rugen. Philippines revenue/customs Cutter Arayat bombed/sunk in Manila Bay, raised, repaired and put in Japanese service as PB-105.
1942 1st flight KI-67 "Peggy" Bomber. High Speed Transport USS Wasmuth damaged by own depth charges in a storm off Alaska Territory, sinks on 29th. U-336 sunk by 4 Canadian corvettes.
1944 High Speed Transport T-7 and Landing Ship T-132 sunk by US Destroyers at Iwo Jima. U-877 sunk by Corvette HMCS St. Thomas north west of the Azores.
1979 Soviets invade Afghanistan
1996 Taliban captures Bagram airfield
 
Dec 28
1862 Battle of Chicasaw Bayou begins
1872 Battle of Salt River Canyon
1905 Drydock "USS Dewey" leaves Maryland for the Philippines via the Suez Canal, arriving July 10, 1906. longest tow job in history.
1939 Trawler HMS Barbara Robertson sunk by U-30 north west of the Butts of Lewis.
1941 Damage Control Training ship USS DCH-1 scuttled between San Diego and Hawaii by Oiler USS Neches. Destroyer USS Peary bombed/damaged by RAAF Hudsons off Celebes. U-75 sunk by Destroyer HMS Kipling off Mersa Matrah.
1942 CAM ship SS Empire Shackleton damaged by U-225, damaged by U-123, finished off by U-435. Rescue Tug HMS St. Issey sunk by U-617 off Benghazi
1943 Battle of Otrona ends. KM Torpedo Boats T 25 and T 26, and Destroyer Z 27 sunk by Cruisers HMS Glasgow and Enterprise off Norway. Minesweeper R-64 sank off Hohnigsvaag. Italian Sub Axum scuttled after grounding off Morea, Greece.
1944 IJN Refridgerated food supply ship Nosaki sunk by sub USS Dace off Cape Varella. KM Tanker Holmengraa and U-735 bombed/sunk at Horten, Norway. USN LST 750 damaged by a Kamakaze off Los Negros, scuttled by USS Edwards
1982 Battleship New Jersey recommisioned
2008 Somali and Ethiopian troops occupy Mogadishu.
 
Dec 29
1508 Battle of Dabul
1778 British capture Savannah
1812 HMS Java captured by USS Constitution, burned on Jan 1
1860 R.N.'s 1st ocean going Ironclad HMS Warrior launched
1890 Wounded Knee massacre
1934 Japan renounces the London and Washington Naval treaties
1939 1st flight B-24
1940 Greek sub Proteus sinks Italian navy troopship Sardegna and is then sunk by Italian Torpedo boat Antares east of Brindisi.
1941 Soviet Patrol ship CKA-056 sunk by artillery at Feodosiya. Sub RO-60 wrecked at Kwajalein
1943 Free French Sub Protee sunk by aircraft of La Ciotat
1944 R.N. MTB 782 sunk by mine off the Schelde. Soviet minesweeper T-883 sunk by U-995 in the Barents sea. U-322 sunk by Frigate HMCS Calgary south of Weymouth. KM Sub support ship Nordvard bombed/sunk by RAF off Moss, Norway
 
Dec 30
1460 Battle of Wakefield
1702 Siege of St. Augustine ends
1862 Battle of Chickasaw Bayou ends
1938 Spanish Republican Destroyer Diez damaged by Nationalist warships and beached at Gibraltar. Raised, repaired and returned to service post Civil War.
1939 KM Flackship V-704 sunk by mine
1940 Trawler HMS Bandolero sunk in a collision with Destroyer HMAS Waterhen off Sollum
1941 Depot Ship HMS Kulat bombed/sunk in Klang Strait.
1942 Special Service ship HMS Fidelity sunk by U-435, LSV 752 and 754 lost as cargo.
1944 Frigate CD-20 and Sub Chaser CH-18 bombed/sunk off Lingayen Gulf. Destroyer Kuretake sunk by sub USS Razorback south of Formosa. PT Boat Tender USS Orestes damage and beached, and Station Tanker USS Porcupine damaged, scuttled by Destroyer USS Gansevoort, both hit by Kamakazes off Leyte/Mindoro.
 
Dec 31
1229 Aragon captures Majorca
1501 1st naval Battle of Cannanore, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_Cannanore
1775 Battle of Quebec
1862 Battle of Murfreesboro begins
1941 Soviet Patrol Ship CKA-094 bombed/sunk in Kerch Strait
1942 Battle of the Barents Sea: Destroyer HMS Achates, Minesweeper HMS Bramble and KM Destroyer Friedrich Eckoldt sunk. IJN Auxiliary Minelayer Ma-2 sunk by mine in Sorabaya Harbor. Salvage and Rescue ship USS Rescuer wrecked in the Aleutians.
1943 Minesweeper HMS Clacton sunk by mine off Corsica. R.N. Motor Launch HDML 1121 sank off Pantellaria.
1944 Hungary declares War on Germany. U-906, the incomplete U-2530, and Minesweeper M-445 bombed/sunk at Hamburg
1958 Honduran-Mexican Conflict Begins:Honduran Air Force P-51s sink Mexican Shrimp Boats in Honduran waters
1994 Battle of Grozny begins
 
Jan 1
1586 Battle of Santo Domingo
1776 British burn Norfolk, Va
1781 Continental Army's Pennsylvania Line Mutiny begins
1861 Bombardment between Union held Ft. Pickens & CS held Ft. Barrancas and the Pensacola Navy Yard begins
1863 Battle of Galveston: CS recaptures Galveston, capturing Gunboat USS Harriet Lane & destroying Gunboat USS Westfield
1915 Battleship HMS Formidable sunk by U-24 off Portland Bill.
1943 US LCT-21 lost as cargo when Liberty Ship Arthur Middleton is sunk by U-73. R.N. MTB-105 is scuttled by Corvette HMCS Woodstock in the Atlantic after floating away from the sinking Special Service Ship HMS Fidelity, sunk by U-435 on Dec. 30, '42
1944 Aux. Gunboat Okuyo Maru sunk by sub USS Ray in Ambon Bay.
1962 US Navy SEALs Est.
 
Jan 2
366 Alemanni invade Gual, Roman Empire
1492 Granada liberated
1777 Battle of Assunpink Creek
1863 Battle of Murfreesboro ends
1865 Siege of Paysandu ends
1905 Siege of Port Arthur ends
1941 Tug HMS Daisy sank between Alexandria and Tobruk
1942 Japanese capture Manilla, Clark Field and the Cavite Navy Yard. Tug USS Iona and Launch USS Camia bombed/sunk at Cavite.
1943 US troops capture Buna, New Guinea. Tug USS Grebe broken up by a Hurricane at Vuato Vatoa where she had been aground since Dec 6. Minesweeper HMS Alarm bombed and damaged beyond repair off Bone, Algeria. scrapped 1944.
1945 Frigate CD-138 sunk by A-20s and P-38s at San Fernando. Landing Craft Depot Ship Shinshu Maru damaged by sub USS Aspro, sunk by carrier planes the next day. Trawler HMS Hayburn Wyke sunk by KM Seehund midget sub off Ostend.
1963 Battle of Ap Bac
 
3 Jan
1777 Battle of Trenton
1885 Battle of Nui Bop begins
1940 Soviet sub S-2 sunk by mine in Swedish waters. KM Minesweeper R-5 crushed by ice and sank off Germany
1941 Trawler HMS New Spray sank in a gale off Sheerness
1943 Unfinished Italian Cruiser Ulpio Traiano sunk by R.N. Chariot manned torpedoes at Palermo
1944 Destroyer USS Turner sunk by internal explosions off the Ambrose Light, NY.
1945 KM Mine Layer Elsass sunk by mine in Samso Belt, Denmark. Aux. Sub Chaser CHa-10 sunk by B-25s off Davao
 
Jan 4
46 BC Battle of Ruspina
871 Battle of Reading
1847 1st sale of Colt Revolvers to US Govt.
1878 Russia captures sofia from the Ottomans
1942 Armed Yacht HMS Sonia bombed/sunk at Poole
1943 Norwegian Patrol Boat Bodo sunk by mine off Aberdeen. KM minesweeper M-4242 sunk by USS Shad in the Bay of Biscay.
1944 Soviet sub M-36 sunk by mine in Black Sea. US PT-145 ran aground and scuttled off Mindiri
1945 Escort Carrier Ommeney Bay damaged by Kamakaze and scuttled in the Sulu Sea. Aux. Sub Chasers CHa-163, 172, and 210 sunk by US carrier aircraft in the Formosa Strait. Minesweeper W-41 damaged by US carrier aircraft off Formosa and beached, refloated, repaired, and returned to service by Mid-Feb.
1951 N. Koreans and Chinese capture Seoul
1989 2nd Gulf of Sidra Incident
 
5 Jan
1477 Battle of Nancy
1675 Battle of turckheim
1781 British burn Richmond, Va
1913 naval Battle of Lemnos
1940 Trawler HMS Kingston Cornelian sunk in a collision with French SS Chella, lost with all hands
1941 KM Patrol Ship Vp-306 sunk by mine off Ilmuiden. Patrol Ship V-303 sunk by mine.
1942 Italian sub Ammiraglio St. Bon sunk by sub HMS Upholder in the Med. Soviet Minesweeper Vrzyvatel bombed/sunk at Eupatoria
1945 IJN Landing ship T-107 sunk at Haha Jima and T-154 at Iwo Jima by US Destroyers. Midget sub Ha-71 sunk by USN PB4Ys south west of Chichi Jima, and Ha-82 sunk by Destroyer USS Taylor in Surigao Strait. Destroyer Momi sunk by carrier planes south west of Manila. Aux. net tenders Kanko Maru and Shunsen Maru are sunk by USS Cavala in the Java Sea. R.N. HDML 1163 sunk by E Boats in the Adriatic.
1991 South Ossetia War begins
 
6 Jan
1781 Battle of Jersey
1809 British/Portugese/Brazilians invades French Guiana
1921 Iraqi Army Est
1940 French Patrol ship Bursac ran aground/sinks on Iscalons Rocks, Spain
1943 R.N. LCT 106 and 107 sink in a storm off Benghazi. U-164 sunk by USN PBY off Brazil. US Patrol Boat YP-492 sunk in a collision with YP-6713 off the east coast of Fla.
1944 Gunboat USS St. Augustine sunk in collision with SS Camas Meadows off Cape May. Trawler HMS Wallasea sunk by E Boats off Cornwall
1945 Destroyer Hinoke damaged by carrier planes, sunk next day by 4 US Destroyers. Aux. sub chaser CHa-64 sunk by US aircraft. Destroyer-Minesweeper USS Long sunk by Kamakaze in Leyte Gulf. Destroyer HMS Walpole damaged beyond repair by a mine off Flushing, sold for scrap in Feb.
2009 '08-'09 Gaza War ends.
 
7 Jan
1558 Siege of Calais ends
1863 2nd Battle of Springfield begins
1935 1st flight Tachikawa Ki-9 Trainer
1939 Battle of Raate Road ends.
1940 Sub HMS Undine damaged by KM Minesweepers and scuttled, Sub HMS Seahorse sunk by KM Minesweepers, both in the North Sea.
1941 Italian sub Nani sunk by Corvettes HMS La Malouine and Anemone in the Atlantic. KM Torpedo Boat Wolf sunk by mine off Dunkirk.
1942 Battle of Bataan begins
1943 Trawler HMS Horatio sunk by E Boat S-58, and Trawler HMS Jura sunk by U-371, both off Algeria.
1944 Frigate HMS Tweed sunk by U-305. KM Seaplane Tenders Bernhard Von Tschirschky and Krischan bombed/sunk at Kiel
1945 Destroyer-Minesweepers USS Hovey and Palmer sunk by aircraft in Lingayen Gulf. Soviet sub S-4 rammed/sunk by KM Torpedo Boat T-3 in Bay of Danzig.
1979 Vietnam captures Phnom Penh
 
Jan 9
427 Jin Dynasty captures Song Dynasty's Capital of Kaifeng
1760 Battle of Barari Ghat
1863 Battle of Arkansas Post begins
1916 Battle of Gallipoli ends
1917 Battle of Rafa
1918 Battle of Bear Valley(last battle of the Indian Wars in the US)
1921 Battle of Inonu begins
1940 HMS Starfish damaged by KM Minesweeper M-7 and scuttled.
1941 1st flight AVRO Lancaster. Trawler HMS Dusky Queen wrecked in Dover Straits
1942 Destroyer HMS Vimiera sunk by mine in Thames Estuary.
1943 Italian Minesweeper RD 56 sunk by Allied aircraft at Bizerta
1944 U-81 sunk by US aircraft at Pola, Italy. US Patrol Boat YP-281 sank in a storm west of the Society Islands
1945 US troops invade Luzon. Frigate CD-3, Sub Chaser CH-61 and aux. sub chaser CHa-216 sunk by US carrier aircraft off Formosa. Free French Sub Chaser L'Enjoue sunk by U-870 in the Med off Cape Spartel, Morocco. E Boat S-104 sunk by mine. U-679 sunk by Soviet Sub Chaser MO-124 in the Baltic.
1996 Kizlyar-Pervomayskoye hostage crisis begins
 
Jan 10
49 B.C. Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, starting the Roman Civil War.
1475 Battle of Vaslui
1791 Siege of Dunlap's station begins
1806 British capture Cape Town
1864 USS Iron Age runs aground @ Folly Inlet, S.C. & is destroyed by shore batteries
1916 Russians begin the Erzurum Offensive against the Ottomans
1940 Armed Merchant Cruiser HMS Canton runs aground on the Isle of Lewis, refloated on the 12th, beached at Holy Loch on the 17th, refloated, repaired, returned to service. KM Naval Trawler Axel sunk in a collision with KM Aux. Grille.
1941 Greeks capture Kleisoura. Italian Torpedo Boat Vega sunk by Cruisers HMS Bonaventure and Southampton off Cape Bon.
1942 Soviet sub M-175 sunk by U-584 in the Barents Sea. U-374 damaged by Dutch Destroyer Isaac Sweers and HMS Legion, unable to dive she is sunk 2 days later by sub HMS Unbeaten.
1943 sub USS Argonaut sunk by 3 IJN Destroyers south of the Bismarck Archipeligo. Destroyer Okikaze sunk by sub USS Trigger.
1944 E Boat S-55 sunk when a bomb detonated one of her torpedoes. US Minesweeper YMS-127 ran aground and sank in the Aleutians.
1945 Frigate CD-42 sunk by sub USS Puffer west of Okinawa. US LST-925 and 1028 damaged and beached, and LCI-974 sunk, by IJA explosive motor boats.
 
11 Jan
1782 Siege of Brimstone Hill begins
1863 USS Hatteras sunk by CSS Alabama off Galveston. Battle of Arkansas Post begins.
1917 Kingsland Munitions Plant explosion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingsland_Explosion
1940 Armed Yacht HMS Princess sunk in collision with SS Blairmore in the Bristol Channel. Romanian Minesweeper Locotenant Lepri Remus sunk by mine in the Danube.
1941 R.N. MTBs 37, 39, 40, 74, 75, and 108 while still under construction are bombed/destroyed on the stocks at the Vosper Thorneycroft Yard in Southampton. Cruiser HMS Southampton bombed/sunk south east of Malta. Trawler HMS Uberous ran aground and sank off Londonderry
1942 Japan declares War on The Netherlands. Japanese invade Tarakan and Celebes, and occupy Kuala Lumpur. Dutch Minelayer Prins Van de Oranje sunk by Destroyer Yamakaze and Patrol Boat PB-38 off Tarakan.
1943 PT-43 and 108 sunk by Destroyers Hatsukaze and Tokitsukaze off Guadalcanal
1944 Cruiser Kuma sunk by sub HMS Tally Ho north west of Penang
1945 US Minesweeper YMS-145 sunk in a collision with Destroyer USS Herdon in Boston Harbor. Escort Carrier HMS Thane damaged by U-1172 and scrapped. Soviet Minesweeper T-76 sunk by U-745 in the Bay of Tallinn. KM Minesweeper M-273 sunk by R.N. ships off Norway. M-59 sunk by mine in Bay of Tallinn. Aux. Minesweepers Banshu Maru No.56 and Hakuyo Maru sunk as blockships at Entrance to Manila Bay. Aux. Minesweeper Wa-10 sunk by US destroyer west of Luzon.
1962 Soviet sub B-37 burns at Polyarny
 
Jan 12
1813 HMS Volunteer captured by USS Chesapeake
1940 Trawler HMS Valdora bombed/sunk off Cromer.
1942 Japan captures Tarakan. U-374 sunk by sub HMS Unbeaten east of Cape Spartivento. IJN Minesweepers W-13 and 14 are sunk by Dutch shore batteries at Tarakan
1943 Destroyer USS Worden wrecked at Amchitka, Alaska. PT-28 wrecked at Unimak, Alaska. Trawler HMS Kingston Jacinth sunk by mine off Plymouth. IJN Patrol Boat PB-1 sunk by USS Guardfish off New Hanover, Bismarcks. Italian Torpedo Boat Ardete sunk in a collision with Grecale west of Sicily.
1944 MGB H-4 scuttled after being damaged by the torpedoing/sinking of her tow ship Choko Maru No. 2 GO south west of Truk. Aux. Gunboat Ikuta Maru bombed/sunk by USN PB4Ys at Kwajalein
1945 Minesweeper HMS Regulus sunk by mine off Corfu. USN LCI(L)-600 sunk at Ulithi by Kaiten suicide submarine. Finnish Minelayer Louhi sunk by U-370 in Gulf of Finland. KM Minesweeper M-1 bombed/sunk off Norway, M-273 sunk by Cruisers HMS Bellona and Norfolk off Eggersund. Task Force 38 aircraft have a field day off French Indochina sinking Cruiser Kashii, Frigates Chiburi, CD 17, 19, 23, 35, 43, & 51, Minesweeper W-101, Patrol Boat PB-103, Sub Chasers CH-31 and 43, Vichy French Cruiser Lamotte-Picquet and Survey ship Octant, plus addition ships totalling 44 and 140,000 tons of shipping.
1962 Operation Chopper: 1st US combat mission in Vietnam
 
Jan 13
1797 French Ship-of-the-Line Le Droits de L'Homme 74 battles with Ship-of-the-Line HMS Indefatigable 64 and Frigate Amazon in darkness before sun up & they run up on the coast of France with both wrecked, L'Homme losses 900 of 1300 onboard.
1815 Battle of Ft. Peter, Ga.
1865 2nd Battle of Ft. Fisher begins
1940 Finnish Armed Yacht Aura II is sunk when one of her depth charges explodes on its cradle off Market Island in the Sea of Aland
1942 1st use of ejection seat by test pilot of a HE-280 jet fighter
1943 U-503 sunk by USN PBY off Cape St. Roque, Brazil. U-224 sunk by HMCS Ville de Quebec west of Algiers
1944 U-231 sunk by an RAF Wellington north east of The Azores
1945 IJN sub I-365 sunk by Destroyer Escort USS Fleming between Ulithi and Eniwetok. USN Launch P-584, under operational control of the OSS, is destroyed by an explosion at Leghorn, Italy.
1951 Battle of Vihn Yen begins
 
Jan 16
1761 British capture Pondicherry from the French
1780 Battle of Cape St. Vincent
1809 Battle of Corunna
1865 At newly captured Ft. Fisher 2 drunk sailors walk into the Powder Magazine with torches, detonating 6 1/2 tons of powder.
1878 Battle of Philippopolis ends
1924 Cruiser USS Tacoma wrecked in a storm
1941 Trawler HMS Deseree sunk by mine in the Thames Estuary
1942 Japan invades Burma. Trawler HMS Irvana bombed/sunk off Yarmouth. U-581 sunk by Destroyer HMS Wescott in the Faial Channel.
1943 KM Sub Chaser UJ-2103 is wrecked.
1944 U-544 sunk by aircraft from USS Guadalcanal north west of The Azores. R.N. LCT 1029 sunk by mine off Skegness. I-181 is run aground and wrecked after a surface battle with USN ships off Gneisenau Point, New Guinea. Submarine Rescue ship USS Macaw runs aground at Midway. Aux. Gunboat Delhi Maru sunk by USS Swordfish off Tokyo Bay. E Boat S-33 beached on Unije Island in the Adriatic, destroyed by R.N. MTB 689
1945 R.N. LST 415 torpedoed by an E Boat and beached, scrapped. Soviet Destroyer Dejatelnys sunk by U-956 east of Cape Terebirski. German Troopship Donau damaged by Limpet mines and beached at Drobak. KM Patrol Ship V-6408 Skagerak sunk by sub HMS Utsira. U-284 sunk by 4 US ships.
1991 Gulf War: Operation Desert Storm begins
1992 Salvadoran Civil War ends
 
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