This day in military history..

Jan 17
1287 Aragon invades Minorca
1608 Battle of Ebenet
1746 Battle of Falkirk Muir
1781 Battle of Cowpens
1811 Battle of Calderon Bridge
1873 1st Battle of The Stronghold
1885 Battle of Abu Klea
1899 US takes possession of Wake Island
1941 naval Battle of Ko Chang: Thai Coast Defence Ship Dongkla sunk, Coast Defence Ship Sri Ayu beached, refloated, repaired and returned to service, Torpedo Boats Trad and Songhkla sunk by French. KM Ship Ingenieur Riebell sunk by R.N. off France.
1942 Destroyer HMS Gurkha sunk by U-133 off Sidi Barani. Destroyer HMS Matabele sunk by U-454 in the Arctic Sea. MTB-47 sunk by KM ships off Cap Griz Nez. Soviet naval Trawler TCS-68 torpedoed by U-454, front half sinks. I-60 sunk by destroyer HMS Jupiter in Sunda Strait off Krakatoa.
1943 R.N. LCTs 2234, 2239, 2267, and 2344 lost as deck cargo when SS Vestold sunk by U-268.
1944 Battle of Monte Cassino begins. KM ship NB-12 Skorpion rammed and sunk by German ship SS Oldenburg. Soviet sub L-23 sunk by KM sub chaser UJ-106 north west of Cape Torchakut, Crimea. Midget sub Ha-51 dragged down and sunk when its tow ship SS Tarushima Maru is sunk by USS Whale. Repair Ship Hakkai Maru sunk at Rabaul by USN Avengers
1945 U-2515 and 2523 sunk, and 2530 resunk, by RAF at Hamburg. Minesweeper M-305 sank off Brusterort, Germany. E Boats S-58 and 60 beached on Unije Island, destroyed by R.N. MGBs. Landing Ship T-15 sunk by sub USS Tautog in East China Sea. British occupy Salonika. Soviets occupy Warsaw.
 
Jan 18
1911 1st Lt. Ely makes the 1st airplane landing on a ship, USS Pennsylvania
1913 Naval Battle of Lemnos
1942 Trawlers HMS Erin and Honjo sunk by Italian frogmen at Gibraltar
1945 Red Army captures Krakow. R.N. MTB 690 strikes a submerged wreck and sinks off Lowestoft.
1955 Battle of Yijongshon
2002 Sierra Leone Civil War ends
2009 Gaza War ends
 
Jan 19
649 Siege of Kucha ends
1419 English capture Rouen
1511 French take Mirandola
1520 Battle of Bogesund
1806 British occupy the Cape of Good Hope
1812 Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo ends
1839 British East India Company captures Aden
1862 Battle of Mill Springs
1871 Battle of St. Quentin. Battle of Buzenval begins
1915 Zepplins carry out 1st air raids on civilian targets in England, Great Yarmouth & King's Lynn
1940 Destroyer HMS Grenville sunk by mine in the Thames Estuary.
1941 Italian sub Neghelli sunk by Destroyer HMS Greyhound
1942 PT-31 runs aground off Subic Bay, scuttled next day. Trawler HMS Rosamond sunk by U-581 north east of the Azores
1943 Italian Minelayer Eso bombed/sunk by British aircraft off Tunis.
1944 US LST-228 wrecked in The Azores, LCT-582 aboard was also lost. U-641 sunk by HMS Violet.
1945 HMS Porpoise sunk by Japanese aircraft off Penang. Trawler HMS Northern Isles wrecked off Durban, South Africa.
1974 Battle of the Paracel Islands
 
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20 Jan
1567 Battle of Rio de Janeiro
1785 Battle of Rach Gam-Xoai Mut
1839 Battle of Yungay
1841 British occupy Hong Kong
1918 naval Battle of Imbros: Monitors HMS Raglan and M-28 sunk by Turkish Cruiser Midilli and Battleship Yavuz, during withdrawal Midilli sunk, and Yavuz damaged and beached, by mines
1941 Trawler HMS Relonzo sunk by mine in the Crosby Channel, Liverpool
1942 I-124 sunk by Corvette HMAS Deloraine off Darwin. US Sub S-36 wrecked/scuttled in the Makassar Strait.
1943 Italian sub Santorre Santa Rosa ran aground off Tripoli and is sunk by MTB-260
1944 KM Minelayer Skagerak I sunk by NZAF aircraft west of Svaholmen. U-263 sank in the Bay of Biscay during diving trials
1945 Hungary signs armistice with the allies
 
Jan 21
763 Battle of Bakhamra
1864 Tauranga Campaign begins
1919 Irish War of Independence begins
1940 Destroyer HMS Exmouth sunk with all hands by U-22 in Moray Firth off Inverness
1941 Rescue Tug HMS Englishman bombed/sunk with all hands west of Tory Island, Ireland
1942 Patrol ship HMS Raub bombed/sunk at Belawon, Dutch East Indies
1943 U-301 sunk by sub HMS Sahib west of Corsica. USN Sub Chaser SC-709 lost by grounding at Louisbourg, Nova Scotia. Italian Minesweepers RD 31, 36, 37, 39 sunk by Destroyers HMS Kelvin and Javelin off Tripoli
1945 U-1199 sunk by Destroyer HMS Icarus and Corvette HMS Mignonette off the Isles of Scilly. R.N. Motor Launch 891 sunk by mine at Ramree, Burma. Trawler HMS Computator sunk in collision with Destroyer HMS Vanoc off Normandy. USN LCT-253 foundered in the Gilbert Islands. Repair Ship Haruta Maru bombed/sunk by B-24s at Hong Kong.
1954 1st nuclear power sub, USS Nautilus, is launched.
1968 Battle of Khe Sanh begins
 
23 Jan
1865 Battle of Trent's Reach begins
1879 Battle of Rorke's Drift ends
1900 Battle of Spion Kop begins
1939 1st flight A-20 Havoc
1942 Japanese capture Rabaul and land at Balikipapan. Patrol Ship HMS Larat bombed/sunk at Sabang. Oiler USS Neches sunk by I-72.
1943 Destroyer Hakaze sunk by USS Guardfish south of Kevieng. Patrol Boat YP-577 sunk by an explosion at Great Lakes Naval Training Center. KM Minesweeper R-44 bombed/sunk at Brest. Guadalcanal: Battles of Mount Austen, the Galloping Horse and the Sea Horse ends.
1944 Destroyer HMS Janus sunk by glide bomb off Anzio. Aux. Gunboat Magane Maru sunk by USS Snook north west of Chichi Jima.
1945 I-45 sunk by Destroyer USS Conklin north east of Yap. E Boat S-199 sunk in a collision with S-701.
1968 USS Pueblo captured by N. Korea
 
26 Jan
1564 Battle of Ula
1565 Battle of Talikota
1858 Battle of Seattle
1885 Siege of Khartoum ends, began 13 March, 1884
1907 SMLE Introduced
1939 Nationalists capture Barcelona
1940 Stores ship HMS Durham Castle sunk by mine off Cromarty
1942 Patrol ships HMS Shuman bombed/scuttled, and HMS Kelana scuttled, at Endau, Malaya. Dutch Patrol Ship Wega bombed/sunk by Japanese.
1944 R.N. LST 411 and 422, US LCT-325 sunk off Anzio. PT-110 sunk in a collision with PT-114 in Albing Harbor, New Britain. PTc-38 and 39 lost as cargo when SS Andrew G. Curtin is sunk by U-715. Destroyer Suzukaze sunk by USS Skipjack north west of Ponape.
1945 Norwegian MTB 712 wrecked in the Shetland Islands. Frigate HMS Manners sunk by U-1051, and U-1051 sunk by 3 R.N. frigates west of the Isle of Man. KM Minesweeper M-538 wrecked off Hel, Poland. US LCT-1151 lost north of Dutch New Guinea.
 
Jan 27
1868 Battle of Toba-Fushimi begins
1918 Finnish Civil War begins
1939 1st flight P-38
1940 Trawler HMS Riant sank off Gigha
1941 Trawler HMS Darogah sunk by mine in the Thames Estuary. Italian Torpedo Boat Francesco Stocco blown in half by a mine off Yugoslavia, both halves towed to port, repaired and returned to service.
1942 Destroyer HMS Thanet sunk by Cruiser Sendai and 3 Destroyers off Endau, Malaya. I-73 sank in diving accident avoiding torpedoes fired by sub USS Gudgeon west of Midway
1944 Siege of Leningrad ends
1945 U-1172 sunk by 3 RN frigates in St. George's Channel. PT-338 wrecked off Luzon, scuttled the next day. Aux. Minesweeper Wa-102 sunk by sub USS Bergall in Lombok Strait.
1961 Soviet sub S-80 sinks in the Barents Sea
2002 Lagos Munitions explosion
 
28 Jan
1701 Battle of Dartsedo
1846 Battle of Aliwal
1871 Siege of Paris ends
1918 Red Army Est.
1932 1st Battle of Shanghai begins
1942 US Army transport General Royal T. Frank sunk by mine, or I-71,west of Maui, Hawaii Territory.
1944 U-271 sunk by USN PB4Y south east of Cape Finesterre. U-571 sunk by RAAF Sunderland west of Ireland. Minesweeper R-201 sunk by aircraft north of the Tiber Estuary. Midget sub Ha-49 lost when Neikai Maru was bombed/sunk by Army B-24s and USN PBYs off New Britain.
1945 Frigate Kume sunk by USS Spadefish north east of Shanghai. KM Minesweeper R-57 sunk in a collision with U-1163.
1964 USAF T-39 shot down by Soviet Mig over E. Germany
 
29 Jan
1814 Battle of Brienne
1856 Victoria Cross Est.
1863 Gunboat USS Isaac Smith damaged by shore batteries and captured on the Stono River, S.C. Battle of Bear River
1918 Battle of Kruty
1941 1st flight ANT-58 (Tu-2)
1942 USCG Alexander Hamilton torpedoed by U-132 off Reykjavik, sinks next day. Whaler HMS Sotra sunk by U-431 east of Tobruk. Germans/Italians capture Benghazi
1943 naval Battle of Rennel Island: Cruiser USS Chicago torpedoed by aircraft, torpedoed by aircraft again and sunk next day. Sub I-1 sunk by Minesweepers HMNZS Kiwi and Moa at Guadalcanal. A-A ship HMS Pozarica torpedoed by Italian aircraft off Bougie, sinks in Bougie harbor 13 Feb.
1944 Armed Yacht HMS Oracle burns at Liverpool. Cruiser HMS Spartan sunk by glide bomb off Anzio. U-364 sunk by RAF Halifax in Bay of Biscay
1945 U-763 bombed at Koningsberg, scuttled. KM Frigate F-5 damaged by mine, sinks under tow. Aux. Sub Chaser Takunan Maru No. 10 sunk by B-25s.
1991 Battle of Khafji begins
 
1 Feb
1329 Battle of Medvegalis
1662 Siege of Ft. Zeelandia ends, began 30 March '61
1920 South African Air Arm est.
1942 Marshalls-Gilbert Islands Raids: Aux. Netlayer Kashima Maru sunk by USN aircraft at Wotje.
1943 Destroyer USS De Haven bombed/sunk, Destroyer Makigumo damaged by a mine and scuttled, off Savo Island. PT-37 and 111 sunk by Destroyer Kawakaze, and PT-123 bombed/sunk, off Guadalcanal. Minelayer HMS Welshman sunk by U-616 east of Tobruk
1944 Destroyer Umikaze sunk by USs Guardfish at Truk. I-171 sunk by Destroyers USS Guest and Hudson off Green Island. RO-39 sunk by Destroyer USS Walker off Wotje.
1945 Sub Chaser CH-28 and Landing Ship T-115 sunk by P-51s in the Luzon Channel. USN PT-77 and 79 sunk by Destroyer USS Conyngham and Destroyer Escort Lough off Luzon
1968 Canadian Forces est.
 
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2 Feb
1141 Battle of Lincoln
1461 Battle of Mortimer's Cross
1542 Battle of Bacente
1941 Trawler HMS Almond sunk by mine off Falmouth
1942 Trawlers HMS Cape Spartel and Cloughton Wyke bombed/sunk in the North Sea. IJN Minesweeper W-9 sunk by mine in Ambon Bay. U-581 sunk by Destroyer HMS Westcott south west of the Azores
1943 Battle of Stalingrad ends. R.N. LCT 326 sank off the Isle of Man
1944 Battle of Cisterna ends. Sub I-110 sunk by HMIS Jumna, HMAS Ipswitch, and HMAS Launcerton in the Bay of Bengal. KM supply ship Charlotte Schliemann scuttled in the Indian Ocean to prevent capture.
1945 Frigate CD-144 sunk by sub USS Besugo off Cape Laguan, Malaya
 
Feb 3
1509 naval Battle of Diu
1706 Battle of Fraustadt
1781 British capture St. Eustatius
1807 British capture Montevideo
1813 Battle of San Lorenzo
1852 Battle of Caseros
1863 2nd Battle of Ft. Donelson
1940 Minesweeper HMS Sphinx bombed/capsizes, washes ashore north of Lybster
1941 Trawler HMS Arctic Trapper bombed/sunk off Ramsgate. R.N. MGB 12 damaged by mine, sinks on the 6th. Trawler HMS Midas sunk in a collision off Dungeness. Ocean Boarding Vessel HMS Crispin damaged by U-107, sinks the next day.
1943 US Army Transport Dorchester sunk by U-223. U-265 sunk by RAF B-17 off Iceland
1944 Battle of Kwajalein ends
1945 2nd Battle of Manila begins. U-1279 sunk by 3 R.N. Frigates north west of Bergen. Trawler HMS Arley damaged by mine in the North Sea, sinks off Cromer while under tow.
1961 Angolan War of Independence begins
 
Feb 4
634 Battle of Dathin
1810 British capture Guadaloupe
1820 Battle of Valvida
1862 Battle of Ft. Henry begins
1899 Battle of Manila begins
1941 Trawler HMS Imbat sunk in a collision at Scapa Flow
1943 U-187 sunk by destroyers HMS Vimy and Beverley.
1944 KM Corvette SG 18 bombed/sunk. I-175 sunk by Destroyer Escort USS Fair off Wotje. U-854 sunk by mine north of Swinemunde
1945 Irrawaddy River Campaign begins. Sub USS Barbel bombed/sunk in Palawan Passage. Motor Minesweeper HMS MMS 68 sunk by mine off Cephalonia. U-1014 sunk by 4 R.N. frigates.
1997 2 Israeli S-65 Helos collied and crash near the Israeli-Lebanese border.
 
6 Feb
1806 naval Battle of San Domingo
1862 Battle of Ft. Henry ends
1922 Washington Naval Treaty signed
1933 1st flight Kawanishi E7K floatplane
1940 French Minesweeper Veteran sunk in a collision off Calais.
1942 UK declares War on Thailand. U-82 sunk by Sloop HMS Rochester and Corvette HMS Tamarisk north east of The Azores
1943 Brazil declares War on Japan. Corvette HMCS Louisburg bombed/sunk off Oran by Italian aircraft.
1944 U-177 sunk by a PB4Y west of Ascension. KM Minesweeper M-159 bombed/sunk off France.
1981 Ugandan Bush War begins
2000 Russians capture Grozny
 
Feb 7
1074 Battle of Montesarchio
1783 Siege of Gibraltar ends (begun 6/24/79)
1807 Battle of Eylau begins
1842 Battle of Debre Tabor
1862 Battle of Roanoke Island begins
1863 Corvette HMS Orpheus sinks off Auckland, NZ
1865 Battle of Boydton Plank Road ends
1897 Battle of Livadeia
1918 Red Army captures Kiev
1920 Admiral Kolchak executed by Reds
1942 Italian Naval trawler Grongo sunk by destroyers HMS Lively and Zulu
1943 Japanese finish evacuating Guadalcanal. U-609 sunk by Free French Corvette Lobelia west of Ireland. U-624 sunk by RAF B-17 in mid Atlantic. R.N. MGB 109 damaged by mine off South Foreland, declred a total loss. R.N. LCI(L)-162 sunk by Italian sub Acciaio off Algeria
1944 Battle of Kwajalein ends. R.N. Midget Sub X-22 sunk in a collision
1945 R.N. MTB-605 sank after hitting a wreck off Ostend, Belgium. Frigate CD-53 sunk by sub USS Bergall off Van Phang Bay, French Indochina. RO-55 sunk by Destroyer Escort USS Thomason off Iba Luzon
 
Feb 10
1258 Siege of Baghdad ends
1814 Battle of Champaubert
1846 Battle of Sobraon
1862 naval Battle of Elizabeth City
1906 HMS Dreadnought launched
1936 Battle of Amba Aradan begins
1941 Trawler HMS Boy Alan sunk in a collision in the Thames Estuary.
1943 Battle of Krasny Bor begins
1944 Destroyer Minekaze sunk by sub USS Pogy off Formosa. U-545 damaged by RAF Wellington, scuttled.
1945 KM Sub Tender Ammerland sunk in a collision off Libau.
1964 Destroyer HMAS Voyager sunk in a collision with Carrier HMAS Melbourne off New South Wales
 
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Feb 13
1739 Battle of Karnal
1862 Battle of Ft. Donelson begins
1941 Trawler HMS Rubens bombed/sunk south west of Ireland
1942 Minesweeper HMS Chengteh bombed/sunk in the Rhio Strait. R.N. Motor Launch ML 310 bombed/scuttled Tjebia, D.E.I. Patrol Ship HMS Panglima scuttled, Gunboat HMS Scorpion shelled/sunk, both in the Banga Strait. Anti-Sub ship HMS Siang Wo bombed/beached on Banga Island. Patrol Ship HMS Trung scuttled at Singapore. Motor Minesweeper MMS 180 sunk in a collision off the Tyne. Sub HMS Tempest sunk by Italian Torpedo Boat Circe off Toranto.
1943 U-620 sunk by RAF PBY off Portugal
1944 Trawler HMS Cap 'd Antifer sunk by E Boats in the North Sea. US LCT-220 sank off Anzio. Italian Sub Chaser VAS 206 wrecked off Capri.
1945 Siege of Budapest ends. Corvette HMS Denbigh Castle sunk by U-992 in the Barents Sea. Sub RO-113 sunk by USS Batfish in the Luzon Strait. Midget sub Ha-76 scuttled in Philippines. KM Minesweeper M-421 sunk by mines off Kolomberg.
1951 Battle of Chipyong-ni begins
 
Feb 14
1778 USS Ranger recieves the 1st forgiegn salute to the US flag, from France
1779 Battle of Kettle Creek, Ga
1797 Battle of Cape St. Vincent
1813 USS Essex becomes the 1st US Navy ship to sail in the Pacific
1814 HMS Pictou captured by USS Constitution
1831 Battle of Debre Abbay
1863 USS Queen of the West captured after running aground under the guns of Ft. Taylor on the Red River
1879 Chile captures Antofagasta
1900 British invade the Orange Free State
1912 US Navy commisions 1st diesel sub
1919 Soviet-Polish War begins
1941 R.N. MTB 41 sunk by mine in North Sea
1942 Battle of Pasir Panjang ends. Gunboats HMS Dragonfly and Grasshopper sunk at Singapore. Aux. Patrol Ship HMS Huatong sunk at Palambang. Minelayer HMS Kung Wo sunk off Pompong Island. Auxiliary patrol ship HMS Li Wo sunk in Java Sea by Cruiser Yura. HMS Shukwang and Aux anti-sub ship HMS Tren Kuang bombed at Pamping Island and scuttled. Sarawak Royal Yacht Vyner Brooke bombed/sunk in Bangka Strait. Rescue Tug HMS St. Just scuttled at Palembang. Rescue Tug HMS St. Breock bombed/sunk off Sumatra. Tug HMS Pengawal bombed/sunk in Durian Strait. CAM ship Empire Spring sunk by U-576 in the Atlantic
1943 Rostov-on-Don recaptured by Red Army
1944 Salvage ship HMS Salviking sunk by U-168 south west of Ceylon. U-738 sunk in a collision in the Baltic. KM sub UIT-23 sunk by sub HMS Tally-Ho off the Strait of Malacca.
1945 U-989 sunk by 4 R.N. Frigates off the Faroes. R.N. MTBs 255, 776, 789, 791, 798, and Royal Canadian Navy MTBs 459, 461, 462, and 465 destroyed in an explosion and fire at a base in Ostend, Belgium. USN Minesweeper YMS-48 damaged by shore batteries north of Corrigidor, scuttled by Destroyer USS Fletcher. IJN Frigate CD-9 sunk by USS Gato off Cheju Island, Korea in the Yellow Sea.
1950 Battle of Tranquon begins
 
18 Feb
1268 Battle of Wesenberg
1637 naval Battle of Lizard Point
1782 Battle of Ft. Elima and St. Jago begins
1797 UK captures Trinidad
1814 Battle of Montereau
1900 Battle of Paardeberg begins
1940 Destroyer HMS Darling sunk by U-23 off Duncansby Head
1942 Trawlers HMS Botanic and Warland bombed/sunk in the North Sea. Patrol Ship HMS Malacca scuttled in the Demake River, Sumatra. Destroyer USS Truxton wrecked in Placentia Bay. Dutch Gunnery Training Ship Soerabaja bobmed/sunk, and Dutch sub K VII bombed/sunk while sitting on the bottom of Surabaya Harbor. Free French sub Surcouf either sunk in a collision with SS Thompson Lykes or bombed/sunk on the 19th north of Christobal, Panama.
1943 Italian Minesweeper RD 24 founders in a storm west of Sicily.
1944 Cruiser HMS Penelope sunk by U-410 west of Naples. Armed Yacht HMS Breda sank in a collision near Campbeltown, Scotland. U-7 sank in a diving accident off Pillau. U-406 sunk by Frigate HMS Spey. US LCT-205 sunk under tow in the Gulf of Tunis. Aux. Sub Chaser CHa-17 sunk by US aircraft off Kavieng, New Ireland. Operation Hailstone ends: Destroyer Oite and Sub Chaser CH-29 bombed/sunk off Truk.
1945 KM Sperrbrecher 139 sunk by mine off Norway. U-2344 sunk in a collision with U-2336 off Rostock
1946 Royal Indian Navy Mutiny begins
1947 Battle of Hanoi ends
 
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