This day in military history..

Jan 21
763 Battle of Bakhamra
1864 Tauranga Campaign 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
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. R.N. Trawler HMS Computator sunk in collision with Destroyer HMS Vanoc off Normandy. USN LCT-253 foundered in the Gilbert Islands.
1968 Battle of Khe Sanh begins
 
Jan 22
1849 Siege of Multan ends
1879 Battle of Rorke's Drift begins. Battle of Isandlwana
1941 Aussies capture Tobruk: Italian Armored Cruiser San Georgio scuttled in the Harbor to prevent capture. R.N. Trawler HMS Luda Lady sunk by mine in the Humber. Rescue Tug HMS St. Cyrus sunk by mine off the Humber.
1942 R.N. Trawler HMS Rosemonde sunk by U-203 off Cape Race, Newfoundland.
1944 Anzio landings:USN LCI(L)s 20 & 32 bombed/sunk off Anzio. Minesweeper USS Portent sunk by mine off Nettano, Italy. RO-375 sunk by Destroyer USS Buchanon near San Cristobal Island. IJN Aux. Sub Chaser CHa-40 bombed/sunk at Manus
1945 IJN River Gunboat Saga bombed/sunk by 14th Air Force B-24s at Hong Kong
 
Jan 23
1865 Battle of Trent's Reach begins
1879 Battle of Rourke's Drift ends
1900 Battle of Spion Kop begins
1938 1st flight A-20 Havoc
1942 Battle of Balikipapan begins. Battle of Rabaul begins. Oiler USS Neches sunk by I-72, causing the cancellation of a Carrier Raid on Wake. Patrol Ship HMS Larut bombed/sunk at Sabang
1943 British capture Tripoli. Guadalcanal: The Battles of Galloping Horse, Sea Horse & Mt. Austen ends. Destroyer Hakaze sunk by USS Guardfish s.w. of Kavieng. Patrol Boat YP-577 destroyed by an explosion at Great Lakes Naval Training Center.
1944 Destroyer HMS Janus sunk by a Fritz X Glide Bomb off Anzio
1945 I-48 sunk by 3 USN Destroyers off Yap
 
Jan 24
1817 Battle of Picheuta
1900 Battle of Spion Kop ends
1915 naval Battle of the Dogger Bank
1942 Battle of Balikipapan ends. naval Battle of Balikipapan: IJN Patrol Boat PB-37 sunk by US Destroyers. US sub S-26 rammed and sunk by USN Patrol Boat P-460 in the Gulf of Panama
1944 USN LCT-185 founders in a storm off Bizerta, Tunisia
1945 Salvage Ship USS Extractor sunk by USS Guardfish in the Philippine Sea. Destroyer Shigure sunk by USS Blackfin in the Gulf of Siam
 
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Jan 25
1573 battle of Mikatagahara
1704 Battle of Ayubale, Fl
1865 CSS Shenandoah arrives at Melbourne, Australia
1941 British invade Italian Somililand
1942 Siam declares War on US & UK. KM Destroyer Bruno Heinemann sunk by mine off Belgium
1943 Minelayer HMS Corncrake founders in a storm in the N. Atlantic
1943 Destroyer Suzekaze sunk by USS Skipjack n.n.w. of Ponape. USN Minesweeper YMS-30 sunk by mine off Anzio
1945 Battle of the Bulge ends
1968 Operation Windsong I
 
Jan 26
1654 Portugese capture the last Dutch possesion in Brazil, Recefe
1564 Battle of Ula
1565 Battle of Talikota
1808 Rum Rebellion: Australia suffers its only Govt. overthrow, Governor Bligh suffers his 2nd Mutiny, the 1st happened while Capt. of HMS Bounty
1856 1st Battle of Seattle
1885 The Mahdi's troops capture Khartoum, killing Gen. "Chink" Gordon
1907 S.M.L.E adopted by the British
1918 Finnish Civil War begins
1939 Nationalists capture Barcelona
1940 stores Ship HMS Durham Castle sunk by mine off Cromarty
1942 destroyer HMS Thanet sunk by Destroyer Sedai off Endau
1944 R.N. LST-411 sunk by mine off Bastia, sardinia. R.N. LST 422 sunk by mine off Anzio. US LCT 32 sunk by mine while coming to assist LST 422. PT 110 sunk by depth charge detonation after colliding with PT 114 in Albing Harbor, New Britain.
1945 Frigate HMS Manners torpedoed by U-1051 in Irish Sea, her stern sinks and the bow is towed to harbor, scrapped post war U-1051 in turn is sunk by 4 accompnying Frigates. Norweigan MTB 712 wrecked in the Shetlands
 
Jan 27
1776 Siege of Boston: Continental army recieves artillery brought from Ft. Ticonderoga in upstate New York.
1868 Battle of Toba-Fushima
1939 1st flight P-38
1940 R.N. Trawler HMS Riant sinks from a leak off Gigha
1941 R.N. Trawler HMS Darogah sunk by mine in the Thames Estuary. I-73 sunk by USS Gudgeon, 1st kill of an enemy (ship or sub, depending on source!) by a US sub.
1945 U-1172 sunk by 3 R.N. Frigates in St. George's Channel.
1961 Soviet sun S-80 sinks with all hands, apparent schnorkel accident
 
Jan 28
1778 Contenintal Marines capture Ft. Nassau, Bahamas
1846 Battle of Alawal
1871 Siege of Paris ends
1932 1st Battle of Shanghai
1941 French-Siamese War ends
1943 PT-338 runs aground & is scuttled off Luzon
1944 U-271 sunk by B-24 west of Limerick, Ireland. U-571 sunk west of Ireland by an RAAF Sunderland
1964 Soviet fighter shoots down a USAF T-39 over E. Germany
 
Jan 29
1574 naval Battle of Reimerswaal
1814 Battle of Brienne
1863 Gunboat USS Isaac Smith captured on the Stono River
1918 Battle of Kruty
1942 USCG Cutter Alexander Hamilton damaged by U-173. R.N. Trawler HMS Sotra bombed/sunk off Alaxandria
1943 Battle of Rennell Island begins: Cruiser USS Chicago torpedoed, damaged. IJN sub I-1 rammed by Minesweeper HMNZS Kiwi, wrecked on shore after a gun battle in Kamimbo Bay, Guadalcanal.
1944 Anti-Aircraft Cruiser HMS Spartan sunk by German glide bomb off Anzio. Armed Yacht HMS Oracle burns at Liverpool. KM Stores ship Kaldnes sunk by torpedoes from N. Z. aircraft off Stavenger.
1945 Cargo ship USS Serpens explodes at Wellington, N.Z. while a cargo of depth charges is being loaded. 196 of 198 crewmen & 57 Army stevedores on board are killed along with one soldier ashore. U-763 bombed at Schichau Shipyard by Soviet aircraft & scuttled
1991 Battle of Khafji begins
 
Jan 30
1911 Canadian Naval Service renamed Royal Canadian Navy
1940 U-15 rammed/sunk by KM Torpedo Boat Iltis off The Netherlands. U-55 sunk by R.N. & French ships off the Shetlands
1942 Japan invades Ambon. Italian sub Medusa sunk by sub HMS Thorn in the Med. R.N. Trawler HMS Loch Alsh bombed/sunk off the Humber. USCG Cutter Hamilton scuttled
1943 Battle of Rennell Island ends: Cruiser USS Chicago sinks. Corvette HMS Samphire sunk by Italian sub Platino off Bougie, Algeria
1944 US troops invade Majuro. Battle of Cisterna begins. U-314 sunk by Destroyers HMS Whitehall and Meteor. Destroyer HMS Hardy damaged by U-278 or 472 and scuttled north of Norway. KM Minesweeper M-45 wrecked north of Porkkala, Finland.
1945 KM ship Wilhelm Gustloff sunk by Soviet sub S-13, up to 9,400 lost. Cabanatuan POW Camp Raid. Stores ship USS Pontiac sunk in heavy seas off McNabb's Island, Halifax. Raised and repaired. R.N. Motor Minesweeper MMS 248 sunk by mine off the Schelde
1968 Tet Offensive begins
 
Jan 31
1863 Ironclads CSS Chicora and Palmetto State attack Blockaders off Charleston
1915 Battle of Bolimow: 1st use of poison gas
1918 A series of collisions off Scotland result in 2 R.N. subs sunk and other R.N. ships damaged
1941 Minesweeper HMS Huntley bombed/sunk west of Mersa Matruh
1942 Battle of Malaya ends. Destroyer HMS Belmont sunk with all hands by U-82 south of Newfoundland. Sloop HMS Culver sunk with all hands by U-105 sw of Ireland. R.N. Trawler HMS Unicity capsizes/sinks off Blyth
1944 US Marines invade Kwajelein. R.N. HMS Pine sunk by E Boat south of Beachy Head. U-592 sunk by 3 R.N. ships sw of Ireland
1945 KM minesweepers sunk off Kristiansund, M-381 by Norwegian MTB 716 and M-382 by a mine. U-3520 sunk by mine off Bulk. RO-115 sunk by US destroyers sw of Manila. Destroyer Uma sunk by B-25s south of Formosa. USN Patrol Craft PC-1129 sunk by Suicide boat off Luzon
 
Feb 1
1662 Siege of ft Zeelandia, Taiwan ends
1920 South African Air arm created
1942 US Carrier Raids on the Marshall & Gilbert Islands
1943 PT-37 and 111 sunk by Destroyer Kawakaze and PT-123 by aircraft off Guadalcanal. Destroyer USS De Haven bombed/sunk east of Savo Island. Destroyer Makigumo sunk by mine sw of Savo Island. Minelayer HMS Welchman bombed/sunk east of Tobruk
1944 Destroyer Umikaze sunk by USS Guardfish off the south entrance to Truk Lagoon. I-171 sunk by Destroyers USS Guest and Hudson west of Buka. RO-39 sunk by Destroyer USS Walker off Wotje
1945 PT-77 and 79 sunk by Destroyer USS Conyngham and Destroyer Escort Lough off Talin Point, Luzon. IJN Sub Chaser CH-28 and Landing Ship T-115 sunk by P-51s in the Luzon Strait.
1968 Canadian Army, Navy and Air Forces consolidated into the Canadian Forces
 
Feb 2
1491 Battle of Mortimer's Cross
1542 Battle of Bacente
1800 USS Constillation defeats French Frigate La Vengeance
1864 Gunboat USS Underwriter captured and burned at Ft. Stevenson, New Berne, N.C.
1894 USS Kearsarge wrecked on Roncadar Cay
1920 france occupied Memel
1941 R.N. Trawler HMS Almond bombed/sunk off Falmouth
1942 R.N. Trawler HMS Cape Spartel bombed/sunk sw of the North Outer Dowsing Lightship. R.N. Trawler HMS Cloughton Wyke bombed/sunk in the North Sea. IJN Minesweeper W-9 sunk by mine in Bay of Ambon
1943 Battle of Stalingrad ends. R.N. LCT-326 founders off the Isle of Man
1945 IJN Coast Defence Frigate CD-144 sunk by sub USS Besugo off Malaya.
1974 1st flight F-16
1989 Soviets evacuate Kabul
 
Feb 3
1377 Papal Troops masacre 2,000 people in Cesena
1509 naval Battle of Diu, India. Portugese defeat the Ottomans
1706 Battle of Fraustadt ends
1781 British capture Saint 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 off Kinnaird's Head, she capsizes and washes ashore north of Lybster, scrapped
1941 R.N. Trawler HMS Arctic Trapper bombed/sunk off Ramsgate. R.N. Trawler HMS Midas sunk in collision off Dungeness
1943 US Army Transport Dorchester sunk with a loss of 672 including "The 4 Chaplains". U-265 sunk by RAF B-17 in the N. Atlantic
1945 battle of Manila begins. R.N. Trawler HMS Arley sunk by mine off Cromer
 
Feb 4
1810 R.N. siezes Guadalope
1820 Chile captures Voldiva
1862 Battle of Ft. Henry begins, opening shot damages USS Essex
1863 battle of lake Providence
1899 Battle of Manila begins
1932 Japan captures Harbin
1941 Ocean Boarding Vessel HMS Crispin sunk by U-107
1943 U-187 sunk by Destroyers HMS Vimy and Beverly in the mid Atlantic
1944 U-854 sunk by mine in the Baltic
1945 Battle of pokoku begins. Sub USS Barbel sunk by Japanese aircraft in the Palawan Passage. U-1014 sunk by 5 R.N. Frigates east of Malin Head. R.N. Motor Minesweeper MMS 68 sunk by mine off Cephalonia
1997 Two Israeli CH-53s collide killing 73
 
Feb 5
1782 Spanish capture Minorca from the British
1810 Siege of Cadiz begins(ends 8/24/12)
1913 1st Naval Aviation mission performed by Greeks using a hydroplane
1918 1st kill by a US serviceman, Stephen Thompson, who was flying on a French Air Force plane, shot down a Fokker
1940 U-41 sunk by HMS Antelope off south coast of Ireland
1941 Battle of Keren begins. R.N. Trawler HMS Tourmaline bombed/sunk off North Foreland
1942 Corvette HMS Arbutus sunk by U-136
1943 KM Patrol ship UJ-1105 sunk by Soviet sub ShCh-422 off Berlevaag, Norway. R.N. Trawler HMS Stronsay sunk by mine off Philippeville, Algeria
 
Feb 6
1806 naval Battle of San Domingo
1862 Battle of Ft. Henry ends, captured by US Navy
1865 battle of Boydton Plank Rd begins
1922 Washington Naval Treaty signed
1940 French Navy Aux. Minsweeper Veteran sunk in a collision off Calais
1941 HMS MGB 12 after being damaged by a mine off Milford Haven on the 3rd.
1942 U.K. declares War on Siam. U-82 sunk by Sloop HMS Rochester and Corvette HMS Tamarisk
1943 Corvette HMCS Louisburg bomed by JU-88s and torpedoed by HE-111s, and sinks off Oran
1945 KM Minesweeper M-156 sunk by Typhoons at Abervrach. U-177 sunk by PB4Y west of Ascention.
2000 Russia captures Grozny
 
Feb 7
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
1863Corvette HMS Orpheus sinks off Auckland, NZ
1865 Battle of Boydton Plank road ends
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 collision
1945 R.N. MTB-605 sank after hitting a wreck off OOstend, Belgium. IJN Coast Defence 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
 
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Feb 8
1250 Battle of Al Mansurah begins
1807 Battle of Eylau ends
1862 Battle of Roanoke Island ends
1904 Japan attacks Port Arthur: Russo-Japanese War begins
1942 Japanese invade Singapore
1943 R.N. Trawler HMS Bredon sunk by U-521 off the Canaries. R.N. LCT-2325 lost as deck cargo on board Nowegian Tanker Daghild, she had been damaged by U-402 the day before & then finished off by U-608
1943 Red Army captures Kursk
1944 U-762 sunk by Sloops HMS Woodpecker and Wild Goose s.w. of Ireland
 
Feb 9
1799 USS Contellation captures French Frigate L'Insurgente n.e. of Nevis
1864 109 Union Officers tunnel out of Richmond's Libby Prison POW facility, the Civil War's "Great Escape"
1904 Battle of Port Arthur ends
1937 1st flight Blackburn Skua
1940 HE-111s sink R.N. Trawlers HMS Robert Brown, with all hands, and HMS Ft. Royal n.e. of Aberdeen
1942 Destroyer Natusio, damaged by US sub S-37 the day before, sinks south of Makassar. Aux. Patrol Boat HMS Tanjong Katong sunk by artillery at Sungei Kranji. Troopship USS Lafayette burns during conversion and capsizes in New York
1943 Battle of Guadalcanal ends. Corvette HMS Erica sunk by mine off Derna. Troopship Tatsuta Maru sunk by USS Tarpon 1,400 killed
1944 U-238 sunk by 3 R.N. Sloops off Cape Clear. U-734 sunk by Sloops HMS Wild Goose and Starling s.w. of Ireland
1945 Rescue Tug HMS Hesperia runs aground and sinks off Libya. U-864 sunk by sub HMS Venture while underwater, only known case of underwater combat between subs. U-923 sunk by mine in Kiel Bay
1965 1st US combat troops sent to Vietnam
2001 Sub USS Greeneville rams/sinks Ehime Maru
 
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