CBI - China: Day 30 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 30 of 33 of the 2nd Battle of Hebei.
Day 5 of 12 of the Battle of Chahar.
1938 — , August 5
Spain: Day 750 of 985 of the Spanish Civil War.
CBI - China: Day 395 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 56 of 139 of the Battle of Wuhan. Japanese troops capture Huangdanao, Manashan and Laohushan in Jiangxi Province.
CBI - Russia: Day 8 of 14 of the Battle of Lake Khasan, a border dispute between the Soviet Union and Japan.
1939 — , August 5
CBI - China: Day 760 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 53 of 68 of the Battle of Tianjin.
CBI - Mongolia: Day 87 of 129 of the Battle of Khalkhin Gol, a border dispute between the Soviet Union and Japan.
1940 — , August 5
Canada: Montreal's mayor Camillien Houde is arrested and charged under the Defense of Canada Regulations for publicly urging Quebecers three days earlier to not sign up for national registration for war duty. He will remain imprisoned at Camp Petawawa in Ontario until August of 1944.
Spotlight...
Montreal Mayor Camillien Houde, 1930
Houde became a figure of ridicule in parts of English Canada because of his conduct in opposition to conscription.
In its 20 February 1939 issue, Time Magazine quoted from Mayor Camillien Houde's speech to a YMCA audience on the subject of War in Europe...
"If war comes, and if Italy is on one side and England on the other, the sympathy of the French-Canadians in Quebec will be on the side of Italy. Remember that the great majority of French-Canadians are Roman Catholics, and that the Pope is in Rome. We French-Canadians are Normans, not Latins, but we have become Latinized over a long period of years. The French-Canadians are Fascists by blood, but not by name. The Latins have always been in favour of dictators."
Upon his release on 18 August 1944, he was greeted by a cheering crowd of 50,000 Montrealers, and won back his job as mayor of Montreal in 1944's civic election.
USA: The US and Vichy France reach the Green-Slade-Robert Agreement, an understanding on the status of French warships and aircraft in the French West Indies.
UK: The United Kingdom and Poland sign a military agreement.
UK: Churchill and de Gaulle agree over the organization of Free French Forces.
Atlantic: German sub U-56 attacks British ship BOMA 20 miles north of Ireland, which will sink on the following day. The British minesweeping trawler HMT RIVER CLYDE hits a naval mine off Aldeburgh, Suffolk, England and sinks.
Atlantic: The British ship CAPE ST GEORGE hits the wreck of Yugoslavian ship RAD off of the coast of Senegal in western Africa, which was sunk by German sub U-A two days earlier. Ironically, the CAPE ST GEORGE was carrying the 65 survivors from the RAD.
ETO - UK: Day 27 of 114 of the Battle of Britain. Large Luftwaffe formations patrol the Dover Straits and attack the convoys off the east and southeast coast of England.
Germany: The government announces that in the future all citizens will need an Ahnenpass (certificate of ancestry) to prove their racial Aryan purity back to 1800.
East Africa: Day 57 of 537 of Italy's East African campaign in the lands south of Egypt. Italian troops occupy Zeila, thereby sealing the border between French and British Somaliland and opening up the coastal track to Berbera.
CBI - China: Day 1,126 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 265 of 381 of the Battle of South Guangxi.
1941 — , August 5
ETO - France: The Vichy government limits wine consumption to two liters per person per week.
Russian Front - Finland: Day 38 of 142 of Operation SILVER FOX, a joint German-Finnish campaign to capture the Russian port of Murmansk in the Arctic.
Russian Front - Finland: Day 36 of 140 of Operation ARCTIC FOX, a joint German-Finnish campaign against Soviet Northern Front defenses at Salla, Finland.
Russian Front - Finland: Day 45 of 164 of the Battle of Hanko.
Russian Front: Day 45 of 167 of Germany's Operation BARBAROSSA, the invasion of the USSR.
Russian Front - North: Army Group North continues their slow advance toward Leningrad.
Russian Front - Center: Day 31 of 31 of the 1st Battle of Smolensk, Russia. German troops capture Smolensk and take 310,000 Soviet prisoners.
Russian Front - Center: Day 13 of 38 of the Battle of Gomel, Belarus. Heavy fighting continues at Gomel.
Russian Front - South: Day 22 of 25 of the Battle of Uman, Ukraine. Romanian troops continue advancing into the Ukraine.
Russian Front - South: German and Romanian troops keep pushing toward Vinnitsa and the Black Sea port of Odessa, Ukraine.
MTO - Libya: Day 118 of 256 of the Siege of Tobruk.
East Africa: Day 422 of 537 of Italy's East African campaign in the lands south of Egypt.
CBI - China: Day 1,491 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
CBI - Thailand: Thailand establishes a diplomatic relationship with the Japanese-sponsored puppet state of Manchukuo.
1942 — , August 5
Atlantic: A group of 6 ships with 2 escorts gets lost in a thick fog from an Allied convoy being followed by a pair of German U-boats, which sink one ship before getting driven off by a destroyer.
ETO - France: US 8th Air Force makes a practice run over France.
Russian Front - North: Day 332 of 872 of the Siege of Leningrad.
Russian Front - North: Day 93 of 658 of the Siege of the Kholm Pocket.
Russian Front - Center: Day 7 of 64 of the 1st Battle of Rzhev-Sychevka, Russia. German troops near Rzhev continue their attempts to break their encirclement.
Russian Front - South: Day 39 of 150 of Germany's CASE BLUE, the failed offensive to take the Caucasus oil fields. The 4th Panzer Army moving northeast toward Stalingrad runs straight into the Soviet Armies.
Russian Front - South: Day 14 of 20 of Germany's Operation EDELWEISS. The 1st Panther Army captures Voroshilovsk (Voroshilovgrad), over 200 miles to the southeast of Rostov.
MTO - Egypt: Churchill visits the British 8th Army at El Alamein and decides to replace Auchinleck. But his choice, General Gott, will be killed two days later when his aircraft is shot down.
East Africa: Day 93 of 186 of the Battle of Madagascar.
CBI - China: Day 1,856 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 83 of 124 of Japan's Zhejiang-Jiangxi Campaign, launched to punish anyone suspected of aiding the Doolittle raiders in China. Roughly 250,000 Chinese will be killed.
Japanese warplanes are sent to attack the US airfield at Kweilin but due to the warning network set up earlier by the Flying Tigers, P-40s are able to intercept them and turn them back.
PTO - Alaska: Day 60 of 435 of the Battle of Kiska, Aleutian Islands.
PTO - Malaya: Day 168 of 357 of the Battle of Timor Island.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 16 of 119 of the Battle of the Kokoda Track. 5th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - Solomon Islands: US 5th Army Air Force continues attacking the north coast of Guadalcanal where the US invasion troops will soon be landing.
1943 — , August 5
USA: The Women's Flying Training Detachment (WFTD) and the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS), both organized separately in Sept 1942, are merged together to form the single paramilitary Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) organization.
Spotlight...
The four women pictured here (Frances Green, Margaret Kirchner, Ann Waldner and Blanche Osborn), in front of the famous "Pistol Packin' Mamma" B-17, were part of the Women's Airforce Service Pilots program - better known as the WASPs.
The WASPs were a very exclusive club. Over 25,000 women applied for the program, and only 2,000 were selected, of which barely 1,000 graduated and became pilots. Though they did not see wartime action, some of them did, unfortunately, die in airplane accidents.
Dates related to Women pilots in WWII...
28 Jun 39: Britain's Women's Auxiliary Air Force formed
11 Jan 40: Britain's Women's Section of ATA first delivery
Russian Front - North: Day 697 of 872 of the Siege of Leningrad.
Russian Front - North: Day 458 of 658 of the Siege of the Kholm Pocket.
Russian Front - Center: Day 32 of 50 of the Battle of Kursk, Russia.
Russian Front - Center: Day 25 of 38 of the Battle of Orel, Russia.
Russian Front - South: Day 14 of 23 of the Battle of Belgorod, Russia. The Soviets capture Belgorod and now threaten to take Kharkov.
Russian Front - South: Day 24 of 48 of the USSR's Lvov-Sandomierz Offensive.
MTO - Italy: Day 28 of 40 of the Battle of Sicily. RAF and US Air Forces provide air support. After six days of heavy fighting, the Germans begin evacuating Troina. The British 8th Army captures Catania.
CBI - China: Day 2,221 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
PTO - Alaska: Day 425 of 435 of the Battle of Kiska, Aleutian Islands.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 106 of 148 of the 2nd Battle of Lae-Salamaua. US 5th and 13th Air Forces provide air support.
PTO - Solomon Islands: Day 47 of 67 of the Battle of New Georgia. US 5th and 13th Air Forces provide air support. After 12 days of hard jungle fighting, US troops secure the Munda airfield.
1944 — , August 5
ETO - UK: Day 54 of 86 of the V-1 "Buzz Bomb" offensive on Britain.
ETO - France: Day 12 of 29 of the Breakout Battle of Normandy. Allied Air Forces provide air support. The US crosses the Mayenne river at Mayenne while other units reach Laval.
ETO - France: Day 61 of 62 of the Battle of Caen.
ETO - France: Day 5 of 284 of the Battle of Brittany.
ETO - Germany: US 8th Air Force bombs strategic targets in Germany.
Russian Front - Finland: Day 11 of 19 of the Battle of Ilomantsi, North Karelia.
Russian Front - Finland: Day 46 of 50 of the Battle of Karelia. Soviet troops continue their offensive against the Finns in eastern Karelia between Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega in northern Russia.
Russian Front - North: Day 186 of 191 of the Battle of the Narva Isthmus, Estonia. Day 12 of 19 of the Battle of Tannenberg Line, Estonia. The Germans continue holding the Sinimaed Hills west of Narva.
Russian Front - Center: Day 9 of 32 of the Battle of Kaunas, Lithuania.
Russian Front - Center: The Polish Home Army goes on the defense in Warsaw, as 60 percent of city is now under their control.
MTO - Turkey: The neutral Turkish ship MEFKURE, sailing from Romania to Istanbul with 325 passengers, mainly Jews fleeing from Romania, Poland and Hungary, is sunk by an unidentified submarine, believed to be the Soviet submarine SC-215. The survivors are machine gunned in the water and only 11 escape. Among the dead are 37 children.
MTO - Italy: Allied troops continue pressing the German line holding the Po Valley. Allied Air Forces provide air support.
CBI - Burma: Day 154 of 166 of the UK's Operation THURSDAY. US 10th Air Force provides air support. British troops capture Tamu, barely across the Burmese border from India.
CBI - Burma: Day 127 of 302 of the Chinese Salween Offensive. US 14th Air Force provides air support.
CBI - China: Day 2,587 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 111 of 259 of Japan's Operation ICHI-GO.
Day 45 of 48 of the Battle of Hengyang. US 14th Air Force provides air support.
PTO: US warplanes from two US carrier groups bombard Japanese installations on Chichi Jima and Haha Jima, Bonin Island.
PTO - Caroline Islands: US planes hits targets on Yap Island.
PTO - Dutch New Guinea: Day 35 of 61 of the Battle of Noemfoor. Although the island has been declared secured, bitter fighting from Japanese continues.
PTO - Mariana Islands: Day 16 of 21 of the 2nd Battle of Guam. US 7th Air Force provides air support. Although this battle is declared as completed, it'll be a while before it's really over.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 71 of 83 of the Battle of Biak. There are still 3,000 Japanese soldiers on the island who won't give up.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 235 of 597 of the Battle of New Britain. US 13th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 106 of 481 of the Battle of Western New Guinea. 5th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 53 of 80 of the Battle of Lone Tree Hill.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 27 of 47 of the Battle of Driniumor River, a failed Japanese offense on US troops near Aitape.
PTO - Solomon Islands: Day 279 of 295 of the Battle of the Bougainville Islands. US 13th Air Force provides air support.
1945 — , August 5
Germany: Missing items from the Holy Roman Empire Imperial Regalia collection are found hidden under a school in Nürnberg.
CBI - China: Day 2,952 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
A doctor from the International Committee of the Red Cross visits a prisoner of war camp in Mukden. He reported that the camp doctors and prisoners were not allowed to speak to him and he found many undistributed Red Cross packages.
Chinese troops capture Danzhu, Guangxi, Guangdong and Xingning County.
US 14th Air Force hits bridges near Anyang and Kiehsiu.
CBI - Malaya: The USS CHUB hub attacks a Japanese convoy in the Java Sea, sinking one ship, one tug and a patrol vessel. The USS BLENNY sinks 11 small Japanese vessels, the USS RAY sinks 2 small Japanese vessels, and the USS BUGARA sinks 4 small enemy boats in the Gulf of Siam.
PTO - Borneo: Day 57 of 67 of the Battle of North Borneo. US 5th and 13th Air Forces provide air support.
PTO - Japan: US 20th Air Force B-29s night bomb the Japanese urban areas of Saga, Maebashi, Imabari, Nishinomiya, Mikage and Ube.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 587 of 597 of the Battle of New Britain. US 10th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 471 of 481 of the Battle of Western New Guinea. US 10th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - Philippines: Day 289 of 299 of the 2nd Battle of the Philippines, aka the Liberation of the Philippines or the Philippines Campaign.
PTO - Philippines: Day 234 of 244 of the Battle of Luzon. The battle is said to over but hold-outs will continue fighting until the end of the war.
PTO - Philippines: Day 149 of 159 of the Battle of Mindanao Island. The battle is said to over but hold-outs will continue fighting until the end of the war.
Day-By-Day listings for August 5 were last modified on Thursday, August 1, 2019
Spotlight...
