CBI - China: Day 56 of 154 of the Japanese Invasion of Manchuria.
1936 — , November 12
Spain: Day 119 of 985 of the Spanish Civil War.
CBI - China: Day 24 of 29 of the 1st Battle of Suiyuan.
1937 — , November 12
Spain: Day 484 of 985 of the Spanish Civil War.
CBI - China: Day 129 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 92 of 106 of the 2nd Battle of Shanghai.
1938 — , November 12
Germany: Nazis fine Jews one billion marks for damages related to Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass).
Spain: Day 849 of 985 of the Spanish Civil War.
CBI - China: Day 494 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 32 of 81 of Japan's Operation GUANGDONG.
1939 — , November 12
Eastern Front: Negotiations between Russia and Finland over territorial dispute reach deadlock.
CBI - China: Day 859 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
1940 — , November 12
ETO - UK: Day 68 of 258 of the Blitz.
MTO - Greece: Germany prepares to enter war against Greece.
East Africa: Day 156 of 537 of Italy's East African campaign in the lands south of Egypt.
CBI - China: Day 1,225 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 364 of 381 of the Battle of South Guangxi.
CBI - Thailand: Day 43 of 221 of the Franco-Thai War (Vichy France vs Thailand).
1941 — , November 12
Russian Front - Finland: Day 137 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 135 of 140 of Operation ARCTIC FOX, a joint German-Finnish campaign against Soviet Northern Front defenses at Salla, Finland.
Russian Front - Finland: Day 144 of 164 of the Battle of Hanko. The Soviets will be forced off their leased naval base.
Russian Front: Day 144 of 167 of Germany's Operation BARBAROSSA.
Russian Front - North: Day 66 of 872 of the Siege of Leningrad.
Russian Front - Center: Day 42 of 98 of the Battle of Moscow.
Russian Front - South: Day 14 of 248 of the Siege of Sevastopol, Crimean Peninsula.
MTO - Libya: Day 217 of 256 of the Siege of Tobruk.
East Africa: Day 521 of 537 of Italy's East African campaign in the lands south of Egypt.
CBI - China: Day 1,590 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
1942 — , November 12
USA: Permanente Metals Corporation (Kaiser) No.2 Yard in Richmond, California, sets the record for the shortest completion time in building a Liberty Ship. The SS ROBERT E PEARY is assembled in just 4 days, 15 hours and 29 minutes, setting a record that stands to this day.
Spotlight...
Possibly the SS ROBERT E PEARY under construction
This photo shows work underway with cranes at the Kaiser Richmond Shipyards, but specific information is unknown. A few online sources say there's a sign under the crane that reads "Hull 440," which would make it the SS ROBERT E PEARY, but that sign may be merely commemorating the event. It really doesn't matter, though. The photo is certainly indicative of the construction of any and all Liberty Ships.
Hull 440 was the famous Liberty Ship, the SS ROBERT E PEARY. It was famous because the entire Liberty Ship was built in just 4 days, 15 hours, and 29 minutes, in a publicity stunt that would not be repeated, setting a record that stands to this day.
The hull was laid on November 8, 1942, and the ROBERT E PEARY was launched on November 12, 1942. After just 3 days in the water, she was delivered on November 15, 1942, for a time of 7 days to delivery.
The ROBERT E PEARY served well and was a workhorse throughout World War II. She was scrapped in Baltimore, MD in July of 1963.
Dates related to Liberty Ships...
03 Jan 41: FDR announces the $350 million Liberty Ship program
27 Sep 41: "Liberty Fleet Day" declared as first 14 are launched
12 Nov 42: SS ROBERT E PEARY is completed in record time
15 Jan 44: Liberty Ship SS CAROLE LOMBARD is christened
20 Apr 44: SS PAUL HAMILTON hit by aerial torpedo and explodes
09 Apr 45: SS CHARLES HENDERSON explodes in Italian harbor
Russian Front - North: Day 431 of 872 of the Siege of Leningrad.
Russian Front - North: Day 192 of 658 of the Siege of the Kholm Pocket, USSR lays siege to the Kholm Pocket but the Germans hold out for a about a year and a half.
Russian Front - South: Day 138 of 150 of Germany's CASE BLUE, the failed offensive to take the Caucasus oil fields.
Russian Front - South: Day 82 of 165 of the Battle of Stalingrad, bloodiest battle in human history.
MTO: US Army Middle East Air Force (USAMEAF) is redesignated as the US 9th Air Force.
MTO - North Africa: Day 5 of 9 of Operation TORCH, the invasion of Morocco and Algeria. The US 12th Air Force provides air support.
MTO - Libya: The British 8th Army retakes Sollum and Bardia while Panzer Army Afrika continues its withdrawal toward Tripoli.
CBI - China: Day 1,955 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
PTO - Alaska: Day 159 of 435 of the Battle of Kiska, Aleutian Islands. The US and Canada will defeat the Japanese invaders.
PTO - Malaya: Day 267 of 357 of the Battle of Timor Island, a long guerrilla war ending in Japanese victory.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 115 of 119 of the Battle of the Kokoda Track. The Australians continue pushing back the Japanese troops.
PTO - Solomon Islands: Day 98 of 187 of the Battle of Guadalcanal.
PTO - Solomon Islands: Day 1 of 4 of the Naval Battle off Guadalcanal.
1943 — , November 12
Russian Front - North: Day 796 of 872 of the Siege of Leningrad.
Russian Front - North: Day 557 of 658 of the Siege of the Kholm Pocket. USSR lays siege to the Kholm Pocket but the Germans hold out for a about a year and a half.
Russian Front - South: Day 81 of 122 of the Battle of the Lower Dnieper River, USSR. The Soviets take Zhitomir, Ukraine. The Kiev bridgehead is now 95 miles deep and 150 miles wide.
Russian Front - South: Day 10 of 10 of the 2nd Battle of Kiev, Ukraine. The result is a Soviet victory.
MTO - Greece: German troops invade Leros by sea and drop 500 paratroopers.
MTO - Italy: US 12th, 15th and Royal Air Forces provide air support for the Allied ground troops.
CBI - China: Day 2,320 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 11 of 49 of the Battle of West Changde.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 55 of 219 of the Battle of Shaggy Ridge.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 52 of 162 of the Battle of the Huon Peninsula.
PTO - Solomon Islands: Day 12 of 295 of the Battle of the Bougainville Islands.
1944 — , November 12
Atlantic: RAF Lancaster heavy bombers sink the battleship TIRPITZ, the sister ship of the BISMARK, in a fjord near Tromso in Norway. This, the largest battleship in the Germany navy, is hit by two 5.4-ton Tallboy bombs. Over 1,000 men of her crew trapped in her capsized hull are lost.
Spotlight...
The battleship TIRPITZ conducting trials in the Baltic, fall of 1941
After completing sea trials in early 1941, the TIRPITZ briefly served as the centerpiece of the Baltic Fleet, intended to prevent a possible break-out attempt by the Soviet Baltic Fleet. In early 1942, the ship sailed to Norway to act as a deterrent against an Allied invasion and to be used to intercept Allied convoys to the Soviet Union. The TIRPITZ acted as a fleet in being, forcing the British Royal Navy to retain significant naval forces in the area to contain the battleship.
The British attack on 12 Nov 44 scored two direct hits, which caused the ship to capsize rapidly. A deck fire spread to the ammunition magazine for one of the main battery turrets, which caused a large explosion.
Related WWII Store items...
Tirpitz: The Life and Death of Germany's Last Super Battleship
ETO - France: Day 104 of 284 of the Battle of Brittany.
ETO - France: Day 59 of 236 of the Siege of Dunkirk.
ETO - Germany: Day 55 of 145 of the Battle of Hürtgen Forest.
Russian Front - Finland: Day 59 of 223 of the Lapland War. Finland and Russia have joined forces to kick the Germans out of Finland's most northern province.
Russian Front - Center: Day 29 of 206 of the Battle of the Courland Pocket in Latvia.
Russian Front - Center: Day 22 of 99 of the Siege of Memel, a border town of Lithuania and East Prussia.
Russian Front - Center: Day 60 of 72 of the Battle into East Prussia and northern Poland.
Russian Front - South: Day 15 of 108 of the Battle of Budapest, Hungary.
Russian Front - South: Day 60 of 72 of the Battle of Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
MTO: US 15th Air Force heavy bombers attack targets in Germany, Austria and Italy.
MTO - Italy: US 12th, 15th and Royal Air Forces provides air support for the Allied ground units.
CBI - Burma: Day 226 of 302 of the Chinese Salween Offensive in Burma.
CBI - China: Day 2,686 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 210 of 259 of Japan's Operation ICHI-GO.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 321 of 597 of the Battle of New Britain.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 205 of 481 of the Battle of Western New Guinea.
PTO - Palau Islands: Day 59 of 74 of the Battle of Peleliu (Operation STALEMATE II).
PTO - Philippines: Day 24 of 299 of the 2nd Battle of the Philippines, aka the Liberation of the Philippines or the Philippines Campaign.
PTO - Philippines: Day 24 of 73 of the Battle of Leyte.
PTO - Philippines: Day 2 of 41 of the Naval Battle of Ormoc Bay.
1945 — , November 12
France: The Institute of France awards Churchill a gold medal.
1948 — , November 12
Japan: The International Military Tribunal for the Far East, held in the former Imperial Japanese Army HQ building in Tokyo, sentences General (and former Prime Minister) Hdeki Tojo to death on seven counts of war crimes.
[+] show related dates
Related dates (Tojo)...
26 Feb 36: Failed socialist coup rewards Tojo with leadership posts
01 Mar 37: Tojo promoted to Chief of Staff of an army in China
22 Jul 40: Tojo is appointed to cabinet post as Army Minister
17 Oct 41: Tojo is appointed Prime Minister of Japan
02 Nov 41: Hirohito gives Tojo consent to go to war
27 Nov 41: Tojo rejects American counter-proposal for peace
18 Jul 44: Tojo resigns as PM, becomes Chief of Army General Staff
11 Sep 45: Tojo survives suicide attempt before arrest
12 Nov 48: Tojo is sentenced to death by Int'l Military Tribunal
23 Dec 48: Tojo is executed by hanging for war crimes
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