CBI - China: Day 79 of 154 of the Japanese Invasion of Manchuria.
1936 — , December 5
Spain: Day 142 of 985 of the Spanish Civil War.
1937 — , December 5
Spain: Day 507 of 985 of the Spanish Civil War.
CBI - China: Day 152 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
1938 — , December 5
Spain: Day 872 of 985 of the Spanish Civil War.
CBI - China: Day 517 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 55 of 81 of Japan's Operation GUANGDONG.
1939 — , December 5
Atlantic: Two Polish submarines escape from the Baltic Sea to join the Royal Navy.
Finland: Day 6 of 105 of the Russo-Finnish War. Heavy fighting breaks out in Karelia.
CBI - China: Day 882 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 21 of 381 of the Battle of South Guangxi.
1940 — , December 5
ETO - UK: Day 91 of 258 of the Blitz.
East Africa: Day 179 of 537 of Italy's East African campaign in the lands south of Egypt.
CBI - China: Day 1,248 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
CBI - Thailand: Day 66 of 221 of the Franco-Thai War (Vichy France vs Thailand).
1941 — , December 5
ETO - UK: Britain declares war on Finland, Hungary and Romania. Hungary declares war on Britain.
Russian Front: Day 167 of 167 of Germany's Operation BARBAROSSA. With German Army Group Centre just 19 miles from Moscow, Hitler abandons the offensive for winter and agrees to some local withdrawals to a more defensive terrain.
Russian Front - North: Day 89 of 872 of the Siege of Leningrad.
Russian Front - Center: Day 65 of 98 of the Battle of Moscow.
Russian Front - South: Day 37 of 248 of the Siege of Sevastopol, Crimean Peninsula.
MTO - Libya: Day 240 of 256 of the Siege of Tobruk. In order to mount a final attack on the British forces around Bir El Gobi, Rommel orders the evacuation of the eastern part of the Tobruk perimeter.
CBI - China: Day 1,613 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
PTO: Japanese fleet is officially reported moving south.
1942 — , December 5
Russian Front - North: Day 454 of 872 of the Siege of Leningrad.
Russian Front - North: Day 17 of 59 of the Battle of Velikiye Luki, near Leningrad. This stalemate does help ease the siege a little, but mostly it keeps German troops from being sent to other fronts.
Russian Front - North: Day 215 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 - Center: Day 12 of 21 of the Battle of Sychevka, Russia.
Russian Front - Center: Day 11 of 26 of the 2nd Battle of Rzhev-Sychevka, Russia, launched by the Soviets as Operation MARS.
Russian Front - Center: Day 11 of 22 of the Battle of Belyi, Russia.
Russian Front - Center: Day 11 of 17 of the Battle of Luchesa (Vitebsk), Russia.
Russian Front - Center: Day 11 of 29 of the Battle of Molodoi Tud River, Russia.
Russian Front - South: Day 106 of 165 of the Battle of Stalingrad, bloodiest battle in human history.
MTO - Tunisia: Day 19 of 178 of the Battle of Tunisia. US 12th Air Force provides air support.
CBI - China: Day 1,978 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
PTO - Alaska: Day 182 of 435 of the Battle of Kiska, Aleutian Islands.
PTO - Malaya: Day 290 of 357 of the Battle of Timor Island, a long guerrilla war ending in Japanese victory.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 17 of 66 of the Battle of Buna-Gona.
PTO - Solomon Islands: Day 121 of 187 of the Battle of Guadalcanal.
1943 — , December 5
MTO - Egypt: At the 2nd Cairo Conference, President Roosevelt decides on General Dwight D Eisenhower as the Supreme Allied Commander for Operation OVERLORD, the invasion of western Europe.
Spotlight...
General Dwight D Eisenhower
After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Eisenhower was assigned to the General Staff in Washington, where he served until June 1942 with responsibility for creating the major war plans to defeat Japan and Germany. Chief of Staff General George C Marshall spotted talent and promoted Ike accordingly.
As Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, Eisenhower's first struggles were with Allied leaders and officers on matters vital to the success of the Normandy invasion. He insisted that the British give him exclusive command over all strategic air forces to facilitate Overlord, to the point of threatening to resign unless Churchill relented, which he did.
Although Ike was very skilled at the frustrating task of dealing diplomatically with the egos that surrounded him, he knew that the only way things would get done was by being the "benevolent dictator" needed to be victorious, which could only happen with a single person calling the shots.
Related dates...
05 Dec 43: FDR chooses Eisenhower Supreme Allied Commander
ETO - France: US 8th Air Force heavy bombers attack airfields in France.
Russian Front - North: Day 819 of 872 of the Siege of Leningrad.
Russian Front - North: Day 580 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 104 of 122 of the Battle of the Lower Dnieper River, USSR.
MTO: US 12th Air Force B-25s bomb a bridge at Pescara, Italy and targets at Split, Yugoslavia.
CBI - China: Day 2,343 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 34 of 49 of the Battle of West Changde.
CBI - India: The first Japanese daylight raid on Calcutta is mounted with many reported killed.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 78 of 219 of the Battle of Shaggy Ridge.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 75 of 162 of the Battle of the Huon Peninsula.
PTO - Solomon Islands: Day 35 of 295 of the Battle of the Bougainville Islands.
1944 — , December 5
ETO - France: Day 127 of 284 of the Battle of Brittany.
ETO - France: Day 82 of 236 of the Siege of Dunkirk.
ETO - Germany: Day 78 of 145 of the Battle of Hürtgen Forest.
ETO - Germany: The US 3rd Army advances into Germany along a 30-mile front. US 8th Air Force B-17s attack Berlin while B-24s bomb Munster.
Russian Front - Finland: Day 82 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 52 of 206 of the Battle of the Courland Pocket in Latvia.
Russian Front - Center: Day 45 of 99 of the Siege of Memel, a border town of Lithuania and East Prussia.
Russian Front - South: Day 38 of 108 of the Battle of Budapest, Hungary. Soviets attack with two armies from northeast of Budapest, making a 60-mile advance in eight days.
MTO - Italy: The British 8th Army takes Ravenna, cutting the rail link to Bologna. US and Royal Air Forces provides air support for the Allied ground units.
CBI - Burma: Day 249 of 302 of the Chinese Salween Offensive.
CBI - Burma: Day 22 of 31 of the Battle of Bhamo.
CBI - China: Day 2,709 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 233 of 259 of Japan's Operation ICHI-GO.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 344 of 597 of the Battle of New Britain.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 228 of 481 of the Battle of Western New Guinea.
PTO - Philippines: Day 47 of 299 of the 2nd Battle of the Philippines, aka the Liberation of the Philippines or the Philippines Campaign.
PTO - Philippines: Day 47 of 73 of the Battle of Leyte.
PTO - Philippines: Day 25 of 41 of the Naval Battle of Ormoc Bay.
Day-By-Day listings for December 5 were last modified on Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Spotlight...
