Military History Anniversaries 1 thru 31 May
Significant events in U.S. Military History for the next 30 days are:
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May 01 1778 – American Revolution: The Battle of Crooked Billet begins in Hatboro,
Pennsylvania. Results – British victory. Casualties and losses: PA Militia 92 – GB 7.
May 01 1862 – Civil War: The Union Army completes the Capture of New Orleans.
May 01 1863 – Civil War: First of 7 day Battle of Chancellorsville. Results – Confederate
victory. Casualties and losses: US 17,197 – CSA 13,303.
May 01 1898 – Spanish*American War: The Battle of Manila Bay – the U.S. Navy destroys the
Spanish Pacific fleet in the first battle of the war.
May 01 1945 – WW2: Start of Operation Chowhound to help feed civilians in the Netherlands via
food airdrops who were in danger of starvation in the Dutch famine
May 01 1945 – WW2: Joseph Goebbels and his wife Magda commit suicide in the Reich Garden
outside the Führerbunker. Their children are murdered by their mother by having cyanide pills
inserted into their mouths.
The Goebbels
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May 01 1960 – Cold War: U–2 incident – Francis Gary Powers, in a Lockheed U–2 spyplane, is
shot down over the Soviet Union, sparking a diplomatic crisis.
May 01 2003 – 2003 invasion of Iraq: In what becomes known as the "Mission Accomplished"
speech, on board the USS Abraham Lincoln (off the coast of California), U.S. President George
W. Bush declares that "major combat operations in Iraq have ended".
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May 02 1863 – Civil War: Stonewall Jackson is wounded by friendly fire while returning to camp
after reconnoitering during the Battle of Chancellorsville. He succumbs to pneumonia eight days
later.
May 02 1945 – WW2: Italian Campaign – General Heinrich von Vietinghoff signs the official
instrument of surrender of all Wehrmacht forces in Italy.
May 02 1945 – WW2: The US 82nd Airborne Division liberates Wöbbelin concentration camp
finding 1000 dead inmates, most starved to death.
May 02 1964 – Vietnam: An explosion sinks the USS Card while docked at Saigon. Viet Cong
forces are suspected of placing a bomb on the ship.
May 03 1926 – US marines land in Nicaragua (9–mo after leaving) and stay until 1933.
May 03 1942 – Japanese naval troops invade Tulagi Island in the Solomon Islands during the first
part of Operation Mo that results in the Battle of the Coral Sea between Japanese forces and
forces from the United States and Australia.
May 03 1945 – WW2: USS Lagarto (SS–371) sunk by Japanese minelayer Hatsutaka in Gulf of
Siam. 86 killed.
May 04 1942 – WW2: Battle of Coral Sea begins with an attack by aircraft from the United
States aircraft carrier USS Yorktown on Japanese naval forces at Tulagi Island in the Solomon
Islands. It was the 1st sea battle fought solely in air.
May 04 1942 – WW2: Civilians issued first ration books—War Ration Book Number One, or the
"Sugar Book through more than 100,000 schoolteachers, PTA groups, and other volunteers
War Ration Book Number One front and back
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May 04 1956 – Cold War: Operation Redwing – Beginning ofr a 78 day period in which a series of 17
second-generation thermonuclear and fission devices are detonated at bikini and Enewetak Atolls
Redwing Apache 1.9 MT Detonation July 1956
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May 05 1864 – Civil War: The inconclusive 3 day Battle of the Wilderness begins in
Spotsylvania County, Virginia. Casualties and losses: US 17,666 – CSA 11,125.
May 05 1916 – US marines invade Dominican Republic, stay until 1924
May 05 1945 – WW2: Admiral Karl Dönitz, President of Germany after Hitler's death, orders all
German U–boats to cease offensive operations and return to their bases.
May 06 1863 – Civil War: The Battle of Chancellorsville ends with a Union retreat. It is known
as Lee's "perfect battle" because of his risky decision to divide his army in the presence of a much
larger enemy force.
May 06 1937 – Hindenburg disaster: The German zeppelin Hindenburg catches fire and is
destroyed within a minute while attempting to dock at Lakehurst, New Jersey. Thirty–six people
are killed.
May 06 1941 – At California's March Field, Bob Hope performs his first USO show.
May 06 1942 – WW2: On Corregidor, the last American forces in the Philippines surrender to the
Japanese.
May 06 1945 – WW2: Axis Sally delivers her last propaganda broadcast to Allied troops (first
was on December 11, 1941).
May 07 1763 – Indian Wars: Pontiac's Rebellion begins – Chief Pontiac begins the "Conspiracy
of Pontiac" by attacking British forces at Fort Detroit.
May 07 1864 – Civil War: The Army of the Potomac, under General Ulysses S. Grant, breaks off
from the Battle of the Wilderness and moves southwards.
May 07 1915 – WWI: German submarine U–20 sinks RMS Lusitania, killing 1,198 people
including 128 Americans. Public reaction to the sinking turns many formerly pro–Germans in the
United States against the German Empire.
May 07 1942 – WW2: During the Battle of the Coral Sea, United States Navy aircraft carrier
aircraft attack and sink the Japanese Imperial Navy light aircraft carrier Shoho. The battle marks
the first time in the naval history that two enemy fleets fight without visual contact between
warring ships.
May 07 1945 – WW2: Germany signs unconditional surrender terms at Reims, France, ending
Germany's participation in the war. The document takes effect the next day.
May 07 1954 – Vietnam: Dien Bien Phu 55 day Battle in Vietnam ends with Vietnamese
insurgents overrunning French forces.
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May 07 1960 – Cold War: U-2 Crisis of 1960 – Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev announces that
his nation is holding American U-2 pilot Gary Powers.
May 07 1984 – Vietnam: Agent Orange class–action suit brought by Vietnam veterans settled
out of court for $180 Million.
May 08 1846 – Mexican*American War: The Battle of Palo Alto – Zachary Taylor defeats a
Mexican force north of the Rio Grande in the first major battle of the war. Casualties and losses:
UA 56– MEX 357
May 08 1942 – WW2: The Battle of the Coral Sea comes to an end with Japanese Imperial Navy
aircraft carrier aircraft attacking and sinking the United States Navy aircraft carrier USS
Lexington. The battle marked the first time in the naval history that two enemy fleets fight
without visual contact between warring ships.
May 08 1945 – WW2: Combat in Europe ends – V–E Day. German forces agree in Rheims,
France, to an unconditional surrender.
May 08 1972 – Vietnam: U.S. President Richard M. Nixon announces his order to place mines in
major North Vietnamese ports in order to stem the flow of weapons and other goods to that nation
May 09 1941 – WW2: The German submarine U-110 was captured at sea by Britain's Royal navy
May 09 1951 – Korean War: Air raid on Chinese positions at Yalu River
May 10 1775 – American Revolution: A small Colonial militia led by Ethan Allen and Colonel
Benedict Arnold captures Fort Ticonderoga.
May 10 1797 – 1st Navy ship, the "United States," is launched.
USS United States
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May 10 1801 – First Barbary War: The Barbary pirates of Tripoli declare war on the United
States of America.
May 10 1863 – Civil War: Confederate General Stonewall Jackson dies eight days after he is
accidentally shot by his own troops.
May 10 1864 – Civil War: Colonel Emory Upton leads a 10–regiment 'Attack–in–depth' assault
against the Confederate works at The Battle of Spotsylvania, which, though ultimately
unsuccessful, would provide the idea for the massive assault against the Bloody Angle on May
12. Upton, although slightly wounded, is immediately promoted to Brigadier general.
May 10 1865 – Civil War: Jefferson Davis is captured by Union troops near Irwinville, Georgia.
May 10 1865 – Civil War: In Kentucky, Union soldiers ambush and mortally wound Confederate
raider William Quantrill, who lingers until his death on June 6.
May 10 1941 – WW2: Rudolf Hess parachutes into Scotland in order to try and negotiate a peace
deal between the United Kingdom and Germany.
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May 10 1946 – Cold War: First successful launch of an American V–2 rocket at White Sands
Proving Ground.
May 10 1960 – The nuclear submarine USS Triton completes Operation Sandblast, the first
underwater circumnavigation of the earth.
May 10 1969 – Vietnam: The Battle of Dong Ap Bia begins with an assault on Hill 937. It will
ultimately become known as Hamburger Hill.
May 11 1846 – Mexican American War: President James K. Polk asked for and received a
Declaration of War against Mexico, starting the Mexican–American War
May 11 1862 – Civil War: The ironclad CSS Virginia is scuttled in the James River northwest of
Norfolk, Virginia
CSS Virginia
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May 11 1943 – WW2: American troops invade Attu Island in the Aleutian Islands in an attempt
to expel occupying Japanese forces.
May 11 1944 – WW2: The Allies start a major offensive against the Axis Powers on the Gustav
Line.
May 11 1945 – World War II: Off the coast of Okinawa, the aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill, is
hit by two kamikazes, killing 346 of her crew. Although badly damaged, the ship is able to return
to the U.S. under her own power.
May 12 1780 – Revolutionary War: Charleston, South Carolina is taken by British forces.
May 12 1863 – Civil War: Battle of Raymond: two divisions of James B. McPherson's XVII
Corps (ACW) turn the left wing of Confederate General John C. Pemberton's defensive line on
Fourteen Mile Creek, opening up the interior of Mississippi to the Union Army during the
Vicksburg Campaign.
May 12 1864 – Civil War: the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House: thousands of Union and
Confederate soldiers die in "the Bloody Angle".
May 12 1865 – Civil War: The Battle of Palmito Ranch: the first day of the last major land action
to take place during the Civil War, resulting in a Confederate victory.
May 12 1949 – Cold War: The Soviet Union lifts its blockade of Berlin.
May 12 1962 – Douglas MacArthur delivers his famous "Duty, Honor, Country" valedictory
speech at the United States Military Academy.
May 13 1846 – Mexican–American War: The United States declares war on Mexico.
May 13 1861 – Civil War: Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom issues a "proclamation of
neutrality" which recognizes the breakaway states as having belligerent rights.
May 13 1864 – Civil War: Battle of Resaca – The 3 day battle begins with Union General
Sherman fighting toward Atlanta, Georgia.
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May 13 1865 – Civil War: Battle of Palmito Ranch – in far south Texas, more than a month after
Confederate General Robert E. Lee's surrender, the last land battle of the Civil War ends with a
Confederate victor. Casualties and losses: US 117 – CSA 9
May 13 1945 – WW2: US troops conquer Dakeshi Okinawa
May 14 1863 – Civil War: The Battle of Jackson takes place. Casualties and losses: US 286 –
CSA 850
May 14 1955 – Cold War: Eight communist bloc countries, including the Soviet Union, sign a
mutual defense treaty called the Warsaw Pact.
May 14 2005 – The former USS America, a decommissioned supercarrier of the United States
Navy, is deliberately sunk in the Atlantic Ocean after four weeks of live–fire exercises. She is the
largest ship ever to be disposed of as a target in a military exercise.
USS America 24 April 1983
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May 15 1864 – Civil War: Battle of Resaca, Georgia ends. Casualties and losses: US ~4500 –
CSA 2800.
May 15 1864 – Civil War: Battle of New Market, Virginia – In a small engagement fought near
this central Shenandoah Valley town, a Union force composed of about 10,000 men from a
variety of states is opposed by a smaller Confederate force made up primarily of Virginians.
Among the troops on the southern side are cadets from the Virginia Military Institute. During the
climax of the battle, these boys, ages 12 to 16, charge across an open field, taking casualties but
capturing a battery of guns on a commanding hill. Ten cadets are killed and 50 are wounded.
Though the battle would end in a Confederate victory, in the long run, it would prove to be futile
due to the overwhelming numbers of Union forces which would quickly regroup and advance
again down the Valley, burning fields and barns as they moved.
May 15 1942 – WW2: Lieutenant Ronald Reagan, a cavalry officer, applies for reassignment to
the Army Air Force, where he would eventually put his thespian background to use on World
War II propaganda films.
May 15 1962 – Vietnam: US marines arrive in Laos.
May 15 1972: The U.S. Army Ryukyu Islands (Okinawa) reverted to the full control of Japan
but the U.S retained its rights to nuclear free bases.
May 15 1997 – The United States government acknowledges the existence of the "Secret War" in
Laos and dedicates the Laos Memorial in honor of Hmong and other "Secret War" veterans.
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Laos Memorial in Fresno CA
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May 16 1940 – WW2: Germany occupies Brussels, Belgium and begins the invasion of France.
May 17 1987 – An Iraqi missile hits the American frigate USS Stark in the Persian Gulf. 37
sailors die.
May 17 2006 – The aircraft carrier USS Oriskany is sunk in the Gulf of Mexico as an artificial
reef.
May 18 1863 – Civil War: The 47 day Siege of Vicksburg begins. Casualties and losses: US
4,835 - CSA 32,697.
May 18 1917 – WWI: The Selective Service Act of 1917 is passed, giving the President of the
United States the power of conscription.
May 18 1944 – WW2: 122 day Battle of Monte Cassino – Conclusion after seven days of the
fourth battle as German paratroopers evacuate. Casualties and losses: Allies 55,000 - Axis
~20,000.
May 19 1776 – American Revolution: A Continental Army garrison surrenders in the Battle of
The Cedars.
May 19 1848 – Mexican–American War: Mexico ratifies the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo thus
ending the war and ceding California, Nevada, Utah and parts of four other modern–day U.S.
states to the United States for US$15 million.
May 19 1951 – Korea: UN begins counter offensive in Korea.
May 19 1967 – Vietnam: U.S. planes bomb Hanoi for the first time.
May 20 1864 – Civil War: Battle of Ware Bottom Church – in the Virginia Bermuda Hundred
Campaign, 10,000 troops fight in this Confederate victory. Combined casualties ~1500..
May 20 1902 – Latin America Interventions: U.S. military occupation of Cuba (since Jan 1, 1899)
ends.
May 20 1951 – Korea: U.S. Air Force Captain James Jabara becomes the first jet air ace in
history.
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May 20 1956 – Cold War: Operation Redwing - The first United States airborne hydrogen bomb
is dropped over Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
May 20 1969 – Vietnam: US troop capture Hill 937/Hamburger Hill after 10 days of fighting.
Casualties and losses: US 444 - NVN 678
May 21 1863 – Civil War: The Union Army succeeds in closing off the last escape route from
Port Hudson, Louisiana, in preparation for the coming siege.
May 21 1864 – Civil War: The 13 day Battle of Spotsylvania Court House ends. Casualties and
losses: US 18,399 - CSA 13,421.
May 21 1941 – First U.S. ship sunk by a U–boat. SS Robin Moore crew and passengers allowed
to man lifeboats by U-69 Commander before he torpedoed and shelled the ship. Event happened
before U.S. entered into war with Germany.
May 21 1951 – Korea: The U.S. Eighth Army counterattacks to drive the Communist Chinese
and North Koreans out of South Korea.
May 22 1863 – Civil War: Siege of Port Hudson – Union forces begin to lay siege to the
Confederate–controlled Port Hudson, Louisiana.
May 22 1864 – Civil War: After ten weeks, the Union Army's Red River Campaign ends with the
Union unable to achieve any of its objectives. Casualties and losses: US 5,500 - CSA 4,300.
May 22 1871 – The U.S. Army issued an order for abandonment of Fort Kearny in Nebraska.
May 22 1944 – WW2: Anzio Beachhead, Italy — Allied forces, including elements of three
National Guard divisions—the 34th (IA, MN, ND), 36th (TX) and 45th (AZ, CO, OK)—begin
their final push to break out of the besieged positions just south of Rome for four months. The
breakout would be completed on May 31, with the Allies entering Rome on June 5.
May 22 1945 – Operation Paperclip - United States Army Major Robert B. Staver recommends
that the U.S. evacuate German scientists and engineers to help in the development of rocket
technology.
May 22 1947 – Cold War: In an effort to fight the spread of Communism, U.S. President Harry S.
Truman signs an act into law that will later be called the Truman Doctrine. The act grants $400
million in military and economic aid to Turkey and Greece, each battling an internal Communist
movement.
May 22 1968 – Last radio message received from USS Scorpion (SSN–589). Declared lost 6
JUN. Cause not ascertainable; most probable inadvertent activation of battery of torpedo resulting
in a possible "hot run" torpedo detonation off Azores. 99 died.
May 23 1900 – Civil War hero Sgt. William H. Carney becomes the first African American to
receive the Medal of Honor, 37 years after the Battle of Fort Wagner.
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May 23 1939 – USS Squalus (SS–192) foundered in a test dive off Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
26 died. The remaining 33 were rescued the next day.
May 24 1846 – Mexican–American War: General Zachary Taylor captures Monterrey. Casualties
and losses: US 450 - Mex 450.
May 24 1861 – Civil War: Union troops occupy Alexandria, Virginia.
May 25 1915 – WWI: 2nd Battle of Ypres ends with 105,000 casualties
May 25 1953 – The first atomic cannon is fired in Nevada.
May 26 1783 – American Revolution: A Great Jubilee Day held at North Stratford, Connecticut
celebrated end of fighting in American Revolution.
May 26 1865 – Civil War: Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of the
Confederate Trans–Mississippi division, is the last general of the Confederate Army to surrender,
at Galveston, Texas.
May 26 1940 – WW2: Battle of Dunkirk – In France, Allied forces begin a massive evacuation
from Dunkirk, France.
May 26 1945 – WW2: U.S. drop fire bombs on Tokyo
May 26 2004 – The U.S. Army veteran Terry Nichols is found guilty of 161 state murder charges
for helping carry out the Oklahoma City bombing.
May 27 1813 – War of 1812: In Canada, American forces capture Fort George
May 27 1863 – American Civil War: First Assault on the Confederate works at the 48 day Siege
of Port Hudson.
May 27 1944 – WW2: American General MacArthur lands on Biak Island in New Guinea.
May 27 1965 – Vietnam: American warships begin the first bombardment of National Liberation
Front targets within South Vietnam.
May 28 1754 – French and Indian War: In the first engagement of the war, Virginia militia under
22–year–old Lieutenant Colonel George Washington defeat a French reconnaissance party in the
Battle of Jumonville Glen in what is now Fayette County in southwestern Pennsylvania.
May 29 1780 – American Revolution: At the Battle of Waxhaws, the British continue fighting
after the Continentals lay down their arms, killing 113 and critically wounding all but 53 that
remained.
May 29 1932 – WWI: Some 43,000 veterans, their families, and supporters begin to assemble in
Washington, D.C. in the Bonus Army to request immediate payment of cash bonus certificates
issued to them for redemption in 1945.
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May 29 1916 – U.S. forces invade the Dominican Republic, stay until 1924.
May 29 1945 – WW2: U.S. 1st Marine division conquerors Shuri–castle Okinawa
May 29 2004 – The WW2 Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C.
May 30 1868 – Decoration Day (the predecessor of the modern "Memorial Day") is observed in
the United States for the first time (By "Commander–in–chief of the Grand Army of the
Republic" John A. Logan's proclamation on May 5). It begins when two women place flowers on
both Confederate and Union graves.
May 30 1912 – First Nicaraguan Campaign: U.S. Marines are sent to Nicaragua to protect
American interests.
May 30 1958 – Memorial Day: the remains of two unidentified American servicemen, killed in
action during World War II and the Korean War respectively, are buried at the Tomb of the
Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery
May 30 1965 – Vietnam: Viet Cong offensive against U.S. base Da Nang, begins
May 31 1862 - Civil War: Battle of Seven Pines begins.
May 31 1900 – U.S. troops arrive in Peking to help put down the Boxer Rebellion.
U.S. Marines - Part of the international relief expedition sent to lift the siege of Peking.
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May 31 1912 – Cuban Pacification Campaign: U.S. Marines land on Cuba to help quell the
Negro Rebellion
[Source: Various Apr 2014 ++]
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