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• Napoleon Zervas was born. ww2dbase [Napoleon Zervas | CPC]

• Fox was commissioned into service. ww2dbase [Fox | CPC]

• USS Arizona departed New York City, New York, United States. ww2dbase [Arizona | New York | CPC]
• Joseph Stilwell completed a Chinese curriculum at the University of California in Berkeley, California, United States. ww2dbase [Joseph Stilwell | Berkeley, California | CPC]

17 May 1920 Interactive Map

• Captain Percy M. R. Royds was named the commanding officer of HMS Malaya. ww2dbase [Malaya | CPC]

• The sign of the General Government Building in Keijo (now Seoul), Korea was hung on the building during a ceremony. ww2dbase [Keijo General Government Building | Keijo | CPC]

17 May 1923 Interactive Map

• Lieutenant Commander Samuel Power Jenkins was made the commanding officer of USS Stewart. ww2dbase [Stewart | CPC]

• Cruiser USS Northampton was commissioned at the Bethlehem Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts, United States with Captain Walter N. Vernou in command. ww2dbase [Bethlehem Fore River Shipyard | Northampton | Quincy, Massachusetts | CPC]

17 May 1930 Interactive Map

• The order for fleet escort ship F1 was placed. ww2dbase [F1 | CPC]
• The order for fleet escort ship F2 was placed. ww2dbase [F2 | CPC]
• The order for fleet escort ship F3 was placed. ww2dbase [F3 | CPC]
• The order for fleet escort ship F4 was placed. ww2dbase [F4 | CPC]
• The order for fleet escort ship F5 was placed. ww2dbase [F5 | CPC]
• The order for fleet escort ship F6 was placed. ww2dbase [F6 | CPC]
• The order for fleet escort ship F7 was placed. ww2dbase [F7 | CPC]
• The order for fleet escort ship F8 was placed. ww2dbase [F8 | CPC]

• Dr. Juan Negrin became the new Spanish Prime Minister. His government would be dominated by Communists. ww2dbase [AC]

• Adolf Hitler asked for the latest intelligence report on Czechoslovakian border defenses. ww2dbase [Munich Conference and the Annexation of Sudetenland | CPC]
• The keel of Mircea was laid down by Blohm und Voss in Hamburg, Germany. ww2dbase [Mircea | CPC]

17 May 1938 Interactive Map

• Colonel Charles de Gaulle of the French 4th Armored Division launched a 200-tank counterattack at Montcornet, France; the French forces saw initial success, capturing 500 prisoners, but the momentum quickly waned. Guderian seized upon the opportunity and launched his own counterattack in France, driving the French back several kilometers. In Belgium, British Expeditionary Force commander General Lord Gort, fearful of being surrounded, ordered his troops to fall back to the Scheldt River; this move allowed German General Reichenau to capture Brussels. Meanwhile, Dutch resistance to the German invasion comes to an end with the evacuation, by French destroyers, of the survivors of the Franco-Dutch forces in Zeeland and on the islands of Walcheren and Beverland. ww2dbase [Invasion of France and the Low Countries | TH]
• Erwin Rommel was awarded the 1939 clasp to his Iron Cross Second Class medal. ww2dbase [Erwin Rommel | CPC]
• HMS Effingham departed Harstad, Norway with 1,020 troops, 10 Bren Gun Carriers, and 130 tons of supplies on board for Bodø, Norway. En route, she hit the southern edge of the Faksen Shoal off Bodø, Norway and was seriously damaged. ww2dbase [Effingham | CPC]

• German oil storage facilities in Bremen and Hamburg were destroyed by the RAF. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | Hamburg | TH]

• Grand Admiral Erich Raeder toured Emden at Oslo, Norway. ww2dbase [Emden | Oslo, Østlandet | CPC]

• US President Franklin Roosevelt announced the plans for recommissioning 35 additional flush deck destroyers to meet the requirements of fleet expansion and the Neutrality Patrol. ww2dbase [United States Neutrality Patrol | Franklin Roosevelt | CPC]

17 May 1940 Interactive Map

• Pilot Officer Mike Kolendorski, an American serving in the British RAF, became the first No. 121 Squadron RAF member to be killed. ww2dbase [CPC]
• German submarine U-107 attacked Dutch tanker Marisa with a torpedo at midnight, killing 2; U-107 allowed the 47 survivors to abandon ship before sinking her with guns. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Operation Brevity: German Colonel Maximilian von Herff launched a counterattack in the area near Bir Wair and Musaid after 1600 hours. British Brigadier General William Gott withdrew his troops into the Halfaya Pass, Egypt, ending his offensive operation. ww2dbase [Operation Brevity | CPC]
• Australian destroyer HMAS Vampire delivered fresh Australian troops to Tobruk, Libya at 0100 hours; the artillery pieces that arrived with the destroyer were deployed on the front lines as early as 0530 hours. ww2dbase [Siege of Tobruk | CPC]
• British bombers attacked Bramsfeld, 12 kilometers northwest of Köln, Germany; the Atlantik rubber plant was hit with 2 high explosive and 44 incendiary bombs. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | CPC]
• Arthur Compton and the United States National Academy of Sciences published a report noting the success rate of developing an atomic weapon was favorable. On the same day, Vannevar Bush created the Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD). ww2dbase [Operation Trinity and Manhattan Project | Vannevar Bush | CPC]

• Alessandro Malaspina was ordered to return to Bordeaux, France. At 0905 hours, the Italian submarine sighted an aircraft in the Atlantic Ocean at the range of 4,000 meters and submerged. ww2dbase [Alessandro Malaspina | CPC]
• Morosini sighted fellow Italian submarine Otaria in the Atlantic Ocean at 1345 hours and exchanged recognition signals. ww2dbase [Morosini | Otaria | CPC]

• Viceroy of Italian East Africa Duke of Aosta surrendered Amba Alagi, Ethiopia to the British at 1730 hours. ww2dbase [Invasion of Italian East Africa | Amba Alagi | CPC]

• Comandante Cappellini arrived at Bordeaux, France at 1435 hours, ending her fifth war patrol. ww2dbase [Comandante Cappellini | Bordeaux, Aquitaine | CPC]

• Sonderkommando Junck, a special formation of German Luftwaffe fighters, bombers and transports which had been hastily painted with Iraqi markings, commenced (with a dozen Bf 110 aircraft of 4./ZG 76) air attacks on British positions, especially those at Habbaniya, Iraq; or the next ten days the Bf 110 aircraft attacked, losing several aircraft in the process. Late in the evening, the British force from Palestine arrived at Habbaniya. After sundown, British and colonial troops crossed the Euphrates River toward Fallujah. ww2dbase [Campaigns in the Middle East | CPC, AC]

17 May 1941 Interactive Map

• USS Gar reported damaging a Japanese decoy ship in daylight with one of two torpedoes fired. ww2dbase [Gar | CPC]
• USS Pollack damaged a small boat with her deck gun off Kyushu, Japan. ww2dbase [Pollack | CPC]
• USS Skipjack sank Japanese ship Tazan Maru off French Indochina. ww2dbase [Skipjack | CPC]
• The British RAF launched two strikes against German cruiser Prinz Eugen while she was sailing toward Kiel, Germany. The first wave of 18 aircraft reached the ship but scored no hits; 3 aircraft were shot down. The second wave of 30 aircraft was intercepted by German fighters mid-way; 4 British bombers and 3 German Bf 109 fighters were shot down in action. ww2dbase [Prinz Eugen | CPC]
• German submarine U-103 sank US ship Ruth Lykes with her deck gun 200 miles south of the Grand Cayman island at 0044 hours; 6 were killed, 26 survived. Off Grenada, U-155 sank British tanker San Victorio at 0217 hours; 52 were killed, 1 survived). 75 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River in southern United States, U-506 sank US tanker Gulfoil at 0534 hours; 21 were killed, 19 survived. At 0952 hours, U-155 struck again, sinking US ship Challenger; 8 were killed, 56 survived. ww2dbase [Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico Campaigns | CPC]
• USS Triton sank Japanese submarine I-64 south of Japan, killing all 81 aboard. ww2dbase [Triton | CPC]
• USS Tautog attacked Japanese submarines I-22 and I-24 70 miles south of Truk, Caroline Islands at 0648 hours; all torpedoes missed. At 1107 hours, she discovered I-28 and attacked again, this time sinking the target, killing all 88 aboard. ww2dbase [Tautog | CPC]
• HMS Eagle launched 17 Spitfire and 6 Albacore aircraft for Malta; the Spitfire fighters successfully reached Malta, but the Albacore torpedo bombers returned due to engine trouble. Later in the day, 6 Italian SM.79 torpedo bombers attacked her, but all torpedoes missed. ww2dbase [Eagle | CPC]
• Saburo Sakai, Hiroyoshi Nishizawa, and Toshio Ohta performed daring aerial stunts over an Allied airfield; they were later scolded by their commanding officer Lieutenant (jg) Junichi Sasai. ww2dbase [Saburo Sakai | CPC]
• Representatives of the US War Relocation Authority visited Portland Assembly Center and recruited about 250 volunteers among the internee population to assist in the construction of the Tule Lake War Relocation Center in Newell, California, United States. ww2dbase [Portland Assembly Center | CPC]

• German submarine U-135 sank British ship Fort Qu'Appelle 480 miles east of Long Island, New York, United States; 14 were killed, 11 survived. Further south, also in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, U-653 sank British ship Peisander; all 65 aboard survived. Still further south in the Central Atlantic, German submarine U-156 sank British ship Barrdale at 0904 hours; 1 was killed, 52 survived. Finally, U-432 sank small US trawler Foam (1 was killed, 20 survived) and U-588 sank Norwegian ship Skottland (1 was killed, 23 survived) 85 miles south of Nova Scotia, Canada at about 1800 hours. ww2dbase [Second Happy Time | CPC]

• Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru departed Truk, Caroline Islands. ww2dbase [Hikawa Maru | Truk | CPC]

• USS Flying Fish departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol. ww2dbase [Pearl Harbor Navy Base and Ford Island Naval Air Station | Flying Fish | Pearl Harbor, Oahu | CPC]
• USS St. Louis, USS Kitty Hawk, and convoy arrived at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. ww2dbase [Kitty Hawk | St. Louis | Pearl Harbor, Oahu | DS]

• Damaged carrier Shokaku, having evaded no less than eight submarines, arrived at Kure, Japan at 1830 hours, escorted by Yugure, Kuroshio, Oyashio, and Hayashio. She was immediately placed in the Reserve Unit of the Mobile Force. ww2dbase [Kure Naval Arsenal | Shokaku | Yugure | Kure, Hiroshima | CPC]
• Japanese Naval General Staff approved the plans for what was to become the I-400-class submarine design. These would be submarine aircraft carriers conceived to carry out long-range aerial attacks on targets such as the Panama Canal and the continental United States. An order for the construction of 18 examples would be issued within weeks. ww2dbase [Japanese Attacks on the Continental United States | I-400-class | CPC]
• Gato-class submarine USS Silversides made a torpedo attack on two Japanese merchant ships off Susami, southern Honshu, Japan, damaging both ships. In making this attack, Silversides' periscope became entangled in Japanese fishing nets and the submarine dragged the nets with her as she made the attack. The nets had been suspended from small fishing buoys that flew small Japanese flags, making the Silversides perhaps the only US warship to make an attack while flying the Japanese flag. ww2dbase [Silversides | Kii Suido | DS]

• The German 3rd Schnellboot Flotilla consisting of six boats was sent out from Sicily, Italy to lay a minefield in the approaches to Valetta Grand Harbour, Malta. Daybreak caught them within range of the 9.2-inch coastal battery in Fort Leonardo (Maltese: Il-Fortizza San Leonardu) on the eastern side of the harbour. As S-34 was 12 kilometers off Zonqor Point she received a direct hit in her engine room killing three and injuring others of the crew. The boat, being of wooden and light metal construction failed to sink however so the crew attempted to scuttle her; the charges detonated but caused no further damage. Another boat radioing for air cover brought in a German Bf 109 fighter that sank the boat. ww2dbase [HM]

• Kamoi departed Emidji, Marshall Islands; later on the same day, she arrived at Jabor, Marshall Islands. ww2dbase [Kamoi | Emidji | CPC]

• Tatsuta Maru departed Davao, Philippine Islands. ww2dbase [Tatsuta Maru | Davao | CPC]

• German troops began capturing large numbers of artillery pieces and munitions around Kerch, Russia, which they would later use against Sevastopol. ww2dbase [Battle of Sevastopol | Kerch, Krym | TH]

• In Operation Fridericus, German 1st Panzer Army attacked Soviet troops at Izium, Ukraine, breaching the Soviet lines and capturing Barvenkovo. The spearhead of the Soviet offensive continued toward Kharkov, however, despite the actions behind it. ww2dbase [Second Battle of Kharkov | Kharkov | CPC]

• From Washington DC, United States, Ernest King sent Chester Nimitz a message noting that King was now in agreement with the theory that Midway Atoll was likely one of the primary targets in the upcoming Japanese offensive. Later in the day, King messaged Harold Stark in London, England, United Kingdom, ordering him to relay the explanation for the US Navy removing two carriers from the South Pacific to British liaison officers. Also on this day, the US Office of Naval Intelligence also voiced its agreement in a report to King that the Japanese Navy code name AF was likely Midway Atoll. ww2dbase [Battle of Midway and the Aleutian Islands | Ernest King | Washington | CPC]
• Submarine Gunnel was launched at Groton, Connecticut, United States, sponsored by the wife of US Navy Chief of the Bureau of Yards and Docks Ben Morell. ww2dbase [Electric Boat Company | Gunnel | Groton, Connecticut | CPC]

17 May 1942 Interactive Map

• The fifth Axis air offensive against Yugoslav partisans began. ww2dbase [TH]
• Lieutenant Colonel Robert M. Stillman led the 322nd Bomb Group on a disastrous low level mission to Haalem and Ijmuiden in the Netherlands. Light flak and Messerchmitt Bf 109G fighters accounted for the loss of ten out of the eleven American B-26 bombers that had set out. The only survivors were one crew that had turned back to its base early because of technical difficulties. ww2dbase [AC]

• USS New Mexico arrived at Kuluk Bay, Adak, US Territory of Alaska. ww2dbase [New Mexico | Adak | CPC]

• Destroyer USS Helm arrived at Sydney, Australia for a week-long tender overhaul alongside USS Dobbin at Wooloomooloo Wharf. ww2dbase [Helm | Sydney | DS]

• Japanese 3rd Division surrounded Songzi, Hubei Province, China. ww2dbase [Battle of Exi | Songzi, Hubei | CPC]

• René-Émile Godfroy successfully lobbied for the rearmament of the interned French warships at Alexandria, Egypt. ww2dbase [René-Émile Godfroy | Alexandria | CPC]

• The Edersee Dam was breached by a British air attack. ww2dbase [Dambuster Raid | Eder, Kurhessen | CPC]
• The Möhnesee Dam in western Germany was breached by a British air attack. ww2dbase [Dambuster Raid | Möhnesee Dam | Soest, Westfalen-Süd | CPC]

• With further repairs complete, Gato-class submarine USS Silversides departed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on her fifth war patrol. ww2dbase [Silversides | Pearl Harbor, Oahu | DS]

• Auxiliary Aircraft Carrier USS Bogue arrived at Hvalfjörður, Iceland where she stayed just one night. ww2dbase [Bogue | Hvalfjörður | DS]

• Destroyer USS Saufley departed Nouméa, New Caledonia bound for Efate, New Hebrides. ww2dbase [Saufley | Nouméa | DS]

• USS Grayback sank freighter England Maru and damaged two others in the South Pacific with four torpedo hits; eight torpedoes were expended in this attack. ww2dbase [Grayback | CPC]
• Submarine USS Tinosa arrived on station off the Bungo Channel, Japan on her first war patrol. ww2dbase [Tinosa | DS]

17 May 1943 Interactive Map

• USS Hoe damaged a Japanese freighter with 1 of 5 torpedoes fired. ww2dbase [Hoe | CPC]
• USS Tunny received reports of a Japanese convoy from USS Sand Lance and intercepted the 3-ship and 3-destroyer convoy just after sunset in the Mariana Islands. She launched three torpedoes each against two cargo ships, sinking Nichiwa Maru. She endured a counterattack consisted of 81 depth charges, suffering no damage. ww2dbase [Tunny | CPC]
• USS Astoria was commissioned into service with Captain George Dye in command. ww2dbase [Astoria (Cleveland-class) | CPC]
• USS Hawkbill was commissioned into service with Lieutenant Commander F. Worth Scanland, Jr. in command. ww2dbase [Hawkbill | CPC]
• The Japanese attack on the Blackpool site of Operation Thursday in Burma was repulsed. On the same day, William Slim handed operational control of the Chindits over to Joseph Stilwell. ww2dbase [Operation Thursday | Joseph Stilwell | William Slim | CPC]
• U-23 began her fifteenth war patrol. ww2dbase [U-23 | CPC]
• Patrol Boat No. 102 experienced trouble with her No. 3 and No. 4 boilers while at sea. ww2dbase [Stewart | CPC]

• USS Honolulu and USS St. Louis arrived at Tulagi, Solomon Islands. ww2dbase [Honolulu | St. Louis | Tulagi, Solomon Islands | DS]

• At Myitkyina, Burma, Colonel Charles Hunter ordered Chinese 150th Regiment to attack the airstrip west of the city, and ordered 1st Battalion of US 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional) under Lieutenant Colonel William Osborne to capture the ferry terminal at Pamati one mile southwest of the airstrip on the Irriwady River. The Chinese attack began at 1030 hours and the airstrip was captured at 1200 hours, with most Japanese troops falling back into the city aboard trucks. 1st Battalion Red Combat Team remained at the ferry terminal and White Combat Team moved to the airstrip to reinforce the Chinese. At 1530 hours, Joseph Stilwell learned of the success, and gleefully noted in his diary that this capture would embarrass the British. When informed of the capture, Louis Mountbatten was angered by Stilwell's decision to hide this offensive from him. Nevertheless, Mountbatten gracefully sent a message to Stilwell to praise his leadership and to congratulate the success. Stilwell, however, did not think of sending any messages to the commanders in the field to thank them. Colonel Charles Hunter, the tactical commander, was surprised that his superior Frank Merrill failed to show in the first group of aircraft to land at Myitkyina Airfield; instead, Merrill sent a team of engineers to repair an airstrip even though Hunter had already reported that the airfield was captured in tact. Merrill also failed to send any badly needed food and ammunition. Shortly after capturing the airfield, Hunter ordered K Force of US 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional) to move toward the airfield with speed. On the Japanese side, troops were quickly gathered at Tingkrukawng to the northeast and would arrive at Myitkyina within 24 hours. ww2dbase [Battle of Myitkyina | Joseph Stilwell | Louis Mountbatten | Frank Merrill | Charles Hunter | William Osborne | Myitkyina | CPC]

• Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru departed Surabaya, Java. ww2dbase [Hikawa Maru | Surabaya, Java | CPC]
• The oil refineries at the Wonokromo district of Surabaya, Java, Dutch East Indies and the nearby Braat Engineering Works were struck by British and American carrier aircraft struck by carrier aircraft of the Royal Navy’s Eastern Fleet made up of carriers HMS Illustrious and USS Saratoga escorted by HMS Cumberland, HMS Renown, USS Cummings, and others. ww2dbase [Operation Cockpit and Operation Transom | Renown | Saratoga | Illustrious | Cummings | Cumberland | Surabaya, Java | CPC]

• Battleship USS Washington and destroyers USS Saufley and USS Pringle returned to Pearl Harbor after five days of exercises south of Oahu. ww2dbase [Washington | Pringle | Saufley | Pearl Harbor, Oahu | DS]

• German troops evacuated Cassino, Italy. Meanwhile, the French penetration of the Gustav Line reached 25 miles. Nearby, Polish troops launched what was to become the final attack on Monte Cassino. ww2dbase [Battle of Monte Cassino | Cassino, Lazio | TH, CPC]

17 May 1944 Interactive Map

• 470 American B-29 bombers conducted a raid on Nagoya, Japan. ww2dbase [Bombing of Tokyo and Other Cities | CPC]
• P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft began to arrive at Ie Shima, Japan. They would start operating against the Japanese home islands on the following day. ww2dbase [CPC]
• US Navy carrier aircraft attacked Maloelap Atoll, Marshall Islands. ww2dbase [CPC]

• Destroyer USS Saufley departed Morotai, Molucca Islands, Dutch East Indies escorting a convoy bound for Leyte Gulf, Philippines. ww2dbase [Saufley | Morotai, Molucca Islands | DS]

• Kurt Blome was arrested by the US Counter Intelligence Corps in München (Munich), Germany. ww2dbase [Kurt Blome | München, München-Oberbayern | CPC]

• Barbers Point Naval Air Station: Single day maximum of catapult launches (22). ww2dbase [Barbers Point Naval Air Station | Ewa, Oahu | DS]
• USS Miami arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii. ww2dbase [Miami | Honolulu, Oahu | CPC]

• Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru arrived at Sasebo, Japan. ww2dbase [Hikawa Maru | Sasebo, Nagasaki | CPC]
• Destroyer Yukikaze departed Kure, Japan. ww2dbase [Yukikaze | Kure, Hiroshima | CPC]
• In Japan, after a vicious 48-hour battle the Okinawan capital, Naha, was captured by the Americans. ww2dbase [Okinawa Campaign | Naha, Okinawa | AC]
• Yukio Araki and the 72nd Shinbu Squadron arrived at Metabaru Airfield in Saga Prefecture, Japan. ww2dbase [Yukio Araki | Yoshinogari, Saga | CPC]
• Patrol Boat No. 102 was made the flagship of the Kure Guard Unit in Kure, Japan. At 0730 hours, Rear Admiral Takahiko Kiyota broke his flag aboard Patrol Boat No. 102. ww2dbase [Kure Naval Arsenal | Stewart | Kure, Hiroshima | CPC]

• Air Group 87 aircraft from USS Ticonderoga struck Taroa, Marshall Islands. ww2dbase [Ticonderoga | Taroa | DS]

• Mexican 201st Expeditionary Squadron with P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft began operations from Clark Field in the Philippine Islands. ww2dbase [Philippines Campaign, Phase 2 | Clark Field | Angeles, Pampanga | CPC]

• Kamikaze departed Penang, Straits Settlements and rescued 320 survivors of sunken Haguro in the Strait of Malacca. She then set for Singapore. ww2dbase [Kamikaze | Penang | CPC]

• B-24 bombers of US 380th Bomb Group attacked Matsuyama Airfield in Taihoku (now Taipei), Taiwan. ww2dbase [Matsuyama Airfield | Taihoku | CPC]
• 2 B-25 bombers of 71st Bombardment Squadron of USAAF 38th Bombardment Group dropped 12 500-pound parafrag bombs and propaganda leaflets on the Keishu sugar plant in Shoka (now Changhua), Taiwan at 1015 hours. ww2dbase [Shoka, Taichu | CPC]

• The first Firebrand TF.IV aircraft, equipped with Bristol Centaurus IX engine, took its first flight. ww2dbase [Firebrand | AC]

17 May 1945 Interactive Map

17 May 1946 Interactive Map

• Ivan Bagramyan was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for the third time. ww2dbase [Ivan Bagramyan | CPC]

• Crown Prince Yi Un arrived in Japan. ww2dbase [Yi Un | CPC]

17 May 1961 Interactive Map

• USS Charr arrived at San Diego, California, United States. ww2dbase [Charr | San Diego, California | CPC]

17 May 1972 Interactive Map

• Masaji Kitano passed away. ww2dbase [Masaji Kitano | CPC]