5 Jul 1940 | World War II Database

5 Jul 1940

Romania announced that it had joined the Axis Powers. ww2dbase [The Tripartite Pact | TH]
RAF launched night bombing raids on Kiel and Wilhelmshaven, Germany. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | TH]
The United States banned the trade of strategic materials with Japan. ww2dbase [CPC]
Nine British Royal Navy Swordfish aircraft of 813 Squadron from HMS Eagle flew 100 miles west from Sidi Barrani, Egypt to attack the Italian naval base at Tobruk, Libya. Destroyer Zeffiro was sunk, destroyer Euro's bow was blown off, troop transport Liguria was damaged and was beached to prevent sinking, merchant vessel Manzoni was sunk, and merchant vessel Serenitas was damaged. ww2dbase [Eagle | CPC]
German submarine U-34 sank British destroyer Whirlwind off Land's End, southwestern tip of England, United Kingdom. 50 miles southwest of Ireland, U-34 torpedoed British destroyer HMS Whirlwind, killing 59; 51 survivors were rescued by destroyer HMS Westcott before Wescott scuttled Whirlwind. Also off Ireland, U-99 damaged Canadian steamer Magog, breaking her into two; the stern section sank immediately, but the remainder of the ship remained afloat largely due to the timber she was carrying; 23 survivors were rescued by Swedish merchant ship Fidra. ww2dbase [First Happy Time | CPC]
German auxiliary minesweepers M1803 (trawler Spitzbergen), M1806 (trawler Cuxhaven), and M1807 (trawler Mulsum) attacked and damaged British submarine HMS Shark in Boknafjord near Stavanger, Norway at 2200 hours. ww2dbase [CPC]
Vichy France broke off diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom. ww2dbase [CPC]
US President Roosevelt used the power given by the Export Control Act, which was was just passed into law three days prior, to restrict the export of strategic minerals, strategic chemicals, aircraft engines, aircraft engine parts, and other equipment to Japan without special license. ww2dbase [Franklin Roosevelt | CPC]
USS Wichita and USS Quincy arrived in Rio Grande du Sol, Brazil. ww2dbase [Quincy (New Orleans-class) | CPC]

Germany

Adolf Hitler presented the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross to Generalluftzeumeister Ernst Udet, the Director General of Luftwaffe Equipment. ww2dbase [Ernst Udet | Adolf Hitler | AC]
Adolf Hitler departed from his headquarters at Tannenberg in southern Germany, returning to Berlin. ww2dbase [Adolf Hitler | Berlin | CPC]

Italy

Leonardo da Vinci set sail from Castellammare di Stabia, Italy at 0825 hours, arriving at Naples, Italy at 1710 hours. ww2dbase [Leonardo da Vinci | Napoli, Campania | CPC]
Alpino Bagnolini conducted exercises out of Taranto, Italy between 0730 and 1703 hours. ww2dbase [Alpino Bagnolini | Taranto, Apulia | CPC]

Panama Canal Zone

USS Phoenix departed Balboa, Panama Canal Zone for Valparaiso, Chile. ww2dbase [Phoenix | Balboa | CPC]

Portugal

USS Omaha relieved USS Trenton as Rear Admiral David M. LeBreton's flagship for Squadron 40-T at Lisbon, Portugal. ww2dbase [Lisbon | CPC]

United Kingdom

Operation Fish: British battleship HMS Revenge, cruiser HMS Bonaventure, destroyer HMS Garth, and troop transports Monarch of Bermuda, Sobieski, and Batory departed Greenock, Scotland at 0545 hours. The cargo of US$1,750,000,000 worth of gold and securities from the Bank of England was destined for the Bank of Canada's vault in Ottawa. They would arrive at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada safely on 12 Jul. ww2dbase [Greenock, Scotland | CPC]
In Britain, the south coast of England for twenty miles inland from Bexhill was declared to be a "Defence Area". ww2dbase [England | AC]

United States

Admiral James O. Richardson arrived in Washington DC, United States to meet with US President Franklin Roosevelt, officials from the Department of the Navy, and the State Department regarding the retention of the US Fleet in Hawaiian waters. ww2dbase [Washington | CPC]

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis

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