Portal:War/Selected anniversaries/December

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Selected anniversaries in December

December 1:

• 1925 - World War I aftermath: - The final Locarno Treaty is signed in London, establshing post-war territorial settlements.
• 1959 - Cold War: Antarctic Treaty signed , which sets aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve and bans military activity on that continent.
• 1964 - Vietnam War: US President Lyndon B. Johnson and his top-ranking advisers meet to discuss plans to bomb North Vietnam.
• 1971 - Cambodian Civil War: Khmer Rouge rebels intensify assaults on Cambodian government positions, forcing their retreat from Kompong Thmar and nearby Ba Ray.

December 2:

• 1805 - Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Austerlitz - French troops under Napoleon defeat a joint Russo-Austrian force.
• 1899 - Philippine-American War: The Battle of Tirad Pass, termed "The Filipino Thermopylae", is fought.
• 1962 - Vietnam War: After a trip to Vietnam at the request of US President John F. Kennedy, US Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield becomes the first American official to not make an optimistic public comment on the war's progress.

December 3:

• 1912 - Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, and Serbia (the Balkan League) sign an armistice with Turkey, ending the two-month long First Balkan War.
• 1944 - The Greek Civil War breaks out in a newly-liberated Greece, between communists and royalists.
• 1953 - The Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty, between the United States and the Republic of China, is signed in Washington, DC.
• 1971 - Indo-Pakistani War of 1971: After Pakistan launches airstrikes on Indian airfields, India retaliates by invading East Pakistan.
• 1997 - In Ottawa, Canada, representatives from 121 countries sign a treaty prohibiting manufacture and deployment of anti-personnel landmines. The United States, People's Republic of China, and Russia do not sign the treaty, however.

December 4:

• 1110 - First Crusade: The Crusaders conquer Sidon.
• 1259 - Kings Louis IX of France and Henry III of England agree to the Treaty of Paris, in which Henry renounces his claims to French-controlled territory on continental Europe (including Normandy) in exchange for Louis withdrawing his support for English rebels.
• 1676 - Battle of Lund: A Danish army under the command of King Christian V of Denmark engages the Swedish army commanded by Field Marshal Simon Grundel-Helmfelt.
• 1864 - American Civil War: Sherman's March to the Sea - At Waynesboro, Georgia, forces under Union General Judson Kilpatrick prevent troops led by Confederate General Joseph Wheeler from interfering with Union General William T. Sherman's campaign destroying a wide swath of the South on his march to the Atlantic Ocean from Atlanta (Union forces did suffer more than three times the Confederate casualties, however).
• 1943 - World War II: In Yugoslavia, resistance leader Marshal Tito proclaims a provisional democratic Yugoslav government in-exile.

December 5:

• 1941 - In Battle of Moscow Zhukov launched a massive Soviet counter-attack against the German army, with the biggest offensive launched against Army Group Centre.
• 1964 - Vietnam War: For his heroism in battle earlier in the year, Captain Roger Donlon of Saugerties, New York is awarded the first Medal of Honor of the war.

December 6:

• 1240 - Mongol invasion of Rus: Kiev under Danylo of Halych and Voivode Dmytro falls to the Mongols under Batu Khan.
• 1991 - In Croatia, forces of the Yugoslav People's Army bombard Dubrovnik after laying siege there since May.

December 7:

• 1776 - Marquis de Lafayette attempts to enter the American military as a major general.
• 1917 - World War I: The United States declares war on Austria-Hungary.
• 1941 - World War II: Attack On Pearl Harbor - The Imperial Japanese Navy attacks the U.S. Pacific Fleet and its defending Army Air Corps and Marine air forces at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
• 1949 - Chinese Civil War: The government of the Republic of China moves from Nanking to Taipei.
• 1975 - Indonesia invades East Timor.

December 8:

• 1914 - World War I: Battle of the Falkland Islands - The Kaiserliche Marine under the command of Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spee is engaged by the Royal Navy.
• 1941 - World War II: Pacific War - After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor the U.S. Congress passes a declaration of war against Japan.
• 1941 - World War II: Pacific War - China officially declares war against Japan, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
• 1941 - World War II: Battle of Hong Kong - The Japanese invade the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong less than 8 hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
• 1987 - The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is signed.

December 9:

• 1824 - Battle of Ayacucho: Peruvian nationalists led by Antonio José de Sucre defeat Spanish colonial forces and secure the independence of Peru.
• 1856 - The Iranian city of Bushehr surrenders to occupying British forces.
• 1861 - American Civil War: The Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War is established by the U.S. Congress.
• 1937 - Second Sino-Japanese War: Battle of Nanjing - Japanese troops under the command of Lt. Gen. Asaka Yasuhiko launch an assault on the Chinese city of Nanjing.
• 1940 - World War II: Operation Compass - British and Indian troops under the command of Major-General Richard O'Connor attack Italian forces near Sidi Barrani in Egypt.
• 1941 - World War II: The Republic of China, Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea and Cuba declare war on Germany and Japan.

December 10:

• 1508 - League of Cambrai formed as an alliance against Venice between Pope Julius II, Louis XII of France, Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor and Ferdinand II of Aragon.
• 1864 - William Tecumseh Sherman reaches Savannah, Georgia, the last stop of his "March to the Sea".
• 1941 - Japanese forces land in the Philippines, capture Guam and sink the British ships HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse.
• 1949 - Chinese Civil War: The Red Army begins its siege of Chengdu, the last KMT-held city on mainland China. Chiang Kai-shek leaves for Taiwan.

December 11:

• 1602 - A surprise attack by forces under the command of the Duke of Savoy and his brother-in-law, Philip III of Spain, is repelled by the citizens of Geneva.
• 1927 - Guangzhou Uprising: Communist militia and worker red guards launch an uprising in the Chinese city of Guangzhou, taking over most of the city and announcing the formation of a Guangzhou Soviet.
• 1937 - Second Italo-Abyssinian War: Italy leaves the League of Nations
• 1941 - World War II: Germany and Italy declare war on the United States.
• 1994 - First Chechen War: Russian President Boris Yeltsin orders Russian troops into Chechnya

December 12:

• 627 - Battle of Nineveh
• 1781 - The British navy defeated a French fleet in the Second Battle of Ushant during the American Revolutionary War.
• 1939 - Finland defeated the Soviet Union in the Battle of Tolvajärvi, their first major victory in the Winter War.
• 1941 - Hungary and Romania declare war on the United States. India declares war on Japan. United States seizes French ship Normandie.

December 13:

• 1643 - English Civil War: The Battle of Alton takes place in Hampshire.
• 1862 - American Civil War: At the Battle of Fredericksburg, Confederate General Robert E. Lee defeats the Union Major General Ambrose E. Burnside.
• 1937 - Battle of Nanjing concludes with the Japanese victory and the fall of the city which became the site of the Nanjing Massacre.
• 1939 - The Battle of the River Plate, the first major naval battle of World War II, begins.

December 14:

• 1939 - USSR expelled from the League of Nations.
• 1981 - Israel annexes the Golan Heights.
• 1995 - The Dayton Agreement was signed in Paris to end the Yugoslav wars.
• 2003 - The news of the former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's capture is finally announced.

December 15:

• 533 - The Battle of Ticameron begins.
• 1256 - Hulagu Khan captures and destroys the Hashshashin stronghold at Alamut in present-day Iran.
• 1914 - The Battle of Łódź ends; Russians retreat toward Moscow.

December 16:

• 1598 - An outnumbered Korean and Ming navy ambush and defeat a Japanese army at the Battle of Noryang Point.
• 1838 - Boers defeat Zulu troops at Battle of Blood River, led by Dambuza and Nhlela, celebrated in South Africa as the day of the vow.
• 1864 - American Civil War: Union troops led by General George Thomas defeat Confederate troops in the Battle of Nashville.
• 1944 - World War II: The Battle of the Bulge begins.
• 1944 - World War II: A V-2 rocket hits the Rex Cinema in Antwerp killing 567 people.
• 1971 - The Pakistan Army surrenders, ending the Liberation War of Bangladesh and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 simultaneously.
• 1998 - Operation Desert Fox: American and British troops begin to bomb Iraqi targets after Iraq obstructs UN weapons inspectors.

December 17:

• 1637 - The Shimabara Rebellion breaks out in Japan.
• 1939 - German battleship Admiral Graf Spee is scuttled by Captain Hans Langsdorff at the Battle of the River Plate.
• 1941 - German siege of Sevastopol begins.
• 1944 - Western Defense Command issues proclamation ending requirement of Japanese internment.
• 1944 - In what became known as the Malmedy massacre, around 80 American POW are executed by Waffen-SS troops of Jochen Peiper's Kampfgruppe.

December 18:

• 218 BC - Battle of the Trebia, Hannibal's first great victory over the Roman Republic.
• 1916 - The Battle of Verdun ends in World War I.
• 1961 - Indonesia invades New Guinea to annex western New Guinea, formerly known as Netherlands New Guinea.

December 19:

• 1777 - George Washington's army goes into winter quarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
• 1946 - Ho Chi Minh attacks French in Hanoi.
• 1961 - The Indian Army invades the Portuguese province of Estado da India Portuguesa (Portuguese State of India) which will become part of India.

December 20:

• 1522 - Suleiman the Magnificent accepts the surrender of the surviving Knights of Rhodes, who are allowed to evacuate. They eventually re-settle on Malta and become known as the Knights of Malta.
• 1915 - Last Australian troops evacuated from Gallipoli.
• 1960 - National Front for the Liberation of Vietnam is formed.
• 1989 - Operation Just Cause: United States sends troops into Panama to overthrow government of Manuel Noriega.
• 1995 - NATO begins peacekeeping in Bosnia.

December 21:

• 1780 - Great Britain declares war on The Netherlands in response to the Dutch joining the League of Armed Neutrality and for assisting French and American forces during the American Revolution.
• 1861 - The Medal of Honor first authorized.
• 1861 - Lord Lyons, the British minister to the United States, meets with United States Secretary of State William H. Seward concerning Confederate envoys arrested by the United States Navy in order to prevent war between the United States and the United Kingdom.

December 22:

• 1864 - Savannah, Georgia falls to General William Tecumseh Sherman, concluding his "March to the Sea".
• 1944 - German troops demand the surrender of United States troops at Bastogne, Belgium. See Battle of the Bulge.
• 1944 - Vietnam People's Army is formed to resist Japanese occupation of Vietnam.

December 23:

• 1783 - George Washington resigns as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army at Annapolis, Maryland.
• 1916 - World War I: In the Battle of Magdhaba, Allied forces capture a Turkish garrison on the Sinai peninsula.
• 1976 - A peace agreement is signed in Tripoli, Libya between the Philippine Government and the Moro National Liberation Front.
• 1979 - Soviet invasion of Afghanistan: Soviet military units occupy Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan.

December 24:

• 1715 - Swedish troops occupy Norway.
• 1814 - The Treaty of Ghent was signed which ended the War of 1812.
• 1914 - World War I: The "Christmas truce" begins.
• 1941 - Hong Kong falls to the Japanese Imperial Army.
• 1941 - Wake Island is conquered by Japanese forces.
• 1943 - US General Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes the supreme Allied commander.
• 1968 - The crew of the USS Pueblo is released by North Korea after being held for 11 months on suspicion of spying.

December 25:

• 1776 - George Washington and his army cross the Delaware River to attack the monarchy's Hessian mercenaries in Trenton, New Jersey.
• 1837 - Battle of Okeechobee - United States forces defeat Seminole Indians.
• 1868 - US President Andrew Johnson grants unconditional pardon to all Civil War Confederate soldiers.
• 1914 - World War I: The Christmas truce: Just after midnight on Christmas morning, German and British troops on the Western Front cease firing their guns and artillery and sing Christmas carols. Crossing the No man's land, they trade gifts with the enemy forces that face them. They also played a game of soccer with a makeshift soccer ball (fashioned by the Germans) This truce lasts for several days, depending on the location.
• 1941 - World War II: Battle of Hong Kong ends. British colonial officials headed by Governor Mark Aitchison Young of Hong Kong surrenders to the Japanese. Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong begins.

December 26:

• 1481 - Battle of Westbroek - Holland defeats troops of Utrecht.
• 1776 - American Revolutionary War: The British were defeated in the Battle of Trenton.
• 1793 - Battle of Geisberg - French defeat Austrians.
• 1806 - Battle of Pultusk - indecisive battle between Napoleon and the Russians.
• 1812 - Delaware and Chesapeake blockaded during the War of 1812.
• 1861 - Confederate diplomatic envoys James Mason and John Slidell are freed by the United States government, thus heading off a possible war between the United States and Britain.
• 1862 - American Civil War: Start of the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou.
• 1943 - The German warship Scharnhorst sinks off the coast of North Cape in Norway after being attacked by the British Royal Navy late the previous evening.
• 1944 - American troops repulse German forces at Bastogne.
• 1998 - Iraq announced its intention to fire upon US and British warplanes that patrol the northern and southern "no-fly zones".

December 27:

• 1918 - Beginning of Great Poland Uprising, the Poles in Greater Poland (or Grand Duchy of Poznań) rise against the Germans.
• 1979 - The Soviet Union seizes control of Afghanistan and Babrak Karmal replaces overthrown and executed President Hafizullah Amin.
• 1996 - Taliban forces retake the strategic Bagram air base which solidifies their buffer zone around Kabul.

December 28:

• 1835 - Osceola led his Seminole warriors in Florida into the Second Seminole War against the U.S. Army.
• 1941 - Starts the Operation Anthropoid (the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich in Prague).

December 29:

• 1813 - War of 1812: British soldiers burn Buffalo, New York.
• 1860 - The first British seagoing iron-clad warship, HMS Warrior is launched.
• 1862 - American Civil War: End of the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou.
• 1890 - Wounded Knee Massacre: The United States soldiers massacred over 400 men, women and children of the Great Sioux Nation at Wounded Knee, South Dakota.
• 1934 - Japan renounces the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 and the London Naval Treaty of 1930.
• 1940 - Battle of Britain: Luftwaffe firebombs London, killing almost 3000 civilians.
• 1996 - Guatemala and leaders of Guatemalan National Revolutionary Union sign a peace accord that ends a 36-year civil war.

December 30:

• 1460 - Wars of the Roses: The Duke of York is defeated at the Battle of Wakefield.
• 1862 - USS Monitor sinks off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
• 1972 - Vietnam War: The US halts heavy bombing of North Vietnam.

December 31:

• 406 - Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia.
• 1775 - American Revolutionary War: British forces repulse an attack by Continental Army generals Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold at the Battle of Quebec.
• 1862 - American Civil War: Abraham Lincoln signs an act that admits West Virginia to the Union (thus dividing Virginia in two); meanwhile, the Battle of Stones River is fought near Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
• 1944 - World War II: Hungary declares war on Germany.