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18 Apr 1919

France
23 Apr 1919

France
  • Joseph Rochefort departed Brest, France aboard passenger ship Koningin der Nederlanden as a member of the crew. ww2dbase [Joseph Rochefort | Brest, Bretagne | CPC]
4 Aug 1922

France
14 Aug 1923

France
16 Aug 1923

France
21 May 1924

France
30 Oct 1924

France
17 Dec 1925

France
4 Apr 1926

France
  • The keel of Suffren was laid down at the Arsenal de Brest in France. ww2dbase [Suffren | Brest, Bretagne | CPC]
3 May 1927

France
12 Jun 1927

France
  • The keel of Colbert was laid down at Brest Naval Shipyard, France. ww2dbase [Colbert | Brest, Bretagne | CPC]
20 Apr 1928

France
21 Jun 1928

France
  • The keel of Foch was laid down at Arsenal de Brest, France. ww2dbase [Foch | Brest, Bretagne | CPC]
24 Apr 1929

France
14 Nov 1929

France
  • The keel of French cruiser Dupleix was laid down by the Arsenal de Brest in France. ww2dbase [Dupleix | Brest, Bretagne | CPC]
9 Oct 1930

France
19 Mar 1931

France
21 May 1932

France
24 Dec 1932

France
18 Sep 1934

France
20 Sep 1935

France
18 Nov 1937

France
1 Dec 1937

France
16 Apr 1938

France
17 Jan 1939

France
4 Oct 1939

France
  • HMS Acheron (H 45) disembarked the survivors of Belgian merchant steamer Suzon, which was sunk by German submarine U-35 three days earlier, at Brest, France. ww2dbase [Brest, Bretagne | HM]
21 May 1940

France
9 Oct 1940

France
  • British Albacore biplanes of No. 829 Squadron from Royal Navy station HMS Peregrine attacked Brest, France overnight, damaging German destroyers Eckholdt, Lody, and Riedel with near misses. 1 Albacore aircraft was shot down with its three crew captured, including squadron commander Lieutenant Commander Stevinson. ww2dbase [Brest, Bretagne | CPC]
29 Nov 1940

France
  • German destroyers Galster, Lody, and Beitzen departed from Brest, France and raided British shipping off southern England, United Kingdom. British tug Aid, Free French tug Abeille, and British barge BHC10 were attacked and sunk. Royal Navy destroyers HMS Javelin, HMS Jersey, HMS Jackal, HMS Jupiter, and HMS Kashmir intercepted the raiders and engaged in combat 20 miles south of The Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall. HMS Javelin was seriously damaged by torpedo and gunfire, killing 46 aboard and causing her to lose both her bow and her stern, but she would be successfully towed to Devonport for repairs. The Germans suffered no casualties. ww2dbase [Brest, Bretagne | CPC]
22 Mar 1941

France
6 Apr 1941

France
  • RAF Beaufort aircraft torpedoed German battlecruiser Gneisenau at Brest, France. During this attack, Flying Officer Kenneth Campbell of No. 22 Squadron RAF Coastal Command, who scored the hit with an Mk XII torpedo, was hit by anti-aircraft fire and crashed with the loss of the entire crew. Campbell would be awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross for his gallantry. ww2dbase [Gneisenau | Brest, Bretagne | CPC, AC]
1 Jun 1941

France
  • German cruiser Prinz Eugen arrived in Brest, France to join battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau docked there for refits. ww2dbase [Prinz Eugen | Brest, Bretagne | AC]
19 Dec 1941

France
  • In a daring daylight raid by 41 RAF Manchester bombers on the French port of Brest, the gates to the dock containing the German battlecruiser Scharnhorst were so badly damaged that the mighty warship would be confined at the port for a further month. Two aircraft of No. 97 Squadron were lost to ground fire and Luftwaffe fighters. ww2dbase [Scharnhorst | Brest, Bretagne | AC]
11 Feb 1942

France
  • German warships Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, and Prinz Eugen, accompanied by 6 destroyers, departed Brest, France at 2330 hours and began their dash through the English Channel. ww2dbase [Operation Cerberus | Brest, Bretagne | CPC]
3 Mar 1942

France
  • RAF bombed the Renault plant in Billancourt, near Paris, France, while the Lancaster bomber made its debut mining the harbor at Brest, France. ww2dbase [Lancaster | Brest, Bretagne | TH]
16 Mar 1944

France
6 Jun 1944

France
20 Jul 1944

France
20 Aug 1944

Photo(s) dated 20 Aug 1944
The port of Brest, France after British aerial bombardment, circa late Aug 1944
1 Sep 1944

France

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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Japanese delegation leaving the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, Japan after signing the surrender documents, 2 Sep 1945, photo 2 of 2; note the temporary photographers platforms built outboard of the verandah deck


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