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3 Jul 1836

Germany
  • Heloglander Rickmer Classen Rickmers laid down the keel of its first vessel, a 23-ton barge, in Bremerhaven, Germany. ww2dbase [Rickmers | Bremerhaven, Weser-Ems | AG]
8 Nov 1843

Germany
20 Jul 1853

Germany
  • The Kingdom of Prussia and the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg signed the Jade Treaty, which saw the transfer of 340 hectares of land on the western shore of the Jade Bight to Prussia for the construction of a naval port. ww2dbase [Kriegsmarinewerft | Wilhelmshaven, Weser-Ems | CPC]
18 May 1856

Germany
  • Heloglander Rickmer Classen Rickmers signed a contract for a site 65,000 square meters in size at Geesthelle, Bremerhaven, Germany to expand operations. ww2dbase [Rickmers | Bremerhaven, Weser-Ems | AG]
25 Jun 1856

Germany
17 Jun 1869

Germany
1 Jul 1872

Germany
  • Heloglander Rickmer Classen Rickmers acquired the rice distribution company Bremer Rice and changed its name to Ichon & Rickmers. ww2dbase [Rickmers | Bremerhaven, Weser-Ems | AG]
1 Apr 1873

Germany
15 Sep 1876

Germany
1 Oct 1876

Germany
  • Coppersmith Georg Dietrich Seebeck opened a small metal-processing workshop in Geestemünde, Bremerhaven, Germany with 5 associates. ww2dbase [Seebeckwerft AG | Bremerhaven, Weser-Ems | CPC]
27 Nov 1886

Germany
  • Rickmer Clasen Rickmers, the founder of Heloglander Rickmer Classen Rickmers, passed away. His 79-year-old son Andreas Rickmers took control of the company. ww2dbase [Rickmers | Bremerhaven, Weser-Ems | AG]
5 Jun 1888

Germany
8 May 1895

Germany
15 Jan 1902

Germany
  • The shipbuilding supplier firm Norddeutschen Maschinen- und Armaturenfabrik GmbH was founded in Bremen, Germany. ww2dbase [Atlas Werke AG | Bremen, Weser-Ems | AG]
12 Mar 1905

Germany
30 Oct 1911

Germany
  • The Bremen, Germany-based firm Norddeutschen Maschinen- und Armaturenfabrik GmbH was transformed into the shipbuilder Atlas Werke AG. ww2dbase [Atlas Werke AG | Bremen, Weser-Ems | AG]
24 Apr 1913

Photo(s) dated 24 Apr 1913
Building silp, Tecklenborg shipyard, Bremerhaven, Germany, 24 Apr 1913
5 Oct 1925

Germany
15 Jul 1926

Germany
16 Aug 1928

Photo(s) dated 16 Aug 1928
Launching ceremony of SS Bremen, Deschimag shipyard, Bremen, Germany, 16 Aug 1928
1 Oct 1928

Germany
5 Oct 1928

Germany
5 Jan 1929

Germany
  • Major worker strikes ended at Atlas Werke AG in Bremen, Germany; nevertheless, several contracts were lost to foreign competitors. ww2dbase [Atlas Werke AG | Bremen, Weser-Ems | AG]
23 Jul 1929

Germany
25 Jun 1931

Germany
1 Jan 1933

Photo(s) dated 1 Jan 1933
Plan of Reichsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven, Germany, 1 Jan 1933; note the six dry docks, two slips, and the shipyard shops
1 Apr 1933

Germany
12 Nov 1934

Germany
11 Nov 1935

Germany
  • The keel of U-27 was laid down by AG Weser in Bremen, Germany. ww2dbase [U-27 | Bremen, Weser-Ems | CPC]
20 Apr 1936

Germany
11 May 1936

Germany
14 Jun 1936

Germany
24 Jun 1936

Germany
3 Oct 1936

Photo(s) dated 3 Oct 1936
Adolf Hitler (left of photograph), Werner von Blomberg (looking away), and Erich Raeder (fourth from left) at Scharnhorst
7 Oct 1936

Germany
2 Nov 1936

Germany
12 Nov 1936

Germany
24 Mar 1937

Photo(s) dated 24 Mar 1937
Launching of cargo ship Kybfels, Deschimag shipyard, Bremen, Germany, 24 Mar 1937, photo 1 of 2Launching of cargo ship Kybfels, Deschimag shipyard, Bremen, Germany, 24 Mar 1937, photo 2 of 2
1 Jul 1937

Germany
6 Jul 1937

Germany
2 Aug 1937

Germany
13 Aug 1938

Germany
9 Nov 1938

Germany
19 Jan 1939

Photo(s) dated 19 Jan 1939
Launching ceremony of Seydlitz, Deschimag shipyard, Bremen, Germany, 19 Jan 1939
1 Apr 1939

Germany
  • Battleship Tirpitz was launched at the Kriegsmarinewerft shipyard in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. Grossadmiral Alfred von Tirpitz's daughter Ilse von Hassel christened the battleship named after her father. ww2dbase [Kriegsmarinewerft | Tirpitz | Wilhelmshaven, Weser-Ems | CPC]
1 Jul 1939

Germany Photo(s) dated 1 Jul 1939
Lützow being prepared for launch, Deschimag shipyard, Bremen, Germany, 1 Jul 1939
19 Aug 1939

Germany
  • U-40 departed Wilhelmshaven, Germany for her first war patrol. She was to patrol waters off of Gibraltar. ww2dbase [U-40 | Wilhelmshaven, Weser-Ems | CPC]
23 Aug 1939

Germany
1 Sep 1939

Germany
4 Sep 1939

Germany
  • Emden was damaged during a British air raid at Wilhelmshaven, Germany when a damaged Blenheim aircraft crashed into the foreship, killing 9 and wounding 20. The aircraft's pilot was Flying Officer H. L. Emden, whose name matched that of the ship he had crashed into by pure chance. The RAF officer was later buried at the Sage War Cemetery in Großenkneten, northwestern Germany. ww2dbase [Emden | Wilhelmshaven, Weser-Ems | CPC]
18 Sep 1939

Germany
21 Sep 1939

Germany
23 Sep 1939

Germany
30 Sep 1939

Germany
10 Oct 1939

Germany
  • U-40 departed Wilhelmshaven, Germany for her second war patrol. She was to patrol waters off of Portugal and Spain. ww2dbase [U-40 | Wilhelmshaven, Weser-Ems | CPC]
2 Dec 1939

Germany
18 Dec 1939

Germany
  • 24 British Wellington bombers were launched to attack German shipping during daylight, with the target area centered around the naval port city of Wilhelmshaven, Germany; only 22 flew to the target area because 2 developed technical problems shortly after takeoff. Flak quickly broke up the bomber formation, then the German Bf 109 and Bf 110 fighters that came to the ships' defense shot down 12 of the 22 bombers. German pilots claimed 34 kills for the loss of 2 fighters during combat and another crashed at landing; the German Air Ministry confirmed only 26. British pilots also overestimated their kills, claiming 13 definite and 12 probable. ww2dbase [Kriegsmarinewerft | Wilhelmshaven, Weser-Ems | CPC]
3 Jan 1940

Germany
5 Apr 1940

Germany
8 Apr 1940

Germany
29 Jun 1940

Germany
10 Aug 1940

Germany
30 Aug 1940

Photo(s) dated 30 Aug 1940
Allied photograph of Kriegsmarinewerft shipyard and surrounding areas in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, 30 Aug 1940; the shipyard was easily identified by the square construction basin at lower left, and the large body of water to the right was to be a new construction shipyard named Nordwerft (North Yard)
11 Oct 1940

Germany
  • During the night, 4 British Hampden aircraft (out of 5 launched) from Lindholme, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom attacked battleship Tirpitz at Wilhelmshaven, Germany to little effect. ww2dbase [Tirpitz | Wilhelmshaven, Weser-Ems | CPC]
10 Mar 1941

Germany
  • The 5,972-ton German steam merchant Widar was mined in the Ems Estuary near the Island of Borkum off the German coast. ww2dbase [Weser-Ems | HM]
10 Apr 1941

Germany
28 Apr 1941

Germany
6 Jun 1941

Germany
15 Sep 1941

Germany
10 Jan 1942

Germany
1 May 1942

Germany
8 May 1942

Photo(s) dated 8 May 1942
Aerial view of Seydlitz, Z34, Z32, and Z33 in the Westhafen basin of Deschimag shipyard, Bremen, Germany, 8 May 1942
3 Jun 1942

Germany
6 Jun 1942

Germany
  • 233 British bombers (124 Wellington, 40 Stirling, 27 Halifax, 20 Lancaster, 15 Hampden, 7 Manchester) attacked Emden, Germany, destroying 300 houses, killing 17 civilians, and wounding 49; 9 bombers were lost on this mission. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | Emden, Weser-Ems | CPC]
20 Jun 1942

Germany
22 Jun 1942

Germany
  • 227 British RAF aircraft (144 Wellington, 38 Stirling, 26 Halifax, 11 Lancaster, and 8 Hampden) attacked Emden, Germany, destroying 50 houses, damaging harbor facilities, and killing 6 civilians (further 40 were injured); 6 bombers were lost on this mission. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | Emden, Weser-Ems | CPC]
25 Jun 1942

Germany
  • Sir Arthur Harris of the RAF Bomber Command launched the third Thousand Bomber Raid, this time sending 1,067 aircraft (including some aircraft from Coastal Command and Army Cooperation Command) to attack Bremen, Germany; only 696 reported successfully reaching the city. The RAF Bomber Command lost 48 aircraft, half of which had inexperienced crews recruited from training squadrons flying worn out aircraft; the RAF Coastal Command lost 5 aircraft. 572 houses were destroyed, 6,108 were damaged. 85 were killed, while 497 were wounded and 2,378 were made homeless. An assembly shop at the Focke-Wulf factory was destroyed, while the Bremer Vulkan shipyard and nearby docks and warehouses were also damaged. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | Bremer Vulkan AG | Bremen, Weser-Ems | AC, CPC]
27 Jun 1942

Germany
29 Jun 1942

Germany
2 Jul 1942

Germany
  • 325 British bombers (175 Wellington, 53 Lancaster, 35 Halifax, 34 Stirling, and 28 Hampden) attacked Bremen, Germany, damaging 1,000 houses and 4 small industrial facilities, damaging 3 cranes in the port area, damaging 7 ships, and sinking transport ship Marieborg. The Germans suffered 5 deaths and 4 wounded while the British lost 13 bombers. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | Bremen, Weser-Ems | CPC]
4 Jul 1942

Germany
8 Jul 1942

Germany
  • 285 British bombers (137 Wellington, 52 Lancaster, 38 Halifax, 34 Stirling, 24 Hampden) attacked the docks at Wilhelmshaven, Germany, causing little or no damage to the docks, killing 25 civilians, and wounding 170; 5 bombers were lost on this mission. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | Wilhelmshaven, Weser-Ems | CPC]
  • Wing Commander (Acting) Guy Gibson, at 23 the youngest Squadron commanding officer in RAF Bomber Command and a man already marked out for great things, flew the newly issued Lancaster bomber operationally for the first time during the raid on Wilhelmshaven, Germany. A young Australian pilot officer, Dave Shannon, went with him to gain experience. Shannon, like Gibson, was later to find fame in 617 Squadron. The aircraft they flew was lost a month later over Essen, Germany with a different crew. ww2dbase [Wilhelmshaven, Weser-Ems | AC]
19 Jul 1942

Germany
1 Aug 1942

Germany
9 Aug 1942

Germany
17 Aug 1942

Germany
4 Sep 1942

Germany
13 Sep 1942

Germany
14 Sep 1942

Germany
2 Oct 1942

Germany
7 Nov 1942

Germany
25 Nov 1942

Germany
18 Mar 1943

Germany
15 May 1943

Germany
11 Jun 1943

Germany
13 Jul 1943

Germany
  • In Bremen, Germany, Atlas Werke AG held its final General Meeting. Shortly after, Krupp would take over Atlas's operations and would rename the company Maschinenbau Kiel GmbH. ww2dbase [Atlas Werke AG | Bremen, Weser-Ems | AG]
1 Sep 1943

Germany
22 Sep 1943

Germany
20 Jan 1944

Germany
3 Feb 1944

Germany
20 Feb 1944

Germany
6 Mar 1944

Germany
7 Mar 1944

Germany
  • The 7,378-ton German cargo ship Vigo, now employed by the German Navy as the Sperrbrecher X, a mine barrage breaker, sailing in front of convoys to trigger off potential mines. She struck a mine for this purpose and sank 24 miles off Norderney on the German coast. ww2dbase [Weser-Ems | HM]
15 Mar 1944

Germany
  • Robert Johnson was promoted to the rank of captain. On the same day, he shot down a Fw 190 and a Bf 109 aircraft over Dümmer Lake, Germany. ww2dbase [Robert Johnson | Lembruch, Weser-Ems | CPC]
6 Jul 1944

Germany
24 Jul 1944

Germany
29 Jul 1944

Germany
6 Sep 1944

Germany
7 Oct 1944

Germany
  • Major Richard Conner of USAAF 78th Fighter Group, flying a P-47 fighter, shot down a Me 262 jet aircraft over Osnabrück, Germany; the German pilot was observed to have bailed out before the jet crashed. ww2dbase [Osnabrück, Weser-Ems | CPC]
  • 1st Lieutenant Urban Drew, flying a P-51 fighter, shot down two Me 262 fighters (flown by Oberfeldwebel Heinz Arnold and Leutnant Gerhard Kobert) as they were taking off from Achmer Airfield. The only witness to the town victories, his wingman 2nd Lieutenant Robert McCandliss, was shot down by anti-aircraft fire and captured before the end of the mission, so Drew did not receive credit for these two downings until after the war when McCandliss was released from captivity. This was the first and only time in the war a pilot scored two jet victories in one mission. ww2dbase [Bramsche, Weser-Ems | CPC]
20 Oct 1944

Germany
  • A Heinkel III (5K+BT) flown by German Air Force pilot Unteroffizier Albert Fleichmann failed to return to base; later it was found that the aircraft had come down at Cloppenburg near Oldenbrg, Germany with the loss of all the crew. ww2dbase [Cloppenburg, Weser-Ems | HM]
2 Nov 1944

Germany
6 Nov 1944

Germany
  • Captain Charles Yeager of USAAF 357th Fighter Group shot down a German Me 262 fighter while it was landing at Achmer Airfield in Germany; the German pilot, Oberfeldwebel Freutzer, survived the crash caused by the wing being shot off by Yeager. ww2dbase [Charles Yeager | Bramsche, Weser-Ems | CPC]
7 Nov 1944

Germany
  • Adolf Galland inspected the newly created Jagdgeschwader 7 wing at Achmer Airfield in Germany, which was equipped with Me 262 jet fighters. He repeated his orders for Walter Nowotny to keep a cover of Fw 190 fighters above the airfield when the jet fighters were taking off or landing, in order to prevent the situation that took place on the previous day. ww2dbase [Adolf Galland | Bramsche, Weser-Ems | CPC]
8 Nov 1944

Germany
  • German Luftwaffe ace Major Walter Nowotny claimed his 258th victory as he shot down a B-24 Liberator bomber over Hesepe near Osnabrück, Germany. Moments later, his Me 262 jet fighter was hit by a US P-51 fighter, possibly the one piloted by 1st Lieutenant Richard Stevens. Nowotny's final words were reported to be "my god, I'm burning!" His subsequent crash and explosion was witnessed by his commanding officer Adolf Galland and other officers, who immediately rushed to the crash site; they failed to find Nowotny's remains, only able to locate broken pieces of the pilot's Knight's Cross medal. ww2dbase [Hesepe, Weser-Ems | AC, CPC]
  • Adolf Galland monitored the progress of the operation "Big Blow" from the radio shack at Achmer Airfield, Germany. ww2dbase [Adolf Galland | Bramsche, Weser-Ems | CPC]
22 Nov 1944

Germany
  • A Heinkel bomber of 1 Staffel, flying a V-1 flying bomb mission, crashed at Osterode near Bramsche, Germany; the pilot Fähnrich Wilhelm Wolfshol and his observer Unteroffizier Georg Grill were killed, the other three crew members were badly injured. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Osterode, Weser-Ems | HM]
15 Dec 1944

Germany
30 Dec 1944

Germany
31 Dec 1944

Germany
1 Jan 1945

Germany
22 Jan 1945

Germany
4 Feb 1945

Germany
7 Feb 1945

Germany
15 Feb 1945

Germany
22 Feb 1945

Germany
24 Feb 1945

Germany
25 Feb 1945

Germany
3 Mar 1945

Germany
7 Mar 1945

Germany
9 Mar 1945

Germany
11 Mar 1945

Germany
30 Mar 1945

Germany
  • US Eighth Air Force B-24 Liberator bombers attacked Wilhelmshaven, Germany, sinking the already-damaged cruiser Köln on even keel. Her turrets remained above water and operational. ww2dbase [Köln | Wilhelmshaven, Weser-Ems | HM]
  • Fleet tender Königin Louise was sunk by USAAF B-24 bombers at Wilhelmshaven, Germany. ww2dbase [F6 | Wilhelmshaven, Weser-Ems | CPC]
2 Apr 1945

Germany
  • The commandant of Marlag und Milag Nord prisoners of war camp in Westertimke, Germany announced that he had received orders to leave the camp with most of the regular camp guards. In the afternoon, a detachment of over a hundred SS-Feldgendarmerie, who were outside the commandant's command, entered the camp, mustered over 3,000 men, and marched them out eastwards. ww2dbase [Marlag und Milag Nord | Westertimke, Weser-Ems | HM]
3 Apr 1945

Germany
  • The column of prisoners of war that SS-Feldgendarmerie personnel forced out of Marlag und Milag Nord prisoners of war camp in Westertimke, Germany on the previous day were strafed by RAF aircraft at about 1000 hours. Several prisoners were killed. ww2dbase [Marlag und Milag Nord | Weser-Ems | HM]
9 Apr 1945

Germany
  • The guards of Marlag und Milag Nord prisoners of war camp in Westertimke, Germany departed. They were replaced by older men, presumably local Volkssturm personnel. ww2dbase [Marlag und Milag Nord | Westertimke, Weser-Ems | HM]
19 Apr 1945

Germany
  • British Second Army attacked Bremen, Germany across the Elbe River while Canadian troops captured the Luftwaffe base of Stade, 40 kilometers west of Hamburg, without opposition. ww2dbase [Bremen, Weser-Ems | TH]
  • Units of German 15th Panzergrenadier Division positioned tanks and artillery next to Marlag und Milag Nord prisoners of war camp in Westertimke, Germany. The remaining prisoners of the camp responded to the threat of a battle by digging slit trenches. ww2dbase [Marlag und Milag Nord | Westertimke, Weser-Ems | HM]
27 Apr 1945

Germany
15 May 1946

Germany
  • Horst Wessel was commissioned into the US Coast Guard in Bremerhaven, Germany under the new name Eagle, with Captain Gordon McGowan in command. ww2dbase [Horst Wessel | Bremerhaven, Weser-Ems | CPC]
3 Apr 2017

Germany

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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Wounded interned Chinese soldier receiving treatment, Shanghai international settlement zone, China, late 1937


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