24 May 1942
- German forces launched Operation Hannover to clear the Bryanks-Vyazma rail line of partisans. ww2dbase [TH]
- The first battalion of Spanish volunteers who fought under the German banner returned to Spain after completing a tour in Russia; up until this point, only the wounded were sent back to Spain from the Eastern Front. ww2dbase [CPC]
- German submarine U-502 sank Brazilian ship Gonçalves Dias 100 miles south of Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic; 6 were killed, 39 survived. U-103 sank Dutch ship Hetor 60 miles northwest of Grand Cayman island at 1640 hours; 2 were killed, 29 survived. ww2dbase [Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico Campaigns | CPC]
- British trawler HMS Retriever broke away from Allied convoy PQ-16 and returned for Iceland. ww2dbase [Arctic Convoys | CPC]
- The floatplane of Japanese submarine I-9 conducted a reconnaissance mission over Kiska and Amchitka Islands in the US Territory of Alaska. ww2dbase [CPC]
- Comandante Cappellini sighted Argentinian freighter Rio De La Plata in the Atlantic Ocean at 0907 hours; no action was taken. At 1020 hours, she sighted an American cruiser escorted by destroyers, and she submerged to avoid detection, resurfacing at 1347 hours. At 1630 hours, she sighted a tanker and approached, but gave up the pursuit when she determined the target to be an Argentinian ship. ww2dbase [Second Happy Time | Comandante Cappellini | CPC]
- USS S-38 arrived at Brisbane, Australia, ending her fourth war patrol. ww2dbase [S-38 | Brisbane, Queensland | CPC]
- 3 US B-26 Marauder bombers attacked Rabaul, New Britain, destroying the Genzan Air Group headquarters building and destroying four land-attack aircraft on the ground; 2 of the US bombers were damaged during this attack. ww2dbase [Rabaul, New Britain | CPC]
- USS Honolulu arrived at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. ww2dbase [Honolulu | Pearl Harbor, Oahu | DS]
- Tatsuta Maru arrived at Sasebo, Japan. ww2dbase [Tatsuta Maru | Sasebo, Nagasaki | CPC]
- Repair ship Akashi exited the drydock at Kure, Japan. ww2dbase [Akashi | Kure Naval Arsenal | Kure, Hiroshima | CPC]
- Warrant Officer Susumo Ito, flying in a submarine-based (submarine I-21) E14Y aircraft, conducted a photographic reconnaissance mission over Auckland, New Zealand. The Auckland airport controllers mistook the Japanese aircraft for a friendly one and turned on the landing lights. ww2dbase [E14Y | Auckland | CPC]
- All American warships in the Coral Sea area were recalled to Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii in anticipation of the Japanese attack on Midway Atoll. ww2dbase [Battle of Midway and the Aleutian Islands | CPC]
- While in the Solomon Sea, USS S-43 suffered a air compressor breakdown with her main engine. ww2dbase [S-43 | Solomon Sea | CPC]
- USS Pompano sank Japanese fishing vessel Kotoku Maru with the deck gun 20 miles northeast of Taiwan. ww2dbase [Pompano | CPC]
- Soviet troops at Izium, Ukraine were completed surrounded by German troops. ww2dbase [Second Battle of Kharkov | Izium, Kharkov | TH, CPC]
- German bombers attacked the Royal Navy seaplane training center at Poole in southern England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Poole, England | CPC]

24 May 1942 Interactive Map
Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis
Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you. Share this article with your friends: Stay updated with WW2DB: |
Change View
Desktop ViewSearch WW2DB
News
- » Looted Painting "Madonna with Child" Returned to Poland (2 Jun 2023)
- » Wreck of USS Mannert L. Abele Found (29 May 2023)
- » Wreck of Montevideo Maru Found (25 Apr 2023)
- » Detonation of a WW2-Era Naval Mine (21 Mar 2023)
- » Accidental Detonation of a WW2-Era Bomb in Great Yarmouth (10 Feb 2023)
- » See all news
Random Photograph
Current Site Statistics
- » 1,136 biographies
- » 336 events
- » 43,320 timeline entries
- » 1,236 ships
- » 349 aircraft models
- » 207 vehicle models
- » 372 weapon models
- » 123 historical documents
- » 258 facilities
- » 469 book reviews
- » 28,325 photos
- » 430 maps
Famous WW2 Quote
"The raising of that flag on Suribachi means a Marine Corps for the next 500 years."James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy, 23 Feb 1945