25 May 1941
- After being reinforced through Maleme airfield on Crete, Greece, German Stuka dive bombers attacked Allied lines at 1600 hours, softening defenses for a ground assault toward Galatas on the northern coast. Elsewhere on the island, German aircraft bombed Heraklion. ww2dbase [Balkans Campaign | TH]
- Battleship Bismarck sailed for Saint-Nazaire, closely monitored by Allied aircraft and warships. ww2dbase [Bismarck | CPC]
- British cruisers HMS Suffolk and HMS Norfolk lost radar contact with German battleship Bismarck at 0306 hours as the German ship unexpectedly turned west. Several hours later, the British learned of Bismarck's general area after intercepting a radio message sent by Admiral Lütjens. All British attempts to locate Bismarck on this date, however, failed. ww2dbase [Battle of Denmark Strait | CPC]
- German submarine U-103 sank Egyptian ship Radames off Monrovia, Liberia at 1631 hours, killing 1. At 2213 hours, U-103 struck again, sinking Dutch ship Wangi Wangi, killing 1. ww2dbase [CPC]
- Luftwaffe Lieutenant-General Kurt Student arrived at Maleme in Crete, Greece. ww2dbase [Kurt Student | AC]
- HMS Eagle arrived at Freetown, Sierra Leone, British West Africa and refueled. ww2dbase [Eagle | CPC]
- Pierre Laval criticized the Vichy French government during an interview with American journalist Ralph Heinzen in Paris, France. ww2dbase [Pierre Laval | Paris | CPC]
- Giulio Chialamberto was named the commanding officer of Alpino Bagnolini at Bordeaux, France. ww2dbase [Alpino Bagnolini | Bordeaux, Aquitaine | CPC]
- German Type IXC U-Boat U-505 was launched down at Deutsche Werft in Hamburg, Germany. ww2dbase [Deutsche Werft Hamburg | U-505 | Hamburg | DS]

25 May 1941 Interactive Map
Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you. Please help us spread the word: Stay updated with WW2DB: |
Change View
Desktop ViewSearch WW2DB
News
- » Köln/Cologne Evacuated After Discovery of WW2 Bombs (4 Jun 2025)
- » US Women's Army Corps "Six Triple Eight" Awarded with Congressional Gold Medal (30 Apr 2025)
- » Wreck of Soviet Submarine M-49 Found (10 Apr 2025)
- » Japanese Emperor Visited Iwoto (Iwo Jima) (8 Apr 2025)
- » Race, Holocaust, and African-American WW2 Histories Removed from the US Naval Academy Library (7 Apr 2025)
- » US Government Plans to Purge WW2 Information (17 Mar 2025)
- » See all news
Random Photograph
Admiral Kichisaburo Nomura meeting journalists immediately following his appointment as the Foreign Minister, Tokyo, Japan, Sep 1939Current Site Statistics
- » 1,171 biographies
- » 337 events
- » 44,911 timeline entries
- » 1,244 ships
- » 350 aircraft models
- » 207 vehicle models
- » 376 weapon models
- » 123 historical documents
- » 261 facilities
- » 470 book reviews
- » 28,521 photos
- » 365 maps
Famous WW2 Quote
"All right, they're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us... they can't get away this time."Lt. Gen. Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller, at Guadalcanal