31 May 1945




See all photos dated 31 May 1945
- USS Cassin Young arrived at Okinawa, Japan. ww2dbase [Cassin Young | CPC]
- USS Segundo sank a four-masted sail ship with two torpedoes. ww2dbase [Segundo | CPC]
- 12 M26 Pershing heavy tanks departed the United States board a cargo ship for Okinawa, Japan. They would arrive too late to see combat. ww2dbase [M26 Pershing/M46 | CPC]
- Chiang Kaishek stepped down as the head of the Executive Yuan. ww2dbase [Chiang Kaishek | CPC]
- Destroyer USS Saufley and the convoy she was escorting arrived at Morotai, Molucca Islands, Dutch East Indies. ww2dbase [Saufley | Morotai, Molucca Islands | DS]
- Soviet SMERSH captured German intelligence officer Erwin Stolze in Berlin, Germany in civilian clothing. ww2dbase [Berlin | CPC]
- USS New Mexico arrived at Guam. ww2dbase [New Mexico | CPC]
- USS St. Louis arrived at San Pedro Bay, Leyte Gulf, Philippines. ww2dbase [St. Louis | San Pedro Bay | DS]
- 117 B-24 bombers of US 15th Air Force attacked Taihoku (now Taipei), Taiwan between 1000 and 1300 hours nearly without stop, dropping about 3,800 bombs. US air crews reported minimal Japanese fighter defense. Taihoku General Government Building suffered a direct hit, rendering it unusable until after the war. The anti-aircraft position in present day Sanzhong District of New Taipei City, Taihoku General Government building, residence of the Assistant Governor-General, Taihoku Raiway Hotel, Army Headquarters building, Taihoku Imperial University, Taihoku Train Station, Bank of Taiwan, Taihoku High Court, Taihoku Park, Taihoku First Girls' High School, Longshan Temple (main building and left corridor were damaged, destroying many precious artifacts), Penglai Catholic Church (used by civilians as an air raid shelter; it was completely destroyed), Huashan Catholic Church, and many other military, government, and civilian structures were damaged or destroyed. About 3,000 were killed, tens of thousands were made homeless. This was the largest US raid on the city during WW2. ww2dbase [Taihoku General Government Building | Taihoku | CPC]
- Victory ship Lane Victory was launched at the CalShip yards, Los Angeles, California. [Currently a museum ship in Los Angeles, California] ww2dbase [California Shipbuilding Corporation | Victory-class | Los Angeles, California | DS]




See all photos dated 31 May 1945
31 May 1945 Interactive Map
Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis
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
- » US Government Plans to Purge WW2 Information (17 Mar 2025)
- » WW2DB's 20th Anniversary (29 Dec 2024)
- » Wreck of USS Edsall Found (14 Nov 2024)
- » See all news
Current Site Statistics
- » 1,167 biographies
- » 337 events
- » 44,601 timeline entries
- » 1,243 ships
- » 350 aircraft models
- » 207 vehicle models
- » 376 weapon models
- » 123 historical documents
- » 261 facilities
- » 470 book reviews
- » 28,520 photos
- » 367 maps
Famous WW2 Quote
"We no longer demand anything, we want war."Joachim von Ribbentrop, German Foreign Minister, Aug 1939