Israel launched Operation Moked, a devastating preemptive air strike that destroyed the Egyptian Air Force on the ground within three hours, then extended attacks to Syrian, Jordanian, and Iraqi airfields. The operation achieved one of the most complete aerial victories in military history.
The armored cruiser HMS Hampshire struck a German mine off the Orkneys and sank, taking British Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener and most of her crew to the bottom in one of the worst leadership losses of the First World War.
President Wilson signed the Selective Service Act requiring all men between 21 and 30 to register for military service, beginning the draft that would raise the massive American army needed for World War I.
Germany launched Fall Rot (Case Red), the second phase of its invasion of France, with 119 divisions attacking southward across the Somme and Aisne rivers against weakened French defenses.
Japanese forces invaded the Aleutian Islands of Attu and Kiska, the only American territory occupied by a foreign power during World War II, as a diversionary operation during the Battle of Midway.
Congress declared war on Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania, formalizing a state of hostilities with the three Axis-aligned states of the Balkans and Eastern Europe and opening the legal basis for strategic bombing of their oil and rail infrastructure.
After reviewing weather forecasts showing a brief window of acceptable conditions, Supreme Commander Dwight Eisenhower made the fateful decision to launch the Normandy invasion the following day, uttering the words: "OK, let's go."
More than 1,200 C-47 Skytrains and gliders carrying the U.S. 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions and the British 6th Airborne Division took off from 20 airfields across southern England to drop behind the Normandy beaches in the opening hours of D-Day.
Secretary of State George C. Marshall used a Harvard commencement address to outline a program of massive American economic aid to rebuild postwar Europe, setting the stage for the European Recovery Program that would shape the Cold War.
Israel launched preemptive air strikes destroying the Egyptian Air Force on the ground, achieving total air superiority within hours.
Egypt reopened the Suez Canal after eight years of closure dating to the 1967 Six-Day War. The reopening, led by the Egyptian destroyer 6th October, restored one of the world's most important strategic waterways to international shipping.
President Ronald Reagan, who presided over the final years of the Cold War and the largest peacetime military buildup in American history, died at age 93, prompting a national period of mourning.
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US Army major general who commanded the 1st Armored Division in North Africa during World War II and later served as Chief of Military History.
American actor who served in World War I and became famous as Hopalong Cassidy, whose westerns entertained millions of servicemen during WWII.
The 40th President of the United States who presided over the end of the Cold War, the Strategic Defense Initiative, and the largest peacetime military buildup in American history.
11 military events occurred on June 5, spanning multiple centuries. Key events include: The Six-Day War Begins (1967), Selective Service Act Enacted (1917), Fall Rot: German Offensive Against France Begins (1940), Eisenhower Makes the D-Day Decision (1944), Secretary Marshall Delivers the Marshall Plan Speech (1947).
The most significant military event on June 5 is The Six-Day War Begins (1967). Israel launched Operation Moked, a devastating preemptive air strike that destroyed the Egyptian Air Force on the ground within three hours, then extended attacks to Syrian, Jordanian, and Iraqi airfields. The operation achieved one of the most complete aerial victories in military history.
Notable military figures born on June 5 include Orlando Ward (1891–present), William Boyd (1895–present).
Events on June 5 span the Cold War, World War I, World War II, the Modern Era, covering 11 events across 2 centuries of military history.
Events on June 5 involve 4 branches of the U.S. and allied armed forces, reflecting the global scope of military operations throughout history.
Explore military history from the day you were born.
June 6
The Allied invasion of Normandy, the largest amphibious assault in history.
December 7
Japan attacks the U.S. Pacific Fleet, bringing America into World War II.
September 11
The deadliest terrorist attack in history transforms U.S. national security.
August 6
The first atomic bomb is dropped on a city, ushering in the nuclear age.
May 8
Nazi Germany surrenders unconditionally, ending World War II in Europe.
November 11
Armistice Day marks the end of World War I and honors all who served.
June 4
The turning point of the Pacific War as the U.S. Navy destroys four Japanese carriers.
July 4
The Declaration of Independence is adopted, sparking the American Revolution.
The FIM-92 Stinger helped win the Cold War by turning Afghan mujahideen into a credible anti-aircraft threat. By 2023, the United States almost ran out of them, because Raytheon stopped making them for 13 years, and the first 10 months of Ukraine support burned through the remaining stockpile.
These weapons were built to fight a war that everyone prayed would never happen. The Minuteman III has been on alert since 1970. The Typhoon-class carried enough nuclear warheads to destroy a continent. The Davy Crockett could be fired by three soldiers. Most of them have been waiting for 40 years. Here are 10 Cold War weapons built exclusively for World War III.
The MiG-31 was designed to catch the SR-71 Blackbird. It is still the fastest fighter in any air force. The Foxhound's Zaslon phased-array radar, the first ever installed in a fighter, can track 10 targets and engage 4 simultaneously at ranges exceeding 200 miles. Here is why Russia still flies a 1980s interceptor, and why the MiG-31BM carrying a Kinzhal hypersonic missile has changed what the aircraft means to modern warfare.
Nineteen armies on four continents chose the Leopard 2. No other Western tank comes close to this export record, and the reasons go far beyond German engineering.
