A U.S. naval force of 13 ships under Rear Admiral Daniel Callaghan intercepted a Japanese bombardment force of 14 ships, including the battleships Hiei and Kirishima, in Ironbottom Sound. The two forces became intermingled in pitch darkness and fought one of the most chaotic and vicious naval engagements in history at point-blank range. Both Callaghan and Rear Admiral Norman Scott were killed, the only two U.S. Navy flag officers killed in surface action during World War II.
General Sherman's army returned to Atlanta and began systematic destruction of railroads, depots, factories, and foundries in preparation for the March to the Sea. Over the next three days, demolition crews reduced Atlanta's industrial infrastructure to rubble. On November 15, Sherman's 62,000 troops would march southeast toward Savannah, severing their own supply lines.
Founder of the Red Army Leon Trotsky was expelled from the Soviet Communist Party by Stalin, ending the career of one of history's most consequential military organizers. Trotsky had built the Red Army from nothing into a five-million-soldier force during the Russian Civil War.
In Operation Catechism, 29 RAF Lancaster bombers attacked the German battleship Tirpitz at her anchorage near Tromsø, Norway, using 12,000-pound "Tallboy" bombs. At least two direct hits caused the 42,900-ton battleship to capsize, killing between 940 and 1,200 crew members. The sinking ended years of effort to neutralize the Tirpitz, which had tied down enormous Allied naval resources as a fleet-in-being threat.
The International Military Tribunal for the Far East sentenced former Prime Minister Hideki Tojo and six other Japanese wartime leaders to death for war crimes, crimes against peace, and crimes against humanity. They were hanged at Sugamo Prison on December 23, 1948.
Journalist Seymour Hersh published the first detailed account of the My Lai massacre, revealing that U.S. soldiers had murdered between 200 and 500 unarmed Vietnamese civilians on March 16, 1968. The story ignited a firestorm of outrage and deepened the antiwar movement's moral case against Vietnam.
Aircraft of the Vietnam WarThe Bhola cyclone struck East Pakistan, killing an estimated 500,000 people in the deadliest tropical cyclone on record. The Pakistani government's inadequate military response contributed to the political unrest that produced the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War and the third Indo-Pakistani War.
A Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 747 collided with a Kazakhstan Airlines Ilyushin Il-76 near New Delhi, killing all 349 people aboard both aircraft. The disaster drove implementation of mandatory collision-avoidance systems on large transport aircraft, a technology later adapted for military aviation worldwide.
An Airbus A300-600 crashed shortly after takeoff from JFK in New York, killing all 260 aboard and five on the ground. The disaster, occurring two months after 9/11, triggered intense federal and military investigation and drove reforms in aircraft tail-fin structural certification that applied to both civil and military aviation.
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Chinese revolutionary and founder of the Republic of China who led the 1911 revolution that overthrew the Qing dynasty. Sun established the Whampoa Military Academy under Chiang Kai-shek, creating the institutional foundation for the National Revolutionary Army. Revered as the "Father of the Nation" in both Taiwan and mainland China.
French physicist who launched the world's first hydrogen-filled balloon in 1783, pioneering lighter-than-air flight with profound military applications. His balloon technology laid the groundwork for military reconnaissance balloons used in the Civil War, Franco-Prussian War, and both World Wars, fundamentally changing battlefield observation.
Viking warrior-king who conquered England in 1016, unified it with Denmark and Norway into the North Sea Empire, and ruled as one of medieval Europe's most powerful monarchs. Canute defeated Edmund Ironside at the Battle of Assandun and maintained peace across his vast realm through shrewd diplomacy and overwhelming military strength.
10 military events occurred on November 12, spanning multiple centuries. Key events include: The First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal (1942), RAF Sinks the Battleship Tirpitz (1944), Sherman's Forces Begin Destroying Atlanta (1864), Washington Naval Conference Opens (1921).
The most significant military event on November 12 is The First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal (1942). A U.S. naval force of 13 ships under Rear Admiral Daniel Callaghan intercepted a Japanese bombardment force of 14 ships, including the battleships Hiei and Kirishima, in Ironbottom Sound. The two forces became intermingled in pitch darkness and fought one of the most chaotic and vicious naval engagements in history at point-blank range. Both Callaghan and Rear Admiral Norman Scott were killed, the only two U.S. Navy flag officers killed in surface action during World War II.
Notable military figures born on November 12 include Sun Yat-sen (1866–1925), Jacques Charles (1746–1823).
Events on November 12 span World War II, the Civil War, the Interwar Period, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Modern Era, covering 10 events across 3 centuries of military history.
Events on November 12 involve 3 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.
In June 1942, six months after Pearl Harbor, a handful of American dive bombers caught four Japanese carriers with their flight decks full of armed planes. In roughly five minutes, three of those carriers were fatally hit, and Japan's dominance in the Pacific was broken forever.
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress US Air Force This American project was first conceived in the immediate wake of the Second World War. The…
15 essential WW2 books covering every theater. Narrative histories, memoirs, and visual references ranked.
On April 18, 1942, sixteen B-25 Mitchell bombers did something no one thought possible: they launched from the deck of an aircraft carrier, flew 650 miles to Japan, and bombed Tokyo. Every aircraft was lost. The damage was negligible. The consequences changed the war.
