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History on the 20th of May

History
Date Text
20 May 1530 RELIGIOUS German reformer Martin Luther wrote in a letter: 'God's friendship is a bigger comfort than that of the whole world.'
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20 May 1690 RELIGIOUS Death of John Eliot, 86, colonial missionary to the American Indians of Maryland. Eliot arrived in America from England in 1631; by 1663 he had translated the entire Bible into the Algonquin Indian language.
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20 May 1754 RELIGIOUS Columbia University in New York City was chartered as King's College, under sponsorship of the Episcopal Church. The institution adopted its present name in 1896.
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20 May 1878 RELIGIOUS William R. Featherstone died at the age of 32. A Canadian Methodist who spent his life in Montreal, it was Featherstone who authored the hymn, "My Jesus, I Love Thee."
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20 May 1916 WW2 Henry Arnold was made a supply officer at the US Army Signal Corps Aviation School at Rockwell Field in San Diego, California, United States. 
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20 May 1917 WW2 The first submarine to be sunk by an aeroplane was the German U-36 attacked in the North Sea by a flying boat piloted by British Flight Sub-Lieutenant C. R. Morrish. 
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20 May 1918 WW2 Delegates from the seventy-odd troop trains spread out along the Trans-Siberian railway gathered at Chelyabinsk, Russia for a General Congress. The Czechs now learned, via the French Military Mission in Moscow, of the Allied intention to re-route the Legion units still west of Omsk to Archangel. The Congress decided that such a division of the Legion's strength was unacceptable and rejected the idea in the face of strong protests from the French representatives present. Meanwhile, Russian leader Leon Trotsky ordered all Bolshevik organizations along the Trans-Siberian railway to disarm the Czech legion. 
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20 May 1918 WW2 New Mexico was commissioned into service. 
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20 May 1927 WW2 Kingdom of Hejaz and Kingdom of Nejd, both under the leadership of Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, signed the Treaty of Jeddah with the United Kingdom, gaining western recognition. 
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20 May 1927 WW2 Roderick Carr and L. E. M. Gillmann departed RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire, England, United States in an attempt to fly to India without stopping. 
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20 May 1933 WW2 Battle of the Great Wall: Chinese troops began to withdraw from all Great Wall gates. 
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20 May 1933 WW2 Masafumi Arima was transferred from Battleship Division 3 to Cruiser Division 7. 
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20 May 1933 WW2 Joseph Rochefort was assigned to USS California, the flagship of the United States Navy Battle Fleet, as the assistant operations officer. 
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20 May 1937 WW2 Roger Backhouse was made Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order. 
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20 May 1937 WW2 The Fairey Battle light bomber entered service with No. 63 Squadron at RAF Upwood near Upwood, England, United Kingdom. 
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20 May 1937 WW2 HMS Hermes participated at the Coronation Fleet Review at Spithead in Hampshire, England, United Kingdom. 
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20 May 1937 WW2 Tatsuta Maru departed San Francisco, California, United States for Honolulu, US Territory of Hawaii. 
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20 May 1937 RELIGIOUS Following a lifelong call to establish a worldwide evangelistic ministry to children, missions pioneer Jesse Overholtzer, 59, founded Child Evangelism Fellowship, in Chicago.
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20 May 1938 WW2 German military leaders updated the Case Green military scenario. Meanwhile, Czechoslovakian officials in Prague sent Germany a telegram demanding explanation on the arrival of German troops in Saxony near the border; the information that the Czechoslovakians had regarding the German troop movement was either inaccurate, or the Czechoslovakians had intercepted German messages regarding Case Green and were testing the Germans to confirm their suspicions. On the same day, Czechoslovakian military partially mobilized along the German border. 
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20 May 1939 WW2 Chikuma was commissioned into service. 
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20 May 1940 WW2 In France, Rommel's troops began a new offensive but was held up at Arras. Meanwhile, Guderian's troops continued to advance, capturing Amiens at 0900 hours, Abbeville at 1900 hours, and Noyelles-sur-Mer at 2000 hours; they had reached the English Channel. At Dunkerque on the French coast, small seacraft began gathering for an Allied evacuation. 
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20 May 1940 WW2 British Foreign Secretary Halifax contacted Swedish businessman Dahlerus, telling him to approach Hermann Göring for possible Anglo-German negotiations to end the war. 
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20 May 1940 WW2 The Vatican newspaper Osservatore Romano began to carry only war news published by the Italian government. 
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20 May 1940 WW2 British Prime Minister Churchill sent a telegram to US President Roosevelt, again requesting for destroyers; "If they were here in 6 weeks, they would play an invaluable part." 
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20 May 1940 WW2 US President Franklin Roosevelt expressed his concern regarding the Uruguayan-German tension to Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles. Welles reported to Roosevelt that the Uruguayan government had taken steps to investigate Nazi Party activities in Montevideo. 
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20 May 1940 WW2 24 Japanese bombers, en route for Chongqing, China, were intercepted by eight I-16 fighters of Chinese 24th Pursuit Squadron; the Chinese claimed three bombers and one reconnaissance aircraft shot down. 
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20 May 1941 WW2 German invasion of Crete, Greece began with an airborne assault at 0800 hours, capturing Maleme airfield on the northern coast. At 1615 hours and 1730 hours, the second airborne assault was conducted at Rethimnon and Heraklion, respectively; 1,856 German airborne troopers were killed during the second attack wave. At Suda Bay, Crete, German bombers sank British minesweeper HMS Widnes. After sundown, British destroyers HMS Jervis, HMS Nizam, and HMS Ilex bombarded the German-controlled airfield on the Greek island of Karpathos. 
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20 May 1941 WW2 Prime Minister Churchill noted that he was not prepared to make a statement on the arrival of Rudolf Heß in Britain. 
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20 May 1941 WW2 Swedish cruiser Gotland detected German battleship Bismarck in the Kattegat at 1300 hours. 
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20 May 1941 WW2 Swedish cruiser Gotland detected German heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen in the Kattegat at 1300 hours. 
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20 May 1941 WW2 Thomas Adlerson of British Air Raid Precautions was presented the George Cross award by King George VI. 
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20 May 1941 WW2 Swedish seaplane-cruiser Gotland spotted German warships Bismark and Prinz Eugen in the Kattegat between Denmark and Sweden. This information was passed on to the British naval attaché in Stockhlom, Sweden Henry Denham, who in turn passed it to the British Admiralty. 
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20 May 1941 WW2 German submarines U-94, U-98, U-109, and U-556 attacked Allied convoy HX-126 250 miles southeast of Cape Farewell, Greenland, sinking 7 ships. 
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20 May 1941 WW2 German submarine U-138 sank British ship Javanese Prince 155 miles northwest of Outer Hebrides, Scotland, United Kingdom. 
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20 May 1941 WW2 Italian submarine Otaria sank British ship Starcross 430 miles west of Ireland; the entire crew survived. 
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20 May 1941 WW2 Polish Lieutenant J. Just, a prisoner of war of Oflag IV-C at Colditz Castle in Germany, escaped from the hospital at Villingen, Germany but was captured near Basel on the Swiss-German border. 
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20 May 1941 WW2 Viceroy of Italian East Africa Prince Amedeo, the Duke of Aosta, surrendered himself into British captivity. 
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20 May 1942 WW2 Japanese troops completed the conquest of Burma. All Allied troops previously under the command of William Slim (who was transferred to Indian XV Corps) were reassigned to the British IV Corps, thus dissolving the Burma Corps. 
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20 May 1942 WW2 US Navy Rear Admiral John S. McCain was named Commander, Air, South Pacific; in this position he directed operations of tender-based and land-based aircraft in the South Pacific. 
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20 May 1942 WW2 American submarine USS S-39 conducted a reconnaissance mission at the Deboyne Islands north of New Guinea. 
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20 May 1942 WW2 Tatsuta Maru departed Manila, Philippine Islands. 
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20 May 1942 WW2 Japanese submarine I-68 was renamed I-168. 
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20 May 1942 WW2 German submarine U-155 damaged Panamanian freighter Sylvan Arrow (of the Standard Oil and Transportation Company) 40 miles southwest of Grenada, killing 1 of 44 aboard; there would be an attempt to tow her back to port, but she would ultimately sink before she reached port. 60 kilometers west of Havana, Cuba, German submarine U-753 sank American liberty ship George Calvert with three torpedoes; 10 of 61 aboard were killed during the attack, and 3 survivors were killed while being captured by the Germans; the survivors of George Calvert were freed after interrogation and sent to Cuba on lifeboats. Also on this date in the Gulf of Mexico, U-506 sank US tanker Halo 50 kilometers south of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, killing 21 of 42 aboard; all but 3 of the survivors would not live before being rescued. 
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20 May 1942 WW2 US Marine Corps airfield Cunningham Field was commissioned into service in North Carolina, United States. It would later be known as Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. 
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20 May 1942 WW2 USS Pollack sank two small boats with her deck gun off Kyushu, Japan. 
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20 May 1942 WW2 Light carrier Hosho was assigned toe the Main Body Air Force of the 1st Fleet. 
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20 May 1942 WW2 German submarine U-108 sank Norwegian tanker Norland 500 miles east of Bermuda; all 48 aboard survived. Also in the middle of the North Atlantic, U-158 sank British tanker Darina, killing 6 of 56 aboard. In the South Atlantic, German armed merchant cruiser Michel stopped Norwegian ship Kattegat at 1845 hours, captured the crew of 32, and sank the ship. 
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20 May 1942 WW2 Admiral Henry Harwood succeeded Sir Andrew Cunningham as Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean. 
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20 May 1942 WW2 German submarine U-431 sank British ship Eocene 10 miles off Sollum, Egypt; all 43 aboard survived. 
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20 May 1942 WW2 Alexander Löhr was mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht daily radio report. 
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20 May 1942 WW2 The Japanese, having intercepted the fake message regarding Midway Atoll's water distiller breaking down, reported to the invasion fleet the news and advised the fleet to take on additional supplies of fresh water. This message was intercepted by the US Navy radio intelligence team at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, and it allowed the US to confirm that the target of the next Japanese offensive was indeed Midway Atoll. In response, US Navy and Marine Corps dispatched reinforcements to Midway Atoll and the Aleutian Islands in expectation of an assault. On the same day, US Navy intelligence also intercepted a Japanese message containing the order of battle for the Midway Atoll and Aleutian Islands assaults; this message would be decrypted over the next several days. 
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20 May 1942 WW2 Repair ship Akashi was drydocked at Kure, Japan. 
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20 May 1942 WW2 Captain Hisagoro Shimamoto was named the commanding officer of Settsu. 
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20 May 1942 WW2 German 6th Army and 1st Panzer Army captured Protopopovka, Ukraine, further threatening the Soviet troops at Izium with encirclement. The Soviets continued to make break out attempts, but they were frustrated by German aircraft. 
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20 May 1942 WW2 Vyacheslav Molotov, the Soviet Minister for Foreign Affairs, met with Winston Churchill in London, England, United Kingdom and demanded to be told the date of the Second Front when British troops would again land in Europe. Churchill tried to explain that the time was not appropriate for an attack against fortress Europe (Dunkirk was still fresh in his mind and he had no desire to repeat the performance) until Britain was strong enough in arm, men and assault craft for such an ambitious operation. Angrily Molotov declared that he was not satisfied with Churchill's excuses and threatened to come to terms with the Germans unless the Allies came to the assistance of the Soviet Union immediately. 
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20 May 1942 WW2 USS S-28 departed San Diego, California, United States. 
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20 May 1943 WW2 USS Gar reported sinking a Japanese sampan in daylight with her deck gun. 
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20 May 1943 WW2 The US Marine Corps transferred the responsibility of the office of the Assistant Commandant (Air) to the Director of Aviation. 
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20 May 1943 WW2 In a press conference, Orde Wingate noted the achievement by Operation Longcloth in the areas of propaganda and morale. 
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20 May 1943 WW2 The Italian Navy withdrew all its personnel from Yalta, Ukraine; all of the Italian torpedo boats were given to the German Navy in the region. 
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20 May 1943 WW2 Esterwegen Concentration Camp established a special camp named "Süd" (South) to hold prisoners transferred under the Nacht und Nebel program. 
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20 May 1943 WW2 12 US heavy bombers attacked Vunakanau Airfield at Rabaul, New Britain between 0300 and 0430 hours, causing limited damage to the facilities, but greatly affected Japanese morale. 
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20 May 1943 WW2 The headquarters of USAAF 3rd Bombardment Group was transferred from Port Moresby to Dobodura Airfield, Australian Papua. 
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20 May 1943 WW2 Repair ship Akashi completed the repair work for destroyer Harusame at Truk, Caroline Islands. 
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20 May 1943 WW2 Workers at Dock No. 4 at Pearl Harbor Navy Yard, US Territory of Hawaii completed concrete work. 
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20 May 1943 WW2 Shokaku departed Tokuyama, Japan for the Yokosuka region to prepare for the counter offensive at the Aleutian Islands. 
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20 May 1943 WW2 USS Whale arrived in waters between Japan and Mariana Islands and Caroline Islands. 
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20 May 1943 WW2 The women's camp in Auschwitz II-Birkenau in Poland reported that it had 20,635 female prisoners (9,337 with working assignments, 4,510 without working assignments, and 6,788 unable to work). 
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20 May 1943 WW2 USS S-35 began post-repair trials off Bremerton, Washington, United States. 
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20 May 1943 WW2 Henry Arnold was released by Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington DC, United States. 
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20 May 1944 WW2 Eisenhower addressed French Resistance groups via a broadcast in preparation for the planned cross-Channel invasion. On the same day, 5,000 Allied bombers conducted coordinated strikes against many rail targets and 9 airfields in France and Belgium. 
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20 May 1944 WW2 Members of the Polish underground captured a top secret V2 rocket intact. Since the Germans set up a test site at Bliza, Poland, the underground had operated a chain of small units responsible for bearing the Germans to the sites of crashed test rockets and salvaging whatever they could before the soldiers arrived. One V2 landed in a marsh close to the banks of the River Bug 80 miles east of Warsaw. The resistance got there first and found it sticking out of the mud. They pushed it deeper into the water to hide it and later dismantled the missile and flew vital parts to England, United Kingdom via an RAF Dakota aircraft. 
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20 May 1944 WW2 USS Gar began her twelfth war patrol. 
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20 May 1944 WW2 Destroyer USS Taussig (DD-746) was commissioned with Commander Joseph A. Robbins in command. 
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20 May 1944 WW2 USS Baya was commissioned into service with Commander A. H. Holtz in command. 
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20 May 1944 WW2 Iceland began a four-day plebiscite on whether to terminate the personal union with the King of Denmark and establish a republic. 
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20 May 1944 WW2 Japanese troops evacuated the forward-most positions near Imphal, India. Meanwhile, a bloody clash took place between Japanese and Anglo-Indian troops at Torbung. 
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20 May 1944 WW2 US Fifth Army captured Gaeta, Italy. 
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20 May 1944 WW2 USS Wasp's aircraft attacked Japanese positions in support of the upcoming Mariana Islands invasion. 
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20 May 1944 WW2 USS Pintado arrived at Midway Atoll. 
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20 May 1945 WW2 Japanese troops began pulling out of China. 
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20 May 1945 WW2 American troops reached Shuri Castle, Okinawa, Japan. 
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20 May 1945 WW2 Canadian troops landed on the island of Texel off the Dutch coast. 
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20 May 1945 WW2 USS Wake Island completed her repairs at Apra Harbor, Guam, Mariana Islands. 
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20 May 1945 WW2 Claude Auchinleck had lunch with Winston Churchill, during which Auchinleck noted to Churchill that William Slim was among the best generals in the British Army and recommended the appointment of Slim to succeed him as Commander-in-Chief, India. 
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20 May 1945 WW2 USS Chub attacked a Japanese convoy in the Java Sea, sinking a transport with one of four torpedoes fired. 
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20 May 1945 WW2 USS Ray sank a Japanese patrol vessel west of Japan with her deck gun. 
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20 May 1945 WW2 USS Cero sank a Japanese trawler east of Japan, hitting her with 1 of 3 torpedoes fired. 
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20 May 1945 WW2 Captain J. E. Leeper was named the commanding officer of USS Shamrock Bay, relieving Captain Frank T. Ward, Jr, while the ship was at Guam, Mariana Islands. 
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20 May 1945 WW2 Barbers Point Naval Air Station: Composite Squadron 63 (VC-63) departed. 
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20 May 1945 WW2 Pilots of Japanese Navy 631st Naval Air Group were officially assigned to individual submarines of Submarine Squadron 1. 
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20 May 1945 WW2 Allied convoy JW-67 arrived at the Kola Inlet near Murmansk, Russia. 
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20 May 1945 WW2 USS Tirante departed Midway for her second war patrol. 
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20 May 1945 WW2 USS Puffer departed Midway Atoll for her eighth war patrol. 
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20 May 1946 WW2 Natoma Bay was decommissioned from service. 
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20 May 1947 WW2 Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller was executed by firing squad in Athens, Greece. 
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20 May 1948 WW2 Chiang Kaishek stepped down as the Chairman of the Nationalist Government and became the first Chinese president under the new Constitution of the Republic of China. 
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20 May 1949 WW2 Damaskinos passed away. 
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