CAMPAIGN SUMMARIES OF WORLD WAR 2

ROYAL NAVY BATTLE HONOURS 1939-45 including
Battle & Campaign Honours, Single-Ship Actions, Royal Marine Corps Memorable Dates

Click underlined links to go direct to Campaign Summaries

1939

ATLANTIC 1939-45 - escort & support group ships in North Atlantic from Equator to Arctic Circle, Sept 3rd 1939 - May 1945

NORTH SEA 1939-45 - all waters from Southend-on-Sea, Thames Estuary north to Shetland Isles, excluding Norwegian coastal waters, Sept 3rd 1939-May 1944, June 1944-May 1945

ENGLISH CHANNEL 1939-45 - Southend-on-Sea, Thames Estuary round to Bristol, Bristol Channel; Western limit line from Ushant, France to Scilly Islands, SW England, Sept 3rd 1939-May 1944, June 1944-May 1945

RIVER PLATE 1939 or "Graf Spee" Action - off Uruguay, S America, Dec 13th 1939

 

1940

NORWAY 1940-45 - North Sea from April 8th to June 1940, thereafter Norwegian coastal waters as far N as Tromso, Apr 8th 1940 - May 1945

ADMIRAL HIPPER 1940 - Single-ship action (HMS Glowworm) off coast of Norway, April 8th 1940

NARVIK 1940 - N Norway, April 10th and 13th 1940

DUNKIRK 1940 (Operation Dynamo) - N coast of France, May 28th-June 4th 1940

SCHARNHOST 1940 - Single-ship action (HMS Acasta, Ardent) off coast of Norway, June 8th 1940

BISCAY 1940-45 - Ushant to Cape Ortegal, from 12W to French coast, June 1940-May 1944, June 1944-May 1945

MEDITERRANEAN 1940-45 - entire Mediterranean to line Cape Trafalgar/Cape Spartel just W of Gibraltar, June 1940 - May 1945

CALABRIA 1940 or Punto Stilo - off SW Italy, July 9th 1940

SPADA 1940 or Cape Spada - off N coast of Crete, July 19th 1940

LIBYA 1940-42 - Inshore Squadron (Force W) sailing in inshore waters between Benghazi, Libya and Port Said, Egypt, from around Sept 1940 - June 1942

ADMIRAL SCHEER 1940 - Single-ship action (HMS Jervis Bay) in North Atlantic, Nov 5th 1940

TARANTO 1940 - SE Italy, Nov 11th 1940

SPARTIVENTO 1940 - SW tip of Italy, Nov 27th 1940

 

1941

MALTA CONVOYS 1941-42

MATAPAN 1941 or Cape Matapan - S tip of Greece, Mar 28th-29th 1941

GREECE 1941, April 1941

SFAX 1941 - off E coast of Tunisia, April 15th-16th 1941

CRETE 1941 - SE of Greece, May 20th-June 1st 1941

"BISMARCK" 1941 or Denmark Strait - North Atlantic, May 23rd-27th 1941

ARCTIC 1941-45 or Russian Convoys - N of Arctic, but excluding Norwegian coastal waters S of Tromso, Aug 1941 - May 1945

KORMORAN 1941 - Single-ship action (HMAS Sydney) off Western Australia in Indian Ocean, Nov 19th 1941

CAPE BON 1941 - Tunisia, Dec 13th 1941

 

1942

MALAYA 1942-45 - Malacca Straits between Malaya and Sumatra, from 7N to 7S, and 95E to 108E, Jan 1942 - Aug 1945

PACIFIC 1942-45 - Jan 1942 - Aug 1945, Royal Australian Navy only

SUNDA STRAIT 1942 - between Sumatra and Java, Feb 28th - March 1st 1942, HMAS Perth only

SIRTE 1942 - N of central Libya, March 22nd 1942

ST NAZAIRE 1942 - W coast of France, March 28th 1942

CORAL SEA 1942 - between Australia and Solomons Islands, May 4th-8th 1942, Royal Australian Navy only

DIEGO SAUREZ 1942 or Madagascar - off East Africa, May 5th-7th 1942

NEW GUINEA 1942-44 - N of Australia, June 1942 - 1944, Royal Australian Navy only

GUADALCANAL 1942-43 - southern Solomons Islands, Aug 1942 - Feb 1943, Royal Australian Navy only

SAVO ISLAND 1942 - off Guadalcanal, southern Solomons Islands, Aug 9th 1942, Royal Australian Navy only

DIEPPE 1942 - N coast of France, Aug 19th 1942

NORTH AFRICA 1942-43 (Operation Torch) - Morocco, Algiers, Tunisia, Nov 8th 1942 - Feb 20th 1943

HOKOKU MARU 1942 - Single-ship action (HMIS Bengal) in Indian Ocean, Nov 11th 1942

BARENTS SEA 1942 - N of Norway and Russia, Dec 31st 1942

 

1943

SICILY 1943 - S tip of Italy, July 10th - Aug 17th 1943

KULA GULF 1943 - central Solomons Islands, July 13th 1943. NOTE: In all other reference sources, the Battle of Kula Gulf was fought on the night of the 5th/6th July. The battle on the night of the 12th/13th July when HMNZS Leander was in action and damaged is referred to as the Battle of Kolombangara, Royal New Zealand Navy only

AEGEAN 1943-44 - Aegean Sea N of 35N and from 22E to 30E, Sept 7th-Nov 28th 1943, and Jan-Dec 1944

SALERNO 1943 - W Italy, Sept 9th - Oct 6th 1943

TIRPITZ 1943 - Single-ship action (midget submarines X6, X7) in N Norway, Sept 22nd 1943

NORTH CAPE 1943 or "Scharnhorst" Action - N of Norway, Dec 26th 1943

 

1944

ANZIO 1944 - Italy, Jan 22nd 1944

ADRIATIC 1944 - Adriatic Sea N of 40N, Jan-Dec 1944

NORMANDY 1944 (Operation Overlord) - N France, June 6th 1944

LANDINGS IN NORMANDY, N France - Royal Marine Corps Memorable Date, June 6th 1944

SABANG 1944 - Sumatra, July 25th 1944

SOUTH FRANCE 1944 - Aug 15th-27th 1944

LEYTE GULF 1944 - central Philippines, Oct 20th-27th 1944, Royal Australian Navy plus one Royal Navy ship

BURMA 1944-45 - SE Asia, Oct 1944-Apr 1945, May-Aug 1945

WALCHEREN 1944 - island, SW Holland, Nov 1st 1944

ASSAULT ON WALCHEREN, SW Holland - Royal Marine Corps Memorable Date, Nov 1st 1944

 

1945

LINGAYEN GULF 1945 - northern Philippines, Jan 5th-9th 1945, Royal Australian Navy only

PALEMBANG 1945 - Sumatra; restricted to four fleet carriers present and their FAA Squadrons, Jan 24th and 29th 1945

OKINAWA 1945 (Operation Iceberg) - island chain SW of Japan, Mar 24th - June 21st 1945

JAPAN 1945 - restricted to four fleet carriers present and their FAA Squadrons, July 16th-Aug 11th 1945

TAKAO 1945 - Single-ship action (midget submarines XE1, XE3) off Singapore, SE Asia, July 31st 1945