1910 | 1911 | 1912 | 1913 | 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | 1919
1920 | 1921 | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929
1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939
1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949
1 Jan 1944
- Petr Novikov passed away.
» In-depth article
- General Mark Clark became the commander of US Fifth and Seventh Armies.
» In-depth article
- Soviet forces closed to within 30 miles of the old Polish frontier.
- Robert Saundby was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
» In-depth article
- The Japanese Navy 11th Air Fleet was reorganized to contain two air flotillas, one air group, one seaplane tender, and two destroyers. The 13th Air Fleet was assigned to the Southwest Area Fleet with two air flotillas and one air group.
- USS Pintado was commissioned into service, Lieutenant Commander Bernard A. Clarey in command.
» In-depth article
- USS Finback sank a Japanese tanker in the East China Sea, hitting her with 5 of 6 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- USS Puffer sank Japanese freighter Ryuyo Maru and damaged another ship south of the Philippine Islands; she expended 7 torpedoes and observed 4 hits.
» In-depth article
- Light carrier Hosho was assigned to Training Force of the 5th Force.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein was named the commanding officer of Nachtjagdgeschwader 2.
» In-depth article
- USS Ray sank Japanese converted gunboat Okuyo Maru in the mouth of Ambon Bay, Java, Dutch East Indies, hitting her with 3 of 6 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- George Giffard was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
Germany
- 421 RAF Lancaster bombers attacked Berlin, Germany; 28 aircraft were lost. 15 Mosquito aircraft attacked Hamburg in diversion.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- Allied convoy RA-55A arrived at Loch Ewe, Scotland, United Kingdom.
» In-depth article
United States
- Dwight Eisenhower arrived in Washington DC, United States where he and his wife would take a brief break from the war.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 1 Jan 1944
See all photos dated 1 Jan 1944
2 Jan 1944
Germany
- 383 RAF aircraft (362 Lancaster, 9 Halifax, and 12 Mosquito) attacked Berlin, Germany; 27 aircraft were lost.
» In-depth article
Japan
Panama Canal Zone
- USS Rock departed Panama Canal Zone for Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 2 Jan 1944
3 Jan 1944
- General Montgomery was ordered home to take command of British troops in the Allied Expeditionary Force.
» In-depth article
- USMC ace pilot Major Greg "Pappy" Boyington was shot down in his Corsair fighter by Japanese Navy pilot Captain Masajiro Kawato flying a Zero fighter.
- USS Scorpion refueled at Midway Atoll.
» In-depth article
Germany
- 8 RAF Mosquito aircraft attacked Solingen and Essen in Germany.
» In-depth article
Italy
- US Fifth Army began its offensive against the Gustav Line in Italy.
» In-depth article
United States
- The US destroyer Turner mysteriously exploded in a harbor in New Jersey, United States, killing 153 crewmen. The lives of the 165 injured survivors were saved by the airlifting in by helicopter from Brooklyn, New York, United States of supplies of blood plasma. It was the first time that a rotary wing aircraft had been used in a rescue operation.
Photo(s) dated 3 Jan 1944
See all photos dated 3 Jan 1944
4 Jan 1944
- Germany called for the mobilization of school children to aid the war effort.
- Operation Carpetbagger: Allied aircraft began to drop supplies to resistance fighters in Axis-occupied Europe.
- In a conference attended by German leaders Heinrich Himmler, Wilhelm Keitel, Albert Speer, and Fritz Sauckel, it was decided that four million people were to be conscripted from occupied territories as forced laborers for war production. One million were to be drafted from France between 1 Feb and 31 Dec 1944.
» In-depth article
- The fascist Italian Social Republic in Northern Italy passed laws to prohibit Jews from owning stock or land and to seize Jewish-owned assets.
- German government office RSHA released five Danish Jews of mixed descent per an agreement reached between Adolf Eichmann and the Danish administration.
- At Auschwitz Concentration Camp, SS Doctor Eduard Wirths notified fellow medical officers at Auschwitz III-Monowitz that, as of this date, corpses of deceased prisoners should be identified and then sent directly to the crematoria, bypassing the previous procedure of sending the corpses to the morgue at Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau first. Death reports, however, must still be filed at the orderly room of prisoners' hospital in Auschwitz I by noon time of the same day that the corpses were sent to the crematoria.
» In-depth article
- USS Cabrilla sank a Japanese transport in the late afternoon in the South China Sea, hitting her with 3 of 6 torpedoes fired. Six hours later, she attacked another oiler with 3 torpedoes, damaging her with 1.
» In-depth article
- Sydir Kovpak was made a Hero of the Soviet Union for the second time.
» In-depth article
- USS Ray attacked two Japanese cargo ships south of the Philippine Islands, damaging one of them with 2 of 4 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
France
- 80 British RAF aircraft attacked two German flying bomb sites in France.
» In-depth article
Germany
Italy
- US II Corps attacked along Route 6 across the Bernhardt Line in Italy.
» In-depth article
Japan
Pacific Ocean
- USS Bluefish sank a Japanese oiler and damaged other ships in the South China Sea, hitting them with 3 of 13 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
Taiwan
- US Navy aircraft struck Japanese bases on Taiwan.
Photo(s) dated 4 Jan 1944
5 Jan 1944
- Petrof Bay was launched.
» In-depth article
- USS Scorpion made rendezvous with USS Herring in the East China Sea, but the planned transfer of an injured sailor from Scorpion to Herring did not take place due to heavy seas. Some time after this date, she was lost, presumed mined in the Yellow Sea.
» In-depth article
Germany
- Hansjürgen Reinicke was named the commanding officer of German cruiser Prinz Eugen.
» In-depth article
- 358 RAF aircraft (348 Lancaster and 10 Halifax) attacked Stettin, Germany, while 28 Mosquito aircraft attacked five other cities (13 against Berlin) in diversion; 16 aircraft were lost.
» In-depth article
- Robert Johnson shot down a German Fw 190 aircraft over Koblenz, Germany.
» In-depth article
New Hebrides
Pacific Ocean
- USS Bluefish attacked a Japanese transport in the South China Sea; all 3 torpedoes missed.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 5 Jan 1944
6 Jan 1944
- Shokaku left drydock.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Red Army units crossed the original 1939 Polish border, advancing nearly 200 miles in 2 weeks.
- 19 RAF Mosquito aircraft attacked Duisburg, Bristillerie, Dortmund, and Solingen in Germany.
» In-depth article
- USS Snook departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her fifth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- The families of the men lost during the 1943 sinking of battleship Mutsu was finally notified; they were not informed that the ship had been destroyed in an accident.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- HMS Wallasea was sunk by a German motor torpedo boat off Mount's Bay, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.
Hawaii
- USS Seahorse departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her third war patrol.
» In-depth article
7 Jan 1944
Japan
Panama Canal Zone
United Kingdom
- Dwight Eisenhower arrived at Prestwick, Scotland, United Kingdom.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 7 Jan 1944
8 Jan 1944
- USS Tang arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
» In-depth article
- In Castel Vecchio in Italy, the trial began for Count Ciano and 18 other Fascists Mussolini held responsible for his downfall.
» In-depth article
- Red Army troops captured Kirovograd, Ukraine.
- 23 RAF Mosquito aircraft attacked Frankfurt, Solingen, Aachen, and Dortmund in Germany; 2 aircraft were lost.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
Italy
United Kingdom
- Allied convoy RA-55B arrived at Loch Ewe, Scotland, United Kingdom.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 8 Jan 1944
9 Jan 1944
- The Countess Ciano managed to escape northern Italy to Switzerland, where she was interned.
- Submarine Hawkbill was launched, sponsored by the wife of the submarine's future commanding officer F. Worth Scanland, Jr.
» In-depth article
- Prime Minister Hideo Tojo authorized the plans for Operation U-Go against northeastern India.
» In-depth article
Burma
- Indian 5th Division captured the coastal port city of Maungdaw, Burma.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 9 Jan 1944
10 Jan 1944
- Count Ciano and 17 of the other Fascist ministers were found guilty and sentenced to death.
» In-depth article
- Deported Libyan Jews (most were from Bengazi) arrived at the Fossoli di Carpi transit camp in Italy.
- Department 7 of the Department for Public Security of the Hungarian Interior Ministry ordered foreigners to be held at the border. This order was given in light of the recent partisan victories in Croatia that caused large number of civilians to flee into neighboring Hungary.
- The last of the Jewish patients in Berlin psychiatric clinics were assembled for deportation to the east.
- A transport of 259 Jews from Stutthof Concentration Camp departed for Auschwitz Concentration Camp.
» In-depth article
- French police arrested 228 Jews in and near Bordeaux and rounded them up at the Bordeaux synagogue.
- The US coastal minesweeper YMS-127 was grounded on the beach of Tanaga Island, Aleutian Islands in heavy weather. Salvaged by the US Coast Guard YMS-127, she could not be economically repaired and was written off in Sep 1944.
Caroline Islands
Germany
- 20 RAF Mosquito aircraft attacked Berlin, Solingen, Koblenz, and Krefeld in Germany.
» In-depth article
Italy
11 Jan 1944
- Yamato was spotted by USS Halibut at 1800 hours, but Halibut was unable to attack.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- USS Cod completed her refit at Fremantle, Australia.
» In-depth article
- The death sentence was carried out on Count Ciano and 17 others.
» In-depth article
- US carrier aircraft attacked Japanese bases throughout Indochina.
- Several hundred Spanish Jews arrested in Greece and imprisoned at Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp were returned to Spain.
» In-depth article
- US 8th Air Force launched over 600 bombers against Ascherleben, Braunschweig, and Magdeburg in Germany.
» In-depth article
- Destroyer Yukikaze departed Moji, Japan to escort carrier Chitose to Singapore.
» In-depth article
- Leighton McCarthy presented his letters of credentials to President of the United States Franklin Roosevelt, thus becoming the first Canadian ambassador to the United States.
Caroline Islands
Japan
United States
- USS Wake Island departed San Diego, California, United States.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 11 Jan 1944
12 Jan 1944
- Churchill and de Gaulle met at Marrakesh, Morocco.
» In-depth article
- 1,000 Jews from Stutthof Concentration Camp arrived at Auschwitz Concentration Camp; 120 men and 134 women were registered into the camp while 746 were gassed upon arrival.
» In-depth article
- Operation Spark: Soviets launched an offensive to restore communication and over-land supply route to Leningrad, Russia.
» In-depth article
- The keel of escort carrier Makin Island was laid down.
» In-depth article
- HMS Activity embarked the No. 819 Naval Air Squadron.
» In-depth article
- USS Puffer arrived at Fremantle, Australia, ending her second war patrol.
» In-depth article
Australia
- USS Ray arrived at Fremantle, Australia, ending her second war patrol.
» In-depth article
Australian Papua
- USS Cero entered Milne Bay, Australian Papua, ending her second war patrol.
» In-depth article
Hawaii
- USS Flier departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Alabama arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
» In-depth article
Italy
- In Italy the US 5th Army opened its offensive on the Gustav Line in appalling weather, capturing Cervaro, Italy.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- Allied convoy JW-56A departed Liverpool, England, United Kingdom; it was consisted of 20 freighters and was escorted by 2 cruisers and 9 destroyers.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 12 Jan 1944
13 Jan 1944
- US Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau, Jr. received the "Report to the Secretary on the Acquiescence of this Government in the Murder of the Jews", exposing US State Department's efforts to avoid directly helping Jewish refugees.
» In-depth article
- John Basilone was assigned to the 21st Infantry Regiment of the newly formed but not yet activated US 5th Marine Division.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
Germany
- 25 RAF Mosquito aircraft attacked Essen, Duisburg, Aachen, and Koblenz in Germany; 1 aircraft was lost.
» In-depth article
Italy
- Allied troops captured the high ground north of Cervaro, Italy.
» In-depth article
Russia
- The Central Headquarters of the Partisan Movement (TsShPD) in the Soviet Union was disbanded.
- Historical document written: Report to the Secretary on the Acquiescence of this Government in the Murder of the Jews
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 13 Jan 1944
14 Jan 1944
- Yamato was detected by the radar of USS Batfish at 2330 hours, but Batfish was unable to close in for an attack.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- 498 RAF aircraft (496 Lancaster and 2 Halifax) attacked Braunschweig, Germany, with 49 aircraft lost; German reports noted only 10 homes destroyed and 14 killed. As a diversion, 17 RAF Mosquito aircraft attacked Magdeburg and Berlin.
» In-depth article
- 82 RAF aircraft attacked German flying bomb sites at Ailly, Bonneton, and Bristillerie in France.
- German leader Ernst Kaltenbrunner ordered to insert more informers in the foreign forced laborers population.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 14 Jan 1944
15 Jan 1944
Caroline Islands
Iceland
- Allied convoy JW-56A sailed into a storm off the Faroe Islands; it was redirected to Akureyri, Iceland for shelter.
» In-depth article
Italy
- German XIV Panzer Corps abandoned Monte Trocchio, Italy and fell back across the Rapido River; US II Corps would capture Monte Trocchio later in the same day. Meanwhile, General Juin's French troops captured Monte Santa Croce.
» In-depth article
16 Jan 1944
Australian New Guinea
- The Americans destroyed the last Japanese counterattacks to wrap up operations on New Britain.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
Japan
- Yamato arrived at Kure, Japan and docked in No. 4 drydock for repairs. Yamato would also receive a sloping plate fitted at a 45-degree angle across the lower corner of the upper void compartment between the two longitudinal inboard bulkheads. This modification, proposed to run the full length of the citadel, was installed only in Yamato in the area affected by the torpedo damage received in the previous month.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
Pacific Ocean
- USS Seahorse sank Japanese cargo ship Nikko Maru off the Mariana Islands, hitting her with three of four torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- General Eisenhower assumed the post as Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in England, United Kingdom.
» In-depth article
United States
- US Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau, Jr. and Treasury official Randolph Paul delivered the "Report to the Secretary on the Acquiescence of this Government in the Murder of the Jews" to President Franklin Roosevelt.
» In-depth article
US Pacific Islands
- USS Flier ran aground near Midway Atoll. USS Macaw attempted to pull Flier free, but Macaw would also run aground in the process, causing her to sink. She was eventually pulled free and put into Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for repairs.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 16 Jan 1944
17 Jan 1944
Italy
- British X Corps attacked the western end of the German Gustav Line in Italy.
» In-depth article
Japan
Photo(s) dated 17 Jan 1944
18 Jan 1944
Byelorussia
- Repeated Soviet attacks near Vitebsk, Byelorussia were repulsed by German Armeegruppe Mitte.
Russia
- Operation Spark, which commenced 6 days earlier, successfully opened a corridor into Leningrad, Russia on this day. The siege on the city would soon end on 27 Jan 1943.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- Lieutenant Alex George Horwood of the British Queen's Royal Regiment was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for outstanding conduct at Kyauchaw, Burma, during three days of continuous attacks.
Photo(s) dated 18 Jan 1944
19 Jan 1944
Australia
Hawaii
- USS San Juan arrived off Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii and rejoined USS Saratoga's task group.
» In-depth article
Ireland
- The Irish government announced the arrest of two Irish traitors, parachuted in from German aircraft.
Italy
- British 46th Infantry Division attacked German positions near the junction of the Garigliano River and the Liri River in Italy.
» In-depth article
Japan
Russia
- German troops managed to avoid being encircled at Novgorod, Russia.
Photo(s) dated 19 Jan 1944
20 Jan 1944
- Soviet forces captured Novgorod, Russia.
- USS Gar sank Japanese cargo ship Koyu Maru off Palau Islands in daylight with two of three torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- Destroyer Yukikaze arrived at Singapore.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
Germany
- The heaviest RAF raid on Berlin to date was launched, with 769 aircraft (495 Lancaster, 264 Halifax, 10 Mosquito) dropping over 2,300 tons of explosives on the German capital. 13 Lancaster and 22 Halifax bombers were lost. Damage on Berlin was thought to be extensive, but this could not be confirmed due to bad weather on the next day.
» In-depth article
- Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein shot down three British aircraft near Berlin, Germany, increasing his victories to 78. His Ju 88 aircraft was damaged by the propeller of the third aircraft he shot down, a Lancaster bomber, and only barely made it back to the airfield and had to crash land.
» In-depth article
Italy
- After sundown, US 141st Regiment and 143rd Regiment attacked across the Rapido River in Italy.
» In-depth article
Marshall Islands
- Japanese cargo ships Akibasan Maru was sunk at Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands.
United Kingdom
- Air Chief Marshal Sir William Sholto Douglas was appointed Commander-in-Chief of RAF Coastal Command.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 20 Jan 1944
21 Jan 1944
- 90 German bombers attacked southern British cities.
» In-depth article
- 648 RAF aircraft attacked Magdeburg, Germany; 55 British aircraft and 4 German fighters were destroyed during the engagement. It was the first time Magdeburg was raided by the Allies.
» In-depth article
- Light cruiser USS Vincennes was commissioned with Captain Arthur D. Brown in command.
- USS Seahorse sank Japanese cargo ship Yasukuni Maru and passenger-cargo ship Ikoma Maru in the Pacific Ocean, expending nine torpedoes, five of which scored hits.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
France
- Robert Johnson shot down a German Fw 190 aircraft over Rouen, France.
» In-depth article
Germany
- Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein shot down 5 British bombers before he was shot down by British escorting fighters. He was killed as the Ju 88 aircraft crashed in a wooded area in Lübars, Germany.
» In-depth article
Gilbert and Ellice Islands
Iceland
- Allied convoy JW-56A continued her journey from Akureyri, Iceland.
» In-depth article
Italy
- In the mid-morning, German 15th Panzergrenadier Division wiped out the US beachheads along the Rapido River in Italy, forcing the survivors to withdraw back across the river. During the day, German 29th Panzergrenadier Division and 90th Panzergrenadier Division arrived in the region as reinforcement. After dark, US 141st Regiment and 143rd Regiment crossed the river again and established precarious footholds.
» In-depth article
United States
- The US 5th Marine Division ("The Spearhead") was activated at Camp Pendleton near San Diego, California, United States with the 26th, 27th and 28th Marines under command. The 28th Marines contained a cadre of men from the deactivated Marine parachute battalions. Artillery was provided the 13th Marines and Engineers (who did not deploy overseas) by the 16th Marines.
Photo(s) dated 21 Jan 1944
22 Jan 1944
- USS Gar attacked a Japanese convoy off Palau Islands at night, reporting six hits with ten torpedoes fired and reporting one sunk and one damaged.
» In-depth article
- Franklin Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9417 for the establishment of the War Refugee Board to help European Jews flee from Europe. The board was to be governed by the Secretaries of State, Treasury, and War.
» In-depth article
Hawaii
- USS Tang departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol to the Caroline and Mariana Islands area.
» In-depth article
- USS Enterprise departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
» In-depth article
Italy
- 36,000 Allied troops landed at Anzio, Italy, facing little opposition.
» In-depth article
- German 15th Panzergrenadier Division wiped out new beachheads on the Rapido River in Italy established by US 141st Regiment and 143rd Regiment through the previous night.
» In-depth article
Japan
- Destroyer Yuzuki completed her refitting at Ishikawa Shipyard and the Yokosuka Shipyard near Tokyo, Japan. Her aft torpedo mount and two of her four main guns were removed in exchange for additional anti-aircraft machine guns and improved underwater sound detection equipment.
» In-depth article
Russia
- Viktor Abakumov requested the Soviet GKO for a new trial in Smolensk, Russia for 13 German defendants arrested by SMERSH.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- Allied convoy JW-56B departed Liverpool, England, United Kingdom.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 22 Jan 1944
23 Jan 1944
- The destroyer HMS Janus was lost off Anzio, Italy.
» In-depth article
- USS Gar continued to attack a Japanese convoy off Palau Islands which had been attacked three hours prior on the previous date, sinking the already-damaged cargo ship Taian Maru with one of two torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- USS Snook sank Japanese converted gunboat Magane Maru off the Bonin Islands, hitting with 2 of 6 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein was awarded Swords to his Knight's Cross medal posthumously.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 23 Jan 1944
24 Jan 1944
- Roosevelt created the War Refugee Board in response to political pressure that demanded action to help Jews in occupied Europe.
» In-depth article
Italy
- Hitler ordered that the Gustav Line in Italy was to be held at all costs. Meanwhile, French forces attacked north of Monte Cassino and US 34th Infantry Division attacked across the Rapido River north of Cassino.
» In-depth article
- At Anzio, Italy, Private George Mitchell charged alone through intense machine-gun fire, jumped into the weapon pit and killed the crew. Shortly afterwards, he similarly assaulted a second position, killing six of the enemy and taking 12 prisoners. He was killed moments later when one of the Germans who had supposedly surrendered snatched up a discarded rifle and shot him. Mitchell was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross medal.
- German forces in the Anzio, Italy region increased to over 40,000 men.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 24 Jan 1944
25 Jan 1944
- Captain Nobuei Morishita relieved Rear Admiral Takeji Ono as the commanding officer of Yamato.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Nazi Gauleiter Hans Frank noted in his diary on this date that "At the present time we still have in the General Government perhaps 100,000 Jews." Prior to the German occupation, the area now called the General Government had a Jewish population of about 2,500,000.
» In-depth article
- The US coastal minesweeper YMS-30 struck a mine and sank off Anzio, Italy.
- Destroyer Yukikaze departed Singapore to escort carrier Chitose and convoy HI-32 to Moji, Japan.
» In-depth article
- The Wehrmachtbericht bulletin issued on this date by the Wehrmacht headquarters announced the death of nightfighter pilot Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein.
» In-depth article
- German submarine U-278 sank US freighter Penelope Barker (16 were killed, 56 survived) and U-360 damaged destroyer HMS Obdurate which was forced to leave the escort force of the Allied arctic convoy.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
Gilbert and Ellice Islands
Italy
- General Eberhard von Mackensen assumed overall control of forces in the Anzio, Italy area.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 25 Jan 1944
26 Jan 1944
- USS Hoe departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her third war patrol.
» In-depth article
- U-869 was commissioned into service with Kapitänleutnant Hellmut Neuerburg in command. She was assigned to the German Navy 4th Submarine Flotilla for training.
» In-depth article
- USS Guitarro was commissioned into service with Lieutenant Commander Enrique D. Haskins in command.
» In-depth article
- Orde Wingate and William Slim met at Comilla, India; Slim told Wingate that he would provide only one battalion for Wingate's second Chindit operation.
» In-depth article
- USS Skipjack prepared to attack a Japanese transport when she discovered a escorting destroyer, Suzukaze, nearby; Skipjack successfully shifted target and sank the destroyer. She suffered flooding from a valve door that failed to close, but she quickly remedied the situation and returned to attack the same convoy, sinking converted seaplane tender Okitsu Maru. 12 torpedoes were expended on this date.
» In-depth article
- German submarine U-716 sank US freighter Andrew G. Curtin of Allied convoy JW-56A; 3 were killed, 68 survived. U-360 damaged British freighter Fort Bellingham (convoy civilian commodore's ship), which was later sunk by U-957; 36 were killed, 35 survived.
» In-depth article
United States
- USS Wake Island arrived at Norfolk, Virginia, United States.
» In-depth article
- USS Marcus Island was commissioned into service at Astoria, Oregon, United States with Captain Charles F. Greber in command.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 26 Jan 1944
27 Jan 1944
- The 872-day siege of Leningrad, Russia was relieved by Soviet forces after suffering 200,000 military and 1,200,000 civilian deaths. The German 18.Armee in the region was withdrawn to the Luga River.
» In-depth article
- 1st Ukrainian Front launches an attack towards Luzk and Rovno, Ukraine.
- Orde Wingate and William Slim met at Comilla; Slim told Wingate that he could no longer provide any battalions for Wingate's second Chindit operation. Angrily, Wingate wrote a letter to Louis Mountbatten, criticizing Slim and asked to be relieved of duty since he could not perform his duties alongside of Slim; Slim was provided a carbon copy of the letter. Instead, via George Giffard, Mounbatten said he would find Wingate troops from the 81st West African Division.
» In-depth article
Germany
- 515 Lancaster and 15 Mosquito aircraft of the RAF attacked Berlin, Germany; 33 Lancaster bombers were lost.
» In-depth article
Italy
- To the west, Allied Major General John Lucas by now commanded 70,000 men, 237 tanks, 508 heavy guns, and 27,000 tons of supplies at Anzio, Italy, but he decided to still maintain a defensive posture.
» In-depth article
- Germans launched a counter attack against French troops near Cassino, Italy.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 27 Jan 1944
28 Jan 1944
- In an effort to stop Spain from supplying Germany with war materials and to withdraw her troops from the Russian Front, the US and Britain announced an oil embargo. This embargo will last about 4 months until Franco finally gave in.
- Several German divisions were cut off and surrounded near Cherkassy, Ukraine.
- USS Pompon arrived at Darwin, Australia, ending her third war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Flying Fish ended her eighth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Seahorse began an 80-hour chase of a Japanese convoy off the Palau Islands.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
Germany
- 677 RAF aircraft (432 Lancaster, 241 Halifax, and 4 Mosquito) attacked Berlin, Germany; 46 aircraft were lost.
» In-depth article
- Canadian prisoner of war Lieutenant Bill Millar hid underneath a Germany truck at the Oflag IV-C camp at Colditz Castle in Germany during an air raid and was able to escape the camp later when the truck was driven out of the camp. His fate after the escape was unknown, however.
Italy
- German Field Marshal Albert Kesselring ordered a counterattack against the Allied beachhead at Anzio, Italy.
» In-depth article
Japan
Russia
29 Jan 1944
- The head of police of the Italian Social Republic in northern Italy ordered that all Jewish communities be dissolved by the next month.
- A transport of 245 prisoners sent by the Bialystok Gestapo arrived at Stutthof concentration camp.
» In-depth article
- HMS Activity began convoy escort duties with the Second Escort Group.
» In-depth article
- Battleship Missouri was launched, sponsored by Mary Magaret Truman, daughter of Senator Harry Truman.
» In-depth article
Germany
- In Germany, the Duisburg and Herbouville flying bomb site were bombed by 22 Mosquito aircraft of the RAF. Meanwhile, RAF bombers attacked Berlin and USAAF bombers attacked Frankfurt am Main and Ludwigshafen.
» In-depth article
Italy
- Total Allied strength at the Anzio, Italy beachhead totaled 69,000 men, 508 guns, and 208 tanks by the end of this day. On the other side of the lines, German strength rose to 71,500 men.
» In-depth article
Marshall Islands
- USS Alabama bombarded Japanese positions on Roi, Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands.
» In-depth article
Netherlands
- Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein was buried at the cemetery at Deelen airfield in the Netherlands.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- Luftwaffe bombers attacked London, England, United Kingdom.
» In-depth article
- Rohan Amerasekera was promoted to the rank of flying officer in the British Royal Air Force.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 29 Jan 1944
30 Jan 1944
- Submarine Becuna was launched, sponsored by the wife of Commander George C. Crawford.
» In-depth article
- USS Finback damaged a fishing trawler with gunfire in the East China Sea.
» In-depth article
- German submarine U-278 fatally damaged Allied arctic convoy escort HMS Hardy; HMS Venus scuttled HMS Hardy after the damaged destroyer was abandoned.
» In-depth article
- USS Seahorse sank Japanese cargo ship Toko Maru south of Japan, which she had been chasing for many hours, hitting her with all three of three torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
Germany
- 534 RAF aircraft (440 Lancaster, 82 Halifax, and 12 Mosquito) attacked Berlin, Germany; 33 aircraft were lost.
» In-depth article
- Robert Johnson shot down a German Me 410 heavy fighter and a Bf 109 fighter over Lingen, Germany.
» In-depth article
Italy
- Allied forces attacked out of the Anzio, Italy beachhead, advancing toward Cisterna and Campoleone, but none of the two forces would be able to capture the objectives; during the process, an entire US Army Ranger battalion was destroyed.
» In-depth article
Marshall Islands
- USS Alabama bombarded Japanese positions on Namur, Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 30 Jan 1944
31 Jan 1944
- Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru arrived at Rabaul, New Britain and departed later on the same day.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Americans landed on Kwajalein and Majuro atolls in the Marshall Islands.
» In-depth article
- Fleet aircraft carrier USS Franklin was commissioned into service with Captain James M. Shoemaker in command.
» In-depth article
- USS Finback sank a fishing trawler with gunfire in the East China Sea.
» In-depth article
- The Royal Navy's Second Escort Group (Captain F. J. Walker) sank the German submarine U-592.
» In-depth article
- USS Seahorse sank Japanese cargo ship Toei Maru south of Japan, which she had been chasing for many hours, hitting her with two of eight torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
Italy
- US 34th Division crossed the Rapido River in Italy. Nearby, French Moroccan colonial troops were halted by troops of German 5th Mountain Division near Cassino and Monte Belvedere, Italy.
» In-depth article
Russia
- The Soviet GKO issued two secret orders to deport ethnic Chechen and Ingush peoples to Kazakhstan and Kirghizia.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 31 Jan 1944
1 Feb 1944
- The British Air Headquarters Air Defences Eastern Mediterranean was renamed the Air Headquarters Eastern Mediterranean; Richard Saul remained its commanding officer despite the name change.
» In-depth article
- Franz Kutschera passed away.
» In-depth article
- A new satellite camp of Auschwitz III (Monowitz), located at the Guenthergrube in Ledziny, Poland opened. This new satellite camp would house 300 prisoners for coal mining for the German industrial firm I. G. Farben.
- Graph was decommissioned from service.
» In-depth article
British Western Pacific Territories
- The United States Marine Corps established a new 4th Marine Regiment at Tassafaronga, Guadalcanal (the original 4th Marine having been lost at Corregidor in the Philippine Islands in 1942) drawing its manpower from the deactivated Raider battalions.
Italy
- German 44th Infantry Division fell back near the Rapido River toward Monte Cassino, Italy.
» In-depth article
Russia
- Allied convoy JW-56B arrived at the Kola Inlet near Murmansk, Russia.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 1 Feb 1944
See all photos dated 1 Feb 1944
2 Feb 1944
- A transport from Trieste, Italy arrived at Auschwitz Concentration Camp. Most of the prisoners were sent to the gas chambers upon arrival.
» In-depth article
- Luzk and Rovno, Ukraine were captured by the Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front.
- The Warsaw area HSSPF, SS-Brigadeführer Franz Kutschera, was assassinated at the gate to his headquarters.
- Stalin allowed USAAF aircraft to use Russian bases.
» In-depth article
- Light carrier Hosho was assigned to the Combined Fleet as a training carrier.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
Italy
- Germans defeated American troops in the Battle of Cisterna near Anzio, Italy.
» In-depth article
United States
- USS Tunny completed her repairs at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, San Francisco, California, United States.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 2 Feb 1944
See all photos dated 2 Feb 1944
3 Feb 1944
- Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru arrived at Truk and departed later on the same day.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- The concentration camp at Szebnie, Poland was closed, and its prisoners deported or executed; Amon Göth was placed in charge of this operation.
» In-depth article
- German Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt issued additional orders that supported swift severe reprisals against any acts of resistance. The orders also explicitly attribute any potential innocent civilian casualties the fault of resistance group and not of the German occupation.
» In-depth article
- Italian Fascists violated Vatican City sovereignty by dispatching troops to arrest several Jews hiding within Vatican City borders.
- Savo Island was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
France
- The Drancy Concentration Camp in Paris, France sent its 67th transport for Auschwitz Concentration Camp with more than 1,000 Jews.
» In-depth article
Italy
- The American attempt to break out of the Anzio beachhead in Italy was halted, followed by the first German counterattack against the beachhead.
» In-depth article
Japan
Russia
- Allied convoy RA-56 departed at the Kola Inlet near Murmansk, Russia.
» In-depth article
United States
- USS Mingo departed Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California, United States after her overhaul.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 3 Feb 1944
4 Feb 1944
- German troops began operations to relieve the Korsun/Cherkassy pocket in Ukraine.
- Orde Wingate issued the guidelines for the second Chindit operation.
» In-depth article
- USS Puffer departed Fremantle, Australia for her third war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Destroyer Yukikaze arrived at Moji, Japan.
» In-depth article
Australian Papua
- USS Cero departed Milne Bay, Australian Papua for her third war patrol.
» In-depth article
Italy
- German troops penetrated Allied lines at the Anzio beachhead in Italy.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 4 Feb 1944
5 Feb 1944
- The German Naval High Command temporarily halted preparations for Operation Sealion, seeing that at this stage of the war an invasion of Britain was not likely to happen.
» In-depth article
- Submarine Segundo was launched, sponsored by Mrs. John L. Sullivan.
» In-depth article
- Piranha was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
- Oberstleutnant Egon Mayer became the first German Luftwaffe fighter pilot operating solely on the western front to reach 100 victories. He would claim just two more before being killed on 2 Mar 1944 whilst attacking a formation of B-17 bombers near Sedan, France.
- USS Gunnel departed Midway Atoll for her fourth war patrol.
» In-depth article
Burma
- Troops of Sakurai Force of Japanese 55th Division penetrated lines held by Indian 7th Division in Arakan, Burma undetected.
» In-depth article
Italy
- US forces reached the outskirts of Cassino, Italy, but were held out of the town.
» In-depth article
- German and Allied artillery pieces bombarded each other at Anzio, Italy.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 5 Feb 1944
6 Feb 1944
Australia
- USS Ray departed Fremantle, Australia for her third war patrol.
» In-depth article
Burma
- Japanese attacked the forward headquarters of Indian 7th Division in Arakan, Burma by surprise.
» In-depth article
Italy
- German and Allied artillery pieces bombarded each other at Anzio, Italy.
» In-depth article
Poland
- A transport from Drancy Concentration Camp in Paris, France arrived at Auschwitz Concentration Camp; most of the more than 1,000 Jews were sent to the gas chambers upon arrival.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 6 Feb 1944
7 Feb 1944
- American troops completed the conquest of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls in the Marshall Islands.
» In-depth article
- Remy Van Lierde was assigned to RAF Manston in Kent, England, United Kingdom.
» In-depth article
- British Air Marshal Ralph Cochrane ordered Leonard Cheshire's 617 Squadron to attack the important aero-engine plant at Limoges in mid-France. The War Office was extremely nervous about this operation as it was known, from resistance sources, that 500 French women were employed at the plant, and a large number of civilian fatalities would have serious political consequences. Instructions were therefore issued that no bombs were to be dropped until the factory was clear of workers. Arriving over the target Cheshire twice swooped his Lancaster bomber at 50 feet in order to alert the workers below. Then on the third pass a member of his crew said "There they go" and hundreds of women were seen running away from the factory. All this was recorded by a film cameraman worked by Moya of the RAF film unit. Just before midnight Cheshire dropped his markers right on top of the factory, and minutes later five 1200-lb bombs from 617 Squadron's Lancasters hit the factory and destroyed the greater part of it.
Burma
- Japanese troops captured a divisional Anglo-Indian dressing station at Sinzweya, Burma and killed 35 medical staff and patients.
» In-depth article
Italy
- German and Allied artillery pieces bombarded each other at Anzio, Italy; at 2100 hours, Germans launched a full attack on the beachhead.
» In-depth article
- US troops reached Point 445, a hill 370 meters away from the monastery at Monte Cassino, Italy.
» In-depth article
United States
- USS Ticonderoga was launched at Norfolk, Virginia, United States.
» In-depth article
8 Feb 1944
- The Red Army captured Nikopol, Ukraine. Meanwhile, the German troops surrounded at Korsun were invited to surrender.
- The RAF used its new 6-ton "Tall Boy" bomb on the Gnome-Rhone factory at Limoges, France.
- USS Rock departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Major William Sidney, 1st Viscount de L'Isle, led an attack on enemy positions at Anzio, Italy. Although wounded, he refused medical treatment until his objectives had been made secure. For this he would be awarded the Victoria Cross (following in the footsteps of his father-in-law, Field Marshal Lord Gort who had also been badly wounded whilst winning the same medal during the 1914-1918 war).
- USS Snook attacked a Japanese convoy with four torpedoes in the East China Sea. Three of them hit, sinking Lima Maru and damaging freighter Shiranesan Maru.
» In-depth article
- Laffey (Allen M. Sumner-class) was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
- The British Royal Navy's Second Escort Group (Captain F. J. Walker CB, DSO and three bars) sank the German submarine U-762.
Italy
- US troops began an major assault toward Monte Cassino, Italy.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 8 Feb 1944
9 Feb 1944
- Walter Heitz passed away.
» In-depth article
- The German Foreign Ministry in the Hague reported back to Berlin that to date 108,000 Jews had been deported from the Netherlands. The Dutch population considered German methods brutal, and church circles were actively promoting disapproval for the deportations.
- USS Gar ended her tenth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- The Royal Navy's Second Escort Group (Captain F. J. Walker CB, DSO and three bars) sank the German submarines U-734 and U-238.
Italy
Japan
Photo(s) dated 9 Feb 1944
10 Feb 1944
- During the night, 15 Soviet bombers attacked German battleship Tirpitz to little effect.
» In-depth article
- The Korsun pocket in Ukraine received a blistering bombardment by Soviet forces as an inducement to surrender.
- USS Snook fired four torpedoes at a Japanese patrol craft; all torpedoes missed.
» In-depth article
- Winston Churchill wrote to Harold Alexander, urging him to order the field generals at Anzio, Italy to be more aggressive.
» In-depth article
Italy
- The Allies turned over control of southern Italy to the Italian royal government.
Japan
Photo(s) dated 10 Feb 1944
11 Feb 1944
- German forces sent to relieve the Korsun pocket in Ukraine were now only 10 miles away.
- Ommaney Bay was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
- 6 B-25 bombers escorted by 20 P-40 and P-51 fighters the US 14th Air Force and the Chinese 32nd Fighter Squadron attacked the Kai Tek Airfield, Hong Kong. Fighters of the Japanese 85th Sentai rose to intercept, shooting down one B-25 bomber, 4 P-40 fighters, and 2 P-51 fighters.
- USS Finback arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her seventh war patrol.
» In-depth article
Italy
- Major General John Lucas ordered a counterattack from the Anzio beachhead in Italy, which was repulsed by the Germans which had intercepted Allied radio communications and had prepared for this attack.
» In-depth article
- The US II Corps attack toward Monte Cassino, Italy was halted by German troops. Brigadier Harry Dimoline of Indian 4th Division requested the aerial bombing of the abbey atop Monte Cassino.
» In-depth article
Japan
United Kingdom
- Allied convoy RA-56 arrived at Loch Ewe, Scotland, United Kingdom.
» In-depth article
12 Feb 1944
- Soviet forces captured Luga, Ukraine.
- Plaice was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
- Aircraft of the British No. 617 Squadron made an attack on the Antheor Viaduct, a bottle-neck on the main railway line between Marseilles, France and Genoa, Italy. It had been attacked three times before without success and 100,000 tons of German supplies crossed it every week to keep Albert Kesselring's Italian armies in action. Cheshire in one Lancaster bomber and Martin in another, were to mark the target. They were met by a hail of flak and the night was completely black. The attack failed, although there were several near misses. This convinced Cheshire that they needed Mosquito aircraft instead of Lancaster bombers if low-level bombing was to achieve success.
- The troopship Khedive Ismail, en-route to India, was torpedoed and sunk in two minutes by the 2,000-ton Japanese submarine I-27 near the Maldives islands. Only 260 of the 1,297 passengers and crew were saved (only 113 of 754 Askaris of 301st Field Regiment, East African Artillery survived) including 9 out of 86 women, most of whom were below decks at a concert party. Escorts brought the submarine to the surface with depth charges and kept the crew from reaching her 5.5-inch deck gun with cannon fire, then eventually sank the submarine with torpedoes. The extent of the disaster was kept a closely guarded secret until after the war.
- USS Alabama departed to escort US carriers for the raid on Truk, Caroline Islands.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
Italy
- Lieutenant General Bernard Freyberg requested Allied air forces for the bombing of the abbey at Monte Cassino, Italy.
» In-depth article
Japan
Photo(s) dated 12 Feb 1944
13 Feb 1944
Caroline Islands
Italy
- Americans stopped a German counter attack at Anzio, Italy.
» In-depth article
- The monastery at Monte Cassino, Italy was given advance warning of the aerial bombing to come.
» In-depth article
United States
- USS Guitarro departed Manitowoc, Wisconsin, United States for Chicago, Illinois, United States.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 13 Feb 1944
See all photos dated 13 Feb 1944
14 Feb 1944
- SHAEF, the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, established its headquarters in England, United Kingdom.
- Heinrich Himmler's orders to re-establish the Chelmno Concentration Camp was received by German officials of Reichsgau Wartheland; the camp resumed extermination in May 1944.
» In-depth article
- USS Snook sank Japanese freighter Nittoku Maru in the East China Sea, hitting with 1 of 3 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- Irwin was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
- Shark (Balao-class) was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
- The British Royal Navy's Second Escort Group (Captain F. J. Walker) sank the German submarine U-424.
Burma
- Japanese launched a major attack on the Anglo-Indian defensive position "Admin Box" at Sinzweya, Burma, capturing one hill on the perimeter.
» In-depth article
Italy
- Harold Alexander visited the Allied beachhead at Anzio, Italy and was dissatisfied with the commanding officer Major General John Lucas.
» In-depth article
Japan
United States
15 Feb 1944
- Captain Juji Kakumu became the new commanding officer of hospital ship Hikawa Maru.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- 1,500 prisoners arrived at Mauthausen Concentration Camp in Austria from Auschwitz Concentration Camp.
» In-depth article
- Hitler not only authorized Model to withdraw to the Panther Line, but authorized a breakout from the Korsun pocket in Ukraine.
- USS Snook sank Japanese cargo ship Hoshi Maru Number 2 in the East China Sea, hitting with 1 of 2 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- Despite being seriously wounded by cannon fire from a German night fighter (his foot had been almost shot off), Australian Flight Sergeant Geoffrey C. C. Smith of 156 Pathfinder Squadron RAF, the rear-gunner of Lancaster bomber GT-0 (ND444), refused to leave his position until the aircraft had safely recrossed the coast. For his stubborn heroism, Smith would be awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal for staying at his post to protect the bomber and its crew from further attack.
Burma
- Anglo-Indian troops recaptured a hill they lost on the previous night at Sinzweya, Burma, suffering heavy casualties in the process.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
Germany
- 891 RAF aircraft (561 Lancaster, 314 Halifax, and 16 Mosquito) attacked Berlin, Germany, dropping over 2,500 tons of bombs in what was the heaviest raid to date. The industrial Siemensstadt area was damaged. 26 Lancaster and 17 Halifax bombers were lost.
» In-depth article
Italy
- 142 B-17 Flying Fortress bombers, 47 B-25 Mitchell bombers, and 40 B-26 Marauder bombers dropped 1,150 tons of high explosive and incendiary bombs on the historic Benedictine monastery atop Monte Cassino, Italy. The aerial bombing was augmented by artillery shelling as well. In the evening, a company of 1st Battalion of British Royal Sussex Regiment of Indian 4th Division attacked neraby Point 593, but failed to capture the position.
» In-depth article
16 Feb 1944
- USS Cod sunk a sampan by surface gunfire.
» In-depth article
- USS Hoe attacked a Japanese convoy with 8 torpedoes, scoring 4 hits on 2 freighters.
» In-depth article
- USS Wake Island departed at New York, New York, United States.
» In-depth article
- USS Iowa was detached to raid Japanese shipping in the Truk, Caroline Islands area.
» In-depth article
Hawaii
- USS Seahorse arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her third war patrol.
» In-depth article
Italy
- The Germans launched Operation Fischfang, throwing 7 divisions against the Allied beachhead at Anzio, Italy. On the same day, Harold Alexander inserted Lucian Truscott and Vyvyan Evelegh under Major General John Lucas in an attempt to alleviate Lucas' poor performance at Anzio.
» In-depth article
- Fighter-bombers attacked the already-destroyed historic Benedictine monastery atop Monte Cassino, Italy.
» In-depth article
Pacific Ocean
- USS Alabama escorted carriers while carrier aircraft attacked Truk, Caroline Islands.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 16 Feb 1944
See all photos dated 16 Feb 1944
17 Feb 1944
- USS Tang sank Japanese transport Gyoten Maru, hitting her with three of four torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- 35,000 of ther 56,000 Germans encircled by the Soviets at Korsun, Ukraine managed to slip through the net but in doing so left behind all their armor and equipment.
- US Marines landed on Eniwetok Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
» In-depth article
- Destroyer Yuzuki arrived at Rabaul, New Britain, Bismarck Islands with Convoy No. 1,123, which was to be the last convoy to successful reach Rabaul.
» In-depth article
- USS Pintado departed Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine, United States.
» In-depth article
- USS Cero fired four torpedoes at a Japanese transport north of Dutch New Guinea; all torpedoes missed.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
- US carrier aircraft began a two-day attack on Truk in the Caroline Islands; by the end of 18 Feb 1944, 270 Japanese aircraft would be destroyed.
» In-depth article
- Naka departed Truk, Caroline Islands. She was discovered, attacked, and sunk by the third attack wave of SB2C Helldiver and TBF Avenger carrier aircraft 65 kilometers west of Truk; about 240 were killed, 210 survived including commanding officer Captain Yoshimasa Sutezawa.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
Italy
- Indian 4th Division attacked Monte Cassino, Italy, failing to make advances and suffering heavy casualties. In parallel, Maori troops of the New Zealand Division established a small bridgehead across the nearby Rapido River.
» In-depth article
Pacific Ocean
- USS Alabama escorted carriers while carrier aircraft attacked Truk, Caroline Islands.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 17 Feb 1944
See all photos dated 17 Feb 1944
18 Feb 1944
- Soviet units captured Staraya Russa, Russia.
- German Armeegruppe Nord withdrew to the line Narva-Pleskau-Oposhka in northeastern Europe.
- Mosquito bombers of the RAF’s No. 464 and No. 487 Squadrons attacked the German prison at Amiens, France in an attempt to allow the escape of French resistance fighters who were being held there under sentence of death. The leader of the raid, Group Captain P. C. Pickard, was shot down and killed in combat with Focke-Wulf fighters.
- Escort carrier USS Petrof Bay (CVE-80) was commissioned with Captain Joseph L. "Paddy" Kane in command.
» In-depth article
- Destroyer Yuzuki departed Rabaul and arrived at Qavuvu in the New Britain, Bismarck Islands.
» In-depth article
- The Abwehr, German military intelligence, was officially dissolved.
- George Patton noted in his diary that "I wish [Dwight Eisenhower] was more of a soldier and less of a politician."
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
- US carrier aircraft destroyed 270 Japanese aircraft at Truk in the Caroline Islands after a two-day raid.
» In-depth article
Italy
- The Germans made progress at Anzio, Italy, but were finally beaten back by artillery and naval gunfire.
» In-depth article
- German tanks eliminated the 28th (Maori) Battalion bridgehead on the Rapido River in Italy.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- The German Luftwaffe's "Little Blitz" continued as London, England, United Kingdom was bombed again.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 18 Feb 1944
See all photos dated 18 Feb 1944
19 Feb 1944
- Saboteurs in Denmark damaged rail lines around Aarhus.
- RAF bombers attacked Leipzig, Germany.
» In-depth article
- 141 Libyan Jews held at the Fossoli transit camp near Modena, Italy were deported to Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp.
» In-depth article
- The British Royal Navy's Second Escort Group (Captain F. J. Walker CB, DSO and three bars) sank the German submarine U-264.
- USS Cero sank a Japanese transport north of Dutch New Guinea, hiting her with 2 of 6 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 19 Feb 1944
20 Feb 1944
- The "Blue Legion" of the Germany Army, which was a regiment-sized unit of Spanish volunteers, began to be withdrawn from the front lines due to Spain's request.
- On Lake Tinnsjo, Norway, a ferry carrying the last of the heavy water produced was sunk by saboteurs.
- American troops captured Eniwetok in the Marshall Islands.
» In-depth article
- Destroyer Yuzuki became the flagship of Rear Admiral Ko Nakagawa of Destroyer Squadron 3. She departed Rabaul, New Britain, Bismarck Islands as a part of the final destroyer transport mission out of Rabaul. She arrived at Qavuvu, New Britain later on the same day.
» In-depth article
- I-53 was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Destroyer Yukikaze departed Kagoshima, Japan to escort carrier Chitose to Saipan, Mariana Islands.
» In-depth article
- Egmont Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld was named the wing commander of Nachtjagdgeschwader 5.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
Germany
- USAAF launched the "Big Week", sending 970 bombers against Braunschweig, Hamburg, and Leipzig in Germany. The RAF followed through by hitting Stuttgart.
» In-depth article
- Robert Johnson shot down two Bf 110 aircraft over Dümmer Lake, Germany.
» In-depth article
Italy
- The Germans called off Operation Fischfang aimed at the Allied beachhead at Anzio, Italy.
» In-depth article
Japan
Malaya, Singapore, and Borneo
United Kingdom
- Allied convoy JW-57 departed Liverpool, England, United Kingdom. It was consisted of 42 merchant ships, was supported by 2 tankers and 1 rescue ship, and was escorted by 4 corvettes (and later reinforced with destroyers and frigates).
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 20 Feb 1944
21 Feb 1944
- Submarine Sea Cat was launched, sponsored by Mrs. E. L. Cochrane.
» In-depth article
- USS Iowa was assigned to escort the Fast Carrier Task Force during a raid in the Mariana Islands.
» In-depth article
- USS Cero damaged a Japanese transport north of Dutch New Guinea, hitting her with 2 of 9 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
Pacific Ocean
- While at sea, USS Alabama's secondary gun mount No. 9 accidentally fired into secondary gun mount No. 5, killing 5 and wounding 11.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 21 Feb 1944
22 Feb 1944
- USS Tang sank Japanese transport Fukuyama Maru with four torpedoes.
» In-depth article
- General Rodion Malinovsky's troops captured the mining area near Krivoi Rog, Ukraine.
- American aircraft bombed the Dutch towns of Nijmegen, Arnhem, Enschede, and Deventer by mistake due to weather, killing 800 civilians.
- Auschwitz III commandant SS-Hauptsturmführer Schwarz ordered that night shift workers not be assigned to do any day shift work, the prisoners be given seven to eight hours of rest per day, and roll call be limited to five to ten minutes; his motivations were to maintain a high level of productivity from the forced laborers in his camp. On this date a total of 73,669 prisoners were in the Auschwitz Concentration Camp; Auschwitz I housed 17,177 male prisoners, Auschwitz II housed 18,378 male and 24,637 female prisoners, and Auschwitz III housed 13,477 male prisoners. In Italy, 650 Italian Jews were embarked onto a train at the Fossoli transit camp near Carpi, Modena for Auschwitz; many of them would be sent to the gas chambers upon arrival on 26 Feb 1944.
» In-depth article
- Japanese aircraft attacked US Naval Task Force 58 approaching the Mariana Islands but suffered heavy losses. Meanwhile, another Allied forces operating around Rabaul and Kavieng encountered no Japanese aircraft, hinting that Japanese resources were now becoming scarce.
» In-depth article
- Stalin announced that 75% of Soviet territory occupied by the German invaders had now been liberated.
» In-depth article
- Filipp Golikov was awarded the Order of Kutuzov.
» In-depth article
- USS Guitarro completed her transit down the Mississippi River (towed in a drydock by Minnesota) and arrived at New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.
» In-depth article
- USS Pompon departed Darwin, Australia for her fourth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Puffer sank Japanese transport Teikyo Maru off Singapore, hitting her with 4 of 6 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- USS Flying Fish departed for her ninth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Cero attacked a Japanese transport north of Dutch New Guinea; all four torpedoes missed.
» In-depth article
Burma
- Japanese Colonel Tanahashi, his troops beginning to starve while attacking Sinzweya, Burma, refused to make further attacks until food and supplies arrived.
» In-depth article
French Indochina
Italy
- Mark Clark replaced John Lucas with Lucian Truscott at Anzio, Italy.
» In-depth article
Pacific Ocean
- USS Alabama patrolled in waters southeast of Saipan, Mariana Islands.
» In-depth article
Russia
United States
- US Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau declared in a press release that the United States would stop purchasing gold from countries that had not broken relations with Axis nations, for fear that the gold might be looted from conquered nations; he also announced that a similar declaration would soon be made by the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union.
» In-depth article
- Historical document written: US Department of Treasury Policy on Axis Looted Gold
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 22 Feb 1944
23 Feb 1944
- USS Cod sunk a Japanese merchant ship by torpedo.
» In-depth article
- USS Tang sank Japanese transport Yamashimo Maru with four torpedoes.
» In-depth article
- 39 Polish boys between the age of 13 to 17 originally from the Zamosc region were brought from Auschwitz II-Birkenau to block 20 at Auschwitz I. They were told that they would be trained to be nurses, but that evening they were killed with phenol heart injections given by SS-Unterscharführer Scherpe.
- USS Snook attacked a large Japanese convoy in the Pacific Ocean. After sneaking past 11 escort vessels, she fired five torpedoes, two of which hit and sank the passenger-cargo ship Koyo Maru.
» In-depth article
- A British Swordfish aircraft sank German submarine U-713 near Allied convoy JW-57; all 50 aboard were killed.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 23 Feb 1944
24 Feb 1944
- USS Tang sank a Japanese freighter, hitting her with three of four torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- USAAF (day) and RAF (night) bombings were conducted on the ball bearing plant at Schweinfurt, Germany.
» In-depth article
- American submarine Rasher sank Japanese transports Tango Maru and Ryusei Maru in the Java Sea, not knowing that the former was carrying Allied prisoners of war and laborers. 3,000 POWs and laborers were killed aboard Tango Maru and nearly 5,000 soldiers were killed aboard Ryusei Maru.
» In-depth article
- Repair ship Akashi arrived at Palau Islands and performed repairs on herself.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
Burma
- Japanese Colonel Tanahashi ordered a retreat from Sinzweya, Burma without authorization.
» In-depth article
25 Feb 1944
- Battleship Musashi was reassigned to the Second Fleet.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- USS Tang sank Japanese transport Echizen Maru.
» In-depth article
- USS Hoe sank Japanese tanker Nissho Maru with a night time surfaced torpedo attack.
» In-depth article
- Destroyer Yuzuki arrived at Palau Islands.
» In-depth article
- A British Catalina aircraft sank German submarine U-601 near Allied convoy JW-57; all 51 aboard were killed. On the same day, U-990 sank destroyer HMS Mahratta 320 kilometers off North Cape, Norway at 2055 hours; 220 were killed, 16 survived.
» In-depth article
Japan
- Assigned to the Second Fleet, Yamato was drydocked at Kure, Japan to receive upgrades. Two beam triple 6.1 inch (155-mm) turrets were to be removed and replaced by six (3x2) 5-inch (127-mm) HA AA mounts. Twenty-four (8x3) and 26 single 25mm AA mounts were to be added. Shelters were also added on the upper deck for the increased AA crews. Type 13 air search and Type 22 Mod 4 surface search/gunnery control radars were to be installed. The main mast was to be altered. Two 150-mm searchlights were to be removed (later installed ashore at Kure, Japan). Yamato was to be fitted with Type 2 infrared (IR) Identification Friend-or-Foe (IFF)/signaling devices mounted midway up on each side of the bridge; the system might had been based on the German Seehund IR device, built around a telescopic sensor that received light-waves in the IR range and registered a readout in the radio shack. The IFF system also included a pair of 20-mm binoculars coaxially mounted with the transmitting IR lamp on the bridge so that another ship could use the IR detector for elementary signaling or as a formation light for station keeping. About this time, Yamato was also fitted with multiple E27 radar detectors copied from the German FuMB 1 Metox R.600.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
26 Feb 1944
- USS Tang sank Japanese transport Choko Maru.
» In-depth article
- 650 Italian Jews from Fossoli transit camp near Carpi, Modena and 84 Soviet prisoners of war from the Lamsdorf (Lambinowice, Poland) POW camp arrived at Auschwitz Concentration Camp. Of the Italian Jews, 95 men and 29 women were registered into the camp; the remaining 526 were sent to the gas chambers.
» In-depth article
Burma
- The Japanese offensive on Sinzweya, Burma was called off, ending the Battle of the Admin Box.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
Marshall Islands
Russia
- Lavrentiy Beria authorized Operation Lentil, which aimed to deport the whole of Chechen and Ingush (Ghalghai) populations to Central Asia and Siberia.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 26 Feb 1944
27 Feb 1944
- USS Cod sunk a Japanese merchant ship by torpedo.
» In-depth article
- USS Tunny departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her fifth war patrol.
» In-depth article
Japan
Russia
- The Soviet troops responsible for deporting the population of Khaibakh village in Chechnya in southern Russia could not complete their assignment due to a heavy snowstorm. Instead, Colonel Mikheil Gveshiani of the NKVD ordered the troops to force the entire population of 700 into a large stable, lock the doors, and set the stable on fire.
» In-depth article
28 Feb 1944
- German female aviator Hanna Reitsch presented a proposal of a squadron of suicide pilots to Adolf Hitler.
» In-depth article
- USS Pollack departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her ninth war patrol.
» In-depth article
Russia
- Allied convoy JW-57 arrived at the Kola Inlet near Murmansk, Russia.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 28 Feb 1944
29 Feb 1944
- USS Cod attacked a Japanese merchant ship by torpedo.
» In-depth article
- Operation Brewer: US troops invaded the Admiralty Islands.
» In-depth article
- USS Rock attacked a Japanese convoy en route to Truk, Caroline Islands, but was detected by destroyer Asashimo. She fired a salvo of four torpedoes at the destroyer (none hit) and dove. She was subjected to a four-hour depth charge attack that cause much damage, forcing her to return for repairs.
» In-depth article
- The Japanese submarine I-37 torpedoed the merchantman SS Ascot in the Indian Ocean and then machine-gunned the 52 survivors in the water, killing 45.
- The US submarine Trout was reported missing, presumed sunk, whilst on patrol northwest of the Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
- Oberfeldwebel Otto Meyer and Hauptmann Fritz Schmidtmann of the German Kampfgeschwader 55 wing were awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
Caroline Islands
- Seventy "Comfort Girls", captive women forced into prostitution by the Japanese, were machine gunned on the island of Truk in the Caroline Islands as the Japanese tried to destroy evidence before the American invasion arrived.
Italy
- The third major German offensive was launched at Anzio, Italy, which would again fail to dislodge the Allies.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 29 Feb 1944
1 Mar 1944
- Cruiser Köln was towed from Kiel to Königsberg, Germany.
» In-depth article
- British High Commissioner in Jerusalem Sir Harold MacMichael stated that the current quota of 75,000 Jewish immigrants would not be increased, and when the current quota expired on 31 Mar 1944, there would be no plan for further openings for immigrants.
- Thousands of Italian workers in northern Italy went on a strike, stopping production in some factories for a week. Because it was found that the strike was organized by a underground resistance movement, as many as 2,000 workers who went on the strike were arrested; some of them were deported out of the country.
- Hammerhead was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
- The keel of submarine Sea Robin was laid down.
» In-depth article
- Rear Admiral Hidehiko Nishio was named the chief of staff of the Japanese Southwest Area Fleet.
- USS Wake Island arrived at Recife, Brazil.
» In-depth article
- Captain Kiyoshi Koda was named the commanding officer of light carrier Hosho.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- George Patton noted in his diary that "[Dwight Eisenhower] drank too much and is lonely", implying that the pressures of being the top Allied commander were taking a toll on his usually healthy and affable friend.
» In-depth article
Malaya, Singapore, and Borneo
United Kingdom
- US fighter ace Lieutenant Charles F. Gumm, with seven confirmed victories to his credit, was tragically killed in Britain when the engine of his Mustang fighter failed during take-off. Rather than bailing out (which would inevitably lead to his crippled aircraft crashing into the little village of Nayland) he gallantly stayed in the cockpit long enough to glide it towards open ground. By that time he was too low to parachute, and his body was found by local villagers near the burning wreckage.
United States
- USS Guitarro departed New Orleans, Louisiana, United States for Balboa, Panama Canal Zone.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 1 Mar 1944
2 Mar 1944
Australia
- USS Cero arrived at Brisbane, Australia, ending her third war patrol.
» In-depth article
Australian New Guinea
- US 1st Cavalry Division captured Hayne Airfield at Los Negros Island, Admiralty Islands.
» In-depth article
France
- German Luftwaffe ace Egon Mayer (102 victories) was shot down and killed when his Fw 190 aircraft was bounced by a pair of US 9th Air Force P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft whilst attacking a formation of B-17 bombers near Sedan, France. In a cruel twist of fate his award of Swords had been announced on that same day.
Germany
- 421 Czech prisoners were transferred from Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland to Buchenwald Concentration Camp in Germany.
» In-depth article
- Heinrich Himmler signed Aktion K into effect, which decreed that captured escapees of prisoners of war camps would be sent to the Mauthausen Concentration Camp in occupied Austria, where they would face execution immediately upon arrival and their remains would be destroyed in the camp crematorium.
» In-depth article
Pacific Ocean
- USS Ray began pursuing a nine-ship Japanese convoy in the South China Sea.
» In-depth article
Russia
- Allied convoy RA-57 departed the Kola Inlet near Murmansk, Russia.
» In-depth article
United States
- Escort carrier USS Saginaw Bay (CVE-82) was commissioned with Captain Frank C. Sutton in command.
» In-depth article
US Pacific Islands
3 Mar 1944
- The number of British civilian casualties (50,324) became higher than military (50,103).
- Under heavy Allied pressure, Spain ordered all remaining Spaniards in German service home, but some ignored the order, and would end up fighting in Berlin, Germany near the end of the European War.
- The German Security Police in Italy requested the Italians to assist them in enlarging the Fossoli transit camp because of the growing number of prisoners interned there.
- A transport of 1,390 prisoners, mostly Latvians and Russians, was sent from Stutthof Concentration Camp to Mauthausen Concentration Camp.
» In-depth article
- USS Gar began her eleventh war patrol which saw her on lifeguard duty off Palau Islands.
» In-depth article
- USS Tunny departed Midway Atoll.
» In-depth article
- Franklin Roosevelt announced to the American public that United States, United Kingdom, and Soviet Union were intended on dividing the Italian fleet evenly between the three powers as war reparations.
» In-depth article
- USS Ray fired four torpedoes at a nine-ship Japanese convoy in the South China Sea, damaging one tanker with one torpedo hit.
» In-depth article
Germany
- 29 USAAF bombers attacked Berlin, Germany; the attack was "accidental", as it was actually called off, but the aircraft failed to receive the order.
» In-depth article
Italy
- The Germans called off the attacks on the American beachhead at Anzio, Italy.
» In-depth article
Japan
Marshall Islands
- USS Alabama became the flagship of Vice Admiral Marc Mitscher of the US Navy Fast Carrier Task Force at Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands.
» In-depth article
Pacific Ocean
- USS Bluefish attacked a Japanese transport in the South China Sea; all 10 torpedoes missed.
» In-depth article
Russia
- Joseph Stalin disbanded the Chechen–Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic as punishment for insurgency.
» In-depth article
United States
- An American B-29 bomber dropped a dummy atomic bomb at Muroc Army Air Force Base in California, United States at the altitude of 24,000 feet. The test bomb considerably damaged the aircraft's bomb bay doors as it exited the aircraft.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 3 Mar 1944
4 Mar 1944
- Zhukov's attack against Armeegruppe Süd in Ukraine was resumed.
- 750 Jews from the Lodz ghetto were sent to the Hugo Schneider AG factories in Czestochowa, Poland as forced laborers.
- The Japanese Navy formed the 14th Air Fleet under the command of Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo with Rear Admiral Hideo Yano as his chief of staff; the fleet had the sgrenth of two air flotillas and one seaplane tender.
» In-depth article
Germany
- USAAF launched its first major bombing raid on Berlin, Germany.
» In-depth article
Japan
Pacific Ocean
- USS Bluefish sank a Japanese oiler in the South China Sea, hitting her with 3 of 3 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
Russia
5 Mar 1944
- 732 Jews from the Westerbork transit camp arrived at Auschwitz-Birkenau. 477 of them were sent to the gas chambers without being registered into the camp.
- Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front under Ivan Konev attacked toward Uman, Ukraine.
- Auschwitz-Birkenau officials decided to gas the Czech Jews of Theresienstadt camp (sector BIIb). They were given postcards post-dated 25-27 Mar 1944 with pre-printed message "we are healthy and fine" and were told to sign them. These prisoners were gassed on 8 Mar 1944 and the postcards were mailed after 25 Mar.
- Operation Thursday was launched. William Slim flew to Hailakandi, India to oversee the launch. One of the intended glider landing spots in Burma was found by pre-operation reconnaissance flights to be defended by newly-arrived Japanese troops, and Wingate accused Slim or the Chinese of betrayal (in actuality, Japanese Army lumberjacks had coincidentally started working in the region); troops originally intended to land at that spot were diverted to other landing areas. Several gliders were lost by the over-burdened glider towing aircraft, but the operation would still get underway.
» In-depth article
- USS Hoe arrived at Fremantle, Australia, ending her third war patrol.
» In-depth article
- William Slim requested his superiors to assign an additional division to defend Kohima and Dimapur, India. He would only receive two battalions of Indian parachute troops.
» In-depth article
United States
- The second BTD Destroyer prototype aircraft took its first flight.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 5 Mar 1944
6 Mar 1944
- The RAF Bomber Command began a major offensive over France to prepare for the Normandy invasion.
» In-depth article
- USS Snook arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her fifth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- HMCS Fennel and HMCS Chilliwack shared in the sinking of the German submarine U-744 in the Atlantic Ocean.
- USS Finback completed refitting at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii and departed for her eighth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Louis Mountbatten arrived at Taihpa, Burma by transport aircraft escorted by 16 fighters to inspect Joseph Stilwell's headquarters; Stilwell privately complained that Mountbatten had used enough fuel on this trip for Stilwell to mount an offensive. Mountbatten would also visit the Walawbum battlefield 25 kilometers to the south.
» In-depth article
- USS Dragonet was commissioned into service with Commander Jack Hayden Lewis in command.
» In-depth article
Burma
- Further glider operations brought in more men to join Operation Thursday at the Chowringhee site in Burma.
» In-depth article
Germany
- 730 USAAF bombers attacked Berlin, Germany; 69 aircraft were lost.
» In-depth article
- Robert Johnson shot down a German Bf 110 aircraft over Dümmer Lake, Germany.
» In-depth article
7 Mar 1944
- German Gauleiter Arthur Greiser, governor of the Wartheland in occupied Poland, reported to Heinrich Himmler that the Jewish population of Warthegau had nearly been wiped out.
» In-depth article
- The United Nations War Crimes Commission organized a subcommittee to study the possibility of war criminals claiming that they were simply following orders in post-war trials.
- Heinrich Himmler informed officials from the Security Police, the Security Service, and the SS Central Office for Economy and Administration that no prisoners were allowed to be released from the Mauthausen Concentration Camp during the war.
» In-depth article
- 38 Jews hiding at 84 Grojecka Street, Warsaw, Poland were arrested. The 6 Polish non-Jews who provided them food and shelter were also arrested. Historian Emmanuel Ringelblum, among those arrested, was executed within the next few days.
- The Fascist government in northern Italy issued another order protecting Jews above the age of 70 and those with mixed ethnicities. Nevertheless, Germans in northern Italy continued to deport those within these two groups.
- Germans arrested Jewish hospices at Turin, Italy and sent them to the Fossoli transit camp. Many of them would be sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau later in the month.
- Taiho was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Orde Wingate personally visited the Broadway site of Operation Thursday in Burma.
» In-depth article
- A regiment from the Japanese 33rd Division crossed the Manipur River in Burma toward the Burmese-Indian border toward Tiddim, Burma.
» In-depth article
- While traveling in a jeep in northern Burma, Louis Mountbatten was accidentally struck by fragments of a bamboo plant that rendered him temporarily blind due to internal haemorrhage.
» In-depth article
France
- The 69th transport from Drancy Concentration Camp in Paris departed for Auschwitz Concentration Camp with 1,501 prisoners. It would arrive at Auschwitz on 10 Mar and 1,311 of them would be gassed upon arrival.
» In-depth article
Hawaii
- USS Skipjack arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her ninth war patrol.
» In-depth article
8 Mar 1944
- Japanese troops launched a major offensive across the Chindwin River in Burma toward Imphal, India. Meanwhile, another regiment from the Japanese 33rd Division crossed the Manipur River in Burma toward the Burmese-Indian border toward Tiddim, Burma.
» In-depth article
- 3,791 Czech Jews of the Theresienstadt camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau were gassed. The men were killed in Crematorium III and the women and children in Crematorium II.
- Battle of Hill 700: Japanese troops began a 5-day offensive against US positions at Bougainville.
» In-depth article
Burma
- Orde Wingate personally visited the Chowringhee site of Operation Thursday in Burma.
» In-depth article
Germany
- USAAF bombers attacked Berlin, Germany.
» In-depth article
- Robert Johnson participated in a large aerial battle over Steinhude Lake, Germany during which the Germans shot down 34 American bombers, but Johnson was able to claim two Bf 109 kills.
» In-depth article
Marshall Islands
- USS Alabama was relieved as the flagship of Vice Admiral Marc Mitscher of the US Navy Fast Carrier Task Force at Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands.
» In-depth article
United States
- The keel of submarine Sennet was laid down at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine, United States.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 8 Mar 1944
9 Mar 1944
- In a letter to Hermann Göring, Heinrich Himmler noted that by this date, about 36,000 prisoners were employed for various purposes for the Luftwaffe. He informed Göring that plans were being considered to increase the number to 90,000.
» In-depth article
- Gusen II, a satellite of Mauthausen Concentration Camp, opened at St. Georgen, Austria. Prisoners of Gusen II were used to build underground aircraft and weapons factories.
» In-depth article
- Sargent Bay was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
- Wedderburn was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
- USS Pompon attacked a Japanese convoy in the Dutch East Indies; all 4 torpedoes missed.
» In-depth article
China
- 18 B-25 bombers of the Chinese-American Composite Wing escorted by 24 P-40 fighters attacked a foundry and floating docks at Huangshi, Hubei, China. Japanese fighters of 9th and 25th Sentai rose to intercept, shooting down 2 P-40 fighters.
10 Mar 1944
- The Icelandic airline Lofteide HF was founded, which would inaugurate its initial service on 7 Apr 1944.
- The Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front captured Uman, Ukraine on its way toward the Bug and Dneiper Rivers.
- Heinrich Himmler lifted various laws against Jewish and Roma people as their "evacuation and isolation" had already been achieved.
» In-depth article
- HMS Asphodel (New Zealand Lieutenant M. A. Halliday) was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-575 whilst escorting convoy SL-150.
» In-depth article
- 2 bombers of the 2nd Bomber Squadron of the Chinese-American Composite Wing attacked Japanese ships in the Yangtze River in China. On the return flight, one of the B-25 bombers ran out of fuel and unsuccessfully crash landed, killing the entire crew. On the same day, B-25 bombers of the US 14th Air Force escorted by P-38 fighters attacked Anqing, Anhui, China, sinking a motor launch, damaged two cargo vessels, and damaged a barge; fighters of the Japanese 25th Sentai rose to intercept, shooting down on P-38 fighter.
- Repair ship Akashi began repairing transport Bichu Maru at Palau Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
Poland
- 1,501 Jews arrived at Auschwitz Concentration Camp from Drancy Concentration Camp in Paris. 110 men and 80 women were registered into the camp, while the remaining 1,311 were sent to the gas chambers.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- Allied convoy RA-57 arrived at Loch Ewe, Scotland, United Kingdom.
» In-depth article
11 Mar 1944
- Aircraft of No. 466 Squadron RAAF conducted minelaying operations off of Helgoland, Germany.
- About 300 Jewish women and children of Split, Yugoslavia were rounded up, sent to Jasenovac Concentration Camp, and killed.
» In-depth article
- The British ambassador in Washington voiced the opinion that revealing the Holocaust to the German people would not be an effective propaganda tool against the German leadership.
- By this date, 9,000 men and 1,300 animals were delivered to northern Burma for Operation Thursday.
» In-depth article
- Repair ship Akashi received provisions from auxiliary storeship Kitakami Maru at Palau Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
Photo(s) dated 11 Mar 1944
12 Mar 1944
- Submarine Blackfin was launched, sponsored by the wife of US Navy Rear Admiral Charles A. Lockwood.
» In-depth article
- An errant V-1 landed in Swedish territory.
- German troops and Ukrainian nationalists burned the village of Plikorov near Lvov, killing 385 people as reprisal against partisan operations.
- Adolf Hitler ordered the occupation of Hungary, Operation Margarethe.
- The Czechoslovakian government-in-exile called civilians to rise up against German occupation.
- The government of Ireland banned international travel.
- In the Arakan region of Burma, Corpporal Nand Singh won the Victoria Cross for capturing Japanese positions despite being seriously wounded.
- Orde Wingate sent Winston Churchill a message noting the initial successes of Operation Thursday in Burma.
» In-depth article
- USS Flying Fish sank a Japanese transport in the Western Pacific, hitting her with 2 of 2 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
13 Mar 1944
- USS Cod arrived at Fremantle, Australia, ending her second war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Soviet troops captured Kherson, Ukraine.
- Italy and the Soviet Union resumed diplomatic relations.
- American ships and British RAF aircraft sank German submarine U-575 in the Atlantic Ocean.
- The governments of the United States and the United Kingdom demanded Sweden to stop selling ball bearings to Germany.
- Australian troops captured Bogodjim, New Guinea.
» In-depth article
- The Jewish ghetto of Kraków, Poland was closed down; as its residents were deported to the newly built Plaszów labor camp, 2,000 died en route.
- US Eighth Air Force commander James Doolittle was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general.
» In-depth article
- Lieutenant General Geoffrey Scoones realized the Japanese attack on Tiddim, Burma was a part of a major offensive, and retracted his previous order, allowing troops at Tiddim to fall back.
» In-depth article
14 Mar 1944
- The US Navy announced that USS Corvina was missing and presumed lost with 82 aboard.
» In-depth article
- William Slim requested Louis Mountbatten to divert aircraft originally assigned to fly the Hump to instead bring men and supplies to Imphal, India. Mountbatten agreed, diverting 30 transport planes to bring the Indian 5th Division to Imphal and Dimapur, India.
» In-depth article
- Repair ship Akashi dispatched divers to inspect damage below the water line for patrol vessel PB-102 at Palau Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- United States Marine Corps Squadron VMB-413 equipped with PBJ-1 bombers (B-25 Mitchell bombers which had been purchased by the US Navy but subsequently transferred to the Marine Corps) commenced combat operations from Stirling Island, New Hebrides. Ultimately the USMC would form sixteen B-25 Squadrons, nine of which would see action in World War II.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 14 Mar 1944
15 Mar 1944
- Zhukov's 1st Ukrainian Front reached the Bug River, the start line for Operation Barbarossa that began the Russo-German war.
- RAF bombers attacked Stuttgart, Germany, dropping over 3,000 tons of bombs from 863 bombers, of which 36 were lost.
» In-depth article
- German troops gathered on the Hungarian border.
- USS Tunny arrived in the Palau Islands.
» In-depth article
- After dark, the Japanese 15th Division crossed the Chindwin River in Burma toward India as part of the second wave of the Japanese offensive.
» In-depth article
- Joseph Stilwell ordered the Chinese 22nd Division to attack the ridge of Jambu Bum in northern Burma.
» In-depth article
- USS Flying Fish damaged a Japanese tanker off Okinawa, Japan, hitting her with 1 of 4 torpedoes fired. She would pursue the tanker into the next day.
» In-depth article
Germany
- Robert Johnson was promoted to the rank of captain. On the same day, he shot down a Fw 190 and a Bf 109 aircraft over Dümmer Lake, Germany.
» In-depth article
Italy
- At 0830 hours, the third major Allied attempt to attack Monte Cassino, Italy began with a heavy bombardment that lasted more than three hours.
» In-depth article
Norway
- Tirpitz began post-repair trials at Barbrudalen (Kåfjord) and Altafjord, Norway.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 15 Mar 1944
16 Mar 1944
Burma
- Allies troops captured Mawlu, a major rail link in central Burma.
Hawaii
- USS Seahorse departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her fourth war patrol.
» In-depth article
Italy
United Kingdom
- British civilian Oswald Job was hanged at Pentonville Prison in Islington, London, England, United Kingdom for spying.
US Pacific Islands
- USS Tang departed Midway, starting her second war patrol in the waters near Palau Islands, Caroline Islands, and south of the Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 16 Mar 1944
17 Mar 1944
- Soviet troops captured Dubno, Ukraine, a major transportation hub.
- German submarine U-371 sank US troop transport Dempo in the Mediterranean Sea, killing 498.
- The first American bombing on Vienna, Austria from Italy took place.
- Soviet troops advanced near the Romanian border.
- Finland rejected the Soviet peace proposal.
- Japanese and Anglo-Indian troops clashed at Tonzang, Burma.
» In-depth article
Italy
- New Zealand troops captured the train station at Cassino, Italy. Nearby, Indian Gurkha troops captured Point 435 (nicknamed Hangman's Hill).
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- Edward Brooks became the commanding officer of the US 2nd Armored Division at Tidworth Barracks near Salisbury, England, United Kingdom.
» In-depth article
18 Mar 1944
- Aircraft of No. 466 Squadron RAAF conducted minelaying operations off of Helgoland, Germany.
- At 1100 hours, Auschwitz Concentration Camp prisoner Rudolf Friemel married forced laborer Margarita Ferrer at the camp's Registry Office. It was the only case where a prisoner was allowed to marry in the camp. They had met in Spain when Rudolf Friemel, an Austrian, fought as a volunteer for the Spanish Republicans in the civil war. Friemel was executed by hanging on 30 Dec 1944 for a failed attempt to escape Auschwitz. Ferrer and their child survived the war.
» In-depth article
- USS Pollack arrived off Nanpo Islands, Japan.
» In-depth article
- Chindit troops reached the railway at Kenu, Burma; the subsequent Battle of Pagoda Hill was characterized by savage hand-to-hand fighting that resulted in 23 Chindits and 42 Japanese killed.
» In-depth article
- Japanese 15th Division reached Ukhrul, India, which was about 50 miles from Imphal, India. Behind them, Japanese 31st Division crossed the Chindwin River in eight columns toward India.
» In-depth article
- USS Iowa bombarded Mili Atoll, Marshall Islands. She was hit by two 120mm shells from Japanese coastal guns during the bombardment, suffering minor damage.
» In-depth article
- USS Ray fired six torpedoes at two Japanese destroyers and one patrol craft in the South China Sea; her crew reported hearing one explosion, but could not confirm it as the submarine dove in expectation of counterattacks.
» In-depth article
Germany
- RAF bombers attacked Hamburg, Germany with approximately 3,000 tons of bombs.
» In-depth article
Hawaii
- USS Golet departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol.
» In-depth article
Italy
- New Zealand troops mounted a failed armored attack on Cassino, Italy, losing all 17 tanks in the process.
» In-depth article
Japan
Photo(s) dated 18 Mar 1944
19 Mar 1944
- USS Cassin Young arrived at Pearl Harbor.
» In-depth article
- German troops occupied Hungary. Adolf Eichmann arrived in Hungary to begin mass deportation of the 750,000 Hungarian Jews who, thus far, had been largely unmolested.
» In-depth article
- Former Vichy French Interior Minister Pierre Pucheu was killed in Algiers in North Africa.
- Soviet troops captured Mogilev-Podolski and Vinnitsa, Ukraine.
- US Marines landed on Emirau, Bismarck Islands; the landings were not opposed.
- Lieutenant General Edson Burns took command of the Canadian First Corps.
- Edmund Veesenmayer was assigned to the German embassy in Budapest, Hungary with plenipotentiary powers.
» In-depth article
- Louis Mountbatten recovered from his temporary blindness at Ledo, India, as pronounced by US Army eye specialist Captain Scheie. On the same day, he issued a reprimand against Orde Wingate for sending complaints of his fellow officers through clear text so that it could be read by all cipher and signals staff.
» In-depth article
- Chinese 66th Regiment captured Jambu Bum ridge in northern Burma, about 140 kilometers northwest of Myitkyina.
» In-depth article
Italy
- Allies launched Operation Strangle, which was consisted of air interdiction attacks on the rail yards at Sienna, Italy.
- British and New Zealand troops attacked German positions in the Cassino, Italy area, making very little progress in the face of German 1st Parachute Division.
» In-depth article
Russia
- Vasily Chuikov was made a Hero of the Soviet Union for the first time and was awarded the Order of Lenin for the second time.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 19 Mar 1944
20 Mar 1944
- USS Franklin set sail for Gulf of Paria, Trinidad for her shakedown cruise.
» In-depth article
- Soviet troops captured Vinnitsa, Ukraine, site of one of Hitler's Feldhauptquartiere.
- Romanian troops arrived in Hungary to assist in the German occupation.
- A Japanese aircraft attacked USS Tunny with eight light bombs near Toagel Mlungui Pass in the Palau Islands, causing no damage.
» In-depth article
- Preston (Fletcher-class) was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
- Mason was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
- USS Pollack sank Japanese freighter Hakuyo Maru in the Nanpo Islands area, Japan with one of two torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- USS Cabrilla attacked a Japanese transport off British Malaya; all six torpedoes missed.
» In-depth article
- Orde Wingate visited the Aberdeen site in Meza valley, Burma.
» In-depth article
- Japanese troops captured Ukhrul, India, defeating the Indian Parachute Regiment and a brigade from the British 23rd Division.
» In-depth article
Italy
- British 78th Infantry Division joined in the attack of Cassino, Italy.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 20 Mar 1944
21 Mar 1944
- British Chindit forces attacked Indaw, Burma. Meanwhile, Orde Wingate began moving his headquarters from Imphal to Sylhet in India, thus causing some confusion in the Indaw offensive.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 21 Mar 1944
See all photos dated 21 Mar 1944
22 Mar 1944
- RAF bombers attacked Frankfurt, Germany, killing 948 and leaving 120,000 homeless.
» In-depth article
- Chinese and Canadian representatives signed a pact of mutual aid at Ottawa, Canada.
- Döme Sztójay formed a new government in Hungary.
» In-depth article
- Japanese troops crossed the Burmes-Indian border into the Indian state of Manipur and attacked Sangshak from the north.
» In-depth article
- USS Mingo fired six torpedoes at a Japanese freighter; all missed.
» In-depth article
- USS Tunny detected a large Japanese convoy near Toagel Mlungui Pass in the Palau Islands. She fired six torpedoes toward 2 transports and observed hits on both. She then fired four torpedoes toward an escorting destroyer, scoring no hits, before diving. She endured a 4-hour counterattack which consisted of 87 depth charges. Later in the day she surfaced and observed debris and an oil slick.
» In-depth article
- 15 American commandos landed in Italy with the mission to sabotage the La Spezia-Genoa railway.
- William Slim met with Orde Wingate.
» In-depth article
Belgium
- Egmont Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld died near Saint-Hubert, Belgium where his Bf 110 aircraft crashed in poor weather.
» In-depth article
Dutch East Indies
Italy
- General Alexander ceased the frontal attacks at Cassino, Italy.
» In-depth article
Marshall Islands
Photo(s) dated 22 Mar 1944
23 Mar 1944
- USS Tunny made radar contact with Japanese submarine I-42 off Angaur Island, Palau Islands. At 2324, Tunny lauched four torpedoes at the range of 1,700 meters, hitting and sinking the Japanese submarine.
» In-depth article
- Orde Wingate's headquarters completed its move to Sylhet, British India.
» In-depth article
- Japanese troops assaulted an Allied defensive position in the crater of an extinct volcano near Sangshak, India, initially failing to take the position. Shortly after, Allied aircraft dropped supplies to the Indian troops at Sangshak, India, but most of the supplies fell behind Japanese lines. As Indian 152nd Parachute Battalion attacked from the volcano crater to regain the supplies, the Japanese drove them back, causing heavy casualties.
» In-depth article
Hawaii
Russia
- V. T. Shirmanov stepped down as GUKR SMERSH's chief in the 1st Byelorussian Front.
United States
- Submarine Trepang was launched at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in California, United States.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 23 Mar 1944
See all photos dated 23 Mar 1944
24 Mar 1944
- Orde Wingate visited the Broadway and White City sites of Operation Thursday in Burma in an attempt to raise the morale of the British 77th Brigade. At 1823 hours, his returning plane arrived at Imphal, India, and then off again shortly before 2000 hours for Hailakandi, India. The aircraft crashed into the Naga hill west of Imphal about 30 minutes after taking off, killing the American pilot Lieutenant Brian Hodges, Wingate, and the other 8 passengers and crew aboard.
» In-depth article
- In the Fosse Ardeantine caves outside of Rome, 355 Italians, 250 of them civilians, were shot by the SS under Standartenführer Herbert Kappler in reprisal for the killing of 35 Germans during a SS parade on the previous day by the members of the Italian resistance.
- Soviet tanks crossed the Dneiper River near the Czech border.
- Red Army units crossed the Bug River by the Black Sea.
- British miners signed a 4-year contract for their wages.
- The Great Escape: A large escape of prisoners of war from Stalag Luft III in Sagan, Germany (now Zagan, Poland) was attempted; 76 would succeed. 50 prisoners who had failed would be executed for their involvement.
- Japanese troops mounted an unsuccessful suicide charge on Bougainville.
» In-depth article
- The 15 American commandos who landed on the Italian coast aiming to sabotage the La Spezia-Genoa railway were captured.
- The 3rd Battalion of the Japanese 58th Regiment arrived in the Sangshak, India region as reinforcements.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
Germany
- 810 RAF aircraft attacked Berlin, Germany; 72 aircraft were lost. After sundown, Frankfurt was bombed by the RAF for the third time in four nights.
» In-depth article
Italy
- The Anzio beachhead in Italy was subjected to heavy German artillery and guided bomb attacks.
» In-depth article
- The Allied attacks on the Gustav Line were persistently repulsed by German defenders.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
Photo(s) dated 24 Mar 1944
25 Mar 1944
- Hitler allowed German 1.Panzerarmee to break out west of Lvov, Ukraine.
- 184 Jews who had been recently arrested from their hiding places in the Hague in the Netherlands arrived at Auschwitz Concentration Camp. Meanwhile, the Hungarian Council of Ministers approved several anti-Semitic polcies, including a law requiring Jews to wear the yellow Star of David to be effective on 5 Apr 1944.
» In-depth article
- US declared Manus, Admiralty Islands secure.
» In-depth article
- Churchill's recommendations to bomb German V-weapon sites were turned down by Eisenhower, who preferred to place priority on transportation and communications hubs.
- USS Gar fired six torpedoes on a Japanese ship; all torpedoes missed.
» In-depth article
- USS Pollack sank Japanese Submarine Chaser No. 54 and damaged two freighters in the Nanpo Islands area, Japan; ten torpedoes were expended in this attack.
» In-depth article
- The 3rd Battalion of the Japanese 60th Regiment attacked Allied positions at Sangshak, India. Meanwhile, Louis Mountbatten requested the Anglo-American Combined Chiefs of Staff for more aircraft to supply Imphal, India, which would be denied.
» In-depth article
Dutch East Indies
Germany
- 811 RAF bombers raided Berlin, Germany; 122 aircraft were lost.
» In-depth article
United States
- Franklin Roosevelt arrived at Hyde Park, New York, United States.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 25 Mar 1944
26 Mar 1944
- Soviet units captured Kamenets-Podolsk, Ukraine, reaching the Romanian border on a wide front.
- British Prime Minister Churchill praised Yugoslavian partisans under Tito.
» In-depth article
- The Greek Communist Party established a provisional government in the mountains of northern Greece.
- Japanese submarine I-8 damaged Dutch ship Tjisalak with a torpedo in the Indian Ocean, and then surfaced to exchange shellfire. After the ship sank, the Japanese attacked 97 survivors with swords, wrenches, and sledgehammers. They were then shot and dumped into the water. Six men survived.
- Anton Dostler ordered the execution of the 15 American commandos who were captured on 24 Mar 1944 while attempting to sabotage the La Spezia-Genoa rail line in Italy.
» In-depth article
- Troops of Japanese 60th Regiment attacked Sangshak, India after dark, but got lost in the darkness, and many men were trapped in the open in the next morning.
» In-depth article
- The US submarine Tullibee was sunk by one of her own torpedoes which malfunctioned when launched against Japanese vessels off Palau Islands.
» In-depth article
- Oberleutnant Hans Bennemann and Oberfeldwebel Wilhelm Brennecke of the German Kampfgeschwader 55 wing were awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
Italy
- The New Zealand Corps headquarters, currently near Cassino, Italy, was dissolved. Surviving troops were incorporated into British XIII Corps.
» In-depth article
27 Mar 1944
- Vichy French government allowed its citizens to join the German SS organization.
- German SS troops massacred all Jewish children under the age of 13 in Kovno, Lithuania.
- The government of the United Kingdom banned foreign travel.
- Japanese 58th Regiment launched an all-out attack on Sangshak, India. Brigadier Maxwell Hope-Thompson, commanding officer of the defending Allied troops, ordered a retreat from Sangshak at 1800 hours. On the same day, William Slim requested the British 2nd Division to help defend nearby Dimapur.
» In-depth article
- Japanese troops attacked the Broadway site of Operation Thursday in Burma.
» In-depth article
Australia
- USS Ray arrived at Fremantle, Australia, ending her third war patrol.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- Allied convoy JW-58 departed Liverpool, England, United Kingdom.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 27 Mar 1944
28 Mar 1944
- Spanish volunteers of the recently disbanded German Army "Blue Legion" began to arrive in Spain; the final transport of these volunteers back to Spain would arrive on 12 Apr 1944.
- Red Army units captured Nikolaev as they entered Romania.
- German and Romanian forces began the evacuation of Odessa, Ukraine.
- About 300 patients from two hospitals and one psychiatric institution in Trieste, Italy were deported to Auschwitz Concentration Camp.
» In-depth article
- Japanese troops counterattacked Chinese troops near Jambu Bum ridge, Burma.
» In-depth article
- Repair ship Akashi completed the repair work for transport Bichu Maru at Palau Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
United States
- Joseph Rochefort testified before a Pearl Harbor raid investigation board in Washington DC, United States.
» In-depth article
29 Mar 1944
- Kiichi Hasegawa passed away.
» In-depth article
- US naval aircraft bombed Japanese ships in the Palau Islands.
- Japanese troops cut the road between Imphal and Kohima, India. Meanwhile, the Anglo-American Combined Chiefs of Staff retracted a decision made earlier and diverted additional transport aircraft from the Mediterranean Sea theater of war to the Burma-India theater of war. Louis Mountbatten had requested them to help the defense of the Imphal region in India; incidentally, the initial aircraft embarked on transporting the Indian 5th Division to Imphal and Dimapur completed the task on this date after 758 sorties.
» In-depth article
- Chinese troops captured Shaduzup, Burma.
- US Congress approved US$1,350,000,000 to fund the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Agency for assisting refugees in Europe.
- USS Tunny observed a large number of small vessels leaving Malakal Island in the Palau Islands in the morning but did not attack. In the afternoon, she observed the arrival of battleship Musashi and other warships; Tunny fired six bow torpedoes at Musashi but failed to hit her. She endured a 38-depth charge counterattack. Later that night, she caught up with the force and damaged Musashi with another torpedo attack.
» In-depth article
- 12 P-40 and 3 P-51 fighters of the US 14th Air Force attacked the railroad station area in Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
- USS Wake Island arrived at Karachi, India.
» In-depth article
- The US No. 1 Air Commando Group was redesignated as 1st Air Commando Group (nicknamed Cochrane's Flying Circus).
Hawaii
- USS Parche departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol.
» In-depth article
Japan
- Destroyer Yukikaze departed Yokosuka, Japan to escort carrier Zuiho to Guam, Mariana Islands.
» In-depth article
Pacific Ocean
- USS Alabama shared the credit in the downing of at least one Japanese aircraft which were attempting to attack US carriers.
» In-depth article
- USS Bluefish attacked a Japanese ship northeast of Borneo, Dutch East Indies; all 5 torpedoes missed.
» In-depth article
30 Mar 1944
- Adolf Hitler fired Paul von Kleist and Erich von Manstein, replacing them with Ferdinand Schörner and Walter Model.
» In-depth article
- A 795-plane air raid (572 Lancaster, 214 Halifax, and 9 Mosquito) against Nürnberg, Germany; 82 aircraft were lost on the way to the attack, and a further 12 were lost on the return flight; nearly 700 lives were lost by the RAF. This was Bomber Command's heaviest single loss of the war. German casualties included 69 civilians and 59 foreign slave laborers.
» In-depth article
- On the fatal Nürnberg, Germany raid, one of the aircraft was flown by British Pilot Officer Cyril Barton of 578 Squadron. Badly shot up on the way to the target, his Halifax bomber managed to bomb the target and made its way back to England before his fuel ran out. Barton sucessfully crash-landed his aircraft on dead engines, thus saving his crew, but was so fatally wounded himself that he died on his way to hospital. Barton was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.
- Japanese troops besieged Imphal, India.
» In-depth article
- US troops landed on Pityilu, Admiralty Islands.
» In-depth article
- Submarine Caiman was launched, sponsored by sponsored by Mrs. R. C. Bonjour.
» In-depth article
- USS Tunny performed lifeguard duties in the Palau Islands for airmen of the Fifth Fleet. Shortly after noon, she was mistaken for a Japanese submarine and was attacked, causing some damage.
» In-depth article
- USS Iowa joined Task Force 58.
» In-depth article
- Light carrier Ryuho departed the Inland Sea in Japanese waters.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Repair ship Akashi sustained numerous bomb and rocket hits from US carrier aircraft and sank in shallow water north of Urukthapel Island, Palau Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- USS Flying Fish attacked a Japanese transport off Okinawa, Japan; all 4 torpedoes fired missed.
» In-depth article
- Paul von Kleist was awarded Swords to his Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross medal.
» In-depth article
Pacific Ocean
- USS Alabama escorted US carriers as carrier aircraft attacked Japanese positions at Palau, Yap, Ulithi, and Woleai in the Caroline Islands.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 30 Mar 1944
31 Mar 1944
- Shokaku arrived off Singapore naval yard.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Mineichi Koga passed away when the flying boat that carried him from Palau Islands to Philippine Islands crashed into the sea in bad weather.
» In-depth article
- Aircraft from ships Beagle and Tracker in Allied convoy JW-58 sank German submarine U-355 in the Arctic Sea.
» In-depth article
- Destroyer USS De Haven (DD-727) was commissioned with Commander J. B. Dimmick in command.
- Smalley was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
- USS Pintado set sail for the Panama Canal.
» In-depth article
- US Navy canceled its contracts signed prior to the Pacific War with civilian construction firms for projects across the Pacific Ocean. Those signed after the start of the war would continue.
- Destroyer Yukikaze was assigned to Destroyer Division 17, Destroyer Squadron 10, 3rd Fleet.
» In-depth article
- USS Flying Fish was attacked by a Japanese submarine; she was able to evade the torpedoes fired at her.
» In-depth article
Germany
- The newly-formed German Jagdverband 44, flying Me 262 jet fighters, flew its first mission out of München (Munich), Germany.
» In-depth article
Japan
1 Apr 1944
- USS Franklin crossed the International Date Line.
» In-depth article
- Cruiser Köln was recommissioned for training of cadet engineers with Fregattenkapitän Hellmuth Strobel in command.
» In-depth article
- US bombers unintentionally hit Schaffhausen, Switzerland, leading to official protests and reparation payments.
» In-depth article
- The Japanese Navy 12th Air Fleet was reorganized to contain two air flotillas, one communication unit, one weather observation unit, and one air base unit.
- The Japanese attack on the Broadway site of Operation Thursday in Burma was repulsed.
» In-depth article
- Light carrier Ryuho arrived at Saipan, Mariana Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- USS Flying Fish sank a Japanese transport off Okinawa, Japan, hitting her with 2 of 2 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
India
Photo(s) dated 1 Apr 1944
2 Apr 1944
- Troops of the German 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitlerjugend" massacred 86 Belgians in retaliation of the bombing of their train by resistance fighters.
- Soviet troops entered Romania.
- Soviets threaten to shoot one third of all German prisoners of war if the German 1.Panzerarmee's 18 divisions would not surrender.
- USS Tunny departed Palau Islands.
» In-depth article
Panama Canal Zone
Taiwan
- General Rikichi Ando was named the governor-general of Taiwan.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 2 Apr 1944
3 Apr 1944
- Operation Tungsten: 41 British Barracuda dive bombers attacked German battleship Tirpitz, scoring 15 hits.
» In-depth article
- USS Franklin arrived at Pearl Harbor.
» In-depth article
- Evelyn Sharp passed away near Middleton, Pennsylvania, United States.
» In-depth article
- Condemning the oppression of the Stalin regime, Viktor Kravchenko, a member of the Soviet Lend-Lease Purchasing Commission, announced his defection to the New York Times.
- USS Wake Island departed Karachi, India.
» In-depth article
- Aircraft from HMS Activity and HMS Tracker sank German submarine U-288.
» In-depth article
- USS Pollack sank passenger-cargo ship Tosei Maru in the Nanpo Islands area, Japan with two of four torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- General Montagu Stopford ordered Major General R. P. L. Ranking to move the Indian 161st Brigade from Kohima to Dimapur in India. Ranking believed this was a bad move as Kohima would be a Japanese target, and appealed to William Slim; Slim sided with Stopford.
» In-depth article
- Light carrier Ryuho departed Saipan, Mariana Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
Australia
- USS Cero departed Brisbane, Australia for her fourth war patrol.
» In-depth article
Dutch East Indies
4 Apr 1944
- Shokaku returned to Singapore naval arsenal. The Third Fleet's flag was transferred ashore.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- The Allies conducted the first reconnaissance mission over Auschwitz Concentration Camp. On the same day, a transport from two hospitals and one psychiatric institution in Trieste, Italy arrived at Auschwitz; 62 of the about 300 patients died en route, while another 103 were gassed upon arrival.
» In-depth article
- German Armeegruppe Mitte counterattacked to reach those units surrounded for two weeks near Kovel, in the Pripet marsh area of Ukraine.
- The German Armeegruppe Süd was renamed Armeegruppe Nordukraine.
- De Gaulle was appointed head of Free French military forces.
» In-depth article
- Going against precedent, British Foreign Office banned foreign embassies from sending coded messages, and stated that diplomatic pouches were subject to censorship, with the exception of British allies.
- USS Rock departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her second war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Hoe departed Fremantle, Australia for her fourth war patrol in the South China Sea.
» In-depth article
- On the Imphal front in India the Japanese 51st Regiment of 15th Division commenced attacks on 123rd Indian Brigade's positions, while the Japanese 31st Division attacked the village of Kohima.
» In-depth article
- Kyne was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
- Steamer Bay was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
- USS Puffer arrived at Fremantle, Australia, ending her third war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Franklin Roosevelt's doctor noted the US President's high blood pressure and prescribed rest; Roosevelt would soon depart for Bernard Baruch's home in South Carolina, United States for a vacation.
» In-depth article
Russia
- Allied convoy JW-58 arrived at the Kola Inlet near Murmansk, Russia.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 4 Apr 1944
5 Apr 1944
- USAAF and RAF coordinated to start round-the-clock raids on the oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania.
- The SS Economic and Administrative Office submitted a report to the Supreme Command of the German SS organization noting the existence of 20 concentration camps with 165 connected labor camps. Also on this date, Siegfried Lederer escaped from Auschwitz-Birkenau and made it safely to Czechoslovakia; he warned the Elders of the Council at Theresienstadt about the atrocities being committed at Auschwitz. To the south, in Hungary, Jews were required to wear the yellow Star of David.
» In-depth article
- Soviet troops entered Ternopil, Ukraine.
- Escort carrier Makin Island was launched.
» In-depth article
- On the Imphal front in India, the Japanese 60th Regiment probed south towards a large store dump, where staff of the British 221st Advanced Ordnance depot, under continuous and heavy fire, repeatedly foiled the Japanese infiltration attacks for three days. Meanwhile, realizing that the movement of Indian 161st Brigade from Kohima to Dimapur was a poorly calculated move, he moved the brigade back; with no room in Kohima for the troops of the brigade, they settled down at Jotsoma 2.5 miles to the northwest to support from a distance.
» In-depth article
- Oberleutnant Matthias Bermadinger of the German Kampfgeschwader 55 wing was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
China
- 26 Japanese A6M Zero fighters of the Sanya Kokutai and the Kaiko Kokutai based in Hainan, China attacked Nanning, Guangxi, China, destroying 2 B-25 bombers and 3 P-40 fighters on the ground and shooting down 7 P-40 fighters in the air. 8 A6M fighters were lost.
Romania
United States
- At Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States, Emilio Segrè received the first sample of reactor-refined plutonium from Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States. He would soon discover that the spontaneous fission rate of this plutonium was too high for use in a gun-type fission weapon.
» In-depth article
6 Apr 1944
- Taiho became the flagship of the Third Fleet.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Ryunosuke Kusaka was named the chief of staff of the Japanese Navy Combined Fleet.
» In-depth article
- Abdul Hafiz of Indian 9th Jat Infantry Regiment led an attack by two sections of a platoon against a Japanese-held hill near Imphal, India. Despite being injured in the leg by enemy fire, he took out one machine position and led an attack on another; during the latter, he was fatally shot in the chest. He was awarded the Victoria Cross medal posthumously on 27 Jul, which was given to his widow Jugri Begum by Viceroy of India Archibald Wavell in Oct 1944 in Delhi, India.
- Rear Admiral Sadatoshi Tomioka was named the chief of staff of the Japanese Navy 11th Air Fleet.
Australia
- USS Cod departed Fremantle, Australia for her third war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Gunnel arrived at Fremantle, Australia, ending her fourth war patrol.
» In-depth article
Burma
- Japanese troops attacked the White City site of Operation Thursday in Burma.
» In-depth article
- Indian 26th Division captured Point 551 hill in Burma.
» In-depth article
Gibraltar
- Evacuees began to return to their homes in Gibraltar as the first group of 1,367 evacuees arrived from Britain.
India
- After dark, Japanese troops launched an attack at Kohima, India, reaching the buildings at the edge of the village before the attack was halted early in the next day.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- The United Kingdom introduced the PAYE (pay as you earn) tax system.
United States
- Joseph Rochefort was ordered to travel to Washington DC, United States to meet with Ernest King.
» In-depth article
7 Apr 1944
- The Icelandic airline Lofteide HF, founded in the previous month, inaugurated its initial flight service.
- Two Jewish inmates escaped from Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp and made it safely to Slovakia. One of them, Rudolf Vrba, submitted a report to the Papal Nuncio in Slovakia, which was forwarded to the Vatican.
» In-depth article
- USS Tunny arrived at Milne Bay, New Guinea.
» In-depth article
Japan
Russia
- Allied convoy RA-58 departed the Kola Inlet near Murmansk, Russia.
» In-depth article
- Nikolai Melnikov, the deputy of Soviet NKVD Directorate for Prisoners of War and Interned Persons (UPVI), committed suicide. He was replaced by Amayak Kobulov.
United Kingdom
- Bernard Montgomery briefed his generals regarding the invasion of France, predicting the city of Caen would be captured on the first day of the invasion.
» In-depth article
- During a dinner with Dwight Eisenhower and other Allied generals in England, United Kingdom, George Patton suggested that divisions used for Operation Overlord should be made over-strength.
» In-depth article
8 Apr 1944
- USS Seahorse detected a Japanese convoy off the Mariana Islands. After dark, attacked the convoy and sank cargo ship Kizugawa Maru, hitting her with four of eight torpedoes fired. After evading depth charges, she attacked again, sinking cargo ship Bisaku Maru, hitting her with two of six torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- The Soviet forces began an offensive to retake Crimea in southern Ukraine and to destroy the German 17.Armee.
- Red Army troops reached the Slovakian border and advanced into Romania.
- USAAF bombers attacked a Volkswagen factory near Hannover, Germany.
» In-depth article
- British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Anthony Eden issued a statement condemning German atrocities and called for those responsible to be brought to justice.
» In-depth article
- US 83rd Infantry Division became part of the VIII Corps of US Third Army.
- Rall was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
- Japanese troops moved into the ground between Kohima and Jotsoma in India, cutting off the Indian 161st Brigade from being able to assist in the defense Kohima.
» In-depth article
China
- Japanese aircraft conducted raids across Henan Province, China.
» In-depth article
Japan
Romania
- Ivan Konev ordered Soviet 27th Army and 40th Army to attack Romanian positions near Târgu Frumos. Romania.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 8 Apr 1944
9 Apr 1944
- In Ukraine, the remnants of German 1.Panzerarmee conducted a 150-mile forced march to reach German lines.
- A new German Bf 110 aircraft, piloted by a German defector, flew into Switzerland and made a landing at Dübendorf. Hermann Göring, fearful of the possiblity of Allied capture, wanted to dispatch commandos under Otto Skorzeny to destroy the aircraft.
» In-depth article
- Japanese troops captured Kanglatongbi and began to surround the Anglo-Indian troops at Imphal, India. To the north at Kohima, India, Japanese troops captured GPT ridge, forcing the British troops to fall back to Garrison Hill.
» In-depth article
- Submarine Kete was launched, sponsored by Mrs. E. S. Hutchinson.
» In-depth article
Germany
- Robert Johnson shot down a German Fw 190 aircraft over Kiel, Germany.
» In-depth article
Romania
- In Romania, Soviet 27th Army captured Târgu Frumos while Soviet 42nd Guards Rifles Division wiped aside Romanian 6th Infantry Division and captured Pascani 14 miles to the west.
» In-depth article
Ukraine
- Soviet troops broke through German defensive lines at Kerch, Ukraine.
United States
- Submarine Blenny was launched at Groton, Connecticut, United States, sponsored Florence King, daughter of Admiral Ernest King.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 9 Apr 1944
10 Apr 1944
- Cruiser Köln began a three-month refit.
» In-depth article
- Rudolf Vrba and Alfred Wetzler escaped from Auschwitz Concentration Camp, later revealing information about the camp to outside world.
» In-depth article
- Soviet troops entered Odessa, Ukraine.
- USS Pompon arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her fourth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Aleksandr Vasilevsky was awarded the Order of Victory for the first time.
» In-depth article
Romania
- German Großdeutschland Division counterattacked westward from Podu Iloaiei toward Târgu Frumos, Romania. To the south of Târgu Frumos, Romanian 1st Guard Division and Romanian 7th Infantry Division attacked in concert. Soviet troops withdrew from Târgu Frumos by 2200 hours.
» In-depth article
Russia
- Georgy Zhukov was awarded the Order of Victory for the first time; this was the very first Order of Victory given out by the Soviet Union.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 10 Apr 1944
See all photos dated 10 Apr 1944
11 Apr 1944
- The German SS organization ordered that prisoners who have committed sabotage were to be publicly executed.
- Swiss authorities destroyed the new German Bf 110 aircraft that was brought into Switzerland by a defector pilot two days prior. In appreciation of this gesture, Germany provided Switzerland 12 Me 109 fighters.
» In-depth article
- USS Tunny arrived in Brisbane, Australia, ending her fifth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Fieberling was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
- USS Pollack arrived at Midway Atoll, ending her ninth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Anglo-Indian and Japanese troops began a four-day clash at Bunker Hill near Kohima, India.
» In-depth article
Japan
Marshall Islands
- USS Flying Fish arrived at Majuro, Marshall Islands, ending her ninth war patrol.
» In-depth article
Netherlands
- The Gestapo HQ in The Hague, Netherlands was attacked by RAF Mosquito aircraft.
» In-depth article
Ukraine
- Soviet troops captured Kerch, Ukraine.
Photo(s) dated 11 Apr 1944
12 Apr 1944
- The last of the convoys carrying Spanish volunteers of the recently disbanded German Army "Blue Legion" arrived in Spain.
- Hitler authorized the withdrawal of German and Romanian forces from Sevastopol, Ukraine, but his delay in this decision caused heavier losses than necessary.
- The Soviet demands for peace were rejected by Finland.
- American troops cleared Pak Island off New Guinea.
» In-depth article
- Realizing his earlier support of Mussolini's government was viewed with suspicion by the Allies, King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy transferred most of his power to Crown Prince Umberto, though he held on to the throne.
» In-depth article
- More than 61,000 German and Romanian troops began evacuation from the Crimea in southern Ukraine.
- USS Finback attacked a six-ship Japanese convoy escorted by three patrol vessels east of Philippine Islands, firing 9 torpedoes and reporting 5 hits; she was then counterattacked with depth charges.
» In-depth article
- Joseph Stalin signed the Soviet Stavka order to reform Western Front into 2nd and 3rd Byelorussian Fronts due to incapable leadership of the Western Front; the top officers of the Western Front were surprisingly not reprimanded seriously and were placed in other important positions.
» In-depth article
- USS Seahorse assumed lifeguard station duty for US aircraft attacking Saipan, Mariana Islands.
» In-depth article
Romania
- German troops wiped out a small pocket of troops (elements of Soviet 206th Rifle Division and Soviet 3rd Guards Airborne Division) west of Târgu Frumos, Romania.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 12 Apr 1944
13 Apr 1944
- Red Army units liberated Eupatoria, Feodosiya, and Simferol, Ukraine. Nearby, at Staryi Krym, German troops killed 589 people, about 200 of them children.
- Drancy Concentration Camp in France dispatched its 71st convoy with 1,500 Jews for Auschwitz Concentration Camp.
» In-depth article
- British Chindit units attacked the village of Sepein near Mawlu in Burma.
» In-depth article
- USS Harder sank Japanese destroyer Ikazuchi between Guam, Mariana Islands and the Caroline Islands.
» In-depth article
Germany
- Robert Johnson shot down two German Fw 190 aircraft over Kaiserslautern, Germany.
» In-depth article
Hawaii
- Martial law was lifted in the US Territory of Hawaii.
Marshall Islands
14 Apr 1944
- Red Army captured Tarnopol, Ukraine.
- The first transports of Greek Jews to Auschwitz Concentration Camp departed from Athens, Greece. On the same date, a transport of 500 prisoners was sent from Stutthof Concentration Camp to Neuengamme Concentration Camp. Meanwhile, in Poland, the first Allied aerial photographs were taken of Auschwitz I camp, the town of Auschwitz (known as Oswiecim in Polish), the I. G. Farben factories, and the Auschwitz III camp complex (also known as Monowitz); this came 10 days after the first Allied reconnaissance flight over the camp. In France, mass arrests of Jews were ordered; to provide incentive for civilians to aid this effort, payments were offered to those who led authorities to Jews in hiding.
» In-depth article
- SS Brigadier General Veesenmayer reported that Hungarian Prime Minister Sztojay promised that by the end of Apr 1944 at least 50,000 Hungarian Jews fit for work would be made available to the Germans, beginning with 5,000 Jews effective immediately and 5,000 more every three to four days until the number of 50,000 has been reached. An additional 50,000 Jews were to be made available in May, and the number of Jewish labor draftees inside Hungary is to be raised to 100,000 to 150,000.
» In-depth article
- A major Chinese offensive was launched across the Burmese border against the Japanese.
- Destroyer USS Mansfield (DD-728) was commissioned with Commander Robert E. Brady, Jr. in command.
United Kingdom
- Allied convoy RA-58 arrived at Loch Ewe, Scotland, United Kingdom.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 14 Apr 1944
15 Apr 1944
- Marshal Nikolai F. Vatutin died in hospital from wounds suffered when his car was ambushed by Ukrainian guerrillas on 28 Feb 1944.
» In-depth article
- Fleet aircraft carrier USS Hancock (CV-19) was commissioned with Captain Fred C. Dickey in command.
» In-depth article
- Hans Speidel became Erwin Rommel's chief of staff.
- The support units of United States Marine Corps' I Marine Amphibious Corps (IMAC) were transferred to the V Amphibious Corps Administrative Command, and the tactical units are redesignated as III Amphibious Corps (IIIAC) with the mission of seizing Guam, Mariana Islands in Jul 1944.
Italy
Photo(s) dated 15 Apr 1944
16 Apr 1944
- Red Army units cleared Yalta, Ukraine of remaining pockets of German resistance.
- US 83rd Infantry Division arrived in England, United Kingdom in preparation for the Normandy, France invasion.
- Wisconsin was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
- Indian 5th Brigade arrived at Jotsoma, India, allowing Indian 161st Brigade to prepare for an advance toward Kohima.
» In-depth article
- USS Parche reached waters south of Taiwan.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
- USS Finback conducted a reconnaissance mission at Oroluk Atoll, Caroline Islands, firing on a damaged ship and a tower on land during the mission.
» In-depth article
Poland
- A transport of 1,500 Jews from Drancy Concentration Camp outside of Paris arrived at the Auschwitz Concentration Camp; it was the 71st transport from Drancy to Auschwitz. 165 men and 223 women were registered into the camp, while the remaining 1,112 were gassed.
» In-depth article
17 Apr 1944
- British Royal Navy and Royal Air Force Bomber Command commenced minelaying in the approaches of the English Channel in preparation for the forthcoming invasion of Europe.
» In-depth article
- USS Guitarro arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
» In-depth article
- General Renya Mutaguchi ordered Lieutenant General Kotoku Sato to capture Kohima, India by 29 Apr 1944. On the front, Anglo-Indian and Japanese troops clashed at Garrison Hill and FSD Hill near Kohima.
» In-depth article
- Louis Mountbatten's headquarters moved from Delhi, India to Kandy, Ceylon.
» In-depth article
Alaska
- USS Skipjack departed the Pribilof Islands, US Territory of Alaska.
» In-depth article
Japan
United States
- A Constellation aircraft piloted by Howard Hughes and Jack Frye flew from Burbank, California, United States to Washington DC, United States in 6 hours and 57 minutes, breaking the record.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 17 Apr 1944
18 Apr 1944
- Aircraft of No. 466 Squadron RAAF conducted bombing operations against Helgoland, Germany.
» In-depth article
- The British Foreign Office banned all coded messages from foreign embassies and said that diplomatic bags were to be censored. Only the fighting Allies were to be excluded from the ban.
- Soviet troops captured Balaklava in southern Ukraine.
- RAF bombers struck Rouen, Juvisi, Noisy-le-Sec, and Tergnier, killing 1,383 French civilians.
- The US submarine Gudgeon was reported lost, presumed sunk, off the Maug Islands, Mariana Islands.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 18 Apr 1944
19 Apr 1944
- Thomas Hitchcock was killed while test-flying a P-51 Mustang aircraft.
» In-depth article
- USS Finback sank a small Japanese vessel in the Pacific Ocean with her deck gun.
» In-depth article
- After sundown, the Japanese launched three separate attacks against Anglo-Indian positions near Imphal, India, some supported by medium tanks; none of the attacks achieved their objectives.
» In-depth article
China
- In order to forestall the bombing of the homeland by American B-29 bombers from bases at Guilin and Liuzhou in China and to seize the Beiping-Hong Kong railroad, Field Marshal Shunroku Hata, Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Army China Expeditionary Force launched the Ichi-Go (Number one) offensive with a force of some 620,000 men, which was the largest force ever assembled by Japan for a single campaign. The main thrust was a powerful drive southwards from Hankou by the 11th Army, designed to link up with a push westward by 23rd Army from Guangdong.
» In-depth article
United States
- Ernest King met with Joseph Rochefort in Washington DC, United States and gave him the command of the Far Eastern Section of the US Navy Office of Naval Intelligence.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 19 Apr 1944
20 Apr 1944
- The cruiser USS Milwaukee was transferred to the Soviet Navy, under Lend-Lease, and renamed Murmansk.
» In-depth article
- Amon Göth was given the rank of SS-Hauptsturmführer in the reserve forces of the Waffen-SS.
» In-depth article
- Oberstgeneral Hube was killed in a plane crash leaving Berchtesgaden, Germany.
- The Japanese siege of Kohima, India was begin to be lifted.
» In-depth article
- USS Seahorse sank Japanese submarine RO-45 west of Saipan, Mariana Islands, hitting her with three of four torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
China
- Ding Delong was named the commanding officer of the Chinese 37th Army.
» In-depth article
Japan
Panama Canal Zone
United Kingdom
- No. 214 Squadron RAF (of No. 100 group based at RAF Oulton at Aylsham, England, United Kingdom), established in Nov 1943, flew the first operational sortie with their Fortress Mk. III (SD) aircraft. These were extensively modified B-17G aircraft fitted out with electronic countermeasures and radar jamming devices. This Squadron would fly more than 1,000 sorties up to May 1945 losing just eight aircraft on operations.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 20 Apr 1944
See all photos dated 20 Apr 1944
21 Apr 1944
- USS Croaker was commissioned into service with Commander John E. Lee in command.
» In-depth article
- Operation Chattanooga: Allied aircraft destroyed German rail and other transportation targets.
» In-depth article
- Allied bombers conducted a raid on Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
- Colonel General Erhard Raus replaced Hans-Valentin Hube as the commander of the German 1.Panzerarmee. Hube was killed in a plane crash on the previous day.
- USS Gar ended her eleventh war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Japanese troops captured Crete West hill near Imphal, India.
» In-depth article
Hawaii
- USS Gabilan departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol; her primary task was to conduct reconnaissance in the Mariana Islands area.
» In-depth article
Japan
22 Apr 1944
- Allied forces landed on Aitape, Australian Territory of New Guinea and Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea during Operation Persecution.
» In-depth article
- Yugoslavian partisans took control of the island of Korcula in the Adriatic Sea, capturing 800 of the German defenders.
- Mussolini met with Hitler near Salzburg, Germany (Austria).
» In-depth article
- The RAF used of the new liquid incendiary device, J-Bomb, for the first time against Brunswick, Germany.
» In-depth article
- Soviet Union ended peace talks with Finland.
- Japanese attacks overran some Anglo-Indian defensive positions near Imphal, India, but no major progress was made. Near Kohima to the north, Anglo-Indian troops attacked Garrison Hill after sundown. Behind the Japanese lines, Lieutenant General Renya Mutaguchi visited the front lines and relieved Major General Motozo Yanakida for his perceived lack of aggressiveness, replacing him with Major General Nobuo Tanaka.
» In-depth article
- USS Iowa began to escort carriers while the aircraft struck Japanese positions on New Guinea, Dutch East Indies.
» In-depth article
China
Japan
Photo(s) dated 22 Apr 1944
23 Apr 1944
- USS Pintado arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
» In-depth article
- Erwin Rommel wrote to Alfred Jodl, noting that if given command over the nearby tank formations he would wipe out any Allied landing attempt in France.
» In-depth article
- Anglo-Indian troops attacked Ningthoukhong, India.
» In-depth article
Australia
- USS Ray departed Fremantle, Australia for her fourth war patrol.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 23 Apr 1944
24 Apr 1944
- Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru arrived at Saipan.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- British bombers attacked München, Germany. During this attack, the Spinosaurus fossil specimen BSP 1912 VIII 19 was destroyed at the Paläontologische Staatssammlung München (Bavarian State Collection of Paleontology).
» In-depth article
- Allied bombers conducted a raid on Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
Photo(s) dated 24 Apr 1944
25 Apr 1944
- Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru departed Saipan.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- The Emsland concentration camps in Germany established the Kommandos Nord (Department North), which began to construct concentration camps in Norway north of the Arctic Circle; 1,404 prisoners were transferred there when completed.
» In-depth article
- Australian troops captured Madang, New Guinea.
» In-depth article
- Anglo-Indian troops attacked Ningthoukhong, India.
» In-depth article
Germany
- Adolf Hitler made his last major public appearance at Hans-Valentin Hube's funeral in Berlin, Germany.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- George Patton was at a welcome club in Knutsford, England, United Kingdom as the guest of honor. Learning that his visit was supposed to be unofficial, he freely spoke of a post-war world in which the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union would together rule the world. A reporter carelessly missed writing down the Soviet Union, thus when the story was published several days later, it appeared as if Patton was disrespecting the Soviet Union.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 25 Apr 1944
26 Apr 1944
- USS Franklin arrived at New York, New York, United States.
» In-depth article
- Georgios Papandreou became the new Prime Minister of Greece after his predecessor resigned.
France
- Pétain made his first and only visit to Paris, France to inspect damage from Allied bombings.
» In-depth article
Japan
Photo(s) dated 26 Apr 1944
27 Apr 1944
- Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru arrived at Truk and departed later on the same day.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Overseas civilian travel was banned by the British government.
- British Sergeant Norman Jackson's Lancaster bomber was attacked by a German nightfighter after a bombing run over Schweinfurt, Germany. As he observed that the starboard wing was on fire, he climbed outside with a parachute and a fire extinguisher. Holding on with one hand, he attempted to put out the fire while the aircraft traveled at 200 miles per hour at the altitude of 20,000 feet. He was eventually thrown off the aircraft as the German nightfighter returned for a second attack. He would survive the fall and would become captured.
- Destroyer Yuzuki rescued survivors of sunken light cruiser Yubari.
» In-depth article
- Remy Van Lierde was assigned to No. 3 Squadron RAF, flying Tempest Mk. V fighters.
» In-depth article
- Anglo-Indian troops attempted to attack the Japanese positions on the far side of the tennis court in Kohima, India.
» In-depth article
- USS Seahorse sank Japanese cargo ship Akigawa Maru west of Saipan, Mariana Islands.
» In-depth article
Japan
Russia
- Semyon Timoshenko was awarded the Order of Suvorov 1st Class for the third time.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- Canadian and New Zealand prime ministers arrived in London, England, United Kingdom for the Imperial Conference.
Photo(s) dated 27 Apr 1944
See all photos dated 27 Apr 1944
28 Apr 1944
- Yamato arrived at Manila, unloaded troops and supplies, and then departed.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- USS Franklin entered New York Navy Yard for repairs.
» In-depth article
- USS Cassin Young sortied from Manus, Admiralty Islands with Task Force 58 for carrier strikes in the Central Pacific.
» In-depth article
- Frank Knox passed away.
» In-depth article
- The keel of USS Tirante was laid down at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine, United States.
» In-depth article
- Slapton Sands Incident: German E-boats torpedoed American landing ships in amphibious exercises off of the Devon coast in England, United Kingdom, killing 198 sailors and 551 soldiers.
- Matsu was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
- 26 B-24 bombers of the US 14th Air Force escorted by 10 P-51 fighters attacked Zhengzhou, Henan, China. Fighters of the Japanese 9th Sentai at nearby Xinxiang failed to react due to the faulty radar at Kaifeng. Storage warehouses, the Bawangcheng Bridge, and another nearby bridge on the Yellow River were damaged.
- USS Iowa completed her escort mission for carriers off New Guinea, Dutch East Indies.
» In-depth article
- A force of 4,000 Chinese troops, 1,400 American troops (Merrill's Marauders), and 600 Kachin scouts began marching for Myitkyina, Burma.
» In-depth article
- Oberleutnant Wilhelm Johnen, Staffelkapitän of German night fighter Squadron 5./NJG 5, whilst chasing an RAF bomber strayed into Swiss airspace where he was hit by flak and forced to land at Dübendorf where his Messerschmitt Bf 110G-4B./R3, which was equipped with the latest Lichtenstein SN-2b radar, was interned by the Swiss authorities. Fearful that the top-secret radar (which was the Luftwaffe's answer to the Allies "Window" anti-radar system) might fall into the hands of the Allies, the Germans eventually traded twelve new Bf 109G fighters in exchange for a Swiss guarantee that the interned aircraft with its new radar would be completely destroyed.
Russia
- Allied convoy RA-59 departed the Kola Inlet near Murmansk, Russia.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- The South African and Rhodesian prime ministers arrived in London, England, United Kingdom for the Imperial Conference.
United States
- Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd visited Franklin Roosevelt at Bernard Baruch's estate Hobcaw Barony near Georgetown, South Carolina, United States.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 28 Apr 1944
29 Apr 1944
- American troops captured the Japanese airfield at Hollandia, New Guinea.
» In-depth article
- USS Tunny departed Brisbane, Australia for her sixth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- After dark, Japanese troops launched a counterattack at Kohima, India.
» In-depth article
- USS Parche attacked a Japanese convoy south of Taiwan and damaged one transport with 1 of 4 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
Japan
United Kingdom
- Australian Prime Minister John Curtin arrived in London, England, United Kingdom for the Imperial Conference.
» In-depth article
- In England, United Kingdom, Dwight Eisenhower cabled Washington DC, United States, telling Marshall that he was pondering the notion of firing George Patton because "he simply does not keep his mouth shut", referring to the 25 Apr 1944 incident in which Patton spoke of his vision of a post-war world that, after being mis-quoted by a reporter, created another public relations row for Eisenhower's headquarters.
» In-depth article
United States
- USS Barbero was commissioned into service with Lieutenant Commander Irvin S. Hartman in command.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 29 Apr 1944
30 Apr 1944
- USS Puffer departed Fremantle, Australia for her fourth war patrol.
» In-depth article
1 May 1944
- Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru arrived at Palau and departed later on the same day.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- US Navy completed a two-day raid on Truk, which destroyed 120 Japanese aircraft.
» In-depth article
- The first Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference began and would last until 16 May. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Australian Prime Minister John Curtin, New Zealand Prime Minister Peter Fraser, Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King, and South African Prime Minister Jan Smuts were in attendance. They would agree to support the Moscow Declaration and reached agreement regarding their respective roles in the overall Allied war effort.
» In-depth article
- The Organizational Division of the German Prisoner of War Office reported that a total of 5,165,381 Soviet prisoners were in German captivity.
- Submarine Macabi was laid down.
» In-depth article
- USS Finback arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her eighth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Anglo-Indian troops attacked Crete West hill near Imphal, India.
» In-depth article
- Joseph Stalin justified taking the war into German borders by noting "[o]ur tasks cannot be restricted by pushing the enemy out of our Motherland.... We must free our brothers from German Europe who have been conquered by Hitler's Germany."
» In-depth article
Dutch East Indies
France
- British Squadron Leader Maurice Southgate, whose task it was to coordinate the various Marquis groups between the Loire River and the Pyrenees mountains, was arrested by the Gestapo in Paris, France.
» In-depth article
Russia
- Boris Shaposhnikov received the Medal for the Defense of Moscow.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- The Yugoslavian partisan leader Tito's mission arrived in London, England, United Kingdom to discuss cooperation with the Allies and gained official recognition.
- While in Britain, Robert Johnson was promoted to the rank of major.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 1 May 1944
See all photos dated 1 May 1944
2 May 1944
- 54-year-old Leonard Dawe, a teacher, compiled a cross-puzzle which was published in the Daily Telegraph on this date. He was put under MI5 investigation as the crossword puzzle contained the code names of the American landing beaches in Normandy, France.
» In-depth article
- Two transports arrived at the Auschwitz Concentration Camp with 1,800 Jews from Budapest, Hungary and 2,000 from Topolya, Yugoslavia. 1,102 were registered into the camp, and the remaining 2,698 were sent to the gas chambers.
» In-depth article
United States
- Floating drydock USS ABSD-2 departed California, United States in 10 separate sections.
» In-depth article
3 May 1944
- Yamato was designated the flagship of Battleship Division 1 under Vice Admiral Matome Ugaki.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Soemu Toyoda was named the commander-in-chief of the Japanese Navy Combined Fleet.
» In-depth article
- Indian 4th Brigade attacked GPT ridge near Kohima, India, which failed to capture all Japanese positions.
» In-depth article
- USS Parche began pursuing a seven-ship Japanese convoy south of Taiwan spotted by wolfpack mate USS Tinosa.
» In-depth article
- USS Seahorse was relieved from lifeguard station duty in the Mariana Islands and set sail for Milne Bay, Australian Papua.
» In-depth article
- USS Gunnel started her fifth war patrol.
» In-depth article
China
- 7 B-25 bombers of the Chinese-American Composite Wing attacked Japanese troop concentrations near Mihsien and Yueyang in Hunan, China and strafed the town of Hsiangcheng. On the same day, 10 P-40 fighters of the Chinese-American Composite Wing damaged the bridge on the Yellow River and destroyed 15 Japanese trucks northwest of Chenghsien near Luoyang, Henan, China.
United Kingdom
- Dwight Eisenhower wrote George Patton a personal letter in which he informed Patton that Patton would be allowed to keep his post even after the public relations rows that Patton had created.
» In-depth article
US Pacific Islands
4 May 1944
- The United States government lifted rationing for most types of meat.
- RAF bombers struck Budapest, Hungary.
- A new German plan called for the deportation of 3,000 Hungarian Jews to Auschwitz Concentration Camp daily, starting on 15 May 1944. A meeting was held on this date in Vienna between German SS officials, Hungarian officials, and railroad officials to determine the logistics of such an operation.
» In-depth article
- The US Joint Chiefs of Staff decided to preliminarily plan landing operations on Taiwan, Philippine Islands, and mainland China.
» In-depth article
- James Johnson scored his 28th victory.
» In-depth article
- USS Parche attacked a Japanese convoy south of Taiwan, sinking Taiyoku Maru and Shoryu Maru and damaging a third, hitting them with 7 of 10 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
Marshall Islands
- USS Flying Fish departed Majuro, Marshall Islands for her tenth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Alabama arrived at Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands.
» In-depth article
5 May 1944
- Spain ceased export of Tungsten to Germany in exchange for American oil.
- Soviet Army began its assault on Sevastopol, Ukraine destroying German 17.Armee and taking 36,000 prisoners.
- The Japanese Navy 14th Air Fleet was reorganized to contain only one seaplane tender.
- The order for food transport ship Kusumi, the planned sister ship to Irako, was canceled.
Dutch East Indies
Italy
- Harold Alexander ordered for the preparation of Operation Buffalo, which called for an assault on Cisterna, Italy; Mark Clark, however, would modify this plan so that he could strike at Rome, Italy.
» In-depth article
Russia
- Lavrentiy Beria was named the deputy chairman of the Soviet State Defense Committee (GKO) and the chairman of the Operational Bureau of the GKO.
» In-depth article
United States
Photo(s) dated 5 May 1944
6 May 1944
- Younger workers in the Lodz ghetto in Poland began a hunger strike in protest of the watery soup that made up the bulk of their daily food intake.
- In India, Mahatma Gandhi was released from imprisonment due to health reasons.
- British Army junior officer John Randle took out a Japanese machine gun position in Burma, then purposefully sacrificed himself to take out a bunker with a grenade. He was posthumously awarded a Victoria Cross.
- The A7M1 Reppu fighter took its first flight.
» In-depth article
- USS Pollack departed Midway Atoll for her tenth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Pompon departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her fifth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- During the day, 25 Japanese Zero fighters attacked Bishenpur, India. After sundown, Japanese troops attacked Tengnoupal, India.
» In-depth article
Dutch East Indies
Ukraine
- Soviet troops bombarded Sevastopol, Ukraine with Katyusha rocket launchers.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- Allied convoy RA-59 arrived at Loch Ewe, Scotland, United Kingdom.
» In-depth article
7 May 1944
- During the day, Anglo-Indian troops attacked Jail Hill near Kohima, India, which was repelled by Japanese troops and suffered heavy losses. To the south, the British offensive from Imphal, India into Burma was called off after lack of success. After sundown, Japanese troops attacked Tengnoupal, India and overran some Allied defensive positions.
» In-depth article
- USS Guitarro departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol.
» In-depth article
Germany
- 1,500 bombers of the US 8th Air Force attacked Berlin, Germany.
» In-depth article
United States
8 May 1944
- Rudolf Höss returned to Auschwitz Concentration Camp to supervise Aktion Höss, the extermination of 430,000 Hugarian Jews.
» In-depth article
- Eisenhower set the date for the cross-Channel invasion at 5 Jun 1944.
» In-depth article
- USS Rock arrived at Majuro, Marshall Islands, ending her second war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Hoe attacked a Japanese convoy in the South China Sea, damaging a tanker and a freigther with 2 of 6 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- USAAF fighter ace Robert Johnson scored his 27th victory, exceeding the 26 victories achieved by Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, making him the second-highest scoring American fighter pilot in Europe.
- Brigadier William Lentaigne, commander of the Chindit, flew to the front lines in Burma to meet with Michael Calvert, repeating the order to abandon the Broadway and White City sites of Operation Thursday in order to build a new forward base, Blackpool.
» In-depth article
Germany
- Robert Johnson flew his final mission, shooting down a Bf 109G aircraft and a Fw 190 aircraft over Celle, Germany.
» In-depth article
United States
- USS Ticonderoga was commissioned at the Norfolk Navy Yard in Portsmouth, Virginia, United States with Dixie Kiefer in command.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 8 May 1944
9 May 1944
- Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru arrived at Ambon, Molucca Islands and departed later on the same day.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- 108 prisoners of the Pithiviers Transit Camp in France were sent to La Rochelle, France to build fortifications at the mouth of the Gironde River on the Atlantic coast.
- Red Army recaptured Sevastopol, Ukraine.
- The Allies began an aerial campaign against airfields and rail lines in France in preparation for the cross-Channel invasion.
» In-depth article
- Rudolf Höss returned to Auschwitz Concentration Camp and ordered the expansion of the rail platforms, the activation of Crematorium V, the reactivation of Bunker 2 (gas chamber), the digging of five pits, among other items, in preparation for the arrival of Hungarian Jews at Auschwitz.
» In-depth article
- USS Mingo arrived at Brisbane, Australia, ending her third war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Makin Island was commissioned into service at Astoria, Oregon, United States with Commander William B. Whaley in command.
» In-depth article
- USS Segundo was commissioned into service with Lieutenant Commander James D. Fulp, Jr. in command.
» In-depth article
10 May 1944
- USS Cod sank Japanese destroyer Karukaya and a cargo ship by torpedoes and survived a heavy depth charge barrage.
» In-depth article
- The French Resistance claimed a membership of over 100,000 and requested more military aid from the Allies.
» In-depth article
- Japanese troops attacked Scraggy Hill near Imphal, India. 30 kilometers to the southwest, Bishenpur was attacked by a group of Japanese Zero fighters.
» In-depth article
- Repair ship Akashi was removed from the Japanese Navy List.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
Ukraine
- Aleksandr Vasilevsky was wounded in the head at Sevastopol, Ukraine after his car drove over a mine and was evacuated to Moscow, Russia for treatment.
» In-depth article
United States
Photo(s) dated 10 May 1944
11 May 1944
- Pressured by the respective governments, German authorities in Italy released from captivity Jews of Turkish, Spanish, Portuguese, Swiss, Swedish, and Finnish citizenship.
- German SS Sturmbannführer Richard Baer was appointed the commandant of Auschwitz I after his predecessor Liebehenschel was transferred to Majdanek Concentration Camp.
» In-depth article
- Chinese troops crossed the Salween River in Burma.
» In-depth article
- Japanese Navy devised Operation A-Go for the defense of the Mariana Islands; it would be launched in Jun 1944.
» In-depth article
- USS Tunny arrived in the Mariana Islands.
» In-depth article
- Light carrier Ryuho departed Saeki, Japan for Tawi-Tawi, Mindanao, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
Australia
- USS Seahorse arrived at Brisbane, Australia, ending her fourth war patrol.
» In-depth article
Dutch East Indies
Italy
- Operation Diadem, the fourth Allied attempt at attacking Cassino, Italy, was launched at 2300 hours with 1,660 artillery pieces firing on German defensive positions. Troops of US Fifth and British Eighth Armies advanced toward German positions behind the artillery barrage.
» In-depth article
Panama Canal Zone
12 May 1944
- The remains of German 17.Armee surrendered in the Crimea in southern Ukraine.
- The German synthetic fuel plants at Brüx in southern Germany (post-war Most, Czechoslovakia) and Lüna-Merseburg, Lützkendorf, and Zeitz in eastern Germany were hit by 800 US bombers.
» In-depth article
- 39 German Sinti children, 20 boys and 19 girls, arrived at Auschwitz Concentration Camp. They were separated from their parents as a part of Eva Justin's dissertation "The fate of Gypsy children and their offspring raised in alien environments". She became a professor at Berlin University in 1943 and the paper was published in 1944.
» In-depth article
- Kamal Ram of Indian 8th Punjab Regiment single-handedly took out two German defensive positions and joined another against a third near the Gari River in Italy. Later in the same day, he charged at a house held by the Germans, capturing two and killing one. He was later awarded the Victoria Cross, with King George VI pinning the medal onto his uniform in Jul 1944.
- Anglo-Indian troops counterattacked at Tengnoupal, India, regaining territory lost during the Japanese attacks between 6 and 8 May 1944.
» In-depth article
Dutch East Indies
Italy
- Near Cassino, Italy, engineers of Indian 8th Division successfully established a bridge to allow tanks of Canadian 1st Armoured Brigade to cross the Rapido River, while Polish troops engaged in fierce fighting with troops of German 1st Parachute Divisionat Point 593.
» In-depth article
United States
Photo(s) dated 12 May 1944
13 May 1944
- US destroyer escort USS Francis M. Robinson of Task Group 22.2 sank Japanese submarine RO-501, formerly German submarine U-1224, off the Cape Verde islands, killing the entire crew of 52 including Lieutenant Commander Norita Sadatoshi. RO-501 had a cargo of mercury, lead, steel, aluminum drawings, optical glass, IXC-type submarine blueprints, and Me 163A Komet jet fighter blue prints on board. USS Francis M. Robinson would later receive the Presidential Unit Citation for this action.
» In-depth article
- By this date, Anglo-Indian troops had control of Jail Hill, GPT ridge, and FSD ridge near Kohima, India.
» In-depth article
China
Dutch East Indies
Italy
- Allied troops captured Ponte Sant'Angelo and Castelforte, Italy.
» In-depth article
14 May 1944
- Yamato arrived at Tawi-Tawi, where she would remain for gunnery drills at range of nearly 22 miles with sister ship Musashi through Jun 1944.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Musashi arrived at Tawi Tawi, where she would remain for gunnery drills at range of nearly 22 miles with sister ship Yamato through Jun 1944.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Luftwaffe Leutnant August Lambert was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross medal for 90 kills. Of the nearly 250 Soviet aircraft shot down by II/SG2 during the Gruppe's six-month defence of the Crimea region in Ukraine, more than a third had fallen to Lambert's guns.
- 1st Anti-Fascist Partisan Brigade commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Gil, who was also known as I. G. Rodionov, was killed in action.
Italy
- French Moroccan colonial troops outflanked German defenses in the Liri River valley in Italy.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 14 May 1944
15 May 1944
- Shokaku arrived at Tawi-Tawi, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Hungarian Jews began to be deported to Auschwitz Concentration Camp. Elsewhere, over the following three days, about 7,500 prisoners of the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp were transferred to the Auschwitz Concentration Camp; part of the reason was to relieve Theresienstadt's overcrowded condition in preparation of a visit by the International Red Cross and the Danish Red Cross in the following month.
» In-depth article
- Hans Speidel arranged a meeting between Erwin Rommel and anti-Hitler conspirators, but he would ultimately attend on his stead.
- Anglo-Indian troops pushed Japanese troops out of Potsangbam, 2 miles south of Bishenpur, India. To the north near Kohima, Indian 33rd Brigade captured Treasury Hill with little Japanese opposition.
» In-depth article
- The Chinese-American-Kachin force outside of Myitkyina, Burma transmitted the code phrase "strawberry sundae", signifying that it was in position to strike the Japanese-occupied city.
» In-depth article
- Destroyer Yukikaze arrived at Tawi-Tawi, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
Hawaii
- US Navy 127th Construction Battalion relieved the 48th Construction Battalion in the work to build aviation gasoline facilities at Maui, US Territory of Hawaii.
Italy
- British 78th Division joined in on the attack of Cassino, Italy as German troops withdrew from Gustav Line to Hitler Line 30 miles to the south of Rome, Italy.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 15 May 1944
See all photos dated 15 May 1944
16 May 1944
- USS Sea Cat was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
- A transport of Jews from Hungary arrived at Auschwitz. Adolf Eichmann, in charge of all transports to the camps, arrived to oversee and speed up the extermination process personally.
- USS Pintado departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Major General Nobuo Tanaka ordered a two-pronged offensive toward Bishenpur and the plains near Imphal in India.
» In-depth article
- Light carrier Ryuho arrived at Tawi-Tawi, Mindanao, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
Photo(s) dated 16 May 1944
17 May 1944
- USS Hoe damaged a Japanese freighter with 1 of 5 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- USS Tunny received reports of a Japanese convoy from USS Sand Lance and intercepted the 3-ship and 3-destroyer convoy just after sunset in the Mariana Islands. She launched three torpedoes each against two cargo ships, sinking Nichiwa Maru. She endured a counterattack consisted of 81 depth charges, suffering no damage.
» In-depth article
- USS Astoria was commissioned into service with Captain George Dye in command.
» In-depth article
- USS Hawkbill was commissioned into service with Lieutenant Commander F. Worth Scanland, Jr. in command.
» In-depth article
- The Japanese attack on the Blackpool site of Operation Thursday in Burma was repulsed. On the same day, William Slim handed operational control of the Chindits over to Joseph Stilwell.
» In-depth article
- American, Chinese, and Kachin troops began the assault on Myitkyina, Burma. The attack began at 1000 hours, and by 1050 the airfield was captured.
» In-depth article
Dutch East Indies
Italy
- German troops evacuated Cassino, Italy. Meanwhile, the French penetration of the Gustav Line reached 25 miles. Nearby, Polish troops launched what was to become the final attack on Monte Cassino.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 17 May 1944
18 May 1944
- Allied bombers conducted a raid on Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
- USS Puffer attacked a Japanese convoy in the South China Sea, firing 9 torpedoes, 2 of which hit and sank freighter Shinryu Maru.
» In-depth article
- Anglo-Indian troops attacked Japanese positions at Ninthoukgong, India.
» In-depth article
- Joseph Stilwell arrived at the Myitkyina airfield in Burma just a day after the airfield was captured, congratulating Frank Merrill in advance for the capture of the rest of the city, which he believed would be achieved within days. Later on the same day, Merrill dispatched a Chinese unit to attack the city; the attack was called off when two Chinese battalions mistakenly engaged each other in a fierce firefight.
» In-depth article
- The Buckley-class destroyer-escort USS England (Commander W. B. Pendleton) attacked and sank Japanese submarine I-16, the first of six enemy submarines to be sunk by USS England over a twelve-day period.
Italy
- British 78th Division linked up with the Polish Corps in the Liri River valley 3.2 kilometers west of Cassino, Italy. Later on the same day, Polish troops captured the ruins of the Monte Cassino monastery.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 18 May 1944
See all photos dated 18 May 1944
19 May 1944
- Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru arrived at Singapore.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- James Forrestal became the Secretary of the Navy of the United States.
- Joel Brand of the Hungarian Zionist Relief and Rescue Committee and Gestapo Agent Bandi Grosz (alias Andre Gyorgy) arrived in Istanbul, Turkey to deliver a message for the Allied powers: Germany would spare the lives of 700,000 Hungarian Jews if the Allies would provide Germany with 10,000 trucks, 2 million bars of soap, 800 tons of coffee, 200 tons of cocoa, and 800 tons of tea. The British government concluded that it was a German scheme to install suspicion in the Soviet Union toward the Western Allies.
- USS Hoe claimed damaging a Japanese ship and sinking another after scoring 2 torpedoes on each of the ships; a total of 10 torpedoes were fired.
» In-depth article
- An Anglo-Indian attack on Naga, India was repulsed with heavy casualties.
» In-depth article
- Three Chinese battalions attacked each other in confusion while assaulting Myitkyina, Burma.
» In-depth article
- Frank Merrill suffered another heart attack.
» In-depth article
- USS Parche attacked a Japanese trawler with her deck gun, scoring no hits.
» In-depth article
Italy
- British troops captured the airfield at Aquino outside of Rome, Italy.
» In-depth article
- French Moroccan colonial troops plundered villages near Cassino, Italy.
» In-depth article
United States
- USS Franklin arrived at San Diego, California, United States.
» In-depth article
- USS Marcus Island embarked aircraft on the west coast of the United States for ferrying to the South Pacific.
» In-depth article
- Submarine Spot was launched at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California, United States, sponsored by Mrs. A. A. Gieselmann.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 19 May 1944
See all photos dated 19 May 1944
20 May 1944
- 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.
» In-depth article
- 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.
- USS Gar began her twelfth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Destroyer USS Taussig (DD-746) was commissioned with Commander Joseph A. Robbins in command.
- USS Baya was commissioned into service with Commander A. H. Holtz in command.
» In-depth article
- USS Pintado arrived at Midway Atoll.
» In-depth article
- Japanese troops evacuated the forward-most positions near Imphal, India. Meanwhile, a bloody clash took place between Japanese and Anglo-Indian troops at Torbung.
» In-depth article
Iceland
- Iceland began a four-day plebiscite on whether to terminate the personal union with the King of Denmark and establish a republic.
Italy
Photo(s) dated 20 May 1944
See all photos dated 20 May 1944
21 May 1944
- USS Pintado departed Midway Atoll.
» In-depth article
- Adolf Hitler ordered downed Allied airmen to be shot without trial.
» In-depth article
- Anglo-Indian troops captured Kanglatongbi, India.
» In-depth article
- USS Ray began pursuing a nine-ship Japanese convoy south of the Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
- USS Flier completed her repairs and resumed her first war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Cero damaged a Japanese transport north of Dutch New Guinea, hitting her with 1 of 4 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
22 May 1944
- U-530 departed Lorient, France for Trinidad. Aboard, she carried a Naxos radar detector to be given to the Japanese when she was to meet with Japanese submarine I-52.
» In-depth article
- USS Trepang was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
- Lieutenant Colonel Francis Gabreski of US 56th Fighter Group shot down three German Focke-Wulf Fw.190 aircraft in one day.
- USS Pollack attacked a Japanese convoy in the Pacific Ocean, sinking destroyer Asanagi and damaging a freighter; ten torpedoes were expended in this tatack.
» In-depth article
- USS Puffer attacked a Japanese carrier in the South China Sea, firing 6 torpedoes and claiming 1 hit.
» In-depth article
- Lieutenant Kenneth Elliot Meredith was named the commanding officer of HMCS Trillium.
» In-depth article
- Destroyer Yukikaze suffered minor propeller damage when it accidentally struck a reef near Tawi-Tawi, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
- USS Ray attacked a nine-ship Japanese convoy south of the Philippine Islands with seven torpedoes, scoring five hits; Tempei Maru was sunk and two other ships were damaged. A short moment later, she fired another torpedo from a stern tube, damaging another ship.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 22 May 1944
See all photos dated 22 May 1944
23 May 1944
- Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru departed Singapore.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Muriel Byck passed away.
» In-depth article
- General Hans Cramer, last commander of the German Afrika Korps, was repatriated due to ill health; before he departed Britain, he was shown evidence of the massive Allied build-up, but was misinformed as to the location of these forces; when he was later debriefed in Berlin, Germany, this misinformation helped deceive the Germans as to the actual target of the invasion. On the same day Cramer was repatriated, a single USAAF B-24 bomber ("Lorelei" 41-29300), escorted by eight P-51 fighters, loaded with the new top-secret Azon bombs successfully destroyed four bridges leading into Normandie, France; Lieutenant Colonel F. M. O'Neil (commanding officer of 753rd Squadron) and Captain Fred DeNeffe were the mission pilots; the entire crew was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
» In-depth article
- USS Ray fired ten torpedoes at two radar contacts south of the Philippine Islands, sinking one ship and damaging another with six torpedo hits.
» In-depth article
- USS Cero attacked a Japanese convoy off the Palau Islands, sinking a freighter and damaging a tanker, hitting them with 4 of 6 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
Italy
- Troops of Polish II Corps and Canadian 1st Infantry Division attacked Piedimonte, Italy.
» In-depth article
- Three US and two British divisions launched a new assault out of the Anzio, Italy beachhead at dawn, inflicting heavy casualties on German formations but also suffering similarly.
» In-depth article
US Pacific Islands
- USS Parche arrived at Midway Atoll, ending her first war patrol.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 23 May 1944
24 May 1944
- British Prime Minister Churchill formally announced that Spain would not be a target of the forthcoming Allied invasion on continental western Europe.
» In-depth article
- SS official Adolf Eichmann's office in Budapest reported that 116,000 Hungarian Jews had already been deported, and another 200,000 were awaiting deportation, most of which were from Carpatho-Ruthenia and Transylvania.
» In-depth article
- A transport of 859 prisoners from the Pawiak prison in Warsaw, Poland arrived at Stutthof Concentration Camp.
» In-depth article
- USS Cabrilla damaged a Japanese ship east of Borneo, hitting her with 1 of 6 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- Japanese troops captured Gibraltar Hill and attacked Lone Tree Hill near Imphal, India. To the north at Kohima, Indian 7th Division began an offensive against Dyer Hill, Pimple Hill, and Big Tree Hill.
» In-depth article
- Japanese troops penetrated Chindit defense lines near the Blackpool site in Burma.
» In-depth article
- USS Flying Fish attempted to attack a Japanese convoy; all 4 torpedoes fired missed. She was detected and was subjected to a depth charge counterattack.
» In-depth article
Iceland
- Iceland's four-day plebiscite ended; the result would show that 97% of the population wished to terminate the personal union with the King of Denmark, and 95% of the population wished to establish a new republic.
Italy
- US forces captured Terracina, Italy.
» In-depth article
- The German Senger Line south of Rome, Italy was breached by troops of Canadian 1st Infantry Division, Canadian 5th Armoured Division, and II Polish Corps.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 24 May 1944
25 May 1944
- Germans launched combined ground-airborne assault on Tito's headquarters in Drvar, Bosnia, Yugoslavia.
- Submarine Sea Robin was launched, sponsored by the wife of US Navy Captain Homer Ambrose, the production superintendent at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine, United States where the submarine was built.
» In-depth article
- USS Pollack fired four torpedoes at a Japanese destroyer in the Pacific Ocean; all torpedoes missed.
» In-depth article
- Chindit forces abandoned the Blackpool site in Burma.
» In-depth article
- USS Flying Fish sank a Japanese transport and damaged another transport at dawn off the Philippine Islands, hitting them with 4 of 4 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
China
Italy
- US 3rd Division captured Cisterna, Italy after house-to-house fighting, nearly wiping out 362nd Infantry Division in the process; nearby, US 1st Armored Division engaged German Herman Göring Division at Valmontone while US Fifth Army troops linked up with the Anzio contingent. At the end of the day, Mark Clark ordered Lucian Truscott to turn north toward Rome without informing Harold Alexander.
» In-depth article
- Polish troops captured Piedimonte, Italy.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 25 May 1944
26 May 1944
- To the dismay of Roosevelt and Churchill, de Gaulle proclaimed the Free French movement to be the "Provisional Government of the French Republic"; de Gaulle received recognition from most Allied governments, but this caused him to be left out of the planning for Operation Overlord.
» In-depth article
- Adolf Hitler delivered a speech at Der Platterhof hotel in Obersalzberg, Germany, justifying the continuation of the war.
» In-depth article
- The first Australian-built Beaufighter Mk.21 aircraft (A9-1) made its maiden flight. 364 aircraft would be built by the Mascot and Fishermen's Bend factories by the end of 1945.
» In-depth article
- USS Cabrilla attacked a Japanese convoy in the Dutch East Indies with six torpedoes; four of them struck and sank a transport.
» In-depth article
Italy
- After US 1st Armored Division had already been ordered north toward Rome, Italy, Mark Clark belatedly reported to Harold Alexander such a change in orders; he left only 1 division to attack the remaining German forces at Valmontone. In the area, US troops captured Cori.
» In-depth article
27 May 1944
- The first Shinyo special attack boats were completed.
» In-depth article
- USS Becuna was commissioned into service, Lieutenant Commander H. D. Sturr in command.
» In-depth article
- Brigadier William Lentaigne ordered Michael Calvert to capture Mogaung, Burma by 5 Jun 1944.
» In-depth article
Germany
- Hans Speidel, Konstantin von Neurath, and Karl Stroelin met at Stroelin's home in Freudenstadt, Germany to discuss the overthrow of Adolf Hitler. They concluded that Erwin Rommel was the ideal candidate to be the interim head of Germany or as the chief of the Germany military after Hitler's death as the Western Allies were more likely to negotiate peace with him than any of the officials in Berlin. They believed that a united European front could be formed to fight against Bolshevism.
Photo(s) dated 27 May 1944
28 May 1944
- Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru arrived at Manila, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- USAAF again bombed the synthetic oil plant at Lüne-Merseburg in eastern Germany.
» In-depth article
- Submarine Charr was launched, sponsored by Mrs. William Orkney.
» In-depth article
- USS Pompon attacked a Japanese transport south of Japan; all 3 torpedoes missed.
» In-depth article
- British entertainer Noël Coward arrived in Ceylon aboard destroyer HMS Rapid.
US Pacific Islands
- USS Golet departed Midway Atoll with Lieutenant James S. Clark as her new commanding officer.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 28 May 1944
29 May 1944
- Taking advantage of their range, US bombers began hitting Marienburg and Posen in eastern Germany.
» In-depth article
- The escort carrier USS Block Island was torpedoed by a German U-boat while on anti-submarine patrol near the Azores. This was the first and only US Navy Aircraft Carrier to be lost in the Atlantic Ocean.
- The Anglo-Indian attack on Ninthoukgong, India was halted after capturing the northern half of the town.
» In-depth article
Italy
- US 1st Armored Division engaged German defensive positions of the Caesar C Line south of Rome, Italy.
» In-depth article
Japan
Photo(s) dated 29 May 1944
30 May 1944
- Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru departed Manila, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Royal Sovereign was decommissioned from service.
» In-depth article
- USS Guitarro sank the heavily-escorted cargo ship Shisen Maru off Taiwan, hitting her with two of the three torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- USS Finback completed refitting at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii and departed for her ninth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Pompon sank cargo ship Shiga Maru off Murotosaki, Shikoku, Japan, hitting her with 1 of 3 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- Major General Nobuo Tanaka canceled his offensive in the Imphal region in India after incurring heavy losses. To the north at Kohima, the Indian 7th Division assault on Dyer Hill, Pimple Hill, and Big Tree Hill, which began on 24 May, was repulsed with heavy casualties.
» In-depth article
Italy
- British troops captured Arce, Italy; US 36th Infantry Division penetrated between German 1st Parachute Corps and LXXVI Panzer Corps on the Caesar C Line. Also on this day, after seven German divisions successfully withdraw along Route 6 in Italy, Albert Kesselring allowed his troops in the Velletri gap to slowly fall back.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 30 May 1944
See all photos dated 30 May 1944
31 May 1944
- Stalin approved the plan for Operation Bagration, aimed at the destruction of German Armeegruppe Mitte.
» In-depth article
- USS Pintado began tracking a Japanese convoy in the Philippine Sea.
» In-depth article
Romania
Photo(s) dated 31 May 1944
1 Jun 1944
- USS Cod arrived at Fremantle, Australia, ending her third war patrol.
» In-depth article
- The US submarine Herring was reported lost in the Kurile Islands, presumed sunk by Japanese shore batteries on Matua Island, whilst on patrol near Matsuwa Island.
» In-depth article
- USS Pintado fired six torpedoes at a Japanese convoy in the Philippine Sea, scoring several hits, sinking Toho Maru and damaging another.
» In-depth article
- In his diary, William Slim privately complained of Louis Mountbatten's lack of vision and Henry Pownall's laziness.
» In-depth article
- US Brigadier General Haydon L. Boatner was appointed to command the Myitkyina Task Force in Burma.
Italy
United States
Photo(s) dated 1 Jun 1944
2 Jun 1944
- The Bulgarian government approached the Western Allies for terms of surrender.
- US launched Operation Frantic, its first shuttle bombing operation. 130 15th Air Force B-17 bombers were launched from Tripoli, Libya to bomb Debrecen, Hungary and to land in Ukraine.
- USS Hoe arrved at Fremantle, Australia, ending her fourth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Guitarro sank frigate Awaii off Taiwan in the early morning, hitting her with three of the six torpedoes fired. At the end of the day, she claimed sinking a Japanese destroyer, hitting her with one of the two torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- Major General Nobuo Tanaka ordered a final attack at Imphal, India despite overwhelming odds. Near Kohima to the north, Japanese troops evacuated from the village of Naga.
» In-depth article
- Shunroku Hata was promoted to the rank of field marshal.
» In-depth article
Australian New Guinea
- USS Cero arrived at Seeadler Harbor, Manus, Admiralty Islands, ending her fourth war patrol.
» In-depth article
China
- 7 P-40N fighters of the 7th fighter Squadron of the Chinese-American Composite Wing attacked the Japanese airfield at Zhengzhou, Henan, China. 7 Ki-44 fighters of the Japanese 9th Sentai rose to intercept, shooting down 5. One Ki-44 fighter was shot down over Bawangcheng.
Italy
- Allied forces overran the German Caesar C Line south of Rome, Italy; Adolf Hitler ordered Albert Kesselring that the Italian capital would be abandoned.
» In-depth article
Sweden
- Secret peace talks began between Romania and the Soviet Union in Stockholm, Sweden.
» In-depth article
United States
- USS Escolar was commissioned into service with Commander W. J. Millican in command.
» In-depth article
3 Jun 1944
- RAF aircraft conducted raids in the Pas-de-Calais and Cherbourg areas of France.
» In-depth article
- US XIII Bomber Command established its headquarters at Momote Airfield, Los Negros Island, Admiralty Islands.
- Engineers at Curtiss-Wright published an internal memorandum noting the defects of the current generation of SB2C Helldiver aircraft (bell cranks might break during high speed dives) but the company failed to address the issue even for the aircraft built but not yet delivered to the US Navy. A number of aviators would be killed or injured due to this defect for the next month to come or perhaps longer due to this defect.
» In-depth article
- USS Cabrilla sank a Japanese coastal patrol boat with her deck gun off Borneo.
» In-depth article
- Louis Mountbatten received the latest orders from the Anglo-American combined chiefs; to his disappointment, there was not to be any amphibious operations in Burma, and instead focus was to be placed on China. Mountbatten would decide to disobey the orders and instead planned on ground offensives from India into Burma.
» In-depth article
Italy
Photo(s) dated 3 Jun 1944
4 Jun 1944
- Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy, France, was postponed due to weather. Meanwhile, RAF bombers struck German coastal fortifications along the French coast.
» In-depth article
- The captured submarine U-505 was towed to Bermuda, with Enigma machine, codebooks, and Zaunkönig acoustically-guided torpedoes aboard.
» In-depth article
- USS Pintado helped in the wolfpack attack against a Japanese convoy in the Philippine Sea, but did not earn any sinkings during the attack.
» In-depth article
- USS Cabrilla sank a Japanese coastal patrol boat with her deck gun off Borneo.
» In-depth article
- USS Flier attacked a Japanese convoy in the South China Sea, sinking transport Hakusan Maru and damaging another ship; 6 torpedoes were expended in this attack, 3 of which scored hits.
» In-depth article
Burma
- Two replacement battalions for Galahad arrived at Myitkyina, Burma direct from the United States, but not being acclimatized proved of little immediate value.
Italy
- Mark Clark and the US 5th Army entered Rome, Italy unopposed; Clark immediately held a press conference on the steps of the Town Hall on the Capitoline Hill. Some fellow Allied generals thought Clark had failed to trap the German 10th Army.
» In-depth article
Japan
Photo(s) dated 4 Jun 1944
5 Jun 1944
- The first B-29 combat mission was flown from Kharagpur, British India to Bangkok, Thailand; the worst problem was an unexpected tropical storm.
- Józef Beck passed away.
» In-depth article
- Erwin Rommel noted to Gerd von Rundstedt that there was no sign of an Allied invasion on the French coast.
» In-depth article
- USS Puffer sank Japanese tankers Ashizuri and Takasaki in the South China Sea, hitting them all 7 of the torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- Historical document written: The Patton Speech
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 5 Jun 1944
See all photos dated 5 Jun 1944
6 Jun 1944
- 130,000 to 150,000 Allied troops, roughly half American and half British and Commonwealth, invaded the beaches of Normandy, France; it was the largest amphibious operation.
» In-depth article
- Allied bombers conducted a raid on Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
- Between this date and the following three days, US submarine Harder sank four Japanese destroyers.
» In-depth article
- British Company Sergeant-Major Stanley Hollis took down several German pillboxes during the Normandy invasion and was credited for saving the lives of many men. He was awarded the Victoria Cross, the only awarded for actions on the initial day of the invasion.
- USS Pintado ten torpedoes against a Japanese convoy in the Philippine Sea, sinking Havre Maru and Kashimasan Maru.
» In-depth article
Hawaii
- USS Gabilan arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending first war patrol.
» In-depth article
Italy
Philippines
- The Davao Penal Colony on Mindanao, Philippine Islands was closed; the American and Filipino prisoners were transferred to Cebu island.
United States
- Submarine Sennet was launched at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine, United States, sponsored by the wife of Roscoe W. Downs.
» In-depth article
- Robert Johnson returned to the United States.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 6 Jun 1944
See all photos dated 6 Jun 1944
7 Jun 1944
- British troops captured Bayeux, France.
» In-depth article
- The administration of the crematoriums in Auschwitz II-Birkenau concentration camp ordered four sieves from the manufacturing firm Deutsche Ausrüstungswerke (DAW) to sift through human ashes. The sieves were to be equipped with an iron frame and the openings of the sieve screens were to be 10 millimeters in size.
» In-depth article
- USS Pollack arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her tenth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Anglo-Indian and Japanese troops engaged in a bloody clash at Ninthoukgong, India.
» In-depth article
- HMS Rodney collided with LCT 427 off Normandie, France, killing 13 British Royal Navy personnel.
» In-depth article
Italy
United Kingdom
Photo(s) dated 7 Jun 1944
See all photos dated 7 Jun 1944
8 Jun 1944
- USS Tang departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, starting her third war patrol in the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea.
» In-depth article
- USS Tunny made rendezvous with USS Pilotfish and USS Pintado and formed a wolfpack; the group was nicknamed Blair Blasters.
» In-depth article
- Former Chinese light cruiser Ninghai, now in Japanese service, was renamed Ioshima.
» In-depth article
France
- Edward Brooks arrived in Normandy, France ahead of his US 2nd Armored Division.
» In-depth article
Italy
Photo(s) dated 8 Jun 1944
See all photos dated 8 Jun 1944
9 Jun 1944
- US troops captured St. Mére-Eglise, France, cutting major road and rail links to the Cherbourg Peninsula.
» In-depth article
- In an attempt to push Finland out of the war, Soviet forces launched a major assault against Finnish troops on the Karelian Isthmus.
- USS Gar reported damaging a Japanese ship with her deck gun.
» In-depth article
- The Avro Lincoln bomber took its first flight. Originally known as the Lancaster IV, the Lincoln was produced to meet an Air Ministry requirement for a Lancaster replacement, but in 1943 the requirement was changed to developing a long-range bomber for operations in the Pacific Theatre (Tiger Force). The first Lincoln bombers would reach RAF Squadrons in Aug 1945, just too late to see service in World War II. They were however later used in operations against communist guerrillas in Malaya and against Mau Mau bandits in Kenya.
- The Japanese frontal-attack on Gurkha positions on Scraggy Hill was met with heavy losses, particularly to superior British firepower and air support.
» In-depth article
- Fahnenjunker-Feldwebel Willi Braun and Fahnenjunker-Feldwebel Gerhard Dietrich of the German Kampfgeschwader 55 wing were awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
Photo(s) dated 9 Jun 1944
10 Jun 1944
- Yamato departed Tawi-Tawi for Batjan, Halmahera at 1600 hours for Operation KON; this was reported by American Submarine USS Harder. Shortly after, the Japanese fleet spotted a periscope and carried out evasive maneuvers that nearly resulted in a collision between Yamato and Musashi.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- The town of Oradour-sur-Glane in central France was destroyed. Nearly all of its 652 inhabitants were killed by troops of the SS Division Das Reich; only 10 survived the massacre with fire and machine gunning.
- USS Mingo arrived at Manus, Admiralty Islands for training.
» In-depth article
- German SS troops massacred 218 civilians at Distomo, central Greece, in revenge for losing seven men in a partisan ambush.
- USS Hawkbill arrived at New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.
» In-depth article
- Chinese troops captured Lungling, Yunnan Province, China.
» In-depth article
- Former Chinese light cruiser Pinghai was renamed Yasoshima.
» In-depth article
United States
- The US Eighth Army was activated in the United States under the command of Lieutenant General Robert Eichelberger.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 10 Jun 1944
See all photos dated 10 Jun 1944
11 Jun 1944
- USS Cassin Young arrived at Eniwetok, Marshall Islands.
» In-depth article
- Missouri was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
- The United States Marine Corps established the Administrative Command FMFPac (redesignated Supply Service FMFPac in Aug 1944) from the existing VAC Administrative Command to take responsibility for providing beach logistic supply on a hostile shore.
Australia
- USS Seahorse departed Brisbane, Australia for her fifth war patrol.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 11 Jun 1944
See all photos dated 11 Jun 1944
12 Jun 1944
- Yamato arrived at Batjan, Halmahera after Operation KON was postponed.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- US and British forces linked up near Carentan, France, forming a solid 50-mile battle line, with 326,000 men and 54,000 vehicles on the beachhead.
» In-depth article
- German Reich Minister for the Eastern Occupied Territories Alfred Rosenberg ordered the start of Heuaktion, which called for the kidnapping of 40,000 Polish children between the age of 10 and 14; they were to be transported to Germany as slave laborers.
» In-depth article
- With his company under heavy machine gun and tank fire in Burma, Rifleman Ganjo Lama crawled forward alone with a PIAT and destroyed two tanks. Despite a broken wrist and serious wounds to both hands, he knocked out a third tank by eliminating the crew. His actions earned him the Victoria Cross.
- Canadian Destroyer HMCS Haida under Commander H. C. DeWolf sank the German submarine U-971.
» In-depth article
- USS Iowa escroted carriers while the aircraft struck Japanese positions in the Mariana Islands.
» In-depth article
China
- In China, about 100 P-40 and P-51 fighters of the US 14th Air Force attacked Japanese vessels on Dongting Lake, docks and warehouses at Yuanjiang in Hunan Province, and troop concentrations in Changsha in Hunan Province.
Pacific Ocean
- USS Alabama escorted US carriers as carrier aircraft attacked Japanese positions on Saipan, Mariana Islands.
» In-depth article
- USS Bluefish attacked a Japanese ship in the Makassar Strait; all 6 torpedoes missed.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 12 Jun 1944
See all photos dated 12 Jun 1944
13 Jun 1944
Japan
Mariana Islands
- USS Alabama bombarded Japanese positions on Saipan, Mariana Islands.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- The first German V-1 flying bombs struck London, England, United Kingdom.
Photo(s) dated 13 Jun 1944
See all photos dated 13 Jun 1944
14 Jun 1944
Australia
- USS Ray arrived at Fremantle, Australia, ending her fourth war patrol.
» In-depth article
Italy
Japan
Pacific Ocean
- The US submarine Golet became missing; she was believed to be sunk by Japanese naval vessels off Honshu, Japan.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 14 Jun 1944
15 Jun 1944
- Shokaku departed Guimaras with Mobile Fleet to counter the American invasion of the Mariana Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Yamato was sighted and reported by USS Seahorse east of Mindanao, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- USS Cassin Young provided support for the Mariana Islands invasion.
» In-depth article
- Soviet forces battered the Finnish secondary defense lines on the Karelian Isthmus.
- RAF bombers struck Boulogne and Le Havre, France.
» In-depth article
- American B-29 bombers based in China conducted a raid on Japan.
» In-depth article
- American troops invaded Saipan, Mariana Islands.
» In-depth article
- US Thirteenth Air Force established its headquarters at Momote Airfield, Los Negros Island, Admiralty Islands.
- USS Tunny sighted Luzon, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
- The Japanese Navy formed the 2nd Air Fleet with 141st, 345th, and 762nd Air Groups with Vice Admiral Shigeru Fukudome in overall command and Rear Admiral Ushie Sugimoto as the chief of staff.
» In-depth article
- Light carrier Ryuho departed Guimaras, Philippine Islands to join what would become the Battle of the Philippine Sea.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- USS Flying Fish detected a Japanese carrier force and reported the information to fellow submarines; this would lead to the sinking of carrier Shokaku by USS Cavalla several days later.
» In-depth article
Hawaii
- US Navy 142nd Construction Battalion relieved the 39th Construction Battalion in the construction of the Naval Air Station Kahului in US Territory of Hawaii.
Pacific Ocean
- USS Bluefish attacked a Japanese transport in the Celebes Sea; all 5 torpedoes missed.,
» In-depth article
United States
Photo(s) dated 15 Jun 1944
See all photos dated 15 Jun 1944
16 Jun 1944
- V-1 rockets began landing in England, United Kingdom before 0600 hours, with over 240 landing throughout what the Germans called the "Day of Vengeance".
- US submarines detected two large Japanese fleets near the Philippine Islands, headed towards the Mariana Islands.
» In-depth article
- USS Tunny sank a small sampan with gunfire in the Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
Italy
Pacific Ocean
- USS Bluefish sank a Japanese transport in the Celebes Sea, hitting her with 1 of 3 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
United States
- USS Hawkbill departed New Orleans, Louisiana, United States for the Panama Canal Zone.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 16 Jun 1944
See all photos dated 16 Jun 1944
17 Jun 1944
- Yamato refueled from oilers of the 1st Supply Force, then joined the Mobile Fleet. Later, the Mobile Fleet was sighted by USS Cavalla in the Philippine Sea.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Alaska was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
- Adolf Hitler met with Erwin Rommel and Hans Speidel in France; Hitler agreed to visit the front lines in France, but ultimately this would not take place.
» In-depth article
- USS Parche began her second war patrol.
» In-depth article
Iceland
- Iceland declared independence from Denmark, becoming a republic with Sveinn Björnsson as its first president.
Italy
- General de Lattre's Free French force landed on the island of Elba, Italy, starting a two-day campaign to secure the island from German forces.
» In-depth article
- Wladyslaw Anders was made the Allied commander of the Adriatic sector of the Italian theater of war.
» In-depth article
- British XIII Corps engaged in heavy fighting with German forces at Città della Pieve, Italy.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 17 Jun 1944
18 Jun 1944
- Carrier Shokaku sailed in company with flagship Taiho and sister ship Zuikaku for the Mariana Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- US First Army isolated Cherbourg, France.
» In-depth article
- US 83rd Infantry Division arrived in Normandy, France.
- USS Mingo departed Manus, Admiralty Islands for her fourth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Gurkha troops of the Chindits made contact with Chinese troops at the village of Lakum in northern Burma.
» In-depth article
China
- In China, the strategic city of Changsha, 200 miles south of Hankou, fell to the Japanese, having successfully defied them three times before.
» In-depth article
Italy
United Kingdom
- A V-1 rocket struck the Guards Chapel across from Buckingham Palace in London, England, United Kingdom during worship services, killing 119.
United States
- Submarine Chub was launched at Groton, Connecticut, United States, sponsored by Mrs. T. A. Risch.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 18 Jun 1944
19 Jun 1944
- At dawn, Shokaku launched 17 A6M fighters for combat air patrol duties. At 1100 hours, she recovered 10 fighters; while still recovering fighters, at 1122, she was hit by three torpedoes from USS Cavalla on the starboard side; two forward near the switchboard and generator room, one aft of amidships. Large fuel fires were ignited in the hangar and No. 1 boiler room went offline. Shokaku remained underway, but began to list to starboard. Counterflooding over-compensated, giving her a port list. Meanwhile flooding and heat of the fires forced shutting down of the boiler rooms. She continued to settle forward. Though damage control initially hoped to save her, the flooding forward and the fires intensify in the following hours. By 1210 hours she had come to a halt when fires detonate an aerial bomb on the hangar, setting off volatile gases from a cracked forward tank. Large induced explosions wrecked the carrier, and hope began to fade. The list to port and bow trim both increased. At 1350 hours, her strike planes returned, but were ordered away, having to be directed to Zuikaku and Taiho. At this time Captain Matsubara had ordered abandon ship and the crew mustered on the flight deck for flag lowering. However, before the evacuation can proceed far, the bow dipped under and water pours into No. 1 elevator well, causing the carrier to corkscew to port and up-end. She went down by the bow at 1401 hours, stern raised high. Between 1408 and 1411, four underwater explosions were registered. 58 officers, 830 petty officers and men, 376 members of Air Group 601, and 8 civilians were killed, totalling 1,272 deaths. Light cruiser Yahagi and destroyers Urakaze and Hatsuzuki rescued Captain Hiroshi Matsubara among 570 other survivors.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Yamato fired Sanshiki-dan anti-aircraft shells in combat for the first time against incoming aircraft, but it was discovered that they were friendly.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- The US Mulberry Harbor at Omaha Beach off Normandy, France was wrecked by a storm. By this date, however, the Allies had 20 divisions ashore in France, while the Germans fielded only 16 in the region.
» In-depth article
- US carrier aircraft won a decisive victory over their Japanese counterparts in the Mariana Islands, shooting down over 200 planes with only 20 losses in what became known as the Marianas Turkey Shoot, or, officially, Battle of the Philippine Sea.
» In-depth article
- USS Guitarro arrived at Darwin, Australia.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 19 Jun 1944
20 Jun 1944
- The Americans launched their first attack on Cherbourg, France.
» In-depth article
- Soviets captured Viipuri on the Karelian Isthmus.
- Jakob Edelstein, the former senior Jewish elder ("Judenaeltester") of the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp, and his family were shot in Auschwitz Concentration Camp.
» In-depth article
- Bernard Montgomery was awarded the title of Grand Commander of the Order of King George I of Greece.
» In-depth article
- USS Astoria departed Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States for her shakedown cruise.
» In-depth article
- Japanese troops captured Forest Hill near Imphal, India but failed to capture Plum Hill, another nearby objective.
» In-depth article
- Light carrier Ryuho was slightly damaged by US TBF aircraft at 1810 hours during the Battle of the Philippine Sea.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Destroyer Yukikaze rescued survivors of transport Seiyo Maru during the Battle of the Philippine Sea then scuttled the transport with a torpedo.
» In-depth article
- The US Tenth Army, consisting of the XXIV Corps (US Army) and the III Amphibious Corps (US Marine Corps) was activated under the command of Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr.
» In-depth article
Italy
Japan
- Destroyer Yuzuki completed her refitting at Sasebo, Japan. She received a Type 13 radar on her main mast, exchanged twin 13-mm machine gun mounts for single 25-mm machine gun mounts.
» In-depth article
Pacific Ocean
- USS Bluefish pursued a Japanese transport in the Makassar Strait, expending 5 torpedoes.,
» In-depth article
Poland
- The underground Directorate of Civil Defense in Warsaw, Poland sent a radio message to London, England, United Kingdom: "Since May 15, mass murders have been carried out in Auschwitz. Jews are taken first, then Soviet prisoners of war, and the so-called sick. Mass transports of Hungarian Jews arrive. Thirteen trains per day, 40-50 cars each. Victims convinced [that] they will be exchanged for [German] POWs or resettled in the East. Corpses are burned in crematoria and out in the open. Over 100,000 people from Hungary have been gassed to date."
Photo(s) dated 20 Jun 1944
See all photos dated 20 Jun 1944
21 Jun 1944
- Soviet forces began another offensive against the Finns between Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega in northern Russia.
- Mussolini transformed the Partito Fascista Repubblicano into a military organization.
» In-depth article
- USS Guitarro departed Darwin, Australia.
» In-depth article
- USS Puffer arrived at Fremantle, Australia, ending her fourth war patrol.
» In-depth article
China
Germany
- US 8th Air Force bombers conducted shuttle raids on Berlin and Lüne-Merseburg in Germany, landing at Russian airfields.
» In-depth article
Italy
- British XIII Corps engaged in heavy fighting with German forces at San Fatucchio, Italy. Further east, Polish II Corps reached the Chienti River.
» In-depth article
Pacific Ocean
- USS Bluefish sank the Japanese transport she had been pursuing for several hours in the Makassar Strait, hitting her with 2 of 4 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
United States
- The keel of submarine Menhaden was laid down by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, United States.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 21 Jun 1944
See all photos dated 21 Jun 1944
22 Jun 1944
- The Mobile Fleet, including Yamato, arrived at Nakagusuku, Okinawa. The destroyers were refueled before the Mobile Fleet departed again.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- 60 Luftwaffe aircraft made a night raid on the USAAF base in Poltava, Ukraine, destroying 44 bombers and large quantities of fuel.
- Soviet forces launched Operation Bagration, a major offensive against German forces in Byelorussia, with 1.2 million men, 31,000 heavy guns, 5,200 tanks, and 6,000 aircraft. The plan was to smash through Warsaw, Poland and East Prussia, Germanny to the Baltic coast; in doing so, they would trap German and Finnish forces in the north and isolate the German, Romanian, and Bulgarian armies in the south.
» In-depth article
- The Americans launched a major attack on Cherbourg, France. Allied aircraft dropped over 1,000 tons of bombs on the city during the attack.
» In-depth article
- The Danish Civil Partisan group, BOPA, attacked the Riffelsyndikatet arms factory in Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Prisoners of the Alderney Concentration Camp in the Channel Islands were deported to Sollstedt in Germany. They would arrive in Sep 1944, where they would be transferred to Buchenwald Concentration Camp.
» In-depth article
- USS Rock departed Majuro, Marshall Islands for her third war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Franklin Roosevelt signed the G. I. Bill of Rights which provided education and other assistance to veterans of the US military.
» In-depth article
- USS Tunny set sail for home from the Philippine Sea.
» In-depth article
- Japanese Emperor Showa, in conversation with his younger brother Prince Takamatsu, gave approval "in principle" to the use of special attacks.
» In-depth article
- In India, Indian 6th Brigade from Kohima made contact with Indian 9th Brigade from Imphal on the Imphal-Kohima Road that had been held by the Japanese.
» In-depth article
- Frank Merrill radioed Joseph Stilwell to warn him that Louis Mountbatten was intriguing to replace Stilwell with another American commander who was more likely to be subject to Mountbatten's authority.
» In-depth article
- Light carrier Ryuho arrived at Okinawa, Japan.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- USS Flier gave pursuit to a large Japanese convoy in the South China Sea, scoring hits with 4 of 6 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- Floating drydock USS ABSD-2, in 10 separate sections, arrived at Manus, Admiralty Islands.
» In-depth article
Germany
- Claus von Stauffenberg met with representatives from the German communists in eastern Berlin, Germany, not knowing one of them was a Gestapo spy.
» In-depth article
Italy
- A group of Italian Navy commandos loyal to the co-belligerent government in the south raided La Spezia, Italy using British Chariot manned torpedoes; they succeeded in capsizing Italian cruiser Bolzano.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 22 Jun 1944
23 Jun 1944
- German submarine U-530 and Japanese submarine I-52 made rendezvous in the mid-Atlantic 850 miles west of Cape Verde islands. U-530 transferred a Naxos radar detector, a radar operator, and a navigator to I-52.
» In-depth article
- USS Franklin departed Pearl Harbor.
» In-depth article
- Captain Michael Allmand of the Gurkha Rifles won the Victoria Cross after charging ahead of his troops three times to clear the way of enemy positions in northern Burma; on the third time, he was seriously wounded.
- Over France, with two engines out and the fuselage on fire, Pilot Officer Andrew Mynarski, a Canadian gunner in a No. 419 Squadron Lancaster, was ordered to bale out. However, he saw that the rear gunner was trapped and tried to free him even though his own clothing and parachute were on fire. Hopelessly stuck, the rear gunner signaled to Mynarski that he should save himself. The Canadian gallantly stood to attention and saluted his comrade before jumping out. He was found by the French but died later of his terrible injuries. Amazingly, the gunner was thrown clear when the Lancaster crashed and survived, as did the other crew members who had jumped. When they returned and told their story after the war, Mynarski was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.
- In Burma, Tulbahadur Pun of the Gurkha Rifles won the Victoria Cross for single-handedly crossing 30 yards of open swampy ground under concentrated enemy fire to destroy a position that had virtually wiped out his section.
- Corporal Sefanaia Sukanaivalu became the only Fijian to win the Victoria Cross during the fighting on Bougainville in the Solomon Islands. After rescuing two wounded comrades he was hit in the groin whilst attempting to rescue a third. Unable to move and knowing that his comrades would not leave him whilst he remained alive, Sukanaivalu selflessly raised himself in full view of the enemy, and died in a hail of bullets. The award was made posthumously.
- Finnish fighter pilot Hans Wind flying a Bf 109 fighter downed four aircraft in a single sorte. Over a ten day period in Jun 1944 he would account for 25 opponents from his final tally of 75 kills throughout the war.
- Generaloberst Eduard Dietl of the German 20.Gebirgsarmee was killed in a plane crash.
» In-depth article
- Two representatives (one Danish and one Swiss) of the International Red Cross and one representative of the Danish Red Cross visited Theresienstadt Concentration Camp for six hours; the prisoners gave them positive reports about the living conditions as they were instructed to do by the camp administration. On the same day, a major deportation began at the Jewish ghetto at Lodz, Poland; through 14 Jul 1944, 7,196 would be sent to Chelmno Concentration Camp where they would be killed. In the Unite States, the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives of the US Congress drafted a resolution that supported the War Refugee Board and promised retribution against those responsible for atrocities in occupied Europe (Hungary in particular).
» In-depth article
- Martti Aho was promoted to the rank of colonel.
» In-depth article
- Churchill, with misgivings, gave in to pressure from the Americans and sanctioned operation Anvil (the proposed US-French invasion of the south of France). Churchill called this a "Bleak and sterile exercise".
» In-depth article
- Chindit and Japanese troops engaged in fierce fighting at Mogaung, Burma.
» In-depth article
- Light carrier Ryuho departed Okinawa, Japan.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Destroyer Yukikaze arrived at Guimarras, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
- USS Flying Fish set sail for Manus, Australian New Guinea.
» In-depth article
- In the South China Sea, USS Flier continued to attack the same Japanese convoy which she had been pursuing since the previous day, sinking a transport with 3 of 4 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 23 Jun 1944
See all photos dated 23 Jun 1944
24 Jun 1944
- USS Tang attacked a Japanese convoy southwest of Kagoshima, Japan and reported sinking two ships. Post war Japanese records showed that four ships of that convoy, Tamahoko Maru, Tainan Maru, Nasusan Maru, and Kennichi Maru, were attacked and sunk on that date.
» In-depth article
- Hitler ordered all but one division of LIII Korps, encircled near Vitebsk, Byelorussia, to break out.
» In-depth article
- Chinese troops, supported by heavy artillery, attacked Mogaung, Burma in support of the British Chindit operation.
» In-depth article
- British Lieutenant General Geoffrey Scoones, due to poor intelligence, failed to pursue retreating Japanese troops from northeastern India, thinking that the Japanese might be planning a counterattack from Tamu and Bishenpur.
» In-depth article
- USS Parche sank a Japanese patrol vessel with her deck gun.
» In-depth article
China
Italy
- Troops of British XIII Corps linked up with Indian troops of British X Corps in Italy.
» In-depth article
Japan
Photo(s) dated 24 Jun 1944
25 Jun 1944
- Operation Epsom began with British Second Army's offensive near Caen, France. To the west, with naval gunfire support, American ground forces engaged in street fighting in Cherbourg.
» In-depth article
- General Kœnig was made the head of Free French Forces.
» In-depth article
- US 83rd Infantry was temporarily attached to the VIII Corps of US First Army.
- Following a visit to British No. 617 Squadron at Woodhall Spa in England, United Kingdom by USAAF Generals Spaatz and Doolittle, a crated Mustang fighter was delivered as a gift from the United States to Wing Commander Leonard Cheshire. Cheshire wanted to use it that evening for a raid on the V-bomb site at Siracourt, France, and his mechanics worked all day removing the grease and the guns. One hour after the Lancaster bombers had taken off Cheshire followed in the Mustang fighter (which type he had never flown before) and he arrived in time to mark the target at low level for the heavy bombers.
» In-depth article
- USS Pompon arrived at Midway Atoll, ending her fifth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Gurkha troops of the Chindits attacked Mogaung, Burma cautiously, having suffered heavy casualties during the assault two days prior. Meanwhile, the Japanese began to fall back from the town.
» In-depth article
Japan
- At the Imperial Conference in Tokyo, Japan, Prince Hiroyasu advocated the use of special attacks by all branches of the military.
» In-depth article
United States
- USS Baya departed New London, Connecticut, United States for Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
» In-depth article
- The FR Fireball piston-jet mix-powered fighter took its first flight with only the piston engine equipped.
» In-depth article
- Submarine Brill was launched at Groton, Connecticut, United States, sponsored by the wife of Rear Admiral Francis Low.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 25 Jun 1944
26 Jun 1944
- USS Tang attacked a Japanese cargo ship with four torpedoes without success.
» In-depth article
- USS Croaker arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
» In-depth article
- Red Army captured Vitebsk, Byelorussia.
» In-depth article
- General von Schlieben, commander of the German garrison in Cherbourg, France, was captured by US troops.
» In-depth article
- Germans instituted a curfew in Copenhagen, Denmark in response to a wave of sabotage. In retaliation, the people of Copenhagen underwent a massive civil strike.
- Gurkha troops of the Chindits captured Mogaung, Burma.
» In-depth article
Australian New Guinea
- USS Cero departed Manus, Admiralty Islands for her fifth war patrol.
» In-depth article
Burma
- Brigadier-General Theodore F. Weasels took over command of the Myitkyina Task Force from the sick Brigadier-General Boatner following another bout of malaria.
» In-depth article
China
- Japanese troops reached Hengyang, Hunan Province, China, site of an important US air base, but were checked by the 15,000-strong Chinese 10th Army supported by US 14th Air Force's B-25 Mitchell and P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft which made constant attacks on the Japanese supply lines.
» In-depth article
United States
- USS Ticonderoga departed Norfolk, Virginia, United States for Trinidad.
» In-depth article
- USS Segundo departed New London, Connecticut, United States.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 26 Jun 1944
See all photos dated 26 Jun 1944
27 Jun 1944
- USS Blenny was commissioned into service Lieutenant Commander W. H. Hazzard in command.
» In-depth article
- Soviet units captured Orsha, Byelorussia on the Dneiper River, while near Vitebsk German LIII Korps was finally destroyed.
» In-depth article
- In France, US troops captured Cherbourg while British forces took Hill 112 near Caen.
» In-depth article
- Members of the Polish underground Armia Krajowa sent a messaged to the United Kingdom, noting that their intelligence suggested that the Germans were developing a rocket estimated to be 40 feet (12.2 meters) long and 6 feet (2.7 meters) wide.
- HMS Pink (Commander G. V. Legassick) was hit by a torpedo fired from the German submarine U-988 off the Normandy beaches, France, and was so badly damaged that she was declared as a constructive total loss.
- USS Guitarro arrived at Frementle, Australia, ending her first war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Seahorse sank Japanese tanker Medan Maru and damage two other ships off Taiwan, hitting them with five of six torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
Italy
- Troops of French Expeditionary Corps arrived at the Orcia River west of Lake Trasimene in Italy.
» In-depth article
San Marino
- British bombers attacked San Marino, killing 35.
Photo(s) dated 27 Jun 1944
28 Jun 1944
- German 9.Armee became surrounded after Soviet forces captured Mogilev, Byelorussia and crossed the Berezina River.
» In-depth article
- German defenses halted Operation Epsom near Caen, France.
» In-depth article
- French resistance fighters killed Minister of Information and local Milice leader Phillipe Henriot. Milice leader in Lyon, Paul Touvier, was ordered to conduct reprisal killings.
» In-depth article
- Communist-sponsored Hungarian-language Radio Kossuth announced that 200,000 Hungarian Jews had been killed in the past few months.
- The British War Cabinet approved a memorandum by the Lord Chancellor which included a note that Britain would gather evidence of German atrocities against Jews only in occupied countries but not within Germany itself, for atrocities committed domestically did not constitute war crimes.
- USS Gar reported sinking a Japanese ship in daylight with her deck gun.
» In-depth article
- Ioshima received orders to move to the front.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 28 Jun 1944
See all photos dated 28 Jun 1944
29 Jun 1944
- Yamato departed for Kure, Japan to receive five new triple-mount 25mm AA guns; during the installation, the entire hinoki deck would also be replaced.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Bo Seng Lim passed away.
» In-depth article
- USS Tang attacked the unescorted Japanese transport Nikkin Maru between Kyushu, Japan and Dalian, China with two torpedoes without success.
» In-depth article
- The 70,000 remaining troops of German Armeegruppe Mitte, surrounded near Bobruisk, Byelorussia, surrendered.
» In-depth article
- The last harbor fort at Cherbourg, France was captured by US troops. Meanwhile, a planned German offensive by the 2nd and 9th Panzer Divisions at Villers-Bocage, west of Caen, was abandoned when their armored columns were blasted by 260 RAF heavy bombers.
» In-depth article
- A transport of 2,502 Hungarian Jews from Auschwitz Concentration Camp arrived at Stutthof Concentration Camp. On the same day, out of about 1,100 prisoners at Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp with valid entry certificates for Palestine, 221 Jews were allowed to go; they would arrive in Haifa at 1700 hours on 10 Jul.
» In-depth article
- Konstantin Rokossovsky was promoted to the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union.
» In-depth article
- Martti Aho was wounded in battle at Tali-Ihantala, Finland.
» In-depth article
- USS Hoe departed Fremantle, Australia for her fifth war patrol in the South China Sea.
» In-depth article
- USS Tunny arrived at Midway Atoll.
» In-depth article
- Erwin Rommel and Gerd von Rundstedt met with Adolf Hitler at Hitler's residence in Berchtesgaden, southern Germany. They urged Hitler to pursue peace, but Htiler rejected such a notion, saying that the V weapons would soon turn the tide of war.
» In-depth article
Hawaii
- USS Gabilan departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her second war patrol.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
Photo(s) dated 29 Jun 1944
30 Jun 1944
- USS Tang sank the unescorted Japanese transport Nikkin Maru with one torpedo between Kyushu, Japan and Dalian, China.
» In-depth article
- Milice leader in French city of Lyon, Paul Touvier, selected 7 Jewish prisoners to be executed by firing squad as reprisal for the killing of Minister of Information and local Milice leader Phillipe Henriot two days earlier by the French resistance.
» In-depth article
- The final 6,000 German troops in Cherbourg, France surrendered. At Caen, German troops recaptured Hill 112.
» In-depth article
- The Chindits, by this date, would have been hard pushed to find anyone still fit enough to lift a camera, but they kept on marching and fighting even when one brigade, the 111th, was reduced to less than the strength of a company.
» In-depth article
- A transport of 2,044 Jews from Athens and Corfu Island in Greece arrived at Auschwitz Concentration Camp; 455 men and 175 women were registered into the camp while the remainder were gassed. On the same day, another transport of 1,000 Jews from the Fossoli di Carpi transit camp in Italy also arrived; 180 men and 51 women were registered while the remainder were gassed.
» In-depth article
- James Johnson shot down a German Bf 109 fighter, his 33th victory.
» In-depth article
Trinidad
Photo(s) dated 30 Jun 1944
See all photos dated 30 Jun 1944
1 Jul 1944
- Cruiser Köln began a three-month training operation.
» In-depth article
- USS Tang sank Japanese freighter Taiun Maru No. 2 in the morning, and chased tanker Takatori Maru all day, finally sinking the tanker after sundown.
» In-depth article
- 5th Guards Tank Army of the Soviet 3rd Byelorussian Front captured Borisov, Byelorussia.
» In-depth article
- The Bretton Woods conference opened to discuss financial and economic concerns in post-war Europe; International Monetary Fund for Reconstruction and Development would be established as the result.
- US 83rd Infantry Division became part of the US VII Corps.
- Russian fighter ace Grigori Rechkalov received his second Hero of the Soviet Union award when his score stood at 48 individual and six shared victories. Rechkalov would be relieved of his command by General Utin shortly after for "lack of leadership" but would eventually be officially listed as the Soviet Union's third highest scoring ace of all time with 57 aerial victories credited to his name.
- USS Pintado arrived ta Majuro, Marshall Islands, ending her first war patrol.
» In-depth article
French Syria and Lebanon
- Greek 3rd Mountain Brigade was activated in French Syria-Lebanon under the command of Colonel Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos.
Italy
Japan
Taiwan
- The Taichu Prisoners of War Camp near Taichu (now Taichung), Taiwan was closed; on the same day, the Inrin Prisoners of War Camp in central Taiwan was opened.
United States
Photo(s) dated 1 Jul 1944
See all photos dated 1 Jul 1944
2 Jul 1944
- Feldmarschal Günther von Kluge replaced Gerd von Rundstedt as the commanding officer of the German forces in the West (Oberbefehlshaber West).
» In-depth article
- Submarine Bugara was launched, sponsored by the wife of US Navy Captain Lyman S. Perry.
» In-depth article
- A TBM Avenger aircraft from USS Wake Island sank German submarine U-543 between the Canary and Cape Verde Islands.
» In-depth article
- General Sir Henry Maitland Wilson (Supreme Commander, Mediterranean) received orders from London, England, United Kingdom to organize the invasion of Provence, France. The name of this operation was changed by British Prime Minister Churchill to "Dragoon".
» In-depth article
- The US coastal minesweeper YMS-350 struck a mine and sank off Utah Beach, Normandy, France.
Italy
Japan
Photo(s) dated 2 Jul 1944
See all photos dated 2 Jul 1944
3 Jul 1944
- USS Franklin launched strikes against Bonin Islands.
» In-depth article
- USS S-28 began anti-submarine warfare exercises with United States Coast Guard cutter Reliance off Oahu, US Territory of Hawaii.
» In-depth article
- USS Cod departed Fremantle, Australia for her fourth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Soviet forces recaptured Minsk, Byelorussia, trapping over 100,000 Germans in the pocket.
» In-depth article
- US VIII Corps advanced toward Coutances, France.
» In-depth article
- John Basilone re-enlisted in the United States Marine Corps.
» In-depth article
- After sundown, Japanese commandos raided a British airfield near Imphal, India and destroyed eight parked aircraft.
» In-depth article
- USS Seahorse sank Japanese cargo ship Nitta Maru and passenger-cargo ship Gyoyu Maru off Taiwan, hitting her with four of five torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
Italy
Japan
Photo(s) dated 3 Jul 1944
4 Jul 1944
- USS Franklin launched strikes against Bonin Islands.
» In-depth article
- At 1820 hours, radio communications between USS S-28 and United States Coast Guard cutter Reliance was broken, and S-28 was never heard from again.
» In-depth article
- USS Blackfin was commissioned into service with Lieutenant Commander George Laird, Jr. in command.
» In-depth article
- In the morning, USS Tang sank Japanese freighter Asukazan Maru, hitting her with two of three torpedoes fired. In the afternoon, the transport Yamaoka Maru was sunk with two torpedoes.
» In-depth article
- The Soviet 1st Baltic Front captured Polotsk, Byelorussia on its way towards Riga, Latvia, moving to cut off German Armeegruppe Nord as it retreated from Estonia. The Soviet troops were now roughly on the 1939 German-Soviet border.
» In-depth article
- After a week of strikes in Copenhagen, the Germans rescinded their curfew to avoid such uprisings.
- USS Astoria remained at Port of Spain, Trinidad; her crew was allowed a short liberty in celebration of the Independence Day holiday of the United States.
» In-depth article
- With intelligence obtained by infiltrating the meeting in Berlin, Germany on 22 Jun 1944 between Claus von Stauffenberg and German communists, the Gestapo made several arrests.
- General Wazakazu Kawabe officially terminated Operation U-Go in India.
» In-depth article
- USS Parche was attacked by a Japanese cruiser and a destroyer, but Parche was able to escape.
» In-depth article
- USS Seahorse sank Japanese cargo ship Kyodo Maru No. 28 off Taiwan, hitting her with five of her last six torpedoes.
» In-depth article
- USS Gunnel ended her fifth war patrol.
» In-depth article
United States
- J. Robert Oppenheimer revealed Emilio Segrè's final measurements to the Manhattan Project scientists at Los Alamos, New Mexico, which concluded that the "Thin Man" design for a gun-type plutonium weapon was not feasible.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 4 Jul 1944
See all photos dated 4 Jul 1944
5 Jul 1944
- USS Gar ended her twelfth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Oberon was decommissioned from service.
» In-depth article
- Lieutenant Colonel Francis Gabreski of US 56th Fighter Group became the top scoring USAAF ace in Europe with 28 victories.
- HMS Ganilly was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-390 off Utah beach, Normandy, France.
Australia
- USS Flying Fish arrived at Brisbane, Australia, ending her tenth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Flier arrived at Fremantle, Australia, ending her first war patrol.
» In-depth article
Japan
6 Jul 1944
- USS Franklin arrived in the Mariana Islands area; she was to remain through 22 Jul 1944 to launch strikes against Japanese position on Rota and Guam islands.
» In-depth article
- Chuichi Nagumo passed away.
» In-depth article
- USS Tang sank the 39,100-ton Japanese transport Dori Maru off Dalian, China at about 0300 hours with two torpedoes. With this sinking, she obtained the record of the greatest total tonnage sunk by an American submarine during one war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Soviet troops captured Kovel, Ukraine.
- Chaim Weizmann, the future Israeli president, messaged British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden, requesting the rail lines leading to Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland to be bombed.
» In-depth article
- Captain Yujiro Takarada was named the commanding officer of light carrier Hosho.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
France
- Colonel (temporary Lieutenant General) George Patton, Jr. secretly flew into the Cotentin Peninsula in France.
» In-depth article
Italy
United States
- Franklin Roosevelt met with Charles de Gaulle in Washington DC, United States.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 6 Jul 1944
See all photos dated 6 Jul 1944
7 Jul 1944
- American attacks near Carentan, France were held off by German counterattacks. In support of ground troops and to prepare for a new offensive to be launched on the next day, RAF bombers dropped 2,300 tons of explosives on the Germans in and around Caen, France.
» In-depth article
- USS Mingo attacked a Japanese convoy off Luzon, Philippine Islands during the night, sinking destroyer Tamanami by hitting her with 3 of 8 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- Miklós Horthy suspended the deportation of Hungarian Jews to concentration camps.
» In-depth article
- Raoul Wallenberg departed for Berlin, Germany.
» In-depth article
- John Basilone and Lena Mae Riggi completed the application for a marriage certificate.
» In-depth article
- USS Becuna detected a hostile submarine in the Atlantic Ocean and fired four torpedoes at the target; all torpedoes missed and contact with the enemy submarine was lost.
» In-depth article
- Lieutenant General Kotoku Sato was relieved for the defeat at Kohima, India.
» In-depth article
- Ivan Bagramyan was made a Hero of the Soviet Union for the first time.
» In-depth article
United States
- USS Wisconsin departed Norfolk, Virginia, United States for Trinidad in the British West Indies.
» In-depth article
- Franklin Roosevelt had dinner with Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd, Ana Roosevelt Boettiger, and John Boettiger in Washington DC, United States.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 7 Jul 1944
8 Jul 1944
- As Baranovichi, Byelorussia fell to the Soviets, German XII Corps surrendered its last 57,000 men. The German Armeegruppe Mitte alone had lost nearly 30 divisions in less than a month.
» In-depth article
- British Second Army launched Operation Charnwood against Caen, France.
» In-depth article
- Jewish ghettos in Kovno, Lithuania began to be evacuated by German authorities.
- Allied bombers conducted a raid on Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
- Lieutenant General Renya Mutaguchi withdrew the remnants of the Japanese 33rd Division from Imphal, India back into Burma.
» In-depth article
- Takeo Takagi was killed in action on Saipan, Mariana Islands.
» In-depth article
- Chuichi Nagumo was posthumously promoted to the rank of admiral.
» In-depth article
Germany
- Raoul Wallenberg landed at Tempelhof, Berlin, Germany and traveled to his sister's residence in the southwestern suburb of the city. He would experience his first air raid during that night.
» In-depth article
Japan
Taiwan
- Lieutenant General Haruki Isayama was named the chief of staff of the Taiwan Army.
United States
- Franklin Roosevelt and Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd visited Shangri-La (now Camp David) near Thurmont, Maryland, United States.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 8 Jul 1944
See all photos dated 8 Jul 1944
9 Jul 1944
- Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru arrived at Palau and departed later on the same day.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- British and Canadian forces entered the rubble that was Caen, France. Meanwhile, US XIX Corps began advancing toward Saint-Lô, France.
» In-depth article
- Aiming to cut off German Armeegruppe Nord, Soviet 2nd Byelorussian Front attacked from Vitebsk, Byelorussia, Soviet 3rd Byelorussian Front attacked from Psovsk, and the Soviet Leningrad Front attacked toward Narva, Estonia.
» In-depth article
- Raoul Wallenberg boarded the 1721 train from Berlin, Germany for Budapest, Hungary, arriving later that night.
» In-depth article
- About 2,000 Hungarian Jews were transported to Auschwitz Concentration Camp. They would be among the last Jews to be deported out of Hungary with Miklós Horthy's authorization.
» In-depth article
- Major Frank Blaker of the British Royal Gurkha Rifles regiment won the Victoria Cross at Taunghi, Burma. Charging Japanese positions he was hit three times but continued to urge his men forward even as he lays dying.
- British Royal Navy Captain F. J. Walker of the Second Escort Group died of a stroke brought on by heavy strain and overwork.
- Adolf Hitler departed the Wolfsschlucht II headquarters in Margival, France for the Wolfsschanze headquarters in East Prussia, Germany.
» In-depth article
- A message was sent to USS Golet, but the submarine did not respond.
» In-depth article
Australia
- USS Ray departed Fremantle, Australia for her fifth war patrol.
» In-depth article
Italy
- The British The North Staffordshire Regiment captured the fortified village of Malan, Italy. Facing dug-in Tiger tanks, the Staffords suffer 25% casualties in the battle.
» In-depth article
Panama Canal Zone
Photo(s) dated 9 Jul 1944
10 Jul 1944
- Erwin Rommel received the Romanian Order of Michael the Brave 3rd Class and 2nd Class.
» In-depth article
- 221 former prisoners of Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp and 61 former internees in Vittel, France who had been given permission by Germany to go to Palestine arrived in Haifa at 1700 hours.
» In-depth article
- Raoul Wallenberg reported to the Swedish embassy in Budapest, Hungary as a secretary; in this role he would issue protective passports and commit in other acts that would save the lives of thousands of Jews.
» In-depth article
- The Japanese Navy 2nd Air Fleet was attached to the Combined Fleet, and its strength group to include two air flotillas and six air groups. On the same day, the 3rd Air Fleet was established under the command of Vice Admiral Shunichi Kira with Rear Admiral Kanzo Miura as the chief of staff; it was also attached to the Combined Fleet.
- Light carrier Ryuho was transferred from Carrier Division 2 to Carrier Division 1 within the 3rd Fleet.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Naoshi Kanno was made a squadron commander with the 343rd Air Group.
» In-depth article
Japan
- Yamato arrived at Okinawa, Japan then departed for Lingga, Dutch East Indies.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- The Japanese Navy established the 1st Special Submarine Training Base Group at Otsujima in Tokuyama Bay, 80 kilometers southwest of Hiroshima, Japan, under the command of Rear Admiral Mitsuri Nagai. The unit was to train future manned-torpedo pilots.
» In-depth article
United States
- John Basilone married Sergeant Lena Mae Riggi at St. Mary's Star of the Sea Church in Oceanside, California, United States.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 10 Jul 1944
11 Jul 1944
- US VII Corps met resistance attacking toward Saint-Lô, France.
» In-depth article
- The last 35,000 men of German 4.Armee surrendered to Soviet troops at Minsk, Byelorussia.
» In-depth article
- Japanese 18th Army under Lieutenant General Hatazo Adachi launched a counterattack in the Aitape-New Hollandia area in New Guinea, placing pressure on American troops but sustaining heavy casualties.
» In-depth article
- Claus von Stauffenberg was summoned to see Adolf Hitler in Berchtesgaden, Germany regarding the situation of the Home Army.
» In-depth article
Japan
Photo(s) dated 11 Jul 1944
See all photos dated 11 Jul 1944
12 Jul 1944
- US VII Corps made limited progress toward Saint-Lô, France.
» In-depth article
- USS Snook fired four torpedoes at two Japanese freighters; one hit, causing damage but not sinking the target.
» In-depth article
- US Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. passed away from a heart attack in Normandy, France.
France
- Omar Bradley, his staff, and his generals met and created a preliminary plan for what was to become the Operation Cobra offensive in France.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 12 Jul 1944
See all photos dated 12 Jul 1944
13 Jul 1944
- Red Army units captured Vilna, Lithuania.
» In-depth article
- Japanese 18th Army under Lieutenant General Hatazo Adachi was divided by an American attack in the Aitape-New Hollandia area in New Guinea, making them effectively useless until their final defeat on 10 Aug.
» In-depth article
- USS Hornet spent the day conducting refueling operations.
» In-depth article
- The secret of the German FuG 227 Flensburg equipment, which could home-in on RAF Monica radars, was revealed when a Luftwaffe pilot landed his Junkers Ju 88G-1 night fighter by mistake at RAF Woodbridge in Suffolk, England, United Kingdom. In addition the capture of this aircraft's FuG 220 radar would permit British scientist to find a way of jamming its signal within a matter of weeks.
» In-depth article
- Captain Williams Mullen was named the commanding officer of USS San Diego.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
Photo(s) dated 13 Jul 1944
See all photos dated 13 Jul 1944
14 Jul 1944
- Hitler departed Berchtesgaden, Germany, never to return there.
» In-depth article
- Pinsk, Byelorussia was captured by the Soviet forces.
» In-depth article
- British rescue tug HMS Turmoil was launched.
- Submarine HMS Selene was commissioned into service.
- Destroyer HMS Wrangler was commissioned into service.
- The minesweeping of the western section of Cherbourg harbour in France was completed.
- From the North Sea, British carrier task force under Admiral Moore unsuccessfully attacked German battleship Tirpitz in Kaafiord, Norway.
» In-depth article
- German SS member Heinrich Boere took part in Operation Silbertanne during which 54 civilians were killed in retaliation for the assassination of Dutch Nazi leaders by Dutch resistance fighters.
- The keel of German submarine U-2334 was laid down.
- The keel of German submarine U-3506 was laid down.
- Soviet ambassador to Sweden Alexandra Kollontai announced that the Soviet Union was interested in peace discussions with Finland without any mention of the unconditional surrender that the Soviets had previously demanded.
- US bombers attacked the oil refineries at Budapest and Petfurdo, Hungary and the rail marshaling yard at Mantua, Italy, while in Italy US fighters and fighter-bombers attacked trains north of La Spazia and the airfield at Ghedi.
- USS Nautilus delivered two men and 30 tons of supplies at Lagoma, Leyte, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
- The Japanese government announced the conscription of females between the ages of 12 and 40 for war-related work.
- In the Mariana Islands, US Seventh Air Force P-47 Thunderbolt fighters based on Saipan again struck Tinian Island. At Guam, US battleships joined in on the pre-invasion bombardment while transport USS Dickerson delivered US Navy underwater demolition specialists to survey landing beaches on the island.
» In-depth article
- Destroyer USS William C. Miller sank Japanese submarine I-6 off Saipan, Mariana Islands.
- Corvette HMCS Petrolia was commissioned into service.
- German submarine U-415 struck a mine and sank off Brest, France at 0915 hours.
- The keel of destroyer Gurke was laid down.
- Claus von Stauffenberg was summoned to see Adolf Hitler in Rastenburg, East Prussia, Germany on the following day.
» In-depth article
- In northern Burma, the Morris Force of the Chindits was now down to three platoons in strength.
» In-depth article
- USS Puffer departed Fremantle, Australia for her fifth war patrol.
» In-depth article
France
- The US Eighth Air Force based in Britain flew several missions over France, with 319 B-17 bombers dropping 3,700 containers to supply Allied forces fighting in southern France, 131 B-24 bombers attacking Montdidier and Peronne airfields, and 94 P-38 fighter-bombers attacking targets near Paris (1 P-38 aircraft lost). Meanwhile, other Allied aircraft attacked targets in the French railway system in or near Bourth, Merey, Periers, Chateaudun, and other locations; some of these attacks were conducted using Oboe, a British aerial blind bombing targeting technology.
» In-depth article
- Prisoners in the Santé prison in Paris, France revolted, starting a fire in the prison compound.
Japan
- Iwo Jima, Chichi Jima, and Haha Jima were the targets of land-based aircraft for the first time as US Navy Bombing Squadron 109 PB4Y Liberator bombers based at Isley Field, Saipan, Mariana Islands dropped bombed on their airfields. In the United States, USAAF chief General Hap Arnold warned the Joint Planning Staff about the new Japanese Ki-84 fighters. As a precaution, he recommended seizing Iwo Jima to provide emergency airfields for bombers that might be damaged by new Japanese fighters such as the Ki-84.
» In-depth article
Marshall Islands
- USS Alabama, flagship of Rear Admiral E. W. Hanson, departed Eniwetok, Marshall Islands.
» In-depth article
Romania
- Soviet troops under Rodion Malinovsky captured Iasi, Romania.
» In-depth article
United States
- US Army ship FS-390 was commissioned into service at Los Angeles, California, United States under the command of US Coast Guard Lieutenant G. E. Oliver.
Photo(s) dated 14 Jul 1944
15 Jul 1944
- Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru departed Truk and arrived at Mereyon, Yap; she would depart later on the same day.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Rommel communicated to Hitler that Germany should seriously consider ending the war on favorable terms when it was still possible; for a unknown reason, this letter was delayed in its delivery, not reaching Hitler until 20 Jul.
» In-depth article
- US 83rd Infantry Division became part of the US VIII Corps.
- A British No. 206 Squadron RAF Liberator bomber sank German submarine U-319 with depth charges in the North Sea; the aircraft was also lost during the successful attack. Also in the North Sea, another Liberator bomber from No. 159 Squadron RAF attacked U-561, but was shot down by German anti-aircraft fire.
- Claus von Stauffenberg aborted an assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler when Hitler departed a conference earlier than expected.
» In-depth article
- US Fifteenth Air Force in Italy launched more than 600 bombers to attack four oil refineries in the Ploesti and Teleajenul areas in Romania.
- Japanese-American Staff Sergeant Kazuo Otani of the US 442nd Infantry Regiment was killed while fighting near Pieve di Santa Luce, Italy. He repeated exposed himself to German fire in order to give directions to his platoon, and crawled under fire to give medical aid to a wounded soldier. He would later be awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor.
- Soviet forces launched an offensive at the Finnish line in northern Karelia on the border of Finland and Russia; Finnish 5th Division counterattacked near Nietjrvi in the afternoon.
- The Soviet Second Baltic Front captured Opochka, Russia.
- German submarine U-679 damaged Soviet torpedo boat TK-57.
- German submarine U-181 sank transport Tanda in the Indian Ocean. In the Mozambique Channel between continental Africa and Madagascar, U-198 sank transport Director; 1 was killed, 56 survived.
- In the Mariana Islands, US Seventh Air Force P-47 fighters based on Saipan attacked targets on Tinian.
» In-depth article
- US Navy Bombing Squadron109 PB4Y Liberator bombers based at Isley Field on Saipan, Mariana Islands attacked Iwo Jima, Chichi Jima, and Haha Jima.
- Minesweeper HMCS Rossland was commissioned into service.
- American minesweeper Ptarmigan was launched.
- Minesweeper USS Diploma was commissioned into service.
- USS Pollack departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her eleventh war patrol.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
- In the Caroline Islands, US B-24 bombers attacked Truk and Yap.
France
- The US Eighth Air Force based in Britain launched two missions over France, with 169 P-38 Lightning and P-47 Thunderbolt fighter-bombers attacking German transportation southeast of Paris (3 aircraft lost) and 6 B-17 Flying Fortress bombers dropping propaganda leaflets over French cities after sundown. Four B-26 Marauder bombers of the US Ninth Air Force hit the L'Aigle rail bridge in the afternoon, while fighters also of the Ninth Air Force attacked various targets at Saint-Lô, Argentan, and Falaise.
» In-depth article
- French Milice members executed 28 prisoners who participated in a revolt on the previous day at Santé Prison in Paris, France.
Germany
- Claus von Stauffenberg met with Adolf Hitler at Rastenburg, East Prussia, Germany at 1300 hours. General Friedrich Olbricht activated Valkyrie in Berlin, Germany two hours prior to the meeting, expecting his troops to be in position to seize key positions in the capital at about the same moment Hitler was to be killed by a bomb that Stauffenberg brought into the meeting. Hitler departed the meeting early unexpectedly, and Olbricht hastily called off the operation, announcing that the troop movement was simply a drill.
» In-depth article
Italy
- Two divisions of the British 8th Army attacked Arezzo, Italy.
» In-depth article
United States
- US President Roosevelt arrived in Chicago, Illinois, United States aboard his personal train Ferdinand Magellan and met with the chairman of the Democratic Convention Robert Hannegan to discuss the upcoming re-election.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 15 Jul 1944
See all photos dated 15 Jul 1944
16 Jul 1944
- Yet another pocket began to form in Ukraine as over 40,000 German troops were about to be encircled near Brody.
- After dark, New Zealand Lieutenant-Commander R. B. Goodwin became the only prisoner of war to make a successful escape from Hong Kong. He went over the Shamsuipo camp wire during the night and swam to the mainland of China, travelling overland to Kunming. He arrived back in New Zealand in Nov 1944.
- A total of 1,087 B-17 Flying Fortress bombers USAAF Eighth Air Force attacked Germany in three waves (407, 238, and 407 bombers, respectively), escorted by 240, 214, and 169 fighters, respectively, with most of the bombers targeting Munich, Stuggart, Augsburg, and Saarbrucken; a total of 11 bombers and 3 fighters were lost.
» In-depth article
- During the day, about 375 USAAF Ninth Air Force aircraft attacked German positions in the Saint-Lô and Rennes areas in France throughout the day. After dark, 5 B-17 bombers were launched to drop propaganda leaflets over France and another group of 24 B-17 bombers flew in support of French resistance groups.
» In-depth article
- About 380 USAAF Fifteenth Air Force aircraft from Italy attacked Munchendorf Airfield, Winterhafen oil depot, Vienna marshalling yard, and the Wiener Neudorf engine factory in and near Vienna, Austria. 10 bombers were shot down while American escorting fighters claimed to have shot down 30 of the 100 German fighters which rose to defend Vienna.
- British destroyers HMS Chelsea (former USS Crowninshield), HMS Brighton (former USS Cowell), HMS Richmond (former USS Fairfax), and HMS St Albans (former USS Thomas) were transferred to the Soviet Union. They were renamed Dzerki, Zharki, Zhivuchi, and Dostoinyi, respectively.
- Soviet forces attacked Grodno, Byelorussia.
- Soviet aircraft sank German anti-aircraft cruiser Niobe in Kotka harbor, Finland; the Soviet pilots mis-identified their victim as Finnish coastal defence ship Väinämöinen.
- In the Mariana Islands, P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft of US Seventh Air Force from Saipan attacked Japanese targets at Tinian. At Merizo, Guam, Japanese Army troops massacred 30 civilians.
» In-depth article
- Submarines USS Guardfish, USS Piranha, and USS Thresher attacked Japanese convoy Tama 21C, en route from Takao in Taiwan to Manila in the Philippine Islands; 4 ships were sunk, 2 ships were damaged.
» In-depth article
- USAAF declared Kamiri airfield at Noemfoor, Biak Islands operational as a fighter base.
- US submarine Bullhead was launched.
» In-depth article
- US destroyer Hugh W. Hadley was launched.
- The keel of US destroyer Fred T Berry was laid down.
- British aircraft attacked German submarine U-299, wounding the German commanding officer. U-299 would be forced to return to Norway for repairs.
- Dragon was decommissioned from service.
» In-depth article
- USS Astoria departed Trinidad for Puerto Rico.
» In-depth article
- Claus von Stauffenberg hosted a party at his home at Wannsee, Germany, which was attended by several anti-Hitler conspirators.
» In-depth article
- USS Cabrilla sank a Japanese transport between Borneo and Philippine Islands, hitting her with 2 of 6 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
- B-24 bombers of US Fifth Air Force attacked Yap, Caroline Islands.
Italy
- Troops of the British 8th Army captured Arezzo, Italy while troops of the British XIII Corps crossed the Arno River.
» In-depth article
- Brazilian 6th Infantry Regiment arrived in Naples, Italy.
Trinidad
- USS Ticonderoga departed Trinidad for Norfolk, Virginia, United States.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- The Polish government-in-exile in London, England, United Kingdom published a paper which laid claim to the German territory of East Prussia and the Free City of Danzig; the paper also reasserted the territory that the Germans called "Polish Corridor" was to remain within Polish borders.
Photo(s) dated 16 Jul 1944
17 Jul 1944
- 44 Barracuda dive bombers, 18 Hellcat fighters, and 30 other fighters from carriers HMS Formidable, HMS Indefatigable, and HMS Furious attacked the German battleship Tirpitz in Norway in Operation Mascot, scoring no hits.
» In-depth article
- Erwin Rommel was injured when his staff car was attacked by a British fighter in Sainte-Foy-de-Montgommery, Calvados, France at 1830 hours. The aircraft was piloted by Squadron-Leader J. J. Le Roux of No. 602 Squadron RAF. Rommel was en route from Bourguébus Ridge to his headquarters at La Roche-Guyon. The unconscious Rommel would be sent to the hospital at Bernay for treatment.
» In-depth article
- USS Caiman was commissioned into service with Commander J. B. Azer in command.
» In-depth article
- The Royal Navy submarine HMS/m Telemachus (Commander William King) torpedoed and sank the large Japanese submarine I-166 in the Malacca Straits.
- An inspection of the Indian 111th Infantry Brigade, a Chindit formation, found that only 118 were completely fit for active service; many of the remaining about 2,200 men suffered from malaria, foot rot, septic sores, typhus, or other ailments related to the Burma jungles. Joseph Stilwell withheld the brigade to guard a Chinese artillery battery for two weeks until conditions improved.
» In-depth article
- In the morning, 670 B-17 and B-24 bombers of the US Eighth Air Force, escorted by 433 fighters, attacked targets in France (1 B-17 bomber and 1 P-47 fighter were lost); in diversion, B-26B bombers of the US VIII Air Support Command attacked Cayeux, France to draw away German fighters. At Coutances, napalm was used for the first time. On the ground, American troops entered Saint-Lô. In the evening, 34 B-17 and 106 B-24 bombers, escorted by 209 P-51 fighters, attacked 12 German V-weapon launching sites in the Pas de Calais, France area. After sundown, 5 B-17 bombers dropped propagadan leaflets in France and the Netherlands while 16 B-24 bombers flew in support of French resistance activities.
» In-depth article
- Destroyer HMS Cambrian was commissioned into service.
- Destroyer HMS Leamington was transferred to the Soviet Union and was renamed Zhguchi.
- In southern France, 162 B-24 bombers of the US Fifteenth Air Force based in Italy attacked targets in southern France, including the rail marshalling yard at Avignon and railroad bridges at Arles and Tarascon.
- Soviet First Ukrainian Front encircled 40,000 German troops at Brody, Poland (now in Ukraine). Across the wider region, Soviet troops crossed the Bug River on a 40-mile front.
- 57,600 German prisoners of war were paraded through the streets of Moscow, Russia.
- US Navy underwater demolition teams began destroying beach obstacles at Guam, Mariana Islands.
» In-depth article
- Task Group 17.16 (USS Guardfish, USS Piranha, and USS Thresher) sank a freighter and a cargo ship in the South China Sea.
» In-depth article
- Corvette HMCS Peterborough arrived at Bermuda.
- Corvette HMCS Barrie completed refitting at Liverpool, Nova Scotia, Canada.
- HMS/M Seawolf arrived at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States for refitting.
- Frigate HMCS Loch Morlich was commissioned into service.
- US President Roosevelt announced that he would allow the Democratic Convention to select a running mate for him rather than naming one himself.
» In-depth article
- Submarine USS Sea Owl was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
- A British Catalina aircraft of No. 210 Squadron RAF flown by Flying Officer John Alexander Cruickshank attacked German submarine U-742, which fought back with her deck gun. One crew member aboard the Catalina aircraft was killed and three others were wounded, including Cruickshank. Despite his wounds, he brought the aircraft around for a second attack run with depth charges, which successfully sank the submarine. He would later win the Victoria Cross for this action.
- Off Narvik, Norway, a Liberator aircraft of No. 86 Squadron RAF sank German submarine U-347 (all 49 aboard were killed) and a Catalina aircraft of No. 210 Squadron RAF sank German submarine U-361 (all 52 aboard were killed). Off Bergen, No. 333 Squadron RAF (Norwegian pilots) damaged German submarine U-994 off Norway, wounding 5 men. U-994 would be able to sail to Bergen, Norway for repairs later on the same day.
» In-depth article
- USS Cabrilla made a night time attack against a Japanese convoy in the South China Sea, sinking an oiler and two transports, hitting them with 5 of 9 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- USS Gabilan sank a Japanese minesweeper south of Japan, hitting her with 1 of 4 torpedoes fired; the victim was logged as a destroyer in a case of mis-identification.
» In-depth article
Dutch East Indies
Italy
- Allied troops attacked toward Ancona, Italy, with Polish armored units capturing Monte della Crescia and Casenuove, and supporting British units capturing Montecchio and Croce di San Vincenzo.
» In-depth article
United States
- The Liberty ship A. E. Bryan exploded whilst loading ammunition and explosives at Port Chicago, California, United States, taking with her the Victory ship Quinalt Victory berthed nearby. Ninety-seven men on the two ships were vapourised and even a 12 ton locomotive on the dockside vanished without trace. In total, 320 men were killed and 290 injured. More than 200 of the dead were black sailors being used as loaders. Later many sailors refused to work until safety was improved. Fifty were court martialled, convicted of mutiny and jailed. A public outcry led to their release but they were still deprived of all veteran's benefits for the rest of their lives. The last surviving "mutineer" Freddy Meeks was finally pardoned by President Bill Clinton in 1999. Four years later he died, aged 83.
Photo(s) dated 17 Jul 1944
18 Jul 1944
- US XIX Corps troops entered Saint-Lô, France. British troops launched Operation Goodwood against Caen with Allied 2,200 aircraft supporting the ground assault, but stubborn German defense cost the British VIII Corps 200 tanks and 1,500 men, while just over 100 Panzers were destroyed. After sundown, 25 American B-24 bombers flew in support of resistance activities.
» In-depth article
- Soviet First Byelorussian Front launched a heavy attack across the Bug River aimed at Lublin in Poland, the Third Baltic Front attacked toward Pskov in Russia, while the First Ukraine Front advanced toward Lvov in Ukraine.
» In-depth article
- In Germany, 291 American B-17 bombers, escorted by 48 P-38 and 84 P-51 fighters, attacked the port facilities at Kiel and oil refineries at Cuxhaven. To the east, 377 American B-17 bombers, escorted by 294 fighters, attacked Peenemünde, Zinnowitz, and Stralsund. In southern Germany, B-17 and B-24 bombers of US Fifteenth Air Force attacked Memmingen Airfield and the Dornier factories at Manzell; 20 aircraft were lost.
» In-depth article
- The keel of British minesweeper Styx was laid down.
- British destroyer HMS Zambesi was commissioned into service.
- British frigate HMS Balfour sank German submarine U-672 with depth charges north of Guernsey in the English Channel.
- A Mosquito aircraft of the British No. 333 (Norwegian) Squadron RAF damaged German submarine U-286 in the North Sea; 1 was killed, 7 were wounded. U-286 would be able to sail to Kristiansand, Norway later on the same day.
- A Catalina aircraft of British No. 210 Squadron RAF sank German submarine U-742 west of Narvik, Norway; all 52 aboard were killed.
- German submarine U-2504 was launched.
- German submarine U-3003 was launched.
- German submarine U-327 was commissioned into service.
- German submarine U-2323 was commissioned into service.
- German troops round up the 2,000 Jews at Rhodes and Kos in Greece; most of them would soon be deported to the Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland.
» In-depth article
- German submarine U-479 fired a spread of two torpedoes at Soviet submarine chaser MO-304 in Vyborg Bay, Russia; U-479 reported that the attack had failed, but one of the torpedoes actually struck MO-304, which required towing back into port.
- In the Mariana Islands, American P-47 fighters based on Saipan attacked Japanese positions on Tinian and Pagan.
» In-depth article
- Hideki Tojo submitted his letter of resignation for his position as the Prime Minister of Japan. He would be officially replaced by Kuniaki Koiso four days later.
» In-depth article
- American destroyer escort USS Ulvert M. Moore was commissioned into service.
- Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa was named the commanding officer of the Southwest Area Fleet.
» In-depth article
- The Japanese Navy 14th Air Fleet was officially disbanded; it had been wiped out at Saipan, Mariana Islands ten days earlier.
- USS Ray sank Japanese tanker Janbi Maru in the South China Sea, expending 22 torpedoes during the pursuit, 8 of which hit.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
- In the Caroline Islands, aircraft of the Allied Far East Air Forces attacked Yap and Sorol, while 25 B-24 bombers of the US Seventh Air Force attacked Truk.
China
- General Otozo Yamada succeeded General Otozo Yamada as the Governor-General of Kwantung Leased Territory in northeastern China.
- Otozo Yamada succeeded Yoshijiro Umezu as the commanding officer of the Japanese Kwantung Army in northeastern China.
Italy
- As Polish II Corps advanced toward Ancona, Italy, it captured Agugliano, Chiaravalle, and finally the port city itself by 1430 hours. Meanwhile, troops of US IV Corps began an attack on Leghorn. In the air, US Fifteenth Air Force attacked various German positions throughout the country.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 18 Jul 1944
19 Jul 1944
- Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru arrived at Davao, Philippine Islands; she was damaged by a mine just prior to arrival.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- USS Croaker departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Günther von Kluge was appointed the commanding officer of the German Army Group B (Heeresgruppe B).
» In-depth article
- USS Rock detected a Japanese convoy in the Luzon Strait and attacked with ten torpedoes. She recorded six detonations, but was not able to observe whether any of the ships sank.
» In-depth article
- Franklin Roosevelt was nominated to run for a fourth term as the President of the United States.
» In-depth article
- Raoul Wallenberg might have met with Adolf Eichmann at the Hotel Majestic in Budapest, Hungary.
» In-depth article
- Claus von Stauffenberg was summoned to see Adolf Hitler at Rastenburg, East Prussia, Germany on the following day.
» In-depth article
- USS Pompon departed for her sixth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- German submarine U-968 was attacked by a British RAF Liberator bomber in the Atlantic Ocean; 1 was killed, 6 were wounded.
- The keel of US minesweeper Minivet was laid down.
- US destroyer Zellars was launched.
- Destroyer escort USS Wyman sank Japanese submarine I-5 360 miles east of Guam, Mariana Islands.
- German submarine U-2502 was commissioned into service.
- The keel of German submarine U-2513 was laid down.
- The keel of German submarine U-3507 was laid down.
- British minesweeper HMS Mameluke was launched.
- British destroyer HMS Saintes was launched.
- Destroyer escort USS Kenneth M. Willet was commissioned into service.
- USS Seahorse sank arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her fifth war patrol.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
- US Far East Air Force dispatched B-24 aircraft to attack Yap, Ngulu, and Sorol in the Caroline Islands.
France
- In France, Canadian troops cleared Caen's southern suburbs, capturing Vaucelles, Louvigny, and Flery-sur-Orne, while British 11th Armoured Division captured Bras and Hubert-Follie. In the afternoon, 262 US 9th Air Force B-26 Marauder and A-20 Havoc aircraft attacked bridges on the Loire River and Seine River and a fuel dump at Bruz, France.
» In-depth article
- From Britain, US 8th Air Force dispatched 5 B-17 bombers to drop propaganda leaflets in France and Belgium while 5 B-24 bombers paradropped supplies to French resistance fighters.
» In-depth article
Germany
- 1,082 B-17 and B-24 bombers, escorted by 670 P-38, P-47, and P-51 fighters attacked factories (hydrogen peroxide, chemical, aircraft, and ball bearing), six rail marshalling yards, a dam, and four airfields in western and southwestern Germany; 17 bombers and 7 fighters were lost. From Italy, US 15th Air Force launched 400 B-17 and B-24 bombers attacked an ordnance depot, an aircraft factory, an automobile factory, and an airfield in the München (Munich) area; 16 US aircraft were lost.
» In-depth article
Italy
- US 34th Division captured Livorno, Italy. The Germans set up about 25,000 booby traps as they evacuated the city.
» In-depth article
Latvia
- Soviet troops crossed the border into Latvia.
Mariana Islands
- In the Mariana Islands, US 7th Air Force launched P-47 aircraft based on Saipan to attack Tinian.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 19 Jul 1944
20 Jul 1944
- Ludwig Beck passed away.
» In-depth article
- French troops began withdrawing from Italy in preparation for the invasion of southern France.
» In-depth article
- The British Operation Goodwood in France was stalled by heavy weather; thus far, over 400 tanks were lost.
» In-depth article
- USS Hoe fired 4 torpedoes at a Japanese freighter, scoring no hits.
» In-depth article
- USS Astoria arrived at Hampton Roads, Virginia, United States.
» In-depth article
- Benito Mussolini met with Adolf Hitler at Rastenburg, East Prussia, Germany shortly after the failed assassination attempt on Hitler.
» In-depth article
- The US Army formed the Pearl Harbor Board to analyze the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii of 7 Dec 1941.
» In-depth article
- Allied aircraft attacked German submarine U-965 in the Atlantic Ocean, killing 1 and wounding 1.
- German submarine U-861 sank Brazilian troop transport Vital de Oliviera off Brazil.
- Austrian-born Oberfeldwebel Hermann Buchner was awarded the Knight's Cross medal for 600 combat sorties and 456 aerial victories. Buchner would survive the war with a combined total of 58 kills (four of these whilst flying Me 262 jet fighters), plus 46 tanks and one armoured train destroyed.
Canada
- Canadian corvette HMCS Cobalt completed its forecastle extension work at Liverpool, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Caroline Islands
- US Far East Air Force B-24 bombers attacked Yap, Caroline Islands.
France
- 6 US B-17 bombers were launched after sundown to drop propaganda leaflets over France while 12 B-24 bombers dropped supplies to resistance fighters.
» In-depth article
- British destroyer HMS Isis was sunk, either by a German naval mine or by a German Neger manned torpedo off Normandy, France.
- Canadian frigate HMCS Matane was damaged by a glider bomb off Brest, France, killing 2.
» In-depth article
Germany
- Operation Valkyrie was launched to assassinate Hitler and to overthrow the Nazi German government. It failed, leading to the arrest and execution of many who became implicated in the plot.
» In-depth article
- Bombers of US 8th Air Force in Britain and US 15th Air Force in Italy attacked Dessau, Kothen, Leipzig, Nordhuasen, Rudolstadt, Merseburg, Bad Nauheim, Koblenz, and many other targets across Germany.
» In-depth article
- German submarine U-3001 was commissioned into service.
- The keel of German submarine U-2335 was laid down.
Japan
- Light carrier Ryuho completed her flight deck repairs and exited the drydocks at Kure, Japan.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- PB4Y-1 Liberator bombers of US Navy Patrol Bomber Squadron 109 from Saipan, Mariana Islands attacked Iwo Jima, Haha Jima, and Chichi Jima in the Bonin Islands.
Mariana Islands
- P-47 aircraft of US 7th Air Force continued to attack Japanese positions on Tinian while US Navy warships bombarded Guam in the Mariana Islands. Meanwhile, underwater demolition teams conducted their final missions to remove obstacles on the invasion beaches at Asan and Agat on Guam.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- British destroyer HMS Crescent was launched at Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom.
- British minesweeper HMS Jewel was launched.
- British boom defense vessel HMS Precise was launched.
- British submarine HMS Vengeful was launched.
- British destroyers HMS Whirlwind was commissioned into service.
- British destroyers HMS Zest was commissioned into service.
United States
- The staff at the Los Alamos site of the Manhattan Project shifted focus to work on the implosion mechanism for the atomic bomb.
» In-depth article
- US escort carrier Gilbert Islands was launched.
- US submarine USS Tigrone was launched.
» In-depth article
- USS Marcus Island embarked US Navy squadron VC-21 at San Diego, California, United States.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 20 Jul 1944
21 Jul 1944
- US 3rd Marine Division landed near Agana and US 1st Provisional Marine Brigade landed near Agat on Guam, Mariana Islands; the landing was supported by US Navy Task Force 53. US Navy and US Army aircraft attacked Tinian of Mariana Islands, Eniwetok of Marshall Islands, and Truk and Yap of Caroline Islands as indirect support. Troops of the US Army 77th Infantry Division arrived in the afternoon; their landing was difficult due to the lack of LVT vehicles. A mile-deep beachhead was established at both landing sites by sundown. The Japanese attempted a counterattack during the night, which was repulsed.
» In-depth article
- USS Rock detected a Japanese convoy in the Luzon Strait and attacked with four torpedoes. She recorded two detonations, but was not able to observe whether any of the ships sank.
» In-depth article
- Heinz Guderian was appointed Chief of the Army General Staff.
» In-depth article
- USS Guitarro departed Frementle, Australia for her second war patrol.
» In-depth article
- A military and damage control inspection party from USS Wyoming, headed by Rear Admiral D. B. Beary, boarded USS Astoria at Virginia, United States for an inspection.
» In-depth article
- Heinz Brandt died from wounds suffered during the 20 Jul 1944 assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler in Rastenburg, East Prussia, Germany.
» In-depth article
- USS Finback arrived at Majuro, Marshall Islands, ending her ninth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- 8 B-17 bombers of US 8th Air Force dropped propaganda leaflets over France after sundown.
- British frigates HMS Curzon and HMS Ekins sank German submarine U-212 with depth charges south of Brighton, England, United Kingdom; all 49 aboard were killed.
- The keel of German submarine U-3009 was laid down.
- German submarine U-1110 was launched.
- Canadian tug HMCS Glenlivit was commissioned into service.
- Canadian frigate HMCS Levis was commissioned into service.
- Canadian frigate HMCS Stone Town was commissioned into service.
- Destroyer escort USS Dufilho was commissioned into service.
- Destroyer USS John W. Weeks was commissioned into service with Commander Robert A. Theobald. Jr. in command.
- Brazilian corvette Camaquã was struck by a series of large waves and sank 27 miles off Recife, Brazil while escorting Allied convoy JT-18; 35 were killed.
Czechoslovakia
- B-17 and B-24 bombers of US 15th Air Force based in Italy attacked Brüx in Czechoslovakia (Czech name "Most"), targeting the synthetic oil refinery.
Germany
- Claus von Stauffenberg was executed in Berlin, Germany.
» In-depth article
- 1,110 bombers of US 8th Air Force were launched from England, United Kingdom against Germany, hitting München (Munich), Saarbrücken (targeting rail marshalling yards), Oberpfeffenhofen, Walldrun (targeting rail marshalling yards), Regensburg, Stuttgart, Schweinfurt, and other locations; a total of 31 bombers and 8 escorting fighters were lost.
» In-depth article
- Field Marshal Erwin von Witzleben was arrested by the Gestapo.
Italy
- The French Expeditionary Corps and the US VI Corps began to be withdrawn from the front lines in Italy to prepare for the invasion of Southern France.
» In-depth article
Pacific Ocean
- USS Alabama escorted US carriers as carrier aircraft attacked Japanese positions on Guam, Mariana Islands.
» In-depth article
Russia
- The Soviet Third Baltic Front captured Ostrov, Pskov Oblast, Russia.
» In-depth article
- In Moscow, Russia, the Soviet Union announced the establishment of the Polish Committee of National Liberation to administer areas of liberated Poland, angering the Polish government-in-exile based in Britain.
United Kingdom
- No. 616 Squadron RAF, equipped with Meteor Mk I jet fighters, was transferred to RAF Manston in southern England, United Kingdom.
» In-depth article
United States
- USS Baltimore depart San Diego, California, United States, with destroyer USS Fanning in escort and US President Franklin Roosevelt aboard, for Adak, Aleutian Islands.
» In-depth article
- At Chicago, Illinois, United States, the Democratic National Convention nominated Senator Harry Truman to run as Franklin Roosevelt's vice presidential candidate in the upcoming election.
» In-depth article
- US Army transport FS-185 was commissioned into service at New Orleans, Louisiana, United States under the command of US Coast Guard Lieutenant (jg) L. C. Rickert.
- US Army transport FS-186 was commissioned into service at New Orleans, Louisiana, United States under the command of US Coast Guard Lieutenant F. D. Obrian.
Photo(s) dated 21 Jul 1944
22 Jul 1944
- In Ukraine, the Brody Pocket was eliminated; Soviet forces captured 17,000 German prisoners of war. To the north, Soviet units captured Panevezys, Lithuania.
» In-depth article
- Kuniaki Koiso was named the 41st Prime Minister of Japan.
» In-depth article
- Rear Admiral D. B. Beary continued his inspection of USS Astoria at Virginia, United States. Later in the day, USS Astoria conducted a battle problem with USS Decatur and target ship Daniel A. Joy.
» In-depth article
- British minesweeper HMS Chamois struck a mine in Baie de Seine north of Normandie, France and was damaged.
- USS Cero fired six torpedoes at a Japanese transport north of Dutch New Guinea; all torpedoes missed.
» In-depth article
China
- American aircraft raided Japanese positions in Shanghai, China.
Germany
- The German Gestapo arrested the head of German intelligence unit Abwehr I Colonel Georg Hansen.
United States
- USS Ticonderoga began her first overhaul at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Virginia, United States. Her flight deck was to be reconfigured to add 11 feet forward and 7 feet aft, and her anti-aircraft directors were to be repositioned.
» In-depth article
- The keel of submarine Mero was laid down by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, United States.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 22 Jul 1944
See all photos dated 22 Jul 1944
23 Jul 1944
- Hitler required that the Wehrmacht use the Hitler Gruß, the Nazi salute, in the aftermath of July Plot.
» In-depth article
- Soviet troops captured Pskov, Byelorussia.
» In-depth article
- After dark, a large group of British bombers attacked Kiel, Germany; the attack lasted through midnight into the next date. The German fighters summoned to intercept went after the decoy force rather than the main force.
» In-depth article
- USS Astoria arrived at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.
» In-depth article
China
- In response to the American request for Chiang Kaishek to accept communist forces in his army, Chiang expressed that he would accept the request only if the Nationalist reserve forces would be off-limits to Joseph Stilwell, and if American Lend-Lease supplies would be controlled by Chiang. This counteroffer was to be rejected in the following month.
» In-depth article
France
- The 1st Canadian Army (General H. D. G. Crerar) became operational in Normandy, France.
Germany
- The German Gestapo arrested the head of German Abwehr Wilhelm Canaris.
» In-depth article
Italy
Photo(s) dated 23 Jul 1944
24 Jul 1944
- Majdanek Concentration Camp became the first concentration camp to be liberated by Soviet troops (and the first to be liberated overall).
» In-depth article
- As Soviet units crossed the River San north of Lublin, Poland, German troops began evacuating that city.
» In-depth article
- American troops landed on Tinian, Mariana Islands.
» In-depth article
- The British bombing of Kiel, Germany that began on the previous date ended before dawn. The damage was extensive, causing the city to have no running water for 3 days, the trains and buses were out of commission for 8 days, and gas service was out for nearly 3 weeks.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 24 Jul 1944
See all photos dated 24 Jul 1944
25 Jul 1944
- The first preliminary test of the RaLa Experiment was performed by the scientists of the Manhattan Project; it was the first in a series of experiments attempting to create a spherical implosion to detonate a nuclear weapon.
» In-depth article
- Operation Cobra, the US breakout operation in France, began. Canadian troops attacked south of Caen, France.
» In-depth article
- In Berlin, Germany, Goebbels was designated the Reich Plenipotentiary for Total War.
» In-depth article
- German authorities completed the evacuation of Jewish ghettos in Kovno, Lithuania.
- Soviet units reached the Vistula River in Poland. To the north, the Germans evacuated Narva, Estonia, taking up defensive positions to the west.
» In-depth article
- USS hoe fired 6 torpedoes at a Japanese submarine, scoring no hits.
» In-depth article
- USS Segundo arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
» In-depth article
- George Bush shared the credit for sinking of a Japanese cargo ship off the Palau Islands.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
- USS Franklin launched strikes against Palau Islands, Yap Island, and Ulithi Atoll through 27 Jul 1944.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 25 Jul 1944
See all photos dated 25 Jul 1944
26 Jul 1944
- Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru departed Davao, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- US forces broke through near Saint-Lô, France, forcing a German withdrawal from the Normandy region.
» In-depth article
- Soviet forces captured Narva as they reached the Estonian border.
» In-depth article
- United States Army 5332nd Brigade (Provisional) was activated in India. Known as the Mars Task Force, the Brigade consisted of 475th Infantry Regiment (largely of Galahad and New Galahad veterans), 124th cavalry Regiment (Special) (formerly the Texas National Guard and now serving as infantry), and the 612th and 613th Artillery Battalions (Pack) with mule-borne 75mm Howitzers. The Galahad veterans appeared to have been extremely unwilling to return to the front but after their grievances were addressed went back into battle again. By the time the brigade was withdrawn (redeployed to China) in Feb 1945 it had suffered 122 dead, 938 wounded, and 1 missing.
- USS Marlin collided with SC-642 while undergoing training, sustaining light damage.
» In-depth article
- The US submarine Robalo struck a mine and sank whilst on patrol off the western coast of Palawan, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
Germany
- The head of German intelligence unit Abwehr II Colonel Wessel von Freytag-Loringhoven committed suicide just prior to his arrest by the German Gestapo.
Hawaii
- Douglas MacArthur and Chester Nimitz presented each of their plans to Franklin Roosevelt on how to approach Japan during the Pacific Strategy Conference in US Territory of Hawaii. MacArthur wanted to target the Philippine Islands to recover American territory, while Nimitz preferred to invade Taiwan which would serve as gateway to both Japan and China.
» In-depth article
United States
Photo(s) dated 26 Jul 1944
See all photos dated 26 Jul 1944
27 Jul 1944
- Bialystok in Poland, Dunaburg (Daugavpils) in Latvia, and Lvov in Ukraine were captured by Soviet forces; meanwhile, a major bridgehead was also established across the Vistula River near Magnuszew, Poland.
» In-depth article
- Meteor F.Mk I jet fighters of No. 616 Squadron based at Manston in Kent, England, United Kingdom performed their first V-1 intercept mission.
» In-depth article
- USS Rock changed course for Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
» In-depth article
- USS Snook fired 6 torpedoes at a Japanese freighter; all torpedoes missed.
» In-depth article
- Sunfish (S-class) was decommissioned from service.
» In-depth article
- USS Pompon sank a Japanese trawler off Japan with her deck gun.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 27 Jul 1944
28 Jul 1944
- American troops captured Coutances, France.
» In-depth article
- Brest-Litovsk, Byelorussia, site of a joint German-Soviet victory parade in 1939, was captured by Soviet forces after heavy fighting.
» In-depth article
- With Geoffrey de Havilland Jr. at the controls, the de Havilland Hornet aircraft made its maiden flight. The Hornet entered service in 1946.
- USS Hawkbill arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
» In-depth article
Australia
- USS Ray departed Fremantle, Australia after restocking her store of torpedoes.
» In-depth article
Guam
- US Marines captured the old US Marines parade ground on Guam, Mariana Islands.
» In-depth article
United States
- USS Copahee arrived at San Diego, California, United States with 14 captured Japanese aircraft and 37 captured engines.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 28 Jul 1944
See all photos dated 28 Jul 1944
29 Jul 1944
- German Armeegruppe Nord was cut off as the Red Army reached the Baltic coast west of Riga, Latvia.
» In-depth article
- USS Becuna arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
» In-depth article
- USS Puffer attacked a Japanese freighter in the Dutch East Indies; all 6 torpedoes missed.
» In-depth article
- Aleksandr Vasilevsky was made a Hero of the Soviet Union and was awarded his second Order of Lenin.
» In-depth article
- Ivan Bagramyan was awarded the Order of Lenin for the first time.
» In-depth article
- USS Gunnel started her sixth war patrol.
» In-depth article
China
- B-29 Superfortress bombers of the 20th USAAF flying from advanced airfields near Chengdu in China attack the Showa steel works at Anshan in Liaoning, northeastern China. During the raid B-29 bomber 42-5256 piloted by Captain Howard R. Jarrell was struck by a shell and badly damaged. Unable to make the 1,500 mile journey home, Captain Jarrell decided to try to reach Vladivostock in the USSR. Intercepted by Soviet Yak-9 fighters the crippled bomber was forced to land at the small strip at Tavrichanka where the aircraft and its crew were interned by the Soviet authorities.
Russia
- Georgy Zhukov was made a Hero of the Soviet Union for the second time.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 29 Jul 1944
30 Jul 1944
- British troops attack Caumont, France, east of Saint-Lô.
» In-depth article
- USS Mingo arrived at Fremantle, Australia, ending her fourth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- The Japanese Navy ordered Mitsubishi to stop development of the A7M fighter design; Mitsubishi was able to secure permission to continue given that the company was to use existing engines rather than develop new ones.
» In-depth article
- Günther von Kluge wrote to Adolf Hitler, warning that the entire western front was on the brink of collapse.
» In-depth article
- The US coastal minesweeper YMS-304 struck a mine and sank off the coast of Normandy, France.
- The US coastal minesweeper YMS-378 struck a mine and was severely damaged, beyond repair, off the coast of Normandy, France.
Latvia
Photo(s) dated 30 Jul 1944
See all photos dated 30 Jul 1944
31 Jul 1944
- Tirpitz conducted exercises at sea with five destroyers.
» In-depth article
- USS Tang departed for her fourth war patrol off Honshu, Japan.
» In-depth article
- British VIII Corps launched Operation Bluecoat towards Vire River in Normandy, France. Meanwhile, US 4th Armored Division captured Avranches and 20,000 prisoners of war in 6 days.
» In-depth article
- USS Kete was commissioned into service with Commander R. L. Rutter in command.
» In-depth article
- The British 9th Armoured Division (Major General John D'Arcy) was disbanded.
- USS Parche attacked a Japanese convoy off Taiwan and sank cargo ship Manko Maru and tanker Koei Maru; she also shared the credit with USS Steelhead for sinking another transport. She expended 19 torpedoes during this attack. Parche's commanding officer, Commander Lawson Ramage would later be awarded the Medal of Honor for this attack while the crew received the Presidental Unit Citation.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 31 Jul 1944
See all photos dated 31 Jul 1944
1 Aug 1944
- Tirpitz completed exercises at sea.
» In-depth article
- Manuel Quezon passed away.
» In-depth article
- Soviet forces captured Lithuania, cutting all roads between Germany and the Baltic States.
» In-depth article
- President Risto Ryti of Finland resigned; he was to be replaced by Marshal Carl Mannerheim.
» In-depth article
- US 83rd Infantry Division became part of the XV Corps of the Third Army of the US 12th Army Group.
- The US 12th Army Group came into existence under the command of Lieutenant General Omar Bradley.
» In-depth article
- General Philippe Leclerc's 2nd French Division landed on "Utah" beach, Normandy, France.
- Captain Taro Taguchi was named the chief of staff of the Japanese Navy 3rd Air Fleet.
- George Bush was promoted to the rank of lieutenant (jg).
» In-depth article
- USS Puffer attacked a Japanese convoy in the Dutch East Indies, firing 8 torpedoes and claiming 2 hits which sank a ship.
» In-depth article
- The Indian 111th Infantry Brigade, a Chindit formation, was allowed to return to front line service in Burma after health conditions improved.
» In-depth article
- Joseph Stilwell met with Louis Mountbatten at Kandy, Ceylon to discuss Stilwell's temporary command over Mountbatten's theater while Mountbatten planned for a trip to Britain.
» In-depth article
- USS Parche set sail for Saipan, Mariana Islands.
» In-depth article
Australia
- USS Flying Fish departed Brisbane, Australia for her eleventh war patrol.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
- USS Pollack served on lifeguard station in support of the air strikes on Woleai, Caroline Islands.
» In-depth article
Japan
Poland
- Soviet 1st Byelorussian Front under Konstantin Rokossovsky arrived in the suburbs of Warsaw, Poland. Seeing the arrival of friendly forces, the Polish Home Army rose up against German occupation troops.
» In-depth article
- The Soviet-backed Polish Committee of National Liberation established its headquarters in Lublin, Poland.
Photo(s) dated 1 Aug 1944
See all photos dated 1 Aug 1944
2 Aug 1944
- US VIII Corps moved west along Brittany coast from Avranches, France.
» In-depth article
- Turkey severed diplomatic relations with Germany.
- The Soviet-sponsored 1st Polish Army established a bridgehead over the Vistula River south of Warsaw, Poland.
» In-depth article
- Zigeunernacht ("Gypsy Night"): 4,000 Roma were killed and cremated at Auschwitz Concentration Camp.
» In-depth article
- German submarine U-804 sank American destroyer escort USS Fiske with torpedoes in the central Atlantic.
» In-depth article
Australia
- USS Flier departed Fremantle, Australia for her second war patrol.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 2 Aug 1944
See all photos dated 2 Aug 1944
3 Aug 1944
- USS Cod sank a Japanese merchant ship.
» In-depth article
- A two-month siege by US and Chinese forces at Myitkyina in Burma finally succeeded in capturing it.
» In-depth article
- Hitler ordered a counterattack east of Avranches, France to regain the coast.
» In-depth article
- The first Soviet attacks east of Warsaw, Poland were repulsed by the Germans.
» In-depth article
- US 83rd Infantry Division became part of the US VIII Corps.
United Kingdom
- King George VI of the United Kingdom gave Royal approval to R. A. Butler's Education Act which introduced wide ranging changes to secondary school education in England and Wales.
United States
- USS Spot was commissioned into service with Commander William S. Post, Jr. in command.
» In-depth article
- Submarine Springer was launched at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California, United States, sponsored by the wife of M. S. Tisdale.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 3 Aug 1944
See all photos dated 3 Aug 1944
4 Aug 1944
- Anne Frank and her family were arrested in Amsterdam, the Netherlands by the Gestapo.
- Allies captured Rennes, France.
» In-depth article
- Soviet forces gained another bridgehead over the Vistula River in Poland near Baranov.
» In-depth article
- Harold Alexander met with Oliver Leese, who convinced Alexander to attack the Gothic Line in Italy by a thrust along the coast of the Adriatic Sea.
» In-depth article
- USS Tunny departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her seventh war patrol with the wolfpack "Ed's Eradicators".
» In-depth article
- Colonel Charles Hunter was relieved of his command and returned to the United States by ship. Morale among the "Marauders" (most of whom were recovering from their ordeal in hospital beds) collapsed completely as a consequence, and soon after the entire force was despicably disbanded. Back in the United States, the obnoxious Stilwell's treatment of Hunter's "Marauders" had become a public scandal eventually leading to a full inquiry.
- An extensively modified Thunderbolt fighter (XP-47J) became the first airscrew driven aircraft to exceed 500 mph in level flight with a recorded speed of 504 mph. However the P-47J did not go into production as the Republic development team chose to concentrate on the more advanced XP-72 project.
» In-depth article
- HMS Gairsay was sunk by a German explosive motor boat off the coast of Normandy, France.
- Lieutenant General Brian Horrocks assumed command of the British XXX Corps in France.
- USS Ray sank Japanese cargo ship Koshu Maru at the southern opening of the Makassar Strait between Borneo and Celebes in the Dutch East Indies, hitting her with 3 of 4 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
- USS Pollack served on lifeguard station off Yap, Caroline Islands in support of air strikes in the region.
» In-depth article
Italy
Photo(s) dated 4 Aug 1944
5 Aug 1944
- US XV Corps reached Mayenne, France.
» In-depth article
- The neutral Turkish ship, Mefkure, sailing from Romania to Istanbul, Turkey with 325 passengers, mainly Jews fleeing from Romania, Poland and Hungary, was torpedoed, shelled and sunk by an unidentified submarine, believed to be the Soviet submarine SC-215. The survivors were machine gunned in the water and only 11 escape. The dead include 37 children.
» In-depth article
- USS Cero sank a Japanese tanker north of Dutch New Guinea, hitting her with 4 of 6 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
- USS Pollack again served on lifeguard station off Yap, Caroline Islands in support of air strikes in the region.
» In-depth article
Mariana Islands
Ukraine
- Representatives from Belgium, Canada, Free France, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, the United Kingdom, and the United States signed an agreement on the control of merchant shipping in London, England, United Kingdom.
United Kingdom
- Louis Mountbatten arrived in London, England, United Kingdom.
» In-depth article
- Historical document written: Agreement on Principles Having Reference to the Continuance of Coordinated Control of Merchant Shipping
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 5 Aug 1944
6 Aug 1944
- USS Croaker fired 7 torpedoes at a Japanese freighter, all of which missed.
» In-depth article
- In France, US 4th Armored Division advanced to Lorient and US 6th Armored Division advanced toward Brest.
» In-depth article
- The refinery city of Drohobyez, Poland was captured by the Red Army.
» In-depth article
- Lodz, the last Jewish ghetto in Poland, was liquidated; its 60,000 residences were sent to Auschwitz Concentration Camp. 27,000 prisoners of various concentration camps east of the Vistula River in Poland were transferred to camps to the west. The evacuation of Kaiserwald Concentration Camp outside of Riga, Latvia began.
» In-depth article
- US XX Corps reached Laval, France.
» In-depth article
- USS Pintado sank Japanese cargo ship Shonan Maru and damaged another in the East China Sea; six torpedoes were expended and four of them made contact (two on each target).
» In-depth article
Japan
Photo(s) dated 6 Aug 1944
7 Aug 1944
- Erwin Rommel received the Wound Badge in Gold.
» In-depth article
- USS Croaker sank Japanese light cruiser Nagara after hitting her with 1 of 4 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- A Japanese aircraft made the first aerial ramming attempt at an American bomber.
» In-depth article
- USS Sea Robin was commissioned into service with Lieutenant Commander Paul Stimson in command.
» In-depth article
- USS Guitarro attacked a Japanese convoy off Luzon, Philippine Islands in the South China Sea, sinking frigate Kusakaki with three of the six torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- USS Pompon attacked a Japanese transport off Sakhalin island; all 4 torpedoes missed.
» In-depth article
- USS Puffer attacked a Japanese convoy off the Philippine Islands and sank a freighter, hitting her with 1 of 4 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- The Indian 36th Division became the last Chindit formation to engaged in combat in Burma.
» In-depth article
- During a strategy conference in London, England, United Kingdom, Alan Brooke determined that the next Allied target in Burma should be Rangoon, and the best method of attack would be an airborne assault.
» In-depth article
France
- German troops counterattacked in Avranches, France; the offensive was code named Operation Lüttich.
» In-depth article
Germany
- Field Marshal Erwin von Witzleben was tried and sentenced to death.
Russia
- German prisoners of war Georg Jantschi and Karl Kosch were transferred from the Lefortovo Prison in Moscow, Russia to the special Prisoner of War Camp No. 27 in the city's suburbs.
Photo(s) dated 7 Aug 1944
8 Aug 1944
- The German offensive at Mortain, France, Operation Lüttich, was called off after it suffered severe losses to armoured columns from Allied air attacks. Meanwhile, Canadian forces launched Operation Totalize to the south of Caen while the US 15th Army Corp occupied Le Mans, France.
» In-depth article
- German SS Lieutenant General Hans Kammler was named the Special Commissioner for the A-4 rocket program.
- USS Guitarro sank a small vessel off Luzon, Philippine Islands in the South China Sea with her deck gun.
» In-depth article
- Winston Churchill, Alan Brooke, Louis Mountbatten, Clement Attlee, Anthony Eden, Oliver Lyttelton, and Albert Wedemeyer met in London, England, United Kingdom to discuss the future direction of war efforts in southeastern Asia.
» In-depth article
Russia
- Soviet convoy BD-5 departed Arkhangelsk, Russia, escorted by 3 trawlers.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 8 Aug 1944
9 Aug 1944
- USS Tirante was launched.
» In-depth article
- Eisenhower moved his headquarters to France.
» In-depth article
- US President Roosevelt informed MacArthur that MacArthur's plan to invade the Philippine Islands had been approved, which necessarily meant that Nimitz's plan to land on Taiwan, thus bypassing the Philippine Islands, was rejected.
» In-depth article
- The Vyborg-Petrozavodsk Offensive, the largest Soviet offensive against Finland, ended in a strategic stalemate.
- The US Forest Service and the US Wartime Advertising Council released posters featuring Smokey Bear for the first time.
Caroline Islands
- USS Pollack attacked a Japanese destroyer with four torpedoes west of the Caroline Islands; all torpedoes missed.
» In-depth article
Hawaii
- USS Barbero departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of for her first war patrol.
» In-depth article
United States
- Franklin Roosevelt assigned Patrick Hurley to as an intermediary between Chiang Kaishek and Joseph Stilwell.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 9 Aug 1944
10 Aug 1944
- USS Tang attacked but failed to hit a tanker near Omaezaki, Japan.
» In-depth article
- US 5th and French 2nd Armored Divisions moved to Alençon, France.
» In-depth article
- Japanese 18th Army under Lieutenant General Hatazo Adachi was wiped out by the Americans in the Aitape-New Hollandia area in New Guinea.
» In-depth article
- Captain David Jamieson of the UK Royal Norfolk Regiment won the Victoria Cross. Despite being wounded in the eye and arm, he refused to be evacuated as a casualty as he was the only officer remaining functioning, and with only 100 men held off seven repeated attacks by superior forces against his bridgehead over the River Orne, Normandy, France.
- Amagi was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Dwight Eisenhower inspected paratroopers of the US 101st Airborne Division at Hunkerford, Hungerford, England, United Kingdom.
» In-depth article
- USS Guitarro attacked a Japanese convoy off Luzon, Philippine Islands and sank tanker Shinei Maru; she expended eight torpedoes in this attack and claimed a total of five hits; Guitarro suffered superficial damage from the subsequent depth charging.
» In-depth article
- Light carrier Ryuho was assigned to Carrier Division 4 of the 3rd Fleet.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
Guam
Japan
Photo(s) dated 10 Aug 1944
See all photos dated 10 Aug 1944
11 Aug 1944
- Hideyoshi Obata passed away.
» In-depth article
- USS Tang sank Roko Maru and damaged another freighter with a total of five torpedoes, then endured a 38-minute-long depth charge attack.
» In-depth article
- Lieutenant General Guy Simmonds of the 11 Canadian Corps called off Operation Totalize after it became clear that the expected breakthrough would not be achieved. Nevertheless the Canadian and Polish armoured divisions had advanced eight miles, against numerous well-constructed enemy bunkers which were immune to bombing, and were now half way between Caen and Falais. Whilst Simmonds blamed ther lack of success on the inexperience of the two divisions, General Maczek of the Polish Armoured Division was more realistic in stating that the troops had been given just too much to do. The Poles had lost 66 tanks and the Canadian slightly more during Operation Totalize. On the same day, US forces captured Nantes and Angers and then moved across the Loire River; in response, the German Navy scuttled 26 warships and 28 merchant vessels stranded at Nantes, Bordeaux, and in the Gironde and Seine estuaries.
» In-depth article
- In northern Burma the Chindits' 7th Leicesters fought their way into Taungni cutting the rail line.
» In-depth article
- USS Wake Island detached from Allied convoy UC-32.
» In-depth article
Italy
- Greek 3rd Mountain Brigade arrived in Italy from French Syria-Lebanon.
Marshall Islands
Photo(s) dated 11 Aug 1944
12 Aug 1944
- The first transport of civilians arrested in Warsaw, Poland after the start of Warsaw Uprising reached Auschwitz II-Birkenau concentration camp via Pruszków transit camp. 1,984 males and over 3,800 females were in this transport.
» In-depth article
- The Soviet minesweeper T.118 (formerly the USS Armada) was sunk by the German submarine U-365 in the Kara Sea.
- USS Pompon attacked a Japanese convoy off Sakhalin island during the night, damaging a tanker and sinking transport Mikage Maru No. 20; she expended 14 torpedoes and observed 4 hits. During the attack, one of her own torpedoes circled back and nearly struck her.
» In-depth article
- USS Puffer attacked an escorted Japanese convoy of ten freighters and tankers off the Philippine Islands, sinking tanker Teikon Maru and a freighter, and damaging another tanker; she expended 6 torpedoes and observed 5 hits.
» In-depth article
- German submarine U-365 sank Russian freighter Marina Raskova and Soviet trawler T-114 of Soviet convoy BD-5 in western Kara Sea off northern Russia; a total of 362 were killed and 256 survived.
» In-depth article
Japan
United Kingdom
- Joseph Kennedy, Jr., the older brother of future US President John F. Kennedy, was killed in a flying accident over East Suffolk, England, United Kingdom.
Photo(s) dated 12 Aug 1944
13 Aug 1944
- USS Cassin Young arrived at Eniwetok, Marshall Islands.
» In-depth article
- The Soviet minesweeper T.114 (formerly the USS Alchemy) was sunk by the German submarine U-365 in the Kara Sea in the Arctic Circle.
- At the end of the day, USS Ray began pursuing a small Japanese convoy off Borneo, Dutch East Indies, firing 4 torpedoes, all of which missed.
» In-depth article
Japan
Philippines
- The US submarine Flier struck a naval mine and sank in the Balacbac Strait just off the southern tip of Palawan in the Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 13 Aug 1944
See all photos dated 13 Aug 1944
14 Aug 1944
- USS Cod sank the Japanese landing craft LSV-129.
» In-depth article
- USS Tang attacked a Japanese armed yacht with her deck gun.
» In-depth article
- USS Croaker sank a Japanese freighter with 2 of 6 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- British troops launched Operation Tractable towards Falaise, France, preceded by 800 bombers. 150 Polish soldiers were killed as the second of the three waves of RAF Lancaster bombers released their bombs too early.
» In-depth article
- Soviet forces launched an assault from their Vistula bridgeheads in Poland.
» In-depth article
- USS Gar began her thirteenth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Snook arrived at Midway Atoll, ending her sixth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Ray continued to attack a small Japanese convoy off Borneo, Dutch East Indies, sinking tanker Zuisho Maru (hitting her with 3 of 3 torpedoes fired) and damaged a transport (hitting her with 1 of 3 torpedoes fired).
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 14 Aug 1944
See all photos dated 14 Aug 1944
15 Aug 1944
- USS Trepang departed for Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
» In-depth article
- Colonel General Gotthard Heinrici replaced Erhard Raus as the commander of the German 1.Panzerarmee.
- Operation Dragoon, the invasion of southern France, began. On the same day, Saint-Tropez, Var, France was captured by the 15th Infantry Regiment of 3rd US Infantry Division.
» In-depth article
- Feldwebel Helmut Lennartz scored the Luftwaffe's first Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter kill on an American B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. Lennartz survived the war with eight Me 262 and five Bf 109 victories to his name.
» In-depth article
- The Japanese Navy 11th Air Fleet was reorganized to contain the 958th Air Group and the 105th Air Base Unit. The 13th Air Fleet was reorganized tow contain one air flotilla, one air group, and two air base units.
- Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa was named the commanding officer of the 3rd Southern Expeditionary Fleet while still holding command of the Southwest Area Fleet.
» In-depth article
Japan
Taiwan
United Kingdom
- Allied convoy JW-59 departed Liverpool, England, United Kingdom; it was consisted of 33 freighters.
» In-depth article
United States
Photo(s) dated 15 Aug 1944
See all photos dated 15 Aug 1944
16 Aug 1944
- George Patton was promoted to the permanent rank of major general, bypassing the permanent rank of brigadier general.
» In-depth article
- USS Craoker sank a Japanese patrol vessel with 1 of 3 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- French resistance fighters captured three German posts along the Swiss border.
» In-depth article
- At Bafour, France, British Lieutenant Tasker Watkins captured two German machine gun posts, eliminated an anti-tank gun, led in a defense of a German counterattack, and while the company attempted to return to Allied lines silenced another machine gun position by himself. He would later win the Victoria Cross. Later in life he served as a Lord Justice of Appeal and deputy Lord Chief Justice of the United Kingdom.
- USS Finback, with the new commanding officer Lieutenant Commander Robert Russell Williams, Jr., departed Majuro, Marshall Islands for her tenth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Allied aircraft sank French cruiser Dupleix.
» In-depth article
China
- Japanese troops entered northeastern Guangxi Province, China.
» In-depth article
France
- The US coastal minesweeper YMSA-24 struck a mine and sank off Saint-Tropez, France.
- Jean de Lattre de Tassigny arrived in Provence, France.
» In-depth article
Hawaii
- USS Parche arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her second war patrol.
» In-depth article
Japan
- The Naval Air Technical Arsenal at Yokosuka, Japan formally began the development of the aircraft that would later be known as the Ohka.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 16 Aug 1944
17 Aug 1944
- USS Sargent Bay joined US Navy 3rd Fleet at Pearl Harbor.
» In-depth article
- USS Croaker sank two Japanese oilers with 2 of 6 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- Walter Model was appointed the commanding officer of the German Army Group B (Heeresgruppe B), replacing Günther von Kluge.
» In-depth article
- Remnants of Vichy government fled for Germany as French Resistance began taking Parisian strongpoints. Pétain and his staff were interned by Hitler, while Laval's government resigned.
- Canadian troops captured Falaise, France, and the German troops in the region began to be threatened with being surrounded. Montgomery ordered troops to move to seal the pocket. Meanwhile, US forces captured Chartres, Orleans, and Chateaudun.
» In-depth article
- Soviets reach the East Prussian border.
» In-depth article
- British 14th Brigade, 3rd West African Brigade, and elements of the British 36th Infantry Division received orders to withdraw from northern Burma.
» In-depth article
Pacific Ocean
- USS Bluefish and USS Puffer sank a Japanese oiler off of Mindoro, Philippine Islands; USS Bluefish hit her with 1 of 1 torpedo fired.
» In-depth article
Romania
- Ion Antonescu signed an armistice with the anti-German opposition in Romania; this was viewed as an act of betrayal by the Germans.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 17 Aug 1944
18 Aug 1944
- USS Sargent Bay departed Pearl Harbor to deliver aircraft to Eniwetok and Manus.
» In-depth article
- German Seventh Army retreated across Orne River in France, leaving 18,000 men behind to be captured.
» In-depth article
- In southern France, Germans began evacuating from areas of Spanish border and Bay of Biscay.
- Soviet forces captured Sandomir, Poland.
» In-depth article
- Air Marshal Sir Frederick Bowhill was appointed the Commander-in-Chief of RAF Coastal Command.
- USS Gabilan completed her second war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Ray attacked a Japanese convoy and sank Japanese tanker Nansei Maru (hitting her with 3 of 4 torpedoes fired) and transport Taketoyo Maru (hitting her with 1 of 2 torpedoes fired) north of the Balabac Strait in the Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
France
- Foch's wreck was sunk at the mouth of Toulon harbor, France as a blockship.
» In-depth article
Pacific Ocean
- USS Gunnel attacked a Japanese transport with her deck gun in the South China Sea, causing no damage.
» In-depth article
19 Aug 1944
- Günther von Kluge passed away.
» In-depth article
- German troops in the Falaise pocket in France were ordered to break out.
» In-depth article
- Soviet forces began an offensive toward the Balkan Peninsula.
- USS Segundo began taking on ammunition and supplies for a war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Hauptmann Werner Schmidt of the German Kampfgeschwader 55 wing was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
France
- French Resistance fighters rose in Paris, forcing the German occupation to sign a truce. Outside the city, American troops began to reach the Seine River.
» In-depth article
Pacific Ocean
- USS Bluefish sank a Japanese transport and a Japanese oiler in the South China Sea, hitting them with 9 of 12 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 19 Aug 1944
20 Aug 1944
- French resistance fighters liberated Toulouse, France.
» In-depth article
- At Falaise, France, Major David Currie became the only Canadian to win the Victoria Cross during the Normandy campaign. In three days of non-stop action, his little force of tanks, self-propelled anti-tank guns and infantry had destroyed seven Panzers, 12 heavy guns and 40 other vehicles, killing more than 1,000 of the enemy and taking 11,000 prisoners.
- Members of the Armia Krajowa attacked the State Telephone Exchange high-rise building in Warsaw, Poland.
» In-depth article
- USS Segundo completed taking on ammunition and supplies for a war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Destroyer Yuzuki was assigned to Destroyer Division 30 of Escort Squadron 31 of the Combined Fleet as the division's flagship under Captain Seiji Sawamura.
» In-depth article
- Remy Van Lierde became the commanding officer of No. 164 Squadron RAF.
» In-depth article
Australia
- USS Cero arrived at Brisbane, Australia, ending her fifth war patrol.
» In-depth article
France
- The Falaise pocket in France began to close around German troops; the Allies captured over 4,000 prisoners of war.
» In-depth article
- US 79th Division reached Seine River above Paris, France.
» In-depth article
- Charles De Gaulle landed at Cherbourg, France. Meeting Dwight Eisenhower later in the day, he convinced the Allied commander that the French capital of Paris should be a priority objective that should not be bypassed.
» In-depth article
- Pierre Laval stepped down as the Prime Minister of France.
» In-depth article
- Blockship Foch was hit by two aerial bombs at the mouth of the Toulon harbor, France.
» In-depth article
Pacific Ocean
- USS Gunnel attacked a Japanese transport in the South China Sea; all 9 torpedoes missed.
» In-depth article
Romania
- 2nd Ukrainian Front and 3rd Ukrainian Front launched the Second Jassy-Kishinev Offensive into northeastern Romania. The Romanian 3rd Army was broken, while Axis shipping was attacked by Soviet aircraft on the Romanian coast.
» In-depth article
United States
Photo(s) dated 20 Aug 1944
See all photos dated 20 Aug 1944
21 Aug 1944
- USS Tang attacked a Japanese cargo ship with three torpedoes without success.
» In-depth article
- French First Army enveloped Toulon, France.
» In-depth article
- With Kriegsmarine support, the Germans opened a coastal corridor to German Armeegruppe Nord, but Hitler refused to authorize their withdrawal.
» In-depth article
- USS Segundo departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol.
» In-depth article
- HMS Orchis (Lieutenant Commander B. Harris) was mined and beached off Juno beach, Normandy, France.
- USS Guitarro attacked a Japanese convoy off Luzon, Philippine Islands and sank cargo ship Uga Maru, hitting her with two of the four torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- USS Ray damaged a Japanese transport in the Philippine Islands, hitting her with 1 of 4 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
France
- US Third Army reached Reims and Troyes southeast of Paris, France.
» In-depth article
- James Johnson shot down two German Fw 190 fighters near Paris, France.
» In-depth article
Romania
- Soviet 6th Guards Mechanized Corps separated German 6.Armee from the Romanian 3rd Army in northeastern Romania; as the Germans under Generaloberst Johannes Frießner fell back, Romanian troops began to refuse orders from German officers to engage the Soviets.
» In-depth article
United States
- The US 15th Army was activated at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, United States by a transfer of a group of personnel from the US 4th Army. No general officer was included in the transfer. Major General John P. Lucas was commanding general designate of the new 15th Army in addition to his other duties.
Photo(s) dated 21 Aug 1944
See all photos dated 21 Aug 1944
22 Aug 1944
- Operation Goodwood I and Goodwood II: British carrier aircraft (32 Barracuda dive bombers and 43 fighters) from HMS Formidable, Indefatigable, Furious, Nabob, and Trumpeter attacked German battleship Tirpitz to little effect.
» In-depth article
- American submarine USS Bowfin attacked Japanese convoy Namo 103 and sank passenger ship Tsushima Maru near the island of Akusekijima. 2,251 aboard were killed, including 767 children; most of those killed were civilian evacuees from Okinawa.
» In-depth article
- USS Tang sank Japanese patrol boat Nansatsu Maru No. 2, hitting her with one of four torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- USS Pintado detected a 11-ship Japanese convoy during the day. After sundown, she fired ten torpedoes at the convoy, sinking the large tanker Tonan Maru No. 2 and damaging two other ships with a total of four hits.
» In-depth article
- USS Sennet was commissioned into service with Commander George E. Porter in command.
» In-depth article
Dutch East Indies
- USS Flying Fish attacked a Japanese transport in the Dutch East Indies; all 3 torpedoes fired missed.
» In-depth article
France
- Having been convinced by Charles de Gaulle two days prior that Paris, France must be captured with haste, Dwight Eisenhower traveled to Omar Bradley's headquarters to discuss the logistics.
» In-depth article
Japan
Pacific Ocean
- USS Gunnel attacked a Japanese transport in the South China Sea; all 6 torpedoes missed.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 22 Aug 1944
See all photos dated 22 Aug 1944
23 Aug 1944
- USS Tang sank Japanese transport Tsukushi Maru, hitting her with two of three torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- US troops from the north and French troops from the south met near Bordeaux, France.
» In-depth article
- German V-1 rocket killed 211 people in East Barnet, Hertfordshire in southeastern England, United Kingdom.
- A B-24 bomber crashed into a school at Freckleton, Lancashire in northwestern England, United Kingdom, killing 57, 35 of whom were children.
- USS Hoe arrved at Fremantle, Australia, ending her fifth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Baya departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol. Initially ordered to patrol between the Philippine Islands and the Palau Islands, her patrol area was later shifted to the South China Sea.
» In-depth article
- USS Becuna departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Hawkbill departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Vasily Chuikov was awarded the Order of Suvorov 1st Class for the second time.
» In-depth article
Czechoslovakia
- Ferdinand Catlos failed to secure Soviet backing for his plan to overthrow the pro-German Slovak government.
» In-depth article
France
- Drancy holding camp for French Jews near Paris, France was liberated by Allied troops.
» In-depth article
- Allied troops reached the Seine River near Paris, France. Adolf Hitler ordered all bridges in the Paris area to be destroyed, even those viewed as cultural treasures; Hans Speidel would refuse to carry out this order.
» In-depth article
Romania
- In Bucharest, Romania, King Mihai I removed Marshal Ion Antonescu from power and began to publicly engage the Soviet Union diplomatically. To the northeast, Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front and 3rd Ukrainian Front encircled German 6th Army.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- A US B-24 Liberator bomber crashed into the village of Freckleton in Lancashire County, England, United Kingdom at about 1047 hours, destroying the Holy Trinity Church of England School (6 adults and 38 children were killed), three houses (2 were killed), and the Sad Sack Snack Bar (7 American servicemen, 4 British servicemen, and 3 civilians were killed). All 3 members of crew aboard the B-24 bomber were killed.
United States
- Franklin Roosevelt rejected Chiang Kaishek's counteroffer of 23 Jul 1944 regarding the American wish for Chiang to include communists in the war against Japan.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 23 Aug 1944
24 Aug 1944
- Operation Goodwood III: British carrier aircraft (33 Barracuda dive bombers, 10 Hellcat fighters, 5 Corsair fighters, 29 other fighters) from HMS Indefatigable, Furious, and Formidable attacked German battleship Tirpitz, scoring 2 hits.
» In-depth article
- Aircraft of No. 466 Squadron RAAF conducted minelaying operations off of Helgoland, Germany.
- Germans evacuated Bordeaux, France and took up fortified positions on the Gironde River outside the city.
- Six members of a Liberator bomber crew shot down near Hanover, Germany were beaten to death by a mob of German civilians led by sisters Margarethe Witzler and Kathe Reinhardt. One of the victims, left for dead in the pile of battered bodies, survived to tell the tale. In Aug 1945, seven of the mob, including the sisters, were sentenced to hang by a US military commission.
- Allied forces liberated Cannes in southern France.
» In-depth article
- Distrustful of the Army, Adolf Hitler ordered construction of a new Westwall under Nazi Party supervision.
- Soviet troops captured Kishinev, Moldova.
- USS Pollack attacked a Japanese freighter with three torpedoes in the Pacific Ocean; all torpedoes missed.
» In-depth article
- The US submarine Harder was depth charged and sunk by Japanese warships off Dasol Bay, Luzon, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
- Louis Mountbatten arrived in Colombo, Ceylon.
» In-depth article
British Western Pacific Territories
Romania
- The Romanian Royal Guards blocked the German attempt to occupy Bucharest as Romania declared war on Germany. German Luftwaffe responded by bombing the Royal Palace.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 24 Aug 1944
25 Aug 1944
- USS Cod arrived at Fremantle, Australia, ending her fourth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Tang sank Japanese tanker Nanko Maru No. 8 with two torpedoes.
» In-depth article
- Soviet 3rd Baltic Front captured Tartu, Estonia.
» In-depth article
- Finland began secret negotiations with the Soviet Union.
» In-depth article
- Allied reconnaissance aircraft flew over Auschwitz Concentration Camp and took photographs of the complex.
» In-depth article
- USS Tunny arrived in the South China Sea.
» In-depth article
France
- The French 2nd Armoured Division entered Paris, France. De Gaulle moved his headquarters into the War Ministry in Paris on the same day with the approval of Eisenhower.
» In-depth article
Italy
- British 8th Army launched Operation Olive against the eastern end of the German Gothic Line in Italy, with Polish and Canadian troops on the spearhead.
» In-depth article
Japan
Poland
- The headquarters of NKVD rear guard troops of Soviet 3rd Byelorussian Front ordered Soviet troops to disarm and detain all Polish Home Army troops who were attempting to pass through Soviet lines toward Warsaw, Poland.
» In-depth article
Russia
- Allied convoy JW-59 arrived at the Kola Inlet near Murmansk, Russia.
» In-depth article
United States
- USS Wake Island completed her repairs at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Virginia, United States.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 25 Aug 1944
26 Aug 1944
- Hitler ordered his troops to withdraw from Greece.
- French troops captured Tarascon and Avignon, France.
» In-depth article
- The US 17th Airborne Division arrived in Britain where it was placed under XVIII Airborne Corps. The Division however would not be sent to France until late in Dec 1944.
- USS Becuna crossed the International Date Line, sailing westward.
» In-depth article
Bulgaria
- The Bulgarian Fatherland Front began an armed rebellion against the Bulgarian government; it declared Bulgaria to be neutral in the Axis war against the Soviet Union.
» In-depth article
France
- A German air raid on Paris, France destroyed several residential neighborhoods. To the east, Allied troops crossed the Seine River.
» In-depth article
- Dwight Eisenhower traveled to Omar Bradley's headquarters in France and invited him to visit the recently captured Paris, France with him on the following day.
» In-depth article
Japan
Romania
- German forces led by Lieutenant General Reiner Stahel attacked Bucharest, Romania.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 26 Aug 1944
27 Aug 1944
- The last German troops in Toulon, France surrendered.
» In-depth article
- USS Mingo departed Fremantle, Australia for her fifth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Guitarro attacked three small Japanese tankers, firing two torpedoes while submerged (both missed) then surfaced to sink Nanshin Maru with the deck gun.
» In-depth article
- The last of the Chindits left Burma.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
- USS Pollack bombarded the Japanese phosphate plant at Fais Island, Caroline Islands.
» In-depth article
France
- Dwight Eisenhower and Omar Bradley made a visit to recently captured Paris, France.
» In-depth article
Italy
- Albert Kesselring noted that the recent Allied attack on the eastern end of the Gothic Line in Italy could be a diversion, thus he decided to hold on to his reserves.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 27 Aug 1944
28 Aug 1944
- Chaim Rumkowski passed away.
» In-depth article
- US troops crossed the Marne River in France.
- The German garrison in Marseilles, France surrendered to French forces.
» In-depth article
China
- 32 P-40 fighters of the US 14th Air Force (including several flown by Chinese pilots) attacked the Japanese airfield near Hengyang, Hunan, China. Ki-43 fighters of the Japanese 48th Sentai and Ki-84 fighters of the Japanese 22nd Sentai rose the intercept, shooting down 1 Chinese P-40 fighter and 3 American P-40 fighters; 6 Japanese fighters were lost.
Czechoslovakia
- Additional German troops entered Slovakia in response to partisan activities in Slovakia and Romania, effecting a total occupation.
» In-depth article
France
Germany
- Robert von Greim was awarded Swords to his Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross medal.
» In-depth article
Italy
- Albert Kesselring was given a captured copy of the Allied Operation Olive plans and learned that the recent Allied attack on the eastern end of the Gothic Line in Italy was part of a major offensive; he gave the order to move three reserve divisions from Bologna to the east coast.
» In-depth article
Russia
- Allied convoy RA-59A departed the Kola Inlet near Murmansk, Russia.
» In-depth article
United States
- USS Sea Cat departed New London, Connecticut, United States for US Territory of Hawaii via the Panama Canal.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 28 Aug 1944
See all photos dated 28 Aug 1944
29 Aug 1944
- Operation Goodwood IV: British carrier aircraft (26 Barracuda dive bombers, 2 Corsair fighters, 3 Hellcat fighters, 25 other fighters) from HMS Formidable and Indefatigable attacked German battleship Tirpitz, scoring several near misses.
» In-depth article
- USS Cassin Young screened carriers of Task Group 38.3 as their aircraft struck Palau and Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
- In northern France, British forces attacked Amiens, US forces captured Soissons, and Canadian troops captured Rouen.
- French troops captured Montélimar in southern France.
» In-depth article
- Slovakians began rising up against Dr. Jozef Tiso's pro-German government.
- 11 B-17 Flying Fortress bombers and 34 B-24 Liberator bombers attacked Helgoland, Germany, escorted by 169 P-38 Lightning and P-51 Mustang fighters; 3 Liberator bombers were damaged.
» In-depth article
- As of this date, at Auschwitz Concentration Camp, the number of prisoners in the Sonderkommando, the work group created by the Germans to operate the gas chambers and crematoria, was 874.
» In-depth article
China
- 13 P-40 fighters of the 3rd Fighter Group of the Chinese-American Composite Wing attacked Japanese shipping and dock facilities at Shayang, Hubei, China; in the return flight, 21 Japanese fighters intercepted the formation near Jiayu, Hubei, China; 1 Chinese fighter and 7 Japanese fighters were shot down in the engagement. On the same day, 13 Ki-84 fighters of Japanese 22nd Sentai and 16 Ki-43 fighters of Japanese 25th Sentai intercepted a formation of B-24 bombers escorted by P-40 and P-51 fighters of the US 14th Air Force near Yueyang, Hunan, China; 5 American fighters and 2 Japanese fighters were shot down in the engagement.
Czechoslovakia
- Slovakian Defense Minister Ferdinand Catlos announced over the radio that German troops had occupied the country.
» In-depth article
- Slovakian resistance leader Ján Golian ordered the launch of the planned general uprising.
» In-depth article
Dutch East Indies
- USS Flying Fish arrived at Mios Woendi, Schouten Islands, Dutch East Indies for refueling.
» In-depth article
Italy
- Allied forces entered the Foglia Valley on the eastern end of the German Gothic Line in Italy.
» In-depth article
Romania
- Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front captured the Ploesti oilfields in Romania.
» In-depth article
Taiwan
United States
- USS Wake Island departed Norfolk, Virginia, United States for Quonset Point, Rhode Island, United States.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 29 Aug 1944
30 Aug 1944
- While at port at Stettin, Germany, submarine U-869 lost one crew member to British bombing when several bombs hit the barracks where the crew was bunked.
» In-depth article
Bulgaria
Caroline Islands
- USS Pollack again bombarded the Japanese phosphate plant at Fais Island, Caroline Islands.
» In-depth article
Ceylon
- Joseph Stilwell departed Kandy, Ceylon for Delhi, India to meet with Patrick Hurley.
» In-depth article
Czechoslovakia
- Slovakian resistance fighters captured Banská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia.
» In-depth article
Italy
- Canadian armored units attacked Pesaro, Italy, but they were beaten back, losing 32 of 50 tanks in the process.
» In-depth article
Marshall Islands
Philippines
- After dark, USS Redfin picked up the 8 survivors of USS Flier from Mantangula Island, Palawan Province, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
Taiwan
United States
- USS Ticonderoga completed her first overhaul and departed Norfolk, Virginia, United States for the Panama Canal.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 30 Aug 1944
31 Aug 1944
- USS Franklin launched strikes against Iwo Jima and Chichi Jima through 2 Sep 1944.
» In-depth article
- USS Croaker arrived at Midway for refitting, ending her first war patrol.
» In-depth article
- British 11th Armoured Division captured Amiens, France. Meanwhile, US Third Army reached the Meuse River.
- While attacking a Japanese convoy in the South China Sea with other submarines of her wolfpack, USS Tunny was attacked by gunfire and depth charges. Tunny did not fire any torpedoes.
» In-depth article
- USS Wake Island departed Quonset Point, Rhode Island, United States.
» In-depth article
- Captain R. C. Parker was named the commanding officer of USS ABSD-1.
» In-depth article
Australia
- USS Ray arrived at Fremantle, Australia, ending her fifth war patrol.
» In-depth article
Czechoslovakia
- Two divisions of Slovakian resistance fighters were disarmed by German troops at Presov, Czechoslovakia.
» In-depth article
Italy
- US 5th Army crossed the Arno River in northern Italy as British 8th Army attacked the Gothic Line.
» In-depth article
Romania
United States
- Franklin Roosevelt departed Washington DC, United States by train.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 31 Aug 1944
1 Sep 1944
- Cruiser Köln conducted minelaying operations off southern Norway during this month.
» In-depth article
- Montgomery was promoted to the rank of field marshal.
» In-depth article
- In France, British XII Corps crossed the Somme River, Canadian forces captured Dieppe, and US Third Army captured Verdun.
- British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden responded to Chaim Weizmann's 6 Jul 1944 request, rejecting Weizmann's request to bomb rail lines leading to Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland.
» In-depth article
- A Japanese aircraft attacked USS Tunny with four bombs, the first two of which caused a leak in a vent riser, among other damage. Her commanding officer decided to end the patrol early to receive repairs.
» In-depth article
- Mutsu was struck from the Japanese Navy list.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- The US coastal minesweeper YMS-21 was lost after striking a mine off Toulon, France.
- USS Pintado set sail for Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
» In-depth article
- USS Becuna came across a Japanese soldier in a small boat; after taking the soldier prisoner, she sank the boat with machine gun fire.
» In-depth article
Dutch East Indies
- USS Flying Fish departed Mios Woendi, Schouten Islands, Dutch East Indies.
» In-depth article
France
- US troops began their attack on Brest, France.
» In-depth article
- Dwight Eisenhower took direct command of all three Allied army groups operating in France, relieving Bernard Montgomery of this role.
» In-depth article
Italy
United States
- Franklin Roosevelt visited Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd in Allamuchy, New Jersey, United States. After dinner, he departed for Hyde Park, New York, United States by train.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 1 Sep 1944
2 Sep 1944
- German troops began evacuating the Aegean Islands.
- Canadian troops crossed into Belgium.
» In-depth article
- While attempting to unclog a uranium enrichment device at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pennsylvania, United States for the Manhattan Project, chemists Peter Bragg, Douglas Meigs, and Arnold Kramish accidentally set of an explosion, which sprayed liquid uranium hexafluoride and hydrofuoric acid on them. Bragg and Meigs were killed, while Kramish and two soldliers, George LeFevre and John Tompkins, were seriously injured.
» In-depth article
- USS Tunny surfaced late at night and set sail for home.
» In-depth article
- USS Finback rescued downed aviator and future President of the United States George Bush off Chichi Jima, Bonin Islands.
» In-depth article
Bulgaria
- Soviet Union declared war on Bulgaria. A little more than five hours later, Bulgaria called for an armistice.
» In-depth article
Czechoslovakia
- Slovakian Defense Minister Ferdinand Catlos abandoned his post and joined the partisan fighters.
» In-depth article
France
- The British 51st Highland Division entered Saint-Valery-en-Caux, France, where most of the original division had been taken prisoner in Jun 1940.
» In-depth article
- Edward Brooks personally led an attack on a 165-vehicle German convoy near Marchiennes, France; this action would earn him the Oak Leaf Cluster to his Silver Star medal.
» In-depth article
Japan
Philippines
Romania
- Romanian troops entered the German legation in Bucharest, Romania. German Minister Manfred von Killinger shot himself after citing that a ship's captain should also go down with a sinking ship; Romanians arrested the remaining diplomats and military attachés including General Erik Hansen, Admiral Werner Tillessen, General Alfred Gertenberg, and General Karl Spalcke.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 2 Sep 1944
3 Sep 1944
- USS Tang arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her fourth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- In Belgium, British Second Army captured Brussels and US First Army captured Tournai.
» In-depth article
- US and French troops reached Lyon, France.
» In-depth article
- Feldmarschal von Rundstedt took command of German forces in the West.
» In-depth article
- Allied bombers conducted a raid on Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
- A B-17 Flying Fortress bomber was mistakenly directed to Düne Island, Helgoland, Germany; its original target was a German submarine pen.
» In-depth article
- A National Day of Prayer was declared in Britain on the 5th anniversary of the start of the war for the United Kingdom. British casualties to-date were revealed as 242,995 killed, 80,603 missing, 311,500 wounded, and 290,381 captured.
- USS Segundo arrived at Saipan, Mariana Islands.
» In-depth article
- In the Pacific Ocean, USS Becuna spotted an aircraft in the distance and believed it to be a friendly Liberator bomber.
» In-depth article
- USS Pompon arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her sixth war patrol.
» In-depth article
Italy
- Canadian troops penetrated German lines and reached the Green II defensive positions on the Gothic Line in Italy. To the west, troops of British V Corps attacked German positions along the Coriano Ridge and advanced to the Marano River.
» In-depth article
Japan
Romania
- Ion Antonescu with his wife Maria, Mihai Antonescu, Kristia Pantasi, Konstantin Vasiliu, Eugen Kristesku, Gheorghe Alexianu, Radu Lekka, and other arrested Romanian leaders were placed aboard a special train for Moscow, Russia.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 3 Sep 1944
4 Sep 1944
- Finland and the Soviet Union reached an agreement for a cease fire; one of the provisions was the removal of all German forces from Finland by 15 Sep 1944.
» In-depth article
- Allies launched Operation Ratweek, consisting of mostly air operations with some commando and partisan participation, with the intention of hindering German operations and withdrawals in the Balkan Peninsula.
- British 11th Armoured Division captured Antwerp, Belgium.
» In-depth article
- USS Segundo departed Saipan, Mariana Islands.
» In-depth article
- USS Becuna moored next to submarine tender USS Holland, took on 43,800 gallons of fuel oil, received repairs, and transferred the Japanese prisoner off board.
» In-depth article
Italy
- British troops launched the first of eleven failed assaults on Gemmano, Italy.
» In-depth article
Panama Canal Zone
5 Sep 1944
- US Third Army crossed the Meuse River while the British forces reached Ghent, Belgium.
» In-depth article
- Jewish ghettos at Lodz, Poland were evacuated by German authorities.
- US 83rd Infantry Division became part of the VIII Corps of the Ninth Army of the US 12th Army Group.
Czechoslovakia
- Ján Golian was given the rank of general and was given responsibility to direct the Slovak National Uprising.
» In-depth article
Japan
Panama Canal Zone
Romania
- Soviet forces repulsed a German-Hungarian counter attack near Klausenberg, Romania.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- Allied convoy RA-59A arrived at Loch Ewe, Scotland, United Kingdom.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 5 Sep 1944
6 Sep 1944
- The German garrison in Calais, France became surrounded by Canadian troops.
» In-depth article
- Hans Speidel visited Erwin Rommel at Rommel's home in Herrlingen, Germany.
Caroline Islands
- USS Franklin launched strikes against Yap Island and Ulithi Atoll through 8 Sep 1944.
» In-depth article
- USS Gar bombarded Japanese positions at Yap, Caroline Islands for the following two days.
» In-depth article
Pacific Ocean
- USS Alabama escorted US carriers as carrier aircraft attacked Japanese positions in the Caroline Islands.
» In-depth article
Romania
- Red Army units captured Turnu-Severin, Romania on the Danube River and advanced toward the Yugoslavian border.
» In-depth article
United States
- USS Puffer entered Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California, United States for a scheduled overhaul.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 6 Sep 1944
7 Sep 1944
- British 11th Armoured Division crossed the Albert Canal in Belgium.
» In-depth article
- US Third Army crossed Moselle River.
- Hans Speidel was arrested.
China
- Chiang Kaishek met with Joseph Stilwell, Patrick Hurley, and Donald Nelson in Chongqing, China.
» In-depth article
Czechoslovakia
- A Soviet military mission was established under Major Ivan Skripka in Slovakia to aid the Slovak National Uprising.
» In-depth article
Dutch East Indies
- USS Flying Fish reported a new Japanese airfield at Celebes, Dutch East Indies and reported this discovery.
» In-depth article
France
- The first two German V-2 rockets were fired against the Allies by German 444 and 485 Mobile Artillery Detachments at 1030 and 1140 hours, respectively. They both targeted Paris, France, but both crashed immediately after launch.
Pacific Ocean
- USS Alabama escorted US carriers as carrier aircraft attacked Japanese positions in the Caroline Islands.
» In-depth article
- USS Barbero attacked a Japanese trawler east of the Philippine Islands; the torpedo missed.
» In-depth article
South Africa
Photo(s) dated 7 Sep 1944
8 Sep 1944
- In Belgium, US First Army captured Liége and Canadian forces captured Ostend.
» In-depth article
- Destroyer Yuzuki departed Moji, Japan, escorting Convoy HI-75 for Singapore.
» In-depth article
- USS Guitarro arrived at Fremantle, Austrialia, ending her second war patrol.
» In-depth article
China
- Joseph Stilwell rejected Chiang Kaishek and Patrick Hurley's recommendation to march on Bhamo, Buma, citing troop exhaustion.
» In-depth article
France
- The third German V-2 rocket fired in anger became the first to successfully hit the intended target, hitting an area in the suburbs of Paris, France. The fourth and fifth rockets, aimed at London, England, United Kingdom, also found their targets. The fourth rocket fired at 1738 hours London time or 1838 hours German time landed in the Borough of Chiswick at 1843 hours London time; it landed on Staveley Road, collapsed three houses, killed 3 civilians and 1 off-duty Royal Engineers soldier, and made a crater 40 feet wide and between 10 and 20 feet deep. The fifth rocket landed 16 seconds later in Epping, which was 18 miles northeast of Whitehall and 20 miles from Chiswick; this rocket destroyed some wodden huts and made a crater 30 feet wide and 16 feet deep. The British government censored all these incidents in fear of potential demoralizing effects.
- RAF Bomber Command's last operation with the Short Stirling bomber was made by No. 148 Squadron against Le Havre, France. The Stirling bombers would then be relegated to troop-transport and glider tug missions only.
» In-depth article
Germany
- Former German intelligence officer Colonel Georg Hansen was executed at the Plötzensee Prison in Berlin, Germany.
Pacific Ocean
- USS Alabama escorted US carriers as carrier aircraft attacked Japanese positions in the Caroline Islands.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 8 Sep 1944
9 Sep 1944
- General de Gaulle created a provisional government which included Communards.
» In-depth article
- USS Rock departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her fourth war patrol.
» In-depth article
Bulgaria
- The Bulgarian Fatherland Front successfully overthrew the government and declared war on Germany.
» In-depth article
Germany
- Robert von Greim was mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht radio report.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 9 Sep 1944
10 Sep 1944
- USS Franklin provided support for campaign in the Palau Islands through 16 Sep 1944.
» In-depth article
- US First Army captured Luxembourg.
- Allied patrols in Belgium crossed the German border near Aachen, Germany.
» In-depth article
- US 83rd Infantry Division became part of the Ninth Army of US 12th Army Group.
- Heinrich Himmler ordered that all deserters would be shot, along with their families.
» In-depth article
- USS Finback fired 6 torpedoes at a Japanese destroyer escort in the Western Pacific; all torpedoes missed. She would continue to shadow the convoy the warship was escorting.
» In-depth article
- USS Parche began her third war patrol.
» In-depth article
Belgium
- British Army Major William Cavendish, Lord Hartington, the husband of the sister of future US President John F. Kennedy, was killed in action at Heppen, Belgium at the hands of a German sniper.
- Bernard Montgomery received a visit from Dwight Eisenhower at Brussels, Belgium during which Montgomery criticized Eisenhower's broad front strategy and demanded his army group to be the sole offensive force as current strategy placed the other two army groups in poor positions to launch attacks into Germany. Eisenhower responded "[s]teady Monty, you can't talk to me like that. I'm your boss."
» In-depth article
France
- The British 1st Corps (49th West Riding and 51st Highland Divisions) of the Canadian Army commenced the siege of Le Havre, the largest port in northern France, which had been earmarked for American use. The approaches to Le Havre were well protected by flooding, mines, anti-tank ditches and huge concrete gun emplacements primarily designed for sea defence. The German garrison of 11,000 (underestimated by Allied Intelligence as being around 8,700) was strongly provided with artillery. The siege opened with Allied aircraft dropping 4,000 tons of bombs on to the defences (followed by a further 5,500 tons over the two day battle). The 15-inch guns of HMS Erebus and Warspite were also brought to bear on the largest gun emplacements, although Erebus did receive some damage from return fire from the shore batteries. In addition, two heavy and six medium batteries added their support to the Divisional artillery Regiments during the softening-up process. The German resistance however proved less tenacious than expected resulting in a comparatively light Allied casualty rate of less than 400. Nevertheless on its capture the docks were found to have been thoroughly wrecked and it was over four weeks before the port could be used.
» In-depth article
Japan
Turkey
- Downed US and British airmen previously interned in Bulgaria were evacuated by train to Istanbul, Turkey.
» In-depth article
United States
- USS Marlin arrived at New London, Connecticut, United States.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 10 Sep 1944
11 Sep 1944
- USS Blackfin arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
» In-depth article
- Scottish 15th Division crossed into the Netherlands near Antwerp, Belgium.
» In-depth article
- US Third Army reached German border near Trier, Germany.
- French 1st Division captured Dijon, France.
- USS Finback attacked a Japanese convoy in the Western Pacific, sinking a tanker and a transport, hitting them with 3 of 6 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
Russia
- Bulgarian communist leader Georgi Dimitrov ordered, from Moscow in Russia, the creation of the People's Court to try Bulgarian leaders responsible for Bulgarian involvement in the European War on the side of the Germans.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 11 Sep 1944
See all photos dated 11 Sep 1944
12 Sep 1944
- Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru arrived at Manila, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- The German garrison at Le Havre, France surrendered only after bitter fighting.
- German garrisons evacuated Greek islands in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
- USS Pollack arrived at Brisbane, Australia, ending her eleventh war patrol.
» In-depth article
- The US coastal minesweeper YMS-409 foundered and sank off the east coast of the United States during a storm.
- Edward Brooks was relieved as the commanding officer of the US 2nd Armored Division and was placed in charge on a temporary basis over the US V Corps.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
- USS Marcus Island launched aircraft against Japanese positions on Peleliu and Angaur in the Palau Islands.
» In-depth article
China
- Two separate groups of the 5th Fighter Group of the Chinese-American Composite Wing engaged Japanese aircraft over Hunan Province, China. Several fighters on either side were lost.
Hungary
- German and Hungarian troops launched an offensive towards Arad and Temesvar, Hungary.
» In-depth article
Italy
- In the Apennine Mountains, US 5th Army launched a major offensive against the German Gothic Line in Italy. To the east, Canadian 5th Armoured Division and British 1st Armoured Division attacked Coriano, Italy.
» In-depth article
Pacific Ocean
- USS Alabama escorted US carriers as carrier aircraft began attacking Japanese positions in the Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
Romania
- An armistice was signed between Romania and the Soviet Union.
» In-depth article
Russia
- Semyon Timoshenko was awarded the Order of Suvorov 1st Class for the second time.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- One of the four German V-2 rockets launched on this date hit Chrysler vehicle works in Mortlake Road, Kew, southwestern London, England, United Kingdom. 8 were killed, 14 were wounded, and property damage was significant.
- Historical document written: Armistice Agreement with Rumania
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 12 Sep 1944
13 Sep 1944
- USS Trepang departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Amon Göth was relieved of his position as the commandant of Plaszów labor camp and was assigned to the SS Office of Economics and Administration.
» In-depth article
- The German garrison at Brest, France maintained heavy resistance against US Ninth Army.
» In-depth article
- One German V-2 rocket hit Britain.
- Soviet troops reached the Slovakian border.
- USS Mingo fired three torpedoes at a Japanese ship; all missed.
» In-depth article
- The first authorized special attack was conducted by two aircraft from the Japanese Army 31st Fighter Squadron based at Los Negros, Philippine Islands.
- USS Cabrilla departed Fremantle, Australia for her sixth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- The 10 separate sections of floating drydock USS ABSD-2 were assembled, and the floating drydock became operational for ship repair work at Manus, Admiralty Islands.
» In-depth article
China
- Joseph Stilwell told leader Mao Zedong's envoys that he would begin to arrange Lend-Lease supplies for the Chinese communists.
» In-depth article
Italy
- Coriano Ridge, part of the Gothic Line in Italy, was captured by Canadian troops.
» In-depth article
Pacific Ocean
- USS Alabama escorted US carriers as carrier aircraft began attacking Japanese positions in the Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
Ukraine
- Ferdinand Catlos was arrested by the Soviets in Kiev, Ukraine.
» In-depth article
United States
- USS Ticonderoga arrived at San Diego, California, United States.
» In-depth article
14 Sep 1944
- Soviet troops reached the suburbs of Warsaw, Poland and began air dropping supplies to the Armia Krajowa.
» In-depth article
- Allied troops captured Maastricht, Gulpen, and Meerssen in the Netherlands.
- USS Pintado arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her second war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Winston Churchill approved the transfer of Oliver Leese to Southeast Asia for a high command position.
» In-depth article
China
- Joseph Stilwell visited Guilin, China and ordered the nearby airfields to be abandoned and gas stores destroyed to prevent Japanese capture.
» In-depth article
Italy
- Canadian 5th Armoured Division and British 1st Armoured Division captured Coriano, Italy.
» In-depth article
Latvia
- Soviet First Baltic Front, Second Baltic Front, and Third Baltic Front launched a massive assault against German Armeegruppe Nord, pushing it back to Riga, Latvia.
» In-depth article
Pacific Ocean
- USS Alabama escorted US carriers as carrier aircraft began attacking Japanese positions in the Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- Three German V-2 rockets hit Britain. One of them hit the center of Walthamstow, London, England, United Kingdom at 0455 hours, killing six immediately and another one later from wounds. The resulting crater was 50 feet wide and 10 feet deep.
Yugoslavia
- Soviet and Bulgarian troops marched into eastern Yugoslavia from Bulgaria.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 14 Sep 1944
15 Sep 1944
- Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru departed Manila, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Operation Paravane: 21 British Lancaster bombers based in Yagodnik, Russia attacked German battleship Tirpitz, scoring two hits on the forecastle and putting her out of action.
» In-depth article
- US First Army engaged the Siegfried Line/Westwall east of Aachen, Germany and captured Nancy, France.
- Allied troops captured Maastricht and Eysden, the Netherlands.
- US Army troops landed on Morotai, Maluku Islands.
» In-depth article
- US Marines landed on Peleliu in the Palau Islands.
» In-depth article
- USS Hoe departed Fremantle, Australia for her sixth war patrol in the South China Sea.
» In-depth article
- Vice Admiral Eiji Goto was named the commanding officer of the Japanese Navy 12th Air Fleet.
- Soviet 6th Guard Tank Brigade, 33rd Guard Tank Brigade, and 63rd Guard Tank Brigade were assigned T-44 prototype medium tanks for training purposes.
» In-depth article
Canada
- Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill signed a secret agreement, granting Joseph Stalin's demands for Sakhalin Island, Kurile Islands, and a portion of Korea in return for a Soviet declaration of war on Japan.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
- USS Marcus Island launched aircraft to provide cover for the Peleliu, Palau Islands invasion.
» In-depth article
Italy
- Indian 4th Division drove out German 98th Division and captured Gemmano, Italy. To the north, British 56th Division captured Corce.
» In-depth article
Russia
- The GUKR SMERSH completed a list of Japanese intelligence personnel and Russian émigré living in northeastern China for arrests when Soviet troops invaded the region.
United Kingdom
- Allied convoy JW-60 departed Liverpool, England, United Kingdom.
» In-depth article
Yugoslavia
- Soviet 17th Air Army of the 3rd Ukrainian Front began a six-day campaign attacking railroad bridges near Niš, Skopje, Kruševo and other towns in southern Yugoslavia of transportation importance to isolate German troops in southern Yugoslavia and nothern Greece.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 15 Sep 1944
See all photos dated 15 Sep 1944
16 Sep 1944
- British troops landed unopposed on the island of Kythera in the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece.
- A speech by Goebbels called for resistance by all Germans with utmost fanaticism.
» In-depth article
- US 803rd Tank Destroyer Battalion captured Simpelveld in the Netherlands.
Bulgaria
India
- Anglo-Indian troops began crossing the Manipur River in India toward Burma.
United States
- Saint Paul was launched at Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, sponsored by the wife of John J. McDonough.
» In-depth article
Yugoslavia
- Soviet troops, Bulgarian troops, and Yugoslavian partisans defeated Chetnik fighters and Serbian Frontier Guards and captured Vlasotince, Yugoslavia.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 16 Sep 1944
See all photos dated 16 Sep 1944
17 Sep 1944
- The Allies launched Operation Market Garden, an airborne-ground combined attack to penetrate into northern Germany via the Netherlands, capturing Sint-Oedenrode and Veghel.
» In-depth article
- US 85th Division captured Monte Altuzzo, Italy; other US units captured Monte Pratone. To the east, Indian 4th Division attacked German 278th Infantry Division in San Marino.
» In-depth article
- The Red Army broke through near Narva, Estonia.
- USS Guam was commissioned with Captain Leland P. Lovette in command.
» In-depth article
- USS Tunny arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her seventh war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Hans Thurner was awarded Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
France
- The siege of Boulogne, Pas-de-Calais, France began. With 1 Corps grounded from lack of transport, the only available formation was 3rd Canadian Division, less one brigade, but reinforced with some armour and medium regiments of artillery. Despite being smaller than Le Havre, Boulogne proved to be a hard nut to crack, with deep underground fortifications, as well as surrounding forts, minefields and anti-tank ditches. Heavy bombing on the opening day failed to destroy the many German gun batteries, making the siege more difficult than expected.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- British Blackout regulations, which had been in force since the start of the war, were finally abolished.
Photo(s) dated 17 Sep 1944
See all photos dated 17 Sep 1944
18 Sep 1944
- USS Cod departed Fremantle, Australia for her fifth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Cruiser USS Duluth (CL-87) was commissioned with Captain Donald Roderick Osborn, Jr. in command.
- US Ninth Army captured Brest, France.
» In-depth article
- In the Netherlands, German troops launched a heavy counter attack near Arnhem while Allied troops captured Eindhoven.
» In-depth article
- USS Sennet completed her fitting out.
» In-depth article
- Indian troops captured Point 343 in San Marino. Brazilian troops captured Camaiore, Italy. British troops captured San Godenzo Pass, also in Italy.
» In-depth article
Hawaii
- USS Escolar departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first and only war patrol.
» In-depth article
United States
- USS Ticonderoga departed San Diego, California, United States for Pearl Harbor.
» In-depth article
- USS Spot completed fitting out at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California, United States.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 18 Sep 1944
See all photos dated 18 Sep 1944
19 Sep 1944
- Wing Commander Guy Gibson VC, the leader of the Dambusters raid in 1943, was killed when his aircraft crashed near Steenbergen, the Netherlands.
- The Belgian Parliament met for the first time since May 1940.
- In the Netherlands, British airborne troopers defended against heavy German attacks in Arnhem while other troops captured Veldhoven.
» In-depth article
- While flying a Dakota aircraft on a supply run for British troops at Arnhem, the Netherlands, Flight Lieutenant David Lord flew several runs over the drop zone despite the starboard wing being hit and became aflame. Having dropped all supplies, he ordered his crew to bail out while he made no attempt to jump, remaining in the pilot's seat to keep the aircraft steady. The aircraft eventually exploded in mid-war. Lord was later awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross medal.
- Submarine Macabi was launched, sponsored by the wife of Rear Admiral Arthur S. Carpender.
» In-depth article
- Destroyer Yuzuki broke off from Convoy HI-75 and sailed for Manila, Luzon, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
- Ioshima was sunk off Japan by USS Shad.
» In-depth article
- USS Essex crossed the Equator in the Pacific Ocean on a southward course.
» In-depth article
Australia
- USS Cero departed Darwin, Australia for her sixth war patrol.
» In-depth article
China
- Joseph Stilwell personally handed Chiang Kaishek a message from Franklin Roosevelt which noted that Stilwell was to be given unrestricted powers in China.
» In-depth article
Russia
- A Finnish delegate signed a temporary peace treaty with the Soviet Union in Moscow, Russia.
» In-depth article
San Marino
- Indian 4th Division reached the outskirts of the city of San Marino.
» In-depth article
United States
- Winston Churchill departed Hyde Park, New York, United States for nearby New York City, where he was to begin his journey back to Britain.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 19 Sep 1944
See all photos dated 19 Sep 1944
20 Sep 1944
- USS Franklin crossed the Equator.
» In-depth article
- Indian 4th Division captured San Marino in the early afternoon. In nearby Italy, Canadian troops broke through German lines along the Ausa River. At Rimini, Italy, Greek troops reached the southern outskirts of the city.
» In-depth article
- British XXX Corps linked up with US airborne troops at Nijmegen, the Netherlands; nearby, Geldrop, Someren, and Terneuzen were captured by Allied troops.
» In-depth article
- USS Tunny departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
» In-depth article
Dutch East Indies
United States
- The FR Fireball fighter took its first piston-jet mix-powered flight.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 20 Sep 1944
See all photos dated 20 Sep 1944
21 Sep 1944
- In the morning, troops of Greek 3rd Mountain Brigade captured Rimini, Italy, which had been evacuated by the Germans overnight, and raised a Greek flag on the balcony of the municipal building; the mayor officially surrendered the city at 0745 hours. US 85th Division captured Firenzuola, Italy. Indian 4th Division withdrew from San Marino.
» In-depth article
- German Armeegruppe E evacuated the Peloponnese Peninsula in Greece.
- Polish airborne division landed between Arnhem and Nijmegen in the Netherlands, but British airborne troopers in Arnhem were becoming overwhelmed. Nearby, Schijndel was captured by Allied troops.
» In-depth article
- US 83rd Infantry Division became part of the Third Army of US 12th Army Group.
- The second authorized special attack was conducted by three Japanese Army aircraft.
France
- George Patton traveled to Paris, France to meet with Dwight Eisenhower over lunch.
» In-depth article
Pacific Ocean
- USS Alabama escorted US carriers as carrier aircraft began attacking Japanese positions in the Manila Bay area in the Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
Romania
Photo(s) dated 21 Sep 1944
22 Sep 1944
- US First Army halted its offensive on Aachen, Germany.
- The German garrison in Boulogne, France surrendered to Canadian troops.
- British scientists, returning from studying a German rocket research site at Blizna, Poland, found that the crates of rocket parts collected had been switched to ordinary aircraft parts, presumably by the Soviets who wished to retain the rocket parts for their own weapons research.
- Red Army units captured Tallinn and Reval, Estonia.
- The first RaLa Experiment of the Manhattan Project with a radioactive source was performed.
» In-depth article
- USS Gunnel ended her sixth war patrol.
» In-depth article
Italy
- US troops captured the Il Giogo pass on the Gothic Line in Italy.
» In-depth article
Japan
- Destroyer Yukikaze departed Kure, Japan to escort battleships Fuso and Yamashiro to Lingga, Borneo.
» In-depth article
Pacific Ocean
- USS Alabama escorted US carriers as carrier aircraft began attacking Japanese positions in the Manila Bay area in the Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
Philippines
- Irako departed Manila, Luzon, Philippine Islands at 0300 hours with a deck load of reconnaissance floatplanes for Coron Bay, Calamian Islands, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
Taiwan
- The Taiwan Army was absorbed into the Japanese Tenth Area Army with General Rikichi Ando remaining as its commanding officer.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 22 Sep 1944
23 Sep 1944
- Canadian troops formed a bridgehead across the Escaut Canal in Belgium.
- Jewish prisoners of concentration camp in Kluga, Estonia were massacred.
» In-depth article
- Franklin Roosevelt denounced Republican Party attacks during a speech at the Teamster's Union dinner; the Republicans had accused Roosevelt of inappropriately using a US Navy destroyer to fetch his pet dog Fala, abusing his presidential powers.
» In-depth article
- The tiny republic of San Marino in northern Italy declared war on Germany after its 300-man army was rounded up by a mere platoon of German soldiers.
- USS Croaker completed her refitting at Midway and began her second war patrol.
» In-depth article
- The Republic of China established the Order of Loyalty and Diligence.
- Patrick Hurley asked Chiang Kaishek to accept communist assistance in the war against Japan; Chiang rejected the request.
» In-depth article
Australia
- USS Ray departed Fremantle, Australia for her sixth war patrol.
» In-depth article
France
- After a six-day siege, Canadian troops forced the German troops at Boulogne, Pas-de-Calais, France to surrender. The Canadians suffered 634 casualties and captured 9,500 prisoners (many driven from their bunkers by driving flame down the ventilation shafts).
» In-depth article
Hungary
- Soviet and Romanian forces entered Hungary near Arad. Hungarian Baron Ede Atzel led a delegation across the Soviet front lines in an attempt to negotiate an armistice.
» In-depth article
Philippines
Russia
- Allied convoy JW-60 arrived at the Kola Inlet near Murmansk, Russia.
» In-depth article
United States
- USS Charr was commissioned into service at 1030 hours at the US Submarine Base, New London, Connecticut, United States with Commander Francis Boyle in command.
» In-depth article
- Joseph Rochefort was promoted to the rank of captain. His superior Joseph Redman sent him a three-word letter "Delivered with congratulations" for this occasion.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 23 Sep 1944
See all photos dated 23 Sep 1944
24 Sep 1944
- British Second Army reached the Rhine River, while the Germans sealed off US Third Army's bridgeheads across the Moselle River, south of Aachen, Germany.
- British troops set foot on German soil south of Nijmegen, the Netherlands, capturing Deurne.
» In-depth article
- The Soviet Baltic offensive stopped.
- The Soviet minesweeper T.120 (formerly the USS Assail) was sunk by the German submarine U-739 in the Kara Sea in the Arctic Circle.
- The US coastal minesweeper YMS-19 was lost after striking a Japeanese mine southeast of Angaur, Palau Islands.
- USS Becuna fired three torpedoes at a Japanese transport in the Luzon Strait south of Taiwan; all torpedoes missed.
» In-depth article
Hawaii
- USS Ticonderoga arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
» In-depth article
- USS Tang departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, starting her fifth war patrol in the Taiwan Strait.
» In-depth article
Italy
Latvia
- The STAVKA ordered the Soviet First Baltic Front to halt on the advance to Riga, Latvia, leaving the job to the Second Baltic Front and Third Baltic Front, and instead march toward Memel (now Klaipeda, Lithuania).
» In-depth article
Pacific Ocean
- USS Alabama escorted US carriers as carrier aircraft began attacking Japanese positions in the central area of the Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
Philippines
Russia
- The Soviet GKO issued an order to increase food rations of NKVD, NKGB, and SMERSH operatives and officers.
United States
- USS Wisconsin departed Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in Pennsylvania, United States.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 24 Sep 1944
25 Sep 1944
- Iro Ilk was shot down and killed near Moers, Germany.
» In-depth article
- Germany formed the Volkssturm.
- The remaining 2,163 British airborne troops were evacuated from Arnhem, the Netherlands; the original strength was about 10,000.
» In-depth article
- Norwegian ministers urged Germany to withdraw from Norwegian occupation.
- USS Snook arrived at Saipan, Mariana Islands for repairs.
» In-depth article
- USS Becuna fired three torpedoes at a Japanese destroyer in the Luzon Strait south of Taiwan; all torpedoes missed.
» In-depth article
- Yasoshima received orders to move to the front.
» In-depth article
- French Army B was redesignated French 1st Army; Jean de Lattre de Tassigny remained the unit's commanding officer.
» In-depth article
Dutch East Indies
France
- Having taken Boulogne, France, Canadian 3rd Division assaulted Calais where their operation to capture the port would be complicated by the presence of 20,000 French civilians who have not been evacuated.
Germany
- British prisoner of war Lieutenant Mike Sinclair was killed by a German guard while attempting to escape from the Oflag IV-C camp at Colditz Castle in Germany. He had attempted to escape several times prior, and through these attempted had earned the respect of his captors, who allowed the British prisoners to bury Sinclair with full military honors.
Panama Canal Zone
- USS Astoria transited the Panama Canal and then made port call at Balboa, Panama.
» In-depth article
Russia
- Slovakian Captain Frantisek Urban, tricked by the Soviets to visit Moscow in Russia, was arrested by SMERSH and was transferred to the Lubyanka Prison.
Photo(s) dated 25 Sep 1944
See all photos dated 25 Sep 1944
26 Sep 1944
- Estonia was occupied by the Red Army.
- Allied troops captured Mook, the Netherlands.
» In-depth article
- German shore batteries, cut off behind Allied lines around Calais in France, bombarded Dover, England, United Kingdom, killing 49 people. The Royal Air Force retaliated with a series of bombing raids in which the gun sites were pounded into silence.
- Lord Gort stepped down as the Governor of Malta.
» In-depth article
- USS Gabilan began her third war patrol in Japanese home island waters.
» In-depth article
Bulgaria
- US and British intelligence missions were forced out of Sofia, Bulgaria by political pressure asserted by the Soviet Union.
Dutch East Indies
Italy
- British 8th Army drove out German positions along the Uso River north of Rimini, Italy.
» In-depth article
Japan
Romania
- Soviet troops fortified positions along the Danube River on the Romanian-Yugoslavian and Romanian-Bulgarian borders.
» In-depth article
Russia
- Joseph Stalin issued an order stating that all arrests of former top level Bulgarian and Romanian leaders could be done only with authorization of the Soviet Stavka.
» In-depth article
United States
- USS Tunny arrived at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, San Francisco, United States.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 26 Sep 1944
27 Sep 1944
- USS Flasher sank Japanese transport ship Ural Maru, killing about 2,000.
» In-depth article
- USS Tang departed Midway, where she stopped to refuel.
» In-depth article
- German Armeegruppe E withdrew from western Greece.
- 2,000 fighters of the Armia Krajowa surrendered in Warsaw, Poland.
» In-depth article
- Allied troops captured Helmond and Oss in the Netherlands.
» In-depth article
Japan
Netherlands
- James Johnson shot down a German Bf 109 fighter over Nijmegen, the Netherlands, scoring his final kill of the war.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 27 Sep 1944
28 Sep 1944
- USMC landed on Ngesebus of Palau Islands to eliminate a Japanese artillery position.
» In-depth article
- RAF bombers dropped 909 tons of bombs on Kaiserslautern, Germany, destroying 36% of the town.
» In-depth article
- Beginning on this date and through the following month, about 18,402 prisoners from Theresienstadt Concentration Camp were transferred to Auschwitz Concentration Camp.
» In-depth article
- Apart from a few isolated pockets of resistance, the Germans surrendered Calais Citadel in France after further intensive bombing raids by British bombers.
Mariana Islands
Panama Canal Zone
Russia
- Allied convoy RA-60 departed the Kola Inlet near Murmansk, Russia.
» In-depth article
Yugoslavia
- In Moscow, Russia, Josip Tito formally authorized Soviet troops to enter Yugoslavia. Soviet 57th Army began marching toward Belgrade, Yugoslavia in three columns, with 64th Rifle Corps crossing the Morava River at Paracin, 68th Rifle Corps advancing from Vidin toward Mladenovac, and 75th Rifle Corps advancing from Turnu toward Pozarevac.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 28 Sep 1944
29 Sep 1944
- Canadian troops captured Cape Gris Nez near Calais, France; the Germans and Canadians in the region agreed on a 24-hour truce so that civilians in the area could be evacuated. The news that the Canadians had captured the last remaining gun batteries in the Calais area was greeted with jubilation in the streets of Dover, England, United Kingdom. Since the start of the war, Dover had experienced 187 shelling attacks in addition to numerous bombing and V1 attacks.
- 15 British Lancaster bombers conducted minelaying operation in the Kattegat and off Helgoland, Germany.
- Corporal John Harper of the British York and Lancaster Regiment led his section across 300 yards of open ground under heavy fire to take enemy positions at Antwerp, Belgium. He then went on alone to clear the advance with grenades until he was killed. For this he would be posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.
Dutch East Indies
Italy
Japan
Romania
- 21 American OSS agents (under Lieutenant Commander Frank Wisner) were dropped into Bucharest, Romania to liberate 1,888 interned Allied airmen. As they evacuated the airmen, they also brought out with them many Romania diplomatic documents to prevent Soviet capture.
» In-depth article
30 Sep 1944
- USS Blackfin departed from Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol.
» In-depth article
- The last of the German guns at Calais, France that had been shelling the Dover, England, United Kingdom for three years was destroyed. Shortly after, the 7,500 German garrison at Calais surrendered to Canadian troops.
Dutch East Indies
Japan
Pacific Ocean
- USS Escolar sent out a distress radio signal noting that she was under enemy gunboat attack.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 30 Sep 1944
0 Oct 1944
Photo(s) dated 0 Oct 1944
1 Oct 1944
- U-530 was assigned to the 33. Unterseebootflottille (33th Submarine Flotilla).
» In-depth article
- Cruiser Köln conducted convoy operation between Norway and Denmark over the following two months.
» In-depth article
- USS Trepang attacked a Japanese convoy, sinking freighter Takunan Maru.
» In-depth article
- Finnish troops attacked German troops in Tornio, Finland.
- USS Cabrilla attacked a Japanese convoy in the South China Sea, sinking two transports with 4 of 10 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- Joseph Stilwell's diary entry for this date noted that he felt he was about to be ousted by Franklin Roosevelt.
» In-depth article
- Oberstleutnant Wilhelm Antrup stepped down as the commanding officer of the German Kampfgeschwader 55 wing.
Caroline Islands
- The US coastal minesweeper YMS-385 was mined and sunk in the Zowariau Channel, Ulithi, Caroline Islands.
- USS Alabama arrived at Ulithi, Caroline Islands.
» In-depth article
Czechoslovakia
- The Slovakian resistance fighters named themselves the Czechoslovakian 1st Army in Slovakia.
» In-depth article
France
- The German garrison at Calais, France capitulated. The 3rd Canadian Division had suffered just 300 casualties in the siege of the town but had captured 7,500 Germans bringing their toll of prisoners taken in clearing the Channel ports to almost 30,000. Wreckage to the dock facilities were however extensive and the port would not be available for shipping until Nov 1944.
» In-depth article
Italy
- After a 4-day fight, the US 5th Army captured Monte Battaglia, Italy, a part of the Gothic Line defenses.
» In-depth article
Japan
Russia
- Unbeknownst to the Germans, a Hungarian delegation arrived in Moscow, Russia to discuss an armistice with the Soviet Union.
» In-depth article
Yugoslavia
- Red Army units crossed the Danube River into Yugoslavia.
» In-depth article
- Historical document written: Japanese Prisoner of War Interrogation Report No. 49: Korean Comfort Women
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 1 Oct 1944
2 Oct 1944
- The Warsaw Uprising ended in failure after 63 days of fighting largely due to lack of food and ammunition. 15,200 insurgents and 20,000 civilians were killed, while the German occupation forces suffered 16,000 killed. Many buildings were destroyed in the fighting.
» In-depth article
- 2nd Canadian Infantry Division marched north from Antwerp, Belgium toward South Beveland, the Netherlands.
» In-depth article
- USS Mingo sank four small Japanese ships with her deck gun.
» In-depth article
- Friedrich Christiansen ordered a raid on the village of Putten, Gelderland, the Netherlands as retaliation for the killing of his subordinate Leutnant Sommers by resistance fighters. Many civilians were subsequently executed and 661 men were deported to labor camps.
» In-depth article
- USS Wisconsin was attached to the US Navy Pacific Fleet.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
Italy
Japan
Philippines
Russia
- Vsevolod Merkulov submitted a report to Lavrentiy Beria detailing the intelligence he had gained from an American atomic scientist.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 2 Oct 1944
3 Oct 1944
- The United Kingdom stood down the Home Guard.
- A 60-hour truce began in Dunkirk, France between Allied and German troops to allow the evacuation of civilians. Elsewhere in France, US Third Army began a 10-day attack on Fort Driant, Metz.
- A German V-2 rocket hit the Hellesdon Golf Course near Norwich, England, United Kingdom at 1950 hours, injuring 1 person and damaging a glasshouse, 5 farm buildings/barns, several haystacks, and 1 acre of sugar beet.
- Katsuragi was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Sanborn was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
- The first Messerschmitt Me 262 fighter unit was established at Achmer and Hesepe near Osnabrück, Germany under the command of Austrian-born ace Major Walter Nowotny. The unit had 30 aircraft distributed among two squadrons and was given the task of intercepting USAAF day bomber raids on the heart of Germany.
» In-depth article
- The US submarine Seawolf was sunk by depth charges fired from the destroyer escort USS Richard M. Rowell off Morotai, Maluku Islands, Dutch East Indies.
» In-depth article
- Japanese troops evacuated Tiddim, Burma.
United States
Photo(s) dated 3 Oct 1944
4 Oct 1944
- British 2nd Airborne Brigade landed at Patras, Greece as well as Crete and other Greek islands in the Aegean Sea.
- A German V-2 rocket hit Rockland St Mary 6 miles southeast of Norwich, England, United Kingdom. It hit the village school directly, injuring 2 adults and 34 children, and the blast damaged 23 houses nearby. It was the worst attack on the Norwich region during the war.
- USS Snook completed her repairs at Saipan, Mariana Islands.
» In-depth article
Australian New Guinea
Dutch East Indies
Russia
- K. L. Prokhorenko stepped down as GUKR SMERSH's chief in the 1st Ukrainian Front.
Photo(s) dated 4 Oct 1944
5 Oct 1944
- USS Cod sank a Japanese cargo ship.
» In-depth article
- The Germans lost 36 Linsen boats - small motorboats packed with explosives - attempting to disrupt traffic in the Scheldt estuary controlling the approach to the port of Antwerp, Belgium. On the same day, Canadian forces entered the Netherlands, capturing Kerkrade.
» In-depth article
- A German V-2 rocket hit Acle near Norwich, England, United Kingdom, temporarily causing blockage to a road. Another rocket hit Surlingham, downing several telephone lines.
- Franklin Roosevelt told Chiang Kaishek that Joseph Stilwell was to be relieved as Chiang's chief of staff and as the Lend-Lease director, but he would remain in China as the commanding officer of American troops in China and Burma.
» In-depth article
Italy
- US II Corps, with British troops in support, launched a new attack toward Bologna, Italy. To the east, Indian 10th Infantry Division crossed the Fiumicino River, forcing German 10th Army to pull back toward Bologna.
» In-depth article
Latvia
- Soviet First Baltic Front resumed the offensive toward Memel (now Klaipeda, Lithuania) to cut off German Armeegruppe Nord.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- Allied convoy RA-60 arrived at Loch Ewe, Scotland, United Kingdom.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 5 Oct 1944
See all photos dated 5 Oct 1944
6 Oct 1944
- Canadian 3rd Division assaulted the German pocket at Breskena, Belgium, south of the Scheldt Estuary. To the north, Allied troops captured Ossendrecht, the Netherlands.
» In-depth article
- A German V-2 rocket hit Shotesham All Saints 5 miles south of Norwich, England, United Kingdom, slightly injuring 1 person while damaging 20 houses, 1 church, and 1 school.
- USS Pollack departed Brisbane, Australia for an exercise with HMAS Geelong.
» In-depth article
- USS Cabrilla attacked a Japanese convoy in the South China Sea during the day, sinking an oiler and a transport, hitting them with 5 of 6 torpedoes fired. After sundown, she attacked a destroyer escort with 4 torpedoes, all of which missed.
» In-depth article
- Feldwebel Viktor König of the German Kampfgeschwader 55 wing was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
- USS Ray gave chase to a Japanese tanker in the South China Sea, damaging her with 1 torpedo hit (of 6 torpedoes fired) but did not sink her.
» In-depth article
- USS Seahorse claimed the sinking of a Japanese destroyer off Taiwan with one torpedo hit of six torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
Burma
- Japanese troops evacuated Tiddam, Burma.
Caroline Islands
Japan
Photo(s) dated 6 Oct 1944
7 Oct 1944
- USS Cod damaged a Japanese tanker.
» In-depth article
- British troops captured Nauplion and the island of Samos in Greece.
- German 20.Gebirgsarmee began a fighting-withdrawal from Finland toward Norway.
- Jewish prisoners of the Sonderkommando of Auschwitz II-Birkenau Concentration Camp organized a large revolt and escape. Crematorium IV was set on fire, while SS guards came under attack. During the havoc, some of the prisoners were successful in cutting through the perimeter fencing and got outside, but the SS guard responded and successfully rounded up all escapees and killed them all. After the revolt was put down in the camp, about 250 prisoners, including leader Zalmen Gradowski and Józef Deresinski, were dead. Three SS men were also killed; ten were wounded. Four Jewish women who had stolen the explosives from their workplace at the Union-Werke armaments factory, which were used during this revolt, were later hanged.
» In-depth article
- In the United Kingdom, the Cabinet decided to continue the censorship of reports of rocket attacks.
- USS Hoe fired 7 torpedoes at a Japanese convoy, scoring 3 hits on 2 freighters, sinking 1 of them.
» In-depth article
- USS Baya sank a Japanese transport in the South China Sea, hitting her with 2 of 6 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- USS Cabrilla sank a Japanese transport in the South China Sea, hitting her with 3 of 4 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- USS Hawkbill detected a Japanese carrier in the South China Sea, but was driven off by destroyers.
» In-depth article
- USS Ray attacked the same Japanese tanker she had been chasing since the previous day in the Southe China Sea, hitting her with another 3 torpedo hits (of 6 torpedoes fired), but could not determine whether she had been sunk.
» In-depth article
Czechoslovakia
- General Rudolf Viest was made the commander of the Slovak National Uprising; previous commander, General Ján Golian, stepped down to become Viest's deputy.
» In-depth article
Italy
- British 8th Army resumed attacks on the Gothic Line in Italy.
» In-depth article
Philippines
United States
- USS Astoria arrived at San Francisco, California, United States and entered the Mare Island Naval Shipyard to repair the damaged turbine.
» In-depth article
8 Oct 1944
- Czechoslovakian 1st Armored Brigade was deployed to the British 2nd Army in France.
- Elements of US Ninth Army reached Aachen, Germany.
- The US Navy canceled Project Pigeon/Project Orcon, which was University of Minnesota professor B. F. Skinner's attempt to design missiles piloted by pigeons. He complained that, even if the project was a success, people would not take this project seriously.
- USS Hoe fired 17 torpedoes at a Japanese convoy, scoring 5 hits, sinking 1 freighter and damaging 3 other ships.
» In-depth article
- USS Becuna damaged Japanese tanker Kimikawa Maru in the South China Sea with two of four torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- USS Guitarro departed Frementle, Australia for her third war patrol.
» In-depth article
Japan
Yugoslavia
- Bulgarian troops engaged German troops at Bela Palanka, Yugoslavia. Elsewhere in Yugoslavia, Yugoslavian troops captured two German bridgeheads on the Morawa River near Velika Plana and Palanka.
» In-depth article
9 Oct 1944
- The US surrender ultimatum to the garrison at Aachen, Germany was rejected.
- Canadian troops used amphibious vehicles to enter the Breskens Pocket in the Netherlands.
» In-depth article
- USS Gar arrived at Brisbane, Australia, ending her thirteenth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Croaker sank a Japanese freighter with 4 of 4 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- USS Pintado departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her third war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Becuna attacked a Japanese convoy in the South China Sea, claiming two sunk and two damaged; ten torpedoes were expended, seven of them made contact.
» In-depth article
- USS Hawkbill attacked a Japanese convoy in the South China sea with USS Becuna, damaging several ships with her torpedoes.
» In-depth article
Hawaii
- USS Dragonet arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
» In-depth article
Japan
- Submarine I-369 was completed at the Yokosuka Navy Yard, Japan as a Type D1 Tei-gata transport submarine. She was commissioned into service under the command of Lieutenant Shigeo Matsushima.
» In-depth article
Yugoslavia
Photo(s) dated 9 Oct 1944
10 Oct 1944
- USS Franklin launched strikes against Okinawa.
» In-depth article
- 10 Lancaster bombers conducted minelaying operations off Helgoland, Germany.
- British troops captured Corinth, Greece. On the same day, German Armeegruppe E started its final retreat from Greece.
- Soviet units reached the Baltic coast at Memel (now Klaipeda, Lithuania), cutting off the 26 divisions of German Armeegruppe Nord once and for all.
» In-depth article
- German Army put down the anti-Tiso rebellion in Slovakia.
- Stanley Hollis received the Victoria Cross medal from King George VI.
» In-depth article
- USS Makin Island became the flagship of Rear Admiral Calvin T. Durgin of an escort carrier task unit.
» In-depth article
- Miklós Horthy, Jr., son of the Hungarian leader, met with Yugoslavians. German intelligence learned of this anti-German act, but decided not to take any action.
- USS Pollack completed the exercise with HMAS Geelong off Brisbane, Australia and sailed for the Hawaii Islands.
» In-depth article
- USS Iowa arrived off Okinawa, Japan to cover carriers while the carrier aircraft struck targets in the Ryukyu Islands and Taiwan.
» In-depth article
- Auxiliary escort Kari was sunk by US Task Force 38 carrier aircraft off Okinawa, Japan.
» In-depth article
Japan
Russia
- A Soviet military tribunal sentenced Rudolf Körpert, Otto Mäder, and four other former officers of German-run prisoners of war camps to death.
» In-depth article
Yugoslavia
- Red Army cracked the German line in the Serbia region of Yugoslavia en route to Belgrade.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 10 Oct 1944
See all photos dated 10 Oct 1944
11 Oct 1944
- USS Franklin launched strikes Aparri, Luzon, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
- USS Trepang attacked a Japanese convoy, claiming the sinking of one freighter.
» In-depth article
- USS Tang sank Japanese transports Joshu Go at about 0500 hours, hitting her with two of three torpedoes fired. Later in the day, at about 2100 hours, she sank Oita Maru with one torpedo.
» In-depth article
- USAAF raids began on the island of Okinawa, Japan.
- A German V-2 rocket hit Rockland St Mary 6 miles southeast of Norwich, England, United Kingdom, which was the second rocket to hit the village during the war (first being on 4 Oct 1944). It damaged 14 houses.
- US 83rd Infantry Division became part of the VIII Corps of the Ninth Army of US 12th Army Group.
- Hakusan Maru arrived at Hong Kong.
» In-depth article
Hungary
- Hungary and the Soviet Union began to finalize a cease fire agreement.
» In-depth article
United States
- Patrick Hurley recommended Franklin Roosevelt to remove Joseph Stilwell from China.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 11 Oct 1944
See all photos dated 11 Oct 1944
12 Oct 1944
- USS Trepang claimed damaging a Japanese battleship and sinking one destroyer during an attack conducted at 2100 hours, earning Commander Roy Davenport a Navy Cross. Post-war studies could not confirm this success, however.
» In-depth article
- German troops withdrew across the Lower Rhine near Arnhem, the Netherlands.
- A German V-2 rocket hit Ingworth 14 miles north of Norwich, England, United Kingdom, slightly injuring 2 people and causing damage to 20 houses and 1 school. This rocket was the 28th rocket to hit the Norwich region, and was to be the last of the current rocket campaign against Norwich. None of the 28 rockets targeted at this area killed anyone, and property damage was relatively light.
- Latvian capital Riga was captured by the Soviets, ending any hope of a breakout by Army Group North.
- Athens, Greece was liberated by Resistance forces who were supported by British glider-landed reinforcements.
- USS Croaker sank a Japanese merchant ship with 3 of 3 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- The first B-29 bombers of the US 73rd Bomb Wing (VH) arrived at Isley Field on Saipan, Mariana Islands.
- USS Ray sank Japanese cargo ship Toko Maru in the South China Sea, hitting her with 2 of 4 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- Colonel Rudolf von Margona-Redwitz, head of German military intelligence in Vienna (Abwehrstelle Wien) until Apr 1944, was sentenced to death and executed in connection with the July Plot against Adolf Hitler.
» In-depth article
Australian New Guinea
- USS Marcus Island departed Manus, Admiralty Islands with Task Group 77.4.
» In-depth article
France
- The docks at Boulogne, France were reopened, thus helping the Allied supply crisis to the armies north of the Seine River, which up to now had been reliant on Dieppe and Ostend whose combined capacity was only about 10,000 tons daily.
Italy
- American "Buffalo Soldiers" broke through the Gothic Line in northern Italy. The 92nd Infantry Division was the only black unit (with white officers) to see combat in Europe, going into action in Italy after the capture of Rome.
» In-depth article
Netherlands
- The German 485 Mobile Artillery Detachment, responsible for launching V-2 rockets, began their move from Friesland to the Hague in the Netherlands. On the same day, Adolf Hitler ordered that London, England, United Kingdom was to be the only target for V-2 rockets in Britain; attacks on other continental cities such as Antwerp were to continue.
Panama Canal Zone
Taiwan
Yugoslavia
- Bulgarian troops captured Leskovac, Yugoslavia. Elsehwere in Yogoslavia, Soviet 4th Guards Mechanized Corps began advancing toward Belgrade from the bridgeheads at Velika Plana and Palanka.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 12 Oct 1944
13 Oct 1944
- Salaspils Concentration Camp near Riga, Latvia ceased operations.
» In-depth article
- German Armeegruppe Nord withdrew to the Kurland pocket (now Courland, Latvia).
- USS Mingo arrivedat Fremantle, Australia, ending her fifth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- The A7M2 Reppu fighter, equipped with the Ha-43 engine, took its first flight.
» In-depth article
Taiwan
- USS Franklin launched strikes against Tainan, Taiwan. A Japanese special attack aircraft caused light damage to the flight deck.
» In-depth article
United States
- The first FR Fireball prototype aircraft was destroyed in a crash at Naval Air Station China Lake, California, United States.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 13 Oct 1944
See all photos dated 13 Oct 1944
14 Oct 1944
- USS Franklin launched strikes against Aparri, Manila, and Legaspi in the Philippine Islands through 19 Oct 1944.
» In-depth article
- German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel committed suicide with a cyanide capsule given by General Wilhelm Burgdorf.
» In-depth article
- British troops entered Athens, Corfu Island, and Piraeus, Greece.
- Soviet troops, accompanied by Yugoslav partisans, fought their way into Belgrade.
- Ann Baumgartner became the first American woman to fly a jet aircraft.
» In-depth article
- USS Hawkbill transited the Lombok Strait, Dutch East Indies.
» In-depth article
- The British 14th Army in Burma recorded a 84% malaria rate.
- USS Ray's conning tower suffered flooding while she dove to escape an approaching Japanese patrol aircraft in the South China Sea; she would sail to Mios Woendi near Biak, Dutch East Indies for repairs.
» In-depth article
Pacific Ocean
- USS Alabama shot down three attacking Japanese aircraft while operating south of Taiwan.
» In-depth article
Taiwan
- USS Cassin Young shot down several Japanese aircraft off Taiwan, suffered five men wounded by machine gun fire.
» In-depth article
Yugoslavia
- Soviet 4th Guards Mechanized Corps and Yugoslavian 12th Corps penetrated Axis defensive lines south of Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 14 Oct 1944
See all photos dated 14 Oct 1944
15 Oct 1944
- Japanese Navy Captain Nobuei Morishita, commanding officer of Yamato, was promoted to the rank of rear admiral.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Prinz Eugen collided with light cruiser Leipzig by accident north of Hela (Hel, Poland) in the Baltic Sea, causing light damage.
» In-depth article
- Damaged German battleship Tirpitz set sail for Tromsø, Norway at the speed of 10 knots.
» In-depth article
- USS Franklin was attacked by Japanese aircraft off of Luzon, Philippine Islands; 1 bomb hit and 2 near misses caused damage.
» In-depth article
- Shortly after announcing that Hungary would withdraw from the war, Admiral Miklós Horthy's son Miklós Horthy, Jr. was abducted by Sturmbannführer Otto Skorzeny's commandos. In Horthy's place, the new head of state, Fenenc Szalasi promised to maintain the alliance with Germany. Among the first pro-German policies implemented was the resumption of the deportation of Hungarian Jews.
» In-depth article
- German V-2 rocket hit Rettendon, Essex, England, United Kingdom. The village pub was damaged and two were slightly injured.
- USS Kete arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
» In-depth article
- Rear Admiral Masafumi Arima of the Japanese 26th Air Flotilla in the Philippine Islands attempted a special attack with a D4Y Suisei aircraft against an American carrier; it was said that "This act of self-sacrifice by a high flag officer spurred the flying units in forward combat areas and provided the spark that touched off the organized use of suicide attacks in the battle for Leyte."
» In-depth article
- Submarine Carbonero was launched, sponsored by Mrs. S. S. Murray.
» In-depth article
Hungary
- Miklós Horthy announced that Hungary and Soviet Union had signed an armistice and asked the Hungary troops to lay down their arms; the order was rejected by the Hungarian generals, and the troops continued to fight against the invading Soviets.
» In-depth article
Philippines
- USS Alabama supported landing operations on Leyte, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 15 Oct 1944
16 Oct 1944
- US First Army surrounded Aachen, Germany.
- Soviet units entered German territory as Goldap, East Prussia was captured.
- Martti Aho was awarded his second Mannerheim Cross medal.
» In-depth article
- Heinrich Himmler visited Nürnberg, Germany to personally inspect the repairs to the bunker which housed the Imperial Regalia of the Holy Roman Empire.
» In-depth article
- ShCh-307 attacked a merchant ship; both torpedoes missed.
» In-depth article
Italy
Japan
Photo(s) dated 16 Oct 1944
17 Oct 1944
- Pavel Haas passed away.
» In-depth article
- Adolf Eichmann returned to Hungary.
» In-depth article
- USS Croaker damaged a small Japanese sampan with the deck gun.
» In-depth article
- Vice Admiral Takijiro Onishi took command of the 1st Air Fleet based in the Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
- The US coastal minesweeper YMS-70 was lost in a storm off Leyte, Philippine Islands.
- USS Hawkbill arrived at Fremantle, Australia, ending her first war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Lavrentiy Beria informed Joseph Stalin that Viktor Abakumov had transferred 100 SMERSH personnel to reinforce the staff of the Main Information Directorate (under Piotr Kozuszko) of the Soviet-backed Polish Committee of National Liberation.
» In-depth article
Hungary
- The major Soviet attacks near Debrecen, Hungary, were held off by German troops.
» In-depth article
Japan
Pacific Ocean
- USS Escolar sent her final ship-to-ship message to her wolfpack mates USS Perch, after which she was never heard from again. She was probably mined in the Yellow Sea on or shortly after this day.
» In-depth article
Yugoslavia
18 Oct 1944
- USS Cassin Young screened carriers of Task Force 38 east of Luzon, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
- Erwin Rommel was given a state funeral.
» In-depth article
- Germany ordered the first Volkssturm call-up for all able-bodied men between the ages of 16-60.
- National German radio reported 50,000 officers have been killed since Sep 1939.
- Himmler was appointed as Commander of Heeresgruppe Oberrhein.
» In-depth article
- Red Army units crossed the Norwegian border.
- Allied troops captured Venray, the Netherlands.
» In-depth article
- Otto Skorzeny escorted Hungarian leader Miklós Horthy to Schloss Hirschberg in Franken, Germany via a special train.
» In-depth article
Dutch East Indies
- Yamato's deck was painted black with soot for the intended night operation in the San Bernardino Strait before departing Lingga for Brunei Bay, Boreno in the Dutch East Indies.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Musashi's deck was painted black with soot for the intended night operation in the San Bernardino Strait before departing Lingga for Brunei Bay, Boreno in the Dutch East Indies.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Destroyer Yukikaze departed Lingga to escort a task force to Brunei, Borneo in the Dutch East Indies.
» In-depth article
Hawaii
- USS Ticonderoga departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
» In-depth article
Philippines
- USS Marcus Island launched aircarft against Japanese positions in the Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
United States
- USS Springer was commissioned into service with Commander Russell Kefauver in command.
» In-depth article
US Pacific Islands
- USS Flying Fish arrived at Midway Atoll, ending her eleventh war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Seahorse arrived at Midway Atoll, ending her sixth war patrol.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 18 Oct 1944
See all photos dated 18 Oct 1944
19 Oct 1944
- Feldmarschal Model called off the attempts to relieve Aachen, Germany.
» In-depth article
- Hitler ordered the complete and total destruction of the city of Warsaw, Poland.
» In-depth article
- German 4.Armee withdrew from around Tilsit, East Prussia, Germany.
- USS Franklin launched an attack on the Japanese on Manila Bay, Philippine Islands sinking several ships and downing 11 aircraft.
» In-depth article
- A state funeral was held in Budapest, Hungary for the 26 Hungarian and German personnel killed during the kidnapping of Miklós Horthy, Jr. four days prior.
- Franklin Roosevelt relieved Joseph Stilwell from all commands in China and recalled him to the United States.
» In-depth article
Philippines
- Takijiro Onishi met with the senior staff officers of Japanese 201st Kokutai at Mabalacat airfield north of Manila, Philippine Islands, and asked for volunteers to form a special attack unit.
» In-depth article
Yugoslavia
20 Oct 1944
- USS Franklin provided support for campaign for the invasion of Leyte, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
- The "I have returned" speech was made by MacArthur as he landed at Leyte, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
Brunei
China
- Joseph Stilwell bid his final farewell to Chiang Kaishek at Chiang's home in Chongqing, China.
» In-depth article
Germany
Italy
Pacific Ocean
United Kingdom
- German V-2 rocket hit Croydon, London, England, United Kingdom, killing 6 and seriously injuring 14.
- Allied convoy JW-61 departed Liverpool, England, United Kingdom.
» In-depth article
Yugoslavia
- Soviet troops and Yugoslavian partisans liberated Belgrade, Yugoslavia in a joint operation known as the Belgrade Offensive; Dubrovnik was captured by Yugoslavian partisans.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 20 Oct 1944
See all photos dated 20 Oct 1944
21 Oct 1944
- German troops surrendered at Aachen, Germany.
- Canadian troops captured Breskens, the Netherlands.
» In-depth article
- German Jews who were previously protected by their Aryan spouses were now deported from Germany.
- The German RSHA office ordered that the Gestapo were given the permission to execute foreign laborers.
- USS Segundo arrived at Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands, ending her first war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Otto Skorzeny arrived at Wolfsschanze in East Prussia, Germany.
» In-depth article
- HMAS Australia was hit by a special attack aircraft off the Philippine Islands; it was unsure whether this was a Japanese Army or Navy aircraft as both branches launched tokko attacks on this date.
» In-depth article
- USS Chub was commissioned into service, Commander C. D. Rhymes, Jr. in command.
» In-depth article
- USS Gunnel started her seventh war patrol.
» In-depth article
China
- Joseph Stilwell departed Chongqing, China in the afternoon for the United States via India.
» In-depth article
Italy
Philippines
United States
- USS Astoria completed her repairs at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California, United States.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 21 Oct 1944
See all photos dated 21 Oct 1944
22 Oct 1944
- Yamato received Mitsubishi F1M2 aircraft from Nagato, then set sail for Operation SHO-I-GO.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- USS Franklin launched strikes in the Manila Bay area at Luzon, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
- Japanese fleets set sail for the Philippine Islands in search of a decisive confrontation with the US Navy.
» In-depth article
- US 83rd Infantry Division became part of the VIII Corps of the First Army of US 12th Army Group.
- USS Hoe arrved at Fremantle, Australia, ending her sixth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- The prototype Lockheed XP-58 aircraft, a two-seat bomber version of the P-38 Lightning fighter, was delivered to Wright Field for US Army Air Force acceptance tests, but maintenance proved such a liability that no further development was undertaken and construction of a second prototype was abandoned.
» In-depth article
- In an one-on-one conversation between Adolf Hitler and Otto Skorzeny, Skorzeny narrated the kidnapping of Miklós Horthy, Jr. and the attack on Castle Hill in Budapest, Hungary on 15 Oct 1944. Later in the same conversation, Hitler revealed to Skorzeny the plans for the Ardennes Offensive and asked him to plan a commando operation behind enemy lines in captured uniforms. When questioned the legal concerns of wearing enemy uniforms, Hitler told him that German intelligence informed him that the Americans had done the same in the Aachen, Germany area. Hitler ordered Skorzeny to have complete the planning by 2 Dec 1944.
» In-depth article
- USS Baya arrived at Fremantle, Australia, ending her first war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Sennet completed her training exercises off Connecticut and Rhode Island, United States.
» In-depth article
Netherlands
- The German 485 Mobile Artillery Detachment, responsible for launching V-2 rockets, arrived at the Hague, the Netherlands. It immediately began to set up their equipment for a renewed rocket campaign against London, England, United Kingdom.
Philippines
Photo(s) dated 22 Oct 1944
23 Oct 1944
- USS Franklin launched strikes in the Manila Bay area at Luzon, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
- USS Trepang arrived at Majuro, Marshall Islands, ending her first war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Tang attacked an escorted Japanese convoy consisted of three tankers, one transport, and one freighter. She penetrated to the center of the convoy without being detected and fired nine torpedoes, eight of which found targets. All five ships were sunk, and Tang was able to escape unharmed.
» In-depth article
- USS Snook attacked a Japanese convoy over the course of the day, firing a total of 20 torpedoes. Scoring 7 total hits, she sank passenger-cargo ship Shinsei Maru Number 1, tanker Kikusui Maru, and passenger ship Arisan Maru (which was carrying 1,800 American prisoners of war, many of whom did not survive).
» In-depth article
- USS Croaker sank a Japanese freighter with 1 of 4 torpedoes fired and damaged a schooner.
» In-depth article
- The first unmanned flight of the prototype Ohka aircraft was conducted over Sagami Bay, Japan.
» In-depth article
- HMS Activity arrived in Trincomalee, Ceylon.
» In-depth article
- After dark, USS Guitarro spotted the Japanese Center Force sailing toward the Philippine Islands and tracked this fleet through the Mindoro Strait.
» In-depth article
Hungary
- German III.Panzer Korps launched a counter attack near Debrecen, Hungary.
» In-depth article
- Hungarian and German soldiers rounded up Jews in the city of Budapest, Hungary.
» In-depth article
Italy
Pacific Ocean
- Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita transferred his flag aboard Yamato after his former flagship Atago was sunk by submarine USS Darter.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- US submarines Darter and Dace detected a Japanese fleet in the Palawan Strait and reported the movement. Darter sank cruisers Atago and Maya.
» In-depth article
Taiwan
- A passenger aircraft crashed near the Taiwan Grand Shrine on Yuanshan Mountain in Taipei, Taiwan, destroying a torii gate and other important structures of the shrine.
Photo(s) dated 23 Oct 1944
See all photos dated 23 Oct 1944
24 Oct 1944
- Japanese freighter Arisan Maru, carrying 1,782 Allied prisoners of war, was sunk by an American submarine. Only 9 POWs survived the sinking.
» In-depth article
- Shoji Nishimura passed away.
» In-depth article
- Toshihira Inoguchi passed away.
» In-depth article
- Japanese battleship Musashi was lost in the Battle of Sibuyan Sea to overwhelming American air power.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- USS Croaker attacked a Japanese convoy; firing a total of 13 torpedoes, 6 of them made contact, damaging two ships and sinking one freighter.
» In-depth article
- Oberleutnant Alfred Veith of the German Kampfgeschwader 55 wing was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
China
- USS Tang attacked an escorted Japanese convoy in the Taiwan Strait off the island of Niushandao, China, sinking five transports and tankers and one destroyer; among the sunken were, Kogen Maru and Matsumoto Maru.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 24 Oct 1944
See all photos dated 24 Oct 1944
25 Oct 1944
- During the first major special attack conducted by the Japanese Navy, pilot Yukio Seki sank carrier USS St. Lo while another suicide pilot damaged carrier USS Santee.
» In-depth article
- Heinrich Himmler issued orders on combating youth gangs such as Edelweiss Pirates, which had been known to harbor deserters, escaped prisoners of war, and escaped concentration camp prisoners.
» In-depth article
- Soviet troops captured the German base at Kirkenes, Norway.
- USS Cassin Young screened carriers while their aircraft engaged in the Battle off Cape Engaño.
» In-depth article
- USS Cod attacked a large Japanese convoy with all of her remaining torpedoes; all torpedoes missed. She shadowed the convoy for another day to report its movements before returning to her home port.
» In-depth article
- Ernest Evans passed away.
» In-depth article
- USS Tang attacked a Japanese transport, but the torpedo fired circled back and hit Tang, sinking her. Only 9 of the crew of 83 survived the sinking.
» In-depth article
- 34 American B-24 Liberator bombers that were originally destined for the synthetic oil plans at Gelsenkirchen, Germany were diverted to Münster instead, causing much destruction.
- The Fletcher-class destroyer USS Hoel was sunk by the Japanese cruiser Kongo off Samar, Philippine Islands.
- USS Pintado chased Japanese light cruiser Tama in assistance of USS Jallao off the Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
- USS Cabrilla arrived at Fremantle, Australia, ending her sixth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Destroyer Yukikaze assisted in the sinking of USS Johnston during the Battle off Samar off the Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
- Edward Brooks took command of the US VI Corps.
» In-depth article
Italy
Japan
Marshall Islands
United States
- USS Astoria departed San Francisco, California, United States.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 25 Oct 1944
See all photos dated 25 Oct 1944
26 Oct 1944
- 10 Lancaster bombers of No. 1 Group RAF conducted minelaying operations off Helgoland, Germany; one bomber was lost.
- USS Rock sank Japanese tanker Takasago Maru No. 7 with three torpedoes in the South China Sea.
» In-depth article
- George Giffard was mentioned in a despatch for his service in Burma and India.
» In-depth article
China
- B-24 and B-25 bombers of the US 14th Air Force attacked Japanese shipping off Leizhou Peninsula, Guangdong, China.
Japan
Marshall Islands
- USS Ticonderoga departed Eniwetok, Marshall islands for Ulithi, Caroline Islands.
» In-depth article
Philippines
- USS Marcus Island launched 12 aircraft to attack and shared the credit for the sinkings of Kinu and Uranami in the Vasayan Sea in the Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- A German V-2 rocket hit Palmers Green Station in North London, England, United Kingdom at 1845 hours; detonating next to a stationary train, it seriously injured 15 people, while 38 suffered minor injuries. Elsewhere, another rocket hit Ilford, London, killing 8, seriously injuring 15, and lightly injuring 20.
United States
- USS Brill was commissioned into service with Commander H. B. Dodge in command.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 26 Oct 1944
27 Oct 1944
- USS Franklin provided support for campaign at Leyte, Philippine Islands through 30 Oct 1944.
» In-depth article
- USS Rock fired nine torpedoes to scuttle the damaged submarine USS Darter on Bombay Shoal in the Spratly Islands; three hits were recorded.
» In-depth article
- Allied troops captured Den Bosch, Tilburg, and Bergen op Zoom in the Netherlands.
» In-depth article
- USS Snook fired 3 torpedoes at a Japanese tanker; all torpedoes missed the target, but another Japanese ship was hit by one of them, causing damage.
» In-depth article
- Rear Admiral Tomozo Kikuchi was named the chief of staff of the Japanese Navy 2nd Air Fleet.
- USS Cero damaged two small Japanese boats with gunfire west of the Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
Czechoslovakia
- Slovakian resistance fighters abandoned their headquarters in Banská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia.
» In-depth article
Taiwan
Photo(s) dated 27 Oct 1944
28 Oct 1944
- USS Sea Cat departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol.
» In-depth article
- German forces evacuated Albania.
- German forces in Netherlands started withdrawing to Walcheren in the face of Canadian pressure.
- German 4.Armee stubbornly resisted around Goldap, East Prussia, Germany, halting the Soviet advance.
- The Finnmark region of Norway was ordered by the Germans to be evacuated and destroyed. Nearly 50,000 people were forced to flee and over 10,000 homes are destroyed.
- HMS King George V departed Scapa Flow, Scotland, United Kingdom.
» In-depth article
Brunei
Czechoslovakia
- General Rudolf Viest sent a message to the Czechoslovakian government-in-exile in Britain that the organized resistance had ended.
» In-depth article
Italy
Japan
Russia
- Allied convoy JW-61 arrived at the Kola Inlet near Murmansk, Russia.
» In-depth article
- Historical document written: Armistice Agreement with Bulgaria
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 28 Oct 1944
29 Oct 1944
- Captain and Surgeon Shunroku Kagiyama became the commanding officer of hospital ship Hikawa Maru.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- Operation Obviate: 39 British Lancaster bombers attacked German battleship Tirpitz, scoring one near miss 15 meters to port.
» In-depth article
- The Köln, Germany archive noted that, overnight, British bombers dropped about 4,000 high explosive bombs and 200,000 incendiary bombs on the city.
» In-depth article
- Allied troops captured Breda, the Netherlands.
» In-depth article
- Dr. Graeme Warrack, a RAMC Colonel with 1st Airborne Division, who had been in hiding after the last Arnhem casualties in the Netherlands were transferred from hospital to POW camps, escaped and eventually, with the help of the Dutch Resistance, made his way back into the Allied lines.
- Major Fred Bollmann and Oberleutnant Werner Tho? of the German Kampfgeschwader 55 wing were awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
- Lavrentiy Beria informed Joseph Stalin that two NKVD regiments were being relocated to the Bialystok, Poland area to bolster total NKVD strength in the region to 4,000 men. The troops were used to suppress the activities of the Polish Home Army.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
- USS Ticonderoga arrived at Ulithi, Caroline Islands and joined Task Force 38 of Task Group 38.3.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- German V-2 rocket hit the Beckton Gas Works in London, England, United Kingdom.
Photo(s) dated 29 Oct 1944
30 Oct 1944
- USS Franklin was struck by a special attack aircraft, causing serious damage.
» In-depth article
- Allied troops captured Tholen and Goes in the Netherlands.
» In-depth article
- During an audience with Navy Minister Admiral Mitsumasa Yonai, Emperor Showa noted "It is truly regrettable that it should be necessary to go to this extreme, but they have done well", referring to the suicide tokko attacks on American naval vessels.
» In-depth article
- USS Guitarro made rendezvous with submarines USS Bream and USS Raton. After sundown, the wolfpack began attacking a Japanese convoy off Cape Bolinao, Luzon, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
Czechoslovakia
- German SS-General Hermann Höfle and leader of the Slovakian government Jozef Tiso jointly announced the victory over the uprising at Banská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia.
» In-depth article
Hungary
- The German counterattack near Debrecen, Hungary was called off, with the Germans claiming 25,000 enemy troops killed and 600 tanks destroyed; Soviet forces responded by starting their own offensive in the region.
» In-depth article
Italy
Japan
- Destroyer Yuzuki departed Sasebo, Japan, escorting carrier Junyo and cruiser Kiso for the Manila, Luzon, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
- Unryu arrived at Kure, Japan and became the flagship of Vice Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa's Mobile Fleet.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
Philippines
Taiwan
United Kingdom
- German V-2 rocket hit the Royal Victoria Dock at Earlham Grove, West Ham, London, England, United Kingdom at 1200 hours.
Photo(s) dated 30 Oct 1944
See all photos dated 30 Oct 1944
31 Oct 1944
- Commander John Ailes III became the commanding officer of USS Cassin Young.
» In-depth article
- 14,000 Jews were transported from Slovakia to Auschwitz Concentration Camp.
» In-depth article
- British troops occupied Salonika, Greece in order to prevent Greek Communists from taking over in the vacuum left by the retreating Germans.
- British troops established a bridgehead over the River Maas south of Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
- Canadian troops reached Walcheren, the Netherlands.
» In-depth article
- USS Kete departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Bernard Montgomery was awarded the Virtuti Militari V Class of Poland.
» In-depth article
- The US submarine Nautilus finished off the abandoned US submarine Darter with her 6-inch guns. The Darter had foundered on Bombay Shoal, Spratly Islands off Palawan, Philippine Islands on 25 Oct 1944 whilst in pursuit of the damaged Japanese cruiser Takao. All Darter's crew were rescued by the US submarine Dace.
» In-depth article
- The first manned flight of the prototype Ohka aircraft was conducted; the aircraft was equipped with two wing-mounted rockets and no fuselage-mounted rockets.
» In-depth article
- USS Guitarro fired eight torpedoes at 0847 hours at the Japanese convoy that she had been attacking since the previous day; six torpedoes made contact, and Guitarro claimed three sinkings, although only one sinking was confirmed.
» In-depth article
- USS Astoria arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
» In-depth article
- USS Gabilan sank oceanographic research vessel Kaiyo No. 6 in Japanese home island waters, hitting her with 1 of 4 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
Germany
- Robert von Greim was mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht radio report.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- A German V-2 rocket hit Swedish Yard of Surrey Commercial Docks in Bermondsey, London at 0256 hours, damaging several wheat containers. Another rocket hit the Royal Victoria Dock at Earlham Grove, West Ham in the afternoon.
- Allied convoy JW-61A departed Liverpool, England, United Kingdom.
» In-depth article
0 Nov 1944
Photo(s) dated 0 Nov 1944
1 Nov 1944
- Jinwei Wang passed away.
» In-depth article
- USS Blackfin sank Japanese cargo ship Unkai Maru #12.
» In-depth article
- Commandos and Royal Marines landed on Walcheren Island in the Netherlands to aid clearing German troops from Scheldt Estuary, capturing the towns of Vlissingen and Westkapelle.
» In-depth article
- Lord Gort was appointed the High Commissioner of the British Mandate of Palestine.
» In-depth article
- The Fletcher-class destroyer USS Abner Read was sunk by a Japanese dive bomber attack in Leyte Gulf, Philippine Islands.
- Vice Admiral Denshichi Okawachi was named the commanding officer of the Southwest Area Fleet and the 3rd Southern Expeditionary Fleet; Rear Admiral Kaoru Arima was named his chief of staff.
- USS Ray attacked a five-ship Japanese convoy, sinking cargo ship Horai Maru No. 7 and damaging a small tanker; all 3 torpedoes fired in this attack found their targets.
» In-depth article
China
Germany
- In Germany, Buchenwald Concentration Camp's satellite camp Dora became an independent camp called Mittelbau-Dora; it was to become an underground aircraft and V-weapon production site. The gas chamber at Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland was used for the last time, killing 206 Jews.
» In-depth article
Hawaii
- USS Dragonet departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol.
» In-depth article
Indian Ocean
- USS Barbero attacked a Japanese patrol boat with her deck gun in the Dutch East Indies, causing no damage.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- A German V-2 rocket hit Eglington Road in Woolwich, London, England, United Kingdom at 0210 hours, killing 7 people. At 0510 hours, another rocket hit Friern Road in Camberwell, London, killing 24 and injuring 17. A third rocket hit Shardeloes Road in Deptford, London at 1830 hours, killing 31, seriously injuring 62, and lightly injuring 90. Two other rockets hit London that day, though causing little damage.
United States
Photo(s) dated 1 Nov 1944
See all photos dated 1 Nov 1944
2 Nov 1944
- Satoshi Inoguchi passed away.
» In-depth article
- Canadian forces captured Zeebrugge, which was the last pocket of German occupation in Belgium.
» In-depth article
- Canadian 2nd Division withdrew from its Walcheren, the Netherlands bridgehead. Nearby, Allied troops captured Wissenkerke and Zoutelande.
» In-depth article
- All eligible German males were ordered to enlist in the Volkssturm under penalty of military court-martial.
- Bombers of the No. 550 Squadron RAF attacked Düsseldorf, Germany.
» In-depth article
- HMS Colsay was sunk by a German "Neger" human torpedo at Ostend, Belgium.
- In accordance with Dwight Eisenhower's plan, Bernard Montgomery ordered a complete redeployment of his Army Group in Europe. First Canadian Army now assumed responsibility for the front from the sea to the Reichsward near Kleve in Germany, whilst Second British Army was ordered to clear the Germans west of the Maas River from the huge pocket between Venray and Roermond in the Netherlands, and then to take over the American front north of Geilenkirchen in Germany known as the Heinberg Salientl.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
Hungary
Japan
Pacific Ocean
- USS Barbero sank Japanese transport Kuramasan Maru in the Dutch East Indies, hitting her with 2 of 9 torpedoes fired.,
» In-depth article
Poland
- Viktor Abakumov reported to Lavrentiy that up to 1 Nov 1944 his SMERSH personnel in Poland had arrested 499 persons, 82 of whom were already transferred to the Soviet Union while the remaining were detained at the Bialystok city prison in Poland.
» In-depth article
Russia
- Allied convoy RA-61 departed the Kola Inlet near Murmansk, Russia.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- Four German V-2 rockets hit London, England, United Kingdom on this date. One of them hit outside of a mental hospital at Banstead, killing 3 and seriously injuring 11. Another hit Deptford, killing 31.
Yugoslavia
- After halting the Soviet advance near Kresevo, Yugoslavia, German 2.Panzerarmee established a defensive line west of Belgrade.
» In-depth article
3 Nov 1944
- USS Gar began her fourteenth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Snook rescued a downed American airman in the Pacific Ocean.
» In-depth article
- USS Pintado fired six torpedoes at a Japanese carrier off the Philippine Islands, but hit escorting destroyer Akikaze instead, damaging but not failing to sink the destroyer.
» In-depth article
- Filipp Golikov was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for the third time.
» In-depth article
- Aleksandr Vasilevsky was awarded the Order of Red Banner for the first time.
» In-depth article
- Off Akmenrags, Latvia, ShCh-307 attacked a merchant ship at 2157 hours and another at 2213 hours; all four torpedoes missed.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
- Halsey personally inspected USS Franklin at Ulithi, Caroline Islands; she was the first major American ship to be damaged by "kamikaze" special attacks.
» In-depth article
- USS Alabama departed Ulithi, Caroline Islands.
» In-depth article
Czechoslovakia
- Slovakian resistance leaders Rudolf Viest and Ján Golian were captured in Pohronsky Bukovec, Czechoslovakia.
» In-depth article
Philippines
- USS Cero disembarked 15 tons of supplies and 16 troops north of Manila, Philippine Islands and took on four evacuees.
» In-depth article
Russia
- Boris Shaposhnikov was awarded his second Order of the Red Banner.
» In-depth article
- Semyon Timoshenko was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for the fourth time.
» In-depth article
- Georgy Zhukov was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for the second time.
» In-depth article
- Kliment Voroshilov was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for the fifth time.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 3 Nov 1944
4 Nov 1944
- Field Marshall Sir John Dill, the senior British representative on the Combined Chiefs of Staff, died from an illness at Walter Reed General Hospital, Washington, DC, United States. He was subsequently buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, United States.
» In-depth article
- Bombers of the No. 550 Squadron RAF attacked Bochum, Germany. Airman John Riley Bryne noted in his diary that "the target was a blazing inferno".
» In-depth article
- USS Kete refueled at Midway.
» In-depth article
- USS Guitarro and USS Bream shared the credit for the sinking of Japanese cargo ship Kagu Maru off Luzon, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
- USS Ray spotted Japanese cargo ship Kagu Maru, already burning from an attack by USS Bream, in the Philippine Islands; Ray fired two torpedoes at Kagu Maru, hitting her with one of them, blowing off her bow and sinking her.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- German V-2 rocket hit the golf course at Ilford, London, England, United Kingdom without causing any injuries.
Photo(s) dated 4 Nov 1944
5 Nov 1944
- British troops began landing at Salonika, Greece.
- German 4.Armee recaptured Goldap, East Prussia, Germany.
- USS Makin Island arrived at Eniwetok, Marshall Islands.
» In-depth article
Italy
- British troops captured Ravenna, Italy, cutting the rail line to Bologna.
» In-depth article
Japan
Philippines
- USS Ticonderoga launched Air Group 80 aircraft for strikes on Manila and surrounding targets on Luzon, Philippine Islands; 10 men and 5 aircraft were lost.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- A German V-2 rocket hit Collier Row in Essex County near London (now a part of London), England, United Kingdom at 0035 hours. Another rocket hit Penhurst, Kent, southern England at 0130 hours. At 0745, a third rocket hit Tooting Bec Common in southwest London. A fourth rocket hit an iron bridge in Southwark Park Road, Bermundsey, London at 1045 hours, damaging 250 feet of railway. At 1713 hours, yet another rocket hit Grovedale Road, Islington, London, killing 31 and seriously injuring 84.
United States
Yugoslavia
Photo(s) dated 5 Nov 1944
6 Nov 1944
- USS Sargent Bay departed to deliver aircraft to Philippine Islands area.
» In-depth article
- USS Tirante was commissioned into service with Lieutenant Commander George L. Street III in command.
» In-depth article
- The German garrison at Middelburg, the Netherlands surrendered to the Allies.
» In-depth article
- Bombers of the No. 550 Squadron RAF attacked Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Airman John Riley Bryne noted in his diary that "[i]t was really wonderful experience to see hundreds of kite's [sic] attacking the hun".
» In-depth article
- The wolfpack consisted of submarines USS Batfish, USS Guitarro, USS Bream, USS Raton, and USS Ray attacked Japanese convoy Ma-Ta 31 off Luzon, Philippine Islands. USS Guitarro scored three torpedo hits (nine torpedoes were expended) on Kumano while USS Ray's attack disabled the light cruiser.
» In-depth article
- USS Skipjack damaged a Japanese transport east of Hokkaido, Japan, hitting her with one of four torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- USS Ray attacked a Japanese convoy escorted by two cruiser, escorting vessels, and aircraft in the Philippine Islands; she fired four torpedoes, one damaging cruiser Kumano. When diving to escape the counterattack, she hit ground, causing flooding in the torpedo room. When she rose to periscope depth and observed Kumano being towed away.
» In-depth article
Japan
Philippines
- USS Ticonderoga launched Air Group 80 aircraft for strikes on Manila and surrounding targets on Luzon, Philippine Islands, destroying 35 Japanese aircraft.
» In-depth article
Russia
United Kingdom
- A German V-2 rocket fired from the Hague, the Netherlands intended for London, England, United Kingdom went astray, hitting Biscot Road, Luton 32 miles north of London instead. It killed 19 people and injured 196, while destroying 17 houses and damaging 1,500 others.
Yugoslavia
- Yugoslav partisans captured Monastir, Yugoslavia (now Bitola, Macedonia) which gave them complete control over the Greco-Yugoslav border.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 6 Nov 1944
7 Nov 1944
- Captain L. E. Gehres relieved Captain J. M. Shoemaker as the commanding officer of USS Franklin.
» In-depth article
- Franklin Roosevelt was re-elected to serve his fourth term as the President of the United States.
» In-depth article
- Vice Admiral Naosaburo Irifune was named the chief of staff of the Japanese Navy 11th Air Fleet.
- Adolf Galland inspected the newly created Jagdgeschwader 7 wing, which was equipped with Me 262 jet fighters.
» In-depth article
Japan
Poland
- 1,030 arrested Polish Home Army and other partisan fighters were placed on a special train at Bialystok, Poland for the NKVD-run Ostashkov Special Camp in Tver Oblast, Russia.
Turkey
- Colonel Otto Hatz, Hungarian military attaché to Ankara, Turkey, defected to the Soviets, bringing with him documents about the Hungarian Army and fortifications on the Danube River. In retaliation the Germans would put his parents and brother in a concentration camp, where his mother would die.
United States
- USS Hackleback was commissioned into service with Lieutenant Commander Frederick E. Janney in command.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 7 Nov 1944
8 Nov 1944
- For the first time, Hitler did not appear at the celebration of the Beer Hall Putsch anniversary; instead, he had Himmler read his speech for him.
» In-depth article
- At 1419 hours, German radio revealed the on-going V-2 rocket campaign against Britain to the world for the first time. The message was picked up by the BBC in Britain shortly after.
- 25,000 Jews were forced to walk over 100 miles in rain and snow from Budapest, Hungary to the Austrian border, followed by a second forced march of 50,000 persons, ending at Mauthausen Concentration Camp.
» In-depth article
- US 83rd Infantry Division became part of the Third Army of the US 12th Army Group.
- Allied troops captured Veere and Koudekerke in the Netherlands.
» In-depth article
- The first Operation Gen mission featuring special attack Kaiten submarines was launched from Otsujima in Tokuyama Bay in southwestern Honshu, Japan. This mission was launched more than a month behind schedule. Submarines I-36, I-37, and I-47 eached carried four Kaiten submarines for this mission.
» In-depth article
- The US submarine Growler was lost, presumed sunk by Japanese escort vessels, whilst attacking a Japanese convoy west of the Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
- Louis Mountbatten freed William Slim the responsibility in the Arakan region of Burma so he could focus on northern Burma. Additionally, Slim was also given the Indian 25th Division and the West African 2nd Division.
» In-depth article
- Viktor Abakumov and Lavrentiy Tsanava reported to Lavrentiy Beria that 1,200 Polish Home Army and other partisan troops were captured in Poland by this date. 1,030 of them were sent to the NKVD-run Ostashkov Special Camp in Tver Oblast, Russia by a special train on the previous day.
» In-depth article
Germany
- German Luftwaffe ace Major Walter Nowotny claimed his 258th victory as he shot down a B-24 Liberator bomber over Hesepe near Osnabruk, Germany. Moments later, his Me 262 jet fighter fell from the sky and exploded on the ground, probably hit by an American escorting P-51 Mustang fighter. The subsequent crash was witnessed by Adolf Galland and other officers, who immediately rushed to the crash site; they failed to find Nowotny's remains, only able to locate broken pieces of the pilot's Knight's Cross medal.
India
Pacific Ocean
- USS Gunnel sank Japanese motor torpedo boat Sagi in the South China Sea, hitting her with 1 of 3 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- USS Barbero sank Japanese tanker Shimotsu Maru in the South China Sea, hitting her with 3 of 11 torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
9 Nov 1944
- German troops on Walcheren Island, the Netherlands surrendered. Nearby, German troops withdrew from the Moerdijk bridgehead in the Netherlands across the Meuse River.
» In-depth article
Brunei
- Destroyer Yukikaze departed Brunei to escort a task force into the Sulu Sea.
» In-depth article
Italy
Pacific Ocean
Taiwan
- The Inrin Temporary Prisoners of War Camp and the Toroku Prisoners of War Camp, both in central Taiwan, were opened; Inrin was established at the site of a former school.
United Kingdom
- Allied convoy RA-61 arrived at Loch Ewe, Scotland, United Kingdom.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 9 Nov 1944
10 Nov 1944
- Hazel Lee was ordered to go to the Bell Aircraft factory at Niagara Falls, New York, United States to ferry a P-63 Kingcobra fighter to Great Falls, Montana, United States.
» In-depth article
- Destroyer Yuzuki arrived at Manila, Luzon, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
- USS Croaker arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her second war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Friedrich Christiansen was named the commanding officer of the German 25th Army.
» In-depth article
- Japanese troops captured the airfields at Guilin and Liuchow in China only to find that there were no B-29 facilities at either location. The American B-29 bases were actually further to the northwest at Chengdu in Sichuan Province.
Pacific Ocean
- USS Ticonderoga reversed course and traveled for the Philippine Islands at flank speed; she was located about 800 miles east of the Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- British government lifted the ban on reporting rocket attacks on Britain after Prime Minister Churchill announced to the Parliament that British cities had been under rocket attack "for the last few weeks"; German V-2 rocket attacks had in fact started on 8 Sep 1944, or more than two months prior to Churchill's announcement. On the same day, a V-2 rocket hit Goulson Street in Stepney, London, England United Kingdom, killing 19, seriously injuring 97, and lightly injuring 323.
Photo(s) dated 10 Nov 1944
11 Nov 1944
- US Third Army established 3 bridgeheads across the Moselle River in northern France. In response, German First Armee moved its headquarters out of Metz.
- The Aircraft Carrier USS Lexington (CV-16) was damaged by a kamikaze attack.
» In-depth article
- US 83rd Infantry Division became part of the VIII Corps of the First Army of US 12th Army Group.
- Destroyer Yuzuki departed Manila, Luzon, Philippine Islands, escorting carrier Junyo and cruiser Tone.
» In-depth article
- In Italy, 1st Brazilian Fighter Group (12th Air Force) commenced P-47 operations in squadrons formed exclusively by their own pilots and picking their own targets.
- USS Sennet departed northeastern United States for the Panama Canal Zone.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
Italy
- The first Brazilian Fighter Squadron (flying P-47D Thunderbolt aircraft) commenced operations with the 12th Air Force in Italy.
Japan
Philippines
- USS Ticonderoga launched Air Group 80 aircraft for strikes on Ormoc Bay, Leyte, Philippine Islands; 3 men and 1 aircraft were lost.
» In-depth article
Russia
- Allied convoy RA-61A departed the Kola Inlet near Murmansk, Russia.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- German V-2 rocket hit Shooters Hill, London, England, United Kingdom at 1830 hours, killing 24.
United States
Photo(s) dated 11 Nov 1944
12 Nov 1944
- Operation Catechism: 31 British Lancaster bombers attacked German battleship Tirpitz with Tallboy bombs, scoring three hits and several near misses. Tirpitz capsized, killing 971 out of the about 1,700 aboard. None of the Lancaster bombers were lost.
» In-depth article
- The Japanese Army Banda Squadron in the Philippine Islands launched its first tokko mission against American ships in Leyte Gulf, claiming the sinking of a battleship and a transport although the actual damage done to the Americans was minimal.
» In-depth article
- According to later statement by Indian soldier Havildar Changdi Ram, who was a forced laborer for the Japanese in New Britain, the Japanese Kempeitai beheaded an Allied pilot, cut flesh from his arms, legs, hips, and buttocks, and proceed to cook the flesh. The human flesh was consumed in the evening after a speech was made by a Japanese major general.
India
- Lieutenant-General Sir Oliver Leese was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Allied Land Forces South East Asia (ALFSEA).
» In-depth article
Japan
Mariana Islands
- USS Gabilan arrived at Saipan, Mariana Islands, ending her third war patrol.
» In-depth article
Poland
- 1,014 arrested Polish Home Army and other partisan fighters were placed on a special train at Bialystok, Poland for the NKVD-run Ostashkov Special Camp in Tver Oblast, Russia.
United Kingdom
- German V-2 rocket hit the Bromley Gas Works in West Ham, London, England, United Kingdom.
Photo(s) dated 12 Nov 1944
13 Nov 1944
- USS Caiman departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol.
» In-depth article
- General LeClerc's Free French troops attacked to the Upper Rhine out of Alsace, France.
- The Japanese Army Fugaki Squadron, based in the Philippine Islands, conducted its first tokko mission with five converted Ki-67-I Kai To-Go aircraft, without success.
» In-depth article
Philippines
- USS Ticonderoga launched Air Group 80 aircraft for strikes on Manila and surrounding targets on Luzon, Philippine Islands; 2 men and 4 aircraft were lost.
» In-depth article
Yugoslavia
Photo(s) dated 13 Nov 1944
See all photos dated 13 Nov 1944
14 Nov 1944
- General De Lattres's Free French troops launched a snow-bound attack against Belfort, France. To the north, US 95th Division started capturing forts around Metz, France.
- British troops attacked Andelse Maas, the Netherlands.
- American and Chinese troops began the main attack on the Burmese town of Bhamo.
» In-depth article
- Air Chief Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory died in an air crash; his body was not found until 4 Jun 1945.
» In-depth article
- USS Pintado set sail for Saipan, Mariana Islands, escorting the damaged submarine USS Halibut.
» In-depth article
- USS Skipjack sank a small Japanese vessel in the Kurile Islands with her deck gun.
» In-depth article
- USS Ray attacked a three-ship Japanese convoy in the Philippine Islands with a spread of 6 torpedoes; one hit a transport and another hit escort vessel. She claimed that both were sunk.
» In-depth article
Hawaii
Philippines
- USS Ticonderoga launched Air Group 80 aircraft for strikes on Manila and surrounding targets on Luzon, Philippine Islands; 1 aircraft was lost.
» In-depth article
Russia
- Lavrentiy Beria reported to Joseph Stalin that the arrest of Polish Home Army and other partisan fighters was nearly complete, and Viktor Abakumov and Lavrentiy Tsanava should be released from this task. This would be approved by Stalin shortly after.
United States
- Joseph Rochefort's appointment to lead the Pacific Strategic Intelligence Section of the US Navy was made official.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 14 Nov 1944
15 Nov 1944
- Seisho Maru departed from Moji, Japan with convoy MI-27 for Miri, Borneo.
» In-depth article
- USS Kete reached her patrol area in the East China Sea.
» In-depth article
- USS Bugara was commissioned into service with Commander A. F. Schade in command.
» In-depth article
- USS Hawkbill departed Fremantle, Australia for her second war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Light carrier Ryuho disembarked Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa and was relieved of duty as the admiral's flagship. As the Mobile Fleet was disbanded, she was transferred to Carrier Division 1 of the Combined Fleet.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
India
Japan
Photo(s) dated 15 Nov 1944
16 Nov 1944
- USS Trepang departed for her second war patrol.
» In-depth article
- US First and Ninth Armies began attacking east of Aachen, Germany, aimed at the Roer Dams.
- With sufficient ports now usable by the Allies in Europe, the Red Ball Express was shut down.
- German V-2 rocket hit Collier Row in Romford, Essex, England, United Kingdom, killing 12 and injuring 32.
- USS Segundo departed for her second war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Becuna departed Fremantle, Australia for her second war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Guitarro arrived at Fremantle, Australia, ending her third war patrol.
» In-depth article
- USS Astoria departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for Eniwetok, Marshall Islands after conducting 16 days of gunnery exercises in Hawaiian waters.
» In-depth article
- USS Ray fired two torpedoes at a grounded Japanese transport in the Philippine Islands; both torpedoes missed.
» In-depth article
Japan
- Destroyer Yukikaze departed Brunei, Borneo to escort a task force to Kure, Japan.
» In-depth article
17 Nov 1944
- Japanese physicist Yoshio Nishina reported to his army liaison officer Major General Nobuji that the atomic bomb research project under him had not made much progress in the past nine months. This was partly because his cyclotron could not operate at full power due to the poor quality vacuum tubes.
» In-depth article
- Seisho Maru was damaged by a torpedo from USS Sunfish in the East China Sea.
» In-depth article
- Vice Admiral Kinpei Teraoka was named the commanding officer of the Japanese Navy 3rd Air Fleet.
- USS Becuna damaged four Japanese ships: tanker San Luis Maru, tanker Tokuwa Maru, a transport, and cargo ship.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
- USS Ticonderoga arrived at Ulithi, Caroline Islands together with other ships of Task Group 38.3.
» In-depth article
Japan
Pacific Ocean
- USS Gunnel attacked a Japanese convoy in the South China Sea, sinking passenger-cargo ship Shunten Maru and damaging several ships; 16 torpedoes were expended during this attack, 7 of which scored hits.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- Allied convoy RA-61A arrived at Loch Ewe, Scotland, United Kingdom.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 17 Nov 1944
See all photos dated 17 Nov 1944
18 Nov 1944
- Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru arrived at Singapore.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- USS Sunfish sank Japanese transport Seisho Maru in the East China Sea at 0317 hours.
» In-depth article
- Adolf Eichmann ordered the deportation of 18,000 Jews from Budapest, Hungary to concentration camps.
» In-depth article
- US Third Army entered Germany proper.
- US XX Corps surrounded Metz, France.
- USS Snook arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her seventh war patrol.
» In-depth article
- The Ki-83 heavy fighter took its first flight.
» In-depth article
- USS Pollack arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
» In-depth article
- USS Astoria crossed the International Date Line.
» In-depth article
- Antrup Wilhelm was awarded Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
- Heinrich Höfer was awarded Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
Photo(s) dated 18 Nov 1944
19 Nov 1944
- US 95th Division fought its way into Metz, France.
- French 1st Armored Division reached the Rhine River near Strasbourg, France.
- Czechoslovakian communists issued a resolution from the city of Mukachevo, Slovak Republic requesting the separation of Subcarpathian Ruthenia from Czechoslovakia so that it could join Ukraine. The resolution was backed by the Soviet Union, but the Soviet Union agreed to put off negotiations for such a border change until the end of the war.
- USS Kete departed East China Sea due to heavy weather and malfunctioning bow planes.
» In-depth article
- The first successful test of a rocket-powered Ohka aircraft was conducted, leading to the formal authorization of production.
» In-depth article
- USS Pintado arrived at Tanapag Harbor, Saipan, Mariana Islands.
» In-depth article
- USS Baya departed Fremantle, Australia for her second war patrol in the South China Sea.
» In-depth article
- USS Ray rescued a downed pilot from USS Cowpens.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
- Japanese submarine I-37 was sunk by American ships off Ulithi, Caroline Islands; the four Kaiten submarines aboard that she was supposed to deliver for Operation Gen were also lost.
» In-depth article
Japan
Russia
- 1,030 arrested Polish Home Army and other partisan fighters arrived at the NKVD-run Ostashkov Special Camp in Tver Oblast, Russia by a special train after a 7-day journey.
United Kingdom
- German V-2 rocket hit a car park at Southborough Lane, Bromley in southeast London, England, United Kingdom, across from a crowded pub, at 2115 hours. 23 were killed and 63 were injured.
Yugoslavia
- Evacuating Germans faced an 85-mile traffic jam after the RAF destroyed the Drina bridge near Visegrad, Yugoslavia.
» In-depth article
20 Nov 1944
- USS Cod arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
» In-depth article
- For the last time, Hitler left the Wolfsschanze Headquarters for Berlin, Germany.
» In-depth article
- Chen Cheng was named the head of the political bureau of the Nationalist military.
» In-depth article
- William Menefee Wilcox was named the commanding officer of USS Pollack.
» In-depth article
- Chinese troops captured Mangshih, Yunnan Province, China.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
- Japanese submarines I-36 and I-47 each delivered four Kaiten submarines off Ulithi, Caroline Islands. Only one of the Kaiten submarines would find a target, setting the fleet oiler Mississinewa, full of aviation fuel, aflame.
» In-depth article
China
- He Yingqin stepped down as Chiang Kaishek's chief of staff for military affairs.
» In-depth article
France
- Jean de Lattre de Tassigny was awarded the Ordre de la Libération.
» In-depth article
Russia
- 1,014 arrested Polish Home Army and other partisan fighters arrived at the NKVD-run Ostashkov Special Camp in Tver Oblast, Russia by a special train after an 8-day journey.
Photo(s) dated 20 Nov 1944
21 Nov 1944
- USS Franklin arrived at Pearl Harbor.
» In-depth article
- Albanian partisan units liberated the capital city of Tirana, Albania.
- The Hinzert Concentration Camp became a satellite camp of Buchenwald Concentration Camp.
» In-depth article
Japan
United States
- USS Puffer completed her scheduled overhaul at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California, United States.
» In-depth article
Yugoslavia
Photo(s) dated 21 Nov 1944
22 Nov 1944
- Metz, France was captured by the Allies, although several of the surrounding forts refused to surrender.
- In Arakan, Burma, already wounded Sepoy Rhandari Ram crawled over open ground to attack a machine gun position pinning down his comrades. Shot again at point blank range, he still silenced the enemy with a grenade. He was later awarded the Victoria Cross.
- 10 Lancaster bombers conducted minelaying operations off Helgoland and at the mouth of River Elbe, Germany.
- Viktor Abakumov reported to Lavrentiy Beria that by 15 Nov 1944 59 Romanian-German intelligence personnel, 546 Romanian intelligence personnel, 180 German intelligence personnel, and 9 Hungarian intelligence personnel were arrested by SMERSH in Romania.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
United Kingdom
- German V-2 rocket hit Totty Street, Bethnal Green in the East End of London, England, United Kingdom. 25 were killed and 44 were injured.
23 Nov 1944
- Soviet troops entered Czechoslovakia.
- Four RAF Mosquito aircraft patrolled near Heligoland, Germany.
- Hazel Lee took off from Fargo, North Dakota, United States with a P-63 Kingcobra fighter, landing at Great Falls, Montana, United States shortly after 1400 hours. On the ground, her aircraft collided with another aircraft, causing serious burns.
» In-depth article
- USS Gar landed 16 men and 25 tons of supplies to Santiago Cove, Luzon, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
- USS Hoe departed Fremantle, Australia for her seventh war patrol.
» In-depth article
- T-44 medium tanks officially entered Soviet Army service.
» In-depth article
Italy
Japan
- Destroyer Yuzuki departed Kure, Japan, escorting carrier Junyo.
» In-depth article
Marshall Islands
- USS Astoria arrived at Eniwetok, Marshall Islands and celebrated the American holiday of Thanksgiving. Later in the day she departed for Ulithi, Caroline Islands.
» In-depth article
Yugoslavia
- The Macedonian area of Yugoslavia was declared free of Germans.
» In-depth article
24 Nov 1944
- The Royal Canadian Navy corvette Shawinigan was torpedoed off Newfoundland and went down with all 91 hands.
- Allied troops crossed the Saar River on the border of France and Germany.
- French 2nd Armored Division captured Strasbourg, France while French First Army captured Mühlhausen in Alsace, France.
- USS Kete arrived at Saipan, Mariana Islands.
» In-depth article
- Chinese troops captured Mengka, Yunnan Province, China.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
Japan
- The first B-29 bombing raid against Tokyo, Japan from Tinian in the Mariana Islands took place; 88 American aircraft participated in this mission.
» In-depth article
- Destroyer Yukikaze arrived at Kure, Japan.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- German V-2 rocket hit McCullum Road, Poplar in East End of London, England, United Kingdom at 2030 hours. 18 were killed and 53 were injured.
United States
Photo(s) dated 24 Nov 1944
25 Nov 1944
- Yoshimi Minami passed away.
» In-depth article
- French troops captured Belfort, France.
- Hazel Lee died from the wounds received during the landing accident two days prior.
» In-depth article
- USS Gar reported sinking a Japanese ship in daylight with her deck gun.
» In-depth article
- USS Mingo sank a Japanese tanker in a night time torpedo attack, hitting her with three of six torpedoes fired. She also damaged an escorting vessel with one of four torpedoes fired.
» In-depth article
- Yasoshima was sunk by American carrier aircraft west of Luzon, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
China
- He Yingqin was named the commanding officer of all ground troops in the China War Area, with headquarters in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China. In this role he was responsible for all actions in southwestern China.
» In-depth article
Italy
- US and Brazilian troops attacked Monte Castello 61 kilometers southwest of Bologna, Italy.
» In-depth article
Japan
- Destroyer Yukikaze departed Kure, Japan to escort battleship Nagato to Yokosuka, Japan.
» In-depth article
Philippines
- USS Ticonderoga launched Air Group 80 aircraft for strikes on Japanese positions in northern Luzon, Philippine Islands; 2 men and 2 aircraft were lost.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- A German V-2 rocket hit near the intersection of High Holborn and Chancery Lane, Holborn, London, England, United Kingdom at 1115 hours, killing 6 and injuring 292. At 1225 hours, another V-2 rocket hit across the street from the Woolworths store in Deptford, London, destroying the store and many nearby building, killing 160 and injuring 199 (77 seriously).
Photo(s) dated 25 Nov 1944
See all photos dated 25 Nov 1944
26 Nov 1944
- Heinrich Himmler ordered the destruction of the crematoria at Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp in attempt to hide evidence of mass killings. Dismantling work of Crematorium II of Auschwitz Concentration Camp began on the same day. First, the motor that pumped the air out of the gas chamber was removed and sent to Mauthausen Concentration Camp. Then, pipes were removed and sent to Gross-Rosen Concentration camp. Other equipment were removed in order and shipped into various parts of Germany.
» In-depth article
- Germany began V-1 and V-2 rocket attacks on Antwerp, Belgium.
- USS Making crossed the Equator. In the line cross ceremony, 800 pollywogs, including Rear Admiral Calvin Durgin and Captain William Whaley, were hazed and initiated by shellbacks who had previously crossed the line.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
Italy
- US troops captured Monte Belvedere and Monte Castello 61 kilometers southwest of Bologna, Italy; a subsequent German counterattack would recapture Monte Castello.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- A German V-2 rocket hits a Woolworth's shop on New Cross High Street, London, England, United Kingdom, killing 168 shoppers.
Photo(s) dated 26 Nov 1944
27 Nov 1944
- USS Franklin arrived at Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington, United States for repairs.
» In-depth article
- A mistake by an armourer at an underground bomb dump at Hanbury, near Burton-on-Trent, England, United Kingdom triggered a massive explosion as 4,000 tons of bombs went off at once. The blast instantly gouged a 12 acre hole in the ground and the tremors were picked up by seismolograph in Geneva, Switzerland and Casablanca, French Morocco. Forty people were killed in the blast, by falling debris or by suffocation trapped underground. The blast caused a nearby reservoir to collapse and six million gallons of rubble-filled water poured down into the bomb dump, killing 27 men working in the offices on the surface. The blast represented only 10 percent of the explosives in the dump. If the lot had gone off, it would have cause a bigger explosion than the atomic bombs dropped on Japan. Today there is still a crater a quarter-mile wide and 100 feet deep at the site which is sealed off because of the unexploded bombs still lying beneath the surface.
- The German prison ship, Rigel, carrying 2,248 Soviet prisoners of war, was sunk in error by British carrier-borne aircraft off the coast of Norway. Only 415 survived.
- The US submarine chaser SC-744 was sunk by a Japanese special attack aircraft in Leyte Gulf, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
Hungary
- Soviet forces pierced the German-Hungarian defense and captured Mohács, Hungary.
» In-depth article
Japan
United States
- Franklin Roosevelt departed Washington DC, United States for Warm Springs, Georgia, United States by train.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 27 Nov 1944
28 Nov 1944
- Allies began to operate the port in Antwerp, Belgium.
» In-depth article
- US Ninth Army reached the Roer River in Germany.
- French First Army surrounded Burnhaupt-le-Bas, France, but not before most of German LXIII Korps escaped.
- Albania was liberated by the Albanian partisans.
Burma
Italy
- German troops captured Monte Belvedere 61 kilometers southwest of Bologna, Italy.
» In-depth article
Japan
- Shinano departed Yokosuka, Japan with 2,175 officers and crew, 300 shipyard workers, and 40 civilians on board at 1800 hours, escorted by destroyers Isokaze, Yukikaze, and Hamakaze.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
United States
- USS Wake Island arrived at San Francisco, California, United States.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 28 Nov 1944
29 Nov 1944
- Destroyer Yukikaze rescued survivors of carrier Shinano in the Inland Sea in Japan.
» In-depth article
Hungary
- Soviet and Yugoslavian troops crossed the Danube River, taking large swathes of southwestern Hungary.
» In-depth article
Italy
- Three Brazilian battalions attacked Monte Castello 61 kilometers southwest of Bologna, Italy at 0700 hours. The poor weather precluded support from the air and by the attached three platoons of US tanks. The attack was repulsed by the afternoon.
» In-depth article
Pacific Ocean
- USS Archer-Fish damaged Shinano at 0315 hours with 4 of 6 torpedoes fired, causing flooding on the starboard side of the carrier. Shinano would capsize at 1057 hours.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
Panama Canal Zone
United Kingdom
- Allied convoy JW-62 departed Loch Ewe, Scotland, United Kingdom.
» In-depth article
United States
- USS Wake Island took on two new air squadrons and departed San Francisco, California, United States.
» In-depth article
30 Nov 1944
- Former commandant and guards of Majdanek Concentration Camp were put on trial in Poland.
» In-depth article
- USS Gar arrived at Mios Woendi, Biak Islands, ending her fourtheenth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Destroyer Yuzuki arrived at Manila, Luzon, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
- At a cost of £9,000,000 (excluding the cost of her guns and their mountings), Britain's last Battleship, HMS Vanguard, was launched at Clydebank, Scotland, United Kingdom. Too late to see service in World War II, Vanguard would eventually be completed in Apr 1946.
- Sakawa was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
- U-869 was detached from the German Navy 4th Submarine Flotilla.
» In-depth article
- Ivan Bagramyan was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for the second time.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- German V-2 rocket at Shooters Hill, London, England, United Kingdom at 0100 hours, killing 23.
Photo(s) dated 30 Nov 1944
1 Dec 1944
- Jules Bastin passed away in the Groß-Rosen Concentration Camp in Germany.
» In-depth article
- Heinrich Himmler ordered the crematoriums and gas chambers of Auschwitz Concentration Camp dismantled and blown up.
» In-depth article
- HMS King George V departed Alexandria, Egypt.
» In-depth article
- Malaya was decommissioned from service.
» In-depth article
- U-869 was assigned to the German Navy 33rd Submarine Flotilla.
» In-depth article
- Chinese troops captured Chefang, Yunnan Province, China.
» In-depth article
- USS Skipjack attacked a Japanese destroyer in the Kurile Islands; all four torpedoes missed.
» In-depth article
- Walther Schellenberg was given command of the anti-Soviet counterintelligence units Walli I and Walli III, which he combined into Branch F of the Militärisches Amt (Mil Amt).
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
- USS Astoria conducted training operations off Ulithi, Caroline Islands.
» In-depth article
Hungary
- Hungarian Second Army was disbanded due to heavy casualties; the surviving units were incorporated into the Hungarian Third Army.
» In-depth article
Philippines
- USS Gunnel embarked 11 US naval aviators at Palawan, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
Russia
- Lieutenant General Ivan Gorbatyuk was named the head of the Soviet Directorate of the NKVD Troops for Guarding the Rear of the Red Army.
Photo(s) dated 1 Dec 1944
2 Dec 1944
- Edward R. Stettinius Jr. became secretary of state of the United States after the retirement of Cordell Hull.
- USS Hoe fired 7 torpedoes at a Japanese tanker, damaging her with 2 hits.
» In-depth article
- USS Parche ended her third war patrol.
» In-depth article
Caroline Islands
China
- He Yingqin traveled from Chongqing to Guiyang, Guizhou Province, China.
» In-depth article
Hungary
- SMERSH operatives attached to Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front arrested Hungarian Count István Bethlen in Hungary.
Photo(s) dated 2 Dec 1944
See all photos dated 2 Dec 1944
3 Dec 1944
- USS Sea Cat claimed sinking of a 10,000-ton Japanese ship; the credit was removed after the war.
» In-depth article
- US Third Army armored units penetrated the German Westwall defenses near Saarlautern, Germany. Meanwhile, the British 2nd Army mopped up the last German resistance west of the River Maas.
- Communist-controlled National Liberation Front (EAM) party in Greece staged a large demonstration in Athens, which broke out in violence; 28 were killed and 148 were injured. EAM forces attempted further attacks on government forces, but they were largely defeated jointly by British and Greek government forces by Jan 1945. This was to be a prelude episode to the 1946-1949 Greek civil war.
- The British Home Guard was ordered to stand down.
- Allied troops captured Blerick, the Netherlands.
» In-depth article
- The Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer USS Cooper was torpedoed and sunk by the Japanese destroyer Take in the Leyte Gulf, Philippine Islands.
Burma
United States
4 Dec 1944
- USS Sea Cat claimed partial credit in the sinking of a 5,000-ton Japanese ship; the credit was removed after the war.
» In-depth article
- USS Gar began her fifteenth war patrol.
» In-depth article
- Song Ziwen was named the acting chief of the Executive Yuan.
» In-depth article
Hawaii
- USS Spot departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol.
» In-depth article
5 Dec 1944
- The Japanese Navy 12th Air Fleet was reorganized to contain two air groups and one base force.
- USS Wake Island arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii and disembarked the aircraft she was ferrying.
» In-depth article
Hungary
- Two Soviet Armies under General Malinovsky advanced 60 miles in Romania and Hungary in 8 days.
» In-depth article
Italy
- The Brazilian Expeditionary Force was given the order to capture Monte Della Torraca southwest of Bologna, Italy.
» In-depth article
United States
- USS Cero entered Mare Island Navy Shipyard in Vallejo, California, United States for a scheduled overhaul.
» In-depth article
Photo(s) dated 5 Dec 1944
See all photos dated 5 Dec 1944
6 Dec 1944
- USS Trepang reached the Philippine Islands area off Luzon; in the evening, she attacked a Japanese convoy and sank three freighters.
» In-depth article
- The British 2nd Army was denied the prize of Arnhem in the Netherlands when the Germans demolished dykes and flooded the area between Arnhem and Nijmegen.
- Heinkel's He 162 Salamander jet fighter made its maiden flight. Manufacture of the He 162 was protected from Allied air attack by being built in an underground factory in a former salt mine at Tarthun near Magdeburg, Germany.
» In-depth article
- Submarines USS Segundo, USS Trepang, and USS Razorback sank all ships in a 7-ship Japanese convoy in the South China Sea.
» In-depth article
- Kaganovich was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
- Leutnant Erich Herkner of the German Kampfgeschwader 55 wing was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
Taiwan
- The Taihoku Prisoners of War Camp No. 5 near Taihoku (now Taipei), Taiwan was closed.
7 Dec 1944
- US 83rd Infantry Division became part of US VII Corps.
- Dwight Eisenhower, Bernard Montgomery, Omar Bradley, Arthur Tedder, and other Allied military leaders convened to discuss strategy. Eisenhower transferred US 9th Army to Montgomery's army group, but rejected Montgomery's notion that the southern army groups should be halted in order to make Montgomery's army group the sole attacking force.
» In-depth article
- Unryu was assigned to emergency reinforcement duty for Luzon, Philippine Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
Russia
- Allied convoy JW-62 arrived at the Kola Inlet near Murmansk, Russia.
» In-depth article
United Kingdom
- German V-2 rocket hit Canley Road in Hackney, London, England, United Kingdom.
United States
Photo(s) dated 7 Dec 1944
