14 Apr 1944
  • Red Army captured Tarnopol, Ukraine. ww2dbase [TH]
  • 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. 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. ww2dbase [Discovery of Concentration Camps and the Holocaust | CPC]
  • 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. ww2dbase [Döme Sztójay | CPC]
  • A major Chinese offensive was launched across the Burmese border against the Japanese. ww2dbase [CPC]
  • Destroyer USS Mansfield (DD-728) was commissioned with Commander Robert E. Brady, Jr. in command. ww2dbase [AC]
Australian New Guinea
  • 673rd Bomb Squadron (flying A-20 aircraft) of USAAF 417th Bomb Group was transferred from Dobodura Airfield to Saidor Airfield, Australian Papua. ww2dbase [Saidor Airfield | Saidor | CPC]
British Western Pacific Territories India
  • The British cargo ship, Fort Stikine, carrying 1,400 tons of explosives and 124 gold bars worth £1 million, caught fire in Bombay harbour, India and exploded, showering the docks with blazing debris. The blast and tidal wave which followed sank four ships and damage a further eleven, one of which, a troopship, was hurled out of the water and onto the roof of a warehouse. Half an hour later, the wreck of the Fort Stikine was devastated by a second massive explosion which threw debris 3,000 feet into the air and over a square mile of the docks and city. The two explosions killed 231 and injured a further 476. The bodies of more than 500 dock workers and civilians were also recovered, another 1,000 people simply disappeared and 2,000 were hospitalised. Eleven ships were lost. In 1960 a dredger working in the harbour recovered a single gold bar. ww2dbase [Bombay | AC]
Indian Ocean
  • British freighter Samuta rescued 38 survivors of American Liberty Ship Richard Hovey, which was sunk by Japanese submarine I-26 in the Arabian Sea on 29 Mar 1944. ww2dbase [Arabian Sea | HM]
United Kingdom United States Photo(s) dated 14 Apr 1944
People running for safety near the cargo ship Fort Stikine explosion, Victoria Dock, Bombay, India, 14 Apr 1944Smoke rising from Victoria Dock, Bombay, India during the cargo ship Fort Stikine explosion, 14 Apr 1944Victory and Liberty Ships at California Shipbuilding CorporationEssex-class Aircraft Carrier Hancock at the Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, 14 Apr 1944, the day before her commissioning.
See all photos dated 14 Apr 1944

14 Apr 1944 Interactive Map

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis




Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you.

Share this article with your friends:

 Facebook
 Reddit
 Twitter

Stay updated with WW2DB:

 RSS Feeds

Search WW2DB
Famous WW2 Quote
"The raising of that flag on Suribachi means a Marine Corps for the next 500 years."

James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy, 23 Feb 1945


Support Us

Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!

Or, please support us by purchasing some WW2DB merchandise at TeeSpring, Thank you!