8 Jan 1944

- In Castel Vecchio in Italy, the trial began for Count Ciano and 18 other Fascists Mussolini held responsible for his downfall. ww2dbase [Galeazzo Ciano | TH]
- Red Army troops captured Kirovograd, Ukraine. ww2dbase [TH]
- 23 RAF Mosquito aircraft attacked Frankfurt, Solingen, Aachen, and Dortmund in Germany; 2 aircraft were lost. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | CPC]
- General Sir Henry Wilson replaced General Dwight Eisenhower as Supreme Allied Commander in the Mediterranean Theater. ww2dbase [AC]
- USS Honolulu and USS St. Louis departed Tulagi, Solomon Islands and that evening conducted a bombardment strike against the Shortland Islands south of Bougainville. ww2dbase [St. Louis | Honolulu | Walden Ainsworth | Solomon Islands Campaign | Shortland Islands, Bougainville | DS]
- Repair ship Akashi performed repair work for armed merchant cruiser Kiyosumi Maru at Truk, Caroline Islands. ww2dbase [Akashi | Truk | CPC]
- Naka arrived at Truk, Caroline Islands with damaged transport Kiyozumi Maru in tow. ww2dbase [Naka | Truk | CPC]
- A Sino-American Cooperative Organization (SACO) team crossed the frozen Yellow River in Ningxia Province, China; they were headed toward Xamba, Suiyuan Province to establish the weather station Camp Four. ww2dbase [Ningxia | CPC]
- Patrol Boat No. 102 departed Balikpapan, Dutch East Indies at 1700 hours to escort the convoy consisted of oilers Nippon Maru, Kenyo Maru, and Kokuyo Maru. She was later joined by destroyers Shimakaze and Hayanami. ww2dbase [Stewart | Balikpapan, Borneo | CPC]
- USS Tang arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii. ww2dbase [Pearl Harbor Navy Base and Ford Island Naval Air Station | Tang | Honolulu, Oahu | CPC]
- US II Corps captured Monte Chiaia and Monte Porchia, Italy. ww2dbase [Advance to the Gustav Line | CPC]
- US Marine Corps squadron VMF-214 arrived at Turtle Bay fighter strip, Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides. ww2dbase [Espiritu Santo | CPC]
- Allied convoy RA-55B arrived at Loch Ewe, Scotland, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Arctic Convoys | Loch Ewe, Scotland | CPC]
- The first XP-80A prototype jet aircraft "Lulu-Belle" took its first flight with test pilot Milo Burcham in the cockpit. ww2dbase [P-80 Shooting Star | California | CPC]


8 Jan 1944 Interactive Map
Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis
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