26 Dec 1944
  • US 83rd Infantry Division became part of the VII Corps of US First Army while being attached to the British 21st Army Group. ww2dbase [CPC]
Belgium
  • US Third Army under George Patton relieved the besieged city of Bastogne, Belgium. ww2dbase [Main Article | TH]
Burma
  • William Slim transferred 19th Division and 268th Armored Brigade from the Indian 4th Corps to the Indian 33rd Corps to hide from Japanese intelligence the fact that the 4th Corps was about to secretly move through the Gangaw Valley along the Myittha River for Meiktila, Burma. A fake 4th Corps headquarters was also to be set up at Tamu. ww2dbase [Main Article | CPC]
Caroline Islands
  • USS Wasp arrived at Ulithi, Caroline Islands. ww2dbase [Main Article | CPC]
  • Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz held an official court of inquiry aboard destroyer tender USS Cascade at Ulithi, Caroline Islands over the losses during Typhoon Cobra. No conclusions would be made on this date. ww2dbase [Main Article | CPC]
Hungary
  • Soviet armies surrounded Budapest, beginning a siege on the Hungarian capital that would last 102 days. More than a million civilians were trapped in the city during the fighting. By the time the city surrendered in Apr 1945, the Russians had lost 80,000 troops killed and 240,000 wounded; the Germans and Hungarians 38,000 dead and 62,000 wounded; 38,000 civilians had perished. ww2dbase [Main Article | AC]
Italy
  • Two Italian divisions and three German battalions launched an offensive in Toscana, Italy, capturing several towns and villages. On the same day, 19th Infantry Brigade of Indian 8th Infantry Division began to arrive in the region. ww2dbase [Main Article | CPC]
Japan Pacific Ocean
  • USS Segundo sailed through rough seas with crests up to 40 feet. A particularly large wave crashed over the submarine unexpectedly, and the great amount of water that got in damaged both master and auxiliary compasses. ww2dbase [Main Article | CPC]
United Kingdom
  • German V-2 rocket hit Islington, London, England, United Kingdom at 2126 hours, killing 68 and seriously injuring 99. The rocket left two craters, one 40 feet wide and 12 feet deep, the other 10 feet wide and 4 feet deep. ww2dbase [Main Article | Event | CPC]
United States
  • USS Ancon departed Charleston, South Carolina, United States. ww2dbase [Main Article | CPC]
Photo(s) dated 26 Dec 1944
Troops of US 101st Airborne Division watching C-47 Skytrain aircraft delivering supplies to their unit, Bastogne, Belgium, 26 Dec 1944German prisoners of war digging graves for killed men of US 101st Airborne Division, near Bastogne, Belgium, late Dec 1944American ambulance waiting outside a bombed building in Bastogne, Belgium while a searcher looked for persons injured during the ten-day defense by US 101st Airborne Division, 26 Dec 1944Map noting the objective of and actual ground gained during the German Arennes Offensive, 16-26 Dec 1944
See all photos dated 26 Dec 1944

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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Anti-aircraft gun crews aboard Light Carrier USS Langley roll with the ship in heavy seas in the South China Sea, Jan 18, 1945




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