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1943 WW2 Events Timeline
The tide begins to turn ever so slowly in favor of the Allies as 1943 proves pivotal.
Total Events: 108
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The H2S navigation system is delivered to the RAF for installation into bombers. |
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German forces at Terek retreat. |
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Soviet generals send in the formal request for surrender of the German 6th Army at Stalingrad, a request which is formally rejected. |
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The decision to abandon the Guadalcanal is made by Japanese autorities. |
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Soviet General Rokossovsky unleashes hell on the German 6th Army through thousands of artillery cannons and Katyusha rockets. |
1943
Tuesday
January 12th |
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Soviet troops make headway against the defensive lines at the Don River held by Hungarian and Italian troops. |
1943
Tuesday
January 12th |
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The Soviets enact Operation Spark and cut a path through the German lines clearing a path to Leningrad. This offers the citizens of the city some much needed foot rations. |
1943
Tuesday
January 12th |
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German Caucasus elements make it to their bridgehead over the Kuban River. |
1943
Wednesday
January 13th |
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German Army elements at Terek retreat to the Nagutskoye-Alexsandrovskoye position. |
1943
Thursday
January 14th |
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U-boat bases at Cherbourg and Lorient are targeted by the Royal Air Force. |
1943
Thursday
January 14th |
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In an effort to replenish and build up their army ranks along the East Front, German Generals proposed conscription service of the Baltic people for service . |
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The Japanese begin to withdraw their battered army units from Guadalcanal. |
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The German Panzer Corps at the Don are officially surrounded. |
1943
Tuesday
January 19th |
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The Soviets retake the city of Shlusselburg. |
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German forces at Voronezh retreat. |
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A Soviet offensive splits the German 6th Army at Stalingrad. |
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German forces at Armavir retreat. |
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German General Paulus formally surrenders his southern Stalingrad army to the Soviets. |
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A massive evacuation effort sees some 11,000 Japanese personnel moved fom Tenaro, Gaudalcanal. |
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A Presidential directive calls for some 250 American aircraft to begin offensive actions in the Atlantic. |
1943
Tuesday
February 2nd |
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The German Army north pocket at Stalingrad formally surrenders to the Soviet Army. |
1943
Tuesday
February 2nd |
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The liberation of Stalingrad is officially over. |
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The last remnants of the Japanese Army on Guadalcanal is evacuated from the island. |
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Gaudalcanal officially falls to the Americans. |
1943
Sunday
February 14th |
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At 4AM, elements of the 10th Panzer Division and 21st Panzer Division under General von Arnim, launch their attack at Allied forces near Sidi Bou Zid and Bir el Hafey. |
1943
Monday
February 15th |
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German General Erwin Rommel commences with his assault through Operation Morgenluft. His attack takes him towards Gafsa, Feriana and Thelepte. |
1943
Thursday
February 18th |
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General von Arnim and General Rommels forces finally meet at Kasserine. |
1943
Friday
February 19th |
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American armored forces hold up the German advanced at Kasserine Pass. |
1943
Saturday
February 20th |
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The Americans fold under the immense German assault and Kasserine Pass falls to the invaders. |
1943
Saturday
February 20th |
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US forces move in to stop the German advance around Tebessa. |
1943
Saturday
February 20th |
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The British 6th Armored Brigade moves towards Thala and Sbiba. |
1943
Saturday
February 20th |
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Allied units move from Le Kef for the counter-attack. |
1943
Sunday
February 21st |
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The German forces at Kasserine Pass under Rommel await the Allied counter-offensive that never materializes. |
1943
Monday
February 22nd |
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Allied forces hold the Germans in check at Sbiba, Tebessa and Thala, inflicting 2,000 German casualties and forcing Rommel to call for a retreat. |
1943
Thursday
February 25th |
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Rommel relocates his forces east and plans his defense against Montgomery and his 8th Army at the Mareth ine. |
1943
Thursday
February 25th |
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Kasserine is now firmly in Allied control, the Germans having retreated and Rommel's attention now elsewhere. |
1943
Monday
March 1st - July 31st |
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Any further British convoy runs to Russia are postponed as supplies are funneled to other areas of the Atlantic. |
1943
Monday
March 1st - March 31st |
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The German battleship KMS Scharnhorst makes its way to Norway, building up the already potent German Navy force that includes the KMS Tirpitz and KMS Lutzow. |
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RAF Bomber Command numbers total some 950 bombers of various types. Most important are the Avro Lancasters. |
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For the first time, RAF bombers make use of the "Oboe" navigational aid in a large-scale operation. |
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Allied aircraft are fitted with U-boat detecting radar systems. |
1943
Saturday
May 1st - May 31st |
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By the end of May, 43 U-boats are sunk to just 34 merchant vessels. |
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RAF bombers make their most famous raid of the war to date - this through Operation Chastise - as 19 Lancasters attack the dams at Mohne, Eder, Sorpe and Schwelme supplying power to the Ruhr industrial sector. 9,000lb bouncing mines are used in the successful attack. |
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Some 33 U-boats assail an Allied convoy. However, the streamlined Allied response nets zero ship losses and fatalities. The U-boats come up empty. |
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Due to dwindling results, German Admiral Karl Donitz calls back his U-boats from operations in the Atlantic. |
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The German U-boats are unleashed once more, this time operating in substantially smaller groups. |
1943
Tuesday
June 1st - June 30th |
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British and American authorities work together to formulate the Pointblank Directive - a combined air bombing campaign against the air production facilities of the German Luftwaffe. |
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The Allied D-Day landings in the North of France eventually render the French-German U-boat bases inoperable. |
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No fewer than eight German U-Boats shadow convoy PQ17. |
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The Germans enact Operation Citadel - the assault on the Kursk salient. The operation begins at 4:30am but major elements are delayed until 5:00am thanks to intense artillery attacks by the prepared Russians. |
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Soviet Marshal-General Rokossovsky and his Central Front army engage in a counter-attack against the German offensive. The counter-attack fails but is enough to slow the German 9th Army some. A measly 6 miles of territory is gained by the Germans. |
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German General Hoth and his 4th Panzer Army move into the salient, covering some 20 miles of territory. Their advantage brings them near Pokrovka. |
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The Allied invasion fleets sail out to Sicily. |
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Operation Husky begins. Target - German-held Sicily. Some 2,590 naval vessels take part in the invasion which encompasses two army groups of American and British forces invading at two different coasts of the island. |
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Soviet resistance to the German offensives is so intense that German General Hoth is forced to bring up his reserves and commit them to the fight. The advancing Germans are slowed evermore by the stinky Soviet defenders, also made up of deadly anti-tank teams. |
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15th Army Group begins their initial assault to the south. |
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US 82nd Airborne Division and British 1st Airborne Division paratroopers land at strategic locations across Sicily prior to the invasion force's arrival. |
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The British 5th Division takes Cassibile. |
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The Soviet Bryansk Front northeast of Kursk moves in on German General Model's 9th Army. |
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Soviet generals Zhukov and Vassilevky are given total control of the actions in and around Kursk by Stalin himself. |
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The Hermann Goring Panzer Division engages the US 1st Infantry Division at Gela. US forces are assited by offshore bombardment from Royal Navy ships and repel the German attack. |
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The Soviets commit more tanks against Hoth and his 4th Panzer Army. |
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Soviet General Sokolosky moves against German Army Group Center and the 9th Army in a counter-offensive. |
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A huge battle involving more than 1,000 tanks of the German and Soviet armies duke it out near Pokrovka. |
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Allied airborne elements parachute into Sicily and capture key bridges. However, a German counter-attack drives back any gains of the day. |
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By this date, some 478,000 Allied troops have landed on Sicily. |
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Adolph Hitler orders an end to Operation Citadel. |
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German Paratroopers repel Allied forces from the Primasole bridge. |
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The Allies control key airfields across the island, allowing air support more resources from which to work with. |
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British and American forces finally meet at Comiso and Ragusa. |
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Fighting in the Kursk salient officially ends. |
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The Primsole bridge is recaptured from the Germans. |
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US General George C. Patton and his fabled 7th Army move along the west of the island at speed, claiming the Sicilian capital of Palermo in the process. |
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German Army forces are pushed back to their original starting positions by this date. |
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With Mussolini deposed back in Rome, Hitler has few options but to plan a retreat for his overwhelmed forces in Sicily. As such, he orders an official withdrawel. |
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RAF bombers make use of "Window" foil strips to disrupt enemy tracking radars. |
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44,600 Hamburg civilians are killed by RAF bomber attacks. |
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Soviet forces of the Steppe, Voronezh and South-West Fronts initiate a new offensive against German Army Group South just outside of the Kursk salient. |
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After some time, the British finally capture the port at Catania. Though a vital and strategic victory, their advance delays the operation some. |
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Soviet Army forces move towards Kharkov, liberating the city of Belgorod in the process. |
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In an attempt to cut off the retreating Germans, the US 7th Army conducts a flanking amphibious attack. |
1943
Wednesday
August 11th |
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The evacuation of Axis forces from Sicily begins. |
1943
Wednesday
August 11th |
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The US 7th Army undertakes another amphibious jump to head off the German retreat. |
1943
Thursday
August 12th |
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Some 100,000 Axis soldiers are successfully rescued from Sicily. The rest are captured by advancing Allied forces. |
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The Aleutian Islands Campaign comes to a close. The Japanese invasion is ultimately repelled. |
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One last amphibious assault by the 7th Army is conducted. The Germans now in full retreat to the northern tip of Sicily. |
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The US 3rd Division gives the official "all clear" from their position in Messina. Operation Husky is a success and Sicily is firmly in Allied hands. |
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At around 4:50PM, elements of the 4th Bomber Group begin landing at their pre-determined bases in North Africa. Twenty-four aircraft from the group are noted lost. |
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At approximately 3:00PM, the 1st Bomber Group finally reaches its targets after incurring heavy losses from German fighters. Their bombing run ensues over Schweinfurt. |
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Sometime between 11:46AM and 12:09M, the 4th Bomber Group makes their bombing run on targets at Regensburg. |
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Some 250 German fighters, already alerted to the bomber group presence, are launched to repel subsequent air attacks. |
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At 11:18AM, the 1st Bombardment Wing finally takes off. |
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German Luftwaffe defense fighters attack the 4th Bombardment Wing formations passing over Germany. |
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Aircraft of the 4th Bombardment Wing take-off at 6:20AM in an effort to reach its target in daylight. |
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Bad weather delays the original 5:30AM launch time of the operation. |
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With only limited-range Allied fighter escorts, the first major air raid on Schweinfurt and Regensburg is launched. The air raid consists of 230 aircraft from the 1st Bombardment Wing and 146 aircraft of the 4th Bombardment Wing. |
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At approximately 6:00PM, elements of the 1st Bomber Group begin landing back at their UK bases. Some 36 aircraft are missing. |
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Kharkov is retaken by the Soviet Army. |
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German Army Group Center is in full retreat. |
1943
Wednesday
September 22nd |
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Royal Navy midget submarines attack the German battleship KMS Tirpitz. Though not sunk to action, she takes on enough damage to sideline her for six months. |
1943
Thursday
September 30th |
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By this date, the Soviet Army has established no less than five bridgeheads crossing the Dniepr River, keeping the Germans at bay for the time being. |
1943
Thursday
September 30th |
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The German Army falls as far back as the Dniepr River. |
1943
Thursday
October 14th |
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Some 291 USAAF bombers of the 13th Bombardment Wing are once-again launched against Schweinfurt. Though 30% of German ball-bearing production is knocked out, 60 American aircraft do not return to home bases in the UK. The high level of losses in these raids forces the USAAF to temporarily suspend long-range bombing attacks into Germany. |
1943
Monday
November 1st - November 30th |
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In this month, Allies convoys in the Artic resume their activities. |
1943
Thursday
November 18th |
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444 RAF bombs drop ordnance on the German capital of Berlin with only 9 loss to enemy fire. |
1943
Tuesday
November 30th |
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The British and Americans devise Operation Argument to counter the Luftwaffe threat through a round-the-clock bombing offensive; bad weather postpones any action. |
1943
Sunday
December 26th |
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At 7:30 PM, the KMS Scharnhorst is lost to action by Royal Navy surface warships, leaving just 36 of her crew alive. |
1943
Sunday
December 26th |
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The German battleship KMS Scharnhorst and 5 destroyers engage convoy JW55B. |
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| All Events By Day of the Week |
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