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WW2 Events by Day of the Week
Putting the conflict into a realistic and relatable perspective.
Total Events: 148
for Sunday
1939
Sunday
September 3rd |
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British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain announces that Britain is officially at war with Germany. |
1939
Sunday
September 3rd |
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Athenia, a British passenger liner originating from Glasgow and traveling to Montreal, is targeted and sunk by German U-boat U-30 resulting the loss of 112 people. Athenia becomes the first naval casualty of the U-boat scourge in the Atlantic. |
1939
Sunday
September 10th |
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Polish forces at the Modline fortress some 20 miles north of Warsaw fall under siege to the German Army. |
1939
Sunday
September 17th |
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Soviet army elements begin their invasion of Poland from the east. Attacks occur near Vilnius and Bialystok. |
1939
Sunday
September 17th |
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Polish resistance at the Bzura River north of Lodz finally surrender to the Germans. Some 170,000 Polish prisoners are taken captive. |
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The Graf Spee goes on to sink four more Allied merchant vessels during the month of October. |
1939
Sunday
December 17th - December 31st |
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Finnish Army elements cross into Soviet Karelia, unleashing hell on the Russian 44th and 163rd Divisions. Some 27,000 Russian soldiers are killed. |
1939
Sunday
December 17th |
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Graf Spee Captain Hans Langsdorff mistakenly believes there to be a large Royal Navy contingent waiting for his exit out of Montevideo harbor. As such, he orders the Graff Spee scuttled. The German vessel is effectively eliminated from the war. |
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Stalin appoints a new commander to oversee the Winter War - General Semyon Timoshenko. |
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Finnish ground forces recover territory from the Soviet 54th Division at Kuhmo. |
1940
Sunday
February 11th - February 17th |
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The Soviet Army breaks through the defenses at the Mannerheim Line at Summa. Finnish Army units retreat. |
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Hitler orders his army forces towards Dunkirk for the final blow to the Allied cause. |
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Operation Dynamo - the all-out evacuation of Allied forces from Dunkirk - officially begins at 6:57 PM. |
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Over 850 British civilian vessels take part in assisting military forces off of French soil to awaiting transports in what would become the largest military evacuation in history. |
1940
Sunday
September 1st - September 30th |
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Italian forces, led by Marshal Graziani invade Egypt. During the month, the Italian army sets up a series of six defensive positions south of occupied Sidi Barrani known simply as Nibeiwa, Tummar East, Tummar West, North Sofafi, East Sofafi and West Sofafi. |
1940
Sunday
September 15th |
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Two massive bombing raids are conducted against Britain. The German Luftwaffe sees some 300 total RAF fighters airborne, showcasing Goering's gross estimate of total RAF air power. 80 German aircraft are lost in total. This day would go on to become "Battle of Britain Day". |
1940
Sunday
November 10th |
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The British naval force moving against Taranto comes under attack from Italian aircraft near Malta. |
1940
Sunday
November 10th |
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An Italian bomber is downed in the fighting near Malta. |
1940
Sunday
November 10th |
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Another Swordfish torpedo bomber is lost to mechnical failure. |
1940
Sunday
November 10th |
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The Italian invasion force is in full retreat, repelled by a combined Greek resistance and RAF effort after just two weeks. |
1940
Sunday
December 8th - December 9th |
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Aircraft of the Royal Navy are put into action against Italian forces dug in at Maktila and Barrani. Bombers are sent in to soften targets for the initial ground assault. |
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Operation Marita - the dual Germany invasion of Greece and Yugoslavia - is put into action. Twenty-four total divisions are involved, including some 1200 tanks. |
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The Greek Army surrenders to the Germans and Italians. |
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Axis forces officially occupy Athens, effectively signaling the end of Greek resistance. |
1941
Sunday
April 27th - April 30th |
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Operation Demon is activated, covering the evacuation of some 51,000 Allied troops from southern Greece via the Royal Navy. |
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German Admiral Lutjens orders that the Prinz Eugen break from the Bismarck. |
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Operation Barbossa is put into effect - the German invasion of the Soviet Union. |
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Russian army forces are encirlced at key cities across the Soviet Union. |
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General Guderian's Panzergruppe 2 meets General Hoth's Panzergruppe 3 in Minsk. |
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The Soviet 20th Army arrives in Smolensk. |
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The Soviet 19th Army makes its way into Smolensk. |
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Defenses across Smolensk are prepared under the direction of the Soviet 16th Army. |
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A report stuns the RAF by showcasing how only one-in-every-three RAF bombers actually it their targets. |
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The first seven-ship Royal Navy convoy arrives in Russia without incident, bringing with her supplies and Hawker Hurricane fighters. |
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The Germans take the supply line route of Tikhvin, located east of Schlusselburg. |
1941
Sunday
November 16th |
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By this date, Lieutenant-General von Manstein and his German 11th Army take most of Crimea with the exception of Sevastapol. |
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It is discovered that communication lines from Washington to Hawaii are down for the moment, forcing the US War Department to use a commercial telegraph service to warn forces on the Hawaiian Islands. |
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At 2:30PM Eastern Time, the Japanese diplomats in Washington finally visit with US Secretary of State Cordell Hull. With them is the Japanese declaration of war. |
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The attack on Pearl Harbor is over at 9:45AM. Over 2,400 people are killed and a further 1,178 are wounded. More die in the ensuing days while 1,104 sailors eventually perish within the hull of the battleship USS Arizona, its magazine stores ignited by a single Japanese bomb. |
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The second wave of Japanese Navy aircraft swoops in attacking targets of opportunity including auxiliary ships in the harbor and the all-important harbor facilities. |
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At 7:53AM, complete surprise by the Japanese Navy and the first wave begins their initial strike. This force is made up of 50 medium bombers, 43 A6M Zero fighters and 40 Kate torpedo bombers. Targets are the battleships hunkered down in the harbor and airfields used by the USAAF. |
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At approximately 7:15AM, the second wave of 167 Japanese Navy planes takes off from their carriers towards Pearl. |
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At 7:02AM, the Japanese attack wave is located on American radar by two US Army personnel who bring it to the attention of a junior officer. The officer, expecting a flight of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses to arrive that day, disregards the alert. |
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The Imperial Japanese Navy attack commences with their assault. The force is made up of 423 aircraft and converges on the Hawaiian Islands. |
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At approximately 10AM, a follow-up message is intercepted - meant for the Japanese diplomats in Washington - to delay handling of the previous message to the Americans until 1PM. The Americans now understand that an attack is imminent and the target is the US Naval fleet at Pearl Harbor. |
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At 9AM, the final Japanese message is broken down. It essentially directs its Washington envoy to break off diplomatic relations with America. |
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In conjunction with the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Wake Island is assaulted by a Japanese invasion force all its own - this under the command of Rear-Admiral Kajioka Sadamichi. |
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At 6:00AM, the first wave of 183 Japanese Navy aircraft takes off from their carriers, just north of Oahu, to make the 230 mile trek. The target is the US Pacific Fleet. |
1941
Sunday
December 28th |
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In the face of growing Soviet Army opposition, von Manstein calls off his offensive on Sevastopol. |
1941
Sunday
December 28th |
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More Soviet forces land near Kerch via amphibious transports, bolstering Red Army power in the area. |
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Three Japanese amphibious forces take on the Dutch East Indies. |
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Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaya, falls to the invading Japanese 5th Division. |
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The Soviet movement begins losing steam after consecutive weeks of fighting. Man and machine are beginning to show their limitations. |
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The Soviet Army officially retakes the Russian city of Kursk. |
1942
Sunday
February 15th |
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Singapore eventually falls to the might of the Japanese assault resulting in the capture of some 60,000 Allied prisoners against the cost of 2,000 Japanese soldiers. |
1942
Sunday
March 1st - March 30th |
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The whole Soviet 2nd Shock Army is lost near Novgorod. |
1942
Sunday
March 1st - April 30th |
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Hitler and his commanders flesh out Operation Blue - in invasion of the oil-rich Russian-held Caucasus. |
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The Avro Lancaster heavy bomber is inducted into RAF service. |
1942
Sunday
March 1st - March 30th |
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The Soviet offensive near Novgorod is stopped by German ground and air elements. |
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Rangoon, Burma falls to the Japanese. |
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By this date, the Japanese capture the Dutch East Indies with the occupations of Bali, Timor and Java. |
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Japan invades New Guinea. |
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The British Burma Army escapes anhilation in Burma. |
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Hitler issues the official Fuhrer Directive for Operation Blue. |
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Forces of the Imperial Japanese Army land at Tulagi of the Solomons island group. Subsequent develop ensures a base of operations for Japanese logistics in the region. |
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An Imperial Japanese Navy carrier force sets sail on patrol around the Solomons looking for American carrier battle groups. |
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American intelligence intercepts various Japanese communications and is able to piece together the intention to invade Port Moresby, New Guinea. |
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As the Allied defense along the Gazala line holds, Rommel is forced to change tactics, now concentrating his forces against the British 150th Brigade near Sidi Muftah. |
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Rommel orders his forces to begin defensive preparations across a 10 mile stretch. |
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The island of Attu is taken by Japanese forces. |
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The German 11th Army begins their assault on Sevastopol from the north at 2:30AM. |
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The German artillery guns cease fire on Sevastopol. The bombardment on the Soviets has spanned five days. |
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The 2nd South African Division under Allied General Klopper officially concede defeat and hand control of Tobruk to the Germans. |
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The German Army turns its attention towards the Volga. |
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The German 2nd Army and 4th Panzer Army launch their attack towards Voronezh near Kursk. |
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German forces reach the outskirts of Sevastopol. |
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By this date, over 90% of the Soviet defensive fortifications have fallen to the Germans. |
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German U-boats off the eastern coast of the US are relocated to better assault the merchant fleets streaming across the Atlantic. |
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The German German Army captures the strategic port of Yeysk and Krasnador on the Sea of Azov. |
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Army Group A captures the Maikop oil field on the Black Sea. |
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German General Paulus and his 6th Army is ordered to attack the Soviet city of Stalingrad. |
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Army Group B reaches the Volga River. |
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The Battle of the Eastern Solomons begins. |
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Rommel begins a new offensive starting from Bab el Qattara that becomes the Battle of Alam Halfa near El Alamein. The objective is the high ridge at Alam Halfa some 13 miles through the Allied defensive perimeter in the south. |
1942
Sunday
September 6th |
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The strategic Black Sea port city Novorossiysk falls to the Germans. |
1942
Sunday
September 13th |
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Japanese forces come within a half-a-mile of Henderson Field before being stopped and, ultimately, driven back. |
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The German drive against Tuapse is stopped by the Soviets. |
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Montgomery enacts Operation Supercharge and pulls some diversionary forces from his southern attacks to reinforce the north where losses continue to mount. |
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Allied mine-clearing operations begin whiel combat continues |
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The Germans enact a new offensive in the Caucasus. |
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Four Allied brigades have managed to break through the German defensive lines. |
1942
Sunday
November 1st - January 31st |
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Neither force can claim much action during this span. In time, US forces number some 58,000 troops while Japan can claim 20,000-strong. |
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The Caucasus town of Alagir is captured by the Germans. |
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The US Western and Central task forces tangle with Vichy French opposition. |
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The Allied invasion forces reach North African shores. |
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French General Mast surrenders to the British Eastern Task Force. |
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At Oran, French coastal guns destroya US transport with 200 soldiers aboard. |
1942
Sunday
November 15th |
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American paratroopers land at the airfield near Youks les Bains |
1942
Sunday
November 15th |
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Army Group A reaches as far as Ordzhonikidze and Mt. Elbus. |
1942
Sunday
November 22nd |
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Two elements of the Soviet Army meets at Kalach, effectively encircling the German 6th Army at Stalingrad. |
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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. |
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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. |
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German General Paulus formally surrenders his southern Stalingrad army to the Soviets. |
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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
Sunday
February 21st |
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The German forces at Kasserine Pass under Rommel await the Allied counter-offensive that never materializes. |
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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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The Allied D-Day landings in the North of France eventually render the French-German U-boat bases inoperable. |
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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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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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In an attempt to cut off the retreating Germans, the US 7th Army conducts a flanking amphibious attack. |
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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. |
1943
Sunday
December 26th |
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The German battleship KMS Scharnhorst and 5 destroyers engage convoy JW55B. |
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. |
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The US IC Corps and the French Expeditionary Corps arrive at Rapido River. |
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The Anzio beachhead is consolidated into a concentrated pocket on the orders of Lucas. |
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German Colonel-General von Mackensen takes control of the new 14th Army headquartered 30 miles west of Rome. |
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The German Luftwaffe begins heavy strafing attacks and bombardment of Allied forces. |
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The Allies suffer some 5,000 casualties in the Anzio action by this date. |
1944
Sunday
February 20th |
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The German attack is more or less repelled, at the cost of 5,500 German casualties. |
1944
Sunday
February 20th |
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Some 598 RAF bombers are sent airborne. |
1944
Sunday
February 20th |
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American bombers and fighters take to the skies in force in support of the new bombing campaign. They number over 1,000 bombers and 660 fighters in escort. Twelve industrial target locations across Germany are hit. 21 American aircraft are lost. |
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Official word comes down that the June 5th landings will be postponed due to inclement weather across the North Sea. |
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US Army forces reach Avranches and lay control the region. |
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The German 7th Army attempts a counter-attack at Avranches but the Americans manage to hold their ground. |
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Patton's 3rd Army arrives at Argentan. |
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The Falaise pocket is finally closed by the Allies. American and Canadian forces meet to complete the encirclement. German forces in Normandy are now trapped. |
1944
Sunday
September 17th |
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The US 82nd Airborne Division landing at Grave is successful in capturing its target bridge. |
1944
Sunday
September 17th |
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British paratroopers landing at Arnhem run straight into the 9th and 10th SS Panzer Divisions who are in the area ungoing refitting. The bridge at Arnhem is captured by British forces but the group is quickly cut off from help by the Germans. |
1944
Sunday
September 17th |
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The US 101st Airborne Division landing at Eindhoven and Veghel are successful in their capturing of bridges. |
1944
Sunday
September 17th |
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Operation Market Garden is activated. Parachute landings take place at Eindhoven, Veghel, Grave and Oosterbeek. |
1944
Sunday
September 17th |
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General Dwight Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe, approves General Montgomery's Operation Market Garden. |
1944
Sunday
November 12th |
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The KMS Tirpitz is finally destroyed at Troms by forces of the RAF. |
1945
Sunday
April 1st - April 30th |
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The USN is credited with sinking four German U-boats in what turns out to be the last recorded combat actions in the Atlantic Theater of War. |
1945
Sunday
April 1st - April 31st |
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The final raid, this by American medium bombers, is launched against Schweinfurt. |
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Two US Army and USMC divisions land along the southwest coast of Okinawa near Hagushi, meeting little resistance. The US 10th Army is commanded by Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner. Some 550,000 personnel and 180,000 soldiers take part in the fray. |
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Soviet forces advance towards Unter den Linden. |
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Twin Soviet offensives break the final defensive fronts of the Germans. |
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Soviet forces advance across the Spree River. |
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Naha is officially captured by American forces. The Orouku Peninsula to the south is now within reach. |
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By this time, the Japanese defenders have been seperated into three major fighting groups. The more raw recruits find it somewhat easy to surrender than fight to the death. |
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| All Events By Day of the Week |
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