What Happened in 1944

Battle of Saipan

The Battle of Saipan was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought on the island of Saipan in the Mariana Islands from 15 June 1944... Read more

Battle of Ancona

The Battle of Ancona was a battle involving forces from Poland serving as part of the British Army and German forces that took place between 16... Read more

Battle of the Philippine Sea

The Battle of the Philippine Sea (aka "The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot") was a decisive naval battle of World War II, and the largest aircraft... Read more

Transcontinental and Western Air Flight 277 Crashes on Fort Mountain

Transcontinental and Western Air Flight 277 was a C-54 Skymaster en route from Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador to Washington D.C. on June... Read more

Soviet Union Commences Belorussian Strategic Offensive Operation (Codenamed Operation Bagration)

Operation Bagration (Russian: Oперация Багратион, Operatsiya Bagration) was the codename for the Soviet 1944 Belorussian Strategic Offensive... Read more

Mogilev Offensive

As with the other offensives in the first phase of Operation Bagration, the Mogilev Offensive opened with a intense artillery barrage against the... Read more

British Forces Launch Operation Martlet

As planned, on 23 June elements of the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division's 152nd (Highland) Infantry Brigade launched a preliminary attack. Before... Read more

Vitebsk–Orsha Offensive

Army Group Centre's northern flank was defended by the Third Panzer Army under the command of Georg-Hans Reinhardt; the lines ran through marshy... Read more

Babruysk Offensive

In the southern sector of operations, where the 1st Belorussian Front under Konstantin Rokossovsky faced Hans Jordan's Ninth Army, the main Soviet... Read more

Main Attack of Operation Epsom

Poor weather hampered the start of Operation Epsom on 26 June—both over the battlefield itself, where rain had made the ground boggy and there was... Read more

Minsk Offensive

The offensive developed through three main phases: the breakthrough of the initial German defences along the Berezina; the advance of the Soviet... Read more

Polotsk Offensive

The 1st Baltic Front continued to extend its offensive westwards from June 30, pushing the shattered remnants of Third Panzer Army's IX Corps back... Read more

British Forces End Operation Epsom in the Face of German Counterattacks

Having been obliged to commit his last available strategic reserves to bring the British offensive to a halt, on 29 June Rommel requested... Read more

American Forces Capture the Port of Cherbourg

On June 18, the U.S. 9th Infantry Division reached the west coast of the peninsula. Within 24 hours, the 4th, 9th and U.S. 79th Infantry Division... Read more

"Worlds Collide" Begins

"Worlds Collide" is an intercompany crossover event presented in July 1994 in the Milestone Comics titles and the Superman-related titles published... Read more

Soviet Troops Overrun Treblinka Concentration Camp

The Germans had ordered that Treblinka II be dismantled in the fall of 1943. From July 1942 through November 1943, the Germans killed between... Read more

EDES-German Truce Ends as German Occupiers Begin Evacuation of Greece

When Italy surrendered to the Allies in the fall of 1943, German forces actively hunted down and, in some cases executed, the Italian soldiers and... Read more

Canadian Forces Launch Operation Windsor

Operation Windsor was a Canadian offensive launched as part of the Battle of Normandy during World War II. Taking place between 4–5 July 1944, the... Read more

Vilnius Offensive

Chernyakhovsky ordered that his main mobile 'exploitation' forces, the 5th Guards Tank Army and 3rd Guards Cavalry Corps continue their advance... Read more

Shyaulyay Offensive

Initial phase In July, 1944, The Soviet Operation Bagration had been achieving great success. Army Group Centre was in tatters, and the northern... Read more

Belostock Offensive

After completing its mission of liquidating the pocket east of Minsk, in which the Fourth Army had been trapped, the bulk of the 2nd Belorussian... Read more

Hartford Circus Fire

The worst tragedy in the annals of circus history occurred during the afternoon show of the Ringling Brothers Circus on July 6, 1944, at Hartford,... Read more

Operation Ostra Brama

Operation Ostra Brama (lit. Operation Sharp Gate) was an armed conflict during World War II between the Polish Home Army and the Nazi German... Read more

Operation Charnwood Begins

Operation Charnwood was a Second World War Anglo-Canadian offensive that took place from 8–9 July 1944, during the Battle of Normandy. The... Read more

Operation Jupiter (1944)

Operation Jupiter was an attack launched by the British Second Army's VIII Corps on 10 July. The objective of the attack was to capture the... Read more