Year 1944

WW2 War Diary for Sunday, May 21, 1944: Air War Germany: RAF bombers attacking Duisburg and dropping 2,000t of bombs. Home Fronts USA: Explosion on landing craft in Pearl Harbor, […]

WW2 War Diary for Saturday, May 20, 1944: Secret War Occupied Poland: Experimental V-2 falls in river Bug. Polish Underground drive cattle into river to hide intact rocket from German

WW2 War Diary for Friday, May 19, 1944: Mediterranean Italy: British armour and infantry overrun Aquino airfield, in Liri Valley; German anti-tank guns repulse attempted seizure of Aquino town. Americans

WW2 War Diary for Thursday, May 18, 1944: Mediterranean Italy: Poles occupy ‘Monastery Hill’ at Cassino. Politics UK and USSR agree that Rumania will be in Soviet sphere of influence;

WW2 War Diary for Wednesday, May 17, 1944: Mediterranean Italy: Kesselring orders evacuation of Cassino garrison. Sea War Indian Ocean: Carriers HMS Illustrious and USS Saratoga launch combined 85-plane strike

WW2 War Diary for Tuesday, May 16, 1944: Sea War Atlantic: Coastal Command planes sink 5 U-boats off Norway; 3 others seriously damaged (May 16-31). Air War Eastern Front: Russians

WW2 War Diary for Monday, May 15, 1944: Mediterranean Italy: Germans begin withdrawing from ‘Gustav’ Line to ‘Adolf Hitler‘ (‘Dora’) Line, immediately south of Rome. Home Front USSR: Death of

WW2 War Diary for Sunday, May 14, 1944: Mediterranean Italy: French break through at Monti Aurunci, north of Gaeta. Air War Britain: Night raid on Bristol and Southwest England by

WW2 War Diary for Saturday, May 13, 1944: Eastern Front Southern sector: German and Axis forces completely ousted from the Crimea, leaving behind 78,000 dead or prisoners. Mediterranean Italy: French

WW2 War Diary for Friday, May 12, 1944: Mediterranean Italy: Germans launch fierce counter-attacks along Gustav Line. Air War Germany: 800 US 8th Air Force bombers (46 lost), with heavy

WW2 War Diary for Thursday, May 11, 1944: Mediterranean Italy: 5th US AND BRITISH 8th ARMIES ATTACK GUSTAV LINE (Operation Diadem) on 48-km front, supported by MAAF (2,750 sorties) and

WW2 War Diary for Wednesday, May 10, 1944: Far East China: Chinese cross river Salween, near Burmese border, on broad front. Occupied Territories France: FFI (Free French Forces of Interior)

WW2 War Diary for Tuesday, May 9, 1944: Eastern Front Southern Sector: SEBASTOPOL CAPTURED BY RUSSIANS after 3 days’ heavy fighting. Air War Western Europe: Allied Air Forces begin large

WW2 War Diary for Monday, May 8, 1944: Western Front Britain: Eisenhower selects June 5 as ‘D-Day’ for Normandy invasion. Sea War Black Sea: Second phase evacuation of Axis forces

WW2 War Diary for Sunday, May 7, 1944: Air War Europe: US 8th Air Force despatches 1,500 planes to Berlin. US 9th Air Force B-26 Marauders and P-38 Lightnings attack