What happened in 1944

World9

• Apr 19The Japanese launch the Operation Ichi-Go offensive in central and south China.
• Jun 25Battle of Tali-Ihantala (the largest battle ever in the Nordic countries): Finland is able to resist the Soviet attack, and thus manages to remain an independent nation.
• Jul 21The Soviet-sponsored Polish Committee of National Liberation is created, in opposition to the Polish government-in-exile.
• Jul 25Operation Cobra: American forces launch an air and ground offensive against the German defenders in western Normandy, forcing them to retreat.
• JulBretton Woods systemAs the end of the war came into sight, 44 Allied nations agreed on the rules for postwar currencies. Only the dollar could be exchanged for gold, and other currencies were fixed to the dollar. The IMF and the World Bank were also set up here. The yen was fixed at 360 to the dollar in 1949.
• Aug 24As part of the Second Jassy–Kishinev offensive, the Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front liberates the city of Chișinău.
• Sep 14WWII: The Baltic offensive of Soviet troops begins.
• Oct 6The Dumbarton Oaks Conference concludes.
• Oct 10WWII: Soviet forces reach the Baltic Sea coast in Lithuania, cutting off German Army Group North and creating the Courland Pocket.

Japan2

• Feb 17WWII: Pacific War – The Battle of Eniwetok begins when U.S. forces invade the atoll in the Marshall Islands.
• Oct 25WWII: Japanese aircraft launch their first organized kamikaze attack on United States ships during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

North America14

• Feb 23The Battle of Eniwetok concludes when U.S. forces secure the last islands in the Eniwetok Atoll.
• Mar 2The 16th Academy Awards Ceremony is held, the first Oscar ceremony held at a large public venue, Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Casablanca, directed by Michael Curtiz, wins the Award for Best Picture.
• Mar 20Landing on Emirau: 4,000 United States Marines land on Emirau Island in the Bismarck Archipelago to develop an airbase, as part of Operation Cartwheel.
• Jun 15WWII: Battle of Saipan: United States forces land on Saipan.
• Jul 1The United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference begins at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, United States.
• Jul 4WWII: Operation Windsor: Canadian forces of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division attack Carpiquet airfield defended by German troops of the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend of Panzergruppe West.
• Jul 17Port Chicago disaster: The SS E. A. Bryan, loaded with ammunition, explodes at the Port Chicago, California, Naval Magazine, killing 320 sailors and civilian personnel.
• Jul 21Battle of Guam: American troops land on Guam (the battle ends August 10).
• Jul 22The Bretton Woods Conference ends with agreements signed to set up the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and International Monetary Fund.
• Oct 5WWII: Royal Canadian Air Force pilots from 401 Squadron shoot down the first German Me 262 over the Netherlands.
• Nov 1Delegates of 52 nations meet at the International Civil Aviation Conference in Chicago, to plan for postwar international cooperation, framing the constitution of the International Civil Aviation Organization.
• Nov 71944 United States presidential election: Franklin D. Roosevelt wins reelection over Republican challenger Thomas E. Dewey, becoming the only U.S. president elected to a fourth term.
• Dec 7The Convention on International Civil Aviation is signed in Chicago, creating the International Civil Aviation Organization.
• Dec 15A USAAF utility aircraft carrying bandleader Major Glenn Miller disappears in heavy fog over the English Channel, while flying to Paris.

Europe64

• Jan 15The Battle of Monte Cassino begins in Italy. British forces cross the Garigliano River. U.S. Fifth Army troops, commanded by Lieutenant-General Mark W. Clark, arrive at the Garigliano, to begin their attack against the Gustav Line south of Rome. The French Expeditionary Corps, under command of General Alphonse Juin, moves into the mountains north of Monte Cassino.
• Feb 15WWII: Battle of Monte Cassino – The monastery atop Monte Cassino is destroyed by Allied bombing.
• Mar 15WWII: Battle of Monte Cassino: Allied aircraft bomb the monastery, and an assault is staged.
• May 15WWII: Allied military and political leaders, including Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, George Patton, Bernard Montgomery and more, meet for the final D-Day joint briefing at St. Paul's School in London.
• May 18Battle of Monte Cassino: The Germans evacuate Monte Cassino and Allied forces, led by Władysław Anders from Polish II Corps, take the stronghold after a struggle that has claimed 20,000 lives.
• Jun 5British Group Captain James Stagg correctly forecasts a brief improvement in weather conditions over the English Channel, which will permit the following day's Normandy landings to take place (having been deferred from today due to unfavourable weather).
• Jun 5More than 1,000 British bombers drop 5,000 tons of bombs on German gun batteries on the Normandy coast, in preparation for D-Day.
• Jun 17Iceland declares full independence from Denmark.
• JunV-2 rocketA ballistic missile used by Nazi Germany to attack London and other cities. In a June 1944 test it rose above 100 km, becoming the first human-made object to reach space. Its development was led by von Braun.
• Jul 20WWII: Adolf Hitler survives the 20 July plot to assassinate him led by Claus von Stauffenberg; he and his fellow conspirators in this and Operation Valkyrie are executed the following day.
• Aug 19Liberation of Paris starts with resistance forces staging an insurrection against the German occupiers.
• Aug 24Liberation of Paris: Forces of Free France are the first of the Allies to enter Paris.
• Aug 25German surrender of Paris:The Allies enter Paris in force and General Dietrich von Choltitz surrenders the city to them, in defiance of Hitler's orders to destroy it. This successfully completes Operation Overlord.
• Sep 5Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg constitute Benelux as representatives of the exiled governments sign the London Customs Convention.
• Dec 26Esztergom, Hungary, is captured by Soviet forces, beginning the Siege of Budapest.

49 more in the app

USSR / Russia4

• Mar 3WWII: The Order of Nakhimov and the Order of Ushakov are instituted in the USSR.
• Mar 15The Soviet Union introduces a new anthem, replacing The Internationale.
• Jun 22Operation Bagration: A general attack by Soviet forces clears the German forces from Belarus, resulting in the destruction of German Army Group Centre, possibly the greatest defeat of the Wehrmacht during WWII.
• Sep 19The Moscow Armistice between Finland and the Soviet Union is signed, ending the Continuation War.

Asia7

• Jun 22Burma Campaign: The Battle of Kohima ends in a British victory.
• Jul 3Battle of Imphal: Japanese forces call off their advance, ending the battle with a British victory.
• Oct 20American and Filipino troops (with Filipino guerrillas) begin the Battle of Leyte in the Philippines. American forces land on Red Beach in Palo, Leyte, as General Douglas MacArthur returns to the Philippines with Philippine Commonwealth president Sergio Osmeña and Armed Forces of the Philippines Generals Basilio J. Valdes and Carlos P. Romulo. American forces land on the beaches in Dulag, Leyte, accompanied by Filipino troops entering the town, and fiercely opposed by the Japanese occupation forces. The combined forces liberate Tacloban.
• Oct 23WWII: Naval Battle of Leyte Gulf in the Philippines – In the largest naval battle in history by most criteria and the last naval battle in history between battleships, combined United States and Australian naval forces decisively defeat the Imperial Japanese Navy.
• Dec 13Battle of Mindoro – United States, Australian and Philippine Commonwealth troops land on Mindoro Island in the Philippines.
• Dec 22The Vietnam People's Army is formed in French Indochina.
• Dec 31WWII: Battle of Leyte – Tens of thousands of Imperial Japanese Army soldiers are killed in action, in a significant Filipino/Allied military victory.

Oceania2

• Jan 31WWII: Battle of Kwajalein: American forces land on Kwajalein Atoll and other islands in the Japanese-held Marshall Islands.
• Sep 15WWII: The Battle of Peleliu begins in the Pacific.