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Timeline of World War II (1943)
Encyclopedia
This is a timeline of events that occurred during World War II
in 1943.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1943.
January 1943
- 1: German 1.Panzer Division withdrew from Terek area in southern Russia to prevent encirclement.
- 2: The Japanese are now cleared out of Buna, New Guinea after a fierce two-month struggle; it becomes clear that the American campaign was badly mismanaged.
- 7: Japanese land more troops at Lae, New Guinea.
- 9: United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Western Task Force reverts to I Armored Corps status. - 10: Soviet troops launch an all-out offensive attack on Stalingrad; they also renew attacks in the north (LeningradLeningradLeningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
) and in the CaucasusCaucasusThe Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
. - 13: The Soviet Union prematurely announces that the Leningrad siege has been broken.
- 14: Casablanca Conference of Allied leaders begins. Churchill and Roosevelt discuss the eventual invasion of mainland Europe, the impending invasion of Sicily and Italy, and the wisdom of the principle of "Unconditional SurrenderUnconditional surrenderUnconditional surrender is a surrender without conditions, in which no guarantees are given to the surrendering party. In modern times unconditional surrenders most often include guarantees provided by international law. Announcing that only unconditional surrender is acceptable puts psychological...
." - 15: The British start an offensive aimed at taking far-off Tripoli.
- 16: Iraq declares war on the Axis powers.
: RAF begins a two-night bombing of Berlin. - 18: The Jews in the Warsaw GhettoWarsaw GhettoThe Warsaw Ghetto was the largest of all Jewish Ghettos in Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II. It was established in the Polish capital between October and November 15, 1940, in the territory of General Government of the German-occupied Poland, with over 400,000 Jews from the vicinity...
rise up for the first time, starting the Warsaw Ghetto UprisingWarsaw Ghetto UprisingThe Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was the Jewish resistance that arose within the Warsaw Ghetto in German occupied Poland during World War II, and which opposed Nazi Germany's effort to transport the remaining ghetto population to Treblinka extermination camp....
.
: Besieged defenders of LeningradLeningradLeningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
link up with relieving forces. - 19: General Georgy ZhukovGeorgy ZhukovMarshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov , was a Russian career officer in the Red Army who, in the course of World War II, played a pivotal role in leading the Red Army through much of Eastern Europe to liberate the Soviet Union and other nations from the Axis Powers' occupation...
is promoted to Marshal as the Stalingrad struggle grinds to a close. - 20: USS SilversidesUSS SilversidesTwo submarines of the United States Navy have been named USS Silversides, for the silversides, a small fish marked with a silvery stripe along each side of its body.*The first Silversides , a Gato-class submarine, served during World War II...
attacked a Japanese convoy 286 miles from Truk, Caroline Islands en route to the Solomon Islands, sinking transport Meiu Maru and damaging Surabaya Maru. - 21: Last airfield at Stalingrad is taken by Red forces, ensuring that Goering's aircraft will be unable to supply German troops any further; Hitler still demands that Paulus continue the fight.
: Red Army armies have more victories in the Caucasus.
- 23: Allies capture TripoliTripoliTripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
, Libya.
: Japanese continue their fight in western Guadalcanal; they now seem to have given up completely on the Papua campaign. - 24: German forces in Stalingrad are in the last phases of collapse.
- 25: United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
XIV CorpsXIV CorpsXIV Corps may refer to:*XIV Corps *XIV Corps *XIV Corps , American Civil War Corps*XIV Corps , Imperial German Army Corps*XIV Corps *XIV Corps...
arrives in Pacific Theater. - 26: French forces enter Tripoli.
- 27: 50 bombers mount the first all American air raidAirstrikeAn air strike is an attack on a specific objective by military aircraft during an offensive mission. Air strikes are commonly delivered from aircraft such as fighters, bombers, ground attack aircraft, attack helicopters, and others...
against GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. (WilhelmshavenWilhelmshavenWilhelmshaven is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea.-History:...
, the large naval base, is the primary target). - 28: A new conscription law in Germany: men between 16 and 35 and women between 17 and 45 are open to mobilization.
- 29: The Japanese beat the Americans at the naval battle of Rennell IslandBattle of Rennell IslandThe Battle of Rennell Island took place on 29–30 January 1943, and was the last major naval engagement between the United States Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Guadalcanal campaign of World War II...
, near Guadalcanal; the USS Chicago is lost.
: Another two-day bombing of Berlin by the RAF. - 30: The last Japanese have cleared out of Guadalcanal by a brilliant evacuation plan undetected by the Americans.
- 31: Large parts of the German 6th Army at Stalingrad, including the now Field Marshal Paulus, surrender.
February 1943
- 2: In the Soviet UnionSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, the Battle of StalingradBattle of StalingradThe Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
comes to an end with the official surrender of the German 6th Army. The German public is informed of this disaster, marking the first time the Nazi government has acknowledged a failure in the war effort. - 2: Rommel retreats farther into Tunisia, establishing his troops at the Mareth line. Within two days, Allied troops move into Tunisia for the first time.
- 5: The Allies now have all of Libya under control.
- 5: Essen is bombed, marking the beginning of a four-month attack on the Ruhr industrial area.
- 7: In the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, it is announced that shoeShoeA shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot while doing various activities. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture to culture, with appearance originally being tied to function...
rationing will go into effect in two days. - 8: The ChinditsChinditsThe Chindits were a British India "Special Force" that served in Burma and India in 1943 and 1944 during the Burma Campaign in World War II. They were formed into long range penetration groups trained to operate deep behind Japanese lines...
(a "long range penetration group") under British General Orde Wingate begin an incursion into Burma.
: Nuremberg is heavily bombed.
: United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
VI CorpsVI CorpsVI Corps, 6th Corps or Sixth Corps may refer to:* VI Corps * VI Corps , a French force during the Napoleonic Wars* VI Corps...
arrives in North Africa. - 9: Guadalcanal is finally secured; it is the first major achievement of the American offensive in the Pacific war.
: Munich and Vienna are heavily bombed, along with Berlin. - 11: U.S. General Dwight D. EisenhowerDwight D. EisenhowerDwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
is selected to command the Allied armies in Europe. - 13: Rommel launches a counter-attack against the Americans in western Tunisia; he takes Sidi bou Zid and Gafsa. The Battle of the Kasserine PassBattle of the Kasserine PassThe Battle of the Kasserine Pass was a battle that took place during the Tunisia Campaign of World War II in February 1943. It was a series of battles fought around Kasserine Pass, a wide gap in the Grand Dorsal chain of the Atlas Mountains in west central Tunisia...
begins: inexperienced American troops are soon forced to retreat. - 14: Rostov-on-DonRostov-on-Don-History:The mouth of the Don River has been of great commercial and cultural importance since the ancient times. It was the site of the Greek colony Tanais, of the Genoese fort Tana, and of the Turkish fortress Azak...
is liberated by the Red Army; - 16: Soviet UnionSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
reconquers Kharkov, but is later driven out in the Third Battle of KharkovThird Battle of KharkovThe Third Battle of Kharkov was a series of offensive operations on the Eastern Front of World War II, undertaken by the German Army Group South against the Red Army, around the city of Kharkov , between 19 February and 15 March 1943...
.
: Prime MinisterPrime Minister of FranceThe Prime Minister of France in the Fifth Republic is the head of government and of the Council of Ministers of France. The head of state is the President of the French Republic...
of Vichy FranceVichy FranceVichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
Pierre LavalPierre LavalPierre Laval was a French politician. He was four times President of the council of ministers of the Third Republic, twice consecutively. Following France's Armistice with Germany in 1940, he served twice in the Vichy Regime as head of government, signing orders permitting the deportation of...
and Minister of Justice Joseph BarthélemyJoseph BarthélemyJoseph Barthélemy was a French jurist, politician and journalist. Initially a critic of Nazi Germany, he would go on to serve as a minister in the collaborationist Vichy regime.-Early years:...
formally create the Service du travail obligatoireService du travail obligatoireThe Service du travail obligatoire was the forced enlistment and deportation of hundreds of thousands of French workers to Nazi Germany in order to work as forced labour for the German war effort during World War II....
(STO) - 18: In a speech at the Berlin SportpalastSportpalast speechThe Sportpalast or total war speech was a speech delivered by Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels at the Berlin Sportpalast to a large but carefully selected audience on 18 February 1943 calling for a total war, as the tide of World War II had turned against Nazi Germany and its Axis allies.It is...
German propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels declares a "Total WarTotal warTotal war is a war in which a belligerent engages in the complete mobilization of fully available resources and population.In the mid-19th century, "total war" was identified by scholars as a separate class of warfare...
" against the Allies; The NazisNazismNazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
arrest the members of the White RoseWhite RoseThe White Rose was a non-violent/intellectual resistance group in Nazi Germany, consisting of students from the University of Munich and their philosophy professor...
movement, an anti-Nazi youth group.
: Chindits under Wingate cut the railway line between Mandalay and Myitkyina. - 22: HansHans SchollHans Fritz Scholl was a founding member of the White Rose resistance movement in Nazi Germany.-Biography:...
and Sophie SchollSophie SchollSophia Magdalena Scholl was a German student, active within the White Rose non-violent resistance group in Nazi Germany. She was convicted of high treason after having been found distributing anti-war leaflets at the University of Munich with her brother Hans...
are executed. - 21: Americans take the Russell Islands, part of the Solomons chain.
- 25: Japanese POWs refuse to work at Featherston prisoner of war campFeatherston prisoner of war campFeatherston prisoner of war camp was a camp for captured Japanese soldiers during World War II at Featherston, New Zealand. It had been established during World War I as the largest military training camp in New Zealand. At the request of the United States, in September 1942 it was re-established...
, this escalates into a deadly clash between the inmates and the guards - 26: Rommel retreats northward from the Mareth LineMareth LineThe Mareth Line was a system of fortifications built by the French between the towns of Medenine and Gabès in southern Tunisia, prior to World War II...
in Tunisia. - 28: The SS United Victory, the first Victory ship is launched; this class of transport will prove to be crucial in hauling men and supplies across the oceans.
: Operation Gunnerside, 6 Norwegians led by Joachim Ronneberg successfully attack the heavy water plant VemorkVemorkVemork is the name of a hydroelectric power plant outside Rjukan in Tinn, Norway. The plant was built by Norsk Hydro and opened in 1911, its main purpose being to fix nitrogen for the production of fertilizer. Vemork was later the site of the first plant in the world to mass-produce heavy water...
.
March 1943
- 1: Heinz GuderianHeinz GuderianHeinz Wilhelm Guderian was a German general during World War II. He was a pioneer in the development of armored warfare, and was the leading proponent of tanks and mechanization in the Wehrmacht . Germany's panzer forces were raised and organized under his direction as Chief of Mobile Forces...
becomes the Inspector-General of the Armoured Troops for the GermanGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Army. - 1: Battle of the Bismarck SeaBattle of the Bismarck SeaThe Battle of the Bismarck Sea took place in the South West Pacific Area during World War II. During the course of the battle, aircraft of the U.S. 5th Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force attacked a Japanese convoy that was carrying troops to Lae, New Guinea...
. United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
naval forces, over the course of three days, sink eight Japanese troop transports near New Guinea. Heavy losses of Japanese lives. - 2: Wingate's Chindits continue their localised strikes in Burma.
- 5: In early March, Rommel stirs up small attacks near the Mareth line, southern Tunisia.
- 5: German advances around Kharkov threaten Red Army earlier gains.
- 5: Continued RAF bombing of the Ruhr valley, particularly Essen.
- 6: Battle of Medenine, Tunisia. It is Rommel's last in Africa as he is forced to retreat.
- 8: Continuing German counter-attacks around Kharkov.
- 9: Members of The Calcutta Light HorseThe Calcutta Light HorseThe Calcutta Light Horse was raised in 1872 and formed part of the Cavalry Reserve in the British Indian Army. The regiment was disbanded following India's independence in 1947.-Operation Boarding Party:...
carry out a covert attack against a German merchantship, which had been transmitting Allied positions to U-boatU-boatU-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
s from the MormugaoMormugaoMormugao or Marmagao is a city and a municipal council in South Goa district in the Indian state of Goa. It is Goa’s main port. It was featured in the 1980 film The Sea Wolves and the Bollywood film Bhootnath....
Harbour in PortugalPortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
's neutral territory of GoaGoaGoa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
. - 10: The USAAF 14th Air Force is formed in China, under General Claire Chennault, former head of the "Flying Tigers."
- 10: The US House of Representatives votes to extend the Lend Lease plan.
- 11: The Germans enter Kharkov and the fierce struggle with the Red Army continues.
- 13: GermanNazi GermanyNazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
forces liquidate the Jewish ghetto in KrakówKrakówKraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
. - 14: The Germans succeed in taking Kharkov, lost to the Red Armies about a month ago.
- 16: The first reports of the Katyn massacreKatyn massacreThe Katyn massacre, also known as the Katyn Forest massacre , was a mass execution of Polish nationals carried out by the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs , the Soviet secret police, in April and May 1940. The massacre was prompted by Lavrentiy Beria's proposal to execute all members of...
in Poland seep to the West; reports say that more than 22,000 prisoners of war were killed by the NKVDNKVDThe People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
, who eventually blame the massacre on the Germans. - 16: Stalin for the ninth time demands a "Second Front," accusing his allies of treachery.
- 17: Devastating convoy losses in the Atlantic due to increased U-boat activity; the middle of the Atlantic apparently is not sufficiently covered by planes or ships.
- 18: General Patton leads his tanks of II Corps into Gafsa, Tunisia.
- 19: First Warsaw Rising, carried out by the Jews in the ghetto; the outcome is probably inevitable.
- 19: The Bermuda Conference opens, the subject being the plight of the European Jews; the Allies come to no solid conclusion.
- 20: Montgomery's forces begin a breakthrough in Tunisia, striking at the Mareth line. (This defensive line was originally built by the French to hold off Italian tanks and infantry.)
- 23: American tanks defeat the Germans at El Guettar, Tunisia.
- 24-25: 76 Allied PoWs escape from Stalag Luft IIIStalag Luft IIIStalag Luft III was a Luftwaffe-run prisoner-of-war camp during World War II that housed captured air force servicemen. It was in the German Province of Lower Silesia near the town of Sagan , southeast of Berlin...
in SaganZaganZagan may refer to:*Zagan - a demon in the Ars Goetia*Żagań - a town in west Poland...
. This becomes known as the "Great Escape". 73 were later recaptured; of these 50 were executedStalag Luft III murdersThe Stalag Luft III murders was a war crime perpetrated by members of the Gestapo following the "Great Escape" of Allied prisoners of war from the German Air Force prison camp known as Stalag Luft III on March 25, 1944. Of a total of 76 successful escapees, 73 were recaptured, mostly within days of...
, 23 were sent back to prison camps and three escaped to freedom. - 26: The British break through the Mareth line in southern Tunisia, threatening the whole German army. The Germans move north.
- 26: Battle of the Komandorski IslandsBattle of the Komandorski IslandsThe Battle of the Komandorski Islands was one of the most unusual engagements of World War II. It was a naval battle which took place on 27 March 1943 in the North Pacific area of the Pacific Ocean, near the Soviet Komandorski Islands.-Background:...
. In the Aleutian Islands United States NavyUnited States NavyThe United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
forces intercept JapaneseEmpire of JapanThe Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
attempting to reinforce a garrison at KiskaKiskaKiska is an island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska located at . It is about long and varies in width from - Discovery :...
. Poor leadership on both sides leads to a stalemate of sorts, and the Japanese withdraw without achieving their goal.
April 1943
- 1: Allies continue to squeeze the Germans into the corner of Tunisia; the seaport of Sfax is bombed. It will be taken on the 10th.
- 3: Racial tensions between American marines and New Zealand troops of Māori origin result in the Battle of Manners StreetBattle of Manners StreetThe Battle of Manners Street refers to a riot involving American servicemen and New Zealand servicemen and civilians outside the Allied Services Club in Manners Street, Wellington, New Zealand in 1943. The club was a social centre, open to all military personnel.In 1942-44 there were many American...
, a small-scale riot in which no lives were lost - 6: Hitler and Mussolini come together at Salzburg, mostly for the purpose of propping up Mussolini's fading morale.
- 7: Allied forces--the Americans from the West, the British from the East--link up near Gafsa in Tunisia.
- 7: BoliviaBoliviaBolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
declares war on Germany, Japan, and Italy. - 8: The Red Army attacks in an attempt to free all of the Crimea of German forces; they take Kerch in the East on the 11th, and the Germans retreat westward to Sevastopol.
- 11: The Germans offer an official surrender of SfaxSfaxSfax is a city in Tunisia, located southeast of Tunis. The city, founded in AD 849 on the ruins of Taparura and Thaenae, is the capital of the Sfax Governorate , and a Mediterranean port. Sfax has population of 340,000...
, but heavy fighting continues as other units move north. - 12: The last units of the Afrika Korps surrender in the northern corner of Tunisia.
- 13: Radio Berlin announces the discovery by WehrmachtWehrmachtThe Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
of mass graves of Poles purportedly killed by Soviets in the Katyn massacreKatyn massacreThe Katyn massacre, also known as the Katyn Forest massacre , was a mass execution of Polish nationals carried out by the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs , the Soviet secret police, in April and May 1940. The massacre was prompted by Lavrentiy Beria's proposal to execute all members of...
. - 15: Heavy RAF raid on Stuttgart.
- 18: Admiral Yamamoto, chief architect of Japanese naval strategy, is killed when his plane is shot down by American P38'sP-38 LightningThe Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
over Bougainville. He was on an inspection tour. - 18: The "Palm Sunday massacre"Operation FlaxOperation Flax was a Western Allied air operation executed during the Battle of Tunisia and North African Campaign of the Second World War. The operation was designed to cut the air supply lines between Italy and the Axis armies in Tunis Tunisia, in April, 1943...
: large numbers of German troop-transport aircraft are shot down before reaching Tunisia, where they were to pick up the isolated German troops. - 19: The Warsaw Ghetto uprisingWarsaw Ghetto UprisingThe Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was the Jewish resistance that arose within the Warsaw Ghetto in German occupied Poland during World War II, and which opposed Nazi Germany's effort to transport the remaining ghetto population to Treblinka extermination camp....
continues, with new German army units sent in to fight the Jewish Resistance. - 19: The Seraph sets sail, bound for near the Spanish coast, in Operation MincemeatOperation MincemeatOperation Mincemeat was a successful British deception plan during World War II. As part of the widespread deception plan Operation Barclay to cover the intended invasion of Italy from North Africa, Mincemeat helped to convince the German high command that the Allies planned to invade Greece and...
. - 26: The British finally take "Longstop Hill" in Tunisia, a key position on the breakout road to Tunis.
- 28: Allies attempt to close the mid-Atlantic gap in the war against the U-boats with long-range bombers.
- 30: Operation MincemeatOperation MincemeatOperation Mincemeat was a successful British deception plan during World War II. As part of the widespread deception plan Operation Barclay to cover the intended invasion of Italy from North Africa, Mincemeat helped to convince the German high command that the Allies planned to invade Greece and...
: Lt. Jewell's crew releases Martin's body near the Spanish coast. Later, the body washes up on the Spanish coast and is discovered by a local fisherman.
May 1943
- 1: Allies close in on the cornered Germans in the Tunis area.
- 2: Japanese aircraft again bomb Darwin, Australia.
- 7: TunisTunisTunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
captured by British First Army. Meanwhile the Americans take Bizerte. - 9: German and Italian forces in Tunisia announce surrender to British.
- 11: The Japanese kill over 30,000 in the Changjiao massacreChangjiao massacreThe Changjiao massacre was a massacre aimed at Chinese civilians by the Japanese China Expeditionary Army in Changjiao, Hunan. Shunroku Hata was the promoter. For four days, from 1943-05-09 to 1943-05-12, more than 30,000 civilians were killed and thousands of women were raped.-External links:***...
- 11: AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
troops invade Attu IslandBattle of the Aleutian IslandsThe Aleutian Islands Campaign was a struggle over the Aleutian Islands, part of Alaska, in the Pacific campaign of World War II starting on 3 June 1942. A small Japanese force occupied the islands of Attu and Kiska, but the remoteness of the islands and the difficulties of weather and terrain meant...
in the Aleutian Islands in an attempt to expel occupying JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese forces. The battle is difficult, including banzai charges. - 12: Trident ConferenceWashington Conference (1943)The Third Washington Conference was held in Washington, D.C. was a World War II strategic meeting from May 12 to May 27, 1943, between the heads of government of the United Kingdom and the United States. The delegations were headed by Winston Churchill and Franklin D...
begins in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
with Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin D. RooseveltFranklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
and Winston ChurchillWinston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
taking part. The discussions are mostly on future strategy. - 13: GermanGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Afrika KorpsAfrika KorpsThe German Africa Corps , or the Afrika Korps as it was popularly called, was the German expeditionary force in Libya and Tunisia during the North African Campaign of World War II...
and ItalianItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
troops in North AfricaNorth AfricaNorth Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
surrender to AlliedAlliesIn everyday English usage, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out between them...
forces. Allies take over 250,000 prisoners. - 15: The French form a "Resistance Movement."
- 16: The Dambuster Raids by RAF 617 Squadron on two German dams, Mohne and Eder; the Ruhr war industries lose electrical power.
- 16: The Warsaw Ghetto UprisingWarsaw Ghetto UprisingThe Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was the Jewish resistance that arose within the Warsaw Ghetto in German occupied Poland during World War II, and which opposed Nazi Germany's effort to transport the remaining ghetto population to Treblinka extermination camp....
ends. The ghetto is destroyed. - 17: Surviving RAF Dam BustersOperation ChastiseOperation Chastise was an attack on German dams carried out on 16–17 May 1943 by Royal Air Force No. 617 Squadron, subsequently known as the "Dambusters", using a specially developed "bouncing bomb" invented and developed by Barnes Wallis...
return. - 19: Winston ChurchillWinston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
addresses a joint session of the U.S. Congress. He praises the partnership of the two Allies. - 19: Propaganda Minister Goebbels announces that all the Jews have left Berlin.
- 22: Allies begin heavy bombing of Sicily and Sardinia, both possible landing sites.
- 24: Admiral Karl DönitzKarl DönitzKarl Dönitz was a German naval commander during World War II. He started his career in the German Navy during World War I. In 1918, while he was in command of , the submarine was sunk by British forces and Dönitz was taken prisoner...
orders the majority of U-boats to withdraw from the Atlantic because of heavy losses to new Allied anti-sub tactics.
:By the end of the month, 43 U-boats are lost, compared to 34 Allied ships sunk. This is referred to as "Black MayBlack May (1943)‘Black May’ refers to a period in the Battle of the Atlantic campaign during World War II, when the German U-boat arm suffered high casualties with fewer Allied ships sunk; it is considered a turning point in the Battle of the Atlantic.-Background:After February battles around convoys SC 118, ON...
". - 24: Josef MengeleJosef MengeleJosef Rudolf Mengele , also known as the Angel of Death was a German SS officer and a physician in the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. He earned doctorates in anthropology from Munich University and in medicine from Frankfurt University...
becomes Chief Medical Officer in Auschwitz. - 29: RAF bombs Wuppertal, causing heavy civilian losses.
- 30: The Japanese abandon Attu Island in the Aleutians.
- 31: American B-17's bomb Naples.
June 1943
- 4: General Henri GiraudHenri GiraudHenri Honoré Giraud was a French general who fought in World War I and World War II. Captured in both wars, he escaped each time....
becomes Commander of the Free French forces in North Africa. - 8: Japanese forces abandon Kiska Island in the Aleutians, their last foothold in the Western hemisphere. The event is almost to the year of their landing.
- 11: British forces take Pantelleria and Lampedusa, small islands between Tunisia and Sicily, after several days of bombardment.
- 13: Heavy US aircraft losses over Kiel.
- 17: Allies bomb Sicily and the Italian mainland, as signs increase of a forthcoming invasion.
- 20: Operation CartwheelOperation CartwheelOperation Cartwheel was a major military strategy for the Allies in the Pacific theater of World War II. Cartwheel was a twin-axis of advance operation, aimed at militarily neutralizing the major Japanese base at Rabaul...
opens with landings by the United States 4th Marine Raider BattalionMarine RaidersThe Marine Raiders were elite units established by the United States Marine Corps during World War II to conduct amphibious light infantry warfare, particularly in landing in rubber boats and operating behind the lines...
at Segi Point on New GeorgiaNew GeorgiaNew Georgia is the largest island of the Western Province of the Solomon Islands.-Geography:This island is located in the New Georgia Group, an archipelago including most of the other larger islands in the province...
in the Solomon Islands. It will not be secured until August.
- 22: The Red armies begin a major offensive.
- 23: American troops land in the Trobriand Islands, close to New Guinea. The American strategy of driving up the Southwest Pacific by "Island Hopping" continues.
- 24: Continuing attacks against the Ruhr industrial valley. One result is the evacuation of large numbers of German civilians from the area.
- 30: American troops land on Rendova Island, New Georgia, another part of Operation CartwheelOperation CartwheelOperation Cartwheel was a major military strategy for the Allies in the Pacific theater of World War II. Cartwheel was a twin-axis of advance operation, aimed at militarily neutralizing the major Japanese base at Rabaul...
.
July 1943
- 4: Exiled Polish leader General Władysław Sikorski dies in an air crash during his visit in Gibraltar.
: The Battle of KurskBattle of KurskThe Battle of Kursk took place when German and Soviet forces confronted each other on the Eastern Front during World War II in the vicinity of the city of Kursk, in the Soviet Union in July and August 1943. It remains both the largest series of armored clashes, including the Battle of Prokhorovka,...
begins. - 5: The Red Army take BelgorodBelgorod-Twin towns/sister cities:Belgorod is twinned with: Wakefield, England, United Kingdom Herne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia Opole, Poland Vyshhorod, Ukraine Kharkiv, Ukraine-External links:...
. - 6: The Battle of Kula GulfBattle of Kula GulfThe naval Battle of Kula Gulf took place in the early hours of 6 July 1943 during World War II and was between United States and Japanese ships off the coast of Kolombangara in the Solomon Islands.-Background:...
near the Solomons ends inconclusively. - 7: Rocket scientist Wernher von BraunWernher von BraunWernher Magnus Maximilian, Freiherr von Braun was a German rocket scientist, aerospace engineer, space architect, and one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany during World War II and in the United States after that.A former member of the Nazi party,...
briefs the V-2 rocket to Hitler, who approves the project for top priority. - 10: Operation Husky is launched. The Allied invasion of SicilyAllied invasion of SicilyThe Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major World War II campaign, in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis . It was a large scale amphibious and airborne operation, followed by six weeks of land combat. It launched the Italian Campaign.Husky began on the night of...
to liberate Europe began. - 11: 490 Poles are tortured and killed at DominopolDominopolDominopol was an ethnic Polish village, in Reichskommissariat Ukraine's Dominopol was an ethnic Polish village, in Reichskommissariat Ukraine's Dominopol was an ethnic Polish village, in Reichskommissariat Ukraine's (now Volyn oblast, Ukraine, now located in Ukraine.On July 11, 1943, at the...
- 12: The tank Battle of ProkhorovkaBattle of ProkhorovkaThe Battle of Prokhorovka was fought on the Eastern Front during the Second World War as part of the Battle of Kursk in the Soviet Union . Principally, the German Wehrmachts Fourth Panzer Army clashed with the Soviet Red Army's 5th Guards Tank Army...
, the largest tank battle in human history and part of the Battle of KurskBattle of KurskThe Battle of Kursk took place when German and Soviet forces confronted each other on the Eastern Front during World War II in the vicinity of the city of Kursk, in the Soviet Union in July and August 1943. It remains both the largest series of armored clashes, including the Battle of Prokhorovka,...
, is the pivotal battle of Operation Citadel. - 13: The Japanese won a tactical victory at the Battle of KolombangaraBattle of KolombangaraThe Battle of Kolombangara was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought on the night of 12/13 July 1943, off Kolombangara in the Solomon Islands.-Background:...
. - 19: The Allies bomb Rome for the first time.
- 21: The Operation BellicoseOperation BellicoseThe Operation Bellicose strategic bombing in World War II targeted the Nazi Germany Zeppelin Works in Friedrichshafen and the La Spezia, Italy, naval base and was the first use of shuttle bombing in World War II and the second use of a Master Bomber...
targeting of Friedrichshafen Würzburg radarWürzburg radarThe Würzburg radar was the primary ground-based gun laying radar for both the Luftwaffe and the German Army during World War II. Initial development took place before the war, entering service in 1940. Eventually over 4,000 Würzburgs of various models were produced...
s is the first bombing of a V-2 rocketV-2 rocketThe V-2 rocket , technical name Aggregat-4 , was a ballistic missile that was developed at the beginning of the Second World War in Germany, specifically targeted at London and later Antwerp. The liquid-propellant rocket was the world's first long-range combat-ballistic missile and first known...
facility. - 22: The fall of Palermo in the Allied invasion of SicilyAllied invasion of SicilyThe Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major World War II campaign, in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis . It was a large scale amphibious and airborne operation, followed by six weeks of land combat. It launched the Italian Campaign.Husky began on the night of...
inspired a subsequent Coup d'état against Mussolini. - 23/24: The RAF bombs KielSubmarine penA submarine pen is a bunker which is designed to protect submarines from air attack.The term is generally applied to submarine bases constructed during World War II, particularly in Germany and the occupied countries which were also known as U-boat pens .-Background:Amongst the first...
in the first major raid on a German city since April 1943 and the heaviest RAF raid of the war. - 24: The Operation Gomorrah firestorm bombing of HamburgBombing of Hamburg in World War IIThe Allied bombing of Hamburg during World War II included numerous strategic bombing missions and diversion/nuisance raids. As a large port and industrial center, Hamburg's shipyards, U-boat pens, and the Hamburg-Harburg area oil refineries were attacked throughout the war...
begins (at the time the heaviest assault in the history of aerial warfare.)
August 1943
- 2: John F. Kennedy's PT-109Motor Torpedo Boat PT-109PT-109 was a PT boat last commanded by Lieutenant, junior grade John F. Kennedy in the Pacific Theater during World War II...
is rammed in two and sunk off the Solomon IslandsSolomon IslandsSolomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
. - 3: The publicized "slapping incident" resulted in General Patton being relieved of duty for 10 months.
- 6: The United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
won the Battle of Vella GulfBattle of Vella GulfThe was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II fought on the night of 6-7 August 1943, in Vella Gulf between Vella Lavella Island and Kolombangara Island in the Solomon Islands of the Southwest Pacific....
off KolombangaraKolombangaraKolombangara is an island in the New Georgia Islands group of the Solomon Islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean...
in the Solomons. - 7: The Allies won the Battle of New GeorgiaBattle of New GeorgiaThe New Georgia Campaign was a series of battles of the Pacific campaign of World War II. It was part of Operation Cartwheel, the Allied grand strategy in the South Pacific...
in the Solomons. - 15: The Land Battle of Vella LavellaLand Battle of Vella LavellaThe Battle of Vella Lavella was fought from 15 August-9 October 1943 between Japan and the Allied forces from New Zealand and the United States. Vella Lavella is an island located in the Solomon Islands that had been occupied by Japanese forces. The Allies successfully recaptured the...
island in the Solomons began as part of Operation Cartwheel - 16: Polish Jews mount a futile resistance with scant weaponry in Białystok. The leaders commit suicideSuicideSuicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
when they run out of ammo - 17: Operation Husky completes the Allied invasion of SicilyAllied invasion of SicilyThe Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major World War II campaign, in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis . It was a large scale amphibious and airborne operation, followed by six weeks of land combat. It launched the Italian Campaign.Husky began on the night of...
.
:: 60 Allied bombers are lost in the Schweinfurt-Regensburg missionSchweinfurt-Regensburg missionThe Schweinfurt–Regensburg mission was an air combat battle in World War II. A strategic bombing attack flown by B-17 Flying Fortresses of the U.S. Army Air Forces on August 17, 1943, it was conceived as an ambitious plan to cripple the German aircraft industry...
.
:: Operation CrossbowOperation CrossbowCrossbow was the code name of the World War II campaign of Anglo-American "operations against all phases of the German long-range weapons programme—operations against research and development of the weapons, their manufacture, transportation and their launching sites, and against missiles in flight"...
begins as Operation HydraBombing of Peenemünde in World War IIOperation Hydra was a Royal Air Force attack on the Peenemünde Army Research Center on the night of 17/18 August 1943. It began the Operation Crossbow strategic bombing campaign against Nazi Germany's V-weapon programme...
bombs the PeenemündePeenemündeThe Peenemünde Army Research Center was founded in 1937 as one of five military proving grounds under the Army Weapons Office ....
V-2 rocketV-2 rocketThe V-2 rocket , technical name Aggregat-4 , was a ballistic missile that was developed at the beginning of the Second World War in Germany, specifically targeted at London and later Antwerp. The liquid-propellant rocket was the world's first long-range combat-ballistic missile and first known...
facility. - 19: Roosevelt and Churchill signed the Quebec AgreementQuebec AgreementThe Quebec Agreement is an Anglo-Canadian-American document outlining the terms of nuclear nonproliferation between the United Kingdom and the United States, and signed by Winston Churchill and Franklin Delano Roosevelt on August 19, 1943, two years before the end of World War II, in Quebec City,...
during the Quebec ConferenceQuebec Conference, 1943The First Quebec Conference was a highly secret military conference held during World War II between the British, Canadian and United States governments. The conference was held in Quebec City, August 17, 1943 – August 24, 1943. It took place at the Citadelle and at the Château Frontenac. The...
. - 23: Operation Polkovodets RumyantsevOperation Polkovodets RumyantsevOperation Polkovodets Rumyantsev was a code name for the Belgorod-Kharkov Strategic Offensive Operation conducted by the Red Army between 3 August 1943 and 23 August 1943 against the Wehrmacht's 4th Panzer Army and Army Group Kempf during World War II. The operation was conducted by the Voronezh...
liberated Kharkov in the Ukraine.
:: The Battle of KurskBattle of KurskThe Battle of Kursk took place when German and Soviet forces confronted each other on the Eastern Front during World War II in the vicinity of the city of Kursk, in the Soviet Union in July and August 1943. It remains both the largest series of armored clashes, including the Battle of Prokhorovka,...
became the first successful major Soviet summer offensive of the war. - 29: During the Occupation of Denmark by Nazi Germany, martial law replaced the Danish government.
September 1943
- 3: Mainland ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
is invaded as AlliedAlliesIn everyday English usage, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out between them...
forces under Bernard L. Montgomery land at Reggio di Calabria. An Italian Armistice is signed and Italy drops out of the war.
:: Nazi Germany begins the evacuation of civilians from Berlin. - 4: Soviet Union declares war on Bulgaria.
:: The 503rd Parachute Regiment under AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
General Douglas MacArthurDouglas MacArthurGeneral of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
lands and occupies NadzabNadzab-History:A Lutheran mission station was established at Nadzab around 1910. Nadzab was the site of the only Allied paratrooper assault in New Guinea on 5 September 1943.The Lae Nadzab Airport is a regional airport served by regional aircraft with domestic flights....
, just east of the port city of LaeLaeLae, the capital of Morobe Province, is the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is located at the start of the Highlands Highway which is the main land transport corridor from the Highlands region to the coast...
in northeastern Papua New GuineaPapua New GuineaPapua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
. Lae falls into American hands and Australian troops take Salamau. - 8: United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
General Dwight D. EisenhowerDwight D. EisenhowerDwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
publicly announces the surrender of ItalyArmistice with ItalyThe Armistice with Italy was an armistice signed on September 3 and publicly declared on September 8, 1943, during World War II, between Italy and the Allied armed forces, who were then occupying the southern end of the country, entailing the capitulation of Italy...
to the AlliesAlliesIn everyday English usage, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out between them...
.
::The USAAF bombs the German General Headquarter for the Mediterranean zone at FrascatiFrascatiFrascati is a town and comune in the province of Rome in the Lazio region of central Italy. It is located south-east of Rome, on the Alban Hills close to the ancient city of Tusculum. Frascati is closely associated with science, being the location of several international scientific...
. - 9: The Allies land at Salerno, Italy; meanwhile the British troops take Taranto in the heel of the Italian "boot." Allied strategy aims at a "drive" up the "boot".
:: Red Army executes an offensive at KievKievKiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, capital of the UkraineUkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
:: IranIranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, seeing the successes of the Allies in Italy, declares war on Germany. - 10: Germans occupy Rome, now that Italy has surrendered to the Allies. The Italian fleet meanwhile surrenders at Malta and other Mediterranean ports.
- 12: Mussolini is rescued from a mountaintop captivity ordered by the Fascist Council (see above entry for July 24) by German paratroopers led by Otto Skorzeny. Mussolini is then set up by Hitler, who remains loyal to his old friend, as the head of "Salo," a quasi government: "the Italian Social Republic."
- 13: German and Italian troops are fighting each other in Greece.
:: The Salerno beachhead is in jeopardy, as German counterattacks increase. - 14: German troops commence the Holocaust of ViannosHolocaust of ViannosThe Holocaust of Viannos refers to a mass extermination campaign launched by Nazi forces against the civilian residents of around 20 villages located in the areas of east Viannos and west Ierapetra provinces on the Greek island of Crete during World War II. The killings, with a death toll in...
in Crete that will continue for two more days.
:: British troops take Bari, an important port in southeastern Italy. American troops meanwhile land on Sardinia and in effect take it. - 15: Mussolini proclaims the "Italian Social Republic." (See above September 12 entry.)
:: Chiang Kai-shek, newly elected president of China, asks that General Stilwell, American military advisor/commander, be recalled for suggesting an alliance with the Communists. - 16: British forces land on various Italian-held Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, beginning the Dodecanese CampaignDodecanese CampaignThe Dodecanese Campaign of World War II was an attempt by Allied forces, mostly British, to capture the Italian-held Dodecanese islands in the Aegean Sea following the surrender of Italy in September 1943, and use them as bases against the German-controlled Balkans...
.
:: British and American troops link up near the Salerno beachhead. - 20: Allied forces approach Naples.
- 21: British midget submarineMidget submarineA midget submarine is any submarine under 150 tons, typically operated by a crew of one or two but sometimes up to 6 or 8, with little or no on-board living accommodation...
s attack the German battleship TirpitzGerman battleship TirpitzTirpitz was the second of two s built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, the architect of the Imperial Navy, the ship was laid down at the Kriegsmarinewerft in Wilhelmshaven in November 1936 and launched two and a half years later in April...
, at anchor in a Norwegian fjord, crippling her for six months.
:: The battle of the Solomons can now be considered at an unofficial end.
:: The Cephallonia massacre begins: After resisting for a week, the Italian Acqui division on the Greek island of Cephallonia surrenders to the Germans. During the next days, over 4,500 Italians are executed, and further 3,000 lost during transport at sea. - 22: Australian forces land at Finschhafen, a small port in New Guinea. The Japanese continue the battle well into October.
- 25: The Red Army takes Smolensk, an important city west of Moscow; they also reach the suburbs of Kiev.
- 26: Germans assault the island of Leros, beginning the Battle of LerosBattle of LerosThe Battle of Leros was the central event of the Dodecanese Campaign of the Second World War, and is widely used as an alternate name for the whole campaign. Leros was occupied by British forces on 15 September 1943...
. - 27: Chiang Kai-shekChiang Kai-shekChiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
has Mao ZedongMao ZedongMao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
's brother executed. - 28: The people of NaplesNaplesNaples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, sensing the approach of the Allies, rise up against the German occupiers. The uprising is put down with many civilian deaths. Allied forces do not show.
:: The Germans take over the island of CorfuCorfuCorfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the edge of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The island is part of the Corfu regional unit, and is administered as a single municipality. The...
from the Italians, the previous occupiers. - 29: News arrives that the Danes are secretly sending their Jewish countrymen to Sweden by means of dangerous boat crossings; thousands have been saved already.
October 1943
- 1: Neapolitans complete their uprising and free Naples from German military occupation.
- 3: Churchill appoints Lord Louis MountbattenLouis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of BurmaAdmiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas George Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, PC, FRS , was a British statesman and naval officer, and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
the commander of South East Asia Command. - 3: The Germans conquer the island of KosBattle of KosThe Battle of Kos was a brief battle between British, Italian and German forces for the control of the Greek island of Kos, in the then Italian-held Dodecanese islands in the Aegean Sea.-Background:...
. - 4: Corsica is liberated by Free French forces.
- 5: The Allies cross Italy's Volturno LineVolturno LineThe Volturno Line was a German defensive position in Italy during the World War II.The line ran from Termoli in the east, along the Biferno River through the Apennine Mountains to the Volturno River in the west....
. - 6: The Naval Battle of Vella LavellaNaval Battle of Vella LavellaThe was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II fought on the night of 6 October 1943, near the island of Vella Lavella in the Solomon Islands.-Background:...
completes the second phase of Operation CartwheelOperation CartwheelOperation Cartwheel was a major military strategy for the Allies in the Pacific theater of World War II. Cartwheel was a twin-axis of advance operation, aimed at militarily neutralizing the major Japanese base at Rabaul...
. - 7: 98 American civilian prisoners were executed on Wake IslandWake IslandWake Island is a coral atoll having a coastline of in the North Pacific Ocean, located about two-thirds of the way from Honolulu west to Guam east. It is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior...
. - 9: United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
VII CorpsVII CorpsVII Corps, 7th Corps or Seventh Corps may refer to:* VII Corps * VII Corps * VII Corps * VII Corps , two separate formations of the Union during the American Civil War...
arrives in European Theater. - 12: Operation Cartwheel begins a bombing campaign against Rabaul.
- 13: ItalyPietro BadoglioPietro Badoglio, 1st Duke of Addis Abeba, 1st Marquess of Sabotino was an Italian soldier and politician...
declares war on GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. - 14: 229 of 292 B-17s reached the target in the Second Raid on SchweinfurtSecond Raid on SchweinfurtThe second Schweinfurt raid bombed World War II ball bearing factories to reduce production of these vital parts for all manner of war machines. Named Black Thursday because the loss of aircrewmen was the highest for any USAAF mission...
. - 18: Chiang Kai-shekChiang Kai-shekChiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
takes the oath of office as president of ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. - 18: The Third Moscow ConferenceMoscow Conference (1943)The Third Moscow Conference between the major Allies of World War II took place from October 18 to November 11, 1943, at the Moscow Kremlin and Spiridonovka Palace....
convened. - 19: The German War Office contracts the MittelwerkMittelwerkCentral Works was a World War II factory that used Mittelbau-Dora forced labor in 2 main tunnels in the Kohnstein. The underground facility produced V-2 rockets, V-1 flying bombs, and other Nazi weapons.-Mittelwerk GmbH:...
to produce 12,000 V-2 rocketV-2 rocketThe V-2 rocket , technical name Aggregat-4 , was a ballistic missile that was developed at the beginning of the Second World War in Germany, specifically targeted at London and later Antwerp. The liquid-propellant rocket was the world's first long-range combat-ballistic missile and first known...
s. - 22/23: The Bombing of Kassel causes a seven day firestormFirestormA firestorm is a conflagration which attains such intensity that it creates and sustains its own wind system. It is most commonly a natural phenomenon, created during some of the largest bushfires, forest fires, and wildfires...
. - 25: The Red Army takes Dnipropetrovsk.
- 28: Cruiser HMS Charybdis sunk and destroyer HMS Limbourne damaged by German MTBs off the North coast of Brittany with large loss of life. Bodies of 21 RN and RMs washed up on the Island of Guernsey. Buried with full military honours by the German Occupation authorities allowing around 5000 Islanders to attend and lay some 900 wreaths.
- 29: Troops replace striking London dockworkers.
- 31: Heavy rains in Italy slow the Allied advance south of Rome.
November 1943
- 1: In Operation Goodtime, United States Marines land on Bougainville in the Solomon IslandsSolomon IslandsSolomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
. The fighting for this island will continue to the end of the war. - 2: In the early morning hours, AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese ships fight the inconclusive Battle of Empress Augusta BayBattle of Empress Augusta BayThe Battle of Empress Augusta Bay, on 1–2 November 1943—also known as the Battle of Gazelle Bay, Operation Cherry Blossom, and in Japanese sources as the Sea Battle of Bougainville Bay Shore —was a naval battle fought near the island of Bougainville...
off Bougainville, but the Japanese are unable to land reinforcements. - 2: British troops, in Italy, reach the Garigliano RiverGarigliano RiverThe Garigliano is a river in central Italy.It forms at the confluence of the rivers Gari and Liri. Garigliano is actually a deformation of "Gari-Lirano"...
. - 5: The Italians bomb the Vatican in a failed attempt to knock out the Vatican radio.
- 6: The Red ArmyRed ArmyThe Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
liberates the city of KievKievKiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
. This is an anniversary of the Russian Revolution in 1917. - 9: Allies take Castiglione, Italy.
- 9: General De Gaulle becomes President of the French Committee of National Liberation.
- 11: American air power continues to hit Rabaul.
- 12: Germans overrun British forces on the Dodecanese islands, off Turkey.
- 14: Heavy bombers hit Tarawa, in the Gilbert Islands in the Pacific.
- 15: Allied Expeditionary Force for the invasion of Europe is officially formed.
- 15: GermanGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
SS leader Heinrich HimmlerHeinrich HimmlerHeinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
orders that Gypsies and "part-Gypsies" are to be put "on the same level as Jews and placed in concentration camps." - 16: Anti-German resistance in Italy increases; there are explosions in Milan.
- 16: The Battle of LerosBattle of LerosThe Battle of Leros was the central event of the Dodecanese Campaign of the Second World War, and is widely used as an alternate name for the whole campaign. Leros was occupied by British forces on 15 September 1943...
ends with the surrender of the British and Italian forces to the Germans. - 16: 160 AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
bombers strike a hydro-electric power facility and heavy waterHeavy waterHeavy water is water highly enriched in the hydrogen isotope deuterium; e.g., heavy water used in CANDU reactors is 99.75% enriched by hydrogen atom-fraction...
factory in GermanGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-controlled VemorkVemorkVemork is the name of a hydroelectric power plant outside Rjukan in Tinn, Norway. The plant was built by Norsk Hydro and opened in 1911, its main purpose being to fix nitrogen for the production of fertilizer. Vemork was later the site of the first plant in the world to mass-produce heavy water...
, NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
- 16: Japanese submarineSubmarineA submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
sinks surfaced USA submarine USS Corvina near Truk - 18: 440 Royal Air ForceRoyal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
planes bomb BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
causing only light damage and killing 131. The RAF lose nine aircraft and 53 aviators. - 19: Prisoners of the Janowska concentration campJanowska concentration campJanowska was a Nazi German labor, transit and concentration camp established September 1941 in occupied Poland on the outskirts of Lwów...
stage a mass escape/uprising when they are ordered to cover up evidence of a mass-murder. Most are rounded up and killed - 20: Battle of TarawaBattle of TarawaThe Battle of Tarawa, code named Operation Galvanic, was a battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II, largely fought from November 20 to November 23, 1943. It was the first American offensive in the critical central Pacific region....
begins - United States Marines land on TarawaTarawa AtollTarawa is an atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, previously the capital of the former British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. It is the location of the capital of the Republic of Kiribati, South Tarawa...
and MakinMakin (islands)Makin is the name of a chain of islands located in the Pacific Ocean island nation of Kiribati, specifically in the Gilbert Islands.-Geography:...
atolls in the Gilbert IslandsGilbert IslandsThe Gilbert Islands are a chain of sixteen atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are the main part of Republic of Kiribati and include Tarawa, the site of the country's capital and residence of almost half of the population.-Geography:The atolls and islands of the Gilbert Islands...
and take heavy fire from JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese shore guns. The American public is shocked by the heavy losses of life. - 20: British troops under Montgomery continue their slow advances on the eastern side of Italy.
- 22: The Cairo ConferenceCairo ConferenceThe Cairo Conference of November 22–26, 1943, held in Cairo, Egypt, addressed the Allied position against Japan during World War II and made decisions about postwar Asia...
: US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston ChurchillWinston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, and ROC leader Chiang Kai-ShekChiang Kai-shekChiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
meet in CairoCairoCairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, to discuss ways to defeat JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. - 23: Heavy damage from Allied bombing of Berlin. Notably, the Deutsche Opernhaus on Bismarckstraße in the BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
district of CharlottenburgCharlottenburgCharlottenburg is a locality of Berlin within the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, named after Queen consort Sophia Charlotte...
is destroyed. - 24: Heavy bombing of Berlin continues.
- 25: AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
s and JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese fight the naval Battle of Cape St. GeorgeBattle of Cape St. GeorgeThe Battle of Cape St. George was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II fought on 25 November 1943, between Cape St. George, New Ireland, and Buka Island . It was the last engagement of surface ships in the Solomon Islands campaign.-Background:Americans had landed troops on...
between BukaBuka IslandBuka Island is the second largest island in the Papua New Guinean province of Bougainville.- History :Buka was first occupied by humans in paleolithic times, some 30,000 years ago...
and New IrelandNew Ireland (island)New Ireland is a large island in Papua New Guinea, approximately 7,404 km² in area. It is the largest island of the New Ireland Province, lying northeast of the island of New Britain. Both islands are part of the Bismarck Archipelago, named after Otto von Bismarck, and they are separated by...
. Admiral Arleigh Burke's destroyers distinguish themselves. - 25: Rangoon is bombed by American heavy bombers.
- 26: The Red Army offensive in the Ukraine continues.
- 27: The Casablanca Conference ("Sextant") ends; Roosevelt, Churchill, and Chiang Kai-shek complete the Cairo DeclarationCairo DeclarationThe Cairo Declaration was the outcome of the Cairo Conference in Cairo, Egypt, on November 27, 1943. President Franklin Roosevelt of the United States, Prime Minister Winston Churchill of the United Kingdom, and Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek of the Republic of China were present...
, which deals with the overall strategic plan against Japan. - 27: Huge civilian losses in Berlin as heavy bombing raids continue.
- 28: The Teheran Conference . US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston ChurchillWinston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
and Soviet Leader Joseph StalinJoseph StalinJoseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
meet in Teheran to discuss war strategy; (on November 30 they establish an agreement concerning a planned June 1944 invasion of Europe codenamed Operation OverlordOperation OverlordOperation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
). Stalin at last has the promise he has been waiting for. - 29: Second session of AVNOJAVNOJThe Anti-Fascist Council of the People's Liberation of Yugoslavia, known more commonly by its Yugoslav abbreviation AVNOJ, was the political umbrella organization for the national liberation councils of the Yugoslav resistance against the World War II Axis occupation, eventually becoming the...
, the Anti-fascist council of national liberation of YugoslaviaYugoslaviaYugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, is held in JajceJajceJajce is a city and municipality located in the central part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is part of the Central Bosnia Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity...
, Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
, determining the post-war order of the country. - 30: In Malaya, Japanese introduce the GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION No. 41 to encourage families to grow their own food crops and vegetables. Families who are successful will be awarded prizes while family who fail to comply this notification or leave their vacant lands unplanted will be punished. This notification was written by Itami Masakichi (Penang Shu Chokan) on 25 November 2603/1943
December 1943
- 2: The Germans conduct a highly successful Air Raid on BariAir Raid on BariThe air raid on Bari was an air attack by German bombers on Allied forces and shipping in Bari, Italy on 2 December 1943 during World War II. In the attack, 105 German Junkers Ju 88 bombers of Luftflotte 2, achieving complete surprise, bombed shipping and personnel operating in support of the...
, Italy. One of the German bombs hits an allied cargo ship carrying mustard gas, releasing the chemical which killed 83 allied soldiers. Over 1000 other soldiers died in the raid. - 3: Edward R. MurrowEdward R. MurrowEdward Roscoe Murrow, KBE was an American broadcast journalist. He first came to prominence with a series of radio news broadcasts during World War II, which were followed by millions of listeners in the United States and Canada.Fellow journalists Eric Sevareid, Ed Bliss, and Alexander Kendrick...
delivers his classic "Orchestrated Hell" broadcast over CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
Radio describing a Royal Air ForceRoyal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
nighttime bombing raid on BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. - 4: Bolivia declares war on all Axis powers.
: In YugoslaviaYugoslaviaYugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, resistance leader Marshal Josip Broz TitoJosip Broz TitoMarshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
proclaims a provisional democratic Yugoslav government in-exile. - 12: Rommel is appointed head of "Fortress Europa", chief planner against the expected Allied offensive.
- 13: German soldiers carry out the Massacre of KalavrytaMassacre of KalavrytaThe Holocaust of Kalavryta , or the Massacre of Kalavryta , refers to the extermination of the male population and the subsequent total destruction of the town of Kalavryta, in Greece, by German occupying forces during World War II on 13 December 1943...
in southern Greece.
: United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
VIII CorpsVIII CorpsList of military corps — List of military corps by numberA number of countries have Eighth, or VIII, Corps:* VIII Corps * VIII Corps * U.S. VIII Corps involvement in the American Civil War...
arrives in European Theater. - 14: United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
XV CorpsXV Corps (United States)The XV Corps of the US Army was initially constituted on 1 October 1933 as part of the Organized Reserves, and was activated on 15 February 1943 at Camp Beauregard, Louisiana. During the Second World War, XV Corps fought for 307 days in the European Theater of Operations, fighting from Normandy...
arrives in European Theater. - 16: Kalinin is retaken in a large Red Army offensive.
- 24: US General Dwight D. EisenhowerDwight D. EisenhowerDwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
becomes the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe. - 26: German battleship ScharnhorstGerman battleship ScharnhorstScharnhorst was a German capital ship, alternatively described as a battleship and battlecruiser, of the German Kriegsmarine. She was the lead ship of her class, which included one other ship, Gneisenau. The ship was built at the Kriegsmarinewerft dockyard in Wilhelmshaven; she was laid down on 15...
is sunk off North Cape (in the Arctic) by an array of British cruisers and destroyer torpedoes. - 26: American Marines land on Cape Gloucester, New Britain.
- 27: General Eisenhower is officially named head of Overlord, the invasion of Normandy.
- 28: In Burma, Chinese troops have some success against the Japanese.
- 29: Control of the Andaman IslandsAndaman IslandsThe Andaman Islands are a group of Indian Ocean archipelagic islands in the Bay of Bengal between India to the west, and Burma , to the north and east...
is handed over to Azad Hind by the Japanese