- July 6
- In the Indian Ocean, east of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, German submarine U-177 torpedoes and sinks Canadian merchant ship Jasper Park. [27.21] [117.24]
- July 7
- German scientists give a presentation to Adolf Hitler of the A-4 rocket. Hitler is enthusiastic, instructing Albert Speer to ensure the scientists receive whatever labor and materials they need. [339.57] [373.368]
- July 8
- (evening) 282 British bombers attack Cologne, Germany. 48,000 people are made homeless. [84.173]
- July 9
- (evening) 418 British bombers attack the synthetic oil production centre of Gelsenkirchen, Germany, in the Ruhr. Few hits are made. [84.173]
- (night) England's 1st Air Landing (glider) Brigade takes off from airfields in Tunisia, bound for Sicily. This is the first use of American-built CG-4A gliders. British and American airborne troops land behind enemy lines to neutralize several enemy airfields. [25.21] [239.7]
- (late night) The Canadian assault convoy joins the main invasion armada of almost 3000 Allied ships en route to Sicily. [1.17]
- July 10
- (0134 hours) Transports carrying 1st Canadian Division release landing craft to the shore of Pachino, southwest of Italy. Target beaches are code-names Roger (on left), and Sugar. [755.15]
- (0245 hours) Operation Husky begins, with an Allied invasion of Sicily. Four British divisions of the British 8th Army under General Sir Bernard Montgomery land on a 40-mile stretch on the southeast corner around Syracuse and Cape Passero. Four American divisions of the United States 7th Army under Lieutenant-General George Patton land on a 40-mile front to the west, around Scaglitti, Gela, and Licata. (In total, 478,000 troops land on the island.) [1.17] [116.77] [149.210] [166.342] [239.7] [277.198]
- (0645 hours) Canadian forces report successful landings on Sicily. [755.16]
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- July 11
- In Russia, a Soviet reserve tank army is committed to the south of Kursk, halting the German advance. [78.273]
- Canadian forces take Ispica, in southern Sicily. [411.12]
- July 12
- Canadian forces take Ragusa, in southern Sicily. [411.12]
- The Soviet Briansk Front under Markian Popov launches Operation Kutuzov, an attack against the German salient in Orel, north of Kursk. [277.212] [519.1938]
- In the Kursk battle, German SS Panzer Corp with 400 tanks reaches Prokhorovka Station. Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army under P.A. Rotmistrov with 800 tanks counterattacks. By the end of the day, 320 German tanks and over 400 Soviet tanks are destroyed. (This is the greatest tank battle in history.) [277.211] [519.1938]
- (evening) British bombers attack Turin, Italy. [84.171]
- July 13
- Adolf Hitler orders the Kursk offensive in Russia halted, so that reserve forces could be sent to defend Italy. [78.273] [166.335] [277.211] (July 10 [80.323])
- Canadian 1st Brigade of 1st Division reaches Giarratana, Sicily. [755.17]
- (evening) British bombers attack Aachen. [84.171]
- July 14
- Canadian 51st (Highland) Division captures Vizzini, Sicily. [755.19]
- July 15
- The British war cabinet approves use of "Window" on bombing attacks. "Window" is the code name for using bundles of aluminum foil dropped from planes to confuse enemy radar. [28.378] [84.190]
- (evening) 165 British Halifax bombers attack the Peugeot works at Montbéliard, France. 30 bombs hit the factory, but 600 hit the town, due to poor guidance by marker bombs. [84.187]
- July
- A third pair of Oboe air navigation stations is completed in England. [84.156]
- The Swedish government decides to stop transporting German war material to Norway, effective August 15. Transport of troops would cease on August 20. [38.136]
- Spain's Francisco Franco decides to bring his soldiers home from fighting on the Russian front. [38.85]
- July 18
- In Sicily, Canadian troops capture Valguarnera, clearing the road to Enna. [1.18] [459.47] (July 19 [755.21])
- July 20
- (evening) The 1st Infantry brigade of the 1st Canadian Division climbs the sheer south east face to the ruins of a 12th century fortress overlooking Assoro, Sicily. (They achieve surprise, reaching German positions at the top by sun-up.) [101.4] [459.48]
- July 21
- (day break) About 500 men of the Canadian Hastings and Prince Edward Regment reach the summit of Monte Assoro via the eastern slope, achieving complete surprise, quickly overtaking the German artillery spotting team. [755.24]
- July 22
- The US 7th Army captures Palermo, Sicily. [166.342] [519.1951]
- Canadian forces on Sicily clear Assoro and Leonforte of Axis forces. [411.13] [459.48] [755.27]
- July 24
- 300 Allied heavy bombers attack chemical plants and submarine shelters in Norway. Little damage is done to the 12-foot thick shelters. [93.20]
- In Italy, an extraordinary meeting of the Fascist Grand Council is held. Benito Mussolini receives a vote of no confidence. [519.1951] (July 25 [84.195] [166.342])
- (evening) British Bomber Command begins Operation Gomorrah, a massive air assault on Hamburg, Germany. [84.190]
- (near midnight) An airborne armada of 791 Lancaster, Halifax, Stirling, and Wellington aircraft cross the North Sea, heading for Hamburg, Germany. [28.378] [93.20] [84.190]
- July 25
- (0103 hours) The first wave of British bombers arrive at Hamburg, Germany, dropping 1000- to 8000-pound bombs. Within minutes much of the city is a raging firestorm. 1346 tons of high explosives and 931 tons of incendiaries are dropped, setting 55 miles of streets ablaze. 1500 are killed, and over 20,000 made homeless. 12 bombers are shot down. This operation is the first use of "Window" technology by British Bomber Command, in which strips of aluminum foil are dropped from planes to confuse German aircraft detection systems. [28.379] [84.190,345] [373.283]
- (0400 hours) In Hamburg, Germany, local authorities declare the destruction a major catastrophe. [84.190]
- In Italy, King Victor Emmanuel III has Premier Benito Mussolini arrested, and appoints Marshal Pietro Badoglio as premier. [149.210] [277.199] [519.1951] [721.42] [755.73] (July 26 [84.195])
- (daytime) 68 bombers of the US 8th Air Force attack Hamburg, Germany. Fifteen planes are shot down. [84.191]
- (evening) 705 British bombers attack Essen, Germany, focusing on the Krupps factories. [84.173]
- July 26
- German commander General Walther Model orders troops to withdraw from the Orel salient north of Kursk. [519.1940]
- Adolf Hitler issues Directive 48, directing defence measures in the event of Allied landings in Crete and Greece. [149.210]
- (daytime) 44 bombers of the US 8th Air Force attack Hamburg, Germany. Two planes are shot down. [84.191]
- July 27
- (evening) A second British bomber force of 729 planes is sent to attack Hamburg, Germany. [84.192]
- July 28
- (0057 hours) 722 British bombers attack Hamburg, Germany, dropping 2326 tons of bombs, creating nine square miles of firestorm, reaching 1800 degrees Fahrenheit, with winds up to 150 MPH feeding the fire. About 40,000 are killed. [28.379] [84.192] [373.283] [478.53]
- Canadian troops take Agira and Monte Fronte, Italy, after five days of hard fighting. [1.18] [411.26] [755.32]
- July 29
- (morning) Hamburg, Germany, is evacuated of nearly one million non-essential civilian personnel. [28.380]
- Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels writes in his diary about the destruction of Hamburg: "A city of one million inhabitants has been destroyed in a manner unparalleled in history...". [478.54]
- (evening) 707 British bombers attack Hamburg, Germany, dropping 2318 tons of bombs. [84.193] [373.283]
- July 30
- (evening) 273 British bombers attack Remscheid, Germany, in the Ruhr. 80 percent of the area is destroyed, including over 100 industrial works. Production is ceased for three months. [84.173]
- (night) British bombers attack Hamburg, Germany, again. [28.380] [373.283]
- July 31
- General Dwight Eisenhower warns Italy that if peace is delayed, its cities would be air bombed more. [84.195]
- August 1
- (dawn) Operation Tidal Wave begins, as 178 American B-24 Liberator bombers take off from Benghazi, destined for the oil-producing center of Ploesti, Romania. [81.60] [218.698]
- 164 American B-24 bombers attack Ploesti, Romania. Due to several factors, some planes take a wrong course, alerting defences. 41 planes are lost during the attack, two collide on the return trip, eight land in Turkey, 23 land at Allied bases in the Mediterranean, and 90 return to Benghazi, many too damaged to fly again. Three hundred American airmen are killed during the operation. (Despite considerable damage done at Ploesti, it is temporary, with production exceeding pre-attack levels within a few months.) [81.64] [218.698] [766.40]
- August 2
- (evening) British Bomber Command makes one last air raid on Hamburg, Germany, this time with 737 bombers. Over the four evening raids, 8500 tons of bombs were dropped, and 87 planes lost. 6200 acres of a total 8383 are made uninhabitable for months, half of the city's living areas destroyed, 900,000 people made homeless, over 1 million forced to leave the city, 186 of 574 large industrial works destroyed, 4118 of 9068 smaller factories destroyed, 180,000 tons of shipping sunk in the harbor or destroyed by fire, 26 or 27 submarines destroyed or delayed in construction. [28.380] [84.193] [373.283]
- Canadian forces capture Regalbuto, Italy. [755.40]
- August 3
- The British War Cabinet agrees with General Dwight Eisenhower that Italy should be air-bombed to accelerate peace talks, and instructs Bomber Command to commence bombing. [84.195]
- Soviet forces launch Operation Rumyantsev against German troops in the Belgorod-Kharkov area. [519.1940]
- August 4
- The Soviet Voronezh Front under Nikolai Vatutin attacks the German 4th Panzer Army at the salient south of Kursk. [277.212]
- August 5
- The Soviet Voronezh Front captures Belgorod, south of Kursk. [277.212] [519.1933]
- The Soviet Red Army re-captures Orel. [277.212] [519.1933]
- August 6
- Canadian forces capture Monte Seggio, Italy. [755.41]
- August 7
- Canadian forces in Sicily are put into reserves. [1.18]
- (evening) British Bomber Command begins new attacks on northern Italy. About 200 Lancasters hit Milan, Turin, and Genoa. Two planes do not return. [84.195]
- August 10
- (evening) British bombers attack Nuremberg, Germany. Great damage is achieved at little cost. [84.205]
- August 12
- In Rawalpindi, India, the Chemical Warfare Research Establishment begins two weeks of testing troop exposure to mustard gas. [51.173]
- (evening) 477 British bombers attack Milan, Italy. [84.196]
- (evening) 152 British bombers attack Turin, Italy. [84.196]
- August 13
- The US 9th Air Force attacks the Messerschmitt works at Wiener Neustadt in Austria. (Unknown to the Allies at the time, the factory was manufacturing rocket components.) [339.91]
- August 14
- (evening) 134 British bombers attack Milan, Italy. [84.196]
- August 15
- The emissary of Italy's Marshal Badoglio arrives in Portugal to begin serious peace talks with the Allies. [84.196] [519.1951]
- A Canadian/American Special Services Force lands on Kiska in the Aleutian Islands, finding that the Japanese force left three weeks earlier. After five days, there are dozens of deaths due to friendly fire and Japanese booby traps. [28.374] [101.54] [714.15]
- (evening) About 200 British bombers attack Milan, Italy. [84.196]
- August
- The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion arrives in Britain. [27.45]
- Germany declares a state of emergency in Denmark, due to Danish resistance to the occupation troops. [110.452]
- Sweden stops the transit traffic between Germany and Norway. The supply of iron ore to Germany is reduced, in exchange for more oil from the United States. [29.34] [109.250]
- German bomber planes first use the Henschel Hs 293 radio-controlled glider bomb against British Atlantic convoys. [29.156]
- August 16
- Allied high command agrees that Italy should be the next target, quickly before a massive German build-up of forces can take place. [442.17]
- (evening) 154 British bombers attack Turin, Italy. [84.196]
- August 17
- The last Germans evacuate Sicily. [442.17]
- American and British forces arrive in Messina on Sicily. The town is basicly empty of Axis forces. [277.200] [519.1951] [747.4] (August 16 [1.19])
- British Bomber Command headquarters gives final orders for a massive raid on Peenemünde that night. [84.198]
- 146 American air force bombers make an attack on an airplane assembly plant in Regensburg, Germany. [373.284] [747.4]
- American Flying Fortress aircraft bomb German ball-bearing plants at Schweinfurt. [29.117] [747.4]
- (to August 24) In Quebec, Canada, the Quadrant conference is held by representatives of Great Britain and the USA. British and American Chiefs of Staff approve outline plans for operation Overlord, an invasion of France across the English Channel. Target date is set for May 1, 1944. Discussions are held on atomic research and use of an atomic bomb, and measures by each country against Japan on the defeat of Germany. [84.221] [277.200 [382.13] [407.20] [729.70] [732.34]
- Canadian Chief of General Staff Lieutenant-General Kenneth Stuart gives formal approval for Canadians to take part in Operation Baytown. [755.73]
- Portuguese leader António de Oliveira Salazar signs an accord with Britain, allowing British airbases on Azores in return for US$30 million, the promise of modern fighter planes, anti-aircraft guns, and British protection in the event of Axis or Spanish attack. [38.91]
- August 18
- (0017-0043 hours) Operation Hydra takes place, 597 British bombers in three waves attack the German rocket research site at Peenemünde targeting scientists' housing, the rocket-production plant, and the Experimental Works. 40 planes are shot down during the raid. Eight Mosquito planes make a diversionary attack on Berlin, dropping "Window" reflective strips to fool radar operators into reporting a major attack there. (The extensive damage results in Germans moving the rocket testing to Poland, and production to central Germany. The damaged buildings are successfully used as camoflage for continued work. An estimated two months of V-2 rocket output is lost, about 720 rockets, potentially saving 3600 lives.) [28.386] [84.198,345] [172.18] [339.84] [449.40] [802.75]
- August 22
- Albert Speer reports to Adolf Hitler on the damage to the rocket research facilities at Peenemünde. Hitler orders that mass production of rockets be relocated to Blizna near Debice in Poland. [339.92]
- August 23
- Soviet forces recapture Kharkov, ending the Battle of Kursk. [166.335] [519.1933]
- (evening) 727 British bombers are sent against Berlin, Germany. 70 turn back early, and 57 are shot down. Much damage is done to the city. [84.204]
- August 25
- German warships attack and sink two Swedish trawlers in Danish waters. [38.136]
- August 27
- 185 Flying Fortress bombers of US 8th Air Force attack a rocket launching site near Watten and Calais, France, thoroughly destroying the site. All planes return safely. [339.106]
- August
- At the Quebec Conference in Canada, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill asks US President Franklin Roosevelt to commit to the Habbakuk ice ship project. The Americans reluctantly agree. [101.36] [659.14]
- A prototype German V-1 flying bomb crashes on the Danish island of Bornholm, and is retrieved by the Allies, giving them the first confirmation of the bomb's existence. [84.224]
- The Danish cabinet is presented with a list of demands from the German government, including a ban on strikes and demonstrations, surrender of all weapons, and imposition of the death penalty for sabotage. The government refuses. German military commander Von Henneken assumes supreme power of the country. The Danish army is disarmed, and naval ships are seized. [401.228]
- August 31
- Aircraft of US Task Force 15.5 (carriers Yorktown, Essex, Independence) attack Marcus Island in the North Pacific, the first of a series of minor raids prior to major invasions of Makin and Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands. [712.42]
- (evening) 613 British heavy bombers are sent against Berlin, Germany. 86 turn back early, and 47 are shot down. Little damage to the city is done. [84.201]
- (month unknown)
- The British chemical and biological warfare research team tests dropping 4-pound and 30-pound anthrax bombs on Gruinard island. [51.119]
- September 2
- Adolf Hitler names Albert Speer as Reich Minister of Armaments and War Production. [373.275]
- September 3
- (0345 hours) An artillery barrage commences on the Italian mainland across the Strait of Messina, in advance of a landing. [755.77]
- (0535 hours) The British artillery barrage on the Italian mainland ends. [755.77]
- Operation Baytown begins, as the British 8th Army begins an assault on Italy, from Sicily across the Strait of Messina, landing near Reggio di Calabria. (This is the first Allied landing on the continent with intent to stay since the retreat at Dunkirk in 1940.) [1.19] [10.16] [27] [28.361] [149.215] [166.343] [442.17] [451.54] [459.48] [519.1951]
- Near Syracuse, Sicily, Italian Guiseppe Castellano signs capitulation of Italy. General Dwight Eisenhower's chief of staff Walter Bedell Smith signs on behalf of the Allies. [1.19] [84.196] [166.342] [277.201] [416.E5] [721.42]
- (evening) 320 British bombers attack Berlin, Germany. About 20 are shot down. Much damage is done, and 35,000 people are made homeless. [84.205]
- September 5
- American 503rd Parachute Infantry is dropped on Japanese-controlled Nadzab airfield north-west of Lae, New Guinea. [100.27]
- The United States 101st Airborne Division troops leave New York by ship for Britain. [25.8]
- September 8
- (1830 hours) On Algiers radio, General Dwight Eisenhower announces the surrender of Italy. An hour later, Italian Premier Marshal Badoglio also announces the surrender. [78.282,318] [84.345] [136.10] [149.215] [166.342] [277.201] [519.1951] [755.73] (September 9 [416.E5])
- The Soviet Red Army liberates the Donbas. [519.1933]
- Adolf Hitler issues codeword "Achise" (Axis), the signal for German forces to implement plans to take over strategic Italian positions, and to capture the Italian fleet. [149.215]
- September 9
- (0230 hours) Italian Admiral Carlo Bergamini takes the remainder of the Italian fleet from La Spezia to deliver to Allies at Malta. Main ships are four battleships, three cruisers, and eight destroyers. [713.53]
- (after dawn) Italian Admiral Carlo Bergamini with the Italian fleet en route to Malta is joined by three more cruisers, and two more destroyers from Genoa. [713.53]
- Allied forces launch Operation Avalanche, with amphibious landings of 55,000 troops at Salerno, Italy. US 6th Corps under Ernest Dawley lands on the right, 25 miles south of Salerno. British 10th Corps under Sir Richard McCreery lands on the left, just south of Salerno. [166.343] [277.214] [519.1933,1951] (September 3 [1.19]) (September 11 [78.318])
- Allied forces launch Operation Slapstick, as the British 1st Airborne Division lands at Taranto, Italy, seizing the naval base. [166.343] [277.220] [519.1933]
- (about 1600 hours) German Dornier Do 217K bombers of the Luftwaffe's III Gruppe of Kampfgeschwader 100 attack the Italian fleet en route to Malta. Guided PC1400X or Fritz X smart bombs are used; once released, the bombs can receive radio signals from a guider on the plane to the target. A bomb hits battleship Italia damaging its steering. A bomb hits the bridge of battleship Roma, killing Bergamini and staff; another bomb pierces the ship and explodes; the ship sinks in 30 minutes, taking oer 1350 crew. [713.53]
- September 10
- American forces expand their bridgehead at Salerno, landing most of the 45th Division. [277.218]
- September 11
- German Fritz X guided aerial bomb cripples USS Savannah off Salerno, Italy. About 200 are killed. [713.52]
- The Italian Navy surrenders its warships to the Allies at Malta. [29.140]
- September 12
- German 29th Panzergrenadier Division and 16th Panzer Division thrust between British and Americans near Salerno, driving the British out of Battipaglia. [166.355] [277.219]
- (1400 hours) Eight German gliders land at Campo Imperiale Hotel in the Abruzzi, Italy. Seventy parachutists and Waffen-SS commandos take over, and rescue Mussolini. The operation is over within twenty minutes. [149.215] [277.201]
- September 13
- German forces evict American troops from Persano, near Salerno, Italy. [277.219]
- A German Fritz X guided aerial bomb cripples British carrier Uganda off Salerno, Italy. [713.54]
- Allies begin a six-day aerial bombing of Potenza, Italy, resulting in an estimated 2000 civilian casualties. [755.80]
- (evening) US General Mark Clark prepares for the possible evacuation of Salerno, Italy. [277.219]
- (evening) US 82nd Airborne Division drops paratroops in the US sector near Salerno, Italy. [277.219]
- September 14
- German Lieutenant General Fridolin von Senger und Etterlin receives orders from Adolf Hitler to execute some 200 captured Italian officers. He refuses. [78.282]
- A German guided aerial bomb sinks tanker Bushrod Washington off Salerno, Italy. [713.54]
- September 15
- Allies launch 1900 air sorties against German positions and communications near Salerno, Italy. [277.219]
- The British 7th Armored Division begins landing on the British bridgehead at Salerno, Italy. [277.219]
- British battleships Warspite and Valiant and a destroyer flotilla begin bombarding enemy targets at Salerno, Italy. [277.219]
- United States 101st Airborne Division troops arrive in England. [25.8]
- A German guided aerial bomb hits SS James Marshall off Salerno, Italy. [713.54]
- (evening) British Bomber Command drops its first 12,000-pound bomb, against the Dortmund-Ems Canal. [84.345]
- September 16
- USS Nautilus submarine departs Pearl Harbor for the Gilbert Islands to take photos for reconnaissance prior to invasion. [712.58]
- German commander in Italy Albert Kesselring authorizes a gradual northward retreat, first to the Volturno River, 20 miles north of Naples. [277.220]
- German bombers hits British battleship Warspite with Fritz X radio-guided gliding bombs. [277.220] [713.54]
- September 17
- (to September 19) US carriers Lexington, Princeton, and Belleau Wood launch air strikes on Tarawa and Makin in the Gilbert Islands. [712.42]
- September 20
- In the North Atlantic, German submarine U-305 torpedoes Canadian destroyer St. Croix, sinking it. There is only one survivor. [5.99] [69.64]
- A Canadian brigade diverted from the main Canadian advance toward Catazaro, takes Potenza in southern Italy. [1.21] [277.220]
- September
- In the North Atlantic German submarine U-952 sinks Royal Navy corvette Polyanthus with an acoustic torpedo. [27.21]
- September 22
- British Midget submarines X6 and X7 penetrate anti-submarine net defences at Kaafjord, northern Norway, and plant mines under the hull of German battleship Tirpitz. In the following explosions, the hull is severely damaged, the port engine is destroyed, and the propeller shaft bent. [29.102] [212.40]
- (around 2100 hours) German submarine U-666 torpedoes Royal Navy frigate HMS Itchen, sinking it. [69.68] [27.21]
- September 25
- Soviet forces re-capture Smolensk. [149.215] [166.355] [277.212] [519.1933]
- September 26
- German forces in Italy withdraw from the hill barrier between Salerno and Naples. [277.221]
- September
- Soviet forces seize Zaporozhye. [277.212]
- September 28
- Adolf Hitler issues Directive 50: preparations for the movement of 20th Mountain Army to Northern Finland and Northern Norway in case Finland withdraws from the war, or collapses like Italy. [149.216]
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