- January 14
- British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and American President Franklin Roosevelt meet at Casablanca, Morocco, over eleven days. The decision is made to attack the island of Sicily. British Bomber Command is directed to focus on submarine bases on the Biscay coast in the short term, and submarine construction yards as long term targets. [10]
- January 15
- The world's largest office building, The Pentagon, is dedicated in Arlington, Virginia. Total cost of construction: $83 million. [5] [199.68]
- First transport of Jews from Amsterdam to concentration camp Vught. [1]
- Japanese driven off Guadalcanal. [1]
- January 16
- First US air raid on Ambon. [1]
- German 2nd SS-Panzer division evacuates Charkow. [1]
- Soviet Red Army recaptures Pitomnik airport at Stalingrad. [1]
- January 18
- Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto begin resistance of Germans. [1]
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- Soviets announce they broke the long German siege of Leningrad. [1]
- January 20
- Operation-Weiss: Assault of German, Italian, Bulgarian and Croatian. [1]
- January 21
- Soviet forces reconquer Gumrak airport near Stalingrad. [1]
- Soviet forces reconquer Worosjilowsk. [1]
- Vice-Admiral Cunningham appointed British Admiral of fleet. [1]
- January 22
- Joint Chiefs of Staff determine invasion in Sicily for July 10th. [1]
- January 23
- In North Africa, British 8th Army forces capture Tripoli. [10]
- Japanese Mount Austen on Guadalcanal captured. [1]
- January 24
- Adolf Hitler orders German troops at Stalingrad to fight to death. [1]
- Jewish patients/nurses/doctors incinerated at Auschwitz-Birkenau. [1]
- The Casablanca Conference ends. The British persuaded the Americans to postpone the cross-Channel invasion. US President Franklin Roosevelt announces to the press the Allied policy of requiring the unconditional surrender of Germany, Italy, and Japan. [10]
- January 27
- First US air attack on Germany (Wilhelmshafen). [1]
- January 29
- New Zealand's Kiwi cruiser collides with Japanese submarine I-1 at Guadalcanal. [1]
- January 30
- Six British Mosquito fighter-planes perform daylight bombing raid on Berlin, Germany. [1]
- German assault on French in Tunisia. [1]
- Adolf Hitler promotes Friedrich von Paul to General - field marshal. [1]
- Adolf Hitler names Karl Dönitz as Grand Admiral and Commander-in-Chief of the navy. [10]
- USS Chicago sinks in Pacific Ocean. [1]
- January 31
- Chile breaks contact with Germany and Japan. [1]
- German 6th Army commander Friedrich Paulus and almost 250,000 German troops surrender at Stalingrad. [10]
- January (month)
- 39 German submarines sunk this month (203,100 tons). [1]
- February 1
- German occupiers of Norway make Vidkun Quisling premier. [1]
- Mussert forms pro-Nazi shadow cabinet (Netherlands). [1]
- February 2
- The remainder of the German 6th Army surrenders at Stalingrad. About 150,000 Axis soldiers died in the battle, another 150,000 were taken prisoner. In total, about 450,000 on both sides died. [10]
- February 5
- Amsterdam resistance group CS-6 shoots German General Seyffardt. [1]
- Clandestine Radio Atlantiksender, in Germany, makes first transmission. [1]
- February 6
- First Spitfire in action above Darwin, Australia, Mu Ki-46 shot down. [1]
- February 7
- Japanese forces evacuate Gualcanal. [10]
- February 8
- Soviet Red Army recaptures Kursk. [1]
- February 9
- US President Franklin Roosevelt orders minimal 48 hour work week in war industry. [1]
- German riots at "plutocratenzoontjes", 1,200 in Vught Camp. [1]
- Germans arrest Dutch sons of rich parents. [1]
- February 10
- "Manifesto of Algerian People" calls for equality and self-determination. [1]
- British 8th Army sweeps through North Africa to Tunisia. [1]
- Spanish and German governments sign a secret protocol, in which Spain will resist entry of Anglo-American forces on any Spanish territory, in exchange for German supplies of war material. [10]
- Van der Veen Resistance starts fire in Amsterdam employment bureau. [1]
- February 11
- US General Eisenhower is selected to command the Allied armies in Europe. [1]
- Karkov is recaptured by the Soviet Red Army. [10]
- February 13
- German assault on Sidi Bou Zid, Tunisia. [1]
- February 14
- German offensive through de Faid pass in Tunisia. [1]
- Soviets recapture Rostov. [1]
- February 15
- Women's camp Tamtui on Ambon (Moluccas) hit by Allied air raid. [1]
- February 16
- Red army conquers Kharkov. [1]
- Sign on Munich facade "Out with Hitler! Long live freedom!" done by "White Rose" student group. [1]
- Withdrawing Africa Corps reaches Mareth line in North Africa. [1]
- February 17
- Dutch churches protest at Seyss-Inquart against persecution of Jews. [1]
- February 18
- First edition of Dutch resistance newspaper Trouw. [1]
- Munich resistance group "White Rose" captured by Germans. [1]
- February 19
- German tanks under Brigadier General Buelowius attack Kasserine Pass in Tunisia. [1]
- February 20
- Allied troops occupy Kasserine pass in Tunisia. [1]
- New volcano Paracutin erupts in farmer's corn patch (México). [1]
- February 21
- Dutch Roman Catholic bishops protest against persecution of Jews. [1]
- German offensive at Western Dorsalgebergte, Tunisia. [1]
- February 23
- German troops pull back through Kasserine-pass Tunisia. [1]
- February 25
- Vietminh forms Indo Chinese Democratic Front. [1]
- February 26
- German assault moves to Beja, North Tunisia. [1]
- February (month)
- 63 German submarines (359,300 tons) sunk this month. [1]
- March 2
- First transport from Westerbork Netherlands to Sobibor concentration camp. [1]
- Sea battle in Bismarck Sea finishes, US and Australia win over Japan. [1]
- March 3
- In London, England, people rush to Bethnal Green shelter following air-raid siren alert. As new anti-aircraft guns fire, people panic and surge forward, causing many to fall down steps underground. 173 people are crushed by the crowd. [1] [1458.87]
- March 4
- Transport number 50 departs with French Jews to Maidanek/Sobibor. [1]
- March 5
- The Gloster Meteor jet aircraft makes its first flight in the United Kingdom. [5]
- Anti-fascist strikes take place in Italy. [1]
- (evening) British Air Chief Marshal Arthur Harris begins "The Battle of the Ruhr", with a major attack on Essen and its Krupps factories. About 438 bombers attack in several waves, with yellow, green, and red flares and bombs helping mark targets. Oboe and H2S navigation aids also help direct bombers to their target areas. 160 acres of the town are devastated. 450 more acres suffer extensive damage. 14 aircraft do not return to their bases. [10]
- March 6
- Battle at Medenine, North-Africa; Rommel's assault attack. [1]
- Indonesian leader Sukarno asks for cooperation with Japanese occupiers. [1]
- March 8
- 335 allied bombers attack Neurenberg. [1]
- Limited gambling legalized in Mexico. [1]
- March 9
- Delft opposition group-Pahud de Mortanges overthrown. [1]
- Greek Jews of Salonika are transported to extermination camps. [1]
- March 11
- Nazi Militia forms in Netherlands. [1]
- March 12
- Soviet troops liberate Wjasma. [1]
- March 13
- In Smolensk, a bomb disguised as two bottles of brandy is put on board Adolf Hitler's personal Focke-Wulf 200 Condor plane. The detonator activates, but due to cold temperature, the plastic explosives do not detonate. [10]
- March 15
- Red Army evacuates Kharkov. [1]
- March 18
- Red Army evacuates Belgorod. [1]
- March 19
- Airship Canadian Star is torpedoed and sinks. [1]
- March 20
- British offensive against Mareth-line. [1]
- German submarine U-384 is bombed and sinks. [1]
- March 21
- Assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler fails. [1]
- British 8th Army opens assault on Mareth line, Tunisia. [1]
- March 22
- Dutch work week extended to 54 hours. [1]
- SS police chief Rauter threatens to kill half Jewish children. [1]
- March 23
- German counter-attack on US lines in Tunisia. [1]
- March 25
- 97 percent of all Dutch physicians strike againt Nazi registration. [1]
- March 26
- Battle of Komandorski Islands, Pacific Ocean. [1]
- March 27
- Assassination attempt on Van de Peat at Amsterdam's census bureau. [1]
- Grigori Yakovlevich Bakhchivangi, test pilot (BI-1), killed in crash. [1]
- US begins assault on Fondouk-pass, Tunisia. [1]
- March 29
- Meat, butter and cheese rationed in US (784 gram/week, two kilogram for GI's). [1]
- March 30
- British 1st Army recaptures Sejenane. [1]
- March 31
- US errantly bombs Rotterdam, kills 326. [1]
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