Events in the year 1944 in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
.
Incumbent
National level
Head of State and
Chancellor
*
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
(the
Führer
( ; , spelled or ''Fuhrer'' when the umlaut is not available) is a German word meaning "leader" or " guide". As a political title, it is strongly associated with the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.
Nazi Germany cultivated the ("leader princip ...
) (
Nazi Party
The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...
)
Events
* 4 January — World War II: The
Battle of Monte Cassino begins.
* 20 January — World War II: The
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
drops 2,300 tons of bombs on
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
.
* 27 January — World War II: The 3-year
Siege of Leningrad is lifted.
* 29 January — World War II: The
Battle of Cisterna takes place.
* 15 February — World War II –
Battle of Monte Cassino: A monastery atop
Monte Cassino
Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Latin Valley, Italy, west of Cassino and at an elevation of . Site of the Roman town of Casinum, it is widely known for its abbey, the first ho ...
is destroyed by Allied bombing.
* 20 February — World War II: The "Big Week" begins with American bomber raids on German
aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engine ...
manufacturing centers.
* 26 February — Holocaust: Shooting begins on the
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
propaganda film, ''
The Fuehrer Gives a Village to the Jews
''Theresienstadt. Ein Dokumentarfilm aus dem jüdischen Siedlungsgebiet'' ("Theresienstadt: A Documentary Film from the Jewish Settlement Area"), unofficially ''Der Führer schenkt den Juden eine Stadt'' ("The Führer Gives a City to the Jews"), ...
'' in
Theresienstadt
Theresienstadt Ghetto was established by the SS during World War II in the fortress town of Terezín, in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia ( German-occupied Czechoslovakia). Theresienstadt served as a waystation to the extermination ca ...
.
* 15 March — World War II:
Battle of Monte Cassino:
Allied aircraft bomb German-held monastery and stage an assault.
* 17 March — World War II: The Nazis execute almost 400 prisoners, Soviet citizens and anti-
fascist Romanians at
Rîbniţa.
* 19 March — World War II: Germany's
Panzerfaust
The ''Panzerfaust'' (, "armour fist" or "tank fist", plural: ''Panzerfäuste'') was a development family of single-shot man-portable anti-tank systems developed by Nazi Germany during World War II. The weapons were the first single-use light an ...
occupy Hungary.
* 23 March — World War II: Members of the
Italian Resistance
The Italian resistance movement (the ''Resistenza italiana'' and ''la Resistenza'') is an umbrella term for the Italian resistance groups who fought the occupying forces of Nazi Germany and the fascist collaborationists of the Italian Socia ...
attack
Nazis
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in N ...
marching in Via Rasella, killing 33.
* 9 May — World War II: In the Ukrainian city of
Sevastopol
Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...
, Soviet troops completely drive out German forces, who had been ordered by
Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
to “fight to the last man.”
["Year by Year 1944" – ]History Channel International
Vice (formerly known as Viceland and also known as Vice TV) is an American basic cable television channel that launched on December 2, 2019, replacing H2 on most multichannel television providers in the United States. It is a part of the Vicel ...
* 12 May — World War II: Soviet troops finalize the liberation of the
Crimea
Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...
.
* 15 May — Holocaust: Deportation of
Hungarian Jews to Auschwitz begins.
* 18 May — World War II:
Battle of Monte Cassino: The Germans evacuate
Monte Cassino
Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Latin Valley, Italy, west of Cassino and at an elevation of . Site of the Roman town of Casinum, it is widely known for its abbey, the first ho ...
and
Allied forces take the stronghold after a struggle that claimed 20,000 lives.
* June — German
V-2
The V-2 (german: Vergeltungswaffe 2, lit=Retaliation Weapon 2), with the technical name ''Aggregat 4'' (A-4), was the world’s first long-range guided ballistic missile. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine, was develope ...
rocket
A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...
s on test from
Peenemünde
Peenemünde (, en, " Peene iverMouth") is a municipality on the Baltic Sea island of Usedom in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is part of the ''Amt'' (collective municipality) of Usedom-Nord. The commu ...
become the first man-made objects to enter space. By the end of the month, more than 380,000 Hungarian Jews have been transferred to concentration camps - around half of the country's Jewish population.
* 4 June — World War II: A hunter-killer group of the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
captures the , marking the first time a U.S. Navy vessel has captured an enemy vessel at sea since the 19th century.
* 5 June — World War II: More than 1,000
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
bombers drop 5,000 tons of bombs on German gun batteries on the
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
coast in preparation for
D-Day.
* 5 June — The German Navy's
Enigma
Enigma may refer to:
*Riddle, someone or something that is mysterious or puzzling
Biology
*ENIGMA, a class of gene in the LIM domain
Computing and technology
* Enigma (company), a New York-based data-technology startup
* Enigma machine, a family ...
messages are decoded almost in real time.
* 6 June — World War II:
Battle of Normandy
Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...
: ''Operation Overlord'', commonly known as
D-Day, commences with the landing of 155,000
Allied troops on the beaches of
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
. The Allied soldiers quickly break through the
Atlantic Wall and push inland, in the largest amphibious
military
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
operation in history. This operation helps
liberate France from Germany, and also weakens the Nazi hold on
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
.
* 10 June — World War II: 642 men, women and children are killed in the
Oradour-sur-Glane massacre
On 10 June 1944, four days after D-Day, the village of Oradour-sur-Glane in Haute-Vienne in Nazi-occupied France was destroyed when 643 civilians, including non-combatant women and children, were massacred by a German Waffen-SS company.
A n ...
in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
.
* 13 June — World War II: Germany launches a
V1 Flying Bomb
The V-1 flying bomb (german: Vergeltungswaffe 1 "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Ministry of Aviation (Nazi Germany), Reich Aviation Ministry () designation was Fi 103. It was also known to the Allies as the buz ...
attack on
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
* 22 June — World War II:
Operation Bagration
Operation Bagration (; russian: Операция Багратио́н, Operatsiya Bagration) was the codename for the 1944 Soviet Byelorussian strategic offensive operation (russian: Белорусская наступательная оп ...
: A general attack by
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
forces clears the German forces from
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...
, resulting in the destruction of German
Army Group Centre, possibly the greatest defeat of the Wehrmacht during World War II.
* 3 July — World War II: Soviet troops liberate
Minsk
Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...
.
* 7 July — Holocaust: Hungarian Regent Horthy orders Jewish transports to Auschwitz halted; 437,000 Jews have already been deported, mostly to their deaths.
* 10 July — World War II: Soviet troops begin operations to occupy the
Baltic countries
The Baltic states, et, Balti riigid or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term, which currently is used to group three countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone ...
.
* 31 July — World War II:
Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
is liberated.
* 20 July — World War II:
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
survives an
assassination attempt, led by
Claus von Stauffenberg
Colonel Claus Philipp Maria Justinian Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg (; 15 November 1907 – 21 July 1944) was a German army officer best known for his failed attempt on 20 July 1944 to assassinate Adolf Hitler at the Wolf's Lair.
Despite ...
.
* 24 July — Holocaust:
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
n troops liberate the first concentration camp, at
Majdanek
Majdanek (or Lublin) was a Nazi concentration and extermination camp built and operated by the SS on the outskirts of the city of Lublin during the German occupation of Poland in World War II. It had seven gas chambers, two wooden gallows, a ...
, where 360,000 Jews have been exterminated.
* 1 August — World War II: The
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising ( pl, powstanie warszawskie; german: Warschauer Aufstand) was a major World War II operation by the Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. It occurred in the summer of 1944, and it was led ...
begins.
* 2 August — World War II:
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
ends diplomatic and economic relations with Germany.
* 4 August — Holocaust: A tip from a
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
informer leads the
Gestapo
The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe.
The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one orga ...
to a sealed-off area in an
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
warehouse, where they find
Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...
ish diarist
Anne Frank
Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank (, ; 12 June 1929 – )Research by The Anne Frank House in 2015 revealed that Frank may have died in February 1945 rather than in March, as Dutch authorities had long assumed"New research sheds new light on Anne Fra ...
and her family.
* 5 August — Holocaust:
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
insurgents liberate a German
labor camp in
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
, freeing 348
Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...
ish prisoners.
* 6 August — Holocaust:
Łódź
Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of cant ...
, the last remaining Jewish ghetto in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
, is liquidated and 60,000 Jews are sent to Auschwitz.
* 19 August — World War II:
An insurrection starts in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
.
* 20 August — World War II: American forces successfully defeat
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
forces at
Chambois, closing the
Falaise Gap.
* 20 August — World War II: 168 captured
allied airmen, including
Phil Lamason
Phillip John Lamason, (15 September 191819 May 2012) was a pilot in the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) during the Second World War, who rose to prominence as the senior officer in charge of 168 Allied airmen taken to Buchenwald concentrat ...
, accused of being "terror fliers" by the
Gestapo
The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe.
The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one orga ...
, arrive at
Buchenwald concentration camp.
* 24 August — World War II:
Liberation of Paris: The Allies enter Paris, successfully completing
Operation Overlord.
* 25 August — World War II:
German surrender of Paris: General
Dietrich von Choltitz surrenders Paris to the Allies in defiance of Hitler's orders to destroy it.
* 25 August — World War II:
Maillé massacre
The Maillé Massacre refers to the murder on 25 August 1944 of 124 of the 500 residents of the commune of Maillé, Indre-et-Loire, Maillé in the department of the Indre-et-Loire. Following an ambush a few days before and in reprisals against ac ...
: Massacre of 129 civilians (70% women and children) by the Gestapo at
Maillé, Indre-et-Loire
Maillé () is a commune in the central French department of Indre-et-Loire.
History World War II massacre
On 25 August 1944, German soldiers killed 124 people and razed the village. The resultant massacre was the second-largest in France of W ...
.
* 25 August — World War II:
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...
decides to continue the war together with Germany.
* 3 September — World War II: The Allies liberate
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
.
* 4 September — World War II:
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
breaks off relations with Germany.
* 8 September — World War II:
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
is hit by a
V-2
The V-2 (german: Vergeltungswaffe 2, lit=Retaliation Weapon 2), with the technical name ''Aggregat 4'' (A-4), was the world’s first long-range guided ballistic missile. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine, was develope ...
rocket for the first time.
* 2 October — Holocaust:
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
troops end the
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising ( pl, powstanie warszawskie; german: Warschauer Aufstand) was a major World War II operation by the Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. It occurred in the summer of 1944, and it was led ...
.
* 7 October — Holocaust: A revolt by Jewish slave labourers at Auschwitz-Birkenau results in the complete destruction of Crematory IV.
* 10 October — Holocaust:
Porajmos
The Romani Holocaust or the Romani genocide—also known as the ''Porajmos'' ( Romani pronunciation: , meaning "the Devouring"), the ''Pharrajimos'' meaning the hard times ("Cutting up", "Fragmentation", "Destruction"), and the ''Samudaripen'' ( ...
: 800
Romani
Romani may refer to:
Ethnicities
* Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia
** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule
* Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...
children are systematically murdered at the
Auschwitz death camp.
* 14 October — World War II: German
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel commits suicide rather than face execution for allegedly conspiring against
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
.
* 18 October — World War II: The
Volkssturm
The (; "people's storm") was a levée en masse national militia established by Nazi Germany during the last months of World War II. It was not set up by the German Army, the ground component of the combined German ''Wehrmacht'' armed forces, ...
is founded on
Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
's orders.
* 20 October — World War II:
Belgrade is liberated by Yugoslav Partisans and the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...
.
* 21 October — World War II:
Aachen, the first German city to fall, is captured by American troops.
* 25 October — World War II: The
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...
liberates
Kirkenes, the first town in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
to be liberated.
* 30 October — Holocaust: The last gassings take places at Auschwitz.
* 25 November — Holocaust: Himmler orders the destruction of the crematories at Auschwitz.
* 16 December — World War II: Germany begins the
Ardennes offensive, later known as
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...
.
* 17 December — World War II: German troops carry out the
Malmedy massacre.
* 19 December — World War II: The entire territory of
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
is taken by the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...
.
* 31 December — World War II:
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...
declares war on Germany.
Births
* 4 January -
Judy Winter, German actress
* 9 January -
Harun Farocki
Harun Farocki (9 January 1944 – 30 July 2014) was a German filmmaker, author, and lecturer in film.
Early life and education
Farocki was born as Harun El Usman FaroqhiMargalit Fox (3 August 2014)''New York Times''. in Neutitschein, which is n ...
, German filmmaker, author, and lecturer (died
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
)
* 12 January -
Klaus Wedemeier, German politician
* 16 January -
Thomas Fritsch
Thomas Fritsch (16 January 1944 – 21 April 2021) was a German film, television and dubbing actor. He was regarded as the "Sonnyboy" in the German cinema of the 1960s, and became one of the best-known actors by his presence in television serie ...
, German actor (died
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...
)
* 21 January —
Hasso Plattner
Hasso Plattner (born 21 January 1944) is a German businessman. A co-founder of SAP SE software company, he has been chairman of the supervisory board of SAP SE since May 2003. As of August 2020, ''Forbes'' reported that he possessed a net worth ...
, German entrepreneur
* 24 January —
Klaus Nomi
Klaus Sperber (January 24, 1944 – August 6, 1983), known professionally as Klaus Nomi, was a German countertenor noted for his wide vocal range and an unusual, otherworldly stage persona.
In the 1970s Nomi immersed himself in the East Village ...
, German singer (died 1983, USA)
* 31 January -
Uwe Kockisch
Uwe Kockisch (born 31 January 1944) in Cottbus, Germany) is a German stage, screen and television actor.
Career
Kockisch completed his training to become an actor at the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts in Berlin. He accepted engagements in ...
, German actor
* 5 February -
Thekla Carola Wied
Thekla Carola Wied (born Thekla Wiedmann 5 February 1944) is a German actress educated in West Berlin at the Evangelisches Gymnasium zum Grauen Kloster. Her father was a teacher for Latin. After abitur she studied from 1965 till 1967 acting at Fo ...
, German actress
* 12 February -
Ortwin Runde
Ortwin Runde (born 12 February 1944) is a German politician from the Social Democratic party. He was the First Mayor (''Erster Bürgermeister'') of the Free and Hanseatic City Hamburg from 1997 to 2001.
Early life and education
Runde was born i ...
, German politician
* 28 February —
Sepp Maier
Sepp may refer to:
*Sepp (given name)
*Sepp (surname)
*Science & Environmental Policy Project
* Sepp (publisher)
*Substantially equal periodic payments, US tax-law provision
*Single Edge Processor Package
*State Enterprise for Pesticide Production ...
, German footballer
* 2 March —
Uschi Glas
Helga Ursula "Uschi" Glas (; born 2 March 1944), sometimes credited as Ursula Glas, is a German actress in film, television and on stage, and a singer.
Biography
Born in Landau an der Isar, Bavaria, Glas started appearing in films in 1965. ...
, German actress
* 15 March -
Josef Joffe
Josef Joffe (born 15 March 1944) is a former publisher-editor of '' Die Zeit'', a weekly German newspaper. His second career has been in academia. Appointed Senior Fellow of Stanford's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies in 2007 (a ...
, German publisher
* 20 March —
Erwin Neher
Erwin Neher (; ; born 20 March 1944) is a German biophysicist, specializing in the field of cell physiology. For significant contribution in the field, in 1991 he was awarded, along with Bert Sakmann, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for ...
, German biophysicist
* 21 March —
Gila von Weitershausen
Baroness Gila von Weitershausen (; born March 21, 1944) is a German actress. Born in Trebnitz (today Trzebnica), Lower Silesia, Germany (today Poland) into an aristocratic family, she has three brothers and two sisters and is the great-granddaugh ...
, German actress
* 6 April -
Bernd Spier Bernd Spier (6 April 1944 – 30 December 2017) was a German schlager singer and record producer. He later was a real estate broker.
Biography
Spier was born in Ludwigslust, Mecklenburg and is the son of Robby Spier, who was the conductor of ...
, German singer (died
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...
)
* 7 April —
Gerhard Schröder
Gerhard Fritz Kurt "Gerd" Schröder (; born 7 April 1944) is a German lobbyist and former politician, who served as the chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. From 1999 to 2004, he was also the Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germa ...
, former
Chancellor of Germany
* 16 April —
Elmar Wepper
Elmar Wepper (born 16 April 1944 in Augsburg) is a German actor.
His television credits include '' Der Kommissar'', '' Unsere schönsten Jahre'' and . His film credits include ''Cherry Blossoms'', '' Café Europa'', '' Lammbock'' and '' Dreivier ...
, German actor
* 29 April -
Hermann Scheer
Hermann Scheer (29 April 1944 – 14 October 2010) was a Social Democrat member of the German Bundestag (parliament), President of Eurosolar (European Association for Renewable Energy) and General Chairman of the World Council for Renewable En ...
, German politician (died
2010)
* 30 April -
Rudi Assauer, German football manager and player (died
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
)
* 3 May -
Renate Blume, German actress
* 4 May -
Monica Bleibtreu
Monica Bleibtreu (; May 4, 1944 – May 13, 2009) was an Austrian actress and screenwriter, best known in the German-speaking world for her German film, television and stage roles.
Life and career
Bleibtreu was born in Vienna, Austria, the da ...
, German actress (died
2009)
* 13 May -
Uwe Barschel
Uwe Barschel (13 May 1944 – 11 October 1987) was a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) who served as Minister-President in the state of Schleswig-Holstein. Having assumed office of Minister-President at the age of 38, Ba ...
, German politician (died
1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...
)
* 15 May -
Ulrich Beck, German sociologist (died
2015)
* 6 June -
Edgar Froese, German artist and electronic music pioneer (died
2015)
* 19 June -
Amélie Mummendey, German social psychologist (died
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...
)
* 22 June -
Helmut Dietl
Helmut Dietl (; 22 June 1944 – 30 March 2015) was a German film director and author from Bad Wiessee.
Work
After leaving grammar school in 1958, Dietl completed a degree in theatre studies and history of art. He then became head of photogra ...
, German film director and author
* 27 June -
Paul Koslo
Paul Koslo (born Manfred Koslowski; June 27, 1944 – January 9, 2019) was a German-born Canadian actor.
Career
Koslo started his career in such 1970s films as '' Nam's Angels'' a.k.a. ''The Losers'', ''Vanishing Point'' and '' The Stone K ...
, German-Canadian actor (died
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
, USA)
* 5 July -
Hendrik Born
Hendrik Born (5 July 1944 – 2 August 2021) was a ''Vizeadmiral'' (vice admiral) of the East German Navy (Volksmarine) and the last chief of the People's Navy and its youngest Vizeadmiral.
Childhood
Born's parents had eight children. His fa ...
, German vice admiral (died
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...
)
* 6 July -
Bernhard Schlink
Bernhard Schlink (; born 6 July 1944) is a German lawyer, academic, and novelist. He is best known for his novel '' The Reader'', which was first published in 1995 and became an international bestseller. He won the 2014 Park Kyong-ni Prize.
Ear ...
, German jurist and writer
* 7 July -
Jürgen Grabowski
Jürgen Grabowski (7 July 1944 – 10 March 2022) was a German footballer. He played for Eintracht Frankfurt. He became European champion in 1972 and world champion in 1974. Grabowski is considered the greatest Eintracht Frankfurt player ever.
...
, German footballer (died
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...
)
* 18 August -
Volker Lechtenbrink
Volker Lechtenbrink (18 August 1944 – 22 November 2021) was a German actor on stage, in film and television, a singer-songwriter, dubbing artist, stage director and theatre manager. He played in the anti-war movie '' The Bridge'' in 1959 at a ...
, German singer (died
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...
)
* 22 August -
Peter Hofmann
Peter Hofmann (22 August 1944 – 30 November 2010) was a German tenor who had a successful performance career within the fields of opera, rock, pop, and musical theatre. He first rose to prominence as a heldentenor at the Bayreuth festival's ' ...
German singer (died
2010)
* 14 September —
Günter Netzer
Günter Theodor Netzer (born 14 September 1944) is a German former professional football player, executive and pundit. He achieved great success in Germany with Borussia Mönchengladbach in the early 1970s and, after moving to Spain in 1973, w ...
, German football player
* 19 September —
Friedrich Christian Flick, German businessman and art collector
* 29 September -
Lerke Osterloh, German judge
* 3 October -
Roy Horn, German-born American magician and entertainer (died
2000 in the United States
The following lists events that happened during 2000 in the United States.
Incumbents
Federal government
* President: Bill Clinton ( D-Arkansas)
* Vice President: Al Gore ( D-Tennessee)
* Chief Justice: William Rehnquist (Wisconsin)
* Sp ...
)
* 14 October -
Udo Kier
Udo Kierspe (born 14 October 1944), known professionally as Udo Kier, is a German actor. Known primarily as a character actor, Kier has appeared in more than 220 films in both leading and supporting roles throughout Europe and the Americas. He h ...
, German actor
* 18 October -
Harry Blum
Harry Blum (18. October 1944 in Lennestadt- Elspe, Sauerland; died 17. March 2000 in Cologne) was a German politician and member of the CDU. On 1. October 1999 he became the first directly elected mayor of Cologne, but he only held that office ...
, German politician (died
2020 in the United States
The following is a list of notable events, births and deaths from 2020 in the United States.
The US was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which by the end of the year killed over 300,000 people within American borders. America also be ...
)
* 28 October -
Anton Schlecker
Anton Kut Schlecker (born 28 October 1944, in Ehingen (Donau), Ehingen) is a German businessman, founder and owner of the Schlecker pharmacy, drug store chain in Germany.
He is married to Christa Schlecker and has two children, Lars Schlecker an ...
, German businessman
* 29 October -
Barbara Stamm, German politician (died
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...
)
* 12 November -
Liesel Westermann
Lieselotte "Liesel" Westermann-Krieg (born Westermann on 2 November 1944; ) is a retired German discus thrower. She held the world record from 5 November 1967 to 12 August 1971, with a two-months break in 1968. She competed for West Germany at ...
, German discus thrower
* 15 November -
Joy Fleming
Joy Fleming (born Erna Raad, 15 November 1944 – 27 September 2017) was a German singer. She is best known for her performance in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1975. She performed the song " Ein Lied kann eine Brücke sein" and was placed seve ...
, German singer (died
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...
)
* 18 November -
Ibrahim Böhme, German politician (died
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
)
* 18 November —
Wolfgang Joop
Wolfgang Joop (born 18 November 1944) is a German fashion designer. He is the founder of the fashion and cosmetics company JOOP! as well as the fashion brand Wunderkind. He is the father of fashion and jewel designer Jette Joop as well as wri ...
, German artist, fashion designer and art collector
* 2 December -
Botho Strauß, German novelist and playwright
* 14 December -
Michael Glos
Michael Glos (born 14 December 1944) is a German politician of the Christian Social Union (CSU) who served as Minister for Economics and Technology in the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel from 22 November 2005 until 10 February 2009.
Ea ...
, German politician
* 24 December -
Erhard Keller
Erhard Keller (born 24 December 1944) is a former speed skater from Germany.
Career
Competing for West Germany, Keller specialised on the sprint distances – the 500 m and the 1000 m – and he joined the world's sprint skat ...
, German speed skater
* Date not known
**
Inge Solbrig, German actress
Deaths
![Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1977-018-13A, Erwin Rommel(brighter)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-1977-018-13A%2C_Erwin_Rommel%28brighter%29.jpg)
* 9 January -
Kurt Hasse, German equestrian (born
1907
Events
January
* January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000.
February
* February 11 – The French warship ''Jean Bart'' sinks off the coast of Morocco ...
)
* 11 February —
Carl Meinhof
Carl Friedrich Michael Meinhof (23 July 1857 – 11 February 1944) was a German linguist and one of the first linguists to study African languages.
Early years and career
Meinhof was born in Barzwitz near Rügenwalde in the Province of Po ...
, German linguist (born
1857)
* 18 February -
Hermann Blau, German engineer and chemist, and inventor of Blau gas (born
1871)
* 3 March -
Anton Geiss, German politician (born
1858
Events
January–March
* January –
** Benito Juárez (1806–1872) becomes Liberal President of Mexico. At the same time, conservatives install Félix María Zuloaga (1813–1898) as president.
** William I of Prussia becomes regen ...
)
* 5 April —
Isolde Kurz
Maria Clara Isolde Kurz (21 December 1853 – 5 April 1944) was a German poet and short story writer.
She was born at Stuttgart, the daughter of Hermann Kurz
Hermann Kurz (30 November 1813 – 10 October 1873) was a German poet and novelist.
...
, German painter (born
1853
Events
January–March
* January 6 – Florida Governor Thomas Brown signs legislation that provides public support for the new East Florida Seminary, leading to the establishment of the University of Florida.
* January 8 – Taiping R ...
)
* 13 April -
Hugo Graf von und zu Lerchenfeld auf Köfering und Schönberg
Hugo Maximilian Philippus Ludwig Franziskus Graf von und zu Lerchenfeld auf Köfering und Schönberg (21 August 1871 in Köfering – 13 April 1944 in Munich), known as Graf von Lerchenfeld-Köfering and as Lerchenfeld for short, was a Bavarian ...
, German politician (born
1871)
* 21 April —
Hans-Valentin Hube
Hans-Valentin Hube (29 October 1890 – 21 April 1944) was a German general during World War II who commanded armoured forces in the invasions of Poland, France and the Soviet Union. In the course of the war, Hube led the 16th Infantry Divisi ...
, German army general (born
1890)
* 5 May —
Bertha Benz
Bertha Benz (; ; 3 May 1849 – 5 May 1944) was a German automotive pioneer and inventor. She was the business partner and wife of automobile inventor Carl Benz. On 5 August 1888, she was the first person to drive an internal-combustion-engined a ...
, German automotive pioneer (born
1849
Events
January–March
* January 1 – France begins issue of the Ceres series, the nation's first postage stamps.
* January 5 – Hungarian Revolution of 1848: The Austrian army, led by Alfred I, Prince of Windisch-Grätz, enters in th ...
)
* 20 June -
Toni Merkens
Nikolaus Anton "Toni" Merkens (21 June 1912 – 20 June 1944) was a racing cyclist from Germany and Olympic champion. He represented his native country at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, where he won the gold medal in the men's 1000 m ...
, German cyclist (born
1912)
* 23 June —
Thomas-Emil von Wickede
__NOTOC__
Thomas-Emil von Wickede (23 April 1893 – 23 June 1944) was a German general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II who commanded the X Army Corps. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Wickede was ...
, Wehrmacht general and Knight's Cross recipient (born
1893
Events
January–March
* January 2 – Webb C. Ball introduces railroad chronometers, which become the general railroad timepiece standards in North America.
* Mark Twain started writing Puddn'head Wilson.
* January 6 – Th ...
)
* 20 July —
Ludwig Beck
Ludwig August Theodor Beck (; 29 June 1880 – 20 July 1944) was a German general and Chief of the German General Staff during the early years of the Nazi regime in Germany before World War II. Although Beck never became a member of the Na ...
, German general and Chief of the German General Staff (born
1880
Events
January–March
* January 22 – Toowong State School is founded in Queensland, Australia.
* January – The international White slave trade affair scandal in Brussels is exposed and attracts international infamy.
* February ...
)
* 21 July —
Claus von Stauffenberg
Colonel Claus Philipp Maria Justinian Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg (; 15 November 1907 – 21 July 1944) was a German army officer best known for his failed attempt on 20 July 1944 to assassinate Adolf Hitler at the Wolf's Lair.
Despite ...
, German military and resistance fighter (born
1907
Events
January
* January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000.
February
* February 11 – The French warship ''Jean Bart'' sinks off the coast of Morocco ...
),
Henning von Tresckow
Henning Hermann Karl Robert von Tresckow (; 10 January 1901 – 21 July 1944) was a German military officer with the rank of major general in the German Army who helped organize German resistance against Adolf Hitler. He attempted to assassina ...
(born
1901
Events
January
* January 1 – The British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia federate as the Commonwealth of Australia; Edmund Barton becomes the first Prime Minist ...
),
Heinz Brandt
Heinz Brandt (11 March 1907 – 21 July 1944) was a German officer. During World War II he served as an aide to General Adolf Heusinger, the head of the operations unit of the General Staff. He may have inadvertently saved Adolf Hitler's life, ...
(born
1907
Events
January
* January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000.
February
* February 11 – The French warship ''Jean Bart'' sinks off the coast of Morocco ...
),
Werner von Haeften (born
1908
Events
January
* January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica.
* January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 4 ...
),
Friedrich Olbricht
Friedrich Olbricht (4 October 1888 – 21 July 1944) was a German general during World War II and one of the plotters involved in the 20 July Plot, an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler in 1944. He was a senior staff officer, with the rank of ...
(born
1888
In Germany, 1888 is known as the Year of the Three Emperors. Currently, it is the year that, when written in Roman numerals, has the most digits (13). The next year that also has 13 digits is the year 2388. The record will be surpassed as late ...
) and
Albrecht Mertz von Quirnheim
Albrecht Mertz von Quirnheim (25 March 1905 – 21 July 1944) was a German Army colonel and a resistance fighter in Nazi Germany involved in the 20 July plot against Adolf Hitler.
Early life
Quirnheim was born in Munich, the son of Herma ...
(born
1905
As the second year of the massive Russo-Japanese War begins, more than 100,000 die in the largest world battles of that era, and the war chaos leads to the 1905 Russian Revolution against Nicholas II of Russia ( Shostakovich's 11th Symphony ...
)
* 22 July —
Günther Korten
Günther Korten (26 July 1898 – 22 July 1944) was a German Colonel General and Chief of the General Staff of the Luftwaffe in World War II. He died from injuries suffered in the assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler on 20 July 1944.
Biography ...
, German Colonel General and Chief of the General Staff of the Luftwaffe in World War II. (born
1898
Events
January–March
* January 1 – New York City annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York as the world's second largest. The city is geographically divided into five boroughs: Manhattan, B ...
)
* 23 July -
Max Nettlau, German historian (born
1865)
* 23 July —
Eduard Wagner
Eduard Wagner (1 April 1894 – 23 July 1944) was a general in the Army of Nazi Germany who served as quartermaster-general in World War II. He had the overall responsibility for security in the Army Group Rear Areas, and thus bore responsibil ...
, general in the Army of Nazi Germany who served as quartermaster-general (born
1894
Events January–March
* January 4 – A military alliance is established between the French Third Republic and the Russian Empire.
* January 7 – William Kennedy Dickson receives a patent for motion picture film in the United S ...
)
* 26 July —
Wessel Freytag von Loringhoven
Wessel Oskar Karl Johann Freiherr Freytag von Loringhoven ( – 26 July 1944), was a Baltic German Oberst, colonel in the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, High Command of the German Armed Forces (OKW) and a member of the German resistance to Nazism, ...
, colonel in the High Command of the German Armed Forces (born
1899
Events January 1899
* January 1
** Spanish rule ends in Cuba, concluding 400 years of the Spanish Empire in the Americas.
** Queens and Staten Island become administratively part of New York City.
* January 2 –
**Bolivia sets up a c ...
)
* 8 August —
Erwin von Witzleben
Job Wilhelm Georg Erdmann Erwin von Witzleben (4 December 1881 – 8 August 1944) was a German field marshal in the Wehrmacht during the Second World War. A leading conspirator in the 20 July plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, he was designated to ...
,
Paul von Hase
Karl Paul Immanuel von Hase (24 July 1885 – 8 August 1944) was a German career soldier and figured among the members of the resistance against Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime.
Biography
Hase was born in Hanover. He was the fifth child of Paul and ...
and
Erich Hoepner
Erich Kurt Richard Hoepner (14 September 1886 – 8 August 1944) was a German general during World War II. An early proponent of mechanisation and armoured warfare, he was a Wehrmacht army corps commander at the beginning of the war, leading hi ...
* 10 August —
Berthold Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg
Berthold Alfred Maria Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg (15 March 1905, Stuttgart – 10 August 1944, Berlin-Plötzensee) was a German aristocrat and lawyer who was a key conspirator in the 20 July plot, plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler on 20 July 19 ...
, aristocrat, lawyer and member of the
July 20 plot
On 20 July 1944, Claus von Stauffenberg and other conspirators attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Führer of Nazi Germany, inside his Wolf's Lair field headquarters near Rastenburg, East Prussia, now Kętrzyn, in present-day Poland. The ...
(born
1905
As the second year of the massive Russo-Japanese War begins, more than 100,000 die in the largest world battles of that era, and the war chaos leads to the 1905 Russian Revolution against Nicholas II of Russia ( Shostakovich's 11th Symphony ...
)
* 17 August —
Günther von Kluge
Günther Adolf Ferdinand von Kluge (30 October 1882 – 19 August 1944) was a German field marshal during World War II who held commands on both the Eastern and Western Fronts. He commanded the 4th Army of the Wehrmacht during the invasio ...
, German field marshal (born
1882
Events
January–March
* January 2
** The Standard Oil Trust is secretly created in the United States to control multiple corporations set up by John D. Rockefeller and his associates.
** Irish-born author Oscar Wilde arrives in t ...
)
* 18 August -
Ernst Thälmann
Ernst Johannes Fritz Thälmann (; 16 April 1886 – 18 August 1944) was a German communist politician, and leader of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) from 1925 to 1933.
A committed Marxist-Leninist and Stalinist, Thälmann played a major r ...
, German politician (born
1886
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Upper Burma is formally annexed to British Burma, following its conquest in the Third Anglo-Burmese War of November 1885.
* January 5– 9 – Robert Louis Stevenson's novella ''Strange ...
)
* 23 August -
Carl Moritz
Carl Moritz (27 April 1863 – 23 August 1944) was a German architect and real-estate entrepreneur. Based in Cologne, he built the Cologne opera house of 1902, and various banks, theatres and churches in Germany.
Career
Born in Berlin, ...
, German architect (born
1863
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation during the third year of the American Civil War, making the abolition of slavery in the Confederate states an official war goal. It proclaim ...
)
* 26 August —
Adam von Trott zu Solz
Friedrich Adam von Trott zu Solz (9 August 1909 – 26 August 1944) was a German lawyer and diplomat who was involved in the conservative resistance to Nazism. A declared opponent of the Nazi regime from the beginning, he actively participated in ...
, German diplomat (executed) (born
1909
Events
January–February
* January 4 – Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escaped death by fleeing across ice floes.
* January 7 – Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama.
* Jan ...
)
* 27 August —
Georg von Boeselager
Georg von Boeselager (25 August 1915 – 27 August 1944) was a German nobleman and an officer in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany, who led the Nazi security warfare operations in the Army Group Centre Rear Area on the Eastern Front, calling for ext ...
German nobleman and an officer in the Wehrmacht (born
1915
Events
Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix.
January
* January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction".
* January ...
)
* 30 August —
Carl-Heinrich von Stülpnagel, German general in the Wehrmacht (born
1886
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Upper Burma is formally annexed to British Burma, following its conquest in the Third Anglo-Burmese War of November 1885.
* January 5– 9 – Robert Louis Stevenson's novella ''Strange ...
)
* 4 September —
Erich Fellgiebel
Fritz Erich Fellgiebel (4 October 1886 – 4 September 1944) was a German Army general of signals and resistance fighter in the 20 July plot to assassinate Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. In 1929, Fellgiebel became head of the cipher bureau (german: C ...
German Army general (born
1886
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Upper Burma is formally annexed to British Burma, following its conquest in the Third Anglo-Burmese War of November 1885.
* January 5– 9 – Robert Louis Stevenson's novella ''Strange ...
)
* 4 September -
Fritz Thiele
Fritz Thiele (14 April 1894 – 4 September 1944) was a member of the German resistance who also served as the communications chief of the German Army during World War II.
Thiele was born in Berlin and joined the Imperial Army in 1914. Working ...
, member of the German resistance who served as the communications chief of the German Army (born
1894
Events January–March
* January 4 – A military alliance is established between the French Third Republic and the Russian Empire.
* January 7 – William Kennedy Dickson receives a patent for motion picture film in the United S ...
)
* 8 September -
Ulrich Wilhelm Graf Schwerin von Schwanenfeld, German landowner, officer, and resistance fighter against the Nazi régime (born
1902
Events
January
* January 1
** The Nurses Registration Act 1901 comes into effect in New Zealand, making it the first country in the world to require state registration of nurses. On January 10, Ellen Dougherty becomes the world' ...
)
* 8 September -
Ulrich von Hassell
Christian August Ulrich von Hassell (12 November 1881 – 8 September 1944) was a German diplomat during World War II. A member of the German Resistance against German dictator Adolf Hitler, Hassell unsuccessfully proposed to the British ...
, German diplomat (born
1881
Events
January–March
* January 1– 24 – Siege of Geok Tepe: Russian troops under General Mikhail Skobelev defeat the Turkomans.
* January 13 – War of the Pacific – Battle of San Juan and Chorrillos: The ...
)
* 14 September -
Heinrich Graf zu Dohna-Schlobitten
Heinrich Burggraf und Graf zu Dohna- Schlobitten (15 October 1882 – 14 September 1944) was a German major general and resistance fighter in the 20 July Plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler at the Wolf's Lair in East Prussia. He was a Knight of Ju ...
, German major general and resistance fighter (born
1882
Events
January–March
* January 2
** The Standard Oil Trust is secretly created in the United States to control multiple corporations set up by John D. Rockefeller and his associates.
** Irish-born author Oscar Wilde arrives in t ...
)
* 16 September —
Gustav Bauer
Gustav Adolf Bauer (; 6 January 1870 – 16 September 1944) was a German Social Democratic Party leader and the chancellor of Germany from June 1919 to March 1920. He served as head of government for nine months. Prior to becoming head of gover ...
,
Chancellor of Germany (born
1870
Events
January–March
* January 1
** The first edition of ''The Northern Echo'' newspaper is published in Priestgate, Darlington, England.
** Plans for the Brooklyn Bridge are completed.
* January 3 – Construction of the ...
)
* 17 September —
Friedrich Zickwolff __NOTOC__
Friedrich Zickwolff (1 August 1893 – 17 September 1944) was a German general during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.
Zickwolff died on 17 September 1944 from an infectious disea ...
, Wehrmacht general (born
1893
Events
January–March
* January 2 – Webb C. Ball introduces railroad chronometers, which become the general railroad timepiece standards in North America.
* Mark Twain started writing Puddn'head Wilson.
* January 6 – Th ...
)
* 22 September —
Fritz Lindemann, German officer in the Wehrmacht (born
1894
Events January–March
* January 4 – A military alliance is established between the French Third Republic and the Russian Empire.
* January 7 – William Kennedy Dickson receives a patent for motion picture film in the United S ...
)
* 29 September —
Otto Herfurth
Otto Herfurth (22 January 1893 – 29 September 1944) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Herfurth was a conspirator in the 20 July Plot.
Herfurth was th ...
, Wehrmacht general, Knight's Cross recipient and July 20 conspirator (born
1893
Events
January–March
* January 2 – Webb C. Ball introduces railroad chronometers, which become the general railroad timepiece standards in North America.
* Mark Twain started writing Puddn'head Wilson.
* January 6 – Th ...
)
* 1 October —
Rudolf Schmundt
Rudolf Schmundt (13 August 1896 – 1 October 1944) was a German officer and adjutant to Adolf Hitler. Between 1942 and 1944, he was chief of the German Army Personnel Office. Schmundt was injured during the 20 July 1944 assassination attempt o ...
, German officer in the Wehrmacht and adjutant to Adolf Hitler (born
1896
Events
January–March
* January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end, as Jameson surrenders to the Boers.
* January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state.
* January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports that ...
)
* 7 October -
Diego von Bergen
Carl-Ludwig Diego von Bergen (1872 – October 7, 1944) was the ambassador to the Holy See from the Kingdom of Prussia (1915–1918), the Weimar Republic (1920–1933), and Nazi Germany (1933–1943), most notably during the negotiation of the ...
, German diplomat (born
1872
Events
January–March
* January 12 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first ruler crowned in that city in over 500 years.
* February 2 – The government of the United Kingdom buys a number of forts on ...
)
* 14 October —
Erwin Rommel, Wehrmacht Field Marshall (born
1891
Events
January–March
* January 1
** Paying of old age pensions begins in Germany.
** A strike of 500 Hungarian steel workers occurs; 3,000 men are out of work as a consequence.
** Germany takes formal possession of its new Af ...
)
* 19 October -
Erich Koch-Weser
Erich Koch-Weser (26 February 1875 – 19 October 1944) was a German lawyer and liberal politician. One of the founders (1918) and later chairman (1924–1930) of the liberal German Democratic Party, he served as minister of the Interior (1919–1 ...
, German lawyer and politician (born
1875
Events
January–March
* January 1 – The Midland Railway of England abolishes the Second Class passenger category, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies follow Midland's lead during the rest of the ...
)
* 24 October —
Karl Freiherr von Thüngen
__NOTOC__
Karl Freiherr von Thüngen (26 June 1893 – 24 October 1944) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II who was executed in 1944 after the failed 20 July Plot.
Biography
During World War II, Thüngen served on the Easte ...
, German general in the Wehrmacht (born
1893
Events
January–March
* January 2 – Webb C. Ball introduces railroad chronometers, which become the general railroad timepiece standards in North America.
* Mark Twain started writing Puddn'head Wilson.
* January 6 – Th ...
)
* 26 October -
Joseph Fischer, German cartographer (born
1856
Events
January–March
* January 8 – Borax deposits are discovered in large quantities by John Veatch in California.
* January 23 – American paddle steamer SS ''Pacific'' leaves Liverpool (England) for a transatlantic voya ...
)
* 28 October -
Kurt Gerron
Kurt Gerron (11 May 1897 – 28 October 1944) was a German Jewish actor and film director. He and his wife, Olga were murdered in the Holocaust.
Life
Born Kurt Gerson into a well-off merchant family in Berlin, he studied medicine before being ca ...
, actor (born
1897
Events
January–March
* January 2 – The International Alpha Omicron Pi sorority is founded, in New York City.
* January 4 – A British force is ambushed by Chief Ologbosere, son-in-law of the ruler. This leads to a puni ...
)
* 10 November -
Friedrich Werner von der Schulenburg
Friedrich-Werner Erdmann Matthias Johann Bernhard Erich Graf von der Schulenburg (20 November 1875 – 10 November 1944) was a German diplomat who served as the last German ambassador to the Soviet Union before Operation Barbarossa, the Germa ...
, German diplomat (born
1875
Events
January–March
* January 1 – The Midland Railway of England abolishes the Second Class passenger category, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies follow Midland's lead during the rest of the ...
)
* 13 November -
Paul Graener
Paul Graener (11 January 1872 – 13 November 1944) was a German composer and conductor. He composed numerous operas and orchestral works in the Romanticism style.
Biography
Graener was born in Berlin and orphaned as a young child. A boy ...
, German composer and conductor (born
1872
Events
January–March
* January 12 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first ruler crowned in that city in over 500 years.
* February 2 – The government of the United Kingdom buys a number of forts on ...
)
* 19 November -
Ludwig Dettmann
Ludwig Julius Christian Dettmann (25 July 1865 – 19 November 1944) was a German Impressionism, Impressionist painter. Shortly before his death, he was added to the ''Gottbegnadeten list, Gottbegnadeten'' list, a roster of artists considered cruc ...
, painter (born
1865)
* 30 November -
Max Halbe
Max Halbe (4 October 1865 – 30 November 1944) was a German dramatist and main exponent of Naturalism.
Biography
Halbe was born at the manor of Güttland (Koźliny) near Danzig (Gdańsk), where he grew up. He was a member of an old family of p ...
, German dramatist (born
1865)
* 19 December —
Rudolph Karstadt
Rudolph Karstadt (16 February 1856 – 15 December 1944 in Schwerin) was a German entrepreneur.
Biography
Karstadt was born in Grevesmühlen near Lübeck on 16 February 1856, he apprenticed in Rostock and then worked in his father’s textil ...
, German entrepreneur (born
1856
Events
January–March
* January 8 – Borax deposits are discovered in large quantities by John Veatch in California.
* January 23 – American paddle steamer SS ''Pacific'' leaves Liverpool (England) for a transatlantic voya ...
)
* 20 December —
Caesar von Hofacker
Caesar von Hofacker (sometimes Cäsar; 2 March 1896 – 20 December 1944) was a German Luftwaffe Lieutenant Colonel and member of the 20 July plot against Adolf Hitler.
Career
Hofacker was born in Ludwigsburg; his father Eberhard von Hofacker ...
, German Lieutenant Colonel and member of the 20 July plot against Adolf Hitler (born
1896
Events
January–March
* January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end, as Jameson surrenders to the Boers.
* January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state.
* January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports that ...
)
References
{{Year in Europe, 1944
Years of the 20th century in Germany
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...