Battle of Tornio
The Battle of Tornio (October 1–8, 1944) was the first major engagement between Nazi Germany and Finland in the Lapland War; although hostilities had already begun elsewhere (see Tanne Ost).
Background
Though open fighting had erupted alre ...
began between German and Finnish forces.
*
Operation Undergo
Operation Undergo was an attack by the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division on the German garrison and fortifications of the French port of Calais, during September 1944. A subsidiary operation was executed to capture German long-range, heavy artille ...
ended in Allied victory.
*
Putten raid
The Putten raid (Dutch: ''Razzia van Putten'') was a civilian raid conducted by Nazi Germany in occupied Netherlands during the Second World War. On 1 October 1944, a total of 602 men – almost the entire male population of the village – were ...
happened from October 1st to 2nd 660 men were taken away after a failed attack on a German official in November 1944
*After a four-day battle, the U.S. Fifth Army captured Monte Battaglia on the
Gothic Line
The Gothic Line (german: Gotenstellung; it, Linea Gotica) was a German Defense line, defensive line of the Italian Campaign (World War II), Italian Campaign of World War II. It formed Generalfeldmarschall, Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's la ...
in Italy, helped by the Italian partisans. The II and the IV Corp of the Army launch an offensive towards
Bologna
Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...
, that will end in a month with heavy losses and a limited gain of ground.
* Richard McCreery replaced Oliver Leese as Commander-in-Chief of the Eighth Army.
*The
St. Louis Browns
The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...
won the
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
pennant on the final day of the season by beating the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
5-2. The Browns, who had never won a pennant in franchise history and would not win another as a St. Louis team, were helped immensely by the wartime roster depletion across baseball that happened to affect them less than the other ballclubs. The average major league team had ten 4-F players on its roster, but the Browns had eighteen.
*Died: Rudolf Schmundt, 48, German Army officer (died of wounds sustained in the 20 July bomb plot)
October 2
Events Pre-1600
* 829 – Theophilos succeeds his father Michael II as Byzantine Emperor.
* 939 – Battle of Andernach: Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, crushes a rebellion against his rule, by a coalition of Eberhard of Franconia and ot ...
, 1944 (Monday)
*The
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising ( pl, powstanie warszawskie; german: Warschauer Aufstand) was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. It occ ...
was put down after two months by Nazi occupation forces.
*The
Battle of Aachen
The Battle of Aachen was a combat action of World War II, fought by American and German forces in and around Aachen, Germany, between 2–21 October 1944. The city had been incorporated into the Siegfried Line, the main defensive network on ...
began between American and German forces in and around
Aachen
Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th- ...
, Germany.
*The
Battle of the Scheldt
The Battle of the Scheldt in World War II was a series of military operations led by the First Canadian Army, with Polish and British units attached, to open up the shipping route to Antwerp so that its port could be used to supply the Allies ...
began in northern Belgium and the southwestern Netherlands.
*Born: Vernor Vinge, computer scientist and author, in
Waukesha, Wisconsin
Waukesha ( ) is the county seat of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. Its population was 71,158 at the 2020 census. The city is adjacent to the Village of Waukesha.
History
The area that ...
*The Japanese submarine '' I-177'' was shelled and sunk in the Pacific Ocean by the destroyer escort '' Samuel S. Miles''.
*The American submarine USS ''Seawolf'' went missing, probably sunk in the Molucca Sea by the U.S. destroyer escort '' Richard M. Rowell'' in a friendly fire accident.
*Finnish forces captured
Taivalkoski
Taivalkoski is a municipality of Finland, it is located in the Province of Oulu and is part of the Northern Ostrobothnia region.
The municipality has a population of
() and covers an area of of
which
is water. The population density is
.
The m ...
Lake Como
Lake Como ( it, Lago di Como , ; lmo, label=Western Lombard, Lagh de Còmm , ''Cómm'' or ''Cùmm'' ), also known as Lario (; after the la, Larius Lacus), is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of , making it the thir ...
Italian Social Republic
The Italian Social Republic ( it, Repubblica Sociale Italiana, ; RSI), known as the National Republican State of Italy ( it, Stato Nazionale Repubblicano d'Italia, SNRI) prior to December 1943 but more popularly known as the Republic of Salò ...
's Minister of the Interior. The action ended tragically, with the deaths of five partisans.
Operation Birke Operation Birke (Operation Birch) was a German operation late in World War II in Finnish Lapland to protect access to nickel.
Background
Finnish attempts to find an acceptable exit from the Continuation War in spring 1944 alarmed the Germans, wh ...
scorched earth
A scorched-earth policy is a military strategy that aims to destroy anything that might be useful to the enemy. Any assets that could be used by the enemy may be targeted, which usually includes obvious weapons, transport vehicles, communi ...
tactics.
*The Battle of Morotai ended in Allied victory, although intermittent fighting continued there until the end of the war.
*Allied planes bombed
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
for the first time. Moscow requested permission for their troops to enter Bulgarian territory.
*German submarines '' U-92'', '' U-228'' and '' U-437'' were all rendered inoperable by an air raid on
Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...
collaborationist
Wartime collaboration is cooperation with the enemy against one's country of citizenship in wartime, and in the words of historian Gerhard Hirschfeld, "is as old as war and the occupation of foreign territory".
The term ''collaborator'' dates to t ...
Axis powers
The Axis powers, ; it, Potenze dell'Asse ; ja, 枢軸国 ''Sūjikukoku'', group=nb originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis, was a military coalition that initiated World War II and fought against the Allies. Its principal members were ...
Nazi-occupied Serbia
The Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia (german: Gebiet des Militärbefehlshabers in Serbien; sr, Подручје Војног заповедника у Србији, Područje vojnog zapovednika u Srbiji) was the area of the Kin ...
, was disbanded.
*Born:
**
Danilo Abbruciati
Danilo is a given name found in Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Serbian.
Notable people with the name Danilo include:
Athletes Footballers
* Danilo (footballer, born 1979), Brazilian footballer Danilo de Andrade
* Danilo (footballer, born 19 ...
, nicknamed “the chameleon”, Italian gangster and hit man, member of the “ Banda della Magliana”, in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
; d.
1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
, killed by a security guard while he was carrying out an attack on Roberto Calvi’s behalf.
** Tony La Russa, baseball player and manager, in
Tampa, Florida
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...
Olympic
Olympic or Olympics may refer to
Sports
Competitions
* Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896
** Summer Olympic Games
** Winter Olympic Games
* Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...
Myrtleford
Myrtleford is a town in northeast Victoria, Australia, 280 km (170 miles) northeast of Melbourne and 46 km (29 miles) southeast of Wangaratta. Myrtleford is part of the Alpine Shire local government area and in 2016 the town had a po ...
,
Victoria, Australia
Victoria is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state with a land area of , the second most populated state (after New South Wales) with a population of over 6.5 million, and the most densely populated state in Au ...
(d.
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...
Al Smith
Alfred Emanuel Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was an American politician who served four terms as Governor of New York and was the Democratic Party's candidate for president in 1928.
The son of an Irish-American mother and a C ...
, 70, American statesman, Governor of New York and 1928 Democratic presidential candidate
Fuzhou
Fuzhou (; , Fuzhounese: Hokchew, ''Hók-ciŭ''), alternately romanized as Foochow, is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian province, China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute t ...
, the last seaport under Chinese control.
*The Battle of Memel began on the Eastern Front.
*
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels (; 29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German Nazi politician who was the ''Gauleiter'' (district leader) of Berlin, chief propagandist for the Nazi Party, and then Reich Minister of Propaganda from 1933 to 19 ...
announced a reduction in food rations.
*The incomplete Italian aircraft carrier '' Sparviero'' was scuttled at
Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...
by Axis forces.
*In Italy, the IV Corp of the Fifth Army launched an attack towards
La Spezia
La Spezia (, or , ; in the local Spezzino dialect) is the capital city of the province of La Spezia and is located at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the southern part of the Liguria region of Italy.
La Spezia is the second largest city ...
Apennines
The Apennines or Apennine Mountains (; grc-gre, links=no, Ἀπέννινα ὄρη or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; la, Appenninus or – a singular with plural meaning;''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which wou ...
over Boronia, aimed to repress the support of the villagers to partisan brigade Red Star. In a week, the
16th SS Panzergrenadier Division Reichsführer-SS
The 16th SS Panzergrenadier Division "Reichsführer-SS" (german: 16. SS-Panzergrenadier-Division "Reichsführer SS") was a motorised infantry formation in the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany during World War II.
The division, during its time in Italy ...
, headed by
Walter Reder
Walter Reder (4 February 1915 – 26 April 1991) was an Austrian SS commander and war criminal during World War II. He served with the SS Division Totenkopf and the 16th SS Panzergrenadier Division Reichsführer-SS, SS Division Reichsführer-SS. H ...
, had slaughtered 770 civilians (women and children included) in the territories of Marzabotto,
Grizzana
Grizzana Morandi ( Medial Mountain Bolognese: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Bologna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southwest of Bologna. The town is summer holiday resort, located in the mountain ...
and
Monzuno
Monzuno ( Bolognese: ) is an Italian ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bologna (Emilia-Romagna).
The territory of the commune is located on the western slope of the Savena valley, on the northern ridge of Monte Venere and on the left side o ...
, with episodes of inenarrable sadism.
*Five pilots of
No. 401 Squadron RCAF
The numero sign or numero symbol, №, (also represented as Nº, No, No. or no.), is a typographic abbreviation of the word ''number''(''s'') indicating ordinal numeration, especially in names and titles. For example, using the numero sign, t ...
participated in the shooting down of a
Messerschmitt Me 262
The Messerschmitt Me 262, nicknamed ''Schwalbe'' (German: "Swallow") in fighter versions, or ''Sturmvogel'' (German: "Storm Bird") in fighter-bomber versions, is a fighter aircraft and fighter-bomber that was designed and produced by the Germa ...
over the Netherlands, marking the first time that a jet fighter had been shot down by enemy fire.
*The stage musical ''
Bloomer Girl
''Bloomer Girl'' is a 1944 Broadway musical with music by Harold Arlen, lyrics by E.Y. Harburg, and a book by Sig Herzig and Fred Saidy, based on an unpublished play by writer Daniel Lewis James and his wife Lilith.Suskin, 89 The plot concerns ind ...
'' with music by
Harold Arlen
Harold Arlen (born Hyman Arluck; February 15, 1905 – April 23, 1986) was an American composer of popular music, who composed over 500 songs, a number of which have become known worldwide. In addition to composing the songs for the 1939 film ...
Sig Herzig
Sig Herzig (July 25, 1897 – March 12, 1985) was an American screenwriter and playwright.
Biography
Born Siegfried Maurice Herzig in New York City, Herzig began his career as the director of the comedy short ''Husband and Strife'' (1922), ...
and
Fred Saidy
Fred Saidy (February 11, 1907 – May 14, 1982) was an American playwright and screenwriter.
Biography
Born in Los Angeles, California, Saidy began his writing career in 1943 with the screenplay for the Red Skelton comedy ''I Dood It''. The fol ...
Gianni Mazza
Gianni Mazza (born 5 October 1944) is an Italian composer, conductor, arranger, singer and television personality.
Born Giovanni Mazza in Rome, Mazza started his career as a musician in the late 1960s. In the 1970s he started composing film and ...
, Italian conductor and composer of jazz and pop music, in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
;
Cesare Nosiglia
Cesare Nosiglia (born 5 October 1944) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church was the Archbishop of Turin from 2010 to 2022. He has been a bishop since 1991, serving first as an auxiliary bishop of Rome, vicegerent of Rome with the title of ...
,
Archbishop of Turin
The Archdiocese of Turin ( la, Archidioecesis Taurinensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory of the Catholic Church in Italy.Rossiglione
Rossiglione ( lij, Rosciggion , locally /) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Genoa in the Italian region Liguria, located about northwest of Genoa.
Rossiglione borders the following municipalities: Belforte Monferrato ...
*The Dutch submarine '' Zwaardvisch'' torpedoed and sank German submarine '' U-168'' in the Java Sea.
* Milan Nedić, president of the
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
n
collaborationist
Wartime collaboration is cooperation with the enemy against one's country of citizenship in wartime, and in the words of historian Gerhard Hirschfeld, "is as old as war and the occupation of foreign territory".
The term ''collaborator'' dates to t ...
Axis powers
The Axis powers, ; it, Potenze dell'Asse ; ja, 枢軸国 ''Sūjikukoku'', group=nb originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis, was a military coalition that initiated World War II and fought against the Allies. Its principal members were ...
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
in
Nazi-occupied Serbia
The Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia (german: Gebiet des Militärbefehlshabers in Serbien; sr, Подручје Војног заповедника у Србији, Područje vojnog zapovednika u Srbiji) was the area of the Kin ...
by air together with other Serbian collaborators and German officials, via Hungary to Austria.
*The Battle of Debrecen began in Hungary.
*The
Dumbarton Oaks Conference
The Dumbarton Oaks Conference, or, more formally, the Washington Conversations on International Peace and Security Organization, was an international conference at which proposals for the establishment of a "general international organization", w ...
concluded.
*Born:
Mylon LeFevre
Mylon R. LeFevre (born October 6, 1944) is an American Christian rock singer best known for his work with his band Mylon and Broken Heart. He is a member of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. He travels around the United States, ministering, teachi ...
Dumbarton Oaks Conference
The Dumbarton Oaks Conference, or, more formally, the Washington Conversations on International Peace and Security Organization, was an international conference at which proposals for the establishment of a "general international organization", w ...
concluded.
*
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
,
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
,
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
,
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
and
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
Arab League
The Arab League ( ar, الجامعة العربية, ' ), formally the League of Arab States ( ar, جامعة الدول العربية, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world, which is located in Northern Africa, Western Africa, E ...
on March 22, 1945.
*The Red Army began the
Petsamo–Kirkenes Offensive
The Petsamo–Kirkenes offensive was a major military offensive during World War II, mounted by the Red Army against the ''Wehrmacht'' in 1944 in the Petsamo region, ceded to the Soviet Union by Finland in accordance with the Moscow Armist ...
Sonderkommando
''Sonderkommandos'' (, ''special unit'') were work units made up of German Nazi death camp prisoners. They were composed of prisoners, usually Jews, who were forced, on threat of their own deaths, to aid with the disposal of gas chamber vict ...
'' (Nazi death camp prisoners deployed to remove corpses from the gas chambers and burn them) at Auschwitz-Birkenau revolted with makeshift weapons. Three SS guards were killed, but more than 200 members of the ''Sonderkommando'' died in the fighting. Hundreds of prisoners escaped but were all soon captured and executed.
*"
You Always Hurt the One You Love
"You Always Hurt the One You Love" is a pop standard with lyrics by Allan Roberts and music by Doris Fisher. First recorded by the Mills Brothers, whose recording reached the top of the '' Billboard'' charts in 1944, it was also a hit for Sammy ...
" by The
Mills Brothers
The Mills Brothers, sometimes billed the Four Mills Brothers, and originally known as the Four Kings of Harmony, were an American jazz and traditional pop vocal quartet who made more than 2,000 recordings that sold more than 50 million copies a ...
topped the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' singles charts.
*Dead: Arnaldo Faustin, 72, Italian polar geographer.
October 8
Events Pre-1600
* 314 – Constantine I defeats Roman Emperor Licinius, who loses his European territories.
* 451 – The first session of the Council of Chalcedon begins.
* 876 – Frankish forces led by Louis the Younger preven ...
, 1944 (Sunday)
*The
Battle of Crucifix Hill
The Battle of Crucifix Hill was a World War II battle that took place on 8 October 1944, on Crucifix Hill (Haarberg, Hill 239), next to the village of Haaren in Germany and was a part of the U.S. 1st Division's campaign to seize Aachen, Germa ...
was fought outside the German village of Haaren, resulting in American victory.
*The Battle of Tehumardi was fought at night on the Estonian island of Saaremaa between retreating German troops and a Soviet Estonian rifle division. Both sides fought blindly, firing into the darkness or feeling for the enemy by touch.
*The
Battle of Tornio
The Battle of Tornio (October 1–8, 1944) was the first major engagement between Nazi Germany and Finland in the Lapland War; although hostilities had already begun elsewhere (see Tanne Ost).
Background
Though open fighting had erupted alre ...
ended in German retreat.
*The Battle of Turda ended in Romanian-Soviet victory.
* Battle of the Nijmegen salient ended - the Germans were unable to recover lost ground taken by the Allies during
Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden was an Allies of World War II, Allied military operation during the World War II, Second World War fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 27 September 1944. Its objective was to create a Salient (military), salient into G ...
.
*Sir
William Jowitt
William Allen Jowitt, 1st Earl Jowitt, (15 April 1885 – 16 August 1957) was a British Liberal Party, National Labour and then Labour Party politician and lawyer who served as Lord Chancellor under Clement Attlee from 1945 to 1951.
Backg ...
was appointed Britain's first Minister of
National Insurance
National Insurance (NI) is a fundamental component of the welfare state in the United Kingdom. It acts as a form of social security, since payment of NI contributions establishes entitlement to certain state benefits for workers and their famil ...
Trieste
Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into provi ...
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 organi ...
’s torturers for his help to Jews and partisans; called "the Italian Father Kolbe"; Wendell Willkie, 52, American lawyer, corporate executive and 1940 Republican presidential candidate (
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
Fourth Moscow Conference
The Fourth Moscow Conference, also known as the Tolstoy Conference for its code name ''Tolstoy'', was a meeting in Moscow between Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin from 9 October to 19 October 1944.
Procedures
Churchill made a secret proposa ...
began.
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...
,
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...
and U.S. ambassador
W. Averell Harriman
William Averell Harriman (November 15, 1891July 26, 1986), better known as Averell Harriman, was an American Democratic politician, businessman, and diplomat. The son of railroad baron E. H. Harriman, he served as Secretary of Commerce un ...
met to discuss the future of Europe.
*
Operation Loyton
Operation Loyton was the codename given to a Special Air Service (SAS) mission in the Vosges department of France during the Second World War.
The mission, between 12 August and 9 October 1944, had the misfortune to be parachuted into the Vo ...
ended.
*During the Battle of the Scheldt, the 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade made an amphibious landing on the south bank of the
Western Scheldt
The Western Scheldt ( nl, Westerschelde) in the province of Zeeland in the southwestern Netherlands, is the estuary of the Scheldt river. This river once had several estuaries, but the others are now disconnected from the Scheldt, leaving the W ...
St. Louis Browns
The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...
3-1 to win the
1944 World Series
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, four games to two.
*Born:
John Entwistle
John Alec Entwistle (9 October 194427 June 2002) was an English musician who was the bassist for the rock band The Who. Entwistle's music career spanned over four decades. Nicknamed "The Ox" and "Thunderfingers", he was the band's only member ...
, bass player for
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
, in
Chiswick
Chiswick ( ) is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and Full ...
,
London
London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, England (d. 2002);
Nona Hendryx
Nona Bernis Hendryx (born October 9, 1944) is an American vocalist, record producer, songwriter, musician, and author.
Hendryx is known for her work as a solo artist as well as for being one-third of the trio Labelle, who had a hit with "Lady ...
, musician, in
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.October 10, 1944 (Tuesday)
*Six Japanese midget submarines were bombed and sunk at Unten,
Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
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 were murdered at
Auschwitz
Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...
.
*A delegation of Austrian industrialists and officers asked ''
Reichsstatthalter
The ''Reichsstatthalter'' (, ''Imperial lieutenant'') was a title used in the German Empire and later in Nazi Germany.
''Statthalter des Reiches'' (1879–1918)
The office of ''Statthalter des Reiches'' (otherwise known as ''Reichsstatthalte ...
''
Baldur von Schirach
Baldur Benedikt von Schirach (9 May 1907 – 8 August 1974) was a German politician who is best known for his role as the Nazi Party national youth leader and head of the Hitler Youth from 1931 to 1940. He later served as ''Gauleiter'' and ''Re ...
to declare
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
an
open city
In war, an open city is a settlement which has announced it has abandoned all defensive efforts, generally in the event of the imminent capture of the city to avoid destruction. Once a city has declared itself open the opposing military will be ...
.
*On the Italian front, while the
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...
stopped the offensive of the II American Corp on the Bologna Apennines in Livergnano, the V English Corp passed the Rubicon and conquers Longiano and Savignano.
*In
Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...
, the explosion of a German ammunition deposit in the San Benigno quarter (caused by lightning or, according to some never confirmed theories, by a
partisan
Partisan may refer to:
Military
* Partisan (weapon), a pole weapon
* Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line
Films
* ''Partisan'' (film), a 2015 Australian film
* ''Hell River'', a 1974 Yugoslavian film also know ...
attack) caused hundreds of deaths. The victims included German soldiers, Genoese civilians living in the area and refugees in air-raid shelters.
*In
, a coalition of "blue" (monarchist) and "red" (communist) partisans occupied
Alba
''Alba'' ( , ) is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is also, in English language historiography, used to refer to the polity of Picts and Scottish people, Scots united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba, until it developed i ...
, without fighting; the blue ranks included the future writer
Beppe Fenoglio
Beppe Fenoglio (; born Giuseppe Fenoglio 1 March 1922 in Alba (CN) – 18 February 1963 in Turin) was an Italian writer, partisan and translator from English.
The works of Fenoglio have two main themes: the rural world of the Langhe and the I ...
, who would describe the event in his
novels
A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself ...
. The town became the most important urban center freed by the Resistance's forces, before being reconquered by the
Fascists
Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and th ...
a month later.
*
Ramón Grau
Ramón Grau San Martín (13 September 1881 in La Palma, Pinar del Río Province, Spanish Cuba – 28 July 1969 in Havana, Cuba) was a Cuban physician who served as President of Cuba from 1933 to 1934 and from 1944 to 1948. He was the last pres ...
Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
2nd Ukrainian Front
The 2nd Ukrainian Front (2-й Украинский фронт), was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War.
History
On October 20, 1943 the Steppe Front was renamed the 2nd Ukrainian Front.
During the Second Jassy–Kishinev O ...
captured
Cluj
; hu, kincses város)
, official_name=Cluj-Napoca
, native_name=
, image_skyline=
, subdivision_type1 = Counties of Romania, County
, subdivision_name1 = Cluj County
, subdivision_type2 = Subdivisions of Romania, Status
, subdivision_name2 ...
and Szeged.
*A secret Hungarian delegation signed a ceasefire agreement in Moscow. Hungary agreed to declare war on Germany and give up all territory gained since 1937.
*Italian front: While the tenacious opposition of the Wehrmacht stopped the American offensive on the Boronia hills in Livergnano and at Monte Battaglia, on Romagna the British, Indian and Canadian troops passed the Rubicon at many points, directed to
Cesena
Cesena (; rgn, Cisêna) is a city and ''comune'' in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, served by Autostrada A14, and located near the Apennine Mountains, about from the Adriatic Sea. The total population is 97,137.
History
Cesena was o ...
; the New Zealanders conquered
Gatteo
Gatteo ( rgn, Gatì) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Forlì-Cesena in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about southeast of Forlì. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 7,252 and ...
.
*The film noir ''
Laura
Laura may refer to:
People
* Laura (given name)
* Laura, the British code name for the World War I Belgian spy Marthe Cnockaert
Places Australia
* Laura, Queensland, a town on the Cape York Peninsula
* Laura, South Australia
* Laura Bay, a bay on ...
Gene Tierney
Gene Eliza Tierney (November 19, 1920 – November 6, 1991) was an American film and stage actress. Acclaimed for her great beauty, she became established as a leading lady. Tierney was best known for her portrayal of the title character in the ...
Howard Hawks
Howard Winchester Hawks (May 30, 1896December 26, 1977) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter of the classic Hollywood era. Critic Leonard Maltin called him "the greatest American director who is not a household name."
A v ...
-directed wartime romance/adventure film ''
To Have and Have Not
''To Have and Have Not'' is a novel by Ernest Hemingway published in 1937 by Charles Scribner's Sons. The book follows Harry Morgan, a fishing boat captain out of Key West, Florida. ''To Have and Have Not'' was Hemingway's second novel set in th ...
'' starring
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...
Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall (; born Betty Joan Perske; September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014) was an American actress. She was named the 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the American Film Institute and received an Academy Honorary Aw ...
(in her film debut) premiered in New York City.
*Died: Fritz Feßmann, 30, German military officer (killed near
Tilsit
Sovetsk (russian: Сове́тск; german: Tilsit; Old Prussian: ''Tilzi''; lt, Tilžė; pl, Tylża) is a town in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the south bank of the Neman River which forms the border with Lithuania.
Geography
Sov ...
by a Soviet shell)
October 12, 1944 (Thursday)
*The Battle of Rovaniemi began between German and Finnish forces.
*The British destroyer ''HMS Loyal (G15), Loyal'' struck a mine in the Tyrrhenian Sea and was rendered a constructive total loss.
*The attacks of the American Fifth Army were stopped at Mount Cavallara; the offensive to Bologna was temporarily suspended, at by the target.
*Canadian Arctic explorer Henry Larsen (explorer), Henry Larsen reached Vancouver after sailing from Halifax, Nova Scotia through the Northwest Passage in just 86 days.
*Born:
**Renzo Imbeni, Italian Communist Party, Italian Communist politician, Mayor of
Bologna
Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...
, in Bologna. (d. 2005)
**Angela Rippon, British television presenter in Plymouth, England
*Died: Alfredo Di Dio, 24, Italian Catholic partisan, commander of the Brigate Fiamme Verdi (Green Flames Brigades), fallen in the combat for the defense of the Ossola Republic; Andrew Haldane, 27, U.S. Marine (killed during the Battle of Peleliu); Jack J. Pendleton, 26, U.S. Army soldier and recipient of the Medal of Honor (killed in action at Bardebnerg, Germany)
October 13, 1944 (Friday)
*Allied forces liberated Athens from German occupation.
*The Germans launched V-1 and V-2 flying bombs at Antwerp in an attempt to deny use of its Port of Antwerp, crucial port to the Allies.
*The Battle of Rovaniemi in Finland ended in German retreat.
*Assault on Hoogerheide by the 1st Battalion of The Black Watch of Canada in the Netherlands ends in disaster. This event has come to be known as Black Friday (1944), Black Friday by the Black Watch.
October 14, 1944 (Saturday)
*German forces withdrew from Niš.
*In Italy, the American Fifth Army had some success on the Apennine front; a South African division entered
Grizzana
Grizzana Morandi ( Medial Mountain Bolognese: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Bologna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southwest of Bologna. The town is summer holiday resort, located in the mountain ...
, and the German Army left Livergnano. In Romagna, the II Corps (Poland), Polish II Corps went into action.
*The German and Fascist troops reconquered Domodossola, which for forty days had been the capital of an independent Ossola, republic, ruled by the partisans and the antifascist parties.
*The Canadian frigate ''HMCS Magog (K673), Magog'' was torpedoed and damaged in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by German submarine ''German submarine U-1223, U-1223'' and rendered a constructive total loss.
*"I'll Walk Alone" by Dinah Shore hit #1 on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' singles charts.
*Born: Udo Kier, actor, in Cologne, Germany
*Died: Erwin Rommel, 52, German field marshal (allowed to commit suicide by the Nazis rather than face trial and reprisals against his family for his knowledge of the July Bomb Plot)
October 15, 1944 (Sunday)
*The ceasefire between Hungary and the Soviet Union was publicized. Regent of Hungary Miklós Horthy made a radio broadcast announcing that he had made a separate peace with the Soviet Union withdrawing Hungary from the war. Germans respond immediately with Operation Panzerfaust.
*During the Riga Offensive (1944), Riga Offensive, the Soviet 3rd Baltic Front captured Riga itself.
*Anti-Nazi partisan fighters launched the Kosovo Operation (1944), Kosovo Operation to expel German forces from Kosovo.
*In Italy, the Polish II Corp frees Gambettola.
*The German cruiser ''German cruiser Leipzig, Leipzig'' collided with the cruiser ''German cruiser Prinz Eugen, Prinz Eugen'' during a heavy fog in the Baltic Sea and was declared a constructive total loss.
*German submarine ''German submarine U-777, U-777'' was sunk off Wilhelmshaven during a British air raid.
*Born: Haim Saban, media proprietor and producer, in Alexandria, Kingdom of Egypt; David Trimble, politician, in Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland (d. 2022)
October 16, 1944 (Monday)
*Soviet forces began the Gumbinnen Operation, attempting to penetrate the borders of East Prussia.
* Operation Rimau ended in failure for Z Special Unit.
*Regent of Hungary Miklós Horthy was forced out of office and replaced by Ferenc Szálasi of the fascist Arrow Cross Party.
*With the Gothic Line now penetrated, the U.S. Fifth Army launched a new offensive toward
Bologna
Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...
with the objective of taking the city before the onset of winter. In Romagna, the 10. Indian Division is the first allied unit to pass the Savio (river), Savio River.
*National Liberation Movement (Albania), Albanian partisans liberated Vlorë.
*American bombing of Salzburg destroys the dome of Salzburg Cathedral, the city's cathedral and most of a Mozart family home.
*Born: Elizabeth Loftus, American cognitive psychologist and memory specialist, in Los Angeles
October 17, 1944 (Tuesday)
*The Battle of Leyte began when American forces and Filipino guerrillas under the command of General Douglas MacArthur launched an amphibious invasion of the Gulf of Leyte in the Philippines.
*Rival partisans in Athens began fighting each other.
*Contact was lost with the USS Escolar (SS-294), USS ''Escolar''. The American submarine was probably lost to a mine in the Yellow Sea.
*Died: Pavel Haas, 45, Czech composer (murdered at Auschwitz concentration camp); Hans Krása, 44, Czech composer (murdered at Auschwitz)
October 18, 1944 (Wednesday)
*The exiled Greek government returned to Athens.
*Germany announced the formation of the ''Volkssturm'', a national militia.
*The British Eighth Army in Italy captured Galeata.
*Erwin Rommel was given a state funeral in Ulm. German military personnel and Nazi officials who attended included Friedrich Ruge, Karl Strölin, Konstantin von Neurath and Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb.
*Died: Viktor Ullmann, 46, Silesia-born Austrian composer (murdered at Auschwitz concentration camp)
October 19, 1944 (Thursday)
*The United States Army Europe, U.S. Seventh Army captured Bruyères.
*The
Fourth Moscow Conference
The Fourth Moscow Conference, also known as the Tolstoy Conference for its code name ''Tolstoy'', was a meeting in Moscow between Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin from 9 October to 19 October 1944.
Procedures
Churchill made a secret proposa ...
ended.
*German submarine ''German submarine U-957, U-957'' collided with a German merchant ship at Lofoten, Norway and was withdrawn from service two days later as a result of the damage sustained.
*The 1944 Cuba–Florida hurricane, Cuba-Florida Hurricane made landfall at Sarasota, Florida and moved north. A total of 300 people were killed in the storm.
*Born: Peter Tosh, reggae musician, in Grange Hill, Jamaica (d. 1987)
*Died: Dénes Kőnig, 60, Hungarian-Jewish mathematician (suicide)
October 20, 1944 (Friday)
*The Philippines Campaign (1944–45), Philippines Campaign began. Douglas MacArthur made a speech from a portable radio set at Leyte that began: "This is the Voice of Freedom, General MacArthur speaking. People of the Philippines: I have returned."
*The Belgrade Offensive ended in Partisan/Soviet victory when the capture of
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
itself was completed.
*Operation Pheasant began - an offensive in the Netherlands which supported the ongoing
Battle of the Scheldt
The Battle of the Scheldt in World War II was a series of military operations led by the First Canadian Army, with Polish and British units attached, to open up the shipping route to Antwerp so that its port could be used to supply the Allies ...
*Guatemalan President Juan Federico Ponce Vaides was overthrown by a popular uprising. The ten-year period of Guatemalan history known as the Guatemalan Revolution began.
*The Cleveland East Ohio Gas explosion killed 130 people and destroyed a one-mile square area of the east side of Cleveland, Ohio.
*Born: Clive Hornby, actor, in Liverpool, England (d. 2008)
October 21, 1944 (Saturday)
*The
Battle of Aachen
The Battle of Aachen was a combat action of World War II, fought by American and German forces in and around Aachen, Germany, between 2–21 October 1944. The city had been incorporated into the Siegfried Line, the main defensive network on ...
ended in American victory when the last German garrison in
Aachen
Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th- ...
surrendered.
*Axis forces established the Syrmian Front, a line of defense on the Eastern Front northwest of
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
.
*Red Army soldiers carried out the Nemmersdorf massacre in East Prussia.
*Despite heavy rain, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt rode in an open car through of New York City streets on his way to make a speech at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. With a little over two weeks left to go in the presidential election campaign, Roosevelt's ride through the city in the pouring rain without any proper covering was an attempt to show that he was still healthy.
October 22, 1944 (Sunday)
*The main offensive in the Battle of Memel ended in Soviet victory.
*The Soviet 14th Army (Soviet Union), 14th Army reached the Norwegian border.
*The Battle of Angaur ended in American victory.
*Canadian Private Ernest Smith earned the Victoria Cross for his actions over the night of October 21–22 on the Savio (river), Savio in Italy. Smith disabled a German tank and then killed four ''panzergrenadiers'' and damaged another tank while protecting a wounded comrade.
*Died: Richard Bennett (actor), Richard Bennett, 74, American actor
October 23, 1944 (Monday)
*The Battle of Leyte Gulf began between U.S./Australian and Japanese forces at Leyte Gulf in the Philippines, possibly the largest naval battle in history. The Japanese cruisers ''Japanese cruiser Atago, Atago'' and ''Japanese cruiser Maya, Maya'' were sunk off Palawan by the American submarines ''USS Darter (SS-227), Darter'' and ''USS Dace (SS-247), Dace'', respectively.
*German submarine ''German submarine U-985, U-985'' struck a mine at Lista, Norway and was withdrawn from service.
*The Allies recognized the Provisional Government of the French Republic as the legitimate government of France.
*Died: Charles Glover Barkla, 67, British physicist and Nobel laureate
October 24, 1944 (Tuesday)
*The Riga Offensive (1944), Riga Offensive ended in Soviet victory.
*The Daksa executions (1944), Daksa executions took place on October 24/25 when Yugoslav Partisans killed 53 men accused of collaborationism.
*In the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the American aircraft carrier USS Princeton (CVL-23), USS ''Princeton'' was crippled by a kamikaze aircraft attack and was scuttled. Japanese destroyer ''Japanese destroyer Wakaba (1934), Wakaba'' was bombed and sunk by American aircraft from USS Franklin (CV-13), USS ''Franklin''.
*The Japanese battleship ''Japanese battleship Musashi, Musashi'' was bombed and sunk in the Sibuyan Sea by U.S. aircraft.
*The American submarine ''USS Shark (SS-314), Shark'' was depth charged and sunk in the Luzon Strait by Japanese warships.
*The American submarine ''USS Darter (SS-227), Darter'' ran aground in the Palawan Strait and was scuttled to prevent capture by the Japanese.
*The Japanese hell ship ''Arisan Maru'' was torpedoed and sunk in the South China Sea by an American submarine. Only nine of the 1,781 Allied and civilian prisoners of war survived.
*Martial law was lifted in Hawaii and ''habeas corpus'' restored.
*Died: Shōji Nishimura, 54, Japanese admiral (killed in action in the Surigao Strait)
October 25, 1944 (Wednesday)
*The most intense fighting of the Battle of Leyte Gulf was waged, including the Battle off Samar in the centermost action. The Japanese lost the aircraft carriers ''Japanese aircraft carrier Chitose, Chitose'', ''Japanese aircraft carrier Chiyoda, Chiyoda'' and ''Japanese aircraft carrier Zuikaku, Zuikaku'', battleships ''Japanese battleship Fusō, Fusō'' and ''Japanese battleship Yamashiro, Yamashiro'', cruisers ''Japanese cruiser Chikuma (1938), Chikuma'', ''Japanese cruiser Chōkai, Chōkai'' and ''Japanese cruiser Suzuya (1934), Suzuya'' and the destroyers ''Japanese destroyer Akizuki (1941), Akizuki'', ''Japanese destroyer Asagumo (1937), Asagumo'', ''Japanese destroyer Michishio, Michishio'', ''Japanese destroyer Wakaba (1934), Wakaba'' and ''Japanese destroyer Yamagumo (1937), Yamagumo''. The Americans lost the escort carriers ''USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73), Gambier Bay'' and ''USS St. Lo (CVE-63), St. Lo'' and destroyers ''USS Hoel (DD-533), Hoel'' and ''USS Johnston (DD-557), Johnston''. The ''St. Lo'' was the first of 47 ships to be sunk by kamikaze attacks during the war.
*
Petsamo–Kirkenes Offensive
The Petsamo–Kirkenes offensive was a major military offensive during World War II, mounted by the Red Army against the ''Wehrmacht'' in 1944 in the Petsamo region, ceded to the Soviet Union by Finland in accordance with the Moscow Armist ...
: the 14th Army of the Soviet Karelian Front captured the Norwegian town of Kirkenes.
*The American submarine ''USS Tang (SS-306), Tang'' was sunk by one of her own torpedoes near Taiwan, Formosa.
*The Allies officially recognized the Italian government under Ivanoe Bonomi.
*Florence Foster Jenkins, the amateur operatic soprano known for her lack of singing ability, made her first proper public appearance at a sold-out Carnegie Hall.
*Born: Kati Kovács, singer, and actress, in Verpelét, Hungary
October 26, 1944 (Thursday)
*The Battle of Leyte Gulf ended in decisive Allied victory. On the final day of the battle the Japanese lost the cruisers ''Japanese cruiser Abukuma, Abukuma'', ''Japanese cruiser Kinu, Kinu'' and ''Japanese cruiser Noshiro, Noshiro'', destroyers ''Japanese destroyer Hayashimo, Hayashimo'', ''Japanese destroyer Nowaki (1940), Nowaki'' and ''Japanese destroyer Uranami (1928), Uranami'' and submarine ''Japanese submarine I-26, I-26''
*Died: Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, 87, youngest child of Queen Victoria; Hiroyoshi Nishizawa, 24, Japanese flying ace (shot down over Mindoro, Philippines in a transport plane in which he was riding as a passenger); William Temple (bishop), William Temple, 63, Archbishop of Canterbury
October 27, 1944 (Friday)
*The Gumbinnen Operation ended in Soviet failure due to strong resistance by the
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...
.
*The Japanese destroyers ''Japanese destroyer Fujinami, Fujinami'' and ''Japanese destroyer Shiranui (1938), Shiranui'' were sunk north of Iloilo, Panay by U.S. aircraft.
*German submarine ''German submarine U-1060, U-1060'' was damaged in the North Sea by British aircraft and was grounded and wrecked near Brønnøysund.
*German forces captured Banská Bystrica, the center of anti-Nazi opposition in Slovakia, bringing the Slovak National Uprising to an end.
*Died: Walter Reed Weaver, 59, American major general
October 28, 1944 (Saturday)
*Japanese submarine ''I-45'' torpedoed and sank the American destroyer escort in Leyte Gulf.
*Bulgaria signed an armistice with the Western Allies.
*The Battle of the Dukla Pass ended indecisively.
*The Slovak National Uprising was put down by Axis forces.
*Charles de Gaulle ordered the French Resistance to disarm.
*A V-1 flying bomb killed 71 people in Antwerp.
*Born: Dennis Franz, actor, in Chicago, Illinois
*Died: Kurt Gerron, 47, German actor, film director (murdered at Auschwitz concentration camp)
October 29, 1944 (Sunday)
*Soviet and Romanian forces began the Budapest Offensive.
*The
Petsamo–Kirkenes Offensive
The Petsamo–Kirkenes offensive was a major military offensive during World War II, mounted by the Red Army against the ''Wehrmacht'' in 1944 in the Petsamo region, ceded to the Soviet Union by Finland in accordance with the Moscow Armist ...
ended in Soviet victory.
*The Battle of Debrecen ended inconclusively.
*RAF Bomber Command carried out Operation Obviate aimed at sinking the German battleship ''German battleship Tirpitz, Tirpitz'' at Tromsø. The attack was foiled by cloud cover and the bombs caused only minor damage.
* Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler orders the closure of gas chambers at Auschwitz and other extermination camps
*The Finnish People's Democratic League was founded.
*National Broadcasting Company broadcasts the first Jewish religious service from occupied Germany from Aachen, Germany
October 30, 1944 (Monday)
*The British Eighth Army reached Forlì. The Allied advance in Italy had slowed considerably in recent days and time was running out to realize the objective of taking
Bologna
Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...
before winter.
*The U.S. United States Army Central, Third Army completed the capture of Maizières-lès-Metz.
*Finnish forces captured Muonio in northern Finland.
*The Greek government banned the leftist militia group Greek People's Liberation Army, ELAS.
*Born: Ahmed Chalabi, politician, in Kadhimiya,
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
(d. 2015)
October 31, 1944 (Tuesday)
*25 British Mosquito planes carried out the successful Aarhus Air Raid targeting the Gestapo headquarters at Aarhus University in Denmark.
*The last German forces evacuated Thessaloniki, Salonika ahead of the arrival of a force of the British Special Boat Service. German vessels in the port were also scuttled, removing the last ''Kriegsmarine'' presence in the Aegean Sea.
*French serial killer Marcel Petiot was apprehended at a Paris Métro station when he was recognized despite having grown a beard.
*Died: Henrietta Crosman, 83, American stage and film actress; Russell Foskett, 27, Australian aviator and flying ace (plane crash in the Aegean Sea)
References
{{Events by month links
October, 1944
1944, *1944-10
Months in the 1940s, *1944-10