All Events
Two pre-constructed harbours, known by the code name Mulberries, are towed across the Channel to Normandy
German troops massacre more than 600 civilians in the French village of Oradour
The first V-1 flying bombs (or doodlebugs) appear over London, numbering more than 2000 in two weeks
American marines win the island of Saipan in the Marianas, bringing Japan within range of US bombers
Adolf Hitler narrowly escapes death from a bomb placed by Claus von Stauffenberg
The Messerschmitt Me 262 fighter-bomber flies into combat, introducing the jet era in aerial warfare
from July - more than 5000 Germans, among them Rommel, die because of the Stauffenberg plot
The Allied advance in Italy comes to a halt at the Gothic Line of German defences, north of Florence
Members of the Polish resistance rise against the Germans in Warsaw, in a conflict lasting two months and bringing massive casualties
The hiding place in Amsterdam of Anne Frank and her family is discovered by the Gestapo
The Seventh US army, commanded by Alexander Patch, opens another front with a landing on the French Riviera
George Patton gets a division of his Third US Army across the Seine southeast of Paris
Barricades are built in the streets as Parisians stage an impromptu uprising against the Germans
Tanks of the Second French Armoured Division are the first of the Allies to enter and liberate Paris
Romania changes sides to fight with the Red Army against Germany
General de Gaulle walks down the Champs Elysées, and then on to Notre Dame, to massive aclaim
Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat in Budapest, saves thousands of Jews from extermination
British forces liberate Brussels and on the next day reach Antwerp
The first V-2 rocket lands on London, killing three people in Chiswick
The first of many thousands of war brides arrive in Canada, mainly from Great Britain
Bulgaria changes to the Allied side and Communists take control in Sofia
Douglas MacArthur lands US troops on Leyte as the first step in recovering the Philippines
7500 British troops, trapped on the far side of the Rhine at Arnhem, are captured by the Germans
Delegates from 39 nations meet at Dumbarton Oaks, near Washington DC, to plan the future United Nations
Hungary signs an armistice with the USSR