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Second World War History > 1943 WW2 Events Timeline

1943 WW2 Events Timeline

The tide begins to turn ever so slowly in favor of the Allies as 1943 proves pivotal.

Authored By Staff Writer

Total 1943 WW2 Events: 127

1943
Friday
January 1st

German forces at Terek retreat.

1943
Friday
January 1st

The H2S navigation system is delivered to the RAF for installation into bombers.

1943
Sunday
January 3rd

American forces lay claim to Buna.

1943
Friday
January 8th

Soviet generals send in the formal request for surrender of the German 6th Army at Stalingrad, a request which is formally rejected.

1943
Sunday
January 10th

The decision to abandon Guadalcanal is made by Japanese autorities.

1943
Sunday
January 10th

Soviet General Rokossovsky unleashes hell on the German 6th Army through thousands of artillery cannons and Katyusha rockets.

1943
Tuesday
January 12th

German Caucasus elements make it to their bridgehead over the Kuban River.

1943
Tuesday
January 12th

Soviet troops make headway against the defensive lines at the Don River held by Hungarian and Italian troops.

1943
Tuesday
January 12th

The Soviets enact Operation Spark and cut a path through the German lines clearing a path to Leningrad. This offers the citizens of the city some much needed foot rations.

1943
Wednesday
January 13th

German Army elements at Terek retreat to the Nagutskoye-Alexsandrovskoye position.

1943
Thursday
January 14th

U-boat bases at Cherbourg and Lorient are targeted by the Royal Air Force.

1943
Thursday
January 14th

In an effort to replenish and build up their army ranks along the East Front, German Generals proposed conscription service of the Baltic people for service .

1943
Sunday
January 17th

The Japanese begin to withdraw their battered army units from Guadalcanal.

1943
Sunday
January 17th

The German Panzer Corps at the Don are officially surrounded.

1943
Tuesday
January 19th

The Soviets retake the city of Shlusselburg.

1943
Monday
January 25th

A Soviet offensive splits the German 6th Army at Stalingrad.

1943
Monday
January 25th

German forces at Armavir retreat.

1943
Monday
January 25th

German forces at Voronezh retreat.

1943
Sunday
January 31st

German General Paulus formally surrenders his southern Stalingrad army to the Soviets.

1943
Sunday
January 31st

Sananada is officially in Allied hands.

1943
Sunday
January 31st

The Kokoda Trail is firmly in Allied hands by this date.

1943
Monday
February 1st

A Presidential directive calls for some 250 American aircraft to begin offensive actions in the Atlantic.

1943
Monday
February 1st

A massive evacuation effort sees some 11,000 Japanese personnel moved fom Tenaro, Gaudalcanal.

1943
Tuesday
February 2nd

The German Army north pocket at Stalingrad formally surrenders to the Soviet Army.

1943
Tuesday
February 2nd

The liberation of Stalingrad is officially over.

1943
Sunday
February 7th

The last remnants of the Japanese Army on Guadalcanal is evacuated from the island.

1943
Sunday
February 7th

Gaudalcanal officially falls to the Americans.

1943
Sunday
February 14th

At 4AM, elements of the 10th Panzer Division and 21st Panzer Division under General von Arnim, launch their attack at Allied forces near Sidi Bou Zid and Bir el Hafey.

1943
Monday
February 15th

German General Erwin Rommel commences with his assault through Operation Morgenluft. His attack takes him towards Gafsa, Feriana and Thelepte.

1943
Thursday
February 18th

General von Arnim and General Rommels forces finally meet at Kasserine.

1943
Friday
February 19th

American armored forces hold up the German advanced at Kasserine Pass.

1943
Saturday
February 20th

US forces move in to stop the German advance around Tebessa.

1943
Saturday
February 20th

The British 6th Armored Brigade moves towards Thala and Sbiba.

1943
Saturday
February 20th

Allied units move from Le Kef for the counter-attack.

1943
Saturday
February 20th

The Americans fold under the immense German assault and Kasserine Pass falls to the invaders.

1943
Sunday
February 21st

The German forces at Kasserine Pass under Rommel await the Allied counter-offensive that never materializes.

1943
Monday
February 22nd

Allied forces hold the Germans in check at Sbiba, Tebessa and Thala, inflicting 2,000 German casualties and forcing Rommel to call for a retreat.

1943
Thursday
February 25th

Kasserine is now firmly in Allied control, the Germans having retreated and Rommel's attention now elsewhere.

1943
Thursday
February 25th

Rommel relocates his forces east and plans his defense against Montgomery and his 8th Army at the Mareth ine.

1943
Monday
March 1st - March 31st

The German battleship KMS Scharnhorst makes its way to Norway, building up the already potent German Navy force that includes the KMS Tirpitz and KMS Lutzow.

1943
Monday
March 1st - July 31st

Any further British convoy runs to Russia are postponed as supplies are funneled to other areas of the Atlantic.

1943
Thursday
March 4th

RAF Bomber Command numbers total some 950 bombers of various types. Most important are the Avro Lancasters.

1943
Friday
March 5th

For the first time, RAF bombers make use of the "Oboe" navigational aid in a large-scale operation.

1943
Saturday
May 1st - May 31st

By the end of May, 43 U-boats are sunk to just 34 merchant vessels.

1943
Saturday
May 1st

Allied aircraft are fitted with U-boat detecting radar systems.

1943
Sunday
May 16th

RAF bombers make their most famous raid of the war to date - this through Operation Chastise - as 19 Lancasters attack the dams at Mohne, Eder, Sorpe and Schwelme supplying power to the Ruhr industrial sector. 9,000lb bouncing mines are used in the successful attack.

1943
Wednesday
May 19th

Some 33 U-boats assail an Allied convoy. However, the streamlined Allied response nets zero ship losses and fatalities. The U-boats come up empty.

1943
Monday
May 24th

Due to dwindling results, German Admiral Karl Donitz calls back his U-boats from operations in the Atlantic.

1943
Tuesday
June 1st - June 30th

British and American authorities work together to formulate the Pointblank Directive - a combined air bombing campaign against the air production facilities of the German Luftwaffe.

1943
Tuesday
June 1st

The German U-boats are unleashed once more, this time operating in substantially smaller groups.

1943
Sunday
June 6th

The Allied D-Day landings in the North of France eventually render the French-German U-boat bases inoperable.

1943
Thursday
July 1st

No fewer than eight German U-Boats shadow convoy PQ17.

1943
Monday
July 5th

The Germans enact Operation Citadel - the assault on the Kursk salient. The operation begins at 4:30am but major elements are delayed until 5:00am thanks to intense artillery attacks by the prepared Russians.

1943
Tuesday
July 6th

Soviet Marshal-General Rokossovsky and his Central Front army engage in a counter-attack against the German offensive. The counter-attack fails but is enough to slow the German 9th Army some. A measly 6 miles of territory is gained by the Germans.

1943
Wednesday
July 7th

German General Hoth and his 4th Panzer Army move into the salient, covering some 20 miles of territory. Their advantage brings them near Pokrovka.

1943
Friday
July 9th

The Allied invasion fleets sail out to Sicily.

1943
Saturday
July 10th

US 82nd Airborne Division and British 1st Airborne Division paratroopers land at strategic locations across Sicily prior to the invasion force's arrival.

1943
Saturday
July 10th

Operation Husky begins. Target - German-held Sicily. Some 2,590 naval vessels take part in the invasion which encompasses two army groups of American and British forces invading at two different coasts of the island.

1943
Saturday
July 10th

Soviet resistance to the German offensives is so intense that German General Hoth is forced to bring up his reserves and commit them to the fight. The advancing Germans are slowed evermore by the stinky Soviet defenders, also made up of deadly anti-tank teams.

1943
Saturday
July 10th

15th Army Group begins their initial assault to the south.

1943
Saturday
July 10th

The British 5th Division takes Cassibile.

1943
Sunday
July 11th

The Soviet Bryansk Front northeast of Kursk moves in on German General Model's 9th Army.

1943
Sunday
July 11th

Soviet generals Zhukov and Vassilevky are given total control of the actions in and around Kursk by Stalin himself.

1943
Sunday
July 11th

The Hermann Goring Panzer Division engages the US 1st Infantry Division at Gela. US forces are assited by offshore bombardment from Royal Navy ships and repel the German attack.

1943
Monday
July 12th

The Soviets commit more tanks against Hoth and his 4th Panzer Army.

1943
Monday
July 12th

A huge battle involving more than 1,000 tanks of the German and Soviet armies duke it out near Pokrovka.

1943
Monday
July 12th

Soviet General Sokolosky moves against German Army Group Center and the 9th Army in a counter-offensive.

1943
Tuesday
July 13th

Allied airborne elements parachute into Sicily and capture key bridges. However, a German counter-attack drives back any gains of the day.

1943
Tuesday
July 13th

By this date, some 478,000 Allied troops have landed on Sicily.

1943
Tuesday
July 13th

Adolph Hitler orders an end to Operation Citadel.

1943
Wednesday
July 14th

German Paratroopers repel Allied forces from the Primasole bridge.

1943
Wednesday
July 14th

British and American forces finally meet at Comiso and Ragusa.

1943
Wednesday
July 14th

The Allies control key airfields across the island, allowing air support more resources from which to work with.

1943
Thursday
July 15th

Fighting in the Kursk salient officially ends.

1943
Saturday
July 17th

The Primsole bridge is recaptured from the Germans.

1943
Thursday
July 22nd

US General George C. Patton and his fabled 7th Army move along the west of the island at speed, claiming the Sicilian capital of Palermo in the process.

1943
Friday
July 23rd

German Army forces are pushed back to their original starting positions by this date.

1943
Sunday
July 25th

With Mussolini deposed back in Rome, Hitler has few options but to plan a retreat for his overwhelmed forces in Sicily. As such, he orders an official withdrawel.

1943
Tuesday
July 27th

44,600 Hamburg civilians are killed by RAF bomber attacks.

1943
Tuesday
July 27th

RAF bombers make use of "Window" foil strips to disrupt enemy tracking radars.

1943
Tuesday
August 3rd

Soviet forces of the Steppe, Voronezh and South-West Fronts initiate a new offensive against German Army Group South just outside of the Kursk salient.

1943
Thursday
August 5th

Soviet Army forces move towards Kharkov, liberating the city of Belgorod in the process.

1943
Thursday
August 5th

After some time, the British finally capture the port at Catania. Though a vital and strategic victory, their advance delays the operation some.

1943
Sunday
August 8th

In an attempt to cut off the retreating Germans, the US 7th Army conducts a flanking amphibious attack.

1943
Wednesday
August 11th

The evacuation of Axis forces from Sicily begins.

1943
Wednesday
August 11th

The US 7th Army undertakes another amphibious jump to head off the German retreat.

1943
Thursday
August 12th

Some 100,000 Axis soldiers are successfully rescued from Sicily. The rest are captured by advancing Allied forces.

1943
Sunday
August 15th

The Aleutian Islands Campaign comes to a close. The Japanese invasion is ultimately repelled.

1943
Sunday
August 15th

One last amphibious assault by the 7th Army is conducted. The Germans now in full retreat to the northern tip of Sicily.

1943
Tuesday
August 17th

At approximately 6:00PM, elements of the 1st Bomber Group begin landing back at their UK bases. Some 36 aircraft are missing.

1943
Tuesday
August 17th

Bad weather delays the original 5:30AM launch time of the operation.

1943
Tuesday
August 17th

Aircraft of the 4th Bombardment Wing take-off at 6:20AM in an effort to reach its target in daylight.

1943
Tuesday
August 17th

German Luftwaffe defense fighters attack the 4th Bombardment Wing formations passing over Germany.

1943
Tuesday
August 17th

At 11:18AM, the 1st Bombardment Wing finally takes off.

1943
Tuesday
August 17th

Some 250 German fighters, already alerted to the bomber group presence, are launched to repel subsequent air attacks.

1943
Tuesday
August 17th

Sometime between 11:46AM and 12:09M, the 4th Bomber Group makes their bombing run on targets at Regensburg.

1943
Tuesday
August 17th

At approximately 3:00PM, the 1st Bomber Group finally reaches its targets after incurring heavy losses from German fighters. Their bombing run ensues over Schweinfurt.

1943
Tuesday
August 17th

At around 4:50PM, elements of the 4th Bomber Group begin landing at their pre-determined bases in North Africa. Twenty-four aircraft from the group are noted lost.

1943
Tuesday
August 17th

With only limited-range Allied fighter escorts, the first major air raid on Schweinfurt and Regensburg is launched. The air raid consists of 230 aircraft from the 1st Bombardment Wing and 146 aircraft of the 4th Bombardment Wing.

1943
Tuesday
August 17th

The US 3rd Division gives the official "all clear" from their position in Messina. Operation Husky is a success and Sicily is firmly in Allied hands.

1943
Monday
August 23rd

Kharkov is retaken by the Soviet Army.

1943
Monday
August 30th

German Army Group Center is in full retreat.

1943
Wednesday
September 22nd

Royal Navy midget submarines attack the German battleship KMS Tirpitz. Though not sunk to action, she takes on enough damage to sideline her for six months.

1943
Thursday
September 30th

The German Army falls as far back as the Dniepr River.

1943
Thursday
September 30th

By this date, the Soviet Army has established no less than five bridgeheads crossing the Dniepr River, keeping the Germans at bay for the time being.

1943
Thursday
October 14th

Some 291 USAAF bombers of the 13th Bombardment Wing are once-again launched against Schweinfurt. Though 30% of German ball-bearing production is knocked out, 60 American aircraft do not return to home bases in the UK. The high level of losses in these raids forces the USAAF to temporarily suspend long-range bombing attacks into Germany.

1943
Monday
November 1st - November 30th

In this month, Allies convoys in the Artic resume their activities.

1943
Wednesday
November 10th

The combined force of US Army and Marine Corps troops numbering 35,000 personnel heads towards Betio on the Tarawa Atoll.

1943
Saturday
November 13th

US Navy warplanes and warships begin the bombardment of Japanese positions at Makin and Tarawa in preparation for the planned amphibious assaults.

1943
Thursday
November 18th

444 RAF bombs drop ordnance on the German capital of Berlin with only 9 loss to enemy fire.

1943
Saturday
November 20th

At 9:10AM, the first US Marine soldiers make it ashore at Betio during the initial amphibious landings. Nearly half are cut down in low waters by the waiting Japanese defenders.

1943
Saturday
November 20th

US tanks and armored vehicles finally make it ashore and strengthen the US Marine presence on the beaches.

1943
Saturday
November 20th

By the end of the first day of operations, some three US Marine battalions have made it onto the beaches.

1943
Saturday
November 20th

US Navy warplanes and warships conclude their bombardment of Japanese positions.

1943
Sunday
November 21st

US forces take Apamama after the suicide of its 22-strong Japanese garrison.

1943
Sunday
November 21st

US forces continue their progress against the Gilberts though a dogged Japanese resistance makes for slow progress.

1943
Sunday
November 21st

US forces officially take Makin and give the "Makin Taken" signal.

1943
Sunday
November 21st

US forces at Makin kill some 800 defending Japanese soldiers, leaving just a lone survivor.

1943
Sunday
November 21st

Another US amphibious landing, this consisting of both Army and Marine elements, makes it to the shores on Makin.

1943
Monday
November 22nd

By night time hours, the Japanese enact a counter-attack against US forces, hoping to regain lost ground and take their invaders by surprise.

1943
Monday
November 22nd

By 8PM on this date, US forces lay claim to portions of the Gilberts at its east and central regions.

1943
Tuesday
November 23rd

The Japanese assault is repelled with a tremendous loss of life for the IJA. The dead number some 500 personnel in hours of fighting.

1943
Tuesday
November 23rd

With the fall of Betio, the Gilbert Islands are now under control of US forces.

1943
Tuesday
November 23rd

The final Japanese defenders at Betio capitulate.

1943
Tuesday
November 30th

The British and Americans devise Operation Argument to counter the Luftwaffe threat through a round-the-clock bombing offensive; bad weather postpones any action.

1943
Sunday
December 26th

At 7:30 PM, the KMS Scharnhorst is lost to action by Royal Navy surface warships, leaving just 36 of her crew alive.

1943
Sunday
December 26th

The German battleship KMS Scharnhorst and 5 destroyers engage convoy JW55B.

Second World War History

1939:

• German Invasion of Poland
• Battle of the River Plate
• The Atlantic Theater
• Winter War: Soviet Invasion of Finland

1940:

• German Invasion of France
• The RAF Bombing Campaign
• Rescue at Dunkirk
• The Battle of Britain
• Operation Compass
• Operation Judgement
• The Balkans Invasion

1941:

• Sink the Bismarck!
• The Invasion of Crete
• Operation Barbarossa
• The Arctic Convoys
• The Siege of Leningrad
• The Battle of Sevastopol
• Soviet Offensive - Battle for Russia
• The Attack on Pearl Harbor
• Japanese Conquest of the Pacific

1942:

• Kharkov
• Operation Blue
• The Battle of Coral Sea
• From Gazala to Tobruk
• The Battle of Midway
• Operation Jubilee
• The Battle of El Alamein
• Guadalcanal
• The Solomon Islands
• Operation Torch
• Kokoda Trail
• Stalingrad

1943:

• Kasserine Pass
• The Schweinfurt Raids
• Kursk
• Operation Husky
• Battle of Tarawa

1944:

• The Landings at Anzio
• Monte Cassino
• "Big Week"
• D-Day: The Invasion of Normandy
• The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot
• Operation Bagration
• Beyond Normandy
• The Warsaw Uprising
• Operation Market Garden
• The Battle of the Bulge

1945:

• The Push to the Oder River
• Battle of Okinawa
• The Fall of Berlin

EVENTS BY WAR YEAR:

• 1939
• 1940
• 1941
• 1942
• 1943
• 1944
• 1945

EVENTS BY DAY OF THE WEEK:

• Sunday
• Monday
• Tuesday
• Wednesday
• Thursday
• Friday
• Saturday

MISC:

• Pearl Harbor Speech Text
• WW2 War Posters
• WW2 Quotes
• WW2 Statistics

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