Day-by-Day Timeline of Events
Sunday, September 17th, 1939
Soviet army elements begin their invasion of Poland from the east. Attacks occur near Vilnius and Bialystok.
Monday, September 18th, 1939
The Polish city of Vilnius falls to the Soviet army.
Tuesday, September 19th, 1939
German and Soviet army elements finally meet one another in Poland at Brest-Litovsk.
Friday, September 22nd, 1939
The Polish city of Bialystok falls to the Soviet Army.
Friday, September 22nd, 1939
The Polish City of Lwow falls to the Soviet Army.
Wednesday, September 27th, 1939
The Polish capital of Warsaw officially falls.
Friday, September 29th, 1939
The German-Soviet Boundary Friendship Treaty is signed between German representative von Ribbentrop and Soviet representative Molotov. Poland is divided into a western zone under German control and an eastern zone under Soviet control.
Sunday, November 26th, 1939
With worsening relations between Finland and the Soviet Union, the Soviets pull out of their non-aggression pact with Finland.
Thursday, November 30th, 1939
Five Soviet armies cross into Finland, beginning the Winter War.
Friday, December 1st, 1939
The Soviet Union installs a Finnish-Soviet puppet government in Terijoki to be led by Otto Kuusinen.
Saturday, December 2nd, 1939
The Finnish government seeks assistance from the League of Nations.
Tuesday, December 5th, 1939
After some initial advances, the Soviet Army if forced to stop by the Finnish defenses at the Mannerheim Line.
Saturday, December 9th, 1939
As the Finnish winter worsens, Soviet attacks on Helsinki stall.
Saturday, December 9th, 1939
The Soviet 44th and 163rd Divisions take the Finnish town of Soumussalmi.
Thursday, December 14th, 1939
The Soviet Union is expelled from the League of Nations.
Friday, December 15th, 1939
The deteriorating conditions of a Finnish winter protect Helsinki from additional Soviet attacks.
Friday, December 15th, 1939
The Mannerheim Line holds as Soviet Army elements are kept at bay.
Friday, December 15th, 1939
Valliant Finnish forces repel the Soviet Army out of Soumussalmi, retaking the town.
Friday, December 15th, 1939
The Soviet 14th Army takes Petsamo.
Friday, December 15th, 1939
Finnish defenders keep the town of Nautsi from falling under Soviet control.
Sunday, December 17th - December 31st, 1939
Finnish Army elements cross into Soviet Karelia, unleashing hell on the Russian 44th and 163rd Divisions. Some 27,000 Russian soldiers are killed.
Monday, February 5th, 1940
The Allied Supreme War Council agrees to come to the aid of Finland and Norway - if only to protect valuable Swedish ore from falling to the Germans.
Monday, March 11th, 1940
The Finns agree to the Treaty of Moscow with the Soviets. 10 percent of Finnish territory is ceded to the invaders at the cost of 25,000 Finns to 200,000 Soviets.
Wednesday, May 8th, 1940
General Semyon Timoshenko succeeds Marshal Kliment Voroshilov as Commissar for Defense.
Wednesday, June 26th, 1940
The Romanian government agrees to allow Soviets into Bessarabia and part of Bukovina.
Monday, August 5th, 1940
The initial German plans for the invasion of the Soviet Union are reviewed by German commanders.
Sunday, September 15th, 1940
The Soviet government announces conscription of males between the ages of 19 and 20.
Tuesday, January 2nd, 1940
A new Soviet offensive on the Karelian isthmus fails.
Sunday, January 7th, 1940
Stalin appoints a new commander to oversee the Winter War - General Semyon Timoshenko.
Sunday, January 28th, 1940
Finnish ground forces recover territory from the Soviet 54th Division at Kuhmo.
Thursday, February 1st, 1940
The Soviets enact a new offensive against Finnish positions along the Mannerheim Line, beginning with artillery attack accounting for some 300,000 shells.
Sunday, February 11th - February 17th, 1940
The Soviet Army breaks through the defenses at the Mannerheim Line at Summa. Finnish Army units retreat.
Friday, February 23rd, 1940
The Soviet government delivers terms of surrender to the Finnish government, claiming the Karelian isthmus and Lake Lagoda as their own. The Finns are required to defend the Soviet Union from the north if the empire is attacked.
Tuesday, March 5th, 1940
Finland responds to the Soviet surrender overture with negotiations.
Tuesday, March 12th, 1940
After months of fighting and countless lives lost on both sides, the Finnish government officially accepts the surrender terms of the Russian proposal in an internal vote numbering 145 to 3.
Wednesday, December 18th, 1940
Hiter's Directive Number 21 is revealed as the invasion of the Soviet Union through Operation Barbarossa.
Tuesday, July 1st, 1941
Panzergruppe 2 and Panzergruppe 3 cross the Berezina River west of Minsk, heading towards Smolensk and Vitebsk.
Thursday, July 3rd, 1941
Panzergruppe 2 and Panzergruppe 3 now form up as part of General Gunther von Kluge's 4th Panzer Army.
Wednesday, July 9th, 1941
Soviet defenses at Brest-Litovsk, Bialystok, Volkovysk, Gorodishche and Minsk fall to the invading German Army.
Wednesday, July 9th, 1941
Panzergruppe 3 continues north to Vitebsk.
Wednesday, July 9th, 1941
Gurderian's army moves south towards Mogliev.
Thursday, July 10th, 1941
Guderian's forces cross the Dniepr River 50 miles outside of Smolensk.
Sunday, July 13th, 1941
Defenses across Smolensk are prepared under the direction of the Soviet 16th Army.
Sunday, July 13th, 1941
The Soviet 19th Army makes its way into Smolensk.
Sunday, July 13th, 1941
The Soviet 20th Army arrives in Smolensk.
Wednesday, July 16th, 1941
Smolensk falls to the German 29th Motorized Division.
Wednesday, July 16th, 1941
Panzergruppe 3 heads towards Yartsevo.
Wednesday, July 16th, 1941
Marshal Timoshenko and his 4th and 13th Armies near the Sohz River counterattack the Germans at Smolensk.
Thursday, July 17th, 1941
The German Army begins to tighten the noose around the encircled Soviet forces numbering some 25 divisions.
Saturday, July 19th, 1941
A German High Command directive calls for the army to complete the destruction of Soviet forces around Smolensk and then head south to tackle forces in Kiev instead of marching on Moscow herself - this decision is viewed as the turning point to Germany's defeat in Russia.
Sunday, June 22nd, 1941
Operation Barbossa is put into effect - the German invasion of the Soviet Union.
Tuesday, July 22nd, 1941
The Soviet counterattack at Smolensk is driven back by Guderian's forces.
Tuesday, July 22nd, 1941
The German Army begins to encircled in Soviet Army pockets held up outside of Smolensk, Vitebsk and Mogilev.
Tuesday, July 22nd, 1941
A Soviet offensive meant to break the German stranglehold fails due to poor coordination.
Thursday, July 24th, 1941
The German encirclement of Soviet forces is completed.
Sunday, June 29th, 1941
General Guderian's Panzergruppe 2 meets General Hoth's Panzergruppe 3 in Minsk.
Sunday, June 29th, 1941
Russian army forces are encirlced at key cities across the Soviet Union.
Tuesday, August 5th, 1941
The Soviet defense of Smolensk is obliterated and falls taking with it the end of the Soviet 16th and 20th Armies.
Tuesday, August 5th, 1941
300,000 Soviet prisoners, 3,200 tanks and 3,100 artillery guns are captured by the Germans at Smolensk.
Tuesday, August 5th, 1941
The drive on Smolensk nets a total of 600,000 Russian prisoners of war, 5,700 tanks and 4,600 artillery pieces.
Thursday, August 21st, 1941
The first Royal Navy convoy on its way to deliver supplies through Arctic waters into the Soviet Union leaves Scapa Flow comprised of 7 ships.
Sunday, August 31st, 1941
The first seven-ship Royal Navy convoy arrives in Russia without incident, bringing with her supplies and Hawker Hurricane fighters.
Monday, September 1st, 1941
German Army elements begin the shelling of Leningrad.
Monday, September 15th, 1941
The Soviet fortress at Shlusselburg southeast of Leningrad falls to the Germans.
Monday, September 15th, 1941
The Germans now control the southern end of Leningrad, cutting its citizens off from the rest of the Soviet Union.
Monday, September 15th, 1941
Finnish forces, siding with the Germans, now control the Karelian isthmus, covering Leningrad from both sides.
Thursday, September 25th, 1941
The Crimea finds itself cutoff from the rest of the Soviet Union by German Army forces made up of German Army Group South.
Friday, September 26th - November 26th, 1941
Over the course of two months, Soviet Major-General I.Y. Pretov and his band of 32,000 Independent Maritime Army soldiers set up a vast network of defenses at the fortress in Sevastopol. The defense consists of three well-defended rings.
Wednesday, October 1st - December 31st, 1941
As rations begin to run out in the encircled city of Leningrad, its citizens begin to starve.
Sunday, November 9th, 1941
The Germans take the supply line route of Tikhvin, located east of Schlusselburg.
Sunday, November 16th, 1941
By this date, Lieutenant-General von Manstein and his German 11th Army take most of Crimea with the exception of Sevastapol.
Friday, December 5th, 1941
The Soviets launch a full-scale counter-attack along a 500-mile front encompassing 19 Russian armies against Field Marshal von Bock's German Army Group Centre near Moscow.
Saturday, December 6th, 1941
No fewer than 17 German motorized divisions retreat from the Soviet advance.
Saturday, December 6th, 1941
The Soviet 31st Army cuts 12 miles into the German lines.
Tuesday, December 9th - December 13th, 1941
General Guderian's Panzergruppe 2 is cut off from General Kluge's 4th Army.
Wednesday, December 10th, 1941
The Soviets retake the town of Tikhvin.
Wednesday, December 10th, 1941
The Soviet supply route is restarted across frozen Lake Lagoda.
Tuesday, December 16th, 1941
Amid the mounting pressures and expectations of his superiors back in Germany, Field Marshal von Bock requests reassignment away from Army Group Centre.
Wednesday, December 17th, 1941
Field Marshal von Kluge is tapped to replace Field Marshal von Bock as leader of Army Group Centre.
Wednesday, December 17th, 1941
Lieutenant-General von Manstein launches a major offensive against the Soviet soldiers holed up in the Sevastopol fortress.
Friday, December 26th, 1941
Manstein's offensive gains substantial ground, piercing the first two Soviet defensive rings.
Friday, December 26th, 1941
Soviet naval forces land army troops near Kerch.
Sunday, December 28th, 1941
More Soviet forces land near Kerch via amphibious transports, bolstering Red Army power in the area.
Sunday, December 28th, 1941
In the face of growing Soviet Army opposition, von Manstein calls off his offensive on Sevastopol.
Monday, July 6th, 1942
The Soviet city of Voronezh falls to the German Army.
Thursday, April 30th, 1942
Spring over Russia brings about seasonal rains turning once solid and dependable ground into a muddy nightmare for both armies. As such, offensives are limited or stalled altogether.
Thursday, April 30th, 1942
German Army forces partially regroup and recover from the constant barrage of Soviet offensives.
Thursday, April 30th, 1942
By this time, over 1 million German soldiers have been killed in action since the start of Operation Barbarossa.
Thursday, January 1st - July 31st, 1942
Some 800,000 of Leningrad's citizens are evacuated through the frozen passage above Lake Lagoda.
Thursday, January 1st - January 31st, 1942
Over the course of the month, three Soviet armies, under the command of Major-General D.T. Kozlov, are called to the newly created "Crimea Front".
Wednesday, January 7th, 1942
With progress over the Germans being made on several fronts, Soviet forces launch another offensive to try and encircle Army Group Centre.
Wednesday, January 7th, 1942
Along the Volkhov Front to the south of Novgorod, the Soviets launch a major offensive.
Sunday, January 25th, 1942
The Soviet movement begins losing steam after consecutive weeks of fighting. Man and machine are beginning to show their limitations.
Monday, February 2nd, 1942
Adolph Hitler approves of the order for retreat for German forces at Rostov.
Thursday, February 5th, 1942
Rostov is officially abandoned by General Manstein's forces.
Sunday, February 8th, 1942
The Soviet Army officially retakes the Russian city of Kursk.
Saturday, February 14th, 1942
Russian General Vatutin and his South-West Front army reach the city of Kharkov.
Saturday, February 14th - February 18th, 1942
Street fighting begins between the German I SS Panzer Corps and the Russian 3rd Tank Army and 40th Army forces in Kharkov.
Tuesday, February 17th, 1942
Adolph Hitler meets with General Manstein to plan a German counter-offensive.
Wednesday, February 18th, 1942
German forces are officially driven from the Russian city of Kharkov.
Friday, February 20th, 1942
The Germans unleash their counterattack using the 4th Panzer Amry, 1st Panzer Army and the II SS Panzer Corps.
Saturday, February 28th, 1942
The Germans recapture lost ground and push elements of the Russian Army back. The German army reaches as far in as the River Donets while General Vatutin's forces are surrounded.
Sunday, March 1st - April 30th, 1942
Hitler and his commanders flesh out Operation Blue - in invasion of the oil-rich, Russian-held Caucasus.
Sunday, March 1st - March 30th, 1942
The Soviet offensive near Novgorod is stopped by German ground and air elements.
Sunday, March 1st - March 30th, 1942
The whole Soviet 2nd Shock Army is lost near Novgorod.
Saturday, March 7th, 1942
German General Hoth and his 4th Panzer Army form up and launch an offensive against the Voronezh Front near Kharkov.
Thursday, March 12th, 1942
Street fighting throughout Kharkov erupts once more as German forces enter Kharkov.
Saturday, March 14th, 1942
The 4th Panzer Army surrounds the city of Kharkov.
Wednesday, March 18th, 1942
The Germans complete the retaking of Kharkov.
Wednesday, March 18th - March 26th, 1942
The Soviets and Germans both dig in within and around the city of Kharkov, preparing to fight another day.
Friday, March 20th, 1942
British Convoy PQ13 sets sail for Russia but comes under fire from German U-Boats. Five of the 19 ships are lost.
Wednesday, April 1st - May 31st, 1942
Over a two month period, German forces are resupplied and strengthened before a major offensive - Operation Bustard - to remove the Soviets from the Kerch peninsula. Among the resupply deliveries are 33 massive artillery pieces meant to destroy the Soviet defensive works at the fort in Sevastopol.
Sunday, April 5th, 1942
Hitler issues the official Fuhrer Directive for Operation Blue.
Friday, May 8th, 1942
Operation Blue begins.
Friday, May 8th, 1942
German General Manstein leads his 11th Army onto the Kerch Peninsula towards the city of Sevastopol.
Friday, May 8th, 1942
Lieutenant-General von Manstein launches his assault.
Tuesday, May 12th, 1942
Soviet ground forces launch a pre-emptive offensive against German-held Kharkov.
Tuesday, May 12th, 1942
German forces enact Operation Fridericus and attempt to take Izyum.
Friday, May 15th, 1942
Manstein's offensive results in the taking of the Kerch peninsula from the Soviets.
Friday, May 15th, 1942
Sevastopol is cutt off from the rest of the Soviet Union by German Army elements.
Friday, May 15th, 1942
Manstein begins planning his next major offensive to take Sevastopol - this becomes Operation Sturgeon.
Tuesday, June 2nd, 1942
600 German artillery guns open fire on Sevastopol.
Saturday, June 6th, 1942
The German Luftwaffe is called in to bomb Sevastopol.
Sunday, June 7th, 1942
The German artillery guns cease fire on Sevastopol. The bombardment on the Soviets has spanned five days.
Sunday, June 7th, 1942
The German 11th Army begins their assault on Sevastopol from the north at 2:30AM.
Thursday, June 11th, 1942
The German-allied Romanian Mountain Corps and 30th Army Corps launch their attack on Sevastopol.
Friday, June 12th - June 16th, 1942
The German offensive against Sevastopol is repulsed by the 180,000 or so Russian soldiers holed up in the city.
Wednesday, June 17th, 1942
Manstein launches another assault on Sevastopol.
Saturday, June 27th, 1942
The Soviet Army is encircled and defeated at Kharkov, netting the Germans some 250,000 Soviet prisoners.
Saturday, June 27th, 1942
German forces complete their capture of Izyum.
Saturday, June 27th, 1942
The Romanian and German army forces capture key hilltop positions near Sevastopol.
Sunday, June 28th, 1942
The German Army turns its attention towards the Volga.
Sunday, June 28th, 1942
The German 2nd Army and 4th Panzer Army launch their attack towards Voronezh near Kursk.
Sunday, June 28th, 1942
German forces reach the outskirts of Sevastopol.
Sunday, June 28th, 1942
By this date, over 90% of the Soviet defensive fortifications have fallen to the Germans.
Tuesday, June 30th, 1942
German General Paulus attacks at Belgorod.
Tuesday, June 30th, 1942
Evacuation of Russian soldiers from Sevastopol begins with help from the Soviet Black Sea Fleet under Vice-Admiral F.S. Oktyabrsky.
Wednesday, July 1st - July 31st, 1942
Hitler orders two directives in the operation against Leningrad. The first calls for its immediate encirclement and the second for its immediate destruction from land and air.
Wednesday, July 1st, 1942
One last German push secures strategic positions throughout the city of Sevastopol.
Thursday, July 2nd, 1942
The Soviet city of Sevastopol officially falls to the Germans.
Thursday, July 2nd, 1942
The last of the Soviet forces are evacuated by sea leaving little to stop the German onslaught.
Saturday, July 4th, 1942
Sevastopol officially falls to German control.
Saturday, July 4th, 1942
German control and the subsequent round up on the city nets some 90,000 Soviet army prisoners of war.
Monday, July 6th, 1942
The German 6th Army reaches the Don River.
Monday, July 6th, 1942
The German 6th Army moves on Stalingrad.
Tuesday, July 7th, 1942
German General Field Marshal List takes command of the new Army Goup A, made up of the 1st Panzer Army and the 17th Army.
Thursday, July 9th, 1942
The German Army begins its move towards Rostov.
Thursday, July 9th, 1942
German Army Group South is renamed Army Group B and placed under the control of Field Marshal von Bock.
Monday, July 13th, 1942
General von Weichs takes control of Army Group B from Bock.
Monday, July 13th, 1942
Adolf Hitler assigns General Paulus and his 6th Army to take Stalingrad.
Friday, July 17th, 1942
Hitler diverts the 4th Panzer Army away from Stalingrad and sends them towards the Caucasus.
Thursday, July 23rd, 1942
Rostov falls to the German Army Group A, netting some 83,000 Soviet prisoners as a result.
Thursday, July 23rd, 1942
Hitler issues a supplemental directive to Operation Blue requiring his 6th Army to take Stalingrad.
Tuesday, July 28th, 1942
The macabre resolution of "not one step backwards" is issued by Stalin to his generals and troops.
Saturday, August 1st - August 31st, 1942
Any further convoys passing to the Arctic to Russia are suspended for the time being as resources are pressed for service in the Allied landings occurring in North Africa.
Tuesday, August 4th, 1942
Elements of the German Army cross the Aksay River towards Stalingrad.
Thursday, August 6th, 1942
The German Army crosses the Kuban River near Armavir.
Friday, August 7th, 1942
Elements of the German Army attack Soviet forces near Kalach.
Sunday, August 9th, 1942
Army Group A captures the Maikop oil field on the Black Sea.
Sunday, August 9th, 1942
The German German Army captures the strategic port of Yeysk and Krasnador on the Sea of Azov.
Friday, August 14th, 1942
German forces cross the Kuban river near Krasnador.
Sunday, August 19th, 1942
German General Paulus and his 6th Army is ordered to attack the Soviet city of Stalingrad.
Wednesday, August 19th - September 30th, 1942
A Soviet offensive aimed at smashing through the German lines fails.
Saturday, August 22nd, 1942
German land forces advancing into the Caucasus are stopped.
Sunday, August 23rd, 1942
Army Group B reaches the Volga River.
Tuesday, August 25th, 1942
Stalingard is officially under siege by the Germans Army.
Tuesday, September 1st - September 30th, 1942
German progress throughout the Casucasus is slowed by Soviet resistance and fuel/supply shortages.
Tuesday, September 1st, 1942
Germany Army elements, backed by Romanians cross the Kerch Straits.
Tuesday, September 1st, 1942
The Germans establish a bridgehead over the Terek River.
Wednesday, September 2nd, 1942
Convoy PQ18 sets sail for Russia, comprised of some 40 ships and beefed up protection through 17 destroyers. The escort carrier HMS Avenger provides air cover.
Wednesday, Setember 2nd - September 26th, 1942
Convoy PQ18 reaches Russia despite losing 13 of her ships.
Thursday, September 3rd, 1942
The Germans enact an offensive aimed at the heart of Stalingrad.
Sunday, September 6th, 1942
The strategic Black Sea port city Novorossiysk falls to the Germans.
Tuesday, September 15th, 1942
The Soviet Army is unleashed on Voronezh.
Thursday, September 24th, 1942
The German Army makes headway toward Tuapse.
Friday, September 25th, 1942
With winter upon the German Army once more, Hitler orders a halt to any major offensives around Leningrad.
Thursday, October 1st - October 31st, 1942
With a lull in the fighting, Soviet forces near Leningrad are able to receive much needed supplies and reinforcements.
Tuesday, October 6th, 1942
Malgobek falls to the German Army.
Friday, October 9th, 1942
The Soviet government hands all military powers to the Soviet Army.
Wednesday, October 14th, 1942
Adolf Hitler stops all further offensives against Soviet targets in the region for the year and orders his commanders to hold their positions until 1943.
Sunday, October 18th, 1942
The German drive against Tuapse is stopped by the Soviets.
Sunday, October 25th, 1942
The Germans enact a new offensive in the Caucasus.
Sunday, November 1st, 1942
The Caucasus town of Alagir is captured by the Germans.
Monday, November 2nd, 1942
The Caucasus town of Ordzhonikidse is captured by the Germans.
Sunday, November 15th, 1942
Army Group A reaches as far as Ordzhonikidze and Mt. Elbus.
Thursday, November 19th, 1942
The Soviets push forward a new two-part offensive - Operation Uranus - north of Stalingrad and break through the Romanian-held defenses.
Friday, November 20th, 1942
Part 2 of Operation Uranus is enacted at the southern end of Stalingrad.
Friday, November 20th, 1942
German General Manstein is appointed the commander of Army Group Don.
Sunday, November 22nd, 1942
Two elements of the Soviet Army meets at Kalach, effectively encircling the German 6th Army at Stalingrad.
Wednesday, November 25th, 1942
In an effort to resupply their troops, the German Luftwaffe is called upon to exercise airdrops of vital supplies to the German 6th Army.
Monday, November 30th, 1942
German General Paulus and his 6th Army is contained by the fierce resisting Soviets in Stalingrad, putting Hitler's plans on hold.
Saturday, December 12th, 1942
While Hitler rejects any plea from the German 6th Army to retreat from their position, the 4th Panzer Army is used through Operation Winter Storm in an attempt to relieve the beleaguered German troops at Stalingrad.
Wednesday, December 16th, 1942
The Soviet Army puts Operation Little Saturn into effect and attacks Rostov.
Wednesday, December 16th, 1942
The Italian Army goes into full retreat from the Soviet advance.
Wednesday, December 16th, 1942
German Army forces are called off from further offensives at Tuapse.
Monday, December 21st, 1942
Soviet relief forces and supplies headed for Stalingrad are stopped at Myshkova.
Wednesday, December 23rd, 1942
All further attempts to relieve Stalingrad are put on hold, indefinitely.
Thursday, December 24th, 1942
The Soviet Army launches a fresh attack at Kotelnikovo, routing its Romanian defenders and putting them into full retreat.
Monday, December 28th, 1942
German Army Group A is given the official order to retreat from the Caucasus region.
Friday, January 1st, 1943
German forces at Terek retreat.
Friday, January 8th, 1943
Soviet generals send in the formal request for surrender of the German 6th Army at Stalingrad, a request which is formally rejected.
Sunday, January 10th, 1943
Soviet General Rokossovsky unleashes hell on the German 6th Army through thousands of artillery cannons and Katyusha rockets.
Tuesday, January 12th, 1943
Soviet troops make headway against the defensive lines at the Don River held by Hungarian and Italian troops.
Tuesday, January 12th, 1943
German Caucasus elements make it to their bridgehead over the Kuban River.
Tuesday, January 12th, 1943
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.
Wednesday, January 13th, 1943
German Army elements at Terek retreat to the Nagutskoye-Alexsandrovskoye position.
Thursday, January 14th, 1943
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 .
Sunday, January 17th, 1943
The German Panzer Corps at the Don are officially surrounded.
Tuesday, January 19th, 1943
The Soviets retake the city of Shlusselburg.
Monday, January 25th, 1943
A Soviet offensive splits the German 6th Army at Stalingrad.
Monday, January 25th, 1943
German forces at Armavir retreat.
Monday, January 25th, 1943
German forces at Voronezh retreat.
Sunday, January 31st, 1943
German General Paulus formally surrenders his southern Stalingrad army to the Soviets.
Tuesday, February 2nd, 1943
The German Army north pocket at Stalingrad formally surrenders to the Soviet Army.
Tuesday, February 2nd, 1943
The liberation of Stalingrad is officially over.
Monday, July 5th, 1943
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.
Tuesday, July 6th, 1943
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.
Wednesday, July 7th, 1943
German General Hoth and his 4th Panzer Army move into the salient, covering some 20 miles of territory. Their advantage brings them near Pokrovka.
Saturday, July 10th, 1943
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.
Sunday, July 11th, 1943
Soviet generals Zhukov and Vassilevky are given total control of the actions in and around Kursk by Stalin himself.
Sunday, July 11th, 1943
The Soviet Bryansk Front northeast of Kursk moves in on German General Model's 9th Army.
Monday, July 12th, 1943
The Soviets commit more tanks against Hoth and his 4th Panzer Army.
Monday, July 12th, 1943
A huge battle involving more than 1,000 tanks of the German and Soviet armies duke it out near Pokrovka.
Monday, July 12th, 1943
Soviet General Sokolosky moves against German Army Group Center and the 9th Army in a counter-offensive.
Tuesday, July 13th, 1943
Adolph Hitler orders an end to Operation Citadel.
Thursday, July 15th, 1943
Fighting in the Kursk salient officially ends.
Friday, July 23rd, 1943
German Army forces are pushed back to their original starting positions by this date.
Tuesday, August 3rd, 1943
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.
Thursday, August 5th, 1943
Soviet Army forces move towards Kharkov, liberating the city of Belgorod in the process.
Monday, August 23rd, 1943
Kharkov is retaken by the Soviet Army.
Monday, August 30th, 1943
German Army Group Center is in full retreat.
Thursday, September 30th, 1943
The German Army falls as far back as the Dniepr River.
Thursday, September 30th, 1943
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.
Monday, November 1st - November 30th, 1943
In this month, Allies convoys in the Artic resume their activities.
Monday, July 31st, 1944
Soviet Army forces close in on German defenders in Warsaw.
Tuesday, August 1st, 1944
Three Soviet Army Fronts converge on the outskirts of Warsaw, prompting Polish General Komorowski to greenlight the uprising.
Friday, August 11th, 1944
The Red Army finds themselves some 12 miles outside of Warsaw proper, having advanced into the Polish suburbs.
Wednesday, August 16th, 1944
Sensing his own political interests and conquests, Soviet leader Josef Stalin rejects a direct call for aid for the Poles.
Saturday, September 16th, 1944
Pressured by the Americans and British, Stalin gives in - just a little - and delivers a meager air drop of arms consisting of just fifty pistols and a pair of machine guns.
Monday, September 18th, 1944
American B-17 bombers land at Poltava, now under Soviet control, to refuel. Onboard are arms and supplies meant for the Polish resistance.
Monday, September 18th, 1944
Josef Stalin refuses further Allied use of his forward airfields to resupply the Polish insurgents.
Saturday, September 16th, 1944
Polish Army units fighting alongside the Soviet Army make a dash to support their comrades in Warsaw, this against the orders of Soviet High Command.
Sunday, September 17th, 1944
Under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Zygmunt Berling, the 1st Polish Army forces engage the Germans in Warsaw but are ultimately driven back in retreat.
Thursday, September 21st, 1944
For his actions in disobeying Soviet Army orders, Berling is stripped of his army command.
Friday, January 14th, 1944
Soviet armies from the 2nd Baltic, Volkov and Leningrad fronts overtake German Army Group North in a massive two-week offensive.
Thursday, January 27th, 1944
The Moscow-Leningrad railway route is reopened in favor of the Soviets.
Thursday, January 27th, 1944
The siege of Leningrad is declared by Soviet leader Stalin as over.
Friday, January 28th, 1944
German Army Group North is pushed away from the city of Leningrad.
Monday, May 1st - May 31st, 1944
Plans begin for a major Soviet offensive against the German Army in the East.
Monday, May 1st - July 31st, 1944
The upcoming invasion at Normany puts a temporary halt on further convoy runs into Russia.
Saturday, May 20th, 1944
The Soviet offensive is detailed under the codename of "Operation Bagration".
Saturday, May 20th, 1944
The launch date for Operation Bagration is set for June 22nd.
Monday, June 19th, 1944
Soviet partisan groups spring into action along the German rear guard and wreak havoc for days. Targets include supply and communication lines. Tens of thousands of explosive acts of sabotage are noted.
Thursday, June 22nd, 1944
Operation Bagration is put into action with General Zhukov in command.
Thursday, June 22nd, 1944
Totaling over 1.2 million troops, the 1st Baltic Front - along with the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Belorussian Fronts - are put into action along four fronts. Vitebsk is quickly taken and controlled. The 3rd Panzer Army suffers heavy losses.
Friday, June 23rd, 1944
By this date, the partisan actions along the German rear dwindle in preparation for the upcoming offensive.
Friday, June 23rd, 1944
The 1st and 3rd Belorussian Fronts advanced to northeast of Minsk, surrounding the German 4th Army.
Monday, June 26th, 1944
With the 1st and 2nd Belorussian Fronts closing, Hitler okays the order for the 9th Army to retreat to more favorable ground.
Wednesday, June 28th, 1944
Hitler replaces Field Marshal Busch with General Model to help stem his losses.
Thursday, June 29th, 1944
The Soviets take Bobruysk.
Thursday, June 29th, 1944
The 1st and 2nd Belorussian Fronts close in and around the city of Minsk, attempting to join forces of the 3rd Belorussian Front.
Friday, June 30th, 1944
By this date, the German Army has recorded some 200,000 casualties from the aggressive Soviet offensive.
Tuesday, July 4th, 1944
Minsk falls to the Soviet offensive.
Tuesday, July 4th, 1944
By this date, the 160,000-strong German 4th Army alone reports losses of 130,000 troops.
Tuesday, July 4th, 1944
German losses total 400,000 personnel.
Wednesday, July 5th, 1944
Encircled, remnants of the German 4th Army are captured or killed trying to flee.
Tuesday, July 11th, 1944
The German 9th Army is obliterated under the might of the Red Army.
Thursday, July 13th, 1944
Vilnius, Lithuania is captured by Soviet ground troops.
Thursday, July 13th, 1944
A new Soviet land offensive is launched with elements of the Soviet 1st and 4th Ukranian Fronts. Their target is Germany Army Group North in the Ukraine on their way to southern Poland.
Monday, July 17th, 1944
White Russia is cleansed of all German invaders, leading celebrations in the Soviet capital of Moscow.
Monday, July 17th, 1944
Some 57,000 German captives are paraded through the streets of Moscow.
Monday, July 17th, 1944
German Army Group Center is completely annihilated from the German ranks.
Thursday, July 27th, 1944
Lvov is clamed by the Ukranian Fronts.
Friday, July 28th, 1944
Soviet forces lay claim to Brest-Litovsk.
Tuesday, August 1st, 1944
The move westward continues.
Tuesday, August 15th, 1944
Stretched and strained supply lines bring the Soviet war machine to a halt.
Wednesday, August 30th, 1944
The massive Soviet offensive ends with much of the German-held territories now in Russian hands. The Soviet Army has made it as far as the outskirts of Warsaw in Poland with a front running from Lithuania in the north, through Belorussia in the center and Poland/Ukraine in the south.
Wednesday, November 1st - November 30th, 1944
As the German defensive circle shrinks througout Europe, the Artic Convoys enjoy their best month, seeing not one vessel lost to enemy action.
Saturday, January 6th, 1945
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the west coordinates via telegram with Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in the east on launching a combined January offensive. Churchill plans on the 20th as the target date.
Sunday, January 7th, 1945
Stalin moves the offensive launch date forward to January 12th.
Friday, January 12th, 1945
The Red Army enacts a massive offensive against German foes along the East Front. His targets are German Army Group A and Army Group Center located in East Prussia and Poland. The battle line is a long running front from the Lithuanian coast down to the Balkans region.
Friday, January 12th, 1945
The Red Army offensive is spear-headed by the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Belorussian Fronts as well as the 1st Baltic Front joined by the 1st Ukrainian Front.
Sunday, January 14th, 1945
Initial thrusts by the Soviet Army prove positive against the German defense.
Tuesday, January 16th, 1945
Adolf Hitler reorders his forces, weakening key areas of defense, to attempt a flanking manuever against the Red Army near Poznan.
Wednesday, January 17th, 1945
The Polish capital city of Warsaw officially falls to the advancing Soviet Army.
Wednesday, January 17th, 1945
Soviet forces engage German foes in East Prussia with gains being made towards Danzig and Konigsberg.
Saturday, January 20th, 1945
Hitler orders his 6th SS Panzer Army out of the Ardennes forrest on the West Front towards Budapest, Hungary in the east.
Monday, January 22nd, 1945
Soviet General Konev and his 1st Ukranian Front cross the Oder River at Steinau.
Thursday, February 1st, 1945
German forces at Kustrin derail any further Soviet advance towards Berlin. General Zhukov's 1st Belorussian Front is halted.
Saturday, February 3rd, 1945
General Zhukov and his 1st Belorussian Front combine forces with General Konev's 1st Ukrainian Front along the Oder River near Kustrin.
Saturday, February 3rd, 1945
The Soviet front lines total some 50 miles along the Oder River by this time.
Monday, February 5th, 1945
Soviet Army forces begin to cross the Oder River into Germany.
Thursday, February 15th, 1945
The German city of Breslau is surrounded by Soviet troops.
Thursday, February 22nd, 1945
Poznan falls to the Soviet Army after the defending German troops surrender.
Saturday, February 24th, 1945
General Konev's 1st Ukranian Front claims Lower Silesia.
Friday, March 16th, 1945
From Hungary, Soviet Army groups begin their offensive into Austria along the Danube River. The target is Vienna.
Saturday, March 31st, 1945
The Soviet Front gains tremendous ground since the start of the offensive back in January. Forces are a mere 50 miles from Berlin.
Saturday, March 31st, 1945
Preparations for the final battle of Berlin are made.
Monday, April 16th, 1945
The Soviet Army begins its Berlin campaign with spectacular display of artillery, exploding targets throughout Berlin and its surrounding areas. The bombardment signals the beginning of the offensive to take the German capital.
Monday, April 20th, 1945
Soviet Army groups advance against German defenses at the Oder River.
Monday, April 20th, 1945
Adolf Hitler celebrates his final (56th) birthday, seemingly unaware of the fate to befall him and his Germany.
Tuesday, April 21st, 1945
General Zhukov and his 1st Belorussian army break into the Berlin suburbs.
Wednesday, April 22nd, 1945
Soviet leader Stalin sends his final assault orders to generals Zhukov and Koniev.
Thursday, April 23rd, 1945
The Berlin suburbs gradually fall under Soviet control as fighting rages on everywhere.
Friday, April 24th, 1945
German General Wenck of the 12th Army launches a futile counter-offensive against the Soviet onslaught.
Saturday, April 25th, 1945
The 1st Belorussian Front meets up with the 1st Ukranian Front, formally encircling Berlin.
Saturday, April 25th, 1945
All access points west of the German capital are cutt off by Soviet forces.
Saturday, April 25th, 1945
Over 2 million Berlin civilians hunker down for the violent fighting ahead.
Saturday, April 25th, 1945
Some 30,000 German soldiers ready themselves for the bloody business of the day.
Saturday, April 25th, 1945
Elements of the 5th Guards Army reach the Elbe River at Torgau and celebrate with the arriving US 1st Army.
Sunday, April 26th, 1945
Twin Soviet offensives break the final defensive fronts of the Germans.
Sunday, April 26th, 1945
Soviet forces advance across the Spree River.
Sunday, April 26th, 1945
Soviet forces advance towards Unter den Linden.
Monday, April 27th, 1945
General Wenck's 12th Army is halted by the Soviet Army.
Monday, April 27th, 1945
The Soviet Army remains just 15 miles from the center of Berlin.
Monday, April 27th, 1945
German soldiers set up defensive areas across a small 10 mile long front for their ultimate "last stand".
Monday, April 30th, 1945
The Soviets capture the Reichstag.
Monday, April 30th, 1945
German leader Adolf Hitler weds his mistress, Eva Braun, in his underground bunker under Berlin. After giving a final speech to his remaining supporters, he poisons his dog, then Braun and ultimately takes his own life. In his will, he leaves his authority to Admiral Doenitz.
Monday, April 30th, 1945
The bodies of Adolph Hitler and Eva Braun are taken to the Chancellery Gardens and incinerated under previous orders from Hitler, this to avoid capture and ultimate humiliation at the hands of the progressing Soviet Army.
Tuesday, May 1st, 1945
Soviet artillery opens up once again, this time in a massive barrage against the Chancellery and surrounding areas.
Tuesday, May 1st, 1945
German propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels murders his wife and six children before taking his own life.
Tuesday, May 1st, 1945
General Chuikov makes his way into the center of Berlin.
Tuesday, May 1st, 1945
German Generaloberst Hans Krebs approaches Chuikov with the formal German surrender.
Tuesday, May 1st, 1945
Berlin formally and unconditionally surrenders to the Soviet legions and Western Allies. General Jodl signs for the defeated Germans and Generals Bedell Smith and Suslaparov for the Allies.
Tuesday, May 1st - May 31st, 1945
The last Artic Convoy voyage - with the designation of JW67 - between Britian and Russia is completed.
Wednesday, May 2nd, 1945
German forces across Berlin begin surrendering.
Wednesday, May 2nd, 1945
The Fall of Berlin is complete - Soviet forces occupy all major sections of the German capital.
Wednesday, May 2nd, 1945
The war in Europe officially comes to a close.
Tuesday, May 8th, 1945
This day is formally announced as "VE Day" and celebrations break out across the world, though fighting in the Pacific against the Japanese Empire is ongoing.
Tuesday, July 17th - August 2nd, 1945
Allied leaders meet for the Potsdam Conference to discuss the post-war world order. Chuchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin are the primary leaders in attendance.
Thursday, August 9th, 1945
In the Manchurian Theater, the Soviets commit some 1.5 million troops against the Japanese's Kwantung Army.
Thursday, August 23rd, 1945
The Soviets claim the complete victory in Manchuria over the defeated Japanese Army. The war has cost the conquered some 80,000 KIA with a further 594,000 taken prisoner to an unknown fate. In comparison, the Soviets lose just 8,000 of their own with 22,000 wounded.
