June 1944

Sunday 04:

World War II: Rome falls to the Allies, the first Axis powers capital to fall.

Monday 05:

World War II: More than 1000 British bombers drop 5000 tons of bombs on German gun batteries on the Normandy coast in preparation for D-Day.

Tuesday 06:

World War II: Battle of Normandy begins. Operation Overlord, code named D-Day, commences with the landing of 155,000 Allied troops on the beaches of Normandy in France. The allied soldiers quickly break through the Atlantic Wall and push inland in the largest amphibious military operation in history.

Wednesday 07:

Nazi Panzer SS troops execute 23 Canadian prisoners of war in Normandy.

Friday 09:

World War II: The Soviet Union invades East Karelia and the previously Finnish part of Karelia, since 1941 occupied by Finland.

Saturday 10:

In baseball, 15-year old Joe Nuxhall of the Cincinnati Reds becomes the youngest player ever in a major-league game.

Tuesday 13:

World War II: Germany launches a V1 Flying Bomb attack on England. Only four of the eleven bombs actually hit their targets.

Thursday 15:

In the Saskatchewan general election, 1944, the CCF, led by Tommy Douglas, is elected and forms the first socialist government of North America.

Saturday 17:

Iceland becomes independent from Denmark and forms a republic.

Monday 19:

The Battle of the Philippine Sea took place, where the United States Navy sank 3 Japanese aircraft carriers and shot down almost 400 aircraft in what was called The Marianas Turkey Shoot.

Thursday 22:

Opening day of the Soviet Union's Operation Bagration against Army Group Centre

Friday 23:

Thomas Mann becomes a US citizen.