Category Archives: 1940s

Thousands of troops who will spearhead D-Day landings are on the move 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (May 28 1944)


Video: 'Ten Days to D-Day 1/7' (May 28, 1944, at 2:36-10:01)

(Sunday, May 28, 1944, 7:00 a.m. British Double Summer Time (BDST)/1:00 a.m. Eastern War Time(EWT); 9 days before the Normandy landings on the Western Front of World War II) — All over Britain, tens of thousands of troops who will spearhead the D-Day landings are on the move today. Their job is to lead the way for the Allied invasion force against Nazi-occupied continental Europe. Continue reading Thousands of troops who will spearhead D-Day landings are on the move 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (May 28 1944)

Allies win 123-day Battle of Monte Cassino after Germans abandon Italian stronghold 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (May 18 1944)


Video: 'Siege of Monte Cassino: Battle for Rome | Frontlines Ep. 02 | Documentary'

(Thursday, May 18, 1944; a Polish flag was raised over the ruins of Monte Cassino at 9:45 a.m.; during the Battle of Monte Cassino, part of the Italian Campaign of World War II) — The Battle of Monte Cassino, a series of four military assaults by the Allies against German forces in Italy during the Italian Campaign of World War II, ended today in Allied victory when the Germans finally abandoned the stronghold at Monte Cassino. Continue reading Allies win 123-day Battle of Monte Cassino after Germans abandon Italian stronghold 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (May 18 1944)

‘I Love You’ by Bing Crosby peaks at #1 in USA 80 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (May 6 1944)

(Saturday, May 6, 1944) — “I Love You” by Bing Crosby With John Scott Trotters and His Orchestra peaked at #1 on today’s Billboard National List of Best Selling Retail Records chart for five consecutive weeks (May 6/13/20/27, June 3, 1944). Continue reading ‘I Love You’ by Bing Crosby peaks at #1 in USA 80 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (May 6 1944)

‘It’s Love-Love-Love’ by Guy Lombardo peaks at #1 in USA 80 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Apr 22 1944)

(Saturday, April 22, 1944)“It’s Love-Love-Love” by Guy Lombardo And His Royal Canadians (with vocals by Skip Nelson and The Lombardo Trio) peaked at #1 on today’s Billboard National List of Best Selling Retail Records chart for two consecutive weeks (Apr. 22/29, 1944). Continue reading ‘It’s Love-Love-Love’ by Guy Lombardo peaks at #1 in USA 80 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Apr 22 1944)

‘Bésame Mucho (Kiss Me Much)’ by Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra peaks at #1 in USA 80 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Mar 4 1944)

(Saturday, March 4, 1944) — “Bésame Mucho (Kiss Me Much)” by Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra (with vocals by Bob Eberly and Kitty Kallen) peaked at #1 on today’s Billboard National List of Best Selling Retail Records chart for seven consecutive weeks (Mar. 4/11/18/25, Apr. 1/8/15, 1944). Continue reading ‘Bésame Mucho (Kiss Me Much)’ by Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra peaks at #1 in USA 80 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Mar 4 1944)

‘My Heart Tells Me (Should I Believe My Heart)’ by Glen Gray peaks at #1 in USA 80 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Jan 29 1944)

(Saturday, January 29, 1944) — “My Heart Tells Me (Should I Believe My Heart)” by Glen Gray and The Casa Loma Orchestra (vocal by Eugenie Baird) peaked at #1 on today’s Billboard National List of Best Selling Retail Records chart for five consecutive weeks (Jan. 29, Feb. 5/12/19/26, 1944). Continue reading ‘My Heart Tells Me (Should I Believe My Heart)’ by Glen Gray peaks at #1 in USA 80 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Jan 29 1944)

872-day siege of Leningrad ends as German forces are pushed away from city 80 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Jan 27 1944)


Video: 'Leningrad: The Brutal Reality Of The 900-Day Siege | Battlefield | War Stories' (Jan. 1944 at 32:59)

(Thursday, January 27, 1944; part of the Eastern Front of World War II) — The 872-day siege of Leningrad, a prolonged military blockade undertaken by the Axis powers against the Soviet city of Leningrad (present-day Saint Petersburg) on the Eastern Front of World War II, ended today when the Soviet Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive expelled German forces from the southern outskirts of the city. Continue reading 872-day siege of Leningrad ends as German forces are pushed away from city 80 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Jan 27 1944)

Allied forces begin landing at Anzio, Italy during World War II 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jan 22 1944)


Video: 'The World at War HD (1080p) - Ep. 13 - Tough Old Gut: Italy (November 1942 – June 1944)' (Jan. 22, 1944, at 31:37)

(Saturday, January 22, 1944, 2:00 a.m. Central European Time; part of the Winter Line and the battle for Rome of the Italian Campaign of World War II) — Operation Shingle, the landings at Anzio, began early this morning with an Allied amphibious landing in the region of Anzio and Nettuno, with the objective of outflanking German forces at the Winter Line and setting up a drive on Rome. Continue reading Allied forces begin landing at Anzio, Italy during World War II 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jan 22 1944)

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt names Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower supreme commander of Allied forces in Europe during WWII 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Dec 24 1943)


Video: 'December 24, 1943 - Franklin Roosevelt Addresses Congress About Allied Conferences'

(Christmas Eve, Friday, December 24, 1943, 3 p.m. EWT; during World War II) — U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced this afternoon that U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower had been appointed supreme commander of Allied forces in Europe as part of Operation Overlord, which would launch the invasion of German-occupied western Europe in the coming year. Continue reading U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt names Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower supreme commander of Allied forces in Europe during WWII 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Dec 24 1943)

German infantry division murders 693 civilians in Massacre of Kalavryta 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Dec 13 1943)


Video: 'Kalavryta in Greece: City of widows | Focus on Europe'

(Monday, December 13, 1943, around 9:00 a.m. Central European Time; part of the War crimes of the Wehrmacht during World War II) — The German 117th Jäger Division today carried out the Kalavryta massacre, the near-extermination of the male population and the total destruction of the town of Kalavryta, in Axis-occupied Greece, in retaliation for the earlier killing of German troops. Continue reading German infantry division murders 693 civilians in Massacre of Kalavryta 80 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Dec 13 1943)