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World War II Database

24 Apr 1908

Russia
2 Jan 1914

Russia
12 Mar 1918

Russia
  • The Soviet government relocated from Petrograd to Moscow in Russia. Many of the government offices were housed in the Moscow Kremlin. Vladmir Lenin and Joseph Stalin also maintained personal quarters in the complex. ww2dbase [Kremlin and Red Square | Joseph Stalin | Moscow | CPC]
18 Mar 1919

Photo(s) dated 18 Mar 1919
Joseph Stalin, Vladmir Lenin, and Mikhail Kalinin at the 8th Congress of the Russian Communist Party, Moscow, Russia, 18-23 Mar 1919
18 Aug 1921

Russia
4 Oct 1923

Russia
  • The Soviet Politburo in Moscow, Russia decided that Germany was ripe for a revolution, and would soon give directives to German Communists to rise up against the German government by early Nov 1923. ww2dbase [Moscow | CPC]
23 Oct 1927

Russia
  • Leon Trotsky, already expelled from the Politburo, denounced Joseph Stalin on the floor of the Plenum, publicly accusing Stalin as being the real danger to the Leninist party. He received little support from the other Soviet delegates. ww2dbase [Joseph Stalin | Moscow | AC]
8 Apr 1932

Russia
  • Workers at the Teikovo Calico works outside Moscow, Russia began a strike when they heard that their already meagre food ration was to be cut again. ww2dbase [Moscow | AC]
2 Feb 1934

Photo(s) dated 2 Feb 1934
Vyacheslav Molotov at the funeral of the crewmen of Soviet high-altitude balloon Osoaviakhim-1, Kremlin Wall Necropolis, Moscow, Russia, 2 Feb 1934
1 May 1934

Photo(s) dated 1 May 1934
First prototype of T-35 heavy tank on parade, Moscow, Russia, 1 May 1934, photo 2 of 2First prototype of T-35 heavy tank on parade, Moscow, Russia, 1 May 1934, photo 1 of 2
19 Jun 1934

Photo(s) dated 19 Jun 1934
Nikolai Kamanin and Otto Schmidt at an event honoring SS Chelyuskin survivors, Red Square, Moscow, Russia, 19 Jun 1934
26 Jun 1936

Russia
  • The Soviet Council on Labor and Defense presented a ten-year plan to the Politburo for a 1,360,000-ton navy. ww2dbase [Moscow | CPC]
27 Dec 1936

Russia
  • The Pe-8 bomber aircraft took its maiden flight with M. M. Gromov at the controls at Khodynka Aerodrome in Moscow, Russia. ww2dbase [Pe-8 | Moscow | CPC]
2 Mar 1938

Russia
  • The Trial of the Twenty-one opened in Moscow, Russia, a show trial at the end of the Great purges against 21 prominent Bolsheviks accused of anti-Stalinist plots. ww2dbase [Moscow | AC]
1 May 1938

Photo(s) dated 1 May 1938
Soviet bicycle troops with war dogs on parade, Red Square, Moscow, Russia, 1 May 1938
14 Jul 1938

Russia
  • Japanese diplomats in Moscow, Russia demanded that Russian troops be removed from Bezymyannaya (Shachaofeng) and Zaozernaya (Changkufeng), west of Lake Khasan and Vladivostok in a contested region on the northeastern Chinese border. The Soviets rejected Japanese demands, citing Japanese violation of the First Convention of Peking of 1860 by occupying Chinese territory. ww2dbase [Battle of Lake Khasan | Moscow | CPC]
19 Aug 1939

Russia
  • At 1910 hours, Berlin, Germany received the official response from the Soviet Union, via the German embassy in Moscow, Russia, for Joachim von Ribbentrop's visit; the proposed date of the conference was set for 26 Aug, but Ribbentrop would soon attempt to move up the date of the meeting. Shortly before Berlin received the message, Joseph Stalin announced to the Politburo his intention to befriend Germany. ww2dbase [Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact | Moscow | CPC]
24 Aug 1939

Russia
  • The British and the French delegation in Soviet Union requested further meetings with Kliment Voroshilov, who was slow to respond. ww2dbase [Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact | Moscow | CPC]
25 Aug 1939

Russia
  • Kliment Voroshilov rejected the request from the British and French delegation, noting that since Germany and the Soviet Union had just signed a non-aggression pact, a military treaty with the western powers was no longer possible. In light of this new development, a renewed mutual defense agreement was signed between the United Kingdom and Poland. ww2dbase [Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact | Moscow | TH]
9 Sep 1939

Russia
  • In Moscow, Russia, Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov informed the German ambassador that Soviet forces would be ready to attack Poland within a few days. ww2dbase [Invasion of Poland | Vyacheslav Molotov | Moscow | CPC]
15 Sep 1939

Russia
  • Soviet Union and Japan signed a ceasefire in Moscow, Russia, ending the Battle of Khalkhin Gol. ww2dbase [Battle of Khalkhin Gol | Moscow | CPC]
24 Sep 1939

Russia
  • The Soviet Union gave an ultimatum to the Estonian Foreign Minister in Moscow, Russia, demanding land to build a Soviet minitary base in Estonia. ww2dbase [Annexation of the Baltic States | Moscow | CPC]
28 Sep 1939

Russia
  • Joachim von Ribbentrop arrived in Moscow, Russia, where would announce jointly with the Soviets an attempt to negotiate for peace with the western powers; should Britain and France reject this peace offer, Germany then could not be blamed for the aggression, he reasoned. ww2dbase [Joachim von Ribbentrop | Moscow | CPC]
Photo(s) dated 28 Sep 1939
Vyacheslav Molotov and Joachim von Ribbentrop shaking hands at the meeting to amed the German-Soviet Boundary and Friendship Treaty, Moscow, Russia, 28 Sep 1939
30 Oct 1939

Russia
  • An act was signed in Moscow, Russia which formally annexed occupied Polish territories. ww2dbase [Invasion of Poland | Moscow | CPC]
31 Oct 1939

Photo(s) dated 31 Oct 1939
Vyacheslav Molotov addressing the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union, Moscow, Russia, 31 Oct 1939; note Joseph Stalin in background
9 Nov 1939

Russia
  • In Moscow, Russia at 1800 hours, Finnish diplomats Paasikivi and Tanner met with Joseph Stalin and Vyacheslav Molotov in the final attempt to avoid war. They did not reach an agreeable conclusion. ww2dbase [The Winter War | Moscow | CPC]
3 Mar 1940

Russia
  • In a session of the Soviet Politburo in Moscow, Russia, Joseph Stalin and the five Politburo members approved the execution of captured Polish officers and land owners. ww2dbase [Katyn Massacre and Related Atrocities | Moscow | CPC]
6 Mar 1940

Russia
7 May 1940

Russia
  • Kliment Voroshilov stepped down as the People's Commissar for Defense of the Soviet Union. ww2dbase [Kliment Voroshilov | Moscow | CPC]
6 Jun 1940

Russia
20 Jun 1940

Russia
  • Lavrentiy Beria sent Joseph Stalin a list containing names of 232 Soviet prisoners of war returned by Finland and recommended everyone on the list to be executed; in fact, 158 of them had already been killed. ww2dbase [Lavrentiy Beria | Moscow | CPC]
11 Aug 1940

Russia
  • With the three Baltic States now annexed by the Soviet Union, Vyacheslav Molotov asked Germany to recall their ambassador to Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia within the next two weeks, and to close the embassies by 1 Sep 1940. ww2dbase [Annexation of the Baltic States | Moscow | CPC]
17 Oct 1940

Russia
  • A message from Joachim von Ribbentrop to Joseph Stalin to invite Vyacheslav Molotov to Berlin, Germany to speak about the recent deterioration of German-Soviet relations was delivered, at a few days delay, to Vyacheslav Molotov. Ribbentrop was not happy regarding the delay, and the fact that the letter was delivered to the Soviet foreign ministry rather than to Stalin himself. ww2dbase [Joachim von Ribbentrop | Moscow | CPC]
22 Oct 1940

Russia
  • Joseph Stalin accepted Joachim von Ribbentrop's invitation for Vyacheslav Molotov to visit Berlin, Germany. ww2dbase [Joseph Stalin | Moscow | CPC]
24 Jan 1941

Russia
  • Joseph Stalin met with Kirill Meretskov at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia, and praised his courage but also informing him that he needed to be more decisive and ruthless. ww2dbase [Joseph Stalin | Kirill Meretskov | Moscow | CPC]
3 Feb 1941

Russia
  • Vsevolod Merkulov was named the People's Commissar of State Security of the Soviet NKGB with responsibilities to oversee espionage and intelligence activities. The new ministry NKGB would last only until the German invasion when it would be merged back into the NKVD. ww2dbase [Vsevolod Merkulov | Moscow | CPC, AC]
12 Feb 1941

Russia
9 Apr 1941

Russia
  • The head of the Soviet Air Force Directorate Pavel Rychagov complained to Joseph Stalin that his pilots were flying in "coffins", referring to the poor condition of aircraft due to state neglect. ww2dbase [Moscow | CPC]
13 Apr 1941

Photo(s) dated 13 Apr 1941
Japanese Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsuoka signing the Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact, Moscow, Russia, 13 Apr 1941, photo 1 of 3; note Vyacheslav Molotov and Joseph Stalin in backgroundJapanese Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsuoka signing the Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact, Moscow, Russia, 13 Apr 1941, photo 2 of 3; note Vyacheslav Molotov and Joseph Stalin in backgroundSoviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov signing the Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact, Moscow, Russia, 13 Apr 1941; note Yosuke Matsuoka and Joseph Stalin in backgroundJapanese Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsuoka signing the Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact, Moscow, Russia, 13 Apr 1941, photo 3 of 3; note Vyacheslav Molotov and Joseph Stalin in background
4 May 1941

Russia
  • The Politburo appointed Joseph Stalin the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars, thus taking over as the actual head of the Soviet government, which position was previously held by Vyacheslav Molotov. ww2dbase [Joseph Stalin | Moscow | TH, CPC]
26 Jun 1941

Russia
  • In the Soviet capital of Moscow, Joseph Stalin visited the General Staff headquarters twice, voicing frustration at the heavy losses that the Red Army was suffering against the invading German forces. ww2dbase [Joseph Stalin | Moscow | TH, CPC]
27 Jun 1941

Russia
  • Joseph Stalin gave permission to military tribunals to give out death sentences to members of the Red Army without his personal approval. ww2dbase [Joseph Stalin | Moscow | CPC]
28 Jun 1941

Russia
  • The Soviet NKVD, NKGB, and the Chief Prosecutor Office signed a top secret joint order to coordinate the investigation of traitors. ww2dbase [Moscow | CPC]
30 Jun 1941

Russia
  • The Soviet Union formed the State Defense Committee (GKO) to coordinate defense efforts; it was consisted of Joseph Stalin, Vyacheslav Molotov, Kliment Voroshilov, Georgy Malenkov, and Lavrentiy Beria. ww2dbase [Joseph Stalin | Moscow | CPC]
1 Jul 1941

Russia
3 Jul 1941

Russia
  • In a radio address, Joseph Stalin called the Soviet people "brothers and sisters" for the first time. ww2dbase [Joseph Stalin | Moscow | CPC]
17 Jul 1941

Russia
  • The Soviet 3rd NKO Directorate was merged back into the NKVD, becoming NKVD's Special Departments Director (UOO). Viktor Abakumov was named UOO's chief and Solomon Milshtein was named the deputy. ww2dbase [Viktor Abakumov | Moscow | CPC]
19 Jul 1941

Russia
  • Joseph Stalin declared himself the Soviet Defense Commissar (NKO). ww2dbase [Joseph Stalin | Moscow | TH]
20 Jul 1941

Russia
  • Vsevolod Merkulov stepped down as the People's Commissar of State Security of the Soviet Union. ww2dbase [Vsevolod Merkulov | Moscow | CPC]
21 Jul 1941

Russia
  • 195 German Luftwaffe bombers, most of which were He 111 bombers, took off from an airfield near Smolensk, Russia to attack the Soviet capital of Moscow in multiple waves during the night; the resulting air alarms were the first to be sounded in the city. Moscow had strong anti-aircraft defences, the city was protected by 170 fighters, and the citizens were able to take shelter in the newly completed underground railway stations, but German air crews reported the presence of very few Soviet fighters after sunset. On the next day the Soviets would report the downing of 22 German bombers, but German records only showed 6 bombers failing to return. ww2dbase [Battle of Moscow | Moscow | AC, CPC]
22 Jul 1941

Russia
  • In captivity at the Lefortovo Prison in Moscow, Russia, General Dimitry Pavlov explained that out of the 600 artillery fortifications on the western border, only 169 of them actually had guns inside, and other similar facts explained why he could not counterattack the German forces as Joseph Stalin had ordered. Regardless, he was found guilty and was executed before the end of the day. His rank was stripped and his properties were confiscated by the state. ww2dbase [Lefortovo Prison | Dmitry Pavlov | Moscow | CPC]
  • The Soviet NKGB was merged into the NKVD. ww2dbase [Moscow | CPC]
  • For the second consecutive night, German bombers attacked Moscow, Russia. Of the 115 bombers dispatched, two failed to returned, one of which was a pathfinder aircraft while the other served in the traditional bomber role. ww2dbase [Battle of Moscow | Moscow | CPC]
  • The Soviet Information Bureau reported that Moscow, Russia experienced its first air raid of the war during the previous night by over 200 German bombers. The report claimed that Soviet nightfighters and anti-aircraft weapons forced the bulk of the Germans to turn back before reaching Moscow; those that broke through the defenses destroyed a number of civilian dwellings, missing key military targets. 17 German aircraft were reportedly shot down. ww2dbase [Battle of Moscow | Moscow | CPC]
26 Jul 1941

Russia
  • German aircraft bombed Moscow, Russia. Many bombs fell near the Kremlin, and the images were captured on film by journalist Margaret Bourke-White. ww2dbase [Kremlin and Red Square | Moscow | CPC]
27 Jul 1941

Russia
  • Four teenagers, son and nephews of Nestor Lakoba, political enemy of Lavrentiy Beria (already killed in Dec 1936), were executed in Moscow, Russia as sentenced by the Military Collegium of the Soviet NKVD. ww2dbase [Moscow | CPC]
28 Jul 1941

Photo(s) dated 28 Jul 1941
Soviet 85 mm M1939 (52-K) anti-aircraft guns at Gorky Park, Moscow, Russia, 28 Jul 1941
30 Jul 1941

Russia
1 Aug 1941

Russia
  • Joseph Stalin, satisfied with the progress of the rocket-powered fighter development project, issued an ordered in late Jul (and dated for 1 Aug 1941) for a prototype aircraft to be completed in a little more than a month. ww2dbase [BI | Moscow | CPC]
12 Aug 1941

Russia
  • Semyon Timoshenko drafted an order calling for the execution of deserters; it would be revised by Joseph Stalin and issued as Order No. 270 four days later. ww2dbase [Semyon Timoshenko | Moscow | CPC]
15 Aug 1941

Photo(s) dated 15 Aug 1941
Captured German Ju 88 aircraft on display in Sverdlov Square, Moscow, Russia, 15 Aug 1941
16 Aug 1941

Russia
  • Joseph Stalin issued Order No. 270, ordering all deserters executed and deserters' families arrested. ww2dbase [Joseph Stalin | Moscow | CPC]
1 Sep 1941

Photo(s) dated 1 Sep 1941
Soviet soldier teaching civilians how to disarm a un-exploded German incendiary bomb, Sverdlov Square, Moscow, Russia, 1 Sep 1941Georgi Zhukov speaking in Moscow, Russia, 1 Sep 1941
10 Sep 1941

Photo(s) dated 10 Sep 1941
Red Square, Moscow, Russia, 10 Sep 1941
1 Oct 1941

Photo(s) dated 1 Oct 1941
Soviet 203 mm Howitzer M1931 (B-4) field gun and crew, Moscow, Russia, 1 Oct 1941
9 Oct 1941

Russia
  • A detachment of Soviet NKVD troops prevented a company of German Brandenburg 800 Division saboteurs from destroying the Istra Water Reservoir near Moscow, Russia. ww2dbase [Moscow | CPC]
10 Oct 1941

Photo(s) dated 10 Oct 1941
Russian militiamen, Moscow, Russia, 10 Oct 1941
15 Oct 1941

Russia
  • In Russia, German 1st Panzer Division turned northwest, thus away from Moscow, to attack Soviet Northwestern Front from the rear. The Soviet GKO ordered the NKVD, various agencies, and various foreign legations to evacuate from Moscow to Kuibyshev (now Samara). ww2dbase [Battle of Moscow | Moscow | CPC]
  • The Lubyanka Prison staff began the evacuation from Moscow, Russia, transferring the first group of prisoners to Kuibyshev (now Samara) and Saratov on this day. ww2dbase [Lubyanka Building | Moscow | CPC]
18 Oct 1941

Russia
  • Lavrentiy Beria ordered the execuation of Nikolai Rychagov, Rychagov's wife, and other conspirators. ww2dbase [Lavrentiy Beria | Moscow | CPC]
28 Oct 1941

Russia
  • The Soviet Military Collegium evacuated Moscow, Russia for Chkalov (now Orenburg), Russia. ww2dbase [Battle of Moscow | Moscow | CPC]
29 Oct 1941

Russia
  • Aleksandr Vasilevsky was slightly wounded by a German bomb while working at his office in Moscow, Russia. ww2dbase [Aleksandr Vasilevsky | Moscow | CPC]
1 Nov 1941

Photo(s) dated 1 Nov 1941
Preparing barrage balloons on Bolshaya Ordynka Street, Moscow, Russia, 1 Nov 1941Setting up a 76 mm anti-aircraft gun battery at Moscow, Russia, 1 Nov 1941
7 Nov 1941

Russia
  • Joseph Stalin made a speech during the October Revolution anniversary celebration predicting that even though German troops were less than 100 miles from Moscow, they were facing disaster. Meanwhile, in Berlin, the German Army High Command (OKH) was determined to continue the advance on Moscow in spite of up to 80 Soviet Army divisions in front of them. ww2dbase [Battle of Moscow | Moscow | TH]
Photo(s) dated 7 Nov 1941
Soviet military parade at the Red Square in Moscow, Russia, 7 Nov 1941
20 Nov 1941

Photo(s) dated 20 Nov 1941
Russian sanitation detachment on Kirov Street in Moscow, Russia, 20 Nov 1941
1 Dec 1941

Photo(s) dated 1 Dec 1941
Soviet troops marching on Gorky Street, Moscow, Russia, 1 Dec 1941Soviet troops in exercise on Chistoprudny Boulevard in Moscow, Russia, 1 Dec 1941
4 Dec 1941

Russia
  • At an event at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Joseph Stalin noted to Aleksandr Vasilevsky his surprise that Vasilevsky only had a single Order of the Red Star and a medal on Vasilevsky's uniform; the Soviet leader had expected the general to be better decorated. ww2dbase [Kremlin and Red Square | Aleksandr Vasilevsky | Moscow | CPC]
19 Dec 1941

Russia
  • The Soviet Military Collegium, having previously evacuated to Chkalov (now Orenburg), Russia, returned to Moscow. ww2dbase [Battle of Moscow | Moscow | TH, CPC]
31 Dec 1941

Photo(s) dated 31 Dec 1941
Soviet tank crew raising a flag on a KV-1 heavy tank, Moscow, Russia, 31 Dec 1941
5 Apr 1942

Russia
  • Joseph Stalin ordered the arrest of Moscow Air Defense Corps (PVO) Brigadier Commissar Kurganov for drunkenness, 745th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment commander Zakharov for drunkenness and failure to report to post during an air raid, and 175th Artillery Regiment political officer Andreev and mechanic Military Technician 2nd Rank Kukin for drunkenness and accidental shooting of Lieutenant Kazanovsky. In the same order, he also fired and demoted PVO Main Directorate Chief Major General of Artillery Aleksei Osipov for drunkenness. ww2dbase [Joseph Stalin | Moscow | CPC]
18 May 1942

Russia
  • Nikita Khrushchev phoned Joseph Stalin at Moscow, Russia, requesting Stalin to pause the Kharkov offensive in Ukraine in order to focus on other more important campaigns; Stalin rejected the request. ww2dbase [Joseph Stalin | Moscow | CPC]
19 Jul 1942

Photo(s) dated 19 Jul 1942
Barrage balloon near the Pushkin Monument in Moscow, Russia, 19 Jul 1942
25 Jul 1942

Russia
  • Nikolai Kamanin arrived at Moscow, Russia and took command of the newly formed 292nd Ground Attack Air Division. ww2dbase [Nikolai Kamanin | Moscow | CPC]
9 Aug 1942

Photo(s) dated 9 Aug 1942
Bolshoi Theatre of Moscow, Russia camouflaged with images of false buildings, 9 Aug 1942
12 Aug 1942

Russia
  • Winston Churchill arrived at Moscow, Russia at 1700 hours. At 1900 hours, he met with Joseph Stalin for the first time at the Kremlin, among other things convincing him there would be no second front at least until 1943 as the Western Allies would soon be invading French North Africa. ww2dbase [Second Moscow Conference | Kremlin and Red Square | Moscow | TH, CPC]
Photo(s) dated 12 Aug 1942
Vyacheslav Molotov, W. Averell Harriman, and Winston Churchill, Moscow, Russia, 12 Aug 1942
5 Oct 1942

Russia
  • The Soviet STAVKA arrested Major General Ivan Rukhle, recent deputy chief of the headquarters of the Stalingrad Front, and falsely charged him with treason. Rukhle would be kept at the Lubyanka prison near Moscow, Russia until 1952. ww2dbase [Lubyanka Building | Moscow | CPC]
31 Mar 1943

Russia
  • The Soviet GKO meeting at 2330 hours on this date, also joined by Vsevolod Merkulov and Viktor Abakumov, discussed the establishment of a counterintelligence branch. ww2dbase [Viktor Abakumov | Moscow | CPC]
20 Jul 1943

Russia
  • Vsevolod Merkulov was named the People's Commissar of State Security of the Soviet Union. ww2dbase [Vsevolod Merkulov | Moscow | CPC]
1 Nov 1943

Russia
  • At a dinner at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Joseph Stalin told Cordell Hull that the Soviet Union would be willing to engage Japan in a war after Germany was defeated. ww2dbase [Kremlin and Red Square | Joseph Stalin | Moscow | CPC]
13 Jan 1944

Russia
  • The Central Headquarters of the Partisan Movement (TsShPD) in the Soviet Union was disbanded. ww2dbase [Moscow | CPC]
5 May 1944

Russia
  • Lavrentiy Beria was named the deputy chairman of the Soviet State Defense Committee (GKO) and the chairman of the Operational Bureau of the GKO. ww2dbase [Lavrentiy Beria | Moscow | CPC]
11 May 1944

Russia
  • The Soviet State Defense Committee in Moscow, Russia issued Decree 5859ss, ordering the deportation of Crimean Tatars to Central Asia within the next 20 days. ww2dbase [Deportation of Crimean Tatars | Moscow | CPC]
21 Jul 1944

Russia
  • In Moscow, Russia, the Soviet Union announced the establishment of the Polish Committee of National Liberation to administer areas of liberated Poland, angering the Polish government-in-exile based in Britain. ww2dbase [Moscow | CPC]
7 Aug 1944

Russia
  • German prisoners of war Georg Jantschi and Karl Kosch were transferred from the Lefortovo Prison in Moscow, Russia to the special Prisoner of War Camp No. 27 in the city's suburbs. ww2dbase [Moscow | CPC]
11 Sep 1944

Russia
  • Bulgarian communist leader Georgi Dimitrov ordered, from Moscow in Russia, the creation of the People's Court to try Bulgarian leaders responsible for Bulgarian involvement in the European War on the side of the Germans. ww2dbase [Bulgaria Switched Sides | Moscow | CPC]
19 Sep 1944

Russia
  • A Finnish delegate signed a temporary peace treaty with the Soviet Union in Moscow, Russia. ww2dbase [Finland Switched Sides | Moscow | CPC]
25 Sep 1944

Russia
  • Slovakian Captain Frantisek Urban, tricked by the Soviets to visit Moscow in Russia, was arrested by SMERSH and was transferred to the Lubyanka Prison. ww2dbase [Lubyanka Building | Moscow | CPC]
1 Oct 1944

Russia
2 Oct 1944

Russia
  • Vsevolod Merkulov submitted a report to Lavrentiy Beria detailing the intelligence he had gained from an American atomic scientist. ww2dbase [Vsevolod Merkulov | Moscow | CPC]
9 Oct 1944

Photo(s) dated 9 Oct 1944
Winston Churchill, W. Averell Harriman, Joseph Stalin, and Vyacheslav Molotov at Fourth Moscow Conference, Russia, Oct 1944, photo 1 of 2Winston Churchill, W. Averell Harriman, Joseph Stalin, and Vyacheslav Molotov at Fourth Moscow Conference, Russia, Oct 1944, photo 2 of 2
4 Dec 1944

Russia
  • The US publication Time reported that Tito had announced a provisional socialist Yugoslavian government from Moscow, Russia. ww2dbase [Josip Tito | Moscow | TH, CPC]
11 Jan 1945

Russia
  • Lavrentiy Beria was named the head of a new effort to coordinate the operations of NKVD, NKGB, and SMERSH, thus gaining partial control of all Soviet counterintelligence agencies. ww2dbase [Lavrentiy Beria | Moscow | CPC]
21 Jan 1945

Russia
30 Jan 1945

Russia
  • Russian monarchist Vasili Shulgin, who had been arrested in Yugoslavia in Dec 1944, was brought to Lubyanka Prison in Moscow, Russia. ww2dbase [Lubyanka Building | Moscow | CPC]
6 Feb 1945

Russia
8 Mar 1945

Russia
  • The Soviet Union announced that Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg was likely killed in early 1945 by German occupation troops in Hungary or by Hungarian Arrow Cross Party members. ww2dbase [Raoul Wallenberg | Moscow | CPC]
26 Mar 1945

Russia
11 Apr 1945

Photo(s) dated 11 Apr 1945
Vyacheslav Molotov, Joseph Stalin, and Tito, Moscow, Russia, 11 Apr 1945
15 Apr 1945

Russia
  • At a conference in Moscow, Russia to discuss the war in the Far East, Joseph Stalin told Ambassador Averell Harriman that the forthcoming Soviet offensive will be aimed at Dresden, not Berlin, as he had already told Dwight Eisenhower. ww2dbase [Joseph Stalin | Moscow | AC]
20 Apr 1945

Russia
  • Joseph Stalin ordered the Soviet Stavka to influence troops to be more humane toward the civilians of conquered German territories in order to ease the future occupation. ww2dbase [Joseph Stalin | Moscow | CPC]
28 Apr 1945

Russia
  • Hungarian Count István Bethlen was transferred to Moscow, Russia for interrogation due to his past pro-British tendencies. ww2dbase [Moscow | CPC]
8 May 1945

Photo(s) dated 8 May 1945
Victory celebration at the Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge near the Kremlin (background), Moscow, Russia, May 1945
9 May 1945

Russia
  • Victory was celebrated in Moscow, Russia where two million people watched a parade and firework display. ww2dbase [Germany's Surrender | Moscow | TH]
19 Jun 1945

Russia
  • The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet created the Medal for the Liberation of Belgrade for those who participated in the successful Sep-Nov 1944 operation. ww2dbase [Belgrade Strategic Offensive Operation | Moscow | CPC]
24 Jun 1945

Russia Photo(s) dated 24 Jun 1945
SU-76 self-propelled guns on parade in Red Square, Moscow, Russia, 24 Jun 1945Georgy Zhukov at the Red Square victory parade, Moscow, Russia, 24 Jun 1945; note Chinese attaché Guo Dequan in backgroundSU-100 self-propelled guns on parade in Red Square, Moscow, Russia, 24 Jun 1945
11 Jul 1945

Russia
  • Japanese ambassador to the Soviet Union Naotake Sato failed to convince Vyacheslav Molotov to engage their two nations in a formal peace treaty. ww2dbase [Manchurian Strategic Offensive | Moscow | CPC]
29 Jul 1945

Russia
8 Aug 1945

Russia
  • US Ambassador to the Soviet Union W. Averell Harriman reported to US President Harry Truman that Joseph Stalin would like to see Chinese recognition of the Soviet puppet state of Mongolia as an independent nation, and that its borders would be the present day borders of the Mongolia Area of China. ww2dbase [Averell Harriman | Moscow | CPC]
11 Aug 1945

Russia
  • From Moscow, Russia, US Ambassador to the Soviet Union W. Averell Harriman sent the full text of the declaration of war on Japan by the Soviet puppet state of Mongolian People's Republic. Harriman explained this action as Mongolia's attempt to act as a sovereign state, and warned that the Mongolian leadership seemed to have designs to occupy the Inner Mongolia and northeast (ie. Manchuria) regions of China. ww2dbase [Averell Harriman | Moscow | CPC]
12 Aug 1945

Russia
  • In Moscow, Russia, US Ambassador to the Soviet Union W. Averell Harriman insisted that the results of the negotiations between China and the Soviet Union must be consistent with the Yalta Agreement. ww2dbase [Averell Harriman | Moscow | CPC]
14 Aug 1945

Russia
  • Chinese Foreign Minister Song Ziwen informed US Ambassador in Moscow, Russia W. Averell Harriman that China and the Soviet Union had come to an agreement on all major issues being negotiated for the Sino-Soviet Friendship Treaty, and it was about to be signed into effect. ww2dbase [Song Ziwen | Moscow | CPC]
  • The Sino-Soviet Friendship Treaty was signed in Moscow, Russia by Song Ziwen and Vyacheslav Molotov. The USSR recognized the Nationalist Party as the sole ruling entity in China, and pledged to respect Chinese sovereignty and Chinese borders. China allowed the Soviets effective control of Dairen, Port Arthur, and various regions of northeast China. The Chinese delegation was surprised with the Soviet demand for China to cede Outer Mongolia as an independent nation; Song Ziwen, leader of the delegation, reluctantly agreed, knowing that the Soviet pledge to recognize the Nationalists was a greater gain. The Soviets also forced China to agree to a future referendum in Inner Mongolia, allow the people to choose whether they would join independent Mongolia. ww2dbase [Song Ziwen | Moscow | CPC]
  • The Soviet Union announced objections against Thailand's application to become a member of the United Nations. ww2dbase [Moscow | CPC]
17 Aug 1945

Russia
  • The Soviet Union informed the US ambassador in Moscow that it had successfully negotiated with the Chinese government on the Chinese recognition of an independent Mongolia with the existing borders of the Mongolia Area of the Republic of China. ww2dbase [Moscow | CPC]
29 Nov 1945

Russia
  • Soviet Politburo replaced MGB 1st Deputy Bogdan Kobulov with Sergei Ogoltsov, the former NKVD/NKGB chief of Kuibyshev, Russia. ww2dbase [Moscow | CPC]
17 Dec 1945

Russia
  • Joseph Stalin returned to Moscow, Russia from an extended vacation in the Caucasus region of southern Russia; it was his first vacation in nine years. Late in the night, he met with Viktor Abakumov, Nikolai Bulganin, Aleksei Antonov, and Sergei Shtemenko regarding the future reorganization of Soviet counterintelligence arms. ww2dbase [Joseph Stalin | Moscow | CPC]
29 Dec 1945

Russia
  • Sergei Kruglov was named to replace Lavrentiy Beria as the head of the Soviet Internal Affairs Ministry (MVD). ww2dbase [Moscow | CPC]
  • Joseph Stalin dismissed Aviation Industry Commissar Aleksei Shakhurin due to the incriminating information divulged by Marshal Sergei Khudyako under torture. ww2dbase [Joseph Stalin | Moscow | CPC]
  • Soviet Politburo approved Lavrentiy Beria's request to be dismissed as the head of NKVD; secretly, it was done so that he could focus on his new role in leading atomic weapons research. ww2dbase [Lavrentiy Beria | Moscow | CPC]
30 Dec 1945

Russia
9 Feb 1946

Russia
  • At the Bolshoi Theater in central Moscow, Russia, Joseph Stalin made a speech which effectively claimed that the Western Allies played little or no part in the Soviet victory over Germany in WW2. ww2dbase [Joseph Stalin | Moscow | CPC]
15 Mar 1946

Russia
  • Joseph Stalin renamed all Soviet commissariats to ministries. ww2dbase [Joseph Stalin | Moscow | CPC]
19 Mar 1946

Russia
  • The Soviet Council of Commissars was renamed the Council of Ministers. Joseph Stalin remained as the chairman of the council. ww2dbase [Joseph Stalin | Moscow | CPC]
  • Lavrentiy Beria was named one of the deputies of the newly renamed Soviet Council of Ministers. ww2dbase [Lavrentiy Beria | Moscow | CPC]
  • Sergei Kruglov was named the Minister of Internal Affairs (MVD) in the Soviet Council of Ministers. ww2dbase [Moscow | CPC]
  • Vsevolod Merkulov was named the Minister of State Security (MGB) in the Soviet Council of Ministers. ww2dbase [Vsevolod Merkulov | Moscow | CPC]
24 Apr 1946

Russia
  • Joseph Stalin met with Lavrentiy Beria, Andrei Zhdanov, Georgy Malenkov, Anastas Mikoyan, Viktor Abakumov, Vsevolod Merkulov, and Sergei Ogoltsov over the reorganization of the Soviet Ministry for State Security (MGB). ww2dbase [Joseph Stalin | Moscow | CPC]
7 May 1946

Russia
  • Vsevolod Merkulov was dismissed as the head of the Soviet Ministry for State Security (MGB) by the Soviet Politburo. ww2dbase [Vsevolod Merkulov | Moscow | CPC]
  • Soviet Politburo named Viktor Abakumov the head of the Soviet Ministry for State Security (MGB). ww2dbase [Viktor Abakumov | Moscow | CPC]
5 Oct 1946

Russia
  • Hungarian Count István Bethlen passed away in the Butyrka Prison Hospital in Moscow, Russia. ww2dbase [Moscow | CPC]
13 Nov 1946

Russia
  • German prisoners of war Georg Jantschi and Karl Kosch were transferred from the special Prisoner of War Camp No. 27 in the suburbs of Moscow, Russia to the Lefortovo Prison in Moscow. ww2dbase [Lefortovo Prison | Moscow | CPC]
24 Dec 1946

Russia
  • Polish Brigadier General Leopold Okulick, the former commander-in-chief of the Polish Home Army, died in Butyrka Prison Hospital in Moscow, Russia. ww2dbase [Moscow | CPC]
10 Sep 1947

Russia
5 May 1948

Russia
  • German prisoner of war Georg Jantschi made a unsuccessful suicide attempt while in Soviet captivity at the Lefortovo Prison in Moscow, Russia. ww2dbase [Lefortovo Prison | Moscow | CPC]
6 Dec 1949

Photo(s) dated 6 Dec 1949
Shi Zhe (Mao
18 Apr 1950

Russia
12 Sep 1950

Russia
  • Mikhail Georgievsky, a prominent anti-Soviet thinker and leader, was arrested in Yugoslavia arrested in Oct 1944, was sentenced to death in Moscow, Russia and the sentence was immediately carried out. ww2dbase [Moscow | CPC]
30 Nov 1950

Russia
  • Werner Haase passed away from tuberculosis in the hospital ward of the Butyrka prison in Moscow, Russia. ww2dbase [Werner Haase | Moscow | CPC]
2 Jan 1952

Russia
15 Jan 1952

Russia
26 Jan 1952

Russia
  • Choibalsan passed away from kidney cancer in Moscow, Russia. ww2dbase [Choibalsan | Moscow | CPC]
16 Feb 1952

Russia
  • Convicted German war criminal Georg Jantschi's appeal was rejected by the Soviets. Later that day, Jantschi failed another suicide attempt, hitting his head against the walls of his Moscow, Russia prison cell. ww2dbase [Moscow | CPC]
16 Oct 1952

Russia
6 Mar 1953

Russia
  • Panteleimon Ponomarenko stepped down from his position at the Soviet Presidium, the successor of the Politburo. ww2dbase [Panteleimon Ponomarenko | Moscow | CPC]
15 Mar 1953

Russia
  • Kliment Voroshilov was named the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. ww2dbase [Kliment Voroshilov | Moscow | CPC]
26 Jun 1953

Russia
  • Lavrentiy Beria was arrested near Moscow, Russia as an alleged spy and an enemy of the people. ww2dbase [Lavrentiy Beria | Moscow | CPC]
23 Dec 1953

Russia
10 Sep 1955

Photo(s) dated 10 Sep 1955
Vyacheslav Molotov, Heinrich von Brentano, Konrad Adenauer, Nikolai Bulganin, Nikita Khrushchev, and Mikhail Pervukhin at a performance of Romeo and Juliet at the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow, Russia, 10 Sep 1955
6 Feb 1957

Russia
  • The Soviet government released a document dated 17 Jul 1947 noting that Raoul Wallenberg had passed away unexpectedly, possibly of heart attack. Later Russian research efforts concluded that he was likely executed. ww2dbase [Raoul Wallenberg | Moscow | CPC]
14 Apr 1961

Russia
11 Oct 1967

Russia
30 Dec 1968

Russia
2 Dec 1969

Russia
31 Mar 1970

Russia
23 Dec 1972

Russia
18 Jun 1974

Russia
16 Dec 1974

Russia
3 Dec 1976

Russia
1 Nov 1977

Russia
5 Dec 1977

Russia
11 Mar 1982

Russia
18 Mar 1982

Russia
16 Sep 1982

Russia
21 Sep 1982

Russia
5 Sep 1995

Russia
  • The conning tower of the submarine ShCh-307 was installed at the Memorial of Victory at Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow, Russia. ww2dbase [ShCh-307 | Moscow | CPC]
8 Aug 2003

Photo(s) dated 8 Aug 2003
Lubyanka Building, Moscow, Russia, 8 Aug 2003

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis




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