8 Jan 1944

- In Castel Vecchio in Italy, the trial began for Count Ciano and 18 other Fascists Mussolini held responsible for his downfall. ww2dbase [Galeazzo Ciano | TH]
- Red Army troops captured Kirovograd, Ukraine. ww2dbase [TH]
- 23 RAF Mosquito aircraft attacked Frankfurt, Solingen, Aachen, and Dortmund in Germany; 2 aircraft were lost. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | CPC]
- General Sir Henry Wilson replaced General Dwight Eisenhower as Supreme Allied Commander in the Mediterranean Theater. ww2dbase [AC]
- USS Honolulu and USS St. Louis departed Tulagi, Solomon Islands and that evening conducted a bombardment strike against the Shortland Islands south of Bougainville. ww2dbase [St. Louis | Honolulu | Walden Ainsworth | Solomon Islands Campaign | Shortland Islands, Bougainville | DS]
- Repair ship Akashi performed repair work for armed merchant cruiser Kiyosumi Maru at Truk, Caroline Islands. ww2dbase [Akashi | Truk | CPC]
- Naka arrived at Truk, Caroline Islands with damaged transport Kiyozumi Maru in tow. ww2dbase [Naka | Truk | CPC]
- A Sino-American Cooperative Organization (SACO) team crossed the frozen Yellow River in Ningxia Province, China; they were headed toward Xamba, Suiyuan Province to establish the weather station Camp Four. ww2dbase [Ningxia | CPC]
- Patrol Boat No. 102 departed Balikpapan, Dutch East Indies at 1700 hours to escort the convoy consisted of oilers Nippon Maru, Kenyo Maru, and Kokuyo Maru. She was later joined by destroyers Shimakaze and Hayanami. ww2dbase [Stewart | Balikpapan, Borneo | CPC]
- USS Tang arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii. ww2dbase [Pearl Harbor Navy Base and Ford Island Naval Air Station | Tang | Honolulu, Oahu | CPC]
- US II Corps captured Monte Chiaia and Monte Porchia, Italy. ww2dbase [Advance to the Gustav Line | CPC]
- US Marine Corps squadron VMF-214 arrived at Turtle Bay fighter strip, Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides. ww2dbase [Espiritu Santo | CPC]
- Allied convoy RA-55B arrived at Loch Ewe, Scotland, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Arctic Convoys | Loch Ewe, Scotland | CPC]
- The first XP-80A prototype jet aircraft "Lulu-Belle" took its first flight with test pilot Milo Burcham in the cockpit. ww2dbase [P-80 Shooting Star | California | CPC]


8 Jan 1944 Interactive Map
Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis
Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you. Please help us spread the word: Stay updated with WW2DB: |
Change View
Desktop ViewSearch WW2DB
News
- » Wreck of M-49 Found (10 Apr 2025)
- » Japanese Emperor Visited Iwoto (Iwo Jima) (8 Apr 2025)
- » Race, Holocaust, and African-American WW2 Histories Removed from the US Naval Academy Library (7 Apr 2025)
- » US Government Plans to Purge WW2 Information (17 Mar 2025)
- » See all news
Random Photograph
Wrecked Hurricane aircraft of Squadron Leader Richard Brookers of No.232 Fighter Squadron RAF, East Coast Park, Singapore, 8 Feb 1942Current Site Statistics
- » 1,167 biographies
- » 337 events
- » 44,606 timeline entries
- » 1,243 ships
- » 350 aircraft models
- » 207 vehicle models
- » 376 weapon models
- » 123 historical documents
- » 261 facilities
- » 470 book reviews
- » 28,497 photos
- » 365 maps
Famous WW2 Quote
"No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. You win the war by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country!"George Patton, 31 May 1944