World War II Database

• Home
• » Events
• » WW2 Timeline
• » 8 Apr 1944

• Red Army troops reached the Slovakian border and advanced into Romania. ww2dbase [TH]
• USAAF bombers attacked a Volkswagen factory near Hannover, Germany. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | CPC]
• British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Anthony Eden issued a statement condemning German atrocities and called for those responsible to be brought to justice. ww2dbase [Anthony Eden | CPC]
• US 83rd Infantry Division became part of the VIII Corps of US Third Army. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Rall was commissioned into service. ww2dbase [Rall | CPC]
• USS Seahorse detected a Japanese convoy off the Mariana Islands. After dark, attacked the convoy and sank cargo ship Kizugawa Maru, hitting her with four of eight torpedoes fired. After evading depth charges, she attacked again, sinking cargo ship Bisaku Maru, hitting her with two of six torpedoes fired. ww2dbase [Seahorse | CPC]

• The 8,261-ton steam merchant Nebraska, a refrigerated cargo vessel owned by Royal Mail Lines of London, was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-843 (Kapitänleutnant Oskar Herwartz) when on passage from Taranto, Italy to Buenos Aires, Brazil. ww2dbase [Conclusion of the Battle of the Atlantic | HM]
• German submarine U-962 was sunk on the in north Atlantic north-west of Cape Finisterre by depth charges from the British "Black Swan" sloops HMS Crane (U 23) and HMS Cygnet (U 38). All 50 hands were lost. ww2dbase [Conclusion of the Battle of the Atlantic | HM]

• Gato-class submarine USS Silversides arrived at Brisbane, Australia ending her ninth war patrol. Silversides entered a normal two-week refit period where, among other things, a new 40mm gun was installed on the old 3-inch gun foundation. ww2dbase [Silversides | Brisbane | DS]

• The headquarters of USAAF 417th Bomb Group was transferred from Dobodura Airfield to Saidor Airfield, Australian Papua. ww2dbase [Saidor Airfield | Saidor | CPC]

• Troops of US 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional) assaulted Japanese positions north of Nhpum Ga, Burma, making use of the pack howitzers that had just arrived recently. ww2dbase [Battle of Myitkyina | Nhpum Ga | CPC]

• Japanese aircraft conducted raids across Henan Province, China. ww2dbase [Operation Ichigo | Henan | CPC]

• The US XXIV Corps was established at Fort Shafter, Territory of Hawaii, under the command of Major General John R. Hodge. The Corps would participate in the Leyte landings in the Philippine Islands (October 1944) and later in the invasion of Okinawa, Japan. ww2dbase [Fort Shafter | Honolulu, Oahu | AC]

• Japanese troops moved into the ground between Kohima and Jotsoma in India, cutting off the Indian 161st Brigade from being able to assist in the defense Kohima. ww2dbase [Battle of Imphal-Kohima | Kohima, Assam | CPC]

• Light carrier Ryuho arrived at Kure, Japan. ww2dbase [Ryuho | Kure, Hiroshima | CPC]
• Landing ship No. 153 was launched. ww2dbase [No. 101/103-class | CPC]

• USS Whale sank Japanese freighter Honan Maru in the Korea Strait, hitting her with 2 of 7 torpedoes fired. ww2dbase [Whale | Korea Strait | CPC]

• Ivan Konev ordered Soviet 27th Army and 40th Army to attack Romanian positions near Târgu Frumos, Romania. ww2dbase [Jassy-Kishinev Offensive and Romania's Surrender | Târgu Frumos | CPC]

• The Soviet forces began an offensive to retake Crimea, Russia and to destroy the German 17.Armee. ww2dbase [Krym | TH]

• USAAF 453rd Bomber Group based at Old Buckenham Airfield (US Station 144) in Norfolk, England, United Kingdom lost 7 B-24 bombers around Braunschweig in central Germany. ww2dbase [Old Buckenham Airfield | Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | Old Buckenham, England | AC]

8 Apr 1944 Interactive Map