Promotion to Major General
Promoted to temporary Major General while serving on the War Department General Staff.
Role range: 1942-1945
Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03
Dwight David Eisenhower Biography and Timeline
Follow Dwight David Eisenhower through 318 dated historical records for United States of America.
Dwight David Eisenhower, historical timeline
A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.
318Distinct records
1 of 8Page
1942–1943Years on this page
1942
Operations Division Appointment
Appointed Assistant Chief of Staff in charge of the Operations Division for Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall.
Role range: 1942-1945
London Allied Coordination Mission
Conducts a mission to London to improve coordination between American and British military planning.
Role range: 1939-1945 – 1942-1945
European Theatre of Operations
Eisenhower assumes command of the US Armys European Theatre of Operations (ETOUSA)
Role range: 1939-1945
Promotion to Lieutenant General
Promoted to temporary Lieutenant General while commanding American forces in the European theatre.
Role range: 1942-1945
Operation Torch
1st day of Operation Torch
Role range: 1939-1945
Operation Torch
Commands the Allied landings in French North Africa, indirectly securing the Mediterranean route to Egypt and the Suez Canal.
Role range: 1939-1945 – 1942-1945
Operation Torch
American troops land at Casablanca, Oran & Algiers overcoming Vichy resistance
Role range: 1939-1945
Vichy Government
American troops land at Casablanca, Oran & Algiers overcoming Vichy resistance
Role range: 1939-1944
Chief of General Staff
Appointed Chief of General Staff, chief of the war plans division
Commander in Chief
Appointed Commander in Chief
Commander of Alied Forces Northwest Africa
Appointed Commander of Allied forces in Northwest Africa
Chief of General Staff
Appointed Chief of General Staff, chief of the war plans division
Role range: 1939-1945
Commander in Chief
Appointed Commander in Chief
Role range: 1939-1945
Commander of Alied Forces Northwest Africa
Appointed Commander of Allied forces in Northwest Africa
Role range: 1939-1945
Operation Roundup
Opposes Churhills invasion of north Africa claiming it will jeopardise Roundup
Role range: 1939-1945
1943
Invasion of Sicily
Supreme Allied commander for the attack of Sicily & the Axis "underbelly" in Europe
Role range: 1939-1945
Operation Husky
Supreme Allied commander for the attack of Sicily & the Axis "underbelly" in Europe
Role range: 1939-1945
Promotion to Four-Star General
Promoted to temporary full General while commanding Allied forces in North Africa.
Role range: 1942-1945
Capture of Pantelleria
Eisenhowers forces capture the Italian island of Pantelleria
Role range: 1939-1945
Bombing of Sicily
The Allies begin bombing the airfields of Siciliy as a prelude to invasion
Role range: 1939-1945
Invasion of Italy
The Allies begin bombing the airfields of Siciliy as a prelude to invasion
Role range: 1939-1945
Invasion of Sicily
The Allies begin bombing the airfields of Siciliy as a prelude to invasion
Role range: 1939-1945
Invasion of Sicily
The Allied invasion of Sicily begins
Role range: 1939-1945
Capture of Sicily
The Allies complete the capture of Sicily
Role range: 1939-1945
Permanent Brigadier General Appointment
Receives a permanent appointment as Brigadier General in the Regular Army.
Role range: 1942-1945
Permanent Major General Promotion
Promoted permanently to Major General on the same day as his permanent brigadier-general appointment.
Role range: 1942-1945
Armistice
Italy announces an armistice
Role range: 1939-1945
Result of Surrender of Italy
Italy's surrender removes the country from the Axis war effort and opens the peninsula to further Allied operations.
Role range: 1939-1945
Surrender of Italy
Italy surrenders to the Allies
Role range: 1939-1945
Capture of Salerno
The 5th US Army lands in the Gulf of Salerno as part of an operation to capture Naples
Role range: 1939-1945
Invasion of Rhodes
Allied commanders agree to postpone an invasion of Rhodes in order to hold Italy
Role range: 1939-1945
Siege of Rome
Cables the Combined Chiefs of Staff calling for extra manpower & landing craft
Role range: 1939-1945
Invasion of Italy
Offerred 60 Landing Ship Tanks until 15 Dec
Role range: 1939-1945
Allied Expeditionary Force
Churchill & Roosevelt agree General Eisenhower will command Allied forces for the invasion of Europe
Role range: 1939-1945
Operation Overlord
Churchill & Roosevelt agree General Eisenhower will command Allied forces for the invasion of Europe
Role range: 1939-1945
Supreme Allied Commander
Churchill & Roosevelt agree Gen Eisenhower will command Allied forces for the planned invasion of Europe, Eisenhowers appointment as Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force, publicly announced by Roosevelt
Role range: 1939-1945
Free French
Following Eisenhowers and Montgomerys revisions it is expanded to landings by 5 divisions and airborne descents by 3 divisions, in total, 47 divisions would be committed to the Battle of Normandy: 19 British, 5 Canadian, 21 US & 1 Free French
Role range: 1939-1945 – 1942-1945
Operation Overlord
In December 1943, Operation Postage Able used an X-craft to collect suitable data for all of the Normandy beaches. Following Eisenhowers and Montgomerys revisions it is expanded to landings by 5 divisions and airborne descents by 3 divisions, in total, 47 divisions would be committed to the Battle of Normandy: 19 British, 5 Canadian, 21 US & 1 Free French
Role range: 1939-1945 – 1942-1945
Operation Postage Able
In December 1943, Operation Postage Able used an X-craft to collect suitable data for all of the Normandy beaches
Role range: 1939-1945 – 1942-1945
Records, sources and methodology
These dates and descriptions come from the historical_events database. Exact duplicate records have been collapsed. Names are grouped by the country, Name 2 and Name 1 fields; records with missing Name 2 cannot be reliably assigned to an individual biography. Check the underlying sources before formal citation.