Siege of Marseille
Toulon and Marseille are liberated during Operation Dragoon
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1944 in Great Britain — Page 6
Explore 352 historical events and records for Great Britain in 1944.
Historical records for Great Britain in 1944
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 352 unique records.
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August
Siege of Toulon
Toulon and Marseille are liberated during Operation Dragoon
Commander in Chief
Appointed Air Commander in Chief of South East Asia Command (SEAC)
Commander in Chief
Appointed Air Commander in Chief of South East Asia Command (SEAC)
Falaise Encirclement Strategy Intensified
Presses Allied armies to close around German forces retreating from the Normandy battlefield.
Normandy Campaign Declared Won
Oversees the transition from the Normandy battle to the rapid Allied pursuit across France.
South East Asia Command
Appointed Air Commander in Chief of South East Asia Command (SEAC)
September
Operation Ratweek
RAF & Yugoslav partisans attack roads & railways to prevent Germans escape Yugoslavia. A series of coordinated attacks launched on by Yugoslav partisans and the Balkan Air Force against German forces retreating from the Soviets
Promoted Field Marshal after Normandy
Is promoted field marshal as Eisenhower assumes direct command of Allied ground operations.
Capture of Brussels
British troops occupy Brussels
Antwerp Captured by Eleventh Armoured Division
Troops of 21st Army Group capture Antwerp and its docks largely intact during the rapid advance through Belgium.
Bombing of London
London is hit by V-2 rockets for first time, missiles falling on Epping and Chiswick
Death of Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill
Approves a plan to shoot Nazi leaders without trial
Execution
Approves a plan to shoot Nazi leaders without trial
Battle of Arnhem
Lieutenant Jack Grayburn led an attempt to secure the southern end of the bridge but was unsuccessful, and a later attempt using a flame thrower only succeeded in setting the freshly painted girders of the bridge alight. However, the British were able to make good their position and quickly repulsed the 10th SS Reconnaissance Battalion and other German units when they arrived to secure the bridge
Battle of Arnhem
Secures the Nijmegen Bridge & the South Bank of the Lek
Battle of Arnhem
Additionally, Major General Williams-commander of IX Troop Carrier Command-decided that it would only be possible for one air lift per day, meaning it would take three days to deliver the entire Division and Polish Brigade to the area
Battle of Arnhem
However, Urquhart was severely restricted in how he could prepare and deploy his troops.
Battle of Arnhem
Meanwhile, the first lift suffered only light losses as the aircraft and gliders flew from British bases to the target area.
Battle of Arnhem
Required to secure the road, rail and pontoon bridges over the Lower Rhine and hold them for two to three days until relieved by XXX Corps.
Battle of Arnhem
The US IX Troop Carrier Command were limited in their availability; with two more major drops taking place at the same time, there were insufficient carrier aircraft available to fly the entire division to The Netherlands in one lift.
Battle of Arnhem
The first arrivals were the 21st Independent Parachute Company at 12:40, who marked the landing zones for the gliders and parachutists in advance of the main landings.
Battle of Arnhem
The first lift was preceded by intense bombing and strafing raids made by the British Second Tactical Air Force and the American Eighth and 9th Air Forces. These targeted the known flak guns and German garrisons and barracks across the area.
Battle of Arnhem
The task of securing the Rhine Bridgehead fell to the 1st Airborne Division under the command of Major General Roy Urquhar.
Market Garden Airborne Landings Begin
Airborne divisions land along the route to Arnhem as XXX Corps begins the ground advance.
Operation Market Garden
In a bid to open the Belgian port of Antwerp to facilitate the shipment of supplies to Allied armies in France and cross the Lower Rhine river, American, British and Polish forces launch Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden
In a bid to open the Belgian port of Antwerp to facilitate the shipment of supplies to Allied armies in France and cross the Lower Rhine river, American, British and Polish forces launch Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden
Airborne troops were dropped in The Netherlands to secure key bridges and towns along the Allied axis of advance.
Operation Market Garden
Farthest north, the British 1st Airborne Division, supported by men of the Glider Pilot Regiment and the 1st Polish Parachute Brigade, landed at Arnhem to secure bridges across the Nederrijn.
Operation Market Garden
Initially expecting a walkover, British XXX Corps planned to reach the British airborne forces within two to three days. After sweeping through France and Belgium in the summer of 1944, the Allies were poised to enter The Netherlands.
Operation Market Garden
Montgomery favoured a single thrust north over the Lower Rhine River, allowing the British Second Army to bypass the Siegfried Line and attack the Ruhr. To this end, the Allies launched Operation Market Garden
Second Army
After sweeping through France and Belgium in the summer of 1944, the Allies were poised to enter The Netherlands. Montgomery favoured a single thrust north over the Lower Rhine River, allowing the British Second Army to bypass the Siegfried Line and attack the Ruhr. To this end, the Allies launched Operation Market Garden
Hyde Park Aide-Memoire
Churchill and Roosevelt sign the Hyde Park aide-memoire pledging continued Anglo-American cooperation on atomic technology.
Nijmegen Crossing Opens Route North
The capture of Nijmegen bridges allows the ground advance to continue toward Arnhem.
Battle of Arnhem
Arnhem was a victory for the Germans (albeit tempered by their losses further south) and a major defeat for the British army. The Allies withdrew from the southern bank of the Rhine and the front stabilised on "the island" between the Rhine and Waal rivers
Battle of Arnhem
Arnhem was a victory for the Germans (albeit tempered by their losses further south) and a major defeat for the British army. The Allies withdrew from the southern bank of the Rhine and the front stabilised on "the island" between the Rhine and Waal rivers
Battle of Arnhem
The Glider Pilots would organise the routes to the river and the whole operation would be covered by an intense artillery barrage from XXX Corps. South of the river the evacuation was organised and staffed by men of the Royal Engineers of 43rd Division and Royal Canadian Engineers, using rafts
Battle of Arnhem
Urquhart formulated his withdrawal plan on the successful method used in the evacuation of Gallipoli during the First World War. The northernmost units would fall back first, moving through the more southerly groups who would then follow behind.
Battle of Arnhem
and storm boats.
Arnhem Bridge Objective Fails
Accepts withdrawal of the surviving British airborne force after the Arnhem bridge cannot be held.
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.