First Army
Commander of First US Army, succeeds Bradley
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1944 in United States of America — Page 5
Explore 353 historical events and records for United States of America in 1944.
Historical records for United States of America in 1944
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 353 unique records.
353Unique records
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29Named events on this page
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20Places on this page
August
Operation Cobra
Operation Cobra, together with concurrent offensives by the Second British and First Canadian Armies, was decisive in securing an Allied victory in the Normandy Campaign
Operation Overlord
Commander of First US Army, succeeds Bradley
Operation Totalize
Helps setup a "pocket" to capture Germans escaping from Normandy. Diverted by Patton to link up with the Anglo-Canadians at Argentan
Uranium Gun Project Leadership
Birch takes charge of the uranium gun-weapon programme that will produce the Little Boy design.
September
Direct Command of Allied Ground Forces
Assumes direct operational command of Allied ground forces in northwest Europe as the campaign advances beyond Normandy.
B Reactor Uranium Loading
Participates in startup work at Hanford as uranium loading begins in B Reactor, the first full-scale plutonium-production reactor.
Liberation of Maastricht
Commands the division that liberates Maastricht from German occupation.
Old Hickory Advance
Directs Old Hickory troops advancing across the southern Netherlands.
Xenon-135 Reactor Poisoning
The cause of B Reactor's unexpected shutdown is identified as xenon-135, a powerful neutron absorber produced during fission.
Battle of Aachen
General Hodgess First Army is ordered to breakthrough the front near the German city of Aachen
Battle of Hurtgen Forest
The Germans are able to hold the region until they launched their final major, last-ditch offensive on the Western Front, into the Ardennes
First Army
Pattons 3rd Army is given the task of occupying the French region of Lorraine, General Hodgess First Army is ordered to breakthrough the front near the German city of Aachen
First Army
General Hodgess First Army is ordered to breakthrough the front near the German city of Aachen
Invasion of Germany
Pattons 3rd Army is given the task of occupying the French region of Lorraine, General Hodgess First Army is ordered to breakthrough the front near the German city of Aachen. Decides the next target would be the occupation of the Ruhr, the heartland of Germany's industrial capabilities
Invasion of Germany
General Hodgess First Army is ordered to breakthrough the front near the German city of Aachen
Invasion of Germany
Pattons 3rd Army is given the task of occupying the French region of Lorraine
Operation Overlord
Arrives in England to organize a US tactical air force in the United Kingdom
Siegfried Line
Breaches the Siegfred Line
Third Army
Pattons 3rd Army is given the task of occupying the French region of Lorraine, General Hodgess First Army is ordered to breakthrough the front near the German city of Aachen
Third Army
Pattons 3rd Army is given the task of occupying the French region of Lorraine
Western Front
The Germans are able to hold the region until they launched their final major, last-ditch offensive on the Western Front, into the Ardennes
October
Battle of Aachen
Joins up with Hodges First Army
Siege of Metz
Closes in on Metz
Battle of Aachen
The US First Army enters the outskirts of Aachen
First Army
The US First Army enters the outskirts of Aachen
Leyte Landings
Krueger commands the Sixth Army as American ground forces land on Leyte and begin the campaign to retake the central Philippines.
Return to Leyte
MacArthur lands on Leyte after the initial assault and publicly marks the return of Allied forces to the Philippines.
Battle of Aachen
Hodges First Army captures Aachen, the 1st breach of the Siegfried Line
Capture of Aachen
The US 1st & 30th divisions of infantry capture Aachen
First Army
Hodges First Army captures Aachen, the 1st breach of the Siegfried Line
USS Dace Attack
Claggett commands USS Dace when the submarine torpedoes and sinks the Japanese heavy cruiser Maya.
USS Darter Attack
McClintock commands USS Darter when the submarine sinks Atago and severely damages Takao in the Palawan Passage.
Offers Mediterranean Conference Alternatives
Suggests Malta, Athens or Cyprus as alternatives to a meeting on the Soviet Black Sea coast.
Third Fleet Moves North
Halsey takes the Third Fleet north toward Ozawa's carrier force, leaving San Bernardino Strait uncovered.
Battle of Surigao Strait
Oldendorf deploys the Seventh Fleet battle line that crosses Nishimura's advance and destroys most of the Japanese Southern Force.
Battle off Cape Engano
Halsey's Third Fleet attacks Ozawa's Northern Force and destroys all four Japanese carriers in the decoy force.
Battle off Samar
Sprague commands Taffy 3 as its escort carriers and screen resist Kurita's much stronger Center Force.
Seventh Fleet at Leyte Gulf
Kinkaid commands the Seventh Fleet as its forces fight at Surigao Strait and off Samar while protecting the Leyte landings.
Taffy One at Samar
Sprague commands Taffy 1, one of the Seventh Fleet escort-carrier groups supporting the Leyte operation.
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.