CBI - China: Day 135 of 154 of the Japanese Invasion of Manchuria.
CBI - China: Day 5 of 10 of the Battle of Harbin, Manchuria.
CBI - China: Day 3 of 41 of the 1st Battle of Shanghai.
1933 — , January 30
Germany: Intimidated by the growing popularity of the Nazis and their thuggish nature, President Paul von Hindenburg appoints Adolf Hitler as Chancellor of Germany, marking a crucial turning point for the nation and soon for the world.
Spotlight...
Adolf Hitler greets President Paul von Hindenburg at the state opera house
Hitler's meteoric rise to prominence in Germany was spurred largely by the German people's frustration with dismal economic conditions and the still-festering wounds inflicted by defeat in the Great War and the harsh peace terms of the Versailles treaty.
A charismatic speaker (or so they say), Hitler channeled popular discontent with the post-war Weimar government into support for his fledgling Nazi party. In an election held in July 1932, the Nazis won 230 governmental seats. Together with the Communists, the next largest party, they made up over half of the Reichstag.
Hindenburg initially refused to appoint Hitler as Chancellor, but he was eventually persuaded that with other non-Nazis in key government positions, Hitler's more brutal tendencies would be contained and tempered.
After his appointment, however, Hitler moved quickly to expand the state police (Gestapo) and tasked Hermann Goering with the responsibility of a new Nazi force devised to "stamp out" any potential opposition to the Nazi Party.
After the death of von Hindenburg on 02 Aug 34, Hitler wasted no time dismantling Germany's democratic Weimar Republic and replacing it with a totalitarian government.
A few Adolf Hitler related dates...
01 Apr 24: Hitler sentenced to prison, dictates Mein Kampf
18 Jul 25: Mein Kampf is published, clearly defining Nazi ideology
30 Jan 33: Hitler is appointed Chancellor of Germany
01 Aug 36: Hitler opens the Olympic games in Berlin
02 Jan 39: Time magazine names Adolf Hitler "Man of the Year"
23 Jun 40: Hitler arrives in Paris for some sightseeing
20 Jul 44: Stauffenberg bomb plot fails to kill Hitler
30 Jan 45: Hitler's final radio broadcast to Germany
01 May 45: Hamburg Radio announces Adolf Hitler is dead
CBI - China: Day 30 of 142 of the 1st Battle of Hebei.
1937 — , January 30
Spain: Day 198 of 985 of the Spanish Civil War.
1938 — , January 30
Spain: Day 563 of 985 of the Spanish Civil War.
CBI - China: Day 208 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 53 of 54 of the Battle of Nanking.
Day 49 of 50 of the Rape of Nanking.
CBI - Japan: Japan formally apologizes to the United States for the 26 Jan 38 "Allison Incident" in Nanking, when a Japanese soldier struck American embassy Consul John M Allison in the face.
1939 — , January 30
Germany: Hitler threatens to annihilate the Jewish race during his Reichstag speech.
Spain: Day 928 of 985 of the Spanish Civil War.
CBI - China: Day 573 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
1940 — , January 30
Finland: Day 62 of 105 of the Russo-Finnish War.
CBI - China: Day 938 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 77 of 381 of the Battle of South Guangxi.
Day 3 of 67 of the Battle of Wuyuan.
1941 — , January 30
ETO - UK: Day 147 of 258 of the Blitz.
MTO - North Africa: Day 53 of 63 of the UK's Operation COMPASS, their campaign in North Africa against the Italians in Egypt and Libya. Australian troops capture Derna, Libya, as the Italians begin to withdraw toward Benghazi.
East Africa: Day 235 of 537 of Italy's East African campaign in the lands south of Egypt.
CBI - China: Day 1,304 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 1 of 31 of the Battle of South Henan.
CBI - Thailand: Day 122 of 221 of the Franco-Thai War (Vichy France vs Thailand).
1942 — , January 30
USA: Automobile manufacturers cease production of civilian cars for the duration of the war and begin converting their factories to making war vehicles.
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Related dates...
30 Jan 42: US auto manufacturers cease civilian production
17 Aug 45: US prepares to revert factories to commercial production
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Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II
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Germany: Hitler reaffirms his prewar prophecy, telling his audience that "the result of this war will be the complete annihilation of the Jews."
Atlantic: Day 17 of 169 of Germany's Second "Happy Time," during which U-boats sink 609 Allied ships with little risk.
Russian Front - North: Day 145 of 872 of the Siege of Leningrad.
Russian Front - North: Day 22 of 29 of the Battle of Toropets, Russia. A failed attempt to break the siege at Leningrad.
Russian Front - North: Day 8 of 103 of the Battle of the Kholm Pocket. Another attempt to break the siege at Leningrad.
Russian Front - Center: Day 23 of 103 of the Battle of Vyazma, Russia.
Russian Front - Center: Day 23 of 103 of the Battle of Sychevsk, Russia.
Russian Front - South: Day 93 of 248 of the Siege of Sevastopol, Crimean Peninsula. All German attacks against Sevastopol are stopped for the winter.
MTO - Libya: The 4th Indian Division continues to withdraw along the coast road toward Derna.
CBI - Burma: Day 48 of 164 of Japan's Invasion of Burma. The Japanese capture Moulmein and its airfield as the British forces evacuate and withdraw across the river Salween.
CBI - China: Day 1,669 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 38 of 99 of the 3rd Battle of Changsha.
CBI - Java: Day 1 of 17 of the Battle of Singapore.
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Dates related to British Malaya and Singapore...
18 Feb 41: Elements of the Australian 8th Division arrive in Singapore.
18 Mar 41: Grand Admiral Erich Raeder urges Hitler to convince Japan to attack Singapore.
28 Apr 41: Churchill issues directive stating that at present there is no need to make provisions for the defense of Malaya and Singapore.
19 Jan 42: General Wavell warns Churchill that Singapore cannot be held, but is told that no question of surrender be entertained.
22 Jan 42: Day 46 of 55 of the Battle of British Malaya. Reinforcements reach Singapore with an Indian Brigade landing.
24 Jan 42: Day 48 of 55 of the Battle of British Malaya. British 18th Division arrives at Singapore as reinforcements to boost its defenses.
30 Jan 42: Day 54 of 55 of the Battle of British Malaya. British troops withdraw into Singapore.
30 Jan 42: Day 1 of 17 of the Battle of Singapore. The Japanese siege of British troops in Singapore begins.
14 Feb 42: Day 16 of 17 of the Battle of Singapore. Japanese soldiers advance toward the Alexandra Barracks Hospital. A British lieutenant, acting as an envoy with a white flag, approaches the Japanese forces but is killed with a bayonet. The Japanese troops enter the hospital and kill a number of patients, including those undergoing surgery at the time, along with doctors and members of the nursing staff.
15 Feb 42: Day 17 of 17 of the Battle of Singapore. 9,000 British and Australian troops have been killed, and the remaining 80,000 are taken prisoner as Japanese troops take the city, joining 50,000 taken in the earlier Malayan Campaign to be worked as slaves. It remains the largest surrender of British-led forces in history.
16 Feb 42: Australia's Prime Minister Curtin, calls the surrender of Singapore "Australia's Dunkirk."
04 Mar 42: The Australian sloop HMAS YARRA is sunk by Japanese cruisers while attempting to protect a convoy of vessels withdrawing from Singapore to Australia.
05 Sep 45: Following Japan's surrender, British land in Singapore.
CBI - Malaya: Day 54 of 55 of the Battle of British Malaya. British troops withdraw into Singapore.
PTO - Borneo: Day 46 of 107 of the Battle of Borneo.
PTO - Dutch East Indies: Day 1 of 5 of the Battle of Ambon. Japanese troops capture the important naval base of Amboina between Celebes and New Guinea.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 8 of 18 of the Battle of Rabaul, New Britain Island.
PTO - Philippines: Day 54 of 152 of the 1st Battle of the Philippines.
1943 — , January 30
Berlin: Nazi Party 10th Anniversary celebrations are disrupted by a massive RAF low-level daylight Mosquito air attack, the first of many that will assault Berlin relentlessly through the end of the war.
Spotlight...
This poster celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Nazi seizure of power suggests that the 1943 battle against the world is the continuation of the battle that led to Nazi victory in 1933.
It reads '30 January 1933-1943. One Struggle (Battle)! One Victory!'
This poster was withdrawn after the German defeat at Stalingrad.
Russian Front - North: Day 510 of 872 of the Siege of Leningrad.
Russian Front - North: Day 19 of 19 of USSR's Operation ISKRA (Operation SPARK) on the southern shore of Lake Ladoga, north of Leningrad. This Soviet victory will help ease the siege at Leningrad a little bit more.
Russian Front - North: Day 271 of 658 of the Siege of the Kholm Pocket, USSR lays siege to the Kholm Pocket but the Germans hold out for a about a year and a half.
Russian Front - South: Day 162 of 165 of the Battle of Stalingrad, bloodiest battle in human history.
Russian Front - South: Day 50 of 69 of the USSR's Operation LITTLE SATURN. A successful drive into the Northern Caucasus and the Donets Basin pushing the Axis troops out.
MTO - Tunisia: Day 75 of 178 of the Battle of Tunisia. Axis forces capture the Faid pass in central Tunisia. RAF and US Air Forces provide Allied air support.
CBI - Burma: Day 41 of 104 of the 1st Battle of Arakan. US 10th Air Force provides air support.
CBI - China: Day 2,034 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
PTO - Alaska: Day 238 of 435 of the Battle of Kiska, Aleutian Islands.
PTO - Malaya: Day 346 of 357 of the Battle of Timor Island, a long guerrilla war ending in Japanese victory.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 3 of 3 of the Battle of Wau. The Allies finally clear this area.
PTO - Solomon Islands: Day 177 of 187 of the Battle of Guadalcanal. US 13th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - Solomon Islands: Day 2 of 2 of the Naval Battle of Rennell Island. Results in a Japanese victory.
1944 — , January 30
ETO - Germany: US 8th Air Force B-17s and B-24s hit Brunswick and Hannover.
ETO - Germany: Day 74 of 135 of the Battle of Berlin (RAF bombing campaign). Berlin is the main target. 440 Lancasters, 82 Halifaxes and 12 Mosquitos (a total of 534 aircraft) are dispatched. RAF losses are 33 planes, 6.2% of the total.
Russian Front - North: Day 636 of 658 of the Siege of the Kholm Pocket. USSR lays siege to the Kholm Pocket but the Germans hold out for a about a year and a half.
Russian Front - North: Day 17 of 48 of the Battle toward the Narva River, Estonia. This drive helped lift the Leningrad siege and goes on to liberate Narva.
Russian Front - North: Day 17 of 17 of the Battle of Krasnoye Selo-Ropsha, Russia, The Soviets liberate this area which has pushed the German line back far enough so the Russians can reopen the Moscow-Leningrad railroad.
Russian Front - North: Day 17 of 33 of the Battle of Luga, Russia. Taking this town west of Leningrad will open the door toward Estonia.
Russian Front - South: Day 38 of 113 of the USSR's Dnieper-Carpathian Offensive in southwestern Ukraine.
Russian Front - South: Day 1 of 31 of the Battle of Nikopol, Ukraine. The Soviets attack toward Nikopol on the southern Dnieper river.
Russian Front - South: Day 7 of 25 of the Battle of the Korsun Bulge in Ukraine.
Russian Front - South: Day 4 of 16 of the Battles of Rovno and Lutsk, Ukraine. This Soviet victory will increase the gap in the German line from 70 to 110 miles wide.
MTO - Italy: Day 14 of 123 of the Battle of Monte Cassino. RAF and US Air Forces provides air support for the Allied ground troops.
MTO - Italy: Day 9 of 136 of the Battle of Anzio. An entire US Ranger battalion is wiped out at Anzio. RAF and US Air Forces provides air support for the Allied ground troops
CBI - Burma: Day 32 of 99 of the 2nd Battle of Arakan.
CBI - Burma: The British cease their attack on the Japanese Golden Fortress. US 10th and 14th Air Forces provides air support.
CBI - China: Day 2,399 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
PTO - Marshall Islands: US 7th Air Force bombs around the clock as the US invasion force prepares to land first thing in the morning.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 134 of 219 of the Battle of Shaggy Ridge. 5th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 131 of 162 of the Battle of the Huon Peninsula. 5th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 47 of 597 of the Battle of New Britain. US 13th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - Solomon Islands: Day 91 of 295 of the Battle of the Bougainville Islands. US 13th Air Force provides air support.
1945 — , January 30
Berlin: On the 12th anniversary of his coming to power, Hitler calls for a fanatical resistance by his soldiers and civilians. He broadcasts to the nation for the last time, saying, "German workers, work! German soldiers, fight! German women, be as fanatical as ever! No nation can do more."
Spotlight...
Adolph Hitler engaged in a typical rant
Hitler was unwavering in his rhetoric throughout his political career. Germany's problems had been thrust upon it by bourgeois states (and Jews, of course) then and now.
"We were granted only six years of peace after January 30, 1933. During these six years tremendous feats were achieved, and even greater ones were planned, so many and such huge ones that they caused envy among our democratic, impotent neighbors."
"It is hardly necessary to argue with those eternal blockheads who maintain that an unarmed Germany would, owing to its impotence, not have become the victim of this Jewish international world plot. Such reasoning would amount to a reversal of all laws of nature."
"When was a helpless goose ever not eaten by the fox because she was constitutionally incapable of harboring aggressive designs? And when has a wolf ever reformed and become a pacifist because sheep do not wear armor? If there are still bourgeois states who earnestly believe this, that only proves how necessary it was to do away with an era that by its educational system managed to cultivate and maintain such notions, nay, even granted them political influence."
Hitler's final broadcast came at a time when very few Germans, if any, felt there was even the slightest chance that the war could be won. Hitler seemed determined to bring Germany down with him and would add the German people themselves to the list of those to be blamed.
A few Adolf Hitler related dates...
01 Apr 24: Hitler sentenced to prison, dictates Mein Kampf
18 Jul 25: Mein Kampf is published, clearly defining Nazi ideology
30 Jan 33: Hitler is appointed Chancellor of Germany
01 Aug 36: Hitler opens the Olympic games in Berlin
02 Jan 39: Time magazine names Adolf Hitler "Man of the Year"
23 Jun 40: Hitler arrives in Paris for some sightseeing
20 Jul 44: Stauffenberg bomb plot fails to kill Hitler
30 Jan 45: Hitler's final radio broadcast to Germany
01 May 45: Hamburg Radio announces Adolf Hitler is dead
ETO - France: Day 183 of 284 of the Battle of Brittany.
ETO - France: Day 138 of 236 of the Siege of Dunkirk.
ETO - Germany: Day 134 of 145 of the Battle of Hürtgen Forest.
ETO: Day 11 of 66 of the Battle to the Rhine. US 9th Air Force provides air support.
Russian Front - Finland: Day 138 of 223 of the Lapland War. Finland and Russia have joined forces to kick the Germans out of Finland's most northern province.
Russian Front - North: In the Baltic Sea, Soviet submarine S-13 sinks the cruise liner WILHELM GUSTLOFF which was in German Kriegsmarine service. Over 9,000 people (with as many as 5,000 children) lost their lives in this, the largest single maritime disaster in world history.
Russian Front - Center: Day 108 of 206 of the Battle of the Courland Pocket in Latvia.
Russian Front - Center: Day 6 of 75 of the Battle of Königsberg, East Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia).
Russian Front - Center: Day 4 of 17 of the Battle of Rastenburg, East Prussia.
Russian Front - Center: Day 5 of 63 of the Battle of the Heiligenbeil Pocket in East Prussia.
Russian Front - Center: Day 19 of 23 of the Battle along the Vistula and Oder Rivers in central Poland and eastern Germany.
Russian Front - Center: Day 17 of 21 of the Battle of Warsaw, Poland.
Russian Front - South: Day 94 of 108 of the Battle of Budapest, Hungary.
MTO - Malta: The Malta Conference is convened to plan the final campaign against Germany. FDR will not arrive until 02 Feb 45, but Winston Churchill and the US and British Chiefs of Staff are there today to begin discussions, focused primarily on the undesirability of the Red Army advancing into central Europe.
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Related dates (Malta)...
06 Jan 41: Luftwaffe launches first attacks against convoys bound for Malta
10 Jan 41: Luftwaffe begins heavy air attacks on Malta
01 Apr 42: Luftwaffe informs Hitler that they simply cannot sink the island
15 Apr 42: George Cross is awarded to the people of Malta
10 May 42: Kesselring prematurely says Malta has been neutralized
21 May 42: Hitler indefinitely postpones an invasion of Malta
10 Oct 42: German, Italian bombers begin 8 day offensive against Malta
18 Oct 42: Axis daylight bombing raids over Malta are finally suspended
30 Jan 45: Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill meet in Malta
Related dates (Major Allied Conferences)...
09 Aug 41: Atlantic Conference in Newfoundland; Discuss Soviet aid
14 Jan 43: Casablanca Conference; Ultimatum for unconditional surrender
22 Nov 43: 1st Cairo Conference; Declaration for postwar Asia
28 Nov 43: Teheran Conference; First meeting of the Big 3
05 Dec 43: 2nd Cairo Conference; Ike picked as Supreme Allied Commander
30 Jan 45: Malta Conference; FDR, Churchill prepare for Yalta Conference
03 Feb 45: Yalta Conference; Final plans for defeat of Germany
17 Jul 45: Potsdam Conference; Plans laid out for postwar Germany
Spotlight...
