World war II chronology - December 1944

1 December 1944	Canadian forces join the 8th British Army in a battle for the Lombardy Plain in Italy.
2 December 1944	In Italy, Canadian forces begin an attack to capture Ravenna on the Adriatic sea. Charles de Gaulle meets with Josef Stalin in Moscow, over nine days. A military alliance is signed, against Germany now, and after the war.
4 December 1944	In Greece, the National People's Liberation Army of the National Liberation Front begins armed fighting against British troops and Greek government forces. British Bomber Command makes an air raid on Oberhausen, Germany. One bomber is shot down; large damage is inflicted. In Italy, Canadian forces capture Ravenna.
5 December 1944	British Bomber Command launches 94 Lancaster bombers against Hamm, Germany, destroying 39% of the built-up area. No planes are shot down. Assault battalions of the Royal Canadian regiment and the Hastings and Prince Edward regiment attempt to establish a bridgehead on the Lamone river in Italy. The Special Service Force, an elite unit made of Canadian and American troops, is disbanded.
6 December 1944	475 British Lancaster and 12 Mosquito bombers attack an oil plant at Leuna, near Leipzig and Merseburg, Germany.
7 December 1944	The Allies hold a conference at Maastricht. General Dwight Eisenhower announces the decision for the main land effort into Germany to be led by British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery with ten US divisions serving directly under him.
8 December 1944	In France, the US 4th Armored Division is pulled back from heavy fighting after reaching the Maginot Line.
10 December 1944	France and the Soviet Union sign a mutual assistance pact.
11 December 1944	British Bomber Command makes an air raid by Mosquito aircraft against Duiburg, Germany. British Bomber Command makes an air raid against Osterfeld, Germany.
13 December 1944	The US 3rd Army captures Metz, France.
15 December 1944	341 British bombers attack Ludwigshafen, Germany, inflicting great damage. Canadian merchant ship SS Cornwallis is torpedoed off the New England coast. In the US, Executive Order 9066 is lifted. This order had been given in 1942, to remove persons that poses potential security risks on the West Coast. (While the order was in effect, 120,000 Japanese-Americans were interned.) The Battle of Huertgen Forest ends. Total US casualties: 33,000 of 120,000 soldiers. 24,000 killed, wounded, missing, or captured, and 9,000 respiratory disease, exhaustion, or trench foot.
16 December 1944	British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery compains to SHAEF chief of operations General Sir John Whitely that unless the Supreme Commander makes up his mind and issue definitive orders, they were likely to "drift into an unfavorable situation, vis-a-vis the enemy."  Adolf Hitler launches Operation Autumn Mist (Herbstnebel). A short (30 minutes) artillery burst commences prior to troop movement. A German force of 20-22 divisions attacks along a 60-mile front from Monschau to Echternach through the Ardennes, in a surprise attack on the west. 200,000 German tank and infantry troops take part in the offensive versus 83,000 along the American line. A German V-2 rocket hits the Rex Theatre in Antwerp, Belgium, killing 492-567, the worst missile attack of the war.
17 December 1944	German forces make a small attack on St. Vith, France.
18 December 1944	German panzers bypass resistance at St. Vith, France, advancing around the town on the north and south. The German battleship Schleswig-Holstein is sunk.
19 December 1944	US 101st Airborne Division under Anthony McAuliffe reaches Bastogne, France. 32 British Lancaster bombers attack the rail centre at Trier.
20 December 1944	Dwight Eisenhower places British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery in charge of all Allied forces north of the German bulge, including US 1st and 9th Armies. In Germany, Lieutenant Colonel Caesar von Hofacker is executed, at age 48. Two German panzer divisions bypass resistance at Bastogne, France, advancing around the town on the north and south.
21 December 1944	94 British Lancaster bombers attack the rail centre at Trier. Over 100 British Lancaster bombers attack the Cologne-Nippes railway yard and Bonn, Germany.
22 December 1944	American forces in Bastogne, Belgium, are told by a German commanding officer to surrender or be annihilated. US General Anthony McAuliffe replies "NUTS!". Over 100 British Lancaster bombers attack Coblenz and Bingen rail yards.
23 December 1944	American C47 transport planes begin dropping supplies in Bastogne. With clear skies returning, Allied fighters and bombers begin attacks on German ground forces. 153 British Lancaster bombers attack the rail centre at Trier.
24 December 1944	German General Manteuffel's force gets to within four miles of the Meuse River in France, the furthest reach of the German assault. German General Joachim Peiper's battle group in France begins a retreat on foot. Off Halifax harbor, Canada, German submarine U-806 torpedoes and sinks Canadian minesweeper Clayoquot.
25 December 1944	German forces launch an all-out attack on Bastogne, France. US forces complete the capture of Leyte Island in the Philippines. US General George Patton shifts his main attack in France to the Neufchâteau-Bastogne road. US 7th Corps recaptures Celles, France.
26 December 1944	294 British Lancaster bombers attack German troops at St. Vith. US 4th Armored Division of the US 3rd Army makes contact with the 101st Division defending Bastogne. US 4th Armored Division enters Bastogne, lifting the siege. About 25 American CG-4A gliders land near Bastogne, delivering vital ammunition and medical supplies to American troops pinned there.
27 December 1944	Soviet forces complete encircling Budapest, Hungary. British Bomber Command makes an air raid against Rheydt, Germany. In the North Atlantic, Canadian corvette St. Thomas sinks German submarine U-877.
29 December 1944	British Bomber Command makes an air raid against Koblenz, Germany.
30 December 1944	German forces begin attacks on the Neufchâteau-Bastogne corridor.
31 December 1944	British Mosquito bombers attack the Gestapo headquarters at Oslo, Norway. Adolf Hitler launches Operation Nordwind, the second surprise offensive at the southern flank of the Allied line in Germany. A German V-2 rocket lands in Crouch Hill, Islington, England, killing 15, seriously injuring 34. This is the last rocket of the year, the 382nd to hit England.