World war II chronology - February 1944

1 February 1944	The allied combined chiefs of staff agrees to postpone Operation Overlord by a month. American forces invade Kwajalein.
2 February 1944	US Marines capture the islands of Roi and Namur in the Kwajalein Atoll.
3 February 1944	German forces begin a counterattack at Anzio, Italy.
4 February 1944	Japanese forces launch an offensive in Arakan, Burma. A Japanese force of about 5500 under General Sakurai captures Taung Bazar in Burma.
6 February 1944	US 4th Marine Division forces begin landing on Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands.
8 February 1944	Twelve British Lancaster bombers attack Limoges, France. They destroy most of the Gnome et Rhône airplane-engine factory. All planes return to England safely. A 12,000-pound bomb is dropped for the first time.
9 February 1944	British submarine HMS Venturer torpedoes and sinks German submarine U-864 in the North Sea, with the loss of 73 lives. (This is the first time a submarine destroys another submarine while both are submerged.)
11 February 1944	German Admiral Wilhelm Canaris is relieved of his Abwer command.
12 February 1944	The first battle for Cassino ends in failure for the Allies. Since January 20, Allied casualties number 14,375, with German casualties at 6,444.
14 February 1944	Adolf Hitler orders a heavy counter-attack on Anzio, Italy.
15 February 1944	In Italy, about 230 Allied B-17 bombers based at Foggia drop 257 tons of 500 pound bombs and 59 tons of incendiaries on the monastery atop Monte Cassino. (In the afternoon, a further 283 1000-pound bombs are dropped. No German troops were based in the monastery, but the immediate area was used for tank patrols, observation post to direct fire, and an ammunition dump.) (morning) The Japanese commander at Truk, Vice Admiral Siezo Kobayashi, concludes there is no imminent danger to the island, so he grounds reconnaissance planes, defuels planes, removes bombs and torpedoes, sends pilots to quarters on another island. 891 British bombers attack Berlin, Germany. They drop 2645 tons of bombs, inflicting enormous damage. About 43 planes are shot down.   The German navy begins equipping its submarines with snorkels, allowing them to remain submerged longer. Canada sends Britain first samples of Canadian-made anthrax. Canada's biological/chemical warfare group begins producing anti-botulinus toxin vaccines for use by Canadian soldiers in the upcoming invasion of France. The Japanese navy decides to build human-guided torpedoes, named "Kaiten", meaning "turn the tide".
16 February 1944	Forces of Admiral Raymond Spruance is Carrier Task Force 58 strike Truk, defeating island's defenders in one day. German forces in Italy counterattack the Anzio front. A German guided bomb hits SS Elihu Yale, sinking it.
18 February 1944	The US naval task force completes the neutralization of the Japanese base at Truk. Soviet forces take control of Nikopol, with its manganese mines.
19 February 1944	823 British bombers attack Leipzig, Germany. 78 planes are shot down.
20 February 1944	About 200 American bombers from England attack Leipzig, Germany. Much damage is done to five of ten targets. Over the day, the US 8th Air Force launches over 1000 bombers on various attacks. British bombers make a massive assault on Stuttgart, Germany. Heavy damage is inflicted.
21 February 1944	American forces begin landing on Eniwetok in the Marshall Islands. Over the day, the US 8th Air Force launches 861 bombers on various attacks. Over the day, the US 8th Air Force launches 600 bombers on various attacks.
23 February 1944	American forces complete the capture of Eniwetok Island.
24 February 1944	Over the day, the US 8th Air Force launches bomber attacks on Gotha, Rostock, and Schweinfurt. In the North Atlantic, Royal Canadian Navy frigate Waskesiu sinks German submarine U-257. 734 British bombers attack Schweinfurt, Germany.
25 February 1944	Over the day, the US 8th Air Force launches bomber attacks on the German cities of Augsburg, Stuttgart, Regensburg, and Brunswick. A German guided bomb hits British destroyer Inglefield, sinking it. About 600 British bombers attack Augsburg, Germany. Serious damage is done to the engineering works and aircraft components factory. 85,000 people are made homeless. About 21 planes are shot down.
28 February 1944	German forces in Italy launch another counterattack on the Anzio front. The Japanese Sakurai Unit and Doi Unit withdraw to the line of the Maungdaw - Buthidaung road. During the recent Japanese offensive, casualties totaled about 5000 Japanese and 3500 British and Indian soldiers. (This victory is the turning point in the Burma Campaign.)
29 February 1944	The US 1st Cavalry Division lands on Los Negros Island in the south Pacific.