Modern Era
Battles of Imphal and Kohima (1944): Turning the Tide in Burma
Decisive Allied victory; the Japanese 15th Army was shattered, opening the way for the reconquest of Burma.
Era · c. 1800 – 1945
Modern Era
Industry, science and global conflict: the century and a half that built the modern world.
Modern Era
Battle of the Philippine Sea (1944): The Marianas Turkey Shoot
Decisive US victory; Japan lost three carriers and most of its carrier aircraft and aircrews, and the Marianas were secured.
Modern Era
Battle of Leyte Gulf (1944): The Largest Naval Battle in History
Decisive Allied victory; the Imperial Japanese Navy lost most of its remaining strength and could no longer fight as a fleet.
Modern Era
Operation Market Garden (1944): The Bridge Too Far at Arnhem
Allied failure; the bridges up to Nijmegen were taken, but the British 1st Airborne Division was destroyed at Arnhem and the Rhine was not crossed.
Modern Era
Liberation of Paris (1944): The End of the German Occupation
The German garrison surrendered on 25 August 1944 and Paris was restored to French control under de Gaulle's provisional government.
Modern Era
Warsaw Uprising (1944): The Polish Home Army's 63-Day Revolt
German victory: the uprising was crushed after 63 days, up to 200,000 civilians died, the population was expelled and most of the city was destroyed.
Modern Era
20 July Plot (1944): Stauffenberg's Attempt to Kill Hitler
Failure: Hitler survived with minor injuries, the coup collapsed within hours, and thousands of suspects were arrested and many executed.
Modern Era
Operation Bagration (1944): The Destruction of Army Group Centre
Decisive Soviet victory: Germany's Army Group Centre was largely destroyed and the Red Army advanced some 500–600 km to the Vistula and the borders of East Prussia.
Modern Era
Anzio Landings (1944): Operation Shingle and the Road to Rome
Allied success at heavy cost: the landing failed to outflank the Gustav Line quickly, but the beachhead held and its breakout in May 1944 helped open the way to Rome.
Modern Era
Battle of Monte Cassino (1944): Breaking the Gustav Line
Allied victory after four battles: the Gustav Line was broken in May 1944, opening the road to Rome, at a heavy cost in lives and the destruction of the abbey.
Modern Era
Battle of the Bulge (1944–1945): Hitler's Ardennes Offensive
Allied victory: the German offensive was halted short of the River Meuse and pushed back, costing Germany reserves it could not replace.
Modern Era
D-Day (1944): The Allied Normandy Landings of Operation Overlord
Allied victory: about 156,000 troops came ashore by sea and air and secured a foothold in France, opening the Western Front that led to the liberation of western Europe.