World War II Today: December 1

December 1 marks sharp turning points across the Second World War. In 1939, the Soviet Union installed a puppet Finnish government as Finland’s forces fought back, damaging the cruiser Kirov in the Winter War’s opening clashes. By 1940, the Italian submarine Argo torpedoed the Canadian destroyer Saguenay and the LRDG launched its first deep-desert raid. In 1941, Japan set December 7 as the date to attack Pearl Harbor while emergencies were declared in Malaya and Hong Kong. Coffee rationing began in the U.S. in 1942 as Australians captured Gona and the U.S. Navy fought the Battle of Tassafaronga. By 1943, Soviet forces isolated the Crimea, the Allies concluded the Tehran Conference, and the P-51 Mustang flew its first European mission. In 1944, Princess Elizabeth launched HMS Vanguard, and in 1945 Allied authorities arrested dozens of industrialists who had backed Hitler’s war machine. A day showing the global scale and shifting momentum of a world in conflict.

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World War II Today: November 30

November 30 spans the opening shots of the Winter War, the deepening global conflict, and the last echoes of World War II. In 1939, the Soviet Union attacked Finland without declaring war, launching devastating air raids on Helsinki as Britain completed a massive North Sea minefield. By 1940, British civilian casualties mounted while the U.S. increased aid to China. In 1941, mass executions occurred near Riga and Japan finalized its decision to attack America. The 1942 fighting ranged from halted offensives in Tunisia to naval clashes off Guadalcanal, while Italy evacuated major cities under Allied bombing. In 1944, the Majdanek guards faced trial, HMS Vanguard was launched, and Chiang Kai-shek shifted forces to defend Kunming. By 1945, Rudolf Hess shocked the Nuremberg court and the final Japanese troops formally surrendered in Indochina. A day marked by invasion, resolve, and the long reach of a world at war.

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World War II Today: November 29

November 29 spans the full scope of a global war in motion. In 1939, the USSR imposed Soviet citizenship on all residents of occupied Polish territory. By 1940, Germany drafted its initial plans for invading Russia while Allied forces secured Crete. In 1941, the German drive on Moscow stalled as the Red Army counterattacked at Rostov and Italian troops struck near Sidi Rezegh. Churchill warned Italy in 1942 as British paratroopers dropped near Tunis and U.S. coffee rationing began. Over the next years, Australian and American forces advanced in New Guinea and Italy, the Red Army crossed the Danube, the submarine USS Archerfish sank the carrier Shinano, and two German spies were landed in Maine. In 1945, films of Nazi atrocities shocked the Nuremberg courtroom as the U.S. began demobilization. A day of turning points across multiple fronts.

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World War II Today: November 27

On November 27, World War II unfolded across multiple fronts—from German raiders returning to port and the launch of the Empire Air Training Scheme, to violent political upheaval in Romania and a tense naval standoff in the Mediterranean. German panzers reached the outskirts of Moscow, the Tobruk garrison linked with the New Zealanders, and Gondar—the last Italian stronghold in East Africa—fell. In 1942, the French scuttled their fleet at Toulon as German troops arrived, while British forces closed on Tunis. The following years saw major offensives, heavy losses at sea, and the UN Charter ratified by 29 nations. A day that reveals the global scale and rapid shifts of a world at war.

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“We Are Not Retreating — We Are Advancing in Another Direction.” – General MacArthur

“We are not retreating — we are advancing in another direction.” – General Douglas MacArthur General Douglas MacArthur’s famous line, “We are not retreating — we are advancing in another direction,” reflects the bold, uncompromising spirit that defined his career from World War I through the Pacific campaigns of World War II. Known for his

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