A day that marked the rise of alliances, shifting fronts across Europe, and the widening global scope of the war.
1936 – Mussolini Declares the “Axis”
In Milan, Benito Mussolini delivered a speech that would echo across the coming decade. He described the growing partnership between
Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany as an “axis” running between Rome and Berlin. The phrase would soon enter the diplomatic vocabulary
of the world, symbolizing a political and military bond that would drag Europe into catastrophe. This was the first public articulation
of the alliance that would become the Axis Powers.
1940 – The Mediterranean and Balkans in Motion
As the war expanded around Europe’s southern flank, Britain intensified its pressure at sea by mining the Bay of Biscay, a vital route
for German U-boats and commerce raiders operating from French ports.
In the Balkans, Turkey declared itself neutral in the Greco-Italian War, refusing to be drawn into the conflict erupting across its borders.
Ankara’s position would remain one of cautious neutrality until the final months of the war.
Meanwhile, RAF and Fleet Air Arm aircraft struck targets in Naples and Brindisi on the Italian mainland, as well as ports in
Albania. These raids were part of Britain’s effort to weaken Italian infrastructure and support Greece as it resisted Mussolini’s invasion.
1941 – Denials, Advances, and the Road to Sevastopol
A diplomatic clash unfolded as the German government denied President Roosevelt’s charges that U-boats had attacked the U.S. destroyers
USS Greer and USS Kearny without provocation. Berlin claimed the American ships had tracked and depth-charged the submarines first—a sign
of mounting tension between Germany and a still-neutral United States.
On the Eastern Front, German forces of the 11th Army captured Simferopol, capital of the Crimea, tightening the noose on
Sevastopol. The campaign to take the peninsula, a key Soviet naval base, was entering its decisive stage.
1942 – The Caucasus Drive Continues
In the far south of the Eastern Front, units of the III Panzer Corps continued their advance toward Ordshonikidze, capturing the
town of Alagir on the upper Terek River. It was part of the last major German effort to break through into the Caucasus and reach the
oil fields of Grozny and Baku—an ambition increasingly threatened by overstretched supply lines and stiffening Soviet resistance.
1943 – The Soviets Return to Crimea & U.S. Marines Land at Bougainville
The Red Army struck a major blow against German positions by executing a successful landing across the Strait of Kerch, severing
the last German land connections to the Crimea. The operation opened the door for the eventual liberation of the peninsula.
In the Solomon Islands, the U.S. 3rd Marine Division landed at Empress Augusta Bay on Bougainville. Japanese naval forces
challenged the landings in a confused but fierce engagement offshore, but the U.S. Navy held its ground, securing the beachhead and
advancing the campaign against Rabaul.
1944 – Balloon Bombs Over America & The Battle for Walcheren
The First Balloon Bombs Reach the U.S.
In a startling moment of intercontinental warfare, the first of an estimated 9,000 Japanese “Fu-Go” balloon bombs launched from
Tokyo drifted across the Pacific and reached North America. One of these bombs exploded near Lakeview, Oregon, killing six people—a
tragic first and the only fatalities from enemy action on the U.S. mainland during the entire war.
Operation Infatuate: The Battle for Walcheren
In the Netherlands, the Allies launched Operation Infatuate I, as Royal Marines and British Commandos stormed the heavily fortified
island of Walcheren, guarding the entrance to the Scheldt Estuary.
Simultaneously, Infatuate II began with an amphibious landing at Westkapelle. Clearing the island was essential to opening the port
of Antwerp and securing the vital supply lines needed for the Allied advance into Germany.
Fighting Across the Eastern Front
German forces briefly halted the Soviet advance at Kraisevo, giving the battered Second Panzer Army a chance to form a
defensive line west of Belgrade. But the Red Army pressed on elsewhere, entering the southeastern suburbs of Budapest—the beginning
of a long, deadly battle for the Hungarian capital.
1945 – Confirmation of Hitler’s Death
British intelligence reported that Adolf Hitler had likely committed suicide on April 30 in his Berlin bunker, shortly after
marrying Eva Braun. Though rumors would persist for years, today’s report aligned with evidence gathered by Allied investigators
on the ground.
Remembering November 1
From Mussolini’s declaration of an “Axis,” to aerial strikes across the Mediterranean, relentless fighting on the Eastern Front,
and even enemy bombs drifting into North America, November 1 reveals a world fully engulfed by global war. Each front—diplomatic,
military, and psychological—was shifting rapidly as nations braced for the next phase of conflict.
Lest we forget.