| 1943
Timeline
|
|
| January
14, 1943 |
President
Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Churchill decide that any surrender
by the Axis Powers must be unconditional. The Allied leaders want
to avoid a treaty like the one negotiated after World War I. Hitler
had used the Versailles Treaty to justify German conquest. |
| January
27, 1943 |
The
US bombs German targets for the first time. |
| February
9, 1943 |
The
US pushes the Japanese from Guadalcanal by blocking its supply of
food and equipment. |
| March
29, 1943 |
The
US government requires Americans to ration fat, meat, and cheese.
The military uses fat in the manufacture of explosives. It rations
meat and cheese to guarantee a supply for both civilians and soldiers. |
| April
8, 1943 |
President
Roosevelt freezes wages and prices. He also orders workers in certain
"essential" industries to keep their jobs. The President
believes that the freeze will control inflation. |
| May
11, 1943 |
US
forces invade the Japanese occupied island of Attu in the Aleutians.
The Japanese had captured the island to act as an eastern line of
homeland defense. |
| May
22, 1943 |
Germany
slows its submarine attacks against Atlantic convoys. Germans had
suffered heavy submarine losses because of Allied RADAR, air power,
and code breaking. |
| July
1, 1943 |
The
Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC) becomes the Women's Army Corps
(WAC). Women of the Corps become full members of the Army for the
first time. Over 17,000 WACs serve in every combat zone overseas.
They provide clerical support for Army headquarters and service organizations. |
| July
5, 1943 |
Germans
attack Soviet forces in the largest tank battle in history called
the Battle of Kursk. The Soviets win the battle and gain the upper
hand on the Eastern Front. |
| July
10, 1943 |
The
Allies invade Sicily in "Operation Husky." The Allies attack
Italy hoping to force the country's surrender before an invasion of
Europe. Italy surrenders on September 8, but German troops occupy
Italy and fight the Allies. |
| July
25, 1943 |
Italian
nationals arrest Mussolini. Most Italians had not supported Mussolini's
alliance with Hitler. |
| August
5, 1943 |
The
Army forms the Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASPs). Women train
male pilots and ferry aircraft between the US and Britain. |
| September
12, 1943 |
Germans
rescue Mussolini. Hitler set up a puppet state for Mussolini in Northern
Italy in an attempt to establish a new Italian Fascist state. |
| November
1, 1943 |
US
forces land on Bougainville in the Solomon Islands. General MacArthur
plans to eventually push the Japanese from the Southwest Pacific by
gaining a stronghold in the Islands. |
| November
20, 1943 |
US
Marines attack Japanese forces on Tarawa Atoll. Marines capture the
Atoll three days later. Officials report 1,000 American deaths and
2,000 wounded. This battle begins the strategy of "island hopping."
American strategists plan to capture island by island on its way to
Japan. |
| November
28, 1943 |
President
Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Churchill, and Soviet Premier Stalin
meet for the first time at the Teheran Conference. The Allied leaders
decide to attack German forces in France in 1944. Stalin promises
to enter the war against Japan after a German surrender. |
|
