World War II Timeline: 1943
Explore 29 documented milestones from 1943, across military theaters, diplomacy, society and technology.
Dated historical records
Entries below follow the dates recorded in the WWII CHRONOS archive. Each linked title opens the original historical entry, including its source reference.
- — First Flight of the Lockheed Constellation — A future symbol of post-war long-range piston-powered aviation.
- — Battle of Stalingrad Ends — The remaining forces of the encircled German Sixth Army surrender.
- — Battle of Guadalcanal Ends — The United States secures control of the island after Japanese forces withdraw.
- — Construction Begins on the First Y-12 Production Building at Oak Ridge — Start of a major electromagnetic uranium-isotope separation complex.
- — First Flight of the Gloster Meteor — The aircraft that would become Britain's first production jet aeroplane.
- — Major Construction Begins at the Hanford Industrial Complex — Start of the first complex for large-scale plutonium production.
- — Contract Signed to Build ENIAC — The Moore School of Electrical Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania and the US Army sign a contract to develop the ENIAC electronic computer. One of its intended tasks is artil
- — Warsaw Ghetto Uprising — Jewish underground fighters begin armed resistance to the Nazi liquidation of the ghetto.
- — Axis Surrender in Tunisia — German and Italian forces end organised resistance in North Africa.
- — First Flight of the First Production B-29 Built at Wichita — A milestone for one of the most complex mass-produced aircraft of the war.
- — Battle of Kursk — Germany begins an offensive against the Kursk salient; the subsequent Soviet counteroffensive changes the situation on the front.
- — Allied Landings in Sicily — The Allies begin a major amphibious invasion of the island.
- — Fall of Mussolini's Regime — The Italian dictator is removed from office after a decision by the Grand Council of Fascism.
- — Big Inch Oil Pipeline Completed — The trunk line stretched for more than 2,000 km.
- — Allied Invasion of Mainland Italy — Anglo-American forces land on the Italian mainland.
- — Italian Armistice Announced — The Italian government announces an armistice with the Allies; Germany occupies much of the country.
- — Allied Landings at Salerno — Anglo-American forces land in the Salerno area of mainland Italy.
- — German Forces Occupy Rome — After the Italian armistice, German troops take control of Rome.
- — Allied Forces Link Up near Salerno — Allied troops consolidate the Salerno beachhead.
- — Red Army Retakes Smolensk — Soviet troops recapture Smolensk after offensive operations.
- — Four Days of Naples Uprising — Residents of Naples rise against German occupation forces.
- — Polymer Corporation Begins Industrial Production of Synthetic Rubber — Later production capacity exceeded about 36,000 t per year.
- — Rescue of the Danish Jews — The Danish resistance and ordinary citizens begin a mass effort to ferry Jews to Sweden.
- — Italy Declares War on Germany — The Italian government enters the war against its former ally on the side of the anti-Hitler coalition.
- — Discovery of the Antibiotic Streptomycin — Researchers at Rutgers identified a substance that became important in the treatment of tuberculosis.
- — Willow Run Completes Its 1,000th B-24 Bomber — The 1,000th completed B-24; a precursor to the peak assembly-line rate reached in 1944.
- — X-10 Graphite Reactor Begins Operation at Oak Ridge — The first reactor to produce plutonium continuously on a pilot-industrial scale.
- — Liberation of Kyiv — Soviet forces recapture Kyiv from the Nazi occupiers.
- — Tehran Conference — The leaders of the Soviet Union, the United States and Britain discuss a common strategy for the war.
For wider context, explore the interactive historical timeline and compare events across theaters.