5 June – World War II: final preparations for the
Normandy landings take place in the south of England.
Group CaptainJames Stagg correctly forecasts a brief improvement in weather conditions over the
English Channel which will permit the following day's landings to take place (having been deferred from today due to unfavourable weather). The
BBC transmits coded messages (including the second line of a poem by
Paul Verlaine) to
underground resistance fighters in France warning that the invasion of
Europe is about to begin.[12][13]
13 June – World War II: the first
V-1 flying bomb attack on London takes place. Eight civilians are killed in the blast. The bomb earns the nickname "doodlebug".[2]
12 August – World War II: the V-1 flying bomb campaign against London by the Germans reaches its 60th day, with more than 6,000 deaths, 17,000 injuries and damage or destruction to around 1 million buildings.
7 September – the Belgian government leaves the UK and returns to Belgium following the liberation of
Brussels on 3 September (by the
Guards Armoured Division).
8 September – World War II: the first
V-2 rocket attack on London (launched from
The Hague) takes place, striking in the
Chiswick district of the city and resulting in the deaths of three people.[2]
17 September – World War II: restrictions imposed by the
Blackout are relaxed.[2]
19 September – World War II: the UK is a co-signatory with the Soviet Union of the
Moscow Armistice, ending the latter's
Continuation War with Finland.[17]
25 September – World War II: V-2 rockets aimed at
Ipswich and
Norwich by the Germans miss their targets by a distance.
25 November – World War II: a V-2 rocket destroys the
Woolworths store in
New Cross Road, south east London, killing 168, the highest death toll from one of these weapons. More than 100 people survive with injuries.[18]
27 November –
RAF Fauld explosion: between 3,450 and 3,930
tons (3,500 and 4,000
tonnes) of
ordnance explodes at an underground storage depot in
Staffordshire leaving about 75 dead and a
crater 1,200 metres (0.75 miles) across and 120 metres (400 ft) deep, one of the
largest explosions in history and the largest on UK soil.[19]
3 December – World War II: the
Home Guard is stood down.
^Beale, Nick (2005). Kampfflieger: Bombers of the Luftwaffe, vol. 4: Summer 1943–May 1945. Burgess Hill: Classic Publications. p. 315.
ISBN978-1-903223-50-5.
^Small, Ken; Rogerson, Mark (1988). The Forgotten Dead – Why 946 American Servicemen Died off the Coast of Devon in 1944 – and the Man who Discovered their True Story. London: Bloomsbury.
ISBN0-7475-0309-5.
^Wasley, Gerald (1994). Devon at War, 1939–1945. Tiverton: Devon Books. p. 157.
ISBN0-86114-885-1.
^Yung, Christopher (2006). Gators of Neptune: naval amphibious planning for the Normandy invasion. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press.
ISBN978-1-59114-997-2.
^Simons, Paul (2008). Since Records Began. London: Collins. pp. 33–5.
ISBN978-0-00-728463-4.
^Foot, M. R. D. (1999). SOE: An Outline History of the Special Operations Executive 1940–46. London: Pimlico. p. 143.
ISBN0-7126-6585-4.
^Reed, John (1977). "Largest Wartime Explosions: 21 Maintenance Unit, RAF Fauld, Staffs. November 27, 1944". After the Battle. 18: 35–40.
ISSN0306-154X..
5 June – World War II: final preparations for the
Normandy landings take place in the south of England.
Group CaptainJames Stagg correctly forecasts a brief improvement in weather conditions over the
English Channel which will permit the following day's landings to take place (having been deferred from today due to unfavourable weather). The
BBC transmits coded messages (including the second line of a poem by
Paul Verlaine) to
underground resistance fighters in France warning that the invasion of
Europe is about to begin.[12][13]
13 June – World War II: the first
V-1 flying bomb attack on London takes place. Eight civilians are killed in the blast. The bomb earns the nickname "doodlebug".[2]
12 August – World War II: the V-1 flying bomb campaign against London by the Germans reaches its 60th day, with more than 6,000 deaths, 17,000 injuries and damage or destruction to around 1 million buildings.
7 September – the Belgian government leaves the UK and returns to Belgium following the liberation of
Brussels on 3 September (by the
Guards Armoured Division).
8 September – World War II: the first
V-2 rocket attack on London (launched from
The Hague) takes place, striking in the
Chiswick district of the city and resulting in the deaths of three people.[2]
17 September – World War II: restrictions imposed by the
Blackout are relaxed.[2]
19 September – World War II: the UK is a co-signatory with the Soviet Union of the
Moscow Armistice, ending the latter's
Continuation War with Finland.[17]
25 September – World War II: V-2 rockets aimed at
Ipswich and
Norwich by the Germans miss their targets by a distance.
25 November – World War II: a V-2 rocket destroys the
Woolworths store in
New Cross Road, south east London, killing 168, the highest death toll from one of these weapons. More than 100 people survive with injuries.[18]
27 November –
RAF Fauld explosion: between 3,450 and 3,930
tons (3,500 and 4,000
tonnes) of
ordnance explodes at an underground storage depot in
Staffordshire leaving about 75 dead and a
crater 1,200 metres (0.75 miles) across and 120 metres (400 ft) deep, one of the
largest explosions in history and the largest on UK soil.[19]
3 December – World War II: the
Home Guard is stood down.
^Beale, Nick (2005). Kampfflieger: Bombers of the Luftwaffe, vol. 4: Summer 1943–May 1945. Burgess Hill: Classic Publications. p. 315.
ISBN978-1-903223-50-5.
^Small, Ken; Rogerson, Mark (1988). The Forgotten Dead – Why 946 American Servicemen Died off the Coast of Devon in 1944 – and the Man who Discovered their True Story. London: Bloomsbury.
ISBN0-7475-0309-5.
^Wasley, Gerald (1994). Devon at War, 1939–1945. Tiverton: Devon Books. p. 157.
ISBN0-86114-885-1.
^Yung, Christopher (2006). Gators of Neptune: naval amphibious planning for the Normandy invasion. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press.
ISBN978-1-59114-997-2.
^Simons, Paul (2008). Since Records Began. London: Collins. pp. 33–5.
ISBN978-0-00-728463-4.
^Foot, M. R. D. (1999). SOE: An Outline History of the Special Operations Executive 1940–46. London: Pimlico. p. 143.
ISBN0-7126-6585-4.
^Reed, John (1977). "Largest Wartime Explosions: 21 Maintenance Unit, RAF Fauld, Staffs. November 27, 1944". After the Battle. 18: 35–40.
ISSN0306-154X..