German occupation of Latvia during World War II

Part of the occupation of the Baltic states

Part of a series on the

Occupation of the
Baltic states

* Baltic states
* Nazi Germany
* Soviet Union

Background

* Baltic–Soviet relations

* Non-aggression pacts

* Soviet–Estonian
* Soviet–Latvian
* Soviet–Lithuanian
* German–Estonian
* German–Latvian
* German–Lithuanian

* Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact

Soviet occupation in 1940

* Mutual Assistance Treaties

* Soviet–Estonian
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* Soviet-Lithuanian

* Orzeł incident

* Ultimata

* to Estonia
* to Latvia
* to Lithuania

* People's Parliament
* Sovietization

* Deportations

* from Estonia
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* from Lithuania
* June deportation

* Welles Declaration

German occupation

Estonia

* Occupation
* Resistance
* Holocaust

Latvia

* Occupation
* Resistance
* Holocaust

Lithuania

* Occupation
* Resistance
* Holocaust

Soviet re-occupation in 1944

* Battle of Narva
* Baltic offensive
* Courland Pocket
* Guerrilla war in the Baltic states
* Latvian partisans
* Lithuanian partisans

Under Soviet rule

* Guerrilla war in the Baltic states
* Operation Priboi
* Operation Jungle
* Estonian SSR
* Latvian SSR
* Lithuanian SSR
* Territorial changes
* Baltic Way
* Singing Revolution
* Sąjūdis
* Tautas fronte
* Rahvarinne
* Congress of Estonia

State continuity

* Baltic diplomatic services (1940–91)
* Estonian
* Latvian
* Lithuanian
* Kersten Committee
* Helsinki Accords

Aftermath

* Estonia–Russia relations
* Latvia–Russia relations
* Lithuania–Russia relations
* Russians in Estonia
* Russians in Latvia
* Russians in Lithuania

* v
* t
* e

German soldiers enter Riga, July 1941 Members of the Latvian Auxiliary Police assemble a group of Jews, Liepāja, July, 1941. German halftrack at Aiviekste railroad station. Clean-up team in destroyed Riga, July 1941 Jewish prisoners in Salaspils concentration camp Reichsminister Alfred Rosenberg in occupied Latvia, 1942 Latvian Legion on parade, November 1943 Refugees fleeing Ventspils, October 1944

Part of a series on the

History of Latvia

Prehistory

* Kunda culture
* Narva culture
* Corded Ware culture
* Amber Road / Aesti
* Baltic Finns (Livonians, Vends)
* Balts
* Latgalians
* Curonians
* Selonians
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Middle Ages

* Principality of Jersika
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* Tālava
* Livonian Crusade
* Livonian Brothers of the Sword
* Livonian Order
* Archbishopric of Riga
* Bishopric of Courland
* Terra Mariana
* Baltic Germans

Early modern period

* Livonian War
* Kingdom of Livonia
* Duchy of Livonia
* Inflanty Voivodeship
* Swedish Livonia
* Polish–Swedish Wars (1600-1629)
* Second Northern War
* Great Northern War
* Duchy of Courland and Semigallia
* Couronian colonization

National Awakening

* Governorate of Livonia
* Courland Governorate
* Vitebsk Governorate
* The First Latvian National Awakening
* New Current

Modern Latvia

* Latvian Riflemen
* German occupation
* United Baltic Duchy
* Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic
* War of Independence
* 1934 Latvian coup d'état
* 1940 Soviet occupation
* Nazi occupation
* The Holocaust in Latvia
* 1944 Soviet re-occupation
* Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic
* Popular Front of Latvia
* Singing Revolution
* Restoration of Independence
* 2008 Latvian financial crisis

Chronology
Latvia portal

* v
* t
* e

The military occupation of Latvia by Nazi Germany was completed on 10 July 1941, by Germany's armed forces. Initially, the territory of Latvia was under the military administration of Army Group North, but on 25 July 1941, Latvia was incorporated as Generalbezirk Lettland, subordinated to Reichskommissariat Ostland, an administrative subdivision of Nazi Germany. Anyone not racially acceptable or who opposed the German occupation, as well as those who had cooperated with the Soviet Union, was killed or sent to concentration camps in accordance with the Nazi Generalplan Ost.[1]: 56

## Persecutions

[edit]

Main article: Holocaust in Latvia

Immediately after the establishment of German authority at the beginning of July 1941, the elimination of the Jewish and Roma population began, with major mass killings taking place at Rumbula and elsewhere. The killings were committed by the Einsatzgruppe A, and the Wehrmacht. Latvian collaborators, including 500 to 1,500 members of the Arājs Kommando (which alone killed around 26,000 Jews[2]) and other Latvian members of the SD, also were involved.[3][4]

Some 30,000 Jews were shot in the autumn of 1941[1]: 127 and most of the remaining Jewish people were put into ghettos. In November and December 1941, the Riga Ghetto became crowded and to make room for the imminent arrival of German Jews, who were being shipped out of the country, all the remaining 30,000 Jews in Riga were taken from the ghetto to nearby Rumbula Forest, and shot.[1]: 128

Jews from Germany, Austria and the present-day Czech Republic, then in the Riga ghetto were put to work and placed on very reduced rations. The Kaiserwald concentration camp was built in 1943 at Mežaparks on the edge of Riga, and drew most of its inmates from the ghetto. In the camp, the inmates were put to work by large German companies.[1]: 129 Before the Soviet forces returned, all Jews under 18 or over 30 were shot, with the remainder moved to Stutthof concentration camp.

During the years of Nazi occupation, special campaigns killed 90,000 people in Latvia, approximately 70,000 of whom were Jews and 2,000 Gypsies.[citation needed] Those who were not Jews or Gypsies were mostly civilians whose political opinions and activity were unacceptable to the German occupiers. Jewish and Gypsy civilians were eliminated as a result of the Nazi "theory of races" as set out in the Nazi Generalplan Ost plan.

## Resistance

[edit]

Main article: Latvian resistance movement

Resistance in Latvia was very confusing: It included people resisting the Soviet occupation who were happy to work with the German forces, Soviet supporters resisting the German occupation, and nationalists resisting everyone who was occupying or trying to occupy Latvia. Some people changed sides when the Soviets started arresting and deporting people, others when Nazi soldiers started killing Latvians, and still others when the Soviet troops returned. Lastly the Jews resisted anyone trying to kill them, including both Latvians as well as Germans.[citation needed]

Many resistance fighters joined either the German or Soviet armies as a means of fighting. Very few were able to live as independent bands in the forests.[citation needed]

When the Germans first arrived in Latvia, they found anti-Soviet guerrilla bands operating in many areas, of varying quality, some swollen by deserters from Soviet units. The largest and most effective was led by Kārlis Aperāts[1]: 141 who became a Standartenführer (full colonel) in the Waffen SS.

Some Latvians resisted the German occupation undertaking solo acts of bravery, like Žanis Lipke who risked his life to save more than 50 Jews.

The Latvian resistance movement was divided between the pro-independence units under the Latvian Central Council and the pro-Soviet forces under the Central Staff of the Partisan Movement in Moscow. Their Latvian commander was Arturs Sproģis. The Latvian Central Council published the outlawed publication Brīvā Latvija (Free Latvia). The periodical promoted the idea of renewing democracy in Latvia after the war.

Public displays of resistance such as on 15 May 1942 in Riga resulted in young nationalists being arrested, and others were stymied when their plans were discovered.[1]: 154

Partisan activity increased after Operation Winterzauber ("Winter Magic") by the Germans, who destroyed 99 villages in eastern Latvia, deported 6,000 of the villagers for forced labour, and shot 3,600 in early 1943. However, much partisan activity was centred on forcing civilians to provide food and shelter for the partisans rather than fighting Germans.[1]: 152

Soviet-supporting partisans, many of whom were actually Soviet soldiers operating behind the lines, sent messages to Moscow making wild claims of success, for instance that 364 trains were destroyed, none of which bear any resemblance to German reports. These "reports" were used as propaganda by the Soviets.[1]: 153

Resistance continued at an increased level after the return of the Red Army in July 1944, with perhaps 40,000 Latvians involved and around 10,000 active at any point in time.[1]: 324

## Latvians in the Soviet army

[edit]

The Soviet Union conscripted into its army sections of independent Latvia's military units, as well as those Latvians who were in Russia as a result of previous wars or who lived there. Many Latvian soldiers deserted when Germany attacked Latvia. A few, continued to serve with the Soviet forces.

130th Latvian Rifle Corps of the Order of Suvorov. This Red Army national formation was formed, for the third time, on 5 June 1944, shortly before the Red Army attacked Latvia. Their strength was about 15,000 men, which consisted three divisions – 43rd Guards, 308th Latvian Rifle Division and a Soviet division. The Corps units fought against the Latvian Legion's 19th Division units.[5] The unit contained few Latvian soldiers, but was important for propaganda purposes.

## Latvians in the German army

[edit]

Main article: Latvian Legion

Nazi Germany on arrival in Latvia looked to recruit Latvian units in accordance with the Generalplan Ost, which required the population of Latvia to be cut by 50%,[1]: 56 they quickly located Viktors Arājs who was leading a unit that became known as the Arajs Kommando. It became infamous for its actions against the Jewish population, such as burning the Riga synagogues with people inside and the Rumbula massacre. The 500 men executed an estimated 26,000 Jews, Gypsies and others deemed undesirable.[1]: 141

Latvian Auxiliary Police battalions were raised from volunteer. The first unit sent to the front was involved in heavy fighting in June 1942 and acquitted itself well. Latvians however wanted to raise a Latvian Legion, under the command of Latvian officers, and offered to raise an army of 100,000. In January 1943, short of troops, Hitler agreed.[1]: 143–4 This took away the need to conscript Latvian men, which would have been an illegal act.[1]: 144 So was born the 15th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Latvian).

Destroyed St. Peter's church in Riga

Two police battalions fighting near Leningrad with Dutch and Flemish soldiers were pulled back in May 1943 and with reinforcements from Latvia and a change of uniform, transformed into the 2nd Latvian SS Volunteer Brigade and made part of 2nd SS Infantry Brigade. The senior Latvian commander, Lt Col Voldemārs Veiss, was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in January 1944. The brigade was expanded into the 19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Latvian) in January 1944.[1]: 145–6

## Defeat and retreat of Nazi forces

[edit]

On 12 January 1944, the latest Red Army assault managed to lift the 900-day Siege of Leningrad, during which over one million people died, and on 20 January, German troops started to retreat.[1]: 165

The re-conquering of the Baltic area was undertaken as a direct follow-through of the assault that started in Leningrad, entering Estonia in early February,[1]: 172 along with much of Ukraine and Belarus. Nazi Germany began to suffer regular defeats on the eastern front and was pushed back to the west.

The 2nd Latvian SS Brigade, which was now upgraded to the 19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Latvian), was among those fighting before the spring thaw slowed the attacks.[1]: 182 On 22 June, the third anniversary of the German invasion was chosen as the start date for Operation Bagration. The massive Soviet attack was catastrophic for the German armies who fell back before the onslaught. In mid-July 1944 the Soviet Army once again crossed Latvia's pre-war eastern border, and the Soviet armies continued westward leaving sufficient troops to block in the remaining German forces until they attacked on 11 September as a diversion for an attack in Estonia.[1]: 237 On 9 October Riga was in artillery range of the Red Army. German troops, including the 19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Latvian) under the code name Donner (Thunder), withdrew from Riga, destroying bridges as they went. Battles were quite bloody but by 13 October 1944 the Soviets had re-captured Riga.[1]: 271 By mid October, the German Army, which partly included the "Latvian Legion", was besieged in Kurzeme, in the "Courland Pocket".

Some 200,000 German troops held out in Courland, trapped between the Baltic Sea and the Soviet lines while the Soviet Army concentrated its attacks on East Prussia, Silesia, Pomerania, and ultimately Berlin. Colonel-General Heinz Guderian, chief of the German General Staff, insisted that the troops in Courland be evacuated by sea and used to defend the Reich. However, Hitler refused and ordered the German forces in Courland to hold out. He believed them necessary to protect German submarine bases along the Baltic coast. On 15 January 1945, Army Group Courland (German: Heeresgruppe Kurland) was formed under Colonel-General Dr. Lothar Rendulic. Until the end of the war, Army Group Courland (including divisions such as the Latvian Freiwiliger SS Legion) successfully defended the area in which they were besieged. It held out until 8 May 1945, when Colonel-General Carl Hilpert, the army group's last commander, surrendered to Marshal Leonid Govorov. At this time, the group consisted of some 31 divisions of varying strength. Approximately 200,000 troops of Army Group Courland surrendered, including 14,000 Latvian soldiers.[1]: 318 They were deported to Soviet prison camps in the east after their surrender on 9 May.

Many Latvians fled this battlefield in fishing boats and ships to Sweden and Germany, from whence they emigrated, mostly to Australia and North America. Approximately 150,000 Latvians went into exile in the West.[citation needed]

## Aftermath of the Second World War

[edit]

During World War II, more than 200,000 Latvian soldiers ended up in the rank and file of both occupation forces; approximately half of them (100,000) were killed on the battlefield.

It is estimated that, as a result of the war, the population of Latvia decreased from 500,000 to 300,000 (a 25% decrease compared to 1939). The war also heavily damaged the economy: Many historic cities were destroyed as well as industry and infrastructure.

As of 1940, most western governments did not recognise the incorporation of Latvia and the other Baltic States into the Soviet Union. The only exception was Sweden, which returned the members of the "Latvian Legion", who had ended up in Sweden at the end of the war, to the USSR, and handed the diplomatic representative offices of the Baltic countries in Stockholm to the USSR. After the war, the United States applied the most persistent pressure on the Soviet Union regarding the Baltic States' wish for independence. Throughout the entire period of occupation, the embassy of independent Latvia continued to function in Washington, D.C., and London.[6][7][8]

## See also

[edit]

* Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact
* Latvian resistance movement
* Generalbezirk Lettland
* Reichskommissariat Ostland
* Rumbula
* 15th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Latvian)
* 19th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Latvian)
* Luftwaffen-Legion Lettland
* Occupation of Baltic republics by Nazi Germany
* Occupation of Baltic states (by Nazi Germany and the USSR, 1939–1991)
* Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Buttar, Prit (20 May 2013). Between Giants. Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-78096-163-7.
2. ^ Andrew Ezergailis (1996). The Holocaust in Latvia, 1941–1944. Historical Institute of Latvia, Riga ; United States Holocaust Memorial Museum; Washington, DC. OCLC 33403580.
3. ^ The Holocaust in Latvia Archived 2007-05-04 at the Wayback Machine, Andrievs Ezergailis ISBN 978-9984-9054-3-3
4. ^ The German Occupation and the First Wave of Murder Archived 2007-01-10 at the Wayback Machine The Simon Wiesenthal Center.
5. ^ Великая Отечественная война (22.6.1941–9.5.1945).
6. ^ Indāns, Ivars, ed. (2012). Latvia and the United States: A New Chapter in the Partnership (PDF). Rīga: Centre for East European Policy Studies. pp. 27–30\. ISBN 978-9934-8292-0-8.
7. ^ ""ON GUARD FOR LATVIA'S STATEHOOD" Latvia's Foreign Service Staff in Exile During the Years of Occupation June 17, 1941 - August 21, 1991". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia. 2014-12-02. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
8. ^ "Centennial of Latvia's Foreign Service". Latvia.eu. 2019-07-29. Archived from the original on 2021-03-03. Retrieved 2020-04-20.

## External links

[edit]

* A Soviet civilian about to be executed at Preili, Latvia
* Konrad Kalejs
* Saviours and the Saved
* The Holocaust in German-Occupied Latvia (Link broken. 23-Nov-2013)
* map of Riga ghetto[dead link] (Link broken. 23-Nov-2013)
* "Latvia Under German Occupation in 1943", Latvian Legation, 1944 (Link broken. 23-Nov-2013)

* v
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Collaboration with Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and Imperial Japan

| Lists by Axis forces|

| German and
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Administrative divisions in Nazi Germany and German occupations

Administrative
divisions of
Nazi Germany|

| Gaue (Altreich)|

| Founded|

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|

Proposed|

* Prinz-Eugen (Reichsfestung Belgrad)
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Reichsgaue|

| Founded|

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| Austria|

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|

Proposed|

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|

Partial annexations|

| Founded|

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|

Proposed|

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German
occupations|

| Civil Administration Areas|

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|

Districts|

| Founded|

* Bialystok

|

Proposed|

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Military administrations|

* Army Group Rear Area Command
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Operational Zones|

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Puppet states|

| Founded|

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|

Exiled|

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Proposed|

* Brittany

Reichskommissariate|

| Founded|

* Belgium and Northern France
* Netherlands
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* Ostland
* Ukraine

|

Proposed|

* Caucasia
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Other occupations|

* Finland
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Other|

| Founded|

* New Swabia
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|

Proposed|

* Nordstern
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* v
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* e

The Holocaust in Latvia

Main article
The Holocaust
Related articles by country
Belarus
Estonia
Lithuania
Norway
Poland
Russia
Ukraine

Crimes|

* Burning of the Riga synagogues
* Dünamünde Action
* Jelgava
* Pogulianski
* Rumbula
* Liepāja (Šķēde)

Victims|

* Jewish people of Latvia
* Gypsies
* Joseph Carlebach
* Simon Dubnow
* Else Hirsch

Perpetrators|

* Alois Brunner
* Rudolf Batz
* Fritz Dietrich
* Otto-Heinrich Drechsler
* Erich Ehrlinger
* Karl Jäger
* Friedrich Jeckeln
* Heinz Jost
* Konrāds Kalējs
* Ernst Kaltenbrunner
* Wolfgang Kügler
* Rudolf Lange
* Hinrich Lohse
* Friedrich Panzinger
* Hans-Adolf Prützmann
* Eduard Roschmann
* Alfred Rosenberg
* Martin Sandberger
* Albert Sauer
* Walther Schröder
* Rudolf Joachim Seck
* Franz Walter Stahlecker
* Eduard Strauch

Nazi occupation and organizations|

* Einsatzgruppen
* Reichskommissariat Ostland
* Rollkommando Hamann

Collaborators|

Individuals
Viktors Arājs
Herberts Cukurs
Kārlis Lobe

Organizations
Arajs Kommando
Latvian Auxiliary Police
Schutzmannschaft

Ghettos and camps|

* Daugavpils Ghetto
* Jungfernhof concentration camp
* Kaiserwald concentration camp
* Riga Ghetto
* Salaspils concentration camp

Documentation|

* Generalplan Ost
* Jäger Report

Concealment|

* Sonderaktion 1005

War crimes investigations and trials|

* Einsatzgruppen trial
* Riga Trial
* Extraordinary (Soviet) State Commission

Righteous Among the Nations|

* Jānis Lipke
* Paul Schiemann
* Roberts Seduls and Johanna Sedule

Memorials|

* Bikernieki Memorial

Related articles|

* The Holocaust
* The Mover
* Occupation of Latvia by Nazi Germany

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History of World War II by region and country

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Antarctica|

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World War II

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General|

| Topics|

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* Indian Ocean
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* Eastern Front
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* timeline
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Aftermath|

* Chinese Civil War
* Cold War
* Decolonization
* Division of Korea
* First Indochina War
* Expulsion of Germans
* Greek Civil War
* Indonesian National Revolution
* Keelhaul
* Marshall Plan
* Occupation of Germany
* Occupation of Japan
* Osoaviakhim
* Paperclip
* Soviet occupations
* Baltic
* Hungary
* Poland
* Romania
* Territorial changes of Germany
* Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany
* United Nations

War crimes|

* Allied war crimes
* Soviet war crimes
* Atrocities against prisoners of war
* British war crimes
* United States war crimes
* German war crimes
* forced labour
* Wehrmacht war crimes
* The Holocaust
* Aftermath
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* Croatian war crimes
* Genocide of Serbs
* Persecution of Jews
* Romanian war crimes
* Sexual violence
* German military brothels
* Camp brothels
* Rape during the occupation of Germany / Japan / Poland / Manchuria
* Rape during the liberation of France / Serbia
* Sook Ching
* Comfort women
* Rape of Manila
* Marocchinate

Participants|

| Allies|

* Algeria
* Australia
* Belgium
* Brazil
* Bulgaria (from September 1944)
* Canada
* China
* Cuba
* Czechoslovakia
* Denmark
* Ethiopia
* Eswatini (formerly Swaziland)
* Finland (from September 1944)
* France
* Free France
* Greece
* India
* Italy (from September 1943)
* Liberia
* Luxembourg
* Mexico
* Netherlands
* Newfoundland
* New Zealand
* Norway
* Philippines
* Poland
* Romania (from August 1944)
* Sierra Leone
* South Africa
* Southern Rhodesia
* Soviet Union
* Tuva
* United Kingdom
* British Empire
* United States
* Puerto Rico
* Yugoslavia

|

Axis|

* Albania protectorate
* Bulgaria (until September 1944)
* State of Burma
* Republic of China (Wang Jingwei)
* Independent State of Croatia
* Finland (until September 1944)
* German Reich
* Hungary
* Azad Hind
* Iraq
* Italy (until September 1943)
* Italian Social Republic
* Empire of Japan
* Manchukuo
* Mengjiang
* Philippines
* Romania (until August 1944)
* Slovak Republic
* Thailand
* Vichy France
* Guangzhouwan
* French Indochina
* French Madagascar
* Syria–Lebanon
* French North Africa
* French West Africa
* Collaboration

Neutral|

* Afghanistan
* Andorra
* Bhutan
* Ireland
* Liechtenstein
* Monaco
* Portugal
* San Marino
* Saudi Arabia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Tibet
* Turkey
* Vatican City
* Yemen

Resistance|

* Albania
* Austria
* Belgium
* Bulgaria
* Czech lands
* Denmark
* Dutch East Indies
* Estonia
* Ethiopia
* France
* Germany
* Greece
* Hong Kong
* Italy
* Japan
* Jews
* Korea
* Korean Liberation Army
* Korean Volunteer Army
* Latvia
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malaya
* Netherlands
* Northeast China
* Norway
* Philippines
* Poland
* Romania
* Thailand
* Soviet Union
* Slovakia
* Western Ukraine
* Vietnam
* Quốc dân Đảng
* Viet Minh
* Yugoslavia

POWs|

* Finnish prisoners in the Soviet Union
* German prisoners
* Soviet Union
* Azerbaijan
* United States
* United Kingdom
* Italian prisoners in the Soviet Union
* Japanese prisoners
* Soviet Union
* German atrocities against Polish POWs
* Soviet prisoners
* Finland
* atrocities by Germans
* Polish prisoners in the Soviet Union
* Romanian prisoners in the Soviet Union

Timeline|

| Prelude|

* Africa
* Second Italo-Ethiopian War
* Asia
* Second Sino-Japanese War
* Battles of Khalkhin Gol
* Europe
* Remilitarisation of the Rhineland
* Anschluss
* Munich Agreement
* Occupation of Czechoslovakia
* Operation Himmler
* Italian invasion of Albania

|

1939|

* Invasion of Poland
* Battle of the Atlantic
* Phoney War
* First Battle of Changsha
* Battle of South Guangxi
* Winter War
* 1939–1940 Winter Offensive

1940|

* Norwegian campaign
* German invasion of Denmark
* Battle of Zaoyang–Yichang
* German invasion of Luxembourg
* German invasion of the Netherlands
* German invasion of Belgium
* Battle of France
* Dunkirk evacuation
* Battle of Britain
* Battle of the Mediterranean
* North Africa
* West Africa
* British Somaliland
* Hundred Regiments Offensive
* Baltic states
* Eastern Romania
* Japanese invasion of French Indochina
* Italian invasion of Greece
* Compass

1941|

* Battle of South Henan
* Battle of Shanggao
* Invasion of Yugoslavia
* German invasion of Greece
* Battle of Crete
* Anglo-Iraqi War
* Battle of South Shanxi
* Syria–Lebanon campaign
* East African campaign
* Invasion of the Soviet Union
* Summer War
* Finland (Silver Fox)
* Lithuania
* Battle of Kiev
* Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran
* Second Battle of Changsha
* Siege of Leningrad
* Battle of Moscow
* Bombing of Gorky
* Siege of Sevastopol
* Attack on Pearl Harbor
* Japanese invasion of Thailand
* Fall of Hong Kong
* Fall of the Philippines
* Battle of Guam
* Battle of Wake Island
* Malayan campaign
* Battle of Borneo
* Japanese invasion of Burma
* Third Battle of Changsha
* Greek famine of 1941–1944

1942|

* Fall of Singapore
* Battle of the Java Sea
* St Nazaire Raid
* Battle of Christmas Island
* Battle of the Coral Sea
* Battle of Madagascar
* Zhejiang-Jiangxi campaign
* Battle of Gazala
* Battle of Dutch Harbor
* Battle of Midway
* Aleutian Islands campaign
* Kiska
* Attu
* Blue
* First Battle of El Alamein
* Battle of Stalingrad
* Kokoda Track campaign
* Rzhev
* Jubilee
* Second Battle of El Alamein
* Guadalcanal campaign
* Torch
* Chinese famine of 1942–1943

1943|

* Black May
* Tunisian campaign
* Battle of West Hubei
* Battle of Attu
* Bombing of Gorky
* Battle of Kursk
* Allied invasion of Sicily
* Smolensk
* Solomon Islands campaign
* Cottage
* Battle of the Dnieper
* Allied invasion of Italy
* Armistice of Cassibile
* Burma
* Northern Burma and Western Yunnan
* Changde
* Second Battle of Kiev
* Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign
* Tarawa
* Makin
* Bengal famine of 1943

1944|

* Tempest
* Monte Cassino / Anzio
* Korsun–Cherkassy
* Narva
* U-Go
* Imphal
* Ichi-Go
* Kohima
* Overlord
* Neptune
* Mariana and Palau
* Bagration
* Western Ukraine
* Second Battle of Guam
* Tannenberg Line
* Warsaw Uprising
* Eastern Romania
* Liberation of Paris
* Dragoon
* Gothic Line
* Belgrade offensive
* Battle of San Marino
* Lapland
* Market Garden
* Estonia
* Crossbow
* Pointblank
* Vietnamese famine of 1944–1945
* Philippines (1944–1945)
* Leyte
* Syrmian Front
* Hungary
* Budapest
* Burma (1944–1945)
* Ardennes
* Bodenplatte
* Dutch famine of 1944–1945

1945|

* Vistula–Oder
* Battle of Manila
* Battle of Iwo Jima
* Indochina
* Vienna offensive
* Project Hula
* Western invasion of Germany
* Bratislava–Brno offensive
* Battle of Okinawa
* Second Guangxi campaign
* West Hunan
* Italy (Spring 1945)
* Battle of Berlin
* Prague offensive
* Surrender of Germany
* document
* Borneo
* Taipei
* Naval bombardment of Japan
* Manchuria
* Atomic bombings
* Debate
* South Sakhalin
* Kuril Islands
* Shumshu
* Surrender of Japan
* Potsdam Declaration
* document
* End of World War II in Asia

* World portal
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