February 28

On February 28, 1944 Hannah Reitsch suggests a suicide bomber group of Nazi pilots equivalent to the Japanese kamikaze. The idea was suggested to Hitler at Berchtesgaden and Hitler didn't care for the idea at all.

February 27

On February 27, 1942 the Japanese sink the Langely, the first American aircraft carrier to be sunk in the Second World War. All 32 airplanes on board were lost.

February 26

On February 26, 1945 an American ammunition dump on the island Corregidor was blown up by the Japanese. This added more American soldiers to the death toll even though it was the eve of the war being over.

February 25

Molotov (left) with Russian President Joseph Stalin.

On February 25, 1890 Soviet Union foreign minister Vlacheslav Mikhaylovich Skyrabin, also called Molotov was born in Kurkaka, Russia.

February 24

Major General Frank D. Merrill.

On February 24, 1944 Maj. Gen. Frank Merrill guerrilla warriors nicknamed "Merrill's Marauders" began their campaign against the Japanese in Burma.   

February 23

On February 23, 1945 the U.S. Marines raised the flag on Mt. Suribachi on the Japanese controlled island of Iwo Jima. This was when photographer Joe Rosenthal took the Pulitzer Prize winning picture of the flag raising. There were seven Japanese battalions on the island and 9,000 Marines were all there was to fight them. Thankfully for the U.S., the Marines were quite a force to be reckoned with. By the end of the battle 550 Marines were dead and more than 1,800 were wounded. This battle was a deciding one in the Pacific theater.

February 22

On February 22, 1942 President Franklin Delano Roosevelt orders American General Douglas MacArthur out of the Philippines because the American defenses in that region were collapsing.

February 21

On February 21, 1944 Japanese prime minister, Hideki Tojo, declares himself "military czar." This position gives him direct control of the Japanese military.

February 20

On February 20, 1942 Lt. Edward O'Hare became the first flying ace from America in World War Two.

February 19

On February 19, 1945 the Marines' Operation Detachment is launched. The operation is the invasion of the Japanese controlled island Iwo Jima. Iwo Jima would become one of the bloodiest battles of World War Two, also it was the setting for the famous flag raising on top of Mount Suribachi.

February 18

On February 18, 1943 Hans and Sophie Scholl, leaders of the youth group Weisse Rose (White Rose) are arrested by the Gestapo for opposing the Nazi regime.

February 17

On February 17, 1944 U.S. troops land on Eniwetok atoll, an atoll located in the northeastern Marshall Islands. The Japanese had controlled the atoll for quite a while and the U.S. needed the atoll for strategic reasons. The U.S. over-ran the Japanese losing only 195 men, 64 of the 2,677 Japanese survived.

February 16

Americans on the Bataan Death March.

Americans fighting to recapture the Bataan Peninsula.

On February 16, 1945 the Bataan Peninsula was recaptured by the Allies. Bataan had been under Japanese control since 1942 after they launched a massive offensive against the Allies. The peninsula was a major strategic point in the Pacific Ocean, and was the site for the infamous and deadly Bataan Death March. 

February 15

British troops surrendering to the Japanese.

On February 15, 1942 Singapore, "The Gibraltar of the East," which was a major British stronghold, was captured by the Japanese forces.

February 14

On February 14, 1943 the Battle of the Kasserine Pass was fought between the German Afrika Corps and the U.S. Army. This was the first major defeat for the United States in battle. Happy Valentine's Day everybody!!

February 13

On February 13, 1945 the Allies begin firebombing the German city of Dresden. Dresden, "the Florence of the Elbe," was reduced to rubble and flames.

February 12

On February 12, 1941 German General Erwin Rommel arrives in Tripoli, Libya to reinforce the staggering Italian soldiers.

February 11

On February 11, 1942 the German warships Gneisenau and Schamhorst followed by the cruiser Prinz Eugen, traveled up the English Channel to escape an attack and be safe in Germany. The trip was dubbed the name the "Channel Dash."

February 10

On February 10, 1942 a Japanese sub bombards Midway, a U.S. Navy base. This island was a point of many major battles and is especially known for the bloody Battle of Midway. Both the Japanese and U.S. were striving for control of this small island because with it the U.S. had a straight shot at the Japanese mainland. The Japanese wanted it because it gave them a shot at California and Hawaii. After many battles and men lost, the U.S. finally won the island.

The S.S. Normandie on fire.

February 9

On February 9, 1942 daylight savings time was instituted. It was created to save fuel and was used as far back as World War 1. The idea was proposed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. When it was used in World War 1 it was called the Standard Time Act, and was discontinued after the war. Yet people continued to set the clocks ahead one hour in the spring and back one hour in the fall. So Congress made it the permanent standard time.
Also on this day the Normandie, France's largest and most luxurious ocean liner catches on fire while being converted for military use by the United States.

February 8

On February 8, 1943 the British Indian Brigade begins guerrilla warfare against the Japanese in Burma.

February 7

Dr. Josef Mengele.

On February 7, 1979 the "Angel of Death", Dr. Josef Mengele died. He had been an infamous Nazi doctor who was the head of the concentration camp, Auschwitz. Mengele's death was not verified until 1985.

February 6

Count Galeazzo Ciano.

On February 6, 1943 Benito Mussolini fired his son-in-law, Count Galeazzo Ciano, from being head of foreign ministry.

February 5

Gen. Erwin Rommel

British troops in North Africa.

On February 5, 1941 Adolf Hitler sends a scolding letter to his Italian ally Benito Mussolini to control his troops in Libya better. The Italians had recently retreated from the British, and Hitler would not accept it. Hitler sent thousands of German troops to North Africa under the control of General Erwin Rommel. But not even German help could stop the loss of Libya.

February 4

On February 4, 1945 the Yalta Conference commenced. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Premier Joseph Stalin meet at Yalta in Crimea to discuss postwar plans. Many believe that this was the birth of the Cold War.

February 3

On February 3, 1944 U.S. troops invade and conquer the Marshall Island. The islands had been used by the Japanese since early in the war and were taken by the U.S. to be used as bases for military activities.

February 2

On February 2, 1942 a German sympathizer Vidkun Quisling became prime minister of Norway to form a puppet government.

February 1

American Marines in Guadalcanal.

Japanese prisoners after their surrender.

On February 1, 1943 the Japanese began their evacuation of Guadalcanal. After a defeat by the American Marines the Japanese requested permission from the emperor to leave. After a few weeks the emperor granted permission and the Japanese left. Guadalcanal battles cost the Japanese 25,000 men, while the Americans lost 1,600 men. Both sides lost 24 warships.