The Siege of Leningrad begins as German forces surround the city, leading to a brutal and prolonged siege that lasted for nearly 900 days. More
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What Happened in September?
Battles, deaths, and monumental religious moments. Explore significant events from September that helped shape the world. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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Japan drops incendiary bombs near Brookings, Oregon. Nobuo Fujita was the only Japanese pilot to bomb the U.S. mainland during WWII. A total of four bombs were dropped over two occasions with the intent of starting forest fires; however, due to damp conditions, little damage occurred. In 1962, the Brookings Jaycees invited Fujita to Brookings as an occasion of historical significance.
During the visit, Fujita donated his Samurai sword, which had flown with him in the cockpit, to the City of Brookings as a gesture of international peace and goodwill. Fifty years after the bombing, Fujita returned to the forest he once bombed and planted a little redwood tree, which he called a "symbol of friendship and peace." More
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The RMS Laconia was sunk by the U-156 German Submarine. The ship was carrying 268 British soldiers and 80 civilians, and 1,800 Italian prisoners of war who were being guarded by 160 Polish soldiers.
Some 1,500 of Laconia’s passengers survived. primarily due to the efforts of the U-156 and three other German submarines which participated in the initial rescue operations. More
The first Superfortress XB-29 prototype takes-off from Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington. The powerful Wright R-3350 engines experienced chronic overheating issues during testing, leading to the crash of the second prototype just north of Boeing Field on February 18, 1943. The first war debut took place in June 5, 1944, as part of the Allied campaign to liberate Burma from Japanese hands. More
Italy secretly signs an armistice with the Allies, effectively surrendering in World War II and leading to the collapse of Fascist rule in Italy. No public announcement was made until five days later.
The Italian Instrument of Surrender was signed by Major-General Walter Bedell Smith for the Allies and Brigade-General Giuseppe Castellano for Italy, the armistice's signing took place at a summit in an Allied military camp at Cassibile, Sicily. More
Montgomery’s 8th Army crosses the Strait of Messina from Sicily and lands at Calabria, beginning the invasion of the Italian mainland.
Gen. Dwight Eisenhower publicly announces the surrender of Italy to the Allies which had been signed in secret on September 3. Germany reacted with Operation Axis, the Allies with Operation Avalanche.
The Allied Fifth Army, commanded by Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark, USA, lands on Salerno, Italy, transported by the Western Naval Task Force, TF 80, commanded by Vice Admiral H. Kent Hewitt, USN.
The Battle of Peleliu starts, on September 15, 1944 with a heavy three-day naval and air bombardment by the US Third Fleet forces, leading to the 1st Marine Division landing on “White” and “Orange” beaches on the western side of the Island of Peleliu, a small island and one of the 16 states within the island nation of Palau.
Once ashore, the landing forces quickly realized that the pre-invasion bombardment had not been particularly effective. The cost of taking the island, was high. On Peleliu, Marine casualties were 1,336 killed and 5,450 wounded while the 81st Infantry Division suffered 1,393 casualties including 208 killed in action. On Angaur, the 81st Infantry Division had 1,676 casualties, including 196 killed in action. The Japanese lost an estimated 10,695 men, with an additional 301 taken as prisoners of war. More
Operation Market Garden, a major Allied airborne operation, commences in the Netherlands with the goal of securing key bridges and opening a path into Germany. The operation ultimately falls short of its objectives.
Ho Chi Minh, the Vietnamese Communist leader, declares Vietnam independence from France on the same day Japan surrenders to the Allies.
In a deliberate appeal for American support, he opened his speech with the words: “All men are created equal. They are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among them are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." The U.S did not support the Vietnamese struggle and instead adopted a neutral policy when on the same year, France went to war to recolonize Vietnam and in 1950, President Harry S. Truman authorized financial and military assistance to the French. Al these actions led to the eventual U.S military involvement. Vietnam's official estimate of war dead is as many as 2 million civilians on both sides and some 1.1 million North Vietnamese and Viet Cong fighters. There were 58,220 U.S. military fatal casualties of the Vietnam War. More
Japan formally surrenders aboard the USS Missouri, marking the end of World War II and bringing about the official cessation of hostilities in the Pacific theater. More
General Patton declares during a Press interview ,that he had “never seen the necessity of the denazification program,” asserting that 98 per cent of the Nazis were just camp followers. In October 1945 he was relieved of his duties by the Allied High Command and recalled to the US.
The International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg delivers its verdicts, with several high-ranking Nazi officials found guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other atrocities committed during World War II. More
The Partition of India takes effect, leading to the creation of the independent nations of India and Pakistan and resulting in widespread violence and mass migrations.
The Nuremberg Trials of Nazi war criminals begin in Nuremberg, Germany.
Swedish Diplomat, Folke Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg, is assassinated while serving as the United Nations (UN) mediator between the Arabs and the Israelis, by the militant Zionist group Lehi, while fulfilling his duties. He is also known for negotiating the release of thousands of prisoners from German concentration camps during World War II, including a large number of Jewish prisoners. More
The Organization of American States (OAS) is founded in Bogota, Colombia, with the goal of promoting democracy, peace, and cooperation among the countries of the Americas.
US President Truman announces that the Soviet Union had tested a nuclear device several weeks earlier. The White House did not explain how the United States had detected the test, which had occurred on 29 August 1949 at Semipalatinsk, in northeastern Kazakhstan. More
On September 15, 1950, the soldiers, sailors, and Marines of X Corps landed at Inchon. North Korea was unprepared for the landing although the Inchon plans had been leaked in the U.S. media and throughout Japan. More