1944 in the Soviet Union explained

The following lists events that happened during 1944 in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

Incumbents

• General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union – Joseph Stalin
• Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union – Mikhail Kalinin
• Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the Soviet Union – Joseph Stalin

Events

• January 14  - WWII: Soviet troops start the offensive at Leningrad and Novgorod.
• January 17  - WWII: Soviet Union ceases production of the Mosin–Nagant 1891/30 sniper rifle.
• January 29  - WWII: Koniuchy massacre: Soviet and Jewish partisans kill at least 38 villagers in Koniuchy, Poland (modern-day Kaniūkai, Lithuania).
• March 6  - WWII: Soviet Army planes attack Narva, Estonia, destroying almost the entire baroque old town.
• March 9  - WWII: Soviet Army planes attack Tallinn, Estonia, killing 757 and leaving 25,000 homeless.
• March 15  - Soviet Union introduces new anthem, replacing The Internationale.
• May 9  - WWII: In the Russian city of Sevastopol, Soviet troops completely drive out German forces.
• May 12  - WWII: Soviet troops finalize the liberation of the Crimea.
• May 18  - WWII: Deportation of the Crimean Tatars by the government of the Soviet Union.^[1]
• June 9  - WWII: Soviet leader Joseph Stalin launches the Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive against Finland, with the intent of defeating Finland before pushing for Berlin.^[2]
• June 22  - WWII: Operation Bagration: A general attack by Soviet forces clears the German forces from Belarus, resulting in the destruction of German Army Group Centre, possibly the greatest defeat of the Wehrmacht during WWII.
• June 25  - WWII: The Battle of Tali-Ihantala (the largest battle ever in the Nordic countries) begins between Finnish and Soviet troops. Finland is able to resist the attack and thus manages to remain an independent nation.^[3]
• July 3  - WWII: Soviet troops liberate Minsk.
• July 8: The Mother Heroine award is established.
• July 10  - WWII: Soviet troops begin operations to liberate the Baltic countries.
• September 5  - WWII: The Soviet Union declares war on Bulgaria.
• September 6  - WWII: Tartu Offensive in Estonia concludes with Soviet forces capturing Tartu.
• September 19  - WWII: An armistice between Finland and the Soviet Union is signed, ending the Continuation War.
• September 22  - WWII: The Red Army captures Tallinn, Estonia.
• October 9  - WWII: Fourth Moscow Conference: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin begin a 9-day conference in Moscow to discuss the future of Europe.
• December 14  - Soviet government changes Turkish place names to Russian in the Crimea.
• December 18  - Joseph Stalin celebrates his 66th birthday.

Deaths

• December 13 – Wassily Kandinsky^[4]

See also

• 1944 in fine arts of the Soviet Union
• List of Soviet films of 1944
• "1944" (song), a song performed by Jamala

Notes and References

1. Book: Williams, Brian Glyn . The Crimean Tatars: From Soviet Genocide to Putin's Conquest . 2015-11-10 . Oxford University Press . 978-0-19-049472-8 . en.
2. Book: Nenye . Vesa . Finland at War: The Continuation and Lapland Wars 1941-45 . Munter . Peter . Wirtanen . Toni . Birks . Chris . Osprey Publishing . 2016 . 978-1472815262 . 270.
3. Book: Koskimaa, Matti . Veitsenterällä : vetäytyminen Länsi-Kannakselta ja Talin-Ihantalan suurtaistelu kesällä 1944 . WSOY . 1993 . 951-0-18811-5.
4. Book: Düchting . Hajo . Wassily Kandinsky, 1866-1944: A Revolution in Painting . Kandinsky . Wassily . 2000 . Taschen . 978-3-8228-5982-7 . 88 . en.