Air Operations, Carolines

• VII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Truk Atoll.
• FEAF B-24s attack airfields at the Yap Atoll and Gagil-Tomil Island.
• During the night, 868th Heavy Bomb Squadron SB-24s mount the first pre-invasion attack against Japanese airfields and defenses in the Palau Islands. This phase of the pre-invasion bombardment plan will continue through September 14 and will include daylight attacks from August 25.

Air Operations, CBI

• Despite bad weather that grounds most 10th Air Force fighter-bombers, 10th Air Force B-25s are able to attack several bridges between Meza and Naba.

• 6 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s and 7 14th Air Force P-40s attack stores at Hengshan.
• 29 P-40s attack artillery positions and targets of opportunity around Hengyang.
• 15 P-40s attack radio stations and stores at Amoy and Swatow.
• 12 P-40s attack shipping between Sinti and Hankow.
• 8 P-40s attack various targets between Hengyang and Siangtan.
• 23rd and 51st Fighter group P-40s and a 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron P-51 down an A6M Zero and 4 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters in an engagement near Hengshan between 0550 and 0605 hours.
• 3rd CACW Fighter Group P-40s down 8 Ki-43 'Oscars' in the Hankow area between 1415 and 1430 hours.

Air Operations, East Indies

V Bomber Command B-24s attack the Galela and Lolobata airfields on Halmahera.

Air Operations, Europe

Aircraft of the US 8th Air Force, taking off from airfields in Russia and heading for Italy, attack Rumanian airfields. From Italy they will fly on to Britain, bombing north Italy and Germany. This is an elaboration of the 'shuttle'.

• 202 aircraft of Nos. 6 and 8 Groups attack an oil storage facility at Forêt de Chantilly. In this total are 148 Halifaxes, 49 Lancasters and 5 Mosquitos. The target is hit and fires are started.
• 1 Halifax is lost in the sea.
• 58 Halifaxes and 20 Mosquitos attack 4 launch sites with accurate bombing.
• 1 Halifax is lost.

• 170 Lancasters and 10 Mosquitos of Nos. 1, 3 and 8 Groups attack depots and storage dumps at Aire sur Lys and Forêt de Lucheux. Both raids are successful.
• 1 Lancaster is lost on the Forêt de Lucheux raid.

• 34 Mosquitos are sent to Cologne, 24 aircraft lay mines off the Brittany ports, 15 aircraft are on Resistance operations, and there are 18 Mosquito patrols and 11 RCM sorties.
• 2 aircraft are lost on Resistance ops, probably Halifaxes.

Air Operations, Marianas

41st Medium Bomb Group B-25 gunships attack Guam as effective organized Japanese resistance on the island comes to an end. Except for attacking bypassed islands, the Marianas air campaign is concluded.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-24s attack Manokwari, Urarom and the airfield at Babo.
• A-20s attack a radio station near Hollandia and ground troops near Musu.
• V Fighter Command fighter-bombers attack artillery positions at Dagua, troops at But, and building and a bridge at Boram.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-667 sinks the Canadian corvette Regina 8 miles off Trevose Head, Cornwall with the loss of 30 of her crew. She is in escort of Convoy EBC-66. 66 survivors are picked up by the British armed trawler Jaques Morgand and the British landing ship LCT-644.

Ceylon

A floating dock sinks at Trincomalee. The HMS Valiant is seriously damaged.

China

The Japanese capture Hengyang. This is the prelude to the launching of the ICHI-GO plan, which is to lead to the capture of all the American airfields in the southeast of China, and of a huge expanse of territory.

Eastern Front

The AK forces have now managed to seize control of most of Warsaw and have expanded their strength with much captured German equipment. SS Gen Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski is appointed to lead the German forces charged with defeating the Poles. The units employed by the Germans are mostly SS, police and punishment battalions, all alike in their cruel and violent methods. After complaints from Guderian and others the worst offenders will be taken out of the fight and some of their leaders executed.

The Stavka has moved the 22nd Army up to aid the 4th Shock Army and after further bitter fighting Krustpils falls.

In Warsaw the Germans establish a strong axis from Wola to the Kierbedzia Bridge. Polish counterattacks continue.

Germany, Home Front

Field Marshal Erwin von Witzleben and 7 other 'July Plotters' are executed by slow strangulation by piano wire at Berlin's Plötzensee Prison after being sentenced to death by the 'People's Court'. Their last moments are recorded on film for Hitler's amusement. All the condemned go to their deaths with dignity, despite their callous treatment.

Guam

Organized resistance by the Japanese ceases. The US 77th Inf Div takes Mount Santa Rosa and virtually clears the whole area of the enemy. The last Japanese take refuge in the extreme north of the island.

Italy

The British 8th Army reaches the Arno River at Florence and halts.

Marianas

The remaining Japanese forces are compelled to retire toward the north end of Guam when the US troops manage to overrun Mount Santa Rosa.

Pacific

The Japanese escort carrier Oraka is sunk by the submarine USS Rasher off the northwestern coast of Luzon.

Western Front

The German garrison of Brest, in Brittany, rejects the surrender ultimatum of the commander of the American 6th Arm Div. Fierce actions continue around the outskirts of St Malo between the US 8th Div and the German garrison. The 79th Div from XV Corps enters Le Mans while on its right units of the 5th Arm Div, XX Corps, newly in the line advances toward Nantes and Angers. In this sector the Germans deploy several detachments from the LVIII Arm Corps, the 9th Pzr Div and 708th Inf Div, brought up from the south of France.

In the Avranches sector the German 2nd and 116th Pzr Divs are still trying to penetrate more deeply into the American lines between the American VII and XIX Corps.

Although aided by 1,000 Allied aircraft dropping 5,200 tons of bombs, the Canadian II Corps does not succeed in reaching Falaise, 30 miles southeast of Caen.

Images from August 8, 1944

Sherman Tanks of 1st Polish Armored Division Assembled for Operation TOTALISE, Normandy, 8 August 1944

Smoke Rises in the Distance after a Raid on German Positions at the start of Operation TOTALISE, 8 August 1944.

The crew of a Sherman tank of 7th Armoured Division pose with a German swastika flag captured near Roucamps, 8 August 1944

Displaying Captured Nazi Flag

Operation TOTALIZE - In preparation for First Canadian Army’s first major operation of the war - indeed in its existence - this was the first and only bottle of beer issued to Trooper George Skinner of C Squadron, Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment. Tank driver Roly Pilon naps beside the Sherman. Another Sherman crew prepares in the deep background.

Drinking a Bottle of Beer

A Universal Carrier of The Lake Superior Regiment, Cintheaux, France, 8 August 1944

Buildings destroyed on 8 August 1944 by an Sd.Kfz. 302 Borgward IVc Ladungsträger that was captured by insurgents and later exploded. This is a view from ul. Kilinskiego of the buildings at Podwale 32, 34 and 36. On the street are insurgents from Company 'Anna' of Battalion 'Gustaw', they are on there way to ul. Slepa.

Damage in Warsaw

A REME sergeant welding damaged armor on a Cromwell tank of 2nd Northamptonshire Yeomanry, at 29th Armoured Brigade workshops, 11th Armoured Division, 8 August 1944.

Welding Armor on a Churchill Tank

New Zealand soldiers brew up in the dried bed of the Pisa River in the forward areas near Florence in Italy, 8 August 1944

Tea Time near Florence