What Happened in December 1944

Historical Events

Bartòk's Concerto for Orchestra

Dec 1 Béla Bartòk's Concerto for orchestra, premieres in Symphony Hall, Boston, by the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Serge Koussevitzky

Dec 1 Mail routing resumes in free South Netherlands
Dec 2 10th Heisman Trophy Award: Les Horvath, Ohio State (QB)

Event of Interest

Dec 2 French General Charles De Gaulle arrives in Moscow, USSR

Dec 2 German troops seize dikles in Betuwse, Netherland
Dec 2 US 95th Infantry division occupies bridge at Saar, GErmany
Dec 3 Britain's Home Guard ('Dad's Army') is officially stood down at a special farewell parade in Hyde Park, London.
Dec 3 British order to disarm causes general strike in Greece
Dec 3 Hungarian death march of Jews ends
Dec 3 Mussert puts Seyss-Inquart plan for small Nazi-Europe
Dec 3 Temporary merger of 2 NFL teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Cardinals, dissolves at finish of season; WWII ends before start of 1945 season, so both teams resume normal operations
Dec 3 The Greek Civil War breaks out in a newly-liberated Greece, between communists and royalists
Dec 3 US 5th Armoured division occupies Brandenburg Hurtgenwald
Dec 4 Germans destroy Rhine dikes, Betuwe flooded
Dec 5 German troops steal all the silver coin in Utrecht
Dec 6 US 95th Infantry division reaches Westwall
Dec 7 Convention on International Civil Aviation drawn up in Chicago
Dec 7 General Radescu forms Romanian government
Dec 10 9 Dutch citizens hanged by Nazis
Dec 10 German counterattack at Dillingen bridgehead on the Saar
Dec 11 Surprise attack on House of Keeping Axe, 29 prisoners freed
Dec 13 Japanese kamikaze crashes into US cruiser Nashville, kills 138
Dec 13 Norman Krasna's "Dear Ruth" premieres in NYC
Dec 14 Beginning of Liese-Aktion: Germany tries to recruit Dutch men for the Germany labor force
Dec 14 German occupiers forbid use of electricity in parts of Holland
Dec 14 US Congress establishes rank of General of Army (5-star General)

Glenn Miller MIA

Dec 15 American bandleader Major Glenn Miller, lost over the English Channel

Big Band Leader and Jazz Composer Glenn Miller

Dec 15 Hizbu'allah (Arm forces for Allah) forms

Eisenhower's 5th Star

Dec 15 US Congress gives General Eisenhower his 5th star

34th US President and WWII General Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dec 15 US troops land on Mindoro (Philippines)
Dec 16 German V-2 strikes Antwerp bioscope (638 kill)
Dec 16 Nazi Germany launches a counteroffensive against the Allies in the Ardennes region of Belgium, beginning the 'Battle of the Bulge'
Dec 16 US 2nd Infantry division occupies "Heartbreak Crossroads" Wahlerscheid

Packers 6th League Title

Dec 17 National Football League Championship, Polo Grounds, NYC: Green Bay Packers beat New York Giants, 14-7 for 6th and final league title under long-time coach Curly Lambeau

Dec 17 San Francisco M-Ocean View streetcar resumes service & is extended to Market St
Dec 17 US Army announces end of excluding Japanese-Americans from West Coast, detainees released
Dec 17 US destroyers sink in storm off Philippines, 790 killed
Dec 18 Nazi occupiers of Amsterdam destroy electricity plants
Dec 18 US Destroyers Hull, Spence & Monaghan sink in typhoon (Philippines)
Dec 20 Archbishop De Young & bishop Huibers condemn black market
Dec 20 Battle of Bastogne: Nazis surround 101st Airborne (NUTS!)
Dec 20 Bishop forbids membership of non Catholic unions

"O Mistress Mine"

Dec 20 Terence Rattigan's comedic play "O Mistress Mine" premieres in London

Dec 21 Cards' Marty Marion wins NL MVP
Dec 22 Germans demand surrender of American troops at Bastogne, Belgium
Dec 22 Sub Swordfish departs Pearl Harbor for Japan
Dec 23 Beginning of 'the harsh winter', contributes to the famine that develops in the Netherlands

Battle of Bastogne

Dec 26 Battle of Bastogne: US General George S. Patton's 3rd Army repulses German forces

Dec 26 Budapest surrounded by the Soviet army

"The Glass Menagerie"

Dec 26 Tennessee Williams' 1st successful play "The Glass Menagerie" premieres in Chicago

Dec 27 Greece: British premier Winston Churchill flies back to London
Dec 28 Dutch Resistance fighter Corrie ten Boom is accidentally released from the Ravensbrück concentration camp, living to speak and educate of her experience in "The Hiding Place"
Dec 28 Eisenhower & Montgomery meet in Hasselt, Belgium
Dec 28 Former Wash 3rd baseman Buddy Lewis wins Distinguished Flying Cross

"On the Town"

Dec 28 Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolf Green's musical "On the Town", with choreography by Jerome Robbins, opens at the Adelphi Theater, NYC; runs for 462 performances

Conductor and Composer Leonard Bernstein

Choreographer, Director and Theater Producer Jerome Robbins

Richard 8 Point Game First

Dec 28 Montreal right wing Maurice 'Rocket' Richard becomes first player in NHL history to score 8 points in one game with 5 goals and 3 assists in the Canadiens' 9-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings

Dec 29 Belgian Walloon Nazi collaborator Léon Degrelle sentenced to death
Dec 29 General Eisenhower's train returns to Versailles
Dec 30 King George II of Greece, abdicates his throne, appointing Archbishop Damaskinos of Athens as Regent in 1945
Dec 30 Sergei Prokofjev's 8th Piano sonata, premieres in Moscow
Dec 31 48 people die in a train accident in Ogden, Utah
Dec 31 Japanese army evacuates harbor city Akyab
Dec 31 World War II: Hungary declares war on Germany.

Events in 1944

Famous Birthdays

Dec 1 Daniel Pennac, French writer, born in Casablanca, Morocco
Dec 1 Eric Bloom, American rock vocalist/guitarist (Blue Öyster Cult), born in Brooklyn, New York
Dec 1 John Densmore, American drummer (The Doors - "Light My Fire"; "L.A. Woman"), born in Los Angeles, California
Dec 1 Michael Hagee, American 33rd Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, born in Hampton, Virginia
Dec 1 Pierre Arditi, French film and stage actor, born in Paris, France
Dec 1 Tahar Ben Jelloun, Moroccan writer (L’Enfant de Sable (The Sand Child)), born in Fes, Morocco
Dec 2 Botho Strauß, German author, born in Naumburg, Germany
Dec 2 Cathy Lee Crosby, American actress (Coach, That's Incredible), born in Los Angeles, California
Dec 2 Gabriel Mekler, Israeli-American songwriter and record producer (Steppenwolf, Three Dog Night, Janis Joplin, Etta James), born in Palestine (d. 1977)
Dec 2 Ibrahim Rugova, Kosovar nationalist writer and President of Kosovo (1992-2006), born in Crnce, Democratic Federal Yugoslavia (now Kosovo) (d. 2006)
Dec 2 Roger Omond, South African journalist (and writer (The Apartheid Handbook), born in New London, South Africa
Dec 3 António Variações [António Joaquim Rodrigues Ribeiro], Portuguese singer-songwriter (Dar & Receber), born in Braga, Portugal (d. 1984)
Dec 4 Anna McGarrigle, Canadian folk music singer-songwriter, born in Montreal, Quebec
Dec 4 Chris Hillman, American bluegrass, folk-rock, and country bassist, mandolin player, guitarist and singer-songwriter (The Byrds; The Flying Burrito Brothers, Desert Rose Band) - Turn Turn Turn), born in Los Angeles, California
Dec 4 Craig Doerge, American session keyboard player, session musician, songwriter (Crosby, Stills & Nash; Jackson Browne), and record producer, born in Cleveland, Ohio
Dec 4 Dennis Wilson, American drummer and vocalist (The Beach Boys), born in Hawthorne, California (d. 1983)

Dec 4 François Migault, French auto racer (24 Hours of Le Mans 1976 runner-up; 16 F1 GP), born in Le Mans, France (d. 2012)
Dec 4 Lynford "Hux" Brown, Jamaican session and touring guitarist (Jimmy Cliff; Paul Simon; Toots and the Maytals), born in Port Antonio, Jamaica (d. 2020)
Dec 5 Jeroen Krabbé, Dutch actor (The Fugitive), born in Amsterdam
Dec 6 David "Fritz" Fryer, British pop guitarist and songwriter (The Four Pennies -"Juliet"), born in Oldham, Lancashire, England (d. 2007)
Dec 6 Jonathan King, English singer and songwriter ("Everyone's Gone To The Moon") and record producer, born in London
Dec 7 Daniel Chorzempa, American classical organist, and composer, born in Minneapolis, Minnesota (d. 2023)
Dec 7 Jamiel Chagra, American drug trafficker, born in El Paso, Texas (d. 2008)
Dec 8 George Baker [Johannes Bouwens], Dutch singer and songwriter (Paloma Blanca, Little Green Bag), born in Hoorn, Netherlands
Dec 9 Bob O'Connor, American politician (Mayor of Pittsburgh, 2006), born in Greenfield, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 2006)
Dec 9 Guy Darrell [John Swail], British singer (I've Been Hurt), born in Kent, England
Dec 9 Ki Longfellow, American novelist (The Secret Magdalene), born in Staten Island, New York
Dec 10 Tisha Sterling, American actress (Coogan's Bluff), born in Hollywood, California
Dec 11 Brenda Lee [Brenda Mae Tarpley], American pop and country singer ("I'm Sorry"; "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"), born in Atlanta, Georgia
Dec 11 David Ashley White, American composer and educator, born in San Antonio, Texas
Dec 11 Jon Garrison, American tenor, born in Higginsville, Missouri

Dec 11 Lynda Day George, American actress (Casey-Mission Impossible), born in San Marcos, Texas
Dec 11 Teri Garr, American actress (Mr. Mom, Young Frankenstein), born in Lakewood, Ohio (or 1947)
Dec 12 (Alejandro) "Alex" Acuña, Peruvian-American session and touring drummer and percussionist (Weather Report; Lee Ritenour; Joni Mitchell), educator and producer, born in Pativilca, Peru
Dec 12 Jean Doré, Canadian politician (39th Mayor of Montreal), born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 2015)
Dec 12 Kenneth Cranham, Scottish actor (Hellbound: Hellraiser II), born in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland
Dec 12 Rob Tyner [Robert Derminer], American hard rock singer (MC5 - Kick Out The Jams), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 1991)
Dec 13 Dick Dees, Dutch politician, born in Oostburg, Netherlands

Chico Mendes (1944-1988)

Dec 15 Brazilian environmental activist and rubber tapper, born in Xapuri, Brazil

Dec 15 Stan Bahnsen, American baseball pitcher (AL Rookie of the Year 1968, NY Yankees), born in Council Bluffs, Iowa
Dec 16 John Abercrombie, American jazz guitarist, born in Portchester, New York (d. 2017)
Dec 16 Yosemite Sam, Warner Bros. cartoon character created by Friz Freleng, (Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series), first debuts in "Stage Door Cartoon"
Dec 17 Bernard Hill, English actor (Yosser Hughes-Boys from the Blackstuff, King Théoden-The Lord of the Rings), born in Manchester, England
Dec 17 Ference Bene, Hungarian record 12 soccer goals (Olympic gold 1964)
Dec 17 Giedrė Lukšaitė-Mrázková, Lithuanian–Czech harpsichord player, organist, and educator, born in Kaunas, Lithuania
Dec 17 Jack L[aurence] Chalker, American sci-fi author (Saga of Well World)
Dec 18 (Roger) "Deke" Leonard, Welsh rock musician (Man), born in Llanelli, Wales (d. 2017)
Dec 19 Alvin Lee, British rock vocalist and guitarist (10 Years After), born in Nottingham, England (d. 2013)
Dec 19 Mitchell Feigenbaum, American mathematical physicist
Dec 19 Richard Leakey, Kenyan paleoanthropologist, conservationist and politician, born in Nairobi, Kenya
Dec 19 Steve Tyrell [Bilao], American jazz and standards singer ("The Way You Look Tonight"), and Grammy Award-winning record producer (Rod Stewart; B.J. Thomas), born in Palo Pinto, Texas
Dec 19 Tim Reid, American actor and comedian (WKRP in Cincinnati - "Venus Flytrap"; Frank's Place), born in Norfolk, Virgina
Dec 19 William Christie, American-born director of Les Arts Florissants
Dec 19 Zal Yanovsky, Canadian rock guitarist (Lovin' Spoonful - "Do You Believe in Magic?"), born in Toronto, Ontario (d. 2002)
Dec 20 Bobby Colomby, American rock drummer (Blood Sweat & Tears - "Spinning Wheel"), born in New York City
Dec 20 Gernot Wolfgruber, Austrian writer, born in Gmünd, Lower Austria
Dec 20 Jean Fergusson, English actress, born in Wakefield, United Kingdom
Dec 21 Hwang Jang Lee, Korean martial artist and film actor, born in Aomori, Japan
Dec 21 Jared Martin, American actor (Varian-Fantastic Voyage, Dusty-Dallas), born in New York City
Dec 21 Michael Tilson Thomas, American conductor (San Francisco Symphony, 1995-2020), and composer (Shówa/Shoáh), born in Los Angeles, California
Dec 21 Zheng Xiaoyu, Chinese bureaucrat, born in Fuzhou, China (d. 2007)
Dec 22 (Michael) "Mo" Foster, British session and touring rock bassist and producer, born in Byfleet, Surrey, England
Dec 22 Colin "Barry" Jenkins, English rock drummer (Animals - "House of the Rising Sun"), born in Leicester, United Kingdom

Steve Carlton (79 years old)

Dec 22 American Baseball HOF pitcher (NL Cy Young Award 1972, 77, 80, 82; Triple Crown 1972; 10 x MLB All Star; St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies), born in Miami, Florida

Dec 23 Wesley Clark, American military officer, born in Chicago, Illinois
Dec 24 Barry Chuckle [Barry Patton Elliott], British entertainer, writer and actor (ChuckleVision, The Freddie Starr Showcase), born in Rotherham, England
Dec 24 Erhard Keller, German speed skater (Olympic gold 1968, 72 500m), born in Günzburg, Germany
Dec 24 Mike Curb, American pop singer, chorale master, and producer (Mike Curb Congregation - "Sweet Gingerbread Man"), born in Savannah, Georgia
Dec 24 Oswald Gracias, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Bombay, born in Bombay Presidency
Dec 25 Emory Gordy Jr., American musician and music producer, born in Atlanta, Georgia
Dec 25 Henry Vestine, American guitarist (Canned Heat), born in Takoma Park, Maryland (d. 1997)
Dec 25 Jairzinho, Brazilian soccer winger (81 caps; Botafogo FC 416 games) and manager (Gabon), born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Dec 25 Kenny Everett [Maurice James Christopher Cole], British DJ and TV personality (Kenny Everett Show), born in Seaforth, Lancashire, England (d. 1995)
Dec 25 Sam Strahan, New Zealand rugby union lock (17 caps; Manawatū), born in Palmerston North, New Zealand (d. 2019)
Dec 26 Jane Lapotaire, British actress (Spirit of the Dead), born in Ipswich, Suffolk, England
Dec 27 Mick Jones, English rock guitarist (Foreigner - "I Want to Know What Love Is"), born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England
Dec 27 Tracy Nelson, American blues rock singer (Mother Earth), born in Madison, Wisconsin
Dec 28 Johnny Isakson, American politician
Dec 28 Kary Mullis, American chemist, Nobel laureate
Dec 29 Rodney Redmond, New Zealand cricket batsman (1 Test, 1 x 100, HS 107; Auckland, Wellington), born in Whangarei, New Zealand
Dec 30 William J. Fallon, U.S. Navy Admiral, former U.S. Central Command commander, born in East Orange, New Jersey
Dec 31 Taylor Hackford, American director (Devil's Advocate, Ray), born in Santa Barbara, California

Born in 1944

Famous Weddings

Hank Williams

Dec 15 American country music star Hank Williams (21) weds American country singer Audrey Sheppard (21). her second marriage and his first; divorce in 1952

Dec 16 General Dwight D. Eisenhower's clerk Rickey marries corporal Pearlie

Famous Deaths

Dec 2 Eiji Sawamura, Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (first no-hitter in Japanese pro baseball 1936), dies in battle when his ship torpedoed, at 27
Dec 2 Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Italian-French prose writer, novelist, poet, and dramatist (Futurism e Futurista), dies of cardiac arrest at 67
Dec 3 Andrew, Prince of Greece and Denmark, dies at 62
Dec 3 Delfien Vanhaute, Flemish pastor/poet (Ark of Noah), dies at 75
Dec 4 Roger Bresnahan, American Baseball Hall of Fame catcher, outfielder and manager (World Series 1905 NY Giants; St. Louis Cardinals; first shin guards and batting helmet), dies at 65
Dec 9 Laird Cregar, American actor (Charley's Aunt, Hangover Square), dies at 28
Dec 10 John Brunt, English soldier and Victoria Cross holder, dies at 22
Dec 10 Johnny Marvin, American jazz, pop, and country ukulele player, singer, and vaudevillian, dies of dengue fever at 47
Dec 10 Paul Otlet, Belgian author, lawyer and peace activist (created the Universal Decimal Classification scheme), dies at 76
Dec 13 Lupe Vélez, Mexican actress (Joe Palooka; Mexican Spitfire), intentionally overdoses on barbiturate Seconal at 34
Dec 13 Wassily Kandinsky, Russian-French abstract painter (Dreamy Inspiration), dies at 78

Dec 15 American bandleader and jazz composer (Glenn Miller Orchestra - "In The Mood"; "Moonlight Serenade"; "String Of Pearls"), dies in a suspected plane crash over the English Channel, while serving in the US Army,at 40

Dec 16 Don Meyer Basketball coach Northern State, Lipscomb, and Hamline
Dec 16 Elisabeth ten Boom, Dutch woman portrayed in "The Hiding Place" dies at Ravensbrück concentration camp at 59
Dec 16 Philip Guedalla, English barrister and historian, dies at 55
Dec 17 Pieter A. Roodenburgh, student and resistance fighter, dies at 26
Dec 19 Rudolph Karstadt, German entrepreneur (b. 1856)
Dec 20 Abbas Hilmi II, viceroy of Egypt (1892-1914), dies at 70
Dec 20 JW Ummels, Dutch resistance fighter, dies in Sachsenhausen concentration camp at unknown age
Dec 22 Harry Langdon, American comedian (The Strong Man; Tramp, Tramp, Tramp), dies at 60
Dec 23 Charles Dana Gibson, American illustrator (Gibson Girl), dies at 77
Dec 24 Joseph Gustav Mraczek, German violinist, conductor, composer (Max und Moritz) and pedagogue, dies at 66

Amy Beach (1867-1944)

Dec 27 American pianist and composer (Gaelic Symphony), dies at 77

Dec 30 Romain Roland, French writer/pacifist (Nobel 1915), dies at 78

On This Day