October 2024: The 80th Anniversary of Some of World War II’s Defining Moments

Every October, the leaves start to turn, the air gets a little crisper, and somewhere in the back of our minds, we start preparing for the winter months and reflecting back on the past year. If you dig a little deeper, you realize this October, 2024, we’re hitting some pretty big anniversaries.

This year, we might pause for a moment and look back 80 years, to a world that was engulfed in war. October 2024 marks the 80th anniversary of some of the most important events of World War II. These events, scattered across Europe and the Pacific, shaped the final phase of the war and brought the Allies closer to victory. While many of the names and places may feel distant, their significance has never been more relevant. Because through their actions, those men and women changed the world.

I’d like to take you back to some of those moments. Moments that shaped the world we live in today, even if many of us might have forgotten.

The Battle of Aachen: Knocking on Germany’s Door

Eighty years ago, in October 1944, American forces took on one of the toughest assignments in the war—capturing the German city of Aachen. It wasn’t just any city. Aachen was the first major German city to be assaulted by the Allies, and the Germans weren’t about to give it up easily. Americans fought street by street, building by building, until they finally took the place. When Aachen fell, it marked a psychological shift: Germany’s homeland was now under direct attack, and the war was coming home to them.

Think about that for a second: a German city, one of Hitler’s prized possessions, falling to the Allies. It was a big deal.

The Warsaw Uprising: A Fight for Freedom

While the battle for Aachen raged, the Warsaw Uprising was reaching its tragic conclusion. For 63 days, Polish resistance fighters had taken on the Nazis, hoping to liberate their capital before the Soviets arrived. Their bravery was met with relentless German force, and by October 6, the uprising was crushed. The cost was staggering—tens of thousands dead, and Warsaw in ruins. But the spirit of the uprising lived on, a reminder of the price people will pay for freedom. The world saw the courage of the Polish resistance, even if their fight came to a devastating end.

Auschwitz Revolt: Defiance in the Darkest Place

On October 7, 1944, a group of Jewish prisoners at Auschwitz did something extraordinary. They knew they weren’t getting out alive, but they blew up one of the crematoriums anyway. Let that sink in for a minute. These people, who had been stripped of everything, who knew death was coming for them, decided to fight back. It wasn’t going to change the war, but it mattered to them—it was a refusal to give in to dehumanization. Even in a place designed to strip them of their humanity, they fought back. That kind of defiance is hard to comprehend, but it’s a story that needs to be told.

Some things are worth fighting for, even when the outcome is certain.

Liberation of Belgrade: Taking Back a Capital

Also in October 1944, Belgrade, the capital of Yugoslavia, was liberated from German occupation by a combined force of Soviet troops and Yugoslav partisans. It wasn’t an easy fight, but by October 20, the city was back in Allied hands. For the people of Yugoslavia, it marked the end of years of Nazi rule and the beginning of their country’s recovery. The liberation of Belgrade was a major victory in the Balkans, and it served as a reminder that even the most entrenched regimes could be overthrown.

MacArthur’s Return: A Promise Kept

While Europe was being reshaped by battles, the Pacific saw the return of one of its most famous figures. On October 20, 1944, General Douglas MacArthur set foot on Leyte Island in the Philippines, fulfilling his famous promise: “I shall return.” His return wasn’t just symbolic—it marked the start of the Philippines Campaign, a critical series of battles that would lead to the liberation of the islands from Japanese control. For many Filipinos, MacArthur’s return signaled the beginning of the end of their occupation and a step toward freedom.

The Battle of Leyte Gulf: A Game-Changing Naval Victory

Shortly after MacArthur’s return, the waters off the Philippines became the scene of one of the largest naval battles in history—the Battle of Leyte Gulf. From October 23 to 26, the Allies squared off against the Japanese Navy, and the outcome wasn’t even close. The Japanese Navy suffered a crushing defeat, one from which they would never recover. This battle marked the end of Japan’s ability to conduct large-scale naval operations and opened the door for the eventual liberation of the Philippines.

Why It All Matters

It’s tempting to look at these events simply as dates on a calendar.? But these anniversaries represent moments when ordinary men and women faced impossible circumstances—where individual actions were extraordinary. Whether it was American troops fighting through the streets of Aachen, Polish resistance fighters taking a stand in Warsaw, or Jewish prisoners defying their captors at Auschwitz, the actions of these men and women changed the course of history.

In Belgrade, it was the courage of partisans who fought to take back their capital. In the Philippines, it was a general who kept his word and the sailors who won a decisive battle that turned the tide in the Pacific.

Eighty years later, these events still matter. They remind us that history is shaped by those who rise to the occasion, even when the odds are against them.

So, as the leaves fall and the world keeps spinning, take a moment and think about what happened 80 years ago, because the people who lived through it—on all sides—deserve to be remembered.? They’re reminders of what we’ve been through and how far we’ve come. Or, at least, how far we think we’ve come. And just maybe, we could learn a thing or two from those men and women about courage, sacrifice, and doing what’s right, even when the odds are against you.