Skip to content
WW2 Theatres Theatres of the Second World War
Home

World War II calendar

WWII On This Day: July 14

What happened on July 14 during World War II? This date brings together 2 events from 1943, with period photographs and links to the full operations documented across WW2 Theatres.

1943
Waffen-SS troops with a Tiger I during a German counterstroke on the Eastern Front, July 1943; used here for the local post-Prokhorovka fighting.
Waffen-SS troops with a Tiger I during a German counterstroke on the Eastern Front, July 1943; used here for the local post-Prokhorovka fighting. Bundesarchiv Bild 101III-Merz-025-18 / Merz · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE Source
Battle of Kursk 1943

Operation Roland continues the southern fighting

III Panzer Corps and elements of II SS Panzer Corps opened Operation Roland on 14 July to close a local Soviet salient and improve the German position south and east of Prokhorovka. Das Reich and III Panzer Corps attempted to link while Soviet formations withdrew and reinforced threatened sectors. The operation gained local ground and failed to trap a large Soviet force. The wider German situation was moving toward disengagement as Kutuzov intensified in the north and Soviet offensives opened against Army Group South's Mius and Donets sectors.

Continue in Battle of Kursk 1943 →
A tracked Bren carrier moves from the Primosole Bridge toward the Catania plain during the July 1943 advance; the archive does not specify the precise day.
A tracked Bren carrier moves from the Primosole Bridge toward the Catania plain during the July 1943 advance; the archive does not specify the precise day. Sgt Gladstone / No. 2 Army Film & Photographic Unit / IWM NA 5281 · UK Government public domain Source
Operation Husky: The Invasion of Sicily

The Primosole Bridge airborne attack is contested

In Operation Fustian, British parachutists dropped near the Simeto crossing during the night of 13–14 July. Dispersed aircraft and strong ground resistance weakened the force available at the bridge. British parties gained the crossing temporarily, but German paratroopers and other defenders fought for the approaches. Ground troops later forced a passage after further attacks. The battle prevented an early breakthrough toward Catania.

Continue in Operation Husky: The Invasion of Sicily →