26 Oct 1944
  • 10 Lancaster bombers of No. 1 Group RAF conducted minelaying operations off Helgoland, Germany; one bomber was lost. ww2dbase [CPC]
  • George Giffard was mentioned in a despatch for his service in Burma and India. ww2dbase [George Giffard | CPC]
  • Joseph Stilwell officially stepped down as the Commanding General, China-Burma-India Theater. ww2dbase [Joseph Stilwell | CPC]
  • Escort carrier USS Card and her task group departed Casablanca and resumed their mid-Atlantic patrol. ww2dbase [Card | DS]
Australian New Guinea
  • Four TDR drones were flown against lighthouse on Cape Saint George, New Ireland. One of the four hit squarely and demolishes the structure. ww2dbase [TDR | Cape Saint George, New Ireland | DS]
China
  • B-24 and B-25 bombers of the US 14th Air Force attacked Japanese shipping off Leizhou Peninsula, Guangdong, China. ww2dbase [Leizhou, Guangdong | CPC]
Germany Hawaii
  • USS Corregidor was assigned to Escort Division 64, a hunter-killer group, while at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii. ww2dbase [Corregidor | Honolulu, Oahu | CPC]
Japan Marshall Islands
  • USS Ticonderoga departed Eniwetok, Marshall islands for Ulithi, Caroline Islands. ww2dbase [Ticonderoga | Eniwetok | DS]
Pacific Ocean
  • USS Rock sank Japanese tanker Takasago Maru No. 7 with three torpedoes in the South China Sea. ww2dbase [Rock | South China Sea | CPC]
  • USS Kingfish sank Japanese landing ship No. 138 in the Pacific Ocean about 20 miles north of Iwo Jima, Japan with 2 of 3 torpedoes fired. She also fired three torpedoes at another vessel, but all torpedoes from that volley missed their target. ww2dbase [Kingfish | CPC]
Philippines
  • USS Marcus Island launched 12 aircraft to attack and shared the credit for the sinkings of Kinu and Uranami in the Vasayan Sea in the Philippine Islands. ww2dbase [Marcus Island | CPC]
  • Nachi refueled from oiler Nichiei Maru at Coron, Palawan, Philippine Islands. ww2dbase [Nachi | Coron, Palawan | CPC]
  • Landing ship No. 102 was sunk by US aircraft west of Negros, Philippine Islands. ww2dbase [No. 101/103-class | CPC]
Russia
  • Kirill Meretskov was made a Marshal of the Soviet Union. ww2dbase [Kirill Meretskov | CPC]
Taiwan
  • Patrol Boat No. 102 departed Saei, Takao (Chinese: Zuoying, Kaohsiung), Taiwan at 1245 hours to escort convoy MOMA-05. ww2dbase [Stewart | Takao | CPC]
United Kingdom
  • A German V-2 rocket hit Palmers Green Station in North London, England, United Kingdom at 1845 hours; detonating next to a stationary train, it seriously injured 15 people, while 38 suffered minor injuries. Elsewhere, another rocket hit Ilford, London, killing 8, seriously injuring 15, and lightly injuring 20. ww2dbase [Vergeltungswaffe 2 | V-Weapons Campaign | London, England | CPC]
  • Archbishop of Canterbury, William Temple, passed away at Westgate-on-Sea, Kent, England, United Kingdom. He was the last Archbishop of Canterbury to die in office and had only recently returned from visiting the Normandy battlefield - the first Archbishop of Canterbury to go into battle since medieval times. ww2dbase [Westgate-on-Sea, England | AC]
  • On attachment to 68 Squadron RAF for night fighter training, First Lieutenant Sam Peebles USN and his navigator Ensign Dock Grinndal USN chased three V-1 flying bombs that went into thick cloud but, sighting a fourth, they dived to follow and got to 200 yards range at only 400 feet above the sea. "We had reached 350 mph and gave it a short burst, the engine stopped, and it exploded and shook the Mosquito a little", he put in his report. A V-1 flying bomb that had evaded the defences came down on the railway line at Palmer's Green Station in Enfield in London, England, United Kingdom, causing the line to be closed for a day and slightly injuring some railway workers. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
United States Photo(s) dated 26 Oct 1944
American survivors of the Battle off Samar rescued by an US Navy ship on 26 Oct 1944Flaming special attack plane falling astern of Petrof Bay, Philippine Islands, 26 Oct 1944As seen from USS Sangamon off Surigao Island, Philippines, 26 Oct 1944, escort Carrier USS Suwannee recovering aircraft. Note the TBM-1C Avenger lining up to land on the carrier and A6M Zero diving on the ship.Casablanca-class escort carrier USS Sargent Bay underway 26 Oct 1944 300 miles east of the Philippines as part of an underway replenishment group.
See all photos dated 26 Oct 1944

26 Oct 1944 Interactive Map

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis




Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you.

Share this article with your friends:

 Facebook
 Reddit
 Twitter

Stay updated with WW2DB:

 RSS Feeds

Search WW2DB
Famous WW2 Quote
"No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. You win the war by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country!"

George Patton, 31 May 1944


Support Us

Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!

Or, please support us by purchasing some WW2DB merchandise at TeeSpring, Thank you!