Discover which important events in 1943 changed the fate of the world forever. Our collection of historic newspapers is the largest in the world, and houses original copies of national newspapers such as The Times, The Guardian and The Sun.
Read about what happened during this year in history through reports revealing how the news was portrayed and received at the time.
The 1943 news headlines continued to be dominated by reports focusing on World War II as it continued to ravage the world. The widespread destruction caused by this devastating war was the topic of most 1943 news headlines. It was during this year that Germany faced their first major defeat at Stalingrad, the allied forces achieved victory in North Africa, and Italy surrendered.
Find out more about what happened in 1943 with an original newspaper. Other captivating headlines during this year include tales of an uprising in a Polish concentration camp, the massive famine in Bengal, and the official end to the Great Depression in the United States. Take a look through our archive to discover many more thought provoking headlines, and try to image how it must have felt to live during this time in history.
2nd February 1943
The Battle of Stalingrad comes to an end with the surrender of the German sixth Army. With combined casualties of almost two million, it becomes known as the bloodiest battle in modern history.
11th February 1943
General Eisenhower is selected to command the Allied armies in Europe.
3rd March 1943
173 people are killed in a crush whilst trying to enter an air-raid shelter at Bethnal Green tube station in London.
21st April 1943
The worst ever bombing of Aberdeen takes place during the Second World War.
25th April 1943
Easter occurs on the latest possible date in the year.
16th May 1943
The Dambuster Raids are carried out on German dams by the RAF 617 Squadron, using specially developed “Bouncing bombs“. The Ruhr valley suffers catastrophic flooding as a result of this attack.
5th July 1943
Battle of Kursk: The largest tank battle in history begins and is fought between Nazi German forces and the Soviet Union Army.
13th July 1943
The invasion of Sicily starts with British landings at Augusta, on the island’s eastern side, and American landings to the south. The island is invaded both amphibiously and by air.
19th July 1943
Rome is bombed by the Allies for the first time.
3rd September 1943
Mainland Italy is invaded by Allied forces under Bernard L. Montgomery, for the first time in the Second World War.
8th September 1943
United States General, Dwight D. Eisenhower, publicly announces the surrender of Italy to the Allies.
13th October 1943
The new government of Italy confirms its allegiance with the Allies and declares war on Germany.
22nd October 1943
The Royal Air Force delivers a highly destructive air strike on the German industrial and population centre of Kassel.
28th November 1943
The Tehran Conference: Winston Churchill meets U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in Tehran, to discuss war strategy. One of the most significant outcomes of this meeting is an agreement concerning the June 1944 invasion of north-west Europe, code-named ‘Operation Overlord‘.
22nd December 1943
Beatrix Potter, British children’s author and illustrator (b. 1866) dies.