1943–44 Victorian bushfire season, 14 January 1944
A fire that started on Mt Sturgeon in the Southern Grampians flared up and raced down the slopes, burnt out Dunkeld and kept going, then razed the towns of Dundonnell, Darlington, and Derrinallum; the only Derrinallum buildings left standing were the Mechanics' Institute, two churches and several business premises.


1943–44 Victorian bushfire season, 14 January 1944
A fire negligently left burning just north of Skipton aided by strong northerly winds left a trail of destruction that continued all the way South to Colac a distance of almost 100 kilometres. Eleven people were killed and two youths were convicted. The youths were droving sheep, lit a fire to boil a billy, but failed to extinguish the fire properly. When they had droved their flock about half a mile they saw the fire had started up again and spread quickly amid the grass.


1943–44 Victorian bushfire season, 14 January 1944
From that spot the fire swept along in high dry grass to the west of Skipton. Fanning out and gaining a much broader front the fire continued on and swept Bradvale, Mt Bute, Berrybank, Werneth, on to Cressy, where the fire split and went round the town on either side. The fire passed east of Lismore, but did not enter that town.


1943–44 Victorian bushfire season, 14 January 1944
Another fire that started on the Warrorie Estate near Irrawarra destroyed 20 houses and burnt out Warncourt and threatened the township of Birregurra from three sides. Five houses were burnt in town. A wind change re-directed the fire to open country in the North East. The fire was brought under control near Mt. Gellibrand.


1943–44 Victorian bushfire season, 14 January 1944
In the Melbourne area, 63 homes were destroyed in the tea tree lined streets of Sandringham, Beaumaris, and  Black Rock. Another fire in the northern suburbs of Melbourne  burnt down 5 houses in the Glenroy – Pascoe Vale area.


1943–44 Victorian bushfire season, 14 February 1944
On 14 February a fire broke out near Hearnes Oak and quickly took hold and destroyed 16 houses and the post office before moving on to Morwell where it burnt down 40 houses and 3 people were killed. The fire also destroyed 40 houses and caused 3 deaths in the Traralgon area.


1943–44 Victorian bushfire season, 14 February 1944
A wildfire took hold and burnt acreage from Frankston to Hastings. Townships of Langwarrin, Pearcedale and Baxter were damaged as the fire when through. 300 volunteers fought the blaze on a 12 mile front. In the evening light rain assisted firefighters get the blaze under control.


1943–44 Victorian bushfire season, 14 February 1944
Houses were also reported lost in Leongatha, Wonthaggi, Warragul and Koondrook.


1943–44 Victorian bushfire season, 14 February 1944
A Royal Commission was held into the Yallourn fires in 1944.


1943–44 Victorian bushfire season, 14 February 1944
A Royal Commission into the Yallourn fires was held by Judge Leonard Edward Bishop Stretton and a major outcome following the fires was the establishment of the Country Fire Authority in 1945 to co-ordinate rural fire brigades.


1943–44 Washington Huskies men's basketball team
The 1943–44 Washington Huskies men's basketball team represented the University of Washington for the 1943–44 NCAA college basketball season. Led by 24th-year head coach Hec Edmundson, the Huskies were members of the Pacific Coast Conference and played their home games on campus at the UW Pavilion in Seattle, Washington.


1943–44 Washington Huskies men's basketball team
The Huskies were 26–6 overall in the regular season and 15–1 in conference play; first in the Northern division.


1943–44 Washington Huskies men's basketball team
Washington's only conference loss was at Idaho in the penultimate game. There was no conference playoff series this year and the Huskies did not play in the eight-team NCAA Tournament.


1943–44 Washington State Cougars men's basketball team
The 1943–44 Washington State Cougars men's basketball team represented Washington State College for the 1943–44 college basketball season. Led by sixteenth-year head coach Jack Friel, the Cougars were members of the Pacific Coast Conference and played their home games on campus at the WSC Gymnasium in Pullman, Washington.


1943–44 Washington State Cougars men's basketball team
The Cougars were 8–19 overall in the regular season and 4–12 in conference play, last in the Northern division.


1943–44 William & Mary Indians men's basketball team
The 1942–43 William & Mary Indians men's basketball team represented the College of William & Mary in intercollegiate basketball during the 1943–44 NCAA men's basketball season. Under the first year of head coach Rube McCray, the team finished the season 10–11 and 1–3 in the Southern Conference. Due to World War II, the Indians played a reduced conference schedule. This was the 39th season of the collegiate basketball program at William & Mary, whose nickname is now the Tribe.


1943–44 William & Mary Indians men's basketball team
The Indians finished in 10th place in the conference and qualified for the 1944 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, hosted by North Carolina State University at the Thompson Gym in Raleigh, North Carolina, where they lost in the first round to Duke.


1943–44 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team
The 1943–1944 Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team represented University of Wisconsin–Madison. The head coach was Harold E. Foster, coaching his tenth season with the Badgers. The team played their home games at the UW Fieldhouse in Madison, Wisconsin and was a member of the Big Ten Conference.


1943–44 Yorkshire Cup
The  Yorkshire Cup competition was a knock-out competition between (mainly professional) rugby league clubs from the county of Yorkshire. The actual area was at times increased to encompass other teams from outside the county such as Newcastle, Mansfield, Coventry, and even London (in the form of Acton & Willesden. The competition always took place early in the season, in the Autumn, with the final taking place in (or just before) December (The only exception to this was when disruption of the fixture list was caused during, and immediately after, the two World Wars)


1943–44 Yorkshire Cup
The Second World War was continuing and the  Yorkshire Cup remained in the early part of the  1943–44 Northern Rugby Football League Wartime Emergency League season


1943–44 Yorkshire Cup
1943–44 was the thirty-sixth occasion on which the  Yorkshire Cup competition had been held.


1943–44 Yorkshire Cup
Bradford Northern won the trophy by beating Keighley over two legs by an aggregate score of 10-7


1943–44 Yorkshire Cup
Bradford Northern played the first leg match at home (at Odsal) and won 5–2. The attendance was 10,251 and receipts were £757.


1943–44 Yorkshire Cup
Keighley were at home (at Lawkholme Lane) for the second leg match and drew 5–5. The attendance at the second leg match was 8,993 and receipts £634.


1943–44 Yorkshire Cup, Change in club participation
Hull Kingston Rovers – The club dropped out of the wartime Lancashire league after the ‘first (1939–40) season. They did not return to league competition until 1945–46 peacetime season.


1943–44 Yorkshire Cup, Change in club participation
Bramley withdrew after the  third wartime season (1941–42) had finished and did not rejoin until the 1945–46 season.


1943–44 Yorkshire Cup, Change in club participation
Castleford withdrew after the  third wartime season (1941–42) had finished and did not participate for two seasons, re-joining for the 1944–45 season.


1943–44 Yorkshire Cup, Change in club participation
Hunslet withdrew after the  third wartime season (1941–42) had finished and did not participate for one season, and re-joined in time for this season.


1943–44 Yorkshire Cup, Change in club participation
Wigan – This club entered the  Yorkshire Cup competition for the  fourth successive season


1943–44 Yorkshire Cup, Change in club participation
Oldham – The  club, as Wigan, also entered the  Yorkshire Cup competition and for the fourth successive season


1943–44 Yorkshire Cup, Change in club participation
St. Helens – The  club, as Wigan and Oldham}, also entered the Yorkshire Cup competition and for their second successive season


1943–44 Yorkshire Cup, Change in club participation
Barrow – withdrew after the end of the first (1939–40) season finished and did not rejoin the league, including the Yorkshire Cup until this season.


1943–44 Yorkshire Cup, Change in club participation
Dewsbury had a relatively successful time during the war years. Managed by Eddie Waring, and with the side boosted by the inclusion of a number of big-name guest players, the club won the Wartime Emergency League in 1941–42 and again the following season 1942–43  (though that championship was declared null and void when it was discovered they had played an ineligible player). They were also runners-up in the Championship in 1943–44, Challenge Cup winners in 1943 and Yorkshire Cup Final appearances in this season 1940–41 and winners in 1942–43.


1943–44 Yorkshire Cup, Background
This season there were no junior/amateur clubs taking part, Hunslet rejoined after one season's absence, and with Barrow adding to the previous Lancashire presence of Wigan, Oldham and  St. Helens, this increased the entries by two, bringing the total up to sixteen.


1943–44 Yorkshire Cup, Background
This in turn resulted in no byes in the first round.


1943–44 Yorkshire Cup, Background
For the third successive year, ALL the ties (this season including the actual final) were played on a two-legged home and away basis.


1943–44 Yorkshire Cup, Competition and results, Round 1 - First Leg
All first round ties are played on a two-legged home and away basis


1943–44 Yorkshire Cup, Competition and results, Round 1 - Second Leg
All first round ties are played on a two-legged home and away basis


1943–44 Yorkshire Cup, Competition and results, Round 2 - Quarter Finals - First Leg
All second round ties are played on a two-legged home and away basis


1943–44 Yorkshire Cup, Competition and results, Round 2 - Second Leg
All second round ties are played on a two-legged home and away basis


1943–44 Yorkshire Cup, Competition and results, Round 3 – Semi-Finals - First Leg
Both semi-final ties are played on a two-legged home and away basis


1943–44 Yorkshire Cup, Competition and results, Semi-Final - Second Leg
Both semi-final ties are played on a two-legged home and away basis


1943–44 Yorkshire Cup, Competition and results, Final - First Leg
The  final was played on a two-legged home and away basis this season


1943–44 Yorkshire Cup, Competition and results, Final - Second Leg
The  final was played on a two-legged home and away basis this season


1943–44 Yorkshire Cup, Competition and results, Final - Second Leg, Teams and scorers
Scoring - Try = three (3) points - Goal = two (2) points - Drop goal = two (2) points


1943–44 Yorkshire Cup, Competition and results, The road to success
All the ties (including the  final itself) were played on a two leg (home and away) basis.


1943–44 Yorkshire Cup, Competition and results, The road to success
The first club named in each of the ties played the first leg at home.


1943–44 Yorkshire Cup, Competition and results, The road to success
The scores shown are the aggregate score over the two legs.


1943–44 Yorkshire Cup, Notes and comments
1 * The  first Yorkshire Cup match to be played by Barrow and also the first to be played at Craven Park


1943–44 in Belgian football
The 1943–44 season was the 42nd season of competitive football in Belgium. R Antwerp FC won their 3rd Premier Division title. The Belgium national football team did not play any official match during the season.


1943–44 in Belgian football, Overview
At the end of the season, TSV Lyra and R Tilleur FC were relegated to Division I, while Sint-Niklaas SK (Division I A winner) and RFC Liégeois (Division I B winner) were promoted to the Premier Division. However, due to the latter stages of World War II, 4 clubs did not take part to the next Premier Division season: R Antwerp FC, R Beerschot AC, K Liersche SK and R Berchem Sport.


1943–44 in Belgian football, Overview
ASV Oostende KM, K Tubantia FC, R Uccle Sport and R Fléron FC were relegated from Division I to Promotion, to be replaced by RCS Hallois, RC Lokeren, UR Namur and Beringen FC.


1943–44 in English football
The 1943–44 season was the fifth season of special wartime football in England during the Second World War.


1943–44 in English football, Overview
Between 1939 and 1946 normal competitive football was suspended in England. Many footballers signed up to fight in the war and as a result many teams were depleted, and fielded guest players instead. The Football League and FA Cup were suspended and in their place regional league competitions were set up. Appearances in these tournaments do not count in players' official records.


1943–44 in English football, Honours
League competition was split into three regional leagues, South, West and North. Many fixtures were unfulfilled.


1943–44 in Mandatory Palestine football
The 1943–44 season was the 17th season of competitive football in the British Mandate for Palestine under the Eretz Israel Football Association.


1943–44 in Mandatory Palestine football, IFA Competitions, 1941–42 Palestine League
League matches, which started during the previous season were completed during the season with a single match played in the southern division and the final round play-offs. Maccabi Rishon LeZion won the southern division and qualified to the playoffs, along with second placed Maccabi Tel Aviv and Jerusalem division winner, Homenetmen Jerusalem. In the play-offs, Maccabi Tel Aviv won both its matches against Maccabi Rishon LeZion, while Homenetmen withdrew after playing one match, forfeiting the rest of its fixtures, and Maccabi Tel Aviv was declared league champions.


1943–44 in Mandatory Palestine football, IFA Competitions, 1943–44 Palestine League
League matches began on 11 September 1943 However, the league matches were not completed by the end of the season, and were continued after the summer break.


1943–44 in Mandatory Palestine football, IFA Competitions, 1943 Palestine Cup
A cup competition was held during the previous season, in spring 1943, which was called The Wartime Cup, with the semi-finals and final being delayed over the summer break. The final, between Hapoel Jerusalem and a Royal Artillery XI was played on 16 October 1943, with the Gunners winning 7–1.


1943–44 in Mandatory Palestine football, IFA Competitions, 1944 Palestine Cup
The competition started on 19 February 1944, but was delayed over the summer break and were completed during the following season.


1943–44 in Scottish football
The 1943–44 season was the 71st season of competitive football in Scotland and the fifth season of special wartime football during World War II.


1943–44 in Scottish football, Overview
Between 1939 and 1946 normal competitive football was suspended in Scotland. Many footballers signed up to fight in the war and as a result many teams were depleted, and fielded guest players instead. The Scottish Football League and Scottish Cup were suspended and in their place regional league competitions were set up. Appearances in these tournaments do not count in players' official records.


1943–44 in Scottish football, Honours
League competition was split into two regional leagues, the Southern League and the North-Eastern League. No country-wide cup competition took place, the Glasgow Cup, East of Scotland Shield and Renfrewshire Cup continued and Southern and North-Eastern League Cups were competed for, the Southern League Cup would later form the basis of the League Cup. The Summer Cup was played for by Southern League teams during May and June once league competition had been completed.


1943–44 in Scottish football, International
Due to the war official international football was suspended and so officially the Scotland team was inactive. However unofficial internationals featuring scratch teams representing Scotland continued. Appearances in these matches are not, however, included in a players total international caps.


1943–44 in Scottish football, International
Scotland faced England in a wartime international on 16 October 1943 at Maine Road, Manchester in front of 60,000 fans. The Scotland team were crushed 8–0 by a rampant England. The Scotland team that day comprised: Joe Crozier, Jimmy Carabine, Archie Miller, Adam Little, George Young, Billy Campbell, Willie Waddell, Torrance Gillick, Alex Linwood, Tommy Walker, and Johnny Deakin.


1943–44 in Scottish football, International
The two teams met again on 19 February 1944 at Wembley Stadium in front of a crowd of 80,000. England won again, this time 6–2, with a Jock Dodds double accounting for Scotland's goals. The Scotland team featured: Joe Crozier, Willie Kilmarnock, Jimmy Stephen, Archie Macaulay, Jock Kirton, Matt Busby, Bobby Flavell, Jimmy Stenhouse, Jock Dodds, Jimmy Duncanson and Jimmy Caskie.


1943–44 in Scottish football, International
They met for a third time at Hampden Park on 22 April where a crowd of 133,000 saw England win 3–2, Dodds and Caskie scoring for Scotland. The line up was: Joe Crozier, Malky McDonald, Jimmy Stephen, Archie Macaulay, Bobby Baxter, Matt Busby, Jimmy Delaney, Tommy Walker, Jock Dodds, Jimmy Duncanson and Jimmy Caskie.


1943–44 in Swedish football
The 1943–44 season in Swedish football, starting August 1943 and ending July 1944:


1943–44 in Swedish football, National team results
Sweden: Sven Bergquist - Harry Nilsson, Börje Leander - Olle Åhlund, Arvid Emanuelsson, Karl-Erik Grahn - Malte Mårtensson, Gunnar Gren, Gunnar Nordahl, Henry Carlsson, Arne Nyberg.


1943–44 in Swedish football, National team results
Sweden: Ove Nilsson - Nils Eriksson, Erik Nilsson - Kjell Rosén, Sture Mårtensson, Sture Andersson-Dahlöf - Malte Mårtensson, Evert Grahn, Gunnar Nordahl, Knut Johansson, Stellan Nilsson.


1943–44 in Swedish football, National team results
Sweden: Gustav Sjöberg - Harry Nilsson, Rickard Ödéhn (30' Oskar Holmqvist) - Sture Andersson-Dahlöf, Arvid Emanuelsson, Karl-Erik Grahn - Arne Nyberg, Gunnar Gren, Gunnar Nordahl, Henry Carlsson, Stellan Nilsson.


1944
1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1944th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 944th  year of the 2nd millennium, the 44th  year of the 20th century, and the  5th   year of the 1940s decade.


1944, Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.


1944 (album)
1944 is the fourth studio album by Ukrainian recording artist Jamala. It was released on 10 June 2016 in Europe through Universal Music Denmark and on 10 July 2016 in United States through Republic Records. The album includes the single "1944".


1944 (album), Singles
"1944" was released as the lead single from the album on 5 February 2016. Jamala was announced as one of the eighteen competing acts in the Ukrainian national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. She performed in the first semi-final on 6 February 2016, where she won both the jury and televote, advancing to the Ukrainian final. In the final, on 21 February, she was placed second by the jury and first by the televote, resulting in a tie with The Hardkiss and their song "Helpless". Jamala was announced as the winner, however, as the televoting acted as a tiebreaker.


1944 (album), Singles
She received 37.77% of more than 382,000 televotes. She represented Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016, performing in the second half of the second semi-final. The song is the first Eurovision song to contain lyrics in the Crimean Tatar language. She won the final receiving the second highest televoting score and second highest jury vote.


1944 (film)
1944 is a 2015 Estonian war drama film directed by Elmo Nüganen. The film first premiered in February 2015 in Berlin, Germany, before its release in Estonia and other Northern European countries. It was selected as the Estonian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards but it was not nominated.


1944 (film)
As the Soviet Union advances to recapture Estonia from its German occupiers, with huge losses on both sides, the film explores the mental conflicts of young Estonians. Some have volunteered or been conscripted into the German forces, most with little commitment to the Nazi regime. Others have volunteered or been conscripted into the Soviet forces, again with little commitment to the Communist regime. Whichever side wins will regard the Estonians on the opposing side as traitors, liable to execution or deportation. Neither side offers the Estonians autonomy from foreign control.


1944 (film), Plot
The film opens in July 1944 on the Tannenberg Line in Estonia, where a unit of Estonian soldiers in the Waffen SS are fighting the advancing Red Army. A visit by a Nazi official, who hands out signed photographs of Hitler, attracts ridicule. The Soviet forces are superior in numbers of tanks and infantry and the German forces have to retreat through streams of civilian refugees. After a ferocious battle, the victors are a Red Army Estonian unit.


1944 (film), Plot
As they bury the dead of both sides in a mass grave, an Estonian in the Red Army called Jüri searches the body of an Estonian in the German forces called Karl and finds an unposted letter to Karl's sister Aino in Tallinn. When the Russians capture the city, he delivers the letter in person and he and Aino become friendly, which incurs the enmity of his unit's political officer. Back fighting on the Sõrve Peninsula in November, his unit captures a group of sixteen-year-old Estonian boys in German uniform.


1944 (film), Plot
The political officer orders Jüri to kill them all and, when he questions the decision, shoots Jüri dead. The officer himself is executed by one of Jüri's comrades seconds later. On Jüris body, a comrade finds an unposted letter to Aino which he, when he has a spell of leave, delivers in person.


1944 (film), Production
The first part of filming took place in October 2013 till the Easter break of 2014. It then continued at the start of the summer of 2014 where filming also took place at the Sinimäed Hills.


1944 (film), Production
The film was funded by the Estonian Film Institute, the Estonian Ministry of Defence, the Cultural Endowment of Estonia and private investments.


1944 (film), Reception
On the film aggregation website IMDb, 1944 has a weighted average score of 7.5/10, based on votes from 1,005 users.


1944 (film), Reception, Box office
In Estonia, 1944 was a huge box office success. With local opening weekend admissions at 19,030 1944 set a new opening weekend record for an Estonian film, beating the previous record of 15,611 admissions set by Names in Marble in 2002. 1944's first week also broke records by achieving 44,879 admissions, the highest ever for an Estonian film that premiered in Estonia.


1944 (song)
"1944" is a song written and performed by Ukrainian singer Jamala. It represented Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 and won with a total of 534 points.


1944 (song)
A music video for the song was released on 21 September 2016.


1944 (song), Background and lyrics
The lyrics for "1944" concern the deportation of the Crimean Tatars, in the 1940s, by the Soviet Union at the hands of Joseph Stalin because of their alleged collaboration with the Nazis. Jamala was particularly inspired by the story of her great-grandmother Nazylkhan, who was in her mid-20s when she and her five children were deported to barren Central Asia. One of the daughters did not survive the journey. Jamala's great-grandfather was fighting in World War II in the Red Army at this time and thus could not protect his family. The song was also released amid renewed repression of Crimean Tatars following the Russian annexation of Crimea, since most Crimean Tatars refuse to accept the annexation.


1944 (song), Background and lyrics
The English lyrics were written by the poet Art Antonyan. The song's chorus, in the Crimean language, is made up of words from a Crimean Tatar folk song called "Ey Güzel Qırım" that Jamala had heard from her great-grandmother, reflecting on the loss of a youth which could not be spent in her homeland. The song features the duduk played by Aram Kostanyan and the use of the mugham vocal style.


1944 (song), National selection and Eurovision Song Contest
Ukraine withdrew from the Eurovision Song Contest 2015, citing costs. After deciding to return to the contest in 2016, a selection process to determine the representative of Ukraine was opened, combining resources from the state broadcaster NTU and private STB. Jamala was announced as one of the eighteen competing acts in the Ukrainian national selection for the contest. She performed in the first semi-final on 6 February 2016, where she won both the jury and televote, advancing to the Ukrainian final.


1944 (song), National selection and Eurovision Song Contest
In the final, on 21 February, she was placed second by the jury and first by the televote, resulting in a tie with The Hardkiss and their song "Helpless". Jamala was announced as the winner, however, as the televoting acted as a tiebreaker. She received 37.77% of more than 382,000 televotes.


1944 (song), National selection and Eurovision Song Contest
Jamala represented Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016, performing in the second half of the second semi-final. "1944" is the first Eurovision song to contain lyrics in the Crimean language. She won the final receiving the second highest televoting score and second highest jury vote.


1944 (song), National selection and Eurovision Song Contest, Accusations of politicisation
In a February 2016 interview with The Guardian, Jamala said that the song also reminded her of her own family living in Crimea nowadays, claiming that since the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea "the Crimean Tatars are on occupied territory". The song lyrics, however, do not address this annexation. Eurovision rules prohibit songs with lyrics that could be interpreted as having "political content".


1944 (song), National selection and Eurovision Song Contest, Accusations of politicisation
Immediately after the selection of this song, some Russian politicians, as well as authorities in Crimea, accused the Ukrainian authorities of  "capitalising on the tragedy of the Tatars to impose on European viewers a false picture of alleged harassment of the Tatars in the Russian Crimea".


1944 (song), National selection and Eurovision Song Contest, Accusations of politicisation
On 9 March 2016, a tweet from the European Broadcasting Union confirmed that neither the title nor the lyrics of the song contained "political speech" and therefore it did not breach any Eurovision rule, thus allowing it to remain in the competition.


1944 (song), National selection and Eurovision Song Contest, Eurovision Song Contest
The song won the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest, receiving a grand total of 534 points, officially surpassing the previous record set by Alexander Rybak with his song "Fairytale" in the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest, which won with 387 points.


1944 (song), National selection and Eurovision Song Contest, Eurovision Song Contest
The national juries voted the entry by Australia first with 320 points, and the televote voted the entry by Russia first with 361 points. The televoting result for Ukraine, of 323 points, however, was sufficient, when added to their jury score of 211 points, to put them in first place, with a grand total of 534 points, leaving Australia second and Russia third.


1944 (song), Critical reception
Prior to the Ukrainian national selection finals, "1944" received 8.33 out of 10 points from a jury of Eurovision blog Wiwibloggs, the highest score among the six finalists in Ukraine.


1944 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
The 1944 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") represented the University of Alabama in the 1944 college football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 50th overall and 11th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Frank Thomas, in his 13th year, and played their home games at Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Legion Field in Birmingham and at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery. They finished the season with a record of five wins, two losses and two ties (5–2–2 overall, 3–1–2 in the SEC) and with a loss in the Sugar Bowl against Duke.


1944 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
After a tie against LSU to open the season, Alabama then defeated both Howard and Millsaps before they dueled Tennessee to a scoreless tie in the fourth week. The Crimson Tide then defeated Kentucky before they suffered their only regular season loss against Georgia. Alabama then closed the season with wins over both Ole Miss and Mississippi State and secured a position in the Sugar Bowl where they lost to Duke.


1944 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
The 1944 squad marked the return of football at Alabama after a one-year hiatus for the 1943 season due to the effects of World War II. However as the war effort was ongoing at that time, the 1944 team was composed of players who were either too young and/or physically unable to enlist in the military. As the squad was generally smaller than both previous Alabama squads and than many they competed against, coach Thomas called this and the 1945 team the "War Babies."


1944 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, LSU
In what marked the return of Alabama football for the first time since the 1942 season, the Crimson Tide met LSU for the first time since 1930 and left Baton Rouge with a 27–27 tie to open the season. LSU scored first on a 76-yard, Elwyn Rowan touchdown run in the first minute of play for a 7–0 Tigers' lead.


1944 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, LSU
Alabama tied the game at 7–7 by the end of the quarter when Lowell Tew scored on a two-yard run to cap a drive that started from the LSU ten-yard line after a Ray Coates fumble was recovered by James Pearl. The Tigers retook a 14–7 lead early in the second quarter when Y. A. Tittle threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Dan Sandifer. However, the Crimson Tide responded with touchdown runs of 16-yards by Tew and 24-yards by Harry Gilmer for a 21–14 halftime lead.


1944 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, LSU
The Tigers again tied the game in the third when Felix Trapani blocked a John Wade punt and returned it 26-yards for a touchdown. On the kickoff that ensued, Gilmer returned it 95-yards for a touchdown, for a 27–21 lead after a missed extra point by Hugh Morrow. Clyde Lindsey tied the game at 27 for LSU in the fourth after he both blocked and returned an Alabama kick, but Andrew Lay missed the extra point to make the final score 27–27. The tie brought Alabama's all-time record against LSU to 11–3–3.


1944 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, Howard
In the first Legion Field game of the season, Alabama defeated Howard (now Samford University) 63–7 in a game that featured 49, second half points. After a scoreless first quarter, Lowell Tew scored both of the Alabama touchdowns in the second quarter on a 35-yard interception return and on a 21-yard touchdown run for a 14–0 halftime lead. The Crimson Tide then closed the game with four touchdowns in the third and three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Third-quarter touchdowns were scored by Norwood Hodges and John Hite twice on runs and by Jim Rupich on a blocked punt recovery. Fourth-quarter touchdowns were scored on touchdown passes from George Albright to Lacey West (34 and 55-yards) and to Carlos Izaguirre (49-yards). The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Howard to 20–0–1, and also marked the final game ever played between the respective schools on the football field.


1944 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, Millsaps
In the first Denny Stadium game of the season, Alabama shutout the Millsaps Majors 55–0 in a game that featured 42, second half points. The Crimson Tide took a 13–0 halftime lead after touchdown runs of one-yard by Norwood Hodges in the first and four-yards by James "Shorty" Robertson in the second. They extended their lead to 34–0 at the end of the third with touchdowns scored on a one-yard Hal Self run, a six-yard Harry Gilmer run and on an 11-yard Hodges run. Alabama then concluded with three fourth-quarter touchdowns on a 12-yard Ed Podbielniak run, a short Self run and on a 19-yard John Hite run. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Millsaps to 3–0, and also marked the final game ever played between the respective schools on the football field.


1944 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, Tennessee
Against the Volunteers, Alabama settled for a 0–0 tie before 32,000 fans at Shields-Watkins Field. In a game dominated by both defenses, Tennessee stopped Alabama drives three times from within their own 30-yard line in the fourth quarter to preserve the tie score. The tie brought Alabama's all-time record against Tennessee to 15–8–3.


1944 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, Kentucky
At the Cramton Bowl, the Crimson Tide shutout the Wildcats 41–0 for their first conference victory of the season. Harry Gilmer scored the first touchdown for Alabama on a 41-yard run for a 7–0 lead after the first. In the second, Gilmer scored again on a short run and threw touchdown passes to George Albright and Hugh Morrow for a 27–0 halftime lead. John Hite was then responsible for the final two touchdowns of the game with his six-yard pass to Ralph Jones and his 41-yard interception return. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Kentucky 21–1–1.


1944 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, Georgia
After their victory over Kentucky, Alabama entered the weekly AP Poll for the first time during the season at the No. 19 position. Although the Crimson Tide led 7–0 at halftime, a pair of second half touchdowns gave the Bulldogs the 17–7 victory at Legion Field. Fred Grant scored the only Alabama points of the game with his five-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Down by a touchdown, Charles Smith tied the game with his three-yard run in the third and Stan Nestorak scored the game-winning touchdown in the fourth with his three-yard run. The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Georgia to 14–13–3.


1944 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, Ole Miss
In what was the first game played against Ole Miss since the 1933 season, Alabama defeated the Rebels 34–6 tie in Mobile. The Crimson Tide took control early with a three touchdown first quarter on a Fred Grant run, 48-yard Lowell Tew run and a short George Albright run. The Rebels' responded with their only points of the game in the second on a 29-yard Johnnie Bruce touchdown pass to Clyde Hooker to make the halftime score 21–6. After a scoreless third, a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns were scored on runs by John Hite and Grant to make the final score 34–6. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Ole Miss 16–3–2.


1944 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, Mississippi State
On what was homecoming before the largest crowd to date at Denny Stadium, Alabama upset an undefeated Mississippi State Maroons squad 19–0 in Tuscaloosa. After Harry Gilmer fumbled the opening kickoff to give the Maroons excellent field position, Fred Grant returned an interception 87-yards for a 7–0 lead. The other two Alabama touchdowns were scored on runs by Lowell Tew and Grant. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Mississippi State to 21–7–2.


1944 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, Duke
On November 25, University officials announced that Alabama had accepted a bid to play in the 1945 Sugar Bowl against the Duke Blue Devils. In the game, the Crimson Tide were defeated 29–26 before 66,822 fans at Tulane Stadium after Duke score a late, game-winning touchdown. The Blue Devils took an early 7–0 on a 14-yard George Clark run before a pair of one-yard, Norwood Hodges touchdown runs gave the Crimson Tide a 12–7 lead at the end of the first. Alabama extended their lead further to 19–7 after Harry Gilmer threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Ralph Jones.


1944 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, Duke
Duke responded with a pair of short, Tom Davis touchdown runs to take a 10–19 lead into the fourth quarter. In the fourth, Hugh Morrow had a touchdown on a 78-yard interception return; however, the Crimson Tide lost the game after Gilmer took a safety and George Clark scored the game-winning points on a 20-yard run.


1944 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, NFL Draft
On April 8, 1945, the National Football League held its ninth draft.


1944 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, NFL Draft
In the draft, Johnny August was selected as the fifth pick in the eighth round (70th overall) by the Cleveland Rams, Jack Aland was selected as the fifth pick in the 13th round (125th overall) by the Cleveland Rams, Hal Self was selected as the second pick in the 14th round (133rd overall) by the Brooklyn Tigers, Bobby Tom Jenkins was selected as the sixth pick in the 17th round (170th overall) by the Washington Redskins, Jim McWhorter was selected as the sixth pick in the 18th round (181st overall) by the Detroit Lions, Norm Mosley was selected as the ninth pick in the 23rd round (239th overall) by the Philadelphia Eagles, Jack Green was selected as the sixth pick in the 25th round (258th overall) by the Chicago Bears, Charles Compton was selected as the fifth pick in the 30th round (312th overall) by the Cleveland Rams, Ken Reese was selected as the fourth pick in the 31st round (322nd overall) by the Philadelphia Eagles and John Staples was selected as the fifth pick in the 32nd round (329th overall) by the New York Giants.


1944 Alameda Coast Guard Sea Lions football team
The 1944 Alameda Coast Guard Sea Lions football team was an American football team that represented the United States Coast Guard's Alamadea Coast Guard station during the 1944 college football season. The team compiled a 4–2–2 record. Lieutenant Joe Verducci was the coach.


1944 Alberta general election
The 1944 Alberta general election was held on August 8, 1944 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.


1944 Alberta general election, Overview
The election was the first contested by leader Ernest C. Manning. Previously Provincial Secretary, he became leader of the Social Credit Party and premier after party founder William Aberhart died in 1943. Manning steered the party down a more moderate path, largely dispensing with the party's social credit policies of monetary reform that it had been unable to implement.


1944 Alberta general election, Overview
Manning led Social Credit to a third term in government with a resounding victory in the 1944 election, winning over 50% of the popular vote on the first count of ballots. The Conservative party and former United Farmers continued their strategy of running joint candidates as independents. They were not supported by the Liberals who left the coalition and lost a significant share of the popular vote.


1944 Alberta general election, Overview
The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation entered the election with only one seat in the legislature belonging to party leader Elmer Roper who had won a 1942 by-election. Despite winning almost a quarter of the popular vote the party won only two seats in the general election.


1944 Alberta general election, Overview
Servicemen and veterans from World War II voted in the first phase of the election on August 4, 1944. There was also a second vote held to elect three Canadian Armed Forces representatives from amongst the Albertans who were in active service overseas, or those who missed the first vote.


1944 Alberta general election, Overview
This provincial election, like the previous four, saw district-level proportional representation (Single transferable voting) used to elect the MLAs of Edmonton and Calgary. City-wide districts were used to elect multiple MLAs in the cities. All the other MLAs were elected in single-member districts through Instant-runoff voting.


1944 Alberta general election, Results
1 Compared to the Communist Party results from the previous election.


1944 Alberta general election, Results
* Party did not nominate candidates in the previous election.


1944 Alberta general election, The campaign
The 1944 election, was the first general election contested by Premier Ernest Manning. Manning had taken over the Social Credit Party from William Aberhart who died unexpectedly a year earlier. Social Credit faced opposition from the Independents led by James Walker who had also just been elected leader and the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation who had just managed to win a seat in a by-election in Edmonton and win a majority in the 1944 Saskatchewan general election. Like Social Credit and the Independents they were also contesting their first general election with new leader Elmer Roper.


1944 Alberta general election, The campaign
The stage for the general election was set when Social Credit won a critical by-election in Red Deer in December 1943. The by-election win gave momentum to Social Credit as they picked it up from the Independents. After the election they decided to speed up their plans and hold the election in the summer time.


1944 Alberta general election, The campaign
Two major changes occurred this election with the way that votes were to be counted and who could vote. Ballots in single member electoral districts were now allowed to be marked with an "X" to indicate a first choice preference. Prior to this election high numbers of ballots had been declared as spoiled because they were not marked with a "1". Preferences beyond the first choice still had to be marked with a number indicating that preference. The 1944 election also marked the first time that Japanese Canadians were eligible to vote in a provincial election. There were two thousand Japanese who had previously been evacuated from British Columbia to Alberta under war time provisions who were qualified to vote under the eligibility rules.


1944 Alberta general election, The campaign
After the writ was dropped the single biggest issue of the campaign turned out to be a referendum on the future of the Cooperative Commonwealth. The Independents and Social Credit were each asking their supporters to vote "1" and "2" for their respective parties to ensure the Commonwealth is defeated.


1944 Alberta general election, The campaign, Social Credit
Social Credit had been re-elected to with a thin majority government in 1940 after failing to implement its monetary theory policy that had allowed it to sweep to power in the 1935 election. The party was also rebounding in popularity since Ernest Manning became Premier in 1943 after the death of William Aberhart. Manning steered the party away from its previous policies that included Social Credit monetary theory and media control.


1944 Alberta general election, The campaign, Social Credit
The centre piece of Social Credit's policy in this election was a plan on refunding Alberta's large debt that had been built up under the Liberal and United Farmer administrations.


1944 Alberta general election, The campaign, Independents
The Independents led into the election by James Walker had been organized as a coalition of Conservatives, Liberals and United Farmers who grouped together to defeat the Social Credit government in 1937. The coalition which was organized under the parent group, the Independent Citizen's Association. Despite being an organized party all candidates ran and those who were elected did so as Independents. The coalition started falling apart when the Alberta Liberal Party left just before the 4th Legislative Session opened in February 1944.


1944 Alberta general election, The campaign, Independents
Walker was elected leader of the Independent Citizens Association at a convention held in Calgary on January 23, 1944. He defeated David Elton in a two-way contest. There was considerable interest in the convention as over 300 delegates from across Alberta showed up to vote. Walker was elected on the first ballot winning a decisive victory. This was the first time since the Association had been created that a permanent leader was selected.


1944 Alberta general election, The campaign, Cooperative Commonwealth
The Cooperative Commonwealth federation had enjoyed tremendous growth over the past couple of years. In 1942 the provincial branch reorganized at a convention in Edmonton and merged the provincial branch of the Canadian Labor Party into the Cooperative Commonwealth. Prior to that date the two parties had been an affiliated but operated separately. After the merger the party won a by-election to elect their leader Elmer Roper to the Assembly in Edmonton on September 22, 1942. Shortly before the writs were dropped in this election the Saskatchewan CCF swept the 1944 Saskatchewan general election. Manning called the general election to defuse a possible surge in support for the CCF.


1944 Alberta general election, The campaign, Cooperative Commonwealth
The Cooperative Commonwealth provincially had struck a deal with the Labor Progressive Party (the Communist Party) to run fusion candidates in some electoral districts. The first time this agreement was put to work was in the December 1943 Red Deer by-election where James MacPherson, LPP leader, endorsed CCF candidate E.P. Johns. This was the first provincial election where the CCF fielded a full slate of candidates. They were the only other party in 1944 to do so other than Social Credit.


1944 Alberta general election, The campaign, Labor Progressive Party
The LPP had contested elections previously under the Communist banner, but had changed its name to be in line with the federal party, after they had all been outlawed.


1944 Alberta general election, The campaign, Labor Progressive Party
The Labor Progressive Party, led by James MacPherson, aimed to run candidates in the major cities and in mining communities. They did run 30 candidates.


1944 Alberta general election, The campaign, Labor Progressive Party
In some electoral districts where LPP candidates did not run, the LPP and the CCF ran fusion candidates. A proposal by the Labor Progressive Party to run fusion candidates with the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation at the federal level was rejected by the national council.


1944 Alberta general election, The campaign, Farmer-Labor
The Farmer-Labor election committee was a minor political party created by Victor Johanson. He was a farmer residing near the small town of Bentley, Alberta. Johanson was originally selected as a fusion candidate for the Labor Progressive Party and Cooperative Commonwealth Federation to contest the Rocky Mountain House electoral district.


1944 Alberta general election, The campaign, Farmer-Labor
Shortly before the general election was called, the Rocky Mountain House CCF constituency association broke away and voted not to support Johanson and nominate its own candidate instead.


1944 Alberta general election, The campaign, Farmer-Labor
Johanson then created his own Farmer-Labor banner that he and his supporters operated under.


1944 Alberta general election, The campaign, Farmer-Labor
Johanson's Farmer-Labor banner was the least successful of the four single candidate banners that operated in the general election. Johanson finished last in his district and in the provincial standings, winning just 0.13% of the total popular vote in the province. After the election Johanson did not contest another provincial election, effectively ending the party.


1944 Alberta general election, The campaign, Farmer-Labor
Farmer-Labor's 1944 election platform had seven policy planks. These planks covered primarily local issues to appeal to coal miners working and living at Nordegg, Alberta. Crop insurance and raised commodity prices was also promised to appeal to area farmers. Other policy planks promised help to veterans returning from the war. Improvements for local transportation infrastructure rounded out the Farmer-Labor platform.


1944 Alberta general election, The campaign, Election night
On election night Manning's Social Credit party won a landslide victory with 52 percent of the vote.


1944 Alberta general election, The campaign, Election night
Opposition MLAs were contained in Calgary and Edmonton as Social Credit swept the rural districts. Many rural districts were decided in SC's favour on the First Counts, the Alternative Voting system used at the time often often necessitating multiple counts in close races.


1944 Alberta general election, The campaign, Election night
The anti-SC coalition Independents had failed to run a candidate in every riding and were seen by the voters as lacking credibility. Most of their voters swung to Social Credit as a strategic vote to prevent the Cooperative Commonwealth from electing members.


1944 Alberta general election, The campaign, Election night
The anti-SC coalition had lost its whipping boy, William Aberhart. The 1944 election was fought mostly as a two-party contest between the conservative Ernest Manning government and the leftist CCF, running relatively high due to wartime anti-fascist sentiment.


1944 Alberta general election, The campaign, Election night
The opposition conceded defeat just twenty six minutes after the polls closed.


1944 Alberta general election, Soldiers' vote
The second phase of the general election took place beginning in November 1944 and ending January 1945. Three members of the armed forces commissioned in World War II were elected to represent Alberta service men and women fighting or stationed overseas. In addition those who were in veterans hospitals at the time of the vote and retired service personnel who already returned from duty but missed the August 4, 1944, vote. This election was not run under the Elections Act and was instead run from an executive council order. This meant that the laws regarding eligibility by age and the Single Transferable Vote system did not apply to the soldiers' vote. Saskatchewan was the only other province or state to implement an election for service men in World War II.


1944 Alberta general election, Soldiers' vote
The service men vote had been pushed for by the Cooperative Commonwealth opposition. Elmer Roper harshly criticized the Social Credit government for having no plans to make voting options available for men serving overseas. The Social Credit government responded by announcing that there would be an election of the soldiers' representatives, but it had not decided the date of the vote prior to the first phase of general election being completed. The soldiers' Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) were meant to be non-partisan and sat on the opposition side of the Assembly.


1944 Alberta general election, Soldiers' vote
The order in council forebode any candidate running in the election from contesting it along party lines. The vote also temporarily increased the number of seats in the Assembly from 57 to 60. One member represented each branch of the service: Army, Navy and Air Force. This was the second at-large soldiers' war time vote held in the province's history, the first being the soldiers' and nurses vote held as the second part of the 1917 Alberta general election.


1944 Alberta general election, Soldiers' vote
The writ period began in late November 1944. A total of 32 candidates registered to run in the election. The seat provided for the Army was hotly contested with 22 candidates, the Navy had three candidates and the Air Force had 7 candidates. The polls were open a record length of time as the voting was conducted from January 8, 1945, to January 20, 1945. Polling stations were set up on the front lines and at army bases where Albertans were stationed around the world.


1944 Alberta general election, Soldiers' vote
Four Chief Returning Officers were appointed to conduct the vote, a record that stands to this day. The vote was conducted under First Past the Post rules with no ballot transfers. The official results from the vote conducted in Alberta were released on January 31, 1945. The votes for the rest of the world were released on January 6, 1945.


1944 Alberta general election, Soldiers' vote
An oddity of this vote is that the Government of Alberta did not print an official document detailing the election results or expenses of operating the election for the general public as it did with the rest of the general election that year. This was because the executive council order made by the Social Credit government did not require it. Full printing of the official results did appear in both the Calgary Herald and the Calgary Albertan as they were announced by the Chief Electoral Officer at a press conference held in Edmonton on February 5, 1945. The Herald was the only newspaper to break down the results by counting station.


1944 Alberta general election, Soldiers' vote
Turnout for this election was generally low; the election came during the closing months of World War II when Germany was on its heels and starting to collapse. In addition to the heavy fighting there were also large numbers of troops in transit during the voting period. Chief Returning Officer Robert Addison estimated that almost 3,300 Alberta soldiers eligible were unable to vote because of being in transit to various fronts.


1944 Alberta general election, Soldiers' vote
The returns themselves were counted in four places, voting conducted in Alberta was counted and released in Edmonton first, while voting conducted overseas was counted in London and sent to Edmonton by telegraph. The highest turnout came by Army soldiers fighting in Italy and the lowest turnout was in the Mediterranean with only five service-men voting. No statistics were released on how many service men and woman were eligible to vote in total.


1944 Alberta general election, Soldiers' vote
Voters for this election were eligible to cast a ballot if they were residents of Alberta for one full calendar year prior to enlisting in the military. The only other eligibility requirement was that they missed casting a ballot in their home electoral district during the first phase of the election.


1944 Alberta general election, Soldiers' vote
The Government of Alberta commissioned four Chief Electoral Officers to help run the election. The election proved to be a logistical challenge as no similar election had ever been conducted on a worldwide scale. Robert Addison was in charge of overseeing the election in Edmonton and coordination operations around the world. James Thompson was Chief Returning Office in charge of overseeing the vote in the Mediterranean and the Franco-Belgian Fighting Fronts. A.P. Van Buren was in charge of Canada, United States and Alaska, Newfoundland, Bermuda, Nassau and Jamaica. L.P. Danis was the Chief Returning Officer for France, Belgium and Holland. The jobs of the Chief Electoral Officers included finding out where Albertans were stationed, setting up polling stations, and overseeing collection of ballots. In some cases polling stations were set up directly in the trenches causing delays to the election as election staff came under hostile fire.


1944 Alberta general election, Soldiers' vote
Not much is known about the election campaigns, as there was very little information published in the press about the election. The results showed there were no clear front runners in all three races. The Navy vote saw Loftus Dudley Ward hold a lead when the first votes for Alberta were released by the Chief Electoral Officer on January 31, 1945. Ward managed to hang on to win despite getting very few overseas votes. In the Air Force vote, Joseph Roy Burton was marginally leading the field after the Alberta votes were released. On the final total Frederick Colbourne won with a surge of overseas votes. James Harper Prowse was the biggest surprise in the Army race as he had only 34 votes before surging to win with 1,050 after the final totals were released.


1944 Alberta general election, Key races, Edmonton
The Edmonton electoral district returned five members by single transferable vote on election night. There were twenty candidates in place in the district including four party leaders. Social Credit leader Ernest Manning, who had been appointed Premier in 1943 was easily the most recognizable candidate in the field. Elmer Roper Cooperative Commonwealth leader had won a seat in Edmonton almost two years earlier in a by-election. The other party leaders were James MacPherson Labor Progressive leader and William J. Williams, leader of the Veterans' and Active Force.


1944 Alberta general election, Key races, Red Deer
The results of the December 1943 by-election in Red Deer had led Social Credit government to speed up plans for the general election. Incumbent Social Credit MLA David Ure was running for his second term in office.


1944 Alberta general election, Key races, Rocky Mountain House
Farmer-Labor candidate and leader Victor Johanson was nominated at a joint Cooperative Commonwealth Labor Progressive convention on February 17, 1944. Shortly before the election the Cooperative Commonwealth riding association broke off and nominated candidate George Morrison to run under their banner. Incumbent Social Credit MLA Alfred Hooke had just been appointed by Premier Manning as Provincial Secretary, when he formed his government in 1943. The Independents did not nominate a candidate in this riding. On election night Hooke was easily re-elected winning on the first ballot.


1944 Alberta general election, Key races, Warner
The Warner electoral district was hotly contested by Independent leader James Walker and Provincial Treasurer Solon Low. Low had been defeated by Walker in the 1940 general election and won a by-election held in the Vegreville electoral district on June 20, 1940. The field of candidates was rounded out by W.M. Madge who ran under the Single Tax banner and R.B. Eshorn of the Cooperative Commonwealth. On election night, Low won a stunning first ballot victory defeating Walker.


1944 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season
The 1944 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season marked the second season of the circuit. The AAGPBL expanded in its second year of existence by adding two franchises to the original four-team format. At this point, the Milwaukee Chicks and the Minneapolis Millerettes joined the Kenosha Comets, Racine Belles, Rockford Peaches and South Bend Blue Sox. The number of games in the schedule also increased to 118, while the final Scholarship Series faced first-half winner Kenosha against Milwaukee, second-half champ, in a Best of Seven Series.


1944 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season
In that season the ball was decreased in size from 12 inches to 11½ inches. In addition, the base paths were lengthened to 68 feet. As a result, batting averages decreased to low .200 as pitching continued to dominate for second straight season. No batters surpassed the .300 mark, with South Bend's Betsy Jochum collecting the highest average at .296. Once again Kenosha's Helen Nicol led all pitchers in earned run average, turning in a minuscule 0.98 mark, while Minneapolis' Annabelle Lee hurled the first perfect game in league history against Kenosha. Among pitchers who threw no-hitters were  Rockford's Carolyn Morris (two) and Mary Pratt, and Kenosha' Elise Harney and Nicol.


1944 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season
The final series was extended from three to seven games. The series went to the limit of seven games and Milwaukee clinched the championship, four to three. Despite losing Game 1, Connie Wisniewski earned the four wins to set a series record, pitching a four-hit shutout in decisive Game 7 to give the Chicks the title.


1944 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season
Although the Chicks won the championship, they had no local financial backing and could not compete with the American Association Milwaukee Brewers. In fact, the Chicks were forced to play all seven games of the series at Kenosha's Lake Front Stadium because the Brewers were using the Borchert Field in Milwaukee. In addition, the high ticket prices charged for AAGPBL games failed to encourage significant fan support. Due to lack of community support and skepticism of journalists, the Chicks moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan prior to the 1945 season.


1944 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League season
The AAGPBL drew 260,000 fans during the 1944 season, which represented a 49 percent raise over the previous year.


1944 All-Big Nine Conference football team
The 1944 All-Big Nine Conference football team consists of American football players selected to the All-Big Nine Conference teams selected by the Associated Press (AP) and United Press (UP) for the 1944 Big Ten Conference football season.


1944 All-Big Nine Conference football team, Key
Bold = Consensus first-team selection of both the AP and UP


1944 All-Big Six Conference football team
The 1944 All-Big Six Conference football team consists of American football players chosen by various organizations for All-Big Six Conference teams for the 1944 college football season. The selectors for the 1944 season included the United Press (UP).


1944 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship
The 1944 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship was the high point of the 1944 season in Camogie. The championship was won by Dublin, who defeated Antrim by a 17-point margin in the final. Gate receipts were £211.


1944 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship, Structure
The altercation with Dublin over the ban on hockey players re-emerged in 1943 and was compounded by another with Cork over male officials and they withdrew from the Camogie Association. In the absence of Cork, Clare defeated Waterford 3–1 to 3–0 in the Munster final to win their first Munster championship. They failed to score against Dublin in the semi-final while a late goal from Bridie O'Neill gave Antrim a semi-final victory over Galway.


1944 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship, Final
The weekend before the final Dublin travelled to Cork, who had not participated in the championship, and were defeated 3–0 to 1–3. This raised questions about the validity of the championship, as well as Dublin's legality for having played an unaffiliated team. Bishop of Down and Connor, Daniel Mageean threw in the ball between Dublin and Antrim in final.


1944 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship Final
The 1944 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship Final was the thirteenth All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1944 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship, an inter-county camogie tournament for the top teams in Ireland.


1944 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship Final
Antrim were the first Ulster team to reach the final, but disappointed on the day, failing to score as Dublin finished a three-in-a-row.


1944 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
The 1944 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 58th staging of Ireland's premier Gaelic football knock-out competition.


1944 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
Roscommon won their second title in a row and, so far, their last. Kilkenny's final year in the Leinster championship until 1961.


1944 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final
The 1944 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final was the 57th All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1944 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland.


1944 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final
Roscommon won their second and last title with late points by Frankie Kinlough and Donal Keenan; Kinlough also scored Roscommon's goal.


1944 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship of 1944 was the 58th staging of Ireland's premier hurling knock-out competition. Cork won the championship, beating Dublin 2-13 to 1-2 in the final at Croke Park, Dublin.


1944 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, Pre-championship, Four-in-a-row
Coming into the 1944 championship Cork were presented with a chance to achieve something that had never been done before. Having captured their third All-Ireland title in-a-row the previous year, Cork's hurlers were primed to go one better and secure an unprecedented fourth successive All-Ireland title. The 'four-in-a-row' had already been captured by the footballers of Wexford (1915–18) and Kerry (1929–32), however, no hurling team had ever bested three-in-a-row. That feat had been achieved several times before with Cork, Tipperary and Kilkenny all claiming famous trebles. None of those teams, however, reached a fourth successive All-Ireland final as they were all beaten in the provincial series of games.


1944 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, The championship, Format, Leinster Championship
First round: (2 matches) These are two lone matches between the first four teams drawn from the province of Leinster. Two teams are eliminated at this stage, while the two winners advance to the semi-finals.


1944 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, The championship, Format, Leinster Championship
Semi-finals: (2 matches) The winners of the two first round games join the other two Leinster teams to make up the semi-final pairings. Two teams are eliminated at this stage, while the two winners advance to the final.


1944 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, The championship, Format, Leinster Championship
Final: (1 match) The winners of the two semi-finals contest this game. One team is eliminated at this stage, while the winners advance to the All-Ireland semi-final.


1944 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, The championship, Format, Munster Championship
First round: (1 match) This is a lone match between the first two teams drawn from the province of Munster. One team is  eliminated at this stage, while the winners advance to the semi-finals.


1944 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, The championship, Format, Munster Championship
Semi-finals: (2 matches) The winners of the first round game join the other three Munster teams to make up the semi-final pairings. Two teams are eliminated at this stage, while the two winners advance to the final.


1944 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, The championship, Format, Munster Championship
Final: (1 match) The winners of the two semi-finals contest this game. One team is eliminated at this stage, while the winners advance to the All-Ireland semi-final.


1944 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, The championship, Format, Ulster Championship
Semi-finals: (2 matches) The four Ulster teams are drawn against each other in two semi-finals. Two teams are eliminated at this stage, while the two winners advance to the final.


1944 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, The championship, Format, Ulster Championship
Final: (1 match) The winners of the two semi-finals contest this game. One team is eliminated at this stage, while the winners advance to the All-Ireland semi-final.


1944 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, The championship, Format, All-Ireland Championship
Semi-finals: (2 matches) The Munster and Leinster champions are paired in opposite semi-finals while Galway enter the championship at this stage. The emi-final pairings are Munster champions versus Galway and Leinster champions versus Ulster champions. Two teams are eliminated at this stage, while the two winners advance to the All-Ireland final.


1944 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, The championship, Format, All-Ireland Championship
Final: (1 match) The two semi-final winners will contest the All-Ireland final.


1944 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, Player facts, Debutantes
The following players made their début in the 1944 championship:


1944 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, Player facts, Retirees
The following players played their last game in the 1944 championship:


1944 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final
The 1944 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final was the 57th All-Ireland Final and the culmination of the 1944 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, an inter-county hurling tournament for the top teams in Ireland. The match was held at Croke Park, Dublin, on 3 September 1944, between Cork and Dublin. The Leinster champions lost to their Munster opponents on a score line of 2–13 to 1–2.


1944 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, All-Ireland final, Overview
Sunday 3 September was the date of the 1944 All-Ireland senior hurling final between Dublin and Cork. It was Cork's fourth consecutive appearance in the championship decider in-a-row, while Dublin last played in the All-Ireland final in 1942 when they were defeated by Cork.


1944 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, All-Ireland final, Overview
On that occasion the fifteen members of the Cork team were one game away from uniqueness. The All-Ireland final was a game that would set them apart from all other great hurling teams in the past and in the future as no other county had won four All-Ireland hurling titles in-a-row. Cork achieved their first treble in 1894 while Tipperary and Kilkenny followed suit in 1900 and 1913 respectively. On a damp September afternoon in 1944 Cork were out to break all records.


1944 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, All-Ireland final, Match report
With the pre-match festivities completed the game began at 3:15pm. Wartime travel restrictions meant that the attendance was just below 27,000, while a damp day resulted in a heavy sod under foot. The opening ten minutes did not go Cork's way as many commentators had anticipated. Dublin, with a host of household names on their team held the champions scoreless during the opening ten-minute tussle. It was left the Jack Lynch, Cork's dual player, to open the scores with a point.


1944 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, All-Ireland final, Match report
Seán Condon, the young team captain, stretched Cork's lead soon afterwards when he rifled over another three points for his team. Christy Ring was the third Cork player to get his name on the score sheet when he sent over his first point of the day. This point was soon followed by a Con Cottrell effort that also sailed over the bar to stretch Cork's lead even further. Cork's final two points of the opening thirty minutes came from midfielder Jack Lynch, the man who opened Cork's scoring account. Dublin's scoring efforts throughout the opening half only yielded two points, resulting in a 0–8 to 0–2 lead for ‘the Rebels’ at the interval.


1944 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, All-Ireland final, Match report
After the restart Cork really took control of the game. Joe Kelly, the Irish sprint champion, gave some dazzling displays with exceptional solo runs. He opened Cork's scoring account after the interval with a quick goal that was shortly followed by a point. Dublin staged a brief rally that resulted in a goal by Charlie Downes. ‘The Dubs’ didn't give up, however, their many further attempts on the Cork goal were saved by Tom Mulcahy. These saves gave Cork a lift and the Dublin comeback was aborted.


1944 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, All-Ireland final, Match report
At the other end of the field Joe Kelly was still producing some dazzling solo runs while also capturing Cork's second goal of the game. Johnny Quirke and Jim Morrisson tacked on a few more points for Cork, however, by this stage the game was far beyond Dublin's reach. At the final whistle Cork were declared the winners by 2–13 to 1–2.


1944 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, All-Ireland final, Match report
Joe Kelly and Tom Mulcahy were regarded by the public as the heroes of the team and were duly chaired off the field. Seán Condon later became the fourth Cork player in as many years to collect the Liam McCarthy Cup. Nine players set a record by collecting their fourth consecutive All-Ireland medals; Jack Lynch, Willie Murphy, Batt Thornhill, Alan Lotty, Johnny Quirke, Christy Ring, Din Joe Buckley, Jim Young and Paddy O'Donovan.


1944 All-Pacific Coast football team
The 1944 All-Pacific Coast football team consists of American football players chosen by various organizations for All-Pacific Coast teams for the 1944 college football season. The organizations selecting teams in 1944 included the Associated Press (AP) and the United Press (UP).


1944 All-Pacific Coast football team
The USC Trojans won the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) championship with an 8–0–2 record, finished the season ranked #7 in the final AP Poll, and had five players named to the first team by either the AP or UP: halfbacks Gordon Gray (AP, UP) and Jim Hardy (AP, UP), ends Jim Callanan (AP, UP) and Don Hardy (AP, UP), and tackle John Ferraro (AP, UP).


1944 All-Pacific Coast football team
The Washington Huskies finished second in the PCC with a 5-3-0 record and placed two players on the first team: quarterback Keith DeCourcey (AP, UP) and guard Jim McCurdy (AP, UP). Despite a 3-6-1 record, the California Golden Bears also placed two players on the first team: guard Bill Hachten (AP, UP) and center Roger Harding (AP, UP).


1944 All-Pacific Coast football team
Two players from teams outside the PCC received first-team honors. They were tackles James Turner of the Pacific Tigers (coached by Amos Alonzo Stagg) and Bob McClure (UP) of Nevada.


1944 All-Pacific Coast football team, Key
Bold = Consensus first-team selection of both the AP and UP


1944 All-Pro Team
The 1944 All-Pro Team consisted of American football players who were chosen by various selectors for the All-Pro team for the 1944 football season. Teams were selected by, among others, the Associated Press (AP), the United Press (UP), the International News Service (INS), Pro Football Illustrated, and the New York Daily News (NYDN).


1944 All-SEC football team
The 1944 All-SEC football team consists of American football players selected to the All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) chosen by various selectors for the 1944 college football season. Georgia Tech won the conference.


1944 All-SEC football team, Key
Bold = Consensus first-team selection by both AP and UP


1944 All-Service football team
The 1944 All-Service football team is composed of American football players who were selected as by various organizations and writers as the best football players at their respective positions who were serving in the military and playing on military service football teams in 1944.


1944 All-Southwest Conference football team
The 1944 All-Southwest Conference football team consists of American football players chosen by various organizations for All-Southwest Conference teams for the 1944 college football season. The selectors for the 1944 season included the Associated Press (AP) and the United Press (UP).


1944 All-Southwest Conference football team, Key
Bold = Consensus first-team selection of both the AP and UP


1944 Allan Cup
The 1944 Allan Cup was the Canadian national senior ice hockey championship for the 1943-44 Senior season.


1944 Amateur World Series
The 1944 Amateur World Series was the seventh Amateur World Series (AWS), an international men's amateur baseball tournament. The tournament was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation (which titled it the Baseball World Cup as of the 1988 tournament). The tournament took place, for the first  time, in Venezuela. It was contested by four national teams playing twelve games each from October 12 through November 18 in Caracas. Venezuela won their second AWS title, though in controversial fashion.


1944 Amateur World Series
Controversy surrounded the tournament with umpiring decisions. The Dominican Republic led Venezuela going into the 9th. In the top of the inning, Venezuela rallied to take the lead. In the bottom of the inning, the umpire called the game early due to bad light, reverting the 9th inning and making the Dominican Republic the winner.


1944 Amateur World Series
More controversial umpiring played a role in a Cuba–Venezuela game in the final phase of the event. After a Venezuelan errored the ball during a close play at first, a photographer came over and threw the ball to one of the Venezuelan players, which led to an out. The Cuban manager protested the call and was told by the umpires that photographers were allowed to intervene in play. Due to this, Cuba withdrew from the Cup and their remaining game was forfeited; they were credited with a third-place finish nonetheless.


1944 Amateur World Series
Cuba's withdrawal was closely followed by that of Mexico, who also withdrew from the tournament after more controversial umpiring decisions in favour of Venezuela, forfeiting the final round and finishing second.


1944 Appalachians tornado outbreak
The 1944 Appalachians tornado outbreak was a deadly tornado outbreak that hit the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States on June 22–23, 1944. The outbreak produced several strong tornadoes in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Maryland—areas that were falsely believed to be immune to tornadoes. Particularly hard hit was the town of Shinnston in Harrison County, West Virginia, which was destroyed by a violent F4 tornado before 9:00 PM EDT on June 23.


1944 Appalachians tornado outbreak
A total of 30 people died at Shinnston and at least 104 were killed in the state of West Virginia by this and two other intense tornadoes. The outbreak itself was and still remains the deadliest tornado outbreak ever to hit the state of West Virginia. The Shinnston tornado was and is the only tornado to produce violent damage in West Virginia.


1944 Argentine Film Critics Association Awards
The 1944 Argentine Film Critics Association Awards ceremony was held in Buenos Aires on 4 April 1944  to honour the best films and contributors to Argentine cinema in 1943.


1944 Argentine Primera División
The 1944 Argentine Primera División was the 53rd season of top-flight football in Argentina. The season began on April 16 and ended on November 26.


1944 Argentine Primera División
Boca Juniors won the championship, achieving its 12th league title. Vélez Sársfield returned after promoting last year while Banfield was relegated.


1944 Arizona gubernatorial election
The 1944 Arizona gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 1944. Incumbent Governor Sidney Preston Osborn ran for reelection, and easily won the Democratic primary, with only token opposition as former Governor Robert Taylor Jones declined to challenge Osborn to a rematch following two losses, in 1940 and 1942.


1944 Arizona gubernatorial election
In a virtually identical race to 1940 and 1942, Sidney Preston Osborn defeated Jerrie W. Lee in the general election, and was sworn into his third term as Governor on January 2, 1945.


1944 Arizona gubernatorial election, Democratic primary
The Democratic primary took place on July 18, 1944. Incumbent Governor Sidney Preston Osborn ran for reelection, and defeated State Senator William Coxon easily, with former Governor Robert Taylor Jones declining to challenge Osborn after losing to him twice in the past two election cycles in 1940 and 1942.


1944 Arkansas Razorbacks football team
The 1944 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the University of Arkansas in the Southwest Conference (SWC) during the 1944 college football season. In their first year under head coach Glen Rose, the Razorbacks compiled a 5–5–1 record (2–2–1 against SWC opponents), finished in third place in the SWC, and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 161 to 120.


1944 Arkansas gubernatorial election
The 1944 Arkansas gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1944.


1944 Arkansas gubernatorial election
Incumbent Democratic Governor Homer Martin Adkins did not seek a third term, instead running unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate.


1944 Arkansas gubernatorial election
Democratic nominee Benjamin Travis Laney defeated Republican nominee Harley C. Stump with 85.96% of the vote.


1944 Arkansas gubernatorial election, Democratic primary
The Democratic primary election was held on July 25, 1944, with the Democratic runoff scheduled for August 8, 1944 if no candidate won over 50% of the vote.


1944 Arkansas gubernatorial election, Democratic primary, Results
Sims withdrew from a runoff, and Laney became the Democratic nominee.


1944 Army Cadets football team
The 1944 Army Cadets football team represented the United States Military Academy in the 1944 college football season. Led by head coach Earl Blaik, the team finished with a perfect 9–0 season. The Black Knights offense scored 504 points, while the defense allowed 35 points. At the season’s end, the team won a national championship. The team captain was Tom Lombardo. In 1950, Lombardo was killed in action during the Korean War.


1944 Assembly of Representatives election
Elections to the Assembly of Representatives were held in Mandatory Palestine on 2 August 1944. Just over 200,000 Jewish residents voted, more than 70% of all those eligible to vote. This compared with just over 50,000 who voted at the previous elections in 1931. The difference reflected the high level of Jewish immigration to Palestine in the 1930s and 1940s.


1944 Assembly of Representatives election, Campaign
A total of 24 parties contested the elections, nominating 1,694 candidates. However, the Revisionist-Zionist Hatzohar party, Sephardic Jews, the General Zionist Group “B” and the Jewish Farmers Association boycotted the elections.


1944 Assembly of Representatives election, Results
Around 80% of the elected Assembly members supported the Biltmore Declaration, which demanded the creation of a "Jewish Commonwealth" after World War II.


1944 Atlantic hurricane season
The 1944 Atlantic hurricane season featured the first instance of upper-tropospheric observations from radiosonde – a telemetry device used to record weather data in the atmosphere – being incorporated into tropical cyclone track forecasting for a fully developed hurricane. The season officially began on June 15, 1944, and ended on November 15, 1944. These dates describe the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic basin. The season's first cyclone developed on July 13, while the final system became an extratropical cyclone by November 13. The season was fairly active season, with 14 tropical storms, 8 hurricanes, and 3 major hurricanes. In real-time, forecasters at the Weather Bureau tracked eleven tropical storms, but later analysis uncovered evidence of three previously unclassified tropical storms.


1944 Atlantic hurricane season
The strongest storm of the season was the Great Atlantic hurricane, which struck Long Island and New England and later Atlantic Canada after becoming extratropical, causing about $100 million (1944 USD) in damage across the East Coast of the United States and Atlantic Canada, as well as at least 391 deaths, most of which occurred at sea. The Jamaica hurricane and Cuba–Florida hurricane were also powerful and left major impacts. The former inflicted "several millions of dollars" in damage in Jamaica, while 116 deaths were recorded throughout its path.


1944 Atlantic hurricane season
The Cuba–Florida hurricane devastated both regions, resulting in at least 318 fatalities and damage exceeding $100 million. A hurricane which struck Mexico in late September caused between 200 and 300 deaths in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec due to flooding. Collectively, the tropical cyclones during the 1944 season caused about $202 million in damage and at least 1,025 fatalities.


1944 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal summary
The Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 15 and ended on November 15. A total of 21 tropical cyclones developed. Fourteen of those cyclone intensified into tropical storms, the most since 1936, while eight of those reached hurricane status, the highest number since 1933. Three of those hurricanes intensified into major hurricanes. The season included the first instance of upper-atmosphere data via radiosonde being successfully incorporated into tropical cyclone track forecasting for a fully developed hurricane, which occurred as the Cuba–Florida hurricane approached Cuba. Collectively, the tropical cyclones of the 1944 Atlantic hurricane season caused approximately $202 million in damage and at least 1,025 fatalities.


1944 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal summary
Tropical cyclogenesis is believed to have begun with Hurricane One on July 13. Two other tropical cyclones formed in July. Four systems developed in August, two tropical depressions, a tropical storm, and a hurricane – the Jamaica hurricane. The month of September featured the most activity, which included a tropical depression, three tropical storms, and three hurricanes. One of the hurricanes, the Great Atlantic hurricane, became the most intense tropical cyclone of the season, peaking with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph (230 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 933 mbar (27.6 inHg). During October, a subtropical depression, two tropical depressions, and two hurricanes developed. November featured a tropical storm and a subtropical depression, the latter of which was absorbed by a frontal system on November 14, marking the conclusion of cyclonic activity for the season.


1944 Atlantic hurricane season, Seasonal summary
The season's total activity was reflected with an accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) rating of 104, the highest total since 1935. ACE is a measure of the power of a tropical storm multiplied by the length of time it existed. Therefore, a storm with a longer duration will have high values of ACE. It is only calculated at six-hour increments in which specific tropical and subtropical systems are either at or above sustained wind speeds of 39 mph (63 km/h), which is the threshold for tropical storm intensity. Thus, tropical depressions are not included here.


1944 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane One
A tropical wave was noted near Grenada on July 11; it organized into the season's first tropical depression two days later around 06:00 UTC while situated near Navidad Bank in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Upon designation, the Weather Bureau planned reconnaissance flights for the first time ever to fly into a newly formed cyclone. It intensified as it moved northwest, attaining tropical storm intensity by 00:00 UTC on July 14 and further strengthening into the season's first hurricane around 06:00 UTC on July 16.


1944 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane One
After reaching peak winds of 80 mph (130 km/h), the hurricane recurved toward the northeast and began to weaken, though Bermuda reported winds near 40 mph (65 km/h) upon the storm's closest approach. It transitioned into an extratropical cyclone around 00:00 UTC on July 19 and continued into the northern Atlantic, where it was absorbed by a larger extratropical low southeast of Newfoundland the next day.


1944 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Two
A tropical wave organized into a tropical storm east of Barbados around 06:00 UTC on July 24, although it is possible the system existed farther east in the absence of widespread observations. The system passed near Martinique, where Fort-de-France recorded sustained winds up to 55 mph (89 km/h), before continuing on a west-northwest course through the Caribbean Sea. Though it was initially believed the storm struck Haiti, where considerable damage was reported along the coastline near Port-au-Prince, and ultimately deteriorated, modern reanalysis suggests the cyclone continued south of the island. The system was then intercepted by strong wind shear that led to its dissipation west-southwest of Jamaica by 18:00 UTC on July 27. Its remnants continued westward and were last reported north of Honduras the following day.


1944 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Three
A tropical wave organized into a tropical storm about 135 mi (215 km) east of Cockburn Town in the Turks and Caicos Islands around 12:00 UTC on July 30. The newly formed system intensified on a west-northwest course parallel to the Bahamas, attaining hurricane strength by 00:00 UTC on August 1. From there, it curved toward the north before making landfall on Oak Island, North Carolina, with peak winds of 80 mph (130 km/h) at 23:00 UTC. The system weakened as it progressed through the Mid-Atlantic and into the northwestern Atlantic, and it was last considered a tropical depression around 06:00 UTC on August 4 about 105 mi (165 km) east of Nantucket.


1944 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Three
Despite the storm's small size, it produced wind gusts of 72 mph (116 km/h) in Wilmington, North Carolina, where the hurricane unroofed many houses, felled communication lines, shattered glass windows, and uprooted hundreds of trees. Throughout Carolina Beach and Wrightsville Beach, an unusually high tide—combined with waves perhaps as large as 30 ft (9 m)—demolished several cottages and homes, or otherwise swept the structures off their foundations. The former city suffered a disastrous hit as its boardwalk was destroyed, while in Wrightsville Beach, local police estimated that the water reached 18 ft (5 m) by its city hall.


1944 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Three
Two fishing piers were destroyed in each city. Crops sustained catastrophic loss throughout coastal beach counties. Rainfall was moderate, reaching 3–5 in (76–127 mm) across eastern North Carolina, with a maximum storm-total amount of 7.7 in (195.6 mm) in Cheltenham, Maryland. Damage reached $2 million. As the cyclone exited into the Atlantic, it produced a gust of 38 mph (61 km/h) in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Though no fatalities occurred along the storm's path due to mass evacuations, there were a few people who suffered serious injuries.


1944 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Four
The fourth cyclone of the season was first noted as a strong tropical storm east of Barbados around 18:00 UTC on August 16. The small storm passed over Grenada and into the eastern Caribbean Sea, where it quickly intensified into a hurricane. On a west-northwest course, the system organized into the season's first Category 3 major hurricane around 12:00 UTC on August 19, attaining peak winds of 120 mph (195 km/h) six hours later. The hurricane grazed the northern coastline of Jamaica and continued westward while weakening slightly.


1944 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Four
The cyclone made a second landfall near Playa del Carmen on the Yucatán Peninsula with winds of 90 mph (150 km/h) early on August 22. The cyclone entered the Bay of Campeche as a strong tropical storm weakened to sustained winds of 40 mph (65 km/h) before moving ashore just north of Tecolutla, Veracruz. Then, it quickly dissipated by 12:00 UTC on August 24.


1944 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Four
As the cyclone entered the Caribbean, it intercepted a British vessel which then went missing, with all 74 passengers aboard presumed dead. Across Jamaica, numerous buildings were heavily damaged, including light-frame dwellings that were blown down or crushed under fallen trees. Significant crop loss was observed, with 41% of coconut trees and 90% of banana trees destroyed; in some cases, every tree fell over in the coconut plantations. Two railway vans, each weighing 14.5 t (29,000 lbs), were overturned; as such, it was estimated that gusts reached 100–120 mph (160–195 km/h) along the northeastern coastline. At least 30 people were killed across the island. In the Cayman Islands, wind gusts topped 80 mph (130 km/h), though no damage was reported. Overall, the storm killed at least 116 people.


1944 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Five
A tropical wave was first noted passing through the Windward Islands on August 13. Trekking through the Caribbean Sea, the system coalesced into a tropical depression about 115 mi (185 km) east of the Isla de Cozumel by 12:00 UTC on August 18. Narrowly missing the Yucatán Peninsula, the system continued west-northwest into the central Gulf of Mexico, where it attained tropical storm intensity by 18:00 UTC on August 19 and reached peak winds of 60 mph (95 km/h) on August 21.


1944 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Five
The system moved ashore northeast of San Fernando, Tamaulipas, with slightly weaker winds of 50 mph (85 km/h) before progressing inland and dissipating by 06:00 UTC on August 23. Little impact was noted from the cyclone, with an observation station in northeastern Nuevo León recording a wind gust of only 17 mph (27 km/h). However, the storm did produce a maximum gust of 45 mph (72 km/h) in Brownsville, Texas. Rainfall in the Rio Grande Valley was mostly beneficial due to drought conditions.


1944 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Six
On September 8, a weak area of low pressure developed along the tail-end of a stationary front across the northern Gulf of Mexico. It quickly organized into a tropical depression by 00:00 UTC the next day, positioned about 170 mi (275 km) southeast of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, and further attained tropical storm intensity twelve hours later. The fledgling system moved north and then northeast, making its first landfall along the Mississippi River Delta with peak winds of 65 mph (100 km/h) around 19:00 UTC on September 10. The system made its second landfall along Dauphin Island, Alabama, at 23:00 UTC at a slightly reduced intensity. It dissipated by 12:00 UTC on September 11 and was last documented about 40 mi (65 km) southwest of Montgomery, Alabama.


1944 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Six
As the cyclone moved ashore, Mobile, Alabama, recorded its highest 24-hour rainfall total – 7.04 in (179 mm) – since 1937. The streets of the city were inundated by flood waters, sustaining considerable damage alongside bridges. The Mobile River reached a height of 3.8 ft (1.2 m) above sea level, its highest crest since 1932. Pensacola, Florida, recorded sustained winds of 54 mph (87 km/h) that resulted in about $500 worth of damage from damaged dwelling roofs. Tides peaked around 1 ft (0.3 m).


1944 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Seven
Observations from a reconnaissance aircraft flight indicated that a tropical wave had developed into a tropical cyclone on September 9 about 300 mi (485 km) northeast of the Lesser Antilles. Already at tropical storm intensity, the system strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane about 24 hours later as it tracked west-northwestward. The storm intensified further, reaching major hurricane status early on September 12. Several hours later, the storm strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane on the modern-day Saffir–Simpson scale. The hurricane then curved north-northwestward on September 13.


1944 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Seven
At 17:00 UTC that day, the crew of a ship near the hurricane – then centered northeast of the Bahamas – observed a barometric pressure of 933 mbar (27.6 inHg), the lowest in association to the storm. Based on the pressure-wind relationship, sustained wind speeds likely peaked at 145 mph (230 km/h). Early on September 14, the hurricane weakened to a to Category 3 intensity, several hours before passing just offshore North Carolina.


1944 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Seven
The cyclone weakened further to a Category 2 prior to making landfall near East Hampton, New York, around 02:00 UTC on September 15 and near Charlestown, Rhode Island, about two hours later. The storm emerged into the Gulf of Maine and then transitioned into an extratropical cyclone near Mount Desert Island, Maine. The extratropical remnants continued east-northeastward across Atlantic Canada before dissipating over the far north Atlantic on September 16.


1944 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Seven
The cyclone produced hurricane-force winds along the East Coast of the United States from North Carolina to Massachusetts. Sustained winds in North Carolina peaked at 110 mph (180 km/h) at Hatteras. Across the state, the hurricane damaged 316 homes and destroyed 28 others, while 351 buildings were damaged and 80 others were destroyed. In Virginia, Cape Henry recorded a sustained wind of 134 mph (216 km/h), which is Category 4 intensity. However, the sustained wind speed was recorded at a 30-second duration, rather than 1-minute, while the anemometer height was about 52 ft (16 m) above ground.


1944 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Seven
Instead, the state likely experienced sustained winds up to Category 2 intensity. Throughout Virginia, 1,350 homes suffered some degree of damage, while 782 buildings were damaged and 31 others were demolished. In Maryland, the storm damaged 650 homes, while the cyclone also damaged 300 buildings and destroyed 15 others. The storm damaged about 1,800 homes and 850 buildings in Delaware. New Jersey that experienced the most damages from the hurricane, especially due to storm surge and sustained winds up to 91 mph (146 km/h) in Atlantic City.


1944 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Seven
Throughout the state, the cyclone demolished 463 homes and 217 buildings, while damaging 3,066 other homes and 635 other buildings. The storm produced hurricane-force winds in coastal New York, including in New York City, as well as waves up to 6.4 ft (2.0 m) above mean low tide. A total 117 homes and 272 buildings were destroyed and 2,427 homes and 852 suffered some degree of structural impact. In Connecticut, the hurricane demolished 60 residences and 500 buildings, while causing damage to 5,136 dwellings and 4,550 other structures.


1944 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Seven
Rhode Island observed hurricane-force winds and tides up to 12 ft (3.7 m) above mean low tide at the city of Providence. Within the state, the cyclone wrecked 23 homes and 368 buildings and damaged 5,525 homes and 7,597 buildings. Massachusetts reported similar conditions, especially near the coast. The hurricane destroyed 230 homes and 158 buildings and inflicted some degree of damage to 3,898 homes and 915 buildings. Overall, the hurricane caused about $100 million in damage and 46 deaths on land in the United States.


1944 Atlantic hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Seven
Additionally, at least 344 people were killed at sea due to maritime incidents relating to the storm. The largest number of deaths occurred when the USS Warrington sunk about 450 mi (725 km) east of Vero Beach, Florida, leading to the deaths of 248 sailors. In Canada, the Atlantic provinces reported some wind damage to buildings, homes, and trees, as well as power outages. One person died in Nova Scotia due to electrocution.