World War II in real time

[lordroel]

Day 2054 of World War II, April 25th 1945

Eastern Front

Soviet forces complete the encirclement of Berlin near Ketzin. Zhukov's tanks, sweeping across the northern suburbs, have cut all the roads leading to the west and yesterday linked up with Konev's drive from the south at Ketzin. Inside the city, government buildings in the Wilhelmstraße are under point-blank fire from field guns. Tegel is captured by elements of the 47th Army and Reinickendorf by the 12th Guards Tank Corps. A relief attack by the 3rd Panzer Corps from the area of Eberswalde, 50 miles northeast of Berlin fails. Pillam in East Prussia falls to the Russians. Since early in the year, about 140,000 wounded and 40,000 refugees have been evacuated to the west from Pillau. A few German troops continue to hold out at the tip of the Samland Peninsula.

Map: Map of the Battle of Berlin, phase of 16-25 April 1945



Lapland War

The last German troops leave Finnish territory around Kilpisjärvi, in far north-western Finland.

Western Front (1945) - Western Allied invasion of Germany

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, April 25th 1945



Elements of US 1st Army link up with the Soviet forces at Torgau on the Elbe River.

Map: Special Map Showing Contact Between Gen. Hodges' First U.S. Army and Gen. Jadov's Firth U.S.S.R. Army 25 April 1945



YouTube (East meets West: Soviet and American soldiers meet near the Elbe River in Torgau)



US 3rd Army crosses the Danube near Regensburg and assault the city.

Photo: Infantry of the King's Own Scottish Borderers engage the Germans with rifle and Bren gun fire in a street in Bremen, 25 April 1945



Photo: "Crews of U.S. light tanks stand by awaiting call to clean out scattered Nazi machine gun nests in Coburg, Germany," 25 April 1945



Photo: Loyd carriers towing 6-pdr anti-tank guns of 3rd Division moving into Bremen, 25 April 1945



Photo: Former slave workers in Bremen welcome the arrival of British Churchill tanks, 25 April 1945



Photo: Sherman tanks and infantry enter Bremen, 25 April 1945



Photo: A Sherman tank of 7th Royal Tank Regiment advances cautiously down a street in Bremen, 25 April 1945



Air War over Europe

The US 8th Air Force makes its last bombing mission from England when 554 B-17s and B-24s attack airfields and rail targets in Czechoslovakia and southeastern Germany. Mission 968: 589 bombers and 486 fighters fly the final heavy bomber mission against an industrial target, airfields and rail targets in SE Germany and Czechoslovakia; they claim 1-1-0 Luftwaffe aircraft (including an Ar 234 jet); 6 bombers and 1 fighter are lost: 1. 307 B-17s are sent to hit the airfield (78) and Skokda armament works at Pilsen, Czechoslovakia; 6 B-17s are lost, 4 damaged beyond repair and 180 damaged; 8 airmen are WIA and 42 MIA. Escorting are 188 of 206 P-51s. 2. 282 B-24s are sent to hit marshalling yards at Salzburg (109), Bad Reichenhall (56) and Hallein (57) and electrical transformers at Traunstein (56); 20 B-24s are damaged; 1 airman is WIA. The escort is 203 of 216 P-51s; they claim 1-0-0 aircraft in the air. 3. 17 of 19 P-51s fly a sweep of the Prague-Linz area claiming 0-1-0 aircraft in the air; 1 P-51 is lost. 4. 17 of 19 P-51s fly a screening mission. 5. 4 P-51s escort 2 OA-10s on an air-sea-rescue mission. 6. 22 P-51s escort 5 F-5s on photo reconnaissance missions over Germany and Czechoslovakia. 7. 88 of 98 P-51s escort RAF bombers. Mission 969: During the night of 25/26 Apr, 11 B-24s drop leaflets in France, the Netherlands and Germany. 12 B-24s and 1 A-26 are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER missions to Norway; 7 aircraft complete the mission.

(Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 296 A-20s, A-26s and B-26s strike Erding Airfield and Freilassing ordnance depot; fighters fly airfield cover and escort missions, and operate in conjunction with the US XII Corps as it pushes along the N bank of the Danube River SE of Passau and support the XX Corps on the Danube at Regensburg and surrounding areas.

375 RAF Lancaster and Mosquito bombers drop six-ton bombs on Hitler's home at Berchtesgaden. Escorted by 98 Mustangs of the US Eighth Army Air Force and 13 Mustang squadrons of RAF Fighter Command, the bombers flew low, taking cover from the anti-aircraft fire behind mountains, until they were almost over the target, and then dropped their bombs. The Times reported on the attack that twelve 1,000-lb bombs, fused for deep penetration, were used against the Berghof chalet, and large numbers of 4,000-lb and 1,000-lb bombs were dropped on the SS barracks. After the second run, and with two Lancasters missing, the anti-aircraft batteries had been silenced. When it was all over, most of the buildings on the Obersalzburg were smoking ruins. Most of the squadrons taking part in the raids on this day were flying their last operations of the war.

Photo: Vertical aerial photograph taken during the daylight raid on Adolf Hitler's chalet complex and the SS guard barracks at Obersalzberg near Berchtesgaden, Germany, by 359 Avro Lancasters and 16 De Havilland Mosquitos of Nos. 1, 5 and 8 Groups. The SS barracks are at upper left, partly obscured by smoke from the attack. Hitler's chalet, the Berghof, is at lower centre, and the Pension Platterhof and Hitler's guest house are on the right. The bombing was reported to be accurate and effective, 25 April 1945



The fighter groups including the 78th fly their last combat missions.

Tonight an oil target at Vallo is the subject of the last raid by RAF Lancasters of the war. 107 Lancasters and 12 Mosquitos of No 5 Group attacked the oil refinery in Tonsberg in Southern Norway in the last raid flown by heavy bombers. The attack was accurately carried out and the target was severely damaged. A Lancaster of No 463 Squadron came down in Sweden, the last of more than 3,300 Lancasters lost in the war; Flying Officer A Cox and his all-British crew all survived and were interned in Sweden until the end of the war - only a few days away.

HQ 97th Combat Bombardment Wing (Light) from Marchais to Arrancy, France; HQ 397th Bombardment Group (Medium) and 597th, 598th and 599th Bombardment Squadrons from Peronne, France to Venlo, the Netherlands with B-26s; 33d Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Group, from Gutersloh to Brunswick, Germany with F-5s; 492d Fighter Squadron, 48th Fighter Group, from Kassel to Illesheim, Germany with P-47s.

(Fifteenth Air Force): In Austria, 467 B-17s and B-24s bomb the main marshalling yard station, and sidings, N and S main marshalling yards and freight yard at Linz, the major Austrian traffic center along the railline running N to Prague, Czechoslovakia, plus the Wels marshalling yard (an alternate) and several targets of opportunity. 119 P-38s and P-51s fly armed reconnaissance over N Italy, a few strafing road traffic. The P-38s dive-bomb road and rail bridges and raillines. P-38s and P-51s fly almost 300 sorties in escort of the heavy bombers, P-38 reconnaissance flights, and MATAF B-26 raids.

Wangerooge: 482 RAF aircraft - 308 Halifaxes, 158 Lancasters, 16 Mosquitos - of Nos 4, 6 and 8 Groups. 5 Halifaxes and 2 Lancasters lost. The raid was intended to knock out the coastal batteries on this Frisian island which controlled the approaches to the ports of Bremen and Wilhelmshaven. No doubt the experience of Antwerp, when guns on the approaches had prevented the port being used for several weeks, prompted this raid. The weather was clear and bombing was accurate until smoke and dust obscured the target area. The areas around the batteries were pitted with craters but the concreted gun positions were 'hardly damaged'; they were all capable of firing within a few hours. Part of the bombing hit a camp for forced workers and the holiday resort and many buildings were destroyed, including several hotels and guest houses, the Catholic church and two children's holiday homes, although these do not appear to have been occupied at the time of the bombing. 6 of the 7 bombers lost were involved in collisions - 2 Halifaxes of 7No 6 Squadron, 2 Lancasters of No 431 Squadron and 2 Halifaxes of Nos 408 and 426 Squadrons (both from Leeming airfield). There was only 1 survivor, from one of the No 76 Squadron aircraft. 28 Canadian and 13 British airmen were killed in the collisions. The seventh aircraft lost was a Halifax of No 347 (Free French) Squadron, whose crew were all killed.

82 RAF Mosquitos to Pasing airfield and 18 to Kiel, 9 RCM sorties, 35 Mosquito patrols, 14 Lancasters minelaying in Oslo Fjord (the last minelaying operation of the war), 12 Mosquitos of No 8 Group dropping leaflets over prisoner-of-war camps.

Photo: The German cruiser Lützow, damaged by British bombers, in the Kaiserfahrt canal (today Kanał Piastowski) in western Pomerania, Germany (today Poland), on 25 April 1945



Italian campaign

German resistance begins to collapse as Mantua, Parma and Verona fall to the Allies. Just 40 miles away, Mussolini flees to Como. Uprisings in Milan and Genoa are aided by Partisans.

(Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, all combat operations are aimed at plugging retreat routes and disrupting transport in the N Po Valley and points to the N; medium bombers hit the Adige River crossing at Cavarzere and marshalling yard at Gorizia, and attack 5 bridges and fills on the Brenner line in Austria and N Italy, damaging 2 of the targets; fighters and fighter-bombers harass the retreating forces in the N Po Valley; during the night of 24/25 Apr, A-20s and A-26s and night fighters attack the crossings of the Adige and Po Rivers and the Canale Bianco, and strike airfields at Villafranca di Verona, Udine, and Bergamo, and marshalling yards at Brescia and Verona.

Battle of the Atlantic

Destroyers HMS 'Iroquois', 'Haida' and 'Huron' arrive Kola Inlet with Convoy JW-66.

'U-326' sunk in the Bay of Biscay west of Brest in position 48.12N, 05.42W by a homing torpedo from a USN VPB-103 Sqn Liberator. 43 dead (all hands lost).

German submarine U-1107 is sunk by naval land-based aircraft (VPB 103) in English Channel, 48°12'N, 05°42'W.

United States

Representatives from 46 nations met in San Francisco, California, United States for the United Nations Conference on International Organization.

US Secretary of War Stimson and General Leslie Groves arrive at the White House. They are here to brief President Truman on the Manhattan Project -- "S1" as Stimson preferred to call it. Stimson meets alone with Truman at first. A memo of several pages, was given to Truman. Finished by Stimson that morning, it begins: "Within four months we shall in all probability have completed the most terrible weapon ever known in human history, one bomb of which could destroy a whole city." The memo acknowledges the shared development, by the US and Great Britain, of this "most terrible weapon". General Groves then joins them with a memo of 25 pages on the status of the Manhattan Project. After President Truman reads this, Stimson and Groves answer his questions. Stimson asked for an authorization to establish an advisory committee to "advise" the President regarding the implications and decisions of "this new force". The request is approved. This is Truman's first briefing of specific activities at Hanford, Washington and other locations within the US. Truman had first become aware of the huge government activity during 1943 as Chairman of the "Truman Committee". At that time, after assurances by Col. Stimson, he kept the committee away from any serious investigations of the Manhattan Project.

Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): 2 B-24s bomb the railroad yards at Hongay, French Indochina. In China, 4 B-25s and 4 P-47s damage a bridge and knock out an AA position N of Anyang; 50+ P-47s and P-51s hit river, road, and rail targets, troops, horses, and buildings in areas around Loning, Hsihhsiassuchi, Linfen, Kuanshuishih, Saiping, Yungcheng, Sichuan, and Tsingsinghsien.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 16 P-38s attack truck parks, fuel dumps, and supply areas at Hopong and Hotang; 20 other P-38s hit troops at Wan Kinglong and at other points in the C Burma battle area; transports complete 445 sorties to forward areas, landing or dropping 624 tons of supplies. The 165th Liaison Squadron (Commando), 1st Air Commando Group, moves from Sinthe, Burma to Asansol, India with UC-64s and L-5s.

BURMA

In the Irrawaddy Valley, mopping up operations continue. Salin is captured by British forces. The British 33rd Corps advance is closing on Allanmyo. The British 5th Indian Division, in the Sittang Valley, continues to advance rapidly and captures of Perwegen. Japanese forces around Rangoon and in other parts of southern Burma are beginning to withdraw through Pegu to the east in order to withdraw into Thailand.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: B-24s bomb the harbor at Saigon, French Indochina, Balete Pass bridges and the airfields at Boeloedowang on Celebes Island and Basco.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

On Luzon, B-25s, A-20s, and fighters concentrate on Cagayan Valley bridges and support ground forces around Balete Pass, Baguio, and Solvee Cove; other FEAF support missions continue on S Luzon from Ipo Dam to New Bosoboso, E of Santa Maria, NE of Siniloan, Anuling, Monte Banahao, near Legaspi, and S of Camalig, and in the Monte Mandalagan-Monte Silay area.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 343, APRIL 25, 1945

A general advance was made by troops of the Twenty‑Fourth Army Corps on Okinawa on April 24 (East Longitude Date) resulting in the capture of Kakazu Town in the center and an important strong point at Hill 178 on the left flank. Our ground forces were supported by heavy Naval gunfire and low level attacks by aircraft of the Second Marine Aircraft Wing. Enemy de­fenses at Tanabaru were in process of being reduced as Army troops continued to advance on April 25.

Marines of the Third Amphibious Corps continued to patrol northern areas of the island on April 24 and 25.

As of 0600 on April 25, United States soldiers and Marines on Okinawa and surrounding islands had killed 21,269 of the enemy and had taken 399 prisoners of war. A total of 115,279 civilians have come under jurisdiction of U. S. Military Government authorities.

At the end of April 22, 889 soldiers of the Twenty‑Fourth Army Corps and 257 Marines of the Third Amphibious Corps had been killed in action on Okinawa. A total of 4,879 officers and men of the Twenty‑Fourth Army Corps were wounded and 289 were missing. The Third Amphibious Corps suffered 1,103 wounded and had 7 missing.

Carrier aircraft of the U. S. Pacific Fleet attacked airfield installations on islands of the Sakishima group on April 24.

Search planes of Fleet Air Wing One destroyed a small cargo ship, sank six fishing craft, sank a whaling vessel and damaged a small cargo ship in the water east of Kyushu on April 24.

On April 24 and 25, Corsair and Hellcat fighters of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing attacked targets in the Palau and Marine bombers and fighters struck runways and other installations on Yap in the Western Carolines.

The following are enemy killed and taken prisoner during mopping up operations on Iwo Island and islands of the Marianas and Palaus during the week of April 15 to April 21 inclusive

Iwo:

Killed, 360 ; prisoners of war, 246.

Saipan:

Killed, 4 ; prisoners of war, 7.

Tinian:

Prisoners of war, 38.

Guam

Killed, 38; prisoners of war, 21.

Peleliu:

Killed, 6.

PACIFIC

Carrier-based aircraft bomb enemy installations on Okino Daito Jima, Ryukyus.

Off Okinawa, escort carrier Steamer Bay (CVE-87) and destroyer Hale (DD-642) are damaged in collision, 24°48'N, 131°58'E.

High speed transport Horace A. Bass (APD-124) sinks Japanese submarine RO 109, 280 miles south-southeast of Okinawa, 21°58'N, 129°35'E.

Submarine Cod (SS-224) sinks Japanese minesweeper W.41 north of Keelung, Formosa, 26°10'N, 121°30'E.

USAAF B-24s bomb Japanese shipping at Saigon, French Indochina, sinking transport Kaiko Maru.

USAAF B-24s on anti-shipping sweep of Makassar Strait sink Japanese Shuttle Boat No.302 off Salinguigan Island 02°19'S, 117°14'E.

Japanese cargo vessel Sano Maru is damaged by mine in Yangtze River near Nanking.

[lordroel]

Day 2055 of World War II, April 26th 1945

Eastern Front

Russian tanks have crossed the Spree and reached the Jannowitz Bridge station within a few hundred yards of the Imperial Castle at the start of the Unter den Linden. General Wenck embarks on the last German offensive to relieve Berlin, but only manages to reach Ferch on the 27th April, before the offensive grinds to a halt. The remnants of 9.Armee (Busse) are cut off and surrounded in the Halbe pocket, 30 miles southwest of Frankfurt am der Oder. There is, however, a surge of optimism in Hitler's bunker as General Wenck has launched his relief attack from the west and has made good progress towards the capital. On the Russian side, there is dismay at Konev's HQ because Stalin has divided Berlin between his armies and drawn the boundary so that Konev's rival, Zhukov gets the plum prize, the Reichstag. Soviet artillery fire made the first direct hits on the Chancellery buildings and grounds directly above the Führerbunker.

Other Soviet units take the port of Stettin on the Baltic coast and Brno in Czechoslovakia.

Lapland War

Photo: The small Finnish flag raised first on the Three-Country Cairn, 26 April 1945



Western Front (1945) - Western Allied invasion of Germany

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, April 26th 1945



The British 2nd Army completes the capture of Bremen.

Photo: A Sherman tank and infantry advance into a heavily-bombed area of Bremen, 26 April 1945



Photo: Churchill tanks and a Kangaroo personnel carrier in Bremen, 26 April 1945



Photo: Lorry-mounted 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns in action against German positions in Bremen , 26 April 1945



Photo: German prisoners are marched into captivity while British infantry march on into Bremen, 26 April 1945



Photo: German prisoners, led by senior naval officers, are marched into captivity in Bremen, 26 April 1945. In the background is a huge reinforced concrete air-raid shelter, 26 April 1945



Photo: Soldiers of 52nd (Lowland) Division patrol the Europa dock area of Bremen, 26 April 1945



US 3rd Army units take Regensburg while other elements enter Austria. In the south, the French 1st Army reaches Lake Constance.

Photo: American and Soviet generals pose on the banks of the Elbe River near Torgau, Germany, where the two Allies linked up for the first time. Pictured from left to right are Brig. Gen. Charles G. Helmick (Commander of V Corps Artillery), Maj. Gen. Clarence R. Huebner (CG V Corps, First U.S. Army), Lt. Gen. Gleb Baklanov (Commanding General Soviet 34th Rifle Corps), and Maj. Gen. Vladimir Rusakov (Commanding General Soviet 58th Guards Rifle Division), 26 April 1945



Air War over Europe

(Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 125 bombers hit Plattling Airfield; fighters escort the bombers, fly airfield cover, carry out armed reconnaissance in Germany and Czechoslovakia, drop leaflets, and cooperate with the US XII Corps as its forces cross into Austria SE of Passau, and the XX Corps as it begins a full-scale assault across the Danube River at Regensburg; fighters claim 19 combat victories.

Operation Exodus: Bomber Command Lancasters now started flying to Brussels, and later to other airfields, to collect British prisoners of war recently liberated from their camps. 469 flights were made by aircraft of Nos 1, 5, 6 and 8 Groups before the war ended and approximately 75,000 men were brought back to England by the fastest possible means (unlike the end of the First World War when some British ex-prisoners were still not home by Christmas, although the Armistice was signed on 11 November 1918 ). There were no accidents during that part of Operation Exodus which was carried out before the war ended.

31 RAF Mosquitos to Husum, 28 each to Eggebek and Grossenbrode and 12 to Neumünster (all airfields in Schleswig-Holstein), 12 Mosquitos to Kiel, 4 Mosquito Intruders on patrols. No aircraft lost.

HQ IX Tactical Air Command from Lahn Airfield, Marburg to Weimar; 160th and 161st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadrons, 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Group, from Gutersloh to Brunswick with F-6s; 162d Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 10th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance), from Wiesbaden to Furth with F-6s.

Italian campaign

The US 5th Army moves towards the Brenner Pass and west towards Milan.

Photo: National Liberation Committee (CLN) fighters in Milan on 26 April 1945



The British 8th Army moves northeast towards Venice and Trieste.

Photo: Troops of "G" Co., 2nd Bn., 10th Mtn. Div., march down street in newly-liberated Verona. 26 April, 1945



Photo: Tanks of the 13th Armd. Bn., 1st Armd. Div., attached to the 10th Mtn. Div., passes down street in Verona, Italy. 26 April, 1945



The US 15th Air Force conducts it last bombing mission when B-24s diverted from the original targets in northern Italy attack marshalling yards at four locations in southern Austria. 107 B-24s bomb a motor transport depot at Tarvisio, Italy, and marshalling yards at Sachsenburg, Lienz, Spittal an der Drau, and Klagenfurt, Austria (all targets of opportunity); 117 B-17s and 196 B-24s, also dispatched against targets in N Italy, abort due to bad weather; 155 fighters provide escort; 75 P-38s and 102 P-51s fly armed reconnaissance over N Italy; of these, 12 P-38s and 48 P-51s strafe targets of opportunity; all of the P-38s dive-bomb rail lines and road bridges; 16 other P-38s dive-bomb the NW part of Alesso, Italy; reconnaissance and reconnaissance escort and supply escort missions by P-38s and P-51s continue as usual.

(Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 25/26 Apr, XXII Tactical Air Command aircraft hit marshalling yards, airfields, motor transport, and other communications targets, mainly in the N Po Valley; medium bombers complete 1 of 4 missions dispatched (clouds obscures 3 targets), hitting the Chioggia bridge and knocking out a span; XXII Tactical Air Command fighters and fighter-bombers attack enemy movement throughout the afternoon, destroying 150+ motor transport.

Germany

After Hermann Göring was suspended of his duties as the Luftwaffe commander-in-chief on 23 April 1945, Reitsch flew the German Luftwaffe Field Marshal Robert Ritter von Greim to Berlin, so that Greim could be appointed the new commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe by Hitler personally. Although a telegram could have accomplished this, Hitler had insisted Greim appear in person to receive his commission. But now, due to his wounded foot, Greim would be bedridden for three days in the bunker.

Hanna Reitsch attempted to convince Magda Goebbels at the Führerbunker in Berlin, Germany to let her take the Goebbels children to safety, but Goebbels refused to yield. In the evening, Adolf Hitler gave Reitsch a vial of poison before sending her on a mission out of Berlin, in case of her capture by the Soviets.

Obergruppenführer Hermann Fegelein, Eva Braun's Brother-in-law, deserted his station in the Chancellery bunkers in Berlin, Germany but was found hiding at his home in the Charlottenburg district by SS-Obersturmbannführer Peter Högl and arrested. After interrogation by the Gestapo in which he reveals Heinrich Himmler's treachery he was taken out into the Chancellery gardens and shot.

France

Marshal Petain is arrested when he crosses into France from Switzerland.

United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Franklin (CV-13) approaches New York City (USA), while en route to the New York Naval Shipyard for repairs, 26 April 1945. Note the extensive damage to her aft flight deck, received when she was hit by a Japanese air attack off the coast of Japan on 19 March 1945



Photo: USS Franklin (CV-13) approaches New York City, while en route to the New York Navy Yard for repairs, 26 April 1945. Note the extensive damage to her after flight deck, received when she was hit by a Japanese air attack off the coast of Japan on 19 March 1945. Photographed by Naval Air Station Lakehurst, New Jersey



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): 2 B-24s bomb docks at Hongay, French Indochina. In China, 10 B-25s and 4 P-47s knock out bridges near Wuchang and N of Taiku and damage a bridge near Kaifeng; 80+ fighter-bombers blast troops, horses, road and rail transport, tanks, gun positions, and targets of opportunity at numerous places in S and E China as the campaign against the occupying Japanese intensifies.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 30 P-38s and P-47s attack troop concentrations E of Wan Sing, at Naungtaw, and in the vicinity of Loilem; transports land or drop 553 tons of supplies at forward bases and frontline areas.

BURMA

Armor of the British 14th Army capture Toungoo in the drive south from Meiktila to Rangoon.

Photo: CMP 3-ton trucks make their way across a temporary bridge over a 'chaung' on the approach to Rangoon, 26 April 1945



JAPANESE OCCUPIED NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES

B-24s hit Miri Airfield and B-25s and fighters hit targets on Tarakan.

GUAM

Seventh Air Force: 13 B-24s from Guam bomb Eten. VII Fighter Command: Mission 6: An unknown number of P-51s escort B-29s to Japan.

(Twentieth Air Force): Missions 97 to 107: 195 B-29s (some escorted by fighters of the VII Fighter Command) bomb airfields at Usa, Oita, Saeki, Tomitaka, Imabari, Nittagahara, Miyazaki, Kanoya, Kokubu, and Miyakonojo, Japan; 41 other B-29s hit targets of opportunity.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force]: B-24s bomb Shanghai, China. On Formosa, B-25s hit the Heito sugar refinery and nearby targets of opportunitys and P-38s on a sweep also hit several targets of opportunity.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

There is a further American landing on Negros, this time by units of the Americal Division in the southwest of the island. The troops advance well inland before encountering Japanese resistance.

Photo: Pfc. Adolph Fox, Co. D., 130th Inf., from Detroit, Mich., firing at sniper positions from top of Monastery Hill, overlooking Baguio city, Luzon, P.I, 26 April 1945



B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers continue to fly numerous sorties in support of ground forces on N and S Luzon. B-24s join USMC aircraft in pounding Cebu targets. Unit moves: 12th Fighter Squadron, 18th FG, based at San Jose with P-38s, begins operating from Palawan; 421st Night Fighter Squadron, V Fighter Command, from San Marcelino to Clark Field with P-38s and P-61s.

VOLCANO AND RYUKYU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

On Okinawa, the US 24th Corps attacks the along the Japanese held Maeda Escarpment (Shuri Line). American armor reaches the reverse slope.

Destroyer Hutchins (DD-476) is damaged by depth charge, off Okinawa, 26°14'N, 127°49'E.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 344, APRIL 26, 1945

On April 26 (East Longitude Date), the troops of the Twenty‑Fourth Army Corps moved forward and secured positions on the high ground East of Urasoe Mura. Battleships and cruisers of the U. S. Pacific Fleet continued to give close gunfire support to the troops. A number of batteries, emplace­ments, structures and caves were destroyed by ships' guns. Aircraft from carriers and planes of the Second Marine Aircraft Wing attacked enemy in­stallations in the Southern sector of the Island. During the early hours of April 26, a few enemy aircraft approached our forces in the area around Okinawa and one was shot down.

Carrier aircraft of the U. S. Pacific Fleet continued neutralizing attacks on airfield installations in the Sakishima Group on April 25.

Search Aircraft of Fleet Air Wing One strafed and sank a number of fishing craft, a small picket boat and a torpedo boat and damaged a number of other small craft in the waters east of Kyushu on April 26.

Helldiver bombers of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing struck the air­field on Yap on April 26. On the same date, fighters of the same Wing bombed targets in the Palaus. On the previous day dive bombers of the same Wing continued neutralizing raids on the Marshalls.

Search Privateers of Fleet Air Wing Two bombed fuel and ammunition storage areas on Wake Island on April 25.

PACIFIC

Submarine Perch (SS-313) is damaged by depth charges off North Borneo, 05°32'N, 116°07'E, but remains on patrol.

British submarines HMS Solent and HMS Sleuth sink Japanese auxiliary minesweeper Wa.3 in Java Sea west of Kalambau Island 04°50'S, 115°40'E.

Mines sink Japanese auxiliary minesweeper Mejima Maru off Futaoi light, 34°04'N, 130°47'E; and merchant cargo ships Sanko Maru in Chochiku channel.

Japanese guardboat No.6 Chozan Maru is sunk by aircraft east of Kammon Strait, off Shimonoseki, Japan.

Japanese merchant cargo vessel Heiyu Maru is damaged by aircraft, 34°41'N, 128°54'E.

[lordroel]

Day 2056 of World War II, April 27th 1945

YouTube (The Battle of Berlin)



Eastern Front

In Berlin, the Soviet forces have captured the Templehof airfield and are making progress in Spandau, Grunewald and other areas. To the north of the capital, troops of 2nd Belorussian Front begin to advance rapidly, taking Prenzlau and Angermunde. The Russian 13th Army reaches Wittenberge on the Elbe River. The German 9th Army tries to reach Berlin from the southeast and begins a counterattack at Zossen. The German 20th Army does the same southeast of Belzig.

Lapland War

The last German forces leave Finland around Kilpisjärvi, the northwestern most tip of Finland. In this last day, two Finnish soldiers die, one is wounded and one goes missing in skirmishes with German patrols. During the seven-month war against Germany, Finns lose 774 KIA, 262 MIA and 2904 WIA. The German losses are estimated roughly equal.

Photo: Finnish soldiers raise the war flag at the three-country cairn between Norway, Sweden, and Finland, the end of World War II in Finland, 27 April 1945



Western Front (1945) - Western Allied invasion of Germany

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, April 27th 1945



A momentous announcement, revealing that Allied troops advancing from the west have linked up with the Russians on the river Elbe, was released simultaneously in London, Moscow and Washington this evening. The official version of the meeting places it at Torgau yesterday afternoon, when news cameramen were present to show American and Russian troops shaking hands on a wrecked railway bridge, and the commander of the US 69th Infantry Division, General F. E. Reinhardt, clasping hands with an unidentified Russian general of the 58th Guards Division. In fact the first meeting had occurred on 25 April, when a US patrol, led by Lt. Albert Kotzebue of the US 69th, spotted a solitary Soviet cavalryman near the village of Stehla. A few hours later, Lt. William Robinson met other Soviet soldiers at Torgau. In a radio message to his command post Kotzebue reported: "Mission accomplished. Making arrangements for meeting between commanding officers." The message ended with two significant words: "No casualties." - a reflection of western fears that a meeting with the Russians might lead to clashes.

Photo: Doughboys, tanks and other vehicles of the 86th Division, U.S. Third Army, push through the ruined town of Ingolstadt, Germany. 27 April, 1945



Photo: Lt-Gen Brian Horrocks, GOC 30 Corps (standing, second from right), studies maps with officers in a Universal carrier at the Europa Docks in Bremen, 27 April 1945



Photo: Tired infantrymen of the 99th Infantry Division, 3rd U.S. Army, rest in a covered area with their assault boats. Neustadt, Germany, 27 April, 1945



Air War over Europe

(Ninth Air Force): Weather grounds the 9th Bombardment Division. In Germany, fighters fly sweeps, airfield cover, and armed reconnaissance, and attack airfields; other fighters fly air cover for the US XII Corps as the 11th Armored Division reaches the Czech border N of Bischofsreuth and other elements move further into Austria toward Linz, and support the XX Corps as it receives the surrender of Regensburg and expands its Danube River bridgehead; the 72d Liaison Squadron, Ninth AF (attached to Sixth Army Group), moves from Kitzingen to Gmund with L-5s.

Italian campaign

Forces of US 5th Army liberate Genoa, which is already substantially controlled by Italian partisan forces.

Photo: American soldiers being greeted by civilians in Genoa. 27 April, 1945



Photo: 92nd Div. troops riding down street in newly-liberated Genoa pass PWs going to the rear. 27 April, 1945



Photo: Genoa, Italy. In this newly liberated city the 92nd Division troops enter the Galleria Guiseppe [sic] Garibaldi," 27 April 1945



Battle of the Atlantic

Frigate HMS 'Redmill' is attacked by 'U-1105' (Oberleutnant zur See Hans Joachim Schwarz) and loses her stern and propellers, but is able to be towed to Londonderry where she is paid off and not repaired. Location: Irish Sea 25 miles NW of Blacksod Bay at 54 23N 10 36W. There are 22 casualties.

Germany

The western Allies reply to the peace proposals Himmler offered earlier in the month with a total refusal and a reminder of the established demand for unconditional surrender.

Hitler's optimism evaporated today. Wenck has been stopped 15 miles short of Berlin and a breakout attempt by General Busse's trapped Ninth Army has been foiled while the Russians inexorably occupy Berlin, house by house, street by street, looting and raping as they go. Tonight the garrison is penned into a corridor three miles wide and ten miles long running east/west across the city. The SS rules there by way of instant execution. Hitler announces, "On the occasion of my death Ferdinand Schorner will take command of the German Army. In Hitler's last public appearance he decorated the Hitler Youth member Alfred Zeck from Goldenau with the Iron Cross. Zeck was only twelve years old becoming the youngest recipient of the prestigious medal.

United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Vogelgesang (DD-862) off Bethlehem Steel, Staten Island, New York (USA), on 27 April 1945



Photo: The U.S. Navy attack cargo ship USS Sidonia (AKA-42) underway in Narragansett Bay (USA) during builders sea trials, 27 April 1945



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 5 B-25s and 70+ fighter bombers attack bridges, positions, villages and town areas, gun emplacements, and river, road, and rail traffic at many points in S and E China chiefly around Fantung.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 37 P-38s and P-47s hit troop concentrations in the Wan Pong and Nawng Leng areas; 12 other fighter bombers sweep roads S of the bomb line; transports complete 408 sorties throughout the day, landing or dropping 618 tons of supplies at forward bases and frontline areas; the 166th Liaison Squadron (Commando), 1st Air Commando Group, moves from Meiktila to Toungoo with UC-64s and L-5s.

GUAM

(Seventh Air Force): 11 Guam Island-based B-24s bomb Woleai.

(Twentieth Air Force): Missions 108 to 113: 109 B-29s strike airfields at Izumi, Miyazaki, Kokubu, Miyakonojo, Kanoya, and Kushira on Kyushu Island, Japan; 3 B-29s hit targets of opportunity; 2 bombers are lost.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force]: The 550th Night Fighter Squadron, XIII Fighter Command (attached to 85th Fighter Wing), based at Tacloban, Leyte Island with P-38s, P-61s and P-70s, sends a detachment to operate from Zamboanga, Mindanao Island.

JAPANESE OCCUPIED NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES

A squadron of 3 cruisers and 6 destroyers, commanded by Admiral Berkey, make a preparatory bombardment of targets in the Tarakan area in the northeast of the island of Borneo.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

Baguio on Luzon in the Philippines is taken by US forces. On Luzon Island, B-25s attack Japanese installations at Cabatuan, La-lo, and Garit Norte; A-20s hit towns throughout the area; in S Luzon, fighter-bombers and A-20s hit targets E of Manila, in the Legaspi area, and at other scattered points.

Photo: U.S. troops of the 746th Engineer Aviation Battalion resurface Lehug Airstrip on Cebu Island, Philippines, 27 April 1945



VOLCANO AND RYUKYU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

Off Okinawa, kamikazes damage destroyer Ralph Talbot (DD-390), 26°00'N, 128°00'E; destroyer escort England (DE-635), 26°40'N, 127°40'E; and high speed transport Rathburne (APD-25), 26°26'N, 127°36'E; heavy cruiser Wichita (CA-45) is damaged by shore battery, 26°14'N, 127°50'E; destroyer William D. Porter (DD-579) is damaged by friendly fire, 26°21'N, 127°43'E. A kamikaze also crashes U.S. freighter Canada Victory killing one merchant officer and two of the 27-man Armed Guard; Canada Victory sinks, the survivors swimming to nearby attack transport Lauderdale (APA-179).

ALASKA

(Eleventh Air Force): On Shimushu, 6 B-24s drop fragmentation bombs on the Kataoka naval base, 1 B-24 hits Minami Cape, and another flies a radar-ferret mission.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 345, APRIL 27, 1945

Troops of the Twenty‑Fourth Army Corps in the southern sector of Okinawa made a general advance during the afternoon of April 26 (East Longitude Date). By 1800 on that day, elements of the Twenty‑Seventh In­fantry Division had reached the vicinity of the Machinato Airfield near the West Coast after by passing enemy strong points in Nakama Village. In the central and eastern segments of the lines local gains were made against enemy mortar and machine gun fire. The ground troops were supported by Naval gunfire, carrier aircraft and planes of the Second Marine Aircraft Wing. The attack was resumed on the morning of April 27.

Marines of the Third Amphibious Corps continued to patrol northern Okinawa on April 26 and 27.

A few enemy aircraft appeared over our forces during the early morning of April 27. Three were shot down by one of our minesweepers.

Attacks by carrier aircraft of the U. S. Pacific Fleet on the Sakishima Group continued on April 26.

Mitchells of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing attacked harbor installa­tions on Chichi Jima in the Bonins on the night of April 26. Fighters and torpedo planes of the same wing bombed bivouac areas in the Palaus on April 27 and fighters attacked targets on Yap.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA PRESS RELEASE NO. 87, APRIL 27, 1945

In the Okinawa campaign the enemy has attempted the use of rocket-propelled suicide bombs against our forces. These weapons, which are similar to a small single‑seat airplane, carry a pilot and are generally launched from the underside of the fuselage of a bomber. They have a wingspan of about sixteen feet, a length of more than 19 feet, and a tail plane of about eight feet. Constructed of light metals and wood, these bombs carry a heavy war­head of explosives. They are capable of high speed which reduces their qualities of maneuverability to a low point. The enemy has used them in limited numbers in the Okinawa operation up to this date, offering little op­portunity for observation of their powers or effects. U. S. forces have desig­nated these missiles by the term "baka bomb". "Baka" Is Japanese meaning "stupid," "foolish," or "silly."

PACIFIC

Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser No.31 Yusen Maru is sunk by aircraft off Amami-Oshima.

USAAF mine (laid on 27 March) sinks Japanese cargo vessel Kaiho Maru at western entrance of Shimonoseki Strait, 34°00'N, 130°50'E.

[lordroel]

Day 2057 of World War II, April 28th 1945

Soviet forces of 3rd Ukrainian Front capture Sopron in western Hungary, to the south of Vienna, in a continuing advance. The 2nd Ukrainian Front, to the north, also continues to advance. On the Oder River, German resistance at Glogau is eliminated by elements of 1st Ukrainian Front.

In the battle of Berlin, the Red Army reaches the Anhalt Station. They are within a mile of Hitler's Bunker in the east and south. The German garrison is running out of ammunition and food. General Weidling, the capital's commandant, estimates that the bullets will run out in another two days. The defence may not last that long as the Russians drive ever closer to the Reichstag. They are infiltrating through the subways and sewers, often storming the defences from below. Now not much more than the area round the Tiergarten remains in German hands.

Photo: Tanks of the First Guards Tank Army prepare to attack the Berlin Tiergarten, 28 April 1945



Photo: Soviet tanks T-34/85 of the 7th Guards tank corps in action into Berlin, 28 April 1945



Photo: T-34 tank from the 7th Guards Tank Corps and captured Volkssturm militiamen on the streets of Berlin, 28 April 1945



Western Front (1945) - Western Allied invasion of Germany

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, April 28th 1945



The US 7th Army captures Augsburg in its advance south toward Austria. Other Allied units are crossing the Elbe River in the north and others are advancing on Munich in the south.

Photo: Sherman tanks of the 1st Coldstream Guards, fitted with 60lb Typhoon aircraft rockets on the turret sides, 28 April 1945



Photo: Knocked-out Cromwell tanks of the 2nd Welsh Guards, Guards Armoured Division, 28 April 1945



The Canadian First Army (Crerar) captures Emden and Wilhelmshaven.

Photo: Personnel of the Royal Canadian Engineers (R.C.E.), 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, pushing a storm boat into the Ems River south of Emden, Germany, 28 April 1945



Photo: A soldier of the 7th Cameronians is dwarfed by half-completed U-boats in the docks at Bremen, 28 April 1945



Western Front (1945) - Liberation of the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, Operation Duck begins, with the Canadian 3rd Infantry Division beginning an assault on the town of Leer.

Air War over Europe

(US Ninth Air Force): Weather prevents all Ninth AF combat operations. Unit moves in Germany: HQ 10th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance) and 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron from Ober Olm to Furth with F-6s; 493d Fighter Squadron, 48th Fighter Group, from Kassel to Illesheim with P-47s.

Italian campaign

Mussolini was hanged by Italian partisans along with his mistress Clara Petacci and a dozen of his cabinet members.

British Eighth Army captured Venice and US Fifth Army captured Brescia. German Colonel General Heinrich von Vietinghoff dispatched a messenger from Bolzano, Italy toward the Allies lines seeking a ceasefire.

Photo: British Eighth Army Troops Crossing the River Po, Beyond Ferrara, Italy, vehicles of the 21st Tank Brigade passing through a wrecked village at the approach to the pontoon Bailey bridge over the River Po, 28 April 1945



Photo: British Eighth Army Troops Crossing the River Po, Beyond Ferrara, Italy, British Eighth Army traffic crossing the first pontoon Bailey bridge, constructed by the Royal Engineers, over the River Po. The remains of the previous bridge are seen alongside, 28 April 1945



Photo: British Eighth Army Troops Crossing the River Po, Beyond Ferrara, Italy, British Eighth Army traffic crossing the first pontoon Bailey bridge, constructed by the Royal Engineers, over the River Po. In the foreground men of the Royal Artillery are constructing a searchlight to facilitate night time use of the bridge, 28 April 1945



The body of Benito Mussolini, Il Duce, dictator of Italy until his downfall in 1943, hangs upside-down over an ESSO garage forecourt in Milan. The body of his mistress, Clara Petacci, hangs next to it. Both bodies have been mutilated. Earlier today, a woman fired five revolver shots - "for my five dead sons" into the Duce's body. Others spat at their former leader. With his SS escort, Mussolini was heading towards the Alps where he believed that he could continue the war in the mountains with 3,000 fanatical Fascist followers. In fact, only 12 turned up at a rendezvous. They then drove through dangerous, partisan-held territory.The partisans caught up with Petacci and Mussolini, dressed in a German uniform, at Dongo, on Lake Como. After interrogation, a communist partisan, Walter Audisio, lined them up at the gate of the Villa Belmonte in Mezzegra. First, he shot Petacci, who clung to her lover. Then Mussolini opened his coat wide and asked to be shot in the chest. The machine-gun rang out and the Duce slumped against the wall, breathing heavily. Audisio moved closer, and fired the final shot into his heart.

(US Twelfth Air Force): Weather severely curtails operations. In Italy, XXII Tactical Air Command fighters and fighter-bombers, flying 100+ sorties, hit enemy movement in the battle area at several points from S of Piacenza to NW of Milan; medium bombers are grounded.

German occupied Netherlands

In Holland an unofficial truce commenced, allowing British and Canadian convoys through the German lines unmolested to deliver food, fuel and vital supplies to the starving Dutch civilian population.

Germany

Hitler receives word via Göbbels' Propaganda Ministry that the BBC was reporting SS Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler's attempted peace negotiations, Hitler orders his immediate arrest and execution and has his liaison officer, Hermann Fegelein, shot dead.

United States

Photo: View of wrecked flight deck of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Franklin (CV-13) arrived off New York City for repairs on 28 April 1945. Note the wreckage of her burned out after flight deck. Manhattan Island, the East River, and Brooklyn are in the background



Photo: View on the flight deck of the U.S. Navy aircraft carier USS Franklin (CV-13), looking forward, while the carrier was in New York Harbor (USA), circa 28 April 1945. She had just returned from the Pacific for repair of battle damage received off Japan on 19 March 1945. Note the damage to her flight deck, the large U.S. ensign flying from her island, and the Manhattan skyline in the background



Photo: View of wrecked flight deck of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Franklin (CV-13), looking aft from the island, as the ship steamed up the East River to the New York Navy Yard for repairs on 28 April 1945. The Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan skyline are in the background



Photo: The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Franklin (CV-13) steams past the light cruiser USS Marblehead (CL-12), in New York Harbor (USA), circa 28 April 1945, after her arrival from the Pacific for battle damage repairs. Note the cruiser's Measure 22 camouflage



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 10 B-25s bomb Paoching Airfield and the Shaho railroad yards, knock out a bridge near Kaifeng, and damage a bridge W of Showyang; about 80 fighter-bombers attack troops, airfields, storage facilities, railroad targets, rivercraft, trucks, and enemy positions in S and E China, again concentrating on the Fantung area; a B-24 claims a freighter sunk in the S China Sea.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 8 P-38s attack a cavalry regiment and supplies in the Namhok area; 6 others hit a bivouac area near Pawngleng; 22 P-47s are detailed to strike at troops, artillery positions, trucks, elephants, and carts along and behind the enemy lines in C Burma; despite bad weather most of the fighter-bombers complete their missions; transports make 441 flights to forward areas, landing or dropping 610 tons of supplies. The 82d Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 12th BG (Medium), ceases operating from Meiktila, Burma and returns to base at Fenny, India with B-25s.

GUAM

Seventh Air Force: 12 B-24s from Guam hit Param during the early morning hours; 12 more attack Param during the afternoon. 20 P-47s from Saipan sweep Truk, strafing small vessels and airfields on Param and Moen.

(Twentieth Air Force): Missions 114 to 119: 119 B-29s hit airfields at Kushira, Kanoya, Miyakonojo, Kokubu, Miyazaki, and Izumi on Kyushu Island, Japan; 4 others hit targets of opportunity; they claim a total of 14 Japanese fighters; 5 B-29s are lost.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

B-24s bomb Toshien, Formosa and several secondary targets. B-25s sink about 20,000 tons of merchant shipping in Saigon, French Indochina harbor. The 36th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 6th Photographic Reconnaissance Group, moves from Biak Island, New Guinea to Clark Field, Luzon with F-5s.

JAPANESE OCCUPIED NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES

The preparatory bombardment of targets in the Tarakan area in the northeast of the island of Borneo continues.

In Borneo, B-24s hit Kuching while B-25s and P-38s hit Tarakan and targets of opportunity along the Sarawak coast. B-24s over the Celebes bomb Masamba, Malimpoeng, and Mandai Airfields.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

On N Luzon Island, B-25s hit targets in the Itogon area; A-20s attack Itogon mines and start fires among huts at Fabrica; fighter-bombers attack Balete Pass, Cagayan Valley, Tuguegarao, Trinidad, and Cervantes; on S Luzon A-20s and fighter-bombers support ground forces at various points including the Batangas sector and hit targets around Norzagaray, Ipo Dam, Montalban, New Bosoboso, and along the San Andres trail.

VOLCANO AND RYUKYU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

On Okinawa, fighting along the Shuri Line continues. American forces employ tanks, flame-throwers and artillery in an effort to destroy Japanese defensive positions.

Off Okinawa, kamikazes damage destroyers Wadsworth (DD-516), 26°47'N, 126°38'E; Daly (DD-519), 27°12'N, 128°16'E; Twiggs (DD-591), 27°12'N, 128°16'E; and Bennion (DD-662), 27°26'N, 127°51'E; high speed minesweeper Butler (DMS-29), 26°00'N, 127°00'E; hospital ship Comfort (AH-6), 25°30'N, 127°40'E; and transport fitted for the evacuation of wounded Pinkney (APH-2), 26°00'N, 127°00'E. Destroyer Lang (DD-399) is damaged in collision with oiler Brazos (AO-4), 26°11'N, 127°20'E. Japanese assault demolition boat causes extensive damage to U.S. freighter Bozeman Victory; six men among the 59-man merchant crew, 13 stevedores and the 27-man Armed Guard suffer injuries.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 346, APRIL 28, 1945

Troops of the Twenty‑Fourth Army Corps moved slowly forward in the Southern sector of Okinawa on April 27 (East Longitude Date) destroying pillboxes, caves and strong points. Heavy artillery was employed to break up troop concentrations in the enemy's rear areas and planes of the Second Marine Aircraft Wing joined with carrier aircraft of the Pacific Fleet to give close support to the troops. Naval gunfire continued to be effective in de­stroying enemy fortified positions.

During the night of April 27‑28, two groups of enemy aircraft attacked U. S. shipping off Okinawa beaches causing some damage and sinking one auxiliary surface unit. Twenty‑five enemy aircraft were shot down and two were probably destroyed. Enemy small craft activity increased during the night and a number of small boats were destroyed by our forces.

On April 28, combat air patrols from fast carriers shot down 32 enemy planes in the areas around Okinawa, Kikai and Yaku Islands in the Ryukyus.

Search Aircraft of Fleet Air Wing One sank three small cargo ships, forced another to beach and damaged several other small ships in the area around Kyushu on April 28.

Aircraft from escort carriers of the Pacific Fleet continued to bomb and strafe airfields on islands of the Sakishimas on April 27.

Liberators of the Seventh Army Air Force bombed installations at Truk in the central Carolines on April 26. A search Privateer of Fleet Air Wing One sank a small ship and several fishing boats in Truk Harbor on April 28.

PACIFIC

Motor minesweeper YMS-329 is damaged by mine off Tarakan, Borneo, 03°14'N, 117°42'E.

Submarine Sennet (SS-408) sinks Japanese cable layer Hatsushima off Kii Suido, south-southeast of Mikizaki, 33°55'N, 136°18'E.

Submarine Springer (SS-414) sinks Japanese submarine chaser Ch 17 west of Kyushu, 32°25'N, 128°46'E, as the latter is escorting landing ship T.146; later that day, submarine Trepang (SS-412) sinks T.146 off Osezaki, Japan, 32°24'N, 128°40'E.

British submarine HMS Tradewind attacks Japanese convoy off coast of Malaya, sinking merchant tanker Takasago Maru 53 miles from Kota Bharu, 06°48'N, 101°36'E.

USAAF B-25s and P-38s (Far East Air Force) bomb Japanese shipping at Saigon, sinking tanker No.8 Takasago Maru, 10°49'N, 106°41'E, and motor sailships No.10 Shingi Maru and 9 Nittai Maru and 1 Kashima Maru, Shuttle Boat No.51, Shuttle Boat No.57 and Shuttle Boat No. 74.

Japanese escort vessel Uku and Patrol Vessel No.102 [ex-U.S. destroyer Stewart (DD-224)] are damaged by aircraft, 34°52'N, 124°23'E.

USAAF mine sinks Japanese cargo vessel Gakujo Maru at western entrance of Shimonoseki Strait, 34°00'N, 130°50'E.

Photo: The U.S. Navy battleship USS Missouri (BB-63) at sea in the Pacific, 28 April 1945, as seen from the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid (CV-11)

[lordroel]

Day 2058 of World War II, April 29th 1945

Eastern Front

In the battle of Berlin, the Red Army has now captured most of the city except for the area around the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichskanzlei and the Reichstag which is still fiercely defended by isolated units of the Waffen-SS. There is little left now for the defenders of Berlin to die for. They are being split up into small groups which fall back to fight from the Flak towers and large air-raid shelters. Guns are set up in railway yards, squares and parks to hold off the advancing tanks. It appears that a last stand will be made in the Tiergarten, but more and more men are risking the SS execution squads and surrendering. North of the capital, Red Army units capture Anklam and other towns. In the south, Soviet pressure in Austria and Czechoslovakia continues.

Photo: Soviet tanks and self-propelled guns on the streets of Berlin, 29 April 1945



Western Front (1945) - Western Allied invasion of Germany

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, April 29th 1945



The British 2nd Army captured Lauenburg, just south of Hamburg, in Germany, thus trapping all German forces in Denmark and securing the Baltic Ports. When Soviet forces arrived at Lubeck and Wismar not long afterwards they found British and Canadian paratroopers waiting for them. Bernard Montgomery had thereby, not only denied Joseph Stalin the opportunity to seize Denmark, but had also kept the Soviet Navy locked within the Baltic Sea.

Photo: Sherman DD tanks with lowered flotation screens in Lauenburg, 29 April 1945



Photo: German prisoners file past 6-pdr anti-tank guns and carriers of 15th (Scottish) Division near the Elbe, 29 April 1945



Photo: Buffaloe armoured vehicles on the banks of the Elbe, 29 April 1945



Photo: Carriers and infantry of the 2nd Gordon Highlanders move up to cross the Elbe, 29 April 1945



The French First Army (de Tassigny) captures Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance. South of the Danube River, US 3rd Army units reach the River Isar.

30,000 surviving inmates of Dachau are liberated by troops of the US 3rd Army. The advance continues toward Munich.

Photo: This German twin-engined, jet propelled fighter plane was abandoned by Luftwaffe troops in hanger of German airfield captured by 111 Corps, 3rd U.S. Army, at Manching, Germany, 29 April, 1945



Western Front (1945) - Liberation of France

The last parts of French soil, on the Alpine front, still held by Germans are liberated by French forces.

Western Front (1945) - Liberation of the Netherlands

Lancasters of Nos 1, 3 and 8 Groups start to drop food supplies for the civilian population. Eighteen aircraft of No 153 Squadron, RAF Bomber Command, began dropping food parcels from a height of 400 feet to the starving Dutch civilians. In the winter of 44/45, the 'Hunger Winter' as the Dutch call it, northern Holland and the heavily populated cities in Western Holland was still under German occupation. Around 18,000 of the elder, sick and young had died through sickness and lack of sufficient food. Churchill had written on April 10th, 'I fear we may soon be in the presence of a great tragedy'. The first food drop (284 bags) was over Ypenburg, near the Hague, subsequent drops were on the Dundigt Racecourse. Before the food-drop operation began an agreement was reached whereby German anti-aircraft units would not fire on low flying aircraft dropping food. This was agreed to by the then Reich Commissioner for the Netherlands, Artur Seyss-Inquart, who was later found guilty of participating in the deportation of Jews. (He was hanged at Nuremberg on October 16, 1946) Over the next ten days the squadron flew 111 sorties, dropping 7,029 tons of the much needed food. Pathfinder Mosquitos 'marked' the dropping zones. 2,835 Lancaster and 124 Mosquito flights were made before the Germans surrendered at the end of the war and allowed ships and road transport to enter the area. Bomber Command delivered 6,672 tons of food during Operation Manna. The operation continues for ten days, delivering 7,000 tons of food. US Army Air Force joins in, with Operation Chowhound, delivering 4000+ tons of food supplies.

Photo: Ground crew loading supplies into the bomb bay of an Avro Lancaster of No. 514 Squadron RAF at Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire, during Operation 'Manna', the dropping of food to the starving Dutch population. Operation Manna: the air movement of food and supplies to the Dutch populace. Ground crew prepare to load sacks of food into the bomb-bay of an Avro Lancaster of No. 514 Squadron RAF at Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire, 29 April 1945



Air War over Europe

(US Eighth Air Force): Mission 971: 8 B-17s drop leaflets in France, the Netherlands and Germany.

HQ 64th Fighter Wing moves from Edenkoben to Schwabisch-Hall, Germany.

(US Ninth Air Force): Weather cancels operations by the 9th Bombardment Division. Fighters fly patrols and airfield cover, hit special targets, fly armed reconnaissance over E Germany and W Czechoslovakia, and cooperate with the XII Corps moving SE between the Danube River and the Czech border N of Linz, Austria, and with the XX Corps as some of its units establish bridgeheads and begin crossing the Isar River in the Plattling-Landau an der Isar-Landshut-Passau, Germany areas. Unit moves: HQ 48th Fighter Group and 494th Fighter Squadron from Kassel to Illesheim, Germany with P-47s; HQ 387th Bombardment Group (Medium) from Clastres, France to Beek, the Netherlands.

Italian campaign

British Eighth and US Fifth Armies linked up near Padua, Italy, which had just been liberated by Italian partisans who surrounded the 5,000-strong German garrison.

Photo: A Churchill tank of 21st Tank Brigade comes ashore after crossing the River Adige, watched by the inhabitants of the village of Cabiance, 29 April 1945



Photo: A Sherman artillery observation tank drives off a raft after crossing the River Adige, 29 April 1945



The unofficial surrender of German forces in Italy is signed at Caserta. The German representatives are present here because of a secret negotiation between the head of the OSS mission in Switzerland, Allan Dulles, and SS General Wolff.

YouTube (1 Million German Soldiers Surrender at Caserta (1945)



These talks have been going on since much earlier in the year, but because of their clandestine nature, the German representatives at Caserta cannot guarantee that the surrender will be ratified by Vietinghoff, commanding German forces in Italy.

Instrument of Local Surrender of German and other forces under the command or control of the German Commander-in-Chief Southwest




German 148th Division, Italian 4th Alpine Division "Monte Rosa", Italian 3rd Marine Division "San Marco", and German 29th Waffen-SS Grenadier Division (Italian troops) surrendered to Brazilian General Mascarenhas de Moraes near Parma, Italy.

Photo: German General Otto Freter Pico, Commander of the 148th Infantry Division, and General Mario Carloni surrendering to the Brazilian FEB after the battle of Fornovo di Taro, 29 April 1945



(US Fifteenth Air Force): Bad weather again prevents bomber operations. 8 P-51s and P-38s complete weather and photo reconnaissance missions. 39 P-51s fly armed reconnaissance over NE Italy; 5 of the fighters bomb and 4 strafe various targets of opportunity, claiming 4 motor transports destroyed and a reconnaissance car and 2 parked aircraft damaged.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy, weather again restricts operations; the medium bombers are grounded; fighters and fighter-bombers attack retreating forces and communications throughout NE Italy including Thiene Airfield and claim 350+ motor transport destroyed; enemy forces in Italy, commanded by General Heinrich von Vietinghoff surrender unconditionally at Caserta, effective 2 May; HQ 57th Fighter Group and 64th, 65th and 66th Fighter Squadrons move from Grosseto to Villafranca di Verona, with P-47s.

Arctic naval operations

14 German U-boats attack convoy RA-66 which consists of 24 ships with an escort including 2 escort carriers, 1 cruiser, 9 destroyers and 13 other ships.

Whilst engaged on an A/S sweep off Kola prior to the departure of convoy RA.66, frigate HMS 'Goodall' is torpedoed and magazine explodes blowing away the forward part of the ship. Beyond salvage, she is abandoned and scuttled. Location: entrance to Kola Inlet at 69 25N 33 38E. 'Goodall' is the last British warship to be sunk by submarine attack.

Battle of the Atlantic

'U-1017' sunk in the North Atlantic NW of Ireland, in position 56.04N, 11.06W, by depth charges from an RAF 120 Sqn Liberator. 34 dead, unknown number of survivors.

Germany

Hitler marries his mistress, Eva Braun, and prepares his Political Testament, appointing Admiral Donitz as his successor and describing how Germany has failed him in the struggle against Bolshevism.

Soviet occupied Austria

The Red Army sets up a provisional government in Vienna.

Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 3 B-25s and 4 P-47s blast targets at the Taiyuan railroad yards; about 50 fighter-bombers, operating in forces of 1 to 4 aircraft, blast numerous targets of opportunity in S and E China, hitting especially the Fantung area.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 5 P-47s attack Laihka Airfield; 6 others strafe troops and horses at Tadamo; transports fly 427 sorties to forward areas, landing or dropping 537 tons of supplies. Unit moves: 81st Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 12th BG (Medium), ceases operating from Meiktila, Burma with B-25s and returns to base at Fenny, India; 317th Troop Carrier Squadron (Commando), 2d Air Commando Group, based at Kalaikunda, India with C-47s, sends a detachment to operate from Akyab, Burma.

BURMA

In the Irrawaddy Valley, Allanmyo falls to the advances of British 33rd Corps. The remaining Japanese units in this area are losing cohesion as a result of the British attacks. In the Sittang Valley, the British 17th Indian Division captures Nyaunglebim and continues attacking near Payagyi.

JAPANESE OCCUPIED NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES

In Borneo, B-24s pound Kuching Airfield while B-25s bomb Tarakan. Other B-24s hit Langoan, Mandai Airfield, and Mapanget Airfields.

SAIPAN

VII Fighter Command: 20 Saipan Island-based P-47s sweep Truk Atoll, strafing airfields, defenses, and gun positions on Moen and Param and hit Param and Falas with rockets. Seventh Air Force: 24 Guam-based B-24s subsequently attack the same airfields as the fighters above. 20 B-24s, operating in 2 forces, pound air installations on Marcus Island in the N Pacific.

(Twentieth Air Force): Missions 120 to 125: 111 B-29s strike airfields on Kyushu Island, Japan, i.e., Miyazaki, Miyakonojo, Kokubu, 2 at Kanoya, and Kushira Airfields; they claim nearly 30 Japanese aircraft shot down; 2 B-29s are lost.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

P-38s sweep French Indochina and strafe Thu Dau Mot Airfield. The 318th Troop Carrier Squadron (Commando), 3d Air Commando Group, moves from Mangaldan to Laoag with C-47s.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

The US 185th Regiment (General Brush) lands near Padan Point with naval support by a destroyer force commanded by Admiral Struble. There is little Japanese resistance.

In support of ground forces on Luzon Island, fighter-bombers hit troop concentrations, supply areas, pillboxes, gun positions, vehicles, and other targets mainly in the Balete Pass, Baguio, and Echague areas and A-20s hit the New Bosoboso area, where fighters also support ground forces concentrating in the Ipo Dam area.

VOLCANO AND RYUKYU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

Off Okinawa, kamikazes damage destroyers Hazelwood (DD-531), 27°02'N, 129°59'E, and Haggard (DD-555), 27°01'N, 129°40'E; and light minelayers Shannon (DM-25), 26°00'N, 127°00'E, and Harry F. Bauer (DM-26), 26°47'N, 128°42'E.

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Haggard (DD-555) is assisted by the light cruiser USS San Diego (CL-53), after being hit by a kamikaze off Okinawa on 29 April 1945. Haggard did not sink but was not reparied and was scrapped after the war



ALASKA

(Eleventh Air Force): 12 B-25s attempting to bomb targets in the Kurile Islands abort due to a weather front. 6 B-24s radar-bomb Kataoka naval base on Shimushu.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 347, APRIL 29, 1945

A Navy Hospital Ship, USS Comfort, was attacked and heavily damaged by a Japanese aircraft about 50 miles south of Okinawa at 2058 local time on April 28 (East Longitude Date). The crashed Japanese plane which made the suicide attack is still on the Comfort. The vessel which was engaged in evacuating wounded from Okinawa suffered 29 killed, 33 seriously wounded, and 100 missing, including patients, passengers, and crew. At the time of the attack she was operating under full hospital procedure, was clearly marked and was fully lighted. She is now proceeding to port under her own power.

Elements of the Twenty Seventh Infantry Division captured the northern half of Machinato Airfield on Okinawa on April 28 as a general advance was made in the southern sector of the island. The Seventh Infantry Division secured the high ground near Kochi Village and was continuing to move southward. Corsair fighters of the Second Marine Aircraft Wing and planes from the carriers of the Pacific Fleet bombed and strafed ahead of the ad­vancing troops. The attack was supported by heavy artillery and by the guns of heavy units of the fleet.

A series of attacks involving a total of about 200 enemy aircraft were made on our forces in the Okinawa area during the afternoon of April 28 and the night of April 28‑29. Combat air patrols from escort and fast carriers of the U. S. Pacific Fleet and from the Second Marine Aircraft Wing prevented any enemy planes from penetrating to our main forces during daylight. At­tacks after nightfall and continuing until 0215 on April 29 caused some dam­age to light units of the fleet. A total of 104 enemy aircraft were destroyed by ships' guns and carrier and land‑based aircraft.

Carrier aircraft strafed targets on Kume Island west of Okinawa on April 28.

From the beginning of operations against Okinawa and surrounding islands through April 27, the Tenth Army lost 1,527 soldiers and 320 Marines killed in action. A total of 7,826 soldiers and 1,322 Marines were wounded and 413 soldiers and five Marines were missing.

Navy search aircraft of Fleet Air Wing One attacked a convoy west of Kyushu on April 27 scoring four hits with medium bombs on cargo ships. Aircraft of the same wing attacked shipping in Shimonoseki Strait with bombs and torpedoes during the night of April 28‑29. During daylight on April 29, Fleet Air Wing One planes destroyed a small cargo ship, damaged seven others, and set a picket ship afire in attacks made in the waters around Kyushu, Honshu, and the Ryukyus.

Army Mustangs of the Seventh Fighter Command strafed small craft, radio installations, and other targets in the area of the Bonins on April 29.

Corsair fighters and Avenger torpedo planes of the Fourth Marine Air­craft Wing bombed targets in the Palaus through moderate antiaircraft fire on targets April 28 and 29.

Army Liberators and Thunderbolt fighters of the Strategic Air Force bombed and strafed airfields and installations at Truk in the Carolines on April 28 and 29. On April 29 Navy search planes of Fleet Air Wing One hit the same target setting a drydock afire and sinking a ship in the harbor.

PACIFIC

Motor minesweeper YMS-51 is damaged by mine off Tarakan, Borneo, 03°18'N, 117°33'E.

Japanese carrier attack planes (KATEs) flying from Truk attack Naval Base, Manus, Admiralty Islands, torpedoing the advance base section docks ABSD-2 and ABSD-4 in the belief that the shapes they perceive in the nocturnal strike are aircraft carriers.

TBM (VC 92) from escort carrier Tulagi (CVE-72) sinks Japanese submarine I 44, 220 miles southeast of Okinawa, 24°15'N, 131°16'E.

Submarine Besugo (SS-321) sinks Japanese guardboat Otome Maru southeast of Borneo, 05°45'S, 107°30'E.

Submarine Bream (SS-243) sinks German minesweeper depot ship Quito off Tanjong Puting, Borneo, N.E.I., 04°11'S, 111°17'E.[13]

Submarine Cero (SS-225) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Taishu Maru off Kamaishi, Japan, 39°15'N, 141°58'E.

USAAF B-24s on anti-shipping sweep of Makassar Strait sink Japanese cargo vessel No.5 Hirata Maru in Pamukan Bay, 02°30'S, 116°25'E.

Japanese passenger ferry No.2 Kuroshio (ex-landing ship T.149) is damaged by mine during passage from Singapore to Batavia; transport (ex-seaplane carrier) Kumikawa Maru is damaged by mine laid by RAAF Catalina off Balikpapan, Borneo. Merchant cargo ship No.1 Aioi Maru is sunk by mine three miles off Tsunemi.

[lordroel]

Day 2059 of World War II, April 30th 1945

YouTube (The Death of Adolf Hitler)



Eastern Front

In Berlin, Soviet forces reach the Reichstag from the north and with artillery support at 06:00 they launched an attack but because of German entrenchments and support from 12.8 cm FlaK 40 guns 2 km (1.2 mi) away on the roof of the Zoo flak tower, close by Berlin Zoo, it was not until that evening that the Soviets were able to enter the building. The Reichstag had not been in use since it had burned in February 1933 and its interior resembled a rubble heap more than a government building. The German troops inside were heavily entrenched and fierce room-to-room fighting ensued. At that point there was still a large contingent of German soldiers in the basement who launched counter-attacks against the Red Army.

YouTube (The Battle of the Reichstag 1945)



Photo: IS-2 tanks of the Second Army Guards tanks in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, 29 April 1945



Photo: 2rd Guards Tank Army in the Berlin operation, 30 April 1945



To the north, troops of the 2nd Belorussian Front advance toward Straslund, Waren and Wittenberge. In Czechoslovakia, Mor Ostrava is occupied after a lengthy battle. German forces continue to hold a part of Maravia and most of Bohemia. Slovakia has been completely overrun by Soviet forces. Troops of the Second White Russian Front capture Greifswald, Treptow, Neustrelitz, Fuerstenberg, Gransee, Lassen, Wolgast, Rheinsberg, Hanshagen, Zuessow, Guetzkow, Jarmen, Bartow, Burow, Sarow, Wolde, Penzlin, Menz, Gros-Woltersdorf, Dolgow.

Soviet troops liberate Ravensbruck concentration camp. The defenders of Breslau, decimated by relentless Soviet attacks, are still holding out.

Western Front (1945) - Western Allied invasion of Germany

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, April 30th 1945



Forces of French 1st Army enter Austria near Lake Constance, in the south, while units of British 2nd Army, in the north, advance toward the Baltic coast. The US Seventh Army enters Munich.

Photo: Infantrymen move across open field toward burning town, one of the little strong points on road to Munich, softened up for the infantrymen by mortar fire, 30 April 1945



Photo: The German civilian on the left of the road walks into the city with three infantrymen, giving directions and what information he can, 30 April 1945



Photo: Infantrymen file along the electric railway line as they enter the outskirts of Munich, Germany. 30 April, 1945



Photo: Infantrymen of the 3rd Div., first American troops to enter the city of Munich, move along tall france below large sign board as their T.D. support moves up the street, 30 April, 1945



Photo: Infantry of 3rd Div., first American troops in the city of Munich, move through damaged Munich railroad yards in search of Germans hiding in dugouts, 30 April 1945



The United States Army, Fourteenth Armored Division liberated 110,000 Allied prisoners of war at Stalag VIIA at Moosburg.

Western Front (1945) - Liberation of France

American, French, and Canadian forces make an amphibious assault on Ile d'Oleron on the French Atlantic coast. By evening, they capture St. Trojan.

Western Front (1945) - Liberation of the Netherlands

Canadian forces clear most of Leer, Netherlands, from German forces.

Commissioner of the German occupation in the Netherlands, Arthur Seyß-Inquart, officially agreed that Allied aircraft delivering food and other supplies to Dutch civilians would not be harassed by German defensive fire.

Air War over Europe

US Strategic Air Forces in Europe and the British Air Ministry declare an end to strategic bombing in Europe. The policy is declared to have come up to every expectation, wrecking oil plants, aircraft factories, and railway systems.

(US Eighth Air Force): Mission 972: 6 of 7 B-17s drop leaflets in the Netherlands and France.

(US Ninth Air Force): Weather cancels 9th Bombardment Division and XXIX Tactical Air Command (Provisional) operations. In Germany, the IX Tactical Air Command flies airfield cover, sweeps, and armed reconnaissance; the XIX Tactical Air Command flies patrols and armed reconnaissance, and cooperates with the XII Corps moving SE between the Danube River and the Czech border N of Linz, Austria and with the XX Corps crossing the Isar River at several points in the Landau an der Isar-Landshut area. Unit moves in Germany: HQ 354th Fighter Group and 356th Fighter Squadron from Ober Olm to Ansbach with P-47s; HQ 362d Fighter Group and 379th Fighter Squadron from Frankfurt to Furth with P-47s; HQ 405th Fighter Group from Ophoven, Belgium to Kitzingen; 31st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 10th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance) from Ober Olm to Furth with F-5s.

Arctic naval operations

German U-boats continue to attack convoy RA-66.

Italian campaign

American 5th Army's 442nd Infantry Regiment enters Turin, Italy. Allies capture Gargnano, Cittadella, Bassano, Friolo, Treviso, Chioggia, and Alessandria.

Photo: Tank destroyer of the 1st Platoon, Co. A., 701st Tank Destroyers, pointing towards Riva, across Lake Garda. 30 April, 1945



Photo: Sherman tanks and other vehicles in the Piazzale Roma in Venice, one Sherman is adorned with a Union Flag, 30 April 1945



Venezia Piazza San Marco 1945 British Troops on Jeeps, 30 April 1945



In Milan, Italy, partisans execute former chief of staff for the Italian Army Marshal Rodolfo Graziani, following a quick trial.

(US Fifteenth Air Force): For the fourth consecutive day bad weather cancels bomber operations; P-38s fly reconnaissance, escorted by P-51s. Other P-51s and P-38s escort supply-dropping missions to N Italy and Yugoslavia.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 29/30 Apr, A-20s and A-26s hit motor transport near Lake Como and roads in the Trento, San Michele all'Adige, and Bolzano areas; bad weather grounds the medium bombers; fighter-bombers fly armed reconnaissance over N Italy, blasting guns, vehicles, and other targets of opportunity; the 12th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 3d Photographic Group (Reconnaissance) moves from Peretola Airfield, Florence to Villafranca with F-5s.

Germany

In Berlin, Hitler and Eva Braun commit suicide in their rooms in Hitler's bunker at 1530 hours. Their bodies are carried outside and cremated with gasoline.

Map: Situation of World War II in Europe at the time of Hitler's death. The white areas were controlled by Nazi forces, the pink areas were controlled by the Allies, and the red areas indicate recent Allied advances, 30 April 1945



William Joyce's "Germany Calling" radio program ceased broadcasting as British Army troops closed in on the radio station facilities in Hamburg, Germany.

German occupied Czechoslovakia

German police chief Obergruppenführer Karl Hermann Frank announced over radio that any attempt to rise up by the citizens of Prague in the puppet state of Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia would be wiped out violently.

United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy gunnery training ship USS Wyoming (AG-17) underway in the Atlantic on 30 April 1945. Note the target drone catapult on the stern



Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Swenning (DE-394) underway in the Atlantic Ocean on 30 April 1945. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 32, Design 3D modified. The photo was taken from the escort carrier USS Bogue (CVE-9)



Photo: The U.S. Navy high-speed transport USS Joseph M. Auman (APD-117) off Orange, Texas (USA), on 30 April 1945, five days after commissioning. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 31, Design 5L



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 6 B-25s and 9 P-47s hit railroad yards at Taiyuan; 50+ P-47s, P-51s, and P-40s attack troops, defensive positions, bridges, rail targets, and scattered targets of opportunity in S and E China, concentrating around Laohokow, Hsihhsiassuchi, and Loning.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, bad weather cancels scheduled combat strikes; air supply operations to forward areas continue on a steady basis.

SAIPAN

VII Fighter Command: In a thorough strafing and rocket strike on several islands of Truk Atoll, 20 P-47s from Saipan Island attack the seaplane base, several small vessels, the airfield, barracks, radio station, and numerous other targets. Long range mission 7: 104 P-51s escort B-29s to hit the Tachikawa air depot claiming 0-1-0 Japanese aircraft; 1 P-51 is lost. HQ 318th FG and the 19th, 73d and 333d Fighter Squadrons move from Saipan to Ie Shima with P-38s.

Seventh Air Force: 24 B-24s from Guam pound the airfields on Moen and Param. 22 B-24s, operating in 2 waves about 3 hours apart, bomb air installations on Marcus in the N Pacific.

(Twentieth Air Force): Seven missions are flown. Mission 126: 69 B-29s hit the Tachikawa air depot; 25 others hit targets of opportunity. The escort is 104 P-51s. Missions 127 to 132: 56 B-29s hit airfields at Kokubu, Oita, Tomitaka, Saeki, and 2 at Kanoya and the city of Hamamatsu; 2 other B-29s hit targets of opportunity; the B-29s claim 10 aircraft downed.

GALAPAGOS ISLANDS

Photo: Photo of U.S. Army airbase located on the island of Baltra (Seymour) in the Galapagos Islands. Note the only B-15 bomber ever built parked on the runway, 30 April 1945



SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force]: On Formosa, B-24s hit the Toshien fuel storage and bomb Tainan, Takao, and Okayama Airfields while B-25s hit Taito; escorting P-38s attack numerous targets of opportunity; and P-51s bomb Okayama Airfield. The 157th and 160th Liaison Squadrons (Commando), 3d Air Commando Group, move from Calasio to Mabalacat, Luzon with UC-64s and L-5s (the 160th has a detachment operating from Mindoro Island).

Photo: Toshien bombardment, 30 April 1945



ULITHI

Photo: The U.S. Navy escort carrier USS Block Island (CVE-106) at anchor on 30 April 1945, most probably at Ulithi. On 17 April, Block Island had left Hawaii and steamed toward Okinawa, via Ulithi. Flight operations commenced immediately upon her arrival on 3 May and lasted until 16 June 1945 when she departed for Leyte



JAPANESE OCCUPIED NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES

In Borneo, P-38s hit Tarakan and B-24s bomb Manggar Airfield. Other B-24s bomb Malimpoeng Airfield on Celebes Island. A small American landing force goes ashore on the island of Sadan.

Map: Enemy [Japanese] Dispositions on Borneo, 30 April 1945



PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

Numerous missions are flown over Luzon and Negros Islands by B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers in support of the ground forces. B-24s attack the Davao area on Mindanao.

Photo:  U.S. landing craft mechanized carries troops of Company I, 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division up the Mindanao river for the assault on Fort Pikit, 30 April 1945



VOLCANO AND RYUKYU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

On Okinawa, Japanese counterattacks and infiltration attempts along the Shuri Line area are defeated. There is heavy fighting in the Maeda and Kochi Ridge positions. The US 1st Marine and 77th Divisions replace the US 27th and 96th Divisions in the line.

Off Okinawa, Off Okinawa, kamikazes damage destroyer Bennion (DD-662), 27°26'N, 127°51'E, and minelayer Terror (CM-5), 26°10'N, 127°18'E. One suicide plane damages U.S. freighter S. Hall Young in Nago Bay; there are no fatalities among the crew, passengers, and 12-man Armed Guard.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 348, APRIL 30, 1945

Machinato Airfield on Okinawa was captured by troops of the Twenty-­Seventh Infantry Division on April 29 (East Longitude Date). Behind aerial bombing, Naval gunfire and heavy artillery preparation, troops of the Ninety Sixth Infantry Division in the center were advancing southward over hill terrain. Seventh Division infantrymen were driving toward the ridges southeast of Kochi Village.

On April 29, several groups of enemy aircraft attacked our forces in the area of Okinawa. A total of 29 planes were shot down by our fighters and by ship and shore antiaircraft fire. In addition combat air patrols of the Fast Carrier Task Forces shot down 21 planes near our surface units on April 29 and four more on April 30.

Carrier aircraft from the Pacific Fleet attacked landing craft, a coastal ship, fuel dumps, barracks and airfield installations on Tokuno, Amami and Kikai Islands, in the Ryukyus on April 29 and 30. Five enemy aircraft were burned on the ground.

Search aircraft of Fleet Air Wing One bombed two small cargo ships in the Ryukyus Area on April 29 leaving one in sinking condition and an­other burning badly. On the same date, planes of the same Wing set three small cargo ships afire in the East China Sea.

Search planes of Fleet Air Wing One on April 30 destroyed a small cargo ship and damaged dry dock installations, a coastal vessel, a patrol craft and a number of small craft in the area of Kyushu. Aircraft of the same Wing sank three small cargo ships near Kozu Island south of Tokyo and a number of fishing craft off the south coast of Honshu. On the same date search Air­craft of the same Wing sank a number of small craft in Truk Harbor in the Carolines and destroyed six barges at Woleai.

Buildings, gun emplacements and radar Installations on Minami Cape, Shimushu in the Northern Kuriles, were attacked with rockets and machine gun fire by Search Aircraft of Fleet Air Wing Four on April 29.

Helldiver bombers of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing made neutralizing raids on enemy bases in the Marshalls on April 29. Aircraft of the same Wing attacked targets in the Palaus on the following day.

PACIFIC

Destroyer escorts Thomas (DE-102), Bostwick (DE-103), Coffman (DE-191, and frigate Natchez (PF-2) sink German submarine U-548, off Virginia, 36°34'N, 74°00'W.

PBY (VP 63) sinks German submarine U-1055 west of France, 48°00'N, 06°30'W.

Destroyer Jenkins (DD-447) is damaged by mine off Tarakan, Borneo, 03°12'N, 117°37'E.

Submarine Trepang (SS-412), despite proximity of three escorting coast defense ships, attacks Japanese convoy MOSI-05, sinking transport Miho Maru in Yellow Sea, 34°27'N, 123°48'E.

Japanese army tanker Yuno Maru is sunk by mine [laid by submarine Guitarro (SS-363) on 20 April 1945 or Dutch submarine O-19 on 13 April 1945] off east coast of Sumatra, 01°00'S, 104°30'E.

Japanese auxiliary minelayer Nuwashima is damaged by aircraft southeast of Dainyu-Jima, Saeki.

Japanese merchant cargo ship No.18 Yamabishi Maru is damaged by mine, off Wakamatsu light.

USAAF B-24s (13th Air Force) sink Japanese transport (ex-seaplane carrier) Kunikawa Maru (previously damaged by Australian mine) in Balikpapan Bay, 01°15'S, 116°50'E.

[lordroel]

Day 2060 of World War II, May 1st 1945

Eastern Front

In the battle of Berlin, the remaining pockets of German resistance in the center of the city are crumbling.

German General Hans Krebs head of the OKH after Guderian's dismissal on March 26th met with Vasily Chuikov, head of the Soviet 8th Guards Army, to attempt to negotiate a ceasefire. Krebs also gave Chuikov news of a certain event that had transpired some 12 hours earlier in the Führerbunker – contained in a document signed by Joseph Goebbels and Martin Bormann. Krebs is informed that surrender must be unconditional. German-Soviet truce talks are ended when a German sniper injures Russian Major Belovsoff. Soviet forces retaliate with a intense shell barrage.

Photo: Soviet tank with bedspring near the Brandenburg Gate at Berlin, 1 may 1945



YouTube (May 1, 1945 - News Bulletin Announces Soviet Entry into Berlin)



Western Front (1945) - Western Allied invasion of Germany

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, May 1st 1945



In the north, the British continue their moves toward Lubeck and Hamburg. The US 1st and 9th Armies are firmly established along the line of the Elbe and Mulde rivers. They have been forbidden to advance farther into the zone designated for Soviet occupation. The US 7th Army continues advancing into Austria.

Photo: German comes in to advancing Yank riflemen with hands raised in surrender. 1 May, 1945



Photo: tank opens fire on the enemy positions in the mountains. Infantrymen hug the ground along the fence. 1 May, 1945



Photo: (409th Task Force photo series) Here, machine gun mounted on jeep, chatters away at enemy positions on the mountains. Man at left with glasses directs fire. 1 May, 1945



Photo: while one man peppers away with his M1, machine gun sprays the mountain side with lead. 1 May, 1945



Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt is captured by US troops. US 7th Army captures German Field Marshal General Wilhelm Rutter von Leeb and German Field Marshal General Wilhelm List.

Western Front (1945) - Liberation of the Netherlands

Canadian forces capture Delfzijl, Netherlands.

Air War over Europe

(US Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown. Mission 973: 396 B-17s are dispatched to drop food supplies in the Hague (237) and Rotterdam (155), the Netherlands; a total of 777.1 tons of food are dropped. Mission 974: During the night of 1/2 May, 4 of 5 B-24s drop leaflets in Germany.

Photo: B 17 dropping food parcels on Schiphol, operation, 1 May 1945



(US Ninth Air Force): 9 A-26s bomb an ammunition plant at Stod, Czechoslovakia. The IX Tactical Air Command escorts the bombers, flies airfield cover, and patrols the Leipzig-Schwarzenberg, Germany area. The XIX Tactical Air Command flies patrols and armed reconnaissance over E Germany, W Czechoslovakia, and Austria, dive-bombs Berchtesgaden, and operates with the US XII Corps which is advancing SE between the Danube River and the Czech border and N into Czechoslovakia N of Passau, Germany, and with the XX Corps whose advance elements speed toward the Inn River at Wasserburg, Germany; the 353d and 355th Fighter Squadrons, 354th Fighter Group, move from Ober Olm to Ansbach, Germany with P-47s.

Italian campaign

General Vietinghoff, commanding German Army Group C, agrees to the surrender terms signed at Caserta.

Yugoslavian partisans occupy Trieste.

Photo: Partisans on their way to Trieste, 1 May 1945



Photo: Tanks of the Yugoslav 4th Army driving to Trieste, 1 May 1945



Photo: units of the Yugoslav 4th Army in Trieste, 1 May 1945



(US Fifteenth Air Force): Despite bad weather 27 B-17s bomb the main station and marshalling yard at Salzburg, Austria; this is the final Fifteenth AF bombing mission of the war; P-38s and P-51s fly reconnaissance and reconnaissance escort missions.

(US Twelfth Air Force): During the night of 30 Apr/1 May A-20s and A-26s bomb targets of opportunity in N Italy; bad weather during the day cancels medium bomber operations; fighter-bombers destroy numerous motor and horse-drawn vehicles in NE Italy; US Fifth Army forces approach the Brenner Pass on the Austro-Italian border, while British Eighth Army elements make contact with Yugoslav troops of Marshal Tito near Monfalcone; the flight of the 5th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 3d Photographic Group (Reconnaissance), operating from Pisa with F-5s returns to base at Peretola Airfield, Florence.

Battle of the Mediterranean

Greek Commandos with co-operation of British Navy and Air Force make four simultaneous raids on the west coast of Rhodes Island in the Dodecanese Islands in Aegean Sea. German and Italian casualties are estimated at 89, with just three British troops wounded.

German occupied Denmark

German forces begin abandoning Denmark.

Germany

Hamburg radio announces that Hitler is dead and that Donitz is the second Fuhrer of the Reich. Donitz himself broadcasts, announcing that "it is my duty to save the German people from destruction by Bolshevists." He orders utmost resistance on all fronts, especially in the East where tens of thousands of German civilians are still trying to escape from the stampeding Red Army.

YouTube (Karl Dönitz Speech to the German People - 1 May 1945 - English subtitles available)



In Berlin, Joseph Goebbels carried out his sole official act as Chancellor of Germany, dictating a letter to the Soviet commander in Berlin advising of Hitler's death and requesting a ceasefire. When the latter was refused, he and his wife Magda killed their six children and committed suicide themselves.

Portugal

The Portuguese Government orders flags at half-staff and two days of mourning for Adolf Hitler.

Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): During May the Japanese decide to give up their Greater E Asia Corridor and withdraw from S China; the Fourteenth AF further concentrates its attacks on rail and road movements and river shipping and thus plays a major role in critically reducing the enemy's mobility and supply lines. In China, 2 B-25s and 16 P-51s knock out bridges near Taiku and Kiehsiu and hit AA positions and locomotives near the bridges, blast gun emplacements in the Loning area, and hit several locomotives, near Shihkiachwang. Lieutenant General Albert C Wedemeyer, Commanding General US Forces China Theater, selects Lieutenant General George E Stratemeyer to command HQ AAF China Theater, with both HQ Tenth and Fourteenth AFs under his command. During May, the detachment of the 449th Fighter Squadron, 51st FG, operating from Posek, China with P-38s, returns to base at Chengkung.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): Unit moves: 9th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 8th Photographic Reconnaissance Group, from Myitkyina, Burma to Piardoba, India with F-5s; the detachment of the 317th Troop Carrier Squadron (Commando), 2d Air Commando Group, operating from Akyab Airfield with C-47s, to base at Kalaikunda, India.

BURMA

British attacks in the Sittang Valley approach Pegu. Monsoon rains begin in southern Burma, slowing further progress toward Rangoon by land. In anticipation of this eventuality, an amphibious operation to capture Rangoon is initiated with parachute landings at the mouth of the Irrawaddy River, on the east bank.

Photo: The Advance on Rangoon March - May 1945: Gurkha paratroops check their equipment before being dropped on a series of strategic points around Rangoon, 1 May 1945



SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force]: On Formosa, B-25s hit the Heito sugar refinery and the town of Kagi.

GUAM

(Seventh Air Force): 16 Guam based B-24s bomb the airfield on Marcus in the N Pacific while 10 hit air installations on Param; during the night 9 more, flying individual snooper strikes, hit airfields on Param and Moen. VII Fighter Command: The 6th Night Fighter Squadron, VII Fighter Command, departs Kagman Field, Saipan Island, Mariana Islands for Kipapa, Hawaii with P-61s.

BORNEO CAMPAIGN (1945)

General Whitehead and 18,000 troops of the 26th Australian Brigade land on Borneo. On Borneo, B-24s support Australian landings on Tarakan Island and bomb Tawau and B-25s attack Jesselton, Tarakan, Sandakan, and Kudat, concentrating on airfields.

Photo: The second wave of the 2/48th Infantry Battalion leaving HMAS Manoora, 1 May 1945



Photo: Australian troops wading ashore at Tarakan Island, Borneo, with beach obstacles and LSTs in background, P-Day. USS LST 993, left center, the pipes in the foreground are part of these left by oilfield workers, 1 May 1945



Photo: Australian troops wading ashore at Tarakan Island, Borneo, with beach obstacles and LSTs in background, 1 May 1945



PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

The Mexican Expeditionary Air Force arrived in the Philippine Islands.

FEAF continues to support ground forces on Luzon and Negros Islands.

HQ 6th Photographic Reconnaissance Group moves from Leyte Island to Clark Field, Luzon. Unit moves during May: HQ 309th Bombardment Wing from San Marcelino to Lingayen Airfield; 7th Combat Cargo Squadron, 2d Combat Cargo Group from Biak to Dulag; the detachment of the 160th Liaison Squadron (Commando), 3d Air Commando Group, ceases operating from Mindoro with UC-64s and L-5s and returns to base at Mabalacat, Luzon.

U.S. freighter Henry L. Abbott is damaged by mine, Manila Bay, 14°35'N, 120°58'E. Two of the merchant crew die in the explosion; there are no casualties among the 27-man Armed Guard.

VOLCANO AND RYUKYU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

Map: Map of the Battle of Okinawa as of 1 May 1945



ALASKA

(Eleventh Air Force): 1 B-24 flies a weather reconnaissance mission over the Kurile Islands.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 349, MAY 1, 1945

Troops of the Seventh Infantry Division continued to advance in the eastern sector of the lines on Okinawa on April 30 (East Longitude Date). By mid‑afternoon advance elements of the division had entered the village of Kuhazu. Local gains were made along the remainder of the front. The at­tack of the infantry was supported by heavy naval gunfire, heavy artillery and carrier and land‑based aircraft. A few enemy planes were In the area of Okinawa on April 30. One medium sized ship was damaged.

Aircraft from escort carriers attacked air installations in the Sakishima group on April 30. Reports of the strike on these islands by escort carrier planes on April 29 reveal that ammunition dumps were exploded, radio facili­ties and barracks were hit and several planes were destroyed on the ground.

Search planes of Fleet Air Wing One bombed and strafed radio installa­tions on Kuro and Kuchino Islands in the northern Ryukyus on April 30. An enemy plane was destroyed on the ground at Kuchino. On the following day aircraft of this wing sank a cargo ship and damaged another in the East China Sea; sank a small cargo ship off the southern coast of Shikoku; and destroyed a small cargo ship at Miyake Island, south of Tokyo.

On April 30, Army Mustangs of the Seventh Fighter Command, escorted heavy bombers of the Twenty‑First Bomber Command over Tokyo, probably shot down one enemy plane and strafed three picket boats off the coast leaving them afire and dead in the water. Iwo based Mustangs on May 1, bombed and strafed military installations on Chichi Jima in the Bonins.

Mitchells of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing damaged a large cargo ship with rockets north of the Bonins on April 30. Corsair and Hellcat fighters end Avenger torpedo planes of this wing bombed enemy islands in the Palaus on May 1.

Army Thunderbolt fighters of the Seventh Air Force shot down a four engine seaplane over Truk in the Carolines on April 30 and swept the sea­plane base and harbor with rocket fire sinking one small craft and damaging two others. Army Liberators of the same force followed the attack with heavy bombing of the airfields on Moen and Param Islands. Marcus Island was bombed by Seventh Air Force Liberators on the same date.

Eleventh Army Air Force Liberators bombed Kataoka naval base on Shimushu on April 30. On the same date, installations on Kokutan Cape on the same island, were attacked by search planes of Fleet Air Wing Four.

PACIFIC

Submarine Bowfin (SS-287) sinks Japanese gunboat Chowa Maru southeast of Erimosaki, Hokkaido, Japan, 41°02'N, 144°36'E.

Submarine Sennet (SS-408) damages Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.50 off Wakayama, 3358'N, 136°17'E.

PBMs (VPB 11 and FAW-1) sink Japanese cargo vessel Kyugkoku Maru off Mokpo, Korea, 34°35'N, 126°00'E; USN land-based planes on anti-shipping sweeps over Yellow Sea also sink merchant cargo ships Miyatama Maru and Komadori Maru off Mokpo, 34°11'N, 126°35'E. Land-based USN aircraft are also most likely responsible for damage inflicted on merchant vessel Taruyasu Maru in the Chochiku Channel the same day.

Japanese merchant tanker No.2 Iyasaka Maru is sunk by aircraft off Singapore.

Japanese merchant ship Richo Go is sunk by mine off Woosung, China.

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Day 2061 of World War II, May 2nd 1945

Eastern Front

Soviet forces complete the capture of Berlin, when Soviet units in the north and south of Berlin link up on the Charlottenburg Chaussee. German forces surrender to Marshal Zhukov, who immediately despatches troops to search for the bodies of Hitler and Goebbels.

Map: The final battle in the center of Berlin



The German surrender is made by General der Artillerie Helmuth Weidling, CO of LVI Panzer Korps, and last "Kampf-kommandant" of Berlin. He unconditionally surrenders all German forces in the 'Reichshauptstadt' of Germany to the forces of the Soviet Red Army. With over 130,000 men surrendering in Berlin, General Weidling was taken, together with Mohnke, Gunsche, and other survivors, to the airfield at Strausberg, about 35 km east of the city, where the Russians had established a special holding camp for VIP prisoners

Photo: Raising a flag over the Reichstag, 2 May 1945



Stalin announces the fall of Berlin in his Order of the Day No. 359": 

TROOPS of the lst Byelorussian Front commanded by Marshal of the Soviet Union Zhukov, with the support of troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front commanded by Marshal of the Soviet Union Koniev, after stiff street-fighting, have completed the rout of the Berlin German troop grouping and, to-day, May 2, completely captured the capital of Germany, Berlin-centre of German imperialism and hotbed of German aggression.

The Berlin garrison which defended the city, with the Chief of the Defence of Berlin, Artillery General Weidling, and his staff at the head, to-day at 3 p.m. ceased resistance, laid down their arms and surrendered.

By 9 p.m. on May 2 our troops had taken prisoner more than 70,330 German officers and men in Berlin.

In the fighting for the capture of Berlin distinction was won by troops commanded by Army-Gen. Sokolovsky, Col.-Gen. Kuznetsov, Col.-Gen. Chuikov, Col.-Gen. Berzarin, Lieut.-Gen. Luchinsky, Lieut.-Gen. Perkhorovich, Lieut.-Gen. Lukyanchenko, Col.-Gen. Cherevichenko, Lieut.-Gen. Kazankin, Lieut.-Gen. Glazunov, Lieut.-Gen. Ryzhev, Lieut.-Gen. Zherebin, Lieut.-Gen. Rosly, Lieut.Gen. Tereshkov, Lieut.-Gen. Andreyev, Maj.-Gen. Bukshtynovich, Maj.-Gen. Belyavsky, Maj.-Gen. Kushchev, Maj.-Gen. Barinov, Maj.-Gen. Perevertkin, Maj.-Gen. Rogachevsky, Maj.-Gen. Batitsky, Maj.-Gen. Shvarev, Maj.-Gen. Firsov, Maj.-Gen. of Artillery Khetagurov, Maj.-Gen. Shatilov, Maj.-Gen. Shafarenko, Maj.-Gen. Smirnov, Maj.-Gen. Kozin, Maj.-Gen. Karapetyan, Maj.-Gen. Krasilnikov, Maj.-Gen. Shugayev, Maj.-Gen. Zalezyuk, Maj.-Gen. Stankevsky, Maj.-Gen. Pankov, Maj.-Gen. Glebov, Maj.-Gen. Bakanov, Maj.-Gen. Duka, Maj.-Gen. Seryugin, Maj.-Gen. Gasparyan, Maj.-Gen. Sokolov, Maj.-Gen. Dorofeyev, Maj.-Gen. Syzranov, Maj.Gen. Galai, Maj.-Gen. Shkrylev, Maj.-Gen. Safaryan, Maj.-Gen. Vydrigan, Maj.-Gen. Bevzyuk, Maj.-Gen. Myshkin, Maj.-Gen. Korchikov, Maj.-Gen. Turchinsky, Maj.-Gen. Vekhin, Col. Antonov, Col. Ivanov, Col. Gervasiyev, Col. Solovyev, Col. Shishkov, Maj.-Gen. Foinishenko, Col. Smolin, Col. Vorobyev, Col. Marchenko, Col. Negoda, Col. Assafov, Col. Shatskov and Col. Rybalko; Tankmen commanded by Col.-Gen. of Tank Troops Bogdanov, Col.-Gen. of Tank Troops Katukov, Col.-Gen. Rybalko, Col.-Gen. Lelyushenko, Col.-Gen. of Tank Troops Novikov, Lieut.-Gen. of Tank Troops Orel, Lieut.-Gen. Radzievsky, Lieut.-Gen. of Tank Troops Krivoshein, Lieut.- Gen. of Tank Troops Sukhov, Lieut.-Gen. of Tank Troops Belov, Lieut.-Gen. Shaun, Maj.-Gen. of Tank Troops Bakhmetyev, Maj.-Gen. of Tank Troops Upman, Maj.-Gen. of Tank Troops Saminov, Maj.-Gen. of Tank Troops Stogny, Maj.-Gen. Dremov, Lieut.-Gen. of Tank Troops Kirichenko, Maj.-Gen. of Tank Troops Yushchuk, Maj.-Gen. of Tank Troops Mitrofanov, Maj.-Gen. of Tank Troops Vainrub, Maj.-Gen. of Tank Troops Anisimov, Col. Nikolayev and Col. Babadzhanyan; Artillerymen commanded by Col.-Gen. of Artillery Kazakov, Col.-Gen. of Artillery Varentsov, Lieut.-Gen. of Artillery Shamshin, Lieut.-Gen. of Artillery Pozharsky, Lieut.-Gen. of Artillery Ignatov, Lieut.-Gen. of Artillery Romanovich, Lieut.-Gen. of Artillery Kozhukhov, Maj.-Gen. of Artillery Morozov, Maj.-Gen. of Artillery Kossenko, Maj.-Gen. of Artillery Plaskov, Maj.-Gen. of Artillery Frolov, Maj.-Gen. of Artillery Likhachev, Maj.-Gen. of Artillery Snegurov, Maj.-Gen. of Artillery Lebedevsky, Maj.-Gen. of Artillery Koznov, Maj.-Gen. of Artillery Bryukhanov, Maj.-Gen. of Artillery Shlepin, Maj.-Gen. of Artillery Bogdan, Maj.-Gen. of Artillery Seredin, Maj.-Gen. of Artillery Kamensky, Maj.-Gen. of Artillery Polosukhin, Maj.-Gen. of Artillery Petropavlovsky, Maj.-Gen. of Artillery Nikolsky, Maj.-Gen. of Artillery Mentyukov, Maj.-Gen. of Artillery Dobrinsky, Maj.-Gen. of Artillery Krasnokutsky, Col. Fantalov, Col. Shrike, Col. Korchagin, Col. Overchenko and Col. Lyubimov; Ships and units of the Red Banner Dnieper Flotilla commanded by Rear-Admiral Grigoryev and Captain of the First Rank Lyalko; Airmen commanded by Chief Marshal of Aviation Novikov, Chief Marshal of Aviation Golovanov, Col.-Gen. of Aviation Rudenko, Col.-Gen. of Aviation Krasovsky, Lieut.-Gen. of Aviation Savitsky, Lieut.-Gen. of Aviation Beletsky, Lieut.-Gen. of Aviation Tupikov, Lieut.-Gen. of Aviation Loginov, Lieut.-Gen. of Aviation Shchetchikov, Lieut.-Gen. of Aviation Nestertsev, Lieut.-Gen. of Aviation Ryazanov, Lieut.-Gen. of Aviation Utin, Maj.-Gen. of Aviation Tokarev, Maj.-Gen. of Aviation Krupsky, Maj.-Gen. of Aviation Korevatsky, Maj.-Gen. of Aviation Skok, Maj.-Gen. of Aviation Sidnev, Maj.-Gen. of Aviation Dzusov, Maj.-Gen. of Aviation Slyusarev, Maj.-Gen. of Aviation Babaluyev, Maj.-Gen. of Aviation Arkhangelsky, Col. Nikishin, Col. Stalin, Col. Pokryshkin, Maj.-Gen. of Aviation Komarov and Col. Alexandrovich; Sappers commanded by Col.-Gen. of Engineering Troops Proshlyakov, Col.-Gen. of Engineering Troops Galitsky, Maj.-Gen. of Engineering Troops Marin, Maj.-Gen. of Engineering Troops Tkachenko, Maj.-Gen. of Engineering Troops Furs, Maj.-Gen. of Engineering Troops Kharchevin, Maj.-Gen. of Engineering Troops Zhirov, Col. Belsky, Col. Kamenchuk and Col. Poluektov; Signallers commanded by Lieut.-Gen. of Signals Troops Maximenko, Lieut.-Gen. of Signals Troops Bulychev, Maj.-Gen. of Signals Troops Akimov, Col. Cherkasov, Col. Falin, Col. Smoky, Col. Zakharov, Col. Plotkin, Col. Borissov, Col. Ostrenko, Lieut.-Col. of State Security Vakish and Lieut.-Col. of State Security Grib.

To commemorate the victory, the units and formations which particularly distinguished themselves in the fighting for the capture of Berlin will be recommended for conferment of the name “Berlin” and award of Orders.

To-day, May 2, at 23.30 hours (Moscow time), in honour of the historic event of the capture of Berlin by Soviet troops, the capital of our Motherland, Moscow, in the name of the Motherland, will salute with 24 artillery salvoes from 324 guns the gallant troops of the 1st Byelorussian and 1st Ukrainian Fronts.

For excellent military operations I express my thanks to the troops of the 1st Byelorussian and 1st Ukrainian Fronts which took part in the fighting for the capture of Berlin.

Eternal glory to the heroes who fell in the fighting for the freedom and independence of our Motherland!

Death to the German invaders!

J. Stalin

Supreme Commander-in-Chief

Marshal of the Soviet Union

Moscow

Breslau learns of the surrender of Berlin, and General Herman Niehoff asks Army Group Center that he be allowed to surrender the city. His request is denied.

North of Berlin, Soviet units have taken Rostock and many other towns. The only large German forces which remain in contact with the Soviet armies are those isolated in Latvia and those in Austria and Czechoslovakia.

Map: Drive to the Baltic (1945)



Western Front (1945) - Western Allied invasion of Germany

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, May 2nd 1945



The British 2nd Army captures Lübeck and Wismar. US and Soviet troops meet near Barow and Abbendorf. Units Canadian 1st Army capture Oldenburg. American units continue their advances in Austria and Bavaria. The defenders of Innsbruck begin to sue for peace. The French I Corps reaches Gotzis and Obersdorf.

Photo: A Comet tank of 3rd Royal Tank Regiment, 11th Armoured Division, during the advance towards Lubeck, Germany, 2 May 1945



Photo: Infantry of 2nd Battalion, The Wiltshire Regiment, supported by Churchill tanks of 6th Guards Tank Brigade, clear a pocket of resistance south of Lubeck in Germany, 2 May 1945



Photo: Stuart tanks of 3rd Royal Tank Regiment, 11th Armoured Division, drive along an autobahn towards Lubeck, 2 May 1945



A large group of German rocket engineers surrender to American forces.

US 7th Army in Germany captures Field Marshal General Karl von Rundstedt, former commander in the West.

The American 13th Armored Division peacefully enters Braunau, in former Austria, birthplace of Adolf Hitler.

A German delegation met with British Field Marshal Montgomery on Luneberg Heath, outside Hamburg, Germany, offering the surrender of all their forces in northwestern Germany - A total of more than one million men.

Western Front (1945) - Liberation of the Netherlands

The final German defenders of the Dutch port of Delfzijl surrender.

At 0730 hours, the first of many Canadian and British trucks crossed German defensive lines in the Netherlands without being harassed to deliver food to Dutch civilians. On the same day, 400 US B-17 bombers dropped crates of K-rations over Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands.

Photo: Description: Food transports from Wageningen to the West of the Netherlands shortly before the capitulation. A truck is being loaded, 2 May 1945



Photo: Food transports from Wageningen to the western Netherlands shortly before the capitulation (49th British Division of the 1st Canadian Army). A transport on the way to Rhenen, May 2, 1945



Photo: German soldiers guarding food dump established in forward area, talking to one of the Dutch drivers who is to distribute the food in a Canadian truck, 2 May 1945



Air War over Europe

16 RAF Mosquito Mk XVIs of No. 608 Squadron, No. 8 Group join Halifaxes of No.100 Group (Nos. 177 and 199 Squadrons) to make the last Bomber Command raid of the Second World War, an attack on Kiel. There had been no offensive operations by Bomber Command since 26/27 April and most squadrons thought that their war in Europe was over, but it was feared that the Germans were assembling ships at Kiel to transport troops to Norway in order to carry on the war there. A last raid by No 8 Group Mosquitos was thus organized, with a large supporting effort being provided. 16 Mosquito bombers of No 8 Group and 37 Mosquitos of No 100 Group were first dispatched to attack airfields in the Kiel area. A Mosquito of No 169 Squadron, No 100 Group, was lost while carrying out a low-level napalm attack on Jagel airfield; its crew - Flying Officer R Catterall, DFC, and Flight Sergeant DJ Beadle - were killed. 126 Mosquitos of No 8 Group then attacked Kiel in 2 raids, 1 hour apart. The target area was almost completely cloud-covered but H2S and Oboe were used. Large fires on the ground were seen through the cloud. No Mosquitos were lost on these raids. Towards morning, a large column of military vehicles departed in the direction of Flensburg on the Danish frontier. Meanwhile, there had been a final small tragedy for Bomber Command. 89 RCM aircraft of No 100 Group had been sent to support the Mosquito bomber force and 2 Halifaxes from No 199 Squadron, each with 8 men on board, were lost. The Halifaxes had been part of the Mandrel screen and were also carrying 4,500lb bombs and large quantities of Window. The 2 aircraft crashed at Meimersdorf, just south of Kiel, and it is probable that they collided while on their bomb runs. They were the last Bomber Command aircraft to be lost in the war. There were only 3 survivors. 13 airmen, 12 from the United Kingdom and one from the Irish Republic, mostly second-tour men, died.

RCAF, RAF, and Norwegian 'Mosquito' fighter-bomber a/c from RCAF 404 Sqn, RAF 143, 235, and 248 Sqns and Norwegian 333 (RAF) Sqn, attacked and sank 'U-2359' in the Kattegat, in position 57.29N, 011.24E. There were no survivors from her crew of 12.

RAF Mitchell light bombers of 2nd T.A.F. make their last mission of the war when 47 aircraft of Nos. 98, 108, 226, 320 and 342 Squadrons bomb railway marshalling yards at Itzehoe.

(US Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown. Mission 975: 401 B-17s are dispatched to drop food supplies in the Netherlands at Schipol (250) and Alkmaar (20) Airfields, Vogelenznag (40), Hilversum (20), Utrecht (59) and targets of opportunity (4); 4 B-17s are damaged by 20mm fire which ceases as soon as a green flare is fired; a total of 767.1 tons of food are dropped. Mission 976: 8 B-17s, escorted by 9 P-51s, drop leaflets in France, the Netherlands and Germany during daylight hours.

(US Ninth Air Force): Weather cancels 9th Bombardment Division operations. In Germany, fighters fly airfield cover, defensive- freelance patrols, a sweep over the Dessau area, and patrol the Straubing- Ingolstadt area and the US Third Army front in Austria and Czechoslovakia; unit moves: HQ 394th BG (Medium) from Niergnies Airfield, Cambrai, France to Venlo, the Netherlands; 14th Liaison Squadron, XIX Tactical Air Command (attached to Twelfth Army Group) from Erlangen to Regensburg with L-5s; 72d Liaison Squadron, Ninth AF (attached to Sixth Army Group), from Gmund to Augsburg; 377th and 378th FS, 362d FG, and 425th Night Fighter Squadron, XIX Tactical Air Command, from Frankfurt to Furth with P-47s and P-61s respectively.

Italian campaign

At noon the German surrender becomes effective. The long, difficult and controversial campaign in Italy is over. 
Map: Allied Spring Offensive: Italy 1945



Allied forces reach Trieste, Milan and Turin during the course of the day, while others are advancing north toward Brenner Pass where they will link up with US 7th Army forces from the north.

Photo: 1st Armored Division tanks in Milan, 2 May 1945



New Zealand 2nd Division of the British 8th Army accepts the surrender of the German garrison in the port of Trieste, Yugoslavia.

Photo: New Zealand 20th Armoured Regiment tanks and soldiers on the road to Trieste, Italy, during World War 2. Major Caldwell is sitting on the front tank's hatch, 2 May 1945



(US Twelfth Air Force): Bad weather continues; medium bombers are grounded while the XXII Tactical Air Command flies an uneventful armed reconnaissance in NE Italy.

Battle of the Atlantic

Minesweeping trawler HMS 'Ebor Wyke' was torpedoed and sunk by 'U-979' off Hrafneyri Light, seven miles north of Skagi, Iceland. The only survivor was Coxswain John Milnes.

Germany

Karl Dönitz appoints Count Lutz Schwerin von Krosigk as Foreign Minister, replacing Joachim von Ribbentrop.

Ireland

Irish Prime Minister Eamon de Valera expresses condolences to the German Legation for Adolf Hitler's death.

Spain

French Pierre Laval arrives at Barcelona airport, agreeing to be interned and dealt with by Allied Governments.

United Kingdom

The British Government announces that the air raid warning system has been discontinued. It was heard 1224 times during the war.

British government announced that London, England, United Kingdom was now a "Go Home" area, ending the nearly six-year evacuation.

In a report to the House of Commons the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced the unconditional surrender of the German land, sea and air forces, commanded by Colonel-General Heinrich von Wietinghof-Scheel, Commander-in Chief South-West Command and Commander-in Chief of Army Group C. The instrument of surrender signed at the Allied Forces Headquarters at Caserta on Sunday afternoon, 29 Apr 1945, by two German plenipotentiaries and Lieutenant-General W. D. Morgan, Chief of Staff at Allied Forces Headquarters would see the surrender of all German forces in Northern Italy to the Isonzo River, in the North-East, and the Austrian provinces of Salzburg, Vorarlberg, anf the Tyrol plus portions of Carinthia and Styria, Hostilities would end at 12 o'clock GMT on Wednesday, 2 May 1945.

Uruguay

Over two days, residents of Montevideo, Uruguay celebrate the fall of Berlin, Germany. The celebrations turn to rioting and looting; 58 are injured, and thousands of dollars worth of property are damaged.

United States

Newspaper:  A headline in the U.S. Army newspaper Stars and Stripes announcing Hitler's death, 2 May 1945



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): 5 B-24s mine areas of the Yangtze River; 20+ B-25s and about 130 fighter-bombers attack communications targets and supply lines and hit a large variety of targets of opportunity throughout S and E China as the air campaign accelerates with the aim of disrupting the imminent withdrawal of the Japanese and the abandonment of their Greater E Asia Corridor.

BURMA

British forces launch Operation Dracula, the amphibious assault on Rangoon.

YouTube (Rangoon (1945)



British 26th Indian Division provides the landing force while Admiral Martin commands the 4 escort carriers and other naval units supporting the operation. There is no Japanese resistance. British TF63 (Admiral Walker) with the battleships Queen Elizabeth and Richelieu and 2 escort carriers as well as cruisers and destroyers conduct covering operations in which Port Blair and Car Nicobar are bombed and shelled. Meanwhile, to the north of the landings, the British 4th Corps complete the capture Pegu.

Photo: Landing craft carrying troops of the Indian 15th Corps proceed up the Rangoon River, 2 May 1945



Photo: Unloading a landing craft of troops and vehicles of the 15th Indian Corps at Elephant Point, south of Rangoon at the beginning of operation 'Dracula', 2 May 1945



Photo: Men of the 15th Indian Corps land near Elephant Point south of Rangoon at the beginning of operation 'Dracula', 2 May 1945



Photo: Men of the 15th Indian Corps help to bring ashore a 25-pdr field gun from a landing craft at Elephant Point, south of Rangoon at the beginning of operation 'Dracula', 2 May 1945



GUAM

Seventh Air Force: 12 B-24s from Guam pound the airfield on Param while 21, flying in 2 forces, hit airfields and gun positions on Marcus in the N Pacific. During the night of 2/3 May, 9 more B-24s make individual harassment bombings on Param, Moe, and Tol Island. VII Fighter Command: 12 Iwo Jima based P-51s strike a radio station on Chichi Jima.

BORNEO CAMPAIGN (1945)

B-25s continue support for Australian troops on Tarakan and, in conjunction with US Navy aircraft bomb Kudat Airfield.

Off Tarakan, Borneo, Japanese shore batteries sink motor minesweeper YMS-481 and damage YMS-364, 03°27'N, 117°32'E, and YMS-334, 03°26'N, 117°40'E. YMS-363 is damaged by mine, 03°26'N, 117°32'E.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

The US 14th Corps units advancing west along the Bicol Peninsula of Luzon link up, near Naga, with units from the Legaspi area that have moved east. On this part of the island, Japanese forces have now been scattered.

B-24s and P-51s pound troops near Ipo Dam while B-25s, A-20s, and fighters hit Cagayan Valley targets; FEAF strikes in support of ground forces continue on Luzon and on Cebu.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, N. D. COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 594, MAY 2, 1945

Far Eastern Waters.

1. U. S. submarines have reported the sinking of 21 enemy vessels, includ­ing two combatant ships‑a destroyer and an escort vessel‑in operations against the enemy in these waters, as follows:

1 destroyer
1 escort vessel
1 destroyer transport
2 medium cargo transports
2 small cargo vessels
12 medium cargo vessels
1 large tanker
1 medium tanker

2. These actions have not been announced in any pervious Navy Depart­ment communiqué.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 350, MAY 2, 1945

The Seventh Infantry Division which captured Kuhazu Village during the late afternoon of April 30 continued to advance southward on Okinawa on May 1 (East Longitude Dates). No substantial change was made in other sectors of the lines where our troops were under enemy artillery, mortar and small arms fire. On May 2, ships' guns destroyed a number of enemy emplace­ments, strong points, and boat pens and carrier and land based aircraft bombed enemy defenses. The Infantry resumed the attack during the hours of dark­ness on the morning of May 2 and elements of the Seventh Division moved 1,400 yards forward to the vicinity of Gaja Hill, approximately one mile north of the town of Yonabaru. Tanks and flame throwers were being em­ployed to develop this salient. The Seventy‑Seventh Infantry Division and the First Marine Division launched an attack in the center and on the right flank and were moving forward during the morning of May 2.

Targets on Kume Island, west of Okinawa and in the Sakishima Group In the Southern Ryukyus, were attacked by aircraft of the U. S. Pacific Fleet on May 2.

Search Aircraft of Fleet Air Wing One sank a medium transport south of Korea on May 1. On the following day, planes of this Wing sank two small cargo ships off the coast of Central Honshu and one oft the coast of Kyushu. Two small cargo ships were damaged near Honshu and a number of fishing and small craft were struck off Kyushu on the same date.

Army Mustangs of the Seventh Fighter Command bombed and strafed radio installations and other targets in the Bonins on May 2.

Liberators of the Seventh Army Air Force bombed Param Airfield at Truk and the airstrip and air facilities at Marcus Island on May 1 and 2.

Corsair and Hellcat fighters and Avenger torpedo planes of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing bombed targets in the Palaus and on Yap in the West­ern Carolines on May 2.

Neutralizing attacks were made on enemy bases in the Marshalls by Search Planes of Fleet Air Wing Two on May 1.

PACIFIC

Submarine Raton (SS-270) attacks Japanese convoy SE-3, sinking merchant cargo ship Toryu Maru southeast of the Shantung Peninsula, 37°24'N, 123°50'E.

Submarine Springer (SS-414) sinks Japanese escort vessel Oga in Yellow Sea, 33°56'N, 122°49'E (see 3-4 May).

Japanese merchant ship Daian Maru is sunk by aircraft off Woosung, China.

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Day 2062 of World War II, May 3rd 1945

Eastern Front

Soviet forces have now reached the Elbe west of Berlin and made contact with US 1st and 9th Armies and in the north with the British 2nd Army. Fighting in Berlin ends.

YouTube (May 3rd 1945, footage of Berlin after the surrender)



Photo: A Lend-Lease M4A2 (76) W Sherman in Soviet service in the 64th Guards Tank Regiment, 8th Guards Mechanized Corps. The tank and its crew is at Grabow, Germany, linking up with the 82nd Airborne Division. This photograph was taken by an US Army Signal Corps personnel imbedded with the 82nd Airborne Division, May 3 1945



Western Front (1945) - Western Allied invasion of Germany

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, May 3rd 1945



British Field Marshal Bernhard Montgomery tells German General of the Army, Admiral Hans von Friedeburg and three others to surrender unconditionally all German forces in Holland, Friesen, Frisian Islands, Helgoland, Schleswig-Holstein, Denmark, and all other islands. They take the message back to Field Marshal Ernst Busch. Friedeburg informs Montgomery of the German wish to discuss surrender of all German armed forces.

Photo: Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery with the German delegates outside his headquarters at 21st Army Group, 3 May 1945



Photo: Field Marshal Montgomery receives German Admiral Von Friedeburg and other members of the surrender delegation at 21st Army Group Headquarters near Lüneburg, 3 May 1945



YouTube (May 3, 1945 - News Report on the Surrender of German Troops in Lauenburg)



In northern Germany, the British 12th Corps (Dempsey) occupies Hamburg, the last significant objective of British offensive operations. The British 6th Airborne and the US 7th Armoured Division captured the north German town of Wismar. The actual capture was carried out by men of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion. US forces are advancing swiftly on Salzburg and Linz while British troops pursue the Germans up the Kiel Canal.

Photo: Cromwell tanks of 7th Armoured Division in Hamburg, 3 May 1945



Photo: Sherman Firefly of 7th Armoured Division in Hamburg (Großer Burstah corner to Rödingsmarkt with Hindenburghaus in the background), 3 May 1945



Photo: Universal carriers of 1/5th Queen's Regiment, 7th Armoured Division in Hamburg, 3 May 1945



Photo: A Cromwell tank of ‘A’ Squadron, 1st RTR, 7th Armoured Division, in position by the Elbe Bridge in Hamburg, 3 May 1945



Photo: A Cromwell VI CS with 95mm howitzer of 11th Armoured Division on the quayside at Travemunde on the Baltic, 3 May 1945



Air War over Europe

P-47 unit moves in Germany: 314th, 315th and 316th Fighter Squadrons, 324th Fighter Group, from Luneville, France to Stuttgart; 406th Fighter Squadron, 371st Fighter Group, from Eschborn Airfield, Frankfurt to Furth.

(US Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown. Mission 977: 399 B-17s are dispatched to drop food supplies in the Netherlands at Schipol (251) and Alkmaar (20) Airfields, Vogelenzang (42), Hilversum (21), Utrecht (58) and a target of opportunity (3) in the Netherlands; a total of 739.1 tons of food are dropped. Mission 978: 14 B-17s, escorted by 43 of 47 P-51s, drop leaflets in Germany during the day.

(US Ninth Air Force): 132 A-26s (on the final 9th Bombardment Division raid) bomb the Stod, Czechoslovakia ammunition plant. The IX Tactical Air Command escorts the A-26s and C-47s and flies airfield cover; the XIX Tactical Air Command patrols the US Third Army front, flies armed reconnaissance over Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia in the frontline areas and around Kiel and Lubeck, Germany, and escorts the A-26s; the XXIX Tactical Air Command (Provisional) escorts C-47s, flies sweeps, and hits shipping in the Kiel- Lubeck area. Unit moves: HQ 98th Combat Bombardment Wing (Medium) from Havrincourt, France to Venlo, the Netherlands; HQ 362d Fighter Group from Furth to Illesheim, Germany.

Battle of the Mediterranean

US troops meet US 5th Army from Italy at Brenner Pass between Austria and Italy.

(US Fifteenth Air Force): Bad weather again restricts operations to reconnaissance and reconnaissance escort missions by 20 P-38s and escort of Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force (MATAF) a B-25 leaflet dropping mission in N Italy.

(US Twelfth Air Force): To assure that the enemy implements the surrender terms in Italy and to observe road activity, fighters fly reconnaissance missions over N Italy and SW Austria; medium bombers drop leaflets in several areas where enemy troops might be unaware of the surrender. The 121st Liaison Squadron, Twelfth AF (attached to Fifth Army), moves from Florence to Verona, Italy with L-4s and L-5s.

Battle of the Atlantic

'U-1210' sunk near Eckernförde, in position 54.28N, 09.54E, by USAAF bombs. 1 dead, unknown number of survivors.

'U-2521' sunk in the Flensburg Fjord, in position 54.49N, 09.50E by rockets from RAF 184 Sqn Typhoons. 44 dead, unknown number of survivors.

'U-3032' sunk east of Frederica, in position 54.26,5N, 11.32,2E, by rockets from RAF 184 Sqn Typhoons. 36 dead and 24 survivors.

'U-2524' RAF 236 and 254 Sqn Beaufighters attacked the boat killing 1 man and damaging the boat. The boat was scuttled later that day. The LI refused to leave the boat and perished with it.

During an attack from a Beaufighter aircraft on a rocket penetrated into the control room of 'U-2503' killing the commander and 12 of his men. She was scuttled the next day.

Germany

Admiral Dönitz moves his seat of government to Flensburg. Karl Dönitz signs an edict written by Albert Speer, prohibiting the destruction of any facilities.

Brazil

Brazilian War Minister Eurico Dutra announce the Brazilian Expeditionary Force will return home from Italy immediately.

Portugal

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio de Oliveira Salazar sent a Foreign Ministry official to the German Embassy offering his condolences over the death of Adolf Hitler. Meanwhile, the Portuguese government declared two days of mourning for the recently deceased German leader.

United States

At the United Nations Conference on International Organization, in San Francisco four committees began work on a United Nations charter.

Photo: The U.S. Navy submarine USS Barb (SS-220) in San Francisco Bay, near the Mare Island Navy Yard, California (USA), 3 May 1945



Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Lofberg (DD-759) off San Francisco, California (USA), on 3 May 1945



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 9 B-25s and 6 fighter- bombers attack truck convoys in the Hsiang River Valley and near Paoching, Changsha, and Hengyang, and pound railroad targets of opportunity and bridges in the Taiku, Singtai, and Linfen areas; 90+ fighter-bombers attack troops, town areas, ammunition dumps, river shipping and other targets of opportunity over wide areas of S and E China.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): With the fall of Rangoon, Burma on this date (Indian 26 Division elements occupy the city), the war against the Japanese in Burma is successfully concluded; pockets of resistance remain W of the Irrawaddy River and between that river and the Mandalay-Pegu, Thailand railway however, during May AAF operations are reduced drastically due to the lack of suitable air targets and because of the onset of bad weather preceding the monsoon. The Tenth AF is withdrawn from combat and moved back to India (see 15 May 45); 1 squadron of P-38s remains in Burma to patrol the roads leading into China. Unit moves: 88th Fighter Squadron, 80th Fighter Group, from Myitkyina, Burma to Moran, India with P-47s; the detachment of the 156th Liaison Squadron (Commando), 2d Air Commando Group, operating from Myitche with UC-64s and L-5s, to Magwe, Burma; the 317th Troop Carrier Squadron (Commando), 2d Air Commando Group, based at Kalaikunda, India with C-47s, sends a detachment to operate from Comilla, India.

BURMA

Map: Allied Third Burma Campaign April- 3 May 1945



Rangoon is captured by British 26th Indian Division without encountering any Japanese resistance. To the north, on the Irrawaddy River, Prome is taken by British 33rd Corps.

Photo: Infantry and Sherman tanks under fire near a village during the advance south from Meiktila to Rangoon, 3 May 1945



Photo: Indian troops of the 20th Division search for Japanese at the badly damaged station in Prome, 3 May 1945



Photo: A 3-inch mortar crew in action as the 20th Division prepares to advance on Prome, 3 May 1945



Photo: Lee tanks advance along one of the few good roads which follows the Irrawaddy River, during the advance of 20th Division to Prome, 3 May 1945



GUAM

Seventh Air Force: 10 Guam Island-based B-24s bomb airfields and targets of opportunity on several islands of Truk Atoll; during the night of 3/4 May, 8 more separately strike Param, Eten, and Moen and Truk airfields.

(Twentieth Air Force): 7 missions are flown. Missions 127 to 132: 59 B-29s bomb airfields at Tachiarai, Miyazaki, Miyakonojo, Kokubu and 2 at Kanoya; 5 others hit targets of opportunity; they claim 10 Japanese fighters; 1 B-29 is lost.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force ]: Saigon, French Indochina is bombed by B-24s, which greatly damage a boatyard and oil storage areas. The 63d Troop Carrier Squadron, 403d Troop Carrier Group, moves from Biak to Dulag with C-47s.

BORNEO CAMPAIGN (1945)

In Borneo, B-25s continue support of ground forces on Tarakan and, with B-24s, carry out small raids against numerous targets on Borneo and Celebes, Manggar Airfield is heavily hit by B-24s and P-38s and USN airplanes hit warehouses in the Brunei Bay area.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

American naval forces commanded by Admiral Noble land 1000 troops near Santa Cruz in the Gulf of Davao, on Mindanao. Davao City is taken by US 24th Division units.

B-24s and P-51s pound the Ipo area while A-20s and fighters support ground forces. Davao City is taken by the US 27th Division.

U.S. freighter Edmund F. Dickens is damaged by mine, Manila Bay; there are no casualties among the merchant crew or the 27-man Armed Guard.

VOLCANO AND RYUKYU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

On Okinawa, Japanese forces launch a counteroffensive from positions in the south, during the night (May 3-4), but fail to break through the American lines. Japanese artillery batteries, that have remained silent until now to avoid American retaliation, support the assaults.

The 163d Liaison Squadron, AAFPOA (attached to Tenth Army), arrives on Okinawa Island from Saipan Island with UC-64s and L-5s.

Off Okinawa, kamikazes sink destroyer Little (DD-803), 26°24'N, 126°15'E and medium landing ship LSM-195, and damage destroyer Bache (DD-470) and high speed minesweeper Macomb (DMS-23), 26°01'N, 126°53'E; light minelayer Aaron Ward (DM-34), 26°24'N, 126°15'E, and large support landing craft LCS-25. Cargo ship Carina (AK-74) is damaged by assault demolition boat, 26°13'N, 127°50'E; infantry landing craft LCI-768 by operational casualty. Battleship New Mexico (BB-40) 40-millimeter mount accidentally fires upon and damages nearby War Department-chartered U.S. freighter Sea Flasher, injuring 47 men and killing seven troops of those men being transported on board.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 351, MAY 3, 1945

The Tenth Army resumed the attack in Southern Okinawa on May 3, (East Longitude Date), meeting artillery, mortar and small arms fire from the enemy's fortified line. The First Marine Division made a limited advance in its zone of action while other sectors remained stable. The attack was supported by ships' guns and aircraft.

In the early evening hours of May 3, four small groups of enemy aircraft attacked our shipping off the coast of Okinawa inflicting some damage on our forces and sinking two light units. Seventeen enemy aircraft were destroyed.

Planes from escort carriers of the U. S. Pacific Fleet continued neutraliz­ing attacks on airfields and air installations in the Sakishima group on May 2.

As of May 2, according to the most recent reports available, 1,131 officers and men of the U. S. Pacific Fleet had been killed in action in the Okinawa operation and associated operations against Japan. A total of 2,816 were wounded and 1,604 were missing. All figures are preliminary and incomplete.

Search Privateers of Fleet Air Wing One destroyed three twin‑engine planes on the ground, damaged locomotive and set numerous fires in a low level attack on Kanoya Airfield, Kyushu, during the early evening of May 3. Planes of the same wing probably sank a small cargo ship off the coast of Central Honshu on the same date.

Planes of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing bombed targets in the Palaus and strafed installations on Sonsoral Island, southwest of the Palaus on May 3. On the same date dive-bombers of this wing struck the airstrip at Yap. Neutralizing attacks were carried out on enemy bases in the Marshalls by Marine aircraft on the previous day.

A search Privateer of Fleet Air Wing Two bombed barracks and shops on Wake Island on May 2.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA PRESS RELEASE NO. 89, MAY 3, 1945

Among the ships of the British Pacific Fleet which engaged in operations against the islands of the Sakishima Group during the period March 26 to April 20 were the following fleet aircraft carriers:

HMS Indomitable
HMS Indefatigable
HMS Victorious

PACIFIC

Phase II of Operation STARVATION commences: in the first of two operations aimed at blockading Japan's industrial centers, 97 USAAF B-29s sow mines in the Shimonoseki Straits and the waters off Kobe, Osaka and Suo Nada.

Submarine Lagarto (SS-371) is sunk by Japanese minelayer Hatsutaka in Gulf of Siam, 07°55'N, 102°00'E.

Submarine Springer (SS-414) sinks Japanese Coast Defense Ship No.25 in Yellow Sea, 34°56'N, 122°49'E, as that ship proceeds to the scene of the sinking of escort vessel Oga, sunk by Springer the previous day.

[lordroel]

Day 2063 of World War II, May 4th 1945

YouTube (Allied Victory in Berlin, Italy, and Burma)



Eastern Front

Soviet troops liberate all of Slovakia. In Breslau, German General Herman Niehoff requests a cease fire with the Russians. General Gluzdovsky accepts.

German forces conduct rearguard actions, in northern Germany, in Czechoslovakia and Austria, as the bulk of the German forces attempt to disengage and reach the Anglo-American lines, rather than be taken by the Russians. In the East, fierce fighting continues in Moravia, the Vistula delta and in Kurland.

German Field Marshal Fedor von Bock, Commanding Army Group South (Russia), is killed in an air-raid.

Western Front (1945) - Western Allied invasion of Germany

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, May 4th 1945



Donitz sends envoys to the headquarters of Field Marshal Montgomery, at Luneburg Heath, and they sign an agreement, at 1820 hrs, for the surrender of German forces in Holland, Denmark and northern Germany.

German act of surrender, 4 May 1945



The Germans also agree to the Allied demand that German submarines should be surrendered rather than scuttled -- in the German naval tradition. The surrender becomes effective on May 5th.

Photo: Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery signing the Instrument of Surrender of German forces in North-West Europe at Luneberg Heath, 4 May 1945



Photo: Field Marshal Montgomery adds his signature to the document of surrender signed by the German delegation at 21st Army Group HQ at Luneburg Heath, 4 May 1945



YouTube (Germans Surrender To Montgomery (1945)



YouTube (Montgomery dictates the terms)



German delegates of the 24th Army request surrender terms of the French.

General Harry Crerar of the Canadian 1st Army orders all planned assaults called off, as a German surrender is considered imminent.

The British Second Army occupies Kiel.

Photo: Former Royal Netherlands Navy submarine O 26 (1941-1945) in the Arsenal Harbor in Kiel, Germany. Details: The boat never served in the Royal Netherlands Navy. In German service as UD 4,  4 May 1945



Photo: Sherman tanks of the Royal Scots Greys, 4th Armoured Brigade surrounded by abandoned German transport in Wismar, 4 May 1945



Photo: A Stuart tank of the Royal Scots Greys, 4th Armoured Brigade in Wismar, 4 May 1945



Photo: Incomplete German U-boats abandoned at the Blohm and Voss shipyard in Hamburg, 4 May 1945



Troops of the US First Army prepare to march into Czechoslovakia. Units of the US 3rd Army complete the crossing of the river Inn, and Innsbruck finally surrenders.

Photo: A tank of the 11th Armored Division, 3rd U.S. Army, covers advancing infantrymen who close in on burning buildings in Neufelden, Austria. 4 May, 1945



Photo: A 3rd U.S. Army armored convoy lines the streets of Simbach, Germany, waiting to cross the bridge over the Inn River into Braunau, Austria, birthplace of Hitler. 4 May, 1945



Salzburg is taken by US forces, who then move on towards Berchtesgaden.

Photo: M24 Chaffee moves on the outskirts of Salzburg. 4 May 1945



Photo: 3rd Inf. Div. troops gather in German P.W.s on main street of Salzburg, 4 May 1945



Photo: Civilians and liberated prisoners of war gathering around members of the 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, in Salzburg, Austria, 4 May 1945



Photo:  Infantrymen on tanks in city square of Berchtesgaden looking at large painting on wall of building in in the square in memory of World War I, 4 May 1945



Western Front (1945) - Liberation of Denmark

British forces land on Jutland, Denmark. Soviet forces begin attacking Danish islands of Moen, Laaland, and Falster.

Nine ships carrying Germans escaping toward Denmark and Norway are sunk in the Baltic. 100 other ships are damaged.

Air War over Europe

(US Eighth Air Force): Mission 978: 1 B-17s and 8 B-24s are dispatched on a leaflet mission during the night of 4/5 May; 7 aircraft drop leaflets in France, the Netherlands and Germany.

(US Ninth Air Force): No bomber operations. In Germany, the IX Tactical Air Command flies patrols and armed reconnaissance, the XIX Tactical Air Command flies patrols and armed reconnaissance and operates in concert with the XII Corps assault on Linz, Austria, and with the XX Corps which crosses the Inn River and pushes E and SE; the XXIX Tactical Air Command (Provisional) sweeps the Dessau and Wittenberg areas and attacks shipping in the Kiel and Flensburg areas; German forces in the Netherlands, NW Germany and Denmark surrender. Unit moves: 377th, 378th and 379th Fighter Squadrons, 362d Fighter Group, from Furth to Illesheim, Germany with P-47s; 556th, 557th, 558th and 559th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 387th Bombardment Group (Medium), from Clastres, France to Beek, the Netherlands with B-26s.

Battle of the Atlantic

'U-2511' Korvkpt. Adalbert Schnee, the former very successful commander of 'U-201' and then two years one of closest staff members of Dönitz, received the ceasefire orders. A few hours later 'U-2511' made a contact with cruiser HMS 'Norfolk' among some other British warships. The boat approached to within 500 meters of the British warship without any sonar contact from the enemy destroyers. Schnee had here the possibility for an absolute deadly attack against the cruiser, but then he left the scene without attacking and headed back to base.

'U-711' sunk in the Arctic near Harstad, Norway, in position 68.43,717N, 16.34,600E, by depth charges from Avenger and Wildcat aircraft of escort carriers HMS 'Searcher', 'Trumpeter' and 'Queen'. 40 dead and 12 survivors.

'U-2338' sunk ENE of Frederica, position 55.34N, 09.49E, by RAF 236 and 254 Sqn Beaufighters. 12 dead and 1 survivor.

'U-155' shot down an RAF 126 Sqn Mustang.

Italy

Photo: Maj. Russell Martin, West Peabody, Mass., of the 10th Mt. Div., conferring with German Capt. concerning the surrender of his troops in Roverto, Italy, 4 May, 1945



Photo: View of the exterior of the 9th New Zealand Infantry Brigade Headquarters in Trieste, Italy. New Zealand sentries on guard. Photographed by George Kaye on the 4th of May 1945



(US Fifteenth Air Force): No offensive operations; activity is limited to reconnaissance missions (with escort), escort of MATAF leaflet drops in N Italy, and escort of C-47s on supply dropping missions to Yugoslavia. HQ 332d Fighter Group and the 100th and 301st Fighter Squadrons move from Ramitelli Airfield to Cattolica, Italy with P-51s.

(US Twelfth Air Force): The XXII Tactical Air Command continues flying visual reconnaissance during the night and day in N Italy; the US 85th Infantry Division reaches the Austrian border near San Candido and pushes on to the Brenner Pass at Vipiteno without opposition.

Photo: Infantry ride on Sherman tanks of 6th Armoured Division as they head towards the Austrian border, 4 May 1945



German occupied Norway

Operation Judgement (ii), an attack by 44 aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm on the U-Boat base at Kilbotn, near the Norwegian town of Harstad. This was the last major offensive action carried out by the Royal Navy Home Fleet against German targets during the Second World War.

The attack was to be carried out by the escort carriers HMS Queen, Trumpeter and Searcher, escorted by two cruisers and 7 destroyers. Wildcats carrying 250lb bombs would attack the heavily armed flak ships defending the anchorage, with others providing top cover. Avengers loaded with four 500lb bombs would then focus on the depot ship Black Watch (formerly a North Sea passenger ship) and the support vessel Senja.

The attack, which lasted just seven minutes (17:00-17:07) succeeded in hitting both target vessels, which caught fire and subsequently sank. The submarine U-711 was caught moored between Black Watch and Senja and later also succumbed to the damage it had sustained. 150 Germans were killed or wounded; there were no civilian casualties, though an errant bomb damaged some buildings in Kilbotn village.

An 882 Squadron Wildcat was hit almost immediately by flak at the start of the attack and ditched, its pilot ‘Hughie’ Morrison being rescued by Norwegian fishermen but dying soon afterwards. An 846 Squadron Avenger was also lost, with all the crew being killed. Their bodies were recovered by locals, who buried them in the churchyard at Sørvik.

Photo: Operation Judgement. The main targets of the attack, the depot ship Black Watch and U-711 are hidden behind water columns and smoke, 4 May 1945



Yugoslavia

Partisan forces enter Fiume, in Dalmatia, and threaten Pola.

Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): 12 B-25s and 180+ fighter-bombers, mostly operating in flights of 2 to 4 aircraft, attack town areas, storage, troops, horses, trucks, river shipping, airfields, and many other targets of opportunity scattered over the vast expanse of S and E China.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): Unit moves in Burma: 83d Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 12th BG (Medium), based at Fenny, India with B-25s, begins operating from Magwe, Burma; 164th Liaison Squadron (Commando), 1st Air Commando Group, from Sinthe to Magwe with UC-64s and L-5s.

BURMA

The advance of the British 15th Corps, northward from Rangoon, and the British 4th and 33rd Corps, southward, threatens to cut of the Japanese 28th Army (General Sakurai) from the rest of the Japanese forces. The Irrawaddy river separates the Japanese forces.

TINIAN

(Twentieth Air Force): The 792d, 793d and 794th Bombardment Squadrons (Very Heavy), 468th BG (Very Heavy), begin a movement from Kharagpur to Tinian Island with B-29s.

(Twentieth Air Force): Missions 140 to 143: 47 B-29s attack airfields at Oita, Omura, Saeki, and Matsuyama on Kyushu and Shikoku Islands, Japan; 2 others attack targets of opportunity; 1 B-29 is lost.

GUAM

(Seventh Air Force): 22 B-24s from Angaur Airfield bomb AA positions on Koror. 11 B-24s from Guam Island hit the airfield on Marcus Island in the N Pacific.

Fleet Air Wing 18 (Rear Admiral Marshall R. Greer) is established at Guam for operations in the forward areas.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force]: B-24s heavily damage oil installations at Saigon, French Indochina. HQ 18th FG and 12th and 70th Fighter Squadrons move from San Jose to Zamboang with P-38s.

BORNEO CAMPAIGN (1945)

On Borneo, B-25s and P-38s support ground forces on Tarakan and B-24s hit Sandakan and Kota Baru and on Celebes Island, bomb Mandai Airfield and Masamba Airfield.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

On Luzon, the US 25th Division, part of US 1st Corps, capture Mount Haruna, west of the Balete Pass. Northwest of Manila, elements of the US 11th Corps attack toward Guagua but are forced back by Japanese defenses. On Mindanao, the US 24th Division mops up in around Davao while elements of the US 31st Division patrol north of Zibawe. Elements of the US 41st Division reach Parang, north of Cotabato while other forces land north of Digos, near Santa Cruz. On Negros, the Americal Division attempts to reopen its supply lines, which have been cut by the Japanese forces, in the eastern part of the island.

B-25s bomb the Tuguegarao area on Luzon Island while other B-25s, A-20s, and fighter- bombers, in spite of bad weather, support ground forces in N and S Luzon and on Negros Island. P-38s pound Itu Aba Island, China.

VOLCANO AND RYUKYU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

On Okinawa, the Japanese 32nd Army counterattacks. Artillery that was formerly concealed is used to support infantry charges. The US 7th and 77th Divisions hold the assaults. Meanwhile, the US 1st Marine Division attacks Machinato airfield and suffers heavy losses.

Photo: British warships bombard Japanese island of miyako, 4 May 1945



Japanese planes attack Yontan airfield, Okinawa, and U.S. and British ships supporting Okinawa operation. Kamikazes sink destroyers Luce (DD-522), 26°35'N,127°10'E, and Morrison (DD-560), 27°10'N, 127°58'E, and medium landing craft LSM-190 and LSM-194; and damage light cruiser Birmingham (CL-62), 26°19'N, 127°43'E; escort carrier Sangamon (CVE-26), 26°01'N, 237°26'E [destroyer Hudson (DD-475) collides with Sangamon as the destroyer lies alongside, 26°01'N, 127°26'E]; destroyers Ingraham (DD-694), 27°10'N, 127°58'E; Cowell (DD-547), 26°11'N, 126°35'E; and Lowry (DD-770), 27°12'N, 128°17'E; light minelayer Gwin (DM-33), 26°13'N, 126°22'E; high speed minesweeper Hopkins (DMS-13), 26°32'N, 126°58'E; motor minesweeper YMS-331, 26°32'N, 126°58'E; British carrier HMS Formidable [carrier HMS Indomitable is also crashed by a suicider, but her armored deck deflects the attacker into the sea]. In addition, light minelayer Shea (DM-30) is damaged by a Baka, 27°26'N, 126°59'E; minesweeper Gayety (AM-239) is damaged by near-misses of kamikaze and Baka, 26°32'N, 126°58'E; motor minesweeper YMS-327 is damaged by kamikaze and by friendly fire, 26°32'N, 126°58'E; motor minesweeper YMS-311 is damaged by friendly fire, 26°00'N, 128°00'E; motor gunboat PGM-17 is damaged by grounding, 26°42'N, 128°01'E; large support landing craft LCS-31 and LCS-57 are damaged by air attack. Coordinated with the air strike, a minor Japanese counterlanding is attempted and repulsed.

Photo: The aircraft carrier HMS Formidable (R67) on fire after being struck by a Kamikaze off Sakishima Gunto. Formidable was hit at 1130 hrs, the kamikaze making a massive dent about 3 m long, 0.6 m wide and deep in the armoured flight deck. A large steel splinter speared down through the hangar deck and the centre boiler-room, where it ruptured a steam line, and came to rest in a fuel tank, starting a major fire in the aircraft park. Eight crew members were killed and forty-seven were wounded. One Vought Corsair and ten Grumman Avengers were destroyed, 4 May 1945



Photo: "Minutes after the kamikaze attack on HMS Formidable engineers were filling the hole on the flight deck with quick drying cement and repairing the after barrier making her fully operational once more", 4 May 1945



Photo: An HMS Formidable repair party chat following a Kamikaze attack off Okinawa. Formidable resumed normal flight operations within 5 hours, 4 May 1945



Photo: USS Carina (AK-74) anchored after a Japanese suicide boat attack at Okinawa, 4 May 1945



Photo: Bombardment by H.M.C.S. UGANDA of Sukuma Airfield on Miyako Jima, 4 May 1945



ALASKA

(Eleventh Air Force): Brigadier General Isaiah Davies replaces Major General Davenport Johnson as Commanding General Eleventh AF on an interim basis.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, N. D. COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 595, MAY 4, 1945

1. The submarine USS Swordfish is overdue from patrol and presumed lost. Next of kin of officers and crew have been informed.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 352, MAY 4, 1945

During the night of May 3‑4 (East Longitude Dates) about 600 Japanese soldiers using landing craft attempted to attack behind our lines at three points along the West Coast and at one point on the East Coast of Okinawa. By daylight the landing effort on the East Coast had been repulsed and enemy groups on the West Coast were pocketed and being destroyed. During early morning darkness a number of enemy aircraft attacked Yontan Airstrip, caus­ing some damage. In the same period, ships offshore destroyed 15 suicide boats one of which caused minor damage to a light surface unit.

There was virtually no change in the position of the lines of the Tenth Army in Southern Okinawa on May 4.

Between the hours of 0745 and 0915, on May 4, a substantial number of enemy aircraft attacked our forces afloat in the area of Okinawa, sinking five surface units and damaging a number of others. Preliminary reports indicate that 54 enemy planes were shot down over our forces by ships' guns and combat air patrols. One of our destroyers shot down a Baka bomb during the attack.

Aircraft from fast carrier task forces of the U. S. Pacific Fleet sweeping the Islands of the Northern Ryukyus shot down one plane, destroyed one and damaged 19 others on the ground at Tokuno, Kikai and Tanega Islands on May 3. On the following day, aircraft from fast carriers shot 96 aircraft out of the air over Okinawa and the Amami Group.

Search Aircraft of Fleet Air Wing One shot down two enemy planes and damaged two others on May 4.

Escort carrier aircraft of the U. S. Pacific Fleet continued neutralizing raids on airfields in the Sakishima Group on May 3.

Liberators of the Seventh Army Air Force bombed air and harbor Installa­tions at Truk on May 3, leaving a small cargo ship burning and another listing after being hit by bombs. A single Navy search Plane exploded an ammuni­tion dump at Truk on the following day. On May 4, Seventh Army Air Force planes bombed runways and dispersal areas on Marcus Island.

Planes of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing bombed targets in the Palaus and Marshalls on May 4.

Mopping up operations on Two Island and the Islands of the Marianas continued during April 22 and 28 inclusive. A total of 108 of the enemy were killed and 156 were taken prisoner.

PACIFIC

Submarine Cero (SS-225) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Shinpen Maru off Yamada Bay, 39°28'N, 142°04'E.

Submarine Trepang (SS-412) sinks Japanese minesweeper W.20 in Yellow Sea 140 nautical miles southeast of Mokpo, Korea, 34°16'N, 123°37'E, as W.20 proceeds to the scene of the sinking of escort vessel Oga, sunk by Springer (SS-414) on 2 May 1945 (see 2 and 3 May).

USN land-based planes sink Japanese merchant tankers Koan Maru and No.15 Takasago Maru off Pusan, Korea, 34°40'N, 127°30'E. Navy PBMs damage cargo vessel Harukawa Maru while she is en route from Jinsen to Moji, 34°50'N, 128°30'E.

Japanese tanker No.2 Yaei Maru is sunk by USAAF B-29 (20th Bomber Command)-laid mine off Singapore, 02°00'S, 105°00'E; stores ship Hayasaki is damaged by mine [laid by submarine Guitarro (SS-363) on 20 April 1945] while en route from Batavia to Singapore, 01°00'S, 104°30'E.

USAAF B-24 (13th Air Force) attacks Japanese shippingoff Cape Camau, French Indochina, sinking auxiliary netlayer Tokachi Maru, 08°36'N, 104°43'E.

Tank landing craft LCT-1358 sinks after running aground off California coast.

[lordroel]

Day 2064 of World War II, May 5th 1945

YouTube (Germans and Americans fighting side by side!)



Eastern Front

Along the Baltic coast, Soviet units occupy Swinemunde and Peenemunde.

Western Front (1945) - Western Allied invasion of Germany

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, May 5th 1945



German Army Group G surrenders to US forces after negotiations are concluded at Haar in Bavaria.

YouTube (May 5, 1945 - Drew Pearson Reports on the Imminent End of Hostilities)



US 11th Armored Division enters Linz, Austria, occupying it within an hour without a fight.

German 11th Panzer Division surrenders to US 90th Division in Czechoslovakia.

Starting yesterday and finishing today, the US Army's 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, ("Curahee") of the 101st Airborne 'Screaming Eagles' Division, under Col. Robert Sink, capture Hitler's fortified military complex on the Obersalzburg, the 'Berghof'.

The US 9th Army discovers art treasures in a damp copper mine near the town of Siegen in Westphalia, Germany. Included are paintings by Rembrant, Van Gogh, Rubens; gold sarcophagus of Emperor Charlemagne; original manuscript of Beethoven's Sixth Symphony.

In Stendal area, German 9th and 12th Armies surrender, to take effect at noon May 6.

At the villa on the shores of the Tegernsee, Generalleutnant Adolf Galland surrenders to American forces. Because of his injuries, he is taken by ambulance to Bad Tolz. He asks the Allies to launch a search to find the remains of Gunther Lutzow, but they found nothing.

Photo: A Cromwell tank and Challenger tank of 8th Hussars, 7th Armoured Division, surrounded by German civilians outside Dammtor railway station in Hamburg, 5 May 1945



Western Front (1945) - Liberation of the Netherlands

In Wageningen, Netherlands, German General Johannes Blaskowitz surrenders the troops of the 25th German Army in Netherlands to Lieutenant-General Charles Foulkes, commander of 1st Canadian Corps.

Photo: Major K. Henninger (centre), a German Army signals officer, speaking on a telephone linkup between Canadian and German forces. Sergeant J. Stacy of 1st Canadian Corps Signals is at left foreground and Corporal John Henry Osborn is at far right. Wageningen, Netherlands, 5 May 1945



Photo: Description: Preparations and negotiations until the capitulation in Wageningen. "Kubelwagen" with German negotiators (with white flag), 5 May 1945



Photo: Preparations and negotiations until the capitulation in Wageningen. Arrival of Prince Bernhard, 5 May 1945



Photo: Immediately after the capitulation of the German forces on the Lüneburg Heath on May 4, 1945, Canadian Lieutenant General Charles Foulkes summoned General Oberst Johannes Blaskowitz to come to Hotel De Wereld in Wageningen on May 5 to receive instructions regarding the withdrawal of the German armed forces from the Netherlands. Blaskowitz, outranking Foulkes, sent his second in command, Lieutenant General Paul Reichelt. Foulkes was not satisfied with this and sent Reichelt back with orders to fetch Blaskowitz



Photo: Arrival of the German Chief of Staff Reichelt and interpreter (in leather jacket) at Hotel De Wereld, 5 May 1945



Photo: Lieutenant-General Charles Foulkes (left centre), GOC 1st Canadian Corps, accepts the surrender of German forces in The Netherlands from General Johannes Blaskowitz (right centre). Place: Wageningen, Netherlands, 5 May 1945



Orders to German commander on surrender, Wageningen, 5 May 1945





Western Front (1945) - Liberation of Denmark

Fighting breaks out in Copenhagen but is brought to an end when British units arrive by air in the evening.

Photo: Danish resistance fighters battling German troops in Aarhus, Bispetorv, 5 May 1945



Photo: Freedom fighters in a German car at The Central Square (Rådhuspladsen) in Copenhagen. 5 May 1945



Photo: Freedom fighters at Strandboulevarden in Copenhagen. 5 May 1945



Photo: Battle between the freedom fighters and HIPO. 5 May 1945. In the background: The Royal Danish Theater



Photo: Resistance fighters in standoff with German troops on Sankt Clemens Torv, 5 May 1945



Photo: 2 freedom fighters on the corner of Palægade and Bredgade in Copenhagen, 5 May 1945



Battle of the Atlantic

Five German U-boats, including four of the powerful XXI types, were sunk today in an Allied air strike on the Kattegat, just 24 hours after Admiral Dönitz had ordered the U-boats to cease hostilities and return to base. More air raids are planned to ram home the message that the six-year Battle of the Atlantic is over; for the second time this century, Germany's attempt to defeat Britain by crippling its merchant fleet had failed. This time the U-boats sank more merchant ships, although their combined tonnage was less. Some 175 Allied warships, mostly British, were also lost; but so were 784 of Germany's 1,162 U-boats.

U-2511 reached Bergen on the 5 May 1945. There the commander a few days later had a talk with officers of the HMS Norfolk and they could not believe the fact, that U-2511 was able to get so close without any sonar contact.

Photo: Three Elektroboat Type XXI U-Boat in Norway, Bergen, 1945. In the center is U-2511, one of the only Type XXI to conduct a war patrol, 5 May  1945



U-579 sunk in the Kattegat east of Aarhus, in approximate position 56.10N, 11.04E, by depth charges from an RAF 547 Sqn Liberator.

U-733 scuttled Flensburg Fjord, position 54.48N, 09.49E, after being damaged by bombs and gunfire. Broken up 1948.

U-2367 sank near Schleimünde, in approximate position 55.00N, 11.00E, after a collision with an unidentified German U-boat. Raised in August 1956. Renamed U-Hecht (pike) and served in the German Federal Navy from 1 Oct 1957. Stricken on 30 Sep, 1968 and broken up at Kiel in 1969.

U-2551 sunk near Flensburg Solitude, in position 54.49N, 09.28E Wreck broken up.

U-534 sunk in the Kattegat NW of Helsingör, in position 56.39N, 11.48E, by 10 depth charges from an RAF 86 Sqn Liberator. 3 dead and 49 survivors. Earlier in the action, U-534 shot down an RAF 547 Sqn Liberator. U-534 raised 1995 and now a museum piece at Birkenhead.

Photo: The German U-boat U 534 a type IXC/40 submarine commanded by Kapitanleutnant Herbert Nollau, ploughs through the water attempting to evade the attack of a Consolidated Liberator "G" of 86 Squadron, RAF Coastal Command. U 534 was earlier attacked by another Liberator which it shot down with no survivors. The submarine was sunk east of Anholt Island, Denmark, after being attacked by Liberator "G" with a total of ten depth charges. This action, for which the captain, Warrant Officer J.D. Nicol, RAF, was awarded a DFC, occurred in a 24 hour period in which five German U-boats were sunk. U534's sinking resulted in three dead and 49 survivors from its crew. They were rescued by lifeboats from a lightship in the vicinity



U.S. freighter Black Point is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-853 about five miles southeast of Point Judith, Rhode Island 41°19'02"N, 71°25'01"W. One of the five Armed Guard sailors is killed, as are 11 of the 41-man merchant complement. Yugoslavian freighter Karman and Norwegian Scandanavia, crash boats from Quonset Point, Rhode Island and a Coast Guard craft rescue the survivors. U-853's sailors, however, do not get to ponder the significance of their achievement for long.

Germany

The German airline Lufthansa suspends all operations due to the destruction of German airports by Allied aircraft. The last flight is between Oslo, Norway and Flensburg, Germany.

Grossadmiral Dönitz orders all U-boats to cease offensive operations and return to their bases: "You have fought like lions!"

At a meeting attended by SS-Obergruppenführer von Herff and representatives of the Gestapo and SD, Heinrich Himmler outlined his plans to establish an SS government in Schleswig-Holstein which would conduct independent peace negotiations with the western powers.

Italy

Photo: Tanks moving into Ivera to surrender to the 34th Div. (U.S.). They are part of the German 75th Corps. 5 May, 1945



(US Fifteenth Air Force): 14 P-51s escort MATAF C-47s on supply-dropping missions over Yugoslavia. The 99th Fighter Squadron, 332d Fighter Group, moves from Ramitelli to Cattolica, Italy with P-51s.

(US Twelfth Air Force): XXII Tactical Air Command fighters continue reconnaissance flights over N Italy, SW Austria, and as far N as Munich, Germany; fighters destroy numerous aircraft at an airfield SE of Munich.

German occupied Czechoslovakia - Prague uprising

Staff of Czech Radio opposed to the occupation began the morning by broadcasting in the banned Czech language. The Bartoš Command and Communist groups met separately and both scheduled the armed uprising to begin May 7th. Czech citizens gathered in the streets, vandalised German inscriptions, and tore down German flags. Czechoslovak flags appeared openly in windows and on jacket lapels. Tram operators refused to accept Reichsmark or to give the stops in German, as was required by the occupiers. Some German soldiers were surrounded and killed. In response to growing popular agitation, Frank threatened to shoot Czechs gathering in the streets, and increased armed German patrols. Some German soldiers began to fire into the crowds.

Around noon, the radio broadcast a series of appeals to the police and gendarmerie requesting aid in fighting SS guards inside the radio building. A detachment of Government Army policemen responded to the call, and met stiff resistance as they retook the building. During the entire time, the radio continued to broadcast. Although not directed at the populace, the appeal ignited fighting all over the city, concentrated in the downtown districts.Crowds of unarmed civilians, mostly young men with no military training, overwhelmed German garrisons and stores. Many casualties were inflicted by German soldiers and civilians sniping from strong-points or rooftops; in response, Czech forces began to intern Germans and suspected collaborators. Czech noncombatants assisted by setting up makeshift hospitals for the wounded and bringing food, water, and other necessities to the barricades, while German forces were often resorted to looting to obtain essential supplies. Czech forces seized thousands of firearms, hundreds of Panzerfausts, and five armoured vehicles, but still suffered a shortage of weapons.

By the end of the day, the resistance had seized most of the city east of the Vltava River. The insurgents held many important buildings, including the radio, the telephone exchange, most railway stations, and ten of twelve bridges. Three thousand prisoners were liberated from Pankrác Prison. By controlling the telephone exchange, resistance fighters were able to sever communication between German units and commanders. German forces held most of the territory to the west of the river, including an airfield at Ruzyně, northwest of the city, and various surrounded garrisons such as the Gestapo Headquarters.

Photo: During the rebellion, the function of the regional military command for Bohemia was performed by the Alex command of generals František Sluneček (third from right) and Zdenek Novák (fifth from right), 4 May 1945



At the orders of Field Marshal Ferdinand Schörner, in command of Axis forces in Bohemia, Waffen-SS units were pulled from fighting the Red Army and sent into Prague. The SS was relatively well-equipped with tanks, armoured carriers, weaponry and motorised units. Information on this force movement reached insurgent headquarters late in the day. The radio broadcast appeals in English and Russian for an air attack on the tanks. Hearing of events in Prague, Patton asked for permission to advance to the Vltava in order to aid the Czech resistance, but Eisenhower refused. The Red Army was ordered to advance the launch of its offensive to 6 May.

German occupied Austria

After a night of probing raids, 100 to 150 German Waffen-SS troops under Georg Bochmann attacked Itter Castle in western Austria, which was recently captured by a small American force, with its full force. The castle was a prison for high-value French prisoners including Édouard Daladier, Paul Reynaud, Maxime Weygand, Maurice Gamelin, Charles de Gaulle's elder sister Marie-Agnès Cailliau, and others. The Americans were able to hold off the German attacks until 1600 hours when reinforcements arrived, surprising the Germans and resulting in about 100 Germans being captured. The sole defender to die in the engagement was Josef Gangl, a German Army officer at the rank of major who had recently joined the Austrian resistance.

United States

The War Department announces that about 400,000 troops will remain in Germany to form the US occupation force and 2,000,000 men will be discharged from the armed services, leaving 6,000,000 soldiers serving in the war against Japan.

Soviet Union

Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov informs U.S. Secretary of State Stettinius that the Red Army has arrested 16 Polish peace negotiators who had met with a Soviet army colonel near Warsaw back in March. When British Prime Minister Winston Churchill learns of the Soviet double-cross, he reacts in alarm, stating, "There is no doubt that the publication in detail of this event would produce a primary change in the entire structure of world forces."

Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 3 B-25s knock out a bridge at Singtai and hit railroad traffic in the Sinsiang area; 5 B-25s hit railroad cars and other targets of opportunity at Kaifeng, Hsihhsiassuchi, and in the Tungkuan and Luan areas; 76 fighter-bombers, operating in flights of 2 to 4 aircraft, attack a variety of targets of opportunity throughout S and E China. The 530th Fighter Squadron, 311th Fighter Group, moves from Kwanghan to Pungchacheng, China with P-51s.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): Unit moves from Burma to India: HQ 33d Fighter Group from Sahmaw to Piardoba; 90th Fighter Squadron, 80th Fighter Group, from Myitkyina to Moran with P-47s.

BURMA

There are air raids, by aircraft from four British escort carriers, on Japanese bases between Mergui and Victoria Point in southern Burma.

PALAU

(Seventh Air Force): 12 Angaur Airfield based B-24s bomb Koror Island.

TINIAN

(Twentieth Air Force): 7 missions are flown. Missions 144, 145 and 147 to 149: 55 B-29s bomb airfields at Oita, Tachiarai, Kanoya, and Chiran; 2 others attack targets of opportunity; 3 B-29s are lost. Mission 146: 148 B-29s [including the 58th Bombardment Wing (Very Heavy) flying their first attack of Japan from Tinian] hit a navy aircraft factory and arsenal at Kure, Japan; 4 others hit targets of opportunity; they claim 11 Japanese fighters; 2 B-29s are lost. Mission 150: During the night of 5/6 May, 86 B-29s drop mines in Tokyo Bay, Ise Bay, and at points in the Inland Sea; 4 others mine targets of opportunity.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force]: In the first FEAF strike on the Amoy, China area, B-24s bomb an airfield and oil storage plant. On Formosa, B-24s bomb Shinchiku Airfield while B-25s and fighter-bombers hit the Taito sugar refinery, Shoka railroad yards, and Giran and Matsuyama Airfields.

BORNEO CAMPAIGN (1945)

In Borneo, B-25s and P-38s support Australian forces on Tarakan, P-38s hit the Miri waterfront on the W coast and Keningau airfield in the N and B-24s bomb the Kuching waterfront on the W coast.

Photo: Members of C Company, 2/48th Australian Infantry Battalion, AIF, digging in to defend a section of Collins Ridge above Collins Highway, Tarakan, 5 May 1945



Photo: Troops from the 2/24th fighting on Tarakan, 5 May 1945



PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

On Luzon Island, A-20s and fighter-bombers continue to hit Cagayan Valley targets and support ground forces at various locations.

VOLCANO AND RYUKYU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

On Okinawa, Japanese counterattacks continue with minor successes.

Off Okinawa, kamikazes damage seaplane tender St. George (AV-16), 26°10'N, 127°19'E, and surveying ship Pathfinder (AGS-1), 26°38'N, 127°53'E.

Photo: The U.S. Navy seplane tender USS St. George (AV-16), center, is hit by a Japanese kamikaze suicide plane at Kerama Retto on 6 May 1945. The plane exploded on the fantail, killed three men and wrecked the aircraft crane. St. George left Kerama Retto on 12 July for drydocking and repairs at Guam, returning on 21 August to Okinawa



Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer-minelayer USS Aaron Ward (DM-34) in the Kerama Retto anchorage, 5 May 1945, showing damage received when she was hit by several Japanese suicide planes off Okinawa on 3 May. Note the three-bladed aircraft propeller lodged in her superstructure, just forward of the after 5"/38 twin gun mount



ALASKA

(Eleventh Air Force): 1 B-24 flies weather mission over the Kurile Islands.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 353, MAY 5, 1945

Following and in conjunction with the attempted landings of Japanese troops behind the Tenth Army lines on Okinawa on the night of May 3‑4 (East Longitude Dates) and in coordination with his heavy air attacks of May 3 and 4, the enemy on May 4, launched a general counterattack. Its greatest weight was against the positions of the Seventh and Seventy‑Seventh Infantry Divisions. This attack was supported by tanks and was preceded by intense artillery fire. Our troops supported by a heavy barrage from Army and Marine artillery and low level strafing by carrier and Marine air­craft broke up the enemy attacks. Taking advantage of the disorganized state of the enemy's lines after his failure in these operations, Army and Marine infantry men resumed the offensive on the morning of May 5 and were advancing at midmorning when elements of the First Marine Division began an assault on Hill 187, east of the Asa River Mouth. A total of 3,000 of the enemy were killed during the attacks on May 3‑4, including troops which made landings on our beaches. Five enemy tanks were destroyed.

During the air attacks of May 4, our forces shot down 168 planes over the Okinawa Area including 45 by the Second Marine Aircraft Wing and 67 by Fast Carrier Forces Patrols. Early in the morning of May 5, a small group of enemy planes approached our forces and bombed the Yontan Airstrip causing no damage.

From the beginning of the Okinawa operation to May 5, the enemy lost 33,462 killed and 700 prisoners of war including 297 labor troops.

The Tenth Army up to May 3, lost 2,337 soldiers and Marines killed. A total of 11,432 were wounded and 514 were missing.

Search Planes of Fleet Air Wing One sank two large tankers in Fusan Harbor, Korea, and damaged a cargo ship south of Fusan on May 4.

Aircraft from escort carriers of the U. S. Pacific Fleet continued to neutralize airfields in the Sakishima Group on May 4.

Corsairs and Avengers of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing and Libera­tors of the Seventh Army Air Force bombed installations in the Palaus on May 5.

PACIFIC

In the second of two operations aimed at blockading Japan's industrial centers, 98 USAAF B-29s sow mines in the Inland Sea and off Kobe, Osaka, Tokyo and Nagoya.

Japanese army cargo ship Manshu Maru is damaged by USAAF B-29-laid mine, 33°47'N, 131°35'E.

Japanese merchant tanker No.5 Takasago Maru is sunk by aircraft, 34°44'N, 126°16'E.

Japanese merchant tanker No.11 Takasago Maru is sunk by aircraft, off Yosu, Korea.

Japanese merchant cargo ships Yamatogawa Maru and Naka Maru are sunk by aircraft off Mokpo, Korea.

Navy patrol bomber (PBMs and PB4Ys are operating in this area) sink Japanese merchant cargo ship No.9 Taiun Maru west of Kunsan, 34°00'N, 130°00'E.

USAAF B-24s (13th Air Force) raid Japanese shipping and shore installations at Makassar, sinking cargo vessel Kenzan Maru.

Japanese merchant cargo ship Okusu Maru is sunk by aircraft off Karatsu.

Japanese merchant cargo ship Washi Maru is sunk by aircraft, 35°33'N, 126°18'E.

Japanese escort destroyer Oki is damaged by aircraft, 37°36'N, 126°00'E.

[lordroel]

Day 2065 of World War II, May 6th 1945

Eastern Front

40,000 German troops in Breslau surrendered to the Soviet 6th Army after a two-month-long siege. 4th Ukrainian Front attacked to the west, intent upon capturing the city of Olomouc. Defending against the Soviet attack in front of Olomouc was the 1st Panzer Army.

Photo: Delegation of German officers walking to negotiations for capitulation of Festung Breslau, 6 May 1945



Soviet Army capture Rügen Island, the German island seaplane base in the Baltic. 4660 Germans are taken prisoner.

SMERSH agents of Soviet 3rd Shock Army sneaked into a section of Berlin, Germany occupied by a different Soviet unit to secretly retrieve two burned bodies near the Chancellery; they believed that one of them might be that of Adolf Hitler's.

Konev's 1st Ukrainian Front opened the Prague Offensive with an attack by the 3rd and 4th Guard Tank Armies and the 13th, 3rd Guards, and 5th Guards combined-arms armies. This group of five armies was Konev's main attack and pushed south from the area around Riesa. Facing Konev's thrust were troops of the German 4th Panzer Army. The attack opened with a reconnaissance-in-force in the morning, followed by a brief but powerful artillery barrage. 13th, 3rd Guards, and both tank armies (as well as two other tank corps) attacked southward in the afternoon, with the 13th Army and the 4th Guards Tank Army pushing forward some 23 kilometers. By evening, 5th Guards Army had joined the attack with the objective of capturing Dresden. Ending a separate 1st Ukrainian Front operation,

Western Front (1945) - Western Allied invasion of Germany

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, May 6th 1945



The U.S. V and XII Corps attacked into western Czechoslovakia against the defenses of the German 7th Army. Elements of the 16th Armored Division captured Plzen while a combat command of the 4th Armored Division captured Strakonice. In all, the two corps advanced into Czechoslovakia with a strength of seven divisions. To the north, the U.S. VIII Corps was subordinated to the U.S. Ninth Army.

YouTube (May 6, 1945 - Omar Bradley Addresses Allied Troops)



General Stanisław Maczek, commander of the 1st Polish Armored Division, accepted the surrender of the German naval base of Wilhelmshaven, taking the entire garrison captive.

Western Front (1945) - Liberation of Denmark

Photo: Freedom fighters on bicycles at Kattesundet 13 in Copenhagen, 6 May 1945



Photo: The military takes over the guard house barracks from the resistance movement on Østerbrogade in Copenhagen, 6 May 1945



Western Front (1945) - Liberation of Norway

Dr. Hans Thomsen, German Minister to Sweden, signs capitulation of about 350,000 German troops in Oslo, Norway.

Photo: An abandoned Blohm und Voss Bv 138 flying boat stands close to a pile of wreckage from German seaplanes at Tromso in northern Norway, 6 May 1945



Photo: A line of Messerschmitt Bf 110 night fighters at Solar aerodrome, Stavanger, Norway,  6 May 1945



Photo: A line of German 7.5cm anti-tank guns at Sola aerodrome, Stavanger, 6 May 1945



Air War over Europe

(US Eighth Air Force): 3 missions are flown. Mission 981: 383 B-17s are dispatched to drop food at Schipol (249) and Alkmaar (18 ) Airfields, E of Vogelenzang (37), W of Utrecht (59), and N of Hilversum (18 ), the Netherlands; a total of 693.3 tons of food are dropped. Mission 982: 15 B-17s, escorted by 8 of 26 P-51s, drop leaflets in France and Germany during the day. Mission 983: 10 B-24s drop leaflets in France, the Netherlands and Channel Islands during the night of 6/7 May.

(US Ninth Air Force): No operations by the 9th Bombardment Division and the IX and XIX Tactical Air Commands. The XXIX Tactical Air Command (Provisional) flies a demonstration mission in the Klotze, Germany area.

Battle of the Atlantic

The Hopseidet Incident: On the 6th, between two and three o'clock, the Germans went ashore, and fire was opened from the defenders. After some heavy fire from machineguns the defenders were forced to retire. Only one man stayed behind on the beach; the "Bergen-man" Henry Mohr was hiding behind some big rocks while he was responding the fire with his light arms. When he finally ran out of ammo, he stretched his arms up and surrendered. He was badly mistreated by the Germans, but for some reason not shot. Together with the "guide" Ivar ÿye was taken aboard the sub. The Germans concentrated their energy elsewhere; all livestock they could find was gathered and shot. All the buildings who was in such a state that people could take shelter or live in, were blown up . The Germans were leading six fishermen, who were taken prisoner as they were trying to make it for the mountains, towards the only building left in the village, a warehouse. The fishermen were lined up with their hands above their heads, and three Germans lined themselves up against them with their weapons ready. The victims were screaming. An officer then gave them coup de grace with his bayonet. After this the Germans went back to the beach. The loudspeakers on the subs played march-music, and a voice declared that Hopseidet was taken without German casualties, and that six enemies were fallen. The soldiers embarked the subs, and accompanied by loud music they left and were soon out of sight. At 5 o'clock the following day Norwegian troops arrived at Hopseidet only to find that six innocent civilians lives were lost. Half an hour later the Germans in Norway surrenders, Hopseidet became the last German military action in Norway. Both U-boat captains were tried after the War, but were found not guilty as the crimes committed were not committed by the U-boat crews.

Destroyer escort USS 'Atherton', while en route from New York to Boston, encountered a U-boat. After four depth charge attacks, pieces of broken wood, cork, mattresses, and an oil slick broke the surface. 'Atherton', in conjunction with frigate USS 'Moberly', was later credited with destroying 'U-853'.

'U-1008' sunk in the Kattegat north of Hjelm Island, in position 56.14N, 10.51E, by depth charges from an RAF 86 Sqn Liberator. 44 survivors (No casualties)

'U-3523' sunk at 1839hrs in the Skaggerak east of Århus, Denmark, in position 57.52N, 10.49E, by depth charges from an RAF 86 Sqn Liberator. 58 dead (all hands lost).

Destroyer escort Farquhar (DE-139) sinks German submarine U-881, North Atlantic, 43°18'N, 47°44'W. U-881 is the last submarine sunk in the Atlantic by U.S. forces.

Italy

German forces continue to resist in the north against the partisan army.

American soldiers of the 85th Infantry Division of the US Ninth Army capture a resort hotel near Dobbiaca, Italy, near the Austrian border. The 150-man German garrison surrenders with little fight. Inside are 133 political hostages, intended to be executed if the hotel was captured. Included are former French Premier Léon Blum, Austrian Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg, former Hungarian Premier Nicholas von Kallay, former Chief of German General Staff Franz Halder, and Alex von Stauffenberg. Schuschnigg had been held for seven years.

(US Fifteenth Air Force): 9 P-38s escort RAF Balkan AF supply-dropping missions to Yugoslavia.

(US Twelfth Air Force): Brigadier General Robert S Israel, Jr takes command of the XXII Tactical Air Command. Fighters fly reconnaissance over the French and Italian Alps.

German occupied Czechoslovakia - Prague uprising

Late in the evening on 5 May, the radio broadcast an appeal to the people in the streets of Prague to build barricades in order to slow the anticipated German attack. Despite poor weather, tens of thousands of civilians worked overnight to construct over 1,600 barricades by morning. A total of 2,049 were constructed by the end of the uprising.

Photo: Barricade at Olšany cemetery



SS General Carl Friedrich von Pückler-Burghauss ordered the Luftwaffe to firebomb Prague, but the attack had to be scaled back due to lack of fuel. The first strike was made by two Messerschmitt Me 262A jet fighter-bombers from elements of KG 51 at Ruzyně. One of their targets was the radio building, which was hit by a 250-kg bomb that disabled the transmitter. However, the radio continued to broadcast from alternate locations. In successive attacks, the Luftwaffe bombed barricades and hit apartment buildings with incendiary bombs, causing many civilian casualties.

At midday, the First Battalion of the ROA entered Prague and attacked the Germans; during its time in Prague, it disarmed around 10,000 German soldiers. An American reconnaissance patrol met with an ROA officer as well as Czech leaders. This was when the Czechs learnt of the demarcation line agreement and that the Third Army was not coming to liberate Prague. As a consequence, the Czech National Council, which had not been involved in negotiations with Bunyachenko, denounced the ROA. A Soviet liberation meant that they could not politically afford to endorse the ROA, whom Stalin considered traitors.

Portugal

Portugal severed diplomatic ties with Germany.

Netherlands

The Dutch Nazi Party, Nationaal-Socialistische Beweging, was outlawed.

Germany

Grand Admiral Dönitz announced that Himmler was to be relieved of all government duties; he also abolished the Schutzstaffel in all its forms, and banned any further resistance by members of the SS.

United Kingdom

Photo: The British Army in North-west Europe 1944-45 3.7-inch guns of 60th (City of London) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment fire a salvo to celebrate the Allied victory in Europe, 6 May 1945



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): 3 B-25s and 4 P-51s knock out a bridge at Hsihhsiassuchi, China; 111 fighter-bombers, operating in flights of 2 to 4 aircraft, attack numerous targets of opportunity throughout S and E China.

BURMA

Troops from the British 26th Indian Division, part of British 15th Corps, advancing north from Rangoon link with British 17th Indian Division, part of British 4th Corps, at Hlegu. The Japanese 28th Army is cut off as a result. Scattered Japanese forces remain in Burma from west of the Sittan River toward Thailand and in the southwest of the country. British mopping-up operations continue, limited by the monsoon weather conditions.

SAIPAN

(Seventh Air Force): 18 P-47s from Saipan Island sweep Truk Atoll, strafing the airfield on Moen Island, the seaplane base at Dublon Island, and shipping off Param, off Moen, and between Dublon and Fefan Islands.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force]: In Formosa, B-24s bomb Matsuyama Airfield and secondary nearby targets and later bomb Toshien, Toko, and Kiirun and B-25s pound the town of Mato. B-25s over French Indochina bomb warehouses at Dong Hoi.

JAPANESE OCCUPIED ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS

In the Andaman Islands the battleships and cruisers of British Task Force 63 shell Port Blair.

BORNEO CAMPAIGN (1945)

B-24s bomb Kudat and Keningau Airfields, P-38s hit Ranau and Labuan Island airstrips while B-25s support Australian troops on Tarakan Island. B-24s bomb Limboeng Airfield on Celebes Island.

Photo: Australian Matilda II tank supporting infantry during the attack on Skyes on Tarakan, 6 May 1945



PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

On Luzon, elements of the US 25th Division, part of US 1st Corps, capture the Kembu plateau. On Mindanao, the US 24th and 31st Divisions overrun Japanese positions north of Davao, where the Japanese 35th Army (General Morozumi) is concentrated.

A-20s and fighter-bombers fly numerous attack sorties in support of ground forces in N and S Luzon Island and fighter-bombers fly support missions over Panay.

VOLCANO AND RYUKYU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

On Okinawa, the Japanese offensive loses momentum. Japanese forces have sustain losses of at least 5000 killed. Even while it has been going on, American forces have made gains near Machinto airfield and Maeda Ridge.

Photo: Mark XIII torpedoes are covered by U.S. Marine Corps air unit ground crewmen during a maintenance session at an Okinawa air field, 6 May 1945. Note the plywood stabilizers and drag rings fitted to these torpedos' tails and noses, and the nickname painted on one of the stabilizers



Photo: Mark XIII torpedoes receive maintenance from Marine air unit ground crewmen, at an Okinawa air field, 6 May 1945. Note the air pressure gages in use on the torpedo in the foreground, and bar fitted through the other torpedo's nose ring



Off Okinawa, battleship South Dakota (BB-57) is damaged by explosion of five 16-inch powder tanks in magazine, 26°30'N, 129°30'E.14.

Photo: The U.S. Navy seplane tender USS St. George (AV-16), center, is hit by a Japanese kamikaze suicide plane at Kerama Retto on 6 May 1945. The plane exploded on the fantail, killed three men and wrecked the aircraft crane



UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 354, MAY 6, 1945

Heavy units of the U. S. Pacific Fleet in attacks coordinated with those of carrier and land‑based aircraft bombarded enemy positions on Okinawa on May 5 (East Longitude Date). During the early morning and early evening of that day a number of enemy aircraft approached our forces without causing damage. On the morning of May 6 a small number of enemy air attacks were made on ships off Okinawa. One light unit suffered minor damage and four enemy aircraft were shot down.

Search aircraft of Fleet Air Wing One based in the Okinawa area swept Tsushima and Korea Straits and the coastal waters of Western Korea on May 5 and inflicted the following damage on the enemy by low level bombing and strafing:

Sunk:

Two large oilers
One medium freighter
One small cargo ship

Damaged:

One large fleet oiler left dead in water and sinking
One cargo ship exploded and left sinking.
One small freighter left abandoned and sinking
One large cargo ship left burning
One freighter left listing and burning
One medium oiler left burning
Nine small cargo ships damaged
One lugger damaged

In addition, search planes shot down three enemy aircraft. On the foll­owing day aircraft of this wing probably sank a picket boat and destroyed numerous fishing craft.

On May 4 heavy units of the British Pacific Fleet including battleships and cruisers bombarded enemy airfields at Hirara and Nobara on Miyako Island in the Sakishima group causing considerable damage. Aircraft from carriers of the force attacked enemy airfields in the island group on May 4 and 5 destroying 15 aircraft in the air, three on the ground and damaging four others on the ground. A major unit of the task force suffered some damage during an air attack but has resumed operations.

Corsair and Hellcat fighters of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing bombed installations in the Palaus through intense antiaircraft fire on May 6.

Thunderbolt fighters of the Seventh Army Air Force strafed shipping and air installations at Truk on May 6 sinking one tug and damaging two other craft in the harbor.

PACIFIC

Naval landing force, covered by destroyer escort Wintle (DE-25) and motor minesweeper YMS-354, evacuates about 500 Marshallese from Jaluit in infantry landing craft LCI-394, LCI-479 and LCI-481.

Floating drydock ARD-28 is damaged by horizontal bomber, 25°33'N, 127°27'E.

Submarine Hammerhead (SS-364) sinks Japanese fleet tanker Kinrei Maru in Gulf of Thailand 08°15'N, 102°00'E.

Japanese guardboat Kiho Maru No.1 is destroyed by fire, location unspecified.

Off Inchon, Korea, Japanese merchant tanker No.5 Hoei Maru is sunk by aircraft; USN land-based planes sink merchant cargo ship Eiko Maru in Yellow Sea, 36°26'N, 126°37'E.

Japanese cargo ship Sagamigawa Maru is sunk by USAAF mine laid by B-29 (20th Bomber Command). Submarine I 366, en route to take delivery of kaitens, is damaged by mine off Hikari.

Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Kumi Maru is damaged and merchant cargo ship No.3 Kinzan Maru is sunk, by aircraft off Kuche Island.

USN land-based aircraft sink Japanese merchant cargo ship No.1 Tora Maru off Mokpo, Korea. PBMs or PB4Ys sink Japanese merchant cargo ship Nakagawa Maru off Yosu, Korea, 34°30'N, 127°00'E.

Japanese merchant vessel Niosan Maru is sunk by aircraft north of Kumun Island.

Japanese merchant cargo ship Enzan Maru is damaged by aircraft, 34°21'N, 127°24'E.

[lordroel]

Day 2066 of World War II, May 7th 1945

Maps shoing military activities throughout Europe, China, and the Philippines during the week. Inset map: Pacific action Photograph: U.S. Sixty-Ninth Division Infantrymen greet Red Army soldiers on the Elbe River bridge at Torgau. Accompanied by timeline showing dates, key cities, and mileage for both armies to meet, 7 May 1945



Eastern Front

Soviet troops of the 1st Belorussian Front reach the Elbe river north and southeast of Magdeburg. In Czechoslovakia, fighting continues north of Olmutz and in the town itself. On the Frische Nehring, in East Prussia, the remaining German forces continue to hold out near the village of Vogelsang.

A special medical commission of Soviet 1st Byelorussian Front headed by Lieutenant Colonel Faust Shkaravsky performed an autopsy on the two bodies retrieved near the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, one of which was suspected to be that of Adolf Hitler's. He noted that a part of the skull on one of the bodies was missing, but the cause of death of that person was more likely cyanide poisoning.

Continuing the main attack of the 1st Ukrainian Front, 3rd Guards Army captured Meissen, home of the famous German porcelain. The 13th Army and the 4th Guards Tank Army pushed 45 kilometers further to the south and reached the northern slope of the Ore Mountains. The 3rd Guards Tank Army and 5th Guards Army began the battle to capture Dresden. The 2nd Polish Army thrust to the southwest in support of the operations against Dresden. Farther to the east, the second attack of the front developed as the 28th and 52nd Armies attacked to the south. Following a 30-minute artillery barrage, the 7th Guards Army and the 6th Guards Tank Army led an attack to the northwest, opening the offensive of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. Adding to the difficulties of the defending German 8th Army, the Soviet 9th Guards Army and 46th Army reinforced the attack on its left (southern) wing. By the end of the day, the front had pushed 12 kilometers into the German lines along an advance 25 kilometers in breadth. Between the 2nd and 1st Ukrainian Fronts, the 4th Ukrainian Front continued its advance on Olomouc. In Prague, German troops reached the Old Town Square, one of the centers of uprising, but later were pushed back. The buildings of Town Hall, despite being severely damaged, remained in the hands of insurgents for the duration of the uprising. The overwhelming pressure on the uprising and the civilian population continued.

Western Front (1945) - Western Allied invasion of Germany

Map: HQ Twelfth Army Group situation map, May 7th 1945



Allied military operations come to an end almost immediately after the surrender is signed.

Photo: Köln sunk in Wilhelmshaven, 7 May 1945



The US 97th Infantry Division is credited with firing the last official shot in the European Theatre of Operations by US troops tonight when, near Klenovice in the Pilsen area, Private First Class Domenic Mozzetta Company B, 387 Regiment, fires at a German sniper near Klenovice shortly before midnight.

Map: Final Operations - 19 April - 7 May 1945



Western Front (1945) - Liberation of the Netherlands

Photo: The entry of the British on Dam Square, Amsterdam, May 7, 1945



Western Front (1945) - Liberation of Norway

Photo: two guards with machine guns shaking hands at the Swedish Norwegian border after the liberation of German occupied Norway, May 7 1945



Western Front (1945) - Liberation of Denmark

Photo: The first regular British forces are saluted on their arrival in Åbenrå after the liberation, May 7 1945



Photo: The first US troops arrive at the Gentofte Hotel, May 7 1945



Air War over Europe

(US Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown. Mission 984: 231 B-17s are dispatched to drop food supplies at Schipol (154) and Alkmaar (10) Airfields, Vogelenzang (25), W of Utrecht (28) and N of Hilversum (12), the Netherlands; a total of 426 tons of food are dropped. Mission 985: 15 B-17s, with 30 of 32 P-51s escorting, drop leaflets in Germany during the day.

(US Ninth Air Force): The XIX Tactical Air Command flies sweeps over E Germany and W Czechoslovakia and carries out demonstration flights over prisoner of war (POW) camps. The 586th and 587th Bombardment Squadrons (Medium), 394th Bombardment Group (Medium), move from Niergnies Airfield, Cambrai, France to Venlo, the Netherlands with B-26s.

Battle of the Atlantic

Canadian freighter SS 'Avondale Park' torpedoed and sunk in the Firth of Forth in position 56.10N, 002.32W, by 'U-2336', Kptlt Emil Klusmeier, CO. 'Avondale Park' was Canadian-owned but British-manned merchantman and was the last British ship to be sunk during WW.II. The ship was part of Convoy EN-91 bound for Belfast and was two miles south-east of May Island, in the Firth of Forth, when she was torpedoed at 2240. The ship sank in ten minutes. Two members of her crew of 41 men were lost. The coaster 'Sneland' was also sunk in this attack.

The 196th and final U-boat sunk by Coastal Command (U-320) is destroyed by a Consolidated Catalina of No. 210 Squadron 120 miles north-east of Sullom Voe.

At 2145, KNM NYMS-382 was hit by a Gnat from 'U-1023' and sank within two minutes off Lyme Bay. The commander and 21 crewmembers were lost. Ten injured survivors were picked up by KNM NYMS-379 and NYMS-381 of the 3rd Minesweeping Unit stationed in Cherbourg, to which the minesweeper also belonged.

Italy

(US Fifteenth Air Force): 13 P-51s escort 3 RAF Balkan AF supply dropping missions to Yugoslavia.

(US Twelfth Air Force): P-47s fly reconnaissance over the Austrian Alps. HQ 57th Fighter Group and the 65th Fighter Squadron move from Verona to Grosseto, Italy with P-47s.

German occupied Czechoslovakia - Prague uprising

Under the terms of the provisional unconditional surrender, signed in the early hours of 7 May, German forces had a forty-eight-hour grace period to cease offensive operations. Eisenhower hoped that the capitulation would put an end to the fighting in Prague and therefore obviate American intervention. However, the German leadership was determined to use the grace period to move as many soldiers as possible westward to surrender to the Americans. Schörner denounced the rumours of a ceasefire in Prague and said that the truce did not apply to German forces fighting the Red Army or Czech insurgents.

Photo: Captured AMR 35 tanks deployed by insurgents on Bartolomějská street in the Old Town, 7 May 1945



In order to gain control of Prague's transportation network, the Germans launched their strongest attack of the uprising. Waffen-SS armoured and artillery units arriving in Prague gradually punched through the barricades with several tank attacks. Intense fighting was accompanied with the SS use of Czech civilians as human shields and damage to the Old Town Hall and other historic buildings. When the Bartoš Command learnt of the Rheims surrender, it ordered an immediate ceasefire for Czech forces. This caused some confusion among the defenders, who were also suffering from desertion due to the worsening military situation. The ROA played a decisive role in slowing the progress of the Germans, but withdrew from Prague over the afternoon and evening in order to surrender to the US Army. Only a few ROA units stayed in the city, departing late on 8 May.With the bulk of the ROA gone, the poorly armed and untrained Czech insurgents fared badly against the reinforced German forces. By the end of the day, German forces had taken much of the rebel-held territory east of the Vltava, with the resistance only holding a salient in the Vinohrady-Strašnice area.ROA forces captured the Luftwaffe airfield at Ruzyně, destroying several aircraft.

Photo: Demarcation line between the Soviet and American armies, 7 May 1945



France

At 0141, German military representatives, General Jodl and Admiral Freideburg, sign the unconditional surrender at the headquarters of General Eisenhower (SHAEF). British, French, Soviet and American representatives are all present. Operations are to end at 2301 on May 8th.

Photo: Signature of surrender on 7 May 1945 at Reims, with Major Wilhelm Oxenius, General Alfred Jodl, General Admiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg (all three German officers seen from behind from right to left). At the back, from left to right, Sir F E Morgan, François Sevez, Harold Burrough, Harry C. Butcher, Walter Bedell Smith, Ivan Cherniaev, Ivan Sousloparov, Carl Spaatz, Henri Bull (facing up the table), James Milne Robb, Ivan Zenkovitch (according the original caption, facing away, left to right). K W D Strong is standing on the left, behind the German officials, and we can only see of him a short part of his jacket



German Instrument of surrender of May 7, 1945




YouTube (German Unconditional Surrender - 1945)



The German garrison at La Rochelle surrenders.

United Kingdom

An order for another 300 de Havilland Vampire jet fighters is placed with English Electric at Preston, Lancashire.

Photo: The Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Winston Churchill, With His Chiefs of Staff in the Garden of No 10 Downing Street, London, seated, left to right: Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles Portal, Field Marshal Sir Alan Brooke, the Prime Minister, and Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham. Standing, left to right: Major General L C Hollis, Secretary to the Chiefs of Staffs Committee; and General Sir Hastings Ismay, Chief of Staff to the Minister of Defence, 7 May 1945



United States

The Big Four (China, UK, USA, USSR) nations reached agreement in San Francisco, California, USA, today on all except the Polish and trusteeship questions. Tomorrow the smaller nations will finish the drafting of a charter for the new "United Nations". Two points of friction between the western Allies and the USSR were resolved here today. The General Assembly will have the power to arbitrate in international disputes which threaten to erupt into war, and the UN will be given jurisdiction over future alliances. Settlement of the Polish question is being held up by the unexplained arrest of 16 Polish delegates in Moscow.

Photo: The U.S. Navy Baltimore-class heavy cruiser USS Chicago (CA-136) off the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Pennsylvania (USA), on 7 May 1945. Note Curtiss SC-1 Seahawk seaplanes on the catapults and her Measure 21 camouflage paint



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 3 B-25s and 4 P-47s knock out a bridge N of Singtai; 3 B-24s attack Yellow River targets of opportunity, damaging at least 1 bridge; 131 fighter-bombers again hit various targets of opportunity throughout S and E China, concentrating on railroad targets; the 21st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, Fourteenth AF, based at Kunming with F-5s, sends a flight to operate from Laifeng (other flights are at Hanchung, Lulinag and Hsian).

GUAM

Seventh Air Force: 11 Guam Island-based B-24s pound runways on Marcus Island in the N Pacific. VII Fighter Command: 16 Saipan Island-based P-47s strafe a radio station, airfield installations, and gun positions on Moen and Falas Islands in Truk Atoll.

TINIAN

(Twentieth Air Force): Missions 151 to 154: 41 B-29s bomb airfields at Usa, Oita, Ibusuki, and Kanoya on Kyushu Island; 34 Japanese aircraft are claimed destroyed by B-29s during the Usa and Oita missions; 3 B-29s are lost. The 792d, 793d and 794th Bombardment Squadrons (Very Heavy), 468th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy), arrive at West Field, Tinian Island, Mariana Islands from India with B-29s.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force]: In French Indochina, B-25s hit railroad targets between Cap Batangan and Cap Varella. The 17th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 4th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance), moves from Morotai Island to Puerto Princesa with F-5s (a detachment is operating from Dulag).

BORNEO CAMPAIGN (1945)

In Borneo, P-38s hit Bintula, Kudat, and Ranau while B-25s, and P-38s hit gun positions and HQ on Tarakan. B-24s bomb Bingkalapa Airfield, Celebes and the harbor at Soerabaja, Java.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

On Luzon, the US 43rd Division advances about 5 miles toward Ipo. American troops attacking towards a ridge near Guagua are repulsed by Japanese defenders.

B-25s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers hit targets in the Cagayan Valley and support ground action in the Cervantes area, Balete Pass and N of Laguna de Bay.

VOLCANO AND RYUKYU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

On Okinawa, the US 7th Division completes the elimination of Japanese units that infiltrated into the Tanabaru area. Fruitless attacks on the Japanese held Shuri Line continue.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 355, MAY 7, 1945

Enemy positions in the Southern Sector of Okinawa were brought under fire by heavy forces of the United States Pacific Fleet on May 6 (East Longi­tude Date) and numerous blockhouses, pillboxes and other structures were destroyed. Carrier aircraft of the Fleet and planes of the Tactical Air Force gave close support to the ground troops. On the same day, U. S. carrier air­craft made neutralizing attacks on airfields of the Sakishima Group.

On May 7, troops of the Tenth Army advanced in the Southern sector. The First Marine Division drove southward to the edge of Dakeshi Village while the Seventy‑Seventh Infantry Division, led by flame‑throwing tanks, made gains in the center, and the Seventh Infantry Division moved forward on the left flank.

From the beginning of the Okinawa operation through May 7, the enemy lost 36,535 killed in all areas of the land fighting.

A small number of enemy aircraft were over our forces in the Okinawa Area early on May 7. No damage was reported.

Search Aircraft of Fleet Air Wing One attacking at masthead height with bombs and machine guns inflicted the following damage on enemy ship­ping in the waters around Korea on May 6:

Sunk:

One large cargo ship.
One medium cargo ship.
One medium oiler.
One large fleet tanker.

Damaged:

Two small freighters damaged.
One large cargo ship exploded.

Planes of Fleet Air Wing Eighteen in searches of Japanese waters sank three coastal cargo ships south of Honshu and probably destroyed a seagoing tug on May 7.

Mustangs of the Seventh Fighter Command bombed and strafed barracks, and small craft at Chichi Jima in the Bonins on May 7.

Planes of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing made neutralizing attacks on the Marshalls on May 6. On the following day, Corsairs, Hellcats and Avengers of the same Wing and Liberators of the Seventh Army Air Force attacked targets in the Palau Islands.

PACIFIC

Japanese minesweeper W.29 and cargo vessel Kashima Maru are sunk by mines (laid by USAAF B-29s) in Shimonoseki Strait, 34°02'N, 130°54'E; mines also sink merchant cargo ship Shofuku Maru off Dairen, Manchuria; and merchant vessel Teiko Maru off Futaoi Jima.

USAAF B-24s (13th Air Force) bomb Japanese shipping and shore installations at Makassar, sinking gunboat Kenzan Maru and cargo ship Hakko Maru, 05°08'S, 119°35'E.

PBMs or PB2Ys on sweeps off west coast of Korea sink Japanese cargo ships Tatsuchiyo Maru, 34°00'N, 126°00'E; No.2 Kozan Maru, 35°16'N, 126°03'E; and Kaba Maru and Hoei Maru, 34°00'N, 130°00'E.

Japanese minesweeper Nuwajima, damaged by aircraft, is beached, Saeki Bay.

[lordroel]

Day 2067 of World War II, May 8th 1945

Eastern Front

Soviet SMERSH agents arrested Käthe Heusermann, chief assistant to Adolf Hitler's dentist Dr. Hugo Blaschke, to assist in the identification of the body retrieved in Berlin, Germany which was suspected to be that of Hitler's.

The units of Army Group Kurland, long cut off in Latvia, surrender to Soviet forces. Most of the German pockets, which have been holding out in eastern Germany, have also given in.

In Berlin, the German surrender is ratified. For Germany, Keitel, Freideburg and Stumpf sign, and for the Allies, Spaatz, Tedder, Zhukov and de Lattre. Hostilities officially end at one minute past midnight.

Photo:  Shown, (left to right): General Carl Spaatz, USAAF, CG, US Staff; General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, CG; First French Army, and Major General Ivan Alexeyevich Susloparov, Russian Delegate to the SHAEF French Mission, at Russian Headquarters in Berlin, Germany, before the signing of the revised surrender terms as agreed upon at Rheims



Photo: Field Marshall Wilhelm Keitel, signing the ratified surrender terms for the German Army at Russian Headquarters in Berlin. Germany, May 8, 1945



Page of the German Instrument of Surrender of May 8, 1945 signed at Berlin, Germany. This is the unconditional surrender of all German Forces to the Allied Expeditionary Force and the Supreme Allied Command of the Red Army, in which all German military operations would cease on May 8, 1945 at 2301 hours. It is signed by Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel, Generaladmiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg, and Generaloberst Hans-Jurgen Stumpff on behalf of the German High Command, Marshal Georgy Zhukov on behalf of the Supreme High Command of the Red Army, and Air Chief Marshal Arthur William Tedder on behalf of the Allied Expeditionary Force at Berlin, Germany





YouTube (Berlin - Capitulation Complete)



Dodecanese Islands

German forces in the Dodecanese Islands surrender to the British on Symi Island, effective 1300 hours Greenwich time.

Photo: Major General Wagner, Commander of German forces in the Dodecanese, and two of his staff officers come alongside the destroyer HMS Kimberley, on a motor launch which the Germans had captured from the British a few months previously. The Kimberley took Wagner to the island of Symi in the Aegean, where the unconditional surrender of German forces in the region was signed, 8 May 1945



Photo: Major General Wagner, Commander of German forces in the Dodecanese, gives the Nazi salute as he boards the destroyer HMS Kimberley. He is met by Lieutenant Commander E D Baines, DSO and Major J Watson. The Kimberley took Wagner to the island of Symi in the Aegean, where the unconditional surrender of German forces in the region was signed, 8 May 1945



Photo: In a small civilian courtroom on the island of Symi in the Aegean, Generalmajor (equivalent to Brigadier in the British Army) Wagener, Commander of German forces in the Dodecanese, signs the unconditional surrender of German forces in the region, 8 May 1945



Photo: The first British and Indian troops from the Aegean island of Symi sail into the harbour of Rhodes following the signing of the unconditional surrender of German forces, 8 May 1945



Photo: Men of the Bhopal Regiment on the quayside at Rhodes having disembarked from their infantry landing craft (LCI). Theses troops arrived from the Aegean island of Symi following the signing of the unconditional surrender of German forces, 8 May 1945



Photo: Men of the Bhopal Regiment take over a sentry position from a German soldier following the arrival of the first British and Indian forces on Rhodes after the signing of the unconditional surrender of German forces, 8 May 1945



Photo: German troops on Rhodes hand in their weapons following the signing of the unconditional surrender of German forces in the Dodecanese Islands, 8 May 1945



Photo: German troops on Rhodes hand in their gas masks, steel helmets and other military equiment following the signing of the unconditional surrender of German forces in the Dodecanese Islands, 8 May 1945



Italy

All Fifteenth AF aircraft stand down on V-E Day and offensive operations end. Subsequent operations involve transport, supply, training, and movement flights.

(US Twelfth Air Force): Transports carry out evacuation and supply missions in S Europe. The 64th and 66th Fighter Squadrons, 57th Fighter Group, move from Villafranca di Verona to Grosseto, Italy with P-47s.

Allied occupied Germany

The US announces that the US 7th Army near Strobl, east of Salzburg, has liberated Belgian King Leopold III and family and staff. In Berchtesgaden, Germany, the German 82nd corps of about 3300 troops surrenders to the US 101st Airborne Division.

Photo: An AEC armoured car of the King's Dragoon Guards passes surrendered German troops in Schleswig, 8 May 1945



Near the the Obersalzburg, Germany, Colonel "Bob" Sink, CO of the US Army's 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, ("Curahee") 101st Airborne 'Screaming Eagles' Division, accepts the surrender of the German LXXXII Corps, commanded by Lt General Theodor Tolsdorf.

(US Eighth Air Force): Mission 986: 12 B-17s drop leaflets in Germany during the day.

HQ 324th Fighter Group moves form Luneville, France to Stuttgart, Germany.

(US Ninth Air Force): The IX and XIX Tactical Air Commands patrol the Leipzig, Chemnitz, and Adorf, Germany and Linz, Austria areas, and fly sweeps and demonstration missions. Unit moves in Germany: HQ 405th Fighter Group and 509th Fighter Squadron from Kitzingen to Straubing with P-47s; 455th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 323d Bombardment Group (Medium), from Prouvy Airfield, Leon, France to Gablingen with B-26s.

Allied occupied Austria

Hermann Göring gave himself up to the Americans on a road near Radstadt, Austria. His Mercedes-Benz headed a column of staff cars and lorries carrying expensive luggage, and after being taken into custody he posed happily for photographers, drank champagne and chatted amiably with the American officers. When General Eisenhower learned of the friendly reception he became furious, and Göring soon found himself unceremoniously spirited away to a house in Augsburg for interrogation

Denmark

German cruiser Prinz Eugen surrendered to the Allied forces in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Photo: British light cruiser HMS Dido alongside in Copenhagen, 8 May 1945 



Photo: German heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen undergoes official surrender procedure. Allied delegation is headed by Robert Elkins, captain of British light cruiser Dido, 8 May 1945



Norway

Vidkun Quisling, Norway's pro-Nazi Prime Minister, was captured by the underground.

Photo: A member of the Norwegian Resistance stands by a line of Wehrmacht soldiers, still armed, in Oslo, Norway, 8 May 1945



Crown Prince Olaf lands with British and Norwegian troops.

Photo: HRH Crown Prince Olaf in battle-dress addressing the welcoming crowd on the quayside at Oslo following his journey home on a British destroyer, accompanied by Major General Urquhart CBE DSO, Commanding 1st Airborne Division, 8 May 1945



U-1109, U-2502, U-2506, U-2513, U-3008 of the 11th Flotilla surrendered at Horten.

Photo: At sea, Skagerrak. 1945-05-08. An RAF Liberator aircraft piloted by flying officer Villis, No. 59 Squadron RAF, flying over surrendered German submarine U-293 at latitude 58 11' N and longitude 10 18'E, photographed from 300 feet. This was one of a group of u-boats which on VE day surrendered to RN ships from Londonderry and four Liberator bombers from No. 59 and No. 120 Squadron RAF, 8 May 1945



Yugoslavia

German forces continue to resist. The Yugoslavian partisan army, under Tito, liberates Zagreb.

Photo: The partisans of the First Proletarian Division enter Zagreb, 8 May 1945



German occupied Czechoslovakia - Prague uprising

In the morning, the Germans made an air and artillery bombardment followed by a renewed infantry attack. The fighting was almost as intense as the previous day. One particularly fierce battle took place at the Masaryk train station. At 10 am, SS troops captured the station and murdered around 50 surrendered resistance fighters and noncombatants. In one of the last battles of the uprising, Czech insurgents regained the train station at 2 am on May 9th and photographed the victims' bodies.

Faced with military collapse, no arriving Allied help, and threats to destroy the city, the Czech National Council agreed to negotiate with Wehrmacht General Rudolf Toussaint. Toussaint, running out of time to evacuate Wehrmacht units westward, was in an equally desperate position. After several hours of negotiations, it was agreed that on the morning of May 9th, the Czechs would allow German soldiers to pass westward through Prague, and in exchange German forces leaving the city would surrender their arms. A ceasefire was finally agreed to around midnight. However, some pockets of German forces were unaware of or disobeyed the ceasefire, and civilians feared a continuation of the German atrocities which had intensified over the previous two days. Late in the evening, reports reached Prague of the liberation of Theresienstadt concentration camp, northwest of the city, and the advance of the Red Army into other areas north of Prague.

Photo: German Hetzer self-propelled gun, destroyed by the defenders of the Old Town Hall with an armored fist, 8 May 1945



Canada

V-E Day celebrations in Halifax, Nova Scotia got out of control when several thousand servicemen, merchant seamen and civilians went on a rampage and looted the city. Tensions had been high in Halifax for years due to the presence of thousands of servicemen straining the city's resources to the limit.

Photo: Celebrations in Toronto, 8 May 1945



United Kingdom

"The German war is at an end. Advance Britannia! Long live the cause of freedom! God save the King!" The great crowds waiting all day in the streets of London fell totally silent to hear those word broadcast by Mr. Churchill from 10 Downing Street at 3pm. The official announcement has been a long time coming, but they knew that the war was over. In this morning's Daily Mirror strip cartoon, the scantily-clad "Jane" has disrobed completely, as she had always promised to do for peace. When at last the end was official, pent-up feelings broke loose.

Photo: Winston Churchill makes his VE Day broadcast to the British people from the Cabinet Office in Whitehall, 8 May 1945



People waved flags, blew whistles, climbed the lampposts, sang and danced in the streets. Above all they massed in front of Buckingham Palace, chanting "We want the King!" He soon appeared bareheaded on the balcony with his wife and daughters, a simple family group waving back to them as they sang "For he's a jolly good fellow and so say all of us". It was the first of eight appearances which the royal family made, up till midnight. Meanwhile, Mr. Churchill had gone to read his statement to the House of Commons: "Finally almost the whole world was combined against the evil-doers who are now prostrate before us ... but let us not forget that Japan, with all her treachery and greed, remains unsubdued and her detestable cruelties call for justice and retribution." Later Mr. Churchill appeared on the Palace balcony with the king and queen and then on a balcony above the sea of faces in Whitehall. He waved his hat and joined in singing "Land of Hope and Glory". "This is your victory," he told them. "In all our long history we have never seen a greater day than this." Tonight, floodlights and bonfires light up the capital and searchlight beams dance in the sky to the sound of ships' sirens sounding the V sign.

Photo: Winston Churchill waves to crowds in Whitehall in London as they celebrate VE Day, 8 May 1945



YouTube (V E Day in London - 1945)



France

VE Day is celebrated in Paris with fireworks and extra rations of wine.

Stars and Stripes: “Stars and Stripes”, issue No 285 from May 8, 1945, Paris Edition, V-E-Day



United States

President Harry S. Truman issued a proclamation declaring May 13 to be a national day of prayer. "I call upon the people of the United States, whatever their faith, to unite in offering joyful thanks to God for the victory we have won and to pray that He will support us to the end of our present struggle and guide us into the way of peace," the proclamation read. "I also call upon my countrymen to dedicate this day of prayer to the memory of those who have given their lives to make possible our victory.

YouTube (Harry S. Truman's Announcement of Victory in Europe)



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): 13 B-25s knock out a bridge at Do Cam and damage others at Do Len, over the Song Chu River in French Indochina, and N of Kaifeng, China. In China, a single B-24 damages bridges at Huto; 20 P-51s pound rail and road traffic along the French Indochina coast while 12 P-51s and P-38s hit targets of opportunity in several cities; about 100 fighter- bombers over wide areas of S and E China continue to hit numerous targets of opportunity, concentrating on shipping and the dock area at Taku.

BURMA

Photo: Lieutenant General Sir William Slim (GOC-in-Chief 14th Army), Air Vice Marshal Vincent (AOC 221 Group South East Asia Air Forces) and Major General H M Chambers at Government House in Rangoon, 8 May 1945



GUAM

Seventh Air Force: 12 Guam based B-24s bomb the airfield on Marcus in the N Pacific. 12 others from Guam pound the runway on Param. The 28th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, Seventh AF, arrives on Okinawa from Kualoa Airfield with F-5Es. VII Fighter Command: 94 of 104 P-51s from Iwo Jima abort a strike to Nagoya due to weather and attack Kisarazu airfield. Ditched is B-24J 44-40617.

TINIAN

(Twentieth Air Force): Missions 155 to 158: 40 B-29s hit airfields at Kanoya, Miyakonojo, Oita, and Matsuyama on Kyushu and Shikoku Islands, Japan; 1 other hits a target of opportunity.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force]: B-25s bomb railway installations between Phan Rang and Binh Dinh, French Indochina.

AUSTRALIA

Photo: HMS Implacable arriving at Sydney at the end of her voyage from the United Kingdom on 8 May 1945



BORNEO CAMPAIGN (1945) - JAPANESE OCCUPIED NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES

In Borneo, P-38s hit Jesselton, Sengkawang, and Kudat Airfield while B-25s bomb the Kuching and Labuan Island Airfield areas.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

On Luzon, the US 145th Infantry Regiment captures the ridge near Guagua, southeast of Mount Pacawagan and blocks a track along the Mariquina river. On Mindanao, units of the US 24th Division establish a bridgehead over the Talomo river, north of Mintal. The US 31st Division clears the Colgan woods, reaching the Maramag airfield. American units land on Samar. On Negros, American forces in the south continue to progress against strong Japanese resistance.

Photo: U.S. troops of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 132nd Infantry Regiment, Americal Division, advance up a road north of Sonog, Cebu, Philippines to participate in a push to clean out the remaining Japanese forces on the island, 8 May 1945



B-24s, B-25s, and fighter-bombers continue to pound Cagayan Valley on Luzon Island. On Mindanao Island, B-24s hit Davao while P-38s hit the Labugan Airfield area. Other B-24s bomb Mandai Airfield.

VOLCANO AND RYUKYU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

On Okinawa, torrential rain restricts military operations. The US 1st Marine Division eliminates several Japanese held cave positions on Nan Hill, with explosives.

Photo: A few yards behind the front lines on Okinawa, fighting men of the US Armys 77th Infantry division listen to radio reports of Germanys surrender on May 8, 1945. Their battle hardened faces indicate the impassiveness with which they received the news of the victory on a far distant front. One minute after this photo was taken, they returned to their combat post, officially however, American forces on Okinawa celebrated the end of the war in Europe by training every ship and shore battery on a Japanese target and firing one shell simultaneously and precisely at midnight. Okinawa is a strategic island in the Ryukyu (Loochoo chain), situated 375 miles from Japan



UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 356, MAY 8, 1945

Battleships and cruisers of the U. S. Pacific Fleet delivered heavy fire in support of the Marine Third Amphibious Corps and the Twenty‑Fourth Army Corps in southern Okinawa on May 7 (East Longitude Date) destroying gun emplacements, some artillery and a number of mortars. During the night of May 7‑8, surface craft fired several hundred rounds of illumination which effectively reduced the enemy's attempts at infiltration into our lines. Adverse weather limited our operations on the island during May 8 and there were no substantial changes in the lines.

No enemy aircraft activity was noted in the Ryukyus during the night and day of May 7‑8. As of that date, summaries of damage to the enemy show that fighters of the Second Marine Aircraft Wing have shot down 209 Japanese aircraft since they commenced operation from captured fields on Okinawa.

Escort carrier aircraft of the U. S. Pacific Fleet continued to neutralize airfields in the Sakishima group on May 7.

Concentrations of shipping in the coastal waters around Korea were at­tacked on May 7 by search planes of Fleet Air Wing One and an estimated 14,000 tons of shipping were sunk and 3,500 tons damaged as follows:

Sunk:

One small freighter transport
One large fleet oiler

Damaged:

One trawler set afire
One small freight transport set afire and listing
One small freighter left listing and dead in water

Planes of Fleet Air Wing Eighteen in attacks on shipping south of the island of Honshu on May 8 inflicted the following damage on the enemy:

Sunk:

Two small cargo ships
One large fishing craft
One coastal cargo ship

Damaged:

Four small cargo ships
Four large fishing craft
One coastal cargo ship

Search planes of this wing shot down a four‑engine flying boat near the Honshu coast on the same date.

Night flying Mitchells of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing damaged a small ship with rockets south of Honshu on May 7.

Thunderbolts of the Seventh Army Air Force strafed and bombed gun positions and radio installations on Truk in the Carolines through intense antiaircraft fire on May 7. On the same date, Liberators of this force bombed the runways on Marcus Island.

PACIFIC

Submarine Bowfin (SS-287) sinks Japanese fishing boat No.3 Daito Maru east-southeast of Todogasaki, 39°38'N, 142°08'E.

Submarine Bream (SS-243) lays mines off Puolo Obi, French Indochina, in the last U.S. Navy submarine mine plant of World War II.

Mines sink Japanese merchant cargo ship Shuncho Maru south of Futaoi Jima, and damage minesweeper W.39, 4.85 kilometers southeast of Futaoi Light. Transport Kotobuki Maru (ex-Italian liner Conte Verde) is damaged by mine laid by USAAF B-29 (20th Bomber Command) off southern Korea, 34°30'N, 126°19'E.

Japanese merchant vessel No.6 Kosho Maru is sunk by aircraft, 21°51'N, 113°09'E.

[lordroel]

Day 2068 of World War II, May 9th 1945

Soviet occupied Germany

German forces holding out in East Prussia and Pomerania capitulate to forces of the Soviet 2nd and 3rd Belorussian Fronts.

Photo: The Russian Marshal Rokossovsky with Montgomery and their respective Chiefs of Staff at the British 6th Airborne Division Headquarters at Wismar, where the first link up between British and Russian forces took place on 28 April, 9 May 1945



Soviet occupied Austria

The 3rd Ukrainian Front’s armies launched a general offensive, advancing between 10.5 and 46.5 miles (17 and 75 km) in a day. On the same day, Soviet troops stormed into Amstetten and occupied Melk, Mautern, Graz and five other cities as well as more than 100 smaller towns and villages, in the area of ​​the Ens river in southern Bavaria, Soviet and US forces met.

Allied occupied Germany

Photo: Cromwell tanks of 5th Dragoon Guards, 7th Armoured Division pass along a bridge over the Kaiser Wilhelm canal near Steenfeld, 9 May 1945



German occupied Czechoslovakia - Prague uprising

The last of the German forces to escape Prague left in the early hours of the morning. At 4:00, elements of the 1st Ukrainian Front reached the suburbs of Prague. Fighting was mostly with isolated SS units that had been prevented from withdrawing by Czech insurgents. Over the next few hours, the Red Army quickly overcame the remaining German forces.Because most of the Germans had already left, the 1st Ukrainian Front avoided the house-to-house fighting that had occurred in the capture of Budapest and Vienna. The Red Army lost only ten soldiers in what has been described as their "easiest victory" of the war. At 8:00 am, the tanks reached the centre city and the radio announced the arrival of the Soviet forces. Czechs poured out into the streets to welcome the Red Army.

Photo: Residents greet Marshal Ivan Konev upon the arrival of the Red Army on 9 May 1945



Denmark

Photo: German cruiser Prinz Eugen at Copenhagen (Denmark) guarded by Danish soldiers. German sailors, now POWs, sit around the ship idle, 9 May 1945



Norway

Vidkun Quisling and other members of the collaborationist Quisling regime in Norway surrendered to the Resistance (Milorg) and police at Møllergata 19 in Oslo. The British began Operation Doomsday when the 1st Airborne Division began landing in Norway to act as a police and military force.

Netherlands

Photo: German soldiers entering a concentration area to be disarmed by soldiers of the 1st Canadian Corps, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 9 May 1945



France

Photo: The coastal city of Lorient, France, fanatically defended since summer of 1944, is surrendered, yielding approximately 27,000 troops. Here troops of 66th Division cross Forte de Christophe bridge to enter the city. 9 May, 1945



Photo: American sailors from Cherbourg went along for the ride when the 66th Inf. Division entered Lorient, France, following the surrender of the 28,000-man German garrison, 9 May, 1945



Yugoslavia

Forces of German Army Group Ostmark (Lohr) continue to resist in Croatia and to the north.

Soviet Union

Joseph Stalin issued Order of the Day No. 369, congratulating the Red Army "upon the victorious termination of the Great Patriotic War. To mark the complete victory over Germany, today, on May 9, the Day of Victory, at 10 P.M., the capital of our Motherland-Moscow-on behalf of the Motherland, will salute the gallant troops of the Red Army and the ships and units of the Navy which have won this brilliant victory, by firing thirty artillery salvos from 1,000 guns:

ON May 8, 1945, in Berlin, representatives of the German High Command signed the instrument of unconditional surrender of the German armed forces.

The Great Patriotic War which the Soviet people waged against the German-fascist invaders is victoriously concluded. Germany is utterly routed.

Comrades, Red Army men, Red Navy men, sergeants, petty officers, officers of the army and navy, generals, admirals and marshals, I congratulate you upon the victorious termination of the Great Patriotic War.

To mark complete victory over Germany, to-day, May 9, the day of victory, at 22.00 hours (Moscow time), the capital of our Motherland, Moscow, on behalf of the Motherland, shall salute the gallant troops of the Red Army, the ships and units of the Navy, which have won this brilliant victory, by firing thirty artillery salvoes from one thousand guns.

Eternal glory to the heroes who fell in the fighting for the freedom and independence of our Motherland!

Long live the victorious Red Army and Navy!

J. Stalin
Supreme Commander-in-Chief
Marshal of the Soviet Union
Moscow

United Kingdom

Atlantic German submarine U-249 surrenders to PB4Y (FAW 7) off the Scilly Islands, becoming the first to do so after hostilities cease in Europe.

German occupied British Channel Islands

Receiving a message from the Germans agreeing to a meeting at midnight on 8–9 May, the ships returned to the same south west coast location off Guernsey and a German minesweeper M4613 came out to meet HMS Bulldog. The German second in command, Generalmajor Siegfried Heine, came aboard and went to the wardroom. Asked if he would accept unconditional surrender he replied Ja. The ships sailed slowly around the coast to St Peter Port.

Eight copies of the formal terms of surrender were signed on the quarterdeck using a rum barrel as a table, with civility and polite bows. At 07.15 hrs HMS Bulldog with the help of a German pilot, anchored off St Peter Port.

Photo: A scene on board HMS Buldog during the first conference with Captain Lieutenant Zimmerman prior to the signing of the surrender document which liberated the Channel Islands. Left to right around the table are: Admiral Stuart (Royal Navy), Brigadier General A E Snow (Chief British Emissary), Captain H Herzmark (Intelligence Corps), Wing Commander Archie Steward (Royal Air Force), Lieutenant Colonel E A Stoneman, Major John Margeson, Colonel H R Power (all of the British Army) and Captain Lieutenant Zimmerman (German Army), 9 May 1945



All German flags would be lowered and German ships would be sent out to pick up British troops and land them on shore. The initial Omelette force of four officers and 21 men, including four Guernseymen, landed at 07.50 hrs to be greeted by a town decorated in red, white and blue and thousands of cheering malnourished islanders singing, amongst other patriotic songs, Sarnia Cherie. Lt-Col Stoneman set up his HQ in the Royal Hotel. At 11.00 hrs Stoneman and his small party went to the Royal Court house where they met the Bailiff of Guernsey, Victor Carey and jurats. A Union Flag was ceremoniously hoisted.

Brigadier Snow had transferred to HMS Beagle and sailed on to Jersey, leaving HMS Bulldog anchored off St Peter Port, where a local fishing boat paid them a visit, swapping with the naval crew German souvenirs for chocolate and cigarettes.

HMS Beagle arrived at St Helier on Jersey at 10.00 hrs with another set of surrender documents to be signed. It had been done this way in case a German officer did not have authority over both islands and because of the rivalry between the two islands.  Two naval officers, Surgeon Lieutenant Ronald McDonald and Sub Lieutenant R. Milne, were met by the harbourmaster who escorted them to his office where they hoisted the Union Flag out a window, before also raising it on the flagstaff of the Pomme D'Or Hotel.

The Bailiff of Jersey Alexander Coutanche had already received a phone call from the British HQ in Guernsey when at 10.00 hrs HMS Beagle arrived and radioed for a German ship to meet them. A Kriegsmarine tug, FK01 sailed out, but without the Jersey commander on board. It was noon before Generalmajor Rudolf Wulf with the Bailiff of Jersey sailed out to HMS Beagle. After the Germans had signed the surrender documents at 14.00 hrs and had lunch, the civilians returned with pockets full of bars of soap and tobacco to Jersey, overtaken en route by a launch carrying the first Jersey Omelette troops, five signallers.

The RAF made an appearance, with flypasts by Mosquitos at 13.00 hrs. The Jersey population had been told to be in Royal Square at 2pm, however the whole event was delayed. It was 14.30 hrs before the first group of fewer than 30 Omelette men, including Jersey born men, landed and marched to the Pomme d’Or Hotel where a massive crowd awaited them, Jersey girls being free with kisses and everybody exuberant, which slowed the troops to 100 yards an hour. The German swastika flag was removed and a Union Flag was draped from a balcony of the hotel which became the Task Force 135 HQ under Lt-Col Robinson, who made a speech to the crowd.

The Germans were told to remove all troops from a circle of one mile (1.6 kilometres) around the centre of St Helier, except for the hospital and guards on ammunition and weapon dumps. The flag flying over Fort Regent changed to the Union Flag at 17.00 hrs. British soldiers handed sweets to children and commented on how thin the islanders looked.

A large landing craft LCI(L)-130, carrying 200 additional Jersey Omelette personnel, including six Jersey men, arrived at 17.00 hrs just as another fly past, this time by RCAF Mustangs crossed St Helier. They scattered into small groups to take command of the town.

The Red Cross ship, SS Vega was in the harbour having recently arrived with the latest supply of Red Cross parcels for the starving civilians.

The main part of the Guernsey Omelette, comprising 160 men, landed from a landing craft, LCI-103 at 14.15 hrs. Many more people had come to the town to see them, church bells were ringing and the British soldiers were given flowers. The Germans had started clearing obstructions from the airport and disconnected sea minefields. Twenty-two German officers were allocated to work at the British HQ to assist. Germans were appointed as drivers and took British soldiers in their cars to various locations, such as the airport.

Both islands were told the main force would arrive on C+3, Saturday 12 May when there would be fitting ceremonial events in the presence of Brigadier Snow.

HMS Beagle sailed back to Guernsey, leaving HMS Cosby anchored off St Helier. HMS Beagle anchored off St Peter Port and HMS Bulldog sailed with Brigadier Snow back to Plymouth.

During the afternoon and evening of 9 May, on both islands, several young women were roughly handled by local men and women who had previously seen them in the company of German soldiers, as were other people who were considered quislings. A few people, including Germans, were arrested. There were a few injuries, mainly caused by children playing with German guns.

It appears that the first place liberated in Jersey may have been the British General Post Office Jersey repeater station. Mr Warder, a GPO lineman, had been stranded in the island during the occupation. He did not wait for the island to be liberated and went to the repeater station where he informed the German officer in charge that he was taking over the building on behalf of the British Post Office.

YouTube (Liberation of the Channel Islands in 1945)



United States

Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov left the United Nations conference for Moscow with the Polish question still unresolved.

Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 14 B-24s, 14 B-25s, and 26 P-51s blast Paoching and various nearby targets of opportunity; some of the fighter-bombers also attack targets of opportunity W of Hengyang. 4 P-51s pound boxcars, locomotives, and other railroad targets from Tourane to Hue, French Indochina.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): Unit moves in India: 6th Fighter Squadron (Commando), 1st Air Commando Group, from Hay to Asansol with P-47s; 115th Liaison Squadron, Tenth AF, from Dinjan to Nagaghuli with L-1s and L-5s.

BURMA

The British 82nd West African Division occupies Sandoway in its advance south from Taungup, along the Arakan coast.

GUAM

Seventh Air Force: 29 B-24s from Guam, operating in 3 forces over a 6-hour period, bomb airfields, barracks, and targets of opportunity on Param and Moen. VII Fighter Command: 14 P-47s from Saipan sweep Truk Atoll.

BORNEO CAMPAIGN (1945)

P-38s over Borneo hit Brooketon, Sarawak and Tarakan.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

On Luzon, forces of the US 145th Infantry Regiment, an element of US 11th Corps, captures Mount Binicayan and patrols into the Guagua area. On Mindanao, the US 24th Division continues to defend its bridgehead over the Talomo river against Japanese counterattacks but fails to build a bridge. The US 31st Division breaks off its attacks in the Colgan woods to allow air and artillery strikes on the Japanese positions.

On Luzon Island, A-20s and fighters fly offensive sweeps over the Cagayan Valley and support ground forces in the Cervantes, Baguio, and Balete Pass area and the Ipo-New Bosoboso-Infanta area. On Mindanao Island, B-24s bomb the area around Dalirig and Maluko preparatory to allied landings in the Macajalar Bay area on 10 May.

VOLCANO AND RYUKYU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

On Okinawa, the US 1st Marine Division captures Height 60 after eliminating Japanese positions on Nan Hill. The US 77th Division continues attacks on Japanese strong points north of Shuri. The Kochi Crest area has been secured by American forces.

Off Okinawa, kamikazes damage the aircraft carriers HMS Formidable and HMS Victorious, and the destroyer escorts USS Oberrender and USS England. The Royal Navy carriers are part of Task Force 57.2 and their aircraft are attacking airfields in the Sakishima Islands which are twenty small islands in the southern Ryukyu Islands. HMS Formidable has two squadrons of Goodyear Corsair Mk. IVs (FG-1s) and a Grumman Avenger Mk I (TBF-1) squadron; HMS Victorious has two squadrons with Brewster Corsair Mk IIs (F3A-1s) and Goodyear Corsair Mk IVs and a squadron of Eastern Aircraft Avenger Mk IIs (TBM-1s). The kamikazes attack the task force between 1654 and 1705 hours and because of poorly deployed antiaircraft defenses, the Japanese aircraft crash into the flight decks of the two ships but cause only slight damage because the flight decks are armored. Both ships are forced to retire to refuel and because of aircraft loses, HMS Formidable must also replenish. On 14 May, the Royal Navy will adopt the USN-style AA defense which has aircraft controllers in escorts deployed ahead of the carriers.

ALASKA

(Eleventh Air Force): Radar discloses considerable shipping between Paramushiru and Shimushu; thus, 12 B-24s take off and radar-bomb through overcast; another B-24 flies a radar- ferreting sortie over Paramushiru and Shimushu.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 357, MAY 9, 1945

Carrier‑based aircraft, Marine aircraft based ashore and ships' guns con­tinued to support the troops of the Tenth Army with heavy bombing and gunfire on enemy positions in southern Okinawa on May 8 (East Longitude Date). Adverse weather continued in the Okinawa area through May 8 and no enemy aircraft were active over the Ryukyus on that date. The troops continued to move southward on May 9.

At noon on May 9 every gun ashore and every gun afloat which bore on the enemy on Okinawa fired one round simultaneously in recognition of the victory of the United Nations in Europe.

From the beginning of operations against Okinawa through May 7, the Tenth Army lost 2,107 soldiers and 577 Marines killed in action. A total of 10,402 soldiers and 2,800 Marines were wounded and 501 soldiers and 38 Marines were missing.

Aircraft from carriers of the British Pacific Fleet bombed airfields and defenses on Miyako and‑Ishigaki in the Sakishima group on May 9 destroying two planes on the ground and shooting one out of the air. Two units of the force suffered minor damage during an air attack but remained operational.

A substantial force of Mustang fighters of the Seventh Fighter Command destroyed two aircraft on the ground and probably destroyed five others in low level strafing attacks on Kisarazu airfield and Tateyama Naval Air Station southeast of Tokyo on May 8. In other attacks a small cargo ship and a locomotive were destroyed and a train and a number of small craft damaged.

On the same date, Liberators of the Seventh Army Air Force bombed airfields on Marcus Island and at Truk. In low level attacks on Marcus on May 9, Liberators and search Privateers of Fleet Air Wing Eighteen destroyed five aircraft on the ground and damaged three others. Antiaircraft fire was intense and two of our planes were shot down in the action. Survivors of one were rescued. On the same date, Liberators of the Seventh Air Force again bombed air installations on Truk.

Corsairs and Hellcats of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing attacked in­stallations on enemy‑held islands in the Palaus on May 8 and 9.

PACIFIC

Japanese escort vessel Uku is damaged by mine off Futaoi Light.

Japanese merchant tanker No.13 Horai Maru is damaged by aircraft, 36°10'N, 126°02'E.