Timeline of World War II (1945)

This is a timeline of events that stretched over the period of World War II.

January 1945

:1: The Germans begin a surprise offensive Operation Nordwind along the Saar and aimed at retaking Strasbourg.:2: The Japanese increasingly use kamikaze tactics against the US naval forces nearby.:3: The Allies take the offensive east of the Bulge but they fail to close the pincers (which might have surrounded large numbers of Germans) with Patton's tanks.:4: US navy air attacks on Formosa (Taiwan):5: The German offensive "North Wind" crosses the border into Alsace.:5: Japanese retreat across the Irrawaddy River in Burma with General Slim's troops in pursuit.:6: American B-29's bomb Tokyo again. :7: Germans, as part of the plan to retake Strasbourg, break out of the "Colmar Pocket", a bridgehead on the Rhine, and head east.:8: The battle of Strasbourg is underway, with Americans in defence of their recent acquisition.:9: Americans land on Luzon, the central island of the Philippines and there inside by the Philippine Commonwealth troops and local guerillas; there are more kamikaze attacks on the American navy.:12: The first convoy moves on the Ledo (or "Stilwell") road in northern Burma, linking India and China.:12: A major Red Army offensive in East Prussia begins.:14: British forces clear the Roer Triangle during Operation Blackcock; it is an area noted for its industrial dams.:15: Hitler is now firmly ensconced in the bunker in Berlin with his companion Eva Braun.:15: The British commander in Athens, General Ronald Scobie, accepts a request for ceasefire from the Greek People's Liberation Army. This marks the end of the Dekemvriana, resulting in clear defeat for the Greek Left.

:2: The United States and Filipino troops take Manila, the Philippines.:3: Battle of Meiktila, Burma comes to an end with General Slim's troops overwhelming the Japanese; the road to Rangoon is now cleared.:4: Finland declares war on Germany, backdated to Sept. 15, 1944.:6: Germans launch an offensive against Soviet forces in Hungary.:7: When German troops fail to dynamite the Remagen Bridge over the Rhine, Americans begin crossing the Rhine into Germany. :7: Germans begin to evacuate Danzig.:9: The US firebombs a number of cities in Japan, including Tokyo, with heavy civilian casualties. :9: Amid rumors of a possible American invasion, Japanese overthrow the Vichy French Decoux Government which had been operating independently as the colonial government of Vietnam: they proclaim an "independent" Empire of Việt Nam, with Emperor Bảo Đại as nominal ruler. Premier Trần Trọng Kim forms the first Vietnamese government.:11: Nagoya, Japan is firebombed by hundreds of B-29's.:15: V-2 rockets continue to hit England and Belgium.:16: The German offensive in Hungary ends with another Soviet victory.:16: Iwo Jima is finally secured after a month's fighting; for the only time, the only battle, in the war the number of American casualties is larger than those of the Japanese. Sporadic fighting will continue as isolated Japanese fighters emerge from caves and tunnels.:18: Red Army approaches Danzig (postwar Gdansk).:19: Heavy bombing of important naval bases in Japan, Kobe and Kure. :20: German General Gotthard Heinrici replaces Heinrich Himmler as commander of Army Group Vistula, the army group directly opposing the Soviet advance towards Berlin.:20: Mandalay liberated by Indian 19th Infantry Division.:20: Tokyo is firebombed again.:20: Patton's troops capture Mainz, Germany:20: Mandalay, in central Burma, is now firmly under British and Indian control.:22-23: US and British forces cross the Rhine at Oppenheim.:23: By this time it is clear that Germany is under attack from all sides.:24: Montgomery's troops cross the Rhine at Wesel.:27: The Western Allies slow their advance and allow the Red Army to take Berlin. :28: Argentina declares war on Germany, the last Western hemisphere country to do so; its policies for sheltering escaping Nazis are also coming under scrutiny. Argentina had not declared war before due to British wishes that Argentine shipping be neutral (and therefore Argentine foodstuffs would reach Britain unharmed), this, however, went against the plan of the USA, who applied much political pressure on Argentina.:29: The Red Army enters Austria. Other Allies take Frankfurt; the Germans are in a general retreat all over the centre of the country.:30: Red Army forces capture Danzig.:31: General Eisenhower broadcasts a demand for the Germans to surrender.

April 1945

:5: A huge Pacific typhoon hits the American navy under Admiral Halsey; the fleet suffers widespread damage.:6: Allies agree to divide Germany into four areas of control.:10: Australian troops land at Brunei, Borneo.:15: Osaka, Japan is bombed heavily.:16: The Japanese are in a general retreat in central China. :19: the United Kingdom begins demobilisation.:20: Schiermonnikoog, a Dutch island, is the last part of Europe freed by Allied troops.:21: The defeat of the Japanese on Okinawa is now complete.:26: The United Nations Charter is signed in San Francisco.

July 1945

:2: End of the Potsdam Conference: left unsolved is the status of a divided Germany and the birth of a new atomic age.:6: Enola Gay drops the first atomic bomb "Little Boy" on Hiroshima.:8: Soviet Union declares war on Japan; the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation begins about an hour later which includes landings on the Kurile Islands.

:9: Soviet troops enter China and Korea.:9: Bockscar drops the second atomic bomb "Fat Man" on Nagasaki.:14: An attempted coup by Japanese military and right-wingers to overthrow the government and prevent the inevitable surrender.:15: Emperor Hirohito issues a radio broadcast announcing Japan's surrender; though the surrender seems to be "unconditional," the Emperor's status is still open for discussion.:15: World-wide celebration of VJ Day.:16: Emperor Hirohito issues an Imperial Rescript ordering Japanese forces to cease fire.:19: At a spontaneous non-communist meeting in Hà Nội, Hồ Chí Minh and the Việt Minh assumed a leading role in the movement to wrest power from the French. :19: Hostilities between Chinese Nationalists and Chinese Communists break into the open.:22: Japanese armies surrender to the Red Army in Manchuria. :27: Japanese armies in Burma surrender at Rangoon ceremonies.:30: Royal Navy force under Rear-Admiral Cecil Harcourt liberates Hong Kong.:31: General MacArthur takes over command of the Japanese government in Tokyo.

eptember 1945

:2: The commander of the Imperial Japanese Army general Tomoyuki Yamashita he was suurender to the Filipino and American troops at Kiangan, Ifugao in Northern Philippines.:2: Japan signs the articles of surrender on the deck of the USS "Missouri" in Tokyo Bay.:2: In Việt Nam, Chinese Nationalists accept surrender of Japanese Occupation Forces north of the 16th parallel. The British are to accept surrender south of the line under British Major General Douglas Gracey's 20th Indian Division, some 26,000 men in all. British General Gracey arrives in Saigon (South Việt Nam) which is in turmoil. :5: Singapore is officially liberated by British and Indian troops.:16: Japanese garrison in Hong Kong officially signs the instrument of surrender.:22: The British release 1,400 French Paratroopers from Japanese camps around Saigon.

October 1945

:1: In the South of Việt Nam, a purely bilateral British/French agreement recognizes French administration of the southern zone. In the North, 180,000 Chinese troops go on a "rampage". Hồ's Việt Minh are hopelessly ill-equipped to deal with it. Hồ Chí Minh accepts an Allied compromise for temporary return of 15,000 French troops to rid the North of anti-Communists. The Chinese troops of Chiang flee to Taiwan, looting as they depart. As World War II ends, starvation kills over 2 million Vietnamese.

December 1945

:31: The British Home Guard is disbanded.

ee also

* Strategic operations of the Red Army in World War II

External links

* [http://www.timelineforworldwar2.com Timeline For World War 2]
* [http://www.worldwar-2.net/timelines/timelines-index.htm Timeline of WWII]
* [http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/ww2.htm Documents of World War II]
* [http://wwiiarchives.net/servlet/timeline.html World War II Timeline]