World War II in real time

Day 2026 of World War II, March 28th 1945

Eastern Front

Gdynia falls to forces of the Soviet 2nd Belorussian Front. In Hungary, just south of the Danube River, Gyor is captured by troops from the 2nd Ukrainian Front.

Western Front (1945) - Western Allied invasion of Germany

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



US 1st Army captured Marburg and US 3rd Army captured Limburg am Lahn. Meanwhile, British 2nd Army began an offensive towards the Elbe River. British sappers built another Rhine bridge, "Blackfriars", by noon. Behind the lines, Dwight Eisenhower transferred US 9th Army from Bernard Montgomery's army group to Omar Bradley's army group as Anglo-American objective shifted toward southern Germany and Czechoslovakia.

Photo: A Valentine bridgelayer of the 3rd Independent Bridge Building Company, Royal Armoured Corps, spans a damaged bridge near Meiktila, 28 March 1945



Photo: Men of the 5th Dorsetshire Regiment crossing the Rhine in a Buffalo, 28 March 1945



Photo: Crouching low for concealment and protection in a DUKW amphibious vehicle, men of the 89th Division, U.S. Third Army, cross the Rhine River at Oberwesel, Germany, 28 March 1945



Map: Crossing of the Rhine



Air War over Europe

HQ 36th Fighter Group and the 22d and 23d Fighter Squadrons move from Le Culot, Belgium to Aachen, Germany with P-47s; and the 31st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 10th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance), moves from Jarny, France to Euren, Germany with F-5s.

(US Eighth Air Force): Mission 917: 965 B-17s and 390 P-51s are dispatched to hit industrial targets in Berlin and Hannover; 10/10 cloud cover forces the B-17s to bomb using H2X radar; 2 B-17s are lost: 1. 446 B-17s are dispatched to hit the Spandau tank factory (318) and Falkensee armament plant (65) in Berlin; 6 hit Stendal, the secondary; targets of opportunity are Hannover (1) and other (21); 2 B-17s are lost, 5 damaged beyond repair and 133 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 8 WIA and 19 MIA. Escorting are 245 of 272 P-51s. 2. 519 B-17s are sent to hit the Hanomag tank factory at Hannover (34); 431 hit the secondary, the marshalling yard at Hannover; targets of opportunity are Minden (10) and other (5); 66 B-17s are damaged; 3 airmen are WIA. 86 of 99 P-51s escort. 3. 8 of 9 P-51s escort 3 F-5s on photo reconnaissance missions over Germany. 4. 6 of 10 P-51s fly scouting missions.

(US Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 215 A-20s, A-26s and B-26s hit the Neuenheerse and Erbach oil storage depots and 11 targets of opportunity; fighters escort the bombers, fly armed reconnaissance and area cover over wide expanses of German territory, and support the US XII Corps in breakout attacks across the Main River in the Dornigheim area and the 2d and 8th Armored Divisions in the Dorsten area.

Italian campaign

Photo: Infantrymen of the Jewish brigade move up to the line. 28 March, 1945



Photo: Artillery of the new Jewish Brigade firing a 25 pounder. 28 March, 1945



Germany

After a heated argument with Hitler, General Guderian is dismissed from his post as Chief of the Army General Staff. His replacement is General Krebs.

Soviet Union

Stalin receives a personal telegram from General Eisenhower (Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force) giving details of his order of battle and saying that he intends to send the main weight of his advance across southern Germany and Austria. The main thrust is to be toward Erfurt and Leipzig and a secondary effort is to go for Nuremberg, Regensburg and Linz.

United Kingdom

The British protest the signal sent to Stalin, suggesting that decisions of such importance should not be taken by Eisenhower alone and that he also overstepping the authority in communicating directly with the Soviets. Both Churchill and the British Chiefs of Staff would prefer the advance to be directed on Berlin as had been the plan up to now for the political value of this move. However, President Roosevelt, weakened by his illness, leaves most military decisions to General Marshall and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Marshall confirms his support for Eisenhower in response to the British protest.

United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy repair ship USS Basilan (AG-68) at San Francisco, California (USA), 28 March 1945. The ship has had many features added since her original conversion. New items (possibly fitted during this overhaul) include the radar test stands (with antennas) on the bow, additional cargo booms, and the landing craft carried above the large ship's boats forward



Pacific War

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): 3 mining missions are flown during the night of 28/29 Mar without loss:
Mission 46: 10 of 10 B-29s mine the mouth of the Hwangpoo River and the S channel of the Yangtze River at Shanghai, China.

Mission 47: 17 of 18 B-29s mine the waters at Saigon and Camranh Bay, French Indochina.

Mission 48: 32 of 33 B-29s mine the Singapore, Malayan States area.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): 30+ fighter-bombers operating over and behind the battlelines in C Burma attack troop concentrations, supply areas, elephant transport, and general targets of opportunity at or near Wan Hong, Ho-na, Kyu-sawk, Nawnghkio, and Na-ti; 642 air supply sorties are flown to advanced bases and over the frontlines, where supplies are dropped, throughout the day.

BURMA

Photo: A scissors bridge laid down over a damaged road bridge near Meiktila by a Valentine bridgelayer of the 3rd Independent Bridge Building Company, Royal Armoured Corps, 28 March 1945



Photo: A Sherman tank crosses a scissors bridge near Meiktila, 28 March 1945



Photo: A Valentine bridgelayer of the 3rd Independent Bridge Building Company, Royal Armoured Corps, picks up a scissors bridge after it was used to cross an estuary near Meiktila, 28 March 1945



GUAM

(Seventh Air Force): 10 Guam based B-24s bomb Truk Atoll flying separate snooper strikes, 5 hit Susaki Airfield during the night of 28/29 Mar. VII Fighter Command: On Chichi Jima 15 P-51s from Iwo Jima hit airfields and defenses.

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): 6 B-24s bomb Haiphong and Hanoi docks in French Indochina and the Bakli Bay barracks on Hainan . In China, 9 B-25s and 8 P-40s hit rivercraft and other targets from Yanglowtung to Sienning; 9 other B-25s hit junks, storage, and targets of opportunity in the Lushan area and 7 bomb Chingmen; 14 B-25s, operating in groups of 1 to 4 aircraft, hit rivercraft and scattered targets of opportunity at several other points in S and E China; 120+ fighter-bombers over French Indochina and S and E China continue to pound numerous targets of opportunity, mainly river, road, and rail traffic and troop concentrations; rivercraft and airfields in areas around Kai Tek Airfield in Hong Kong and Canton, Hankow, and Wuchang, China are severely hit. In China, the 11th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 341st Bombardment Group (Medium), based at Yangkai sends a detachment to operate from Chihkiang with B-25s; the 19th Liaison Squadron, 69th Composite Wing, moves from Kunming to Chengkung with L-1s and L-5s.

BURMA

The Japanese have failed in their efforts to retake Meiktila and while they have been involved in this area, British 33rd Corps has been making important gains to the north. General Kimura, commanding Japanese forces in Burma, decides that with his main line of communications cut, he must try to withdraw his troops to the east of Meiktila.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

B-24s and fighter-bombers hit Balete Pass tracts and ridges, installations at Santa Fe, and ground support targets N of Laguna de Bay and in Cavite and Batangas Provinces and B-25s and A-20s attack troop concentrations at Baguio and Ilagan. Bombers hit the Cebu City area and pound airfields on Negros. B-24s bomb Likanan Airfield on Mindanao. The 39th Troop Carrier Squadron, 317th Troop Carrier Group, moves from Leyte to Clark Field, Luzon with C-47s.

VOLCANO AND RYUKYU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

US naval forces, including TF58 and TF52, continue air strikes on Okinawa while TF54 continues bombarding the island. Japanese Kamikaze and submarine attacks continue.

Off Okinawa, minesweeper Skylark (AM-63) is sunk by mine, 26°20'N, 127°40'E; attack cargo ship Wyandot (AKA-92) is damaged by near-misses of bombs, 26°00'N, 127°00'E; medium landing ship LSM-188 is damaged by kamikaze; infantry landing craft (gunboat) LCI(G)-588 is damaged by assault demolition boat.

Landing craft repair ship Agenor (ARL-3) is damaged in collisions with landing craft off Iwo Jima, 24°46'N, 141°19'E.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 312, MARCH 28, 1945

During the period of March 25 to March 27 inclusive (East Longitude Dates) carrier aircraft of the U. S. Pacific Fleet ranged over the Ryukyu Islands from the Niyako group to Tanega Island, attacking aircraft, shipping and installations. Preliminary reports of damage inflicted on the enemy, in addition to that previously reported, include

Ships:

Three destroyers or destroyer escorts damaged
One large cargo ship damaged
Two medium cargo ships damaged
Two small cargo ships damaged
Many small craft wrecked
Eight to ten luggers burned
One whaler beached and burned

Aircraft:

Twenty‑five aircraft shot out of the air
Thirteen aircraft burned on the ground

Ground installations:

Submarine pens at Unten Bay on the west coast of Okinawa heavily hit
Gun positions, landing craft, airfields, warehouses, barracks, trucks, and other targets heavily hit at Amami, Tokuno, Okinawa and Kikai Islands.

Some of our units suffered damage under enemy air attacks.

Hellcat and Corsair fighters, Avenger torpedo planes, and Helldiver bombers, continued their attacks on enemy positions in the Ryukyus and battleships continued to shell shore installations on March 28.

On March 27, Navy search Venturas of Fleet Air Wing Four made rocket and machine gun attacks on installations at Tomari Zaki in northeastern Paramushiru in the Kuriles. Liberators of the Eleventh Army Air Force bombed Kataoka on Shimushu on the same date.

Mustang fighters of the Seventh Fighter Command and Seventh Army Air Force Liberators attacked Suzaki airdrome on Chichi Jima in the Bonins and struck radar installations on the island on March 26. Fighters also car­ried attacks on Kitamura Town on Haha Jima on the same date. On March 27 and 28, Mustangs again attacked targets on Chichi Jima and Haha Jima setting fires in ammunition storage areas, buildings and other targets.

Neutralizing attacks were made on enemy‑held islands in the Marshalls on March 27 by aircraft of Fleet Air Wing Two.

PACIFIC

Submarine Blackfin (SS-322) is damaged by depth charges off the southeast coast of French Indochina, and is forced to terminate her patrol.

Submarines and USAAF planes begin attacks on Japanese convoy HI-88-J moving up the coast of French Indochina; submarine Bluegill (SS-242) damages tanker Honan Maru (ex-British War Sirdar) off Cape Varella, 12°40'N, 109°30'E; Honan Maru is beached to permit salvage. USAAF B-24 sinks merchant cargo ship Asogawa Maru off Nha Trang, 12°32'N, 109°22'E.

Submarine Snook (SS-279) departs Guam for her ninth war patrol; she is contacted by Tigrone (SS-419) on 8 April 1945, but she is never seen again.[8]

Submarine Threadfin (SS-410) sinks Japanese escort vessel Mikura off Kyushu, 31°45'N, 131°44'E.

Submarine Tirante (SS-420) sinks Japanese fishing boat Nase Maru west of Oniki Cape, southwest coast of Kyushu, 32°15'N, 29°55'E.

Submarine Trigger (SS-237) is sunk by Japanese patrol vessel Mikura, Coast Defense Vessel No.33, and Coast Defense Vessel No.59 in Nansei Shoto, 32°16'N, 132°05'E.[9]

Floating workshop YR-43, being towed to Kodiak by Army tug LT 373, breaks free from her towline and runs aground two and half miles south of Zaikof Point, Montague Island; rescue tug ATR-68 and Coast Guard lighthouse tender Cedar (WAGL-207) are sent from Kodiak, while tender Bramble (WAGL-392) is dispatched from Seward to assist. Army transport Toloa brings YR-43's crew on board and takes the men to Dutch Harbor.

Planes from carrier Hornet (CV-12) sink Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.33 south of Kyushu, 31°45'N, 131°45'E;

USAAF B-24 damages Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No.102 and Coast Defense Vessel No.106 (near-misses) off Keelung, Formosa.

USAAF B-24s (Fifth Air Force) sink Japanese army cargo ship Meiho Maru off north coast of Formosa, 25°00'N, 121°00'E.

USAAF B-24s (13th Air Force) attack Japanese shipping in the Celebes, sinking minesweeper W.11 off Makassar, 05°06'S, 119°14'E, and Patrol Boat No. 108 off Maniang Island 04°14'S, 121°28'E.

Japanese auxiliary submarine chasers Cha 167 and Cha 175 are sunk by aircraft, east of Fukashima.

USAAF B-24 damages Japanese cargo ship Seito Maru off North Laut Island 03°14'S, 116°13'E.

Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 178 is sunk by mine, 34°02'N, 130°54'E; cargo ship Tensei Maru is sunk by mine in Wakamatsu harbor.

Day 2028 of World War II, March 30th 1945

YouTube (Allies Charge Forward from the Rhine!)



Eastern Front

On the Baltic coast the final German positions in Danzig are overcome by Soviet forces. In Hungary, leading elements of Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front, advancing beyond the Raba River enter Austria north of Koszeg. To the north of these attacks, 2nd Ukrainian Front is approaching Bratislava in Slovakia.

Western Front (1945) - Western Allied invasion of Germany

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



The US 1st Army advances north out of its salient around Marburg and reaches and crosses the Eder River. US 3rd Army is attempting to strike east and north toward Gotha and Kassel.

Commandant of the SS castle of Schloß Wewelsburg in Büren, Germany, Siegfried Taubert, abandoned the castle as US 3rd Armored Division approached.

Photo: Churchill tanks of 6th Guards Tank Brigade in Dulmen, Germany, 30 March 1945



Photo: A Humber scout car and Comet tank of 11th Armoured Division in a devastated German town, 30 March 1945



Photo: Comet tanks of 11th Armoured Division drive through a devastated German town, 30 March 1945



Photo: Comet tanks of 11th Armoured Division in a devastated German town, 30 March 1945



Photo: Infantry and carriers in Bocholt, 30 March 1945



Photo: Churchill tanks of 6th Guards Armoured Brigade carrying troops of 6th Airborne Division on the advance to Coesfeld, 30 March 1945



Photo: An Achilles 17-pdr self-propelled gun passes Royal Engineers repairing a bridge during the advance on Coesfeld, 30 March 1945



Air War over Europe

(US Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown. Mission 918: 1,402 bombers and 899 fighters are dispatched to attack targets connected with U-boat construction or operation; they claim 8-1-12 Luftwaffe aircraft; 5 bombers and 4 fighters are lost: 1. 530 B-17s are sent to hit 2 U-boat yards (64) and an oil depot (169) at Hamburg; 263 bomb the port area at Hamburg, the secondary target; 1 hits Bremen, a target of opportunity; bombing is both visual and using H2X radar; they claim 0-1-3 aircraft; 3 B-17s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 252 damaged; 14 airmen are KIA, 10 WIA and 28 MIA. Escorting are 289 of 304 P-51s; they claim 4-0-7 aircraft in the air and 1-0-1 on the ground; 3 P-51s are lost. 2. 448 B-17s are sent to hit the U-boat yard (318) and rail bridge (109) at Bremen visually and with H2X; 1 B-17 is lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 225 damaged; 1 airman is KIA, 6 WIA and 11 MIA. The escort is 268 of 287 P-51s; they claim 2-0-1 aircraft. 3. 382 B-24s are dispatched to hit the U-boat yard (273) and Bauhaben port area (85) at Wilhelmshafen both visually and with H2X; 1 B-24 is lost and 56 damaged; 8 airmen are KIA and 1 WIA. 105 P-47s and P-51s escort. 4. 32 of 36 B-17s fly a DISNEY mission to the U-boat yard at Farge; 14 B-17s are damaged. 5. 6 B-17s fly screening missions. 6. 153 of 159 P-51s fly a freelance mission for the bombers; they claim 1-0-0 aircraft. 7. 11 P-51s escort 5 F-5s on photo reconnaissance missions over Germany. 8. 26 of 31 P-51s fly scouting missions. Mission 919: During the night, 13 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands and Germany; 19 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions to Norway; 1 B-24 is lost and 1 crashes in the Orkney Islands. The German cruiser 'Köln' is sunk by aircraft from the US 8th Air Force. 'U-429' (type VIIC) is sunk near Wilhelmshaven in 53.13N 08.40E by US bombs.' U-430' (type VIIC) is sunk near Bremen in position 53.08N 08.46E by US bombs. 'U-348' (type VIIC) is sunk near Hamburg in position 53.33N 09.57E by US bombs.

43 RAF Mosquitos to Berlin, 43 to Erfurt, 4 to Nordingen and 3 each to Hamburg and Kiel, 36 RCM sorties, 31 Mosquito patrols, 6 Mosquitos minelaying in Jade Bay and the River Weser. 1 Mosquito was lost from the Berlin raid. 'U-1167' (type VIIC/41) is sunk near the Deutsche Werke yard in Hamburg due to damage from British bombs.

Adolf Hitler issues a decree drafted by Albert Speer, calling for war production to continue until the last possible moment, then for facilities to be crippled if possible, or destroyed otherwise.

(US Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 337 A-20s, A-26s and B-26s attack the Bad Oeynhausen tank factory, the Munden ordnance depot, the Ebenhausen oil depot, 2 town areas and 6 targets of opportunity, and drop leaflets; fighters escort the bombers, fly patrols and armed reconnaissance, and support ground forces; fighter support is provided for the US 3d and 7th Armored Divisions near Paderborn and at the Edersee dam on the Eder River, the XII Corps N of Frankfurt/Main, the XX Corps in the Hersfeld and Hanau areas, and the XVI Corps in the Marl-Polsum area.

(US Fifteenth Air Force): In Austria, 60+ B-17s and B-24s bomb the Vienna N stations and goods depot, the Graz and Klagenfurt marshalling yards, the Kapfenberg tank works, and several minor targets of opportunity; 28 P-38s and P-51s sweep the Zagreb, Yugoslavia-Graz, Austria area and others fly reconnaissance.

HQ 322d Bombardment Group (Medium) and the 449th and 452d Bombardment Squadrons (Medium) from Tille Airfield, Beauvais, France to Le Culot, Belgium with B-26s; HQ 404th Fighter Group and the 506th Fighter Squadron from St Trond, Belgium to Keltz, Germany with P-47s; the 153d Liaison Squadron, IX Tactical Air Command (attached to Twelfth Army Group), from Euskirchen to Bad Godesberg, Germany; the 428th, 429th and 430th Fighter Squadrons, 474th Fighter Group, from Florennes, Belgium to Strassfeld, Germany with P-38s.

Italian campaign

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 29/30 Mar, A-20s and A-26s continue to pound Po River crossings, loading points, and other communications in the Po Valley; during the day XXII Tactical Air Command fighters and fighter-bombers fly some 400 sorties against fuel and ammunition dumps, stores, bridges, rail lines, marshalling yards, buildings, motor vehicles, trains, and a variety of targets over wide areas of N Italy; weather forces the medium bombers to attack mainly alternate targets; the B-25s bomb railroad bridges (or bridge approaches) at San Ambrogio di Valpolicella, Rovereto, Chiari, Palazzolo sull'Oglio, Legnago, Ora, and Romano di Lombardia.

Photo: A Churchill bridgelayer of 51st Royal Tank Regiment in action during a demonstration in the Mezzano area, 30 March 1945



Photo: Members of a 3 inch mortar platoon of the Jewish Inf. Brigade have fried matzo in between German shelling. Pideura area, Italy. 30 March, 1945



Photo: 3 inch mortar crew of the Jewish Inf. Brigade preparing to open fire. 30 March, 1945. Pideura area, Italy



Battle of the Atlantic

'U-965' (type VIIC) is sunk north of Scotland, in position 58.19N, 05.31W by depth charges from the British frigates HMS Rupert and HMS Conn. 51 dead (all hands lost).

United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Beatty (DD-756) underway off Staten Island, New York (USA), on 30 March 1945



Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Hill (DE-141) off New York City (USA) on 30 March 1945. Hill had been at the New York Naval Shipyard for an overhaul prior to her assignment to the Pacific. The photo was taken by anaircraft from the New York Naval Air Station at Floyd Bennett Field



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): 5 B-24s bomb the Samah Bay area of Hainan . In China, 4 B-25s, supported by 24 P-40s, knock out a bridge at Chungmow; 10 B-25s bomb Hsuchang, 9 bomb Changanyi, and 9 pound the Yanglowtung railroad yards; 15 P-40s fly escort; 2 B-25s bomb Hankow Airfield, 2 bomb Neihsiang, and single B-25s attack targets around Fang-cheng, Nanyang, and Anlu; 100+ fighter-bombers over S and E China hit troops, railroad targets, trucks, tanks, supplies, and rivercraft especially around Hankow, Wuchang, Kanchou, and Hangchow; the airfield area at Kanchou and airfield and railroad yards at Hangchow are hit particularly hard; the 529th Fighter Squadron, 311th Fighter Group, based at Pungchacheng with P-51s, sends a detachment to operate from Hsian.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): In the C Burma battle area 41 P-38s and P-47s hit enemy troops and supplies at Loiwing, Pawngleng, and Nawnghkio; 7 B-25s hit personnel, a supply area, and trucks behind the enemy lines in and near Laihka and at Kongleng; 7 other B-25s attack road bridges, knocking out a bridge at Loi Putau; transports complete 612 sorties to forward areas.

BURMA

Kyaukse is taken by British 20th Indian Division. British forces hold most of the important positions on the road between Mandalay and Meiktila. Japanese forces in central Burma have been brought to battle and defeated exactly as General Slim, commanding British 14th Army, has hoped. The Japanese have not been able to slip away largely intact as they intended, and instead have been compelled to fight the main action with improvised forces against the carefully organized British defense around Meiktila.

GUAM

(Seventh Air Force): 10 Guam based B-24s bomb the airfield on Marcus in the N Pacific; during the night 5 others individually strike Chichi Jima airfield.

(Twentieth Air Force): 2 missions are flown during the night of 30/31 Mar. Mission 48: 12 of 14 B-29s attack the Mitsubishi aircraft engine plant at Nagoya, Japan shortly past 0000 hours without loss. Mission 49: 85 of 94 B-29s mine Shimonoseki Strait between Honshu and Kyushuu s; 2 others drop their mines in other areas; 1 B-29 is lost.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

On Luzon, B-24s bomb the Balete Pass and Solvec Cove areas; P-38s hit artillery positions in the Santa Fe area; B-24s and A-20s hit Legaspi Port and nearby Little Batsan; A-20s and fighter-bombers continue ground support missions in the Laguna de Bay area and W of Ft Stotsenburg. B-24s and A-20s support ground forces on Cebu. B-24s, B-25s, and P-38s hit Bongao, Philippine, and the Sanga Sanga, and Kuching, Borneo area.

VOLCANO AND RYUKYU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

US naval forces, including TF58 and TF52, continue air strikes on Okinawa while TF54 continues bombarding the island. A Japanese Kamikaze plane badly damages the Heavy cruiser Indianapolis (CA-35) by kamikaze off Okinawa, 26°25'N, 127°30'E. Unsuccessful submarine attacks continue.

British warships including the battleship HMS King George V, under the command of Vice Admiral Sir Bernard Rawlings, and a carrier force led by HMS Illustrious, commanded by Rear Admiral Sir Philip Vian, participated in an attack on the Sakashima Islands, 180 miles south-west of Okinawa, Japan.

ALASKA

(Eleventh Air Force): 8 B-25s cancel a shipping strike because of weather.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, N. D. COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 589, MARCH 30, 1945

Pacific Area.

1. United States submarines have reported the sinking of 11 enemy vessels, including a large aircraft carrier and two destroyers, as the result of operations in Far Eastern waters. Enemy ships sunk:

1 large carrier
2 destroyers
3 medium cargo vessels
2 escort vessels
1 large tanker
1 medium cargo transport
1 small cargo vessel

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

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 315, MARCH 30, 1945

Seventeen enemy aircraft were shot out of the air by carrier planes and guns of the U. S. Pacific Fleet operating in the waters off the Ryukyus on March 28 and 29 (East Longitude Dates). In addition, fifteen more enemy planes were destroyed on the ground.

Ships' gunfire destroyed four enemy motor torpedo boats on March 29.

Shore installations in the Ryukyus were again brought under fire of heavy units of the Pacific Fleet and carrier aircraft continued to attack military installations on March 30.

Corsair fighters of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing destroyed a building and sank a power boat during attacks on targets in the Palaus on March 30. Marine fighters strafed targets on Sonsoral Island southeast of the Palaus on the same date.

PACIFIC

Eighty-seven USAAF B-29s mine the Shimonoseki Straits and the waters off Kure, Hiroshima, and Sasebo, Japan.

High speed transport Roper (APD-20) is damaged in collision with attack transport Arthur Middleton (APA-25), Philippine Sea, 20°57'N, 132°05'E.

Submarine Tirante (SS-420) sinks Japanese guardboat Eikichi Maru off Kagoshima, Japan, 31°11'N, 130°09'E.

Attacks against Japanese convoy HI-88-J continue: USAAF B-25s sink auxiliary submarine chaser Shinan Maru and damage Coast Defense Vessel No.26 off Yulin, Hainan Island 18°09'N, 109°42'E.

Japanese submarine I 53 is damaged by mine, Suwo-Nada.

Day 2030 of World War II, April 1st 1945

Eastern Front

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.

Western Front (1945) - Western Allied invasion of Germany

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



The US 1st and 9th Armies link up at Lippstadt, cutting off the German forces in the Ruhr which consist of 325,000 men mostly from German 15th Army and 5th Panzer Army of German Army Group B (Field Marshal Model). Other elements of US 1st Army capture Paderborn while US 9th Army units take Hamm. To the north, forces of British 2nd Army have crossed the Mitteland Canal near Munster and are advancing to Osnabruck.

Air War over Europe

(US Eighth Air Force): Mission 921: 12 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands and Germany during the night without loss.

HQ 64th Fighter Wing from Nancy, France to Edenkoben, Germany; HQ 320th Bombardment Group (Medium), from Longvic Airfield, Dijon to Tavaux Airfield, Dole, France.

The 72d Liaison Squadron, Ninth AF (attached to Sixth Army Group), moves from Kaiserlautern to Darmstadt, Germany with L-5s. During Apr 45, the following units move: HQ IX Fighter Command from Bruhl to Weimar, Germany; HQ 9th Bombardment Division (Medium) from Reims, France to Namur, Belgium; and HQ 99th Combat Bombardment Wing (Medium) from Beaumont, France to Tirlemont, Belgium.

(US Ninth Air Force): No bomber operations due to weather. In Germany, fighters fly patrols, armed reconnaissance, and support the US 3d and 9th Armored Divisions in the Paderborn-Lippstadt and Warburg areas, the XX Corps astride and E of the Fulda River, and the XII Corps which reaches the Werra River W of Meiningen.

(US Fifteenth Air Force): Almost 400 B-24s and B-17s bomb the Maribor, Yugoslavia railroad bridge, marshalling yards at Sankt Polten, Selzthal, Zeltweg, Graz, and Villach, Austria, the railroad bridge at Krieglach, Austria, and gun positions on the Adriatic coast near Venice, Italy; 82 P-38s bomb the Ybbs, Austria railroad bridge while 52 P-51s strafe rail traffic in the Prague-Plzen, Czechoslovakia area; other P-38s and P-51s fly reconnaissance and reconnaissance escort.

4 RAF Mosquitos of No 100 Group, operating from a forward airfield in France, patrolled airfields in Southern Germany. 1 Mosquito was lost, hit by flak and seen to crash at Leipheim, a small airfield near Ulm.

Seven USAAF bombers fall to the guns of Me 262s from JG 7. But due to the advancing Allies the I Gruppe of JG 7 are ordered evacuate Kaltenkirchen and move further into Germany. 1st Staffel moves to Brandenburg, 2nd Staffel to Burg and 3rd Staffel to Oranienburg.

Italian campaign

British Guards and Commando units attack over the River Reno between Lake Comachio and the sea.

Cesena: In a small cinema here four days ago, the commander of the Eighth Army, Lt-Gen Richard McCreery, summoned all officers over the rank of lieutenant-colonel. His intention, he told them, was to destroy the Germans south of the river Po in what could be the last great battle of the gruelling Italian campaign. Soon the Germans will face a massive assault from armies which include Americans (many of Japanese origin), Britons, Brazilians, Italians, New Zealanders, Poles, Indians, Gurkhas and a Jewish brigade. British commandos began their attack east of Lake Comacchio tonight.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 31 Mar/1 Apr, A-20s and A-26s on intruder missions over the Po Valley continue to attack road and railroad bridges, motor transport, loading points, and other targets; principal strikes are made at Po River bridges; fighters and fighter-bombers during the day strike rail bridges, dumps, rail lines, marshalling yards, trains, vehicles, gun positions, several buildings (including an ammunition plant and truck factory), and a variety of targets of opportunity in the Po Valley and NE Italy; medium bombers hit railroad bridges at Calcinato, Crema, Mantua, Monselice, Colle Isarco, San Ambrogio di Valpolicella, and Perea.

HQ 87th Fighter Wing is disbanded at Florence; HQ 321st Bombardment Group (Medium) moves from Solenzara, Corsica to Falconara.

Finland

Finnish Air Force changes its national insignia from blue swastika to a white-blue-white roundel.

Soviet Union

The highest Soviet military command, Stavka, formulates the political goals of the strategic strikes of the coming summer: "to purge our country of fascist invaders and reach the Barents Sea - Black Sea line".

France

Notre Dame and the Arc de Triomphe are floodlit for the first time since the war broke out.

Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): 4 B-25s attack railroad targets at Ninh Binh and Minh Koi, French Indochina. In China, 7 B-24s bomb the Ft Bayard storage area; 6 B-25s and 6 P-51s attack river shipping and warehouses in the Sienning-Puchi area; 5 B-25s hit warehouses and other buildings at Hsuchang while 3 damage a bridge at Changtuikuan; single B-25s bomb targets of opportunity around Sanshihlitun, Sichuan, Loning, and Suicheng; 23 P-51s pound airfields in the Shanghai area; 70+ other fighter-bombers attack river, road, and rail traffic, storage areas, troops, and general targets of opportunity throughout wide areas of occupied S and E China; the detachments of the 11th and 22d Bombardment Squadrons (Medium), 341st Bombardment Group (Medium), operating from Chihkiang with B-25s, return to base at Yangkai; during Apr 45, the 426th Night Fighter Squadron, Fourteenth AF (attached to 312th Fighter Wing), based at Shwangliu with P-61s, sends detachments to operate from Liangshan and Ankang.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, 10 B-25s attack roads and bridges behind enemy lines in C Burma; 478 transport flights are made throughout the day; British 36 Division forces begin to push down the railroad from Mandalay to Rangoon. Unit moves In India: 12th Combat Cargo Squadron, 3d Combat Cargo Group, from Moran to Tulihal with C-47s; detachments of the 24th Combat Mapping Squadron, 8th Photographic Reconnaissance Group, operating from Tulihal and Cox's Bazar with F-7s, return to base at Guskhara.

SAIPAN

(Seventh Air Force): The detachment of the 28th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, VI Air Service Area Command (attached to VII Fighter Command), operating from Peleliu with F-5s, joins the detachment operating from Saipan.

TINIAN

HQ AAF (Twentieth Air Force): During Apr 45, the 25th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy), 40th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy), the 676th, 677th and 678th Bombardment Squadrons (Very Heavy), 444th BG (Very Heavy), and the 768th, 769th and 770th Bombardment Squadrons (Very Heavy), 462d BG move from Chakulia, Dudhkundi and Piardoba, India respectively to West Field, Tinian Island, Mariana Islands with B-29s.

MIDWAY

Photo: Aerial of the U.S. Navy Naval Air Station Midway, with Sand Island in the foreground, 1 April 1945



Photo: Aerial of Eastern Island, Naval Air Station Midway, 1 April 1945



SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force]: B-24s attack Giran Airfield on Formosa while B-25s and P-47s sweep wide areas. On Luzon Island, B-24s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers hit the Legaspi area (where a US amphibious landing is taking place), targets N of Balete Pass, the Batangas area, and support troops over parts of S and NW Luzon. Unit moves during Apr 45: HQ Fifth Air Force from Mindoro Island, Philippine Islands to Clark Field, Luzon; 4th Photographic Charting Squadron, 311th Photographic Wing (Mapping and Charting) [attached to 4th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance)], based at Hollandia, New Guinea with F-7s, sends a detachment to operate from Zamboanga, Mindanao Island, Philippine Islands, to map areas of the SW and W Pacific (another detachment is operating in Australia).

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

The US 158th Regiment (General MacNider) lands at Legaspi in the southeast of Luzon and takes the town and nearby airfield. Elsewhere on Luzon American forces are beginning to advance toward the southeast of Manila after much hard fighting against the Japanese forces of the Shimbu Group (General Yokoyama). Forces of the Japanese 14th Army (General Yamashita), in the north of the island, have also engaged by American and Filipino forces.

On Luzon Island, Far East Air Forces B-24s, A-20s, and fighter-bombers hit the Legaspi area in support of the landings above, targets north of Balete Pass, the Batangas area, and support troops over parts of southern and northwestern Luzon. In the central Philippine Islands, B-25s and A-20s support ground forces near Cebu City on Cebu Island and on Negros Island.

VOLCANO AND RYUKYU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

On Okinawa, American forces launch Operation Iceberg, the invasion of Okinawa.

YouTube (Invasion of Okinawa Begins - 1945)



Two corps of the US 10th Army (General Buckner) land in the area of Hagushi, in the southwest of the island. US Task Force 51 (Admiral Turner) provides the 1,200 transports and landing ships with over 450,000 Army and Marine Corps personnel embarked. The troops landed are from US 3rd Amphibious Corps (Geiger) with US 6th and 1st Marine Divisions, on the left or northern flank, and 24th Corps (Hodge) with US 7th and 96th Infantry Divisions, on the right or southern flank.

Map: Map shows location of the Hagushi landing beaches (Green, Red, Blue, Yellow, Purple, Orange, White and Brown) on Okinawa 1 April 1945



On land, US forces encounter almost no resistance on the first day and establish a beachhead three miles deep and nine miles wide. (Okinawa is 70 miles long and a maximum of 10 miles wide.) Kadena and Yontan airfields are captured. Japanese forces on the island, consisting of the 130,000 troops of the Japanese 32nd Army (General Ushijima), are entrenched in concealed positions and caves, mostly to the south of the American landing area along the Shuri Line. (There are also 450,000 civilians on the island.)

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Hutchins (DD-476) operating off Okinawa on 1 April 1945, during the landings there. Other destroyers are in the background



Photo: USS Tennessee (BB-43) bombarding Okinawa with her 14"/50 main battery guns, as Landing Vehicle Tracked(LVT) in the foreground carry troops to the invasion beaches, 1 April 1945



Photo: Troops of 7th Infantry Division land on Orange Beach 2, Okinawa, in swarms of alligators, 1 April 1945



Photo: Amphibious tractors land on the beach, 1 April 1945



Photo: Infantrymen disembark from landing craft after hitting beach at Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, 1 April 1945



Photo: An Infantryman of the U.S. Tenth Army advances cautiously on a Jap pillbox during the first day of the attack on Okinawa, 1 April 1945



Photo: Troops of 96th Division pause at the pass leading to Chatan village, Okinawa, while amphibious tanks move up in support, 1 April 1945



Photo: Assault troops of the 96th Division, first American soldiers to land on Okinawa, climb the sea wall on the western shore of the island, 1 April 1945



At sea, US TF58 and TF54 as well as the British Pacific Fleet conduct air and naval bombardments. Japanese conventional and Kamikaze air strikes hit the battleship USS West Virginia, and the carrier, HMS Indomitable, along with eight other ships.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 317, APRIL 1, 1945

The United States Tenth Army, whose principal ground elements include the Twenty‑Fourth Army Corps and the Marine Third Amphibious Corps, invaded the west coast of the island of Okinawa in the Ryukyus in great force on the morning of April 1 (East Longitude Date). This landing is the largest amphibious operation of the war in the Pacific to date.

Admiral R. A. Spruance, USN, Commander Fifth Fleet, is in overall tactical command of the operation. The amphibious phase of the operation is under command of Vice Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner, USN, Com­mander Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet. The Tenth Army is under com­mand of Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr., U.S.A.

The landings were made by ships and landing craft of the United States Fifth Fleet supported by the guns and aircraft of that fleet.

The attack on Okinawa has also been covered and supported by attacks of a strong British carrier task force under Vice Admiral Sir Bernard Rawlings against enemy positions in the Sakishima group.

Troops of the Twenty‑Fourth Army Corps are commanded by Major General John R. Hodge, U.S.A., and the Marines of the Third Amphibious Corps are commanded by Major General Roy S. Geiger, USMC.

The attack on Okinawa was preceded by the capture of the islands of the Kerama group west of the southern tip of Okinawa which commenced on March 26. The amphibious phases of this preliminary operation were com­manded by Rear Admiral I. N. Kiland, USN The troops consisted of the Seventy‑Seventh Army Division under command of Major General Andrew D. Bruce, U.S.A. The capture of these outposts was completed prior to the main landings on Okinawa and heavy artillery is now emplaced there and in sup­port of the Okinawa attack.

The amphibious support force is under command of Rear Admiral W. H. P. Blandy, USN, who was also present at the capture of the Kerama group of islands and in general charge of those operations. The battleships which form the principal gunfire support element are commanded by Rear Admiral M. L. Deyo, USN.

Fast Carrier Task Forces of the U. S. Pacific Fleet which are participating in the attack are under command of Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher, USN The escort carriers which are supporting the attack are under command of Rear Admiral C. T. Durgin, USN.

More than 1,400 ships are involved in the operation. The landings were preceded by and are being covered by heavy gunfire from battleships, cruisers and light units of the U. S. Pacific Fleet. U. S. carrier aircraft are providing close support for the ground troops. Strategic support is being given by the shore‑based air forces of the Southwest Pacific Area, the Pacific Ocean Areas, and by the Twentieth Air Force.

The operation is proceeding according to plan. The troops who went ashore at (1830, Tokyo time, advanced inland rapidly and by 1100 had cap­tured the Yontan and Kadena airports with light losses.

The capture of Iwo Island gave us an air base only 660 miles from Tokyo and greatly intensified our air attacks on Japan. The capture of Okinawa will give us bases only 325 miles from Japan which will greatly intensify the attacks by our fleet and air forces against Japanese communications and against Japan Itself. As our sea and air blockade cuts the enemy off from the world and as our bombing increases in strength and proficiency our final decisive victory is assured.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 318, APRIL 1, 1945

United States forces on Okinawa advanced inland rapidly throughout the first day of the assault and by 1800 on April 1 (East Longitude Date) forward elements of the Twenty‑Fourth Army Corps and Marine Third Amphibious Corps had expanded the beachhead to a three mile depth at several points. Enemy resistance continued to be light. Sporadic mortar and artillery fire fell on the beaches early in the day. The landing beaches were made secure against small arms fire as our forces deepened their positions behind the beaches. Heavy units of the Fleet continued to shell enemy installations on the island and carrier aircraft gave close support to the ground troops throughout the day. Four enemy planes attacking our surface forces were destroyed. Unloading of supplies on the beaches has begun.

Installations on Ishigaki and Miyako Islands in the Sakishima group were heavily hit by carrier aircraft of the British Pacific Fleet on March 31 and April 1. Of 20 Japanese aircraft which landed in the Sakishimas during these attacks, 14 were destroyed and 6 damaged by British aircraft.

Mustangs of the Seventh Fighter Command bombed Susaki airfield and harbor installations at Chichi Jima and other targets on Haha Jima in the Bonins on March 31.

Corsair and Hellcat fighters bombed supply areas in the Palaus on March 31. One of our fighters was destroyed but the pilot was rescued. On the same date, Marine fighters bombed the airstrip on Yap in the western Carolines.

PACIFIC

In the third of six mine drops carried out in support of Iceberg, six USAAF B-29s mine the waters off Kure, Japan. Mines sink merchant cargo ship Karikawa Maru off Tsushima, and damage escort vessel Inagi southeast of Hesaki, and auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 226 in Kii Channel, Japan, 30°04'N, 130°54'E.

Submarine Queenfish (SS-393) inadvertantly sinks Japanese relief ship Awa Maru in Formosa Straits, 25°25'N, 120°07'E. Awa Maru, a cartel ship, is carrying Red Cross supplies earmarked for distribution to Allied POWs in Singapore. Guaranteed safe conduct by the U.S. government, Awa Maru is properly marked and lighted, but Queenfish's commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander Charles E. Loughlin, does not discern the markings in the foggy weather in which his boat encounters the enemy vessel. Loughlin is relieved of his command for the mistake, and is court-martialed.

B-24s (Far East Air Force) bomb Japanese shipping at Keelung, irreparably damaging Taiga Maru.

Day 2032 of World War II, April 3rd 1945

Eastern Front

In Austria, the Soviet forces take Wiener Neustadt. Almost all of Hungary is now clear of Axis troops while in Czechoslovakia Bratislava is besieged.

Western Front (1945) - Western Allied invasion of Germany

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



British Second Army arrived at Münster, Germany while the US Ninth Army captured Recklinghausen.

US First Army captured Fulda and Kassel, Germany.

The US 76th Division reassembles at Homberg to mop up German rearguard resistance.

Photo: A Comet tank of 11th Armoured Division rolls past German civilians during the advance to Osnabruck, 3 April 1945



Photo: Humber scout car of 11th Armoured Division, during the advance to Osnabruck, 3 April 1945



Photo: Infantry of 53rd (Welsh) Division in a Kangaroo personnel carrier on the outskirts of Ochtrup, 3 April 1945



Photo: Troops of the 7th Cameronians use a small boat to cross a canal in the town of Rheine, 3 April 1945



Western Front (1945) - Liberation of the Netherlands

Allied troops captured Hengelo, the Netherlands.

Photo: British combat action in Hengelo, 3 April 1945



Photo: British armored vehicles (Guards Armored Division) on the way to Hengelo, April 3, 1945



Air War over Europe

10th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 69th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, from Nancy to Haguenau with F-6s (first mission is 17 Apr); 34th Photographic Reconnaissance Group, XII Tactical Air Command (attached to Provisional Reconnaissance Group), form Azelot to Haguenau with F-5s.

HQ XXIX Tactical Air Command (Provisional) to Haltern; HQ 84th and 303d Fighter Wings from Munchen-Gladbach to Haltern; 14th Liaison Squadron, XIX Tactical Air Command (attached to Twelfth Army Group), from Oberstein to Berkersheim with L-5s; 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 10th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance), from Trier to Ober Olm with F-6s; 507th and 508th Fighter Squadrons, 404th Fighter Group, from St Trond, Belgium to Keltz with P-47s.

(US Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown. Mission 924: 752 B-17s and 569 P-51s are dispatched to hit U-boat yards at Kiel; they claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 2 bombers and 4 fighters are lost: 1. 693 of 752 B-17s hit the Deutsche U-boat yard and 24 hit the Howardts U-boat yard; 2 B-17s hit Flensburg Airfield a target of opportunity; 2 B-17s are lost and 121 damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 20 MIA. Escorting are 517 of 569 P-51s; they claim 1-0-0 aircraft; 2 P-51s are lost and 2 damaged beyond repair. 2. 98 of 100 P-51s fly a sweep of the Kiel area; 1 is damaged beyond repair. 3. 4 P-51s escort 1 F-5 on a photo reconnaissance mission over Germany. 4. 17 of 18 P-51s fly a scouting mission; 2 P-51s are lost. Mission 925: 1 B-17 and 10 B-24s are dispatched to drop leaflets in the Netherlands, France and Germany during the night; 1 returns to base.

(US Ninth Air Force): In Germany, about 230 B-26s, A-20s and A-26s attack Holzminden and Hameln marshalling yards, the town of Gottingen, 2 targets of opportunity, and fly a leaflet mission; fighters fly escort, fly patrols and armed reconnaissance, support the US 9th Armored Division in the Warburg area, the XX Corps E of the Werra River toward Muhlhausen and in the Kassel area, the XII Corps in the Gotha and Suhl areas, and the 2d and 8th Armored Divisions in the Teutoburger Forest and Neuhaus

(US Fifteenth Air Force): 95 P-38s divebomb the Tainach- Stein railroad bridge in Austria; other P-38s and P-51s fly reconnaissance and escort missions; bad weather prevents bomber operations. HQ 325th Fighter Group and the 317th, 318th and 319th Fighter Squadrons move from Rimini to Mondolfo, Italy with P-51s.

247 RAF Lancasters and 8 Mosquitos of Nos 1 and 8 Groups to attack what were believed to be military barracks near Nordhausen. Unfortunately, the barracks housed a large number of concentration-camp prisoners and forced workers of many nationalities who worked in a complex of underground tunnels where various secret weapons were made. The camp and the tunnel workshops had been established immediately after Bomber Command attacked the rocket-research establishment at Peenemünde in August 1943. The bombing was accurate and many people in the camp were killed; the exact number is not known. The men working in the tunnels were unhurt. 2 Lancasters lost.

95 RAF Mosquitos to Berlin, 8 to Plauen and 5 to Magdeburg, 17 Mosquito patrols. 9 Lancasters sent to lay mines in the Kattegat were recalled because of weather conditions. 1 Mosquito lost from the Magdeburg raid.

Italian campaign

Troops of British Special Boat Service and Italian 28th Garribaldi Brigade captured islands in Lake Comacchio in northern Italy.

(US Twelfth Air Force): In Italy during the night of 2/3 Apr A-20s bomb the marshalling yard at Mantua, several Po River crossings and other communications targets in the Po Valley; weather hampers operations during the day; medium bombers cancel most missions, but manage to bomb the Po Valley bridges at Camposanto, Usigliano, and Modena; the XXII Tactical Air Command [including Brazilian and South African Air Force (SAAF) units] blast communications, fuel dumps, methane plants, trains, motor transport at numerous points in N Italy (mainly in the Po Valley), including Parma, Modena, Fidenza, Lodi, Bergamo, Reggio Emilia, and Piacenza. The detachment of the 414th Night Fighter Squadron, XXII Tactical Air Command, operating from Florennes, Belgium with Beaufighters, moves to Strossfeld, Germany.

Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): 17 B-25s bomb Pinglo, China railroad yards and in French Indochina, the Ninh Binh railroad yards, knock out a bridge at Thinh Duc, and damage bridges at Gian Khau and Mon Cay. In China, 60+ fighter-bombers knock out bridges at Hsitu and between Chuting and Hengyang, destroy pontoon bridges in the Kanchou area, hit Yangtong airfield, pound the Hai Duong, French Indochina railroad yards, and hit river traffic and other targets of opportunity at several locations including Hongay, and Cao Bang, French Indochina, and Tayu, Hankow, Kanchou, Yoyang, and the Ishan- Hwaiyuanchen, areas of China.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, bad weather again causes cancellation of most scheduled strikes; a few fighter-bombers hit a Japanese held wooded area near Kenglong; transports complete 383 sorties to forward areas.

(Twentieth Air Force): 4 missions are flown during the night and early morning hours of 3/4 Apr.
Mission 54: 9 B-29s mine the waters off Hiroshima without loss.
Mission 55: In the early morning, 48 of 49 B-29s hit the aircraft plant at Shizuoka, Japan without loss.
Mission 56: 43 of 78 B-29s attack the Koizumi aircraft factory and 18 hit the urban areas in Tokyo as a target of opportunity; they claim 1-0-0 Japanese aircraft.
Mission 57: 61 of 115 B-29s strike the aircraft plant at Tachikawa and 49 hit the urban area of Kawasaki as a target of opportunity; 1 B-29 is lost.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

Part of the US 40th Division lands on Masbate to assist Filipino guerrillas who have controlled part of it for several days.

Photo: USS LST-457 and USS LST-922 along with several other LSTs unloading at a pier that was built in one day by Army Engineers at Cebu City, P.I., 3 April 1945



Photo: Members of the mortar squad of K Co., 3rd Bn., 15th Regt., Philippine Army, watching a mortar shell fall on the enemy lines, 3 April 1945



On Luzon Island fighter-bombers and A-20s hit the Balete Pass-Baguio-Naguilian area N of the Cagayan Valley supply targets, the Laguna deBay area, and Infanta, also, Miri Airfield, troops in the Cebu City area. Lost is B-25J 44-31504. Also, targets on Tarakan are bombed.

VOLCANO AND RYUKYU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

On Okinawa, American artillery spotter planes begin operating from Kadena airfield.

Photo: Men of an antitank company keep on the alert for enemy action atop a hill in Okinawa, 3 April 1945



Off Okinawa, escort carrier Wake Island (CVE-65) is damaged by near-miss of kamikaze, 26°05'N, 128°57'E, as is high speed minesweeper Hambleton (DMS-20), 27°00'N, 127°00'E; a kamikaze damages tank landing ship LST-599, 26°10'N, 127°16'E; tank landing ship LST-554 is damaged by storm, 26°20'N, 127°45'E.

Photo: A flotilla of small rescue boats gathers around an LST to help combat fire caused by a suicide dive onto the deck by a Jap zero. Okinawa. 3 April, 1945



UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 320, APRIL 3, 1945

The Marine Third Amphibious Corps and the Twenty‑Fourth Army Corps made rapid gains in all sectors of the lines on Okinawa Island on April 3 (East Longitude Date). In the north, the Marines advanced generally from 4,000 to 6,000 yards reaching the East Coast near Katchin Peninsula and cutting it off. Units of the Seventh Infantry Division which had reached the eastern shore of Okinawa the previous day moved southward along the shore of Katsurin Bay on the east coast from a point near the town of Takaesu to Kuba Town. Our front lines in the southern sector at nightfall of April 3, approximated a line from Kuba Town in the east to Chiyunna in the west. Resistance throughout the day was negligible. The advancing troops were supported by gunfire from heavy units of the Fleet. Ships' guns and carrier aircraft shot down 11 enemy planes during the day. Unloading of supplies continues satisfactorily.

Fast carriers of the U. S. Pacific Fleet attacked targets in the Sakishima Group on April 3.

On March 30‑31, Corsair and Hellcat fighters, Helldiver bombers, and Avenger torpedo planes from carriers of the U. S. Pacific Fleet supporting the Okinawa operation inflicted the following damage on enemy forces in the Ryukyus:

Aircraft:

Seventeen shot out of the air.
Five destroyed on the ground.
Nineteen damaged in the air and on the ground.

Shipping:

Sunk:

Three motor torpedo boats.
Two small cargo ships.
Nine small craft.

Probably Sunk:

One small cargo ship.
Four small craft.

Damaged:

One motor torpedo boat.
Four small cargo ships.
One lugger.
Fourteen small craft.

Installations:

Six submarine pens at Unten Bay, Okinawa, destroyed and another heavily damaged.

Mills, barracks, bridges, radio stations, pillboxes, buildings, docks, gun positions and covered revetments destroyed or damaged on Okinawa.

Other installations on Tokuno, Amami, Kikai and Minami, Daito Islands, heavily hit.

Installations on Marcus Island were bombed on April 2 by Army Libera­tors of the Strategic Air Force.

Planes of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing attacked buildings, vehicles and barges in and around the Palau Islands on April 3.

During the week ending March 31, 69 Japanese were killed and 13 taken prisoner by U. S. patrols on Saipan, Tinian and Guam in the Marianas.

Navy Search Aircraft of Fleet Air Wing Two made neutralizing attacks on enemy‑held bases in the Marshalls on April 2.

PACIFIC

Nine USAAF B-29s mine the waters off Kure and Hiroshima, Japan.

Motor minesweeper YMS-71 is sunk by mine off Sanga Sanga, 04°59'N, 119°47'E.

TF 58 planes sink Japanese guardboat No.1 Taijin Maru and damage guardboat No.2 Hosei Maru southeast of Japan, 30°00'N, 137°30'E; and sink cargo ship Imari Maru off southwestern Kyushu, 33°45'N, 129°42'E. Coast Defense Vessel No.32 is damaged at 31°51'N, 124°47'E.

USAAF B-24s (Far East Air Force) bomb Japanese shipping in Hong Kong harbor, sinking cargo vessels Heikai Maru and Shozan Maru, and damaging escort vessel Manju, 22°17'N, 114°10'E.

USN land-based planes sink Japanese tanker No.30 Nanshin Maru (the only surviving ship of the ill-starred convoy HI-88-I) (see 20-21 March) in Nha Trang Bay, French Indochina, 12°15'N, 109°10'E.

Day 2034 of World War II, April 5th 1945

Eastern Front

Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front cut the rail line from Linz to Vienna, occupied Austria.

On the fifth day of the Soviet artillery bombardmen on Königsberg, East Prussia, Germany, a break in the weather allowed Soviet aircraft to join in on the attack. By this point, German defenses could offer little opposition to enemy aircraft.

Western Front (1945) - Western Allied invasion of Germany

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



In the West, the French First Army (de Tassigny) captures Karlsruhe on the upper Rine. The US 304th Infantry Regiment reaches the Wehre River and takes the bridge at Niederhone. Allied forces cross the Weser River at several points.

Western Front (1945) - Liberation of the Netherlands

4th Canadian Armoured Division captures Almelo in north-east Holland.

Photo: Personnel of the [13th or 19th] Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery (R.C.A.), examining a damaged German V-1 flying bomb launching ramp, Almelo, Netherlands, 5 April 1945. (L-R): Gunners L.J. Armitage and J. Raffle, Lance-Corporal Don Stover, Signalman R.N. Clarke



Air War over Europe

HQ 27th Fighter Group and 522d and 524th Fighter Squadrons from Ochey, France to Biblis, Germany with P-47s; 406th Fighter Squadron, 371st Fighter Group from Metz, France to Eschborn Airfield, Frankfurt, Germany with P-47s; 417th Night Fighter Squadron, 64th Fighter Wing [attached to First Tactical AF (Provisional)] from La Vallon to St Dizier, France with Beaufighters.

HQ 10th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance) and the 31st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron from Evren Airfield, Trier to Ober Olm, Germany with F-5s; HQ 344th Bombardment Group (Medium) and the 497th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) from Cormeilles-en-Vexin, France to Juzaine Airfield, Florennes, Belgium with B-26s; the 153d Liaison Squadron, IX Tactical Air Command (attached to Twelfth Army Group) from Bad Godesberg to Marburg, Germany with L-5s; the 167th Liaison Squadron, Ninth AF (attached to Sixth Army Group) from Vittel, France to Kaiserslautern, Germany with L-5s; the 450th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 322d Bombardment Group (Medium), from Tille Airfield, Beauvais, France to Le Culot, Belgium with B-26s.

(US Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown. Mission 928: 1,358 bombers and 662 fighters attack marshalling yards, ordnance depots, armament works and airfields in Germany; they claim 8-0-6 aircraft; 10 bombers and 1 P-51 are lost: 1. 436 B-17s are dispatched to hit munitions dumps at Ingolstadt (211) and Grafenwohr (94), and the marshalling yard at Bayreuth (73); targets of opportunity are Weiden (30) and Nurnberg (1); the attacks are made visually; 1 B-17 is lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 2 damaged; 11 airmen are KIA and 2 WIA. Escorting are 182 of 201 P-51s; they claim 0-0-1 aircraft in the air and 7-0-3 on the ground. 2. 397 B-24s are sent to hit the marshalling yard at Plauen (151) and the munitions dump at Bayreuth (39); targets of opportunity are the munitions dump at Grafenwohr (1) and munitions plant at Ingolstadt (1); bombing is with H2X radar; 5 B-24s are lost and 5 damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 44 MIA. 280 P-47s and P-51s escort; they claim 1-0-2 aircraft in the air; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA). 3. 521 B-17s are sent to hit the Unterschlauersbach Airfield (59), an aircraft parts factory (13) and munitions depot (54) at Furth, and the Nurnberg S marshalling yard (37); 271 bombers hit the Nurnberg Station marshalling yard, the secondary; bombing is visual; 4 B-17s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 112 damaged; 8 airmen are KIA, 7 WIA and 39 MIA. The escort is 91 of 104 P-51s. 4. 4 B-17s fly scouting missions. 5. 18 P-51s escort 5 F-5s on photo reconnaissance missions over Germany. 6. 35 P-51s fly a scouting mission. Mission 929: 12 B-24s drop leaflets in France, the Netherlands and Germany during the night.

(US Ninth Air Force): Weather prevents operations by the 9th Bombardment Division. In Germany, fighters fly patrols, sweeps, and armed reconnaissance, and support the US 7th Armored Division's attack on the Ruhr pocket SW of Brilon, the XX Corps' drive E in the Muhlhausen area, the XII Corps' advance in the Meiningen area, the 2d Armored Division bridgehead astride the Weser River S of Hameln, the 8th Armored Division (preparing for an assault on Soest), and the 5th Armored Division near Minden.

(US Fifteenth Air Force): 457 B-24s and B-17s attack a railroad bridge at Dravograd, Yugoslavia, marshalling yards and locomotive depots at Brescia, Alessandria, and Turin, Italy, and the airfield at Udine, Italy; 96 P-38s dive-bomb the Radovljica, Yugoslavia railroad bridge, 27 P-51s with 13 flying top cover, strafe rail communications in the Munich, Regensburg, and Passau, Germany, and Linz, Austria areas; 20+ P-38s fly reconnaissance missions; around 300 fighter sorties are flown to escort transport, reconnaissance, and bomber missions (including an RAF raid on the Monfalconei, Italy shipyards).

Italian campaign

On the west coast, American units from US 5th Army begin to attack north near Massa, south of La Spezia.

(US Twelfth Air Force): B-25s bomb 5 bridges in N Italy and Austria, at Steinach, Austria, and Matrei am Brenner, Modena, Salorno, and San Michele all'Adige, and blast gun positions at La Spezia, Italy; these attacks follow night raids by A-20s and A-26s on bridges at Lavis, Ala, San Michele all'Adige, San Ambrogio di Valpolicella, Piazzola sul Brenta, Cittadella, and Montebello, Italy and other targets; fighters and fighter bombers devote their largest effort to close support of ground forces, blasting occupied areas and gun positions in the Massa Lombarda area, and also attack communications and dumps in the Po Valley.

Battle of the Atlantic

U.S. tanker Atlantic States is torpedoed by German submarine U-857 off Cape Cod, 42°07'N, 70°00'42"W; there are no casualties to either the merchant crew or the 12-man Armed Guard. Auxiliary Guinevere (IX-67) rescues the crew (with the exception of five men, including the Armed Guard officer, who remain on board to keep the ship trimmed) while destroyer escort Richard S. Bull (DE-402) stands by to render assistance. Later, old tug Wandank (ATO-26), assisted by rescue tugs ATR-14 and ATR-89, tow the damaged ship to Boston where she is repaired.

Germany

The Schwarze Korps, Himmler's respected Nazi publication, has conceded that Germany is on the verge of "absolute collapse". In an unprecedented admission, the magazine today says that the German people are "being forced to acknowledge that it may be possible to defeat us militarily". The piece goes on to say, however, that they will never stop fighting and that "our belief in the rightness of our cause hasn't changed by a single letter."

Ferdinand Schörner is promoted to Field Marshal.

Soviet Union

Molotov, the Soviet Commissar for Foreign Affairs, tells the Japanese ambassador that the the Soviet Union does not intend to renew the 1941 non-aggression pact:

Soviet Denunciation of the Pact with Japan

The American Ambassador at Moscow transmitted to the Secretary of State, by a telegram dated April 5, 1945, the following statement, as received from the press section of the Foreign Office, regarding Soviet denunciation of the U.S.S.R.-Japanese neutrality pact:

" Today at 3 p.m. People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR Mr. V. M. Molotov, received the Japanese Ambassador, Mr. N. Sato, and made the following statement to him in the name of the Soviet Government:

'The neutrality pact between the Soviet Union and Japan was concluded on April 13, 1941, that is, before the attack of Germany on the USSR and before the outbreak of war between Japan on the one hand and England and the United States on the other. Since that time the situation has been basically altered. Germany has attacked the USSR, and Japan, ally of Germany, is aiding the latter in its war against the USSR. Furthermore Japan is waging a war with the USA and England, which are allies of the Soviet Union.

In these circumstances the neutrality pact between Japan and the USSR has lost its sense, and the prolongation of that pact has become impossible.

On the strength of the above and in accordance with Article Three of the above mentioned pact, which envisaged the right of denunciation one year before the lapse of the five-year period of operation of the pact, the Soviet Government hereby makes know [sic] to the Government of Japan its wish to denounce the pact of April 13, 1941.'

The Japanese Ambassador Mr. N. Sato, promised to inform the Japanese Government of the statement of the Soviet Government."

German occupied Norway

Photo: A Mosquito of the Banff Strike Wing in action in the Kattegat on 5 April 1945. There the Mosquitos discovered a convoy of seven ships evacuating Germans troops back to the Fatherland. In the ensuing attack a flak ship and a trawler were sunk, but one No 235 Squadron Mosquito struck a mast and spun into the sea, killing its crew. Losses among the embarked German troops were heavy



Yugoslav/Soviet relations

Partisan leader Josip Broz, Alias "Tito" signs a "friendship treaty" with the Soviet Union. The agreement permits "temporary entry of Soviet troops into Yugoslav territory." As part of the agreement Tito secure a proviso that the Soviets would leave Yugoslavia once its "Operational task" was completed.

United States

It is announced that General MacArthur will take control of all army forces in the Pacific theater of operations and Admiral Nimitz will command all naval forces in preparation for the invasion of Japan.

Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS LeHardy (DE-20) underway in Puget Sound, Washington (USA), on 5 April 1945



Photo: The U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Charles R. Greer (DE-23) underway in Puget Sound, Washington (USA), on 5 April 1945. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 22



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): 27 fighter-bombers on armed reconnaissance attack troops, horses, and river, road, and rail traffic at Son La, French Indochina and Shanhsien and Shihkiachwang, and in the Tehsien and Loyang-Pinglo area of China.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): In Burma, bad weather cancels scheduled strikes; transports continue large-scale operations to forward areas. The 166th Liaison Squadron (Commando), 1st Air Commando Group, moves from Ondaw to Meiktila, Burma with UC-64s and L-5s.

BURMA

Photo: Men of the 17th Division inspect a Japanese Mk 9 75mm anti-tank gun captured at Kandaugn, 5 April 1945



Photo: A soldier of the 17th Division inspects a Japanese armoured recovery vehicle "Ri-Ki" M1935 (Type 95) captured at Meiktila, 5 April 1945



GUAM

(Seventh Air Force): 18 B-24s from Guam hit targets on Eten and Dublon at Truk Atoll, Caroline Islands. 22 B-24s from Angaur Airfield pound a bivouac area at Bunawan, Mindanao.

(Twentieth Air Force): HQ 315th Bombardment Wing (Very Heavy) arrives at Northwest Field from the US.

PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

On Luzon, south and west of Manila, the US forces on either side of Laguna de Bay are beginning to make significant gains in their attacks. In Manila Bay, on Caballo Island, American troops pour thousands of gallons of a diesel/gasoline mixture into Fort Hughes and set it on fire but fail to entirely eliminate Japanese resistance.

Photo: The pack is all on the pack trains which consist of both Philippines & GI who carry ammo & water and rations to the front over a road that is impassable by vehicles, 5 April 1945



180+ sorties in support of ground forces are flown on Luzon. A-20s and patrolling P-61s support troops on Cebu and Negros. P-38s hit Tarakan and Tawau, Borneo. HQ 58th Fighter Group moves from San Jose Airfield to Mangaldan.

VOLCANO AND RYUKYU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

Off Okinawa, battleship Nevada (BB-36) is damaged by shore battery, 26°13'N, 127°40'E; a dud aerial torpedo damages light minelayer Harry F. Bauer (DM-26), 26°30'N, 127°30'E. Collisions account for damage to seaplane tender (destroyer) Thornton (AVD-11) and oiler Escalante (AO-70), 24°24'N, 128°58'E; landing craft repair ship Agenor (ARL-3) and tank landing ship LST-646, 24°46'N, 141°19'E; tank landing ships LST-273 and LST-810, 26°25'N, 127°42'E; tank landing ship LST-923 (with tank landing ship LST-20); tank landing ship LST-940 [with attack cargo ship Diphda (AKA-59)], 26°21'N, 127°43'E; and tank landing ship LST-1000 (with tank landing ship LST-20), 26°21'N, 127°44'E; tank landing ship LST-698 is damaged by grounding, 26°24'N, 127°45'E.

U.S. shore battery sinks Japanese auxiliary minelayer No.2 Shinto Maru and damages auxiliary minelayer Taian Maru in Naha Harbor, Okinawa, 26°30'N, 128°00'E.

Destroyer Hudson (DD-475) sinks Japanese submarine RO 41 west of Okinawa, near Kerama Retto, 26°22'N, 126°30'E.

Map: Battle of Okinawa 1945 April 1-5



JAPAN

General Koiso and his cabinet resign. Admiral Suzuki forms the new government. Togo is Foreign Minister and Hiranuma, President of the Privy Council. There is less military influence in this Cabinet than in Koiso's and all its members are agreed that no reasonable offer of peace should be turned down. Some even go as far as to think that any offer should be accepted if this is the only way that invasion can be avoided.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, N. D. COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 591, APRIL 5, 1945

Pacific Area.

1. The LCI (G) 474 was lost in the Iwo Jima area as the result of enemy action.

2. The next of kin of casualties have been informed.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 322, APRIL 5, 1945

Our troops in both the northern and southern sectors of Okinawa con­tinued to advance on April 5. By 1800 on that date, Marines of the Third Amphibious Corps had moved forward generally 8,000 to 9,000 yards on Ishikawa Isthmus, the southern end of their line being in the neighborhood of Kin Town. Japanese opposition in the north continued to be ineffective. Army troops in the south made advances up to about 3,000 yards. In this sector, elements of the Twenty Fourth Army Corps moved into areas organ­ized for defense by the enemy and at nightfall resistance to the advance was increasing. Our advancing troops were supported throughout the day by gunfire from units of the U. S. Pacific Fleet and by carrier aircraft. During the period of April 1 to 1800 on April 5, 65 enemy aircraft have been de­stroyed over our forces attacking Okinawa. During the Okinawa operation as of midnight April 4‑5, 175 soldiers and Marines had been killed in action. Figures as to Naval personnel are not available. Seven hundred and ninety eight soldiers and Marines had been wounded in action during the same period.

Organization for military government in the area of Okinawa under our control has been established and is functioning satisfactorily. About 9,000 civilians have surrendered to our forces. Considerable stocks of enemy food­stuffs have been captured and are available for civilian use.

On April 5, Hellcat and Corsair fighters and Avenger torpedo planes of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing attacked targets in the Palaus. A ware­house was destroyed and barges and vehicles were damaged.

PACIFIC

Naval Advanced Air Base, Iwo Jima, is established.

Submarine Besugo (SS-321) twice attacks Japanese light cruiser Isuzu in the Flores Sea.

Boarding party from submarine Bluegill (SS-242) completes destruction of beached and abandoned fleet tanker Honan Maru with demolition charges and incendiaries, near Nha Trang, French Indochina.

Submarine Hardhead (SS-365) attacks unescorted Japanese convoy SASI-45, damaging cargo ship Araosan Maru in the Gulf of Siam, 09°37'N, 102°48'E.

PBMs attack Japanese convoy, sinking merchant cargo ship No.2 Tokai Maru in Pinghai Wan, 22°45'N, 116°10'E; USAAF B-24s, B-26s, and P-38s (5th Air Force) attack same convoy, sinking cargo ship Kine Maru, 22°24'N, 115°28'E.

USAAF B-24s (Far East Air Force) bomb Japanese shipping at Hong Kong, damaging Coast Defense Vessel No.52 and Coast Defense Vessel No.1, submarine chasers Ch 9 andCh 20, 22°45'N, 116°10'E, and fleet oiler Kamoi.

Mine laid by USAAF B-29 (20th Bomber Command) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship No.13 Nichinan Maru two miles southeast of Hesaki Light, 33°58'N, 131°02'E,. Cargo ship Iki Maru is damaged by mine, 33°54'N, 130°53'E.

Japanese cargo ship Jozan Maru is damaged by mine, 01°23'N, 104°01'E.

Day 2036 of World War II, April 7th 1945

Eastern Front

Army Group Centre, under General Schörner, continues with its attacks against the 2nd and 4th Ukrainian Fronts.

Western Front (1945) - Western Allied invasion of Germany

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



In the West, the US Ninth Army captures Hameln and Eisenach on the road to Leipzig. There is heavy fighting by US 1st and 9th Armies around the Ruhr pocket. The German army in the west is disintegrating under the impact of Allied columns racing for Bremen. Hamburg, Hanover, Magdeburg and the Elbe. The roads are filled with long columns of prisoners trudging westwards into Allied prison camps. The British are closing on Hanover on the Autobahn to Berlin, while another spearhead is driving for Bremen. In the south, the Americans have broken through to Wurzburg. The devastation of the Rhine battle zone has been left behind and the Allied forces are passing through towns apparently untouched by war, except for empty shelves in shops and white flags hanging outside houses. Among the gains in the Allied advance to the east is Gottingen.

Photo: Comet tanks of the 2nd Fife and Forfar Yeomanry, 11th Armoured Division, crossing the Weser at Petershagen, Germany, 7 April 1945



Photo: A Comet tank of 11th Armoured Division in the Weser bridgehead, Germany, 7 April 1945



Photo: Sherman tanks of Guards Armoured Division crossing a bridge discovered intact over the River Ems, 6 April 1945



The Reichs gold reserve is captured when the 282nd Combat Engineer Battalion of Patton's 3d Army, discovers the Reichsbank gold reserve cache in the Kaiseroda potassium mine at Merkers. The haul includes 8,198 bars of gold bullion; 55 boxes of crated gold bullion; hundreds of bags of gold items; over 1,300 bags of gold Reichsmarks, British gold pounds, and French gold francs; 711 bags of American twenty-dollar gold pieces; hundreds of bags of gold and silver coins; hundreds of bags of foreign currency; 9 bags of valuable coins; 2,380 bags and 1,300 boxes of Reichsmarks (2.76 billion Reichsmarks); 20 silver bars; 40 bags containing silver bars; 63 boxes and 55 bags of silver plate; 1 bag containing six platinum bars; and 110 bags from various countries. The enormity of this hoard is such that Eisenhower appoints Colonel Bernard D. Bernstein, deputy chief, Financial Branch, G-5 Division of SHAEF to be responsible for its disposition.

Western Front (1945) - Liberation of the Netherlands

Free French paratroops are dropped north of Zuider Zee in Holland.

Air War over Europe

The Eighth Air Force flies Mission 931: 1,314 bombers and 898 fighters are dispatched to hit airfields, oil and munitions depots and explosive plants in central and northern Germany; all primary targets are bombed visually; they meet 100+ conventional fighters and 50+ jets; the German fighters attack fiercely and in the ensuing air battle down 15 heavy bombers; the AAF claims 104-13-32 aircraft including a few jets. These Luftwaffe attacks are by the hastily formed Schulungslehrgang Elbe unit - Unternehmen Werewulf. 120 Bf-109s engage by ramming, destroying at most 13 bombers at a cost of 53 German fighters. Many of the poorly trained pilots never even engaged the US formation. 143 B-17s bomb airfields at Kaltenkirchen and 134 hit Parchim; 36 attack an oil depot at Buchen while 104 bomb a munitions depot at Gustrow; secondary targets hit are the marshalling yards at Neumunster by 37 B-17s and Schwerin by 48 B-17s; 1 other hit Salzwedel Airfield, a target of opportunity; they claim 26-10-10 aircraft; 14 B-17s are lost. Escorting are 317 P-51s; they claim 31-1-8 aircraft; 3 P-51s are lost. 128 B-24s bomb an explosive plants at Krummel while 168 bomb a plant at Duneburg; 26 others hit the marshalling yard at Neumunster; they claim 14-2-6 aircraft; 3 B-24s are lost. The escort is 252 P-47s and P-51s; they claim 30-0-7 aircraft; 2 P-51s are lost. 107 B-17s attack the airfield at Wesendorf , 93 hit Kohlenbissen Airfield and 115 bomb an oil depot at Hitzacker; 92 hit Lundeburg, the secondary; 25 others bomb targets of opportunity; they claim 0-0-1 aircraft. 209 P-51s escort without loss.

The Ninth Air Force dispatches 268 A-20s, A-26 Invaders and B-26 Marauders to strike marshalling yards at Northeim and Gottingen, plus 2 town areas; fighters fly escort, patrols, and armed reconnaissance, and support the US 7th Armored Division at Schmallenberg, the 3d and 9th Armored Divisions along the Weser River east of Warburg, the VIII, XII, and XX Corps in the Muhlhausen, Eisenach, and Meiningen areas (including strong air support against a counterattack on the XII and XX Corps at Struth), the 2d Armored Division along the Sarstedt-Hildesheim road, and the XVI Corps between the Lippe and Ruhr Rivers in the Essen area.

A small number of Fifteenth Air Force bombers attack marshalling yards at Innsbruck, Sankt Veit an der Glan, and Klagenfurt. 82 P-38s bomb the Tainach-Stein railroad bridge while 74 others sent against a bridge in southern Austria abort due to weather.

RAF Mosquito bombers raid Berlin from bases on the continent, for the first time.

15 RAF Lancasters (No 617 Squadron) and 2 Mosquitos of No 5 Group carried out an accurate attack on ships at Ijmuiden. No aircraft lost.

175 RAF Lancasters and 11 Mosquitos of No 5 Group attacked the benzol plant at Molbis, near Leipzig. The weather was clear and the bombing was so effective that all production at the plant ceased. No aircraft lost.

Italian campaign

During the night of 6/7 April, Twelfth Air Force A-20s and A-26s bomb bridges at Lavis, Ala, Rovereto, and San Ambrogio di VaIpolicella, and several Po River crossings; during the day weather grounds the medium bombers; XXII Tactical Air Command fighters and fighter bombers, operating on a limited scale, hit the Montechino oil field, ammunition dumps and communications targets north of the battle area, and gun positions in the Monte Belvedere-Strettoia area in which US Fifth Army forces push north. 128 Fifteenth Air Force B-17s and B-24s attack the Mezzocorona railroad bridge and nearby road bridge, and the Verona-Parona di VaIpolicella railroad bridge while 500+ bombers return to base without bombing because of multi-layer clouds.

Battle of the Atlantic

The destroyer escort USS 'Gustafson' (DE-182) sinks German submarine 'U-857' off Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

'U-1195' (German) 96' Depth charged; 9 of 10 self escape from after hatch even with 40 degree list on bottom, one without Drager gear, PoWs.

U.S. freighter James W. Nesmith is torpedoed by German submarine U-1024 off Holyhead, England 53°23'N, 04°53'W; Canadian corvette HMCS Belleville tows the ship to safety, beaching her off Holyhead the next evening. There are no casualties to either the merchant complement or the 41-man Armed Guard; the ship is later repaired and returned to service.

Germany

Wilhelm Canaris was sentenced to death by a special SS tribunal.

United States

Photo: The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Louisville (CA-28) off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California (USA), 7 April 1945, while wearing camouflage Measure 22. Louisville had arrived on 6 February 1945 to receive repairs for damage inflicted by one kamikaze on 5 January 1945 and one kamikaze on 6 January 1945



Pacific War

CHINA

(Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 14 B-25s hit town areas and targets of opportunity at Sichuan, Hsihhsiassuchi, Neihsiang, Shaoyang, and Nanchang and 24 P-51s attack river, road and rail traffic in the Yellow River area, S of Anyi, at Yuncheng, and at Tengfeng. 4 B-24s bomb harbors and dock areas at Bakli and Samah Bays on Hainan Island and at Haiphong, French Indochina; and 8 P-38s hit targets of opportunity around Dien Bien Phu and along the Nam Hon area in French Indochina.

INDIA-BURMA

(Tenth Air Force): 95 fighter-bombers operating over and behind Japanese lines in C Burma pound troop concentrations, trucks, and supply areas, and sweep roads S of bomb line. The 3d Combat Cargo Squadron, 1st Combat Cargo Group, moves from Tulihal to Hathazari, India with C-47s.

PALAU

Seventh Air Force: 24 B-24s from Angaur Airfield bomb the barracks area at Bunawan on Mindanao. VII Fighter Command: Mission 1: 91 of 108 P-51s escort B-29s to Tokyo; they claim 21-5-7 Japanese aircraft; 2 P-51s are lost.

(Twentieth Air Force): 2 missions are flown. Mission 58: 101 of 107 B-29s bomb the Nakajima aircraft engine plant at Tokyo; 2 others hit targets of opportunity; they claim 80-23-50 Japanese aircraft; 3 B-29s are lost. Mission 59: 153 of 194 B-29s hit the Mitsubishi aircraft plant at Nagoya; 29 others hit targets of opportunity; they claim 21-11-22 Japanese aircraft; 2 B-29s are lost. HQ 444th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) arrives at West Field, Tinian Island from India.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA

[Far East Air Force]: B-24s and P-38s over Formosa hit various targets of opportunity.

EAST CHINA SEA

In the East China Sea, TF 58 (Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher) attacks Japanese First Diversion Attack Force, formed around battleship Yamato, moving through East China Sea toward Okinawa.

YouTube (Sinking of the Battleship Yamato and Operation Ten-Go)



TF 58 planes (numbering 386) sink Yamato after being hit by 10 torpedo and 5 bomb hits and light cruiser Yahagi west-southwest of Kagoshima, Japan, 30°40'N, 128°03'E; destroyers Asashimo in East China Sea, 31°00'N, 128°00'E, Hamakaze and Isokaze 150 miles southwest of Nagasaki, 30°40'N, 128°03'E, and Kasumi in East China Sea, 30°57'N, 127°57'E, and damage destroyers Suzutsuki Hatsushimo, Yukikaze, and Fuyuzuki in East China Sea, 30°40'N, 128°03'E.11.

Photo: The Japanese battleship Yamato underway in formation with four destroyers on 7 April 1945. This photo was taken by a plane from the aircraft carrier USS Bennington (CV-20), just prior to the first attack at about 1230 hours



Photo: The Japanese battleship Yamato under attack by USS Hornet (CV-12) aircraft during the first strike, 7 April 1945. A torpedo or bomb has just exploded forward on the starboard side. This is probably the torpedo that struck Yamato far forward on her port side at 1245 hrs, sending shock waves throughout the ship



Photo: Damaged Japanese battleship Yamato underway, 7 April 1945



Photo: The Japanese battleship Yamato under attack by U.S. Navy carrier aircraft in the East China Sea on 7 April 1945, as a bomb explodes off its port side. The fire in the area of the aft 155mm turret can be clearly seen



Photo: Smoke rises to the clouds shortly after the Japanese battleship Yamato capsized, exploded and sank after receiving many bomb and torpedo hits from U.S. Navy carrier planes north of Okinawa. An escorting destroyer is visible to the left of the smoke, 7 April 1945



Photo: IJN destroyer Asashimo shortly before sinking after US Navy aircraft attacks, 7 April 1945



Photo: The Japanese light cruiser Yahagi under attack by U.S. planes. At 1246 hrs, during the first wave, a torpedo hit Yahagi directly in her engine room, killing the entire engine room crew and bringing her to a complete stop. One direct hit can be seen bursting on the fantail, as near-misses straddle her. The photo was taken before turret no. 2 was hit by a bomb, 7 April 1945



Photo: The Japanese light cruiser Yahagi is hit on 7 April 1945. Yahagi was hit by at least seven torpedoes and 12 bombs. The photo was taken by a plane from the aicraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10)



Photo: View of floating survivors and wreckage of the Japanese light cruiser Yahagi after she was sunk. Note the lifeboat on the left and the damaged floatplane. The photo was taken by a plane from the aicraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10), 7 April 1945



PHILIPPINE CAMPAIGN (1945)

Bad weather hampers strikes N of the Philippines.Fighters fly 130+ sorties in support of ground forces at Solvec Cove, Villa Verde Trail, the Ipo and Marikina Rivers, and NE Laguna de Bay. B-24s again bomb Bunawan on Mindanao. Other B-24s and P-38s hit Jolo and B-24s bomb Bima Airfield on Sumbawa Island in the Lesser Sunda Islands. Unit moves: 311th Fighter Squadron, 58th Fighter Group, from San Jose, Mindoro Island to Mangaldan with P-47s; 550th Night Fighter Squadron, XIII Fighter Command (attached to 85th Fighter Wing), from Morotai Island, Moluccas Islands to Tacloban, Leyte Island, Philippine Islands with P-38s, P-61s and P-70s.

VOLCANO AND RYUKYU ISLANDS CAMPAIGN

Off Okinawa, high speed minesweeper Emmons (DMS-22), irreparably damaged by five kamikazes the previous day, is scuttled by high speed minesweeper Ellyson (DMS-19); tank landing ship LST-447 sinks as the result of damage inflicted by kamikaze the previous day, 26°09'N, 127°18'E. Motor gunboat PGM-18 is sunk by mine, 26°13'N, 127°55'E; while picking up PGM-18's survivors, motor minesweeper YMS-103 is damaged by mine, 26°13'N, 127°54'E.

Also off Okinawa, kamikazes damage carrier Hancock (CV-19), 27°00'N, 130°00'E; battleship Maryland (BB-46), 26°40'N, 127°29'E; destroyers Longshaw (DD-559), 26°29'N, 127°41'E, and Bennett (DD-473), 27°16'N, 127°48'E; destroyer escort Wesson (DE-184), 26°48'N, 127°55'E; and motor minesweeper YMS-81, 26°35'N, 127°53'E; shore battery damages motor minesweeper YMS-427, 26°14'N, 127°52'E; tank landing ship LST-698 is damaged by grounding, 26°24'N, 127°45'E; tank landing ship LST-890 is damaged in collision with LST-788, 26°20'N, 127°45'E.

Photo: A Kamikaze hits the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Hancock (CV-19) off Okinawa on 7 April 1945



Photo: The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Hancock (CV-19) smoking and turning to port after being struck by a kamikaze, 7 April 1945



Photo: The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Hancock (CV-19) afire after being hit by a kamikaze off Okinawa, 7 April 1945



JAPAN

American P-51 Mustang fighters, based on Iwo Jima, escort B-29 Superfortress bombers on a raid to Tokyo.

ALASKA

(Eleventh Air Force): A B-24 flies a radar-ferret mission along the coasts of Paramushiru and Harumukotan Islands in the Kurile Islands.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 324, APRIL 7, 1945

On April 6 and 7 (East Longitude Dates) the enemy attempted strong counterattacks against our forces operating in the vicinity of Okinawa.

During the late afternoon and evening of April 6, a large force of enemy aircraft attacked our ships and shore installations in the vicinity of Okinawa. One hundred sixteen of these enemy aircraft were destroyed‑55 by our fighters and the remainder by our antiaircraft fire. The attacking enemy aircraft pressed their attacks in with desperation and succeeded in sinking three of our destroyers and damaging several destroyers and smaller craft. No larger fleet units were hit.

Early on April 7, Navy Search Aircraft of Fleet Air Wing One sighted an enemy surface force which had left the Inland Sea and passing south of Kyushu had headed into the East China Sea. The force included the large battleship Yamato, the most powerful ship left in the Japanese Navy, an Agano class light cruiser, one other small light cruiser or large destroyer, and a number of destroyers. A fast carrier task force commanded by Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher steamed toward the enemy at high speed and dur­ing the middle of the day brought the Japanese Force under air attack.

Our carrier aircraft which had destroyed 245 enemy aircraft on April 6, met no opposition over the Japanese ships but did meet heavy antiaircraft fire. At a point about 50 miles southwest of Kyushu they sank the Yamato, the light Agano class cruiser, the small cruiser and three destroyers. Three other destroyers were left burning. About three destroyers escaped from this attack.

The Yamato was hit by at least eight torpedoes and eight heavy bombs. All the enemy ships were heavily strafed with rockets and machine guns.

Our carriers lost seven aircraft in this action. During minor contacts on April 7, they and their aircraft shot down 30 enemy aircraft. The task groups participating were commanded by Rear Admirals F. C. Sherman, U. S. Navy, A. W. Radford, U. S. Navy, G. F. Bogan, U. S. Navy, and J. J. Clark, U. S. Navy.

The Marine Third Amphibious Corps on Okinawa moved forward steadily in the northern sector throughout the afternoon of April 6. By 1800, it had made advances which placed its front lines across Ishikawa Isthmus from Chuda on the west coast to the mouth of the Kinbaru River on the east coast. In the south, strong enemy resistance developed during the day. From its' strong defensive positions the enemy employed machine gun, small arms, mortar and artillery fire against the Twenty‑Fourth Army Corps throughout April 6, and the following night. Army troops along the East Coast in the southern sector advanced about 2,000 yards during the afternoon of April 6, and occupied the town of Tsuwa. The enemy in the south was brought under heavy fire by our artillery throughout the day.

Search Aircraft of Fleet Air Wing One attacked airfields in Kyushu, de­stroying four fighters on the ground, probably destroying three others and damaging about 15 more by strafing.

Liberators of the Seventh Army Air Force bombed dock installations and buildings at Truk in the Carolines on April 5.

Neutralizing raids on enemy bases in the Marshalls were continued on April 5 by planes of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA COMMUNIQUÉ NO. 325, APRIL 7, 1945

The Marine Third Amphibious Corps continued to drive northward against negligible enemy resistance on the Ishikawa Isthmus of Okinawa on April 7 (East Longitude Date). By noon of that date, the Marines had advanced about 3,000 yards to the vicinity of Nago Town on the west coast and Ora Bay on the east coast. The Twenty‑Fourth Army Corps in the south was moving through difficult terrain in which the enemy is fortified behind an extensive system of strong points, pillboxes, blockhouses and trenches. Carrier aircraft, ships' guns and heavy artillery continued to bombard enemy positions. A small group of aircraft attacked our forces early in the day. Twelve were shot down.

A carrier task force of the British Pacific Fleet attacked airfields and other installations on Ishigaki and Miyako in the Sakishima group on April 6 and 7. British fighters destroyed five enemy aircraft in the air and three others on the ground.

Further information on the action of fast carrier task forces of the U. S. Pacific Fleet on April 6 shows that our aircraft sank four small cargo ships and many small craft in the area of the Ryukyus and ‑destroyed two aircraft on the ground, this damage being in addition to that previously reported. On April 7, after attacking Japanese surface forces off Kyushu, one of our heavy fleet units suffered minor damage during an aircraft attack but is fully oper­ational.

Hellcat and Corsair fighters of the Fourth Marine Aircraft Wing bombed and strafed warehouses and other installations in the Palaus on April 7.

UNITED STATES NAVY DEPARTMENT COMMUNIQUES, CINCPOA PRESS RELEASE NO. 63, APRIL 7, 1945

Additional information on the three‑day strike of the British Pacific Fleet on the Sakishima Group 31 March to 2 April (East Longitude Dates) shows extensive damage inflicted on enemy ground installations in those islands, destruction of 22 enemy aircraft and damage to nine others. Some major units of the British Pacific Fleet sustained slight damage from enemy aircraft during the attacks but all major units remained fully operational.

PACIFIC

Submarines Gabilan (SS-252) and Charr (SS-328) sink Japanese light cruiser Isuzu, transporting troops from Koepang, Timor, to Surabaya, off Soembawa Island Celebes, N.E.I., 07°38'S, 118°09'E.

Submarine Tirante (SS-420) sinks Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Tama Maru 10 miles east of Shokokusanto, southwest of Korea, 34°35'N, 125°20'E.

Japanese fleet tanker Kamoi is sunk by aircraft, Hong Kong.

Mine laid by USAAF B-29 (20th Bomber Command) sinks Japanese merchant cargo ship Hatsukari Maru off Wakamatsu harbor, 33°55'N, 130°50'E.

Mine damages Japanese naval auxiliary Shinto Maru below Woosung, China.

Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser No.43 Hino Maru is damaged by aircraft, south end of Hirato Jima, near Kyushu, Japan.