Right. Let's get this over with.

1945

1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1945th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 945th year of the 2nd millennium, the 45th year of the 20th century, and the 6th year of the 1940s decade.

Calendar year

A turning point [1] in human history, 1945 marked the end of World War II, concluding with the definitive defeat and subsequent occupation of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It also stands as the year in which the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps were brought to light through liberation, and it remains the only year in history where atomic weapons have been deployed in actual warfare, specifically through the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Events

World War II will be abbreviated as "WWII" throughout this chronicle.

January

Main article: January 1945
January 1: WWII: Germany initiates Operation Bodenplatte, a last-ditch effort by the Luftwaffe to cripple Allied air forces stationed in the Low Countries. [2] In the aftermath of this operation, the Chenogne massacre allegedly occurred near the village of Chenogne, Belgium, where German prisoners of war were reportedly killed by American forces.
January 1: The Soviet Union agrees to enter the Pacific War against Japan once hostilities against Germany have concluded.
January 2: The British admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay, instrumental in the Dunkirk evacuation, dies.
January 3: The American mystic Edgar Cayce, known for his psychic readings, passes away.
January 4: Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno, who served three terms as President of Costa Rica, dies.
January 5: Josefa Llanes Escoda, a prominent Filipino women's suffrage advocate and founder of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines, dies. Edith Frank, the mother of Anne Frank, also dies this month, succumbing to typhus in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.
January 6: WWII: The German offensive manages to recapture Esztergom in Hungary from Soviet forces.
January 7: The American sculptor Alexander Stirling Calder dies. Thomas McGuire, an American fighter ace of World War II, is killed in action.
January 9: Jüri Uluots, the 8th Prime Minister of Estonia, dies.
January 10: Pēteris Juraševskis, the 8th Prime Minister of Latvia, dies.
January 12: Teresio Olivelli, an Italian Roman Catholic soldier and venerable, dies.
January 15: Pedro Abad Santos, a Filipino politician and brother of José Abad Santos, dies.
January 16: José Fabella, a Filipino physician, dies.
January 17: Walter Ulbricht becomes the leader of the German Communists in Moscow.
January 18: The Holocaust: The SS initiates the evacuation of Auschwitz concentration camp. Approximately 60,000 prisoners, predominantly Jewish, are forced on death marches to other locations in Germany, with an estimated 15,000 perishing. Those too ill to march are left behind without any provisions.
January 19: The Holocaust: Soviet forces liberate the Łódź Ghetto. Of the original 164,000 inhabitants, only 877 Jews remain at this point. [6]
January 20: Germany commences the Evacuation of East Prussia.
January 21–22: A devastating collision occurs at the Grünhagen railroad station in East Prussia as two trains heading for Elbing derail. At dawn, the station is overrun by Soviet Army infantry and tanks, resulting in the deaths of approximately 140 to 150 people.
January 23: WWII: Hungary formally agrees to an armistice with the Allies. German Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz orders the commencement of Operation Hannibal, a massive sea evacuation of German troops and civilians from the Courland Pocket, East Prussia, and the Polish Corridor. This operation aims to rescue an estimated 800,000–900,000 German civilians and 350,000 soldiers from the advancing Soviet forces. The evacuation of Germans from Grünhagen also takes place.
January 24: WWII: AP war correspondent Joseph Morton, alongside nine OSS men and four SOE agents, are executed by German forces at Mauthausen concentration camp. This execution is carried out under Hitler's Commando Order of 1942, which mandated the immediate execution of all captured Allied commandos or saboteurs without trial, even if they were in uniform. Morton is noted as the only Allied correspondent to suffer this fate at the hands of the Axis during the war.
January 25: WWII: Hitler appoints Heinrich Himmler to command the newly formed Army Group Vistula (Heeresgruppe Weichsel), tasking him with halting the Soviet Red Army's Vistula–Oder offensive into Pomerania, despite Himmler's distinct lack of military experience. [7]
January 26: WWII: U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Audie Murphy, aged 19, performs an act of valor near Holtzwihr, France, for which he is awarded the Medal of Honor.
January 27: The Holocaust: The Soviet Red Army liberates the Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps.
January 30: WWII:
- The MV Wilhelm Gustloff, carrying over 10,000 German civilians fleeing Gotenhafen (Gdynia), is sunk in Gdańsk Bay by three torpedoes fired from the Soviet submarine S-13 in the Baltic Sea. An estimated 9,400 lives are lost, including 5,000 children, making it the single greatest loss of life in a maritime disaster in history.
- The Raid at Cabanatuan is executed: 121 American soldiers and 800 Filipino guerrillas successfully liberate 813 American prisoners of war from the Japanese-held camp in Cabanatuan, Philippines.
- Adolf Hitler delivers his final public address via broadcast radio, expressing his conviction that Germany will ultimately prevail.
January 31: WWII: The Battle of Hill 170 in the Burma Campaign concludes. British 3rd Commando Brigade forces the Imperial Japanese Army 54th Division to withdraw, leading to the retreat of the Japanese Twenty-Eighth Army from the Arakan Peninsula.

February

Main article: February 1945
February (month): Raymond L. Libby of American Cyanamid's research laboratories in Stamford, Connecticut, announces a breakthrough method for the oral administration of the antibiotic penicillin. [8]
February 3: WWII:
- The Battle of Manila commences as United States forces advance into the outskirts of Manila to capture it from the Japanese Imperial Army. On February 4, U.S. Army forces successfully liberate the Santo Tomas Internment Camp within the city.
- The Soviet Union reaffirms its commitment to enter the Pacific War against Japan once the conflict in Europe is resolved.
February 4–11: WWII: The Yalta Conference convenes, with President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Winston Churchill, and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin meeting to discuss the post-war world order.
February 7: WWII: General Douglas MacArthur makes his return to Manila.
February 8: The Alaska Anti-Discrimination Act of 1945, strongly advocated for by the influential native leader Elizabeth Peratrovich, is passed by the territorial Senate, following the legislature's earlier rejection of a similar bill in 1943.
February 9:
- Walter Ulbricht assumes leadership of the German Communists in Moscow.
- WWII: "Black Friday" occurs when a formation of Allied Bristol Beaufighter aircraft sustains significant casualties during an unsuccessful assault on the German destroyer Z33 and its escorting vessels, which were harbored in Førde Fjord, Norway.
February 10: WWII: The German troopship SS General von Steuben is sunk by the Soviet submarine S-13, resulting in the deaths of 3,608 individuals. [9]
February 10–20: WWII: Operation Kita sees the Imperial Japanese Navy successfully return its "Completion Force," including its Ise-class battleships, from Singapore to Kure amidst Allied attacks.
February 12: A devastating tornado outbreak sweeps through Mississippi and Alabama, claiming 45 lives and injuring 427 people. [10] [11]
February 13: WWII:
- The Budapest Offensive and the ensuing Siege of Budapest conclude with the surrender of Budapest (Hungary) to Soviet-Romanian forces, marking the end of Nazi resistance in the city.
- The Bombing of Dresden commences, carried out by the British Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Forces. An estimated 25,000–35,000 people are believed to have died in the aerial assault.
February 16: WWII:
- The Bombing of Wesel begins, resulting in the destruction of 97% of the town over a three-day period.
- American and Filipino ground forces land on Corregidor Island in the Philippines.
- Combined American and Filipino forces successfully recapture the Bataan Peninsula.
- Venezuela declares war on Germany.
February 18–March 5: WWII: Operation Encore is launched by American and Brazilian troops in Northern Italy. This successful limited offensive in the Northern Apennines serves to pave the way for the western sector of the Allied Spring offensive. [12]
February 19–20: Approximately 980 (though the exact figure is debated) [13] Japanese soldiers perish as a result of an attack by saltwater crocodiles on Ramree Island, Burma. [14]
February 19: WWII: The Battle of Iwo Jima commences with the landing of approximately 30,000 United States Marines on the island of Iwo Jima.
February 21: The final V-2 rocket is launched from Peenemünde.
February 22: WWII:
- Italian Front: The Battle of Monte Castello concludes after nearly three months of intense fighting. The Brazilian Expeditionary Force successfully dislodges German forces from a strategically vital point in the (Tuscan) North Apennines, from which their artillery had been impeding the advance of the British Eighth Army towards Bologna.
- Uruguay declares war on Germany and Japan.
February 23: WWII:
- The Battle of Iwo Jima: A contingent of United States Marines reaches the summit of Mount Suribachi on the island and captures the iconic moment of raising the American flag. The photograph, Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, taken by Joe Rosenthal, later receives a Pulitzer Prize.
- The 11th Airborne Division, in conjunction with Filipino guerrillas, liberates the captives of the Los Baños internment camp.
- The capital of the Philippines, Manila, is liberated by combined American and Filipino ground forces. The suburb of Intramuros suffers extensive devastation. [15]
- The German garrison stationed in Poznań capitulates to Red Army and Polish troops.
- The Bombing of Pforzheim culminates in the heaviest of several bombing raids on the German city by Allied aircraft, conducted by the British Royal Air Force. The raid results in the deaths of up to 17,600 people, approximately 31.4% of the town's population, and destroys about 83% of its buildings, two-thirds of its total area, and between 80 and 100% of the inner city.
- Turkey formally enters the war, aligning itself with the Allies.
February 24: Egyptian premier Ahmad Mahir Pasha is assassinated in Parliament shortly after declaring war on Germany and Japan.
February 27: The Bombing of Mainz results in 1,209 confirmed fatalities, with 80% of the city destroyed.
February 28: In Bucharest, a significant demonstration erupts, during which a Bolshevik faction opens fire on both the army and protesters. In response, Andrei Y. Vishinsky, the USSR's vice commissioner of foreign affairs and president of the Allied Control Commission for Romania, travels to Bucharest to compel Nicolae Rădescu to resign his premiership.

March

Main article: March 1945
March 1: President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivers his final address to a joint session of the United States Congress, providing a report on the proceedings of the Yalta Conference.
March 2:
- Former U.S. vice president Henry A. Wallace begins his tenure as United States Secretary of Commerce, serving under President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
- The rocket-propelled Bachem Ba 349 Natter undergoes its first test launch at Stetten am kalten Markt. The launch ends in failure, and the pilot, Lothar Sieber, loses his life. [16]
March 3: WWII:
- Finland formally declares war on the Axis powers.
- United States and Filipino troops successfully capture Manila, Philippines.
- The Pawłokoma massacre occurs, where a Polish Home Army unit is responsible for the deaths of between 150 and 500 Ukrainian civilians in the Polish village of Pawłokoma.
- The Bombing of the Bezuidenhout takes place when the British Royal Air Force accidentally bombs the Bezuidenhout neighborhood in The Hague, Netherlands, resulting in 511 fatalities.
March 4:
- In the United Kingdom, Princess Elizabeth (who would later become Queen Elizabeth II) joins the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) as a truck driver and mechanic in London.
- The Swiss cities of Basel and Zürich are subjected to accidental bombing by the United States. [17]
March 5: WWII: Brazilian forces achieve the liberation of Castelnuovo (Vergato), marking the final operations of the Allied Operation Encore.
March 6:
- A government led by Communists is established in Romania under the leadership of Petru Groza, following intervention by the Soviet Union.
- Resistance fighters manage to ambush and attempt to execute SS general Hanns Albin Rauter, who was known as the chief persecutor of the Dutch.
March 7: WWII: The conclusion of Operation Lumberjack sees American troops successfully seize the Ludendorff Bridge spanning the Rhine at Remagen, Germany, and commence crossing. Over the subsequent ten days, 25,000 troops along with their equipment are able to cross the river.
March 8:
- Josip Broz Tito forms a Provisional Government of the Democratic Federal Yugoslavia within the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
- Nazi authorities execute 117 Dutch men in retaliation for the attempted assassination of Hanns Albin Rauter.
- Operation Sunrise: Waffen-SS General Karl Wolff meets with Allen Welsh Dulles of the United States Office of Strategic Services in Lucerne, Switzerland, to negotiate the surrender of Axis forces in Italy to the Allies.
March 9–10: WWII: The Bombing of Tokyo sees USAAF B-29 bombers launch an attack on Tokyo, Japan, employing incendiary bombs. The resulting firestorm claims the lives of 100,000 citizens, making it the single most destructive conventional air raid of the war.
March 11:
- The Empire of Japan establishes the Empire of Vietnam, a puppet state that will exist only until August 23, with Bảo Đại as its nominal ruler.
- The Sammarinese general election results in San Marino having the world's first democratically elected communist government, which remains in power until 1957. [18] [19]
March 12: WWII: Swinemünde is devastated by the USAAF, with an estimated 8,000 to 23,000 civilian casualties, many of whom were refugees rescued during Operation Hannibal.
March 15–31: WWII: The Soviet Red Army conducts the Upper Silesian Offensive.
March 15: The 17th Academy Awards ceremony is held, marking the first time it is broadcast via radio in the United States. The award for Best Picture goes to Going My Way.
March 16: WWII:
- The Battle of Iwo Jima unofficially concludes.
- The Bombing of Würzburg, part of the Allied strategic bombing campaign against Nazi Germany, destroys 89% of the city and results in 4,000 deaths.
March 17: WWII: Kobe, Japan, is subjected to firebombing by 331 B-29 bombers, causing over 8,000 fatalities.
March 18: WWII:
- The 40th Infantry Division, led by the 185th US Infantry Regiment, lands unopposed in [Tigbauan], prompting the surrender of Japanese forces and leading Generals Macario Peralta and Eichelberger to declare the Liberation of Panay, Romblon and Guimaras. [20]
- A total of 1,250 American bombers target Berlin. [21]
- The Battle of Kolberg concludes with the Baltic seaport, designated a key Festung (fortress) by the Germans, captured by Polish and Soviet forces. Ethnic Germans were either evacuated or expelled. [22]
March 19: WWII:
- Adolf Hitler issues the "Nero Decree," ordering the destruction of all industrial facilities, military installations, machine shops, transportation, and communication infrastructure within Germany as Allied forces advanced. However, Albert Speer, who was tasked with its implementation, deliberately disregarded the order.
- Off the coast of Japan, bombers inflict damage on the aircraft carrier USS Franklin, resulting in the deaths of approximately 800 crew members and crippling the vessel.
March 20: WWII: Hitler dismisses Heinrich Himmler from his military command. [3]
March 21: WWII:
- British troops liberate Mandalay, Burma.
- Bulgarian and Soviet forces successfully defend the northern bank of the Drava River as the Battle of the Transdanubian Hills concludes.
March 22:
- The Arab League is formally established with the adoption of its charter in Cairo, Egypt.
- The Hildesheim Cathedral and the historic city center of Hildesheim in Germany are destroyed during a bombing of the city.
March 24:
- WWII: Operation Varsity: Two airborne divisions successfully capture bridges across the river Rhine, facilitating the Allied advance.
- The cartoon character Sylvester the cat makes his debut in Life with Feathers.
March 26: WWII: The Battle of Iwo Jima officially concludes, marked by the elimination of remaining Japanese resistance, although pockets of Japanese holdouts persisted on the island until 1949.
March 27: WWII:
- The United States Army Air Forces initiates Operation Starvation, deploying naval mines in numerous Japanese shipping lanes.
- Argentina declares war on Germany and Japan.
March 29:
- WWII: The Red Army effectively annihilates the German 4th Army within the Heiligenbeil Pocket in East Prussia.
- The "Clash of Titans" takes place: George Mikan and Bob Kurland face off at Madison Square Garden in New York, where Oklahoma State University defeats DePaul 52–44 in a basketball game.
March 30: WWII:
- The Red Army expels the majority of Axis forces from Hungary, pushing them into Austria.
- American official Alger Hiss receives commendation in Moscow for his role in fostering closer relations between the Western powers and the Soviet Union at the Yalta Conference.

April

Main article: April 1945
April 1: WWII: The Battle of Okinawa begins as the Tenth United States Army lands on Okinawa.
April 4: WWII:
- American troops liberate their first Nazi concentration camp, Ohrdruf extermination camp, located in Germany.
- The Soviet Red Army advances into Bratislava and pushes towards the outskirts of Vienna, capturing the city on April 13 following several days of intense combat.
April 6: WWII:
- Sarajevo is liberated from Nazi Germany and the Independent State of Croatia (a fascist puppet state) by Yugoslav Partisans.
- The Battle of Slater's Knoll on Bougainville Island concludes with a decisive victory for the Australian Army's 7th Brigade.
- Allied forces reach the Merkers Salt Mines in Thuringia, discovering significant gold reserves belonging to the Nazi German Reichsbank and numerous art treasures.
April 7: WWII:
- The sole mission of the German ramming unit known as Sonderkommando Elbe takes place, resulting in the loss of approximately 24 B-17s and B-24s belonging to the United States Eighth Air Force.
- The Japanese battleship Yamato and nine other warships participate in Operation Ten-Go, a suicide mission targeting Allied forces engaged in the Battle of Okinawa. The Yamato is sunk by U.S. Navy aircraft in the East China Sea, approximately 200 miles (320 km) north of Okinawa, with the loss of 2,055 of its 2,332 crew members, along with five other Japanese warships.
- Kantarō Suzuki assumes the position of Prime Minister of Japan.
April 8: The SS commences the evacuation of the Buchenwald concentration camp. Inmates involved in the Buchenwald Resistance appeal for American assistance and subsequently overpower and kill the remaining guards.
April 9:
- WWII: The Battle of Königsberg, fought in East Prussia, concludes with Soviet forces capturing the city.
- Abwehr conspirators Wilhelm Canaris, Hans Oster, and Hans von Dohnányi are executed by hanging at Flossenberg concentration camp, alongside pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
- Johann Georg Elser, who had attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler, is executed at Dachau concentration camp.
April 10: WWII: Visoko is liberated by the 7th, 9th, and 17th Krajina Brigades of the Tenth Division of Yugoslav Partisan forces.
April 11: The Buchenwald concentration camp is liberated by the United States Army.
April 12:
- Vice President Harry S. Truman ascends to the presidency, becoming the 33rd President of the United States, following the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt due to an intracerebral hemorrhage at the Little White House in Warm Springs, Georgia. President Truman is sworn in later that evening in the White House.
- A severe tornado outbreak occurs across the United States, resulting in 128 fatalities and over 1,000 injuries. This event is largely overshadowed by the death of President Roosevelt. [23] [24]
- WWII: The U.S. Ninth Army, under the command of General William H. Simpson, crosses the Elbe River near Magdeburg and reaches Tangermünde, positioning them just 50 miles from Berlin.
- Richard Strauss completes the composition of his work Metamorphosen.
April 14: WWII:
- The First Canadian Army assumes military oversight of the Netherlands, where German forces are entrenched within the Atlantic Wall fortifications along the coastline. [25]
- The Razing of Friesoythe: The 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division deliberately destroys the German town of Friesoythe under orders from Major General Christopher Vokes.
April 15: WWII:
- The Bergen-Belsen concentration camp is liberated by British and Canadian forces.
- Canadian forces achieve the capture of Arnhem in the northern [Netherlands], as the Canadian First Army reaches the coast.
April 16: WWII:
- The Battle of Berlin commences with a massive offensive by the Red Army, launching the Battle of the Oder–Neisse and the Battle of the Seelow Heights.
- Canadian forces secure Harlingen and occupy Leeuwarden and Groningen in the Netherlands.
- The MV Goya is sunk by the Soviet submarine L-3 in the Baltic Sea while engaged in the evacuation of German troops and civilians as part of Operation Hannibal. An estimated 7,000–8,000 individuals drown.
- Death marches from Flossenbürg concentration camp commence.
April 17: WWII:
- Battle of Montese: Brazilian forces liberate the Italian town of Montese from German control.
- The Inundation of the Wieringermeer in the Netherlands is carried out by occupying German forces.
April 18: American war correspondent Ernie Pyle is killed by Japanese machine gun fire on the island of Ie Shima off the coast of Okinawa.
April 19: The musical play Carousel by Rodgers and Hammerstein, based on Ferenc Molnár's play Liliom, opens on Broadway and achieves significant success, becoming their second long-running stage classic. It features the well-known standard "You'll Never Walk Alone".
April 20: WWII:
- On his 56th birthday, Adolf Hitler leaves his Führerbunker to decorate a group of Hitler Youth soldiers in Berlin. This marks his final excursion to the surface from his underground bunker.
- The German city of Nuremberg, previously the site of the infamous Nuremberg rallies, is occupied by American troops.
- The "Morotai Mutiny": Members of the Australian First Tactical Air Force, stationed on the island of Morotai in the Dutch East Indies, tender their resignations. They cite their belief that they are being assigned to missions of negligible military importance and outside their areas of expertise. A subsequent inquiry effectively vindicates their position. [26]
April 22: WWII:
- Heinrich Himmler, through Folke Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg, extends an offer of German surrender to the Western Allies, excluding the Soviet Union.
- Adolf Hitler finally concedes that "everything is lost" [27] during a meeting in the Führerbunker, after learning that SS-Obergruppenführer Felix Steiner cannot mobilize sufficient forces for a counterattack against the Soviet forces surrounding Berlin.
April 23: WWII:
- Hermann Göring dispatches the Göring telegram to Hitler, requesting confirmation that he should assume leadership of Germany, in accordance with the decree issued on June 29, 1941. Hitler perceives this action as treason.
- The primary Flossenbürg concentration camp is liberated by the United States Army.
April 24: WWII:
- Battle of Berlin: Red Army troops complete the encirclement of Berlin. [28]
- Retreating German troops demolish all bridges spanning the Adige River in Verona, including the historic Ponte di Castelvecchio and Ponte Pietra.
April 25:
- Negotiations for the establishment of the United Nations commence in San Francisco.
- WWII – Elbe Day: United States and Soviet troops establish contact at the river Elbe, effectively dividing Germany into two.
April 25–26: WWII: The final major strategic bombing operation by RAF Bomber Command, targeting the oil refinery at Tønsberg in southern Norway, is carried out by 107 Avro Lancasters.
April 26: WWII:
- Battle of Bautzen: The last notably "successful" German panzer offensive concludes in Bautzen with the recapture of the city.
- The British 3rd Infantry Division, under the command of General Whistler, captures Bremen. [29]
- Due to German surrenders, the British and Canadians now control the German border with Switzerland, extending from Basel to Lake Constance.
April 27:
- The last German formations withdraw from Finland into Norway. The Lapland War concludes, marking the end of World War II in Finland. The photograph Raising the Flag on the Three-Country Cairn is taken on this day.
- The provisional government of Austria, led by Karl Renner, formally asserts its independence from Germany. [30]
- U.S. Ordnance troops discover the coffins of Frederick William I of Prussia, Frederick the Great, Paul von Hindenburg and his wife within a salt mine in Germany. [31]
April 28:
- The bodies of Benito Mussolini, his mistress Clara Petacci, and other followers are publicly displayed, hung by their heels at a gasoline station in Milan's Piazzale Loreto, following their execution by Italian partisans as they attempted to flee the country.
- The Canadian First Army captures Emden and Wilhelmshaven.
April 29:
- At the royal palace in Caserta, Lieutenant-Colonel Viktor von Schweinitz (representing General Heinrich von Vietinghoff) and SS-Obersturmbannführer Eugen Wenner (representing Waffen-SS General Karl Wolff) sign an unconditional instrument of surrender for all Axis powers forces in Italy, which is to take effect on May 2. Italian General Rodolfo Graziani orders the Esercito Nazionale Repubblicano forces under his command to lay down their arms. [32]
- The Dachau concentration camp is surrendered to U.S. forces, who subsequently kill SS guards at the camp and in the nearby hamlet of Webling. [33]
- Brazilian forces liberate the commune of Fornovo di Taro, Italy, from German occupation.
- Operation Manna: British Avro Lancaster bombers drop essential food supplies into the Netherlands to alleviate the starvation of the civilian population.
- Soviet soldiers raise the Red flag over the Reich Chancellery in Berlin.
- Adolf Hitler marries his longtime mistress Eva Braun in a private civil ceremony within the Berlin Führerbunker, and signs his last will and testament.
April 30: WWII:
- Death of Adolf Hitler: Adolf Hitler and his wife of one day, Eva Braun, commit suicide as Red Army forces close in on the Führerbunker in Berlin. Großadmiral Karl Dönitz assumes the role of Reichspräsident (President of Germany), and Joseph Goebbels becomes Reichskanzler (Chancellor of Germany), as stipulated in Hitler's political testament from the previous day.
- American forces enter the Bavarian capital of Munich.

May

Main article: May 1945
May (month): Marines of the 1st Marine Division are depicted fighting on Okinawa.
May 1: WWII:
- Reichssender Hamburg's Flensburg radio station broadcasts the announcement that Hitler has died in battle, "fighting to his last breath against Bolshevism."
- Joseph Goebbels performs his only official act as Chancellor of Germany, dictating a letter to the Soviet commander in Berlin informing him of Hitler's death and requesting a ceasefire. Upon refusal, he and his wife Magda commit suicide after killing their six children. Karl Dönitz appoints Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk as the new de facto Chancellor of Germany, leading the Flensburg Government.
- Troops of the Yugoslav 4th Army, along with the Slovene 9th Corpus NOV, enter Trieste.
- An estimated 700–2,500 suicides occur during the Mass suicide in Demmin, following the destruction of 80% of the town by Soviet forces over the preceding three days.
May 2: WWII:
- The Soviet Union announces the fall of Berlin. The iconic photograph of Raising a Flag over the Reichstag is taken on this date.
- Lübeck is liberated by the British Army.
- The surrender of Axis troops in Italy takes effect.
- A Holocaust death march from Dachau towards the Austrian border is halted approximately two kilometers west of Waakirchen by the segregated, all-Nisei 522nd Field Artillery Battalion of the U.S. Army in southern Bavaria, saving several hundred prisoners. [34] [35]
- Troops of the New Zealand Army 2nd Division enter Trieste, one day after the Yugoslavs. The German Army in Trieste surrenders to the New Zealand Army.
- Following the death or resignation of the Hitler Cabinet, the Schwerin von Krosigk cabinet convenes for the first time.
- The Neuengamme concentration camp near Hamburg is evacuated around this date.
- Expatriate American poet Ezra Pound is apprehended by the Italian resistance movement but is soon released due to a lack of interest. On May 5, he surrenders himself to the United States Army and is imprisoned on charges of treason.
May 3: WWII:
- The prison ships Cap Arcona (5,000 dead), Thielbek (2,750 dead), and Deutschland (all survivors) are sunk by the British Royal Air Force in Lübeck Bay.
- Rocket scientist Wernher von Braun and 120 members of his team surrender to U.S. forces, later playing a pivotal role in the commencement of the U.S. space program.
- German Protestant theologian Gerhard Kittel is arrested by French forces in Tübingen, Germany.
- Operation Dracula: British troops liberate the Burmese capital of Rangoon from Japanese forces.
May 4: WWII:
- German surrender at Lüneburg Heath: All German armed forces operating in northwest Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands surrender unconditionally to Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, effective May 5 at 08:00 hours British Double (and German) Summer Time.
- The Netherlands is liberated by British and Canadian troops. [36]
- Denmark is liberated. [37]
- Admiral Karl Dönitz orders all U-boats to cease offensive operations and return to their bases in Norway. [38]
- The Holy Crown of Hungary is discovered in Mattsee, Austria, by the United States Army 86th Infantry Division. The U.S. government retains custody of the crown at Fort Knox to safeguard it from the Soviets until its return to Hungary on January 6 1978. [39]
- The German auxiliary cruiser Orion sinks while en route to Copenhagen, carrying refugees, resulting in over 3,800 lives lost.
May 5: WWII:
- The Prague uprising begins as Prague revolts against occupying Nazi forces, spurred by radio broadcasts (giving rise to the Battle for Czech Radio).
- The US 11th Armored Division liberates the prisoners of Mauthausen concentration camp, including Simon Wiesenthal.
- Canadian soldiers liberate the city of Amsterdam from Nazi occupation.
- A Japanese fire balloon causes the deaths of six individuals, Elsie Mitchell and five children, near Bly, Oregon, when it explodes as they attempt to move it from the woods. These are the only fatalities attributed to enemy action on the American mainland during WWII.
May 6:
- WWII: Mildred Gillars, known as "Axis Sally," delivers her final propaganda broadcast to Allied troops (her first broadcast was on December 11, 1941).
- The Holocaust: The Ebensee concentration camp in Austria is liberated by troops of the 80th Division (United States).
May 6–7: The government of the Independent State of Croatia, a fascist puppet state affiliated with the Nazis and established in occupied Yugoslavia, flees Zagreb for a location near Klagenfurt in Austria. However, they are captured during the Bleiburg repatriations, which subsequently lead to mass executions. [40] [41]
May 7: WWII:
- At 02:41, General Alfred Jodl signs the unconditional German Instrument of Surrender at SHAEF headquarters in Reims, France, officially ending Germany's participation in the war. The surrender becomes effective on May 8 at 23:01 hours Central European Time (00:01 hours May 9 German Summer Time). This afternoon, Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk, the leading minister in the rump Flensburg Government, makes a broadcast announcing the German surrender. American journalist Edward Kennedy breaks the Allied news embargo on the signing. [42]
- Numerous RAF Lancasters land in Germany to repatriate British prisoners of war. Approximately 4,500 ex-POWs are flown back to Great Britain over the following 24 hours.
May 8: WWII:
- Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) is observed by the western European powers as Nazi Germany formally surrenders, signifying the end of WWII in Europe.
- Shortly before midnight (May 9 Moscow time), the final German Instrument of Surrender is signed at the headquarters of the Soviet Military Administration in Berlin-Karlshorst, attended by representatives of the Allies.
- Canadian troops enter Amsterdam following the surrender of German troops.
- The surrender of the Dodecanese islands is signed in Symi.
- The Prague uprising concludes with a ceasefire.
- The Eighth British Army, in conjunction with Slovene partisan troops and a motorized detachment of the Yugoslav 4th Army, arrives in Carinthia and Klagenfurt. The Croatian Armed Forces of the former puppet Independent State of Croatia receive orders from their commanders to avoid surrendering to the Yugoslav Partisans and instead attempt to retreat into Austria and surrender to the British, a key event leading to the Bleiburg repatriations.
- Hermann Göring surrenders himself to the United States Army near Radstadt. [43]
May 8–29: The Sétif and Guelma massacre occurs in Algeria. Thousands die as French troops and demobilized Italian POWs perpetrate mass killings of an estimated 6,000 to 40,000 Algerian citizens.
May 9: WWII:
- The Soviet Union observes VE Day as the Red Army enters Prague. [44]
- Vidkun Quisling and other members of the collaborationist Quisling regime in Norway surrender to the Resistance (Milorg) and police at Møllergata 19 in Oslo, as part of the post-war legal purge in Norway after World War II.
- General Alexander Löhr, Commander of German Army Group E near Topolšica, Slovenia, signs the capitulation of German occupation troops.
- Liberation of the German-occupied Channel Islands: British forces accept the surrender of the occupying troops. Royal Navy ships HMS Bulldog arrives in St Peter Port, Guernsey, and HMS Beagle in St Helier, Jersey.
May 10: WWII: Liberation of the German-occupied Channel Islands: Occupation of Sark ends as British forces accept the surrender of the occupying troops, leaving them under the authority of Dame Sibyl Hathaway.
May 12:
- Argentinian labour leader José Peter announces the dissolution of the Meat Industry Workers Federation.
- Rev. W. V. Awdry's children's book The Three Railway Engines, the first in The Railway Series, is published in England.
May 14–15: WWII: The Battle of Poljana, the final engagement of the War in Europe, is fought at Poljana near Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia.
May 15: WWII: Surrender at Bleiburg: Retreating troops of the Croatian Armed Forces of the former puppet Independent State of Croatia, intermingled with fleeing civilians, attempt to surrender to the British Army at Bleiburg. They are redirected to surrender to Yugoslav Partisans, who subsequently open fire on them. The remaining individuals, acting under orders from Tito, are force-marched through Croatia and Serbia, interned, or massacred, with thousands losing their lives. [45] [46]
May 16: WWII: Liberation of the German-occupied Channel Islands: Occupation of Alderney concludes as British forces accept the surrender of the occupying troops. The civilian population had previously been evacuated.
May 18: WWII: Operation Unthinkable: British prime minister Winston Churchill secretly instructs his military chiefs of staff to contemplate a plan involving British, American, and reactivated German forces to launch an attack on the Soviet Red Army on July 1, with the objective of preserving Poland's independence. The operation is deemed militarily unfeasible. [47] [48]
May 23:
- The Flensburg Government is dissolved by the Allies. German president Karl Dönitz and German chancellor Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk are arrested by British RAF Regiment personnel at Flensburg. They served as the last German head of state and head of government, respectively, until 1949.
- Heinrich Himmler, the former head of the Nazi SS, commits suicide while in British custody.
May 28: U.S.-born, Irish-raised William Joyce, known as "Lord Haw-Haw", is apprehended near the German border. He is subsequently charged in London with high treason for his wartime broadcasts in English from German radio, convicted, and ultimately hanged in January 1946.
May 29:
- German communists, under the leadership of Walter Ulbricht, arrive in Berlin.
- Dutch painter Han van Meegeren is arrested on charges of collaboration with the Nazis. However, the "Dutch Golden Age" paintings he had sold to Hermann Göring are later proven to be his own forgeries.
May 30: The Iranian government formally demands the withdrawal of all Soviet and British troops from the country.

June

Main article: June 1945
June 1: British forces assume control of Lebanon and Syria.
June 5: The Allied Control Council, the military occupation authority governing Germany, formally assumes its powers.
June 7: King Haakon VII of Norway returns to Norway, exactly five years after his departure into exile in Britain.
June 11:
- William Lyon Mackenzie King is re-elected as Canadian prime minister.
- The Franck Committee recommends against the immediate use of a surprise nuclear bombing on Japan. [49]
June 12: The Yugoslav Army withdraws from Trieste, leaving the New Zealand Army in control of the city.
June 21: WWII: The Battle of Okinawa concludes, with the United States maintaining its occupation of the island until 1972.
June 24: WWII: A significant victory parade is held in Red Square in Moscow.
June 25: Seán T. O'Kelly is elected as the second president of Ireland.
June 26: The United Nations Charter is officially signed in San Francisco.
June 29: Czechoslovakia cedes Carpathian Ruthenia to the Soviet Union.
June 30: John von Neumann's seminal work, First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC, is distributed. This document contains the first published description of the logical design of a computer, introducing the concept of a stored-program where instruction data is stored in the same address space within the memory, forming the basis of the von Neumann architecture.

July

Main article: July 1945
July 1:
- WWII: Germany is formally divided into occupation zones administered by the Allied forces.
- WWII: Australian and other Allied forces commence an invasion of the east coast of Japanese-occupied Borneo, near Balikpapan.
July 2: The 1945 Sheikh Bashir rebellion erupts in Burao and Erigavo in British Somaliland, led by Sheikh Bashir, a prominent Somali religious leader. [50]
July 4: The Brazilian cruiser Bahia sinks due to an accidentally induced explosion, causing the deaths of over 300 personnel and leaving survivors adrift in shark-infested waters.
July 5:
- The 1945 United Kingdom general election is held. However, polling in some constituencies is delayed due to local holiday schedules. The counting of votes and announcement of results are postponed until July 26 to accommodate the voting of a large number of service personnel still stationed overseas.
- John Curtin, the 14th Prime Minister of Australia, dies in office from heart failure at the age of 60. He is briefly succeeded by his deputy, Frank Forde, who serves as the 15th Prime Minister until a Labor Party leadership election is conducted to replace Curtin.
- WWII: The Philippines are officially declared liberated.
July 6–7: The Schio massacre occurs, where 54 prisoners, predominantly fascist sympathizers, are killed by members of the Italian resistance movement in Schio.
July 8: WWII: President Harry S. Truman is informed that Japan is amenable to peace talks if it can retain the imperial reign of the Emperor. [49]
July 12: Ben Chifley is elected leader of the Labor Party, consequently becoming the 16th Prime Minister of Australia. He defeats Frank Forde as well as Norman Makin and H.V. Evatt. This outcome results in Forde serving as the shortest-serving prime minister in Australian history, although he retains his position as deputy leader.
July 14: WWII: Italy formally declares war on Japan.
July 16:
- The Trinity Test, the first detonation of an atomic bomb, utilizing approximately six kilograms of plutonium, successfully unleashes an explosion equivalent to 22 kilotons of TNT.
- A train collision near Munich, Germany, results in the deaths of 102 prisoners of war.
July 17–August 2: WWII: The Potsdam Conference takes place. At Potsdam, the three principal Allied leaders convene for their final wartime summit. President Truman officially informs Stalin of the United States' possession of a formidable new weapon.
July 21: WWII: President Harry S. Truman approves the directive for the use of atomic bombs against Japan. [49]
July 23: WWII: French marshal Philippe Pétain, who led the Vichy government during WWII, stands trial for treason.
July 26:
- Winston Churchill resigns as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after his Conservative Party suffers a decisive defeat by the Labour Party in the 1945 general election. Clement Attlee assumes the role of the new prime minister. This marks the first instance of the Labour Party governing Britain with a majority in the House of Commons. [51]
- The Potsdam Declaration is issued, demanding Japan's unconditional surrender. Notably, Article 12, which permitted Japan to retain the Emperor's reign, was omitted by President Truman. [49]
July 27: WWII: The Bombing of Aomori occurs. Two USAAF B-29s drop a total of 60,000 leaflets over the city of Aomori, Japan, warning civilians of an impending air raid and urging their immediate evacuation. The city was subsequently firebombed the following day, resulting in over 1,700 deaths.
July 28:
- WWII: Japan issues an ambiguous rejection of the Potsdam Declaration. [49]
- A North American B-25 Mitchell aircraft crashes into The Empire State Building, causing the deaths of 14 individuals. [52]
July 29:
- The BBC Light Programme radio station is launched in the United Kingdom, focusing on mainstream light entertainment and music.
- WWII: The Bombing of Aomori continues. The Japanese city of Aomori is firebombed by 63 USAAF B-29 heavy bombers, resulting in 1,767 civilian deaths and the destruction of 18,045 homes.
July 30: WWII: The heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis) is struck and sunk by torpedoes from the Japanese submarine I-58 in the Philippine Sea. Approximately 900 survivors are left adrift for up to four days, with nearly 600 perishing before rescue arrived. Captain Charles B. McVay III of the cruiser is later court-martialed and convicted; in 2000, he is posthumously exonerated. [53]

August

Main article: August 1945
August 6: WWII: The Atomic bombing of Hiroshima occurs. The United States Boeing B-29 Superfortress named "Enola Gay" drops a uranium-235 atomic bomb, codenamed "Little Boy", on the Japanese city of Hiroshima at 8:15 a.m. local time, causing an estimated 90,000 to 146,000 deaths.
August 7: U.S. President Harry Truman announces the successful atomic bombing of Hiroshima while returning from the Potsdam Conference aboard the U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Augusta), in the mid-Atlantic Ocean.
August 8:
- The United Nations Charter is ratified by the United States Senate, making the nation the third to join the newly formed international organization.
- WWII: The Soviet Union declares war on Japan.
August 9: WWII:
- The Atomic bombing of Nagasaki occurs. The United States B-29 Bockscar drops a plutonium-239 atomic bomb, codenamed "Fat Man", on the Japanese city of Nagasaki at 11:02 a.m. local time, resulting in an estimated 39,000 to 80,000 deaths.
- The Soviet–Japanese War commences. The Soviet Union launches its army offensive against Japan in the northern sector of the Japanese-held Chinese region of Manchuria. [54]
August 10: WWII: Japan offers to surrender to the Allies, stipulating "provided this does not prejudice the sovereignty of the Emperor."
August 11:
- WWII: The Allies respond to the Japanese surrender offer by stating that Emperor Hirohito will be subject to the authority of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces.
- The Holocaust: The Kraków pogrom occurs, with Róża Berger being shot and killed by Polish militia.
August 11–25: Soviet troops complete their occupation of Sakhalin.
August 13: The Zionist World Congress approaches the British government to discuss the establishment of the state of Israel.
August 14: WWII: Emperor Hirohito accepts the terms of the Potsdam Declaration. His recorded announcement of this decision is smuggled out of the Tokyo Imperial Palace. At 19:00 hrs in Washington, D.C. (23:00 GMT), U.S. president Harry S. Truman announces the Japanese surrender.
August 15: WWII:
- The Bombing of Kumagaya, Japan, is carried out by the United States using conventional bombs, commencing at 00:23.
- The Hirohito surrender broadcast (Gyokuon-hōsō): Emperor Hirohito's announcement of the unconditional surrender of Japan is broadcast on the radio shortly after noon (12:00 Japan Standard Time, which is 03:00 GMT). This is likely the first time an Emperor of Japan has been heard by the general populace. Delivered in formal classical Japanese, without directly mentioning surrender and following official censorship regarding the nation's weakened position, the recorded speech is not immediately comprehensible to ordinary people. The Allies designate this day as Victory over Japan Day (V-J Day). This event marks the end of the period of Japanese expansionism, initiates the era of the Occupation of Japan, and sets the stage for Korean independence.
- The August Revolution in Vietnam begins, with the Viet Minh seizing control of the capital, Hanoi, capitalizing on the collapse of Japanese authority.
- The Provisional International Civil Aviation Organization is established as a specialized agency of the United Nations.
August 17:
- Philippines President José P. Laurel issues an Executive Proclamation formally ending the Second Philippine Republic, thus concluding his term as President of the Philippines.
- The Proclamation of Indonesian Independence is made by Indonesian nationalists Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta, who declare the independence of the Republic of Indonesia. Sukarno assumes the presidency with Mohammad Hatta as vice-president, sparking the Indonesian National Revolution against the Dutch Empire.
August 18: WWII: Death of Subhas Chandra Bose: Indian nationalist leader Subhas Chandra Bose dies as a result of his overloaded Japanese aircraft crashing in Japanese Taiwan.
August 19: Chinese Civil War: Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-shek meet in Chongqing to discuss a cessation of hostilities between the Communists and the Nationalists.
August 23: Soviet–Japanese War: Joseph Stalin orders the detention of Japanese prisoners of war in the Soviet Union.
August 25: Bảo Đại abdicates his position as Emperor of Vietnam, marking the end of 2,000 years of dynastic and monarchical rule in the country and 143 years of the Nguyễn dynasty.
August 30: WWII: Vietnam's capital, Hanoi, is captured by the Viet Minh, which signifies the end of French occupation in what becomes North Vietnam, with the southern provinces subsequently designated as South Vietnam. This event concludes the August Revolution.
August 31:
- WWII: Allied troops arrest German field marshal Walther von Brauchitsch.
- A team at American Cyanamid's Lederle Laboratories in Pearl River, New York, led by Yellapragada Subbarow, announces the successful isolation of folic acid in a pure crystalline form. [55] This essential vitamin is known to be abundant in green leaf vegetables, liver, kidney, and yeast. [56]

September

Main article: September 1945
September 2: WWII concludes:
- Japanese general Tomoyuki Yamashita formally surrenders to Philippine and American forces at Kiangan, Ifugao.
- The final official Japanese Instrument of Surrender is accepted by Supreme Allied Commander General Douglas MacArthur and Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz on behalf of the United States. Delegates from the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, China, and other nations were also present, representing a Japanese delegation led by Mamoru Shigemitsu, aboard the American battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
- General Douglas MacArthur is bestowed the title of Supreme Commander Allied Powers and is also assigned the responsibility for the occupation of Japan. [57]
- The Democratic Republic of Vietnam is officially established by Ho Chi Minh. [57]
September 4: WWII: Japanese forces surrender on Wake Island after receiving confirmation of their country's surrender.
September 5:
- Iva Toguri D'Aquino, a Japanese American suspected of being the wartime radio propagandist "Tokyo Rose", is arrested in Yokohama.
- Russian code clerk Igor Gouzenko presents documents implicating the Soviet Union in numerous spy rings operating across North America, in both the United States and Canada.
September 8:
- U.S. troops arrive in Southern Korea, while the Soviet Union occupies the north. The dividing line is established at the 38th parallel of latitude. This arrangement inadvertently marks the beginning of a divided Korea, which would ultimately lead to the Korean War following North Korea's invasion in 1950.
- The Afghan government successfully suppresses a rebel force at Kunar Khas. Gerald Crichton, the British Charge de 'affaires in Kabul, later characterizes this victory as the "turning point" of the Afghan tribal revolts of 1944–1947. [58]
September 9:
- Chairman of the Nationalist Government of China, Chiang Kai-shek, formally accepts the Japanese capitulation in Nanking. [57]
- Japanese troops in Keijō (present-day Seoul) formally relinquish control over Southern Korea to the United States, effectively ending Japan's 35-year rule over Korea. [59] [60]
September 10: Vidkun Quisling is sentenced to death in Norway for collaboration with the Nazis. [57]
September 11:
- Hideki Tojo, who served as Japanese prime minister for much of World War II, attempts suicide to evade facing an Allied war crimes tribunal.
- Radio Republik Indonesia commences broadcasting.
- The Batu Lintang camp in Sarawak, Borneo, is liberated by Australian forces.
September 12:
- Operation Tiderace: The Japanese Army formally surrenders to the British in Singapore.
- The office of governor-general of Korea is dissolved by the United States Army Military Government in Korea, formally ending Japan's 35-year administration of Korea.
September 18:
- Typhoon Makurazaki causes widespread devastation in Japan, resulting in 3,746 fatalities.
- The Japanese Army in Central China officially surrenders to Chinese forces in Wuhan.
September 20: Mohandas Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru issue a demand for the immediate withdrawal of all British troops from India.
September 24: Postwar anti-Jewish violence in Slovakia: The Topoľčany pogrom takes place in Czechoslovakia.
October 1: Arthur C. Clarke introduces the concept of a geosynchronous communications satellite in an article published in Wireless World magazine.
October 1–15: Operation Backfire: Three A4 rockets are launched near Cuxhaven as a demonstration for Allied forces.
October 2: George Albert Smith becomes the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
October 4: The Partizan Belgrade sports club is founded in Belgrade, Serbia.
October 5: Hollywood Black Friday: A strike initiated by the Set Decorator's Union in Hollywood escalates into a riot.
October 8–15: The Hadamar Trial commences. Personnel from the Hadamar Euthanasia Centre, now located within the American zone of Allied-occupied Germany, become the first individuals to be tried for systematic extermination in Nazi Germany.
October 9: Former prime minister Pierre Laval is sentenced to death for his collaboration with the Nazis in Vichy France. [57]
October 10: The Nazi Party is officially dissolved by the Allied Powers.
October 14: Czechoslovakia: A new provisional national assembly is elected. [57]
October 15–21: The Fifth Pan-African Congress is convened in Manchester.
October 16: The Food and Agriculture Organization is established following a meeting in Quebec City, functioning as a specialized agency of the United Nations.
October 17: A large gathering of people, organized by the General Confederation of Labour (Argentina), convenes in the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires to demand the release of Juan Perón. This event is recognized by Peronists as Día de la lealtad (Loyalty Day) and is considered the founding day of Peronism.
October 18: Isaías Medina Angarita, president of Venezuela, is overthrown in a military coup. [57]
October 19: Members of the Indonesian People's Army launch an attack against Anglo-Dutch forces in Indonesia. [57]
October 20: Mongolians vote in favor of independence from China. [57]
October 21: Women's suffrage: Women are granted the right to vote in the French Legislative Election for the first time.
October 22: Rómulo Betancourt is appointed provisional president of Venezuela. [57]
October 24:
- The United Nations is officially founded through the ratification of its Charter by 29 nations. [57]
- The International Court of Justice ("World Court") is established under the framework of the United Nations Charter.
- Norwegian Nazi leader Vidkun Quisling is executed by firing squad for committing treason against Norway. [57]
October 25:
- WWII: Japanese armed forces in Taiwan surrender to the Allies.
- Getúlio Vargas is deposed as president in Brazil; José Linhares is appointed temporary president. [57]
- The Osijek prison massacre is carried out by the Yugoslav secret police.
October 27–November 20: Indonesian National Revolution: The Battle of Surabaya takes place, where pro-independence Indonesian soldiers and militia engage British and British Indian troops in Surabaya.
October 29:
- Getúlio Vargas resigns from the presidency of Brazil.
- At Gimbels Department Store in New York City, the first ballpoint pens go on sale, priced at $12.50 each.
October 30: The undivided country of India joins the United Nations.

November

Main article: November 1945
November 1:
- The new constitution of the International Labour Organization comes into effect.
- Telechron introduces the model 8H59 Musalarm, recognized as the first clock radio.
November 5: Colombia becomes a member of the United Nations.
November 6: Indonesians reject an offer of autonomy proposed by the Dutch. [57]
November 9: Soo Bahk Do and Moo Duk Kwan martial arts are established in Korea.
November 10: Indonesian National Revolution: Following the killing of British officer Brigadier A. W. S. Mallaby on October 30, the British Indian Army, in support of its allied Dutch colonial administration, commences an advance on Surabaya in the Dutch East Indies against Indonesian nationalists. Although the majority of the city is retaken within three days of intense fighting, the significant strength of the resistance leads to the commemoration of this day as Heroes' Day (Hari Pahlawan) in Indonesia.
November 11: 1945 Yugoslavian parliamentary election: Marshal Josip Broz Tito and the People's Front secure a decisive majority (90%) in the Yugoslavian Assembly. [57]
November 15:
- Harry S. Truman, Clement Attlee, and Mackenzie King share information regarding nuclear technology with the U.N. and call for the establishment of a United Nations Atomic Energy Commission. [49] [57]
- An offensive is launched in Manchuria by the Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalists) to counter further infiltration by the Chinese Communist Party. [57]
November 16:
- Charles de Gaulle is unanimously elected president of France by the provisional government. [57]
- The United States controversially imports 88 German scientists to assist in the development of rocket technology.
- The foundation of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is agreed upon during a meeting in London.
November 18: The Tudeh Party initiates a bloodless coup, leading to the formation of Azerbaijan within days. Soviet troops prevent Iranian military intervention.
November 20: The Nuremberg trials commence. Trials against 22 Nazis accused of war crimes of World War II begin at the Palace of Justice, Nuremberg. [57]
November 26: U.S. ambassador to China Patrick J. Hurley resigns after failing to broker an agreement between Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Tse-tung. [57]
November 28:
- The 1945 Balochistan earthquake triggers a tsunami and results in 4,000 fatalities.
- British fascist John Amery pleads guilty to treason and is condemned to death. [61]
November 29:
- The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is declared (this day is celebrated as Republic Day until the 1990s). Marshal Tito is appointed president.
- The assembly of the world's first general-purpose electronic computer, the Electronic Numerical Integrator Analyzer and Computer (ENIAC), is completed in the United States. Occupying 1,800 square feet (170 m²) of floor space, it runs its first set of calculations.
November 30:
- The Balochistan earthquake of 1945 causes a tsunami and kills 4,000 people.
- British fascist John Amery pleads guilty to treason and is condemned to death. [61]

December

Main article: December 1945
December 2:
- General Eurico Gaspar Dutra is elected president of Brazil.
- French banks, including the Bank of France, BNCI, CNEP, Crédit Lyonnais, and Société Générale, are nationalized.
December 3: Communist demonstrations in Athens foreshadow the outbreak of the Greek Civil War.
December 4: The United States Senate approves the entry of the United States into the United Nations by a vote of 65 to 7.
December 5: Flight 19, consisting of five United States Navy Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bombers, disappears during a training exercise originating from Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale.
December 9: American General George S. Patton is involved in a vehicular accident in Germany, which leads to his death on December 21.
December 27: Twenty-one nations ratify the articles establishing the World Bank. [62]

Date Unknown

A team at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, under the leadership of Charles D. Coryell, discovers the chemical element 61. This element is the only one remaining undiscovered between atomic numbers 1 and 96 on the periodic table, and it is subsequently named promethium. [63] Its discovery is attributed to the analysis of fission products from irradiated uranium fuel, though the announcement of its discovery is delayed until 1947.
The Australian government introduces an Assisted Passage Migration Scheme, designed to encourage the immigration of British subjects. The subsidized fare of £10 leads to these immigrants becoming known as "Ten Pound Poms". [64]
The first instance of geothermal milk pasteurization is performed in Klamath Falls, Oregon, United States.

Births

Stephen Stills Sir Rod Stewart Javed Akhtar Tom Selleck Bob Marley Edwin Catmull Ana Lúcia Torre Björn Ulvaeus Bob Seger Yochanan Vollach Priscilla Presley Laurent Gbagbo John Carlos Wolfgang Schüssel Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia Dame Helen Mirren Patrick Modiano David Sanborn Steve Martin Vince McMahon Wyomia Tyus Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva