World War II Daily: DDay to VEDay

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

April 20, 1945: On the western front, elements from British 2nd Army are attacking around Bremen. US 9th Army continues preparing positions along the Elbe River and eliminating bypassed pockets in the rear while US 1st Army attacks Bitterfeld and Dessau and eliminates organized resistance in the Harz Mountains pocket. Elements of Patton’s US 3rd Army attack toward Regensburg while other troops discover the German weapons and munitions storage at Grafenwohr. Further south, US 7th Army captures Nuremberg and pushes southward. Instructed to sacrifice everything for speed the French 5th Armored Division and Spahi reconnaissance regiment enthusiastically overcame the fanatical resistance from German SS units to enter the western suburbs of Stuttgart, Germany. The tanks move so fast that it will not be until the following day that their supporting infantry (Moroccan and Algerian Tiralleurs) are able to catch up - but they had beaten the Americans to the southwest German city.

Between 13,500 and 15,000 prisoners are transferred from Buchenwald and Gross-Rosen subcamps to the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp in occupied Czechoslovakia over the following 20 days.

In Berlin, Hitler celebrates his 56th (and last) birthday in his bunker in Berlin with Goering, Himmler, Goebbels, Speer, Ribbentrop, Bormann, and other top military leaders. Preparations are made to evacuate Hitler and his staff from the bunker to Obersalzberg for a last stand in the Alpine Redoubt, but Hitler refuses to leave the bunker. Goering and Himmler depart Hitler's bunker for the last time. Doenitz rejects a Japanese invitation to transfer remaining German warships to Asia and continue warfare against the Allies.

Over Nazi Germany, US 8th Air Force attacks targets around Berlin with 755 bombers while US 15th Air Force fighters attack transportation targets. RAF Bomber Command sends 100 aircraft to attack Regensburg during the day, 76 aircraft to attack Berlin overnight (in what will be the RAF’s last mission against the German capital), and 36 aircraft to attack Schleissheim airfield overnight.

On the eastern from, in northern Germany, forces of the Soviet 2nd Belorussian Front join in the advance from the Oder River line, on a 30-mile frontage south-west of Stettin, opening an offensive against the German 3rd Panzer Army. To the south, German resistance on the Oder and Neisse river lines has been eliminated. Troops of the 1st Belorussian Front capture Protzel and Bernau and begins heaping artillery fire on the eastern suburbs of Berlin. Units of 1st Ukrainian Fronts cross over the Spree River, capturing Barut and Juterbog and continuing attacking toward Berlin.

Joseph Stalin orders the Soviet Stavka to influence troops to be more humane toward the civilians of conquered German territories in order to ease the future occupation.

In Italy, US 5th Army breaks through the German defensive lines and reaches the Po River Valley north of Bologna, Italy. British 8th Army advances toward Bologna and crosses the Idice River. US 12th Air Force aircraft support US 5th Army operations and attack targets throughout northern Italy, while US 15th Air Force attacks targets throughout northern Italy with more than 700 bombers.

Pictured: A Bren gunner watches for enemy movement on the banks of the Elbe River, at Hoopte near Winsen, April 20, 1945



US soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division walk through a devastated Nuremberg, April 20, 1945



An American soldier observed the destruction of an industrial town near Nuremberg, Germany, April 20, 1945



An oil tank explosion at Deggendorf harbor, Germany after an aerial bombardment by A-20 Havoc aircraft of US 426th Bomb Group, April 20, 1945



Soviet BM-13 Katyusha rocket launchers firing on Berlin, Germany, April 1945

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

Very cool, I put this together really quickly to compare:

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

April 21, 1945: On the western front, British 2nd Army attacks around Bremen. US 9th Army continues preparing positions along the Elbe River and eliminating bypassed pockets in the rear while US 1st Army attacks into Dessau, clearing along Elbe River and Mulde River, and mops up bypassed pockets. Having disbanded his Army Group B headquarters and evaded capture in the Ruhr pocket, Field Marshal Model commits suicide. US 3rd Army attacks Rossbach, Gottmannsgruen, Weiden, Mitterteich, Falkenberg, Wildenreuth, Schirnding, Waldsassen, and Neumarkt while further south US 7th Army advances south toward the Danube River on a broad front and the French 1st Army captures Stuttgart and reaches Swiss border at Schaffhausen.

About 300 German civilians from Gardelegen, Saxony, Germany are ordered by the US Army commander in the region to bury the 1,016 political and military prisoners who had been murdered by German SS and Luftwaffe troops in the Gardelegen Massacre the week before.

Over Germany, US 8th Air Force attacks Munich with 111 bombers and Ingolstadt with 212 bombers. US 15th Air Force aircraft attack transportation targets. RAF Bomber Command sends 107 aircraft to attack Kiel, 16 aircraft to attack Eggebek airfield, and with Soviet Troops already entering the suburbs, attacks Berlin for the last time during the war.

To the east, Soviet 2nd Belorussian Front attacks German 3rd Panzer Army around Stettin and Mecklenberg while Soviet 1st Belorussian Front slams into the northeastern and eastern suburbs of Berlin, with elements capturing the German military headquarters near Zossen, south of Berlin, Germany. Hitler orders an immediate all-out counterattack around Berlin: any commander who holds back his troops will forfeit his life in five hours. The counterattack is never attempted. Meanwhile, the 1st Ukrainian Front attacks northward from Dresden and Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front captures Bautzen and Cottbus, Germany.

In Italy, Bologna is captured by units of the Polish 2nd Corps (part of British 8th Army) as 8th Army troops advance rapidly all along the front. Units of US 2nd Corps (part of US 5th Army) enter the town a few hours later. US 5th Army forces have now cleared the Appenines and advance rapidly on the Lombard Plain. In poor weather conditions which limit missions, US 12th Air Force aircraft support US 5th Army operations and attack targets in northern Italy.

Second Lieutenant Daniel K. Inouye was grievously wounded while leading an assault on a heavily-defended ridge near San Terenzo in Tuscany, Italy, called the Colle Musatello. As he led his platoon in a flanking maneuver, three German machine guns opened fire from covered positions 40 yards away, pinning his men to the ground. Inouye stood up to attack and was shot in the stomach. Ignoring his wound, he proceeded to attack and destroy the first machine gun nest with hand grenades and his Thompson submachine gun. When informed of the severity of his wound, he refused treatment and rallied his men for an attack on the second machine gun position, which he successfully destroyed before collapsing from blood loss. As his squad distracted the third machine gunner, Inouye crawled toward the final bunker, coming within 10 yards. As he raised himself up and cocked his arm to throw his last grenade, a German soldier inside the bunker fired a rifle grenade, which struck his right elbow, nearly severing most of his arm and leaving his primed grenade reflexively "clenched in a fist that suddenly didn't belong to me anymore". Inouye's horrified soldiers moved to his aid, but he shouted for them to keep back out of fear his severed fist would involuntarily relax and drop the grenade. While the German inside the bunker reloaded his rifle, Inouye pried the live grenade from his useless right hand and transferred it to his left. As the enemy soldier aimed his rifle at him, Inouye tossed the grenade into the bunker and destroyed it. He stumbled to his feet and continued forward, silencing the last German resistance with a one-handed burst from his Thompson before being wounded in the leg and tumbling unconscious to the bottom of the ridge. He awoke to see the worried men of his platoon hovering over him. His only comment before being carried away was to order them back to their positions, saying "nobody called off the war!" For his heroic actions, he was awarded the Medal Of Honor - here is his citation:
“Second Lieutenant Daniel K. Inouye distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 21 April 1945, in the vicinity of San Terenzo, Italy. While attacking a defended ridge guarding an important road junction, Second Lieutenant Inouye skillfully directed his platoon through a hail of automatic weapon and small arms fire, in a swift enveloping movement that resulted in the capture of an artillery and mortar post and brought his men to within 40 yards of the hostile force. Emplaced in bunkers and rock formations, the enemy halted the advance with crossfire from three machine guns. With complete disregard for his personal safety, Second Lieutenant Inouye crawled up the treacherous slope to within five yards of the nearest machine gun and hurled two grenades, destroying the emplacement. Before the enemy could retaliate, he stood up and neutralized a second machine gun nest. Although wounded by a sniper’s bullet, he continued to engage other hostile positions at close range until an exploding grenade shattered his right arm. Despite the intense pain, he refused evacuation and continued to direct his platoon until enemy resistance was broken and his men were again deployed in defensive positions. In the attack, 25 enemy soldiers were killed and eight others captured. By his gallant, aggressive tactics and by his indomitable leadership, Second Lieutenant Inouye enabled his platoon to advance through formidable resistance, and was instrumental in the capture of the ridge. Second Lieutenant Inouye’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.”

Pictured: British soldiers supervise the distribution of food to former inmates of Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp, Germany, April 21, 1945



In constant danger from falling walls, infantry from the 22nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Division move through smoke filled Crailsheim, Germany, April 21, 1945



The residents of Neunberg being ordered to exhume and properly bury the bodies from a nearby work camp by the US Third Army. April, 21 1945



The celebration begins in liberated Bologna, April 21, 1945



Medal Of Honor recipient Daniel Inouye

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

April 22, 1945: On the western front, Montgomery orders 21st Army Group to capture Emden, Bremen, Hamburg, and Lubeck, but halt operations against German forces isolated in western Holland. British Second Army fights its way into Bremen, I Corps of Canadian 1st Army suspends operations against German forces isolated around Amsterdam and Rotterdam while II Corps of Canadian 1st Army attacks at Leet, Oldenburg, and Vegesack. US 1st Army attacks into Dessau, clearing along Elbe River and Mulde River, and mopping up bypassed pockets while US 9th Army closes up to the Elbe River, clears the west bank, prepares defensive positions, and mops up bypassed pockets. The final German resistance in Harz Mountains is rooted out by elements of US 1st and 9th Armies. US 7th Army establishes a bridgehead across the Danube River in southern Germany at Dillingen and Baldingen. US Third Army begins moving south through the Danube Valley and attacking along Czechoslovakian border. To the west, French 1st Army reaches the Swiss-German border while elements mop up around Stuttgart and advance toward Ulm.

Over Germany, RAF Bomber Command sends 767 aircraft to attack Bremen, 40 aircraft to attack Bremen, and 11 aircraft to attack Kiel.

Soviet 1st Belorussian Front penetrates the Berlin suburbs from the east and north after capturing Furstenberg, Strasuberg, and Bernau. Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front attacks toward Potsdam and pushes into southern suburbs of Berlin. Soviet 2nd Belorussian Front continues attacking German 3rd Panzer Army along the Oder River and the Polish 2nd Army of Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front attacks Dresden. 60th Army of Soviet 4th Ukrainian Front captures Opava. Polish 2nd Infantry Division captures Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp in Oranienburg, Germany, with a prisoner population of about 3,000 at the time.

In the city, at a conference at 3 PM, Hitler is furious as he learns that the counterattack he ordered on the previous day was never carried out by SS General Felix Steiner; when he is told by Wilhelm Keitel that Soviet tanks are now entering the city, Hitler concedes that the end is near, and decides for certain that he is to remain in Berlin. The most important papers stored at the bunker are now being burned. Hitler releases all non-essential personnel from the Führerbunker in Berlin and assures those dismissed that "nobody is now duty-bound to anything." Himmler meets Count Bernadotte of the Swedish Red Cross and gives him a message to pass to the western Allies, offering a German surrender to the British and Americans but not to the Soviets. The message is passed to the Allies on the 24th.

In Italy, US IV Corps and British XIII Corps reached the Po River at San Benedetto and Ficarolo, respectively. Units of 2nd and 4th US Corps (parts of US 5th Army) reach the Penaro River in their advance to the Po River. On the left flank Modena is taken. US 12th Air Force aircraft support US 5th Army operations and attack withdrawing German units while US 15th Air Force bombers are grounded by poor weather conditions, but fighters attack targets throughout northern Italy.

Private Joe Hayashi, serving in the all-Nisei 442nd Regimental Combat Team near Tendola, Italy (alongside Daniel Inouye), exposed himself to hostile fire on April 20, 1945 in order to direct mortar fire onto enemy positions. Two days later (April 22), he single-handedly silenced three hostile machine guns but was killed while pursuing enemy soldiers. For his actions he was posthumously awarded the Medal Of Honor. Here is his citation:
“Private Joe Hayashi distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 20 and 22 April 1945, near Tendola, Italy. On 20 April 1945, ordered to attack a strongly defended hill that commanded all approaches to the village of Tendola, Private Hayashi skillfully led his men to a point within 75 yards of enemy positions before they were detected and fired upon. After dragging his wounded comrades to safety, he returned alone and exposed himself to small arms fire in order to direct and adjust mortar fire against hostile emplacements. Boldly attacking the hill with the remaining men of his squad, he attained his objective and discovered that the mortars had neutralized three machine guns, killed 27 men, and wounded many others. On 22 April 1945, attacking the village of Tendola, Private Hayashi maneuvered his squad up a steep, terraced hill to within 100 yards of the enemy. Crawling under intense fire to a hostile machine gun position, he threw a grenade, killing one enemy soldier and forcing the other members of the gun crew to surrender. Seeing four enemy machine guns delivering deadly fire upon other elements of his platoon, he threw another grenade, destroying a machine gun nest. He then crawled to the right flank of another machine gun position where he killed four enemy soldiers and forced the others to flee. Attempting to pursue the enemy, he was mortally wounded by a burst of machine pistol fire. The dauntless courage and exemplary leadership of Private Hayashi enabled his company to attain its objective. Private Hayashi's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.”
Hayashi, aged 24 at his death, was buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Los Angeles, California. He was posthumously promoted to Sergeant.

Pictured: Infantrymen of Support Company, The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada, supported by a Sherman tank of The Fort Garry Horse, advancing south of Hatten, Germany, April 22, 1945.



Raising the American flag over swastika at Nuernberg stadium, April 22, 1945. This is the very spot from which Hitler, Goering, Gobbels and Hiimmler harangued their massive Nazi audiences at party festivals in the defiant prewar days. After the U.S. forces had crushed the last flicker of enemy resistence in the city, masses of liberated foreign slave workers streamed into the huge stadium



San Francisco Examiner headline from April 22, 1945



Medal Of Honor recipient Joe Hayashi

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

April 23, 1945: On the western front, British 2nd Army continues attacking Bremen and captures Harburg on the Elbe River. US 9th Army continues closing up to the Elbe River, clearing the west bank, preparing defensive positions, and mopping up bypassed pockets. US 1st Army completes the capture of Dessau and mops up bypassed pockets in the rear. US 3rd Army advances southeast toward the Danube River against little opposition. US 7th Army continues pushing toward the Danube against limited opposition and mopping up bypassed pockets in the rear. French 1st Army closes up to the Swiss border and advances around Ulm. US 15th Army expands its occupation zone behind the front lines.

US forces liberate the surviving prisoners at Flossenburg concentration camp - troops from the 2nd Cavalry Group, Mechanized, the 90th Infantry Division and the 97th Infantry Division find about 1,600 ill and weak prisoners, mostly in the camp's hospital barracks. Some 30,000 prisoners had been killed here before liberation.

Over Germany, RAF Bomber Command sends 60 aircraft to attack Kiel, 38 aircraft to attack Rendsburg, and 32 aircraft to attack Travemunde.

To the east, both Soviet 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian Fronts link up inside Berlin and continue to advance. In the rear of these advances, Frankfurt (on Oder) and Cottbus are captured by Soviet troops. German 4th Panzer Army counterattacks Soviet 52nd Army and Polish 2nd Army. Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front attacks Brno.

In Berlin, Germany, Adolf Hitler notes that when Germany loses the war Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring would be the better person to negotiate peace terms. Göring, who is in Berchtesgaden in southern Germany, is made aware of this fact. After consulting Hans Lammers and other senior government officials, Göring carefully notes that, according to Hitler's decree of June 29, 1941, Göring will take power over Germany if Hitler can not respond by midnight. This message is distorted by Martin Bormann as a sign of Göring's thirst for power. Hitler originally orders Göring to surrender all of his positions, but Bormann convinces Hitler to issue an arrest order.

Hitler's aide, Julius Schaub, departs Berlin with orders to destroy Hitler's personal papers at the Berghof and at his apartment in Munich.

After sundown, Albert Speer bids his final farewell to Hitler. He admitts to Hitler that he had sabotaged Hitler's scorched earth policies, and Hitler forgives him for disobeying the order. Speer tours the Chancellery in Berlin for the last time before leaving for Hamburg. At least ten aircraft manage to depart Berlin and fly to Berchtesgaden with evacuees from Hitler's bunker

Folke Bernadotte meets with Heinrich Himmler at the SS Hohenlychen sanatorium in Lychen, Germany for the last time. During this meeting, Bernadotte secures the release of some Scandinavian Jews, but refuses to help seek a separate peace between Germany and the Western Allies.

Prisoners of Sachsenhausen and Ravensbrück Concentration Camps in Germany begin to be evacuated by German authorities; some Jews are massacred by SS guards this week - the last massacre of the war.

In Italy, US 5th and British 8th Armies reach the Po River north of Bologna, Italy. British 8th Army captures Ferrara in the process, while the US 5th Army captures La Spezia. Allied troops capture Bondeno, Italy. US 12th Air Force aircraft support US 5th Army operations and attack withdrawing German units and US 15th Air Force bombers and fighers attack targets throughout northern Italy.

Pictured: Flossenburg concentration camp - about 30,000 people were murdered here.



Jewish refugees, approaching allied soldiers, become aware that they have just been liberated, April, 1945



Soviet troops entering Berlin, April 23, 1945



Situation map from April 23, 1945

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

April 24, 1945: It’s Tuesday - today marks 46 weeks (322 days) since the D-Day Invasion at Normandy and the beginning of the liberation of Europe.

Canadian 1st and British 2nd Armies enter Bremen, Germany and close up to the Elbe River around Lauenburg. US 1st Army holds along the Elbe River and Mulde River and US 9th Army holds along the Elbe River. US 3rd Army advances to the Danube River. US 7th Army captures Ulm, advancing to the Danube, and pushes a bridgehead across the river and French 1st Army pushes toward Ulm and advances along the Swiss border.

Elements of US 1st Army liberates Dachau Concentration Camp in southern Germany. Opened in 1933 by Heinrich Himmler, Dachau’s purpose was enlarged to include forced labor, and eventually, the imprisonment of Jews, ordinary German and Austrian criminals, and eventually foreign nationals from countries that Germany occupied or invaded. The Dachau camp system grew to include nearly 100 sub-camps, which were mostly work camps and were located throughout southern Germany and Austria. Prisoners lived in constant fear of brutal treatment and terror detention including standing cells, floggings, the so-called tree or pole hanging, and standing at attention for extremely long periods. There were 32,000 documented deaths at the camp, and thousands that are undocumented. On 14 April 1945, Himmler ordered the evacuation of the camp and the extermination of all inmates at Dachau, writing, "No prisoners shall be allowed to fall into the hands of the enemy alive." Approximately 10,000 of the 30,000 prisoners were sick at the time of liberation.

A US congressional delegation visits Buchenwald concentration camp as part of the Allied War Crimes Commission’s inspection of the liberated concentration camps.

In the skies above Germany, RAF Bomber Command sends 110 aircraft to attack Bad Oldesloe, 40 aircraft to attack Schleissheim airfield, 38 aircraft to attack Pasing, and 17 aircraft to attack Kiel. RAF Bomber Command also sends 37 aircraft to drop leaflets and medical supplies at POW camps overnight.

In the battle for Berlin, Soviet troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front (Konev) penetrate into the suburbs of Berlin from the south while the forces of the 1st Belorussian Front (Zhukov) continue attacking into the city from the east. Other Soviet units of the two fronts are moving around the city to the north and south to complete the encirclement of the city. Large parts of the German 9th Army and 4th Panzer Army, both part of German Army Group Vistula (Heinrici) are cut off to the east of Berlin as a result of the north-west advance of the Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front. The German 4th Panzer Army’s counterattack grinds to a halt and German 12th Army attacks Soviet 13th Army in a fruitless effort to relieve Berlin. The Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front heavily engaged around Brno.

Units of both US 5th Army and British 8th Army begin to cross the Po River at several points near Ferrara and to the west and the two columns make contact as British 6th Armoured Division links up with US 10th Mountain Division. Ferrara is captured. On the west coast, La Spezia falls to the US 92nd Division. The German forces are incapable of stopping the Allied advance.

The United Kingdom abolished black-out with the exception of certain coastal areas.

Pictured: Infantrymen of “D” Company, Royal Regiment of Canada, examine equipment taken from surrendering German soldiers during the advance from Hatten to Dingstede, Germany, April 24, 1945



Polish prisoners in Dachau toast their liberation from the camp on April 24, 1945. Poles constituted the largest ethnic group in the camp during the war, followed by Russians, French, Yugoslavs, Jews, and Czechs



A soldier inspects Nazi looted art found in a church in Ellingen, Germany. April 24, 1945



M24 Chaffee light tank of US Army 1st Armored Division in Bologna, Italy, late April 1945



After five and a half long years, nightly blackouts are finally lifted throughout England with the exception of certain coastal areas. Thousands of Britons died in road accidents during the Blackout, due to the lack of street lighting and dimmed traffic lights. Countless others were injured tripping, falling down steps or bumping into things because they could not see in the darkness.




Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

April 25, 1945: British 2nd Army continues attacking into Bremen. US 9th Army concludes offensive operations and patrols its zone. About 40 miles south of Berlin, US 1st Army makes contact with Soviet 5th Guards Army at Torgau on the Elbe River, splitting Germany in two. US 3rd Army probes into Czechoslovakia and closes up to the Danube River. US 7th Army also closes up to the Danube and pushes across the river. French 1st Army pushes east along the Danube and Swiss border while French Army Detachment of the Alps completes attacks against Authion massif as German 34th Infantry Division withdraws into northern Italy.

Over Germany, RAF Bomber Command sends 119 aircraft to attack Tonsberg overnight in Bomber Command's final combat operation of the war in Europe with four-engine bombers. RAF Bomber Command loses its final Lancaster bomber of the war out of more than 3,300 downed. RAF bombers attack Berchtesgaden, Germany. The US 8th Air Force conducts its last heavy bomber raid on Germany.

Soviet forces complete the encirclement of Berlin near Ketzin - the city is now completely isolated. German III.SS-Panzer Korps attempt to break this newly formed encirclement but fail. Approximately 900 aircraft of Soviet 16th Air Army attack Berlin in the afternoon while some 600 more aircraft of Soviet 16th Air Army attack Berlin in the evening. The 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian front continue to attack, from the east and south, into the city. In East Prussia, Pillau is taken by Soviet 3rd Belorussian Front. A few German troops continue to hold out at the tip of the Samland Peninsula.. Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front heavily engaged around Brno

In Italy, British 8th Army advances across the Po River and US 5th Army captures Parma and moves into Verona and Mantua. German resistance begins to collapse and significant numbers of German troops surrender. US 12th Air Force aircraft attack transportation targets and withdrawing German units and US 15th Air Force fighters attack targets throughout northern Italy.

In San Francisco, an international conference begins to draw up the constitution of a United Nations Organization.

Pictured: US Army crew of a M3 light tank taking a break after taking Coburg, Bayreuth, Germany, April 25, 1945



American soldier guarding a corner of a German prisoners of war camp near Remagen, Germany, April 25, 1945



American 2nd Lt. William Robertson and Russian Lt. Alexander Sylvashko met near Torgau, Germany, April 25, 1945



Russian soldiers with PPSh-41 submachine guns entering the Frankfurter Allee station in Berlin, Germany, April 1945

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

April 26, 1945: On the western front, British 2nd Army troops complete the capture of Bremen after the surrender of the German garrison. Patton’s US 3rd Army probes into Czechoslovakia and cross the Danube River, some units take Regensburg while other elements enter Austria. US 7th Army advances across the Danube River and liberates Allied POWs at Memmingen. In the south, the French 1st Army reaches Lake Constance and works to reduce the German forces encircled in the Black Forest. French Army Detachment of the Alps captures Larche Pass as German and Italian forces withdraw into northern Italy.

Thousands of prisoners being evacuated from Dachau by German guards die or are murdered during forced march.

On the eastern front, the Soviets continue to advance in Berlin against fierce resistance, and the Dahlem and Seimensstadt districts are captured. Soviet 1st Belorussian Front attacks the center of Berlin against ferocious resistance in bloody street fighting. German 12th Army makes unsuccessful attacks in effort to relieve Berlin, repulsed by Soviet forces. Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front units take the port of Stettin on the Baltic coast and help 4th Ukrainian Front take Brno in Czechoslovakia. Soviet 3rd Belorussian Front mops up German remnants in Samland and 20,000 German troops at Pillau, East Prussia, Germany (now Baltiysk, Russia) surrender after two weeks of heavy fighting. German 9th Army is cut off in the Halbe pocket in eastern Germany. More than 560 bombers of Soviet 18th Air Army attack Berlin

In Hitler's bunker in Berlin, Germany, Generaloberst Robert Ritter von Greim is promoted to the rank of Generalfeldmarschall and is named by Hitler as Hermann Göring's replacement. Hanna Reitsch attempts to convince Magda Goebbels at the Führerbunker in Berlin, Germany to let her take the Goebbels children to safety, but Goebbels refuses to yield. In the evening, Hitler gives Reitsch a vial of poison before sending her on a mission out of Berlin, in case of her capture by the Soviets.

In Italy, US 5th Army units head north from Verona toward the Brenner Pass and west toward Milan. The British 8th Army crosses the Adige River and moves north-east toward Venice and Trieste. Brazilian scouts detect German troops near Collecchio, Italy; Brazilian infantry supported by US tanks attacked later in the evening. US 12th Air Force aircraft attack transportation targets and withdrawing German units in limited action due to poor weather conditions, during which USAAF fighters score their final air-to-air victory over Italy. US 15th Air Force bombers attack Tarvisio in limited action due to poor weather conditions while US 15th Air Force fighters attack targets throughout northern Italy.

Pictured: Former slave workers assist British soldiers from 1st Rifle Brigade to clean their half-track, Germany, April 26, 1945



Clandestine photograph, taken by a German civilian, of Dachau concentration camp prisoners on a death march south through a village on the way to Wolfratshausen. Germany, between April 26 and 30, 1945



Two Soviet soldiers show a sergeant of the 1st U.S. Army the Red Army equivalent of a Tommy gun during the historic meeting of Allied fronts, at Torgau, Germany, April 26, 1945



Soviet and American soldiers share a dance upon their meet-up at the River Elbe near Torgau. This contact between the Soviets, advancing from the East, and the Americans, advancing from the West, meant that the two powers had effectively cut Germany in two and would be commemorated as “Elbe Day”, the 25th of April 1945. Near Torgau, Germany April 26, 1945



A Soviet SU 76 self-propelled gun fires in a Berlin street fight. April 1945

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

Yah, I'm currently planning on stopping on or just after May 8. I'll probably start up FaceBook page at the beginning of June and repost (with more data) on each date through the next year, but I'm ready for a couple weeks off...

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

April 27, 1945: With Germany divided into two pieces by US and Soviet troops and Berlin surrounded by Soviet forces, resistance from the remaining German forces begins to reduce. US 1st Army captures Kempten and Straubing in southern Germany, while US 3rd Army probes into Czechoslovakia, occupies Regensburg without opposition, and advances across the Danube. US 7th Army pushes toward Augsburg and continues to advance. French 1st Army reduces German forces encircled in the Black Forest as opposition diminishes and with German and Italian forces withdrawing from the high passes, French Army Detachment of the Alps pushes through the Alps into northwestern Italy.

As US troops approached the Kaufering complex the SS began evacuating the camps, sending the prisoners on death marches in the direction of Dachau. Those inmates who could not keep up were shot or beaten to death by the guards. When US troops enter Kaufering IV, they find 360 dead prisoners including the still smoldering corpses of 86 prisoners who died in their quarters when the SS set fire to them because these men were too ill or weak to move.

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

German 9th and 20th Armies both attempt to attack the Soviet encirclement of Berlin, but both are rebuffed by Soviet forces. Inside Berlin, Soviet forces complete the capture of Templehof airfield, with other fighting concentrated in the Spandau and Grunewald areas. The fighting in Berlin remains ferocious and bloody. Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front captures Potsdam and continues unrelenting attacks in the streets of Berlin. To the north of the capital, troops of 2nd Belorussian Front begin to advance rapidly, taking Prenzlau and Angermunde.

Soviet troops liberate 3,000 prisoners remaining at Sachsenhausen concentration camp. Of the 200,000 prisoners kept in Sachsenhausen, over half (over 100,000) were murdered..

In Italy, Mussolini - placed in power by Hitler as a puppet leader in northern Italy as the head of the Italian Social Republic - is caught by communist partisans near the village of Dongo as he and his mistress attempt to flee to Switzerland. US 5th Army enters Genoa while Brazilian infantry and US tanks drive out German troops at Collecchio and British 8th Army advances on a broad front. US 12th and 15th Air Force mostly grounded by poor weather conditions.

Pictured: Litter Bearers of the 324th Medical Battalion carry patients to the Danube River for evacuation by amphibious vehicles to an Aid Station at Heinheim, Germany, April 27, 1945



Result of “total war”, declared by Joseph Goebbels. US Staff Sergeant Francis Daggertt of the Military Police of the 11th Armored Division and the German Wehrmacht soldier, the soldier only 15 years old when captured in the German city of Kronach, April 27, 1945



A Sachsenhausen concentration camp survivor talks with Russian officers after the liberation



American soldiers of the US Army 92nd Infantry Division entering the Galleria Giuseppe Garibaldi, Genoa, Italy, April 27, 1945

Re: WWII: European Theater daily - 1944 (was Normandy Daily)

BamaFlum said:

No!!!! What about the island hopping of the Pacific?

Click to expand...

Once we took Iwo Jima, the war in the Pacific was effectively over. Bloody battles continued and many men were lost, but from Iwo we had the ability to hit Japan with medium and heavy bombers.