What Happened in Apr 1945

Apr 1945 to Jan 1946

Gerald Ford Serves on the Staff of the Naval Reserve Training Command

From the end of April 1945 to January 1946, he was on the staff of the Naval Reserve Training Command, Naval Air Station, Glenview, Illinois as the... Read more

Apr 1945

Ravensbrück Concentration Camp is Liberated by Soviet Troops

Camp authorities initiated a second round of killings at such “euthanasia” killing centers later in 1942, continuing until 1944. During this phase,... Read more

Apr 1945

Partisan Units Liberate Jasenovac Concentration Camp from the Ustaše

In April 1945, as Partisan units approached the camp, the Ustaše camp supervisors attempted to erase traces of the atrocities by working the death... Read more

Apr 2 1945 to Apr 13 1945

Vienna Offensive

On April 2, 1945, Vienna Radio denied that the Austrian capital has been declared an open city. On the same day, Soviet troops approached Vienna... Read more

Apr 4 1945

U.S. 89th Infantry Division Liberates Ohrdruf, the First Sub-Camp of Buchenwald Concentration Camp Complex

. . .the most interesting--although horrible--sight that I encountered during the trip was a visit to a German internment camp near Gotha. The... Read more

Apr 7 1945

Operation Ten-Go

Operation Ten-Go (天號作戰 (Kyūjitai) or 天号作戦 (Shinjitai), Ten-gō Sakusen?) was the last major Japanese naval operation in the Pacific Theater of World... Read more

Apr 12 1945

Westerbok Concentration Camp is Liberated by the Canadian 2nd Infantry Division

The Westerbork camp had a "double life." While most inmates stayed in the camp for only short periods of time before being deported, there was also... Read more

Apr 12 1945

Franklin D. Roosevelt Dies

On March 30, 1945, Roosevelt went to Warm Springs to rest before his anticipated appearance at the founding conference of the United Nations. On... Read more

Apr 15 1945

Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp is Liberated by British Forces

On April 15, 1945, British forces liberated Bergen-Belsen. The British found around sixty thousand prisoners in the camp, most of them seriously... Read more

Apr 15 1945

Edward R. Murrow Reports From the Liberation of Buchenwald

I asked to see one of the barracks. It happened to be occupied by Czechoslovaks. When I entered, men crowded around, tried to lift me to their... Read more

Apr 16 1945

Jackie Robinson tries out for Boston Red Sox

Jackie Robinson and two other black players, Sam Jethroe and Marvin Williams, participate in a Boston Red Sox tryout at Fenway Park. The Red Sox... Read more

Apr 16 1945

Battle of the Oder-Neisse Begins as Soviets Approach Berlin

The Battle of the Oder-Neisse is the German name for the initial (operational) phase of one of the last two strategic offensives conducted by the... Read more

Apr 18 1945

Allied Forces Clear the Ruhr Pocket

The first step in realizing Eisenhower's plan was the eradication of the Ruhr Pocket. Even before the encirclement had been completed, the Germans... Read more

Apr 18 1945

U.S. Marines Clear Motubu Penninsula after Heavy Fighting

The main landing was made by XXIV Corps and III Amphibious Corps on the Hagushi beaches on the western coast of Okinawa on L-Day, April 1, which... Read more

Apr 20 1945

Soviet Forces Begin Shelling of Berlin

The amount of equipment deployed for the Berlin operation was so huge I simply cannot describe it and I was there......... Read more

Apr 22 1945

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp is Liberated by the Red Army and the Polish 2nd Infantry Division of Ludowe Wojsko Polskie

Soviet forces liberated the Sachsenhausen camp itself on April 22, 1945. They found only about 3,000 ill and weak prisoners in the camp.... Read more