World War 2 timeline
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Battle of Halbe
The Battle of Halbe (German: Kessel von Halbe, Russian: Хальбский "котел", Halbe cauldron) lasted from April 24 - May 1, 1945 was a battle in which... Read more
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Benito Mussolini is Executed by Italian Partisans
Mussolini's death: On April 27, 1945, as Allied forces closed in on Milan, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini was captured by Italian Partisans. He... Read more
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Adolf Hitler Commits Suicide
During the night of 28 April, General Wenck reported that his Twelfth Army had been forced back along the entire front. Wenck noted that no further... Read more
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Battle of Elephant Point
On May 1, B-24 Liberators heavily bombed known Japanese defenses south of Rangoon as an Air Force observation post, a small detachment from Force... Read more
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Berlin Falls to Soviets
On the night of 1–2 May, most of the remnants of the Berlin garrison attempted to break out of the city centre in three different directions. Only... Read more
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German Forces in Northern Italy Officially Cease Hostilities with Allied Forces
On March 12, the U.S. ambassador in the USSR, W. Averell Harriman, notified Vyacheslav Molotov of the possibility of Wolff's arrival in Lugano to... Read more
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Sinking of the Cap Arcona
The Cap Arcona was a large German luxury ocean liner, formerly of the Hamburg-South America line. While heavily-laden with prisoners from Nazi... Read more
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U.S. 11th Armored Division Liberates Mauthausen Concentration Camp
During the final months before liberation, the camp's commander Franz Ziereis prepared for its defence against a possible Soviet offensive. Most of... Read more
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Polish 1st Armored Division Captures German Port of Wilhelmshaven
Towards the end of July 1944 the Polish 1st Armored Division was transferred to Normandy, where it was to prove its worth during the 1944 invasion... Read more
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Victory in Europe Day
Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day or VE Day) was on 8 May 1945, the date when the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of... Read more
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Soviet Troops Liberate Theresienstadt Concentration Camp
After again visiting the camp on April 6 and April 21, 1945, the International Red Cross took over its administration on May 2, 1945. SS... Read more
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Soviet Victory Day
The Soviet Victory Day or May 9 marks the capitulation of Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union in the Second World War (also known as the Great... Read more
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Australian Forces Begin 'Operation Oboe Six' to Retake Brunei and Labuan from Japan in Hostilities that Continued Until End of War
Operation Oboe Six was the codename for the campaign by Australian forces to retake Brunei and Labuan island from Japanese forces between 10 June... Read more
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Japanese Troops Are Defeated On Okinawa
On June 21, 1945, Japanese troops were defeated on the Pacific island of Okinawa after one of the longest and bloodiest battles of World War II.... Read more
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Okinawa Falls to U.S. Marines
Marines cleared northern Okinawa, XXIV Corps wheeled south across the narrow waist of Okinawa. The 7th and 96th Infantry Divisions encountered... Read more
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The Potsdam Conference is Held at Cecilienhof
The Potsdam Conference was held at Cecilienhof, the home of Crown Prince Wilhelm Hohenzollern, in Potsdam, occupied Germany, from July 16 to August... Read more
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United States Drops Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki
The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were nuclear attacks near the end of World War II against the Empire of Japan by the United... Read more
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V-J Day - Victory over Japan Day — World War II Ends with Japanese Surrender
Victory over Japan Day (V-J Day, also known as Victory in the Pacific Day, or V-P Day) is a name chosen for the day on which the Surrender of Japan... Read more
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The United Nations Charter is Ratified
The United Nations (UN) Charter was ratified on October 24, 1945, bringing the international body officially into existence. The term "United... Read more
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'Design For Death' is Released
An Academy Award winner for best documentary, the film opens with a notice that..."Exhibition of confiscated Japanese film material authorized by... Read more
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The Krupp Trial (or officially, The United States of America vs. Alfried Krupp, et al.)
The Krupp Trial (or officially, The United States of America vs. Alfried Krupp, et al.) was the tenth of twelve trials for war crimes that U.S.... Read more
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The High Command Trial (or, officially, The United States of America vs. Wilhelm von Leeb, et al.)
On December 23, 1947, the U.S. Military Government for Germany created Military Tribunal V-A to try the High Command Case. The 14 defendants,... Read more
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Ex-Nazi, Heinrich Boere, Sentenced to Life in Prison for War Crimes
As German authorities pursue suspected Nazi war criminals to the last, a court in Aachen convicted an 88-year-old former SS soldier on Tuesday on... Read more
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Geraldine Doyle Dies
Geraldine Hoff Doyle, the inspiration behind the now-iconic Rose the Riveter WWII poster, has died at age 86 in Michigan. The poster of a young... Read more