Year 1945

Diary for Wednesday, May 2, 1945: Russian Front STALIN ANNOUNCES FALL OF BERLIN in Order of the Day No. 359: ‘Troops of the 1st Belorussian Front, commanded by Marshal Zhukov […]

Diary for Tuesday, May 1, 1945: Russian Front Battle of Berlin: Goebbels and wife Madga poison their 6 children before committing suicide. Russians capture Charlottenburg and Schoeneburg districts. Home Fronts

Diary for Monday, April 30, 1945: Western Front Munich captured by US 7th Army. Russian Front Hitler and Eva Braun commit suicide in Führerbunker beneath Reichs Chancellery, Berlin, at 3.30

Diary for Sunday, April 29, 1945: Italy SURRENDER OF 1 MILLION GERMAN TROOPS IN NORTHERN ITALY AND AUSTRIA, signed in secret at Caserta, near Naples (effective May 2). Western Front

Diary for Saturday, April 28, 1945: Occupied countries Italy: MUSSOLINI AND HIS MISTRESS, CLARA PETACCI, CAPTURED AND SHOT by Communist Partisan leader ‘Colonel Valerio’ (Walter Audisio) at Dongo (Lake Como).

Diary for Friday, April 27, 1945: Russian Front Battle of Berlin: Russians capture suburbs of Potsdam, Spandau and Rathenow; central districts of Neuköln and Tempelhof. Western Front Bremen captured by

Diary for Thursday, April 26, 1945: Russian and Western Front RUSSIAN AND AMERICAN FORCES LINK UP at Torgau on the Elbe. Western Front Patton crosses Danube in Regensburg sector. Russian

Diary for Wednesday, April 25, 1945: Russian Front Battle of Berlin: Zhukov and Konev forces near Potsdam to complete their ‘iron ring’ around the city. Air War Germany: 381 RAF

Diary for Tuesday, April 24, 1945: Russian Front Battle of Berlin: Konev‘s and Zhukov’s troops link up in southern suburbs. Western Front British troops reach Bremen. Italy La Spezia naval

Diary for Monday, April 23, 1945: Russian Front Frankfurt-on-Oder captured by Zhukov. Occupied countries Czechoslovakia: Government-in­-Exile calls for final national uprising. Home Fronts Britain: Black-out restric­tions cancelled. Italy British 8th

Diary for Sunday, April 22, 1945: Russian Front Battle of Berlin: Russians capture Weissensee district. Hitler decides to remain in Berlin. Italy US 5th Army reaches river Po at Ostiglia.

Diary for Saturday, April 21, 1945: Russian Front BATTLE OF BERLIN. ZHUKOV‘S TROOPS ENTER SUBURBS. Konev attacks north of Dresden. Western Front French occupy Stuttgart. Italy ALLIES CAPTURE BOLOGNA. General

Diary for Friday, April 20, 1945: Western Front ‘Stars and Stripes’ raised over rostrum of Nuremberg Stadium ­scene of Nazi Party rallies. Lattre de Tassigny’s French 1st Army execute rapid

Diary for Thursday, April 19, 1945: Okinawa US 24th Corps, 10th Army, launches general assault on outer defenses of ‘Shuri Line’, in the south, after preparatory bombardment by 139 planes,

Diary for Wednesday, April 18, 1945: Western Front 370,000-strong Army Group B. surrenders in Ruhr ‘Pocket’; Field Marshal Model commits suicide. Royal Engineers begin constructing Bailey Bridge over the Rhine,