Year 1945

Diary for Tuesday, March 20, 1945: Russian Front Russians eliminate German bridgehead on lower Oder at Altdamm. Burma BRITISH CAPTURE MAN­DALAY. Home Fronts Britain: Death of Lord Alfred Douglas, poet […]

Diary for Monday, March 19, 1945: Air War Pacific: Carriers Wasp and Franklin severely damaged by Japanese bombers (825 killed). Sea War U-boats withdrawn from Eastern Baltic. Home Fronts Germany:

Diary for Sunday, March 18, 1945: Western Front US tanks enter Bad Kreuznach and Bingen. Air War Germany: 1,221 US bombers (25 lost) and 700 escorts (5 lost) drop 4,000

Diary for Saturday, March 17, 1945: Western Front Ludendorff Bridge collapses following repeated raids by Ar 234 jet bombers; many US engineers killed. 3rd US Army enters Koblenz.

Diary for Friday, March 16, 1945: Russian Front Hungary: Tolbukhin‘s 3rd Ukrainian Front launches major counter-attack against 6th SS Panzer Army and 3rd Hungarian Army (latter collapses). Air War Germany:

Diary for Thursday, March 15, 1945: Burma Japanese counter-attack at Meiktila (they retreat March 28). Air War Germany: Wehrmacht GHQ at Zossen, south of Berlin, pounded by 576 bombers of

Diary for Wednesday, March 14, 1945: Air War Germany: Bielefeld Viaduct smashed by 22,000-lb bomb, (‘Grand Slam‘), thereby preventing movement from the Ruhr to Remagen. Russian Front Slovakia: Russians capture

Diary for Tuesday, March 13, 1945: Burma British capture Maymyo, cutting rail communications of Japanese garrison in Mandalay.

Diary for Monday, March 12, 1945: Russian Front Zhukov takes Küstrin on the river Oder. Rokossovsky captures Tczew and reaches Gulf of Danzig, south of Gdynia. Air War Germany: 1,107

Diary for Sunday, March 11, 1945: Air War Germany: 1,055 RAF bombers dropping 4,700 t. bombs on rail targets at Essen; all produc­tion stops at Krupp’s Works. 1,000 US bombers

Diary for Saturday, March 10, 1945: Politics Roosevelt informs Spain she can expect no US aid while Franco dictatorship continues. Western Front Canadians eliminate the Wesel Pocket opposite Xanten. Kesselring

Diary for Friday, March 9, 1945: Air War Pacific: ‘MARCH FIRE BLITZ’ ON TOKYO. 279 low-flying B-29 Superfortresses drop 1,667 t. napalm and oil bombs on Tokyo (night March 9-10);

Diary for Thursday, March 8, 1945: Burma Indian tanks enter Mandalay. Western Front British 2nd Army captures Xanten: Allied armies now stand along the Rhine from Nijmegen to Koblenz. Air

Diary for Wednesday, March 7, 1945: Western Front LUDENDORFF BRIDGE CAPTURED INTACT. Bridge at Remagen over the Rhine near Bonn captured intact by US 1st Army, which immediately pours across.

Diary for Tuesday, March 6, 1945: Russian Front Poland: Rokossovsky captures encircled fortress of Grudziadz. Operation Früh­lingserwachen (‘Spring Awakening’): 6th SS Panzer Army attacks north of lake Balaton in attempt

Diary for Monday, March 5, 1945: Western Front Americans enter Cologne. Air War Germany: RAF daylight raid on Gelsenkirchen oil plant.

Diary for Sunday, March 4, 1945: Burma British 14th Army captures Meiktila, south of Mandalay. Western Front US tanks (1st US Army) reach the Rhine north of Cologne. Air War

Diary for Saturday, March 3, 1945: Western Front Canadians and Ameri­cans link up between Maas and Rhine. Philippines Japanese resistance in Manila ends. Air War Britain: 100 German night intruders

Diary for Friday, March 2, 1945: Air War Germany: 2 RAF daylight raids on Cologne. 406 USAAF bombers attacking again Dresden. Western Front 9th US Army takes Krefeld, Venlo and

Diary for Thursday, March 1, 1945: Western Front München-Gladbach captured by US 9th Army.