Year 1945

Diary for Tuesday, August 21, 1945: Home Fronts USA: All outstanding Lease-Lend contracts cancelled.

Diary for Monday, August 20, 1945: Russo-Japanese War Manchuria: Russians capture Harbin and Mukden. Burma Mountbatten broadcasts surrender instructions to Japanese forces. Home Fronts Norway – TRIAL OF QUISLING FOR

Diary for Sunday, August 19, 1945: Russo-Japanese War Manchuria: 2nd FEF captures Tsitsihar in Manchurian Plain; TBF tanks race towards the town from the West, despite pockets of fanatical Japanese

Diary for Saturday, August 18, 1945: Air War Pacific: 2 new B-32 Dominator bombers (successor of B-29 Superfortress) are attacked by 10 fighters (incl. one-eyed Zero ‘ace’ Saburo Sakai) and

Diary for August 17, 1945: Occupied countries Dutch East Indies: Sukarno proclaims ‘Provisional Indonesian Republic Government’ on Java. Home Fronts Japan: Prime Minister Higashikuni orders Army to obey Emperor’s call

Diary for Thursday, August 16, 1945: Home Fronts Japan: Emperor issues Imperial Rescript (decree) at 4pm Tokyo time ordering all Japanese forces to cease-fire. Cabinet resigns; Prince Higashikuni forms ‘caretaker’

Diary for Wednesday, August 15, 1945: Home Fronts Britain and USA: VJ-DAY (‘Victory over Japan’). National holiday in Britain. King opens new British Parliament. Japan: EMPEROR HIROHITO BROADCASTS to Japanese

Diary for Tuesday, August 14, 1945: Politics Japan accepts Allied demand for Unconditional Surrender.

Diary for Monday, August 13, 1945: Air War Pacific: Sub.-Lt. Saburo Sakai, one-eyed Zero ‘ace’ (64 victories), shoots down B-29 Superfortress near Tokyo (night August 13-14). Occupied countries Germany: French

Diary for Sunday, August 12, 1945: Korea Russians invade North Korea by land and sea. Sea War Pacific: Battleship USS Pennsylvania damaged by Japanese torpedo plane, off Okinawa.

Diary for Saturday, August 11, 1945: Politics Allies reject Japanese pre­conditions on surrender question. Home Fronts Britain: Queen Mary docks at Southampton.

Diary for Friday, August 10, 1945: Home Fronts Japan: Radio Tokyo announces that Japan is willing to surrender provided future status of the Emperor can be assured.

Diary for Thursday, August 9, 1945: Air War Pacific: DESTRUCTION OF NAGASAKI. B-29 Superfortress ‘Bock’s Car‘ drops 20-kilotonne atomic bomb (‘Fat Man‘). Area of 4 sq km destroyed. Atomic Bomb

Diary for Wednesday, August 8, 1945: Politics RUSSIA DECLARES WAR ON JAPAN (as from August 9). Home Fronts Yugoslavia: King Peter gives wide-ranging powers to Tito.

Diary for Tuesday, August 7, 1945: Home Fronts Japan: First flight of Nakajima Kikka (‘Orange Blossom’), jet­-propelled attack bomber (copy of Me 262).