85% of Yokohama was destroyed in a B-29 raid.
The second Sandakan Death March begins in which the Japanese guards commence a force march of Allied POWs in Borneo.
The French Army shelled Damascus and Hama.
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The USS Drexler was sunk in a kamikaze attack. 100 Japanese aircraft were shot down on the same day, bringing to an end the Japanese air offensive.
William Joyce, "Lord Haw Haw", was arrested by the British in Flensburg.
Queen Wilhelmina returned to the Netherlands.
The Royal Navy stopped the convoy system in the Atlantic, Arctic and Indian Oceans.
Admiral Halsey, commanding US 3rd Fleet, took command of American naval forces operating against targets in Japan.
French forces and Syrians engaged in combat against each other.
John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival was born.
It was Memorial Day.
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Chinese troops completed the occupation of Nanning, the capital of Kwangsi Province, cutting off the main Japanese supply route from French Indochina, Thailand, Malaya and Burma.
The Chinese 6th Army was air transported from Burma to China, the first time an entire army was moved by air.
Heavy fighting occurred on Okinawa. Off of Okinawa the USS Drexler was sunk by Japanese aircraft.
Rudolf Querner, age 51, German SS officer and police leader committed suicide as the odd process of Germany somewhat denazifying itself continued to occur in this fashion.
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The Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) was transferred from Rheims to Frankfurt-am-Main.
The Saturday Evening Post featured Norman Rockwell's "GI Homecoming" illustration that was soon used for a war bond poster. It features in one of Sarah Sundin's articles on her blog site, and this is directly linked into that:
Extremely poignant, there's a lot going on in the illustration, from the "girl next door" peeking around the corner, to the fact that the returning soldier is returning to an extremely urban, and not very attractive apartment building, something very common of urban life at the time.
The Berlin Philharmonic gave its first performance since the end of the war in Europe.
Allied forces occupied Bassein, Burma.
It was my father's 16th birthday.
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The Battle of Odžak between Yugoslav (communist) partisans and the fascist Croatian Armed Forces ended in a Yugoslav partisan victory. Fighting ended in Europe.
The American armed forces Chiefs of Staff set November 1, 1945 as the start date for the invasion of Japan.
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The plot centers around a whirlwind romance of a soldier on leave and a woman he meets, taking place in 48 hours. They meet and marry in that time frame.
Suffice it to say, a marriage contracted that rapidly would be risky.
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The 10th Army crossed the Asato and entered Naha on Okinawa. The Japanese landed paratroopers on Yontan airfield and destroyed a large number of aircraft.
Australian troops surrounded Wewak on New Guinea.
Tokyo was heavily hit in a US incendiary rai
Field Marshall Robert Ritter von Greim, age 52, the last commander of the Luftwaffe committed suicide. Von Greim had been a pilot in World War One and was a recipient of the Blue Max.
De Gaulle awarded Montgomery the Grande Croix of the Legion d'Honneur
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Winston Churchill resigned as Prime Minister, forming a caretaker government in anticipation of July 5 elections.
The elections would be the first in a decade.
The German Flensburg government is arrested and deposed by the Allies.
Himmler committed suicide. So did German admiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg, who became a POW during the British occupation of Flensburg.
Julius Streicher was arrested in Bavaria.
US attacks on Yokohama bring shipping from the city to an end.
The United Nations Conference in San Francisco approved veto rights for China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States on the Security Council.
It was a Churchill ordered study for a war against the Soviet Union, in aid of Poland, coming right after World War Two.
Unthinkable in deed, it likely would have been a massive failure. By 1945 the Western Allies were fatigued and the concept that "moral remained high" was assuming a lot. The American public, which had been lead to believe that the Soviets were more or less like us, just misunderstood, would not have tolerated a war against the USSR. Indeed, the American public largely ignored the Soviets until the Berlin Blockade, which came as a shock. The British public was so sick of things that Churchill lost power on July 5, 1945. The Labour Party had withdrawn support for the coalition government which Churchill governed the day prior.
OPERATION UNTHINKABLE
REPORT BY THE JOINT PLANNING STAFF
We have examined Operation Unthinkable. As instructed, we have taken the following assumptions on which to base our examination:
The undertaking has the full support of public opinion in the British Empire and the United States and consequently, the morale of British and American troops continues high.
Great Britain and the United States have full assistance from the Polish armed forces and can count upon the use of German manpower and what remains of German industrial capacity.
No credit is taken for assistance from the forces of the other Western Powers, although any bases in their territory, or other facilities which may be required, are made available
Russia allies herself with Japan.
The date for the opening of hostilities is 1st July, 1945.
Redeployment and release schemes continue till 1st July and then stop.
Owing to the special need for secrecy, the normal staff in Service Ministries have not been consulted.
OBJECT
The overall or political object is to impose upon Russia the will of the United States and British Empire.
Even though ‘the will’ of these two countries may be defined as no more than a square deal for Poland, that does not necessarily limit the military commitment. A quick success might induce the Russians to submit to our will at least for the time being; but it might not. That is for the Russians to decide. If they want total war, they are in a position to have it.
The only way we can achieve our object with certainty and lasting results is by victory in a total war but in view of what we have said in paragraph 2 above, on the possibility of quick success, we have thought it right to consider the problem on two hypotheses:-
That a total war is necessary, and on this hypothesis we have examined our chances of success.
That the political appreciation is that a quick success would suffice to gain our political object and that the continuing commitment need not concern us.
TOTAL WAR
Apart from the chances of revolution in the USSR and the political collapse of the present regime – on which we are not competent to express an opinion – the elimination of Russia could only be achieved as a result of:
the occupation of such areas of metropolitan Russia that the war making capacity of the country would be reduced to a point at which further resistance became impossible.
Such a decisive defeat of the Russian forces in the field as to render it impossible for the USSR to continue the war.
Occupation of Vital Areas of Russia
The situation might develop in such a way that Russians succeeded in withdrawing without suffering a decisive defeat. They would then presumably adopt the tactics which they had employed so successfully against the Germans and in previous wars of making use of the immense distances with which their territory provides them. In 1941 the Germans reached the Moscow area, the Volga and the Caucasus, but the technique of factory evacuation, combined with the development of new resources and Allied assistance, enabled the U.S.S.R. to continued fighting.
There was virtually no limit to the distance to which it would be necessary for the Allies to penetrate into Russia in order to render further resistance impossible. It is far as, or as quickly as, the Germans in 1942 and this penetration no decisive result.
Decisive Defeat of the Russian Forces
Details of the present strengths and dispositions of the Russian and Allied forces are given in Annexes II and III and illustrated maps A and B. The existing balance of strength in Central Europe, where the Russians enjoy a superiority of approximately three to one, makes it most unlikely that the Allies could achieve a complete and decisive victory in that area in present circumstances. Although Allied organisation is better, equipment slightly better and morale higher, the Russians have proved themselves formidable opponents of the Germans. They have competent commanders, adequate equipment and an organisation which though possibly inferior by our standards, has stood the test. On the other hand, only about one third of their divisions are of a high standard, the others being considerably inferior and with overall mobility well below that of the Allies.
To achieve the decisive defeat of Russia in a total war would require, in particular, the mobilisation of manpower to counteract their present enormous manpower resources. This is a very long term project and would involve:-
The deployment in Europe of a large proportion of the vast resources of the United States.
The re-equipment and re-organisation of German manpower and of all the Western Allies.
Conclusions
We conclude that:-
That if our political object is to be achieved with any certainty and with lasting results, the defeat of Russia in a total war will be necessary.
The result of a total war with Russia is not possible to forecast, but the one thing certain is that to win it would take us a very long time.
QUICK SUCCESS
It might, however, be considered, as result of a political appreciation, that a quick and limited military success would result in Russia accepting out terms.
Before a decision to open hostilities were made, full account would have to taken of the following:-
If this appreciation is wrong and the attainment of whatever limited objective we may set ourselves does not cause Russia to submit to our terms, we may, in fact, be committed to a total war.
It will not be possible to limit hostilities to any particular area. While we are in progress, therefore, we must envisage a world-wide struggle.
Even if all goes according to plan, we shall not have achieved, from the military point of view, a lasting result. The military power of Russia will not be broken and it will be open to her to recommence the conflict at any time she sees fit.
Assuming, however, that it is decided to risk military action on a limited basis, accepting the dangers set out above, we have examined what action we could take in order to inflict such a blow upon the Russians as would cause them to accept our terms, even though they would not have been decisively defeated and, from the military point of view, would still be capable of continuing the struggle.
Churchill had a penchant for such things. While he was correct about the dangers the USSR posed, fanciful planning was something he had a taste for, and not always wise fanciful planning.
The Battle of the Hongorai River in New Guinea ended in Australian victory.
The UK cut rations of bacon, cooking fats and soaps in recognition of the distressed condition of Europe. POWs would also receive ration cuts.
President Truman reports to Congress on the Lend-Lease program as of March, 1945. The UK had received supplies worth $12,775,000,000 and the USSR $8,409,000,000.
Reverse Lend-Lease from the UK had amounted to about$5,000,000,000 in the same period. The existence of Reverse Lend Lease is typically ignored. The UK, it should be noted, also supplied materials to the Soviet Union.
US forces entered Yonabaru, Okinawa and captured Conical Hill.
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The Polish Home Army attacked the NKVD Camp in Rembertów and freed political prisoners held there.
The Labour Party withdrew from the government forcing the UK into elections.
Today in World War II History—May 21, 1940 & 1945: Heinrich Himmler is arrested by the British in Bremervörde, Germany, disguised as a businessman.
Demanding full independence, Syria and Lebanon break off negotiations with France.
The 31st Division captured the Japanese supply base at Malaybalay on Mindanao.
Humphrey Bogart married Lauren Bacall.
It was his fourth marriage. They had met just that year when she was 19 and he was 44. They'd remain married until his death at age 57.
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Chocolate Drop Hill on Okinawa was taken by U.S. troops. The final fighting was in interconnected tunnels.
The 1st Marine Division captured Wana Ridge on Okinawa. Marines also conducted mopping up operations on Horseshoe and Half Moon using flamethrowers, resulting in a desperate Japanese counterattack that ends with 200 Japanese troops killed.
The US took Malaybalay on Mindanao.
The Japanese Army evacuated Hochih, China as the Imperial Japanese General Staff decided to deploy forces closer to the Japanese Home Islands.
The Japanese had secured enormous territorial gains in China with a just completed offensive, and yet there was a massive amount of China left, the same problem the Japanese had been faced with since 1932 when they first began to fight in the country. In many ways, for the Japanese, World War Two was principally about China, and now it was faced with the reality that being tied down there was contributing enormously to its losing in the war.
The Soviets appointed Soviet authorities appointed Dr. Arthur Werner as the Oberbergermeister of the Berlin. The appointment would be shortly confirmed by the Western Allies.
He was not a Communist and had not been a Nazi. An engineer, he had lost his teaching position in 1942.
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The Australians took Tarakan Island.
More heavy fighting occurred on Okinawa.
The Czechoslovak Extraordinary People's Court distributed over twenty thousand sentences - seven percent of them being for life or the death sentence - to "traitors, collaborators and fascist elements."
Philipp Bouhler, age 45, Nazi official and philosopher committed suicide with a cyanide capsule while in a U.S. internment camp.
French troops landed in Syria and Lebanon to reassert control over the region. The landings sparked protests from Arab nationalists.
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