Year 1945

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).

Diary for Monday, August 6, 1945: Air War Pacific – DESTRUCTION OF HIROSHIMA: B-29 Superfortress ‘Enola Gay‘ of 393rd Bomber Squadron, 509th Composite Group, 20th Air Force, commanded by Colonel

Diary for Sunday, August 5, 1945: Air War Pacific: 325 planes of US 5th and 7th AFs, based on Okinawa, raid Tarumizu, South Japan. Occupied countries Austria: Death of Emil

Diary for Saturday, August 4, 1945: Home Fronts Britain – Government appoint­ments: Minister of Health, Aneurin Bevan; Minister of Fuel and Power, Emmanuel Shinwell.

Diary for Friday, August 3, 1945: Home Fronts France: Battlecruiser Strasbourg refloated at Toulon.

Diary for Thursday, August 2, 1945: Politics Attlee, Truman and Stalin agree at Potsdam to place sharp curbs on German industrial power; USSR to annex East Prussia and Poland to

Diary for Wednesday, August 1, 1945: Air War Pacific: B-29 Superfortress bombers drop record total of 6,632 t. bombs on cities of Hachioji, Nagaoka, Mito and Thyama (latter target obliterated).

Diary for Tuesday, July 31, 1945: Sea War Cruiser Takao sunk by British frogmen with limpet mines at Singapore. Merchant shipping losses in July 1945: 0 Allied ships with 0

Diary for Monday, July 30, 1945: New Guinea Japanese 18th Army makes last stand at village of Numbogua; General Adachi orders his troops ‘to die in honourable defeat’. Sea War