 In the United States... President Roosevelt dies of a cerebral
hemorrhage at Warm Springs in Georgia. Vice-President Truman becomes President. Truman has so far had limited involvement in the work of the Roosevelt administration (he was a surprising choice as running mate in 1944) and among the subjects on which he receives his first briefing in the next few days in the atomic weapons project.
On the Western Front... US 9th Army forces cross the Elbe River near
Magdeburg, while in the rear of their advance, Brunswick falls. Troops of the US 3rd Army take
Erfurt. In the south, French units take Baden Baden. To the rear, the Ruhr pocket has been further reduced by the capture of Essen by American attacks.
In Italy... British 8th Army has three separate bridgeheads over the
Santerno. On the right of the attack, British 5th Corps is advancing along the north bank of the Reno.
In the Ryukyu Islands... Japanese Kamikaze attacks achieve hits on several of the radar picket ships as well as 2 battleships and 8 other vessels.
USS Mannert L. Abele, a destroyer, is sunk by a Japanese Baka
rocket-propelled piloted missile. The picket destroyer patrols, which provide the radar early warning of Kamikaze strikes, are vulnerable but give American fighter aircraft time to intercept the suicide planes. British carriers attack Sakashima
Gunto. On Okinawa, fighting continues on the Motobu Peninsula, in the north, and around
Kakazu, in the south, along the Japanese held Shuri Line but US 10th Army forces make little ground in these areas.
In Burma... The British 4th Corps advance continues in the Sittang Valley. There is fighting at Pyaubwe and
Yamethin. To the west of Meiktila, British 7th Indian Division from (part of British 33rd Corps) captures
Kyaukpadaung.
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