Chronology of World War II

Sunday, July 1, 1945

In the Greater Sunda Islands... On Borneo, the reinforced Australian 7th Division (General Milford) land at Balikpapan with 33,000 troops. Three escort carriers provide naval air support to the landing for the first three days ashore. The Balikpapan region is one of the richest oil-producing areas in Asia.

In China... Chinese forces liberate Liuchow.

Over Japan... Some 550 B-29 Superfortress bombers -- the greatest number yet to be engaged -- drop 4000 tons of incendiary bombs on the Kure naval base, Shimonoseki, Ube and Kumanoto, on western Kyushu.

In Occupied Germany... British troops withdraw from Magdeburg, which now becomes part of the Soviet occupation zone.

Monday, July 2, 1945

In Japan... The submarine USS Barb fires rockets on Kaihyo Island, off the east coast of Karafuto (Sakhalin) Island. It is the first American underwater craft to fire rockets in shore bombardment. Meanwhile, Japanese sources report that only 200,000 people remain in Tokyo. All others have been evacuated to safer areas. The Japanese claim that some 5 million civilians have been killed or wounded by American fire-bombs.

In the Greater Sunda Islands... Australian forces seize the oil facilities at Balikpapan.

In the Ryukyu Islands... American military operations are officially concluded.

From London... Mountbatten is ordered to launch Operation Zipper, the liberation of Malaya, in August.

Tuesday, July 3, 1945

In the Soviet Union... Moscow radio announces that the body of Joseph Goebbels, the former Nazi minister of propaganda, has been discovered in the courtyard of the Chancellery in Berlin.

In Occupied Germany... The first American occupation troops arrive in Berlin. Meanwhile, Ernst Wilhelm Bohle, nominated by Hitler in 1940 to be Gauleiter of Britain, is captured by Allied troops.

In the Greater Sunda Islands... On Borneo, in the southeast, troops of the reinforced Australian 7th Division landed at Balikpapan take Sepinggang airfield as well as the town. The Australian forces have advance 6 miles inland, east of Balikpapan, which is almost surrounded.

Over Japan... American B-29 bombers attack Himeji, on Honshu, and the towns of Takamatsu, Tokushima and Kochi, on Shikoku Island, to the south of Honshu.

Wednesday, July 4, 1945

In Manila... General MacArthur announces that the Philippines have been completely liberated.

In the Philippines... On Mindanao, the US 24th Division organizes an amphibious expeditionary force to liberate Sarangani Bay, in the south of the island, south of Davao. Filipino guerrilla forces assist in clearing out the Japanese pockets of resistance.

In Occupied Germany... In Berlin, rumors that Hitler is still alive start to spread. Meanwhile, several thousand civilians in the city watch the arrival of the British occupation force. The British 11th Hussars, the Armoured Car Regiment of the the British 7th Armoured Division (General L. O. Lyne) -- the "Desert Rats" -- arrived after a 14-hour, 120 mile (almost 200 km) march from the British occupation zone. They were held up for three hours at Magdeburg waiting for the Red Army forces to give them permission to enter the Soviet zone.

Thursday, July 5, 1945

In Britain... The British general election is held. The results are not available until July 26th because of the time taken to bring home and count votes of the soldiers serving abroad.

In Washington... It is announced that General Spaatz will lead the US Strategic Air Force in the campaign against Japan.

In London and Washington... Britain and the United States recognize a new Polish government of National Unity. Mikolajczyk, former leader of the London based Polish government in exile, is one of the deputy premiers.

In the Greater Sunda Islands... On Borneo, reinforcements for troops of the Australian 7th Division are landed near Penadjim Point in Balikpapan Bay. Australian forces have cleared most of the oil producing area in the immediate vicinity.

In Australia... The Prime Minister, John Curtin, dies at the age of 60. He has headed the government since 1941. F.M. Forde is appointed as the interim prime minister.

Friday, July 6, 1945

In Occupied Germany... In Berlin, the Allied occupation forces hold a victory parade. At 1430 a warrant officer of the British Guards hoisted the Union Jack over Berlin at the German victory column, near the Brandenburg Gate. The ceremony took place in the presence of officers and troops of the American, British, French and Soviet armies.

In Washington... The American chiefs of staff authorize a special operation, known as Overcast, which is intended to exploit "chosen, rare minds whose continuing intellectual productivity we wish to use" from among German scientists.

In Managua... Nicaragua becomes the first state to ratify the United Nations Charter.

In China... General Claire Chennault resigns his command of the US 14th Army Air Force in protest to plans to disband it.

In Burma... Japanese forces strike at British forward positions in the Sittang river bend east of Pegu but fail to make significant gains. Heavy casualties are reportedly inflicted on the Japanese. A Japanese attack on the Mawchi road, 24 miles east of Toungoo is defeated.

Over Japan... Some 600 US B-29 Superfortress bombers struck Osaka, Kofu, Chiba, Shimizu (near Tokyo), Shimotsu and Akashi, all on Honshu. Nearly 4000 tons of bombs are dropped.

Saturday, July 7, 1945

In the Greater Sunda Islands... On Borneo, Troops of the Australian 7th Division continue to advance inland. On the eastern shore of Balikpapan Bay, Dutch and native Dutch East Indian troops (reported to be in action for the first time) are assisting the Australians. The Allied forces are closing in on the last remaining Japanese-held oil refineries, particularly the Pandarasi refinery. Fighting on the coast, east of Balikpapan continue to encounter heavy Japanese opposition. It is reported that about 3000 Japanese dead have been counted in southeastern Borneo and 274 Japanese have been taken prisoner. Australian casualties are listed as 214 killed, 22 missing and 430 wounded.

In the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea... US Navy Privateer patrol bombers (modified B-24 bombers) damage or sink numerous small Japanese vessels.

Sunday, July 8, 1945

In the United States... At Camp Salina, Utah, an American guard (Clarence V. Bertucci) opens fire on German prisoners of war. During the night, the 23-year-old army private climbed the guard tower with a .30 caliber machine gun. He looked across the tent city where the 250 Germans slept. Then, for the next 15 seconds, he riddled the 43 tents from left to right. The shooting stopped only when the gun ran out of ammunition. Eight Germans were killed and twenty more were wounded. The victims were laid to rest at Fort Douglas and given a proper military funeral. Bertucci showed no remorse for what he done. He said he hated Germans, and wanted to kill them. This is considered the worst massacre at a POW camp in the history of the USA.

In Burma... British Sergeant Simon Eden (aged 20), of the Royal Air Force, and son of the British Foreign Secretary, is listed as missing in action.

In the Philippines... On Mindanao, fighting continues in the Sarangani Bay area. Filipino guerrillas under American leadership engage the Japanese.

In the Greater Sunda Islands... On Borneo, Australian troops land at Penajam.

Monday, July 9, 1945

In Paris... President de Gaulle proposes a national referendum to decide the system of government of France.

In the South Atlantic... The Brazilian cruiser Bahia sinks after experiencing an explosion of unknown origin (294 killed).

In the Greater Sunda Islands... Dutch troops land north of Balikpapan, completing the encirclement of the bay.

In Japan... American bombers strike two airfields near Tokyo.

In Perth... An crowd estimated to number 30,000 line the streets for the funeral procession of John Curtin, the late Australian prime minister.

In China... Chinese forces capture the Tanchuk airbase. Chinese forces advancing rapidly eastward in southern Kwangsi province have severed the last link between the Japanese army in China and the garrison in Indochina. With Nanning and Luichow recaptured, Chinese units now again control the three US 14th Army Air Force bases lost last year.

Tuesday, July 10, 1945

In Argentina... The German submarine U-530, missing since the end of April, surfaces at Mar del Plata, south of Buenos Aires, sparking off speculation that it ferried high-ranking Nazi officials to sanctuary in South America.

In Japan... US Task Force 38 aircraft, 1022 in all, raid 70 air bases in the Tokyo area, destroying 173 Japanese planes. Only light anti-aircraft fire is encountered. This is the first time that elements of the US 3rd Fleet have attacked Tokyo. Included in the task force carrying out the raids are the aircraft carriers Lexington, Essex, Independence and San Jacinto, the battleships Indiana, Massachusetts, South Dakota and Iowa, the cruisers Chicago, San Juan, Springfield and Atlanta and 14 destroyers. Tokyo radio refers to the "dark shadow of invasion" in mention of the raid.

In the Greater Sunda Islands... On Borneo, Australian forces advance east of Balikpapan but are halted by Japanese barriers of burning petrol.

Wednesday, July 11, 1945

In Occupied Germany... The first meeting of the Inter-Allied Council for Berlin takes place. The Soviets agree to turn over administration of the allocated areas to the British and Americans who have themselves made arrangements to allocate some of their sectors to the French.

In Britain... The redeployment of 2118 4-engined bombers of the US 8th Air Force, to the USA (en route for the Pacific theater) begins. It is completed in 51 days.

In Canada... The Liberal Party, led by William Mackenzie King, wins the general election. The Liberals win 119 seats in the Parliament, the Progressive Conservative Party wins 65, the CCF wins 28. Others win 33 seats. Mackenzie King, the Prime Minister, and leader of the Liberal Party, is defeated in the riding of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. He is reelected in a by-election on August 6, 1945.

In the Philippines... On Luzon, Americans forces drop thousands of napalm bombs on Japanese pockets on the Sierra Madre and in the Kiangan area.

In the Indian Ocean... British carrier aircraft are launched on a raid to bomb Japanese airfields on the island of Sumatra in the Dutch East Indies.

Thursday, July 12, 1945

In Occupied Germany... In Berlin, British Field Marshal Montgomery, standing beneath the Brandenburg Gate, awarded Soviet Marshal Zhukov with the Grand Cross of the Order of Bath. Acting as the representative of the King, Montgomery also awarded Marshal Rokossovsky with the KCB and Generals Sokolovsky and Malinin with the KBE. The British King's Company of the Grenadier Guards formed the guard of honor and tanks of the King's 8th Royal Irish Hussars were drawn up on either side. The ceremony was held in front of a banner proclaiming "Glory to the Soviet forces who planted the flag of victory over Berlin."

In Paris... Concentration camp survivors carry a large cross through the city in memory of French victims of Nazism.

In the Greater Sunda Islands... On Borneo, there is an Allied landing near Andus. Australian troops take Maradi in the north of the island.

In the Philippines.... On Luzon, American forces drop napalm on Japanese pockets of resistance.

Over Japan... Targets on the Japanese home islands of Shikoku and Honshu are heavily bombed.

Friday, July 13, 1945

In Moscow... At a hastily arranged meeting between the Japanese ambassador, Naotake Sato, and the Soviet commissar for foreign affairs, Molotov, it is believed that a request was made to the Soviet Union to sound out Britain and the United States about negotiations for surrender.

In Occupied Germany... In Berlin, the municipal council officially confiscates all property held by members of the NSDAP, the Nazi Party. Meanwhile, on the eve of the dissolution of SHAEF, General Eisenhower issues a farewell message to all members of the Allied Expeditionary Force. "No praise is too high," says the message, "for the manner in which you surmounted every obstacle."

In Rome... The Italian government declares war on Japan.

In Washington... The American government admits responsibility for sinking the Japanese relief ship Awa Maru in what is claimed to be an error.

In Australia... Ben Chifley, the Treasurer, is selected to be Prime Minister in place of the deceased John Curtin, an the interim prime minister F.M. Forde.

Saturday, July 14, 1945

In Japan... Over 1000 US naval aircraft raid Hokkaido and the port of Kamaishi. Also, the American battleships South Dakota, Indiana and Massachusetts, as well as 2 heavy cruisers and 4 destroyers, bombard the Kamaishi steel works in the first naval gunfire directed against the Japanese home islands.

In the Greater Sunda Islands... On Borneo, Australian troops advanced past the Manggar airfield east of Balikpapan and have penetrated the Japanese defenses in the Macassar Strait coastal belt which was recently intensely resisted.

In Occupied Germany... In Konigsee, General Eisenhower announces the closure of SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force) and eases some of the restrictions on private contact between American soldiers and German civilians. The carefully-defined limits to fraternization are part of a scheme prepared by Eisenhower, to be presented as part of an Allied plan for unified control of the country. Fraternization is forbidden in the British Army. Meanwhile, the French flag was formally unfurled today at the summit of the Victory Column in Berlin which commemorates the German victory in the Franco-Prussian War in 1871.

Sunday, July 15, 1945

In London... The West End lights up again, ending over 2000 days of blackout and dim-out.

In Brussels... King Leopold III repeats his refusal to abdicate.

In Japan... American naval vessels bombard Muroran, the second biggest steel center in Japan, lying in Volcano Bay on the east side of the island of Hokkaido. Three battleships bombarded the Muroran and some 1000 carrier planes bombed the cities of Hakodati, Otaru, Abashiri, Kushiro, Asahigawa and Obihiro, all on Hokkaido.

Over Japan... American B-29 Superfortress bombers, based in the Marianna Islands, raided an oil refinery at Kudamatsu on Honshu Island while fighters and bombers from Okinawa attacked objectives on Kyushu and southern Honshu.

In the Greater Sunda Islands... On Borneo, Australian troops capture Mount Batochampar, which was a key Japanese defensive position.

Monday, July 16, 1945

In the United Sates... The world's first atomic bomb is exploded at Alamagordo in New Mexico (the Trinity test) at 1730 hours. The steel tower, on which the Plutonium fueled device was mounted, is vaporized by the heat of the explosion (which is greater than the temperature of the inside the of sun). The detonation is visible and audible up to 180 miles away. It is estimated that the blast generated by the explosion is equal to that yielded by between 15,000-20,000 tons of TNT.

In Occupied Germany... The American and British delegations to the Potsdam Conference arrive in Berlin, led by President Truman and Prime Minister Churchill, respectively.

Over Japan... A force of 500 B-29 Superfortress bombers strike targets on Honshu and Kyushu. In total, over 1500 American planes attack raid various objectives on the Japanese home islands during the day.

In China... Japanese units begin pulling out of Amoy, in the south.

Tuesday, July 17, 1945

In Occupied Germany... The Potsdam Conference (code named Terminal), informally named after the small town near Berlin in which it takes place, begins as the last of the leaders arrives. Marshal Stalin arrived in Berlin and the conference of the Big Three (Britain, the Soviet Union and the United States) began in the afternoon. President Truman is invited to preside over the meeting.

In Japan... The first Anglo-American carrier air strike on the Tokyo area is conducted by the forces of the British Pacific Fleet (Admiral Sir Bernard Rawlings), designated Task Force 37, and the US 3rd Fleet (Admiral Halsey) During the night (July 17-18), the HMS King George V and 5 US battleships bombard Hitachi on Honshu. The Allied battleships fire some 2000 tons of shells on Hitachi in fifty minutes.

In Britain... German Field Marshal Busch, the former commander of Army Group Center on the Eastern Front, dies at the military hospital in Notts at age 60. Meanwhile, the King, Queen and Princess Elizabeth visit Ulster.

Wednesday, July 18, 1945

In Canada... In Halifax, Nova Scotia, 15 people are killed by an explosion at the Royal Canadian Navy arsenal. Firemen narrowly averted the cataclysmic detonation of the main magazine, containing about 6000 tons of ammunition, vast numbers of depth charges and mines.

In Brazil... The Brazilian Expeditionary Force, which fought with the Allied forces in Italy, parades through Rio de Janeiro, on it return.

In Occupied Germany... The Potsdam Conference continues. Churchill, Truman and Stalin confer on politics and strategy, in a town near Berlin. The leaders met for their second plenary session in the Cecilienhof, an 18th century palace. President Truman informed Prime Minister Churchill that the atomic bomb test had been successful in a cryptic note, "Babies satisfactorily born." American interest in Soviet participation in the war against Japan has been noticeably lessened.

In Brussels... The Belgian Senate votes to forbid the return of King Leopold III.

In Italy... Captured German mines explode accidentally, destroying an American Red Cross club and killing 36 people.

In Wake Island... Aircraft from the American carrier Wasp attack Japanese positions.

In the Greater Sunda Islands... On Borneo, patrols from the Australian 7th Division find that the Japanese have evacuated the Sambodja oil fields.

In Japan... The battleship Nagato, which has been reduced service as a floating antiaircraft battery, is damaged by American planes at Yokosuka. Allied air and naval forces strike numerous other targets in the Tokyo area and encounter almost no opposition.

In China... Some 200 B-24 and B-25 bombers of the US Far East Air Force, based in Okinawa, bomb Kiangwan airfield near Shanghai.

Thursday, July 19, 1945

Over Japan... The USAAF struck the cities of Choshi, Hitachi, Fukui and Okazaki with 600 B-29 Superfortress bombers dropping some 4000 tons of bombs. It is largest employment of the bomber type yet.

In China... The American Far East Air Force bombs four Japanese air bases in the Shanghai area.

In Burma... Japanese units begin an all out effort to breakout of their encircled positions.

In the Greater Sunda Islands... On Borneo, Australian forces have occupied without opposition the oil center of Samboja, northeast of Balikpapan.

In Washington... Congress ratifies the Bretton Woods monetary agreement.

In Occupied Germany... The Potsdam Conference continues. Churchill, Truman and Stalin confer on politics and strategy, in a town near Berlin.

Friday, July 20, 1945

In Occupied Germany... The Potsdam Conference continues. Churchill, Truman and Stalin confer on politics and strategy, in a town near Berlin. Truman says that the Allies are making no territorial claims, wanting only peace, prosperity and "man's greatest age." Meanwhile, a flag which will fly over Tokyo when Japan is defeated was hoisted in Berlin today in the presence of President Truman.

In Brussels... The Belgian premier, Achille Acker, tells King Leopold III that he should abdicate because of his "grave and unpardonable mistakes."

In Washington... Congress votes to increase the lending ceiling of the Export-Import Bank from $700 million to $3.5 billion. The United States Senate passes the Bretton Woods Bill by a vote of 61 to 16.

In the Philippines... American forces land on Balut Island, at the entrance to Sarangani Bay of Mindanao. The small Japanese garrison is eliminated.

Over Japan... About 80 P-51 Mustang fighters, flying from Iwo Jima, strike targets in central Honshu.

Over China... For the second consecutive day, more than 200 Allied bombers, flying from Okinawa, attack Japanese airfields in the area of Shanghai.

Saturday, July 21, 1945

In Occupied Germany... The Potsdam Conference continues. Churchill, Truman and Stalin confer on politics and strategy, in a town near Berlin. Although very little information about the progress of the Big Three Conference is being made public, it is reported that much has been done. The leaders have spent an average of almost 3 hours together since their first meeting on Tuesday and there are also frequent and lengthy meetings between the foreign affairs ministers (Eden, Byrnes and Molotov), committees and subcommittees of experts. In a private meeting Truman and Churchill agree to drop the atomic bomb on Japan if it fails to surrender unconditionally. Meanwhile, Allied representatives select Nuremberg as the location of the trial of the main Nazi war leaders.

From the United States... American radio broadcasts call on Japan to surrender or face destruction.

In China... Authorities in Chungking say that Chinese forces are closing in on Kweilin, the largest Japanese airbase and capital of the south China province of Kwangsi.

In Burma... Heavy fighting took place along the Sittang river as the Japanese continued their counterthrusts.

In the Greater Sunda Islands... On Borneo, Dutch and native troops are reported to be advancing northeast from Balikpapan. Allied motor torpedo boats operating on the northwest coast have shelled the Jesselton area and caused heavy explosions and fires ashore.

In the Tsushima Strait... US Navy aircraft attack shipping.

Sunday, July 22, 1945

In Burma... Japanese forces trapped in the Pegu Hills, estimated to number 5000, suffer heavy losses in attempts to breakout eastwards to the Sittang river.

In China... The American Far East Air Force attack Japanese air bases and shipping in the Shanghai area with 300 planes (including the new Douglas A-26 Invader light bomber). The Japanese news agency later reports that the Shanghai area was bombed by about 100 bombers and fighters and claims the Japanese shot down 4 planes and damaged 7 others.

In Japan... US Task Force 92 bombards Paramushiro in the Kurile Islands. During the night (July 22-23), 9 American destroyers penetrate Tokyo Bay under the cover of a storm and attack a Japanese convoy. Other Allied task forces are being resupplied in the largest resupply at sea operation of the war.

From Tokyo... The Japanese government announces that it is open to peace negotiations but not to threats.

In Occupied Germany... The Potsdam Conference continues. Churchill, Truman and Stalin confer on politics and strategy, in a town near Berlin.

Monday, July 23, 1945

In France... Marshal Philippe Petain, the former head of state of Vichy France, is put on trial at the Palais de Justice in Paris. The trail is suspended twice, during the day, because of disorder. Paul Reynaud, the former president of the council of ministers, accused Petain of plotting to betray France in 1940. Petain, who is 89, was a hero of France during the Great War, but collaborated with Nazi Germany during the Second World War. He challenged the competence of the court to try him.

In Occupied Germany... The Potsdam Conference continues. Churchill, Truman and Stalin confer on politics and strategy, in a town near Berlin.

In Burma... Japanese forces continue to attempt to breakout eastwards from the Pegu Hills, despite heavy losses. Only a small proportion have succeeded in crossing the Mandalay-Rangoon road. British commanders report counting more than 500 dead, excluding those killed by artillery and air attacks.

In the Greater Sunda Islands... Australian forces made another unopposed landing in Balikpapan Bay, in east Borneo, and a 6-mile beachhead is established.

Tuesday, July 24, 1945

In Occupied Germany... The Potsdam Conference continues. Churchill, Truman and Stalin confer on politics and strategy, in a town near Berlin. President Truman informs Stalin that a new and powerful weapon is now available for use against Japan but does not elaborate on the kind of weapon. He also authorizes the use of atomic bombs on Japan. Stalin is believed to be aware of the atomic bomb project, through the Soviet espionage network in the United States.

In Paris... Paul Reynaud and Edouard Daladier, former premiers of France, and Albert Lebrun, the former president, testify against Marshal Petain at his trial for treason.

In Japan... British and American carriers continue attacks. There are 15 American and 4 British carriers available for air operations against targets in the Inland Sea area, including the naval base at Kure and Kobe. Some 1600 planes are engaged. In addition, there is an Allied naval bombardment during the night (July 24-25) aimed at Kushimoto and Shionomisaki. It is estimated that more than 100 Japanese ships are sunk.

Over Japan... The Osaka-Nagoya area, the second largest population center in Japan, is bombed by 600 B-29 Superfortress bombers.

In Malaya... British naval and air units begin three days of attacks on Japanese troop positions and transportation targets on the west coast.

Wednesday, July 25, 1945

In Occupied Germany... The Potsdam conference recesses for the British delegation to leave for the announcement of the election results. Churchill, Eden and Atlee fly home. Meanwhile, Truman orders the atomic bomb to be dropped on Japan as soon as possible after August 3rd.

In Japan... American cruisers Pasadena, Springfield, Wilkes-Barre and Astoria bombard Japanese air bases in southern Honshu. Meanwhile, aircraft from the US 3rd Fleet attack Kure naval base and the airfields at Nagoya, Osaka and Miho for a second day. The battleships Hyuga, Ise, and Haruna, the escort carrier Kaiyo and the heavy cruisers Aoba and Iwate are all sunk. There is not noticeable Japanese resistance to the strikes.

In Burma... Japanese forces pull out of Taunggyi in the Shan states.

In Malaya... British naval and air units continue attacks on Japanese positions and transportation targets on the west coast.

In the Philippines... On Mindanao, all organized Japanese resistance comes to an end in the Sarangani Bay area. American mopping up operations begin.

Thursday, July 26, 1945

From Occupied Germany... The Potsdam Declaration is issued in a radio broadcast demanding the immediate and unconditional surrender of Japan. It also threatens the "prompt and utter destruction" of the Japanese homeland, if the government of Japan fails to do so.

In Britain... The election results are announced. Attlee, leading the Labour Party (winning 394 seats in the House of Commons), becomes Prime Minister of a majority government. Churchill and the ruling Conservative Party (winning 188 seats) are defeated. The Liberal Party wins 14 seats; the National Liberal Party wins 13 seats; the Ulster Unionist Party wins 9 seats; the Communist Party wins 2 seats and others win a total of 20 seats.

In the South China Sea... The first Japanese Kamikaze attack on the British East Indies Fleet damages the escort carrier Ameer and sinks the minesweeper Vestal off the coast of Malaya.

In Malaya... British naval and air units end attacks on Japanese positions and transportation targets on the west coast.

In the Marianna Islands... The heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis delivers the consignment of Uranium-235, needed to assemble the first operational atomic bomb, to the American base on Tinian.

Friday, July 27, 1945

In Japan... British and American carriers conduct extensive air strikes. During the night (July 27-28), US B-29 bombers drop some 600,000 leaflets over 11 Japanese cities which warn inhabitants that the cities are on the target list for bombing raids. In China... The first Chinese forces enter Kweilin. Fighting for the possession of the town continues until the end of the month. Other Chinese forces capture Tanchuk airfield. In London... The British joint chiefs of staff have their last conference with Churchill. Meanwhile Clement Atlee, at 62 years of age, begins his tenure at No. 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the Prime Minister. Atlee, leader of the Labour Party, has been the deputy prime minister and is the only person, other than Churchill, to have served in the war cabinet throughout.

Saturday, July 28, 1945

In the United States... An American B-25 bomber, lost in fog, collides with the Empire State Building in New York City. A total of 19 people are killed.

In Tokyo... Premier Suzuki holds a press conference in which he says that the government of Japan will "take no notice" of the Potsdam Declaration. While it is possible that the wording he used was intended to mean "make no comment on for the moment," it is clear that the Japanese government does not intend to surrender immediately and unconditionally, which is the implicit expectation of the Allied declaration.

Over Japan... Some 2000 Allied planes bomb Kure, Kobe and targets in the Inland Sea. The air strikes sink the Japanese aircraft carrier Amagi, the old cruiser Izumo, the light cruiser Oyodo and a destroyer.

In the Ryukyu Islands... The Japanese attack American ships around Okinawa, in response to the Allied strikes on Japan. The American destroyer Callaghan is sunk by a Japanese suicide plane. It is the last ship to be destroyed by a Kamikaze attack.

In Burma... The Japanese 28th Army attempts to withdraw across the Sittang River. It suffers over 13,000 killed and drowned in the attempt.

In Occupied Germany... The Potsdam conference resumes. The new British prime minister, Atlee, and foreign secretary, Bevin, arrive in Potsdam to resume the conference with American and Soviet leaders.

In Washington... The United States Senate ratifies the United Nations Charter by 89 votes to 2.

Sunday, July 29, 1945

In the Philippine Sea... The American heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis is sunk by the Japanese submarine I-58. The ship, returning to the United States, was sailing unescorted after delivering the components of the atomic bomb to Tinian, in the Mariana Islands. Secrecy surrounding the mission results in the ship not being missed for several days.

In Japan... An Allied naval bombardment 5 battleships and several cruisers and destroyers targets the aircraft factories at Hamamutsu in southern Honshu.

In the Ryukyu Islands... Off Okinawa, Japanese Kamikaze planes damage an American destroyer and a fast transport.

In Occupied Germany... The Potsdam Conference resumes. Atlee, Truman and Stalin confer on politics and strategy, in a town near Berlin.

From Britain... The British 8th Army is disbanded.

Monday, July 30, 1945

In Tokyo... Food shortages lead the government to call on the civilian population of Japan to collect 2.5 million bushels of acorns to be converted into eating material. The average Japanese is presently surviving on a daily intake of about 1680 calories, or 78 percent of what is considered the minimum necessary to survive.

Over Japan... British and American carrier aircraft continue attacks. Kobe, Kure and Honshu are bombed. Several of the remaining large ships in the Japanese navy have been hit and badly damaged in the last week, including 3 battleships and 4 aircraft carriers.

In New Guinea... The Japanese 18th Army makes a last stand at the village of Numbogua. General Adachi, commanding the army, orders his troops "to die in honorable defeat."

From Washington... In spite of the Japanese rejection of the Potsdam ultimatum, General Marshall gives instructions to General MacArthur and Admiral Nimitz to coordinate plans in readiness for an early surrender by the enemy.

In Occupied Germany... The Potsdam Conference continues. Atlee, Truman and Stalin confer on politics and strategy, in a town near Berlin.

Tuesday, July 31, 1945

In Occupied Austria... Pierre Laval, former premier of Vichy France, surrenders to the American forces upon landing in Linz. He is handed over to the French authorities. Laval was flown there from Spain, where he had been granted political asylum, onboard the personal plane of General Franco. In part, his surrender is motivated by a desire to defend his role in the Vichy government. However, the British ambassador in Madrid, Sir Victor Mallet, had spoken to Franco about Laval prior to his departure from Spain.

In Occupied Germany... The Potsdam Conference continues. Atlee, Truman and Stalin confer on politics and strategy, in a town near Berlin.

In Washington... US Secretary of War, Henry Stimson, sends President Truman a memorandum on how to persuade Japan to surrender. As part of a package of measures which also includes conventional bombing, invasion and diplomacy, he takes for granted that America will use the atomic bombs now under production.

In Canada... British Field Marshal Alexander is appointed Governor General.

In Singapore... British frogmen sink the Japanese cruiser Takao with limpet mines.

In Japan... The Japanese are warned by the Americans that eight cities will be leveled it the government refuses to surrender.