Chronology of World War II

Wednesday, August 1, 1945

In China... Allied mines, dropped by air, bring Japanese shipping on the Yangtze river to a halt. The Japanese have lost 36 ships (with 11 others damaged, for a total loss of 35,000 tons) as a result of Allied aerial mines.

In the Solomon Islands... On Bougainville, Allied troops seal off Japanese forces at Buin, on the southern tip of the island.

In Wake Island... The American aircraft carrier Cabot attacks Japanese positions.

In London... Labour Party Members of Parliament sing "The Red Flag" as the House of Commons meets to elect a new speaker.

In Paris... Pierre Laval is returned to the city, charged with treason and placed under armed guard, in Fresnes prison, to protect him from the French public.

Thursday, August 2, 1945

In Occupied Germany... The Potsdam conference ends. Attlee, Truman and Stalin agree to limit German industrial growth and transfer a significant amount of eastern German territory to the USSR and Poland (in return for land annexed by the Soviet Union). Allied reparations are to be paid for by German assets and major war criminals are to be brought to trial soon. German cartels, as well as war industries, are to be broken up. Going some way to accepting the controversial proposal of the US Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Morgenthau Jr., the Big Three propose that the German economy should "give primary emphasis to agriculture" and "domestic industries." In addition, Stalin confirms that the Soviet Union will join the war against Japan while also mentioning Japanese efforts to have the USSR mediate peace talks with the Americans and British.

Over Japan... During the night (August 1-2), 820 US B-29 Superfortress bombers drop a record total of 6632 tons of bombs on five Japanese cities including Hachioji, Nagaoka, Mito, Toyama and the petroleum center of Kawasaki. Most of Toyama is obliterated. Also, Americans claim to have sunk 26 ships in the raids.

In Britain... King George VI receives President Truman aboard HMS Renown at Plymouth.

Friday, August 3, 1945

In Guam... An American communique announces that US B-29 Superfortress bombers dropping mines over Japan have now sealed off all of the main ports, leaving the country totally blockaded. In a report by the US 20th Air Force, it is noted that every harbor of consequence in Japan and all those in Korea have been mined and it is estimated that hundreds of thousands of tons of shipping have been sunk or damaged since the mining program began in March.

In Burma... Organized Japanese resistance comes to an end as the Allies win the "Battle of the Breakthrough." Of 10,000 Japanese troops defending the Pegu Yoma range, 8300 are estimated to be dead.

In Czechoslovakia... All ethnic Germans and Hungarians are deprived of citizenship.

In France... The battle cruiser Strasbourg is refloated at Toulon. It was scuttled in 1942.

In London... The Atlee government announces the appointment of 19 new ministers, including Aneurin Bevan as Minister of Health and Emmanuel Shinwell as Minister of Fuel and Power.

Saturday, August 4, 1945

Over Japan... American aircraft drop leaflets warning of air attacks on 12 more cities.

In Burma... British troops in the Lower Sittang area clear the Japanese from the Pegu-Martaban railway at Abya, northeast of Pegu.

In Singapore... Japanese guards execute seven captured American airmen.

In the Greater Sunda Islands... American bombers attack Japanese positions at Surabaya on Java.

From Washington... The area of command under General MacArthur is extended to include the Ryukyu Islands, south of Kyushu.

Sunday, August 5, 1945

In the Marianna Islands... On Tinian, at about 0210 hours, seven American aircraft take off for Japan. One of the aircraft is the specially modified B-29 Superfortress -- the Enola Gay -- carrying the "Little Boy" atomic bomb and heading for Hiroshima.

Over Japan... Aircraft from the US 5th and 7th Air Forces, based in Okinawa, raid Tarumizu in the south. About 325 planes take part in the attack. Another 12 Japanese cities have leaflets dropped on them by B-29 bombers, warning of coming raids. During the night, American bombers strike Imabari, Ube, Mayobashi, Saga, Nishinomiya and Mikage, fulfulling the threat made by leaflet drops.

In China... The Chinese 13th Army captures the town of Tanchuk. The Chinese 58th Division liberates Hsinning (Changchun).

In Liberate France... Paul Ferdonet -- the "Radio Traitor" of Stuttgart -- is executed.

Monday, August 6, 1945

Over Japan... At about 0930 hours, the first atomic bomb (nicknamed "Little Boy") is dropped on the city of Hiroshima by a specially equipped B-29 from the 509th Composite Group of the US 12th Air Force and piloted by Colonel Paul Tibbets. The plane is named by Tibbets after his mother, Enola Gay. The bomb is a uranium fission weapon and the yield is in the region of 20,000 tons on TNT. Sixty percent of the city is destroyed in the blast and the firestorm that follows. About 80,000 Japanese are killed. Many more are severely burned and others become ill later, from exposure to radiation. It is not the most devastating bombing attack of the war but the economy of the effort involved in sending only one plane on a mission to destroy a city shows only too well the complete change in military and political thinking which has begun. Meanwhile, other American aircraft raid Tarmuizu, Kagoshima and Miyakonoju.

In the Marianna Islands... On Guam, British Admiral Fraser, commanding the British Pacific Fleet, invests American Admiral Nimitz with the Order of Bath.

In Wake Island... The American aircraft carrier Intrepid attacks Japanese positions.

In the United States... Major Richard I. Bong, the top-scoring American fighter ace of World War II (with 40 victories), dies while fight testing an experimental jet fighter at age 24.

In Canada... William Mackenzie King, the leader of the Liberal Party and nominally the prime minister, is finally reelected to Parliament in a by-election.

Tuesday, August 7, 1945

In Japan... Japanese radio condemns the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and denounces the United States, as the first country to employ the new weapon, as "the destroyer of mankind and as public enemy number one of social justice." Meanwhile, the first flight of the Nakajima Kikka (Orange Blossom) jet bomber takes place. The plane is based on the German Me262.

Over Japan... More than 200 B-29 Superfortress bombers raid Yahata, Tokyo and Kukuyama.

In Burma... British troops encounter determined resistance from Japanese forces in the flooded area between Myitkyo and the old Sittang River channel.

In the Philippines... On Luzon, officers from the headquarters of the US 1st Army meet in readiness for the coming invasion of Japan.

In Belgrade... Marshal Tito bars the return of King Peter II to Yugoslavia.

In London... The secret of radio direction finding (RDF), now called radar, is made public.

Wednesday, August 8, 1945

In Moscow... The Soviet Union declares itself to be at war with Japan as of midnight (August 9th), citing the Japanese failure to respond to the Potsdam Declaration. Commissar Molotov says that the USSR has declared war because Japan is the only great power preventing peace. He indicates that it was in the interests of shortening the war and bring peace to the world that the Soviet Union has agreed to the Allied request made at Potsdam to join the war. Furthermore, Molotov states that the Soviets had been asked to mediate by Japan, but that proposal had lost all basis when Japan refused to surrender unconditionally.

In Tokyo... The Japanese Supreme War Council agrees, late that night, that they should accept the Potsdam Declaration if the monarchy is preserved. Some of the objections from the military are overruled by the Emperor himself.

In Washington... President Truman makes a public radio broadcast in which he threatens Japan with destruction by atomic bombs. During the day, he also signs the United Nations Charter, making the United States the first country to ratify its original signature.

In the Philippine Sea... The survivors of the USS Indianapolis are rescued. Only 316 of the 1196 men onboard the ship have survived.

Thursday, August 9, 1945

In China... In the north, Soviet forces begin an offensive against the Japanese army occupying Manchukuo (Manchuria) about 10 minutes after midnight. The Soviets have assembled about 1,500,000 troops in three army groups for the operation: 1st Far East Front, 2nd Far East Front and the Transbaikal Front. They are equipped with 3900 aircraft, 5500 tanks and 26,000 artillery tubes. The outnumbered 1,000,000 men of the poorly equipped Japanese Kwantung Army (Yamada) lack armor, artillery and aircraft. Japanese defenses are quickly overcome. Meanwhile, Chinese paratroopers are dropped on the Canton-Hankow rail line.

Over Japan... The second atomic bomb (nicknamed "Fat Man") is dropped on Nagasaki by a specially equipped B-29 named "Bock's Car" and piloted by Major Charles Sweeney. This is a plutonium fission device similar to the one tested at Alamagordo, New Mexico. The bomb weighs about 10,000 pounds and its detonation yields an explosion equivalent of about 20,000 tons of TNT. About 40,000 Japanese ultimately die from the attack and 60,000 are injured.

In Tokyo... Japanese Prime Minister Suzuki says that the entry of the USSR into the war "makes the continuance of the war impossible." Towards midnight Emperor Hirohito calls the Supreme Council together and tries to make the military leaders accept the proposed surrender. At about 0300 hours, the meeting breaks up with nothing decided other than a cautious sounding of the possibilities of peace through Sweden and Switzerland.

Friday, August 10, 1945

In Tokyo... The government of Japan announces that a message has been sent to the Allies accepting the terms of the Potsdam Declaration provided this "does not comprise any demand that prejudices the prerogatives of the Emperor as sovereign ruler."

In Japan... US and British battleships bombard the city of Kimaishi, cocentrating on the steel mills.

Over Japan... US aircraft strike strategic targets on Honshu. In an effort to destroy Japanese aircraft moved to northern Honshu Island, US and British carrier aircraft attack airfields in continuous waves. A total of 34 Allied aircraft are lost, while 397 Japanese aircraft are claimed destroyed and 320 damaged.

In China... Soviet forces have advanced 120 miles into Manchukuo (Manchuria) since declaring war on Japan.

Saturday, August 11, 1945

In Washington... US Secretary of State, James Byrnes, replies to the Japanese offer to surrender with a refusal to make any compromise on the demand for unconditional surrender. His note states that the Allies envisage an unconditional surrender as one where the emperor will be "subject to" the supreme commander of the Allied powers and the form of government will be decided the the "will of the Japanese people."

In the Philippines... On Mindanao, American mopping up operations are completed.

In Manila... General MacArthur says that the atomic bomb was unnecessary since the Japanese would have surrendered anyway.

In Japan... The Soviet 2nd Far Eastern Front and the Pacific Fleet begin the occupation of the southern part of Sakhalin Island.

Sunday, August 12, 1945

In Korea... Soviet forces, advancing from near Vladivostock, penetrate the Korean peninsula from the north. Landing parties from the Soviet Pacific Fleet capture the ports of Yuki and Rashin in the northern.

In China... The Soviets 1st Far Eastern Front continues offensive operations in difficult mountain and wooded country. The towns of Muchang and Kunchung have been captured.

In Chunking... The Chinese-American headquarters cancels the operations against Fort Bayard, Hong Kong and Canton, in light of the imminent capitulation of Japan.

Over Japan... B-29 Superfortress bombers continue attacks on targets.

In the Ryukyu Islands... The battleship USS Pennsylvania is damaged by an attack from a Japanese torpedo bomber off the island of Okinawa. Meanwhile, A Japanese submarine sinks the American destroyer Thomas F. Nickel and the landing craft Oak Hill.

Monday, August 13, 1945

In Occupied Germany... French troops are deployed in Berlin and take up garrison duties in the designated parts of the American and British zones in the west of the city.

From Washington... Japanese surrender documents, approved by President Truman, are sent to General MacArthur.

Over Japan... About 1600 American aircraft fly over Tokyo and other Japanese cities dropping millions of leaflets explaining the position reached in the surrender negotiations and the state of affairs in Japan. Most Japanese "hawks" still refuse to admit defeat. Japanese Sub-Lieutenant Saburo Sakai, the one-eyed fighter ace (with 64 victories), shoots down a B-29 near Tokyo during the night (August 13-14).

In Japan... Tokyo radio says that Japan will surrender.

In Ulaanbaatar... The Mongolian government declares war on Japan.

Tuesday, August 14, 1945

In Tokyo... At a government meeting with Emperor Hirohito, the emperor states that the war should end. He records a radio message to the Japanese people saying that they must "bear the unbearable." During the night, begining about 2300 hours, a group of army officers lead forces number over 1000 in an attempt to steal the recording and prevent it being broadcast but fail to overcome the guards at the Imperial Palace. Coup leader, Major Kenji Hatanaka, who killed the commander of the imperial guard, commits suicide after its failure. The Japanese decision to surrender is transmitted to the Allies.

Over Japan... In the last air raid of the war, during the night (August 14-15) US B-29 Superfortress bombers strike Kumagaya and Isezaki, northwest of Tokyo, and Akita-Aradi oil refinery.

In Japan... Soviet forces proceed with the occupation of the southern half of Sakhalin Island and the Kuril Islands.

In China... Soviet forces have routed the Japanese Kwangtung Army and penetrated between 100 and 250 miles into Manchuria, occupying a number of towns.

In Washington... The American War Production Board removes all restrictions on the production of automobiles in the United States. Meanwhile, General Douglas MacArthur is appointed supreme Allied commander to accept the Japanese surrender. An immediate suspension of hostilities is ordered and Japan is ordered to end fighting by all its forces on all fronts immediately.

Wednesday, August 15, 1945

In Japan... The recorded message of Emperor Hirohito is broadcast to the Japanese people. Many cannot at first accept what has happened. The tight control of the government has prevented civilians from knowing the full extent of the weakness of Japan's position. This is VJ Day.

Over Japan... US Task Force 38 launches massive air strikes on the Tokyo area, encountering numerous Japanese fighters but the aircraft are recalled upon receipt of the surrender announcement. Meanwhile, Vice-Admiral Ugaki, commanding Kamikaze operations, leads a final mission but the 7 dive-bombers are shot down off Tokyo before they can reach Okinawa.

In China... Chiang Kai-shek marks the the Japanese capitulation with a radio broadcast saying that "Our faith in justice through the black and hopeless days of eight long years of struggle has been rewarded." For the Chinese the war against Japan began on July 7, 1937. Meanwhile, Chu Teh, the Commander in Chief of the Chinese Communist army, warns the Allies that the Communists expect a share in the Japanese surrender and postwar settlement.

In Australia... People find out about the Japanese surrender as the get to work. Celebrations continue all night.

In Moscow... The Nationalist government of China and the USSR sign a Treaty of Friendship. Manchuria, which the Japanese called Manchukuo, is to be returned to Chinese sovereignty within three months of the end of hostilities. The treaty excludes Chinese Communists and is viewed as a tactical victory by the Nationalists in the rivalry with the Communists. In return for the recovery of Manchuria, the Chinese government has recognized Soviet sovereignty over Port Arthur, which is to be a joint naval base and Dairen a free port.

In Paris... Marshal Petain, former leader of Vichy France, is found guilty of treason and sentenced to death.

In Britain... The day -- Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day) -- is a declared a national holiday. News of the surrender is broadcast around midnight and most people only find out about it when they wake or show up for work. The King opens the first new Parliament since then war began and at 9pm broadcasts to the nation.

In the United States... Celebrations mark the end of World War II -- VJ Day. A two-day holiday is proclaimed for all federal employees. In New York, Mayor La Guardia pays tribute to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the deceased president, in a radio broadcast. Rationing of petroleum and canned goods is abolished.

Thursday, August 16, 1945

In Tokyo... The Emperor issues an Imperial Rescript (decree) at 1600 hours (local time) ordering all Japanese forces to cease fire. The Cabinet resigns. General Prince Higashikumi becomes the prime minister of Japan and forms a new government. He orders the Imperial Army to obey the Emperor's call and lay down their arms.

In China... The Soviet commander, Marshal Vassilevsky, calls on the Japanese Kwantung Army in Manchuria to surrender by August 20th. There is no reply from the Japanese headquarters, but from 1900 hours many Japanese units begin to surrender.

In London... In the House of Commons, Winston Churchill, now leader of the opposition, speaks of an "iron curtain" descending across Europe. He expresses particular concern over the forcible expulsion, and fate, of ethnic Germans from territory allotted to Poland in the west to compensate for territory taken by the USSR in the east. He also notes developments in the newly communist dominated countries in eastern Europe.

In Moscow... The governments of Poland and the USSR sign a treaty which fixes the new frontier.

Friday, August 17, 1945

In Paris... The death sentence on Marshal Petain is commuted to life imprisonment, by de Gaulle, on account of his advanced age.

In London... The government announces a program of social reform, with a national health service at its center. The War Office states that about 38,000 troops and an estimated 112,000 British civilians are being held by the Japanese as prisoners.

In Argentina... German submarine U-977 arrives at Mar del Plata and surrenders, having left Kiel on April 13th and sunk a Soviet ship in the Arctic.

In the Occupied Dutch East Indies... Nationalists led by Sukarno, with some Japanese support, declare their independence from Holland and colonial rule, as well as the formation of the "Provisional Indonesian Republic government." No British forces will arrive to take over from the Japanese for six weeks.

In China... Fighting continues in Manchuria, but the Soviet high command announces that Japanese forces have begun to surrender in several places.

Saturday, August 18, 1945

In China... Most of Manchuria has been overrun by Soviet forces. They have taken Harbin and are closing in on Mukden and Changchun. In an advance from near Vladivostock, they have entered northern Korea. Japanese forces continue to resist in spite of the Imperial order to surrender.

Over Japan... A photographer was killed and two members of the crew wound in one of two American planes which were attacked by 14 Japanese fighters over Tokyo.

In the Pacific... Subhas Chandra Bose, the Indian nationalist leader, is fatally injured at age 48; his Japanese plane crashed off of the island of Formosa en route to Tokyo.

In the Philippines... Missions from British Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten and Marshal Chiang Kai-shek have arrived in Manila for the conference with the Japanese surrender emissaries.

In the United States... Psychiatrists conclude that Clarence V. Bertucci is "mentally unbalanced." He is responsible for the massacre of German POWs at Camp Salina, Utah on July 8th.

In the Soviet Union... Moscow radio has broadcast a message from Chiang Kai-shek to Stalin saying "Close friendship between our nations will not only server as an everlasting foundation of peace in east Asia but will be an important factor in the creation of a new order in the whole world."

Sunday, August 19, 1945

In the Philippines... Japanese representatives of the government arrive in Manila to conclude the surrender of the remaining Japanese troops and receive instructions on the plans for the occupation of Japan and the signing of the surrender documents. Meanwhile, General MacArthur ordered a halt to all amphibious landing operations.

In China... Chiang Kai-shek forbids Japanese forces from surrendering to the Red Chinese forces and demands of the communist forces that they not advance. The Communist forces disregard the demand. Meanwhile, in Manchuria, the Soviet 2nd Far Eastern Front captures Tsitsihar in the Manchurian Plain. Transbaikal Front armor advances toward the town from the west, by-passing pockets of Japanese resistance. Soviet troops link up with Chinese Communist forces.

In Britain... King George and Queen Elizabeth lead nationwide thanksgiving services to mark Victory Sunday.

Monday, August 20, 1945

In London... Ernest Bevin, the British foreign secretary, condemns Soviet policy in eastern Europe as "one kind of totalitarianism replaced by another."

In Norway... In Oslo, the trial of Vidkun Quisling begins. The former ruler of German occupied Norway proclaimed his innocence after listening to a 14-page indictment accusing him of high treason, murder and theft of royal property. The prosecution produced evidence, from captured Nazi documents, that Quisling had been in contact with the Nazi leadership before the war.

In Poland... Anti-Semitic riots break out in Cracow.

In China... Communist and Nationalist troops clash in the north. In Manchuria, the Red Army occupies Mukden and Harbin. An American volunteer team rescues a number of high-ranking Allied prisoners of war by parachuting into Mukden, in Manchuria, shortly before the arrival of Soviet troops. Among the POWs are Lt. Gen. Jonathan Wainwright, who led the American last stand on Corregidor in the Philippines in 1942, Lt. Gen. Arthur Percival, commander of the Singapore garrison at its surrender in 1942, and the governor-general of the Dutch East Indies, Mr. van Starkenborch Stachouwer.

In Tokyo... The Japanese delegation meeting Allied representatives in Manila, returns with the Allied dispositions for the occupation and for the signature of the surrender.

In Washington... The War Production Board removes most of its controls over manufacturing activity. These and many other measures help the US economy to convert quickly to a peacetime basis. The American economy is actually stronger and more productive now, than before the war, and the standard of living, unlike that of any of the other major participants in the war, has actually increased.

Tuesday, August 21, 1945

In Washington... President Truman orders the supply of Lend-Lease aid to stop immediately.

In London... The Labour government announces its intention to nationalize the Bank of England.

In China... Soviet forces have occupied nearly all of Manchuria. Troops of the Japanese Kwantung Army are surrendering at a rate of 100,000 per day. The Red Army continues to advance and seize territory.

In Tokyo... Japan appeals to Kamikaze pilots to cease operations. A joint statement by the Japanese Imperial headquarters and the government instructs the general public in Japan to go about its business calmly and, according to the official news agency, authorities have forbidden fraternization saying "there will be no direct contact between the general public and the Allied landing forces."

Wednesday, August 22, 1945

In Manchuria... The Japanese Kwantung Army surrenders to Soviet forces at Harbin. Some fighting continues, however, because Japanese headquarters have been unable to contact all the divisions retreating in disorder before the Red Army. In the continuing advance, Soviet forces reach Port Arthur and Dairen. Soviet forces also capture 39-year-old Pu Yi, the nominal head of the Japanese sponsored state of Manchukuo (Manchuria) who held the title Emperor Kang Teh.

In Japan... Tokyo radio announces that the Japanese government has officially disbanded the People's Volunteer Corps, the Japanese equivalent to the British Home Guard. The Japanese official news agency reports that over 70,000 people are so far known to have died and 120,000 injured in the two atomic bomb attacks.

In the Marshal Islands... The Japanese garrison on Mili Atoll capitulated in a ceremony on an American destroyer escort. This is the first time a Japanese force surrenders en masse.

In London... Prime Minister Atlee says that the atomic bomb means a "naked choice between world cooperation and world destruction."

Thursday, August 23, 1945

In China... Soviet troops occupy Port Arthur. The port was seized by Japan from Russia in 1905.

In Moscow... Stalin announces that Soviet forces have occupied Manchuria, southern Sakhalin Island, as well as Shimushiru and Paramushiro in the Kurile Islands.

In Occupied Austria... British, American and French troops enter Vienna.

In Britain... Both Houses of Parliament ratify the United Nations Charter. Meanwhile, a USAAF B-24 bomber crashes into a crowded school building in Freckelton, England, killing 76 children and the entire crew.

In the United States... Clarence V. Bertucci is granted a discharge from the Army and sent to a mental institution for further tests and evaluation. He is responsible for the massacre of German POWs at Camp Salina, Utah on July 8th.

In the Philippines... General MacArthur orders the release of some 5000 Filipinos interned for security reasons.

In Ceylon... A British naval squadron sets sail to occupy Singapore.

Friday, August 24, 1945

In London... The British Prime Minister announces in the House of Commons today the sudden ending of Lend-Lease aid, without prior consultation. Attlee, notes that the abrupt ending of American aid has left the country in a "very serious financial position." The Foreign Minister, Bevin, says that 700,000 homes in London require repairs. Churchill described the statement as very grave and disquieting.

In Moscow... The USSR and China sign a treaty of alliance.

In New Guinea... Forces of the Japanese 18th Army have been ordered to ceasefire but their commander says that he cannot order them to surrender until he receives instructions from Marshal Terauchi, the commander of the southern region.

In the Solomon Islands... On Bougainville, Japanese commander, Lt. General Kanda is still awaiting instruction from Tokyo.

Saturday, August 25, 1945

In China... Captain John Birch of the US Army is shot dead in a scuffle with Chinese Communist soldiers. The liberation of China is becoming a race between the rival Nationalist and Communist forces. Troops of the Kuomintang, commanded by Generalisimo Chiang Kai-shek, enter Shanghai and Nanking, the prewar capital. The Japanese surrender at Nanking was accepted with Communist troops only 3 miles from the city. Communist forces are reported to be marching towards both cities. In Shanghai, the Communists claim workers are occupying factories and preparing to welcome the Communist forces. In the south, Communist forces are reported to be advancing in Canton and nearing Hong Kong. In the north they are closing in on Tientsin.

In Tokyo... There are reports of large numbers of people "committing hara-kiri before the Imperial Palace."

In the Philippines... General Yamashita informs the commander of the US 32nd Division that he has ordered all Japanese troops in the Philippines to lay down their arms.

In the United States... Vice-Admiral Willis A. "Ching" Lee Jr. Dies of a heart attack at age 56.

In Occupied Germany... British forces in western Europe are redesignated the "British Army of the Rhine" (BOAR).

Sunday, August 26, 1945

In Japan... Soviet troops begin occupying the Kurile Islands; Onnekotan, Shasikotan and Matsewa have been occupied. Rutaka, in the south of Sakhalin Island has been occupied as well.

In Burma... Japanese envoys, led by Lt. General Numato, Chief of Staff to Field Marshal Terauchi, Commander in Chief, Japanese Southern Army, arrives at an airfield outside Rangoon this morning to carry out surrender arrangements in southeast Asia.

In Hong Kong... Instructions have been given to the Japanese garrison to surrender to Rear Admiral Cecil H. J. Harcourt.

In Britain... Sir Arthur Harris, the Commander in Chief of RAF Bomber Command since February 1942, announces his resignation. He will relinquish his command next month and retire from the RAF shortly afterwards.

Monday, August 27, 1945

In Japan... The Allied fleets anchor in Sagami (Tokyo) Bay within sight of Mount Fujiyama. Admiral Halsey, commander of the US 3rd Fleet, is present for what is probably the greatest display of naval might in history. The armada includes 23 aircraft carriers, 12 battleships, 26 cruisers, 116 destroyers and escorts, 12 submarines and 185 other vessels. In addition to the American and British ships, there are ships from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the Netherlands represented.

In Burma... Contact has been established with the Japanese troops in the Sittang valley and they now await specific surrender instructions.

In the Bismark Archipelago... An armed truce has been declared throughout New Britain.

In New Guinea... An armed truce has been declared.

In the Solomon Islands... Isolated Japanese garrisons are reported to be ignorant of the ceasefire.

In Washington... President Truman says that the situation in the Pacific continues to have many elements of danger and urges Congress to continue conscription for a further two years.

In Occupied Germany... Major-General E. P. Nares arrives in Berlin to take over command of the British troops and to act as the British representative on the Allied Control Commission in succession to Major-General L. O. Lyne.

Tuesday, August 28, 1945

In Occupied Germany... Goring, Ribbentrop, and 22 others former Nazi government officials are indicted as war criminals. Hermann Goring heads the list of 24. Rudolf Hess, formerly deputy to Hitler, who has been a prisoner in Britain since May 1941, is next on the list, followed by Martin Bormann, the secretary of the NSDAP, who disappeared from the Berlin bunker. Others include Konstantin von Neurath, the first foreign minister to Hitler; Gustav Krupp von Bohlen, the industrialist; Franz von Papen, the vice-chancellor in 1933-34; and, Hjalmar Schacht, who served as the minister of finance in the Nazi government until falling out of favor with Hitler.

In Hanoi... Ho Chi Minh announces his provisional government for Vietnam (part of French Indochina), with all the main posts held by communists.

In Burma... Japanese forces sign a formal surrender in Rangoon.

In Japan... An advance guard of 150 American technicians land at Atsugi airfield, near Yokohama. For the first time, the Allies set foot on Japanese soil. Their arrival has been delayed for 48 hours by the forecast of a typhoon. Meanwhile, the southern half of Sakhalin Island is occupied by Soviet forces.

Wednesday, August 29, 1945

In Chungking... Mao Tse-tung and Chiang Kai-shek meet for talks to avert civil war between the Communists and the Nationalists.

In Singapore... Japanese troops in southeast Asia, numbering about 740,000, surrender to British Admiral Lord Mountbatten. General Itagaki signs the document for the Japanese.

In Hong Kong... The British navy arrives to reclaim the colony for Britian.

In Japan... The American battleship USS Missouri anchors in Tokyo Bay.

In Washington... Secret Army and Navy reports of official enquiries into the raid on Pearl Harbor are made public. The blame is placed on a lack of preparedness, confusion and a breakdown of inter-service coordination. Former Secretary of State Hull, General Marshall and Admiral Stark are criticized. President Truman objects to the findings on Hull and Marshall.

Thursday, August 30, 1945

In Japan... American and British forces land in the Tokyo area. The US 11th Airborne Division flies in to Atsugi airfield, while the US 4th Marine Regiment of the US 6th Marine Division lands in the naval base at Yokosuka. General MacArthur flies from Manila to organize the US occupation. Meanwhile, the American cruiser USS San Juan starts to evacuate Allied prisoners of war detained in the Japanese home islands.

In Hong Kong... A British naval squadron reoccupies the colony.

In Burma... Japanese forces based at Abya surrender to the Allies.

In Canberra... At a meeting of the Australian Advisory War Council, it is decided that the Council should be dissolved immediately after representatives of the Opposition state that the necessity for its existence has disappeared in view of the end of the war.

In Mexico City... The government of Mexico recognizes the Spanish Republican government as the legitimate government of Spain.

In Occupied Germany... A proclamation to the German people is signed today formally announcing the establishment of the Allied Control Council and its assumption of supreme authority in Germany.

Friday, August 31, 1945

In Yokohama.. General MacArthur establishes the supreme allied command at the main port of Tokyo, as the first foreigner to take charge of Japan in 1000 years. In discussing the preparations for the formal surrender ceremony, scheduled for September 2nd, he said: "The surrender plan has been going splendidly. There is every indication that the occupation will continue without bloodshed or friction." The American occupation is continuing at a rate of 300 troop planes per day.

In the Philippines... The remaining Japanese troops formally surrender.

In Marcus Island... The Japanese garrison surrenders to the American Admiral Whiting.

In Washington... The government of the USA reestablishes diplomatic relations with Finland.

In Occupied Germany... Field Marshal Brauchitsch and Field Marshal von Manstein are arrested by Allied authorities. Meanwhile, the civilian population is in flux. Germans who fled the bombing of their cities are going home to stake their claim on whatever remains of their property. One in five persons in the western zone of Germay is a refugee. There are also Germans driven out of Poland and Silesia as well as other parts of eastern Europe.

In Moscow... The government of the USSR reestablishes diplomatic relations with Finland.