January 20th, 1945 (SATURDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: The Hungarian Provisional Govt. signs an armistice with the USSR, USA and UK.
Auxiliary minelayer HMS Agamemnon conversion to Amenities Ship by Victoria Machinery Depot ordered.
Minesweeper HMS Welcome commissioned.
FRANCE: Alsace: The German counter-offensive in Alsace, Operation North Wind, has brought the enemy within eight miles of Strasburg and caused near-panic in the city. The Germans have established a bridgehead over the Rhine and are poised to link up with another German force striking northward from the "Colmar pocket". Hitler launched North Wind on New Year's Day in the expectation that Blaskowitz's Army Group G would overwhelm the greatly over-extended American-French 6th Army Group, which holds a 120-mile front that includes positions which Patton's men held before they moved up to the Ardennes.
GERMANY:
U-3033 launched.
U-3025 commissioned.
HUNGARY: Russian Armies continue fighting for Budapest, the Pest side of town is controlled by the Russians.
U.S.S.R.: Moscow: The Red Army is racing through Poland, covering over 100 miles in a week as the great sweep west gathers pace. In the past the Russians had to pause to allow their infantrymen to rest; now, thanks to Lend-Lease, the infantry is motorized and able to keep up with the tanks.
The story is the same all along the line. In the north General Cherniakhovsky has torn a 40-mile hole in the East Prussian defence zone and is 30 miles inside Germany's "holy soil". Marshal Rokossovsky is driving through northern Poland and is on the East Prussian border 110 miles south-east of Danzig and is threatening to cut off the whole of East Prussia, the home of German militarism. Zhukov, having taken Warsaw, has now captured Lodz, the great textile and engineering city and an indispensable base for the advance on Berlin. At the southern tip of the line, Konev has taken Cracow, opening up the road from the north into Czechoslovakia. He has also taken Praszka and so reached the borders of German Silesia. The Russians seem unstoppable. Columns of tanks and lorries stretch for miles across the Polish plain. The Russian tactics are to advance with their fast mobile detachments moving ahead of their tank and combined-arms groups. When they run into resistance or it becomes necessary to wipe out bypassed German forces, separate units are assigned to deal with the problem while the main column crunches on.
Overhead, untidy groups of Soviet planes wheel like flocks of starlings ready to settle on German targets. Opposing them are men like the Stuka ace Hans-Ulrich Rudel who claims to have destroyed 500 Russian tanks and a battleship. But there is little that even Rudel can do to stop the Russians. There are just too many of them. Fear is spreading throughout eastern Germany as refugees flood back from the warzone. The vengeful Russians have many scores to settle.
Soviet destroyer Razjarennyj damaged by U-293 at 70.00N, 32.10E - Grid AC 8574.
CANADA: Lt. Charles Arthur "Bones" Burk, RCNVR, Commanding Officer of MTB-491, was awarded his second bar to the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC). The citation, awarded as per the Canada Gazette of 20 January 1945 and the London Gazette of 26 December 1944 read: "For gallantry, skill, determination and undaunted devotion to duty during the landing of Allied Forces on the coast of Normandy." Charles Burk was from Toronto. He enlisted in the navy at HMCS York as in 1939 after graduating from the U of T. His basic training was conducted in Toronto and, in 1940, Ordinary Seaman Burke was sent overseas for further training with the RN in Cornwall. After training at Davenport Barracks, he was posted to HMS Newmarket , a USN Wickes-class lend-lease destroyer (ex-USS Robinson). Burk commissioned from the ranks on 30 Feb 40 and was sent to HMS King Alfred for officer training. Next, he was sent to St. Christopher for Coastal Forces training. His first operational assignment was the Third Watch Officer in MGB-101, which was engaged in air-sea rescue operations. Next, he was posted to MGB-14 as First Lieutenant. His first command was MGB-17. He subsequently commanded MTB-442, MTB-461 (28 Feb 44 to 17 Sep 44) and MTB-491 (04 Oct 44 to 29 Jan 45). He also commanded the 29th Canadian MTB Flotilla, which patrolled off Le Havre on D-Day. He received man decorations and commendations. His first was a Mention-in-Dispatches on 04 May 43. The citation in the London Gazette read: "For courage and devotion to duty in action with E-Boats." Next, he was awarded his first DSC on 02 May 44, while in command of MTB 461. The Citation (awarded in the Canada Gazette of 27 May 44) read: "For gallant and distinguished services in Light Coastal Craft in successful engagements with the enemy." He received his first Bar to the DSC on 14 Nov 44. The Citation (awarded in the Canada Gazette of 20 Jan 45) read: "For courage, leadership and determination in close action with the enemy while serving in Light Coastal Craft." He received his second Bar to the DSC on 20 Jan 45 and his second Mention-in-Dispatches on 30 Jan 45. The Citation (awarded as per the Canada Gazette of 03 Feb 45) read: "For courage and determination in an attack on an enemy convoy while serving in Light Coastal Forces." Charles Burk was released from the service in the rank of LCdr. on 25 Apr 45. After the war, he was a National President of the Naval Officers Association of Canada and President of the Montreal Branch of NOAC. Charles Burk died in June 1997, at the age of 81, in Montreal, Quebec.
COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: American forces of XIV Corps pushing inland from their beach-head at Lingayen Gulf on Luzon are tonight on the outskirts of San Miguel, some 90 miles from Manila. The US troops had met no opposition on the beaches when they landed on 9 January, but the fighting has since been fierce, particularly at the Agno river.
General Yamashita, who commands an army of 260,000 in Luzon, the largest encountered in the Pacific campaign, saved his men from a beach-head mauling from American fire-power by withdrawing them from the shoreline. His plan was to let the Amercans get ashore and then encircle them.
MacArthur was certain that he would secure the Central Plain/Manila region in four to six weeks and he pressed his commanders to push on without delay. A key target for the Americans in Clark Field airbase, which is needed for the forthcoming invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
GUAM: General Curtis LeMay relieves General Hansell as Commanding General XXI Bomber Command, USAAF.
U.S.A.: US President Roosevelt takes
the oath of office for his 4th term. Speech.
The USS WARD is struck from the navy list.