February 15th, 1945 (THURSDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM:
Frigate HMS Start Bay launched.
NORTH SEA: U-1053 sunk near Bergen in position 60.24N, 05.13E, after an accident during diving trials. 45 dead (all hands lost).
GERMANY: Eighth Air Force's 1st Air Division dispatched 224 B-17s to bomb oil targets at Ruhland. Weather conditions prevented them from finding their targets so 210 bombers hit the secondary target, Dresden, dropping 461.9 tons of bombs; two other B-17s hit targets of opportunity. One 3d Air Division B-17 also bombed Dresden as a target of opportunity releasing 2.5 tons of bombs.
Berlin: DNB (Deutsches Nachrichtenbüro) the German News Agency announces:
The Minister of Justice, Dr. Thierack, has issued the following order: The struggle for the survival of the German Reich demands the utmost resolution and devotion of every German. Anyone trying to evade his duty to the community, and especially those guilty of cowardice or selfishness, will immediately be brought to justice with all severity, lest the failure of one individual rebound to the discredit of the entire Reich. On the orders of the Führer, and with the full accord of the Ministry of Justice, the head of the Reichskanzlei, the Ministry of the Interior and the Parteikanzlei, it is therefore decreed that:
I) Summary Courts of Justice will be setup in all parts of the Reich threatened by the enemy.
II) Such courts will consist of a Judge as President, and a political leader or official of the NSDAP and an officer of the Wehrmacht, the Waffen-SS, or the Police as Assessors. Members of the Court and a Public Prosecutor will be appointed by the Regional Commander for defence.
III) The Summary Court will be competent to deal with all acts likely to undermine German resolution or fighting power. The procedure will be that laid down in the Penal Code.
IV) The Court will be competent to pass Death Sentences, acquit prisoners, or to refer cases to the common courts of justice. All Death Sentences must be confirmed by the Commissar for defence, who will also determine the place, time, and manner of execution. Whenever the Commissar for defence is not available, and immediate execution is deemed essential, the public prosecutor will act in his stead.
V) All regulations needed for the amplification, alteration, and implementation of the above decree will be passed by the Minister of Justice in conjunction with the Minister of the Interior and the head of the Parteikanzlei. (Party Chancellery.)
VI) The Decree comes into effect with it's publication in the press and it's announcement over the Deutsche Rundfunk (German Radio Network).
Soviet forces under Konev encircle Breslau, where martial law is declared and the death sentence decreed for "undermining German resolution or striking power."
INDIA: HMIS Shivaji commissioned as the prime training establishment for the Indian Navy.
BURMA: Indian troops capture Pagan.
BONIN ISLANDS: LeMay sends out his B-29s in a support strike for the forthcoming Iwo Jima invasion.
Weather was bad over Tokyo and as a substitute target the planes bombed Mitsubishi's engine works at Nagoya. At Chichi Jima, 15 B-24s bombed the airfield but failed to do much damage.
AUSTRALIA: Submarine USS Gabilan ends her 4th war patrol at Fremantle.
TERRITORY OF HAWAII: Submarine USS Picuda ended her fifth war patrol at Pearl Harbor.
U.S.A.: Frigate USS Davenport commissioned.
Destroyer USS Gurke launched.
SOUTH AMERICA: Venezuela and Uruguay declare war on Germany and Japan.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: Minesweeper HMCS Stratford commenced workups Bermuda.