April 5th, 1945 (THURSDAY)
IRISH SEA: U-242 (type VIIC) is sunk by a mine in St. George's Channel. All 44 of the crew are lost. (Alex Gordon)
GERMANY: The Schwarze Korps, Himmler's respected Nazi publication, has conceded that Germany is on the verge of "absolute collapse". In an unprecedented admission, the magazine today says that the German people are "being forced to acknowledge that it may be possible to defeat us militarily". The piece goes on to say, however, that they will never stop fighting and that "our belief in the rightness of our cause hasn't changed by a single letter."
Ferdinand Schörner is promoted to Field Marshal. (Glenn A. Steinberg)
The US 304th Infantry Regiment reaches the Wehre River and takes the bridge at Niederhone. (Skip Guidry)(116)
The Eighth Air Force flies Mission 928: 1,358 bombers and 662 fighters attack marshalling yards, ordnance depots, armament works and airfields in Germany; they claim 8-0-6 aircraft; 10 bombers and 1 P-51 are lost.
- 406 B-17s bomb munitions dumps at Ingolstadt and Grafenwohr, and the marshalling yard at Bayreuth and 31 bomb targets of opportunity; 1 B-17 is lost. Escorting are 182 P-51s; they claim 0-0-1 aircraft in the air and 7-0-3 on the ground.
- 151 B-24s bomb the marshalling yard at Plauen while 39 bomb the munitions dump at Bayreuth; 2 aircraft bomb targets of opportunity; 5 B-24s are lost. 280 P-47s and P-51s escort; they claim 1-0-2 aircraft in the air;1 P-51 is lost.
- 521 B-17s bomb Unterschlauersbach Airfield, an aircraft parts factory and munitions depot at Furth, the Nurnberg South marshalling yard and the Nurnberg Station marshalling yard; 4 B-17s are lost. The escort is 91 P-51s.
Ninth Air Force fighters fly patrols, sweeps, and armed reconnaissance, and support the US 7th Armored Division's attack on the Ruhr pocket southwest of Brilon, the XX Corps' drive east in the Muhlhausen area, the XII Corps' advance in the Meiningen area, the 2d Armored Division bridgehead astride the Weser River south of Hameln, the 8th Armored Division (preparing for an assault on Soest), and the 5th Armored Division near Minden.
U.S.S.R.: Molotov notifies Japan that the 1941 Non Aggression Treaty between the U.S.S.R. and Japan will not be renewed.
Moscow: The Soviet Union plants to end its five-year neutrality pact with Japan, Moscow announced tonight, leading to speculation that Russia may enter the war against Japan. The pact still has a year to run. Moscow radio broadcast the contents of a diplomatic note delivered earlier by Mr. Molotov, the commissar for foreign affairs, to the Japanese ambassador. It accused Japan of helping Germany in its war against the Soviet Union.
Allied leaders immediately welcomed the Soviet move. They believe that Russia must eventually enter the war against Japan, opening up a new front in Manchuria. Tokyo radio immediately warned the Japanese people that relations between the two nations could change swiftly. It said that the Japanese government is prepared to make the greatest possible efforts to maintain peace with Russia.
Explaining the Soviet decision the diplomatic note pointed out that the neutrality pact had been concluded in 1941, before Germany's attack on the Soviet Union and before the outbreak of hostilities between Japan, Britain and the US. "Since then the situation has radically changed," the note said.
"Germany attacked the Soviet Union, and Japan, the ally of Germany, is helping her in her war against the Soviet Union. In addition Japan is fighting against the United States and Great Britain who are allies of the Soviet Union. In such circumstances the pact of neutrality between Japan and the Soviet Union has lost its meaning and its extension is proving impossible."
Under the pact, if neither party had given notice of any change by next week, it would be automatically extended for five years.
SOUTHERN EUROPE: Twelfth Air Force B-25s bomb 5 bridges in northern Italy and Austria, at Steinach, Austria, and Matrei am Brenner, Modena, Salorno, and San Michele all'Adige, and blast gun positions at La Spezia, Italy; these attacks follow night raids by A-20s and A-26 Invaders on bridges at Lavis, Ala, San Michele all'Adige, San Ambrogio di Valpolicella, Piazzola sul Brenta, Cittadella, and Montebello, Italy and other targets; fighters and fighter bombers devote their largest effort to close support of ground forces, blasting occupied areas and gun positions in the Massa Lombarda area, and also attack communications and dumps in the Po Valley.
The Fifteenth Air Force dispatches 457 B-24s and B-17s to attack a railroad bridge at Dravograd, Yugoslavia, marshalling yards and locomotive depots at Brescia, Alessandria, and Turin, Italy, and the airfield at Udine, Italy; 96 P-38s dive-bomb the Radovljica, Yugoslavia railroad bridge, 27 P-51s with 13 flying top cover, strafe rail communications in the Munich, Regensburg, and Passau, Germany, and Linz, Austria areas; 20+ P-38s fly reconnaissance missions; around 300 fighter sorties are flown to escort transport, reconnaissance, and bomber missions (including an RAF raid on the Monfalconei, Italy shipyards).
ITALY: The US 5th Army begins an attack north of Massa to drive on La Spezia.
YUGOSLAVIA: Partisan leader Josip Broz, Alias "Tito" signs a "friendship treaty" with the Soviet Union. The agreement permits "temporary entry of Soviet troops into Yugoslav territory." As part of the agreement Tito secure a proviso that the Soviets would leave Yugoslavia once its "Operational task" was completed. (Gene Hanson)
JAPAN: General Koiso and cabinet resign. Admiral Suzuki forms a new cabinet with Togo as Foreign Minister and Hiranuma as President of the Privy Council. This cabinet shows a decrease in military influence and agree that no reasonable offer of Peace should be turned down.
CHINA AND FRENCH INDOCHINA: 27 Fourteenth Air Force fighter-bombers on armed reconnaissance attack troops, horses, and river, road, and rail traffic at Son La, French Indochina and Shanhsien and Shihkiachwang, and in the Tehsien and Loyang-Pinglo area of China. 20 Fifth Air Force B-24s bomb Kowloon Docks in Hong Kong, damaging 4 ships, and a nearby airfield.
FORMOSA: 38 Fifth Air Force B-24s bomb Kiirun harbour.
PACIFIC OCEAN: The battleship U.S.S. Nevada is damaged off Okinawa by a shore battery.
COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: The 201st Fighter Squadron of the Mexican Air Force, equipped with 25 Republic P-47D Thunderbolts, arrives at Clark Field, Luzon. It is attached to the 58th Fighter Group, V Fighter Command, Fifth Air Force.
22 Seventh Air Force B-24s from Angaur Island in the Palau Islands bomb a bivouac area at Bunawan on Mindanao. 180+ sorties by Fifth Air Force aircraft in support of ground forces are flown on Luzon. A-20s and patrolling P-61 Black Widows support troops on Cebu and Negros Islands.
BORNEO: Fifth Air Force P-38s hit Tarakan Island and Tawau.
CAROLINE ISLANDS: 18 Seventh Air Force B-24s from Guam bomb targets on Eten and Dublon Islands in Truk Atoll.
MARIANAS ISLANDS: USAAF 58th Bombardment Wing (Very Heavy) arrives on the islands.
U.S.A.: Command changes for the Pacific Theatre in preparation for the invasion of Japan are announced. MacArthur will command all US Army Forces and Nimitz will command all US Navy forces.
The last group of African-American officers of the USAAF 477th Bombardment Group, arrive at Freeman Field, Indiana. Arriving there late in the afternoon, they begin to go in small groups to Club Number Two (previously assigned to instructors only, who are all white), to seek service.
The first group of three officers was turned away by Major Andrew M. White, the officer in charge of the club; but later groups were met by the Officer of the Day, First Lieutenant Joseph D. Rogers, who was armed with a holstered .45 calibre weapon and who was stationed there on the orders of Colonel Selway. When 19 of the officers, including Coleman Young, entered the club against the instructions of Lieutenant Rogers and refused to leave, Major White put them in arrest "in quarters." In response to the arrest order, the 19 officers left the club and returned to their quarters. Seventeen more were placed under arrest later that night, including Second Lieutenant Roger C. Terry, whom Lieutenant Rogers claimed had shoved him. The next night, 25 more officers acting in three groups entered the club and were also placed under arrest. Except for the alleged "shoving" incident, there was no use of physical force by anyone on either side. A total of 61 officers were arrested during the two-day protest. (William L. Howard)
1964: General Douglas MacArthur, USA dies. (Tom Hickox)