May 4th, 1945 (FRIDAY)
GERMANY: Doenitz sends envoys to Montgomery's HQ at Lüneburg Heath to arrange for the surrender of Holland, Denmark and north Germany. This surrender will be effective at 0800 on May 5.
Lüneburg Heath: In a tent on the desolate Lüneburg Heath, three generals and two admirals this evening put their signatures to the surrender of all German armed forces in north-west Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark. As Montgomery read out the capitulation terms, a nervous German general took out a cigarette; Monty, who disapproves of smoking, gave him a sharp glance and the German hastily pit it away. The German team was led by an Admiral, Hans Georg von Friedeburg; he first appeared yesterday to ask Montgomery to accept the surrender of three Panzer armies which were retreating from the Russians, and to allow civilians fleeing from the Russians to pass through the British lines.
"No, certainly not," Montgomery said. He told von Friedeburg to go back to Dönitz and tell him that the armies fighting the Russians must surrender to them. As for the civilians, he would discuss that question after the surrender. He then produced a map of the battle situation. "That was a great shock to them," Montgomery says. He sent the Germans off to have lunch in a separate tent; throughout the meal von Friedeburg was in tears. The surrender takes effect from 8am tomorrow. More than 500,000 troops are involved; these will join the 500,000 taken prisoner in the past 24 hours.
Tonight von Friedeburg and his fellow officers are sleeping at Montgomery's HQ; tomorrow they will be taken to Eisenhower's HQ at Rheims for more surrender talks. Montgomery, a teetotaller, this evening relaxed and drank a glass of champagne.
The only "kill" attributed to the Volksjaeger FG-1 flying the Heinkel 162 jet is that of I/JG1's Lt.Rudolf Schmitt today for a low-flying RAF Typhoon. This claim has since been attributed to flak. (Russ Folsom)
German troops in Berlin try to reach the US and British lines, rather than be taken by the Russians.
Troops of the US First Army prepare to march into Czechoslovakia.
AUSTRIA: Salzburg is taken by US forces, who then move on towards Berchtesgaden.
Units of the US 3rd Army complete the crossing of the river Inn, and Innsbruck finally surrenders.
The last Me-109G fighters of the Hungarian Air Force under de Heppe, are destroyed by strafing P-51s. (Mike Yaklich)
GULF OF SIAM: USS Lagarto, a 1,500 tonne 'Balao class' submarine disappears after attacking a Japanese tanker and destroyer convoy around 100 miles off the southeast coast of Thailand. (Will O'Neil)
JAPAN: Okinawa: Fighting rages across southern Okinawa as Gen Ushijima's Thirty-second Army launches a damaging attack using tanks. US positions were hit by a 13,000-shell bombardment followed by suicidal infantry attacks. Offshore, Kamikaze boat and plane raids sank 17 US ships and damaged 11 others, with 682 US dead; but four daring sea raids by Japanese commandos behind US lines were all beaten back. Japanese losses are estimated at 5,000 dead; 131 aircraft have been lost.
Kamikazes sink the destroyers USS Luce (DD-522) and USS Morrison (DD-560) and two medium landing craft (LSMs); the kamikazes also damage the aircraft carrier HMS Formidable; light cruiser USS Birmingham (CL-62); escort aircraft carrier USS Sangamon (CVE-26); destroyers USS Ingraham (DD-694, USS Cowell (DD-547) and USS Lowry (DD-770); light minelayer USS Gwin (DM-33); high-speed minesweeper USS Hopkins (DMS-13); and a motor minesweeper (YMS). The Japanese also launch Yokosuka MXY7 Navy Suicide Attacker Ohka (Cherry Blossom) Model 11 rocket-propelled glide bombs known as "Baka;" they damage the light minelayer USS Shea (DM-30); and minesweeper USS Gayety (AM-239) which is also attacked by a kamikaze.
The British carrier HMS FORMIDABLE is damaged by a kamikaze attack off the Sakishima Islands.
CANADA: Frigate HMCS Teme paid off and returned to RN as constructive total loss for disposal. Scrapped Llanelly, Wales in 1946.
U.S.A.: The British film "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp," which had been released in the U.K. in June 1943, is released in the U.S. Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, the film stars Deborah Kerr and follows the life of a British soldier from the Boer War to WWII.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: Motor tanker Empire Unity damaged by U-979 at 64.23N, 22.37W.
U-711 sunk in the Arctic near Harstad, Norway, in position 68.43,717N, 16.34,600E, by depth charges from Avenger and Wildcat aircraft of escort carriers HMS Searcher, Trumpeter and Queen. 40 dead and 12 survivors.
U-2338 sunk ENE of Frederica, position 55.34N, 09.49E, by RAF 236 and 254 Sqn Beaufighters. 12 dead and 1 survivor.
U-155 shot down an RAF 126 Sqn Mustang.
U-2511, a new Type XXI Elektroboot evades a destroyer screen to close within 500 metres of the British cruiser HMS Norfolk without being picked up by sonar. Commander Korvettenkapitän Adalbert Schnee goes through the preparations for firing his torpedoes, lines up the target ... and then withdraws without attacking. Schnee had received the cease-fire order a few hours earlier.