1945
January 28th The end of the Battle of the Bulge – from now the German Army was on the retreat into Germany itself. 
February 13th Start of the bombing raid on Dresden. 
February 16th Start of the Battle of Iwo Jima – the US Navy began a 3 day bombardment of Iwo Jima. 
February 19th US Marines landed on Iwo Jima.
February 23rd US Marines raise the US flag on the summit of Mount Suribachi.
March 7th British and American troops crossed the Rhine.
March 16th Iwo Jima was declared secure by US forces.
March 22nd US 3rd Army crossed the River Rhine.
March 29th Last bomb (a V1) fell on Britain.
April 1st America took Okinawa – the last island held by the Japanese.

The Ruhr was encircled by the Allies.

April 12th Death of F D Roosevelt. 
April 13th The Russians captured Vienna. Belsen handed over to the British who entered the concentration camp on April 15th.
April 18th All resistance in the Ruhr is ended and 370,000 German prisoners were taken.
April 22nd Hitler decided to stay in Berlin ‘until the end’.
April 25th American and British troops met at Torgau, Germany.
April 30th Hitler committed suicide.
May 2nd Berlin surrendered to the Russian Army.
May 4th The German VII Army surrendered.
May 7th Germany surrendered unconditionally.
May 8th Victory in Europe (VE) Day.
May 11th German forces in Czechoslovakia surrendered.
June 22nd Japanese resistance on Okinawa ended.
July 12th General Election in Britain. Atlee replaced Churchill as Prime Minister.
August 6th First atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima by the ‘Enola Gay’.
August 9th Second atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki by ‘Bockscar.
September 2nd Japan surrendered. Victory in Japan (VJ) Day celebrated.
November 20th  Start of the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials.

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