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World War II Database

4 May 1945
  • Fedor von Bock passed away. ww2dbase [Fedor von Bock | CPC]
  • Orion was sunk off Swinemünde, Germany (now Swinoujscie, Poland) by bombs. About 4,000 people, most of whom refugees, were killed. ww2dbase [Orion | CPC]
  • Charles Sweeney became the commanding officer of the 393rd Bombardment Squadron, Heavy which was a part of the USAAF 509th Composite Group designated to deliver the atomic bombs when they are ready. ww2dbase [Charles Sweeney | CPC]
  • German forces in Denmark, the Netherlands, and northwestern Germany surrendered to British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, to be in effect at 0800 hours on the next day. Meanwhile, in Germany, US Ninth Army accepted surrender of German Ninth and Twelfth Armies and US Third Army accepted the surrender by Feldmarschall Paul von Kleist. ww2dbase [Germany's Surrender | TH, CPC]
  • Operation Iceberg II was commenced by the Allies to support the campaign on Okinawa, Japan. Meanwhile, Japanese special attack aircraft sank two destroyers and damaged a number of other warships off the island, including British carrier HMS Formidable and American minesweeper USS Shea (hit by 1 of 7 Ohka special attack aircraft launched on this day). ww2dbase [Okinawa Campaign | CPC]
  • HMS King George V bombarded airfields in the Ryukyu Islands, Japan. ww2dbase [King George V | CPC]
  • Deutschland was decommissioned from service. ww2dbase [Deutschland | CPC]
  • The Fletcher-class destroyer USS Morrison was sunk by a Japanese special attack aircraft off Okinawa, Japan. ww2dbase [AC]
  • The US submarine Lagarto was sunk by the Japanese minelayer Hatsutaka in the Gulf of Siam. ww2dbase [Lagarto | AC]
  • Kurt Schuschnigg was liberated by American troops. ww2dbase [CPC]
  • USS Cero sank a Japanese transport east of Japan, hitting her with 1 of 2 torpedoes fired; an additional 3 torpedoes were expended (but missed) in attacking other ships in the same convoy. ww2dbase [Cero | CPC]
  • Pastor Hornig, Dr. Konrad, Bishop Ferche, and Canon Kramer, the three leading religious leaders in Breslau, Germany (now Wroclaw, Poland), unsuccessfully attempted to persuade German General of the Infantry Hermann Niehoff to surrender the city to the Soviets. ww2dbase [Silesian Offensive and the Siege of Breslau | CPC]
  • German pilot Leutnant Rudolf Schmitt shot down a British Tempest fighter while flying a He 162 jet fighter. ww2dbase [CPC]
  • M612 was ordered to sail to the eastern Baltic Sea to evacuate German troops surrounded by the Soviets. ww2dbase [M612 | CPC]
Germany Hawaii Italy Japan
  • USS Luce was attacked by two Japanese special attack aircraft off Okinawa, Japan. The first was shot down near the port side of the ship, and the blast of the explosion caused power failures throughout the ship. The second aircraft crashed into the aft portion of the destroyer, knocking out the port engine, jamming the rudder, and flooding engineering spaces. The commanding officer gave the order to abandon ship at 0814 hours. Of the 312 on board, 126 were killed in the attack and the sinking. ww2dbase [Luce | Okinawa Campaign | Okinawa | CPC, DS]
  • USS Haddock fired 6 torpedoes at a ship 5 miles south of Suruga Bay in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan; all torpedoes missed. ww2dbase [Haddock | Suruga Bay, Yamanashi | CPC]
Mariana Islands
  • USS Spot arrived at Saipan, Mariana Islands, ending her second war patrol. ww2dbase [Spot | Saipan | CPC]
Pacific Ocean
  • USS Trepang sank Japanese Minesweeper Number 20 in the Yellow Sea. ww2dbase [Trepang | Yellow Sea | CPC]
  • USS Springer set sail toward waters south of Japan on lifeguard duty. ww2dbase [Springer | CPC]
United States Photo(s) dated 4 May 1945
Cromwell tank crew of C Squadron, 5th Royal Tank Regiment in Hamburg, Germany, 4 May 1945; the man sitting on the tank was a Russian former POW who had been fighting alongside the crewSherman Firefly tank of British 7th Armored Division, Hamburg, Germany, 4 May 1945The crew of a Humber Light Reconnaissance Car Mk III feeding pigeons in Hamburg, Germany, 4 May 1945D4Y3 Suisei special attack aircraft diving at USS Sangamon as part of Operation Kikusui No. 5, off Kerama Retto, Ryukyu Islands, Japan, 4 May 1945
See all photos dated 4 May 1945

4 May 1945 Interactive Map

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis




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Famous WW2 Quote
"Among the men who fought on Iwo Jima, uncommon valor was a common virtue."

Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, 16 Mar 1945


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