Status - John Skinner - USS St. Croix
The St. Croix remained
in New
Caledonia, readying to transport troops to the Philippines in May.
-------------------------------------
The invasion of Okinawa began on April 1st. Many Navy ships are sunk or damaged by kamikaze aircraft. On the 7th, Navy planes sink Japanese battleship Yamato. US Navy attacks (air and submarine) sink many Japanese transports and small vessels. Despite the capture of Manila, fighting would continue in the Philippines until July. The St. Croix would bring troops to the Philippines several times during 1945.
The western European allies had moved into central Germany, capturing several cities including Muenster and Essen. The Buchenwald concentration camp was liberated on the 11th, and Bergen-Belsen on the 12th. Two Soviet armies began a race to Berlin. Hitler had moved to the Fuhrerbunker on the 1st.
Death of President Roosevelt
On the 12th, President Roosevelt, whose health had been fading for some time, died at the resort in Warm Springs, GA. Vice-President Truman assumed the Presidency. Truman would have to make many momentous decisions about the finish of the war and the post-war world. Truman had not yet been, but soon would be, briefed on the atomic bomb program.
More Information:
- Official Navy Chronology, pp. 653-664.
- The Liberation of the Philippines, Samuel Eliot Morison, pp. 228-302.
- Victory in the Pacific, Samuel Eliot Morison, pp. 169-236.
- USS_Saint_Croix
- Events of April, 1945
NEXT POST: MAY 1ST
No comments:
Post a Comment