Curated playlist
1945 in Japan
- Invasion of the Kuril IslandsThe Invasion of the Kuril Islands was a Soviet military operation against Japan in the last days of the Second World War. It never turned on one great battle. It moved instead from island to island across a long chain, over a span of about…
- Soviet invasion of South SakhalinSoviet troops kept fighting on Sakhalin for over a week after Japan surrendered.
- Surrender of JapanArmy officers staged a coup to seize Emperor Hirohito's surrender recording.
- Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and NagasakiKyoto was taken off the atomic bomb target list because one official admired the city. Nagasaki was added in its place.
- Battle of OkinawaJapan's army sent 1,780 schoolboys aged 14 to 17 to the front at Okinawa. About half were killed outright.
- Battle of Iwo JimaPlanners expected Iwo Jima to fall in a week, but it took five weeks. Japanese defenders had dug deep tunnels.
- Battle of West HunanIn April 1945, Japan sent 80,000 men into west Hunan to seize one Chinese airfield. They were pushed back by June 7.
- Soviet invasion of ManchuriaThe Soviet invasion of Manchuria began one minute past midnight on the 9th of August 1945.
- Bombing of TokyoAmerican planners mainly picked Tokyo neighborhoods for how well they were expected to burn.
- Hirohito surrender broadcastHirohito's 1945 broadcast ending the war never used the word surrender. Many listeners were left confused.
- Invasion of Lingayen GulfKamikaze attacks at Lingayen Gulf on January 6, 1945 hit at a rate approaching 50 percent.
- Occupation of JapanMacArthur refused to put Emperor Hirohito on trial after Japan's surrender.
- Japanese Instrument of SurrenderOne misplaced signature nearly unraveled Japan's surrender in 1945. A Canadian colonel signed one line too low.
- Victory over Japan DayA sailor grabbed a woman in Times Square and kissed her when Japan's surrender news broke.