1945 in Germany
Encyclopedia
National level
Head of State:- Adolf HitlerAdolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
(the FührerFührerFührer , alternatively spelled Fuehrer in both English and German when the umlaut is not available, is a German title meaning leader or guide now most associated with Adolf Hitler, who modelled it on Benito Mussolini's title il Duce, as well as with Georg von Schönerer, whose followers also...
) (Nazi Party) until 30 April, then Karl DönitzKarl DönitzKarl Dönitz was a German naval commander during World War II. He started his career in the German Navy during World War I. In 1918, while he was in command of , the submarine was sunk by British forces and Dönitz was taken prisoner...
(President) (Nazi Party) to 23 May, then none
Chancellor
Chancellor of Germany
The Chancellor of Germany is, under the German 1949 constitution, the head of government of Germany...
- Adolf HitlerAdolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
(Nazi Party) until 30 April, then Joseph GoebbelsJoseph GoebbelsPaul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
(Nazi Party) until 1 May, then from 2 May Lutz Graf Schwerin von KrosigkLutz Graf Schwerin von KrosigkJohann Ludwig Graf Schwerin von Krosigk, born Johann Ludwig von Krosigk and known as Lutz von Krosigk was a German jurist and senior government official, who served during May of 1945 in the historically unique position of Leading Minister of the German Reich, the equivalent of a Chancellorship in...
(leading minister) (non-partisan conservative)to 23 May, then none
Events
- January — American troopsUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
cross the Siegfried LineSiegfried LineThe original Siegfried line was a line of defensive forts and tank defences built by Germany as a section of the Hindenburg Line 1916–1917 in northern France during World War I...
into BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. - 12 January — WWII: The Soviet UnionSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
begins the Vistula-Oder Offensive in Eastern EuropeEastern EuropeEastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
against the NazisNazismNazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
. - 20 January — WWII: The Soviet UnionSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
occupies WarsawWarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. - 20 January — The HolocaustThe HolocaustThe Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
: The evacuation of Auschwitz concentration campAuschwitz concentration campConcentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
begins. - 27 January — The HolocaustThe HolocaustThe Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
: The Red ArmyRed ArmyThe Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
liberates the AuschwitzAuschwitz concentration campConcentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
and BirkenauAuschwitz concentration campConcentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
death camps. - 30 January — The Wilhelm Gustloff, with over 10,000 mainly civilian Germans from Gotenhafen (GdyniaGdyniaGdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.Located in Kashubia in Eastern Pomerania, Gdynia is part of a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdańsk and suburban communities, which together...
) in the Gdansk BayGdansk BayGdańsk Bay or the Bay of Gdańsk or Danzig Bay is a southeastern bay of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the adjacent port city of Gdańsk in Poland and is sometimes referred to as a gulf.-Geography:...
, is sunk by three torpedoTorpedoThe modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
es from the Soviet submarine S-13Soviet submarine S-13S-13 was a Stalinets-class submarine of the Soviet Navy. Her keel was laid down by Krasnoye Sormovo in Gorky on 19 October 1938. She was launched on 25 April 1939 and commissioned on 31 July 1941 in the Baltic Fleet, under the command of Captain Pavel Malantyenko.-Service history:In the first half...
in the Baltic SeaBaltic SeaThe Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
; up to 9,400 are thought to have died – the greatest loss of life in a single ship sinking in war action in history. - 9 February — WWII: "Black FridayBlack Friday (1945)On 9 February 1945 a force of Allied Bristol Beaufighter aircraft suffered heavy casualties during an unsuccessful attack on German destroyer Z33 and escorting vessels; the operation was labelled "Black Friday" by the surviving Allied aircrew...
": A force of Allied Bristol BeaufighterBristol BeaufighterThe Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a British long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design...
aircraft suffers heavy casualties in an unsuccessful attack on German destroyer Z33German destroyer Z33Z33 was a German that saw service during World War II. She was commissioned in the Kriegsmarine in February 1943 and served in Norwegian waters until March 1945. She was decommissioned from the Kriegsmarine in late April 1945 but was handed over to the Soviet Union in December that year...
and escorting vessels sheltering in Førde FjordFørdefjordenFørde Fjord is a fjord in Sogn og Fjordane county in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. It passes through the municipalities of Førde, Naustdal, Askvoll, and Flora. The fjord begins at the town of Førde, at the estuary of Jølstra river, which comes from the lake Jølstravatn...
, NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. - 10 February — WWII: The SS General von Steuben is sunk by the Soviet submarine S-13Soviet submarine S-13S-13 was a Stalinets-class submarine of the Soviet Navy. Her keel was laid down by Krasnoye Sormovo in Gorky on 19 October 1938. She was launched on 25 April 1939 and commissioned on 31 July 1941 in the Baltic Fleet, under the command of Captain Pavel Malantyenko.-Service history:In the first half...
. - 13 February — WWII: SovietSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
forces capture BudapestBudapestBudapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, HungaryHungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
from the NazisNazismNazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
. - 13 February — WWII: Royal Air ForceRoyal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
bombing of DresdenBombing of Dresden in World War IIThe Bombing of Dresden was a military bombing by the British Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Force and as part of the Allied forces between 13 February and 15 February 1945 in the Second World War...
, Germany. - 21 February — The last V-2-rocket is launched from PeenemündePeenemündeThe Peenemünde Army Research Center was founded in 1937 as one of five military proving grounds under the Army Weapons Office ....
. - March — Anne FrankAnne FrankAnnelies Marie "Anne" Frank is one of the most renowned and most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Acknowledged for the quality of her writing, her diary has become one of the world's most widely read books, and has been the basis for several plays and films.Born in the city of Frankfurt...
, dies in the Bergen-Belsen concentration campBergen-Belsen concentration campBergen-Belsen was a Nazi concentration camp in Lower Saxony in northwestern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle...
, Lower SaxonyLower SaxonyLower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
, Germany, of typhusTyphusEpidemic typhus is a form of typhus so named because the disease often causes epidemics following wars and natural disasters...
. - 2 March — The Bachem Ba 349 NatterBachem Ba 349The Bachem Ba 349 Natter was a World War II German point-defence rocket powered interceptor, which was to be used in a very similar way to a manned surface-to-air missile. After vertical take-off, which eliminated the need for airfields, the majority of the flight to the Allied bombers was to be...
is launched from Stetten am kalten MarktStetten am kalten MarktStetten am kalten Markt is a municipality in the Sigmaringen district of Baden-Württemberg, Germany.-Towns:The towns of Nusplingen, Frohnstetten, Storzingen and Glashütte are part of Stetten am kalten Markt.-History:...
. The Natter is the first manned rocket, developed as anti-aircraft weapon. The launch fails and the pilot dies. - 3 March — WWII: A possible experimental atomic test blast occurs at the Nazis' OhrdrufOhrdrufOhrdruf is a small town in the German federal state of Thuringia. It lies some 30 km southwest of Erfurt.-Medieval settling:Ohrdruf was founded in 724–726 by Saint Boniface, as the site of the first monastery in Thuringia, dedicated to Saint Michael. It was the first of several religious...
military testing area. - 7 March — WWII: American troops seize the bridge over the Rhine River at RemagenRemagenRemagen is a town in Germany in Rhineland-Palatinate, in the district of Ahrweiler. It is about a one hour drive from Cologne , just south of Bonn, the former West German capital. It is situated on the River Rhine. There is a ferry across the Rhine from Remagen every 10–15 minutes in the summer...
, Germany and begin to cross. - 19 March — WWII: Adolf HitlerAdolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
orders that all industries, military installations, machine shops, transportation facilities and communications facilities in Germany be destroyed. - 24 March — WWII: Operation VarsityOperation VarsityOperation Varsity was a successful joint American–British airborne operation that took place toward the end of World War II...
: Two airborne divisions capture bridges across the Rhine River to aid the Allied advance. - 4 April — WWII: American troops liberate their first Nazi concentration camp, Ohrdruf death camp in GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. - 6 April — WWII: SarajevoSarajevoSarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
is liberated from the Nazi GermanyNazi GermanyNazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
and Nazi CroatiaIndependent State of CroatiaThe Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany, established on a part of Axis-occupied Yugoslavia. The NDH was founded on 10 April 1941, after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. All of Bosnia and Herzegovina was annexed to NDH, together with some parts...
(German puppet statePuppet stateA puppet state is a nominal sovereign of a state who is de facto controlled by a foreign power. The term refers to a government controlled by the government of another country like a puppeteer controls the strings of a marionette...
) by the Yugoslav Partisans. - 7 April — WWII: The only flight of the German ramming unit known as the Sonderkommando Elbe takes place, resulting in the loss of some 24 B-17s and B-24sB-24 LiberatorThe Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
of the United States Eighth Air ForceEighth Air ForceThe Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
. - 10 April — WWII: The Allied ForcesAlliesIn everyday English usage, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out between them...
liberate the NaziNazismNazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
concentration camp, BuchenwaldBuchenwald concentration campBuchenwald concentration camp was a German Nazi concentration camp established on the Ettersberg near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937, one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps on German soil.Camp prisoners from all over Europe and Russia—Jews, non-Jewish Poles and Slovenes,...
. - 15 April — The Bergen-Belsen concentration campBergen-Belsen concentration campBergen-Belsen was a Nazi concentration camp in Lower Saxony in northwestern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle...
is liberated. - 22 April — Heinrich HimmlerHeinrich HimmlerHeinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
, through Count Bernadotte, puts forth an offer of German surrender to the Western Allies, but not the Soviet Union. - 24 April — Retreating German troopsWehrmachtThe Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
destroy all the bridges over the AdigeAdigeThe Adige is a river with its source in the Alpine province of South Tyrol near the Italian border with Austria and Switzerland. At in length, it is the second longest river in Italy, after the River Po with ....
in VeronaVeronaVerona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
, including the historical Ponte di CastelvecchioCastelvecchio BridgeThe Castelvecchio Bridge or Scaliger Bridge is a fortified bridge in Verona, northern Italy, over the Adige River...
and Ponte Pietra. - 25 April — WWII: Elbe DayElbe DayElbe Day, April 25, 1945, was the date Soviet and American troops met at the River Elbe, near Torgau in Germany, marking an important step toward the end of the World War II in Europe. The first contact was made between patrols near Strehla, when First Lieutenant Albert Kotzebue crossed the River...
: United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and SovietSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
troops link up at the Elbe RiverElbeThe Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
, cutting GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in two. - 26 April — Battle of Bautzen (World War II)Battle of Bautzen (1945)The Battle of Bautzen was one of the last battles of the Eastern Front in World War II. It was fought on the extreme southern flank of the Spremberg–Torgau Offensive, seeing days of pitched street fighting between forces of the 2nd Polish Army and elements of the Soviet's 52nd Army and 5th Guards...
: The last "successful" German panzer-offensive in BautzenBautzenBautzen is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and administrative centre of the eponymous district. It is located on the Spree River. As of 2008, its population is 41,161...
ends with the city recaptured. - 27 April — The Western Allies flatly reject any offer of surrender by Germany other than unconditional on all fronts.
- 29 April — Adolf HitlerAdolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
marries his longtime mistress Eva BraunEva BraunEva Anna Paula Hitler was the longtime companion of Adolf Hitler and, for less than 40 hours, his wife. Braun met Hitler in Munich, when she was 17 years old, while working as an assistant and model for his personal photographer and began seeing him often about two years later...
in a closed civil ceremony in the BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
FührerbunkerFührerbunkerThe Führerbunker was located beneath Hitler's New Reich Chancellery in Berlin, Germany. It was part of a subterranean bunker complex which was constructed in two major phases, one part in 1936 and the other in 1943...
. - 30 April — Adolf Hitler and his wife of one day, Eva Braun, commit suicideDeath of Adolf HitlerAdolf Hitler committed suicide by gunshot on Monday, 30 April 1945 in his Führerbunker in Berlin. His wife Eva , committed suicide with him by ingesting cyanide...
as the Red ArmyRed ArmyThe Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
approaches the Führerbunker in BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. Karl DönitzKarl DönitzKarl Dönitz was a German naval commander during World War II. He started his career in the German Navy during World War I. In 1918, while he was in command of , the submarine was sunk by British forces and Dönitz was taken prisoner...
succeeds Hitler as President of Germany; Joseph GoebbelsJoseph GoebbelsPaul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
succeeds Hitler as Chancellor of GermanyChancellor of GermanyThe Chancellor of Germany is, under the German 1949 constitution, the head of government of Germany...
. - 1 May — WWII: HamburgHamburg-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
Radio announces that Hitler has died in battle, "fighting up to his last breath against BolshevismBolshevikThe Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
." - 1 May — Joseph GoebbelsJoseph GoebbelsPaul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
and his wife commit suicide after killing their six children. Karl Dönitz appoints Count Lutz Graf Schwerin von KrosigkLutz Graf Schwerin von KrosigkJohann Ludwig Graf Schwerin von Krosigk, born Johann Ludwig von Krosigk and known as Lutz von Krosigk was a German jurist and senior government official, who served during May of 1945 in the historically unique position of Leading Minister of the German Reich, the equivalent of a Chancellorship in...
as the new Chancellor of GermanyChancellor of GermanyThe Chancellor of Germany is, under the German 1949 constitution, the head of government of Germany...
. - 1 May — Mass suicide in DemminMass suicide in DemminOn May 1, 1945, hundreds of people committed mass suicide in the town of Demmin, in the Province of Pomerania , Germany. The suicides occurred during a mass panic that was provoked by atrocities committed by soldiers of the Soviet Red Army, who had sacked the town the day before...
. - 2 May — WWII: The Soviet UnionSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
announces the fall of Berlin. Soviet soldiers hoist the Red flagRed flagIn politics, a red flag is a symbol of Socialism, or Communism, or sometimes left-wing politics in general. It has been associated with left-wing politics since the French Revolution. Socialists adopted the symbol during the Revolutions of 1848 and it became a symbol of communism as a result of its...
over the Reich Chancellery. - 3 May — WWII: The prison shipPrison shipA prison ship, historically sometimes called a prison hulk, is a vessel used as a prison, often to hold convicts awaiting transportation to penal colonies. This practice was popular with the British government in the 18th and 19th centuries....
s Cap Arcona, ThielbekThielbekThe Thielbek was a 2,815 GRT freighter that was sunk along with the SS Cap Arcona and the Deutschland during British air raids on May 3, 1945 while anchored in the Bay of Lübeck with the loss of 2,750 lives...
and DeutschlandSS Deutschland (1923)SS Deutschland Sometimes called Deutschland IV to distinguish from others of the name was a 21,046 gross registered ton German HAPAG ocean liner which was sunk in a British air attack in 1945, with great loss of life....
are sunk by the RAFRoyal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
in LübeckLübeckThe Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
Bay. - 3 May — Rocket scientist Wernher von BraunWernher von BraunWernher Magnus Maximilian, Freiherr von Braun was a German rocket scientist, aerospace engineer, space architect, and one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany during World War II and in the United States after that.A former member of the Nazi party,...
and 120 members of his team surrender to U.S. forces (later going on to help to start the U.S. space program). - 3 May — German Protestant theologian Gerhard KittelGerhard KittelGerhard Kittel was a German Protestant theologian, lexicographer of biblical languages, and open anti-Semite...
is arrested by the French forces in Tübingen, Germany. - 4 May — WWII: The concentration camp Neuengamme near HamburgHamburg-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
is liberated by the British Army. - 4 May — WWII: The North German army surrenders to Marshal Bernard MontgomeryBernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of AlameinField Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, KG, GCB, DSO, PC , nicknamed "Monty" and the "Spartan General" was a British Army officer. He saw action in the First World War, when he was seriously wounded, and during the Second World War he commanded the 8th Army from...
. - 4 May — WWII: Holland is liberated by British and Canadian troops. German forces officially surrender one day later.
- 5 May — WWII: Denmark is liberated. German forces officially surrender one day later.
- 5 May — WWII: PraguePraguePrague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
rises up against the Nazis. - 5 May — WWII: The US 11th Armored Division liberates the prisoners of Mauthausen concentration campMauthausen-Gusen concentration campMauthausen Concentration Camp grew to become a large group of Nazi concentration camps that was built around the villages of Mauthausen and Gusen in Upper Austria, roughly east of the city of Linz.Initially a single camp at Mauthausen, it expanded over time and by the summer of 1940, the...
, including Simon WiesenthalSimon WiesenthalSimon Wiesenthal KBE was an Austrian Holocaust survivor who became famous after World War II for his work as a Nazi hunter....
. - 5 May — WWII: CanadianCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
soldiers liberate the city of AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
from NaziNazismNazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
occupation. - 5 May — WWII: Admiral Karl DönitzKarl DönitzKarl Dönitz was a German naval commander during World War II. He started his career in the German Navy during World War I. In 1918, while he was in command of , the submarine was sunk by British forces and Dönitz was taken prisoner...
orders all U-boatU-boatU-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
s to cease offensive operations and return to their bases. - 7 May — WWII: General Alfred JodlAlfred JodlAlfred Josef Ferdinand Jodl was a German military commander, attaining the position of Chief of the Operations Staff of the Armed Forces High Command during World War II, acting as deputy to Wilhelm Keitel...
signs unconditional surrender terms at ReimsReimsReims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, ending Germany's participation in the war. The document takes effect the next day. - 8 May — WWII: V-E DayVictory in Europe DayVictory in Europe Day commemorates 8 May 1945 , the date when the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. The formal surrender of the occupying German forces in the Channel Islands was not...
(Victory in Europe, as Nazi GermanyNazi GermanyNazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
surrenders) commemorates the end of WWII in EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, with the final surrender being to the Soviets in BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, attended by representatives of the Western Powers. - 9 May — WWII: Hermann GöringHermann GöringHermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
is captured by the United States ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. - 9 May — WWII: General Alexander LöhrAlexander LöhrAlexander Löhr was an Austrian Air Force commander during the 1930s and, after the "Political Union of Germany and Austria" , he was a German Air Force commander...
, Commander of German Army Group E near Topolšica, SloveniaSloveniaSlovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, signs the capitulation of German occupation troops. - 9 May — WWII: The German occupation of the Channel IslandsOccupation of the Channel IslandsThe Channel Islands were occupied by Nazi Germany for much of World War II, from 30 June 1940 until the liberation on 9 May 1945. The Channel Islands are two British Crown dependencies and include the bailiwicks of Guernsey and Jersey as well as the smaller islands of Alderney and Sark...
ends with the liberation by British troops. - 9 May — WWII: AlderneyAlderneyAlderney is the most northerly of the Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency. It is long and wide. The area is , making it the third-largest island of the Channel Islands, and the second largest in the Bailiwick...
, an annex of the concentration camp Neuengamme, is liberated. - 23 May — President of Germany Karl DönitzKarl DönitzKarl Dönitz was a German naval commander during World War II. He started his career in the German Navy during World War I. In 1918, while he was in command of , the submarine was sunk by British forces and Dönitz was taken prisoner...
and Chancellor of GermanyChancellor of GermanyThe Chancellor of Germany is, under the German 1949 constitution, the head of government of Germany...
Count Lutz Graf Schwerin von KrosigkLutz Graf Schwerin von KrosigkJohann Ludwig Graf Schwerin von Krosigk, born Johann Ludwig von Krosigk and known as Lutz von Krosigk was a German jurist and senior government official, who served during May of 1945 in the historically unique position of Leading Minister of the German Reich, the equivalent of a Chancellorship in...
are arrested by BritishUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
forces at FlensburgFlensburgFlensburg is an independent town in the north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg is the centre of the region of Southern Schleswig...
. They are respectively the last German Head of stateHead of StateA head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
and Head of governmentPrime ministerA prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
until 1949. - 23 May — Heinrich HimmlerHeinrich HimmlerHeinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
, former head of the NaziNazismNazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
SSSchutzstaffelThe Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
, commits suicide in British custody. - 29 May — German communists, led by Walther Ulbricht, arrive in BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. - 5 June — The Allied Control CouncilAllied Control CouncilThe Allied Control Council or Allied Control Authority, known in the German language as the Alliierter Kontrollrat and also referred to as the Four Powers , was a military occupation governing body of the Allied Occupation Zones in Germany after the end of World War II in Europe...
, military occupation governing body of Germany, formally takes power. - 1 July — WWII: Germany is divided between the Allied occupation forces.
- 16 July — WWII: A train collision near MunichMunichMunich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Germany kills 102 war prisoners.
- 16 November — Cold WarCold WarThe Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
: The United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
controversially imports 88 German scientists to help in the production of rocketRocketA rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
technology. - 20 November — The Nuremberg TrialsNuremberg TrialsThe Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany....
begin: Trials against 24 NaziNazismNazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
war criminalsWar crimeWar crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
of WWII start at the Nuremberg Palace of Justice.
Births
- 8 March — Anselm KieferAnselm KieferAnselm Kiefer is a German painter and sculptor. He studied with Joseph Beuys and Peter Dreher during the 1970s. His works incorporate materials such as straw, ash, clay, lead, and shellac...
, German painter - 7 April — Werner SchroeterWerner SchroeterWerner Schroeter was a German film director and screenwriter, who some consider among the most important German writer-directors of the post-war period.-Biography:...
, German film director (d. 20102010 in Germany-Federal level:* President – Horst Köhler until 31 May, Christian Wulff* Chancellor – Angela Merkel-Events:* January 16 – The German government asks its citizens to stop using Microsoft's web browser Internet Explorer to protect their own security....
) - 21 May — Ernst Messerschmid, German physicist and astronaut
- 31 May — Rainer Werner FassbinderRainer Werner FassbinderRainer Werner Maria Fassbinder was a German movie director, screenwriter and actor. He is considered one of the most important representatives of the New German Cinema.He maintained a frenetic pace in film-making...
, German film director (d. 1982) - 9 June — Nike WagnerNike WagnerNike Wagner is the director of an arts festival held annually at Weimar, Germany , and a noteworthy collaborator in the Bayreuth Festival, founded in 1876 by Richard Wagner, her paternal great-grandfather...
, German woman of the theater - 14 June — Jörg ImmendorffJörg ImmendorffJörg Immendorff was one of the best known contemporary German painters; he was also a sculptor, stage designer and art professor.- Life and work :...
, German painter (d. 20072007 in Germany-Federal level:*President – Horst Köhler*Chancellor – Angela Merkel-State level:*Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg – Günther Oettinger*Minister-President of Bavaria – Edmund Stoiber until 30 September, then Günther Beckstein...
) - 15 July — Jürgen MöllemannJürgen MöllemannJürgen Wilhelm Möllemann was a German politician of the Free Democratic Party. He served as Minister of State at the Foreign Office , as Federal Minister of Education and Research , as Federal Minister of Economics and as Vice Chancellor of Germany in the government of Chancellor Helmut...
, German politician (d. 2003) - 14 August — Wim WendersWim WendersErnst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders is a German film director, playwright, author, photographer and producer.-Early life:Wenders was born in Düsseldorf. He graduated from high school in Oberhausen in the Ruhr area. He then studied medicine and philosophy in Freiburg and Düsseldorf...
, German film director and producer - 11 September — Franz BeckenbauerFranz BeckenbauerFranz Anton Beckenbauer is a German football coach, manager, and former player, nicknamed Der Kaiser because of his elegant style, his leadership, his first name "Franz" , and his dominance on the football pitch...
, German footballer and coach - 3 November — Gerd MüllerGerd MüllerGerhard "Gerd" Müller is a former German football player and one of the most prolific goalscorers of all time.With national records of 68 goals in 62 international appearances, 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga games and the international record of 66 goals in 74 European Club games, he was one of the...
, German footballer
Deaths
- 21 February — Adolf BrandAdolf BrandAdolf Brand was a German writer, individualist anarchist and pioneering campaigner for the acceptance of male bisexuality and homosexuality.-Biography:...
, German writer (b. 18741874 in Germany-National level:* Kaiser — William I* Chancellor — Otto von Bismarck-Kingdoms:* King of Bavaria — Ludwig II of Bavaria* King of Prussia — Kaiser William I* King of Saxony — Albert of Saxony* King of Württemberg — Charles of Württemberg-Grand Duchies:...
) - 3 February — Roland FreislerRoland FreislerRoland Freisler was a prominent and notorious Nazi lawyer and judge. He was State Secretary of the Reich Ministry of Justice and President of the People's Court , which was set up outside constitutional authority...
, Nazi German judge (b. 18931893 in Germany-National level:* Kaiser - Wilhelm II* Chancellor - Leo von Caprivi-Kingdoms:* King of Bavaria - Otto of Bavaria* King of Prussia - Kaiser Wilhelm II* King of Saxony - Albert of Saxony* King of Württemberg - William II of Württemberg-Grand Duchies:...
) - March — Anne FrankAnne FrankAnnelies Marie "Anne" Frank is one of the most renowned and most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Acknowledged for the quality of her writing, her diary has become one of the world's most widely read books, and has been the basis for several plays and films.Born in the city of Frankfurt...
, German-born Jewish diarist (typhus) (b. 19291929 in Germany-National level:President*Paul von Hindenburg Chancellor*Hermann Müller -Births:* 12 June — Anne Frank, German-born Jewish diarist...
) - March — Margot FrankMargot FrankMargot Betti Frank was the older sister of Anne Frank, whose deportation order from the Gestapo hastened the Frank family into hiding, and who subsequently perished in Bergen-Belsen...
, Anne Frank's old sister (b. 19261926 in Germany-National level:President*Paul von Hindenburg Chancellor* Hans Luther to 12 May, then from 17 May Wilhelm Marx -Events:* 1 January - the city of Cologne is badly hit by flooding in the River Rhine....
) - 16 March — Börries von MünchhausenBörries von MünchhausenBörries von Münchhausen was a German poet.-Biography:He was born in Hildesheim, the oldest child of Kammerherr Börries von Münchhausen and his wife, Clementine von der Gabelentz....
, German poet (b. 18741874 in Germany-National level:* Kaiser — William I* Chancellor — Otto von Bismarck-Kingdoms:* King of Bavaria — Ludwig II of Bavaria* King of Prussia — Kaiser William I* King of Saxony — Albert of Saxony* King of Württemberg — Charles of Württemberg-Grand Duchies:...
) - 19 March — Friedrich FrommFriedrich FrommFriedrich Fromm was a German army officer. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.-Early life:Fromm was born in Charlottenburg...
, German Nazi official (b. 18881888 in GermanyEvents in the year 1888 in Germany."Year of the Three Emperors"-National level:* Kaiser — William I to 9 March, then Frederick III to 15 June, then Wilhelm II* Chancellor — Otto von Bismarck-Kingdoms:* King of Bavaria — Otto of Bavaria...
) - 31 March — Hans FischerHans FischerHans Fischer was a German organic chemist and the recipient of the 1930 Nobel Prize for Chemistry.-Early years:...
, German chemist, Nobel PrizeNobel Prize in ChemistryThe Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outstanding contributions in chemistry, physics, literature,...
laureate (b. 18811881 in Germany-National level:* Kaiser — William I* Chancellor — Otto von Bismarck-Kingdoms:* King of Bavaria — Ludwig II of Bavaria* King of Prussia — Kaiser William I* King of Saxony — Albert of Saxony* King of Württemberg — Charles I of Württemberg-Grand Duchies:...
) - April — Auguste van PelsPeople associated with Anne FrankAnnelies Marie “Anne” Frank was a Jewish girl who, along with her family and four other people, hid in rooms at the back of her father's Amsterdam company during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands...
, German-Jewish housemate of Anne FrankAnne FrankAnnelies Marie "Anne" Frank is one of the most renowned and most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Acknowledged for the quality of her writing, her diary has become one of the world's most widely read books, and has been the basis for several plays and films.Born in the city of Frankfurt...
(b. 19001900 in Germany-National level:* Kaiser - Wilhelm II* Chancellor - Chlodwig, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst to 17 October, then Bernhard von Bülow-Kingdoms:* King of Bavaria - Otto of Bavaria* King of Prussia - Kaiser Wilhelm II* King of Saxony - Albert of Saxony...
) - 9 April — Dietrich BonhoefferDietrich BonhoefferDietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and martyr. He was a participant in the German resistance movement against Nazism and a founding member of the Confessing Church. He was involved in plans by members of the Abwehr to assassinate Adolf Hitler...
, German theologian (hanged by Nazis) (b. 19061906 in Germany-National level:* Kaiser - Wilhelm II* Chancellor - Bernhard von Bülow-Kingdoms:* King of Bavaria - Otto of Bavaria* King of Prussia - Kaiser Wilhelm II* King of Saxony - Frederick Augustus III of Saxony* King of Württemberg - William II of Württemberg...
) - 9 April — Wilhelm CanarisWilhelm CanarisWilhelm Franz Canaris was a German admiral, head of the Abwehr, the German military intelligence service, from 1935 to 1944 and member of the German Resistance.- Early life and World War I :...
, head of the German Abwehr (hanged by Nazis) (b. 18871887 in Germany-National level:* Kaiser — William I* Chancellor — Otto von Bismarck-Kingdoms:* King of Bavaria — Otto of Bavaria* King of Prussia — Kaiser William I* King of Saxony — Albert of Saxony* King of Württemberg — Charles I of Württemberg-Grand Duchies:...
) - 22 April — Käthe KollwitzKäthe KollwitzKäthe Kollwitz was a German painter, printmaker, and sculptor whose work offered an eloquent and often searing account of the human condition in the first half of the 20th century...
, German artist (b. 1867) - 24 April — Ernst-Robert GrawitzErnst-Robert GrawitzErnst-Robert Grawitz was a German physician in Nazi Germany during World War II.- Early life :Grawitz was born in Charlottenburg, in the western part of Berlin, Germany.- Career :...
, German Reichsphysician (S.S. and Police) in the Third Reich (b. 18991899 in Germany-National level:* Kaiser - Wilhelm II* Chancellor - Chlodwig, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst-Kingdoms:* King of Bavaria - Otto of Bavaria* King of Prussia - Kaiser Wilhelm II* King of Saxony - Albert of Saxony...
) - 30 April — Adolf HitlerAdolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
, Austrian-born German Nazi dictator (suicide) (b. 1889) - 30 April — Eva BraunEva BraunEva Anna Paula Hitler was the longtime companion of Adolf Hitler and, for less than 40 hours, his wife. Braun met Hitler in Munich, when she was 17 years old, while working as an assistant and model for his personal photographer and began seeing him often about two years later...
, German wife of Adolf Hitler (suicide) (b. 19121912 in Germany-National level:* Kaiser - Wilhelm II* Chancellor - Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg-Kingdoms:* King of Bavaria - Otto of Bavaria* King of Prussia - Kaiser Wilhelm II* King of Saxony - Frederick Augustus III of Saxony...
) - 1 May — Joseph GoebbelsJoseph GoebbelsPaul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
, German Nazi propagandist (suicide) (b. 18971897 in Germany-National level:* Kaiser — Wilhelm II* Chancellor — Chlodwig, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst-Kingdoms:* King of Bavaria — Otto of Bavaria* King of Prussia — Kaiser Wilhelm II* King of Saxony — Albert of Saxony...
) - 1 May — Magda GoebbelsMagda GoebbelsJohanna Maria Magdalena "Magda" Goebbels was the wife of Nazi Germany's Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels...
, wife of Joseph Goebbels (suicide) (b. 19011901 in Germany-National level:* Kaiser - Wilhelm II* Chancellor - Bernhard von Bülow-Kingdoms:* King of Bavaria - Otto of Bavaria* King of Prussia - Kaiser Wilhelm II* King of Saxony - Albert of Saxony* King of Württemberg - William II of Württemberg-Grand Duchies:...
) - 2 May — Martin BormannMartin BormannMartin Ludwig Bormann was a prominent Nazi official. He became head of the Party Chancellery and private secretary to Adolf Hitler...
, German Nazi leader (b. 19001900 in Germany-National level:* Kaiser - Wilhelm II* Chancellor - Chlodwig, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst to 17 October, then Bernhard von Bülow-Kingdoms:* King of Bavaria - Otto of Bavaria* King of Prussia - Kaiser Wilhelm II* King of Saxony - Albert of Saxony...
) - 5 May — Peter van Pels, German-Jewish love interest of diarist Anne FrankAnne FrankAnnelies Marie "Anne" Frank is one of the most renowned and most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Acknowledged for the quality of her writing, her diary has become one of the world's most widely read books, and has been the basis for several plays and films.Born in the city of Frankfurt...
(b. 19261926 in Germany-National level:President*Paul von Hindenburg Chancellor* Hans Luther to 12 May, then from 17 May Wilhelm Marx -Events:* 1 January - the city of Cologne is badly hit by flooding in the River Rhine....
) - 8 May — Ernst-Günther BaadeErnst-Günther BaadeGeneralleutnant Ernst-Günther Baade was a German general serving during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves and Swords was awarded to recognise extreme...
, German general (gangrene) (b. 18971897 in Germany-National level:* Kaiser — Wilhelm II* Chancellor — Chlodwig, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst-Kingdoms:* King of Bavaria — Otto of Bavaria* King of Prussia — Kaiser Wilhelm II* King of Saxony — Albert of Saxony...
) - 8 May — Wilhelm RediessWilhelm RediessWilhelm Rediess was the SS and Police Leader during the German occupation of Norway in the Second World War. He was also the commanding General of all SS troops stationed in occupied Norway, assuming command on 22 June 1940 until his death in 1945.- Early life :Rediess was born in Heinsberg,...
, SS and Police LeaderSS and Police LeaderSS and Police Leader was a title for senior Nazi officials that commanded large units of the SS, of Gestapo and of the regular German police during and prior to World War II.Three levels of subordination were established for bearers of this title:...
of Nazi-occupied Norway (suicide) (b. 19001900 in Germany-National level:* Kaiser - Wilhelm II* Chancellor - Chlodwig, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst to 17 October, then Bernhard von Bülow-Kingdoms:* King of Bavaria - Otto of Bavaria* King of Prussia - Kaiser Wilhelm II* King of Saxony - Albert of Saxony...
) - 8 May — Josef TerbovenJosef TerbovenJosef Antonius Heinrich Terboven was a Nazi leader, best known as the Reichskommissar during the German occupation of Norway.-Early life:...
, ReichskommissarReichskommissarReichskommissar , in German history, was an official gubernatorial title used for various public offices during the period of the German Empire and the Nazi Third Reich....
of Nazi-occupied Norway (suicide) (b. 18981898 in Germany-National level:* Kaiser — Wilhelm II* Chancellor — Chlodwig, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst-Kingdoms:* King of Bavaria — Otto of Bavaria* King of Prussia — Kaiser Wilhelm II* King of Saxony — Albert of Saxony...
) - 8 May — Bernhard RustBernhard RustDr. Bernhard Rust was Minister of Science, Education and National Culture in Nazi Germany. A combination of school administrator and zealous Nazi, he issued decrees, often bizarre, at every level of the German educational system to immerse German youth in the National Socialist philosophy...
, Education Minister of Nazi GermanyNazi GermanyNazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
(suicide) (b. 18831883 in Germany-National level:* Kaiser — William I* Chancellor — Otto von Bismarck-Kingdoms:* King of Bavaria — Ludwig II of Bavaria* King of Prussia — Kaiser William I* King of Saxony — Albert of Saxony* King of Württemberg — Charles I of Württemberg-Grand Duchies:...
) - 19 May — Philipp BouhlerPhilipp BouhlerPhilipp Bouhler was a senior Nazi Party official who was both a Reichsleiter and Chief of the Chancellery of the Führer of the NSDAP...
, German Nazi leader (suicide) (b. 18991899 in Germany-National level:* Kaiser - Wilhelm II* Chancellor - Chlodwig, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst-Kingdoms:* King of Bavaria - Otto of Bavaria* King of Prussia - Kaiser Wilhelm II* King of Saxony - Albert of Saxony...
) - 20 May — Otto von FeldmannOtto von FeldmannOtto von Feldmann was a German officer and politician.Feldmann attended the Royal Grammar School in Bydgoszcz, the Kaiser-Wilhelm-and Ratsgymnasium Hanover, the Kadettenvoranstalt in Potsdam and the main cadet institution in big-Lichterfelde near Berlin. He joined to the Military in 1907...
, Army officer (b. 18731873 in Germany-National level:* Kaiser — William I* Chancellor — Otto von Bismarck-Kingdoms:* King of Bavaria — Ludwig II of Bavaria* King of Prussia — Kaiser William I* King of Saxony — John of Saxony to 29 October, then Albert of Saxony...
) - 23 May — Heinrich HimmlerHeinrich HimmlerHeinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
, German head of the SSSchutzstaffelThe Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
(suicide) (b. 19001900 in Germany-National level:* Kaiser - Wilhelm II* Chancellor - Chlodwig, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst to 17 October, then Bernhard von Bülow-Kingdoms:* King of Bavaria - Otto of Bavaria* King of Prussia - Kaiser Wilhelm II* King of Saxony - Albert of Saxony...
) - 20 September — Eduard WirthsEduard WirthsEduard Wirths was the Chief SS doctor at the Auschwitz concentration camp from September 1942 to January 1945...
, German doctor, chief SS doctor at Auschwitz concentration campAuschwitz concentration campConcentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
(suicide) (b. 19091909 in Germany-National level:* Kaiser - Wilhelm II* Chancellor - Bernhard von Bülow until 14 July, then Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg-Kingdoms:* King of Bavaria - Otto of Bavaria* King of Prussia - Kaiser Wilhelm II* King of Saxony - Frederick Augustus III of Saxony...
) - 25 October — Robert LeyRobert LeyRobert Ley was a Nazi politician and head of the German Labour Front from 1933 to 1945. He committed suicide while awaiting trial for war crimes.- Early life :...
, German Nazi politician (suicide) (b. 18901890 in Germany-National level:* Kaiser — Wilhelm II* Chancellor — Otto von Bismarck to March 20, then Leo von Caprivi-Kingdoms:* King of Bavaria — Otto of Bavaria* King of Prussia — Kaiser Wilhelm II* King of Saxony — Albert of Saxony...
) - 8 November — August von MackensenAugust von MackensenAnton Ludwig August von Mackensen , born August Mackensen, was a German soldier and field marshal. He commanded with success during the First World War and became one of the German Empire's most prominent military leaders. After the Armistice, Mackensen was interned for a year...
, German field marshal (b. 1849)