Friday, August 14, 2020

"VJ Day"

TUE 14 AUG 1945
Pacific
Japan accepts the provisions of the Potsdam Declaration and agrees to surrender ("VJ Day"). General of the Army Douglas MacArthur is named Supreme Allied Commander to receive the enemy's capitulation and conduct the occupation of his homeland.

Thirty-five USAAF B-29s mine Shimonoseki Straits and the waters off Nanao, Maizuru and Hamada, Japan, in the final B-29 minelaying operations of the war.

Submarine Spikefish (SS-404) sinks Japanese submarine I 373, then en route from Sasebo to Takao, 190 miles southeast of Shanghai, China, 29°00'N, 124°00'E.

in Sea of Japan, submarine Torsk (SS-423) sinks Coast Defense Vessel No.13 at 35°44'N, 134°38'E, and Coast Defense Vessel No.47 at 35°41'N, 134°38'E.

Mines laid by USAAF B-29s (20th Air Force) sink Japanese gunboat Hirota Maru off Mutsure, Japan, 33°59'N, 130°52'E, cargo ship Mikamasan Maru at 39°18'N, 126°28'E, and merchant cargo ships Yojo Maru in Osaka harbor, 34°38'N, 135°28'E; and Kashima Maru off coast of Korea, 35°10'N, 129°00'E.

Marine casualties account for damage to Japanese merchant tankers No.8 Nankai Maru at 36°54'N, 126°12.5'E and tanker Nanki Maru 300 miles off Bontensen.

Aircraft (nationality and type unidentified) sink Japanese merchant cargo ship No.6 Hatokama Maru off Tanoura, and damage merchant cargo ships No.5 Shinko Maru at 34°35'N, 131°23'E, and Tatsusugi Maru at 34°12'N, 129°46'E. Merchant cargo ship No.3 Takakawa Maru, damaged by aircraft, is beached north of Hirato Island.

2 comments:

Weird Dave said...

So what was it like to be the last person to die in WWII? Do we even know their name?

M. Bouffant said...

War Is Over! Editor:
Good question. Might've been this poor sap: "In October 1972, Private 1st Class Kinshichi Kozuka [who had] held out with Lt. Onoda for 28 years [...] was killed in a shootout with Philippine police", but I dunno if he qualifies.

I mean, is the end of the war 14 August, or 2 September? Also betcha people were killed by mines, on land or sea, for yrs. afterward too. Whatta mess.