1945
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Jan. 12 - German troops in Eastern Europe fall to Soviets.
The sheer number of Soviet forces, coupled with broken supply lines and the harsh Russian winter, proves too much for Axis forces and many surrender.
Jan. 17 - Soviet troops capture Warsaw.
German resistance in Warsaw is eliminated. The city is now under Allied Control. The Nazis begin evacuating from the Auschwitz concentration camp.
Jan. 26 - Allied forces liberate Auschwitz.
The Soviets reach Auschwitz and find the Jewish concentration camps.
Feb. 3 - Russia declares war on Japan.
The Red Army agrees to join in the War on the Pacific.
Feb. 4 - Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin meet at Yalta.
The Yalta Conference begins. The objective is to make postwar plans.
Feb. 13 - Dresden is destroyed by a firestorm after Allied bombing raids.
In the night, Allied planes bomb Dresden, Germany. Thousands of civilians killed.
Feb. 14 - Various countries join the United Nations.
Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru all sign the Atlantic Charter and join the U.N.
Feb. 23 - Manila and Poznań brought under Allied control.
American forces in the Philippines capture Manila from the Japanese. Likewise, Soviet troops capture Poznań in Poland.
Mar. 6 - Last German offensive of the war begins to defend oil fields in Hungary.
A major offensive near Lake Balaton appears to go in Axis favour initially, but Allied forces end up slowing the German advance down.
Mar. 19 - Hitler orders a Scorched Earth policy across Germany.
Much like Stalin in 1942, Hitler calls for all military and industrial installations to be destroyed.
Mar. 30 - Soviet troops capture Danzig.
Allied troops take Danzig, Poland.
Apr. 1 - Operation Iceberg begins.
The American invasion of Okinawa is undertaken. The Battle of Okinawa begins. Meanwhile, U.S. troops encircle Axis forces in the Ruhr, Germany.
Apr. 12 - Roosevelt dies. Truman becomes President.
Roosevelt dies of a cerebral hemorrhage. Vice President Truman replaces him.
Apr. 16 - The Battle of Berlin begins.
Soviet troops begin their final attack on Berlin. Even with over a million soldiers, the Germans are outnumbered two to one.
Apr. 18 - German forces in the Ruhr surrender.
Over 325,000 Axis soldiers are taken prisoner. Allied forces now control the Ruhr Pocket.
Apr. 21 - Soviets reach Berlin.
Soviet troops begin an offensive on eastern Berlin.
Apr. 23 - Göring ordered arrested by Hitler.
Hitler finds himself stuck in Berlin because of the Soviet siege. Göring offers to lead the country if Hitler cannot do so from Berlin. Hitler, offended, has him arrested.
Apr. 28 - Mussolini is killed.
While trying to escape to Switzerland, Mussolini is captured, shot and his body taken to Milan. There, his body is hung in the square.
Apr. 29 - U.S. 7th Army liberates Dachau.
American troops headed to Munich free over 30,000 prisoners in the Dachau concentration camp. Meanwhile, the Allied forces take Venice.
Apr. 30 - Adolf Hitler commits suicide.
In his Berlin bunker, Führerbunker, Hitler and his wife, Eva Braun, kill themselves. Karl Dönitz becomes Fuhrer of the Reich.
May 2 - German troops in Italy surrender.
Meanwhile, the Soviets have now completely taken the city of Berlin.
May 7 - Unconditional surrender of all German forces to Allies.
General Alfred Jodl and Admiral George Von Freidburg sign the surrender of German forces.
May 8 - V-E Day.
Victory in Europe Day.
May 9 - Göring surrenders.
The United States army forces Göring and Kesselring to surrender.
Jun. 5 - Allies take over control of Germany.
The Allied Control Council removes all land acquired after December 31st, 1937 from German control.
Jun. 26 - United Nations Charter is signed in San Francisco.
Over fifty countries sign the Charter, formally starting what is now the United Nations.
Jul. 16 - First U.S. atomic bomb test.
The Trinity Test detonates in New Mexico. The plutonium based bomb explodes with the same force as 19 kilotons of TNT.
Aug. 6 - First atomic bomb dropped, on Hiroshima, Japan.
Shortly after 8:00 am, the American Air Force drops an atomic bomb nicknamed "Little Boy" on Hiroshima.
Aug. 9 - Second atomic bomb dropped, on Nagasaki, Japan.
Another bomb, nicknamed "Fat Man", is dropped on Nagasaki. Over 40,000 die in the attack.
Aug. 14 - Japanese agree to unconditional surrender.
The Japanese Emperor Hirohito agrees to surrender to Allied Forces.
Sep. 2 - Japanese sign the surrender agreement.
V-J (Victory over Japan) Day.
Nov. 20 - Nuremberg war crimes trials begin.
The twenty-four most important Nazi leaders still alive are put on trial for war crimes.
Thanks BelDion for the original writeup! And to 54b for a couple helpful edits. And to both allseeingeye and Glowing Fish for pointing out that the Germans weren't really involved at Manila. Go Team Japan!
Sources:
Most of the timeline itself came from BelDion's wu.
http://www.ehistory.com
http://encarta.msn.com
http://www.onwar.com/
http://www.bbc.co.uk
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