April 9

On April 9, 1940 German ships land in several Norwegian cities from Narvik to Oslo. Thousands of German troops were deployed into Norway. At the same time German troops were moving into several Danish cities.

In 1942 Major general Esward P. King Jr. surrenders Bataan to the Japanese. The surrender was against General Douglas MacArthur's orders. 66,000 Filipino soldiers and 12,000 Americans were captured by the Japanese, which was the largest contingent of U.S. soldiers to be captured by the Japanese.

April 8

Russians fighting for Crimea.

On April 8, 1944 Russuian forces led by Marshal Fedor Tolbukhin attacked German forces in an attempt to drive the Germans out of Crimea, in the southern Ukraine. The German defensive lines would only stand for four days against the Russians.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

In 1945 Lutheran pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer is hanged at Flossenburg for opposing the Nazis. The corageous 39-year-old's last words  were "This is the end for me, the beginning of life."

General Omar Bradley.

In 1981 General Omar Bradley of the American 12th Army who ensured victory over Germany died. 

April 7

Italian commanders in Albania.

The Yamato sinking.

On April 7, 1939 in an effort to copy Hitlers invasion of Prague, Mussolini launches an invasion of Albania. The invasion was a success even though the Italian troops were highly unorganized. Also in 1945 ostensibly the greatest battleship in the world, the Japanese Yamato, was sunk by the Allies in Japan's first major counteroffensive to defend Okinawa.

April 6

Piraeus, Greece after German bombing.

Belgrade, Yugoslavia after German bombing.

On April 6, 1941 Germany's air force launches Operation Castigo against Belgrade, Yugoslavia and sends 24 infantry divisions with 1,200 tanks to Greece.

April 5

On April 5, 1945 Yugoslav leader Tito signs a treaty with the Soviet Union allwaing temporary entry of Soviet troops into Yugoslav territory.

April 4

On April 4, 1884 mastermind of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Yamamoto Isoroku is born. Isoroku was possibly Japan's greatest strategist and officer.

April 3

On April 3, 1942 the Japanese launch a major offensive against Allied troops in Bataan, the peninsula gaurding Manila Bay and the Phillippine Islands.

April 2

On April 2, 1941 German Lt. Gen. Erwin Rommel "The Desert Fox" resumes his advance into Libya to start the nine day recapture of Libya by the Axis powers.

April 1

On April 1, 1945 aftr losing 116 planes and suffering damage to three aircraft carriers, 50,000 American troops of the 10th Army under the command of Lt. Gen. Simon B. Buckner Jr.,  land on the Japanese island Okinawa. Okinawawas 350 miles south of Kyuchu, the southern most Japanese main island. The Americans decided Ikinawa would be a perfect place for a base of operations for a later attack on the Japanese mainland. Roughly 120,000 Japanese soldiers, militiamen, and laborers were on the island and fought hard against the Americans 1,300 ships loads of troops. The Japanese were under the command of Lt. Gen. Mitsuru Ushijima. The Japanese surprised the Americans with a massive attack on the beach head and kamikazes. While the Americans suffered no losses on the beach, the Japanese suffered 50,000 casualties, 12,000 of which were deaths. In the end approximately 117,000 Japanese were killed and 4,000 surrendered. Lt. Gen. Buckner was one killed by Japanese artillery three days before the Japanese surrender. Lt. Gen. Ushijima commited ritual suicide because of the defeat of his troops. 

March 31

On March 31, 1940 the German auxilary cruiser Atlantis launches to go catch and sink Allied merchant ships.

March 30

On March 30, 1940 the Japanese set up a puppet regime in Nanking, China, the old capital of Nationalist China.

March 29

On March 29, 1945 Gen. George S. Patton and the 3rd Army take Frankfurt as "Old Blood and Guts" continues his march east.

March 28

On March 28, 1941 Admiral of the British fleet Andrew Browne Cunningham commands an attack on three major Italian cruisers and two destroyers in the Battle of Cape Matapan in the Mediterranean. Later that year in November, Admiral Cunningham would lead another attack on the Italians which would put an end to the threat from Italy's navy.