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The Battle of Point Judith is the popular name for a naval engagement fought between the United States and Nazi Germany during World War II on May 5 and 6, 1945 - with Germany on the verge of total defeat and surrender, and Hitler having already died by suicide.
On 5 May, U-853, lying in wait off Point Judith, Rhode Island, sighted and fired on SS Black Point, a collier underway for Boston, Massachusetts. Her torpedoes struck, and within 15 minutes, Black Point had capsized in 95 ft (29 m) of water, the last US-flagged merchant ship sunk in World War II. Twelve men died and 34 were rescued.
The British and Soviet forces near Wismar on the Baltic coast, 3 May 1945. The German ocean liner Cap Arcona was sunk by British warplanes in the Bay of Lübeck with 5,000 concentration camp prisoners aboard. Over 400 SS personnel made it to lifeboats and were rescued but only 350 of the prisoners survived. [6] [7]
On May 5, 1945, a pregnant Sunday school teacher and five children from a small Oregon town called Bly were killed by a Japanese-built bomb that had floated across the ocean on a balloon.
The Last Battle: When U.S. and German Soldiers Joined Forces in the Waning Hours of World War II in Europe. Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-306-82209-4. Mayer, John G. (26 May 1945). "12th Men Free French Big-Wigs". Hellcat News. 12th Armored Division. Archived from the original on 19 July 2013; Roberts, Andrew (12 May 2013).
German forces in Bavaria surrender: At 14:30 on 5 May 1945, General Hermann Foertsch surrendered all forces between the Bohemian mountains and the Upper Inn river to the American General Jacob L. Devers, commander of the American 6th Army Group. Central Europe: On 5 May 1945, the Czech resistance started the Prague uprising.
German forces counter-attacked, but their progress was slowed by barricades constructed by the insurgents. On 8 May, the Czech and German leaders signed a ceasefire allowing all German forces to withdraw from the city, but some Waffen-SS troops refused to obey. Fighting continued until 9 May, when the Red Army entered the nearly liberated city.
Sgt. William Pekrul attended Boys Tech High School in Milwaukee and was awarded two Bronze Stars and a Silver Star for his service in World War II. What to know about Milwaukee's Bill Pekrul, a ...