Timeline of the surrender of Axis forces at the end of World War II
This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2020) |
Timelines of World War II |
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Chronological |
Prelude |
By topic |
This is a timeline of the surrenders of the various armies of the Axis powers that marked the end of World War II. There are two lists: the first denotes surrenders in April–November 1945. The second one shows the surrenders of Japanese holdouts that only surrendered in the months, years, and even decades after the end of the war.
Table of surrenders[]
Country | Forces it applies to | Number of troops surrendered (if applicable) | Commanding Officer | Date surrender document signed (if applicable) | Date surrender took effect (if applicable) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Italy | All forces of the Italian Social Republic | 429,000 | Maresciallo d'Italia Rodolfo Graziani | April 29 | May 1[citation needed] | |
Netherlands | Kampfgruppen "General Seyffardt" of the 23rd SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division Nederland in Halbe, Germany | 500 | Jürgen Wagner? | May 1 | May 1 | Destroyed in the Halbe pocket |
Germany | Army Group C, in Italy and Western Austria | nearly 1,000,000 | Obergruppenführer Karl Wolff | April 29 | May 2, at 12:00 PM | |
Belgium (Flemish) | 27th SS Volunteer Division Langemarck, at Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | 6,000? | Thomas Müller | May 2 | May 2 | |
Latvia | Components of the 15th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, south of Schwerin, Germany | c. 4,500 | Karl Burk | May 2 | May 2 | |
Germany/ France/ Other |
All forces in Berlin | 480,000 (470,970 Germans, 30 French and 9,000 other foreigners) | General der Artillerie Helmuth Weidling | May 2 | May 2, at 6:00 PM | |
Germany | XXI Army and the Third Panzer Army at Hagenow, Germany | 300,000 | General der Infanterie Kurt von Tippelskirch (XXI Army); General der Panzertruppe Hasso von Manteuffel (III Panzer Army) | Night of May 2–3 | May 3 | |
Netherlands | Kampfgruppen "de Ruys" of the 23rd SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division Nederland, west of Parchim, Germany | 500 | Jürgen Wagner? | May 3 | May 3 | |
Germany | 36th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS | 700 | None | May 3 | May 3 | |
Germany | Army Group H, in Northwest Germany, Schleswig-Holstein, Heligoland, the Frisian Islands, Denmark and other islands near Northwest Germany and remnants of Army Group Vistula in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | 880,000 | Generaladmiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg and General der Infanterie Eberhard Kinzel | May 4 | May 5, at 8:00 AM | |
Hungary | 25th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS Hunyadi (1st Hungarian) and 26th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (2nd Hungarian), near Lake Attersee | c. 29,606 (19,106 in the 25th, and 10,500 in the 26th) | Józef Grassy | May 3–5 | May 5 | Part of Army Group H |
Germany | U-291, U-779, U-883, U-1103, U-1406, U-1407, U-2341 and U-2356 | 257-306? (44-60? on U-291, 48-56? on U-779, 55-64? on U-883, 44-52? on U-1103, 19? on U-1406, 19? on U-1407, 14-18? on U-2341 and 14-18? on U-2356) | Hermann Neumeister (U-291), Johann Stegmann (U-779), Johanes Uebel (U-883), Wilhelm Eisele (U-1103), Werner Klug (U-1406), Horst Heitz (U-1407), Hermann Böhm (U-2341) and Friedrich Hartel (U-2356) | May 5 | May 5 | Surrendered in Cuxhaven |
Germany | U-2351 | 14-18? | Werner Brückner | May 5 | May 5 | Surrendered in Flensburg |
Germany | U-143, U-145, U-149, U-150, U-368, U-720 and U-1230 | 236-268? (25? on U-143, 25? on U-145, 25? on U-149, 25? on U-150, 44-60? on U-368, 44-60? on U-720 and 48? on U-1230) | Walter Kasparek (U-143),
Friedrich-Karl Görner (U-145), Helmut Plohr (U-149), Jürgen Kriegshammer (U-150), Götz Roth (U-368), Wolf-Harald Schüer (U-720) and Hans Hilbig (U-1230) |
May 5 | May 5 | Surrendered in Heligoland |
Germany | U-155, U-680 and U-1233 | 144-168? (48-60? on U-155, 48-60? on U-680, and 48? on U-1233) | Friedrich Altmeier (U-155), Max Ulber (U-680), and Heinrich Niemeyer (U-1233) | May 5 | May 5 | Surrendered in Baring Bay off Fredericia |
Germany | All forces in the Netherlands | 120,000 | Johannes Blaskowitz | May 4 | May 5, at 4:00 PM | Separate surrender from the surrender in Northwest Germany and Denmark |
Germany | U-806 | 48? | Klaus Hornbostel | May 6 | May 6 | Surrendered in Aarhus |
Other | 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division Götz von Berlichingen, at Rottach-Egern | 8,811 | Georg Bochmann | May 6 | May 6 | |
Germany | Army Group G, in Bavaria | 400,000 | Hermann Foertsch | May 4, at 2:30 PM | May 6, at 12:00 PM | |
Germany | All forces in Breslau | 45,000 | Hermann Niehoff | May 6 | May 6, at 6:00 PM | |
Germany/ Soviet Union |
Twelfth Army and remnants of the Ninth Army, at Tangermünde | c. 200,000 (195,000 German, 5,000 troops from the Soviet Union) | Walther Wenck (12 Army) | May 7 | May 7 | No commander for the 9th Army |
Germany | All forces in La Rochelle | c. 22,000? | Ernst Schirlitz | May 7 | May 7, at 11:45 PM | |
Germany/ Italy |
All forces on the Dodecanese Islands | c. 5,600 (more than 5,000 Germans and 600 Italians) | Otto Wagener | May 8 | May 8, at 10:00 AM | |
Germany | U-1198 | 44-56? | Gerhard Peters | May 8 | May 8 | Surrendered in Cuxhaven |
Hungary (Germans) | 18th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Horst Wessel, in Czechoslovakia | 4,000? | Heinrich Petersen | May 8 | May 8 | |
Germany | 1st Naval Infantry Division, along the Oder | 2,000? | Wilhelm Bleckwenn | May 8 | May 8 | |
Germany | 2nd Naval Infantry Division, in Schleswig-Holstein | 2,000? | Werner-Graf von Bassewitz-Levetzow | May 8 | May 8 | |
Germany | 6th Parachute Division | Unknown | Hermann Plocher | May 8 | May 8 | |
Germany | 7th Parachute Division, in Oldenburg | Unknown | Wolfgang Erdmann | May 8 | May 8 | |
Germany | 1st Fallschirm-Panzer Division Hermann Göring, in Dresden | 5,000? | Max Lemke | May 8 | May 8 | |
Germany | 32nd SS Volunteer Grenadier Division 30 Januar, in Tangermünde | 5,000? | Hans Kempin | May 8 | May 8 | |
Germany | 38th SS Division Nibelungen, in Alpen-Donau, Germany | 6,000? | Martin Strange | May 8 | May 8 | |
Germany | 4th SS Polizei Panzergrenadier Division, along the Elbe River | c. 9,000? | Walter Harzer | May 8 | May 8 | |
Germany | 35th SS and Police Grenadier Division, along the Elbe | Unknown | None | May 8 | May 8 | Commanding officer killed on April 25 |
Germany | 10th Parachute Division, in Austria | Unknown | Hans Kreysing | May 8 | May 8 | |
Russia (Cossacks) | XV SS Cossack Cavalry Corps in Austria | 50,000 | Hermann von Pannwitz | May 8 | May 8 | |
Hungary (German) | 31st SS Volunteer Grenadier Division, in Czechoslovakia | 10,000? | Wilhelm Trabandt | May 8 | May 8 | |
Germany | 16th SS Panzergrenadier Division Reichsführer-SS, in Klagenfurt, Austria | c. 14,000? | Otto Baum | May 8 | May 8 | |
Germany | 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen, in Linz, Austria | c. 6,000? | Sylvester Stadler | May 8 | May 8 | |
Germany | 6th SS Mountain Division Nord, in Austria | c. 2,000 | Franz Schreiber | May 8 | May 8 | |
Germany | 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend, in Enns, Austria | c. 10,000 | Hugo Kraas | May 8 | May 8 | Made up the bulk of the I SS Panzer Corps |
India | Indian Legion, near Lake Constance | 2,000 | unknown | May 8? | May 8? | |
Germany | 10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg, in Teplice, Czechoslovakia | c. 15,000? | Franz Roestel | May 8 | May 8 | |
Germany | All forces in Norway | c. 400,000 | Franz Böhme | May 8 | May 8, at 11:00 PM | |
Germany | All German forces | N/A | Wilhelm Keitel | May 7 | May 9, at 12:01 AM | |
Netherlands | Most of the 34th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division Landstorm Nederland, near Oosterbeek | 5,956 | Martin Kohlroser | May 9 | May 9 | |
Germany | U-1194 | 48-56? | Herbert Zeissler | May 9 | May 9 | Surrendered in Cuxhaven |
Germany | U-510 | 48? | Alfred Eick | May 9 | May 9 | Surrendered in St. Nazaire |
Germany | All forces on Jersey | 11,671 | Vice Admiral Friedrich Hüffmeier | May 9 | May 9, at 10:00 AM | |
Hungary | 37th SS Volunteer Cavalry Division Lützow, in Steyr | 180 | Karl Gesele | May 9 | May 9 | |
Germany | 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, in Steyr, Austria | c. 1,600 | SS-Brigadeführer und Generalmajor der Waffen-SS Otto Kumm | May 9 | May 9 | Made up part of the I SS Panzer Corps |
Various | 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking, in Czechoslovakia | c. 14,000? | Karl Ullrich | May 9 | May 9 | |
Germany | 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich, in Czechoslovakia | c. 2,000? | SS-Standartenführer Karl Kreutz | May 9 | May 9 | |
Germany | 3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf, in Czechoslovakia | c. 1,000 | Hellmuth Becker | May 9 | May 9 | |
Yugoslav and Italian Germans |
24th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Karstjäger, in Yugoslavia | c. 3,000 | Adolf Wagner | May 9 | May 9 | |
Germany | All forces in the Heiligenbeil Pocket, the Danzig beachhead, the Hel Peninsula, and in the Vistula Delta | c. 100,000[1] | Dietrich von Saucken | May 9 | May 9, at 11:00 AM | |
Germany | All forces in Dunkirk | 20,000 | Friedrich Frisius | May 9 | May 9, at 4:00 PM | |
Germany | All forces in Bornholm | c. 12,000 | Gerhard von Kamptz | May 9 | May 9, at 4:30 PM | |
Germany | U-1272 | 44-52? | Hans Schatteburg | May 10 | May 10 | Surrendered in Bergen |
Germany/ Latvia |
Army Group Courland, in the Courland Pocket | c. 180,000 (165,000 Germans, 15,000 Latvians)[1] | Carl Hilpert | May 10 | May 10 | |
Germany | All forces in Lorient | c. 2,000? | General Wilhelm Fahrmbacher | May 10 | May 10 | |
Germany | U-249 | 44-60? | Uwe Kock | May 10 | May 10 | Surrendered in Portland, United Kingdom |
Germany | U-1009, U-1058, U-1105 and U-1305 | 180-216? | Dietrich Zehle (U-1009), Hermann Bruder (U-1058), Hans-Joachim Schwarz (U-1105) and Helmuth Christiansen (U-1305) | May 10 | May 10 | Surrendered in Loch Eriboll |
Germany | U-1023 | 44-52? | Heinrich-Andreas Schroeteler | May 10 | May 10 | Surrendered in Weymouth, Dorset |
Germany | All forces on Sark | 281 | Vice Admiral Friedrich Hüffmeier | May 9 | May 10 | |
Galicia (Ukrainians) | 1st Ukrainian Division of the Ukrainian National Army, in Italy | 25,000? | Pavlo Shandruk | May 10 | May 10 | |
Croatia | 373rd (Croatian) Infantry Division, west of Sisak | 2,000? | Hans Gravenstein | May 10 | May 10 | |
Estonia | Most of the 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS, at Mělník, Czechoslovakia | 7,000? | Berthold Maack | May 11 | May 11 | Part of the III Panzer Corps |
Estonia | Elements of the 20th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS (1st Estonian), in Czechoslovakia | 3,000 | unknown | May 11 | May 11 | |
Germany | All forces in Saint-Nazaire | 28,000 | Major General Werner Junck | May 10 | May 11 | |
Germany | Army Group Centre | c. 580,000[1] | Ferdinand Schörner | May 11 | May 11 | Schörner himself surrendered days later. |
Germany | U-293, U-802 and U-826 | 140-164? | Erich Steinbrink (U-293), Helmut Schmoeckel (U-802) and Olaf Lübcke | May 11 | May 11 | Surrendered in Loch Eriboll |
Germany | U-3008 | 57? | Helmut Manseck | May 11 | May 11 | Surrendered in Kiel |
Croatia | 369th (Croatian) Infantry Division, near Bleiburg, Austria | c. 2,000 | Fritz Neidholdt | May 11 | May 11 | |
Germans from various areas |
7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen, in Celje, Slovenia | 20,000? | August Schmidthuber | May 11 | May 11 | |
Germany | All forces on Crete | 10,000 | General Hans-Georg Benthack | May 10 | May 12 | Unconfirmed sources put the date in June |
Croatia | 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar (1st Croatian) | 12,000? | Desiderius Hampel | May 12 | May 12 | |
Germany | All forces on Guernsey | 11,755 | VIce Admiral Friedrich Hüffmeier | May 9 | May 12, at 2:00 PM | |
Germany | All forces under Carl Friedrich von Pückler-Burghauss | c. 6,000[1] | Carl Friedrich von Pückler-Burghauss | May 12 | May 12 | |
Germany | U-1109 | 44-52? | Friedrich von Riesen | May 12 | May 12 | Surrendered in Loch Eriboll |
Germany | U-218 | 44? | Rupprecht Stock | May 12 | May 12 | Surrendered in Bergen |
Germany | U-485 and U-541 | 92-108? (44-60? on U-485 and 48 on U-541) | Friedrich Lutz (U-485) and Kurt Petersen (U-541) | May 12 | May 12 | Surrendered in Gibraltar |
Germany | U-532, U-825, U-956 and U-1231 | 184-216? | Ottoheinrich Junker (U-532), Gerhard Stoelker (U-825), Hans-Dieter Mohs (U-956) and Helmut Wicke (U-1231) | May 13 | May 13 | Surrendered in Loch Eriboll |
Germany | U-739 | 44-60? | Johannes Ney | May 13 | May 13 | Surrendered in Emden, Germany |
Germany | U-1102 | 44-57? | Erwin Sell | May 13 | May 13 | Surrendered in Hohwacht Bay |
Germany | U-889 | 48? | Friedrich Braeucker | May 13 | May 13 | Surrendered in Shelbourne, Canada |
Russia | Russian Liberation Army (1st Division) | c. 20,000[1] | Sergei Bunyachenko | May 14 | May 14 | Ordered to disband. |
Germany | U-244, U-516, U-764 and U-1010 | 180-220? | Hans-Peter Mackeprang (U-244), Friedrich Petran (U-516), Hanskurt von Bremen (U-764) and Günther Strauch (U-1010) | May 14 | May 14 | Surrendered in Loch Eriboll |
Germany | U-1110 | 44-52? | Joachim-Walter Bach | May 14 | May 14 | Surrendered in List auf Sylt |
Germany | U-1005 | 44-52? | Hermann Lauth | May 14 | May 14 | Surrendered in Bergen |
Germany | U-2326 | 14-18? | Karl Jobst | May 14 | May 14 | Surrendered in Dundee |
Germany | U-190 | 48? | Hans-Erwin Reith | May 14 | May 14 | Surrendered in the Bay of Bulls |
Germany | U-858 | 48? | Thilo Bode | May 14 | May 14 | Surrendered in Lewes, Delaware |
Germany | Army Group E | c. 13,000[1] | Alexander Löhr | May 14 | May 14 | See Battle of Slivice |
Germany | U-805 | 48? | Richard Bernardelli | May 15 | May 15 | Surrendered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire |
Germany | U-901 | 48-56? | Hans Schrenk | May 15 | May 15 | Surrendered in Stavanger |
Germany | U-2336 | 14-18? | Emil Klusmeier | May 15 | May 15 | Surrendered in Kiel |
Germany/ Croatia/ Slovenia/ Montenegro |
A large column in Poljana, Prevalje | 29,650 (1,000? Germans, 15,250? Croatians, 11,400 Slovenes, and 2,000 Montenegrins) | N/A | May 15 | May 15, at 4 PM | See Battle of Poljana |
Germany | All forces on Alderney | 3,202 | Vice Admiral Friedrich Hüffmeier | May 16 | May 16 | |
Germany | U-776 | 48-56? | Lothar Martin | May 16 | May 16 | Surrendered in Portland, United Kingdom |
Germany | U-873 | 55-64? | Friedrich Steinhoff | May 16 | May 16 | Surrendered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire |
Germany | U-255 | 44-60? | Helmut Heinrich | May 17 | May 17 | Surrendered in Loch Eriboll |
Germany | U-1228 | 48? | Friedrich-Wilhelm Marienfeld | May 17 | May 17 | Surrendered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire |
Croatia | Remnants of the 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar (1st Croatian), in Austria | see previous section on this division | N/A | May 18 | May 18 | |
Germany | U-234 | 12 | Johann-Heinrich Fehler | May 19 | May 19 | Surrendered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire |
Georgia | Georgian Legion on Texel | 226[1] | None (their commander, Shalva Loladze, was killed on April 23) | May 20 | May 20 | see Georgian uprising on Texel
for more details |
Germany | All German forces on Texel | 4,000[1] | May 20 | May 20 | Fighting against the Georgian Legion | |
Germany | A small company of soldiers on Minquiers reef[2] | 80? | N/A | May 23 | May 23 | |
Croatia | Remnants of Croatian forces, in Odžak | c. 1,800? | N/A | May 25 | May 25 | Some soldiers became guerrillas and fought until spring 1947. Everyone else was KIA. See Battle of Odžak for more details |
Germany | U-530 | 48? | Otto Wermuth | July 10 | July 10 | Surrendered at Mar del Plata |
Germany | U-977 | 28-44? | Heinz Schäffer | August 17 | August 17 | Surrendered at Mar del Plata (16 left the ship) |
Japan | All forces on Bougainville Island | 21,335[3] | Hitoshi Imamura | August 21 | August 21 | |
Japan | All forces in Manchuria | 1,950,479[3] | Otozō Yamada | August 22 | August 22 | |
Japan | All forces on Mili Atoll | c. 2,282[4] | Navy Captain | August 22 | August 22 | |
Japan | Air force personnel in central Bukidnon | 4,000[3] | Unknown | August 23 | August 23 | |
Japan | All forces on Shumshu | 8,244 | Tsutsumi Fusaki | August 23 | August 23 | |
Japan | All forces on Sakhalin | 394,551[3] | Lieutenant General Kiichiro Higuchi | August 25 | August 25 | |
Japan | Personnel in the Infanta area of Southern Luzon | c, 1,500[3] | August 30 | August 30 | ||
Japan | All forces on Marcus Island | c. 2,542 | Unknown | August 31 | August 31 | |
Japan | All forces on Bangka Island and Billiton Island | Unknown | Unknown | September 1 | September 1 | |
Japan | All forces in Bataan | Unknown | Unknown | September 1 | September 1 | |
Japan | All Japanese forces | 2,354,946 | Yoshijirō Umezu | September 2 | September 2, at 12:00 AM | Formal surrender of all Japanese forces |
Japan | All forces on Rota Island | 2,665 | Shigeo Iwagawa | September 2 | September 2, at 1:00 AM | |
Japan | All forces on Pagan | c. 2,494[4] | Colonel Umehachi | September 2 | September 2 | |
Japan | All forces in Penang | 26,000[5][full citation needed] | Jisaku Uozami | September 2 | September 2 | |
Japan | All forces in Thailand | 114,351[3] | Lieutenant Colonel Hamada | September 2 | September 2 | |
Japan | Forces in the southern Cagayan Valley, in the Philippines | Unknown | Colonel Matsui | September 2 | September 2 | |
Japan | All forces on Truk Atoll | 28,000 | Shunzaburo Mugikura | September 3 | September 3 | |
Japan | All forces in the Palau Islands | 44,000 | Lieutenant General Sadae Inoue | September 3 | September 3 | |
Japan | All forces in the Bonin Islands | 23,379[3] | Lieutenant Yoshio Tachibana | September 3 | September 3 | |
Japan | All forces in the Philippines | 151,102[3] | Tomoyuki Yamashita | September 3, at 12:10 PM | September 3 | |
Japan | Forces in Cebu | 2,900[3] | Unknown | September 4? | September 4? | |
Japan | Forces in the Negros Occidental | 1,400[3] | Unknown | September 4? | September 4? | |
Japan | Forces on Mindoro | 7,000[3] | Unknown | September 4? | September 4? | |
Japan | All forces on Wake Island | c. 4,139[4] | Rear Admiral Shigematsu Sakaibara | September 4 | September 4 | |
Japan | All forces on Aguigan | c. 200 | Second Lieutenant Kinichi Yamada | September 4 | September 4 | |
Germany | Garrison on Bear Island | 11 | Lieutenant Wilhelm Dege | September 4 | September 4 | see Operation Haudegen for more details |
Japan | All forces on Yap Island | c. 5,917[4] | Colonel | September 5 | September 5 | |
Japan | All forces in the Kuril Islands | 70,136[3] | Tsutsumi Fusaki | September 5 | September 5 | |
Japan | All forces on Jaluit Atoll | c. 2,311[4] | Captain Nisuke Masuda | September 5 | September 5 | |
Japan | All forces on Ulithi | September 5 | September 5 | |||
Japan | A small force in the of the Philippines | More than 2,300[3] | Unknown | September 2 | September 6 | |
Japan | All forces in the Bismarck Islands, Christmas Island, Wewak, the Solomon Islands and other Australian territories in the South Pacific | 139,000 (41,384 in the Bismarck Islands (including 47,000 on New Britain),[3] 29.059 in the Solomon Islands,[3] 8,000 on Wewak[3] and 13,557 in other Islands) | Hitoshi Imamura (Army), Admiral Jinichi Kusaka (Navy) | September 6, at 11:27 AM | September 6 | Unknown number of soldiers in Christmas Island |
Japan | All forces in the Ryukyu Islands | 62,414[3] | Lieutenant General | September 7 | September 7 | |
Japan | All forces on Kusaie | c. 4,511[4] | Lieutenant General Yoshikazu Hirada | September 8 | September 8 | |
Japan | The Japanese Northern Fleet | September 8 | September 8 | |||
Japan | All forces on Morotai and Halmahera | 126,000 | Heitarō Kimura | September 9 | September 9 | |
Japan | All forces in China | 1,541,973[3] | Yasuji Okamura | Morning of September 9 | September 9 | |
Japan | All forces in Korea south of the 38th parallel | 420,796 | Lieutenant General Yoshio Kozuki | September 9 (afternoon) | September 9 | |
All forces in Korea, north of the 38th parallel | 595,418 | Yoshio Kozuki | September 9 | September 9 | ||
Japan | All forces in Borneo and the Dutch East Indies east of Lombok | 42,459 (in Borneo)[3] | Lieutenant General | September 8 | September 9 | |
Japan | A Japanese force in China[6] | c. 140,000 | N/A | September | September | Joined the Chinese Red Army |
Japan | All forces on Wotje Atoll and Maeolap Atoll | c. 2,162 (1,066 on Wotje, 1,096 on Maeolap)[4] | September 10 | September 10 | ||
Japan | All forces in North Borneo | 10,300 | Lieutenant General Masao Baba | September 10 | September 10 | |
Japan | All forces in Labuan | see forces in Sarawak | see forces in Sarawak | September 10 | September 10 | |
Japan | All forces in New Guinea | 37,658[3] | Hatazō Adachi | September 11 | September 11 | |
Japan | Thirty-Seventh Army, in Sarawak | c. 15,000 | Lieutenant General Masao Baba | September 11 | September 11 | |
Japan | All forces in Timor | 3,235 | Colonel | September 11 | September 11 | |
Japan | All forces on Ponape Island | c. 7,984[4] | Lieutenant General Masao Watanabe | September 11 | September 11 | |
Japan | All forces in Singapore and the Dutch East Indies | c. 585,000 (76,700 on Singapore, 65,540 on Java,[3] 188,546 in the Malay Pennsula, and 254,214 on the other islands) | Hisaichi Terauchi | September 12 | September 12 | Formal ceremony for the forces in the Malay Peninsula took place on February 22, 1946. |
Japan | All forces on Nauru | 3,745 | Captain Hisayuki Soeda | September 13 | September 13 | |
Japan | All forces in Burma | 71,733[3] | Hisaichi Terauchi | September 13 | September 13 | |
Japan | All forces in Hong Kong | 19,222 | General Takashi Sakai | September 16 | September 16 | |
Japan | All forces on Lamotrek | September 16 | September 16 | |||
Japan | All forces on Namoluk | September 17 | September 17 | |||
Japan | All forces on Woleai | 1,600 | September 19 | September 19 | ||
Japan | 38th Army in Indochina | 106,184[3] | Lieutenant General Yuitsu Tsuchihashi | September 28 | September 28 | |
Japan | All forces in Miyako Island and on Ishigaki Island | 32,000 (in the Miyako Islands) | September 29 | September 29 | ||
Japan | All forces on Ocean Island | c. 760 | Lieutenant | October 1 | October 1 | |
Japan | All forces on Tobi, Sonsorol, and Merir | 1,339 (439 on Tobi, 639 on Sonsoral and 269 on Merir) | October 6 | October 6 | ||
Japan | All forces in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands | c. 600? | October 7 | October 7 | ||
Japan | North China Area Army | Hiroshi Nemoto | October 10 | October 10 | ||
Japan | Third Air Fleet | None | October 15 | October 15 | ||
Japan | All forces on Puluwat | c. 1,253[4] | Tatsuo Yasui | October 16 | October 16 | |
Japan | All forces in Sumatra | 68,764[3] | Moritake Tanabe | October 21 | October 21 | |
Japan | All forces in the Nomoi Islands | c. 1,010[4] | Unknown | October 21 | October 21 | |
Japan | All forces in Taiwan, the Paracel Islands, and the Spratly Islands | 488,417 (in Taiwan)[3] | Rikichi Andō | September 9 (In Taiwan) | October 25 | |
Japan | Military personnel on Lukunor[7][full citation needed] | November | November | |||
Japan | Twelfth Air Fleet | None | November 30 | November 30 |
Table of Japanese holdouts[]
This table displays a chronology of Japanese holdouts throughout the Pacific. The pink-colored rows show unconfirmed holdouts, while the gray-colored rows show those holdouts who were aware the war was over, but did not surrender.
Country | Forces the surrender applies to | Commanding officer | Number of troops surrendered (if applicable) | Date of surrender (if applicable) | hideNotes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Japan | A company of soldiers on Saipan | Captain Sakae Ōba | 47 | December 1, 1945 | |
Japan | Holdout on Corregidor[6] | 1 | December 1945 | ||
Japan | Army personnel in Corregidor | 20 | January 1, 1946 | ||
Japan | Unit south of Manila | 48 | January 25, 1946 | originally 120, but many were killed | |
Japan | A group of holdouts on Lubang Island | 30 | February 22, 1946 | ||
Japan | Group of holdouts on Lubang | 41 | April 1946 | ||
Japan | Major Sei Igawa in Indochina | 1 | 1946 | Volunteered as a staff officer with the Viet Minh; killed in a firefight with French troops. | |
Japan | Navy Lieutenant HIdeo Horiuchi in Indonesia | 1 | August 13, 1946 | Volunteered as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Indonesian Army; arrested by Dutch troops. | |
Japan | Soldiers under Ei Yamaguchi in Peleliu | LIeutenant Ei Yamaguchi | 34 | April 1947 | |
Japan | Mortar team on Palawan | 7 | April 1947 | ||
Japan | Stragglers in Luzon | 15 | April 1947 | ||
Japan | Straggler in Guadalcanal | 1 | October 27, 1947 | ||
Japan | Party of soldiers on Mindanao[6] | 200 | January 1948 | ||
Japan | Soldiers in Guam | 2 | May 12, 1948 | ||
Japan | Holdouts in the mountains in Manchuria[6] | c. 20,000 | 1948 | ||
Japan | Naval machine gunners Yamakage Kufuku and Matsudo Linsoki on Iwo Jima | 2 | January 6, 1949 | ||
Japan | Holdouts in New Guinea | 8 | 1949 | ||
Japan | Commander Namataro Nagai on New Guinea[6] | 1 | 1950 | ||
Japan | Private First Class Yūichi Akatsu in the Philippine village of Looc, Occidental Mindoro | 1 | March 1950 | Was on Lubang Island with Hiroo Onoda until surrender. | |
Japan | Major Takuo Ishii in Indochina | 1 | May 20, 1950 | Served with the Viet Minh as an adviser until he was killed by French troops. | |
Japan | A petty officer on Anatahan Island | 1 | June 13, 1951 | Reported the 18 men on Anatahan. | |
Japan | Holdouts on Anatahan Island | 18 | June 27, 1951 | ||
Japan | Corporal Shōichi Shimada on Lubang Island | 1 | May 1954 | Shimada was with Hiroo Onoda until the former's death in a shootout with Philippine police. | |
Japan | Lieutenant Kikuo Tanimoto in Indochina | 1 | 1954 | Volunteered as a Viet Minh adviser and commander. He returned to Japan after Vietnam's independence. | |
Japan | Stragglers in Hollandia[6] | 21 | 1954 | ||
Japan | Seaman Noburo Kinoshita in the Luzon jungle | 1 | November 1955 | Hanged himself after being captured. | |
Japan | Japanese airmen Simada Kakuo, Simokubo Kumao, Odjima Mamoru and Jaegasi Sanzo in Hollandia | 4 | 1955 | Survivors of a larger group. | |
Japan | Soldiers on Morotai | 9 | 1956 | ||
Japan | Lieutenant Sigheichi Yamamoto and corporals Unitaro Ishii, Masajii Izumida and Juhie Nakano on Mindoro | Lieutenant Sigheichi Yamamoto | 4 | November 1956 | |
Japan | Private Bunzō Minagawa on Guam | 1 | May 1960 | ||
Japan | Sergeant Masashi Itō on Guam | 1 | May 23, 1960 | Mingawa's superior. | |
Japan | A Lieutenant in Okinawa[6] | 1 | 1963 | ||
Japan | Holdout on Vella Lavella[6] | 1 | 1965 | ||
Japan | Holdout on Okinawa[6] | 1 | Late 1960s-Early 1970s | Year unknown | |
Japan | Corporal Shoichi Yokoi on Guam | 1 | January 1972 | Served under Itō | |
Japan | Private 1st Class KInshichi Kozuka on Lubang | 1 | October 1972 | Was with Hiroo Onoda until Kozuka died in a shootout with Philippine police. | |
Japan | LIeutenant Hiroo Onoda | 1 | March 1974 | ||
Taiwan (Amiss people) | Private Teruo Nakamura on Morotai | 1 | December 18, 1974 | ||
Japan | Straggler on Vella Lavella[6] | 1 | 1978 | unconfirmed | |
Japan | Captain Fumio Nakaharu in Mount Halcon in the Philippines | 1 | January 1980 | There were reports of him holding out, but a search party found no evidence aside from some huts. | |
Japan | Holdouts on Vella Lavella | 2 | 1981/1989 | No evidence for the holdouts' existence. | |
Japan | Shigeyuki Hashimoto and Kiyoaki Tanaka in Thailand | 2 | January 1990 | ||
Japan | Possible holdouts on Kolombangara | 2 or 3 | 1997 | ||
Japan | A soldier in Mindoro | Sangrayban | 1 | January 1997 | |
Japan | Unconfirmed holdouts in Mount Makarakomburu[6] | 0 | 2001 | Unlikely |
Number of troops surrendered[]
If one were to add up all of these numbers (including the minimum number of crew members on the U-boats), the number of troops surrendered would be as follows (in order of number of troops and organized by ethnicity/nation);
Country of origin | Approximate number of soldiers surrendered |
---|---|
Japanese | 9,779,248 |
Germans | 4,889,905 |
Italians | 429,600 |
Russians | 70,000 (including 50,000 Cossacks) |
Foreign-born Germans (Volksdeutsche) | 37,000 |
Croatians | 33,050 |
Other foreigners in the SS | 31,811 |
Hungarians | 29,786 |
Galician Ukrainians | 25,000 |
Latvians | 19,500 |
Slovenes | 11,400 |
Estonians | 10,000 |
Dutch | 6,956 |
Flemish | 6,000 |
Various Soviet Union people | 5,000 |
Indians | 2,000 |
Montenegrins | 2,000 |
Georgians | 226 |
French | 30 |
Total | 15,388,513 |
- NOTE: does not account for combat deaths.
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Jones, Michael (2015). After Hitler: The Last Ten Days of World War II in Europe.
- ^ Whiting, Charles (1973). The end of the war; Europe: April 15-May 23, 1945. New York: Stein and Day. p. 168. ISBN 0-8128-1605-6. OCLC 810423.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y "Chapter 14: Japan's Surrender". Reports of General MacArthur. 1. 1994 [1966].
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j Takizawa (1) Alsleben (2), Akira (1) Allan (2) (1999–2000). "Japanese garrisons on the by-passed Pacific Islands 1944-1945". The Dutch East Indies 1941-1942. Archived from the original on 2016-01-06.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
- ^ "The Real Japanese Surrender". The Sunday Times.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k "Japanese holdouts: Registry". wanpela.com.
- ^ The Typhoon of War: Micronesian Experiences in the Pacific War.
- Timelines of military conflicts
- Chronology of World War II