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• » 31 Jan 1945

• Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front established two bridgeheads over the Oder River near Küstrin, Germany (now Kostrzyn, Poland). ww2dbase [Vistula-Oder Offensive | TH]
• The Duke of Gloucester became the Governor-General of Australia, an appointment designed to ensure that Australia did not become a dependency of the United States. ww2dbase [AC]
• American submarine chaser PC-1129 intercepted Japanese Shinyo special attack boats in the Philippine Islands, but she was in turn rammed by one of the boats and was sunk. ww2dbase [Shinyo-class | CPC]

• USS Wake Island completed her repairs at Ulithi, Caroline Islands. ww2dbase [Wake Island | Ulithi | CPC]

• Japanese Navy landing ship No. 148 was completed; this vessel was later turned over to the Army and was recommissioned as SB No. 113. ww2dbase [No. 101/103-class | CPC]

• USS Sennet arrived at Saipan, Mariana Islands, ending her first war patrol. ww2dbase [Sennet | Saipan | CPC]

• USS Boarfish attacked a Japanese convoy three times in the South China Sea, sinking cargo ship Enki Maru (1 of 2 torpedoes hit) and damaging cargo ship Taietsu Maru (1 of 2 torpedoes hit; she would later be finished off by US aircraft). ww2dbase [Boarfish | South China Sea | CPC]

• In the Philippine Islands, elements of the 11th US Airborne Division came ashore at Nasugbu Bay, some 50 miles south of Manila and opposite Bataan at the mouth of Manila Bay. ww2dbase [Philippines Campaign, Phase 2 | AC]

• The US Navy expanded the piston-jet mix-powered fighter contract with Ryan Aeronautical to 700 examples. ww2dbase [FR Fireball | CPC]

31 Jan 1945 Interactive Map