16 May 1945
- Alderney of the Channel Islands was reoccupied by British troops; the garrison of 3,200 German troops became prisoners of war. ww2dbase [TH]
- USS Segundo departed for her fourth war patrol. ww2dbase [Segundo | CPC]
- After not responding to communications since 9 Apr 1945, USS Snook was presumed lost. ww2dbase [Snook | CPC]
- USS Hawkbill arrived off British Malaya to serve on lifeguard station. ww2dbase [Hawkbill | CPC]
- US Army Colonel Albert Caswell Metts, Jr. assisted the five daughters of Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria, who had been liberated from Dachau Concentration Camp by the American army, to return to Luxembourg. ww2dbase [AC]
- William Slim and Aung San met at Meiktila, Burma; Slim later noted that although Aung San had an anti-British history, he was a promising candidate to lead Burma after the war. ww2dbase [Aung San | Meiktila | CPC]
- Exiled Czechoslovakian President Eduard Beneš returned to Prague, Czechoslovakia to a rapturous welcome. ww2dbase [Edvard Beneš | Prague | AC]
- Submarine USS Tinosa arrived at Apra Harbor, Guam at the conclusion of her tenth war patrol. ww2dbase [Tinosa | Apra Harbor | DS]
- USS Sennet arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her third war patrol. ww2dbase [Sennet | Pearl Harbor Navy Base and Ford Island Naval Air Station | Pearl Harbor, Oahu | CPC]
- Barbers Point Naval Air Station: Inspection of engine overhaul facilities by Vice Admiral JH Newton, USN; Commodore HE Overesh, USN; Captain RE Farnsworth, USN; Commander GC Briant, USNR; Captain EA Tarbutton, USN. ww2dbase [Barbers Point Naval Air Station | Ewa, Oahu | DS]
- Aircraft from escort carrier HMS Emperor attacked Japanese cruiser Haguro at the entrance of the Malacca Strait. ww2dbase [Haguro | Malacca Strait | CPC]
- Kamikaze was lightly damaged by British destroyers in the Strait of Malacca; 27 were killed, 14 were wounded. She arrived at Penang, Straits Settlements later on the same day. ww2dbase [Kamikaze | Strait of Malacca | CPC]
- Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru departed Maizuru, Japan. ww2dbase [Hikawa Maru | Maizuru, Kyoto | CPC]
- USS Boarfish departed Subic Bay, Philippine Islands for her third war patrol. ww2dbase [Boarfish | CPC]
- The Kukutsu Prisoners of War Camp in northern Taiwan was opened. ww2dbase [CPC]

16 May 1945 Interactive Map
Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis
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