World War II Timeline: January 1945

A dated guide to 4 documented events in January 1945, with links to individual historical records.

Dated historical records

Entries below follow the dates recorded in the WWII CHRONOS archive. Each linked title opens the original historical entry, including its source reference.

1. 1945-01-12 — Vistula–Oder Offensive — Soviet forces begin a broad offensive on the road to Berlin.
2. 1945-01-16 — Renault Nationalised — The state restructures one of France's major automobile manufacturers after the occupation.
3. 1945-01-20 — First K-25 Production Cell Becomes Operational — The full arrangement had 54 main production units; all were operating by 15 August 1945.
4. 1945-01-27 — Liberation of Auschwitz — The Red Army enters the Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp complex.

For wider context, explore the interactive historical timeline and compare events across theaters.