1945 Idaho Vandals football team
Idaho was 1–7 overall and won one of their six PCC games. The football program returned after missing the previous two seasons, due to World War II manpower shortages. Composed mostly of freshmen, Idaho met two nearby teams twice, Washington State and the Farragut Naval Training Station, their sole non-conference opponent. The Vandals did not venture outside of the Northwest; the longest road trip was to play Oregon in Eugene.


1945 Idaho Vandals football team
The losing streak in the Battle of the Palouse with neighbor Washington State reached seventeen games, falling 12–43 in the opener at Moscow, and 0–21 in Pullman four weeks later. Idaho tied the Cougars five years later, but the winless streak continued until 1954.


1945 Idaho Vandals football team
In the rivalry game with Montana, Idaho won 46–0 in Moscow to retain the Little Brown Stein; it was the third of six straight shutouts in the series, with each side winning three.


1945 Idaho Vandals football team
At Farragut on November 10, eight inches (20 cm) of snow was removed from the field just prior to the game by German prisoners of war.


1945 Idaho Vandals football team
Alumnus Brown ran the downsized UI athletic department during the war and coached the basketball team for four seasons (1942–46). Due to the death of Francis Schmidt in September 1944, Brown was the interim football coach in 1945; he was named head coach in March 1946, but resigned eight months later.


1945 Idaho Vandals football team, All-conference
No Vandals were named to the All-Coast team; halfback Jim Hatch was honorable mention.


1945 Illinois Fighting Illini football team
The 1945 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois during the 1945 Big Ten Conference football season. In their fourth year under head coach Ray Eliot, the Illini compiled a 2–6–1 and finished in seventh place in the Big Ten Conference. Center Mac Wenskunas was selected as the team's most valuable player.


1945 Indian general election
General elections were held in British India in December 1945 to elect members of the Central Legislative Assembly and the Council of State. The Indian National Congress emerged as the largest party, winning 59 of the 102 elected seats. The Muslim League won all Muslim constituencies, but failed to win any other seats. Of the 13 remaining seats, 8 went to Europeans, 3 to independents, and 2 to Akali candidates in the Sikh constituencies of Punjab. This election coupled with the provincial one in 1946 proved to be a strategic victory for Jinnah and the partitionists. Even though Congress won, the League had united the Muslim vote and as such it gained the negotiating power to seek a separate Muslim homeland as it became clear that a united India would prove highly unstable. The elected members later formed the Constituent Assembly of India.


1945 Indian general election
These were the last general elections in British India; consequent elections were held in 1951 in India and 1970 in Pakistan.


1945 Indian general election, Background
On 19 September 1945, the Viceroy Lord Wavell announced that elections to the central and provincial legislatures would be held in December 1945 to January 1946. It was also announced that an executive council would be formed and a constitution-making body would be convened after these elections.


1945 Indian general election, Background
Although the Government of India Act 1935 had proposed an all-India federation, it could not take place because the government held that the Princely states were unwilling to join it. Consequently, rather than choosing 375 members, only 102 elective seats were to be filled. Hence the elections to the central legislature were held under the terms of the Government of India Act 1935.


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team
The 1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team was an American football team that represented the Indiana University Bloomington in the 1945 Big Ten Conference football season, compiled the only undefeated record and won the first Big Ten Conference championship in the program's history. In their 12th year under head coach Bo McMillin, the Hoosiers compiled a 9–0–1 record (5–0–1 Big Ten), outscored their opponents by a combined total of 279 to 56, and finished the season ranked #4 in the final AP Poll. The lone blemish on the team's record was a 7–7 tie with Northwestern in the second game of the season.


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team
Head coach Bo McMillin was selected as the Coach of the Year by his fellow college football coaches. Four Hoosier players also received first-team honors on either the 1945 All-America Team or the 1945 All-Big Ten Conference football team. End Bob Ravensberg was a consensus first-team All-American, while fullback Pete Pihos received first-team All-American honors from Yank, the Army Weekly. Freshman halfback George Taliaferro rushed for 719 yards (the first African-American player to lead the Big Ten in rushing) and received second-team All-American honors. Pihos, Taliaferro, and end Ted Kluszewski also received first-team All-Big Ten honors. Pihos, Taliaferro, and coach McMilllin were later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team
Quarterback Ben Raimondi led the team in passing, completing 35 of 83 passes for 593 yards and 10 touchdowns with three interceptions. Mel Groomes was the team's leading receiver with 12 catches for 223 yards. In 1948, Groomes became the first African-American player to sign with the Detroit Lions.


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team, Before the season
The 1944 Indiana football team compiled a 7–3 record and finished in fifth place in the Big Ten Conference. Players lost from the 1944 team included John Tavener, who was the consensus first-team center on the 1944 All-America Team. Bob Meyer was expected to fill Tavener's spot in the middle of the line, but he suffered a broken leg in the 1945 season opener against Michigan. John Cannady, who had previously been a fullback and linebacker, eventually won the job.


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team, Before the season
Another loss from the 1944 team was halfback Robert Hoernschemeyer. Hoernschemeyer was a second-team All-Big Ten player in 1944, but he entered the Naval Academy after the 1944 season, played for the Navy Cadets in 1945, and then played 10 years of professional football.


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team, Before the season
On the other hand, several players returned from military service in time for the 1945 season. Most prominent among these were Pete Pihos and Howie Brown. Pihos was a lieutenant in the 35th Infantry Division, and Brown received three Purple Heart citations for his service in the European Theater of Operations. Neither had been discharged when the season began, but they were granted 60-day leaves by the Army and returned in time for the second game of the season against Northwestern.


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team, Season summary, Week 1: at Michigan
On September 22, 1945, Indiana opened its season with a 13–7 victory over Michigan. Indiana scored a touchdown in the first quarter on a pass from Ben Raimondi to Ted Kluszewski, but Kluszeweski's kick for extra point went wide. In the second quarter, the Hoosiers scored again on a touchdown pass from Raimondi to Mel Groomes that covered 56 yards, including 34 yards of Groomes running down the sideline. Kluszewski's extra point kick was successful, and Indiana led 13–0 at halftime. In his first college football game, freshman halfback George Taliaferro rushed for 95 yards on 20 carries.


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team, Season summary, Week 1: at Michigan
Indiana's starting lineup against Michigan was Bob Ravensberg (left end), Russ Deal (left tackle), Frank Ciolli (left guard), Bob Meyer (center), Joe Sowinski (right guard), Jon Goldsberry (right tackle), Kluszewski (right end), Raimondi (quarterback), Taliaferro (left halfback), Groomes (right halfback), and Nick Lysohir (fullback).


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team, Season summary, Week 2: at Northwestern
On September 29, 1945, Indiana and Northwestern played to a 7–7 tie in Evanston, Illinois. Northwestern end Stan Gorski recovered a blocked punt in the end zone midway through the first quarter to give Northwestern a 7–0 lead. Northwestern held the lead until late in the fourth quarter when Ben Raimondi threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Pete Pihos. Pihos dragged three Northwestern defenders with him into the end zone. George Taliaferro rushed for 56 yards on 19 attempts. In all, Indiana gained 152 rushing yards and 133 passing yards.


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team, Season summary, Week 2: at Northwestern
Indiana's starting lineup against Northwestern was Bob Ravensberg (left end), Russ Deal (left tackle), Joe Sowinski (left guard), Oleksak (center), Frank Ciolli (right guard), Jon Goldsberry (right tackle), Ted Kluszewski (right end), Raimondi (quarterback), Taliaferro (left halfback), Dick Deranek (right halfback), and Nick Lysohir (fullback).


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team, Season summary, Week 3: at Illinois
On October 6, 1945, Indiana defeated Illinois by a 6–0 score in Champaign, Illinois. In the second quarter, Mel Groomes threw a touchdown pass to Ted Kluszewski, but the play was called back because a Great Dane dog had gotten loose on the field during the play. In the third quarter, the Hoosiers moved the ball to the Illinois one-yard line, but the Illinois defense held. The Hoosiers did not score until the fourth quarter when Ben Raimondi threw a touchdown pass to Kluszewski. Defensively, the Chicago Tribune described Pete Pihos as a "demon", and the Hoosiers held the Illini to 113 rushing yards and 35 passing yards. Offensively, the Hoosiers gained 200 rushing yards and 41 passing yards.


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team, Season summary, Week 3: at Illinois
Indiana's starting lineup against Illinois was Bob Ravensberg (left end), Russ Deal (left tackle), Joe Sowinski (left guard), John Cannady (center), Howard Brown (right guard), Jon Goldsberry (right tackle), Kluszewski (right end), Raimondi (quarterback), George Taliaferro (left halfback), Groomes (right halfback), and Pihos (fullback).


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team, Season summary, Game 4: Nebraska
On October 13, 1945, the Hoosiers defeated Nebraska by a 54–14 score at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington. Indiana's eight touchdowns were scored by Dick Deranek, Pete Pihos, Mel Groomes, Bob Ravensberg, Bob Miller (95-yard kickoff return to start the second half), Bill Armstrong (2), and Tom Schwartz. The Hoosiers gained 417 yards in the game, 272 rushing yards and 145 passing yards. Defensively, the Hoosiers held the Cornhuskers to 79 rushing yards and 117 passing yards.


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team, Season summary, Game 4: Nebraska
Indiana's starting lineup against Nebraska was Ravensberg (left end), Russ Deal (left tackle), Joe Sowinski (left guard), Allan Horn (center), Frank Ciolli (right guard), Jon Goldsberry (right tackle), Lou Mihajlovich (right end), Ben Raimondi (quarterback), George Taliaferro (left halfback), Deranek (right halfback), and Pihos (fullback).


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team, Season summary, Week 5: at Iowa
On October 20, 1945, Indiana defeated Iowa by a 52–20 score in Iowa City. Indiana's first touchdown was scored on a 20-yard interception return by Bob Ravensberg. Less than two minutes later, Ravensberg scored again when he recovered a blocked punt in the end zone. George Taliaferro had two long touchdown runs of 62 and 74 yards. Bill Armstrong ran 43 yards for Indiana's fifth touchdown, and Dick Deranek scored on a reverse around Iowa's right end to give the Hoosiers a 40-0 lead at halftime.


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team, Season summary, Week 5: at Iowa
In the third quarter, Indiana scored twice, on a short pass from Ben Raimondi to John Gorski and on a long pass from Raimondi to Deranek covering 48 yards. Indiana led 52-0 at the end of the third quarter and had allowed Iowa only two first downs. In the fourth quarter, Iowa scored 20 points against the Hoosier reserves. Indiana totaled 337 rushing yards and 94 passing yards, and held Iowa to 115 rushing yards and 134 passing yards.


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team, Season summary, Week 5: at Iowa
Indiana's starting lineup against Iowa was Ravensberg (left end), Russ Deal (left tackle), Joe Sowinski (left guard), Allan Horn (center), Howard Brown (right guard), Jon Goldsberry (right tackle), Lou Mihajlovich (right end), Raimondi (quarterback), Taliaferro (left halfback), Mel Groomes (right halfback), and Pete Pihos (fullback).


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team, Season summary, Game 6: Tulsa
On October 27, 1945, the Hoosiers defeated a previously undefeated Tulsa team by a 7–2  score at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington. Tulsa captain Charles Stanley was ejected from the game in the first quarter for "using a knee on" Indiana's African-American halfback George Taliaferro. The Hoosiers sole touchdown came on a 60-yard sweep around left end; after a 20-yard gain, Pete Pihos lateraled the ball to Bob Ravensberg who ran the rest of the way.


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team, Season summary, Game 6: Tulsa
In the third quarter, the Hoosiers were pinned deep in their own territory by a Hardy Brown punt, and after a penalty pushed them back further, George Taliaferro was tackled behind the goal line for a safety. Indiana rushed for 224 yards in the game and held Tulsa to 80 rushing yards and five passing yards.


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team, Season summary, Game 6: Tulsa
Indiana's starting lineup against Tulsa was Bob Ravensberg (left end), Russ Deal (left tackle), Joe Sowinski (left guard), John Cannady (center), Howard Brown (right guard), Jon Goldsberry (right tackle), Ted Kluszewski (right end), Ben Raimondi (quarterback), George Taliaferro (left halfback), Mel Groomes (right halfback), and Pete Pihos (fullback).


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team, Season summary, Game 7: Cornell
On November 3, 1945, the Hoosiers defeated the Cornell College team by a 46–6  score at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington. Dick Deranek scored three touchdowns for Indiana. Additional touchdowns were scored by Pete Pihos, George Taliaferro, Leroy Stovall, and William Buckner. Carl Anderson served as the acting head coach for the game, while head coach Bo McMillin scouted the Michigan-Minnesota game in Ann Arbor.


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team, Season summary, Game 7: Cornell
Indiana's starting lineup against Cornell was Bob Ravensberg (left end), Russ Deal (left tackle), Joe Sowinski (left guard), John Cannady (center), Howard Brown (right guard), Jon Goldsberry (right tackle), Lou Mihajlovich (right end), Ben Raimondi (quarterback), George Taliaferro (left halfback), Mel Groomes (right halfback), and Pete Pihos (fullback).


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team, Season summary, Week 8: at Minnesota
On November 10, 1945, Indiana limited Bernie Bierman's Minnesota Golden Gophers to 20 rushing yards and won by a 49–0 score at Minneapolis. George Taliaferro returned the opening kickoff 95 yards and scored three touchdowns in a game that the Chicago Tribune called "the most decisive licking any Minnesota team ever has received." Indiana scored its 49 points in the first three quarters, 28 of them in the second quarter, before turning the game over to its deep reserves. All 34 players on Indiana's traveling squad appeared in the game. Additional Indiana touchdowns were scored by Bob Miller, Pete Pihos, Dick Deranek, and Tom Schwartz. Indiana gained 245 rushing yards and 123 passing yards while holding Minnesota to 20 rushing yards and 90 passing yards.


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team, Season summary, Week 8: at Minnesota
Indiana's starting lineup against Minnesota was Bob Ravensberg (left end), Russ Deal (left tackle), Joe Sowinski (left guard), John Cannady (center), Howard Brown (right guard), Jon Goldsberry (right tackle), Ted Kluszewski (right end), Ben Raimondi (quarterback), Taliaferro (left halfback), Mel Groomes (right halfback), and Pihos (fullback).


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team, Season summary, Week 9: at Pittsburgh
On November 17, 1945, Indiana defeated Pittsburgh by a 19–0 score in Pittsburgh. Fullback Pete Pihos scored two touchdowns, and Bob Ravensberg also scored a touchdown on a pass from Ben Raimondi. Indiana gained 192 rushing yards and held Pittsburgh to only 18 rushing yards.


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team, Season summary, Week 9: at Pittsburgh
Indiana's starting lineup against Pittsburgh was Ravensberg (left end), Russ Deal (left tackle), Joe Sowinski (left guard), John Cannady (center), Howard Brown (right guard), Jon Goldsberry (right tackle), Ted Kluszewski (right end), Raimondi (quarterback), George Taliaferro (left halfback), Mel Groomes (right halfback), and Pihos (fullback).


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team, Season summary, Game 10: Purdue
On November 24, 1945, the Hoosiers defeated Purdue by a 26–0 score at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington. With the victory, the Hoosiers claimed both the Old Oaken Bucket trophy and the first Big Ten Conference football championship in school history. After a scoreless first half, Pete Pihos scored two touchdowns in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Ben Raimondi threw touchdown passes to Ted Kluszewski and Lou Mihajlovich. The Hoosiers gained 349 rushing yards in the game. On defense, Indiana held Purdue's touted passing offense led by quarterback Bob DeMoss to one two-yard completion in 15 attempts. After the game, Indiana University president Herman B Wells congratulated the team in the locker room and declared the following Monday to be a holiday with no classes to be held.


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team, Season summary, Game 10: Purdue
Indiana's starting lineup against Purdue was Bob Ravensberg (left end), Russ Deal (left tackle), Joe Sowinski (left guard), John Cannady (center), Howard Brown (right guard), Jon Goldsberry (right tackle), Kluszewski (right end), Raimondi (quarterback), George Taliaferro (left halfback), Mel Groomes (right halfback), and Pihos (fullback).


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team, Post-season
The Associated Press released the results of its final poll on December 4, 1945. The 1945 Army Cadets football team was selected as the national champion with 1,160 points and first-place votes by 115 of 116 voters. Indiana was ranked fourth with 720 points.


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team, Post-season
Indiana head coach Bo McMillin was selected in voting by his fellow college football coaches as the 1945 "Coach of the Year". McMillin received 445 points and 63 first-place votes out of 155 ballots cast. Army's Earl Blaik finished second with 212 points and 28 first-place votes.


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team, Personnel, Varsity letter winners
The following 25 players received varsity letters for their participation on the 1945 Indiana football team. Players who started at least half of the team's ten games are displayed in bold.


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team, Personnel, Players in the NFL
Eleven players from the 1945 Indiana football team were either drafted to play or actually played in the National Football League. They are:


1945 Indiana Hoosiers football team, Personnel, Players in the NFL
In addition, Ted Kluszewski went on to play 15 seasons in Major League Baseball.


1945 Iowa Hawkeyes football team
The 1945 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa in the 1945 Big Ten Conference football season. This was Clem Crowe's only season as head coach for the Hawkeyes.


1945 Iowa State Cyclones football team
The 1945 Iowa State Cyclones football team represented Iowa State College of Agricultural and Mechanic Arts (later renamed Iowa State University) in the Big Six Conference during the 1945 college football season. In their fourth year under head coach Mike Michalske, the Cyclones compiled a 4–3–1 record (2–2–1 against conference opponents), finished in third place in the conference, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 156 to 97. They played their home games at Clyde Williams Field in Ames, Iowa.


1945 Iowa State Cyclones football team
There was no team captain selected for the 1945 season. Four Iowa State players were selected as a first-team all-conference players: guard Jack Fathauer, backs Dick Howard and Gene Phelps, and center Jim Riding.


1945 Irish Greyhound Derby
The 1945 Irish Greyhound Derby took place during August with the final being held at Harold's Cross Stadium in Dublin on 17 August.


1945 Irish Greyhound Derby
The winner Lilac Lucks was owned by M Coolican and trained by Paddy Byrne.


1945 Irish Greyhound Derby, Competition Report
Mad Tanist returned for another attempt at the Irish Derby and led the ante-post lists along with his full sister Astra. Astra had defeated Mad Tanist in the recent final of the Easter Cup.


1945 Irish Greyhound Derby, Competition Report
In the first round Astra equalled the track record of 29.98 secs held by Jungle Freak before Mad Tanist broke the record by recording 29.91. In the second round Astra then won in 29.88 to take the record away from her brother, who also won his heat but injured a toe in the race and would miss the rest of the competition. Lilacs Luck also remained unbeaten, winning in a time of 29.95.


1945 Irish Greyhound Derby, Competition Report
The semi-finals began with Astra recovering from a bad start to catch Highland Kid in 30.24, and this was followed by wins for Lilacs Luck (30.41) and Tanner Trail (30.20).


1945 Irish Greyhound Derby, Competition Report
A record attendance of 7,000 turned up at Harolds Cross to watch Lilacs Luck provide a shock and win the final. Astra had found trouble at the first bend, and early leaders Gun Music and Tanner Trail crowded each other at the third bend before Lilacs Luck took the lead. Astra made late ground but could not catch Lilacs Luck. Mad Tanist was retired to stud after the event.


1945 Irish local elections
The 1945 local elections in Ireland were held on 14 June 1945 to fill all council seats for most counties and county boroughs and municipal towns. The state was still under "the Emergency" of the Second World War. As a cost-saving measure, electoral law was amended to bring forward the date of the local elections a few weeks to coincide with the 1945 presidential election.


1945 Irish local elections
Dublin County Council and Kerry County Council had been dissolved, and no elections were held for their councils. There was no poll for six urban district councils and four town commissioners because the number of candidates did not exceed the number of seats.


1945 Irish local elections, Results
The elections were by single transferable vote. The total valid votes cast was 1,152,691. Totals of invalid votes were not aggregated from local counts. Fianna Fáil lost votes to independents. Prior to the 1960s, Fine Gael did not contest local elections in all areas; some of those who voted for it in Dáil elections voted at local elections for local groups including the Cork Civic Party and Limerick Progressive Party.


1945 Irish local elections, References, Citations
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1945 Irish presidential election
The 1945 Irish presidential election was held on 14 June 1945. It was Ireland's first contested presidential election. Outgoing president Douglas Hyde, who had served since 1938, decided not to seek a second term. Fianna Fáil nominated its deputy leader, Tánaiste Seán T. O'Kelly, as its candidate. Fine Gael nominated Seán Mac Eoin. Independent republican Patrick McCartan sought and failed to receive the necessary four nominations from local councils, but secured a nomination from Oireachtas members.


1945 Irish presidential election
O'Kelly won on the second count but the degree of voting transfers between the two opposition candidates, and O'Kelly's failure to win on the first count, showed the depth of growing opposition to Éamon de Valera's government and the potential that existed for cooperation among various opposition groups. De Valera's government was defeated in the subsequent 1948 general election and replaced by a First Inter-Party Government.


1945 Irish presidential election
The election took place on the same date as the 1945 local elections. Electoral law was amended to allow administrative counties and county boroughs to be used as constituencies instead of using Dáil constituencies, as previously required. This was to facilitate sorting and counting of ballots with ballots for the local elections.


1945 Irish presidential election, Nomination process
Under Article 12 of the Constitution of Ireland, candidates could be nominated by:


1945 Irish presidential election, Nomination process
All Irish citizens on the Dáil electoral register were eligible to vote.


1945 Irish presidential election, Nomination process
The first candidate nominated was Seán Mac Eoin, a Fine Gael TD who was nominated on 5 May by 17 members of his own party, as well as three independent TDs, Alfie Byrne, Tom O'Reilly and Richard Anthony. Seán T. O'Kelly was nominated by Fianna Fáil Oireachtas members on 15 May.


1945 Irish presidential election, Nomination process
On the date before nominations closed on 16 May, the administrative council of the Labour Party voted to allow its Oireachtas members to sign the nomination form of Patrick McCartan, and Clann na Talmhan voted that its Oireachtas members would sign his nomination form, together guaranteeing his position on the ballot.


1945 Irish presidential election, Result, Results by local authority
Results were announced by county councils and county borough corporations rather than by constituency.


1945 Istanbul Football Cup
The 1945 Istanbul Football Cup season was the 4th season of the cup. Fenerbahçe SK won the cup for the first time. The tournament was single-elimination.


1945 Japan–Washington flight
The 1945 Japan–Washington flight was a record-breaking air voyage made by three specially modified Boeing B-29 Superfortresses on September 18–19, 1945, from the northern Japanese island of Hokkaidō to Chicago in the Midwestern United States, continuing to Washington, D.C. The flight was made by three United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) generals and other airmen returning to the United States from their overseas duty after World War II.


1945 Japan–Washington flight
At that date, it involved the heaviest load carried by an American aircraft (144,000 lb, 65,300 kg), the longest nonstop flight made by the USAAF (5,840 mi, 9,400 km), and the first nonstop flight from Japan to the United States made with a complete aircraft. However the flight did not break the then-world distance record established by the Royal Air Force in 1938. It is worth noting that the Martin PB2M was rated at 144,000 lb much earlier (and presumably the related JRM-1). Also, the tests of the B-29 under the leadership of E.H. Rowley in June, 1945 with Grand Slam bombs may have been run at similar loads.


1945 Japan–Washington flight
Originally intending to fly 6,500 miles (10,460 km) nonstop to Washington, D.C., the airmen encountered unexpected headwinds over Alaska Territory and Canada, and they predicted that two of the aircraft would not have enough fuel to take them the full distance. All three B-29s landed in Chicago instead, refueled, and continued to Washington, where each crewman was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, including the three pilots: Generals Barney M. Giles, Emmett O'Donnell Jr. and Curtis LeMay.


1945 Japan–Washington flight
The USAAF distance record did not last long: two months later, another American aircrew flew a B-29 from Guam to Washington, D.C. a distance of 7,916 miles (12,740 km), breaking the world record. Nevertheless, the Japan to Washington flight pioneered a route similar to that used by later airliners. Importantly for the airmen, America was able to demonstrate the reach of airpower in light of the nascent Cold War.


1945 Japan–Washington flight, Preparation
Three B-29s based on Guam, which had spotless mission records and no mechanical difficulties, were selected for the mission. In a ten-day process that continued as a typhoon raged off Okinawa, the aircraft were stripped of unnecessary equipment such as armor and gun turrets, and the resulting empty spaces in the fuselage were faired over with smooth metal to minimize parasitic drag. Blister-type bubble windows were replaced with flat ones, painted group markings were removed, and the aluminum aircraft skin polished to a high luster, all in order to achieve the least possible drag.


1945 Japan–Washington flight, Preparation
Twentieth Air Force markings were painted on each vertical rudder. The bomb bay in each aircraft was fitted with five 600-gallon (2,300 L) fuel tanks; added to the normal B-29 fuel tanks, this made a total of 10,000 gallons (38,000 L) of fuel capacity, as much as a railroad tank car. Filled with fuel and 12 men, each ship weighed 144,000 pounds (65,300 kg)—it would be the greatest overload attempted on a B-29 at that time.


1945 Japan–Washington flight, Preparation
When the aircraft were ready, they flew to Iwo Jima and stopped for the night. There they were loaded with as much fuel as they could hold. It was known that the intended air base in Hokkaidō did not have enough avgas to fill all three B-29s for the long-distance flight, meaning that at Hokkaidō they could only top off the fuel tanks to make up for the amount used to fly from Iwo Jima. On September 15, the three aircraft left Iwo Jima, flying north past Okinawa, where the typhoon had blown itself out.


1945 Japan–Washington flight, Preparation
They continued to Hokkaidō where the approach involved some apprehension. The Japanese air base had been judged by Colonel William "Butch" Blanchard as suitable for B-29s, with a runway that was long enough and was near sea level for maximum lift in the densest possible air, but it was not known whether it could hold such heavily laden bombers without the concrete cracking. LeMay sent Douglas C-54 Skymasters filled with 55-gallon (210 L) drums of avgas to Sapporo—the crewmen would have to top off their tanks by hand.


1945 Japan–Washington flight, Preparation
The Japanese air base that would serve as the launching point was called Mizutani at Chitose locally, and Sapporo Air Base by the Americans. Today it is the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Camp Higashi-Chitose. It was built at the southern part of Japan's northern island Hokkaidō, near the city of Sapporo, as the base for long-range flights to attack the U.S.—one-way suicide trips made by four-engine bombers—a function that it never served.


1945 Japan–Washington flight, Preparation
The three B-29s landed safely, and LeMay stepped from his aircraft to be greeted by approximately 30 Japanese soldiers and the base commander, who saluted for some time before realizing that LeMay had no intention of returning the salute. With that treatment setting the tone for U.S.–Japan relations in the area, the airmen made certain to wear side arms as they walked around downtown Sapporo on the evenings of September 16 and 17. LeMay later said that the 3,000 Japanese sailors manning the air base were "polite" and posed no threat.


1945 Japan–Washington flight, Aircraft and men
The commander of the first aircraft was Lieutenant General Barney M. Giles, Deputy Commander ofthe United States Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific. His aircraft carried the only weather officer making the long-distance voyage. One of the crewmen was Captain Kermit Beahan, bombardier aboard Bockscar. Others included Lieutenant Bill Dolan, who served as one of the pilots.


1945 Japan–Washington flight, Aircraft and men
The second aircraft's commander was Major General Curtis LeMay, Chief of Staff of the Strategic Air Forces. First Lieutenant J. Ivan Potts served as one of the pilots, as did Lieutenant Colonel William C. Kingsbury—the two had been a flight team in the 25th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) of the 58th Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy, based on Tinian, and were good friends. Colonel William H. Blanchard, Chief of Staff of the Twentieth Air Force, joined the crew at Guam after personally inspecting Sapporo Air Base a few days earlier.


1945 Japan–Washington flight, Aircraft and men
Others on the crew from the 25th BS included Sergeant Jerome A. School, Sergeant Richard P. Fischer and Sergeant B. T. Freeman, the latter two removed at Guam when LeMay and Blanchard joined. Two men were from the 44th Bomber Squadron: First Lieutenant John C. Eiland and Staff Sergeant Frank Klas Jr. The remainder of the crew was Flight Engineer Captain William W. Townes (45th Bomber Squadron), First Lieutenant Stephen T. Jones (24th Bomber Squadron), Major John F. Wedding (468th Bomb Group) and Captain Theodore R. Finder (40th Bomb Group Headquarters). The crew chief was Master Sergeant Henry J. Rutowski.


1945 Japan–Washington flight, Aircraft and men
Number 2 was construction number 44-70015, a B-29-75 built five months earlier in Wichita, Kansas, as part of the so-called Battle of Kansas—the push to produce great air fleets of B-29s. Number 2, dubbed Marianna Belle by its combat crew, made the cut because it did not consume more than the normal amount of fuel and oil in carrying out its missions, which were marked by top mechanical reliability.


1945 Japan–Washington flight, Aircraft and men
Number 3 was commanded by Brigadier General Emmett O'Donnell Jr. who was ending his service as commander of the 73d Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy.


1945 Japan–Washington flight, Flight
The airmen drew up a "great circle" (shortest distance on the surface of a globe) flight plan that used the jet stream as a tailwind to help them get farther with less fuel, though the tailwind was not absolutely required.


1945 Japan–Washington flight, Flight
The plan was for each aircraft to make its own way over the Kamchatka Peninsula at the eastern edge of the Soviet Union, then over the Bering Sea to Nome, Alaska, and continue over Fairbanks, over the Canadian Rockies and much of Canada, over the Great Lakes, then on to Washington, D.C. near the Atlantic coast—a total of 6,762 miles (10,882 km) taking 26 hours in the air.


1945 Japan–Washington flight, Flight
This distance would not have broken the world's distance record then held by two Royal Air Force Vickers Wellesley aircraft that had flown from Ismaïlia, Egypt, to Darwin, Australia, in 1938, covering 7,162 miles (11,526 km), but it was considered a good public relations stunt, good for the USAAF and the generals' images.


1945 Japan–Washington flight, Flight
On September 18, the airmen woke up very early to make final preparations. A weather observation aircraft took off an hour before the first B-29 to report the latest meteorological conditions along the path ahead. Dumbo and Super Dumbo aircraft (B-17s and B-29s rigged for air-sea rescue) stood by, on alert. With the airfield lit by truck headlamps, Number 1 commanded by Giles was first to take off, a little after 6:00 local time, as dawn began to glow in the east.


1945 Japan–Washington flight, Flight
Next, LeMay's ship took off at 6:15 am, 4:15 pm Eastern War Time in Washington, with Lieutenant Colonel Kingsbury at the throttles and First Lieutenant Potts at the controls. O'Donnell's Number 3 took off a few minutes later. The heavily loaded machines required every bit of the 8,200-foot (2,500 m) concrete runway to get airborne—and some of the gravel beyond—reaching 142 miles per hour (229 km/h) before lifting from the ground. All three bombers were expected to be in Washington by 5 pm the next day.


1945 Japan–Washington flight, Flight
Two or three hours into the flight, the weather officer aboard Giles' Number 1 observed slight headwinds. Giles "threatened to throw him overboard unless he did something about it." Five hours out of Japan, the airmen in Number 2 were over Kamchatka when they were met by three Bell P-63 Kingcobra fighters wearing the red star insignia of the Soviet Air Force. The Soviet fighter pilots inspected the unarmed B-29 at close range and then performed aerobatic maneuvers for the Americans. The three dipped their wings in salute and left the Superfortress to continue its journey. After Kamchatka, LeMay and Blanchard replaced Kingsbury and Potts at the controls.


1945 Japan–Washington flight, Flight
Over the Bering Sea, the three B-29s maintained radio contact with each other, communicating positions hourly as they navigated independently. Near the Arctic Circle, the magnetic compasses fluctuated wildly, and the fliers ignored them, relying instead on the radio compass. In Number 2, the radio compass stopped working as well, but it resumed working later in the flight.


1945 Japan–Washington flight, Flight
Wearing fur-lined flight suits did not prevent the men from feeling the extreme cold of high altitude. Pilots rotated duty so that none would get too tired. Weather continued to be a great concern, and was frequently checked. The aircraft left the Bering Sea behind, encountering North America at Nome after about 13 hours of flight. From Nome to Fairbanks, the Northern Lights were clearly visible to the crews. Even though the B-29 pressurization systems were working, the outside air temperature of −25 °F (−32 °C) at an altitude of about 21,000 feet (6,400 m) was not counteracted by the heating systems "which seemed to have completely broken down."


1945 Japan–Washington flight, Flight, Weather problems
At Fairbanks, the three B-29s encountered significant headwinds; more than the "slight" headwinds observed up to this time. They had expected tailwinds from the jet stream, yet could complete the distance without them, but headwinds meant that Washington might be too far. At 7 am Eastern War Time, aircraft Number 2 was over Northway, Alaska, and navigator Bill Townes determined that they were behind schedule. He said later, "When I reported that fact to General LeMay, he looked at me as if he thought it was my fault, so I retreated behind my bulkhead to check my figures." Later, the airmen learned that the typhoon near Okinawa the week before had greatly affected the jet stream.


1945 Japan–Washington flight, Flight, Weather problems
Seventeen hours after lifting off at sunrise in Japan, the men began to see the sun rise again over the Yukon—it was a very short day for them, and none had been able to sleep for the excitement of the trip, the stimulant benzedrine, and the penetrating cold. Crossing into Canada, the headwinds grew stronger still, and a load of hard rime ice and clear ice was visible on the wings.


1945 Japan–Washington flight, Flight, Weather problems
Though the B-29s had been delivered to the war front complete with deicing equipment, such gear had been removed months before to reduce weight and therefore increase combat range and speed. The ice load picked up in the night would have to be endured until it melted off at lower altitudes.


1945 Japan–Washington flight, Flight, Weather problems
Near Regina, Saskatchewan, the fliers made their first decision regarding early stops for fuel. One proposed solution was for Giles to land in Minneapolis, O'Donnell to land in Detroit, and LeMay (who had enough fuel) to continue as before to Washington. Giles radioed this plan to the War Department: "Have been bucking headwinds for past nine hours. Predicted plans for Fairbanks to States did not materialize. Giles and O'Donnell plan to land at Minneapolis and Detroit due to fuel. Plane Number Two, commanded by LeMay, believes he is able to get to Washington."


1945 Japan–Washington flight, Flight, Weather problems
However, soon after this, Giles determined that Chicago Municipal Airport was the only airport large enough to accommodate the B-29s; he directed O'Donnell to land there with him. LeMay sent word by radio to the War Department that he was heading for Washington. In New York, newspapers put this plan in headlines: "Two B-29s will land to refuel as third roars on to Capitol".


1945 Japan–Washington flight, Flight, Weather problems
All three aircraft approached Chicago, and LeMay contacted the War Department again by radio. O'Donnell landed at 5:43 pm Eastern War Time, with Giles about 45 minutes behind. Just past Chicago LeMay was informed by the War Department that weather was "marginal" in Washington and that he was now ordered to refuel in Chicago. Giles landed at 6:30 and LeMay at 6:43 pm. LeMay's elapsed flight time was 27 hours and 28 minutes. The straight-line distance they had flown over the globe was about 5,840 miles (9,400 km).


1945 Japan–Washington flight, Flight, Weather problems
While the aircraft were refueled, newspaper reporters asked questions of Giles and of Captain Kermit Beahan, who as bombardier aboard Bockscar, had visually targeted Nagasaki in order to drop the second atomic bomb. The other crewmen drank coffee and waited. When refueling was completed, they took off directly for Washington.


1945 Japan–Washington flight, Reception
From Chicago to Washington, D.C. the flight was uneventful. The "silvery sky giants, manned by their blue ribbon crews" flew over National Airport (now Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport) in formation at 9:30 pm and landed. The generals and crews stepped from their aircraft, LeMay waiting until he was smoking one of his signature cigars. Along with senior USAAF staff and reporters, wives and family were at the airport to greet the airmen, as well as a crowd of onlookers. Photographs were taken at the airport, then the airmen were whisked off to the Statler Hotel, now the Capital Hilton. In the lobby, the weary, grimy and stubble-bearded men were besieged for autographs. Some of them stayed up later to hear supper-club singer Hildegarde in the grand showroom, others went to bed to catch up on sleep.


1945 Japan–Washington flight, Reception
The next morning, a news conference was held in the grand showroom. Giles emphasized the importance of the route as an indication of the future, both for civil and military aircraft. He warned: "Now that we have proved that we can do it, we must now remember that any future enemy will also be able to do it". LeMay declared that he wanted a second chance to prove that the B-29 was capable of flying 6,500 miles nonstop. He said, "When we took off at Hokkaido we had a little headwind and expected it.


1945 Japan–Washington flight, Reception
However, all our information indicated that once we passed Fairbanks it would drop. We didn't need a tailwind. All we needed was a nice normal wind to arrive on schedule. The buffeting headwind averaged 70 mph" (110 km/h). After the reporters were finished, Giles presented all the airmen with the Distinguished Flying Cross. Giles told the men that each one could keep his personal military equipment as a memento of the flight, including parachutes. They were offered free rides home on military aircraft. Potts refused the parachute and the ride, telling Giles, "Thank you, general, I think I'll take the train!"


1945 Japan–Washington flight, Reception
Other B-29 crewmen still in the Pacific Ocean theatre of World War II did not pay much attention to the record-breaking flight. Harry Changnon of the 40th Bomb Group on Tinian said "most of us in the 40th knew little about the trip in September 1945 as we were busy preparing to fly our 45 B-29s home in October".


1945 Japan–Washington flight, Reception
Two months later on November 19–20, Colonel Clarence S. Irvine and Lieutenant Colonel G. R. Stanley flew a long-distance testbed B-29 named Pacusan Dreamboat to a world's distance record of 7,916 miles (12,740 km) flying nonstop and unrefueled from Guam to Washington, D.C., taking 35 hours and 5 minutes. Their aircraft's gross weight was greater, at 155,000 pounds (70,000 kg).


1945 Kansas Jayhawks football team
The 1945 Kansas Jayhawks football team represented the University of Kansas in the Big Six Conference during the 1945 college football season. In their third and final season under head coach Henry Shenk, the Jayhawks compiled a 4–5–1 record (1–3–1 against conference opponents), finished fifth in the conference, and were outscored by opponents by a combined total of 175 to 139. They played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas.


1945 Kansas Jayhawks football team
The team's statistical leaders included Dick Bertuzzi with 360 rushing yards, George Gear with 223 passing yards, Norm Pumphrey with 212 receiving yards, and Leroy Robison with 46 points scored (six touchdowns and ten extra points). Dave Schmidt was the team captain.


1945 Kansas State Wildcats football team
The 1945 Kansas State Wildcats football team represented Kansas State University in the 1945 college football season. The team's head football coach was Lud Fiser, in his first and only year at the helm of the Wildcats. The Wildcats played their home games in Memorial Stadium. The Wildcats finished the season with a 1–7 record with a 0–5 record in conference play. They finished in last place in the Big Six Conference. The Wildcats scored 71 points and gave up 268 points.


1945 Katsuyama killing incident
The 1945 Katsuyama killing incident was the murder of three African-American United States Marines in Katsuyama near Nago, Okinawa after the Battle of Okinawa in June 1945. Residents of Katsuyama had reportedly killed the three Marines for their repeated rape of village women during occupation of Okinawa and hid their bodies in a nearby cave out of fear for retaliation. The Katsuyama incident was kept secret until 1997 when the bodies and identities of the Marines were discovered.


1945 Katsuyama killing incident, Incident
In June 1945, Allied victory at the major Battle of Okinawa led to the occupation of the highly-strategic Okinawa Prefecture of Japan shortly before the end of the Pacific War. Reportedly, three African-American soldiers of the United States Marines Corps began to repeatedly visit the village of Katsuyama, northwest of the city of Nago, and every time they violently took the village women into the nearby hills and raped them. The Marines became so confident that the villagers of Katsuyama were powerless to stop them, they came to the village without their weapons.


1945 Katsuyama killing incident, Incident
The villagers took advantage of this and ambushed them with the help of two armed Imperial Japanese Army soldiers who were hiding in the nearby jungle. Shinsei Higa, who was sixteen at the time, remembers that "I didn't see the actual killing because I was hiding in the mountains above, but I heard five or six gunshots and then a lot of footsteps and commotion. By late afternoon, we came down from the mountains and then everyone knew what had happened."


1945 Katsuyama killing incident, Incident
The Marines were killed and, to cover up their deaths, dumped their bodies in a local cave that had a 50-foot (15-m) drop-off close to its entrance. In the summer of 1945, when the three Marines did not return to their posts, they were listed as possible deserters. After a year with still no evidence of what happened to them, they were declared missing in action. Knowledge of the killings subsequently became a village secret for the next 50 years, remaining secret for the duration Okinawa was governed by the United States Military Government and the United States Civil Administration until 1972, when the U.S. government returned the islands to Japanese administration.


1945 Katsuyama killing incident, Discovery
Kijun Kishimoto, a villager who was almost 30 years old and absent from Katsuyama at the time of the incident, eventually revealed the killings. In an interview, Kishimoto said, "People were very afraid that if the Americans found out what happened there would be retaliation, so they decided to keep it a secret to protect those involved." Finally, a guilty conscience led Kishimoto to contact Setsuko Inafuku (稲福節子), a tour guide for Kadena United States Air Base in Okinawa, whose deceased son Clive was also a victim of sexual assault, and who was involved in the search for deceased servicemen from the war.


1945 Katsuyama killing incident, Discovery
In June 1997, Kishimoto and Inafuku searched for the cave near Katsuyama, but could not find it until August when a storm blew down a tree which had been blocking the entrance. Kishimoto and Inafuku informed the Japanese police in Okinawa but they kept the discovery a secret for a few months to protect the people who discovered the location of the bodies.


1945 Katsuyama killing incident, Discovery
The Katsuyama incident was reported to the United States military by Inafuku, who informed then-Kadena Air Base 18th Wing Historian Master-Sergeant James Allender, who in turn reported it to the Joint Services Central Identification Laboratory at Pearl Harbor. Once the bodies were recovered by the United States Army, the three Marines were identified using dental records as Private First Class James D. Robinson of Savannah, Private First Class John M. Smith of Cincinnati, and Private Isaac Stokes of Chicago, all aged 19 years-old. The cause of death could not be determined.


1945 Katsuyama killing incident, Aftermath
No plans were made to criminally investigate the Katsuyama incident by either the United States military or the Okinawa police. Since the killings, locals have called the cave "Kuronbō Gama", meaning "Cave of the Negroes". The Katsuyama incident has been seen by opponents of U.S. military presence in Okinawa as one of many examples of misconduct by American personnel against Okinawans since the islands were first occupied after the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. Steve Rabson, Professor of East Asian Studies at Brown University, estimated that as many as 10,000 such instances of rape occurred after the war. Under the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty, the United States Forces Japan has maintained a large military presence in Okinawa: 27,000 personnel, including 15,000 Marines, contingents from the Army, United States Navy, United States Air Force, and their 22,000 family members.


1945 Keesler Field Fliers football team
The 1945 Keesler Field Fliers football team represented Keesler Field during the 1945 college football season. Led by head coach James Coffis, the Fliers compiled a 3–6–1 record.


1945 Kensington South by-election
The Kensington South by-election of 1945 was held on 20 November 1945. The byelection was held due to the elevation to hereditary peerage of the incumbent Conservative MP, Sir William Davison. It was won by the Conservative candidate Richard Law.


1945 Kentucky Derby
The 1945 Kentucky Derby was the 71st running of the Kentucky Derby, held on June 9, 1945. It was won by Hoop Jr., ridden by jockey Eddie Arcaro.


1945 Kentucky Derby
Regularly held on the first Saturday of May, the 1945 edition of the Kentucky Derby was initially scheduled for May 5. However, in December 1944, the director of the Office of War Mobilization, James F. Byrnes, requested that all horse racing tracks suspend racing starting in January 1945, "and to refrain from resuming racing at all tracks until war conditions permit." Days after V-E Day, Byrne's successor at the Office of War Mobilization, Fred M. Vinson, lifted the suspension on horse racing in an announcement on May 10. The Kentucky Derby was subsequently scheduled for June 9, with the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes to follow on June 16 and June 23, respectively.


1945 Kentucky Wildcats football team
The 1945 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky in the 1945 college football season. The team was led by first-year head coach Bernie Shively.


1945 Kilkenny Senior Hurling Championship
The 1945 Kilkenny Senior Hurling Championship was the 51st staging of the Kilkenny Senior Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Kilkenny County Board.


1945 Kilkenny Senior Hurling Championship
On 21 October 1945, Éire Óg won the championship after a 4-08 to 1-07 defeat of Carrickshock in a final replay. It was their third championship title overall and their second title in succession.


1945 LFF Lyga
The 1945 LFF Lyga was the 24th season of the LFF Lyga football competition in Lithuania. Spartakas Kaunas won the championship.


1945 LSU Tigers football team
The 1945 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University (LSU) in the 1945 college football season.


1945 La Flèche Wallonne
The 1945 La Flèche Wallonne was the ninth edition of La Flèche Wallonne cycle race and was held on 3 June 1945. The race started in Mons and finished in Charleroi. The race was won by Marcel Kint.


1945 Lafayette Leopards football team
The 1945 Lafayette Leopards football team was an American football team that represented Lafayette College in the Middle Three Conference during the 1945 college football season. In its third  and final season under head coach Ben Wolfson, the team compiled a 1–7–1 record. The team was led by game captains and played its home games at Fisher Field in Easton, Pennsylvania.


1945 Lagos by-election
A by-election was held for the Lagos seat in the Legislative Council of Nigeria in December 1945 to replace Jibril Martin of the Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM). It was won by Abubakar Olorun-Nimbe of the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP).


1945 Lagos by-election, Campaign
The NNDP and the Nigerian Union of Young Democrats put forward Olorun-Nimbe, vice president of the NNDP, as a joint candidate. A doctor, he had studied medicine at the University of Glasgow and ran a private practice in Lagos. He was well-known in the town due to his role as a member of Lagos Town Council. His opponent was Oluwole Ayodele Alakija of the NYM. Alakija was a barrister who had studied at Jesus College, Oxford and was vice-president of the party's Port Harcourt branch.


1945 Lagos by-election, Campaign
Despite the NYM's success in the 1938 general elections, when it had won all three seats in Lagos, its popularity in the town had diminished, partly due to the internal splits caused by the row over the party's candidate for the 1941 by-election. Separately, the alliance of the NNDP with the new National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons had restored some of its credibility.


1945 Lagos by-election, Campaign
The West African Pilot called on voters to vote for a "seriously active Moslem", noting the fact that Olorun-Nimbe had twice been to Mecca and that he was a "practical politician with experience". Despite not being a Muslim, Alakija was supported by Chief Imam Y. P. O. Shodeinde.


1945 Latvian SSR Higher League
This is the current revision of this page, as edited by Frietjes (talk | contribs) at 16:23, 17 February 2020. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this version.


1945 Latvian SSR Higher League
The 1945 Latvian Higher League was a season of the Latvian Higher League, the top-level football league in Latvia. It was contested by six teams, with Dinamo Rīga winning the championship.


1945 Leeds City Council election
The Leeds municipal elections were held on Thursday 1 November 1945. Although a third of the council would ordinarily be up for election, the suspension of elections during World War II meant the council had last held elections in 1938, and with the amount of vacancies and co-options throughout near to two-thirds of the council needed electing.


1945 Leeds City Council election
Labour repeated their earlier national performance and won sweeping victories across the country, with Leeds no exception, picking up 40 of the 48 seats contested (with Richmond Hill going unopposed) and stealing control of the council from the Conservatives. The Conservatives only managed eight defences, which were confined to their bastions of Far Headingley, Hyde Park, North and Roundhay, although running Labour exceptionally close in Blenheim. The minor parties also failed to escape the Labour tide, as the Liberals lost both their representatives (a councillor and an alderman) and the Communists their sole councillor in Woodhouse - formally Labour, but expelled for alleged Communist sympathies.


1945 Leeds City Council election
As well as the 21 gains Labour made that night, the gentlemen's agreement - signed between Labour and the Conservatives in 1930 to allocate aldermen in proportion to their councillors - further rewarded Labour with an extra five aldermen at mostly Tory expense (the other being the aforementioned Liberal) in recognition of those gains. As a result, Labour emerged with an overall majority of 42 on a turnout of 43.3%.


1945 Leeds City Council election, Election result
The result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the council after the elections:


1945 Lehigh Engineers football team
The 1945 Lehigh Engineers football team was an American football team that represented Lehigh University during the 1945 college football season. In its third and final season under head coach Leo Prendergast, the team compiled a 2–4 record, and lost both games against its Middle Three Conference rivals.


1945 Lehigh Engineers football team
The team played its home games at Taylor Stadium in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.


1945 Liberian constitutional referendum
A constitutional referendum was held in Liberia on 1 May 1945. The change to the constitution was approved in the Legislature in December 1945, and would grant the right to vote to citizens living in the three inland provinces, providing they paid a "hut tax". It also granted parliamentary representation to Grand Cape Mount County and Marshall territory. The changes were approved by voters.


1945 Liberian constitutional referendum, Constitutional change
The proposed changes would be to Chapter I, article 11 and Chapter II, article 2.


1945 Liberian constitutional referendum, Constitutional change
A two-thirds majority in the vote was necessary for the changes to be approved.


1945 Liechtenstein Landtag size referendum
A referendum on increasing the number of members of the Landtag from 15 to 21 was held in Liechtenstein on 18 March 1945. The proposal was rejected by 79.2% of voters.


1945 Liechtenstein general election
General elections were held in Liechtenstein on 29 April 1945. Following the "silent elections" of 1939, they were the first to use the new proportional representation system. The Progressive Citizens' Party won eight of the 15 seats in the Landtag, but remained in coalition with the Patriotic Union.


1945 Liechtenstein general election, Electoral system
Previously voters had chosen members of the Landtag by writing the names of as many candidates on the ballot paper as there were seats in their constituency. In the new system, parties put forward lists of candidates. The lists served as the ballot papers, with voters submitting their favoured list to the ballot box. Voters could also change the lists by crossing out names and adding others from other lists. After the number of seats a party had won was decided, the candidates who had received the most votes after the voter amendments were elected.


1945 Liechtenstein general election, Electoral system
The threshold had been set at 18%, considered to be very high, primarily in order to prevent Nazi parties such as the German National Movement in Liechtenstein (VDBL) from gaining seats in the Landtag.


1945 Limerick Senior Hurling Championship
The 1945 Limerick Senior Hurling Championship was the 51st staging of the Limerick Senior Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Limerick County Board.


1945 Limerick Senior Hurling Championship
On 30 September 1945, Ahane won the championship after a 5-09 to 3-02 defeat of Granagh-Ballingarry in the final. It was their 12th championship title overall and their fourth title in succession.


1945 Liverpool City Council election
Elections to Liverpool City Council were held on Thursday 1 November 1945. It was the first local election in which all those who qualified for a parliamentary vote could vote.


1945 Liverpool City Council election, Ward results
As this was the first election since the disruption caused by the Second World War no comparisons are made.


1945 Liverpool City Council election, Aldermanic elections
At the meeting of the City Council on 9 November 1945 the terms of office of twenty of the forty Aldermen expired and the councilors (but not the sitting aldermen) elected twenty Aldermen to fill the vacant positions for a term of six years.


1945 Liverpool City Council election, By-elections, Netherfield, 29 January 1946
Caused by the resignation of Councillor William Matthew Clark (Labour, netherfield, elected 1 November 1938).


1945 Liverpool City Council election, By-elections, Dingle 19 February 1946
Caused by the death of Councillor George William Gillespie (Conservative, Dingle, elected 1 November 1937).


1945 Liverpool City Council election, By-elections, Breckfield, 9 May 1946
Councillor Ada Martha Burton (Conservative, elected for the Breckfield ward 1 November 1938) was elected by the councillors as an alderman on 3 April 1946 to fill this vacancy.


1945 Liverpool City Council election, By-elections, Aigburth, 16 May 1946
Caused by the resignation of Councillor William Edward Stirling Napier (Conservative, Aigburth, elected 1 November 1937).


1945 Liverpool City Council election, By-elections, South Scotland,
Councilor Joseph Harrington (Labour, South Scotland, elected 1 November 1937) was elected by the councillors as an alderman to fill this vacancy.


1945 Liverpool City Council election, By-elections, Childwall
Councillor Stanley Foster (Conservative, Childwall, elected 1 November 1937) died on 18 May 1946.


1945 Liège–Bastogne–Liège
The 1945 Liège–Bastogne–Liège was the 31st edition of the Liège–Bastogne–Liège cycle race and was held on 5 August 1945. The race started and finished in Liège. The race was won by Jan Engels.


1945 Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church
The 1945 Local Council meeting of the Russian Orthodox Church took place in the period from January 31 to February 4, 1945, in Moscow, in the Church of the Resurrection in Sokolniki District of the city. The meeting was attended by all registered bishops, together with representatives of the clergy and laity of their dioceses. Among the honored guests were present at the Council of Patriarchs of Alexandria Patriarch Christopher II, Antioch, Alexander III, Patriarch of Georgia Callistratus, representatives of Constantinople, Jerusalem, Serbian and Romanian Churches.


1945 Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church
To the meeting were also sent 2 representatives of the North American archdiocese, but due to difficulties they wartime they missed the meeting. At the Council, 171 people attended from various dioceses and provinces. In the list is the 61 dioceses in the USSR and one overseas (North American). In this meeting ruling bishops in the USSR was only 44. The right to vote at the Council was given to some bishops.


1945 Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church
The meeting was promoted in Soviet propaganda as an example of freedom of religion in the Soviet Union. For the successful conduct of the meeting Georgy Kaparov, chairman of the Council on the Russian Orthodox Church at the USSR, was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour.


1945 Los Angeles mayoral election
The 1945 election for Mayor of Los Angeles took place on April 3, 1945. Incumbent Fletcher Bowron was re-elected.


1945 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football team
The 1945 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football team was an American football team that represented the Louisiana Polytechnic Institute (now known as Louisiana Tech University) as a member of the Louisiana Intercollegiate Conference during the 1945 college football season. In their fifth year under head coach Joe Aillet, the team compiled a 6–4 record.


1945 Luxembourg general election
General elections were held in Luxembourg on 21 October 1945. They were the first elections held after the German occupation during World War II. As a result of the war, the political alliances of the interwar period had been ended. In their place were new parties; the Christian Social People's Party, the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party, and the Patriotic and Democratic Group in place of the Party of the Right, Socialist Party, and Radical Liberal Party respectively. It is regarded as a realigning election, as the election established the party political order, with four established parties, that would be maintained until 1974.


1945 Luxembourg general election
The conservatives remained the dominant faction, and the Christian Social People's Party's leader, Pierre Dupong, was invited to head another government. The election was also a success for both liberal and communist candidates, with both the Patriotic and Democratic Group and the Communist Party gaining four more seats than in the last election before the war. To restore political stability, Grand Duchess Charlotte asked Dupong to create a more broad-based coalition than the preceding Liberation Government. The resulting National Union Government would embrace all four political parties, and also include the solitary independent, guaranteeing the support of the whole Chamber of Deputies. The government remained in place until 1947.


1945 Maine Black Bears football team
The 1945 Maine Black Bears football team was an American football team that represented the University of Maine as a member of the New England Conference during the 1945 college football season. In its third and final season under head coach William C. Kenyon, the team compiled a 0–5 record (0–3 against conference opponents) and was outscored by a total of 101 to 32. The team played its home games at Alumni Field in Orono, Maine. John Day was the team captain.


1945 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1945 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was cancelled on April 24 after the Major League Baseball (MLB) season began on April 17. The July 10 game was cancelled due to wartime travel restrictions in World War II. 1945 is the first of two years since 1933 when the first official All-Star Game was played that an All-Star Game was cancelled and All-Stars were not officially selected.


1945 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
This was to have been the 13th annual playing of the "Midsummer Classic" by MLB's American League (AL) and National League (NL) All-Star teams. The game was to be played at Fenway Park, home of the AL's Boston Red Sox. Fenway Park was chosen for the 1946 Major League Baseball All-Star Game (13th "Midsummer Classic") which was played on July 9 of that year.


1945 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
On July 9 and 10, 1945, seven out of eight scheduled interleague night games were advertised and played as "All-Star" games in place of the official All-Star Game during the three-day All-Star break to help support the American Red Cross and the National War Fund. Four of the exhibition games were played on July 10 in Washington, D.C., St. Louis, Philadelphia, and Boston.


1945 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
Germany had surrendered in May 1945. Mike Todd, a Broadway producer, had passed on the idea of holding the 1945 All-Star Game in Nuremberg, Germany, at a stadium renamed "Soldier Field" where U.S. Troops stationed in the European Theater played baseball. Although baseball's new commissioner, Happy Chandler was reportedly "intrigued" by the idea, it was ultimately dismissed as impractical by military advisors. The next time an All-Star game got cancelled was in 2020 due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.


1945 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, MLB All-Stars (none)
No MLB players were officially named to the All-Star teams in 1945, due to the cancellation of the All-Star Game. The All-Star rosters for the AL and Nl All-Star teams were to have been selected by each All-Star squad's manager (from 1935 through 1946), which did not occur that season.


1945 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, The Sporting News All-Star Team
The Sporting News (TSN) named an annual major league All-Star Team from 1925 to 1961 (from 1961 to present an American and National League team is named) from a Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWA) members ballot.


1945 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, The Sporting News All-Star Team
The Sporting News All-Star Team made up of eleven  members (one player in italics has since been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame), is shown here:


1945 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Associated Press and The Sporting News (Fred Lieb) All-Stars
A group of sportswriters of the Associated Press (AP) did name 40 AL and NL All-Stars in 1945, after taking nominations from 13 of the 16 MLB managers that season. The managers who did not participate were Joe McCarthy of the New York Yankees, Luke Sewell of the St. Louis Browns, and Billy Southworth of the St. Louis Cardinals. Sewell (AL) and Southworth (NL) were the 1944 pennant championship team's managers and were to have managed the 1945 All-Star Game teams. Although Sewell could not officially select anyone for the AL All-Star roster, he listed his personal AL All-Stars as pitcher Dave Ferriss of the Red Sox and third baseman Tony Cuccinello of the White Sox.


1945 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Associated Press and The Sporting News (Fred Lieb) All-Stars
Fred Lieb a sportswriter for the Sporting News (TSN) also wrote an article in the July 12, 1945, issue selecting 40 All-stars for the two All-Star teams, even naming starting position players and three possible starting pitchers. Some of Lieb's selections are different than the AP selections. The annual TSN All-Stars list is released after the season. Tigers catcher, Paul Richards is the only annual TSN All-Star not in the AP and Lieb selections for 1945.


1945 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Associated Press and The Sporting News (Fred Lieb) All-Stars
The AP sportswriters and Lieb's (TSN) All-Star rosters (6 of the players in italics have since been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame) are shown here:


1945 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Associated Press and The Sporting News (Fred Lieb) All-Stars, National League, Note
Those selected for the Associated Press and or the Sporting News (Fred Lieb) All-Star rosters who had not been an official MLB All-Star before and after the 1945 season are:


1945 Major League Baseball season
The 1945 Major League Baseball season featured 16 teams, eight in both the American League (AL) and National League (NL). The AL's Detroit Tigers defeated the NL's Chicago Cubs in the World Series, four games to three. It would prove to be the Cubs’ last appearance in a World Series until the 2016 World Series.


1945 Major League Baseball season, Awards and honors
The Sporting News Most Valuable Player Award went to Detroit Tigers third baseman Eddie Mayo; however, following a post-season vote, the official AL MVP Award was given to fellow Detroit Tiger Hal Newhouser, a pitcher. Newhouser ended the season with an ERA of 1.81, a record of 25 wins and 9 losses, and 212 strikeouts. Both of them helped lead the Detroit Tigers to a World Series win, and Newhouser remarked that Eddie Mayo was the driving force behind the 1945 pennant chase and that Mayo was a "take-charge kind of guy in our field."


1945 Major League Baseball season, Awards and honors
The NL Most Valuable Player Award went to Chicago Cubs first baseman and outfielder Phil Cavarretta. He ended the season with an impressive batting average of .355 and an on-base-percentage of .455. The second-place finisher was Boston Braves player Tommy Holmes who finished the season with a batting average of .352 and an impressive slugging percentage of .577.


1945 Major League Baseball season, Awards and honors
Hal Newhouser won the pitching Triple Crown in addition to the official AL MVP Award. To win this award you have to lead the league in wins, strikeouts, and ERA.


1945 Major League Baseball season, Awards and honors
There was no hitter that was awarded the Triple Crown, which entails leading the league in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in.


1945 Major League Baseball season, Awards and honors
There were nine players and one manager inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame during the year 1945. The players were: Jim O'Rourke, King Kelly, Hughie Jennings, Hugh Duffy, Ed Delahanty, Jimmy Collins, Fred Clarke, Dan Brouthers, and Roger Bresnahan. Wilbert Robinson was the manager that was inducted in the Hall of Fame.


1945 Maltese general election
General elections were held in Malta between 10 and 12 November 1945. The Labour Party was the only party to contest the elections, and won nine of the 10 seats.


1945 Maltese general election, Electoral system
The elections were held using the single transferable vote system, whilst suffrage was limited to men meeting certain property qualifications.


1945 Manchester Borough Council election
Elections to Manchester Borough Council were held in 1945. One third of the council was up for election, although there were several additional vacancies. The council stayed under Labour Party control.


1945 Manchester Borough Council election, Candidates and ward results
Below is a list of the individual wards with the candidates standing in those wards and the number of votes the candidates acquired. The winning candidate per ward is in bold.


1945 Manitoba general election
The 1945 Manitoba general election was held on October 15, 1945 to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. The election was a landslide majority government for the incumbent coalition government led by the Liberal-Progressive Party.


1945 Manitoba general election
The 1945 provincial election was extremely different from the previous election, which was held in 1941. In the 1941 election, the province's four legal political parties were united in a coalition government—and while coalition partners ran against one another in some constituencies, the final outcome was never in doubt.


1945 Manitoba general election
By 1945, the coalition had been reduced to three parties. The dominant party was the Liberal-Progressive Party, whose leader was Premier Stuart Garson. The Progressive Conservative Party of Errick Willis (formerly called the Conservative Party) was the junior partner in government, while the small Social Credit League and some independents also supported the coalition.


1945 Manitoba general election
The social-democratic Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) left the coalition in 1943, and experienced a surge in popularity over the next two years. This party was the primary opposition to the coalition government in 1945. When Tommy Douglas's CCF won a landslide election victory in 1944 in neighbouring Saskatchewan, many believed that the Manitoba party had a chance of forming government.


1945 Manitoba general election
The communist Labour Progressive Party also ran in the election, against the coalition. The Communist Party of Canada had been banned in 1941 so sitting MLA Bill Kardash and candidates of that ilk ran under the label "Labour Progressive Party" starting in 1943.


1945 Manitoba general election
A revived Socialist Party of Canada also fielded one candidate in Winnipeg.


1945 Manitoba general election
The CCF experienced numerous difficulties during the campaign. Two of its incumbent members, Dwight Johnson and Beresford Richards, were accused of holding communist sympathies, and broke from the party to seek re-election as "Independent CCF" candidates. Party members were divided on the positions held by Johnson and Richards, and the CCF entered the campaign in a divided state. The party also suffered a series of unexpected technical problems: some candidates were unable to campaign because of late nomination filing, insufficient signatures on their nomination forms, and related reasons.


1945 Manitoba general election
The result of the election was a landslide majority government for the coalition. Twenty-five Liberal-Progressives and thirteen Progressive Conservatives were elected, along with two Social Crediters and three independent coalitionists. This gave the coalition forty-three of fifty-seven seats. Most of the coalition's members were from rural constituencies.


1945 Manitoba general election
The Cooperative Commonwealth Federation won four of ten seats in Winnipeg, but could not duplicate this success in the rest of the province. The party won only nine seats in total, up from three in the previous election. Richards, who was re-elected as an Independent CCF candidate, later rejoined the caucus as a tenth member. The CCF actually received more votes than any other party, but this meant little in practical terms: the combined coalition vote was well above the CCF total, and some coalition seats were won by acclamation.


1945 Manitoba general election
Labour Progressive Party leader Bill Kardash also won a Winnipeg seat, as did independent leftist Lewis Stubbs.


1945 Manitoba general election, Riding results
Note:  The 1945 election was determined by preferential balloting in all constituencies. The constituency of Winnipeg elected ten members; all other constituencies elected one member. The results listed below are taken from reports in the Winnipeg Free Press newspaper and the Canadian Parliamentary Guide, and may differ from the final official results in some minor particulars. (In some instances, the Winnipeg Free Press results were not listed in full.)


1945 Manitoba general election, Riding results
[ Note:  Parsons had previously defeated Christie for the coalition nomination, by one vote.]


1945 Manitoba general election, Riding results
[ Note: Frank Simmonds appears to have lost the coalition nomination by one vote.]


1945 Manitoba general election, Riding results
[ Note:  Olive and Mackay's numbers appear to be from the third count.]


1945 Manitoba general election, Riding results, Winnipeg
Elected:4 CCF (Farmer Stinson Gray Swailes); 3 Liberal-Progressive (McDiarmid Smith Scraba); 1 Ind. (Stubbs); 1 Labour-Progressive (Comm.) (Kardash); 1 Progressive-Conservative (Thorvaldson)


1945 Manitoba general election, Post-election changes
Beresford Richards (Ind CCF) was re-admitted to the CCF caucus in December 1945.


1945 Manitoba general election, Post-election changes
Special elections for members of the armed forces were held in January 1946, in light of the fact that many Manitoba citizens had served overseas in World War II and were unable to vote in the general election. Gordon Churchill was elected to represent the Canadian Army, Alex J. Stringer was elected for the Royal Canadian Navy and Ronald Turner was elected for the Royal Canadian Air Force. Stringer later became a Progressive Conservative, while Turner became a Liberal-Progressive. Churchill sat as an Independent.


1945 Manitoba general election, Post-election changes
Minnedosa (res. Earl Rutledge, July 13, 1948), November 2, 1948:


1945 Manitoba general election, Post-election changes
Fairford (res. Stuart Garson, November 13, 1948), December 23, 1948:


1945 Manitoba general election, Post-election changes
Beresford Richards and Wilbert Doneleyko were expelled from the CCF in July 1949, and sat as independent members.


1945 Manly state by-election
A by-election was held in the state electoral district of Manly on 15 September 1945. The by-election was triggered by the death of Alfred Reid (Independent Democrat turned Liberal).


1945 Marquette Hilltoppers football team
The 1945 Marquette Hilltoppers football team was an American football team that represented Marquette University during the 1945 college football season. In its fifth season under head coach Tom Stidham, the team compiled a 5–4–1 record and outscored opponents by a total of 238 to 156. The team played its home games at Marquette Stadium in Milwaukee.


1945 Maryland Terrapins football team
The 1945 Maryland Terrapins football team was an American football team that represented the University of Maryland as a member of the Southern Conference during the 1945 college football season. In its first and only season under head coach Bear Bryant, the team compiled a 6–2–1 record (2–2 in conference), tied for fifth place in the conference, and outscored opponents by a total of 219 to 105.


1945 Maryland Terrapins football team
Bryant, then 31 years old, was hired as Maryland's head coach in early September, approximately three weeks before the season began. Bryant had served in the Navy for the prior three years. He had been an assistant coach of the 1944 North Carolina Pre-Flight Cloudbusters football team and was scheduled to be the team's head coach in 1945. However, the Navy announced in late August that the Navy's Pre-Flight schools would not field football teams in 1945. Bryant brought 20 number of players from the disbanded North Carolina Pre-Flight with him to Maryland.


1945 Maryland Terrapins football team
No Maryland player were named to the 1945 All-Southern Conference football team selected by coaches and sports writers for the Associated Press.


1945 Maryland Terrapins football team
In January 1946, after only four months at Maryland, Bryant resigned his position to become head coach at Kentucky. According to one report, Bryant did not get along with university president Curley Byrd. In one incident, Byrd reinstated a player who Bryant had suspended for a violation of team rules.


1945 Massachusetts State Aggies football team
The 1945 Massachusetts State Aggies football team represented Massachusetts State College in the 1945 college football season. The team was coached by Thomas Eck and played its home games at Alumni Field in Amherst, Massachusetts. The 1945 season was the team's first since disbanding during World War II. Mass State finished the season with a record of 2–1–1.


1945 Meistaradeildin
1945 Meistaradeildin was the third season of Meistaradeildin, the top tier of the Faroese football league system. The teams were separated in three groups based on geographical criteria. KÍ Klaksvík defeated SÍ Sørvágur 1–0 in the championship final.


1945 Meistaradeildin, Qualifying round, West
MB withdrew after its first game. A playoff was held between SÍ and SÍF to decide who would advance.


1945 Memorial Cup
The 1945 Memorial Cup final was the 27th junior ice hockey championship of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA). The finals were held at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. CAHA president Frank Sargent chose the location to maximize profits which were reinvested into minor ice hockey in Canada.


1945 Memorial Cup
The George Richardson Memorial Trophy champions Toronto St. Michael's Majors of the Ontario Hockey Association in Eastern Canada competed against the Abbott Cup champions Moose Jaw Canucks the Southern Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League in of Western Canada. In a best-of-seven series, held at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario, St. Michael's won their 2nd Memorial Cup, defeating Moose Jaw 4 games to 1.


1945 Memorial Cup, Winning roster
John Arundel, John Blute, Pat Boehmer, Les Costello, Leo Gravelle, Bob Gray, Johnny McCormack, Ted McLean, Jim Morrison, Gus Mortson, Bobby Paul, Joe Sadler, Phil Samis, Tod Sloan, Jimmy Thomson, Frank Turik. Coach: Joe Primeau.


1945 Mestaruussarja
The 1945 season was the fifteenth completed season of Finnish Football League Championship, which was played in two groups followed by a knock-out phase.


1945 Miami Hurricanes football team
The 1945 Miami Hurricanes football team represented the University of Miami for the 1945 college football season. The Hurricanes played their home games at Burdine Stadium in Miami, Florida. The team was coached by Jack Harding, in his seventh year as head coach for the Hurricanes. The Hurricanes participated in the Orange Bowl in a post-season matchup against Holy Cross. The Hurricanes won 13 to 6.


1945 Miami Redskins football team
The 1945 Miami Redskins football team was an American football team that represented Miami University as an independent during the 1945 college football season. In its second season under head coach Sid Gillman, Miami compiled a 7–2 record and outscored all opponents by a combined total of 220 to 72. Paul Dietzel, who later served as the head football coach at LSU, Army, and South Carolina, was the team captain.


1945 Michigan State Normal Hurons football team
The 1945 Michigan State Normal Hurons football team represented Michigan State Normal College (later renamed Eastern Michigan University) during the 1945 college football season. In their 23rd season under head coach Elton Rynearson, the Hurons compiled an undefeated record of 5–0–1, shut out five of six opponents, including a scoreless tie with Wayne State, defeated Wayne State, 14-13, in a second game, and outscored all opponents by a combined score of 45 to 13. Bernard T. Dyer was the team captain. The team played its home games at Walter O. Briggs Field on the school's campus in Ypsilanti, Michigan.


1945 Michigan State Spartans football team
The 1945 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State College in the 1945 college football season. In their 12th season under head coach Charlie Bachman, the Spartans compiled a 5–3–1 record. The Spartans lost their annual rivalry game with Michigan by a 40 to 0 score. In intersectional play, the Spartans beat Kentucky (7-6), Pitt (12-7), and Penn State (33-0), but lost to Miami (Fla.) (21-7).


1945 Michigan State Spartans football team, Game summaries, Michigan
On September 29, 1945, Michigan State lost to Michigan by a 40 to 0 score. Michigan's six touchdowns were scored by Dan Dworsky (one-yard run in first quarter), Donovan Hershberger (touchdown pass from Joe Ponsetto), Bob Nussbaumer (three-yard run in second quarter), Wally Teninga (three-yard run in third quarter and another touchdown run in the fourth quarter), and Wesley Muelder (10-yard interception return for touchdown). Ponsetto kicked four points after touchdown and completed three of four passes for 89 yards, including the touchdown throw to Hershberger. Michigan gained 274 rushing yards and 128 yards passing, outpacing the Spartans who were limited to 37 rushing yards and 48 passing yards. Michigan's rushing leaders were Dworsky (16 carries for 64 yards) and Nussbaumer (8 carries for 60 yards).


1945 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1945 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1945 Big Ten Conference football season. In their eighth year under head coach was Fritz Crisler, the Wolverines compiled a 7–3 record (5–1 Big Ten) and finished the season ranked #6 in the final Associated Press Poll. Quarterback Joe Ponsetto was the team captain, and center Harold Watts won the Most Valuable Player award and was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten Conference player.


1945 Michigan Wolverines football team
Michigan's three losses during the 1945 season came against teams ranked in the top four in the final AP Poll: #1 Army (28–7 loss at Yankee Stadium), #3 Navy (33–7 loss at Baltimore Stadium), and #4 Indiana (13–7 loss at Michigan Stadium). The Wolverines also defeated three ranked opponents in Illinois, Minnesota, and Ohio State. In their seven victories, the team registered three shutouts and outscored the teams 166 to 25, including margins of 40–0 and 26–0 in rivalry games against Michigan State and Minnesota.


1945 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Pre-season
The 1944 Michigan Wolverines football team compiled an 8–2 record and finished its season ranked #8 in the final AP Poll. With World War II still ongoing through the summer of 1945, only a few starters from the 1944 team returned for the start of the 1945 season; Michigan's returning starters were led by quarterback Joe Ponsetto and center Harold Watts. Due to either graduation or wartime military service, the majority of the starters from the 1944 team did not return for the start of the 1945 season, including the following:


1945 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Pre-season
Despite the many personnel changes, head coach Fritz Crisler in late June 1945 predicted a "flying start" for the 1945 team. In July and the first half of August 1945, Michigan conducted a six-week summer practice, with 97 candidates participating. The Associated Press (AP) praised the play of halfback Wally Teninga and fullback Dan Dworsky in a public scrimmage held on August 11, 1945, but expressed concern about mistakes made by the defense. The AP observed: "While most candidates showed a definite lack of college caliber experience, sideline observers agreed that there is plenty of reason to anticipate a good Michigan team by the time the season opener rolls around."


1945 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Pre-season
On August 15, 1945, the United States celebrated Victory over Japan Day, marking the end of hostilities in World War II. Less than two weeks later, on August 27, 1945, after a two-week break following summer practice, Michigan began fall drills in Ann Arbor. During a scrimmage in early September, end Ed Bahlow, a Navy training veteran who had played for Wisconsin in 1943 and was considered Michigan's best end prospect since Ed Frutig, sustained a broken leg, just above his right ankle, in a collision with Dan Dworsky and was lost to the team for the season.


1945 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Pre-season
During the first week of September 1945, shortly after his discharge from the military, Tom Harmon, an All-American at Michigan in 1939 and 1940, turned down an offer to play with the Chicago Bears and signed with radio station WJR to broadcast accounts of Michigan football games.


1945 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Week 1: Great Lakes Navy
On September 15, 1945, Michigan played a Great Lakes Navy Bluejackets football team coached by Paul Brown and featuring an all-star backfield consisting of quarterback George Terlep, halfbacks Frank Aschenbrenner and Bob Sullivan, and fullback Marion Motley. In a game played at Michigan Stadium, Michigan won by a 27 to 2 score. Michigan's four touchdowns were scored by Edward McNeill (two touchdown receptions in the first quarter, covering nine yards from Wally Teninga and covering 57 yards from Joe Ponsetto), Wally Teninga (short run), and Howard Yerges (short run). Ponsetto kicked two points after touchdown, and Bob Callahan kicked one. Great Lakes' only points came on a safety in the first quarter after Dan Dworsky fumbled and Ponsetto recovered the ball in the end zone.


1945 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Week 1: Great Lakes Navy
Michigan's starting lineup against Great Lakes Naval was Donovan Hershberger (left end), George Johnson (left tackle), Dominic Tomasi (left guard), Harold Watts (center), John Lintol (right guard), Eugene Hinton (right tackle), Edward McNeill (right end), Joe Ponsetto (quarterback), Wally Teninga (left halfback), Warren Bentz (right halfback), and Dan Dworsky (fullback).


1945 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Week 2: Indiana
On September 22, 1945, Michigan played an Indiana team that went through the entire season without a loss and ended up being ranked #4 in the final AP Poll. The Indiana team featured All-Big Ten quarterback Ben Raimondi, halfbacks George Taliaferro (later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame) and Mel Groomes (the first African-American signed by the Detroit Lions), and end Ted Kluszewski (later an All-Star in Major League Baseball). The Wolverines lost to the Hoosiers by a 13 to 7 score at Michigan Stadium. Fullback Dan Dworsky scored Michigan's only touchdown, and Joe Ponsetto kicked the point after touchdown.


1945 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Week 2: Indiana
Michigan's starting lineup against Indiana was Donovan Hershberger (left end), George Johnson (left tackle), Dominic Tomasi (left guard), Harold Watts (center), John Lintol (right guard), Eugene Hinton (right tackle), Edward McNeill (right end), Joe Ponsetto (quarterback), Jack Weisenburger (left halfback), Bob Nussbaumer (right halfback), and Dan Dworsky (fullback).


1945 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Week 3: Michigan State
On September 29, 1945, Michigan defeated Michigan State by a 40 to 0 score. Michigan's six touchdowns were scored by Dan Dworsky (one-yard run in first quarter), Donovan Hershberger (touchdown pass from Joe Ponsetto), Bob Nussbaumer (three-yard run in second quarter), Wally Teninga (three-yard run in third quarter and another touchdown run in the fourth quarter), and Wesley Muelder (10-yard interception return for touchdown). Ponsetto kicked four points after touchdown and completed three of four passes for 89 yards, including the touchdown throw to Hershberger. Michigan gained 274 rushing yards and 128 yards passing, outpacing the Spartans who were limited to 37 rushing yards and 48 passing yards. Michigan's rushing leaders were Dworsky (16 carries for 64 yards) and Nussbaumer (8 carries for 60 yards).


1945 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Week 3: Michigan State
Michigan's starting lineup against Michigan State was Hershberger (left end), George Johnson (left tackle), John Smith (left guard), Harold Watts (center), F. Stuart Wilkins (right guard), Eugene Hinton (right tackle), Edward McNeill (right end), Joe Ponsetto (quarterback), Teninga (left halfback), Henry Fonde (right halfback), and Dworsky (fullback).


1945 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Week 4: at Northwestern
On October 6, 1945, Michigan defeated Northwestern by a 20 to 7 score. Michigan's three touchdowns were scored by James Foltz, Pete Elliott, and Dan Dworsky. Joe Ponsetto kicked two points after touchdown.


1945 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Week 4: at Northwestern
Michigan's starting lineup against Northwestern was Art Renner (left end), George Johnson (left tackle), Dominic Tomasi (left guard), Harold Watts (center), F. Stuart Wilkins (right guard), Eugene Hinton (right tackle), Edward McNeill (right end), Joe Ponsetto (quarterback), Wally Teninga (left halfback), Warren Bentz (right halfback), and Dan Dworsky (fullback).


1945 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Week 5: vs. Army
On October 13, 1945, Michigan lost to the eventual national champion Army by a 28 to 7 score at Yankee Stadium. The Army team was loaded with talent, including four consensus All-Americans and two Heisman Trophy winners: halfback and 1946 Heisman winner Glenn Davis; fullback and 1945 Heisman winner Doc Blanchard; tackle Tex Coulter; and guard John Green. Blanchard scored two touchdowns in the Michigan game, and Davis scored one. End Art Renner scored Michigan's only touchdown in the third quarter on a pass from Wally Teninga, and Joe Ponsetto kicked the point after touchdown. Army out-gained Michigan on the ground 380 yards to 143.


1945 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Week 5: vs. Army
Outmanned by Army, Crisler unveiled a platoon system in which separate groups played offense and defense. According to one account, Crisler developed the two-platoon system "in a bout of desperation." Crisler later recalled, "I reported the plan to the players and told them we might have a lot of fun. At the end of three periods we were tied 7–7 and I knew it couldn't last. I knew sooner or later Army would overpower us. And that's what happened. We lost 28 to 7—but we had a lot of fun."


1945 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Week 5: vs. Army
Michigan's starting lineup against Army was Donovan Hershberger (left end), George Johnson (left tackle), Dominic Tomasi (left guard), Harold Watts (center), F. Stuart Wilkins (right guard), Eugene Hinton (right tackle), Art Renner (right end), Joe Ponsetto (quarterback), Wally Teninga (left halfback), Bob Nussbaumer (right halfback), and Jack Weisenburger (fullback).


1945 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Week 6: at Illinois
On October 27, 1945, Michigan defeated Illinois by a 19 to 0 score. Michigan's touchdowns were all scored in the fourth quarter by William Ford, Jr. (16-yard return of a blocked punt, block by Ed McNeill and Joe Soboleski), Wally Teninga (10-yard run), and Art Renner (short pass from Teninga). Bob Callahan kicked one of three points after touchdown. Michigan out-gained Illinois on the ground, 177 rushing yards to 46.


1945 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Week 6: at Illinois
Michigan's starting lineup against Illinois was Donovan Hershberger (left end), George Johnson (left tackle), Dominic Tomasi (left guard), Harold Watts (center), F. Stuart Wilkins (right guard), Eugene Hinton (right tackle), Renner (right end), Joe Ponsetto (quarterback), Teninga (left halfback), Henry Fonde (right halfback), and Jack Weisenburger (fullback).


1945 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Week 7: Minnesota
On November 3, 1945, Michigan defeated Minnesota by a 26 to 0 score. Howard Yerges started his first game as Michigan's quarterback, following an injury to Joe Ponsetto in the Illinois game. Michigan's touchdowns were scored by Yerges (short run in the first quarter), fullback Jack Weisenburger (13-yard run in fourth quarter), and halfbacks Wally Teninga and Warren Bentz (12-yard pass from Don Robinson). Bob Callahan kicked two points after touchdown. Michigan gained 261 rushing yards and 131 passing yards in the game.


1945 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Week 7: Minnesota
Michigan's starting lineup against Minnesota was Donovan Hershberger (left end), George Johnson (left tackle), Dominic Tomasi (left guard), Harold Watts (center), F. Stuart Wilkins (right guard), Eugene Hinton (right tackle), Art Renner (right end), Yerges (quarterback), Teninga (left halfback), Bob Nussbaumer (right halfback), and Weisenburger (fullback).


1945 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Week 8: at Navy
On November 10, 1945, Michigan lost to a #4-ranked Navy team by a 33 to 7 score. The game was played at Baltimore Stadium in front of a crowd of 59,114 spectators. Michigan's only touchdown was scored by Jack Weisenburger on a two-yard run in the second quarter, with George Chiames kicking the point after touchdown. Navy intercepted four Michigan passes and out-gained the Wolverines on the ground, 235 rushing yards to 68.


1945 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Week 8: at Navy
Michigan's starting lineup against Navy was Donovan Hershberger (left end), George Johnson (left tackle), Dominic Tomasi (left guard), Harold Watts (center), F. Stuart Wilkins (right guard), Eugene Hinton (right tackle), Art Renner (right end), Dan Dworsky (quarterback), Wally Teninga (left halfback), Bob Nussbaumer (right halfback), and Weisenburger (fullback).


1945 Michigan Wolverines football team, Season summary, Week 9: Purdue
On November 17, 1945, Michigan defeated Purdue by a 27 to 13 score. Halfback Bob Nussbaumer scored two touchdowns, and additional touchdowns were scored by Pete Elliott and Art Renner. George Chiames kicked three points after touchdown.