Map of All Axis Forces in Europe On January 1st 1945

Map found on redditThe map above shows where Axis forces remained in Europe on January 1st 1945. A shadow of what they controlled just a few years earlier.

Germany would unconditionally surrender 5 months later on Victory in Europe (VE) Day 8 May 1945.

At this stage the war was clearly lost, but yet the fighting continued right up until the end.

Here’s an overview of Axis-controlled areas at the time:

1. Central and Western Europe:

• Germany: Still under full German control, though heavily bombed and facing internal strain.
• Austria: Fully controlled by Germany.
• Czechoslovakia: Most of the country was still under German control, though the Red Army was advancing in the east.
• Hungary: Largely controlled by Germany, though Soviet forces were besieging Budapest.
• France: The Germans had lost most of France, but small pockets, such as the Lorraine region and coastal enclaves (e.g., Dunkirk), remained under German control.
• Belgium: The Battle of the Bulge was ongoing, and Germany temporarily held territory in eastern Belgium, including the Ardennes region.
• The Netherlands: Northern and central parts of the Netherlands were still under German occupation.

2. Eastern Europe:

• Poland: Most of Poland was still under German occupation, but the Soviet Union was advancing rapidly and had reached the Vistula River.
• The Baltic States: Parts of Latvia and Lithuania were still under German control, though Soviet forces were pressing from the east.
• East Prussia: Still a German stronghold, though it was under direct threat from the advancing Soviet forces.

3. Southern Europe:

• Italy: Northern Italy was still under Axis control as part of the Italian Social Republic (a Nazi puppet state led by Mussolini). However, Allied forces had advanced to central Italy.
• Yugoslavia: Parts of Croatia, Bosnia, and Slovenia were still under German control, though partisan forces under Tito were steadily liberating territory.
• Greece: Most of mainland Greece had been liberated by late 1944, but the Germans still held some islands in the Aegean Sea.

4. Norway and Denmark:

• Norway: Fully under German occupation, serving as a vital base for Atlantic operations and defense against potential Allied landings.
• Denmark: Still under German occupation, though resistance movements were active.

 

Users on reddit had a few additional insights:

___VenN:

Not included: Svalbard Islands. The local garrison (made of a bunch of military meteorologists) was the last German unit to officially surrender in WW2. They were rescued by a norwegian cargo a few weeks after the end of the war

BizzyThinkin:

You can see that the northern Netherlands was still occupied. The Nazis had flooded large parts of it to help defend their positions from the Allies. As a result, there was a famine (Hongerwinter) in urban Netherlands and something like 20,000 Dutch died from hunger. It is a very rare example of a famine in an advanced economy in the mid-20th century.

Interestingly, the lack of wheat and bread helped people with celiac disease and this was noted by medical doctors, which advanced research into diets for people with celiac.

Strong_Remove_2976:

There were still 300,000 German troops in Norway when Berlin fell

And finally here’s what they still controlled by the 8th of May 1945.

Map created by Jarry1250The areas in blue were still controlled by the Germans when Nazi Germany officially surrendered on May 8, 1945.

The territory still under its direct control had significantly shrunk, but included:

Territories still controlled at the moment of surrender:

1. Norway: Still occupied by German forces until surrender.
2. Denmark: German occupation persisted until surrender.
3. Parts of the Netherlands: German forces occupied some western areas until the very end.
4. Parts of Austria: Western Austria remained under German control until surrender.
5. Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (today Czech Republic): Held by German troops until the final surrender.
6. The Channel Islands (British territory): Occupied by Germany until the very end of the war.
7. Small isolated pockets scattered elsewhere in central Europe, and also bits of Crete and the Dodecanese islands.

Important Notes:

• By May 1945, Germany had lost almost all previously conquered territories in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Eastern Europe, Italy, Yugoslavia, Greece, and large parts of Germany itself.
• Berlin, although symbolic as Germany’s capital, was captured by Soviet forces by early May 1945, before Germany’s unconditional surrender.
• Occupied regions still had significant German military presence until officially surrendering, despite not having operational command from the collapsing central government.

Germany’s unconditional surrender officially marked the end of Nazi-controlled territories in Europe, though isolated German units occasionally continued minor resistance briefly after the formal surrender date.

Also see: Territories Still Under Japanese Control At The Time Of Their Surrender On 15 August 1945