February 1
Eastern Front, East Prussia
The trapped German Fourth Army attempts to reach German-held Elbing but is halted by a Soviet counterattack.

February 3 - March 3
Pacific, Philippines
The US XIV Corps begins its attack against Manila, which is defended by 17,000 Japanese troops under Rear Admiral Sanji Iwabuchi. The garrison, after destroying the city (the 'Rape of Manila'), is wiped out. US casualties total 1000 dead and 5500 wounded; 100,000 Filipino citizens are killed.

The destruction in Manila after the city fell to the US XIV Corps. The whole of the Japanese garrison was wiped out

February 4-11
Politics, Allies
Marshal Joseph Stalin, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Prime Minister Winston Churchill meet at the Yalta Conference in the Crimea to discuss postwar Europe. The 'Big Three' decide that Germany will be divided into four zones, administered by Britain, France, the United States, and the Soviet Union. An Allied Control Commission will be set up in Berlin, and Austria will also be divided into four zones. The capital, Vienna, will be in the Soviet zone and will also have a four-power administration. The Soviet Union will declare war on Japan two months after the war in Europe has ended, while changes to Poland's borders will allow the Soviet Union to annex former Polish areas.

February 5
Western Front, France
The German bridgehead on the west bank of the Rhine, south of Strasbourg around the town of Colmar - the Colmar Pocket - is split by units of the French First Army attacking from the south and elements of the US Seventh Army advancing from the north. The elimination of the pocket is essential to the crossing of the Rhine.

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