Air Operations, Europe

6 Bostons go on a Circus raid to the Mazingarbe fuel depot. There are no losses.

136 Wellingtons, 21 Stirlings, 15 Hampdens, 10 Manchesters and 5 Halifaxes go on another Gee-guided mission to Essen. There is a thick haze covering the ground so the bomb loads are scattered. 2 buildings are destroyed and 72 are damaged. Bombs also fall in 24 other Ruhr towns with particular damage to Hamborn and Duisburg. In Essen 10 people are killed, 52 injured and 19 missing. 74 are killed and 284 injured in other towns. 2 Wellingtons and 1 Halifax are lost on the raid.

The British destroyer HMS FURY refuels from the cruiser HMS TRINIDAD in the North Atlantic despite heavy seas and falling snow. (IWM)

Refueling in the North Atlantic

Battle of the Atlantic

The Brazilian steamship Caybu is torpedoed and sunk by U-94 130 miles southeasst of New York.

Burma

The British withdrawal to the north continues. The Japanese block the line of retreat of the British forces 32 km north of Rangoon. They defend a formidable road block for 24 hours against tanks and infantry. The British Commander-in-Chief, Lt-Gen Alexander, is in danger of being captured. The British force trapped at Pegu, northeast of Rangoon, fights its way out and rejoins Gen Alexander.

Dutch East Indies

The Japanese army in Java has virtually complete control of the island. The Dutch government has been evacuated and Gen Ter Poorten has agreed to surrender the 100,000 Allied troops. The whole of the Dutch East Indies is now under the control of the Japanese.

New Guinea

The Japanese troop convoy in the Gulf of Huon is attacked by American aircraft. The Japanese air force continues its raids on the Australian and British positions on the island.

In Singapore, women and children were evacuated from the onetime British bastion before the Japanese invasion. Here, some of the women, carrying bags and paper sacks, register before boarding a waiting ship on 9 March 1942. (AP Photo)

Women and Children Leaving Singapore

United States, Command

Adm Harold Stark is appointed to command US naval forces in European waters. He relieves Vice-Adm Robert Ghormley. Adm King, Commander in Chief of the US Navy, takes over Stark's work as Chief of Naval Operations on March 26.

As part of a major reorganization of the US Army, the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) is officially established under the command of Lt-Gen Henry H. Arnold.