Air Operations, Aleutians

11th Air Force fighters and bombers attack Kiska.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s and 90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the Gasmata airfield on New Britain and Rabaul-area shipping, airfields, and port facilities.

Air Operations, CBI

• 51st Fighter Group P-40s dive-bomb a bridge near Myitkyina, destroying one span with 1,000-pound bombs. 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s are unable to hit the bridge at Myitnge.

• More than 40 Japanese Army bombers attempt to attack Chabua Airdrome, but 51st Fighter Group P-40s down 6 Ki-21 'Sally' bombers and 6 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters over the Digboi and Bhamo areas at about 0730 hours.

Air Operations, Europe

The RAF begins a new, 'round-the-clock' air offensive over Europe. Soon the Allies divide their tasks: the British carry out night raids while the Americans undertake daylight raids. Nuremberg, in Bavaria, is heavily bombed at night.

• Nuremberg is raided by 337 aircraft including 169 Lancasters, 104 Halifaxes and 64 Stirlings.
• Weather conditions are poor and the Pathfinders are late in their markings. More that 300 buildings are damaged, however, including a historic military chapel which is burned out.
• 6 Lancasters, 2 Halifaxes and 1 Stirling are lost.

• 6 Mosquitos are sent to the Ruhr where 13 people are killed in Cologne. Also, 54 aircraft lay mines off Brittany and in the Frisians and there are 20 OTU sorties.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Bomber Command A-20s attack Japanese ground troops.

Air Operations, Solomons

• AirSols fighters sweep the Kahili area.
• During the night AirSols bombers and fighters attack the Vila airfield on Kolombangara.

Allied Planning

The Southwest Pacific and South Pacific headquarters draft the plans for Operation RENO, the advance to the Philippines.

Battle of the Atlantic

The 5-day battle of Convoy ON-166 ends. 15 out of 49 ships have been sunk. U-606 is lost.

Eastern Front

The Soviet attack in the Caucasus continues and east of Krasnodar Mingrelsk is captured.

Central Front joins the attack tward Orel in an effort to smash through the German front line before the onset of the spring thaw. The Stavka intends to turn the southern flank of Army Group Center and prevent it from giving any support to Army Group South. The 2nd Tank and 65th Armies attack, with support from II Guards Cavalry Corps.

Golikov moves an additional tank corps from 40th Army over to assist the 69th Army in the capture of Poltava. The 38th Army lags well behind the 40th Army's right wing, which is ordered to capture Sumy. Valki and Novaya Vodolaga falls to the 3rd Tank Army.

The SS Panzer Corps attacks in force from Pavlograd. As the Soviet forces flee across the steppe, fierce German fire inflicts heavy losses. The XLVIII Panzer Corps also moves north, encountering strong resistance at Bogdanovka. However, the Barvenkovo-Lozovaya railway line is severed. On the approaches to Barvenkov XL Panzer Corps encounters heavy fighting, elements of Group Popov attempting to hold the German attack.

New Zealand, Home Front

Japanese PoWs stage a mass break-out attempt. 48 Japanese and 1 guard are killed.

North Africa

The battle of Kasserine ends with the city's occupation by the units of the US II Corps. But the Axis attack has caused 10,000 casualties among the allies, more than half of them American, against 2,000 Axis dead.

In the British 1st Army area, the US II Corps, hampered only by mines and booby traps, recovers Kasserine Pass. The 9th Div is concentrating in the Tébessa area under corps command.