Admiralty Islands

The village of Lorengau on Manus is taken by the US forces. On Los Negros American units advancing from the perimeter of Papitalai Mission beachhead come up against Japanese units, which put up a determined opposition.

Air Operations, Carolines

2 41st Medium Bomb Group B-25s based on Engebi Island in the Eniwetok Atoll attack Ponape Island.

Air Operations, CBI

• Sixteen 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s and 41 10th Air Force A-31s attack Japanese Army ground positions near Kalewa. 22 490th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s attack oil dumps and occupied villages in the Kalewa area. More than 20 B-25s and P-51s attack Japanese ground forces near the Chindwin River. 12 A-31s attack Japanese ground positions in the Arakan coastal region. 14 P-51s attack motor vehicles and supply dumps near Mandalay. 20 P-51, P-40, and A-36 fighter-bombers attack targets around Kamaing. 10 fighter-bombers attack river traffic near Katha.

• 16 14th Air Force P-40s attack Yangtze River traffic.
• A 449th Fighter Squadron P-38 downs a Ki-45 'Nick' fighter near the airfield at Suichwan during the morning. A 23rd Fighter Group P-40 downs a Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter over Chiuchiang at 1045 hours.

• 14th Air Force P-40s attack a bridge at Haiphong, shipping at several coastal locations, and a rail bridge and several buildings at Lang Son.

Air Operations, Europe

• 846 aircraft are sent to Frankfurt. In this total are 620 Lancasters, 209 Halifaxes and 17 Mosquitos.
• The German fighter force is again split. Part of it is lured north by the Heligoland mining operation, but the rest waits in Germany and meets the bomber stream just before the target area. Heavy cloud make it difficult for these fighters to have much success. The Pathfinders mark the target accurately and this leads to heavy bombing of the eastern, central and western districts of Frankfurt. The later phases of the bombing are scattered, but this is almost inevitable with such a large force. And, newer crews are usually allocated to the final waves.
• 12 Halifaxes and 10 Lancasters are lost.
• 17 Mosquitos are sent to airfields in Holland, Belgium and France, 12 Mosquitos are sent to Aachen, Dortmund and Duisburg, 98 aircraft are involved in the Heligoland mining diversion, 11 Mosquitos are on a diversionary raid to Kassel, there are 4 RCM sorties, 13 Serrate patrols and 18 OTU sorties, and 8 aircraft are involved in Resistance operations. 19 Lancasters of No. 5 Group, including 13 from 617 squadron, make an accurate raid on an explosives factory at Bergerac, France. There are no losses on these operations and the Serrate Mosquitos claim 3 Ju-88s destroyed.
• In the heaviest air raid of the war so far, 1,000 RAF bombers make a devastating night raid on Frankfurt (Hamburg?), dropping 3,000 tons of bombs.

• 284 1st Bomb Division B-17s attack aircraft-industry targets at Oberpfaffenhofen and the Landsberg, Lechfelc, and Mimmingen Airdrome.
• 198 2nd Bomb Division B-24s attack aircraft-industry targets around Friedrichshafen.

• 198 3rd Bomb Division B-17s attack Munich and other targets of opportunity in the Munich area.
• 15 B-17s and 28 B-24s are downed, 4 heavy bombers are written off; 10 crewmen killed, 22 wounded, 438 missiong
• Escort and support is provided by a record 925 USAAF fighters, including 261 from the 9th Air Force. USAAF escort pilots down 38 Luftwaffe aircraft over Germany and eastern France between 1230 and 1630 hours.
• 13 escorts are lost with 12 pilots, 3 are written off

• 12th Air Force B-25s and B-26s, and XII Air Support Command A-20s attack the rail line at Colleferro, the marshalling yard at Foligno, a rail bridge, and marshalling yards at Orvieto, the port area at Piombino, a rail bridge at Poggibonsi, and an assembly area north of the Anzio beachhead.
• XII Air Support Command A-36s, P-40s, and P-47s attack tactical targets in and around the Anzio battle area, troop concentrations near Cassino, and various rail and road targets.

• Responding to reports that as many as 235 Luftwaffe fighters have returned to the Udine Airdrome complex in northeastern Italy, 15th Air Force planners conceive a brilliant plan to eradicate them. First, 95 P-38s strafe lines of supply and communication in northeastern Italy and conduct a sweep over the Udine-Villaorba area, an operation that holds most Luftwaffe fighters in the area on the ground. Next, 113 B-17s make a feint toward southern Germany ay of the Yugoslav coast, a move that draws up Luftwaffe fighers based at the Kagenfurt and Graz Airdromes, in southern Austria. These B-17s next turn sharply west, which in turn draws the Luftwaffe interceptor force toward northeastern Italy. The B-17s drop 20-pound fragmentation bombe on the Udine and Villaorba Airdromes at 1013 hours, and the USAAf fighters in the area attack the Luftwaffe fighters out of Graz and Klagenfurt. As the B-17s and all the USAAF fighters leave the area, the Luftwaffe fighters must land at the Udine area's three undamaged airfields to rearm and refuel. As the Luftwaffe fighters are being serviced at the Gorizia, Lavariano, and Maniago satellite fields, those bases are bombed between 1059 and 1111 hours, respectively, 72, 67, and 121 B-24s, which sow 32,370 20-pound fragmentation bombs that destroy or damage 56 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground. In the air between 0925 and 1005, 15th Air Force P-38 and P-47 pilots down 17 Luftwaffe aircraft.
• The cost to the 15th Air Force, in the course of 406 heavy bomber and 168 fighter sorties: 7 bombers, 4 fighters
• In addition to attacks on the airdromes, 15th Air Force P-38s and P-47s attack a tanker in Mariano Lagoon, destroy 6 seaplanes at Belvedere, and attack two trains and two rsilroad stations.

Air Operations, Marshalls

• US carrier aircraft from Fleet Carrier Air Group 5 (USS Lexington) attack the Mille Atoll.
• VMF-111 F4U fighter-bombers based at Starmann Field on Butaritari attack antiaircraft batteries in the Mille Atoll with 1,000-pound bombs. This is the first sanctioned mission in which F4Us equipped with bomb shackles are employed.

Axis Diplomacy

Adm Miklos Horthy, the Regent of Hungary, is summoned to visit Hitler. He refuses to sign a document requesting direct intervention and is arrested. The Germans are preparing to occupy Hungary.

Battle of the Atlantic

The US tanker Seakay (10,342t), in Avonmouth, England-bound Convoy CU-17, is torpedoed by U-311 and abandoned. 1 Armed Guard sailor is lost in the incident. The US destroyer escort Reeves (DE-156) rescues the survivors.

Burma

Gen Stilwell orders the US 5307th 'provisional unit' to block the southern entries to the Tanai valley, in the northeast sector.

CBI

Gen Joseph Stilwell orders Merrill's Marauders (the US 5307th Composite Unit) to block the Tanai Valley from the south.

Eastern Front

Advancing into Bessarabia, the Russians reach the Rumanian frontier at Yampol, on the east bank of the Dniepr. After bitter fighting Zhmerinka, southwest of Vinnitsa, falls to the attacks of 1st Ukraine Front.

Zhmerinka falls to the Soviet forces. Elements of the 8th Guards Army reach the lower Bug at Novaya Odessa and force a crossing.

Indian Ocean

72 Allied prisoners from MV Behar are beheaded aboard the Japanese cruiser Tone. A different source says between 65 and 69 of the prisoners were shot on the aircraft deck and tossed into the Indian Ocean.

Italy

An armored attack by New Zealand troops is pushed back with heavy losses at Cassino.

Italy, Home Front

Eruptions from Mt Vesuvius engulf 2 villages with lava. 26 are killed.

Marshalls

Adm William A. Lee's TG 50.10 with 2 battleships and the carrier Lexington (CV-16) bombards the Mili atoll. The battleship Iowa (BB-61) is hit by return fire.

New Guinea

The Japanese convoy attacked by American aircraft the previous day succeeds in reaching Wewak, avoiding an Allied destroyer group which bombards the Japanese base at Wewak.

Pacific

• The directives for the occupation of Hollandia, New Guinea are issued. The American amphibian force, commanded by Commodore Laurence F. Reifsnider, which is to land on Elmira Island, north of New Ireland in the St Matthias group, sails from Guadalcanal.
• The US submarine Lapon (SS-260) attacks a Japanese convoy about 250 miles southwest of Hong Kong and sinks the transport Hokoroku Maru (8359t).

United States, Planning

SWPA headquarters sets a date for the Hollnadia invasion named Operation RECKLESS--April 22. The plan involves an amphibious assault to capture Aitape and the Tadji airfield, followed by two simultaneous amphibious landings at Humboldt Bay and Tanahmerah Bay to seize airfields at Hollandia.

Images from March 18, 1944

March 18, 1944 – Mount Vesuviusis Erupts

2nd Camerons on Snakeshead Ridge

B-25 of the 1st Air Commando Force

Ernie Pyle, US War Correspondent

Moving a 38-mm Anti-tank Gun

Captured German Soldiers

B-17s on a Mission to Germany

The Mt Vesuvius Eruption