Air Operations, CBI

• More than 100 10th Air Force fighter-bombers attack numerous targets throughout Japanese-occupied areas.
• 16 P-47s support Allied ground forces around Namhsan.
• 15 P-47s support Allied ground forces around Mongmit.

• 21 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s and 12 14th Air Force P-51s attack Taiyuan.
• 2 B-25s and 12 P-40s attack Yoyang.
• Nearly 100 fighter-bombers attack numerous targets across southern and eastern China.

Air Operations, East Indies

• XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Kudat and Sandakan airfields on Borneo.
• V Bomber Command A-20s attack Jeselton, Borneo and the airfield there.

Air Operations, Europe

• 1 Halifax flies an RCM sortie.

• 362 Lancasters and 11 Mosquitos of Nos. 1, 6 and 8 Groups are sent to Duisburg. This is a successful area-bombing raid and much damage is caused. No other details are available. This is the last major Bomber Command raid on Duisburg.
• 7 Lancasters are lost and 3 more crash behind Allied lines in Europe.
• 349 aircraft including 288 Halifaxes, 36 Lancasters and 25 Mosquitos are sent to Worms. This is the first and only large Bomber Command raid on Worms. The raid is an area attack in which 1,116 tons of bombs are accurately dropped. A post-war survey estimated that 39 per cent of the town's built-up area was destroyed.
• 10 Halifaxes and 1 Lancaster are lost.
• 165 Lancasters and 12 Mosquitos of No. 5 Group again attempt to breach the Mittelland Canal near Gravenhorst. Visibility is clear and the attack is successful. Bomber Command claims that the canal was rendered '100 per cent unserviceable'.
• 9 Lancasters are lost and 4 crash in France and Holland. One of the Lancasters which crashes in Holland is piloted by Group Captain A. C. Evans-Evans, DFC, the station commander at Coningsby, flying a No. 83 Squadron aircraft. The Lancaster is shot down by a German fighter and crashes near Eindhoven. One of the gunners is the only survivor.

• 77 Mosquitos are sent to Berlin and 5 to Bremen, 28 aircraft are involved in Resistance operations, and there are 35 Mosquito patrols and 66 RCM sorties.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, Philippines

• 63 FEAF B-24s attack Japanese Army ground defenses and Japanese-held caves near Fort Stotsenburg at distances of only 1,000 yards from US Army ground troops.
• V Bomber Command B-25s and A-20s, and V Fighter Command P-38s attack Basco.
• P-47s attack Corregidor and road targets.
• P-40s support US 6th Army ground forces on Corregidor and at Marikina and San Mateo.

Air Operations, Volcano Islands

• Intense air and naval gunfire support precedes a major ground assault by V Marine Amphibious Corps units.
     Between approximately 1645 and 2030 hours, an estimated 50 Japanese kamikaze aircraft arriving from the Tokyo area in several waves by way of Hachojo Jima in the northern Bonin Islands penetrate the US Navy combat air patrol and attack the US vessels arrayed off Iwo Jima. The USS Saratoga is struck by 3 kamikazes and a bomb shortly after 1700 hours, and by yet another bomb at about 1845 hours. Losses are 123 killed and missing, and 192 wounded, plus the destruction of 42 Night Carrier Air Group 53 aircraft in fires and water landings. As soon as her fires are under control, the venerable Saratoga departs for Eniwetok Atoll on her way to the United States. The escort carrier USS Lunga Point is slightly damaged by a kamikaze at about 1830 hours. At 1900 hours, 1 kamikaze strikes the escort carrier USS Bismarck Sea, setting off uncontrollable fires fed by fueled aircraft that result in the carrier’s loss following an enormous explosion. Of a complement of 943, 318 of her crewmen and airmen are lost. A cargo ship and an LST are also damaged by kamikazes. No lives are lost aboard the LST, but 17 are killed and 44 are wounded aboard the cargo ship. In the end, all of the attacking aircraft are destroyed, almost entirely by anti-aircraft fire.
• VF(N)-53 F6Fs down 4 A6M Zeros at sea at 1650 hours and a VF-4 F6F downs a D4Y 'Judy' dive bomber near Chichi Jima at 1750 hours.

Burma

The 17th Indian and supporting tank units begin to break out of IV Corps' bridgehead at Myaungu and advance toward Meiktila. The Japanese know of the presence of British units in this area, but do no realize such strong forces are involved because the advance to IV Corps has been well disguised.

Farther north troops of the British XXXIII Corps step up their efforts to attract the main Japanese forces when the British 2nd Div crosses the Irrawaddy near Ngazun to link with 20th Indian Div who already have a bridgehead near there. Farther north still the British 36th Div take Myitson.

Eastern Front

After days of heavy fighting the 8th Guards Army makes limited gains in the German defenses around Posen.

Iwo Jima

In view of the heavy losses sustained and the little progress made, Gen Harry Schmidt orders the landing of the 3rd Marine Div, until now held in reserve. With powerful supporting fire by artillery, tanks and flame throwers, the Americans resume the attack to the south, toward Mount Suribachi, and to the north, with the island's second airport as objective. The advance is slow and costly and at the end of the day the American armor is down to 50% of its initial strength. But a combat group of the 5th Marines reaches the slopes of Mount Suribachi. During the night the Japanese launch numerous counterattacks and carry out several efforts to infiltrate.

The fleet carriers of TF 58 and the bombardment groups continue to give lavish support to the Marines. Although the Americans have complete air superiority, several Japanese suicide aircraft manage to dive on the US ships, sinking the escort carrier Bismarck Sea (CVE095) and damaging the aircraft carrier Saratoga (CV-3), the escort carrier Lunga Point (CVE-94), the net cargo ship Keokuk (AKN-4) and landing craft LST-477 and LST-809.

Damaged by a submarine torpedo is the destroyer Renshaw (DD-499). Damaged due to a collisions are the destroyer Williamson (DD-499), the attack cargo ship Yancey (AKA-93) and the landing craft LST-390.

Philippines

On Luzon the US XI Corps completes the occupation of the Bataan peninsula with the exception of a small pocket around Mount Natib. The operation has been easy and has cost at most 50 men killed or missing. Japanese losses are not much higher. Fighting on Corregidor continues, as does the battle in Manila. The 40th Div gets ready for mopping up operations in the Zambales Mountains, in the central western part of the island.

Western Front

Finally with the capture of Goch by the 51st Div, British XXX Corps, Canadian 1st Army, Operation VERITABLE may be regarded as completed.

In the US 3rd Army sector there is a general advance. The 6th Arm Div, VIII Corps, advances east of the Our, the 80th Div and 4th Arm div, XII Corps, advance south of Mettendorf and into the positions of the Siegfried Line between the Our and Gay Rivers, including the capture of Roth, and the 10th Army Div, XX Corps, attacks in the direction of Kanzem and Wiltingen bridges, the final objectives of the offensive in the Saar-Moselle triangle.

The XV Corps, US 7th Army, keeps up pressure in preparation for the attack on Saarbrücken.
Goch falls to the attacks of 51st Div of the British XXX Corps.

Images from February 21, 1945

Tanks and Bren carries manoeuvre in the streets in Goch, 21 February 1945. (Taken by Sgt Christie)

Vehicles in Goch

Iwo Jima, February 21, 1945. A Marine medium tank that couldn't navigate the soft volcanic sand on Iwo, is track deep in a pit off the beach. This loose sand of the island proved an asset to the Japanese defenders.

Stuck in the Sand

The US Navy aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3) burning after five 'Kamikaze' suicide planes hit the forward flight deck off Chi-chi Jima, shortly after 17:00h, 21 February 1945. Another attack at 19:00h scored an additional bomb hit. 123 of her crew were dead or missing as a result of the attacks. By 20:15h, the fires were under control, and the carrier was able to recover aircraft, but she was ordered to Eniwetok and then to the U.S. West Coast for repairs, arriving at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington (USA), on 16 March. On 22 May, Saratoga departed Puget Sound fully repaired, and she resumed training pilots at Pearl Harbor on 3 June

Saratoga with Kamikaze Damage

A Churchill tank and a Valentine Mk XI Royal Artillery OP tank (left) in Goch, 21 February 1945.

British Tanks in Goch

Iwo Jima, February 21, 1945. Marines carefully slide a poncho under Corporal W. H. Porter, a victim of Japanese mortar fire on Iwo, preparatory to bearing him off for hospital care

Agony on Iwo

Advancing around Airfield #2. Iwo Jima - February 21, 1945

Advancing around Airfield #2

Carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3) hit 7 times off of Okinawa, 21 February 1945

Carrier USS Saratoga Under Attack

Iwo Jima, 21 February, 1945, the moment a Japanese bunker is obliterated by American artillery. (Taken by Eugene Smith)

Japanese Bunker Is Destroyed