Air Operations, Europe

RAF Bomber Command drops 11,700 tons of bombs with the main efforts being against Berlin particularly, and Leipzig, Stuttgart and Schweinfurt. The US 8th Air Force, based in Britain, drops 18,000 tons and the 15th Air Force form Italy drops 5,900 tons both aiming at a range of targets connected with the German aircraft industry including Gotha, Leipzig and Oschefsleben (see February 20-27, 1944). US medium bombers and aircraft of the RAF's 2nd TAF drop 4,800 tons, mostly on V-weapon sites in France and Belgium.

In response to the growing Allied attacks the Germans revive their attacks on London but on a much less significant scale. These attacks are known as the 'Little Blitz' and are most intense between February 18-25.

(Allied Ships Lost to U-boats this month)

Air Operations, CBI

• 6 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the Mingaladon airfield at Rangoon. 1 B-24 attacks the airfield at Nyaungbinwun. 1 490th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25 and 32 10th Air Force A-36s and P-51s attack the airfield at Myitkyina and strafe a transportation depot and storage facility.

Air Operations, Europe

• 12 Mosquitos are sent to Berlin, 3 to Aachen, 3 to Krefeld, and 3 make Serrate patrols.
• 1 Mosquito is lost on the Berlin raid.

• XII Bomber Command B-25s attack a road junction.
• XII Air Support Command A-36s, P-40s, and P-47s attack three towns respectively.

• Bad weather grounds most of the 15th Air Force, but the 325th Fighter Group makes a sweep over the Orvieto-Viterbo area.

Air Operations, Marshalls

• 5 VII Bomber Command B-24s based at Mullinnix Field, Tarawa attack targets on Kwajalein Island with 2,000-pound bombs an hour before the main landings. 15th Fighter Group P-40s attack a schooner in the Mille Atoll while conducting an armed-reconnaissance mission. Task Group 58.3 carrier aircraft continue to pound targets in the Eniwetok Atoll.
• Employed for the first time in the war are forward-firing aerial rockets, which are employed by 2 VC-7 TBMs against defensive positions on a small island off Kwajalein.

Air Operations, New Guinea

50 V Bomber Command B-24s dispatched against targets in the Admiralty Islands are hindered by bad weather.

Burma

Units of the Chinese 38th Division attack a Japanese strongpoint in the Taihpa Ga area. Engineers begin the construction of a military road in the Hukawng valley to support the proposed offensive against central-northern Burma. But the Japanese too have for some time been concentrating forces for an offensive against India.

Eastern Front

In the north the Soviets force the crossing of the Luga River, take Kingisepp and push on to within one mile of the Estonian border. A little to the south between Luga and Utorgosh the German 18th Army counterattacks and near Peredel they surround 2 Russian divisions and a regiment of partisans.

The 2nd Shock Army captures Kingisepp after a fierce battle with the retreating III Panzer Corps. Spearheads are just a mile from the Estonian border. The 18th Army launches a counterattack from Luga city and Utorgosh with elements of the I Corps but is unable to halt the 59th Army drive into its right wing.

The XLVII Panzer Corps counterattacks around Zvenigorodka toward the isolated XLII and XI Corps. The attack toward the pocket, centered on the village of Korsun=Schevchenkovsky, becomes bogged down in mud, the weather in the Ukraine being unseasonably warm for the time of year. Inside the pocket, Stemmermann begins to pull his forced back to the southwest, giving up the positions on the Dniepr.

Italy

The 135th Regiment of the US 34th Division launches an attack on Castellone and Monte Maiola, supported by the artillery of the 168th Regiment of the US 34th Division from Heights 56 and 213. Both objectives are reached. The US 3rd Division abandons its efforts to take Cisterna and begins preparing for German counterattacks.

Marshalls

The US carrier operations continue. The land battle for Roi is virtually over but there is still heavy fighting on Namur, and during the night the Japanese resume unsuccessful counterattacks.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

V Bomber Command B-25s attack coastal targets and shipping on and around New Britain.

Air Operations, Europe

• 7 Mosquitos are sent to Rheinhausen, 6 to Elberfeld, there are 2 RCM sorties, 5 Serrate patrols, and 50 Halifaxes lay mines in Kiel Bay. The Kiel Bay mining operations is a ploy to draw German fighters, even though there is no major bombing raid planned.
• There are no losses in these operations.

• 95 2nd Bomb Division B-24s, escorted by 183 P-47s, attack V-weapons sites around Pas-de-Calais.

• 36 IX Bomber Command B-26s, escorted by 20th Fighter Group P-38s, attack the Tricqueville Airdrome.

• XII Bomber Command B-25s attack a road junction.
• XII Air Support Command A-20s attack a town.
• XII Air Support Command A-36s and P-40s attack villages, a supply dump, and road and rail targets.
US 15th AIR FORCE
HUNGARY:

• 15th Air Force B-17s attack industrial targets in Budapest.
ITALY:

• 15th Air Force B-24s attack a radar station.
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Air Operations, Marshalls

Task Group 58.3 carrier aircraft continue to pound targets in the Eniwetok Atoll. VII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Rongelap Atoll. 531st Fighter-Bomber Squadron A-24s and 15th Fighter Group P-40s attack the airfield on Mille and anti-aircraft batteries. VII Fighter Command P-39 escorts strafe ground targets.

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Air Operations, New Guinea

V Bomber Command B-24s attack Alexishafen and Sorong while approximately 50 A-20s attack the Madang area.

China

Chiang Kai-shek replies to Roosevelt's recent message, confirming his request for a substantial loan and his own readiness to send the Chinese Yunnan armies into Burma on the understanding that the Allies undertake a big amphibious operation in the sector.

Eastern Front

In the south, 3rd and 4th Ukraine Fronts, under Malinovsky and Tolbukhin respectively, are pressing strongly against von Kleist's 6th Army's salient around Nikopol. In the north Soviet troops penetrate into Estonia, capturing Vanakula. Near Peredel the 2 Soviet divisions and the partisan regiment succeed in breaking out of the encirclement.

The 2nd Shock Army forces a crossing into Estonia, capturing Vanakula as the III SS Panzer Corps falls back to the Narva. The 67th Army closes up to the Luga River near the city of Luga.

Heavy fighting erupts in both Lutsk and Rovno as the 13th and 60th Armies continue to attack. Fighting at Shepetovka also continues.

Around Korsun the 2nd Ukrainian Front holds back the weak German attack from Zvenigorodka, while in the Dniepr bend the 3rd and 4th Ukrainian Fronts apply increased pressure to the 6th Army.

Italy

The Allied attacks around Anzio are brought to a halt. Gen Lucas is ordered to reinforce his beachhead and prepare for defense. Although they have achieved no positive success and taken heavy losses the Germans have been forced to postpone their general attack planned to start at this time.

The attacks of the American II Corps and British X Corps continue on the 'Gustav' Line, but are contained by the German forces of the XIV Panzer Corps.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

• AirSols SBDs, escorted by many AirSols fighters, attack the Tobera airfield atRabaul. XIII Bomber Command B-24s, escorted by many AirSols fighters, attack the Lakunai airfield at Rabaul.
• VMF-212, VMF-215, and VMF-218 F4Us down 7 A6M Zeros, mostly over Rabaul's Tobera airfield, between 1150 and 1230 hours. 347th Fighter Group P-38s down 4 Zeros near Rabaul's Lakunai airfield at 1345 hours. A VF-17 F4U downs 1 Zero over the Rabaul area at 1350 hours
.
• VMF-218, in F4Us, makes its combat debut over Rabaul.
• V Bomber Command B-25s and V Fighter Command P-39s attack shipping in the Bismarck Sea and barges along the New Britain coast.

Air Operations, CBI

• 16 459th Fighter Squadron P-38s attack military targets along the road between Prome and Taungap. 16 10 Air Force P-51s attack a Japanese Army bivouac at Sawnghka. 1 490th Medium Bomb Group B-25 and 14 A-36s attack Japanese Army ground troops at Kumnyen and Lalawng Ga.

Air Operations, Europe

• 7 Mosquitos are sent to Krefeld, 4 to Dortmund and 3 to Cologne, there are 6 RCM sorties, 1 Serrate patrol, 35 aircraft lay mines off French Channel and Atlantic ports, and there are 4 OTU sorties.
• There are no losses.

• 553 1st and 3rd Bomb Division B-17s attack the Wilhelmshaven port area, and 56 1st Bomb Division B-17s attack targets of opportunity in and around Emden. Of 193 2nd Bomb Division B-24s that get airborne for an attack on the Emden port area, only 53 are actually dispatched to the target, and even these abandon the mission after encountering heavy cloud cover over the Zuider Zee.
• 4 B-17s are lost
• Escort and support for the heavy bombers is provided by 632 USAAF fighters. USAAF fighter pilots down 6 Luftwaffe fighters over Germany between 1043 and 1130 hours.
• 8 USAAF fighters are lost with their pilots

• XII Air Support Command A-36s attack roads and targets of opportunity south of Rome, and bomb two towns in support of US Army ground forces driving on Cassino.
• XII Air Support Command P-47s attack a town and rail facilities.

• Diverted from their briefed targets because of bad weather, 15th Air Force B-24s attack the railroad stations at Stimigliano and Sulmona.
• 15th Air Force P-47s sweep over the Prato and Pontassieve areas.

Air Operations, Marshalls

Task Group 58.3 carrier aircraft continue to pound targets in the Eniwetok Atoll. 15th Fighter Group P-40 fighter-bombers attack the Mille Atoll.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• 58 V Bomber Command B-24s and 62 B-25s, escorted by 66 V Fighter Command fighters, attack Wewak-area airfields with nearly 200 tons of bombs and nearly 1,000 parachute-fragmentation bombs and bomb clusters. A-20s attack Alexishafen and Hansa Bay. B-25s and P-39s attack motor vehicles near Erima.
• 348th Fighter Group P-47s down 8 Japanese fighters over Wewak between 1115 and 1140 hours. 475th Fighter Group P-38s down 6 Ki-48 'Lily' bombers near the But and Dagua airfields at 1155 hours. 1 49th Fighter Group P-40 downs a Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter near Dagua's airfield at noon.
• Unveiled in the Wewak attack is a new “crisscross” tactic in which the B-24s knock out all but one runway and B-25 strafers operating at low level attack Japanese aircraft being refueled shortly after they have landed on the one serviceable runway.

Eastern Front

The encirclement of the Korsun pocket is announced and celebrated in Moscow by 20 salvoes from 224 guns. After five days of ferocious fighting in the Korsun-Shevchenkosky area, troops of the 1st and 2nd Ukraine Fronts link up and converge south of the town to encircle 2 corps of 10 divisions of the German 8th Army. Desperate efforts are made by the Germans to save their forces, and to enable reinforcements to be sent every other initiative in the sector is reduced to a minimum. Hitler has, as usual, ordered no retreat and Manstein is trying to assemble sufficient panzer forces to break through in relief.

South of Leningrad Army Group North is still heavily engaged with the forces of the Leningrad and Volkhov Fronts and the 2nd Baltic Front.

Efforts by the 2nd Shock Army to cross the Narva are repelled by the III SS Panzer Corps after heavy fighting. German counterattacks near Utorgozh isolates 2 divisions of the 59th Army but are unable to destroy them. The Russian units resist for nearly two weeks until they rejoin the main combat line.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

• 25 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s, escorted by more than 40 AirSols fighters, attack Rabaul's Tobera airfield. 18 XIII Bomber Command B-24s, escorted by more than 30 AirSols fighters, attack the Vunakanau airfield at Rabaul.
• A 347th Fighter Group P-38 downs 1 A6M Zero over Rabaul's Vunakanau airfield at 1130 hours. 1 VF-17 F4U downs another Zero over the Tobera airfield, Rabaul at 1130 hours. VMF-212 F4Us down 1 Zero over the Rabaul area at 1205 hours.

Air Operations, CBI

• 12 10th Air Force P-51s attack the airfield at Indaw.

Air Operations, Carolines

2 VMD-254 PB4Ys depart Stirling Airfield in the Treasury Islands during the night of February 3-4 to mount a dawn photographic-reconnaissance mission to the Truk Atoll. Fire from a Japanese battleship and a chase by several A6M2-N 'Rufe' fighters fail to stop the mission. At the conclusion of the 12-hour flight, both PB4Ys land safely at the Piva Uncle airfield on Bougainville. As a result of the mission, however, the Japanese Navy’s Combined Fleet will depart from the Truk anchorage on February 10, never to return. Nevertheless, while many large warships leave, smaller ones and many merchant ships remain.

Air Operations, East Indies

V Bomber Command B-24s and B-25s attack Laha (Ceram), Amboina Island, and Namlea (Boeroe).

Air Operations, Europe

• 9 Mosquitos are sent to Frankfurt, 5 to Elberfeld and 1 to Aachen, there are 2 Serrate patrols, 28 aircraft lay mines in the Bay of Biscay, and 49 aircraft are involved in Resistance operations. Included in that total are 27 Stirlings, 17 Halifaxes, 3 Lysanders and 2 Hudsons. This is the first widespread use of the No. 3 Group Stirling squadrons for Resistance operations work.
• There are no losses.

• 346 1st and 3rd Bomb Division B-17s and 27 2nd Bomb Division B-24s attack marshalling yards at Frankfurt am Main, and 197 B-17s and 63 B-24s attack numerous targets of opportunity throughout northwestern Germany.
• 2 B-24s and 18 B-17s are lost, 3 damaged bombers are written off; 203 crewmen are missing
• Escort and support for the bombers is provided by 56 P-38s, 537 P-47s, and 44 P-51s. P-47 pilots down 8 Luftwaffe aircraft along the bomber track over Belgium between 1300 and 1330 hours.
• 1 P-38 and its pilot are lost

• Most of the 12th Air Force is grounded due to bad weather, bu P-40s and Spitfires are able to patrol the Anzio beachhead area, where a powerful German Army ground offensive is launched.

• 15th Air Force B-17s attack the Vichy Naval base at Toulon, but all the B-24s dispatched on the same mission abort in the face of bad weather. A number of B-17s that become separated from the main force attack the rail viaduct at Antheor.

Air Operations, Marshalls

• VII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Maloelap, Mille, and Wotje atolls. 41st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the Maloelap and Wotje atolls. 15th Fighter Group P-40 fighter-bombers attack the Mille Atoll.
• During the afternoon, Kwajalein Island is declared secure, and other islands in the Kwajalein Atoll are occupied or captured.
• Having successfully completed their role in the invasion of the Marshalls, 3 of Task Force 58’s 4 carrier task groups depart for the Majuro Atoll to replenish and take on replacement aircraft and airmen. This will be the first such use for the new advance fleet anchorage since its seizure on January 31. Task Group 58.4 remains on operational status in the Marshalls, where it relieves Task Group 58.3 in the pounding of the Eniwetok Atoll. Between January 29 and this date, US Navy carrier aircraft have undertaken nearly 4,000 effective combat sorties. Losses are approximately 15 F6Fs, 5 TBMs, and 24 crewmen in combat, and approximately 10 F6Fs, 14 TBMs, 3 dive-bombers, and 24 crewmen in operational accidents. In all, US carrier bombers have dropped more than 1,100 tons of bombs on numerous targets throughout the Marshall Islands.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• More than 170 V Bomber Command B-24s, B-25s, and A-20s attack the airfields at But and Dagua, Alexishafen, Madang, and Marienberg. V Fighter Command P-39 fighter-bombers attack Atemble and targets of opportunity around Alexishafen.
• A 348th Fighter Group P-47 downs a Ki-49 'Helen' bomber near the Boram airfield at 1535 hours.

Baltic Sea

U-854 is sunk by an Allied air-dropped mine.

U-854

Air Operations, Bismarcks

• More than 60 AirSols SBDs escorted by more than 60 AirSols fighters attack Rabaul's Lakunai airfield, which is attacked again a short time later by 13 XIII Bomber Command B-24s, escorted by more than 30 AirSols fighters.
• VF-17 F4Us and VF-38 F6Fs down 6 A6M Zeros over the Rabaul area between 1045 and 1105 hours. VMF-218 and VMF-222 F4Us down 2 A6M Zeros in the Rabaul area between 1055 and 1125 hours.
• 48 V Bomber Command B-24s thwarted by bad weather on their way to Kavieng attack the Cape Hoskins airfield on New Britain and Gasmata. B-25s attack shipping in the Bismarck Sea.

Air Operations, CBI

• Before dawn, 8 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the airfield at Heho. 6 B-24s attack the airfield at Aungban. 9 490th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s attack airfields at Heho, Myittha, and Sagaing.
• During the day, 14 10th Air Force A-36s and P-51s attack a marshalling yard at Wuntho.
• During the night, 9 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-25s attack Heho's airfield and 4 B-24s attack the airfield at Aungban.

• 2 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s and 2 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack shipping at sea east of Hong Kong.

• During the night, 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Nakhon Nayok and, as a target of opportunity, an airfield on the Mekong River.

• During the night, 8 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Bangkok.

Air Operations, Europe

• 18 Mosquitos are sent to Berlin, 7 to Duisburg and 1 to Hannover, there are 3 Serrate patrols, 29 Stirlings and 17 Halifaxes are on Resistance operations, 19 Halifaxes lay mines off Oslo and Fredrijkstad in Norway and there are 5 OTU sorties.
• 1 Stirling is lost on a Resistance operation.

• 354 8th Air Force B-17s and 98 B-24s attack six Luftwaffe airdromes with an aggregate of 1,313 tons of bombs.
• 2 B-24s are lost, 3 damaged bombers are written off
• Escort and support for the heavy bombers is provided by 634 USAAF fighters, whose pilots down 4 Luftwaffe fighters, 1 He-111, and 1 FW-200 between 1045 and 1215 hours.

• Approximately 226 IX Bomber Command B-26s attack 6 V-weapons sites around St.-Omer.
• 6 B-26s are lost to heavy flak concentrations around these sites

• XII Bomber Command B-25s attack marshalling yard at Terni.
• XII Air Support Command A-20s attack various targets around Lanuvio and Piedimonte.
• XII Air Support Command A-36s and P-40s attack numerous motor vehicles and road junctions in central Italy.
• The 332nd Fighter Group, the USAAF's only African-American combat unit, begins combat operations in P-39s with the 12th Air Force from its base at the Montecorvino Airdrome. The veteran, independent 99th Fighter Squadron is oprationally attached to the new group.

Air Operations, Japan

6 11th Air Force B-24s and 16 P-38s, with some land-based US Navy aircraft, provide a day-long umbrella for a US Navy surface force following its bombardment of targets in the Kurile Islands. When the warships are out of range, the USAAF aircraft reconnoiter and attack Paramushiro and Shimushu islands.

Air Operations, Marshalls

Task Group 58.4 carrier aircraft continue to pound targets in the Eniwetok Atoll. 15th Fighter Group P-40 fighter-bombers attack targets in the Jaluit Atoll. VII Fighter Command P-39s strafe the airfield on Mille.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Bomber Command B-24s mount a light attack against Kaimana and more than 70 B-25s and A-20s attack Hansa Bay.

Air Operations, Solomons

A VMF(N)-531 PV night-fighter crew downs a G4M 'Betty' bomber 64 miles from Bougainville's Torokina Field at 2108 hours.

Burma

Gen Wingate's Long Range Penetration (LRP) unit, the Chindits, crosses the Indian border into northern Burma. The 3,000-strong unit, re-formed and re-trained after its earlier disastrous mission, is now under Gen Stilwell's strategic command, though Wingate remains its immeadiate leader. The Chindits' mission is to support Stilwell's drive toward Myitkyina on the right flank, drawing Japanese troops away from advancing Chinese forces and cutting supply and communication links.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

• 32 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s, escorted by more than 60 AirSols fighters, attack Rabaul's Lakunai airfield, after which the airfield is attacked by 19 XIII Bomber Command B-24s, escorted by nearly 50 AirSols fighters.
• VF-17 F4Us and VF-38 F6Fs down 10 Japanese fighters over the Rabaul area between 1105 and 1120 hours. VMF-217 and VMF-218 F4Us down 3 A6M Zeros over the Rabaul area between 1100 and 1130 hours.
• V Bomber Command B-24s and B-25s mount light attacks against Talasea and artillery batteries at Cape Dampier.

Air Operations, CBI

• 12 10th Air Force P-51s attack Wuntho.

• 11 14 Air Force P-40s attack Yangtze River traffic between Puchi and Yoyang.

• 6 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack bridges and trains.

Air Operations, Europe

200 Russian planes attack Helsinki.

• Although deterred by bad weather from attacking their primary targets, 160 8th Air Force B-17s, of 492 dispatched, and 37 B-24s, of 150 dispatched, attack three Luftwaffe airdromes, and 9 B-24s attack a V-weapons site.
• Escort and support for the bombers is provided by 638 USAAF fighters, whose pilots down 12 Luftwaffe fighters between 1045 and 1310 hours.

• IX Bomber Command B-26s attack the Amiens/Glisy Airdrome, a factory, and several V-weapons sites in northern France.

• XII Bomber Command B-25s attack a road junction at Frascati.
• XII Bomber Command B-26s attack a marshalling yard at Orte.
• XII Air Support Command A-36s and P-40s attack numerous towns, motor vehicles, and rairoad cars.
• 12th Air Force fighter pilots down 8 Luftwaffe aircraft during the course of the day.
• 1 Spitfire and its pilot are lost

Air Operations, Marshalls

Task Group 58.4 carrier aircraft continue to pound targets in the Eniwetok Atoll. VII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Maloelap and Wotje atolls. 531st Fighter-Bomber Squadron A-24s and 15th Fighter Group P-40 fighter-bombers attack the Mille Atoll. VII Fighter Command P-39s attack the Jaluit Atoll.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-25s attack Bunabun and Madang as well as coastal targets between Bogia and Cape Croisilles. A-20s attack Kairiru and Muschu islands. V Fighter Command P-39s attack barges near Nubia.
• ;90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Madang after encountering heavy weather on their way to bomb targets in the Admiralty Islands, but 24 43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-24s and 24 V Fighter Command P-38s are able to attack targets on Los Negros Island.
• 49th Fighter Group P-40s down 4 Japanese fighters over the Wewak area between 0925 and 0950 hours and a 49th Fighter Group P-40 downs a Ki-46 'Dinah' reconnaissance aircraft over Hansa Bay at 1220 hours.

Air Operations, Solomons

US Navy PVs and XIII Fighter Command P-39s attack barges in the Green Islands.

Battle of the Atlantic

The German submarine U-177 is sunk by US naval land-based aircraft (VB-107) in the South Atlantic area.

U-177

Air Operations, Bismarcks

• AirSols SBDs, escorted by many AirSols fighters, attack Rabaul's Tobera airfield. 17 XIII Bomber Command B-24s, escorted by many AirSols fighters, attack the Vunakanau airfield at Rabaul.
• A 348th Fighter Group P-47 downs a Ki-61 'Tony' fighter near Cape Gloucester at 0900 hours. VF-17 F4Us down 3 A6M Zeros over the Rabaul area between 1030 and 1100 hours. VMF-215 F4Us down 8 Zeros and 'Tonys' in the Rabaul area at 1040 hours.

Air Operations, CBI

• 16 14th Air Force P-40s and 4 P-51s attack rail bridges at Kienchang and Puchi and warehouses at Teian.
• A lone 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25 sweeping the Yangtze River near Siangkow scores direct bomb hits on at least 3 river freighters and a tanker.

• 2 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack a powerplant at Thanh Hoa and a barracks and radio station at Vinh.

Air Operations, Europe

200 Soviet aircraft bomb Helsinki targetting the airfield.

• 17 Mosquitos are sent to Frankfurt, 8 to Elberfeld, 5 to Krefeld, 2 to Aachen and 1 to Mannheim, and there are 4 Serrate patrols.
• There are no losses.

• XII Bomber Command B-25s attack a marshalling yard at Viterbo and support a withdrawal by US Army troops in the face of a massive German Army counteroffensive around Anzio.
• XII Bomber Command B-26s attack bridge approaches.
• XII Air Support Command A-20s attack Piedimonte and the railroad station and road junction at Campoleone.

• XII Air Support Command A-36s provide direct support for US Army ground forces and attack several rail targets.
• XII Air Support Command P-40s attack numerous tactical targets in the Anzio and Cassino battle areas.
• 12 Air Force fighter pilots down 20 Luftwaffe aircraft over central and northern Italy in at least seven separate engagements between 0810 and 2245 hours.

Air Operations, East Indies

14 V Bomber Command B-24s attack Lautem, (Timor) and Amboina Island.

Air Operations, Marshalls

Task Group 58.4 carrier aircraft continue to pound targets in the Eniwetok Atoll. 41st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the Maloelap and Wotje atolls. 15th Fighter Group P-40 fighter-bombers attack supply dumps in the Jaluit Atoll.

Atlantic

Over the next week the British submarine Taku sinks 3 ships in convoys off Stavanger.

Battle of the Atlantic

The first of the German Schnorkel submarines begin operating in the North Atlantic.

China

Another message from Pres Roosevelt to Chiang Kai-shek about the American loan to China. The General expects, in Chinese money, the sums required from the pay and maintenance of US military personnel in China for the next 3 months, plus another 500 million Chinese dollars for the construction of Cheng-tu airfields, west of Chungking, as a base for B-29 'Superfortresses'. The US 14th Air Force, under the command of Gen Claire Chennault, is operating from Liuchow, Kweilin, Lingling, Hengyang and Chihkiang airports, in southeast China, inflicting serious damage on Japanese maritime traffic and military installations in China and Formosa.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

V Fighter Command P-39s attack targets of opportunity throughout New Britain.

Air Operations, Europe

• 12 Lancasters of No 617 Squadron, led by its new commanding officer Wing Commander Leonard Cheshire, attack the Gnome & Rhone aero-engineering factory at Limoges, France. This is a very important raid. No 617 Squadron had been experiencing difficulty in finding a useful role after the Dams Raid nearly 9 months earlier. Low-level precision raids on targets in Germany had been too costly. High-level precision bombing on small targets in France and Belgium had been unsatisfactory, despite marking by Oboe-equipped Mosquitos. For this attack, Cheshire is given official permission to attempt low-level marking of this target, which has many French civilian houses near by. The factory is undefended, except for 2 machine-guns, and Cheshire makes 3 low-level runs in bright moonlight to warn the French factory workers to escape. On his 4th run, he drops a load of 30lb incendiaries from between 50 and 100ft. Each of 11 other Lancasters then drop a 12,000lb bomb with great accuracy. 10 bombs hit the factory and the remaining one falls in the river nearby. The factory is severely damaged and production almost completely ceases. There are few if any casualties among the French people.
• No Lancasters are lost.

• 11 Mosquitos are sent to Brunswick and 8 to Elberfeld, there are 2 Serrate patrols, 39 aircraft are on Resistance operations and there are 19 OTU sorties.
• There are no losses.

• 110 2nd Bomb Division B-24s attack V-weapons sites around Pas de Calais with 364 tons of bombs. Escort is provided by 89 9th Air Force P-47s operating under VIII Fighter Command control.

• 86 8th Air Force B-17s attack the briefed primary, a marshalling yard at Frankfurt am Main, but 107 B-17s divert to various targets of opportunity.
• 13 B-17s are lost
• Escort and support for the heavy bombers is provided by 553 USAAF fighters, whose pilots down 14 Luftwaffe fighters over Belgium, Luxembourg, and western Germany between 1030 and 1215 hours.
• 3 P-51s ant their pilots are lost

• In the IX Bomber Command's first two-mission day, more than 200 B-26s attack V-weapons sites and targets of opportunity in northwestern France during the morning, and more than 100 B-26s return to northwestern France to attack V-weapons sites and military installations.

• XII Bomber Command B-25s attack Cisterna di Latina.
• XII Bomber Command B-26s attack a rail bridge, warehouses, and a marshalling yard.
• XII Air Support Command A-20s attack Piedimonte.
• XII Air Support Command A-36s and P-40s attack numerous tactical and transportation targets.
• XII Air Support Command P-47s attack Atina.

• The 15th Air Force's 304th Heavy Bomb Wing takes part in its first combat operation of the war when 454th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the Orvieto Airdrome.
• 47th Heavy Bomb Wing B-24s attack the Tarquinia and Viterbo Airdromes and a marshalling yard at Prato.
• 5th Heavy Bomb Wing B-17s attack marshalling yards at Verona.

Air Operations, CBI

• 490th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s attack bridges at Budalin and Songon, and a Japanese Army defensive area at Badana. 1 B-25 and 16 10th Air Force A-36s and P-51s attack a Japanese Army bivouac at Mogaung. 1 B-25 attacks a Japanese Army bivouac at Kumnyen. 4 P-51s attack rail cars near Myitkyina.
• 25 ATC C-46s on temporary assignment with the EAC Troop Carrier Command mount the first emergency aerial resupply mission on behalf of British 14th Army ground forces surrounded and beseigned in the Arakan region. Escort is provided by RAF 3rd Tactical Air Force fighters. Such missions will be mounted through the rest of the month.

Air Operations, Marshalls

VII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Maloelap and Mille atolls.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• Nearly 50 V Bomber Command B-25s and A-20s attack targets in and around Alexishafen and Madang.
• During the night, V Bomber Command B-25s attack Toeal.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

• AirSols SBDs, escorted by many AirSols fighters, attack Rabaul's Vunakanau airfield, 24 XIII Bomber Command B-24s, escorted by many AirSols fighters, attack the Vunakanau airfield again. 19 B-24s supported by 20 XIII Fighter Command P-38s attack the Tobera airfield at Rabaul.
• VMF-215, VMF-217, and VF-17 F4Us down 10 A6M Zeros, 1 Ki-43 'Oscar' figher, and 1 Ki-44 'Tojo' fighter over the Rabaul area between 1230 and 1300 hours. 347th Fighter Group P-38s down 6 Zeros over the Tobera airfield at Rabaul at 1300 hours.

Air Operations, CBI

• 490th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s, 459th Fighter Squadron P-38s, and 10 Air Force P-40s, P-51s, and A-36s attack several bridges and numerous Japanese Army bivouacs and supply dumps across a wide area of northern Burma.

• 116 14th Air Force P-40 fighter-bombers attack an oil dump and barracks at Chefang and town areas at Homun and Mangshih.
• During the night, 5 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s sow mines at the mouth of the Yangtze River.

• 2 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack a wireless station near Haiphong.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Bomber Command A-20s attack Mindiri.

Air Operations, Europe

• 8 Mosquitos are sent to Elberfeld, 7 to Krefeld and 1 to Aachen.
• 1 Mosquito is lost on the Krefeld raid.

• 79 IX Bomber Command B-26s attack various V-weapons sites and several targets of opportunity.

• In the first mission of its kind, 54 B-26s from the 322nd and 386th Medium Bomb Groups attack the marshalling yard at Tergnier with excellent results.

• XII Bomber Command B-25s and B-26s provide close support for US Army ground forces.
• XII Air Support Command A-20s attack troop concentrations.
• XII Air Support Command A-36s and P-40s attack troop positions, assembly points, and gun emplacements in and around the battle area.

Air Operations, Marshalls

• 531st Fighter-Bomber Squadron A-24s and 15th Fighter Group P-40 fighter-bombers attack the Jaluit Atoll.
• Throughout the night, VII Bomber Command B-24s mount individual and small attacks against the Wotje Atoll and the Taroa airfield on Maloelap.

Battle of the Atlantic

During February 8-9 Walker's 2nd Support Group destroys three U-boats in the space of 15 hours. There were no survivors from any of the sinkings and no clues from the wreckage, it is not possible to tell in what order the U-boats were sunk.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

• AirSols TBFs and SBDs, escorted by many AirSols fighters, attack Rabaul's Vunakanau airfield. 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s, escorted by many AirSols fighters, also attack the Vunakanau airfield. 21 XIII Bomber Command B-24s, escorted by many AirSols fighters, attack the Tobera airfield at Rabaul.
• VMF-212, VMF-217, and VMF-222 F4Us, and a VMTB-143 TBF crew down 11 A6M Zeros and Ki-61 'Tony' fighters in the Rabaul area between 0845 and 0910 hours. An 82nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron P-39 downs a bomber over the Willaumez Peninsula at 1100 hours. VF-17 F4Us down 2 Zeros over the Tobera airfield, Rabaul, at 1245 hours. and 347th Fighter Group P-38s down 10 Zeros over St. George’s Channel and the Tobera airfield at 1300 hours.
• Allied ground forces advancing from Arawe and Cape Gloucester link up, thus bringing to an end the ground campaign in western New Britain. For practical purposes, the air campaign also draws to a close, though occasional missions will still be flown to the area, mainly to restrict barge traffic and Japanese Army foot patrols between bypassed areas and bases.

Air Operations, CBI

• 3 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Akyab and Prome. 9 490th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s attack Chiradan and Godusara. 16 10th Air Force P-51s attack road targets and a barracks at Chishidu. 8 14th Air Force P-40s attack a supply depot and training facility at Wanling.

• 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack shipping at sea near Hong Kong and Hainan Island. 8 51st Fighter Group P-51s and 4 449th Fighter Squadron P-38s strafe the airfield at Chiuchiang; 12 P-40s attack Yangtze River traffic between Puchi and Yoyang.
• 449th Fighter Squadron P-38s down 2 of 3 Ki-45 'Nick' fighters encountered near Kanchang during the afternoon. A 76th Fighter Squadron P-51 downs a Ki-48 'Lily' bomber over the airfield at Suichwan during the evening.

• 9 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack an arsenal in Bangkok and the Don Maung airfield there.

Air Operations, Europe

Russian bombers attempt to bomb the Tirpitz in Kaafiord, Norway. 15 aircraft start out on the raid, but only 4 find the battleship. A one-ton bomb scores a near miss, but the Tirpitz escapes major damage.

• 21 Mosquitos are sent to Berlin and 4 to Aachen, 2 Wellingtons make RCM flights, 21 Wellingtons lay mines off the Brittany and Biscay ports, and 26 aircraft are on Resistance operations.
• There are no losses.

• 141 1st Bomb Division B-17s, escorted by 446 fighters, attack aircraft-industry targets at Brunswicck.
• 29 bombers and 295 crewmen are lost
• In one of the hardest fought air battles to date over northwestern Europe, USAAF fighter pilots down a record 60 Luftwaffe fighters along the bomber routes between 1045 and 1330 hours.
• 5 P-38s and 4 P-47s are lost with their pilots

• Due to frost and poor visibility caused by contrails, only 27 of 81 2nd Bomb Division B-24s displatched are able to attack the Gilze-Rijen Airdrome.
• No aircraft are lost to enemy fire, but 4 B-24s are lost in operational accidents

• 114 9th Air Force B-26s attack the Poix and Beauvais/Tille Airdromes, a bridge, a coastal battery, and several V-weapons sites along the Channel coast.

• XII Air Support Command A-36s, P-40s, and P-47s conduct operations in support of the Allied ground forces in the Anzio beachhead.

• 15th Air Force B-17s and B-24s conduct missions in support of Allied ground forces in the Anzio beachhead.

Air Operations, Marshalls

41st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the Maloelap and Wotje atolls.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• XIII Fighter Command P-39s attack Bonis and barges near the Green Islands and in Matchin Bay.
• A VMF(N)-531 PV crew downs a G4M 'Betty' bomber 45 miles from Torokina Field on Bougainville at 0354 hours.

Atlantic

The British tanker El Grillo is bombed and sunk by a FW-200 in Seidis Fjord, Iceland.

Battle of the Atlantic

• Wellington 'O' of No 612 squadron obtains a radar contact at a range of 8 miles. U-545 is clearly visible in the moonlight from 1 mile and 4 depth charges are dropped which land in a perfect straddle. Making another pass the aircraft spotted survivors in the water.

U-545 Class Type IXC/40 CO Kapitäleutnant Gert Mannesmann Location Atlantic, W of the Hebrides Cause Air attack Casualties 1 Survivors 48

U-666 Class Type VIIC CO Oberleutnant zur See Ernst Wilberg Location N Atlantic Cause Air attack Casualties 51 Survivors None

• U-666 is sunk by Swordfish 'A' from 842 NAS, HMS Fencer.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

• 22 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s, escorted by many AirSols fighters, attack Rabaul's Vunakanau airfield. 15 XIII Bomber Command B-24s, escorted by many AirSols fighters, attack the Tobera airfield at Rabaul.
• A 347th Fighter Group P-38 downs an A6M Zero over the Tobera airfield at Rabaul at 1110 hours. VMF-212 and VMF-222 F4Us, and a VMTB-143 TBF crew down 4 Zeros in the Rabaul area between 1100 and 1125 hours.
• 48 V Bomber Command B-24s, escorted by V Fighter Command P-38s, attack aircraft at the Kavieng airfield on New Ireland with 170 tons of bombs. 2 B-24s attack Garove Island.

Air Operations, CBI

• 1 490th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25 and 12 10th Air Force P-51s and A-36s attack a bivouac and supply dump at Pyindaw. 10 A-36s and P-51s attack supply dumps at Sawnghka. 8 P-51s attack a supply dump and road junction at Mogaung. 8 P-40s and P-51s attack a riverboat near Mandalay.

• 6 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s, escorted by 20 P-40s, attack Hong Kong's Kaitak airfield. 12 449th Fighter Squadron P-38s attack two bridges near Sheklung.
• 23rd and 3rd CACW Fighter group P-40s down 7 Japanese fighters over the Kaitak airfield between 1315 and 1320 hours.
• Japanese bombers and fighters attack the airfield at Namyung, which is temporarily put out of service.

Air Operations, Europe

Soviet aircraft bomb Tirpitz at anchor in Altafiord. Only 4 of 15 aircraft get through to the target and little damage is caused.

• 11 Mosquitos are sent to Brunswick, 8 to Elberfeld, 4 to Aachen and 4 to Duisburg, there are 2 RCM sorties, there are 5 Serrate patrols, 52 aircraft lay mines off French Channel and Atlantic ports, 27 aircraft are on Resistance operations, and there are 6 OTU sorties.
• There are no losses.

• 94 of 201 2nd Bomb Division B-24s dispatched attack the St.-Pol/Siracourt V-weapons sites, near Pas-de-Calais. Escort is provide by 85 P-47s.

• 157 1st Bomb Division B-17s attack a marshalling yard at Frankfurt am Main, and 55 B-17s attack various targets of opportunity, including Ludwigshafen.
• Escort and support is provided by 82 P-38s, 486 P-47s, and 38 P-51s whose pilots down 30 Luftwaffe fighters over France, Belgium, Germany, and Luxembourg between 1055 and 1400 hours.
• 8 P-38s, 4 P-47s and 2 P-51s are lost with their pilots

• 139 IX Bomber Command B-26s are dispatched to attack V-weapons sites in northern France. Most of them are recalled due to bad weather, but 35 are able to attack a marshalling yard at Amiens.

Air Operations, East Indies

7 380th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Dili (Timor) and the Kendari airfield on Celebes.

Air Operations, Marshalls

Task Group 58.4 carrier aircraft pound targets in the Eniwetok Atoll. VII Fighter Command P-39 and P-40 fighter-bombers attack the airfield on Mille.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Fighter Command P-40s and RAAF fighters attack Japanese Army ground forces in the Saidor area.

Battle of the Atlantic

• Wellington 'D' of No 407 Squadron detects a submarine dead ahead at 6 miles. U-283 is visible from 2 miles and a stick of 6 depth charges and a flame float are dropped from 60 feet. When the plumes subsided, the rear gunner could see a dull red glow in the submarine's area. Turning for a second pass found the submarine not moving then lost from radar as she sank.

U-283 Class Type VIIC CO Oberleutnant zur See Günther Ney Location Atlantic, SW of Faeroe Islands Cause Air attack Casualties 49 Survivors None

U-424 Class Type VIIC CO Oberleutnant zur See Günther Lüders Location N Atlantic Cause Depth charge Casualties 50 Survivors None

• During the night the British sloop Wild Goose obtained an asdic contact despite poor conditions. The Wild Goose attacked immediately, but the U-424 maneuvered constantly behind a screen of SBTs. The British sloop Woodpecker joined in the attack, but neither ship could hold continuous contact. Numerous attacks produced no results before both ships lost the target. Wild Goose reacquired the target to her stern, and the ships went in to attack. A pattern of depth charges are dropped and a series of underwater explosions are heard followed by the appearance of wreckage on the surface.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

• 23 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s, escorted by many AirSols fighters, attack the Tobera airfield at Rabaul. 21 XIII Bomber Command B-24s, escorted by many AirSols fighters, attack Rabaul's Vunakanau airfield. AirSols TBFs and SBDs, escorted by many AirSols fighters, attack the Lakunai airfield at Rabaul.
• VMF-215, VMF-217, and VMF-218 F4Us, and a VF-38 F6F down eight A6M Zeros in the Rabaul area between 1145 and 1212 hours.

Air Operations, CBI

• 40 10th Air Force P-51s, and A-36s attack bivouacs, a road junction, supply dumps, and a motor pool at Chishidu, Padaw, and Walawbum. 490th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s and P-51s attack bivouacs, bridges, a motor convoy, a motor pool, and several town areas. 8 P-40s attack a town and a motor convoy near Sumprabum. 9 P-40s attack warehouses at Wanling.

• During the morning, 449th Fighter Squadron P-38s and a 76th Fighter Squadron P-51 down 7 of 19 Ki-43 'Oscar' and Ki-44 'Tojo' fighters intercepted on their way to attack the airfield at Kanchow.
• 1 P-38 is lost, but its pilot returns safely.

• 5 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack shipping in the Gulf of Tonkin and coastal targets near Haiphong. 6 14th Air Force P-40 fighter-bombers attack a barracks at Vinh, the airfield at Dong Cuoung, rail yards at Cam Duong, and sampans at Phu Tho.

Air Operations, Europe

• 10 Lancasters of No 617 Squadron attempts to bomb the Anthéor Viaduct, an important railway link between France and Italy but, as on two earlier raids, are not successful despite low-level runs by Wing Commander Cheshire and Squadron Leader Martin. The sides of the valley are very steep and the target is defended by guns which damage both of the low-level aircraft. Flight Lieutenant R. C. Hay, the bomb aimer in Martin's aircraft and the Squadron Bombing Leader since No 617's formation, is killed.

• 8 Mosquitos are sent to Elberfeld and 4 to Duisburg, there are 3 Serrate patrols, and 25 Halifaxes and Stirlings lay mines in the Frisians and off Cherbourg.
• 1 mine-laying Halifax is lost.

• 97 2nd Bomb Division B-24s, including 4 GH-equipped pathfinders, attack the V-weapons site at St.-Pol/Siracourt. Close escort is provided by 84 P-47s, and 41 354th Fighter Group P-51s conduct a sweep of the area.
• No bombers are lost, but 29 are damaged by intense flak

• XII Bomber Command B-25s attack gun emplacements in and around Campoleaone.
• XII Bomber Command B-26s attack Cecina.
• XII Air Support Command A-36s and P-40s attack the Fabrica di Roma Airdrome as well as numerous tactical targets and towns in and around the battle area.

• All 15th Air Force B-17 and B-24 sorties that can be launched in the face of bad weather are made in support of Allied ground forces in the Anzio beachhead.

Air Operations, New Guinea

Nearly 50 V Bomber Command A-20s attack Japanese Army ground defenses near Wewak.

Air Operations, Marshalls

• An estimated 6 to 12 Japanese Navy four-engine patrol bombers based at Ponape Island in the Caroline Islands attack Roi Island in the Kwajalein Atoll from high altitude at about 0300 hours. After dispersing foil strips (known as “chaff”) to disable ground radar, each bomber drops a single 250-kilogram anti-personnel bomb and several light incendiary bombs. The very first bomb ignites the island’s main ammunition dump, which is turn destroys numerous facilities and an estimated 50 percent of aviation equipment and 80 percent of food suipplies on the island. 26 US servicemen are killed and 130 are wounded.
• 41st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the Maloelap and Wotje atolls.531st Fighter-Bomber Squadron A-24s and VII Fighter Command P-39s attack the Mille Atoll.

Allied Planning

Allied planners set May for the cross-Channel invasion of France.

Atlantic

Over the next 3 nights German MTBs lay mines off the Humber and near Greater Yarmouth.

Bismarcks

The marines on New Britain take Gorissi, 25 miles east of Cape Gloucester. The Allies land on Rooke (Umboi?) Island in the Dampier Strait, Bismarck Sea.

Eastern Front

The battle for the Korsun pocket grows in intensity. In the north the troops of the Volkhov Front under Kiril A. Meretskov take the important railway junction of Batetskaya also push forward and reach Luga. The entire east bank of Lake Peipus is cleared of German troops. Russian units reach a point within 45 miles of Pskov which controls the approaches to Latvia.

The 67th Army enters Luga from the north but becomes embroiled in bitter fighting with the XXVIII Corps. The 59th and 54th Armies are also attacking the city from the east, pounding the German defenses.

Elements of the III Panzer Corps take Vinograd. There are fierce tank battles with the 6th Tank Army and 5th Guards Army. Lysyanka falls after bitter fighting, the closest the III Panzer Corps will get to the Korsun pocket. Due to the difficult ground conditions the III Panzer Corps is being air dropped fuel. Inside the pocket the SS Wiking Division launches a determined counterattack at Shenderovka, aimed at taking the village in preparation for the breakout. However, the Russian forces prove too strong and the SS are beaten back with heavy casualties. Despite this setvack, an attack by the 72nd Infantry Division at Novo buda is successful and the village falls.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

• 23 XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack Rabaul's Lakunai airfield. 20 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the Tobera airfield at Rabaul. AirSols TBFs and SBDs attack the Vunakanau airfield at Rabaul.
• VMF-212 F4Us down 7 A6M Zero and Ki-61 'Tony' fighters, and a VMTB-143 TBF crew and a VMSB-244 SBD crew each down 1 Zero in the Rabaul area between 1052 and 1120 hours.
• 35 V Bomber Command B-24s, escorted by 32 V Fighter Command P-38s, attack the Kavieng airfield on New Ireland.

Air Operations, CBI

• 32 10th Air Force P-51s and A-36s attack a radio station and supply dumps near Kamaing, and bivouacs near Walawbum. 1 490th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25 and 6 P-51s attack warehouses and a road bridge near Wuntho. 18 P-51s attack road and rail junctions near Kamaing and a bivouac near Walawbum.
• During the night, 16 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the airfield at Heho.

• 6 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack a convoy near Foochow. 4 B-25s attack 2 ships near Hainan Island as well as an oil dump, rail facilities, and the port area at Bakli.

• 23 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack rail facilities at Vinh. 6 14th Air Force P-40s attack the airfield at Phu Tho and rail cars.

Air Operations, Europe

• 266 3rd Bomb Division B-17s attack 12 V-weapons sites, and 138 2nd Bomb Division B-24s attack 5 V-weapons sites, all in the Pas-de-Calais area.
• 4 B-24s are lost; 16 of 40 crewmen are rescued when 2 of them ditch off the English coast
• Escort is provided by 189 P-47s and 43 P-51s. 356th Fighter Group P-47 pilots down 5 FW-190s in running dogfights between Paris and the Channel coast between 1500 and 1520 hours.

• 182 IX Bomber Command B-26s arrack V-weapons sites along the Channel coast.
• 25 B-26s confounded by bad weather attack secondary targets in the same area.

• XII Bomber Command B-26s attack a viaduct.
• XII Bomber Command B-25s>
• XII Air Support Command A-20s, A-36s, and P-40s attack tactical targets around the Anzio beachhead.

Air Operations, Far East

Aircraft from US 14th Army Air Force, under Maj-Gen Chennault, raid a Japanese air base at Hong Kong.

Air Operations, Marshalls

• Task Group 58.4 carrier aircraft pound targets in the Eniwetok Atoll and then retire to the Majuro Atoll to replenish.
• Throughout the night, VII Bomber Command B-24s mount individual attacks against the airfields on Mille, Maloelap, and Wotje.

Air Operations, New Guinea

More than 70 38th and 345th Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the Momote airfield on Los Negros in the Admiralty Islands. 24 V Bomber Command A-20s attack Aitape.

Italy

While the Allies suspend their attacks on Cassino, the 4th Indian Regiment takes over the positions of the US 168th Regiment of the 34th Division.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

• 30 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack Rabaul's Vunakanau airfield. 28 XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Rapopo airfield at Rabaul. AirSols TBFs and SBDs attack the Tobera airfield at Rabaul.
• A VMF-222 F4U downs an A6M Zero over the Tobera airfield at Rabaul at 1150 hours.
• 43 V Bomber Command B-24s attack the Kavieng and Panapai airfields on New Ireland.
• Of 16 VMTB-233 TBFs undertaking a night aerial minelaying mission to Simpson Harbor, Rabaul, two are known to be shot down by shore-based anti-aircraft fire and four others disappear without a trace. All 18 crewmen are lost.
• XIII Bomber Command B-24s mount a diversionary attack against the Rabaul area while the minelaying operation is underway.

Air Operations, CBI

• 10th Air Force P-51s and A-36s mount more than 70 effective sorties against dumps, motor transport, rail facilities, and troop concentrations throughout Burma. 2 P-51s are downed by Japanese fighters.

Air Operations, Carolines

42 11th and 30th Heavy Bomb group B-24s attack the airfield, seaplane base, and port facilities at Ponape Island with 58 tons of bombs. This retalitory mission is the first time USAAF bombers have struck a target in the Caroline Islands.

Air Operations, Europe

• 48 353rd Fighter Group P-47s, of which 23 are equipped with 1 500-pound bomb apiece, are deterred by cloud cover from attacking the Eindhoven Airdrome, so they dive-bombed the Gilze/Rijen Airdrome instead.

• XII Bomber Command B-25s attack a marshalling yard.
• XII Air Support Command A-20s attack Grottaferrata.
• XII Air Support Command A-36s attack gun emplacements, motor vehicles, and rail yards in and around the battle areas.
• XII Air Support Command P-40s attack German Army troops and equipment around the Anzip beachhead.
• XII Air Support Command P-47s attack a defended town and a dump.

• 12th Air Force P-40s attack a ship and a fuel dump.

• 15th Air Force B-24s attack marshalling yards at eight locations and several targets of opportunity.
• 15th Air Force B-17s attack the marshalling yards at three locations and targets of opportunity that include the aircraft factory and airdrome at Pontedera.
• In various fighter action, 15th Air Force P-38 and P-47 pilots down 10 Luftwaffe fighters during the afternoon.

Air Operations, Marshalls

• Within 12 hours of a devastating night bombing attack against the base, 10 F4Us from Marine Air Group 31’s VMF-224 and 6 VMF(N)-532 F4U night fighters arrive at the Roi airfield on Kwajalein from Tarawa to provide defensive cover. (Additional VMF(N)-532 night fighters will follow on February 23, as will additional air-search radars.)
• 3 VF-24 F6Fs down a G4M 'Betty' bomber 40 miles from Task Force 58 at about 1510 hours.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• More than 80 38th and 345th Medium Bomb group B-25s attack the Momote airfield on Los Negros. V Bomber Command A-20s strafe the airfield at Dagua, where an estimated 20 Japanese aircraft are destroyed on the ground.
• 49th Fighter Group P-40s down 7 Japanese fighters over the Wewak area between 1120 and 1125 hours.

Air Operations, Solomons

During the night, a total of 32 Rabaul-based bombers attack the Allied invasion flotilla bound for the Green Islands from Vella Lavella. 10 D3A 'Val' dive bombers that attack the surface covering force score a hit and 3 near misses on a US cruiser, killing 23 and wounding 28 crewmen. 12 of the attacking aircraft are downed by ships’ fire.

Baltic Sea

U-738 is sunk after a collison with the merchant ship SS Erna.

U-738

Air Operations, Bismarcks

• 23 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the Vunakanau airfield at Rabaul.
• VMF-212 and VMF-222 F4Us, and 347th Fighter Group P-38s down 9 A6M Zeros over the Vunakanau airfield between 0930 ad 0950 hours. A V Fighter Command P-38 downs a Ki-61 'Tony' fighter near Cape Hoskins at 1055 hours.
• 20 XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Borpop airfield on New Ireland. More than 70 V Bomber Command B-25s and A-20s, and 61 V Fighter Command P-38 escorts attack the Panapai airfield on New Ireland, a seaplane base, and shipping and the port and town areas at Kavieng. 17 V Bomber Command B-24s that encounter bad weather on their way to Kavieng attack Talasea instead. 8 aircraft are downed by anti-aircraft fire over Kavieng, but 15 crewmen are rescued by a Patrol Wing 17 PBY out of Cape Gloucester as 2 345th Medium Bomb Group B-25s strafe nearby gun positions.

Air Operations, CBI

• 10th Air Force fighters and fighter-bombers attack numerous targets throughout Burma. In a novel experiment, P-40s drop land mines in the Nampaung area.

• 4 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack coastal targets on the Gulf of Tonkin, a ship in Haiphong harbor, rail facilities, and bridges.

Air Operations, Carolines

42 VII Bomber Command B-24s attack Ponape Island.

Air Operations, Europe

The abbey atop Monte Cassino is heavily bombed by Allied air and artillery. Roosevelt says such monuments can not be spared when American lives are at stake. Destruction of the heavily fortified abbey, it was assumed, will deny German defenders their commanding position over the countryside. Even though the abbey is virtually leveled, the Allies still cannot take it. (see Italy below.)

• After a rest of more than 2 weeks for the regular bomber squadrons, 891 aircraft are sent to Berlin. In this total are 561 Lancasters, 314 Halifaxes and 16 Mosquitos. 75 planes abort.
• The main raid takes off in the early evening. The German controllers are able to plot the bomber stream soon after it leaves the English coast, but the swing north over Denmark for the approach run proves too distant for many of the German fighters. The contact with German night figters occurs near the east coast of Denmark. Combats with the fighters continue from there to the outskirts of Berlin. At least 20 bombers are shot down during this period. Flak is given priority over the target area as the German controllers order the fighters not to fly over Berlin. 3 planes are brought down by Flak out of the 775 that make it to Berlin. The time over the target is 21:13 to 21:35. 2,643 tons of bombs are dropped including 1,230 tons of high explosives and 1,413 tons of incendiaries. The heaviest hit areas are west and south of the city center. 320 people are killed and 260 are missing. Included in the bomb loads this raid are 470 4,000 pounders and 15 8,000 pounders. 47 communities in all directions from Berlin report being hit. 61 people are killed outside of Berlin. The diversionary raid on Frankfurt-on-Oder is basically ignored by the night fighters. Some night fighter are detained in the Dutch coast area. As a result 10-15 more bombers are lost on the return part of the flight. Upon returning to England 3 bombers crash and 2 are abandoned being low on fuel.
• 26 Lancasters and 17 Halifaxes are lost. Aircrew casualties include 265 killed, 54 POWs and 5 evaders.

• 23 Oboe Mosquitos attack 5 night-fighters airfields in Holland, 43 Stirlings and 4 Pathfinder Halifaxes lay mines in Kiel Bay, 24 Lancasters of No. 8 Group make a diversionary raid to Frankfurt-on-Oder, 9 aircraft make RCM flights, and 14 Mosquitos carry out Serrate patrols.
• 1 Serrate Mosquito is lost.
• Also, 2 Mosquitos are sent to Aachen, 6 Stirlings and 6 Wellingtons lay mines off Bayonne and Lorient, and 48 aircraft are involved in Resistance operations.
• 1 Stirling is lost on a Resistance flight.

• 42 VIII Fighter Command P-47 dive-bombers unable to locate their primary target in France bomb an airdrome thought to be in Belgium, either at Nieuport or Coxyde.

• 52 2nd Bomb Division B-24s of the 93rd, 389th, 445th, and 453rd Heavy Bomb Groups attack V-weapons sites in the Pas-de-Calais area with 150 tons of bombs. Escort is provided by 95 P-47s of the 4th and 356th Fighter Groups.

• During the morning, 247 IX Bomber Command B-26s attack the Cherbourg/Maupertus Airdrome, several V-weapons sites, and several targets of opportunity.
• During the afternoon, 141 IX Bomber Command B-26s attack V-weapons construction sites along the Channel coast.

• XII Bomber Command B-26s attack a rail line and a marshalling yard.
• XII Air Support Command A-20s attack road targets.
• XII Air Support Command fighters and fighter-bombers attack numerous tactiacal and transportation targets in and around Rome and the battle area.
• 52nd Fighter Group Spitfire pilots down 4 Luftwaffe fighters and damage several other aircraft near Viterbo Airdrome, in central Italy, about 1635 hours.

• 15th Air Force B-17s mount the first heavy-bomber attack on German Army fortifications on Monte Cassino, where the entire Allied ground effort has come to a halt in the face of unprecedented German resistance enhanced by a seemingly unbreachable defensive position. The 142 B-17s assigned to the mission drop 353 tons of bombs on the monastery, which, along with XII Bomber Command B-25s and B-26s, reduce the irreplaceable historical treasure to rubble. Still, the German Army resistance to follow-on ground attacks appears unfazed.
• More that 60 15th Air Force B-24s attack marshalling yards at two locations.

Air Operations, Marshalls

VII Bomber Command B-24s and 10 15th Fighter Group P-40 fighter-bomber attack the Mille Atoll.

Air Operations, New Guinea

49th Fighter Group P-40s down 9 Japanese fighters over Wewak between 1030 and 1050 hours.

Air Operations, Solomons

• A VMF(N)-531 PV crew downs an E13A 'Jake' reconnaissance float plane near the Green Islands at 0505 hours.
• Under an umbrella provided by 32 fighters from 8 US Marine Corps F4U squadrons, New Zealand Army ground troops land without opposition at Nissan Island, the largest of the Green Island group. At 0641 hours, an estimated 15 D3A 'Val' dive bombers attempting to attack the invasion flotilla are driven off by the covering aircraft and anti-aircraft fire. Fighter-director teams equipped with radar are functioning ashore by nightfall.
• VMF-212 F4Us down 6 D3A 'Vals' near the Green Islands at 0645 hours.

Argentina

A group of 6 officers including Juan Peron occupies the Foreign Ministry to prevent the declaration of war on the Tripartite Pact countries.

Diplomatic Relations

The Polish Government in London rejects a Soviet proposal that the Curzon Line, 322 km west of the 1939 Russo-Polish frontier should now be the post-war frontier.

Eastern Front

In the northern sector units of the Russian 2nd Assault Army and the 42nd and 67th Armies cross the Narva River and capture several Estonian villages.

Hitler agrees to allow Army Group North to abandon the Luga position and fall back to the borders with the Baltic States.

In the Korsun pocket the 72nd Infantry Division captures Chilki, but encounters severe Soviet resistance. As casualties mount the German attacks weaken. Gen Wilhelm Stemmermann knows that if the breakoud does not begin soon his corps will succumb to the relentless Russian attacks. However, with the fall of Chilki, he has established a base for the breakout and impatiently awaits Manstein's order. This is duly given, Stemmermann immediately proceeding to move the bulk of his forces to their attack sectors. Only a thin screen is left to cover his rear. Outside the pocket the III Panzer Corps continues its attacks but is simply unable to break the strengthened outer ring.

Gilbert Islands

Aircraft of the US Navy, taking off from Abemama Island, bombard the Japanese base at Wake.

Marshall Islands

The invasion force for Eniwetok sails from Kwajalein.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

• 12 XIII Bomber Command B-24s, escorted by many AirSols fighters, attack Rabaul's Vunakanau airfield.
• More than 30 V Bomber Command B-24s attack Kavieng and the Panapai airfield on New Ireland. More than 40 V Bomber Command B-25s and 10 Patrol Wing 17 PBYs attack a convoy at sea off New Hanover.

Air Operations, CBI

• 490th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s and 10th Air Force P-51s attack locomotives at Ktaingkwin. P-51s and A-36s attack bivouacs, troop concentrations, and dumps at Kamaing, Myitkyina, Tonkin, and Walawbum.

• 2 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack bridges at Yen Bay and along the coast.

Air Operations, East Indies

19 380th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s and V Bomber Command B-25s attack Halong, Celebes.

Air Operations, Europe

Another bombing raid on Berlin involves 891 aircraft. 43 fail to return. In his post-raid report, Goebbels will employ the unusual tactic of playing up the amount of damage caused in the hope that the Allies will think that the city is no longer an important target.

• In order to slow the offensive of the German Army against the Anzio beachhead, more than 250 fighter and fighter-bomber sorties are mounted by the XII Air Support Command and the 15th Air Force. To help stem the flow of German Army troops and material toward Anzio, unescorted 15th Air Force B-24s attack rail lines, road and rail bridges, and marshalling yards at six locations.
• XII Bomber Command B-25s attack the targets in the Campoleone area and the marshalling yard at Orte.
• XII Bomber Command B-26s attack a rail station, a factory, bridges at two locations, and a town.
• XII Air Support Command A-20s join RAF light and medium bombers in attacks on German Army troop concentrations all around the Anzio beachhead.
• XII Air Support Command fighters and fighter-bombers also attack tactical targets along the US 5th Army front.

Air Operations, Marshalls

• US carrier aircraft from Task Group 58.4 and Task Group 53.6 begin the final pre-invasion aerial bombardment of the Eniwetok Atoll and obtain photographic coverage of projected invasion areas. The Engebi airfiel on Eniwetok is put temporarily out of action and an estimated 14 Japanese Navy aircraft are destroyed on the ground.
• 12 VII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Maloelap and Wotje atolls. 531st Fighter-Bomber Squadron A-24s attack the Mille Atoll. 15th Fighter Group P-40 fighter-bombers mount two separate missions against the Jaluit Atoll.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Fighter Command P-40s attack barges and ships in the Wewak area.

Air Operations, Solomons

A VMF-217 F4U downs a G4M 'Betty' bomber near Buka Island at 1530 hours.

Burma

Skirmishing occurs in the Arakan area and near the Chinese border.

Diplomatic Relations

A Finnish diplomat arrives in Stockholm to receive terms for an armistice from the Soviet ambassador, Mme Alexandra Kollontay.

Eastern Front

In the northern sector the Russian offensive thrust is resumed after some slackening due both to German defense and to ground conditions.

In the Ukraine, west of Cherkassy, 7 German divisions manage to escape from encirclement in the Korsun-Shevchenkosky area. The 1st Panzer Army is largely responsible for the successful operation, thanks to which the Germans succeeded in bringing 30,000 of the 50,000 men in the pocket back to safety.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

• 70 AirSols TBFs and SBDs escorted by more than 40 AirSols fighters attack shipping in Keravia Bay.
• VMF-217, VMF-222, and VF-17 F4Us down 9 A6M Zeros and 1 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter over the Rabaul area between 0830 and 0905 hours. 2 F4Us are lost.
• 40 V Bomber Command B-24s attack the Panapai airfield on New Ireland and Talasea. 16 B-25s attack a submarine and two ships off New Hanover.
• ;During the night, US destroyers coached by airborne observers aboard Navy PB4Ys bombard Rabaul and Kavieng at close range.

Air Operations, Carolines

• Beginning with a dawn strafing attack by 72 F6Fs, US carrier aircraft from Task Force 58 support Operation CATCHPOLE, the impending invasion of Eniwetok Atoll, by mounting powerful attacks against the Japanese Navy regional base at the Truk Atoll. TBMs, SBDs, SB2Cs, and F6Fs damage or destroy as many as 150 aircraft on the ground and attack 4 Japanese warships and as many as 50 transports and other vessels in the lagoon.
• While supporting carrier-based SBDs and TBMs, as well as conducting their own strafing attacks against all manner of targets, F6Fs down 121 Japanese Navy aircraft, mostly A6M Zeros. A VT-9 TBFM gunner also downs 1 A6M. This is the highest one-day victory total so far in the Pacific War. 4 F6Fs are lost in the action.
• VII Bomber Command B-24s attack Ponape and Kusaie islands.
• During the night, 6 radar-equipped B6N 'Kate' torpedo bombers mount an unopposed attack against Task Force 58, and 1 torpedo hit is scored on the fleet carrier USS Intrepid, which retires to the Majuro Atoll.
• Also during the night, 12 VT-10 TBMs armed with 500-pound bombs mount the war’s first carrier-based night radar attack against shipping in Truk Lagoon. Several hits are claimed and several ships are apparently sunk.

Air Operations, CBI

• 2 490th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s and 6 10th Air Force P-51s attack a road bridge and rail facilitues in the Pyingaing area. 2 B-25s and 6 P-51s attack a bridge near Ye-u. 28 P-51s and A-36s attack Japanese Army ground troops and supply dumps between Lonkin and Kamaing. 2 P-51s attack a road junction near Maingkwan. 6 P-51s attack supply dumps around Lonton and Manywet.

• 4 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack a freighter near Vinh, a bridge, and 2 locomotives.

Air Operations, Europe

There are ceaseless Allied raids on the German spearheads at Anzio. More than 1,000 tons of bombs are dropped by Allied planes as part of a massive bombardment to prevent a German breakthrough to the sea at Anzio. Naval gunfire and artillery barrages help contain the Germans who had driven a wedge into the center of the US 45th Division.

• Allied naval bombardment and air attacks, including more than 800 medium and heavy bomber sorties, help prevent the German Army counterattack from breaking into the Anzio beachhead area. The 12th Air Force is fully engaged in turning back the German Army counterattack against the beachhead, and all types of aircraft, including 15th Air Force fighters and fighter-bombers, are employed in direct and close-support tactical missions as well as attacks on German Army lines of supply and communication. Also, unescorted 15th Air Force heavy bombers attack motor-vehicle parks, troop concentrations, and storage dumps.
• In the day's only air action in support of the US 5th Army, XII Air Support Command A-36s attack the Monte Cassino Monastery.

Air Operations, Marshalls

• The landing phase of Operation CATCHPOLE, the invasion of the Eniwetok Atoll (originally scheduled to take place in May), begins with intense air and naval bombardment. US Marine reconnaissance and scout troops secure outlying islands without opposition.
• VII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Jaluit Atoll, and 15th Fighter Group P-40s attack Japanese Navy floatplanes in the Jaluit Atoll.
• Escorting and supporting the Eniwetok invasion fleet and providing pre-landing and on-call air support are the carrier aircraft of Task Group 58.4 and Task Group 53.6. [See February 16, 1944.]

Air Operations, New Guinea

16 V Fighter Command P-47s attack targets of opportunity around Alexishafen.

Air Operations, Solomons

VMF(N)-531 PVs down 2 E13A 'Jake' reconnaissance float planes in the Green Islands at 0210 and 0330 hours, respectively.

Bismarcks

During the night American destroyers bombard Rabaul and Kavieng. Each of these ports is shelled twice more later in the month on nights chosen to coincide with other operations, particularly the landings on Los Negros.

Caroline Islands

Vice-Adm Spruance's formidable Task Force 58, which, although incomplete since the group engaged on the Eniwetok landing has been detached, still counts 9 aircraft carriers and 6 battleships, attacks installations and shipping at Truk. American bombers and torpedo-planes cause tremendous damage. 265 Japanese aircraft are destroyed on the ground or in combat among which were 200 designated to be moved to Rabaul for reinforcement there. The light cruiser Naka, the training cruiser Katori, the destroyer Maikaze, the destroyer Oite, the destroyer Tachikaze and some 30 other ships including 5 tankers are sunk. The airfields and port installations are disrupted. The Americans lose only 25 aircraft and the aircraft carrier Intrepid (CV-11) is damaged during the night by an enemy torpedo plane. In their night counterattack the Japanese lose another 31 aircraft. The battleships Iowa (BB-61) and New Jersey (BB-62) intercept the light cruiser Katori and a destroyer which escaped from the first attack on Truk, and sink them.

Eastern Front

The battle of the Korsun pocket comes to an end when the bulk of the surviving German forces reach their own lines. Of Gen Wilhelm Stemmermann's original force of 56,000, 35,000 have escaped but with little equipment. Stemmermann is himself killed. All of the 6 divs involved are totally unfit for further operations for the moment, leaving Manstein even more desperately short of manpower.

A special Order of the Day announces the liquidation of the Korsun-Shevchenkosky pocket. According to the Soviet announcement the Germans have lost 100,000 men although Marshal Konev's memoirs give 55,000 German dead and 18,200 prisoners. A substantial haul of arms and ammunitions falls into Russian hands. The next day, in Moscow, the great victory is celebrated by the firing of 12 salvos of 224 guns.

Group Stemmermann (Gen Wilhelm) begins to link up with the III Panzer Corps. Hundreds have been killed on the march though, freezing to death as they try to cross the icy Gniloy Tikich or falling under Russian fire. Among the casualties is Stemmerman, who is killed as his force reaches safety. Realizing that the Germans were escaping, the 2nd Ukrainian Front launches an all-out attack upon the pocket, striking the 57th and 88th Infantry Divisions hard.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

• 18 XIII Bomber Command B-24s and 34 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the VunaKanau airfield at Rabaul. 2 B-25s and 4 347th Fighter Group P-38s attack Rabaul's Tobbera airfield.
• 347th Fighter Group P-38s down 5 A6M Zeros over Tobera airfield at 1015 hours. VMF-222 F4Us down 2 A6M Zeros near Rabaul at 1020 hours. VF-17 F4Us down 7 Zeros over Cape Gazelle between 1050 and 1110 hours.
• VMF-216, in F4Us, makes its combat debut over Rabaul after guarding Torokina Field on Bougainville for a month.

Air Operations, Carolines

• US carrier aircraft from Task Force 58 continue to mount powerful attacks against the Truk Atoll. There is virtually no aerial opposition. 24 merchant ships amounting to 200,000 tons are sunk, as are 1 Japanese light cruiser and 1 destroyer. When Task Force 58 retires in the afternoon, US Navy losses stand at 17 aircraft and 26 pilots and crewmen lost in combat.
• The Japanese Naval base at Truk is considered to be neutralized, and the Pacific War high command soon decides to bypass it.
• More than anything, the Truk Raid of February 17–18, 1944, triggers the immediate collapse of Japanese resistance over Rabaul. Most of the 300 plus Japanese aircraft destroyed in the air or on the ground at Truk were to have gone on to Rabaul, and they cannot be replaced. Also, the strikes prove the vulnerability of the Truk base to carrier strikes, and so the Japanese aircraft already based at Rabaul are ordered to withdraw, because they are the most-immediately available to defend the great Japanese fleet anchorage from further depradations by US Navy carrier aircraft.

Air Operations, CBI

• More than 40 490th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s and 10 Air Force A-36 and P-51 fighter-bombers attack the town area at Ye-u, several bridges, a radio station, supply dumps, Japanese Army ground troops, and artillery batteries.

• 4 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack shipping in Bakli Bay, Hainan, as well as an ammunition dump and a rail bridge in nearby areas of French Indochina.

Air Operations, Europe

• In the Amiens Prison Raid 19 Mosquitoes, led by Grp-Capt Percy C. Pickard, breach the walls and temporarily free 250 members of the French Resistance, but 87 are killed. 4 planes are lost.
• There is a night raid on London by 187 aircraft as part of a new wave of bombing that will be called the 'Little Blitz'. 139 tons of bombs are dropped on target causing considerable damage and numerous casualties. The raiders copy RAF Pathfinder tactics.

• The 15th Air Force and the XII Bomber Command are grounded by bad weather.
• XII Air Support Command A-20s attack troop concentrations at Piedimonte.
• XII Air Support Command A-36s and P-40s mount numerous direct-support missions and sorties against German Army forces trying to break into the Anzio beachhead.
• Several attempted Luftwaffe attacks against the Anzio beachhead are turned bak by patrolling USAAf fighters, and 1 Bf-109 is downed over the beachhead by a 31st Fighter Group Spitfire pilot.

Air Operations, Marshalls

• Following a final pre-invasion bombardment by surface warships and aircraft from Task Group 53.6 escort carriers, US Marines and some US Army troops land at Eniwetok Atoll’s Engebi Island, which is largely overrun within hours.
• 15th Fighter Group P-40 fighter-bombers attack the Jaluit and Mille Atolls.

Baltic Sea

U-7 is lost in a diving accident, the exact circumstances of which are unknown.

U-7

Battle of the Atlantic

British frigate HMS Spey obtained an asdic contact in the afternoon and drops 10 depth charges in the area of U-406. The U-boat then surfaces and gunfire is exchanged. Spey prepares to lay a shallow pattern around the U-boat when it is determined the U-boat is being abandoned.

U-406

Bismarck Archipelago

Allied destroyers open up on the Japanese bases at Rabaul in New Britain and Kavieng in New Ireland.

Burma

In the Chinese 22nd Division sector Japanese units retire several miles to avoid being surrounded.

Caroline Islands

Task Force 58 fulfils its mission to the letter, completing the destruction of the Japanese base at Truk. During the operation, begun the previous day, about 200,000 tons of enemy shipping have been destroyed. As an exception to its ususal practice, Radio Tokyo admits the serious blow suffered by Japan.

US Carrier-based aircraft sink the Japanese destroyer Fumizuki and the submarine chaser No. 29 during the day's operations.

Eastern Front

In the north Popov's forces take the important town of Staraya-Russa south of Lake Ilmen and Novgorod. Kiril Meretskov's forces take Shimsk. In the southern sector the 3rd and 4th Ukraine Fronts under Malinovsky and Tolbukhin have almost completely annihilated the German 8th Army.

South of Lake Ilmen the X Corps of the 16th Army relinquishes Staraya Russa, the town falling to the 1st Shock Army.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

• A strike force composed of 23 AirSols TBFs, 48 SBDs, and 68 fighters is intercepted over the Rabaul area by fewer than 50 Japanese fighters. The light bombers attack the Lakunai airfield at Rabaul, 12 minutes later, 20 XIII Bomber Command B-24s, escorted by 35 AirSols fighters, attack Rabaul's Lakunai and Tobera airfields.
• A VF-17 F4U downs an A6M2-N 'Rufe' fighter-bomber float plane and 2 A6M Zeros over Cape Siar, New Ireland, at 0945 hours. VF-17 F4Us down 13 Japanese fighters over the Rabaul area between 1010 and 1025. VF-38 F6Fs down 4 Zeros over the Rabaul area between 1025 and 1030 hours. A VMTB-143 TBF crew downs 1 Zero over the Lakunai airfield at 1030 hours. 1 F4U is lost in the day's action.
• For all practical purposes, these are the last victories of the Rabaul air campaign. During the afternoon, all serviceable Japanese aircraft based around Rabaul are withdrawn from the region via New Ireland and the Truk Atoll. 30 damaged fighters and a handful of reconnaissance and utility aircraft are left behind.
• 12 V Bomber Command B-25s attack shipping near New Ireland and 7 A-20s attack shipping at Kavieng.

Air Operations, Carolines

VII Bomber Command attack Kusaie and Ponape islands.

Air Operations, CBI

• Several 490th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s and more than 60 10th Air Force P-51s and A-36s attack a wide array of targets, particularly dumps and rail lines, throughout Burma.

• 14th Air Force B-24s, B-25s, and P-40s mount intensive sweeps between Formosa and the French Indochina coast.

Air Operations, Marshalls

• Following a light air and naval bombardment, US Army ground troops land on Eniwetok Island and advance slowly against unexpectedly determined opposition. Elements of the Marine Air Group 22 headquarters land with the landing force.
• 41st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the Wotje Atoll. 15th Fighter Group P-40 fighter-bombers attack the Mille Atoll. (After losing 10 B-25G gunships to ground fire and 7 to Japanese Navy fighters in slightly more than 200 low-level sorties since December 28, 1943, the 41st Group switches to medium-level attacks, of which this is the first. Losses will drop off.)

Air Operations, Solomons

A VMF(N)-531 PV crew downs an E13A 'Jake' reconnaissance float plane near the Green Islands at 2145 hours.

Air Operations, Europe

• 823 aircraft are sent to Leipzig. In this total are 561 Lancasters, 255 Halifaxes and 7 Mosquitos.

• Following the Berlin raid on the 16th Air Marshal Harris tries to schedule a follow up raid for the next 3 nights but bad weather prevents it. This night the main raid is to Leipzig. There are two diversions: a mine-laying operation to Kiel Bay and a Mosquito raid on Berlin. This is not a good raid for Bomber Command. The German controllers only sent part of their force to the Kiel mine-laying diversion. When the main bomber stream crosses the Dutch coast, they are met by the remaining German fighter force and those that had been sent north to Kiel hurry to return. As a result, the bombers are under attack all the way to the target. Further difficulties arise when the strong head winds that are predicted are not present. As a result, many planes arrive at the target area ahead of schedule and take measures to delay their arrival. Many aircraft have to circle the target area awaiting the Pathfinders. As the bombing time approaches, collisions happen with planes coming from all directions with everyone trying to get in and get out as quickly as possible. Leipzig is cloud-covered and the Pathfinders have to use skymarking. The early part of the raid seems to be concentrated but becomes scattered. 969 people are killed and 51,380 people are bombed out of their homes. The targeted Messerschmitt plant survives the raid but is hammered the following day by US carpet bombing.
• 4 aircraft are lost in collisions and about 20 are lost to flak.

• 45 Stirlings and 4 Pathfinder Halifaxes lay mines in Kiel Bay, 16 Oboe Mosquitos bomb night-fighter airfields in Holland, 15 Mosquitos make a diversionary raid to Berlin, there are 12 Serrate patrols, 3 Mosquitos are sent to Aachen and 3 more bomb flying-bomb sites in France.
• 1 Mosquito is lost on the Berlin raid.
• The Luftwaffe make their heaviest raid on London since May 1941.

• XII Bomber Command B-25s attack German Army troop concentrations north of the Anzio beachhead area.
• XII Air Support Command A-36s and P-40s mount more than 200 sorties against tactical targets along the Anzio battle lines.
• 52nd Fighter Group Spitfire pilots down 12 Bf-109s in a running fighte over central Italy between 1310 and 1355 hours. Other 12th Air Force fighter pilots down 6 other Luftwaffe fighters throughout the day.

Battle of the Atlantic

• British frigate HMS Spey is en route to join convoy ON-224 when a submarine is detected by asdic. The depth predictor with which the frigate was equipped determined the U-boat (U-386) to be about 350-ft. Depth charges are set accordingly and after the first pattern, the U-boat breaks surface and begins to fight returning gunfire. The U-boat then tries to escape on the surface when Spey closes and straddles the submarine with a shallow-set pattern causing the U-boat to sink stern first.

U-386 Class Type VIIC CO Oberleutnant zur See Fritz Albrecht Location Atlantic Cause Depth charge Casualties 33 Survivors 18

U-264 Class Type VIIC CO Kapitänleutnant Hartwig Looks Location N Atlantic Cause Depth charge Casualties None Survivors 51

• The first German submarine to be fitted with 'Schnorkel' equipment, U-264 is sunk by the sloops Starling and Woodpecker.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

12 V Bomber Command B-24s attack shipping at Kavieng. 35 XIII Bomber Command B-25s attack the Lakunai airfield at Rabaul.

Air Operations, East Indies

18 V Bomber Command B-24s attack the Laha airfield on Ceram.

Air Operations, Europe

On this day Operation ARGUMENT begins. The US strategic air force mounts a series of heavy attacks against German aircraft factories. Brunswick, Leipzig and Regensburg are among the targets. In the operations on the 20th, 940 bombers and 700 fighters are sent on attacks and 21 bombers are lost. Operations on the 25th are less successful, with 65 of a force of 800 bombers being lost. The series of attacks becomes known as 'Big Week'. The losses on the 25th are not typical of the present US operations and the continuing high German losses in the fighting are beginning to tell in the strength and quality of their forces.

A total of 3,800 sorties with powerful fighter escort drop 10,000 tons of bombs in an attempt ot knock out major fighter assembly and component plants in Germany and Austria. The Americans claim 517 German fighters are shot down.

• 598 aircraft are sent to Stuttgart. Included in this total are 460 Lancasters, 126 Halifaxes and 12 Mosquitos. The North Sea sweep and the Munich diversion successfully draw the German fighters up 2 hours before the main bomber force flies inland.
• 7 Lancasters and 2 Halifaxes are lost. 4 more Lancasters and 1 Halifax are lost when they crash upon returning to England.
• 156 aircraft fly a large training exercise across the North Sea as a preliminary feint, 24 Mosquitos attack airfields in Holland, 7 Mosquitos make a diversionary raid on Munich, there are 7 Serrate patrols, and 28 Stirlings and 6 Wellingtons lay mines off French ports.
• 1 Wellington is lost.

• 276 1st Bomb Division B-17s attack the Leipzig/Mockau Airdrome and several briefed aircraft-industry plants, and 64 1st Bomb Division B-17s attack Oschersleben and other targets of opportunity.
• 7 B-17s are lost
• 163 2nd Bomb Division B-24s attack several aircraft-industry factories around Brunswick and Gotha, as briefed, but 81 other B-24s are obliged for various reasons to attack several wide-ranging targets of opportunity.
• 8 B-24s are lost
• Severe cloud cover renders the planned 3rd Bomb Division attacks something of a shambles, but 296 B-17s attack the Tutow Airdrome and several wide-ranging targets of opportunity.
• 6 B-17s are lost, 1 interned in Sweden
• Support for the bombers is suppled by 935 USAAF fighters whose pilots down 59 Luftwaffe fighters and 2 Ju-88 attack aircraft over Germany and Belgium between 1230 and 1520 hours.
• 4 USAAF fighters are lost with their pilots

• 35 IX Bomber Command B-26s attack the Haamstede Airdrome, but approximately 100 other B-26s dispatched against several airdromes are foced to abort in the face of bad weather.

• XII Bomber Command B-25s attack assembly areas and dumps north of the Anzio beachhead.
• XII Bomber Command B-26s attack troop concentrations along roads around Vallalta.
• XII Air Support Command A-20s attack troop concentrations and numerous motor vehicles.
• XII Air Support Command A-36s and P-40s attack two towns, troops, trucks, tanks, and a factory.

• 105 15th Air Force B-24s support Allied ground forces in the Anzio beachhead.

Air Operations, Marshalls

• Preceded by strafing attacks mounted by Task Group 53.6 F6Fs, US ground forces continue to advance against firm opposition on Eniwetok Island. Other Task Group 53.6 aircraft and the main body of Task Force 58 attack targets elsewhere in the Eniwetok Atoll, and Fleet Carrier Air Group 10 (USS Enterprise) mounts strong attacks against the Jaluit Atoll, which is to be bypassed.
• 9 41st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the airfield on Wotje. 15th Fighter Group P-40 fighter-bombers attack the airfield on Mille and ships in the lagoon.

Air Operations, New Guinea

38 V Bomber Command B-24s attack targets in the Alexishafen-Hansa Bay area.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-413 sinks the British destroyer Warwick 15 miles off Cornwall with the loss of 67 of her crew. There are 93 survivors.

Eastern Front

Popov's 2nd Baltic Front sends 22nd Army on a new attack toward Kholm which is quickly successful.

Green Islands

New Zealand contingents crush the last resistance of the Japanese garrison on the islands which are located opposite New Ireland.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

• Despite bad weather that causes numerous aborts, 2 of 5 ships evacuating irreplaceable Japanese aircraft-maintenance crews and other key aviation personnel from Rabaul are sunk with great loss of life off New Ireland by 16 38th and 345th Medium Bomb group B-25s. AirSols bombers later sink a rescue tug carrying most of the survivors of the earlier sinking.
• 15 XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack Rabaul's Lakunai airfield. 4 B-24s attack the Rapopo airfield at Rabaul. AirSols TBFs and SBDs attack anti-aircraft batteries at Rabaul's Lakunai airfield.
• 50 V Bomber Command B-24s attack coastal targets at Talasea and Iboki plantations in western New Britain. Several B-24s attack shipping off New Hanover.V Fighter Command P-39s attack Japanese Army ground troops.

Air Operations, Carolines

VII Bomber Command B-24s attack Kusaie and Ponape islands.

Air Operations, CBI

• 490th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s, escorted by RAF fighters, attack a road tunnel between Maungdaw and Buthidaung. Several B-25s and more than 50 10th Air Force P-51s and A-36s attack a Japanese Army headquarters, military camps, and dumps throughout Burma.

Air Operations, Europe

• 17 Mosquitos are sent to Duisburg, Stuttgart and 2 flying-bomb sites, there is 1 Serrate patrol, 41 aircraft lay mines in the Frisians and off French ports, and there are 10 OTU sorties.
• 1 mine-laying Stirling is lost.

• Although briefed for attacks against airdromes at Gutersloh, Lippstadt, and Werl, 285 of 336 1st Bomb Division B-17 are oblidged by bad weather to attack targets of opportunity including seven airdromes and a marshalling yard at Lingen.
• The 2nd Bomb Division is briefed to attack the Achmer and Handorf Airdromes, but bad weather disperses the B-24 formations. Achmer Airdrome is attacked by only 11 aircraft while 203 others attack targets of opportunity including three other airdromes and Lingen.
• 175 of the 281 3rd Bomb Division B-17s dispatched attacked their briefed primaries, the Diepholz Airdrome and the city of Brunswick, but bad weather forces the other 88 B-17s to divert to targets of opportunity which include two other airdomes and the city of Hannover.
• 13 B-17s and 3 B-24s are lost; 6 B-17s and 1 B-24 are written off; 163 crewmen are lost
• Escort and support is provided by 69 P-38s, 542 P-47s, and 68 P-51s. USAAF fighter pilots down 27 Luftwaffe fighters over Germany and the Netherlands between 1320 and 1545 hours.
• 2 P-47s and 3 P-51s are lost with their pilots

• Of more than 200 IX Bomber Command B-26s dispatched in the morning against the Coxyde/Furnes Airdrome, only 18 locate and attack the target. All the rest abort due to bad weather.

• XII Bomber Command B-25s attack the marshalling yards at Orte.
• XII Bomber Command B-26s and XII Air Support Command A-36s and P-40s attack troop concentrations, a fuel dump, and tanks and motor vehicles around Campoleone.
• XII Air Support Command fighter-bombers attack the Itri-Gaeta road.
• USAAF fighter pilots down 3 Bf-109s over Italy.

Air Operations, Marianas

During the night, an esimated 35 G4M 'Betty' torpedo bombers mount numerous individual attacks in a futile attempt to thwart the advance of Task Force 58 upon targets in the Marianas. Faulty direction equipment prevents US Navy night fighters from taking part in the action, but anti-aircraft fire and skillful maneuvering prevent any torpedo hits.

Air Operations, Marshalls

• Task Group 58.4 and Task Group 53.6 carrier aircraft attack targets throughout the Eniwetok Atoll. VII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Jaluit Atoll. 41st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the Maloelap Atoll. 15th Fighter Group P-40 fighter-bombers attack the Mille Atoll. Fleet Carrier Air Group 10 light bombers and fighters attack the Jaluit Atoll.
• VF-39, in F6Fs, and the VMSB-231 flight echelon, in SBDs, are delivered to the Majuro Atoll by US escort carriers. Both units will participate in neutralizing bypassed Japanese bases.

Air Operations, New Guinea

Nearly 30 V Bomber Command A-20s attack targets in the Madang and Hansa Bay areas.

Burma

The 5th Indian Division clears the Japanese from commanding heights in the Arakan.

Diplomatic Relations

A US note to Eire requests the expulsion of Axis diplomats who were charged with engaging in espionage activities. An Irish rejection is published on March 10.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

• 70 AirSols TBFs and SBDs attack shipping in Keravia Bay. More than 40 XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Lakunai and Keravat airfields at Rabaul.
• US destroyers operating in daylight in the Rabaul and Kavieng areas are not molested, leading Allied intelligence specialists to conclude that all or most Japanese aircraft in the region have been withdrawn.
• More than 60 V Bomber Command B-24s and B-25s attack Japanese Army ground positions at Iboki Plantation on New Britain in support of a US Marine ground advance through the area.

Air Operations, CBI

• More than 70 10th Air Force B-25s, P-51s, and A-36s attack numerous bridges, supply dumps, and targets of opportunity. 14th Air Force P-40s attack a large riverboat at Bhamo.

• 14th Air Force P-40s attack the airfield at Kengtung.

Air Operations, Europe

• In dense cloud and freezing conditions, a B-24 group bombs Nijmegen, Holland by mistake, killing 200 civilians.
• US 15th Air Force bombers from Italy join in the attacks on German aircraft factories.

• 10 Mosquitos are sent to Stuttgart, 8 to Duisburga and 3 to Aachen, 71 Halifaxes and 40 Stirlings are sent to lay mines off the north German coast but are recalled because of bad weather over their bases, there are 2 RCM sorties and 2 Serrate patrols.
• There are no losses.

• Severe weather conditions over northwestern Europe cause 544 of 799 B-17s and B-24s to be recalled or abort on their own. Just 81 of 289 1st Bomb Division B-17s to attack the briefed primaries, the aircraft-industry factories at Aschersleben and Bernburg while 100 others attack various targets of opportunity. Only 74 of 177 2nd Bomb Division B-24s dispatched drop their bombs on four Dutch towns thinking they are over Germany.
• 38 B-17s and 3 B-24s are lost, 4 B-17s are written off; 35 crewmen are killed, 397 are missing
• Escort and support for the 8th Air Force heavy bombers is provided by 659 USAAF fighters. USAAF fighter pilots down 57 Luftwaffe fighters, 1 Ju-88, and 1 Italian-made flying boat over Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands between 1215 and 1555 hours.
• 8 P-47s and 3 P-51s are lost with their pilots

• 66 IX Bomber Command B-26s attack the Gilze-Rijen Airdrome, but more than 100 other abort due to bad weather.

• XII Bomber Command B-25s attack a marshalling yard and a rail bridge.
• XII Bomber Command B-26s attack a rail bridge.
• XII Air Support Command A-20s, P-40s, and P-47s attack targets near Campoleone.
• XII Air Support Command A-36s attack gun emplacements and troops near Carroceto.
• XII Air Support Command P-47s attack the road net around Roccasecca.
• Fighter pilots of the 12th Air Forc's 31st and 324th Fighter Groups down 9 Bf-109s and damage or possibly down 8 other Luftwaffe fighters in two separate engagements over central Italy between 0750 and 0910 hours.

• In the main 15th Air Force attack of the day against aircraft factories in the city of Regensburg, in southern Germany, 118 B-24s demolish a good part of the Obertraubling Messerschmitt fighter assembly plant, but the bomber force is attacked by and estimated 120 Luftwaffe fighters.
• 14 B-24s are lost

• 65 B-17s attack the nearby Prufening Messerschmitt components factory with 153 tons of bombs.
• 5 B-17s are lost
• The marshalling yard at Peterhausen, a secondary target, is struck with 42 tons of bombs by 21 15th Air Force B-17s after they go astray of the main body of heavy bombers bound for Regensburg.
• Penetration and target escort is provided by 122 15th Air Force P-38s, and withdrawal escort is provided by 63 P-47s. Despite ample opportunities to score, no Luftwaffe fighters are downed.
• 1 P-38 and 1 P-47 are lost

• 304th Heavy Bomb Wing B-24s attack port facilities at Sibenik.
• 28 5th Heavy Bomb Wing B-17s attack the airdrome at Zagreb.

Air Operations, Marshalls

• 8 531st Fighter-Bomber Squadron A-24s and 9 15th Fighter Group P-40 fighter-bombers attack the Mille Atoll. During the mission, in the first attack of its kind undertaken by a 7th Air Force warplane, one P-40 fires aerial rockets at a ground target.
• ;Following days of air, naval, and artillery bombardment, US Marine ground troops land on Parry Island, where opposition is spirited and unyielding. However, the island—the last objective in the Marshalls—is declared secure at nightfall. The Eniwetok Atoll is also declared secure.
• Task Group 53.6 is relieved from covering the Eniwetok operations by the USS Manila Bay (VC-7); and the seaplane tender USS Chincoteague arrives to support operations by Task Force 57 amphibian scout bombers, which immediately begin a program of search operations to the west.

Air Operations, Marianas

• Beginning with a dawn sweep mounted by 48 F6Fs, carrier aircraft from Task Group 58.2 attack airfields and shipping at Guam and Saipan islands, and aircraft from Task Group 58.3 attack airfields and ground targets at Tinian and Rota islands. When a previously unknown airfield is located on Guam, it is also attacked.
• 168 Japanese aircraft are claimed destroyed in the air and on the ground. US carrier aircraft also attack Japanese Navy transports, of which several are claimed sunk and the rest are driven into the teeth of waiting US submarines.
• A VF-25 F6F downs a G4M 'Betty' torpedo bomber near Task Force 58 at 0620 hours. F6Fs down 2 Ki-48 'Lily' bombers, 4 G4M 'Betty' bombers, and 16 A6M Zero and Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters over Saipan and Tinian between 0645 and 0800 hours. 5 Zeros are shot down over Guam between 0815 and 0835 hours, 1 Zero over Tinian at 0945 hours and 7 Zeros over Saipan between 1245 and 1300 hours.
• Task Group 58.2 and Task Group 58.3 retire toward Majuro during the afternoon, but they are attacked almost continuously between 2000 hours, February 22, and 0900 hours, February 23, by 4 waves of land-based aircraft. Anti-aircraft fire keeps many of the attackers at bay, and skillful maneuvering saves the ships from any damage. Nevertheless, a strong case is made in favor of stationing night fighters aboard all the fast carriers.

Air Operations, New Guinea

After diverting from the Admiralty Islands in the face of bad weather, V Bomber Command B-24s attack targets in the Madang area, and B-25s attack targets around Rein Bay. Also, V Fighter Command P-39s attack targets in the Madang area.

Britain, Home Front

Churchill makes a statement in the House of Commons about relations between Russian and Poland. He declares that the USSR desires a strong, independent Poland and that, if the eastern frontier of Poland has to be adjusted at the end of the war, territorial compensation will be made at the expense of Germany both in the north and the west. Four days later the Polish government-in-exile in London protests against the Premier's statement, declaring that Poland cannot accept the 'Curzon Line' as its future frontier, which would deprive the country of almost half its territory and about 11 million of its citizens.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

9 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack Rabaul's Vunakanau airfield. 10 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the Keravat airfield at Rabaul. 4 US Navy PVs attack buildings on Cape St. George. 4 XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack Japanese Army bivouacs. XIII Fighter Command P-38 fighter-bombers mount their first dive-bombing mission of the Rabaul campaign, an attack against the Rabaul town area.

Air Operations, Carolines

VII Bomber Command B-24s attack Kusaie and Ponape islands.

Air Operations, CBI

• 14 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the airfields at Akyab and Dabaing. 3 490th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s and 12 10th Air Force P-51s attack a radio station at Man Pang. 4 10th Air Force P-51s attack warehouses at Chantha. 4 14th Air Force P-40s attack the airfield at Lashio.

• 4 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack shipping in the Gulf of Tonkin and rail facilities at Van Trai.

Air Operations, Europe

• 17 Mosquitos are sent to Düsseldorf, there are 2 Serrate patrols and 3 OTU sorties.
• There are no losses.
• A Mosquito of 692 Squadron on the Düsseldorf raid is the first Mosquito to drop a 4,000lb bomb. The Mosquitos of the Light Night Striking Force regularly carry such heavy bombs during the remaining months of the war to targets as far distant as Berlin.

• Almost the entire 12th Air Force is grounded by bad weather, but a small number of XII Air Support Command P-40s able to patrol the Anzio beachhead area and attack gun emplacements near Campoleone.

• 81 15th Air Force B-24s attack an aircraft assembly plant at Steyr, and 21 B-24s demolish much of the Steyr factory responsible for 10 percent of Germany's anti-friction ball-bearing production. Although the bombing results are excellent, the bomber force is attacked over the Alps by an estimated 120 Luftwaffe fighters, and it sustains the 15th Air Forces's worst one-day loss ratio: 17 B-24s downed against just 1 Me-210 downed and 2 Bf-110s damaged by 14th Fighter Group P-38 escort pilots.

Air Operations, Marianas

The crews of 4 VT-25 TBMs down a Ki-49 'Helen' heavy bomber at sea at about 1400 hours.

Air Operations, Marshalls

VII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Jaluit Atoll. 41st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the Taroa airfield on Maloelap. 15th Fighter Group P-40 fighter-bombers attack the Mille Atoll.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• Nearly 50 V Bomber Command B-24s and A-20s attack the airfield at Wewak and nearby anti-aircraft batteries.
• 3 17th Reconnaissance Squadron B-25s orbit at low level over Manus and Los Negros islands for 90 minutes without drawing fire. This leads to speculation regarding a possible Japanese withdrawal from the islands, and so Gen Douglas A. MacArthur orders a ground reconnaissance to be undertaken as soon as possible.

Burma

2 regiments of the Chinese 22nd Division occupy Yawngbang, from which the Japanese have already retired. In the British 14th Army sector, after trying hard but in vain to overcome the resistance of the 7th Indian Division at Sinzweya, the Japanese withdraw. It is the first time the British had defeated the Japanese in battle.

Eastern Front

In the north the Red Army takes Strugi Krasnyye, midway between Luga and Pskov. It also begins to attack Dno southwest of Lake Ilmen.

Indian Ocean

The US tanker E. G. Seubert, in Convoy PA-69, is torpedoed and sunk by U-510 about 200 miles from Aden. 3 of the crew and 3 Armed Guard sailors are lost in the explosion. The survivors are rescued by the Australian minesweeper Tamnworth and the Indian Navy corvette Orissa.

Italy

Gen Lucian K. Truscott, for some time deputy, takes full command of VI Corps at Anzio, replacing Gen John P. Lucas. Somewhat ironically the battle has now settled down to the sort of careful position warfare that Lucas is probably well fitted to control.

Marianas

The carriers of Frederick C. Sherman's TG 58.3 and Alfred E. Montgomery's TG 58.2 attack Rota, Tinian, Guam and Saipan. They sink 20,000 tons of Japanese shipping and a great number of enemy aircraft are destroyed on the ground or in combat.

Admiralty Islands

Gen MacArthur orders a reconnaissance in force of the Admiralty groups of islands.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

More than 20 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the town of Rabaul and the Keravat, Tobera, and Vunakanau airfields. 24 XIII Bomber Command B-24s thwarted by bad weather over the Vunakanau airfield attack Cape St. George.

Air Operations, Europe

There is a night raid on London, the ninth since the launching of the 'Little Blitz'. 129 bombers have been lost since January 21.

• 734 aircraft are sent to Schweinfurt. In this total are 554 Lancasters, 169 Halifaxes and 11 Mosquitos.
• This is Bomber Command's first raid to this city, the home of Germany's main ball-bearing factories. A new tactic is introduced this night as the main bombing force is split into 2 parts separated by a 2-hour interval.
• The first wave of 392 aircraft lose 22 of their number, while it is believed that the second wave of 342 aircraft only lose 4 of their number to fighters.

• 179 training aircraft carry out a diversionary sweep over the North Sea, 60 Halifaxes and 50 Stirlings lay mines in Kiel Bay and the Kattegat, 15 Mosquitos bomb airfields in Holland, 8 Mosquitos are sent to Kiel and 7 to Aachen, and there are 12 Serrate patrols. 5 Wellingtons lay mines off Lorient without a loss.
• 2 Stirlings are lost in the mine-laying operations and 1 Serrate Mosquito of No 141 Squadron, the first Serrate aircraft to be lost under Bomber Command control.

• 8th Air Force dispatches 505 heavy bombers against aviation-industry targets at Gorha, Kreising, Posen (Poznan, Poland), Schweinfurt, and Tutow. 295 3rd Bomb Division B-17s attack Rostock and other targets of opportunity. 238 1st Bomb Division B-17s attack Schweinfurt, ast briefed. 169 2nd Bomb Division B-24s atttack Gotha, as briefed. 44 B-24s accidentally release their bombs over Eisenach.
• 16 B-17s and 33 B-24s are lost, 2 are written off, 1 interned in Sweden; 5 crewmen killed, 484 missing
• Escort and support for the 8th Air Force bombers sent against Gotha and Schweinfurt is provided by 70 P-38s, 609 P-47s, and 88 P-51s, including double missions by the 359th and 365th Fighter Groups. 36 Luftwaffe fighers and 1 Ju-88 are downed over Germany, and 1 FW-190 is downed over Linz, Austria.
• 4 P-38s, 4 P-47s and 2 P-51s and their pilots are lost

• 145 IX Bomber Command B-26s mount afternoon attacks against V-weapons sites between St.-Omer and Abbefille.

• During the morning, 226 IX Bomber Command B-26s attack the Deelen, Leeuwarden, and Gilze-Rijen Airdromes.

• XII Bomber Command B-26s attack the Fabrica di Roma Airdrome.
• XII Air Support Command A-36s, P-40s, and P-47s attack gun emplacements, tanks, troops, trucks, motor vehicles, and a bridge.

• In another mission coordinated with the 8th Air Force, 15th Air Force B-17s attack aircraft-components targets at Steyr. Beginning 100 miles short of the target, at least 130 Luftwaffe dighter arriving in waves mount unrelenting attack that down several bombers before a single bomb is dropped. Despite intense flak coverage, a total of 87 B-17s drom 261 tons of bombs that completely level the primary target and also destroy a large supply of ball bearings stored in another facility. Once again beyond the flak belt, the bombers are again attacked by Luftwaffe fighters, some firing rockets. The escort force consists of 87 P-38s and 59 P-47s. 12 Luftwaffe fighters are downed by USAAF fighter plus 11 more claimed destroyed by bomber gunners.
• 16 B-17s and 3 P-38s are lost

• 27 15th Air Force B-17s that became separated from the force bound for Steyr, Austria, attack the oil refinery at Fiume.
• 1 B-17 is lost

Air Operations, CBI

• 12 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the Mingaladon airfield at Rangoon, port facilities at Moulmein, and rail sidings at Martaban. 10th Air Force fighters mount numrerous attacks in the Sumprabum area.

• 10 449th Fighter Group P-38s strafe sampans and other small craft along the Yangtze River. 1 P-38 is lost, but the pilot returns safely. A 23rd Fighter Group P-40 downs a Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter during an engagement over Chiuchiang at 1530 hours.