Air Operations, Europe

RAF Bomber Command mounts 10 major attacks on targets in Germany, dropping more than 8,000 tons of bombs. Berlin and Essen are heavily hit. The attacks on U-boat facilities continue. The American targets include Vegesack and Wilhelmshaven while the RAF again hit St Nazaire very hard. The navigational aid 'Oboe' is used for the first time in the raid on Essen on March 5 when 442 aircraft attack with considerable effect. This raid marks the beginning of what Air Marshal Harris calls the 'Battle of the Ruhr'. This is the first of 3 'battles' which Bomber Command will fight during the next year.

Battle of the Atlantic

In later British Admiralty appreciations, the first 20 days of this month are described as the period when the Germans came closest to defeating the convoy system and winning the battle. The total Allied shipping loss for the whole month is 120 ships of 693,400 tons, of which submarines sink 627,400 tons. Of the 108 ships falling to submarines, 72 are in North Atlantic convoys. (Allied Ships Lost to U-boats this month) The German U-boat fleet loses 15 boats but only 6 of these in convoy battles. The fiercest actions are around HX-229 and SC-122 (see March 14-20). One problem for the Allied forces is the change in the German coding machine introduced on March 8. By adding a fourth rotor to the standard Enigma machine the number of different settings is increased and the Germans hope that this will confirm the security of their communications. In fact the Allied coding services begin to operate as successfully as before after a brief delay.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack Gasmata.

Air Operations, CBI

• 46 51st Fighter Group P-40s attack targets of opportunity in the Hukawng Valley and around Nsopzup.

Air Operations, East Indies

90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack shipping off the Sunda Islands.

Air Operations, Europe

• 302 planes are sent to Berlin including 156 Lancasters, 86 Halifaxes and 60 Stirlings.
• The Pathfinders have a difficult time producing a concentrated marking because the individual parts of the extensive built-up areas of Berlin can not be distinguished on the H₂S screens. Photographs from the raid show that bombs fall over a 100 square mile area with an area southwest of the city receiving the main emphasis. Because a larger number of aircraft are now being used with the ability to carry larger bomb loads, that portion of the force that does hit Berlin causes more damage than any previous raid to this target. Some bombs hit the Telefunken works at which the H₂S set taken from the Stirling shot down near Rotterdam was being reassembled. The set is completely destroyed in the bombing but a Halifax of 35 Squadron with an almost intact set crashes in Holland on this night and the Germans are able to resume their research into H₂S immediately.
• 7 Lancasters, 6 Halifaxes and 4 Stirlings are lost.

• 6 Mosquitos are sent to the Ruhr, 49 Wellingtons and Halifaxes lay mines off the French and German coasts and there are 4 OTU sorties.
• 2 mine-laying Wellingtons are lost.

IX Bomber Command B-24s attack Naples harbor and several targets of opportunity in southwestern Italy.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

NASAF (Northwest African Strategic Air Force) B-26s attack an Axis freighter at sea north of Bizerte.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• In the opening Allied move of the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, 6 RAAF Bostons mount an attack against the Malahang airfield at aimed at keeping Japanese aircraft grounded.
• 90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack shipping in the Solomon Sea.
• 3rd Light Bombard Group A-20s attack Japanese Army ground troops and trails at several locations.

Air Operations, Sardinia

46 NASAF B-17s attack the docks, town, and rail lines at Cagliari. 1st and 82nd Fighter Group P-38 pilots down 5 Luftwaffe and Italian fighters in several running battles over the island between 1400 and 1415 hours.

Air Operations, Tunisia

• 9 1th Medium Bomb Group B-26s, escorted by 82nd Fighter Group P-38s, are sent to bomb the La Hencha bridge on the road between Gabes and Sfax. A P-38 pilot downs 1 Bf-109 at 1430 hours.
• NATAF (Northwest African Tactical Air Force) provide direct support for Allied ground forces around Bedja and Sidi Nasr.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The US freighter Wade Hampton (7176t), straggling from Convoy HX-227, is torpedoed and sunk by U-405. The British corvette Vervain rescues 41 crewmen and 26 Armed Guard sailors from the freighter.
• The US freighter Fitz John Porter (7176t), in Bahia, Brazil-to-Trinidad Convoy BT-6, is torpedoed by U-518 and abandoned. 1 Armed Guard sailor is lost in the attack. Brazilian minelayer Carioca rescues the survivors.

Burma

The construction of the Burma Road, the new route by which Allied supplies are to reach China, is completed. It runs from Ledo in India into Burma.

The Japanese re-group their forces to trap and eliminate the Indian 77th Chindit Brigade. The Chindit force is making slower progress than has been hoped, partly because it has been concerned to find clearings for supply drops, when in fact it later discovers that it is possible to recover supplies dropped in jungle areas. The Chindits continue to move east towards the Irrawaddy skirmishing with small Japanese garrisons along the way.

Air Operations, CBI

• 7 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack docks and a warehouse at Ahlone.
• 6 B-24s attack the railroad roundhouse at Maglwagon.
• 9 B-24s attack a bridge at Pazundaung.
• 6 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack a military camp and storage area at Lamaing.
• 24 B-25s attack Myitkyina.

Air Operations, Europe

• In minelaying ops, 60 aircraft operate on coastal areas between Texel and the Gironde River. 2 Wellingtons and 1 Lancaster are lost. 6 Mosquitos are sent to the Ruhr with one scoring direct hits in the middle of the main Krupps factory.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, Pacific

Spitfires intercept Japanese bombers over Darwin, taking the raiders by surprise. 6 out of 15 are shot down.

Air Operations, Sicily

38 NASAF B-17s attack the port facilities at Palermao during the afternoon destroying drydocks and ship-building facilities and setting 5 ships on fire. A 1st Fighter Group P-38 escort pilot downs and Italian Air Force Mc-200 over Palermo.

Air Operations, Southwest Pacific

8 43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack a Japanese Navy convoy of 8 transports and 8 destroyer-transports in the Bismarck Sea with 1,000-pound bombs from 6,500 feet. Numerous hits are thought to be scored and 2 transports are claimed as sunk. A second flight of 20 B-17s claims two direct hits and 4 near misses and leaving behind 3 burning transports and cargo vessels. At nearly dusk, as the convoy is appoaching the Vitiaz Strait, 11 43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s deliver the final attack of the day, claiming 2 hits for 43 bombs and a vessel left in sinking condition. In all, for the 3 B-17 attacks, 1 transport is confirmed as sunk and others are claimed as sunk.

Air Operations, Tunisia

• 9 17th Medium Bomb Group B-26s, escorted by 82nd Fighter Group P-38s, conduct a bombing attack on the La Hencha bridge at a mere 60 feet through heavy flak and determined oppostion by Luftwaffe fighers. The bridge is utterly demolishted. Escorting P-38 pilots of the 82nd Fighter Group's 96th Fighter Squadron down 5 Bf-109s.
• 2 B-26s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair
• NATAF fighters attack German Army tanks, troops, and motor vehicles northeast of Bedja and south of Mateur.

Battle of the Bismarck Sea

For the next three days this running battle takes place. A Japanese convoy of 8 transports carrying 7,000 troops of Gen Hidemitsu Nakano's 51st Division, escorted by 8 destroyers and led by Adm Masatomi Kimura is sighted en route from Rabaul to Lae. Having been forewarned of the convoy by ULTRA intelligence, it is attacked by planes from Gen Kenney's 5th Air Force on all three days, but especially on March 3. PT-Boats join the attack on March 4. All the transports and 4 destroyers, Asashio, Arashio, Tokitsukaze, and Shirayuki, and at least 3,500 men are lost with only about 950 making it to New Guinea. In the air the Australians and Americans lose 5 planes but shoot down 25. The Japanese regard the battle as a major disaster and a serious setback to their prospects in New Guinea.

Eastern Front

Over the next 3 days Panzers destroy the Russian 3rd Tank Army near Kharkov. Mussolini issues an Order of the Day announcing repatriation of the Italian Expeditionary Force (Corpo Spedizionario Italiano) 'to rest and have their ranks refilled'.

Rzhev, the strongly fortifies German base, is evacuated by the German Army Group Center.

Air Operations, Aleutians

4 XI Fighter Command P-40 fighter-bombers attack Kiska.

Air Operations, CBI

• Despite severe cloud cover, 6 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s attack Japanese Army barracks and warehouses.
• 13 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the dock area at Rangoon and the marshalling yard at Mahlwagon.
• 9 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack a rail bridge at Pazundaung.
• 6 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack rail facilities at Maymyo.

Air Operations, Europe

117 German night raiders are sent to London. Only 126 bombs are on target. 6 planes are lost.

• 10 Mosquitos of No. 139 Squadron carry out a long-range raid on the molyBrigadenum mine at Knaben, Norway, vital to the German steel industry. The target is successfully bombed, but a German FW-190 shoots down one of the Mosquitos.

• 417 aircraft are sent to Hamburg. Included in the total are 149 Lancasters, 123 Wellingtons, 83 Halifaxes and 62 Stirlings.
• Visibility is clear over the target but the Pathfinders make a mistake possibly thinking that the H² indications of mudbanks in the Elbe which have been uncovered by low tides are sections of the Hamburg docks. As a result, most of the bombing falls 13 miles downstream from the center of the city. Some bombs do hit Hamburg, however, causing 27 deaths and 95 injuries. 100 fires have to be put out before attention is turned to the town of Wedel which suffers extensive damage including several industrial concerns being destroyed.
• 4 Lancasters, 2 Wellingtons, 2 Halifaxes and 2 Stirlings are lost.

• 5 Mosquitos are sent to the Ruhr with more direct hits on the Krupps works being recorde, 14 aircraft lay mines in the Frisians and there are 5 OTU sorties.
• 1 mine-laying Stirling is lost.

IX Bomber Command B-24s attack bridges at Bianco and Siderno Marina.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• The Battle of the Bismarck Sea continues off Huon Gulf. A dawn attack by RAAF Beauforts is unsuccessul. Next, at 1000 hours, USAAF and RAAF attack aircraft assembled over Cape Ward Hunt begin attacking the convoy in waves. First up are 13 RAAF Beaufighters, each fitted with four nose-mounted cannon and six wing-mounted machine guns, which attack from 500 feet down to surface level in line-abreast formation. Immediately, 13 43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack with bombs and claim 5 direct hits. Minutes later, they are followed 13 3d Light and 38th Medium Bomb Group B-25 level bombers. Next up, and most effective, are 12 90th Light Bomb Squadron B-25 strafers, which fire their .50-caliber nose guns at the ships and then drop their 500-pound bombs on them. For the 37 bombs dropped by all the B-25s, 17 direct hits are claimed. The last wave of this attack consists of 12 3rd Light Bomb Group A-20s and 6 3rd Group B-25s, which claim 4 hits altogether. In all, the attacking aircraft claim 4 transports and 3 destroyers sunk.

• The Japanese A6M Zeros and Ki-43 'Oscar' figheters covering the convoy are held at bay by 28 35th and 49th Fighter Group P-38s. One B-17 and 3 P-38s are lost, but the P-38s claim 15 Zeros.
• 43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s return to the convoy at 1512 hours and claim 2 direct hits on a destroyer, following which 8 90th Light Bomb Squadron B-25 low-level strafers claim 2 destroyers in sinking condition from 4 direct hits apiece and 2 merchant ships severely damaged from strafing. A few minutes later, 15 38th Medium Bomb Group and 3d Light Bomb Group B-25 level bombers attacking from between several thousand feet to only 200 feet claim 10 direct hits. At almost the same moment, 5 RAAF Bostons attack a destroyer, and several B-17s attack a number of ships from medium altitude. In all, 2 destroyers and 2 transports are claimed, and USN PT-boats claim another transport during the night.
• By the end of the day, the bombers and PT-boats claim the destruction of the entire convoy. In actuality, however, all 6 of the Japanese transports, 1 service vessel, and 4 of 9 Japanese destroyers are sunk. An esimated 3,000 Japanese Army soldiers die in the action along with an unknown number of sailors.

Air Operations, Sicily

IX Bomber Command B-24s sent to attack Naples divert to Messina.

Air Operations, Tunisia

• 36 NASAF B-17s attack port facilities at Tunis and La Goulette.
• NATAF medium bombers and fighters attack German Army ground forces around Bedja, Bou Arada, and Mateur.
• IX Fighter Command P-40s attack German Army units engaged in probing attacks along the Mareth Line.
• 2 Bf-109s are downed by 1st Fighter Group's 94th Fighter Squadron over Tunis/El Aouina Airdrome at 1545 hours.
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Battle of the Atlantic

The US freighter Staghound, sailing independently from New York to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is torpedoed and sunk by the Italian submarine Barbarigo in the South Atlantic off the coast of Brazil without casualty. The 59 crewmen and 25-man Armed Guard are rescued the next day by the Argentine steamship Rio Colorado.

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Britain, Home Front

During the night raid on London AA rockets supplement the regular barrage but cause panic at Bethnal Green tube station. 173 people are killed and 62 are injured when entering after an alert had sounded. Deaths are caused by suffocation as hundreds stumble on the steep steps. No bombs fall in the vicinity.

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Burma

After a setback on March 2, the southern Chindit group succeeds in cutting the Mandalay-Myitkyina railroad just north of Kyaikthin. Wingate's column crosses the Mu River and, skirting the village of Tongmauw, tackles the Mingin Mountains, east of which the railway runs and the Irrawaddy River flows.

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Air Operations, Bismarcks

90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack small craft off Cape Gloucester and 43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack Ubili.

Air Operations, CBI

• 3 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack rail facilities at Ywataung.

Air Operations, Europe

• Despite adverse weather conditions and heavy attacks by Luftwaffe fighters, 28 of 71 VIII Bomber Command B-17s sent drop 90 tons of bombs on a marshalling yard at Hamm. After becoming separated from the main force, 16 91st Heavy Bomb Group B-17s drop the USAAF's first bombs on targets of opportunity in the Ruhr region of Germany.
• 5 of the attacking B-17s are lost, 24 damaged; 1 crewman is killed, 7 wounded, 42 missing
• Several B-24s taking part in a diversionary sweep of the English Channel are damaged by empty cartridges from bullets fired by aircraft ahead in the formation. Renewed efforts to develop better, safer, and more-defensible formations are sought for the defensive qualities of bomber formations.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

NASAF B-25s sent on anti-shipping sweeps between Sicily and Tunisia fail to locate any targets, but NASAF B-17s that find and attack an Axis convoy at sea northwest of Bizerte claim 4 ships sunk.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• The Battle of the Bismarck Sea is concluded when Allied aircraft sink the last of 8 Japanese Navy transports and destroyers that have been under attack for 4 days between Rabaul and Huon Gulf. Numerous Japanese aircraft assigned to protect the convoy are also counted as destroyed, as is the main body of a Japanese Army infantry division.
• 43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack small craft off Lae, and barges off Finschhafen.
• 43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s, 90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s, and V Bomber Command B-25s mount individual attacks against the Malahang airfield at Lae and the harbor.
• 3rd Light Bomb Group A-20s also attack the Malahang airfield at Lae and other nearby targets.
• 35th and 49th Fighter Group P-38s down 6 Japanese fighters in a large engagement over Huon Gulf and Lae between noon and 1250 hours.

Air Operations, Solomons

XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Kahili and Ballale airfields on Bougainville.

Air Operations, Tunisia

IX Fighter Command fighters provide cover for British 8th Army forces concentrating to meet a renewed German Army attack in southern Tunisia. A 57th Fighter Group P-40 pilot downs a Bf-109 in an engagement over the Mareth Line about 1500 hours.

Burma

The campaign toward Akyab grinds to a halt in the face of very heavy Japanese resistance.

Battle of the Atlantic

• In the Atlantic a Wellington bomber attacking U-333 is shot down by AA fire directed at the aircraft's Leigh Light.
• U-87 is depth-charged by the Canadian corvettes Shediac and St Croix which are escorting convoy KMS-10.

U-87

Eastern Front

The Soviets take Oenino and Chertolino to the west of Rzhev and in the Kursk area they take Sevsk and Sudzha. The next phase of Manstein's offensive begins and now the objective is Kharkov and the Soviet troops nearby. Part of the SS Panzer Corps attacks westward from Poltava and units of 4th Panzer Army attack northward from a line on the Berestovaya River west of Izyum.

The Northwest Front begins a new offensive south of Lake Ilmen in an effort to break the 16th Army defenses before Staraya Russa.

Olenino and Chertolino fall to the Kalinin Front as the XXIII Corps withdraws to the southwest.

After heavy fighting parts of the 3rd Tank Army are destroyed while others fight their way northwest as they try to escape. As these battles continues 2nd SS Panzer Corps begins to reassemble in preparation for its thrust toward Kharkov. The 4th Panzer Army moves north from Izyum. The XLVIII Panzr Corps, fighting near Taranovka, aims to attack in conjunction with the SS Panzer Corps. With their forces reeling, the Stavka orders its armies in the south onto the defensive.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s and 90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s mount individual attacks against Gasmata.

Air Operations, East Indies

43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s and 90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s mount individual attacks against Saumlakki in the Molucca Islands.

Air Operations, Europe

• The target is Essen for 442 aircraft - 157 Lancasters, 131 Wellingtons, 94 Halifaxes, 52 Stirlings and 8 Mosquitos.
• 56 aircraft turn back early due to technical defects and other causes. 3 of those are Oboe Mosquito marker aircraft. The 5 Mosquitos that do reach the target open the attack on time and mark the center of Essen perfectly. The Pathfinder backers-up do the same. The marking is blind because of haze which usually leads to incorrect marking. The Main Force bombs in 3 waves. Halifaxes are in the first wave, Wellingtons and Stirlings in the second, and Lancasters in the third. Two-thirds of the bomb tonnage is incendiary, the high-explosive bombs are fused for long delay. 362 aircraft claim to have bombed the target area during the 40-minute raid. Reconnaisance photographs show 160 acres of destruction with 53 buildings within the Krupps works receiving damage. Small numbers of bombs fall in 6 other Ruhr cities. This is also the first attack of Air Marshal Harris' Battle of the Ruhr, and from now until July 23, 1943 when the battle ends there will be 43 major attacks mounted by Bomber Command in which 1,000 aircraft will be lost.
• 4 Lancasters, 4 Wellingtons, 3 Halifaxes and 3 Stirlings are lost.

• 7 aircraft of No. 4 Group lay mines in the Frisians without a loss.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• 3rd Light Bomb Group A-20s attack the Malahang airfield at Lae.
• 43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s and 90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s mount individual attacks against Alexishafen and Lae.
• 49th Fighter Group P-38s down 3 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters near the Malahang airfield at Lae at 0840 hours, and 2 A6M Zeros, also over the Malahang airfield, at 0920 hours.

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-130 sinks 4 ships from Convoy XK-1.
• U-255 attacks the Loch Ewe, Scotland bound Convoy RA-53 torpedoing the US freighters Executive (4978t) and Richard Bland. The former is abandoned with the loss of 4 crewmen and 1 Armed Guard sailor. Her survivors are rescued by the British trawlers St. Elstan and Northern Pride. Executive is then scuttled. The Richard Bland, which was hit by a dud torpedo without serious damage, continues with the convoy.

Eastern Front

In the central-northern sector of the front the Russians attack towards Staraya Russa. Hoth's 4th Panzer Army inflicts heavy casualties on three Russian Corps west of Izyum, but cannot continue its attack because the Donets is blocked by floating ice which prevents bridging operations. German armor of Manstein's Army Group South advances in the face of strong resistance in the direction of Kharkov and Belgorod

In a speech at Kiev the Nazi Commissioner for the Ukraine, Erich Koch, says: 'We belong to the superior race, and we must govern with firmness and justice. . . I shall exploit these lands to the absolute limit. I have not come here to make people happy. . . The population will have to work, and work, and go on working. . . We are a superior race, and we must remember that, on the racial and biological plane, the least of the German workers is worth more than any one of the population of these lands.'

Air Operations - Bismarcks

90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s mount individual attacks against the Gasmata airfiels on New Georgia and shipping off Talasea.

Air Operations - CBI

• 4 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack shipping near Pagoda Point and strafe a lighthouse, a radio station, and a lightship.
• Other B-24s dispatched to attack a bridge at Pazundaung are unable to reach the target, but one bombs Pagoda Point Airfield. 6 more B-24s are sent to attack a bridge at Myitnge are unable to reach the target.
• In the first successful mission of its kind in the region, USAAF C-47s based at Chabua Airfield in the Assam Region of India air-drop supplies to Chinese Army units operating in the Naga Hills.

Air Operations, Europe

• 65 VIII Bomber Command B-17s attack the Lorient U-boat base with more than 162 tons of bombs.
• 3 B-17s are missing, 8 damaged; 30 crewmen missing
• 15 B-24s conduct a diversionary attack against the Brest U-boat base.
• 3 B-24s are damaged

Air Operations - New Guinea

3rd Light Bomb Group A-20s attack targets around Guadagasal and 90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s mount individual attacks against shipping near Manus Island in the Admiralty Islands.

Air Operations - Solomons

• XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Ballale and Kahili airfields on Bougainville.
• Japanese Navy aircraft attack the new US base in the Russell Islands. This is the first indication that the Japanese know that the Allied forces have advanced from their bases on Guadalcanal. 67th Fighter Squadron P-39s down 4 D3A 'Val' dive bomber over the Russell Islands between 1323 and 1344 hours, and a VMSB-132 radioman-gunner downs an A6M Zero near the Russell Islands.

Air Operations, Tunisia

35 IX Fighter Command fighters take part in the British 8th Army's defense by strafing and bombing German Army positions along the Mareth Line.

Axis Diplomacy

Japan again tells Berlin it can not enter the war against the Russians.

Battle of the Atlantic

Over the next 2 weeks a U-boat 'wolf pack' attacks convoys SC-121, HX-228, SC-122 and HX-229 sinking 21 ships totalling 140,842 tons. 4 U-boats are destroyed. Commodore Harry Birnie of SC-121 is lost with his ship the Bonneville.

Burma

The Chindits make a series of demolitions on the railroad between Nankan and Bongyaung.

Eastern Front

In the central sector the Russians capture Gzhatsk on the approaches to Vyazma south of Rzhev.

The 5th Army regains Gzhatsk from the IX Corps as the German withdrawal continues.

Heavy fighting erupts around Novaya Vodolaga as the SS Panzer Corps envelops the town. SS units also thrust toward Valki, forcing the Soviets to fall back south of Lyubotin. The XLVIII Panzer Corps is involved in continued heavy fighting at Taranovka.

North Africa

At 9:00am the Germans of Rommel's Afrika Korps mount a major attack on Medenine but are driven off. In the afternoon the attack is renewed half-heartedly but to no effect. The British and New Zealanders are surprised by the inept performance of their veteran opponents - for the anti-tank gunners it has been almost like shooting on a range. The Germans lose 50 of their tanks for absolutely nothing and now have only about 100 left. Rommel has not wanted to attack now and has taken little to do with the planning. He would have preferred to withdraw to Wadi Akarit. He realizes that efforts to relieve the pressure in the west are useless. He makes a sudden about-turn and prepares to face the inevitable offensive by the British 8th Army, which is getting ready to assault the Mareth Line. Advance elements of the Allied troops are established around Medenine, while the main body is safely behind minefields and anti-tank defenses. Montgomery's Order of the Day declares 'The enemy is now advancing to attack us. ... We will, in fact, give him a very bloody nose.' At noon the Axis forces fall back before the fire of the British anti-tank guns.

Air Operations, Aleutians

8 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s and 4 XI Fighter Command P-38s attack Kiska’s Chichagof Harbor and the base at Holtz Bay. 6 B-24s, 10 B-25s, and fighters attack North Head and the Main Camp area.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s mount individual attacks against Gasmata and Cape Gloucester.

Air Operations, Europe

• 14 Wellingtons and 6 Halifaxes of No. 4 Group lay mines in the Frisians and there are 2 OTU sorties. 1 Wellington and 1 Halifax are lost in the mine-laying operation.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

Between 0930 and 0945 hours, at a position about 75 miles northeast of Tunisia's Cape Bon, P-38s of the 82nd Fighter Group's 97th Fighter Squadron down 2 Ju-88s, 1 Italian fighter, and 1 Italian tri-motor floatplane.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-25s attack Toeal.
• 3rd Light Bomb Group A-20s attack ground targets and barges around Guadalgasal.
• Individual 90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Salamaua and a ship off Madang.

Air Operations, Solomons

• 3 XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack the Munda Point airfield on New Georgia.
• B-24s mount individual attacks against the Kahili airfield on Bougainville and the Vila airfield on Kolombangara.
• A VMD-154 PB4Y gunner downs 2 A6M Zeros over Guadalcanal.

Eastern Front

4th Panzer Army has been shifted slightly westward and now begins to attack northeast from around Krasnograd, joining the SS Panzer Corps. The Germans are retreating toward Vyazma.

Sevsk falls to 2nd Tank Army as the Central Front continues to push into the southern wing of Army Group Center. Rokossovsky's 65th and 70th Armies are embroiled in severe fighting with German forces south of Orel, while 60th ane 38th Armies try to turn the left wing of the German 2nd Army near Lgov.

Air Operations, CBI

• 4 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the dock area at Bassein.
• 12 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack a bridge and anti-aircraft emplacements at Myitnge.
• P-40s attack Pebu and Wan-hat.

Air Operations, East Indies

90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s mount individual attacks against Saumlakki in the Molucca Islands.

Air Operations, Europe

• 16 Mosquitos are sent to bomb railway centers at Tergnier and Aulnoye in France and at Lingen in Germany. All targets are hit with 1 Mosquito being lost.

• 335 aircraft are sent to Nuremberg. Included in the total are 170 Lancasters, 103 Halifaxes and 62 Stirlings.
• This distant raid is to be marked by a combination of H² and visual means. There is no moon or clouds, but haze prevents an accurate marking of the target area. The result is that the marking and bombing is spread over more than 10 miles along the line of attack. More than half the bombs fall outside the city boundaries.
• 4 Stirlings, 2 Halifaxes and 2 Lancasters are lost.

• 4 Mosquitos are sent to the Ruhr and 16 Wellingtons lay mines in the Frisians.
• There are no losses.

• 54 VIII Bomber Command B-17s attack marshalling yards at Rennes with more than 135 tons of bombs and 13 B-24s attack marshalling yard at Rouen with 39 tons of bombs.
• 2 B-17s and 2 B-24s are lost, 9 B-17s and 3 B-24s damaged; 5 crewmen killed, 11 wounded, 37 missing

Air Operations, Mediterranean

NASAF B-17s and B-25s attack a variety of Axis ships between Sicily and Tunisia and claim hits and possible sinkings of several vessels. | ]

Air Operations, New Guinea

• 90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s mount individual attacks against Babo and Japanese Army-occupied areas in northwestern New Guinea.
• A 49th Fighter Group P-38 downs a G4M 'Betty' bomber and a Ki-43 'Oscar' fighter off Oro Bay at 1345 hours.

Air Operations, Tunisia

• NASAF B-17s attack the marshalling yard at Sousse.
• USAAF P-40s and RAF Spitfires attached to the WDAF (Western Desert Air Force) attack the rear of German Army units moving through Medenine.
• 1 FW-190 is downed in the morning by a 31st Fighter Group Spitfire pilot and, between 1200 and 1220 hours, 1st Fighter Group P-38 pilots down 7 Luftwaffe fighter in a melee near Bizerte.
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Battle of the Atlantic

• Over the next 2 days U-510 torpedoes 8 ships of Convoy BT-6 off French Guiana.
• Naval land-based aircraft (VP-53) sink the German submarine U-156 in the West Indies area.

U-156

Class	Type IXC
CO	Kapitänleutnant Werner Hartenstein
Location	Caribbean, E of Barbados
Cause	Air attack
Casualties	53
Survivors	None

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China

Japanese forces cross the Yangtze between Ichang and Yoyang. This is one of many 'rice offensives' which are carried out in the course of the year, raids aimed at securing food supplies which are as essential to the occupying troops as they are to Chiang Kai-shek's army.

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Diplomatic Relations

Adm William Standley, the US Ambassador in Moscow, embarrasses the Soviet Government by denouncing the secrecy surrounding the delivery of US Lend-Lease supplies. He says, 'It is not fair to mislead Americans into giving millions from their pockets, thinking that they are aiding the Russian people, without the Russian people knowing it.'

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Air Operations, Aleutians

6 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s, 10 B-25s, 12 XI Fighter Command P-38s, and 4 P-40s are sent to attack Kiska, but 6 B-25s and the 4 P-40s abort due to bad weather.

Air Operations, CBI

• 51st Fighter Group P-40s attack a bridge and the town area at Mogaung.

Air Operations, Europe

• 15 Mosquitos attack the Renault works at Le Mans with several direct hits.
• 1 Mosquito is lost.

• 264 aircraft are sent on a raid to Munich. In the total are 142 Lancasters, 81 Halifaxes and 41 Stirlings.
• The wind causes the bombs to be concentrated in the western half of the city rather than in the center. There is a lot of damage, however, including the aero-engine assembly shop of the BMW factory which is put out of action for 6 weeks. 141 small, back-street-type workshops are also destroyed in the raid and damage is reported at the Nymphenburg Castle.
• 5 Lancasters, 2 Halifaxes and 1 Stirling are lost.

Air Operations, New Guinea

In an effort to mount a major air offensive against Allied bases and positions, an estimated 26 Japanese bombers escorted by an estimated 32 fighters attack Wau Airfield and nearby Australian Army ground forces.

Air Operations, Solomons

3 XIII Bomber Command B-24s mount individual attacks against the Ballale airfield, the Kahili airfield on Bougainville, and the Munda Point airfield on New Georgia.

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-409 torpedoes the US freighter Malantic (3837t) in Convoy SC-121. The is abandoned in a gale losing 19 crewmen, 5 Armed Guard sailors and the lone passenger trying to reach the British rescue vessel Melrose Abbey.
• U-510 attacks Convoy BT-6 torpedoing the US freighters George G. Meade (7176t), Mark Hanna (7176t), James Smith (7181t), Thomas Ruffin (7191t), and James K. Polk (7177t). George G. Meade suffers no casualties and returns to service. Mark Hanna is abandoned by most of the crew who are rescues by the submarine chaser PC-592. Some of the crew remain on board to prepare the ship to be towed. She will be repaired and return to active service. A similar result for James Smith, althogh she loses 6 crewmen and 5 Armed Guard sailors in the initial explosion. She is towed to Trinidad for repairs after which she returns to active service. Thomas Ruffin is partially abandoned losing 4 crewmen and 2 of the Armed Guard. The survivors are rescued by the gunboat Courage (PG-70) and PC-592. She will be written off as a total loss. James K. Polk loses 1 Armed Guard sailor in the attack. She is also partially abandoned and towed for repairs. She will be eventually written off as a total loss.
• The US freighter Puerto Rican (6076t), straggling from Convoy RA-53, is torpedoed and sunk by U-586. There is only 1 survivor of the 40-man crew and hte 25-man Armed Guard complement.
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Eastern Front

Gen Paul Hausser's SS troops begin to attack Kharkov from the west and north. South of the city the small town of Taranovka is strongly held by the Soviet 25th Guards Division despite vicious attacks by LXVIII Panzer Corps. The Russians contain the pressure by these armored units of Manstein and continue to advance on Smolensk in the central sector. The Russians withdraw from Krasnodar in the Donets Basin and Barvenkovo.

SOUTHERN SECTOR


The Grossdeutschland Division attacks toward Bogodukhov, striking elements of the 69th Army. Soviet 40th Army deploys 3 of its divisions at Bogodukhov in an effort to counterattack and link up with the hard-pressed 3rd Tank Army. Heavy attacks by the SS Panzer Corps sever the 69th Army from the 40th, enabling its advance east to isolate Kharkov. While the XLVIII Panzer Corps fights its way along the Mzha River from Merefa to Zmiyev, SS Panzer Corps captures Lyubotin. Amid heavy fighting the Soviets attempt to reinforce the Kharkov defenses with new units. Around the city the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler Division pushes west of Dergachi while Totenkopf moves north and captures Olshany, forcing back the remnants of the 3rd Tank Army.

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Air Operations, Aleutians

6 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s, 10 B-25s, 12 34r3d Fighter Group P-38s, and 1 F-5 attack the submarine base, anti-aircraft emplacements, and ground installations at Kiska.

Air Operations, CBI

• 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Rangoon.
• 5 341st Medium Bombardment Group B-25s attack a bridge at Pazundaung.
• 4 B-25s attack the Mingaladon airfield at Rangoon.

Air Operations, Europe

• 2 Mosquitos are sent to Essen and Mulheim, 20 Lancasters and 15 Stirlings lay mines over a wide area from Biscay to Swinemünde in the Baltic, and there are 5 OTU sorties.
• 2 mine-laying Lancasters are lost.

USAAF P-47 fighters make their combat deput in an unchallenged and uneventful fighter sweep over the French coast. Included in this mission are 14 P-47s of the 56th Fighter Group and 12 P-47s from the 4th Fighter Group.

Air Operations, Asia

The 14th Air Force is formed under Maj-Gen Claire Chennault and incorporating his 'China Air Task Force', formerly known as the 'Flying Tigers'. This unit is to expand Allied air cover for Burmese and eastern Pacific operations.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

Allied bombers make a heavy attack on Palermo.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• 43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack the airfield at Wewak and shipping off Wewak.
• B-17s of the 43rd Heavy Bomb Grou and B-24s of the 90th Heavy Bomb Group mount individual attacks against shipping off New Guinea.

Air Operations, Solomons

347th Fighter Group P-39s down a D3A 'Val' dive bomber and 3 A6M Zeros over the Russell Islands during an early afternoon air raid.

Air Operations, Tunisia

• NASAF B-17s attack Tunis/El Aouina Airdrome. 3 Bf-109s are downed by 1st Fighter Group P-38 pilots in action over the target between 1515 and 1550 hours.
• Luftwaffe Ju-52 transports parked at the La Marsa Airdrome are attacked by NASAF B-17s, but results are undetermined.

Atlantic

The blockade runner Karin is scuttled when the US Navy intercepts.

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-633 sinks after being rammed by the SS Scorton in convoy SC-121.

U-633

Class	Type VIIC
CO	Oberleutnant Bernhard Müller
Location	Atlantic, SW of Iceland
Cause	Ramming
Casualties	42
Survivors	None

• U-185 attacks Convoy KG-123, torpedoing the US tanker Virginia Sinclair (6151t) and the freighter James Sprunt (7177t). The submarine chaser SC-742 rescues all but 7 of Virginia Sinclair's complement, but James Sprunt, laden with general cargo and explosives, disintegrates killing all hands, 44 crewmen and 25 Armed Guard sailors.
• In attacks on Convoy HX-228, U-221 torpedoes the US freighter Andrea F. Luckenbach (6565t). An explosion of the after magazine blows off the stern killing 10 of the 28-man Armed Guard. The British oiler Appleleaf rescues 17 Armed Guard sailors and 46 of the 55-man crew. U-444 torpedoes the freighter William C. Gorgas (7197t). The British destroyer Harvester (1340t) rescues the 27-man Armed Guard and 33 of the 43-man crew, but is later torpedoed and sunk by U-432. Ultimately, only 4 Armed Guard sailors and 8 crewmen from the William C. Gorgas survive the sinking of the Harvester being rescued by the Free French-manned British corvette Aconit.
• U-255 torpedoes the US freighter Richard Bland (7191t), straggling from Convoy RA-53, breaking the ship in two. During the abandonment in rough seas, 17 of the 26-man Armed Guard and 19 of the 42-man crew perish. Survivors are rescued by the British destroyer Impulsive.

Britain, Home Front

Laurence Binyon, poet of 'To the Fallen', dies at age 73.

Burma

The Chindits are now operating in several columns and cross the Irrawaddy in 2 places, at Tagaung and Tigyaing farther north.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

B-24s of the 90th Heavy Bomb Group attack Rabaul-area airfields and mount single-plane attacks against Cape Gloucester and a ship off Powell Point.

Air Operations, CBI

• 7 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack a bridge at Myitnge.

Air Operations, Europe

There is a fighter-bomber raid on Hastings. During the night there is a 50-plane raid on Newcastle.

• There is an unsuccessful raid on Stuttgart by 314 aircraft including 152 Lancasters, 109 Halifaxes and 53 Stirlings.
• The Pathfinders claim to have marked the target area accurately, but the Main Force is late arriving. The first use by the Germans of dummy target indicators is reported. Most of the bombs fall in open country, but the southwest suburbs of Vaihingen and Kaltental are hit. 118 buildiings are destroyed, mostly houses. 112 people are killed and 386 are injured.
• 6 Halifaxes, 3 Stirlings and 2 Lancaster are lost.

• 11 Stirlings and 3 Lancasters lay mines in the Frisians and the Gironde River without a loss.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

• NASAF B-26s attack an Axis convoy at sea between Sicily and Tunisia, but B-25s on anti-shipping sweeps in the area are unable to locate any targets.
• 2 Me-201s are downed by 82nd Fighter Group P-38 pilots during a fighter sweep to Sicily.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command A-20s attack the Guadagasal and Vickers Ridge areas.
• 1 B-24 of the 90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24 attacks Finschhafen.
• More than 20 Japanese bombers, escorted by approximately 30 fighters, attack the airfield at Dobodura, where they destroy 3 Allied planes on the ground. Of this attack force, 49th Fighter Group P-38s shoot down 2 G4M 'Betty' bombers and 10 A6M Zeros over the Bismarck Sea between 1015 and 1050 hours.

Air Operations, Tunisia

NAAF medium bombers and fighters attack German Army tanks and vehicles in the Bedja, Jefna, and Sedjenane areas.

Battle of the Atlantic

The British destroyer Harvester, escorting Convoy HX-228, rams U-444 and the 2 vessels stay locked together for about 10 minutes. U-444 then crawls away but is rammed again and sunk by the French corvette Aconit west of Ireland. As the damaged Harvester tries to catch up with the convoy, her remaining engine failed. She is then hit by 1 torpedo from U-432 and sinks almost immediately. 183 members of her crew are lost. 60 survivors are picked up by the French corvette Aconit. The corvette gains contact with U-432 within the hour and blows her to the surface with depth-charge attacks before ramming her.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

• 43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack Rabaul-area airfields.
• 90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s mount individual attacks against Cape Gloucester and a shipwreck off Talasea.

Air Operations, CBI

• 6 B-24s of the 7th Heavy Bomb Group attack a bridge at Pazundaung.

Air Operations, East Indies

V Bomber Command B-24s and B-25s attack Fuiloro, Timor, and shipping at Amboina.

Air Operations, Europe

FW-190 fighter-bombers raid London. During the night there is another raid on Newcastle.

• 12 Mosquitos bomb an armaments factory at Liege and score direct hits.
• 1 Mosquito is lost.

• 457 aircraft are sent to Essen. Included in the total are 158 Wellingtons, 156 Lancasters, 91 Halifaxes, 42 Stirlings and 10 Mosquitos.
• Oboe is used to mark the target area which is right across the giant Krupps factory just west of the city center. Photograph assessment indicate that the Krupps factory receives 30 percent more damage that the previous raid from a week earlier.
• 8 Lancasters, 7 Halifaxes, 6 Wellingtons and 2 Stirlings are lost.

• 9 Stirlings lay mines in the Frisians and there are 7 OTU sorties with no losses.

• 63 VIII Bomber Command B-17s attack the Rouen/Sotteville marshalling yard against little or no opposition.
• 1 of 41 Fighter Group Spitfires is downed by a Luftwaffe fighter over St.-Omer. 1 FW-190 is downed by a 4th Fighter Group Spitfire pilot.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

NASAF B-25s attack Axis ships at sea between Sicily and Tunisia, and 2 flying boats are downed by 82nd Fighter Group P-38 pilots near the Egadi Islands at 1345 hours.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Bomber Command A-20s attack the airfield at Salamaua and the area around Guadagasal.

Air Operations, Solomons

• XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack airfields at Ballale, Bougainville, and New Georgia.
• 347th Fighter Group P-38s sink a small vessel off Rendova Island.

Air Operations, Tunisia

• 38 NASAF B-17s attack the port facilities and marshalling yard at Sousse. A 1st Fighter Group escort P-38 pilot downs a Bf-109 over Sousse at 1405 hours.
• NASAF B-26s attack supply dumps and bridges at Enfidaville. Fighters escorting the B-26s attack various ground targets of opportunity around Pichon and Pont-du-Fahs. 1 Bf-109 is downed by a 33rd Fighter Group pilot.
• A 31st Fighter Group Spitfire pilot downs 1 Bf-109 near Thelepte Airdrome during an early afternoon sweep.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The HMS Harvester is sunk by U-432, but the Free French corvette Aconit again, as the previous night, destroys the U-boat.
• The German submarine U-130 is sunk in the North Atlantic area by the US destroyer Champlin (DD-601).

U-130

Britain, Policy

The Murmansk convoys are abandoned for the summer by the British Admiralty following alarming reports that Scharnhorst has joined Tirpitz and Lützow in northern Norway.

Burma

Gen Stilwell, Chiang Kai-shek's adviser and Chief of Staff, worried by Japanese troop movements in northern Burma, sends Chinese reinforcements to Ledo, in Assam. In the Arakan sector the Japanese try to cut off the Indian units one by one by a series of enircling movements.

Diplomatic Relations

Eden confers on the Pacific War situation in Washington.

Eastern Front

While furious fighting continues in the streets of Kharkov, the Germans send a unit east to Chuguyev to cut off some of the Red Army forces south of the city. In the central sector the Germans are retreating on a wide front and the Soviets retake Vyazma without a fight.

The 5th Army retakes Vyazma as the XX Corps pulls back.

SS Das Reich reaches the main railway station in the heart of Kharkov while elements of Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler clears the Soviets from the south and southeast quarters. However, the greatest threat to the Soviet forece in the city comes from the SS Totenkopr Division as it pushes east and south from its positions north of the city. By nightfall Rogan has fallen and 3rd Tank Army is again in danger of isolation.

Air Operations, Aleutians

12 Amchitka-based 54th Fighter Squadron P-40s and 3 P-38s bomb and strafe Kiska in separate attacks.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

A B-17 from the 43rd Heavy Bomb Group attacks the Gasmata airfield on New Britain and warehouses at Wide Bay.

Air Operations, CBI

4 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack a bridge at Pazundaung.

Air Operations, Europe

• 51 Wellingtons and 17 Lancasters lay mines between Lorient and the Kattegat.
• 2 Wellingtons and 1 Lancaster are lost.

• 44 VIII Bomber Command B-17s attack the Amiens/Longeau marshalling yard, as assigned, but 31 B-17s fail to find the primary ant attack four targets of opportunity, including the rail line at Romescamps and the Abbeville/Ducat Airdrome. Also, adding to the day's inept showing, 4th Fighter Group Spitfires that are assigned to bomber escort, fail to make the rendezvous.
• 11 B-17s are damaged; 6 crewmen are wounded

Air Operations, New Guinea

• 43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack the airfield and shipping at Wewak.
• 1 B-24 from the 90th Heavy Bomb Group attacks shipping off eastern New Guinea.

Air Operations, Solomons

XIII Bomber Command B-24s escorted by XIII Fighter Command P-38s and P-40s and VMF-124 F4Us attack the Vila airfield on Kolombangara and the Munda Point airfield on New Georgia and Faisi. During an interception by 50 A6M Zeros, 2 B-24s, all 4 P-38s, 2 F4Us, and 2 P-40s are lost.

Air Operations, Tunisia

• NATAF and IX Fighter Group fighters attack German Army positions along the Mareth Line.
• In a long, running engagement centered on Gabes, 57th Fighter Group P-40 pilots down 4 Bf-109s and damage 5 or 6 others between 1405 and 1505 hours.
• An 81st Fighter Group P-39 pilot downs a Bf-109 over La Fauconnerie at 1755 hours, that unit's first victory of the war.

China

The Chinese counterattack in the Yangtze Valley and push the Japanese across the Yangtze River.

Battle of the Atlantic

• Returning from patrol, U-163 runs into an escort for convoy MKS-9 and is depth-charged and sunk by Canadian destroyer HCMS Prescott.

U-163

Class	Type IXC
CO	Korvettenkapitän Kurt Engelmann
Location	Bay of Biscay
Cause	Depth charge
Casualties	57
Survivors	None

• U-68 attacks the Aruba bound Convoy GAT-49 and torpedoes the US tanker Cities Service Missouri (6506t). The US destroyer Biddle (DD-151) rescues survivors including the 11-man Armed Guard.

Eastern Front

Violent fighting continues as the Germans attack the Russian defenders holding Kharkov.

Hitler issues the preliminary orders for Operation ZITADELLE (CITADEL), the attempted elimination of the Kursk Salient. (see July 5, 1943).

The Grossdeutschland Division forces a way into the junction of the 69th and 40th Armies and secures Borisovka. The Stavka reinforces the 69th Army with a tank corps.

SS Totenkopf severs the 3rd Tank Army lines of communication, isolating the already shattered army inside Kharkov. The severity of the fighting has considerably reduced the combat strength of the SS corp, Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler Division having only 14 operational panzers left. In all the battle inside the city has cost the Germans 11,500 killed.

Mediterranean

U-172 torpedoes the US freighter Keystone (5565t), straggling from Convoy UGS-6, killing 1 of the crew and 1 Armed Guard sailor. The Portuguese steamship Sines rescues the survivors.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s mount individual attacks against Gasmata, a ship off Talasea, and an anti-aircraft emplacement at Cape Gloucester.

Air Operations, CBI

• 4 B-24s from the 7th Heavy Bomb Group attack the dock area at Moulmein.
• 8 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the viaduct at Gokteik.

Air Operations, East Indies

1 90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24 attacks Dili, Timor.

Air Operations, Europe

• 13 Wellingtons lay mines in the Frisians without a loss.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• 43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s and 90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Madang, Tring, and Wewak.
• Individual B-24s attack the airfield at Finschhafen.
• During the night, 15 Japanese bombers mount an uncontested attack against Allied bases in the Oro Bay area.

Air Operations, Tunisia

12 79th Fighter Group P-40s escort 11 IX Bomber Command B-25s on an attack against gun emplacements on the Mareth Line.

Battle of the Atlantic

Nazi U-boat destruction reaches its height in a running battle between 38 German U-boats and 2 Allied convoys. The official Royal Navy history of the war calls the outcome a 'serious disaster to the Allied cause.' The action takes place along the east coast of Newfoundland. In a series of convoy battles, the largest during the war, lasting about a week, 21 ships of 140,000 tons are sunk from the convoys SC-122 and HX-229. The slower SC convoy is sailing in front and gradually the 2 coalesce into one mass of about 100 ships. About 20 U-boats out of a pack of 38 manage to make attacks and, despite the efforts of the escort, no U-boats are sunk. The German intelligence service, B Dienst, has provided good information on the routes of these convoys.

The entire convoy concept is now in jeopardy and the British Admiralty questions whether the war itself can be properly prosecuted. What turns the tide, however, is the introduction of long-range aircraft, carrier escorts and the development of ship and aircraft shortwave radar which pinpoints the presence and location of submarines.

The British minesweeping trawler Moravia sinks on a mine in the North Sea.

Mediterranean

The British submarine Thunderbolt is sunk by the Italian corvette Cicogna off Cape Milazzo, Sicily with the loss of her entire crew of 62.

Air Operations, Aleutians

Arriving in at least four waves, a total of 11 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s, 9 B-25s, and 32 343rd Fighter Group P-38s bomb and stafe various installations at Kiska.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

B-17s from the 43rd Heavy Bomb Group mount individual attacks against Gasmata and Cape Gloucester.

Air Operations, CBI

• 8 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the viaduct at Gokteik.
• 8 B-25s attack Myitnge.
• 8 51st Fighter Group P-40 fighter-bombers attack a bridge at Kadrangyang.

Air Operations, Europe

The Russians bomb the German pontoon bridges over the Don.

• 11 Venturas bomb La Pleine airfield in Brittany.
• 1 Ventura is lost in the sea.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

NASAF B-17s attack Axis shipping off northern Tunisia.

Air Operations, New Guinea

90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s, V Bomber Command B-25s, and RAAF bombers attack Dobo and Wokam.

Air Operations, Pacific

Australian and Dutch bombers drive off a Japanese convoy approaching Aru Island in the East Indies.

Air Operations, Solomons

• XIII Bomber Command B-24s mount individual attacks against Munda Point airfield on New Georgia and the Vila airfield on Kolombangara.
• 347th Fighter Group P-38s attack Viru, New Georgia.

Air Operations, Tunisia

• NASAF B-26s attack the Italian Air Force airdrome Mezzouna.
• 25 321st Medium Bomb Group B-25s, in their combat debut and escorted by 33rd Fighter Group P-40s, also attack Mezzouna later in the afternoon. The escort is attacked by fighters of which 2 Bf-109s and 1 Mc-202 are downed.
• IX Bomber Command B-25s, escorted by 79th Fighter Group P-40s, attack Axis troop positions at Zarat, and IX Fighter Command fighters strafe and bomb various ground targets.
• In two separate fither actions in southern Tunisia, an 82nd Fighter Group P-38 pilot downs a Bf-109 near Maknassy at 1455 hours, and a 31st Fighter Group Spitfire pilot downs a Bf-109 over Sbeitla about 1500 hours.

Atlantic

• British MTBs sink 2 transports in a convoy off Terschelling.
• The troop transport Empress of Canada (21,500t) is sunk by the Italian submarine Leonardo da Vinci.

Axis Diplomacy

A trade agreement is made between Finland and Germany.

Air Operations, Aleutians

11th Air Force aircraft mount numerous small strikes against Kiska amounting to 13 B-24 sorties, 16 B-25 sorties, 32 P-38 sorties, and 8 P-40 sorties. One B-25 is lost.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack the Rapopo airfield at Rabaul, a Japanese submarine off Cape Turner, the town of Ubili, and targets in the Cape Gloucester area.

Air Operations, CBI

• 6 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the approaches to a bridge at Pazundaung.
• 8 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack a bridge at Myitnge.
• 51st Fighter Group P-40s attack Japanese Army ground positions near Sumprabum.
• 23rd Fighter Group P-40s, based in China, attack the dock area and storage facilties at Mong Yaw.

• 12 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s, based in China, attack a power plant and rail yards at Lao Kay.

Air Operations, Europe

• 16 Mosquitos attack the railway shops at Paderborn nearly 200 miles inland and score direct hits.
• 1 Mosquito is lost.

• 2 Wellingtons of No. 1 Group lay mines in the Frisians without a loss.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

NASAF B-17s attack an Axis convoy at sea between Sicily and Tunisia and leave 2 small vessels burning.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• B-17s from the 43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack Marienberg.
• B-25s attack Lae.
• 90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack but fail to hit cargo ships encountered at sea.

Air Operations, Solomons

XIII Bomber Command B-17s and B-24s mount small harrassment strikes against the airfield on Ballale, the Kahili airfield on Bougainville, and Vila airfield on Kolombangara.

Air Operations, Tunisia

IX Fighter Command fighter-bombers support British 8th Army troops preparing to conduct limited assaults against the Mareth Line.

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-600 hits 3 ships with a single salvo of 'pattern-running' torpedoes (FAT).
• The fast Convoy HX-229 of 40 ships from New York, and the slower Convoy SC-122 of 58 ships from Nova Scotia are attacked by 37 U-boats in 3 groups. 21 ships are lost in return for 1 U-boat. These first 3 weeks of March signal a turning-point: from now on carrier support goups and long-range reconnaissance aircraft will take their toll of the U-boats. There will no longer be substantial gaps in Allied coverage of the Atlantic, no areas where U-boats can operate freely.
• U-758 torpedoes the US freighter James Oglethorpe (7176t) from Convoy HX-229. 13 of the crew, 15 Armed Guard sailors and 2 passengers are rescued by the British corvette Pennywort. U-435 torpedoes the US freighter William Eustis (7196t). The British destroyer Volunteer rescues the entire crew which includes a 30-man Armed Guard.
• U-172, stalking Convoy UGS-6, torpedoes the US freighter Benjamin Harrison (7191t). The ship is scuttled by gunfire of the US destroyer Rowan (DD-405), which rescues 3 survivors. The freighter Alan A Dale rescues the remainder.
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Diplomatic Relations

In a letter to Roosevelt, Stalin, who has taken at face value Churchill's forecasts of his letter of February 9th, complains in blunt language about the 'treachery', as he describes the delay to the operations in Africa and the preparations for the landing in Sicily, of the Western Allies. 'Your far from clear reply to the question of the opening of a second front in France has aroused here an uneasiness that cannot be hidden.' And he has some justification for his bluntness.

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Air Operations, CBI

• 8 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack a bridge at Myitnge.
• 14 51st Fighter Group P-40s attack a motorpool at Hpunkizup and bridges at Kadrangyang and near Myitkyina.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Bomber Command B-25s attack Langgoer.

Air Operations, Solomons

XIII Bomber Command B-17s and B-24s mount small harrassment strikes against airfields on Ballale, Bougainville, and Kolombangara.

Air Operations, Tunisia

• NAAF (Northwest African Air Force) A-20s and fighter conduct sweeps and armed recon missions over a broad area and support US II Corps infantry attacks leading to the capture of Gafsa.
• IX Fighter Command fighters directly support the British 8th Army along the Mareth Line.

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-167 attacks Convoy UGS-6 and damages the US freighter Molly Pitcher (7200t) about 500 miles west of Lisbon, Portugal. Survivors are rescued by the US destroyers Champlin (DD-601) and Rowan (DD-405) and the merchantman William Johnson. 2 crewmen and 2 of the Armed Guard sailors are lost in the attack.
• Attacking Convoy HX-229, U-91 torpedoes and sinks the US freighter Harry Luckenbach (6346t). The ship is lost with all hands, 54 crewmen and 26 Armed Guard sailoers. U-600 torpedoes and sinks the triehger Irenee du Pont (6125t) with the loss of 6 crewmen, 6 Armed Guard sailors and 1 passenger. The Dutch merchantmen Tekoa rescues 55 survivors and the Canadian destoyer Mansfield 16.

Burma

The 55th Indian Brigade which has relieved the 123rd Indian Brigade is attacked by the Japanese just north of Rathedaung in the Arakan and is forced to fall back. This new Japanese offensive is led by Gen Koka with units of 55th and 33rd Divs being involved. With the aid of reinforcements the 55th Indian Brigade manages to fight clear of encirclement and to withdraw to Buthidaung, but that leaves the eastern flank of the troops west of the Mayu exposed.

Eastern Front

The Northwest Front offensive toward Staraya Russa is abandoned after the failure to break through the German lines south of Lake Ilmen.

The XLVIII and SS Panzer Corps begin their move north toward Belgorod.

Air Operations, Aleutians

6 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s, 6 B-25s, and 12 343rd Fighter Group P-38s, based at the airfield on Adak, attack Kiska, as do 12 Amchitka-based P-38s.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s mount individual attacks against a launch at Talasea and barges near Cape Gloucester.

Air Operations, CBI

• 16 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack a bridge at Pazundaung.
• 8 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack a bridge at Myitnge while 8 other B-25s attack anti-aircraft emplacements around Myitnge.
• 16 51st Fighter Group P-40s attack Japanese Army ground troops at Seniku. 7 P-40s attack Nalong.

Air Operations, Europe

• There is an unsuccessful night raid on Norwich.
• B-17s and B-24s attack the Vegesack U-boat building yard near Bremen. There is fierce fighter opposition.

• 2 Venturas attack an oil refinery at Maasluis but bombs miss the target. 12 other Venturas turn back from raids to targets in France. There are no losses.

• In VIII Bomber Command's 45th mission of the war, 97 B-17s and B-24s attack the Vegesack U-boat yard with 268 tons of bombs. Air oppostion is the heaviest encountered to date as bomber gunners claim 52 Luftwaffe fighters downed with another 20 probables.
• 1 B-17 is lost, 1 B-24 is missing, 1 B-17 written off due to damage, 9 B-17s and 14 B-24s damaged; 1 crewman killed, 16 wounded, 20 missing

IX Bomber Command B-24s, escorted by IX Fighter Command P-40s, attack Naples harbor. This is IX Bomber Command's first mission undertaken at maximum bombing altitude (28,000 to 30,000 feet), a move to defeat the effects of increasingly dense and accurate flak concentrations around the often targeted port area.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• B-24s from the 90th Heavy Bomb Group attack Madang while 1 B-24 attacks Langgoer and Timoeka.
• 18 Japanese bombers, escorted by 32 fighters, mount an uncontested attack against Porlock Harbor.

Air Operations, Tunisia

NATAF fighters fly numerous recon and sweep missions, and attack many ground targets of opportunity.

Battle of the Atlantic

In the ongoing battle U-boats against Convoy HX-229, U-221 torpedoes the US freighter Walter Q. Gresham (7191t) losing 23 crewmen and 5 of the 26 Armed Guard. 42 survivors are picked up by the British corvettes Pennywort and Anemone.

Burma

Wingate's column crosses the Irrawaddy south of Inywa, the last group to do so. The Japanese have now assembled considerable forces to hunt the Chindits and their operations are being increasingly circumscribed. In the Arakan the more regular British operations are not going well either. Htizwe falls to a pincer attack and on the Mayu Peninsula an attack by the 6th Brigade of the British 2nd Division and the 71st Indian Brigade on Donbaik fails. They then have to withdraw north on account of enemy infiltration. The plans for cutting the Mandalay-Lashio rail line are abandoned for now.

Diplomatic Relations

French Guiana formally disassociates itself from Vichy and declares for the Free French.

Eastern Front

Troops from SS Gross Deutschland Division attack. Belgorod, on the Donets River northeast of Kharkov, in the last act of Manstein's offensive. In this phase the Soviets have lost 40,000 casualties and at least 600 tanks. The whole operation has been an unqualified technical success for the Germans, but cannot make up for their 1,000,000 dead since November 1942. As activity begins to die down all along the front in the mud of the spring thaw, German and Soviet attention begins to be drawn toward the Soviet salient aroung Kursk.

Air Operations, CBI

• 8 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack a bridge at Myitnge. Also, a single 51st Fighter Group P-40 is used in a test of its type in the dropping of a 1,000-pound bomb. The target is a bridge at Mogaung that is only lightly damaged, but the drop itself is deemed successful.

• 12 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s based in India and 12 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s based in China escorted by P-40s based in both countries, attack the rail and river-port terminal and power plant at Lao Kay. 10 P-40s also strafe numerous ground targets in the area and along the Red River.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

German aircraft employ 'circling torpedoes' against Allied shipping in Tripoli harbor.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• B-17s from the 43rd Heavy Bomb Group attack a cargo ship at Manus Island in the Admiralty Islands.
• V Bomber Command B-25s attack a Japanese submarine and barges at Lae.
• 3d Light Bomb Group A-20s attack Mubo.

Air Operations, Solomons

• XIII Bomber Command B-17s and B-24s on armed-reconnaissance missions attack the airfield on Ballale and the Kahili airfield on Bougainville.
• During the night, in the first operation of its type conducted in the region, 42 USMC and USN TBFs each lay one 1,600-pound antishipping mine in the Buin–Tonolei area of southern Bougainville. The mines are dropped by parachute from altitudes between 800 and 1,300 feet. Meanwhile, 18 XIII Bomber Command B-17s and B-24s mount a diversionary attack against the Kahili airfield on Bougainville. An RNZAF light bomber on station near Vella Lavella drops flares to serve as navigational aids for the returning bombers.

Baltic Sea

U-5 sinks while diving during exercises.

U-5

Battle of the Atlantic

• Sailing independently after departing from Convoy HX-229, the US freighter Mathew Luckenbach (5848t) is torpedoed by U-527. The US Coast Guard cutter Ingram (WPG-35) rescues the freighter's entire complement of 43 crewmen and 26 Armed Guard sailors.
• The Greek freighter Carras (5234t), in Convoy SC-122, is torpedoed by U-533.

Eastern Front

After recapturing Kharkov the Raus (Gen Erhard) Corps of the German Army Group South also re-takes Belgorod. Army Group South is now practically back to the winter positions of 1941. Immediately north of Belgorod the Russians have opened up a wide salient in the German front west of Kursk. The elimination of this salient, Operation CITADEL, is to be for several months the object of one of the most epic battles in history.

Air Operations, CBI

• 7 B-25s of the 341st Medium Bomb Group attack a bridge at Myitnge.

Air Operations, Europe

• 12 Mosquitos are sent to Louvain and the Malines railway yards, but only Louvain is reached. 1 Lancaster bombs Leer near Emden. The bombs drop soon after dawn near the railway station.

• 12 Wellingtons and 4 Lancasters are to lay mines off the Biscay ports, but the Wellingtons are recalled.
• There are no losses.

During the night, IX Bomber Command B-24s attack Naples harbor and city area.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

• 82nd Fighter Group P-38s, escorting NASAF B-25s on an anti-shipping sweep between Sicily and Tunisia, are attacked by about 50 Axis aircraft from the direction of Tunis. In the ensuing battle, the P-38 pilots down 2 Ju-88s, 8 Bf-109s, and 1 Italian fighter in an action 30 miles east-northeast of Pantelleria Island.
• A force of 17th Medium Bomb Group B-25s on an anti-shipping sweep over the Straits of Sicily is attacked by about 30 Luftwaffe fighters. 7 enemy fighters are claimed by the bomber gunners.
• 1 B-25 is lost, 1 damaged beyond repair by more than 500 bullet holes

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-25s attack Langgoer and Kaimana.
• 90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s mount individual attacks against the Salamaua port area and the airfield at Finschhafen.

Air Operations, Solomons

During the night 40 USMC and USN TBFs each lay one 1,600-pound antishipping mine in the Buin–Tonolei area of southern Bougainville. Meanwhile, 18 XIII Bomber Command B-17s and B-24s mount a diversionary attack against the Kahili airfield on Bougainville.

Air Operations, Tunisia

• NASAF B-25s and B-26s in separate formations mount successive attacks on the Axis landing field at Djebel Tebaga.
• IX Bomber Command B-25s attack the Mareth Line through intense flak sustain many damaging hits.
• IX Fighter Command fighters provide direct support against infantry and artillery empolacements.

Battle of the Atlantic

Fortress 'B' of No 206 Squadron is escorting convoy HX-229 when a surfaced U-boat, U-384, is seen. After an attack with depth charges a large oil slick formed on the surface which was still visible hours later by some of the convoy's escorts.

U-384

Eastern Front

The 9th Army has almost completed the evacuation of the Rzhev salient. Durovo is evacuated.

North Africa

The New Zealanders speed up their march, abandoning concealment, and reach the Tebaga Gap in the evening. During the night the main attack on the Mareth Line, the 'African Maginot Line' along the Tunisian-Libyan border, by the British XXX Corps begins with a heavy bombardment of the positions of the Young Fascist Division of the Italian 1st Army near the coast, followed up rapidly by the assaulting infantry of the 50th Division.

Air Operations, Aleutians

Throughout the day, 11th Air Force aircraft attack Kiska in several missions amounting to 13 B-24 sorties, 9 B-25 sorties, 52 P-38 and F-5 sorties, and 16 P-40 sorties.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s and 90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s mount individual attacks on shipping.

Air Operations, CBI

• 15 B-24s of the 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the viaduct at Gokteik. 6 B-24s that are unable to locate the viaduct because of haze attack a bridge at Myitnge.
• 51st Fighter Group P-40 dive-bombers attack a bridge and the town area at Mogaung.

• Several 51st Fighter Group P-40s attack targets of opportunity in northern French Indochina.
• 23rd Fighter Group P-40s based in China attack a phosphate mine at Lao Kay.

Air Operations, Tunisia

• NASAF B-17s, escorted by P-38s, attack the Axis landing ground at Djebel Tebaga.
• NATBF (Northwest African Tactical Bomber Force) A-20s and B-25s attack Djebel Tebaga and Mezzouna.

• IX Bomber Command B-25s, escorted by nearly 100 IX Fighter Command P-40s, attack the road through Gabes.
• Betweend 1045 and 1055 hour, 31st Fighter Group Spitfire pilots down 4 Ju-87 dive-bombers and damage several Bf-109s.
• A 1st Fighter Group P-38 pilot downs a Bf-109 over Gabes airdrome about 1445 hours.

Britain, Home Front

After tunnelling for 5 months, 21 IRA men escape from Londonderry Jail. 15 of them reach Eire and are interned.

Eastern Front

The Germans mop up the remaining pockets of resistance in Belgorod. Holding the Russian thrust in the Kursk salient, they succeed in restoring communications with Army Group Center, under von Kluge, in the Orel area, which had been cut. The Russians take Durovo, 56 miles northeast of Smolensk.

The thaw brings operations to a temporary and almost total halt as no vehicles can move. The German losses during the winter campaign have been terrible; a reliable estimate puts it at over a million dead. The Russians claim the destruction or capture of 9,000 tanks, 20,000 guns and 5,000 aircraft, as well as thousands of trucks. But Russian losses have also been serious. However, the Russian war potential is rising, while the German is in decline.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s and 90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the Gasmata airfield on New Britain.

Air Operations, Europe

• 12 Venturas attack the Maasluis oil refinery but again fail to hit the targer. 12 other Venturas turn back from French targets.
• There are no losses.

• 357 aircraft are sent to St Nazaire. In the total are 189 Lancasters, 99 Halifaxes, 63 Stirlings and 6 Mosquitos.
• 1 Lancaster is lost.

• 6 Wellingtons lay mines of Texel without a loss.
• Mosquito fighters shoot down 2 Ju-88s over the Bay of Biscay.

• 84 of 102 VIII Bomber Command B-17s and B-24s sent attack the Wilhelmshaven U-boat yards in the middle of the afternoon with 224 tons of bombs.
• 3 bombers are lost, 22 damaged; 1 crewman is killed, 18 wounded, 32 missing.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

NASAF B-26s conduct an anti-shipping sweep between Sicily and Tunisia attack several Axis vessels at sea near Zembra Island.

Air Operations, CBI

• 17 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the viaduct at Gokteik in two waves and 7 B-25s attack rail facilities at Thazi.

• 51st Fighter Group P-40s strafe the phosphate mine at Lao Kay.

Air Operations, New Guinea

43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s and 90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s mount single-plane attacks against Finschhafen, Lae, and Madang, and the harbor at Lorengau, Manus Island.

Air Operations, North Africa

Hurricanes smash a Panzer counterattack near the Mareth Line with their 40-mm AP cannons, while simultaneously driving off German fighters with their machine-gun fire.

Air Operations, Sicily

In the first bomber mission mounted against Sicily from Northwest Africa, 24 301st Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack port facilities at Palermo harbor with nearly 72 tons of bombs. 2 120-foot vessels are demolished, and major damage is caused to docking and warehouse facilities.

Air Operations, Solomons

347th Fighter Group P-38s attack the Japanese Navy seaplane base at Rekata Bay.

Air Operations, Tunisia

• IX Bomber Command B-25s attack road junctions, troop concentrations, and motor transport throughout the Gabes area.
• NATBF A-20s attack Mezzouna Airdrome. 52nd Fighter Group Spitfire escort pilots down 2 Ju-88s, 2 FW-190s, and 6 BF-109s over Mezzouna Airdrome about 1530 hours.
• 82nd Fighter Group P-38 pilots down 2 Italian Air Force Mc-202s and 9 Bf-109s north of Bizerte between 1345 and 1400 hours.
• A 79th Fighter Group P-40 pilot downs 1 Bf-109 near Mareth at 1610 hours.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The B-24 Liberator 'Tidewater Tillie' of the 1st Squadron, 480th Group USAAF sights a broad wake five miles on the starboard beam. The aircraft decides to make a beam attack approaching out of the sun. 4 depth charges are dropped in a perfect straddle. The stern of U-524 is completely enveloped in the explosions and then sinks by the stern.

U-524

Class	Type IXC
CO	Kapitänleutnant Walter Freiherr von Steinaecker
Location	Atlantic, S of Madeira
Cause	Air attack
Casualties	52
Survivors	None

• Whitley 'V' of No 10 OTU flying in bad weather sights a surfaced U-boat at 1503. The aircraft drops 6 depth charges from about 100 ft. The rear gunner saw the depth charges explode, straddling the track of the submarine. The weather was so bad the results of the the attack could not be assesssed. It was in post-war analysis that it was determined U-665 was the victim of this attack.

U-665

Air Operations, Bismarcks

• B-17s from the 43rd Heavy Bomb Group mount a major attack against Rabaul-area airfields.
• 90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s mount single-plane missions against the Gasmata airfield on New Britain.

Air Operations, CBI

• 9 341st Medium Bombardment Group B-25s attack rail facilities, warehouses, barracks, and the airfield at Meiktila.

• 23rd Fighter Group P-40s attack a Japanese Army headquarters and a road convoy carrying troops.

Air Operations, Europe

• 15 Mosquitos attack the railway engine works at Nantes. Direct hits are scores and there are no losses.

• 45 aircraft lay mines in the Frisians and south of Texel and there are 21 OTU planes dropping leaflets over French towns.
• 1 Wellington is lost on each of the operations.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• 90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s mount individual attacks against the airfield at Salamaua.
• B-25s attack numerous targets of opportunity.
• 3rd Light Bomb Group A-20s attack Japanese Army ground forces around Mubo and the mouth of the Bitoi River.

Air Operations, Tunisia

• While attacking numerous ground targets throughout eastern Tunisia, pilots of the 31st, 52nd and 82nd Fighter Groups are engaged in several aerial actions in which 2 Bf-109s are downed and 6 are damaged between 0950 and 1030 hours.
• NASAF B-17s attack shipping in Bizerte harbor. 1st Fighter Group P-38 escort pilots down 3 Bf-109s at 1235 hours.

Eastern Front

The Soviet Rzhev-Vyazma Operation, conducted by the Kalinin and Western Fronts, comes to an end. Red Army losses are 38,862 killed or missing and 99,715 wounded. Total Red Army losses this year on the Eastern Front amount to 726,714 killed and missing and 1,425,692 wounded.

Rokossovsky's Central Front abandons Sevsk and takes up defensive positions east of town.

Mediterranean

• The troopship Windsor Castle is sunk by He-111 torpedo planes off Algeria.

• The British submarine Turbulent is declared lost after failing to return from a patrol off Sardinia. All 67 crew members are lost.

Air Operations, Aleutians

10 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s, 3 B-25s, and 12 343rd Fighter Group P-38s attack Kiska.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

B-17s of the 43rd Heavy Bomb Group mount individual attacks against the Gasmata airfield on New Britain and nearby targets of opportunity.

Air Operations, CBI

• 23 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s and 2 B-17s (the latter flying at a mere 50 feet) attack a bridge at Myitnge, but no hits are scored.
• 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack rail facilities at Maymyo.

Air Operations, East Indies

90th Heavy Bomb Group B-17s mount individual attacks against targets of opportunity.

Air Operations, Europe

• There is a fighter-bomber raid on Ashford.
• 8 night raiders are shot down over northern England and southern Scotland.

• 3 Mosquitos shoot up trains east of the Ruhr without a loss.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Bomber Command B-25s attack Faan and Langgoer and B-17s and B-25s mount individual attacks against Mubo.

Air Operations, Sicily

IX Bomber Command B-24s attakc the ferry terminal, rail yard, and fuel storage tanks in and around the Messina port area.

Air Operations, Solomons

• XIII Bomber Command B-17s and US Navy SBDs attack the Kahili airfield on Bougainville.
• During the night several G4M 'Betty' bombers destroy several XIII Bomber Command heavy bombers and several other aircraft at Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. This leads to the institution of rigorus standards for the dispersal of parked aircraft.

Air Operations, Tunisia

• NASAF B-17s attack port facilities and shipping at Ferryville.
• NASAF B-26s attack the La Smala des Souassi landing ground.
• NASAF B-25s attack the Djebel Tebaga landing ground
• NATBF A-20s and B-25s attack Axis troop concentrations in direct support of the US 1st Armored Division attack on El Guettar, as well as the Djebel Tebaga landing ground.
• 2 81st Figther Group P-39 pilots down an Fi-156 observation plane about 0700 hours. 33rd Fighter Group P-40 pilots down 7 Bf-109s in an engagement around Djebel Tebaga between 0905 and 1035 hours. 52nd Fighter Group Spitfire pilots down 3 Bf-109s and 1 FW-190 between Gafsa and Maknassy during the late afternoon.
• IX Bomber Command B-25s directly support a British 8th Army ground assault for around 3 hours. German artillery in the area are attacked for more than two hours by RAF fighters and IX Fighter Command P40s from the 57th, 79th and 324th Fighter Groups.
• During the night, NATBF A-20s and B-25s attack German Army motor vehicles west of Sfax and Sousse.

Burma

The various Chindit columns join up between Baw and Pago, but Wingate is ordered to break off the operation and return to India. His forces split up into small groups and head for India pursued by the Japanese. Most succeed in reaching base by early April apart from one group which reaches safety in China. In 7 weeks the group has endured extreme hardships and one of three men ended up as a casualty. Their activities have been more than mere demonstrations, for they have been able seriously to interfere with the Japanese communications system. The most notable success was in disrupting traffic along the Mandalay-Myitkyima rail line which was cut at 25 points. Despite the losses but many lessons have been learned and the value to morale and propaganda has been high.

Air Operations, Aleutians

4 11th Air Force B-24s, 3 B-25s, 12 P-38s, and 2 P-40s attack Kiska.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack Rabaul-area airfields and individual B-24s attack Gasmata and Ubili.

Air Operations, CBI

8 B-25s of the 341st Medium Bomb Group attack rail facilities at Maymyo.

Air Operations, East Indies

90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the dock and town areas at Amboina.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• B-24s of the 90th Heavy Bomb Group mount individual attacks against Lae.
• A 49th Fighter Group P-38 downs a G4M 'Betty' bomber near Oro Bay at 1120 hours.

Air Operations, South Pacific Area

A VMF-441 F4F downs a Japanese Navy reconnaissance bomber near Funafuti at 1115 hours. This is the first interest the Japanese have shown in an Allied base located only 700 miles from their Gilbert Islands bases.

Air Operations, Tunisia

• NASAF B-27s attack port facilities and shipping at Sousse throughout the day.
• The Djebel Tebaga landing ground is attacked, in succession, by NASAF B-25s, NATBF A-20s and B-25s, and escorting fighters.
• Several NAAF fighters undertake attacks on various kinds of ground targets throughout eastern Tunisia.
• USAAF fighter pilots down 2 Bf-109s and 1 FW-190 in separate actions during the day.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-469 is sunk by Fortress 'L' of No 206 Squadron in support of convoy RU-67.

U-469

Eastern Front

The heavy fighting in the Ukraine has cost 3rd Tank, 40th and 60th Armies of the Voronezh Front 29,800 killed and missing and 28,000 wounded and 6th Army of Southwest Front 15,000 killed and 12,800 wounded. The Soviets have also lost 300 tank, 3,000 artillery pieces and 100 aircraft.

Air Operations, CBI

• During the night 6 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s mine the Rangoon River while 6 other B-24s mount a diversionary bombing attack against the city of Rangoon and the Mingaladon airfield at Rangoon.

Air Operations, Central Pacific

XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack the airfield on Nauru.

Air Operations, Europe

• 455 aircraft including 173 Wellingtons, 157 Lancasters, 114 Halifaxes, 9 Mosquitos and 2 Stirlings, are sent to Duisburg.
• This raid turned out to be one of the few failures in this series of raids on Ruhr targets. It is cloudy and accurate Oboe sky-marking is less than good because 5 Oboe Mosquitos are forced to turn back because of technical difficulties and 1 other is lost. As a result the bombing is widely scattered.
• 3 Wellingtons, 1 Halifax, 1 Lancaster and 1 Mosquito are lost.

• 5 OTU aircraft drop leaflets over france without a loss.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• 43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack Wewak and a single B-17 attacks Finschhafen.
• 3rd Light Bomb Group B-25s attack targets of opportunity in and around Mubo.

Air Operations, Tunisia

• NASAF B-25s attack targets around Grombalia.
• 81st Fighter Group P-39s destroy several German Army trucks while NATAF fighters, A-20s, and B-25s attack a fuel dump, roads, rail lines, and the Sfax dock area, and strafe the Djebel Tebaga landing ground and motor vehicles encountered between Faid and Gabes. 1 Ju-88 is downed about 0940 hours near the coast by an 82nd Fighter Group P-38 pilot.

• IX Bomber Command B-25s mount two missions against targets along the Mareth Line, and P-40s damage and estimated 50 trucks, tanks, and other vehicles in strafing and bombing attacks. Several USAAF fighters are lost ton intense ground fire.

Axis Diplomacy

In one of the major misreadings of history Mussolini writes to Hitler that Russia is so weakened after Stalingrad 'she cannot hope, at any rate for a long time to come, to constitute a serious menace.'

Bering Sea

Rear-Adm C. H. McMorris' squadron of 2 cruisers, the Salt Lake City (CA-25) and the Richmond (CL-9), and 4 destroyers meets a considerably superior Japanese force of 3 cruisers, including the heavy cruiser Nachi, and 5 destroyers under Vice-Adm Moshiro Hosogaya, off the Komandorski Islands. The Japanese force is escorting a supply convoy for the Japanese garrisons in the islands of Kiska and Attu, in the Aleutians. The American squadron courageously engages the enemy, and at 8:40am a shell from the Richmond (CL-9) hits the Nachi, starting a fire. About 9:00am several other hits are scored on the Nachi, which is seriously damaged. The Japanese commander responds quickly, and about 9:30am concentrates his fire on the Salt Lake City (CA-25), which takes avoiding action, but has to slow down when one engine breaks down. At 10:10am the Salt Lake City (CA-25) receives a direct hit which starts a major fire. A second hit opens a leak in the hull. While the Japanese ships bear down on the American vessel to finish her off, the US destroyers take on the Japanese formation and drive them off. One of the destroyers, the Bailey (DD-492), is damaged in the exchange of naval gunfire. Short of fuel, and fearing that more substantial American forces may join in and quite possibly US aircraft from the base at Amchitka also, Vice-Adm Hosogaya calls of the engagement and withdraws. The Japanese transports made for home as soon as the battle began, and from now on the Aleutian garrisons will be supplied only by submarine. Although the last great naval battle fought with naval guns end with honors even, it is a strategic victory for the Americans, whose blockade of the Aleutians is never again forced by surface vessels. Hosogaya's conduct of the battle is considered irresolute and timid and he is relieved of his command.

Air Operations, CBI

• During the night 5 B-24s of the 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s mine the Rangoon River.

Air Operations, East Indies

V Bomber Command B-24s attack Saumlakki in the Molucca Islands.

Air Operations, Europe

• 5 Mosquitos reach and bomb their target, the engineering factory at Hengelo. 7 other Mosquitos do not reach their targets. There are no losses.

• 396 aircraft are sent on a raid to Berlin. Included in the total are 191 Lancasters, 124 Halifaxes and 81 Stirlings.
• The bombing force approach the target from the southwest, but the Pathfinders establish two separate target areas, both well short of the city. Most of the bombs fall 7 to 17 miles short of the aiming point which was to be the city center. In the area that receives most of the bomb loads is located a Luftwaffe stores depot that is hit. A large quantity of valuable radio, radar and other technical stores is destroyed.
• 4 Halifaxes, 3 Lancasters and 2 Stirlings are lost.

• 24 aircraft lay mines in the Frisians and off Texel and there are 4 OTU sorties.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• 90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack shipping at Bogia.
• V Bomber Command B-25s attack Lae and Salamaua.

Air Operations, Solomons

US Navy land-based aircraft and XIII Fighter Command P-39s attack the Vila airfield on Kolombangara.

Air Operations, Tunisia

NATAF fighters attack numerous ground targets.

Atlantic

The British escort carrier Dasher is lost in the Clyde Estuary following an accidental petrol explosion and fire with the loss of 378 of her crew. 149 men are rescued.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-169 has been ordered to join Gruppe Seawolf to operate against convoy SC-123. When she comes into the area covered by the convoy's air patrols, Fortress 'F' of No 206 Squadron attacks with depth charges. The explosions roll the U-boat over on its beam ends before it disappears.

U-169

Air Operations, Europe

There is an unsuccessful night raid on Norwich.

• With fighter escort, 24 Venturas attack the Rotterdam docks hitting at least 6 ships and starting a fire in a dockside warehouse.
• There are no losses.

• St Nazaire is hit by 323 aircraft including 179 Wellingtons, 52 Halifaxes, 50 Lancasters and 7 Mosquitos.
• Most of the bombs fall on the port area.
• 1 Halifax and 1 Lancaster are lost.

• 7 aircraft lay mines off St Nazaire and there are 5 OTU sorties.
• There are no losses.

• 70 VIII Bomber Command B-17s attach the Rouen/Sotteville marshalling yard with 209 tons of bombs.
• 1 B-17 is lost, 9 damaged; 2 crewmen wounded, 10 missing

• 3 IX Bomber Command B-24s sent via Malta to mount an experimental low-level attack against the ferry terminal at Messina fail to rendezvous, but 1 B-24 attacks a chemical plant at Crotone, Italy and another attacks the Vibo Valentia Airdrome in Sicily.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-17s, B-24s, and B-25s mount numerous individual attacks against a wide range of targets.

• 18 D3As 'Val' dive bombers escorted by 39 A6M Zeros attack Allied bases around Oro Bay at 1115 hours. In response, 31 US fighters are scrambled at the last minute, of which 49th Fighter Group P-38s down 2 'Vals' and 11 Zeros near Oro Bay between 1145 and 1215 hours. 1 P-40 is lost with its pilot and Japanese bombs sink 2 small ships and damage a new wharf.

Air Operations, Solomons

5 AirSols P-38s and 1 F4U (of 8 of each sent) mount a low-level attack against the Japanese Navy seaplane bases at Poporang and in the Shortland Islands. An Japanese destroyer encountered east of the Shortland Islands is also attacked and seriously damaged.

Air Operations, Tunisia

• NASAF B-26s attacking Gabes Airdrome find that base has been abandoned by its complement of Luftwaffe fighters, which have apparently been withdrawn to the Cap Bon area.
• NATAF fighters conduct numerous offensive sweeps throughout eastern Tunisia, especially in support of heavy ground fighting near Mezzouna.
• IX Fighter Command P-40 fighter-bombers attack ground targets at El Hamma, which German Army ground units are using as an escape route from the collapsing Mareth Line.
• During the night, NAAF bombers attack roads, rail lines, and military transport in the Sfax and Sousse areas.

Italy, Home Front

A German munition ship catches fire and explodes in Naples harbor. There are heavy casualties.

United States, Command

The Chief of Staffs Committee approve new directives for Gen MacArthur and Adm Halsey, resolving the conflict between them in favor of MacArthur, who in addition to the command of the forces in the Southwestern Pacific area will also have operational responsibility for the South Pacific forces under Adm Halsey in the Solomons.

The British 1st Army goes over to the offensive. The German and Italian forces are arriving at the Wadi Akarit position from Mareth. The Italian 1st Army falls back on the Akarit line, northwest of Gabes on the road to Sfax. The Italian formations are least weakened but have lost heart completely. Of the Germans, 90th Light is in fairly good order, 21st and 15th Panzer have both lost heavily and 164th Light is very weak indeed. The British 8th Army begins occupying the main positions on the Mareth Line. The Mareth battle stands as probably the most imaginative of Montgomery's action and has only been marred by some confused leadership on March 27 when Horrocks and Freyberg were uncertain as to who was to take charge.

Patton's II Corps opens up an offensive directed at Gabes. French colonial camel troops of the Southeast Algerian Command complete the capture of a string of towns to the south.

The US II Corps opens a major attack toward Gabès from positions near El Guettar, employing the 1st Division on the left and the 9th Division, less the 60th Regimental Combat Team on the right, in an effort to force a gap in the enemy positions through which the 1st Armored Division can attack.

The 1st Division, with the 18th Regimental Combat Team on the left, the 26th in the center, and the 16th on the right, renews its efforts to advance astride Gumtree road and makes limited progress on the left.

The 9th Division, in action as a division for the first time, attacks with the 47th Infantry from positions on Djebel Berda, previously abandoned by the 18th Infantry, toward Hill 369 on Djebel el Kreroua, an eastern spur of Djebel Berda. The attack is a costly failure because of well-organized enemy positions on the hills and ridges and confusion arising from inaccurate maps. The 1st and 3rd Battalions, mistaking Draa Saada el Hamra ridge for Hill 369, clear it except for Hill 290 at its tip. The 2nd Battalion and a reserve battalions, the 1st Battalion, 39th Infantry, become lost for more than a day while trying to reach Hill 369. The 2nd Battalion, 39th Infantry, is sent after nightfall toward Hill 369 but meets such heavy fire from Hill 290 that the main body falls back to the starting point with stragglers returning as much as 36 hours later.

The 1st Armored Division, which has elements at Gafsa to meet the threat of an enemy breakthrough, is ordered to concentrate additional elements there during the night. On the northern flank of the II Corps, the 34th Division continues a limited attack toward Fondouk Gap but is unable to make much headway. Camel troops of the Southeast Algerian Command occupy Douz, south of Chott Djerid.

In the British 8th Army area, the X Corps continues its attak toward El Hamma, from which the enemy withdraws during the night. The New Zealand Corps pursues the enemy northward toward Gabès. The XXX Corps moves forward along the main Mareth-Gabès road, hamptered by mines and demolitions.

In the British 1st Army area, the V Corps begins a counteroffensive to recover the northern road and relieve pressure on Medjez el Bab, a dangerously exposed salient. The 46th Division, employing the 138 Brigade, the 36th Brigade of the 78th Division and the 1st Parachute Brigade, assisted on the left flank by the Corps d'Afrique and a Tabor of Moroccan Goumiers, drives steadily eastward despite heavy rains, which is to continue for a week. The enemy forces in this sector have thinned out.

Air Operations, Aleutians

7 28th Composite Group B-24s and B-25s, escorted by 343rd Fighter Group P-38s, attack Kiska.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

1 B-17 of the 43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17 attacks the Gasmata airfield on New Britain.

Air Operations, CBI

• 4 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s attack the port at Tavoy.
• 9 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack rail facilities at Maymyo.
• 7 51st Fighter Group P-40s attack a suspected Japanese Army headquarters at Maingkwan.
• 8 51st Fighter Group P-40s attack Japanese Army troop positions near Sumprabum.
• 23rd Fighter Group P-40s strafe trucks at Bhamo.

• 23rd Fighter Group P-40s attack a fuel dump at Chefang.

Air Operations, Europe

• 61 Venturas fly 2 raids to the Rotterdam docks and 1 to a railway target at Abbeville. The weather is unfavorable and the only accurate bombing occurs on the secont Rotterdam rais.
• There are no losses.

• 329 aircraft are sent to Berlin. Included in the total are 162 Lancasters, 103 Halifaxes and 64 Serlings.
• Weather conditions are bad with icing and the wind forecast is incorrect causing most of the bombs to fall in the open countryside 6 miles southeast of Berlin.
• 7 Halifaxes and 3 Stirlings are lost.

• In another major effort, 149 Wellingtons and 8 Oboe Mosquitoes are sent to Bochum.
• The night is moonless and cloudy and the Pathfinders do not adhere to their timetable and there are large gaps in the the skymarking. This results in a failed raid.
• 12 Wellingtons are lost.

• 1 Mosquito is sent to Dortmund and 7 Stirlings lay mines in the Frisians without a loss

Air Operations, New Guinea

• 1 43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17 attacks targets between Mur and Weber Point.
• 1 49th Fighter Group P-38 downs a Japanese Army twin-engine reconnaissance plane over the Bismarck Sea at 1145 hours.

Air Operations, Solomons

• XIII Bomber Command B-17s and B-24s attack the Buin and Hakili airfields on Bougainville.
• 5 347th Fighter Group P-38s and one US Marine Corps F4U strafe the Faisi seaplane base.

Air Operations, Tunisia

• Many aircraft are grounded by bad weather, but some NATAF fighters are able to attack various motor transport and troop concentrations along the battlefront. During these attacks, 33rd Fighter Group P-40 pilots down 7 Bf-109s in morning engagements centered on Faid Pass. 31st Fighter Group Spitfire pilots down 3 FW-190s over El Guettar between 1430 and 1450 hours.
• IX Bomber Command B-25s attack the Sfax/El Maou Airdrome.
• IX Fighter Command P-40s complete numerous fighter-bomber missions in support of British 8th Army units pursuing fleeing German Army forces through Gabes.

Baltic Sea

U-416 is lost in a minefield laid by the Soviet submarine L-3. She is raised and salvaged ten days later. She sinks again December 12, 1944 nortwest of Pillau following a collision with minesweeper M-203.

U-416

Burma

On the Arakan front the British and Indian forces withdraw.

Air Operations, Aleutians

The 11th Air Force sends 6 seperate against Kiska and Little Kiska islands, but many aircraft abort in the face of bad weather. 1 B-24 is downed by anti-aircraft fire.

Air Operations, Bismarcks

B-24s of the 90th Heavy Bomb Group attack Gasmata.

Air Operations, CBI

• 5 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack rail facilities at Maymyo.
• 16 51st Fighter Group P-40s attack targets of opportunity.
• 23rd Fighter Group P-40s strafe locomotives near Lashio.

Air Operations, Europe

• 10 Mosquitos are sent to hit the Phillips factory at Eindhoven but only manage to hit one corner of the factory.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Bomber Command B-17s, B-24s, B-25s, and A-20s attack the port and town areas at Finschhafen.

Air Operations, Solomons

XIII Bomber Command B-17s and B-24s on armed-reconnaissance missions attack the Kahili airfiled on Bougainville and the Vila airfield on Kolombangara.

Air Operations, Tunisia

• Bad weather again grounds the bombers, but NATBF A-20s attack La Fauconnerie Airdrome as well as directly support an attack by US Army ground forces on Djebel Berda.
• NAAf fighters attack numerous ground targets.
• IX Bomber Command B-25s attack Sfax/El Maou Airdrome.
• IX Fighter Command P-40s support British 8th Army ground attacks.
• Pilots of the 33rd and 52nd Fighter Groups down 10 Bf-109s and damage 11 others during a major engagement over and around La Fauconnerie Airdrome between 0807 and 0945 hours.

Atlantic

The crew of the German blockade-runner Regensburg immolate themselves when intercepted by HMS Glasgow in the Denmark Strait. There are 6 survivors.

After bitter fighting the 8th Army takes Sejenane.

The US II Corps continues efforts to break through the enemy positions astride the El Guettar-Gabès road. The 1st Division secures most of the southern part of Djebel el Mcheltat. After a preparatory artillery bombardment, the 9th Division takes part of Djebel Lettouchi, the eastern spur of Djebel Berda, but cannot hold it or advance elsewhere. The 1st Armored Div's Task Force Benson attacks through the infantry at noon but is soon stopped by enemy fire and mines. A lane is cleared through the mine fiels at a pass between Djebel el Mcheltat and Hill 369 during the night. The 34th Division, to the north, continues futile efforts to reach Fondouk Gap. The Southeast Algerian Command's camel troops occupy Kebili.

The British 8th Army's forward elements make contact with the enemy's new line along Wadi Akarit. The X Corps is ordered to determine whether the Akarit defenses can be carried by an assault with the current forces. The New Zealand Corp, having served its purpose, is abolished.

In the British 1st Army area, the V Corps' 46th Division recaptures Sedjenane.

Air Operations, CBI

• 9 B-25s of the 341st Medium Bomb Group attack rail facilities at Pyinmana.

Air Operations, Europe

• An attack 103 VIII Bomber Command heavy bombers is thwarted by heavy cloud cover over the target, but 33 B-17s drop a total of 99 tons of bombs on several shipyards. There is a collision between 2 B-17s of the 303rd Heavy Bomb Group while forming up for the mission results in the loss of both planes and 15 crewmen.
• 3 B-17s and 1 B-24 are lost, 4 B-17s and 1 B-24 are damaged; 1 crewman killed, 10 wounded, 10 missing
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Air Operations, Mediterranean

• NASAF B-25s on anti-shipping sweeps between Sicily and Tunisia attack several Axis ships at sea off northeastern Tunisia.
• 82nd Fighter Group P-38 pilots down 1 Bf-109 and 1 Ju-88 off Cap Zambra during the late afternoon.
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Air Operations, New Guinea

• 90th Heavy Bombardment Group B-24s attack Babo.
• 3rd Light Bomb Group A-20s attack Salamaua.
• B-24s mount individual attacks against the airfield at Lae, Finschhafen, and several other targets.
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Air Operations, Sardinia

NASAF B-17s, including the combat debut of the 99th Heavy Bomb Group, attack the Decimomannu, Monserrato and Villacidro Airdromes and Cagiliari harbor.

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Air Operations, Solomons

XIII Fighter Command P-38s and P-40s attack targets on Santa Isabel.

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Air Operations, Tunisia

• NATAF A-20s, B-25s, and fighters attack La Fauconnerie Airdrome and numerous tactical targets throughout the shrinking Axis holdings in eastern Tunisia.
• IX Bomber Command B-25s and elements of the WDAF attack the Sfax/Rl Maou Airdrome.
• IX Fighter Command P-40s attack numerous ground targets of opportunity, especially motor vehicles along the highway north of Gabes.
• While supporting a late-afternoon ground-attack mission, 33rd Fighter Group P-40 pilots down 9 Bf-109s and 4 Ju-87s near El Guettar.

Aleutian Islands

The American Pacific Command issues a directive for the invasion of the island of Attu. The operation is to take place on May 7 and will be directed by Adm Thomas Kinkaid, Commander of Task Force 16 of the Northern Pacific. Under him will be Rear-Adm Francis W. Rockwell, who will command the combined operations landing force, and Gen Albert E. Brown, heading the US 7th Division, an unexpected task for this division which has been trained for months in desert warfare.