On this day during W.W. 2

March 11, 1942. Eastern Front
A snowstorm on the central front that began on 10 March increases in intensity throughout the night. Travel becomes difficult. General Walter Model manages to fly through the storm to Fuhrer Headquarters in East Prussia. He is there to argue in favour of the quick start of Operation Brueckenschlag, a drive toward Oshtakov which would close a gap between Army Groups Centre and North (Brueckenschlag literally means “bridge-building”). This is an ambitious operation that, if successful, would trap six or seven Soviet armies and deprive them of a third of their gains during the winter counteroffensive. The weather is so bad, however, that today the Luftwaffe asks for a postponement of offensive operations due to severe icing conditions.
Source: worldwartwodaily

March 21, 1942. Eastern Front
Army Group North’s 16th Army orders it’s II Corps under the command of General Walther von Seydlitz-Kurzbach to manoeuvre through the “Ramushevo corridor” (the tenuous link between Demyansk and Staraya Russa) in an attempt to relieve the encircled troops at Demyansk. They will be met by fierce Soviet resistance on the Lovat River.
Photo: German forces near Demyansk, 21 March 1942.

March 23, 1945. European Theatre
As US 3rd Army makes another Rhine River crossing near Worms, Germany, British 2nd Army and Canadian 1st Army mount a carefully prepared operation, code named Plunder, to cross the Rhine River in the area from Emmerich to just south of Wesel. There is massive artillery support, with over 4,000 Allied guns firing for four hours during the opening bombardment. Two parachute divisions are also to be dropped to aid the crossing. The operation begins at 9 PM and continues in the moonlight. Meanwhile, US 1st Army and elements of US 3rd Army are extending their bridgeheads over the Rhine. In Berlin, Adolf Hitler wants to counterattack the Allied bridgehead at Oppenheim, but he is told that no reserve forces are available to embark on such an operation.
Over Germany, US 8th Air Force attacks transportation lines and other targets with 1,244 bombers, of which seven are lost. US 15th Air Force attacks Ruhland, Vienna and other targets. US 12th Air Force attack bridges across the border from Italy. RAF Bomber Command sends 128 aircraft to attack bridges at Bremen and Bad Oeynhausen during the day, 80 aircraft to attack Wesel during the day, 65 aircraft to attack Berlin overnight, and 23 aircraft to attack Aschaffenburg overnight.
On the Eastern Front, the Soviet 3rd Belorussian Front continues assaulting into Heiligenbeil while the Soviet 2nd Belorussian Front continues blasting Gotenhafen (Gdynia) pocket and Danzig pocket. The German 9th Army makes unsuccessful counterattacks against 8th Guards Army of Soviet 1st Belorussian Front around Kustrin. Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front batters Hungarian 3rd Army and captures Komarno and Esztergom, while Remnants of German 6th Army and 6th SS Panzer Army continue withdrawing toward Austria.
Martin Bormann orders millions of Germans to migrate from western and eastern Germany to the central part of the country; no food and transports are allocated to them, thus such a move spells certain disaster.
In Italy, General Vietinghoff takes over command of German forces, replacing Field Marshal Kesselring, who has been withdrawn to the Western Front. Throughout March there have been small attacks by both US 2nd and 4th Corps of US 5th Army in the area around the Pistoia-Bologna road and to the west.
Photo: U.S. 89th Division crossing the Rhine under fire. Colourised by Paul Reynolds
Source: World War II Daily: DDay to VEDay

March 24, 1941. North Africa
At 06.00 hours, German 5th Light Division attacks the Allied forward position of El Agheila, Libya. Only small forces of the British 2nd Armoured Division and 7th Australian Division are defending this key position and in any case are largely equipped with Bren gun carriers and captured Italian M13 tanks that prove to be no match for the Panzers. Under orders to retreat if attacked, 2nd Armoured Division falls back 30 miles east to Mersa Brega.

Fiat-Ansaldo M13/40 tanks of the VII Battaglione, 32 Reggimento Carri, Ariete Armoured Division on or about 24 March 1941, just before the Axis advance on El-Agheila. Italian troops, particularly infantry, formed a huge component of General Rommel’s successful Afrika Korps operations.

March 25, 1941. Battle of the Mediterranean
It is fair to say that, at this stage of the war, the Italian military has not covered itself with glory. They have been forced back in Albania, East Africa, and North Africa, while the Italian fleet largely has stayed in port. However, there is one area of the military at which the Italians are ahead of everyone: small-scale attacks at sea which can produce big results. However, so far these operations have been cancelled for various technical reasons.
That changes today. Italian destroyers Crispi and Sella each carry three 2-ton motor assault boats from Leros in the Dodecanese Islands. They head for the vicinity of the major British naval base at Suda Bay, Crete. The destroyers release the boats from about 10 miles (18 km) offshore at 23:30. The small boats proceed toward the large Royal Navy ships at anchor in the bay for an attack on the 26th. The prime target is heavy cruiser HMS York.
On land, the German Afrika Korps continues consolidating its recent acquisition of El Agheila. The British have withdrawn to Mersa Brega, which occupies a narrow point between the coast and the rocky interior where larger operations are impossible. The Germans also note that the British have abandoned Maaten Bescer, too, with British patrols in the area west of Mersa Brega vastly reduced.

Photo: German tanks in El-Agheila
Source: worldwartwodaily

@captainwalker said in On this day during W.W. 2:

Fiat-Ansaldo M13/40 tanks of the VII Battaglione, 32 Reggimento Carri, Ariete Armoured Division on or about 24 March 1941, just before the Axis advance on El-Agheila. Italian troops, particularly infantry, formed a huge component of General Rommel’s successful Afrika Korps operations.that’s one scary looking Italian tank.

27 March 1943
RAF makes heaviest yet night attack on Berlin, dropping double the largest dropped on London (4-18-41).
Admiral Sir Henry Harwood, CinC of the eastern sector of the Mediterranean and victor of the Battle of the River Plate (12-13 Dec. 1939), is obliged to retire from service for health reasons.

28 March 1943
Tunisia: The British 1st Army goes on the offensive. Troops from the Italian 1st Army retreat to the Akarit line (North west of Gabes) to join other Axis forces.
New Guinea: A battalion of the U.S. 162nd Inf. are tasked with occupying Morobe harbor and the mouth of the river Waria as a stepping stone against the Japanese, who still hold Lae and Salamaua.
The Chief of Staffs Committee approve new directives for Gen. MacArthur and Adm. Halsey, resolving the conflict between them in favor of MacArthur, who now has operational responsibility for Halsey’s forces in the Solomons.

March 28, 1941. Battle of Cape Matapan

In late March 1941, as British ships of the Mediterranean Fleet covered troop movements to Greece, Mavis Batey, a cryptographer at Bletchley Park, made a breakthrough, reading the Italian naval Enigma for the first time. The first message, the cryptic “Today’s the day minus three,” was followed three days later by a second message reporting the sailing of an Italian battle fleet comprising one battleship, six heavy and two light cruisers, plus destroyers to attack the merchant convoys supplying British forces. As always with Enigma, the intelligence breakthrough was concealed from the Italians by ensuring there was a plausible reason for the Allies to have detected and intercepted their fleet. In this case, it was a carefully directed reconnaissance plane.

At the same time, there was a failure of intelligence on the Axis side. The Italians had been wrongly informed by the Germans that the Mediterranean Fleet had only one operational battleship and no aircraft carriers. In fact the Royal Navy had battleships, while the damaged British aircraft carrier (HMS Illustrious) had been replaced by HMS Formidable.

On 27 March, Vice-Admiral Pridham-Wippell, with the cruisers HMS Ajax, HMS Gloucester, HMS Orion and HMAS Perth and a number of destroyers, sailed from Greek waters for a position south of Crete. Admiral Cunningham with HMS Formidable, HMS Warspite, HMS Barham and HMS Valiant left Alexandria on the same day to meet the cruisers.

On 28 March, 150 miles west of Crete, an IMAM Ro.43 floatplane launched by Vittorio Veneto spotted the British cruiser squadron at 06:35. Italian cruisers Trieste, Trento and Bolzano close in and open fire at 08:12 from 13 miles without success, then battleship Veneto joins in at 10:55 from 14 miles but cause little damage to 4 Allied cruisers as the Italians experienced trouble with their rangefinding equipment. Torpedo bombers from HMS Formidable attack Veneto at noon and again at 15:09, hitting a propeller and causing flooding which stops her for 90 minutes. Admiral Cunningham immediately orders the Mediterranean fleet to close on the damaged Italian battleship. Torpedo bombers from HMS Formidable and from Crete (815 Squadron) attack at 19.36, crippling Italian cruiser Pola. Cruisers Zara and Fiume remain to help Pola while Vittorio Veneto and the other ships run for cover at Taranto. After dark, battleships HMS Barham, HMS Valiant and HMS Warspite close to 2 miles unnoticed by the Italian ships (which have no radar). They open fire at 23:30, sinking 2 Italian cruisers Fiume and Zara and 2 destroyers Alfieri and Carducci while destroyer Oriani escapes with heavy damage.
Photo: The battleship Vittorio Veneto firing upon the Allied cruisers during the action off Gavdos

@captainwalker dirty Brits, using underhand tricks on my poor Italian brothers.

@captainwalker said in On this day during W.W. 2:

March 28, 1941. Battle of Cape Matapan

{snip} The Italians had been wrongly informed by the Germans that the Mediterranean Fleet had only one operational battleship and no aircraft carriers. In fact the Royal Navy had battleships, while the damaged British aircraft carrier (HMS Illustrious) had been replaced by HMS Formidable. {snip}

{snip} Admiral Cunningham with HMS Formidable, HMS Warspite, HMS Barham and HMS Valiant left Alexandria on the same day to meet the cruisers.

{snip}

In the phrase, “the Royal Navy had battleships”, did you mean to instead say, “the Royal Navy had three battleships”? I’m curious by the way you put that.

-Midnight_Reaper

@Midnight_Reaper it should read three…HMS Barham, Valiant and Warspite

29 March 1943
*Tunisia: Advancing units of the British 8th Army facing fierce resistance occupy Gabes and El Hamma.
*Berlin is again heavily bombed in RAF night attack.

March 30, 1941. North Africa
General Rommel is ready to get moving. Since he does not have orders from OKH to attack, he gives his directives verbally. He tells the 5th Light Division to attack Mersa Brega in the morning. The 5th Light has had patrols out and reports that it captured an armoured car. The British 2nd Armoured Division defends Mersa Brega. Rommel is encouraged by recent skirmishes, including the capture of El Agheila, and also wants to advance to the Jebel Achdar (Green Mountain) south of Benghazi because it is a rare source of potable water in the desert.

The RAF raids Tripoli in the early morning hours, causing only slight damage. The Luftwaffe also is in action, claiming to have destroyed an armoured car, self-propelled gun, and tanker.
Photo: Bf 109E-4Trop JG27 off North African coast, 1941
Source: worldwartwodaily

@captainwalker one of the best colour photos of the war, in my opinion.

March 31, 1941. North Africa
At 07:45, the Afrika Korps launches the next stage of its offensive, sending 50 tanks and taking part in the defences at Mersa Brega. The Afrika Korps takes Ajdabiya. The British lose numerous armoured cars and light tanks. This attack is into the “Mersa El Brega Gap,” an area between the coast and desert where the flat ground makes it good tank country.
The British 2nd Armoured Division of XIII Corps is poorly sited in the area and its units are quickly overrun or sent packing. The attack features the 5th Light Division, the 5th Panzer Regiment, and two Italian divisions, Ariete and Brescia. Ariete Division sends its reinforced 12th Bersaglieri battalion into the heights north of Mersa Brega. The British counterattack but are beaten off, and the Italian air force attacks the British around Agedabia and Mersa Brega.
This attack is an unusual example of how British top-secret Ultra intelligence can work against them. The British have been decoding messages from Berlin which effectively have ordered Lieutenant General Rommel not to attack until he has all of his projected forces assembled. This is not supposed to be the case until May. However, Rommel has decided on his own initiative to attack, confounding the British, who expected him to wait.
Rommel has other good news: elements of the 15th Panzer Division begin to arrive in Tripoli.
Photo: Afrika Korps panzers and scout vehicles on the road to Mersa Brega, 31 March 1941. Nice, flat, unobstructed roads without many bridges and little air defence make these areas perfect for tank advances.
Source: worldwartwodaily

…desert where the flat ground makes it good tank country.
… Nice, flat, unobstructed roads without many bridges and little air defence make these areas perfect for tank advances.

It also worked in '91 in similar nearby terrain.

31 March 1943
*New Guinea: MacKechnie Force - consisting mainly of the 1st of the 162nd Inf. and named after the officer in command, is taken by sea to the mouth of the river Waria to occupy that position and a neighboring airfield.
*Solomon Islands: Russel Islands come under several Japanese air attacks.
*Aleutian Islands: The American Pacific Commands issue a directive for the invasion of Attu. The operation is to take place on 7 May and will be directed by Adm. Kinkaid, Commander of Tf-16. Under him are R-Adm. Rockwell in charge of landing force operations, and Gen. Albert Brown, heading the 7th division.
*China: The Americans open training centers for Chinese infantry and artillery officers.
*Iran: The American air force takes over responsibility for a big factory at Abadan that assembles aircraft supplied by the USA to the USSR.
*Sardinia: A large US bombing force (nearly 100 Fortresses) attacks Cagliari, the relay post for Axis shipments to Tunisia and an important air base.

April 1, 1941. Libya, North Africa
Rommel has strict orders from Berlin not to advance on Mersa Brega until further reinforcements arrive in the form of 15th Panzer Division at the end of May, however, the need for a fresh water supply from the green mountain (Jebel Akhdar), and the necessity in his opinion of attacking before the British build up their defences, makes him prompt General Johannes Streich to use his 5th Light Division to capture this narrow coastal defile and open the way to Cyrenaica proper.
At first light, German 5th Light Division attacks British 2nd Armoured Division at Mersa Brega while the Luftwaffe provide close air support. British anti-tank guns hold the panzers at bay throughout the day but by 19.00hrs Mersa Brega falls to the Afrika Korps. Under orders not become heavily engaged with German tanks, the British withdraw 30 miles northeast toward Agedabia overnight.