24 Mar 1942
  • Admiral Chester Nimitz was appointed the Commander in Chief of the US Pacific Theater. ww2dbase [Chester Nimitz | TH]
  • Deportation of Slovakian Jews to Auschwitz Concentration Camp began. ww2dbase [Discovery of Concentration Camps and the Holocaust | CPC]
  • Japanese Navy aircraft began daily bombings of Corregidor in the Philippine Islands. ww2dbase [Invasion of the Philippine Islands | CPC]
  • The British House of Commons began a two-day debate on the conduct of the war in Germany; bombing of German cities was to be a focal point. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | CPC]
  • HMS Indomitable joined the British Eastern Fleet. ww2dbase [Indomitable | CPC]
  • British minesweeper HMS Sharpshooter spotted German submarine U-655 on the surface in the Barents Sea and proceeded to ram and sink her; the entire crew of U-655, 45 men, were killed. ww2dbase [CPC]
  • German submarine U-585 was damaged by depth charges from 3 Allied warships in the Barents Sea, but was able to escape. ww2dbase [CPC]
  • British minesweeping whaler HMS Sulla was lost to heavy seas in the Norwegian Sea. ww2dbase [CPC]
  • German submarine U-123 sank British tanker Empire Steel with torpedoes and the deck gun 365 miles north of Bermuda at 0300 hours; 39 were killed, 8 survived. ww2dbase [Second Happy Time | CPC]
  • Minesweeper HMS Sharpshooter, escorting Allied convoy QP-9, spotted German submarine U-655 in a distance; she forced the submarine to surface by depth charges, rammed, and sank her; all 47 aboard U-655 were killed. ww2dbase [Arctic Convoys | CPC]
Atlantic Ocean
  • The 53 survivors of British tanker Peder Bogen, hit by Italian submarine Morosini in the Atlantic Ocean on the previous date, noted that the tanker seemed to be remaining afloat three hours after being hit, and began to return. Also observing the same, Morosini opened fire with her deck gun between 0154 and 0203 hours, missing the tanker, but driving the lifeboats away. Between 0215 and 0228 hours, she fired her deck guns again, this time scoring hits and sinking the tanker. ww2dbase [Second Happy Time | Morosini | CPC]
Burma
  • Japanese 112th Regiment attacked Taungoo, Burma, overcoming the disorganized Chinese outer defenses. Meanwhile, Japanese 143rd Regiment flanked the Chinese defenses and captured the airfield and rail station 6 miles north of the city. Taungoo would be surrounded on three sides by the end of the day. ww2dbase [Invasion of Burma | Taungoo | CPC]
Dutch East Indies France Malta
  • German bombers attacked Malta, damaging British destroyer HMS Legion with near misses. ww2dbase [Malta Campaign | CPC]
South Africa
  • USS Marblehead arrived at Simon's Town, South Africa to repair damages sustained during the Battle of Makassar Strait. ww2dbase [Marblehead | Simon's Town | CPC]
United States Photo(s) dated 24 Mar 1942
Bechtel photo of the site for the Maritime Commission shipyard granted to them that would become Marinship, 24 Mar 1942, Sausalito, California, United States. Photo 1 of 3.Bechtel photo of the site for the Maritime Commission shipyard granted to them that would become Marinship, 24 Mar 1942, Sausalito, California, United States. Photo 2 of 3.

24 Mar 1942 Interactive Map

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis




Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you.

Share this article with your friends:

 Facebook
 Reddit
 Twitter

Stay updated with WW2DB:

 RSS Feeds

Search WW2DB
Famous WW2 Quote
"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."

Winston Churchill, on the RAF


Support Us

Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!

Or, please support us by purchasing some WW2DB merchandise at TeeSpring, Thank you!