29 Mar 1944
  • Kiichi Hasegawa was killed in action. ww2dbase [Kiichi Hasegawa | CPC]
  • The US No. 1 Air Commando Group was redesignated as 1st Air Commando Group (nicknamed Cochrane's Flying Circus). ww2dbase [AC]
Burma
  • Four howitzers of Chinese 113th Regiment forced Japanese artillery to cease firing on 1st Battalion of US 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), which had been ongoing since the previous day, and further advanced to force the Japanese guns to fall back; by nightfall, the Allies would learn that the Japanese were evacuating Shaduzup, Burma and the Chinese would capture the city before dawn. Elsewhere, Frank Merrill was evacuated by air in the morning from Hsamshingyang toward 20th General Hospital at Ledo, India. Colonel Charles Hunter assumed command of the US 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional) and moved to Nhpum Ga, but which time Lieutenant Colonel George McGee, Jr. and the 2nd Battalion had completed defensive preparations at Nhpum Ga, which was near the clearing at Hsamshingyang. Between 1040 and 1400 hours, some supplies arrived at Hsamshingyang by air. Hunter departed Nhpum Ga at 1530 hours. ww2dbase [Battle of Myitkyina | Charles Hunter | George McGee | Shaduzup | CPC]
Caroline Islands
  • US naval aircraft bombed Japanese ships in the Palau Islands. ww2dbase [Palau | CPC]
  • USS Tunny observed a large number of small vessels leaving Malakal Island in the Palau Islands in the morning but did not attack. In the afternoon, she observed the arrival of battleship Musashi and other warships; Tunny fired six bow torpedoes at Musashi but failed to hit her. She endured a 38-depth charge counterattack. Later that night, she caught up with the force and damaged Musashi with another torpedo attack. ww2dbase [Tunny | Malakal, Palau | CPC]
China
  • 12 P-40 and 3 P-51 fighters of the US 14th Air Force attacked the railroad station area in Nanchang, Jiangxi, China. ww2dbase [Nanchang, Jiangxi | CPC]
Germany Hawaii India
  • Japanese troops took control of the road between Imphal and Kohima, India, thus isolating the Anglo-Indian troops at Imphal. Meanwhile, the Anglo-American Combined Chiefs of Staff retracted a decision made earlier and diverted additional transport aircraft from the Mediterranean Sea theater of war to the Burma-India theater of war. Louis Mountbatten had requested them to help the defense of the Imphal region in India; incidentally, the initial aircraft embarked on transporting the Indian 5th Division to Imphal and Dimapur completed the task on this date after 758 sorties. ww2dbase [Battle of Imphal-Kohima | Imphal, Manipur | CPC]
  • USS Wake Island arrived at Karachi, India (now Pakistan). ww2dbase [Wake Island | Karachi, Sindh | CPC]
Indian Ocean
  • American Liberty Ship Richard Hovey was struck by three torpedoes from Japanese submarine I-26 in the Arabian Sea at about 1615 hours and was abandoned. I-26 then surfaced to shell the ship until she sank. She then shelled the lifeboats and rafts, killing three crewmembers and an armed guard. The Japanese submarine continued to ram the boats (sinking one) before taking four prisoners and clearing the area. ww2dbase [Arabian Sea | HM]
Italy
  • Two Italian motor torpedo boats attacked the Allied beachhead at Anzio, Italy before dawn, causing no damage and losing one boat. ww2dbase [Battle of Anzio | Anzio, Lazio | CPC]
Japan
  • Destroyer Yukikaze departed Yokosuka, Japan to escort carrier Zuiho to Guam, Mariana Islands. ww2dbase [Yukikaze | Yokosuka, Kanagawa | CPC]
Pacific Ocean
  • USS Alabama shared the credit in the downing of at least one Japanese aircraft which were attempting to attack US carriers. ww2dbase [Alabama | CPC]
  • USS Whale entered East China Sea. ww2dbase [Whale | East China Sea | CPC]
Philippines
  • USS Bluefish attacked a Japanese ship northeast of Borneo, Dutch East Indies; all 5 torpedoes missed. ww2dbase [Bluefish | Sulu Sea | CPC]
United States
  • US Congress approved US$1,350,000,000 to fund the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Agency for assisting refugees in Europe. ww2dbase [CPC]
Photo(s) dated 29 Mar 1944
US Marines practice transferring troops from LCVP landing craft to LVT Water Buffalo in the Solomons preparing for the landings on Guam, Marianas, mid-1944.Ordinancemen working to load a Mark 10 aerial mine into the bomb bay of a TBF-1C of Torpedo Squadron VT-16 aboard USS Lexington (Essex-class), 29 Mar 1944 off the Palau Islands.Amphibious Transport Ship USS Hunter Liggett approaching Mare Island Shipyard for an overhaul, Mare Island, California, United States, Mar 29, 1944. Note LCVP landing craft hanging from davits and stowed on deck.

29 Mar 1944 Interactive Map

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




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Famous WW2 Quote
"All that silly talk about the advance of science and such leaves me cold. Give me peace and a retarded science."

Thomas Dodd, late 1945


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