1 Mar in WW2 History | World War II Database

1 Mar 1891

Harald Öhquist was born.
» In-depth article

1 Mar 1914

Erwin Rommel was posted to the 4th Battery of the 49th Artillery Regiment of the Wüttemberg Army.
» In-depth article

1 Mar 1918

The Murmansk Soviet informed Petrograd, Russia that the Allied missions continued to be well inclined towards supporting the Bolsheviks and were willing to provide military aid and food supplies.
President Wilson drafted a message stating that he had no objection to an Allied request for a Japanese intervention in Siberia. But under pressure from his special adviser Colonel E. House, he was actually persuaded to compile a second note in which he stated that the US Government felt that such a Japanese intervention might be playing into the hands of the enemies of the Russian revolution (for which the US Government held the greatest sympathy).

1 Mar 1923

Rear Admiral Morie Tokiwa was named the Chief of Staff of the Mako naval port at Pescadores islands, Taiwan.
Yura was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement

1 Mar 1931

USS Arizona completed her modernization and was placed in full commission status.
» In-depth article

1 Mar 1932

Former Chinese Emperor Puyi was declared Chief Executive Datong of the puppet state of Manchukuo in northeastern China.
» In-depth article
Chinese troops launched a counterattack at Shanghai, China, but it failed to break Japanese lines.
» In-depth article
Ma Zhanshan was made the Minister of War of the Japanese-sponsored puppet state of Manchukuo in northeastern China.
» In-depth article

1 Mar 1934

Werner Mölders was promoted to the rank of Leutnant; he also transferred to the Luftwaffe on this date.
» In-depth article
George Patton was promoted to the permanent rank of lieutenant colonel.
» In-depth article
Zhang Jinghui, already the head of the Ministry of Defense of the puppet state of Manchukuo since 1932, was named the Minister of Defense.
» In-depth article
As the Manchukuo Department of Finance was reformed as the Finance Ministry, Xi Qia was named its first minister.
» In-depth article

1 Mar 1935

Saar officially became part of Germany after the Jan 1935 plebiscite.
The US Army Air Corps established the General Headquarters Air Force as a new formation, under the command of Brigadier General Frank M. Andrews. This was seen by many proponents of air power as the first move towards establishing an autonomous US Air Force.

1 Mar 1936

Rudolf Höss was promoted to the rank of SS-Hauptscharführer.
» In-depth article
In Colorado, United States, the "Six Company's" consortium formally handed the newly completed Hoover Dam over to the federal government, two years ahead of schedule.

1 Mar 1937

Some time during this month, Japanese Rear Admiral Keijii Fukuda and his design team completed the blueprint for the largest class of battleships in the world. This design would later become the Yamato-class battleship.
» In-depth article
Major General Masataka Hata was named the chief of staff of the Taiwan Army.
Hideki Tojo was named the chief of staff of Kenkichi Ueda (Japanese Kwantung Army in northeastern China).
» In-depth article
Spencer was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article

1 Mar 1938

Lieutenant General Kenzo Kitano was named the chief of staff of the Japanese Chosen Army in occupied Korea.
Photos dated 1 Mar 1938

1 Mar 1939

British destroyer HMS Matabele (L26) was commissioned into service with Commander G. K. Whitmy-Smith in command.
The keel of submarine Tautog was laid down at Groton, Connecticut, United States.
» In-depth article

1 Mar 1940

US Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles arrived in Berlin, Germany on a peace mission, and met with German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop on the first day of his visit.
» In-depth article
Adolf Hitler issued a formal war directive for Weserübung, the invasion of Norway and Denmark.
» In-depth article
The Libyan 1st and 2nd Divisions were formed by the Italian Army.
Historical document written: Fragmentary Prague Text
» In-depth article
Historical document written: Fragmentary Prague Text from Moscow
» In-depth article

1 Mar 1941

Heinrich Himmler paid his first visit to Auschwitz Concentration Camp. During the visit, he ordered Commandant Rudolf Höss to expand the current camp to hold a total of 30,000 prisoners, expand the camp to Birkenau with capacity for 100,000 prisoners, supply 10,000 prisoners to work for the nearby I.G. Farben factory, and to expand the camp's agricultural and industrial output.
» In-depth article
German troops entered Romania.
US Navy established the Support Force Atlantic Fleet for the purpose of providing protection for merchant shipping.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Bogdan Filov signed the Tripartite Pact, which gave Germany the option of invading Greece through Bulgaria. Bulgaria was promised territories lost to Yugoslavia and Greece after WW1.
» In-depth article
Bread rations in Italy was halved in order to increase food export to Germany.
Free French forces from Chad captured Kufra in southeastern Libya. The Italians suffered 3 killed (all 3 were Libyan colonial troops), 4 wounded, and 282 captured (29 Italians, 273 Libyan colonial troops); the French suffered 4 killed and 21 wounded.
» In-depth article
Two battalions of Indian 4th Division and 2 Free French battalions reached Mescelit Pass 15 miles northeast of Keren, Eritrea, Italian East Africa; lacking artillery, the force's goal was only to tie down Italian forces in the region. In Port Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, as HMS Formidable waited for mine clearing operations to complete in the Suez Canal, she launched 5 Albacore aircraft to bomb Massawa, Eritrea, Italian East Africa, causing little damage. On the same day, Italian submarines Gauleo Ferraras, Perla, and Archimede departed Massawa for the long journey around Africa for Europe.
» In-depth article
British minesweeping trawler HMT St. Donats collided with destroyer HMS Cotswold and sank 45 miles east of Grimsby, England, United Kingdom.
Larissa, Greece suffered a 6.3 magnitude earthquake.
Lieutenant General Hiroshi Takahashi was named the chief of staff of the Japanese Chosen Army in occupied Korea.
Lieutenant General Takaji Wachi was named the chief of staff of the Taiwan Army.
German cruiser Admiral Scheer entered the South Atlantic from the Indian Ocean.
» In-depth article

1 Mar 1942

HMS Encounter, HMS Exeter, and USS Pope were sunk at the Second Battle of the Java Sea; the ships suffered 7, 54, and 1 killed, respectively. Meanwhile, at the Battle of Sunda Strait, Allied cruisers USS Houston and HMAS Perth intercepted a Japanese invasion force but were both sunk as they attacked; four Japanese transports and a minesweepers were sunk, but two of the transports were later refloated. Also on this date, Japanese troops landed on Java and immediately began marching for Batavia, with the Japanese 2nd Division capturing Serang and the 230th Infantry Regiment capturing Kalidjati airfield at Soebang en route. Finally, Japanese air raids at Surabaya damaged destroyer USS Stewart and Dutch destroyer Witte de With.
» In-depth article
Oiler USS Pecos were sunk off Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean by Japanese carrier aircraft. While en route to rescue survivors of Pecos, which included survivors of USS Langley, destroyer USS Edsall was sunk at 1731 hours by gunfire and aircraft; 147 were killed, 6 survived and were captured.
ABDA naval command was disbanded after the defeats at the Java Sea region.
Extermination of Jews at Sobibor Concentration Camp began.
» In-depth article
The US Navy 3rd Submarine Fleet was established in Brisbane, Australia.
The US authorities rounded up 112,000 Americans of Japanese descent and moved them to inland camps well away from the Pacific coast.
» In-depth article
Martti Aho was awarded the Mannerheim Cross medal.
» In-depth article
The United States Marine Corps established Marine Aircraft Group 22 at Midway Atoll, consisted of Marine Scout-Bomber Squadron 231 and Marine Fighter Squadron 221.
In the face of defeats in Burma, Archibald Wavell replaced Major General John Smyth with Major General David Cowan and demoted General Thomas Hutton to be the chief of staff of Cowan.
» In-depth article
Filipp Golikov was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for the second time.
» In-depth article
Japanese warships sank five Dutch ships (Rooseboom, Pariji, Modjokerto, and two others) between Dutch East Indies and Australia.
The E14Y floatplane of Japanese submarine I-25 conducted a reconnaissance mission over Hobart, Australia.
» In-depth article
German submarine U-656 was sunk by a Hudson patrol bomber of US Navy VP-82 squadron 33 miles south of Cape Race, Newfoundland, killing all 45 aboard.
» In-depth article
Korvettenkapitän Hellmuth Strobel took command of cruiser Köln.
» In-depth article
Tatsuta Maru arrived at Kwajalein, Marshall islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
USS Perch was depth charged by two Japanese destroyers 30 miles northwest of Surabaya, Java; her starboard motors were damaged and she took on flood waters.
» In-depth article
Legionaro was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
Photos dated 1 Mar 1942

See all photos dated 1 Mar 1942

1 Mar 1943

German troops began falling back from the Rzhev area in Russia.
The American Jewish Congress sponsored an event at the Madison Square Garden in New York City where 20,000 people gathered and called for Allied and neutral nations to provide sanctuaries for refugees and called for the United States and United Kingdom (ie. the British mandate of Palestine) to relax immigration restrictions.
Heinz Guderian was appointed Inspector-General of Armoured Troops.
» In-depth article
US Marine Corps established its first medium bomber squadron, Marine Bomber Squadron 413, at Cherry Point, North Carolina, United States.
The Northern Group of the Chindits reached Zibyutaungdan, Burma and began to move into the Mu valley.
» In-depth article
U-530 was assigned to the 10. Unterseebootflottille (10th Submarine Flotilla).
» In-depth article
Cruiser Köln was taken out of service and would remain so for one year.
» In-depth article
Photos dated 1 Mar 1943

1 Mar 1944

British High Commissioner in Jerusalem Sir Harold MacMichael stated that the current quota of 75,000 Jewish immigrants would not be increased, and when the current quota expired on 31 Mar 1944, there would be no plan for further openings for immigrants.
Thousands of Italian workers in northern Italy went on a strike, stopping production in some factories for a week. Because it was found that the strike was organized by a underground resistance movement, as many as 2,000 workers who went on the strike were arrested; some of them were deported out of the country.
Rear Admiral Hidehiko Nishio was named the chief of staff of the Japanese Southwest Area Fleet.
Shokaku moved alternately between Singapore and Lingga, Dutch East Indies throughout the month of Mar 1944.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
Cruiser Köln was towed from Kiel to Königsberg, Germany.
» In-depth article
Hammerhead was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
The keel of submarine Sea Robin was laid down.
» In-depth article
USS Wake Island arrived at Recife, Brazil.
» In-depth article
USS Guitarro departed New Orleans, Louisiana, United States for Balboa, Panama Canal Zone.
» In-depth article
Captain Kiyoshi Koda was named the commanding officer of light carrier Hosho.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
Photos dated 1 Mar 1944

1 Mar 1945

Tony Stein passed away.
» In-depth article
US Ninth Army captured cities of München-Gladback and Rheydt in Germany.
» In-depth article
German Armeegruppe Mitte recaptured Lauban, Germany (now Luban, Poland).
Allied troops captured Roermond and Venlo in the Netherlands.
The Japanese Navy 10th Air Fleet was formed as a training unit with three carrier air groups with Vice Admiral Minoru Maeda in command and Rear Admiral Chikao Yamamoto as his chief of staff.
The Japanese 12th Air Fleet was reorganized to contain one air group and one base force.
British tanks spearheaded the first assault on Meiktila.
» In-depth article
Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru arrived at Manila, Philippine Islands; she hit a mine in the Singapore Strait en route to Manila, but was able to arrive under her own power.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
Air Group 80 from USS Hancock flew 4 strikes and fighter sqaudron VF-80 flew 1 strike against Amami Oshima, Ryuku Islands; no aircraft were lost.
» In-depth article
USS Kete departed Guam, Mariana Islands for her second war patrol.
» In-depth article
Photos dated 1 Mar 1945

See all photos dated 1 Mar 1945