2 Mar 1876
- Pius XII was born.
» In-depth article
2 Mar 1880
- Mitsumasa Yonai was born.
» In-depth article
2 Mar 1904
- Theodor Geisel was born.
» In-depth article
2 Mar 1917
- Tsar Nicholas of Russia reluctantly agreed to abdicate and renounced his son's right to the throne in favour of his brother, The Grand Duke Michael, and signed the abdication documents. Five hours later Rodzianko telephoned Russky and bluntly told him that the abdication manifesto was useless as the people did not want Michael any more than they wanted Nicholas. It was only then that Russky and the other Army Commanders, realized that they had been nothing more than blind instruments in the hands of forces beyond their control.
2 Mar 1918
- Friedrich Ruge was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class medal.
» In-depth article - Trotsky told the Murmansk Soviet to fully co-operate with the Allies.
2 Mar 1926
- General Shusei Morioka was named the commanding officer of the Japanese Chosen Army in occupied Korea, relieving Soroku Suzuki. Morioka named Lieutenant General Senyuki Hayashi as his chief of staff.
2 Mar 1932
- Chinese 19th Route Army indicated that it was running out of supplies and was preparing to withdraw from Shanghai, China.
» In-depth article - Hiroshi Minami was named the governor-general of Taiwan.
2 Mar 1933
- Battle of the Great Wall: Chinese troops counterattacked against troops of the Japanese 4th Cavalry Brigade, achieving initial success, but the attack was ultimately beaten by superior firepower.
» In-depth article
2 Mar 1936
- Werner von Blomberg issued orders for the reoccupation of Rhineland in western Germany.
» In-depth article - U-36 was launched.
» In-depth article
2 Mar 1938
- The last US Army troops departed Tianjin, China; 200 US Marines remained in the city to guard American interests there.
2 Mar 1939
- Eugenio Pacelli became the head of the Catholic Church; he took on the papal name Pius XII.
» In-depth article - Photos dated 2 Mar 1939
2 Mar 1940
- The cargo-liner SS Domala carrying mainly British Indian subjects repatriated from Germany was bombed and machine gunned off the Isle of Wight by a German He 111 aircraft with the loss of 108 lives. Dutch ship Jong Willem, which rescued 48 of the 183 survivors, was also strafed. Beached and later repaired, she went back into service under the name Empire Attendant only to be torpedoed and sunk south of the Canary Islands in Jul 1945 with the loss of all 59 hands.
- Soviet troops attempted to establish a beachhead west of the Finnish city of Viipuri across the frozen Viipuri Bay, while pressure was asserted on the city from its south and east. An attempt was orchestrated on 29 Feb 1940 without success; likewise, this newly dispatched unit failed to establish a beachhead, however, the Soviet troops were able to capture the coastal battery on the island of Tuppuransaari, which had caused high casualties on both attempts.
» In-depth article - The United Kingdom and France once again requested Sweden and Norway to allow passage of Allied troops through their borders in order to aid Finland, should Finland formally requested such aid from the Allies.
» In-depth article - Hungarian volunteers reached a training facility in Finland after 3 weeks of travel. They immediately began training with the Finnish Army, but they would not complete the training before the end of the Winter War.
- British cruiser HMS Berwick stopped German steamer Wolfsburg, which was disguised as Norwegian ship Aust, north of Iceland. Wolfsburg was scuttled by her crew of 54, who were all subsequently rescued by Berwick. Berwick sank Wolfsburg by gunfire before departure.
- British cruiser HMS Dunedin stopped German steamer Heidelberg 60 miles west of Aruba in the Caribbean Sea. Heidelberg was scuttled by her crew of 25, who were all subsequently rescued by Dunedin and later delivered to Jamaica.
- Adolf Hitler met with US Under Secretary of State Sumner Welles in Berlin, Germany.
» In-depth article - O'Brien was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
2 Mar 1941
- German Twelfth Army moved from Romania into Bulgaria the day after Bulgaria joined the Axis alliance.
» In-depth article - The United Kingdom severed diplomatic relations with Bulgaria.
- The RAF conducted a heavy bombing raid on Köln (Cologne), Germany.
- German submarines U-552, U-95, and U-147 attacked Allied convoy HX-109 170 miles northwest of Outer Hebrides, Scotland, United Kingdom. At about midnight, U-552 sank tanker Cadillac (37 killed, 5 survived) while U-95 sank the ship Pacific (34 killed, 1 survived). Near the end of the day at 2212 hours, U-147 sank Norwegian ship Augvald (29 killed, 1 survived).
- British 11th African Division began marching from Mogadishu, Italian Somaliland toward Jijiga, Abyssinia in pursuit of retreating Italian forces.
» In-depth article - At Kufra, Libya, Free French Major Philippe Leclerc pledged not to lay down his weapons until the French flag once again flew over the cathedral at Strasbourg, France.
2 Mar 1942
- Australia declared war on Thailand.
- Japanese Navy Minister Admiral Shimada removed previously recognized rules of engagements in naval warfare due to "Allied retaliation and hatred".
- US Army General John L. DeWitt, responsible for the defense of the west coast of the United States, issued Public Proclamation No. 1 to create Military Areas 1 and 2 which covered the entire length of the coast.
» In-depth article - Japanese troops advancing toward Batavia, Java, Dutch East Indies were halted by Australian troops at Leuwiliang. At Soebang, 250 Dutch troops with 20 tanks attacked Kalidjati airfield, but the attack was repulsed. East of Batavia, Japanese troops captured the oilfields at Tjepoe (now Cepu). As the Japanese troops approached, the Dutch colonial government relocated to Bandoeng, US personnel began evacuation by aircraft, and the Dutch Navy continued to scuttle destroyers, submarines, minesweepers, and other warships at Surabaya to prevent capture.
» In-depth article - Japanese 33rd and 55th Infantry Divisions crossed Sittang River at Kunzeik and Donzayit, Burma, forcing the British 2nd Battalion Royal Tank Regiment to fall back 20 miles as the Japanese troops captured the village of Waw.
» In-depth article - 16 British RAF Wellington bombers from Malta attacked Palermo, Sicily, Italy, destroying ammunition ship Cuma, whose explosion damaged five warships and eight freighters nearby.
- German submarine U-126 sank Norwegian ship Gunny 370 miles south of Bermuda in the Atlantic Ocean at 2047 hours; 14 were killed, 12 survived.
» In-depth article - USS Perch surfaced at 0200 hours, only to be forced to dive by Japanese destroyers. Her leaking oil and air made the Japanese destroyer to believe she had already broken up, and the Japanese destroyers departed the area.
» In-depth article - Destroyer Yuzuki departed Truk, Caroline Islands with Destroyer Division 23, supporting invasion operations at Lae and Salamaua in New Guinea, northern Solomon Islands, and the Admiralty Islands.
» In-depth article - Japanese destroyer Ikazuchi rescued 442 survivors of HMS Exeter, HMS Encounter, and USS Pope which had been sunk during the Second Battle of the Java Sea on the previous day.
» In-depth article - USS Sailfish sank Japanese transport Kamogawa Maru east of Bali in the Lombok Strait in the Dutch East Indies at 2100 hours, killing 326.
» In-depth article - Japanese cruiser Maya, destroyer Arashi, and destroyer Nowaki sank British destroyer HMS Stronghold in the Indian Ocean at 1900 hours, killing 75.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement - Japanese cruisers Takao and Atago sank US destroyer USS Pillsbury 500 miles south of Java, Dutch East Indies at 2100 hours, all 173 aboard were killed.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement - Photos dated 2 Mar 1942
2 Mar 1943
- Battle of the Bismarck Sea: United States and Australian aircraft skip-bombed Japanese convoy ships.
» In-depth article - Goebbels' diary entry on this date noted that "we are now definitely pushing the Jews out of Berlin" and expressing that many Jews were still in hiding in the city that needed to be found and deported.
» In-depth article - The Soviet 3rd Tank Army was destroyed near Kharkov, Ukraine which had only just been recaptured by the Soviets two weeks prior.
» In-depth article - At 2140 hours, Auschwitz Concentration Camp commandant Rudolf Höss was informed that 15,000 Berlin Jews were being transported to the camp; he ordered that the prisoners must be kept in good health during the journey so that they could work at Auschwitz.
» In-depth article - The Northern Group of the Chindits marched 20 miles along a road northeast of Pinlebu, Burma.
» In-depth article - Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru arrived at Yokosuka, Japan then sailed to Yokohama, Japan later on the same day.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement - Destroyer Yukikaze rescued survivors of transport Kyokusei Maru in the Bismarck Sea.
» In-depth article - Repair ship Akashi began repairing destroyer Isokaze at Truk, Caroline Islands.
» In-depth article
» Tabular Record of Movement
2 Mar 1944
- 421 Czech prisoners were transferred from Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland to Buchenwald Concentration Camp in Germany.
» In-depth article - US 1st Cavalry Division captured Hayne Airfield at Los Negros Island, Admiralty Islands.
» In-depth article - German Luftwaffe ace Egon Mayer (102 victories) was shot down and killed when his Fw 190 aircraft was bounced by a pair of US 9th Air Force P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft whilst attacking a formation of B-17 bombers near Sedan, France. In a cruel twist of fate his award of Swords had been announced on that same day.
- Walter Krupinski received Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross medal.
» In-depth article - James Johnson was named the commanding officer of the No. 144 (RCAF) Wing.
» In-depth article - Heinrich Himmler signed Aktion K into effect, which decreed that captured escapees of prisoners of war camps would be sent to the Mauthausen Concentration Camp in occupied Austria, where they would face execution immediately upon arrival and their remains would be destroyed in the camp crematorium.
» In-depth article - Escort carrier USS Saginaw Bay (CVE-82) was commissioned with Captain Frank C. Sutton in command.
» In-depth article - USS Tunny arrived at Midway Atoll.
» In-depth article - Leutze was commissioned into service.
» In-depth article
2 Mar 1945
- Anglo-Indian troops attacked Meiktila, Burma.
» In-depth article - Elements of US Ninth Army reached the Rhine River at Neuss, Germany. To the north US Third Army captures Trier, Germany.
» In-depth article - The RAF conducted its last major raid on Köln (Cologne), Germany with 858 aircraft; also on this date, one USAAF B-17 bomber attacked Köln as a target of opportunity.
» In-depth article - In Burma, Corporal Fazal Din was attacked by six sword wielding Japanese after taking an enemy bunker and was run through the chest by one of them. As the officer pulled the sword out, Din wrestled it from him and killed him with his own weapon. Din took down another man and, waving the sword in the air, urged his men on to victory before collapsing. He died shortly afterwards and was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross.
- At Kamye, Burma, Corporal Gian Singh took out a series of foxholes and an anti-tank gun with Thompson submachine gun and grenades despite serious wounds. He was awarded the Victoria Cross.
- Photos dated 2 Mar 1945
2 Mar 2007
- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe denied that the Japanese military coerced women into sexual slavery.
Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis
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