16 Mar 1945

- Commanding officer Captain William Rassieur of USS Sargent Bay was relieved by Captain Richard Oliver. ww2dbase [Sargent Bay | CPC]
- American bombers dropped 300 bombs on Vienna, Austria, many of which landed in the Tiergarten Schönbrunn, which was the world's oldest zoo. 2,000 animals out of 3,500 in the zoo were killed. ww2dbase [CPC]
- 307 US B-29 bombers devastated a 3-square mile area in Kobe, Japan and caused 15,000 in casualties. ww2dbase [Bombing of Tokyo and Other Cities | CPC]
- 12 Lancaster bombers and 12 Halifax bombers conducted minelaying operations off Helgoland, Germany and in the Kattegat. ww2dbase [CPC]
- Heinrich Himmler, having abandoned his command with Army Group Vistula three days prior, checked himself into a sanatorium at Hohenlychen, Germany so that doctors there could treat his influenza. When Heinz Guderian came to visit him, he would request Guderian to carry his letter of resignation as commanding officer of Army Group Vistula to Adolf Hitler. ww2dbase [Heinrich Himmler | CPC]
- US troops in landed on Basilan in the Philippine Islands. ww2dbase [Philippines Campaign, Phase 2 | CPC]
- Rudolf Heß noted that 2 million Jews were gassed between Jun 1941 and late 1943. ww2dbase [Rudolf Heß | CPC]
- Vasily Kuznetsov was made the commanding officer of 3rd Shock Army. ww2dbase [Vasily Kuznetsov | CPC]
- Anglo-Indian troops assaulted Fort Dufferin in Mandalay, Burma in failure, suffering heavy casualties. ww2dbase [Battle of Meiktila-Mandalay | Mandalay | CPC]
- 32 B-24 bombers of the US 14th Air Force escorted by 10 P-51 fighters attacked railyards at Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China. ww2dbase [Shijiazhuang, Hebei | CPC]
- German forces began falling back from the front lines at Kolberg, Germany (now Kolobrzeg, Poland). ww2dbase [East Pomeranian Offensive | Kolberg | CPC]
- Soviet 3rd Ukrainian Front threw two fresh armies against the German attack towards Budapest, Hungary. ww2dbase [Budapest Strategic Offensive Operation | Budapest | TH]
- Americans declared Iwo Jima, Japan secure, but fighting continued. ww2dbase [Battle of Iwo Jima | Iwo Jima | CPC]
- I-14 departed Kobe, Japan. ww2dbase [I-14 | Kobe, Hyogo | CPC]
- USS Spot sank a Japanese cargo ship in the East China Sea, hitting her with 1 of 8 torpedoes fired. ww2dbase [Spot | East China Sea | CPC]
- German V-2 rocket hit at Albert Road in Leyton, London, England, United Kingdom at 0638 hours, killing 23 and seriously injuring 18. Another rocket hit Willesden near Hampstead, London at 0230 hours, damaging 200 houses. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
- USS Saratoga arrived at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for repairs of extensive damage following being bombed off Iwo Jima. ww2dbase [Puget Sound Navy Yard | Saratoga | Bremerton, Washington | DS]


16 Mar 1945 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: Stay updated with WW2DB: |
|
Search WW2DB & Partner Sites
News
- » Wreck of Johnston Found (8 Apr 2021)
- » Passing of Margaret Kelly (25 Jan 2021)
- » WW2DB's 16th Anniversary (29 Dec 2020)
- » See all news
Current Site Statistics
- » 1,099 biographies
- » 332 events
- » 38,430 timeline entries
- » 1,135 ships
- » 338 aircraft models
- » 191 vehicle models
- » 352 weapon models
- » 120 historical documents
- » 226 facilities
- » 464 book reviews
- » 27,417 photos
- » 354 maps
Famous WW2 Quote
"The raising of that flag on Suribachi means a Marine Corps for the next 500 years."James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy, 23 Feb 1945
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!