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• » 19 Mar 1943

• The new radiolocation system ASV III was used over the Bay of Biscay off France by bombers of No. 172 Squadron RAF. ww2dbase [CPC]
• The British launched Operation Pugilist in Tunisia against the Axis Mareth Line, penetrating the line near Zarat. ww2dbase [Operations Pugilist and Supercharge II | CPC]
• The China Air Task Force was incorporated into the USAAF 14th Air Force. ww2dbase [CPC]
• The largest air drop in support of Operation Longcloth in Burma was conducted, delivering 100 tons of supplies to the Chindits. ww2dbase [Operation Longcloth | CPC]
• Captain Lester Hudson was named the commanding officer of USS San Diego. ww2dbase [San Diego | CPC]
• USS S-43 departed Coco Solo, Colón, Panama Canal Zone (now Cativá, Panama). ww2dbase [S-43 | Colón | CPC]

• Leonardo da Vinci sank British freighter Lulworth, en route from Cape Town, South Africa to Freetown, Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate, with two torpedo hits in the Atlantic Ocean at 0400 hours. One of the survivors was rescued by Leonardo da Vinci, while 14 others took to a lifeboat. The lifeboat was not found until 49 days later, by HMS Rapid, by which time only two were still alive. At 2158 hours, Leonardo da Vinci made rendezvous with fellow Italian submarine Giuseppe Finzi and transferred the Lulworth survivor and Empress of Canada survivor to Giuseppe Finzi. Meanwhile, Giuseppe Finzi transferred 90 tons of fuel, three torpedoes, food, and lubricating oil to Leonardo da Vinci. The two submarines parted ways at 2340 hours. ww2dbase [Leonardo da Vinci | CPC]

• Light carrier Ryuho departed Yokosuka, Japan for the Oita, Japan region of the Inland Sea. ww2dbase [Ryuho | Yokosuka, Kanagawa | CPC]
• Kongo departed Sasebo, Japan for the West Inland Sea, with Yugure and Hagikaze in escort. ww2dbase [Yugure | Sasebo, Nagasaki | CPC]
• Shokaku departed Yokosuka, Japan for Kure, Japan. ww2dbase [Shokaku | Yokosuka, Kanagawa | CPC]
• Kongo departed Sasebo, Japan for the West Inland Sea, with Yugure and Hagikaze in escort. ww2dbase [Kongo | Sasebo, Nagasaki | CPC]

• USS Wahoo sank freighter Zogen Maru in the Yellow Sea, hitting her with a torpedo; all aboard were killed. Four hours later, she damaged freighter Kowa Maru, hitting her with 2 of 4 torpedoes (only one of them detonated; the other failed to do so). ww2dbase [Wahoo | Yellow Sea | CPC]
• USS Whale spotted a Japanese convoy consisted of two large freighters and one armed escort off Saipan, Mariana Islands and began tracking the convoy. ww2dbase [Whale | CPC]

• The Japanese passenger ship, Takachihi Maru, was torpedoed and sunk off Taiwan. More than 1,200 perish, mainly Japanese and Taiwanese civilians (Taiwan was a Japanese colony at the time). It remained Taiwan's worst sea disaster. ww2dbase [AC]

• Henry Arnold was promoted to the rank of general. ww2dbase [Henry Arnold | CPC]

19 Mar 1943 Interactive Map