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• As US Third Army made another Rhine River crossing near Worms, Germany, British Second Army and Canadian First Army launched their assaults across the Rhine River north of the Ruhr River. In Berlin, Adolf Hitler wanted to counterattack at the Allied bridgehead at Oppenheim, but he was told that no reserve forces were available to embark on such an operation. ww2dbase [Crossing the Rhine | TH]
• General de Gaulle granted limited self-government for Indochina, which was to remain a French colony. ww2dbase [Charles de Gaulle | CPC]
• Dwight Eisenhower wrapped up his short break at Cannes, France and returned to his capacity as the Allied commander. ww2dbase [Dwight Eisenhower | CPC]
• USS Tunny began performing lifeguard duties off Okinawa, Japan. ww2dbase [Tunny | CPC]
• Martin Bormann ordered millions of Germans to migrate from western and eastern Germany to the central part of the country; no food and transports were allocated to them, thus such a move would mean certain disaster. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Light carrier Hosho was assigned to the 2nd Fleet. ww2dbase [Hosho | CPC]

• M612 was launched by Neptun Schiffswerft und Maschinenfabrik Gmbh in Rostock, Germany. ww2dbase [M612 | Neptun Schiffswerft und Maschinenfabrik Gmbh | Rostock, Mecklenburg | CPC]

• USS Yorktown (Essex-class) began softening-up strikes against Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands and continued through 28 Mar 1945. ww2dbase [Okinawa Campaign | Yorktown (Essex-class) | Okinawa | DS]

• USS Spot arrived at Saipan, Mariana Islands. ww2dbase [Spot | Saipan | CPC]

• USS Sea Robin rescued a downed American airman in the South China Sea. ww2dbase [Sea Robin | South China Sea | CPC]

• Cebu attack force, with USCGC Spencer as flagship and destroyer USS Shaw as screening vessel, conducted a rehearsal landing at Hinunangan Bay, Leyte Gulf, Philippines. ww2dbase [Philippines Campaign, Phase 2 | Shaw | Spencer | Hinunangan Bay, Leyte | DS]

• Allied convoy RA-65 departed the Kola Inlet near Murmansk, Russia. ww2dbase [Arctic Convoys | Murmansk | CPC]

• US aircraft dropped 145 tons of bombs on Jitsugetsu Power Plant No. 1 and 63 tons of bombs on Jitsugetsu Power Plant No. 2 in Taichu (now Nantou County), Taiwan. ww2dbase [Taichu | CPC]

• Escort carrier USS Bogue departed Quonset Point bound for Norfolk, Virginia. ww2dbase [Bogue | Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island | DS]

23 Mar 1945 Interactive Map