29 Mar 1943



- New Zealand troops captured Gabès, Tunisia while Axis troops were evacuated out of El Hamma. ww2dbase [Operations Pugilist and Supercharge II | CPC]
- Hitler ordered the construction of large missile launch sites on French coast. ww2dbase [CPC]
- USS S-31 completed her patrol in the Kwajalein area in the Marshall Islands. ww2dbase [S-31 | CPC]
- The 5,575-ton British merchant steamer Celtic Star was torpedoed and sunk by the Italian submarine Giuseppe Finzi, south west of Freetown, Sierra Leone, British West Africa whilst on a voyage from Manchester, England, United Kingdom; Greenock, Scotland, United Kingdom; and Freetown to Montevideo, Uruguay; and Buenos Aires, Argentina. She was carrying 4,410 tons of general cargo including mail. Two crew members were lost. ww2dbase [HM]
- German submarine U-610 torpedoed the American Liberty ship William Pierce Frye, straggling from convoy HX-230, in the North Atlantic at 2340 hours. Heavy seas had previously damaged most of her lifeboats, and the only serviceable one was swamped. Life rafts and floats drifted away from the ship and a tank landing craft being carried as deck cargo broke free as the ship sank but only seven men managed to reach it. Thirty-five seamen perished, as did 22 of the 24-man armed guard. Seven survivors floated in the water and awaited rescue. ww2dbase [HM]
- The German patrol boat V-2018 (Vogtland), damaged from a mine on the previous day off Terschelling, the Netherlands, was placed under tow. While being towed, she struck another mine and was destroyed. Four men on board were killed. ww2dbase [North Sea | HM]
- As she crossed the Bay of Biscay the 6,852-ton British cargo ship Umaria that was carrying 2,500 tons of manganese ore and 1,000 tons of rubber was struck by a torpedo from German submarine U-662 at 2250 hours and was most likely hit again by another torpedo from the same submarine. ww2dbase [HM]
- Satoru Anabuki, flying Ki-43 fighter "Fubuki", claimed a Hurricane fighter over Mindon, Burma, but the downing was not confirmed. ww2dbase [Satoru Anabuki | Mindon | CPC]
- Repair ship Akashi performed repair work for seaplane tender Kamikawa Maru at Truk, Caroline Islands. ww2dbase [Akashi | Truk | CPC]
- USS Wahoo sank freighter Yamabato Maru in the East China Sea, hitting her with 1 of 2 torpedoes. She then transited the Collnett Strait (Tokara Kaiky) between Yakushima island and Kuchinoshima island in southern Japan, eastward into the Pacific Ocean. ww2dbase [Wahoo | East China Sea | CPC]
- Guy Gibson was summoned to Group Headquarters where he was given a more detailed briefing by Ralph Cochrane, including details of the proposed targets of the Möhne and Sorpe Dams in Germany. ww2dbase [Dambuster Raid | England | AC]




29 Mar 1943 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
- » Passing of Margaret Kelly (25 Jan 2021)
- » WW2DB's 16th Anniversary (29 Dec 2020)
- » Hidekazu Tamura shared his feelings toward his war time internment (2 Sep 2020)
- » See all news
Random Photograph
Current Site Statistics
- » 1,094 biographies
- » 332 events
- » 38,350 timeline entries
- » 1,131 ships
- » 337 aircraft models
- » 191 vehicle models
- » 352 weapon models
- » 118 historical documents
- » 225 facilities
- » 464 book reviews
- » 27,226 photos
- » 352 maps
Famous WW2 Quote
"You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word. It is victory. Victory at all costs. Victory in spite of all terrors. Victory, however long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival."Winston Churchill
Support Us
Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!