16 Feb 1943
  • Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru arrived at Kavieng, New Ireland, and departed later on the same day. ww2dbase [Hikawa Maru | CPC]
  • Soviet forces recaptured Kharkov, Ukraine. ww2dbase [Third Battle of Kharkov | TH]
  • Dr. Mildred Harnack-Fish, a member of German resistance, was beheaded at Plotzensee Prison near Charlottenburg, Germany. ww2dbase [TH]
  • Norwegian commandos parachuted into Norway, meeting up with the reconnaissance party near Telemark. ww2dbase [TH]
  • Aleksandr Vasilevsky was promoted to the rank of the Marshal of the Soviet Union. ww2dbase [Aleksandr Vasilevsky | CPC]
Australia Australian New Guinea
  • 17 US B-17 bombers attacked Rabaul, New Britain before dawn. ww2dbase [Rabaul, New Britain | CPC]
Caroline Islands
  • Repair ship Akashi completed the repair work for destroyers Nowaki and Shiratsuyu at Truk, Caroline Islands. ww2dbase [Akashi | Truk | CPC]
France Germany
  • Heinrich Himmler ordered the Warsaw ghetto in Poland to be liquidated. ww2dbase [Heinrich Himmler | CPC]
  • Robert von Greim was promoted to the rank of Generaloberst. ww2dbase [Robert von Greim | CPC]
Japan
  • Captain Masafumi was relieved as the commanding officer of Shokaku; the successor was unknown. ww2dbase [Shokaku | CPC]
  • Masafumi Arima stepped down as the commanding officer of carrier Shokaku and was named the chief aviation training officer at the Navy Ministry. ww2dbase [Masafumi Arima | CPC]
Mariana Islands
  • USS Flying Fish sank a Japanese freighter in the Mariana Islands, hitting her with 2 of 4 torpedoes fired. ww2dbase [Flying Fish | CPC]
Pacific Ocean
  • The US submarine Amberjack was sunk by the Japanese torpedo boat Hiyodori off Rabaul, New Britain, Bismarck Islands. ww2dbase [Amberjack | AC]
Tunisia United States
  • USS Ancon entered Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, Virginia, United States to be converted to a combined headquarters and commications command ship. ww2dbase [Norfolk Navy Yard | Ancon | Portsmouth, Virginia | CPC]
US Pacific Islands Photo(s) dated 16 Feb 1943
USS Hoe underway off the east coast of the United States, 16 Feb 1943Knocked out and abandoned T-34 medium tanks line the streets of Kharkov, Ukraine, Feb 1943

16 Feb 1943 Interactive Map

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis




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