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• Berthier carbines were adopted by the French Army. These weapons, along with the later introduced full-length rifles, would remain in use through the WW2-era. ww2dbase [Berthier | CPC]

• Józef Zajac was born in Rzeszów, Austria-Hungary (now southeastern Poland). ww2dbase [Józef Zajac | CPC]

• Karl Burk was born in Buchenau, southern Germany. ww2dbase [Karl Burk | Buchenau | CPC]

• The Japanese-controlled Ryojun Naval District (previously known as Port Arthur; now Lushunkou, Liaoning Province, China), Kwantung Leased Territory in northeastern China was downgraded to a third echelon military port. ww2dbase [Ryojun Guard District | Lushunkou, Liaoning | CPC]

14 Mar 1914 Interactive Map

• Francis Tuker was promoted to the rank of acting captain. ww2dbase [Francis Tuker | CPC]

• Haichou supported Nationalist troops at Shanghai, China during the Northern Expedition campaign. ww2dbase [Haichou | Shanghai | CPC]

• Yingrui arrived at Shanghai, China. ww2dbase [Yingrui | Shanghai | CPC]

• Emden arrived at Wilhelmshaven, Germany. ww2dbase [Emden | Wilhelmshaven | CPC]

• League of Nations representatives arrived in Shanghai, China in an attempt to force the Japanese to negotiate with the Chinese for a ceasefire. ww2dbase [First Battle of Shanghai | Shanghai | CPC]

• Lennart Oesch stepped down from his concurrent role as the Deputy Minister of the Interior Affairs. ww2dbase [Lennart Oesch | CPC]

• Germany re-established conscription into the armed forces. ww2dbase [AC]

• HMS Bedouin (L67) was commissioned into British Royal Navy service with Commander J. A. McCoy in command. ww2dbase [AC]
• The Vatican City announced that Germany had broken various clauses of the agreement signed between the two countries on 20 Jul 1933. ww2dbase [CPC]

• The 9th Extraordinary All-Azerbaijani Congress of Soviets approved the new constitution. ww2dbase [CPC]

• The French government reassured the Czechslovakian government that France would honor the terms of the alliance in the event of a German invasion. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Adolf Hitler arrived in Vienna in the recently annexed Austria region of Germany. The visit to Vienna, the Austrian capital, was intended to be for the first day of the occupation, but it was delayed until this date because Heinrich Himmler's organization could not complete the rounding up of all suspected elements in the city, and that many Heinz Guderian's tanks had broken down since crossing the German-Austrian border that slowed the progress of the military occupation of the region. In Britain, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain noted that little could have been done in the previous few days to alter Hiter's intended course regarding Austria. ww2dbase [Annexation of Austria | AC]

• The Japanese 10th Division, 10,000 men in strength, began an offensive from Shandong Province in China toward Jiangsu Province to the south. The first clashes took place on the same day at Tengxian in Jiangsu Province. ww2dbase [Battle of Xuzhou | Tengxian, Jiangsu | CPC]

• Emden arrived in Spanish waters. ww2dbase [Emden | CPC]

14 Mar 1938 Interactive Map

• The Martin Maryland medium bomber took its first flight. Built to a USAAC specification, the Maryland was only ever employed by France and Britain. It would be the first US supplied bomber to be used by the RAF in North Africa. ww2dbase [Model 167 Maryland | AC]
• Slovakia and Ruthenia declared independence from Czechoslovakia; as Czechoslovakia had fallen into pieces, the United Kingdom and France considered it to be the evidence that Czechoslovakia no longer existed as a nation, thus they no longer had any alliance obligations to the now defunct nation. During the day, Czechoslovakian President Emil Hácha traveled by train to Berlin, Germany to conduct last-minute negotiations with Adolf Hitler to save his country. ww2dbase [Dismemberment of Czechoslovakia | CPC]

• Warned by the German Abwehr's Paul Thummel that Prague would be occupied on 15 Mar 1939, Colonel FranyiÅ¡ek Moravek, Chief of the Czechoslovak intelligence service, and ten members of his staff embark on a Dutch civilian aircraft hired by the British MI6. Later, in London, the group would offer their valuable services to Prime Minister Edvard BeneÅ¡' Czech government in exile. ww2dbase [Dismemberment of Czechoslovakia | AC]

• The Finnish Parliament met and debated over the ratification of Moscow Peace Treaty. ww2dbase [The Winter War | CPC]
• The first of the over 450,000 Finnish civilians in the territories ceded to Russia per the Moscow Peace Treaty began to move into Finland. Some of them burned their homes to the ground to leave as little to the conquerors as possible. ww2dbase [CPC]
• According to Alfred Jodl's diary entry for this date, Adolf Hitler was actively searching for excuses that would justify the planned invasion of Norway. ww2dbase [Invasion of Denmark and Norway | CPC]
• HMS Eagle suffered an accidental bomb explosion while off the Nicobar Islands, killing 14 and damaging many aircraft. ww2dbase [Eagle | CPC]
• U-56 began her seventh patrol. ww2dbase [U-56 | CPC]

• Viktor Abakumov was promoted to the rank of State Security Major. ww2dbase [Viktor Abakumov | CPC]

• First "bombe" decipher machine became operational at Bletchley Park in England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Bletchley Park | Milton Keynes, England | CPC]
• British Foreign Minister Lord Halifax began to ask Finland to return some of the supplies that the British had given to Finland for the Winter War. He retracted the request shortly after Finnish Ambassador to London G. A. Gripenberg reminded him that Finland had paid for the relatively small amount of goods that Britain offered. ww2dbase [Halifax | London, England | CPC]

14 Mar 1940 Interactive Map

• Battleship Bismarck began embarking supplies at Scheerhafen, Kiel. ww2dbase [Bismarck | CPC]
• Tatsuta Maru arrived at Honolulu, US Territory of Hawaii; among the passengers disembarked was Kita Nagao, the newly appointed Japanese Consul General to hawaii. ww2dbase [Tatsuta Maru | CPC]
• Seeing the Greeks had repeated repulsed Italian attacks in the past few days, Italian Chief of the Supreme Command General Ugo Cavallero recommended Benito Mussolini to halt the Primavera Offensive. On the same day, 5 British Swordfish torpedo bombers from Paramythia, Greece struck Vlorë, Albania, sinking Italian hospital ship Po and ship Santa Maria at the loss of one aircraft. ww2dbase [Balkans Campaign | CPC]
• Italian submarine Emo sank British ship Western Chief 250 miles south of Iceland, killing 22. ww2dbase [CPC]
• 203 German bombers bombed Glasgow and Clydebank, Scotland, United Kingdom for the second night in a row, damaging shipyards and the Rolls Royce aircraft engine factory. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | CPC]
• The British Admiralty placed an order for a new battleship (to a design by Sir Stanley Goodall) to be built at Clydebank, Scotland, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [AC]

• Wong Sun-sui, flying an I-15III fighter, was shot down by a Japanese A6M Zero fighter over Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. He made a successful crash landing, but sustained fatal injuries. ww2dbase [Wong Sun-sui | Chengdu, Sichuan | CPC]
• Cen Zeliu, flying an I-15III fighter, was shot down and killed by an A6M Zero fighter over Shuangliu Airfield, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. ww2dbase [Shuangliu Airfield | Cen Zeliu | Chengdu, Sichuan | CPC]
• Cen Zeliu, flying an I-15III fighter, was shot down and killed by an A6M Zero fighter over Shuangliu Airfield, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. ww2dbase [Shuangliu Airfield | Cen Zeliu | Chengdu, Sichuan | CPC]

• USS Haddock was commissioned into service with Lieutenant Commander Arthur H. Taylor in command. ww2dbase [Haddock | CPC]

• An ANT-6 aircraft operated by the airliner Aeroflot crashed near crashed near Begovat, Uzbekistan after stalling. All six aboard were killed. ww2dbase [TB-3 | Begovat, Tashkent | CPC]

14 Mar 1941 Interactive Map

• German submarine U-404 sank US collier Lemuel Burrows 5 kilometers southeast of Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States at 0828 hours; 20 were killed, 1 survived. U-124 set British tanker British Resource on fire with a torpedo 260 miles north of Bermuda at 2118 hours; 46 were killed, 5 survived. ww2dbase [Second Happy Time | CPC]
• USS Astoria was assigned to Task Force 17. ww2dbase [Astoria (New Orleans-class) | CPC]
• German submarine U-67 sank Panamanian tanker Penelope 200 miles west of Dominica at 0200 hours; 2 were killed, 47 survived. In the same general area, U-67 sank Canadian ship Sarniadoc, killing the entire crew of 21. ww2dbase [Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico Campaigns | CPC]
• 6 British motor torpedo boats and 3 motor gunboats unsuccessfully attacked German armed merchant cruiser Michel off Dover, England, United Kingdom at 0300 hours. At dawn, British destroyers HMS Blencathra, HMS Calpe, HMS Fernie, HMS Walpole, and HMS Windsor led motor torpedo boats for another attack; Michel was able to escape once again with slight damage and 1 killed, while HMS Fernie and HMS Walpole were also damaged. ww2dbase [Michel | CPC]
• Italian submarine Mocenigo sank French vessel Ste. Marcelle 17 miles east of Gibraltar. Further east, at 1323 hours, British submarine HMS Ultimatum sank Italian submarine Millo off Calabria, Italy with four torpedoes; 55 were killed, 15 survived (14 of whom were captured by HMS Ultimatum). At 1700 hours, German submarine U-133 struck a mine and sank two hours after departing her base at Salamis Island, Greece; all 45 aboard were killed. ww2dbase [CPC]
• 9 Japanese bombers attacked Port Moresby, Australian Papua while 5 bombers attacked the airfield on Horn Island, Queensland, Australia. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Adolf Hitler ordered the German naval and air forces to focus on hitting the Allied Arctic convoys. ww2dbase [Arctic Convoys | CPC]

• Morosini made rendezvous with fellow Italian submarine Giuseppe Finzi in the Atlantic Ocean at 1310 hours. At 1445 hours, Giuseppe Finzi extended her tow cable and her 120-meter fuel hose to Morosini to transfer some fuel. At 1555 hours, the tow cable broke out in heavy seas, but the fuel transfer continued. At 2100 hours, after 20.9 tons of fuel was transferred onto Morosini, the two submarines were disconnected from each other. ww2dbase [Morosini | Giuseppe Finzi | CPC]

• The US Navy transferred the 40th Reconnaissance Squadron to US Army's 19th Bomb Group at Townsville, Queensland, Australia. ww2dbase [Townsville, Queensland | CPC]

• Tenryu departed Rabaul, New Britain. ww2dbase [Tenryu | Rabaul, New Britain | CPC]

• Naka was named the flagship for the Christmas Island invasion force. ww2dbase [Naka | Makassar, Celebes | CPC]

• US Air Force 51st Pursuit Squadron, originally destined for Java in the Dutch East Indies, arrived at Karachi, India (now Pakistan). ww2dbase [Karachi, Sindh | CPC]

• Douglas MacArthur arrived at Del Monte Airfield in Bukidnon province, Mindanao, Philippine Islands. ww2dbase [Douglas MacArthur | Bukidnon | CPC]

• Submarine Whale was launched at Mare Island Navy Yard in Vallejo, California, United States, sponsored by the wife of Captain A. D. Denny, the commanding officer of the shipyard. ww2dbase [Mare Island Navy Yard | Whale | Vallejo, California | CPC]

14 Mar 1942 Interactive Map

• HMS Cumberland deployed for Northern Patrol. ww2dbase [Cumberland | DS]
• Destroyers USS Nicholas, USS Taylor, USS Radford, and USS Strong detached from the cruiser group to operate as a separate strike group. ww2dbase [Nicholas | DS]

• Leonardo da Vinci fired a torpedo at British troop ship RMS Empress of Canada, which she had already damaged on the previous date, in the Atlantic Ocean at 0040 hours and scoring what was the second torpedo hit on the British ship. At 0115 hours, Empress of Canada sank. She had carried 1,844 passenger and crew aboard, including 499 Italian prisoners of war. 392 were killed in the sinking, 149 of whom were Italians. Leonardo da Vinci rescued one survivor, Italian Army doctor Sub-Lieutenant Vittorio Del Vecchio. ww2dbase [Leonardo da Vinci | CPC]

• At 0045 hours, Japanese destroyer Akigumo completed the rescue of the survivors of Momoyama Maru (fatally damaged by a US 5th Air Force B-17 bomber on the previous day) and scuttled the ship with a torpedo northwest of Wewak, Australian Territory of New Guinea. ww2dbase [Wewak | CPC]

• The advance echelon of US Marine Aircraft Group 21 arrived at Banika Island, Russell Islands, Solomon Islands. ww2dbase [Banika, Russell Islands | CPC]
• F4F Wildcat fighters of US Marine Aircraft Group 21 arrived at Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands one day after the arrival of their pilots; some aicraft were lost en route or during landing due to poor weather. ww2dbase [Guadalcanal | CPC]

• Aircraft of the US 8th Air Force bombed Kiel, Germany. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein | TH]

• Destroyer USS Belknap (DD 251) landed survivors of merchant ships Madoera and Jonathan Sturges at Argentia, Newfoundland. ww2dbase [Argentia | HM]
• Auxiliary Aircraft Carrier USS Bogue and her task group arrived at Argentia, Newfoundland. ww2dbase [Bogue | Argentia | DS]

• USS Grayback fired three torpedoes at a Japanese transport in the South Pacific; all torpedoes missed. ww2dbase [Grayback | CPC]

• The BI-3 rocket-powered prototype aircraft took its second flight at Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg), Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia. ww2dbase [BI | Sverdlovsk | CPC]

• 13 survivors of American merchant ship James B. Stephens, which had been sunk by German submarine U-160 on 8 Mar 1943, were picked up by a SAAF crash boat a mile off Durban, South Africa. ww2dbase [CPC]

• Germans recaptured Kharkov, Ukraine. ww2dbase [Third Battle of Kharkov | Kharkov | TH]

• Allied convoy RA-53 arrived at Loch Ewe, Scotland, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Arctic Convoys | Loch Ewe, Scotland | CPC]
• The first production Hurricane Mk. IV fighter, KX405, was completed. ww2dbase [Hurricane | CPC]

• George Kenney had lunch with publishers Henry and Clare Boothe Luce in Washington DC, United States. ww2dbase [George Kenney | Washington | CPC]
• USS Hoe departed New London, Connecticut, United States for the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine, United States for repairs. ww2dbase [Hoe | New London, Connecticut | CPC]

14 Mar 1943 Interactive Map

• The US Navy announced that USS Corvina was missing and presumed lost with 82 aboard. ww2dbase [Corvina | CPC]
• Repair ship Akashi dispatched divers to inspect damage below the water line for patrol vessel PB-102 at Palau Islands. ww2dbase [Akashi | CPC]
• United States Marine Corps Squadron VMB-413 equipped with PBJ-1 bombers (B-25 Mitchell bombers which had been purchased by the US Navy but subsequently transferred to the Marine Corps) commenced combat operations from Stirling Island, New Hebrides. Ultimately the USMC would form sixteen B-25 Squadrons, nine of which would see action in World War II. ww2dbase [B-25 Mitchell | AC]
• US Joint Chiefs of Staff ordered Emirau Island to be taken, bypassing New Ireland in the South Pacific. ww2dbase [New Guinea-Papua Campaign, Phase 3 | CPC]

• HMS Avon (K 97) picked up survivors of Norwegian motor vessel Tarifa, which was sunk by German submarine U-510 on 7 Mar 1944, in the Arabian Sea. The survivors would be landed at Socotra island in the Arabian Sea, where the British RAF had presence. ww2dbase [Socotra | HM]

• After advancing a further 14 miles, forward units of US 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional) ran into Japanese troops north of Shaduzup, Burma, thus losing the element of surprise. The Japanese attacked in strength and caused casualties, but ultimately they failed to push the Americans back. In order to meet Joseph Stilwell's demand to reach Shaduzup by 24 Mar 1944, 1st Battalion decided to hack a new trail across uncharted jungle rather than following the established trails that was most likely defended by the Japanese. ww2dbase [Battle of Myitkyina | Shaduzup | CPC]

• The escape tunnel "Harry" dug by the prisoners of Stalag Luft III near Sagan, Germany (now Zagan, Poland) was completed. The audacious plan created by fighter pilot Roger Bushell to escape some 200 prisoners of war was scheduled for ten days later and had involved every man of the 600 prisoners in the camp having a specific role to play. In the event the tunnel was found to end short of a protective screen of trees and only 76 men got out before the Germans discovered the tunnel's exit. ww2dbase [Sagan, Niederschlesien | AC]

• William Slim requested Louis Mountbatten to divert aircraft originally assigned to fly the Hump to instead bring men and supplies to Imphal, India. Mountbatten agreed, diverting 30 transport planes to bring the Indian 5th Division to Imphal and Dimapur, India. ww2dbase [Battle of Imphal-Kohima | CPC]

• One Italian motor torpedo boat attacked the Allied beachhead at Anzio, Italy before dawn, causing no damage and suffering no losses. ww2dbase [Battle of Anzio | Anzio, Lazio | CPC]
• "Barbarigo" naval infantry battalion of Italian Navy Xa MAS arrived at Anzio, Italy and was placed under the command of German 715th Division. ww2dbase [Anzio, Lazio | CPC]

• I-14, previously known as Submarine No. 5091, was launched at Kobe, Japan. ww2dbase [I-14 | Kobe, Hyogo | CPC]
• Kamikaze departed Ominato, Aomori Prefecture, Japan for the Kurile Islands. ww2dbase [Kamikaze | Ominato, Aomori | CPC]

• USS Whale departed Midway Atoll for her seventh war patrol. ww2dbase [Midway Bases | Whale | Midway | CPC]

• Hannah Szenes was parachuted into Yugoslavia as a Special Operations Executive (SOE) operative. ww2dbase [Special Operations Executive | Hannah Szenes | CPC]

14 Mar 1944 Interactive Map

• A new pocket of German troops was formed near Braunsberg, East Prussia, Germany (now Braniewo, Poland). ww2dbase [East Prussian Offensive | TH]
• The German attack against the Hungarian oil fields near Lake Balaton and Budapest was halted. ww2dbase [TH]
• USS Kete attacked a Japanese cable-laying ship off Ryukyu Islands, Japan. ww2dbase [Kete | CPC]
• USS Tunny placed over 230 mines in waters in the Ryukyu Islands, Japan. ww2dbase [Tunny | CPC]
• Lieutenant Gordon H. McDaniel of the US 318 Fighter Squadron, 325th Fighter Group, flying P-51 fighter "Mary Mac" achieved six kills (all Fw 190 fighters) during a single mission in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations. ww2dbase [AC]
• USS Nicholas arrived at Subic Bay, Luzon, Philippines and went alongside tender USS Dobbin. ww2dbase [Nicholas | DS]

• USS Wake Island arrived at Ulithi, Caroline Islands. ww2dbase [Wake Island | Ulithi | CPC]
• USS Missouri departed Ulithi, Caroline Islands. ww2dbase [Missouri | Ulithi | CPC]
• US Navy Task Force 58 departed Ulithi, Caroline Islands to provide indirect support for the campaign against Okinawa, Japan. ww2dbase [Ulithi | CPC]
• USS Yorktown (Essex-class), USS Enterprise, USS Intrepid, USS Langley (Independence-class), USS Flint, USS San Diego, and USS St. Louis departed Ulithi, Caroline Islands to resume raids on Japan in support of the Okinawa operations. ww2dbase [Yorktown (Essex-class) | Langley (Independence-class) | Intrepid | Enterprise | San Diego | St. Louis | Ulithi | DS]
• After more than a month at sea and in intense combat at Iwo Jima, Casablanca-class escort carrier USS Sargent Bay arrived back at Ulithi in the Caroline Islands. ww2dbase [Sargent Bay | Ulithi | DS]

• A British No. 617 Squadron RAF Lancaster bomber commanded by Squadron Leader C. C. Calder dropped a 22,000-pound Grand Slam bomb on the Bielefeld viaduct, breaking two spans. It was the first time the Grand Slam bomb was used in combat. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | Bielefeld, Westfalen-Nord | AC]
• Donald Bryan, flying a P-51 fighter, shot down 1 of the 11 Ar 234B-1 jet bombers attacking the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen, Germany. Hauptman Hans Hirshberger failed to bail out and was killed in the crash; this was his first and final combat mission. ww2dbase [Remagen, Köln-Aachen | CPC]
• The USAAF 306th Bomb Group flying from RAF Thurleigh launched a bombing raid against a jet components plant at Hildesheim, Germany. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | RAF Thurleigh | Hildesheim | DS]

• USS Haddock arrived at Guam, ending her eleventh war patrol. ww2dbase [Haddock | CPC]

• The island of Iwo Jima was declared conquered by Chester Nimitz, noting that "all powers of government of the Japanese Empire in these islands are hereby suspended", but fighting would continue. ww2dbase [Battle of Iwo Jima | Iwo Jima | CPC]
• I-14 was commissioned into service; Commander Tsuruzo Shimizu remained in command. The submarine was assigned to Yokosuka Naval District. She departed Kobe later in the same day. ww2dbase [I-14 | Yokosuka, Kanagawa | CPC]

• Nine B-17 Fortresses of the 92nd Bomb Group flying from RAF Podington in Bedfordshire dropped Disney rocket-assisted bombs on the E-Boat pens at IJmuiden, Netherlands. ww2dbase [Schnellboot-class | Disney | IJmuiden | DS]

• USS Springer attacked a Japanese patrol boat in the East China Sea, but the torpedo missed. ww2dbase [Springer | East China Sea | CPC]

• At Norfolk, Captain Paul L. Dudley relieved Captain Rufus Young as commanding officer of escort carrier USS Card. ww2dbase [Card | Norfolk, Virginia | DS]

14 Mar 1945 Interactive Map

• Werner von Blomberg passed away. ww2dbase [Werner von Blomberg | CPC]
• Prichett was decommissioned from service. ww2dbase [Prichett | CPC]
• At the Nuremberg Trials, Hermann Göring said that the Spanish Civil War was used by the Luftwaffe to test out newly designed equipment and to battle-harden its personnel. ww2dbase [Nuremberg Trials and Other Trials Against Germany | CPC]
• Averaging 200 landings per week, USS Ranger recorded her 82,000th carrier landing while serving as the qualification carrier at Pensacola, Florida. ww2dbase [Ranger | DS]

• Chief administrator Alfons Klein of Hadamar Euthanasia Center in western Germany, which saw the death of nearly 15,000 handicapped and other undesirables, was executed by hanging. ww2dbase [Nuremberg Trials and Other Trials Against Germany | Hadamar Euthanasia Center | CPC]

• USS Mero arrived at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California, United States and was assigned to the 19th Fleet. ww2dbase [Mare Island Navy Yard | Mero | Vallejo, California | CPC]

• Dong Zhao was awarded the Order of Resplendent Banner 3rd Class. ww2dbase [Dong Zhao | CPC]

14 Mar 1947 Interactive Map

• Frederick Browning passed away. ww2dbase [Frederick Browning | CPC]

• The wrecks of HMAS Sydney and German raider Kormoran were placed on the Australian National Heritage List. ww2dbase [Sydney | CPC]