7 March 1939

Yesterday Tomorrow

1936: GERMANY: German troops enter the Rhineland. Under the terms of the July 1919 Versailles Treaty, all 9,450 square miles (24 475 square kilometers) of the Rhineland west of the Rhine River, and a 30-mile (48 kilometer) wide zone east of the river, was to be permanently demilitarized to form a buffer between Germany and a perpetually wary France. Germany was not permitted to maintain any armed forces there; existing fortifications were to be dismantled and no new ones built. To ensure compliance, there would be a 15-year period of occupation by Allied soldiers; the Allied soldiers were gone by mid-1930. In May 1935, Chancellor Adolf Hitler had publicly hailed an unarmed Rhineland as Germany's "contribution" to European peace; ten months later the German military invades but it is actually a bluff. The troops are equipped only with rifles, pistols and machine guns, there is not armor or artillery; the planes that were sent up in a show of strength by the Luftwaffe are

not combat-ready; they lacked guns or ammunition or both, and the Luftwaffe pilots keep looking apprehensively westward, expecting a mass onslaught by French planes. Had France moved in, Hitler later admitted, "we would have had to withdraw with our tails between our legs." The French begin planning a military sweep into the Rhineland, then reconsider and settle for a protest to the League of Nations. The League pronounced Germany guilty of violating the 1925 Locarno Pact which guaranteed the boundaries of European countries, then fail to suggest any way to enforce it. In the end, a rationalthe end, a rationalthe end, a rationale was found for Hitler's coup by the British. After all, the London Times noted, it was not as if the Fuhrer were invading foreign soil: "He is only going into his own back garden." (Michael Ballard and Jack McKillop)

March 7th, 1939 (TUESDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: London: Singer Al Bowlly records 'The Same Old Story', 'Could Be' and 'Between a Kiss and a Sigh' with Geraldo and his orchestra.

CZECHOSLOVAKIA: Hitler hands the former Czech province of Ruthenia over to Hungary.

JAPAN: Navy minister Yonai announces a continued naval expansion programme.

7 March 1940

March 7th, 1940 (THURSDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: RAF Bomber Command: 4 Group. Leaflets and Reconnaissance - Poznan. 77 Sqn. Two aircraft. No opposition. Leaflets and Reconnaissance - NW Germany. 77 Sqn. Three aircraft. Moderate to severe opposition. One enemy aircraft sighted.

RAF Fighter Command: German aircraft attack shipping in the North Sea. One enemy aircraft is destroyed. There are casualties in the trawlers; an Italian vessel is fired and a Dutch vessel damaged.

Minesweeping trawler HMS Acania launched.

Corvette HMS Clarkia launched.

ENGLISH CHANNEL: British warships detain six Italian coal ships with cargos of German coal. This action follows a warning that Britain will seize all German coal found at sea. The ships are brought to Kent where they are anchored off the coast while the government decides whether to unload the cargoes. Four more Italian colliers have set sail from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and a further six are loading with Rhineland coal destined for Italy where coal rationing is in force. Many Italians believe that the seizure of their ships is a deliberate attempt to force them to buy British coal on British terms. This becomes known as the "Coal Ships Affair."

FRANCE: Paris: The Prime Minister, Edouard Daladier, meets the US envoy Sumner Welles.

U.S.S.R.: The Finish Peace Delegation reaches Moscow.

U.S.A.: New York: The Cunard Line's newest ship, the 'Queen Elizabeth', was given a heroine's welcome when she docked here at 5pm today. The 83,673 ton liner, the biggest in the world, dashed across the Atlantic at an average speed of 24.5 knots, relying on her speed to evade the U-boats and dropping her destroyer escort one day out. The voyage was kept a firm secret until the liner shrouded in wartime grey, appeared over the horizon moving towards Nantucket. Aircraft carrying newspaper reporters, photographers and broadcasters flew out in the small hours. One radio reporter gave his listeners an eye-witness report from above the liner at 7.45 this morning.

"It is unique to leave without trials and find yourself in New York," said Captain Townley. His Chief Engineer was now confident that the Queen Elizabeth would prove the fastest as well as the biggest liner afloat. Today she passed her sister ship, Queen Mary, already docked here and the two dipped ensigns to each other. All the other ships in port sounded their sirens in greeting. On the quayside a crowd of 10,000 had been waiting for most of the afternoon, and in the city office workers showered the streets with ticker tape in welcome.

Strict security is being maintained, with no visitors allowed on board. The ship is fitted with a new magnetic mine protector device. How much of the final fitting out work has been done is not yet clear, but what is certain is that she will be prepared for war work, not luxury passengers.

Boston: Work begins at East Boston Airport on installing a prototype centimetric air-interception radar in a B-18 Bolo. (Cris Wetton)

Hollywood: The motion picture "Too Many Husbands" is released in the U.S. This comedy, based on W. Somerset Maugham's play "Home and Beauty," is directed by Wesley Ruggles and stars Jean Arthur, Fred MacMurray and Melvyn Douglas. The plot involves a woman who believes her first husband is dead and then marries again; the fun starts when husband number 1 turns up alive. The film was nominated for one Academy Award.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The unescorted, unarmed and neutrally marked SS Vecht was hit by a torpedo from U-14 at 0430, which sank her in 20 minutes at 51.45N, 03.05E.

7 March 1941

March 7th, 1941 (FRIDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: London: Ernest Bevin, the Minister of Labour and former leader of the Transport and General Workers' Union, has been given powers to schedule any factory or firm as being engaged on essential work of national importance. Once scheduled, no employee can either leave or be dismissed without the consent of the local national service officer of the ministry. The object is to prevent labour turnover damaging the war effort. As a condition of being rated "essential", employers must guarantee weekly wage rates and welfare arrangements that satisfy the ministry, and workers may be disciplined for lateness or absenteeism.

The first "Essential Work Orders" will apply to the engineering, aircraft, building and shipbuilding industries, the railways, the docks and the mines. The 221,000 workers in the five royal dockyards and in 52 private yards are now put under the control of the admiralty, which will decide priorities.

Shipyards have been plagued by stoppages at a time when nearly a million tons of shipping have been sunk in the current quarter. This week John Brown's on Clydeside is on strike.

Submarine HMS Splendid laid down.

GERMANY: U-412 laid down.

GREECE: The first troops of the British expeditionary force land at Piraeus and Volos. The first of the 58,000 British and Australian troops to occupy the Olympus-Vermion line in Greece arrive from Egypt.

EGYPT: Cairo: Smuts gives his permission for South African troops to be used anywhere in Africa.

AMERICAN SAMOA: The transport USS William P. Biddle (AP-15), escorted by light cruiser USS Concord (CL-10), arrives at Pago Pago on Tutuila Island, and disembarks the 7th defence Battalion, the first unit of the Fleet Marine Force deployed to the Southern Hemisphere in World War II.

CUBA: In U.S. major league baseball, the Brooklyn Dodgers play the Cleveland Indians in Havana. The Dodgers’ shortstop Pee Wee Reese and left fielder Joe Medwick use a batting helmet designed by two Johns Hopkins Hospital doctors in Baltimore, Maryland. The two Dodgers, victims of being hit by a pitcher last year, pronounce the helmets satisfactory.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine U-47 commanded by Korvettenkapitän Günther Prien is last heard of in the North Atlantic about 300 miles (483 kilometres) south-southeast of Reykjavik, Iceland, near the Rockall Banks. All hands, 45 men, are lost. There is still no certain confirmation of how U-47 was lost. For years it was believed that the British destroyer HMS Wolverine sank U-47 on 8 March, 1941 after depth charges attacks, but the Wolverine actually attacked submarine U-A. Possible reasons for the loss of U-47 include mines, by its own torpedoes or by an attack by British corvettes HMS Camellia and Arbutus. On 14 October 1939, Prien had taken U-47 into the heavily defended British North Fleet main harbour at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands and sank the battleship HMS Royal Oak; Prien was awarded the Knights Cross for this action.

In a second attack on Liverpool-out convoy OB293 southeast of Iceland, U-70 is sunk by corvettes HMS Arbutus and HMS Camellia at 0725. 20 dead, 25 survivors. The conning tower of U-70 had been badly damaged, but the pressure hull remained intact and Matz decided to head away from the convoy for repairs. At 0815, Camellia sighted the U-boat on the surface, which dived shortly afterwards. Until 1030, this corvette and Arbutus carried out five attacks with depth charges, followed by another four attacks by Camellia. Altogether the corvettes dropped 48 depth charges in the nine attacks. The U-boat was forced to surface at 1244 after the last attack and had to be abandoned by the crew. The corvettes picked up 25 survivors. The survivors claimed that they had hit three ships in the first attack at 0445 hours and another in the second. But in fact three ships were damaged - Athelbeach, Delilian and Mijdrecht. At 0640, U-99 torpedoed the already damaged Athelbeach and the crew abandoned ship. At 0715, the U-boat began to shell the tanker and sank her with a coup de grâce 15 minutes later. The master and six crewmembers were lost. 37 crewmembers were picked up by corvette HMS Camellia and landed at Greenock. At 0725, the Mijdrecht in Convoy OB-293 was hit by one torpedo from U-70 and continued at slow speed. The tanker rammed the U-boat as it tried to deliver a coup de grâce and reported the position to the escorts. The ship arrived in Rothesay Bay on 19 March, was temporary repaired at Govan and later went to Middlesbrough for permanent repairs.

Scharnhorst and Gneisenau sight the battleship Malaya that together with other cruisers escorts convoy SL-67 of 58 ships. Lütjens reports the position of the convoy to the U-boats that sink the Hindpool, Lahore, Harmodius, and Nardana, with a total tonnage of 28,500 tons. In the next eight days U-105 and U-106 sink seven more ships and score a torpedo hit in Malaya that heads to New York via Trinidad for repairs. (Navy News)

At 1047, the unescorted SS Mentor was hit by one torpedo from U-37 at 59.30N, 25W and sank by the bow with a still turning propeller.

Whale factory ship Terje Viken was hit by a torpedo from U-47 at 0505. 45 minutes later two torpedoes fired by U-99 totally wrecked the ship. Two British destroyers and a corvette finally sank the wreck on 14 March.

7 March 1942

March 7th, 1942 (SATURDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM:

Escort carrier HMS Tracker launched.

Destroyer HMS Zetland launched.

FRANCE: During the night of the 7th/8th, RAF Bomber Command flies two missions: (1) 15 aircraft bomb the submarine pens at St Nazaire and (2) 11 Hampdens lay mines off Lorient; one Hampden is lost.

GERMANY: Berlin: Hundreds of thousands of Germans and people from Nazi-occupied Europe face being forced to work on German farms. A plan announced today looks first to people from country districts and provincial towns to provide extra labour; as many as 800,000 people could be needed at harvest time. Refusal to undertake such work could lead to what are described as draconian punishments. But attempts to draft women over 55 or those who are pregnant have already encountered strong opposition. Attention is therefore expected to focus on women from more affluent circles as these are thought by Nazi officials to contain the most "shirkers."

U-211, 179 commissioned.

MALTA: Fifteen Mk VB Spitfires, the first to serve outside the United Kingdom, are delivered to Malta by the aircraft carrier HMS EAGLE. (22)

GIBRALTAR: Force H, consisting of the aircraft carriers HMS Argus and Eagle and supported by a number of destroyers, sets sail for Malta with a number of Spitfires on board. Fifteen Spitfires were flown off when Force H comes within range of the island.

BURMA: The British Army evacuates Rangoon, moving along Prome road except for demolition forces, which are removed by sea. The loss of Rangoon seriously handicaps supply and reinforcement of the Burma Army, which must now depend on air for this. Withdrawal from Rangoon is halted at Taukkyan by an enemy roadblock. The bypassed Allied force in Pegu is ordered to withdraw.

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: Captain William Bradford flies a Stearman O-1 biplane trainer to the island of Panay on a courier mission and to survey the Iloilo airfield. While there he notices a 1933 Bellanca Skyrocket he had previously flown as a civilian pilot for an air transport company and was later sold to the Filipinos. The islands' commanding officer has been using the Bellanca as an observation aircraft. The closed cockpit of the six-seat Bellanca offered limited visibility for reconnaissance; conversely the open-cockpit O-1 offers increased visibility but, with only the additional seat, limited cargo and passenger carrying capacity. Bradford, therefore, successfuly negotiates a trade. The old Bellanca is not in good shape, having previously been condemned for flight. There are only about 200 flying hours left on its single engine, the battery is out, and it has no radio. (Mike Yared) (285)

NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: Java: Japanese troops occupy Lembang.

Bandoeng: The fight to save Java is over. Displaying white flags, a convoy of cars led by the Dutch C-in-C, Lieutenant-General ter Poorten, is driving this evening to the Japanese occupied airport at Kalidjati, 25 miles to the north, to open negotiations for surrender. Hours earlier the 15 most senior members of the Dutch government and armed forces led by Dr van Mook, the lieutenant-governor of the East Indies, escaped by air to Australia from the last Allied-held airstrip.

At noon the Netherlands News Agency in Bandoeng, the Dutch HQ, transmitted its last bulletin to the outside world, ending with: "Now we shut down. Long live our queen! Goodbye till better times."

Reporting on the last 24 hours it said that the situation in the west part of the island had become critical since the decision to surrender Jakarta by turning it into an open city two days ago. Dutch forces were now outnumbered five to one and the Japanese had absolute air supremacy. Rail links between east and west Java had been severed, and Dutch troops were now blowing up installations to stop them falling into the hands of the enemy.

The Japanese conquest of Java is virtually complete. Radio and cable communications with Bandoeng cease. Final reports indicate that the Japanese are still advancing on all fronts, that the defenders are completely exhausted, and that all Allied fighter planes have been destroyed. The Japanese also capture Tjilatjap, the naval base on the south coast, and Surabaja was being evacuated in the face of strong Japanese forces.

NEW GUINEA: Japanese landings at Salamaua by the South Seas Detachment.

While returning from a reconnaissance mission over Gasmata and Rabaul in the Bismarck Archipelago, the crew of an RAAF Hudson of No. 32 Squadron, based at Seven Mile Airstrip, Port Moresby, sights a convoy of 11 ships heading for Salamaua.

NEW CALEDONIA: Major General Alexander M. Patch, commander-designate of the New Caledonia Task Force, arrives on New Caledonia Island.

AUSTRALIA: USN Patrol Wing Ten (PatWing-10), which was based in the Philippines in December 1941, completes withdrawal from the Netherlands East Indies, and establishes headquarters in Perth, Western Australia, for patrol operations along the west coast of Australia. Sixty percent of the wing personnel are either dead or captives of the Japanese. Three of the four wing squadrons, Patrol Squadron Twenty One (VP-21), VP-22 and VP-102 are officially disestablished, and the remaining personnel and aircraft assets, PBY-4 and -5 Catalinas, are combined to bring up to full strength the remaining squadron, VP-101.

Minesweeper HMAS Dubbo launched.

CANADA: Trawler HMS Magdalen launched Midland, Ontario.

HMC ML 068 commissioned.

U.S.A.: The Tuskegee flying school graduates its first cadets. This US school was segregated for Black students. They joined the 99th Pursuit Squadron. Names: Capt. Ben Davis Jr.; 2LT Mac Ross, Charles DeBow, LR Curtis, and George Roberts. (Michael Ballard)

The practicability of using a radio sonobuoy in aerial anti-submarine warfare was demonstrated in an exercise conducted off New London, Connecticut, by nonrigid airship (or blimp) K-5 and submarine USS S-20 (SS-125). The buoy could detect the sound of the submerged submarine's propellers at distances up to 3 miles (5 kilometres), and radio reception aboard the blimp was satisfactory up to 5 miles (8 kilometres).

Light cruiser USS Vincennes laid down.

ATLANTIC OCEAN:

Hog Islander Cardonia sunk by U-126 about 9 miles (14 kilometres) north-northwest of West Tortuga Island, Haiti at 19.53N, 73.27W.

U-126 later sinks an unarmed U.S. freighter about 5 miles (8 kilometres) west-northwest of San Nicholas Mole, Haiti.

Unarmed Brazilian steamship SS Arabutan sunk by U-155 about 110 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, at 35.15N, 73.55W.

Steam tanker Unilawenco sunk by U-161 at 13.23N, 62.04W.

At 2314, steam trawler Nyggjaberg was hit by one torpedo from U-701 and sank within two minutes south of Iceland.

At 0835, the unescorted and unarmed Barbara was hit by a torpedo amidships on the port side, despite sailing an approved zigzagging course in moonlight. The torpedo penetrated the hull deep and exploded on the starboard side, causing a fire which damaged the engines, killed the watch below and reached mast high amidships. The fire prevented the survivors from launching any lifeboats, so they had to jump or climb into the water and swim to the life rafts. The ship burned for two and a half hours and sank stern first about nine miles north-northeast of Tortuga Island, Dominican Republic. On 9 March, the master, 15 men and a stewardess were picked up after three days at sea by a USN PBY Catalina flying boat several miles off Porta l'Ecu, Haiti. The pilot who risked two landings and overloaded his plane was cited for the act. A group of 21 survivors landed on Tortuga Island after nearly three days at sea. Able Seaman Maximo Murphy walked 18 hours across the island to get help from natives, who send a Haitian Coast Guard vessel to the survivors. Murphy earned the Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal for his actions. Two other rafts with 19 survivors made it to the shore safely. Bosun Charles Rooney and AB John Taurin had released a portable gangway when the ship was sunk and clung to this gangway along with a passenger, who died on the second day. Both men were spotted by an aircraft on the forth day and were picked up by a destroyer, which was directed to them by the aircraft. Of the eight officers, 50 crewmen and 27 passengers aboard, four officers, 14 crewmen and eight passengers lost their lives. The master Walter Gwynn Hudgins later commanded the Elizabeth, which was sunk by U-103 on 21 May 1942. (Jack McKillop and Dave Shirlaw)

7 March 1943

March 7th, 1943 (SUNDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: London: The latest National Savings campaign "Wings for Victory", was launched this weekend with a target of £150 million for building bombers. By last night £30 million had already been collected.

A Stirling bomber stands in front of St Paul's and a Lancaster in front of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. Huge crowds have been attracted; they are urged to buy savings stamps to stick on to 500-pound bombs. The Lord Mayor of London launched 1,300 pigeons to carry messages to savings groups everywhere.

Destroyer HMCS Assiniboine arrived Liverpool for refit.

U.S.S.R.: Panzer units attack Soviet-held Krasnograd.

Josif Stalin becomes a Marshal of the Soviet Union. This event marks Stalin's growing confidence on the ability of the Red Army to beat Germany, and he obviously wants to identify with the glory the Army is winning. From this day on Stalin, who previously has not used any uniforms, is often seen in public in the Marshal's uniform.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: CICLONE, Italian Torpedo-Boat, 1pm Mined 70 miles north-east of Bizerta while rescuing survivors from a merchant ship mined in the same field. Taken in tow by the Groppo but sank in heavy seas on the 8th, 15 men lost. (James Paterson)

NORTH AFRICA: General George Patton takes command of the US II Corps. (Keith Allen)

PACIFIC OCEAN: Submarine USS Grampus lost under mysterious circumstances, possibly to 2 Japanese destroyers on this date. Sister sub Grayback reported seeing her in the area two days earlier nd the two Japanese destroyers were lost with their logs two days later.

U.S.A.:

Destroyers USS Miller nd Braine launched.

Destroyer escort USS JRY Blakely launched.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: At 1227, the unescorted MS Jamaica was torpedoed nd sunk by U-221. The ship broke in two nd sank within two minutes. The survivors launched four lifeboats, but two had been damaged nd could not be used. The motor lifeboat was sucked down as the ship sank nd came up capsized. This boat was straightened, bailed and later held 13 survivors, while four other survivors were in the gig. The U-boat questioned the survivors and accidentally rammed a lifeboat, throwing the occupants into the sea. The third engineer was picked up by the U-boat nd was allowed to swim to the other boat, which picked up the remaining occupants swimming in the sea. On 9 March, the survivors in the lifeboat were spotted by a B-17 Fortress aircraft, which dropped first aid articles for them, but they were not rescued until 18 March, when they were picked up by corvette HMS Borage. The corvette altered course to rendezvous with another corvette that had a doctor onboard nd three of the survivors who were severely injured were transferred to her, to be taken to Gibraltar as quickly as possible. Borage first escorted a convoy to England and then landed the remaining survivors at Plymouth on 26 March, arriving at London the next day. The four men in the gig reached the Isle of Barra on 29 March, they later reached London on 6 April.

At 0210, U-230 attacked Convoy SC-121 SSE of Cape Farewell nd torpedoed SS Egyptian. Siegmann thought that his victim sank nd attacked the convoy again at 0925. He claimed the sinking of another ship of 5000 tons in the former position of the Egyptian, but it seems that both attacks were carried out on the same ship. The Empire Impala was ordered to pick up the survivors, dropped behind the convoy and was sunk with all hands by U-591 at 0906 hours. The master, 36 crewmembers nd nine gunners from Egyptian were lost. Three crewmembers were picked up by corvette HMCS Rosthern nd landed at Londonderry.

SS Sabor sunk by U-506 at 34.30S, 23.10E.

At 1820, U-638 attacked a straggler from Convoy ON-168 SW of Cape Farewell nd Bernbeck thought that he had missed, but SS Empire Light was damaged nd abandoned. 39 crewmembers and six gunners were lost. The master, three crewmembers and one gunner were picked up by destroyer HMS Beverley nd landed at St John's. At 2212 on 12 March U-468 sank the abandoned Empire Light by two coup de grâce.

7 March 1944

March 7th, 1944 (TUESDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: Westminster: Female crooners on the BBC were attacked today in the House of Commons when Lord Winterton (Con) claimed: "They remind one of the caterwauling of an inebriated cockatoo. I cannot believe that all this wailing about lost babies can possibly have a good effect on troops who are about to endanger their lives." The parliamentary secretary to the minister of information, Mr Thurtle, said that the government would not interfere with the BBC. "I do not think a certain amount of crooning is likely to have a serious effect on the British Army," he said.

HMCS Georgian arrived Devonport and joined 14th Minesweeping Flotilla.

HMCS Bayfield arrived Devonport and joined 31st Minesweeping Flotilla.

HMCS Thunder arrived Devonport and joined 32nd Minesweeping Flotilla.

Escort carrier HMS Campania commissioned.

GERMANY: A major propaganda campaign aimed primarily at women has been launched in an attempt to bolster Germany's depleted labour force. Though some three million women between the ages of 17 and 45 were registered for war work last year on the orders of Fritz Sauckel, the Reich plenipotentiary for the allocation of labour, more than two million have used family responsibilities and health grounds to avoid their allocated jobs. Members of the Nazi organization for women are going from house to house appealing to the women to work "in the service of the community."

U-682, U-683 launched.

POLAND: Auschwitz-Birkenau: In a routine gassing, 3,823 Czech Jews from the ghetto at Theresienstadt are killed.

FINLAND: Finnish government informs the Soviet government (via Kollontay in Sweden) that it is interested in continuing the peace probes. On the 10th of March Soviet answer is received. The Finnish proposition is deemed inadequate. The Soviet terms set out earlier to Paasikivi are the minimum, and there's no way to alter that. The Soviet government expects the Finns to accept these minimum terms by 18 March if they want to negotiate.

BURMA: Tonight Lt-Gen Renya Mutaguchi launches Operation U-Go to capture the Imphal Plain.

Air Commando Combat Mission N0. 20 3:40 Flight Time Hailakandi, Assam to Bhamo, Burma. Twelve B-25s dropped one hundred and five hundred pound bombs on the Bhamo Air Field. We used six to 12 hour chemical delay fusing in some of the bombs. The runways and taxi strips were thoroughly plastered and the field was definitely of no use to the Japanese to attack "BROADWAY," the code name for the landing site in Burma.

Notes: Source for the following: Air Force History and Museum Program 1944 Operation Thursday was code name for the operation. The task orders: (for the Chindits and Air Commandos)

(1) Assist advance of General Stillwell's forces to take Myitkyina by cutting communication of the Japanese 18th Division, harassing its rear and preventing reinforcement.

(2) Create a favorable situation for the Chinese forces crossing the Salween River into Burma.

(3) Inflict damage and confusion on the enemy in northern Burma.

(Chuck Baisden)

CANADA: Corvette HMCS Petrolia (ex-HMS Sherborne Castle) commissioned.

U.S.A.: Destroyer escort USS Jack W Wilke commissioned.

Escort carrier USS Vella Gulf laid down.

Destroyer escort USS Woodson laid down.

Destroyer escorts USS William Seiverling, Ulvert M Moore and Kenneth M Willett launched.

ATLANTIC OCEAN:

MS Tarifa sunk by U-510 at 12.48N, 58.44E.

Steam tanker Valera sunk by U-518 at 11.30N, 76.27W.

7 March 1945

March 7th, 1945 (WEDNESDAY)

IRISH SEA: U-1302 (type VIIC/41) is sunk in St. George's Channel in position 52.19N, 05.23W, by depth charges from the Canadian frigates HMCS La Hulloise, Strathadam and Thetford Mines. 48 dead (all hands lost). U-1302 was "made" by radar by HMCS Strathadam then by Asdic, and followed by a sighting of a periscope and Schnorkel. While La Hulloise and Thetford Mines held sonar contact, Strathadam made a Hedgehog bomb attack which produced a definite hit, there was a "spectacular underwater flash" a huge air bubble and wreckage, followed moments later by a submarine breaking the surface. Further attacks produced sufficient material to confirm the end of U-1302.

U-246 (type VIIC) reported for the last time from position 56.20N, 12.50W while enroute for its operational area in the Irish Sea. Lost during April 1945 in the Irish Sea south of the Isle of Man, in position 53.40N, 04.53,5W.

Listed as missing on 5 April, 1945. No explanation exists for its loss. 48 dead (all hands lost). On 25 October, 1944 an escort attacked U-246 with depth charges and damaged her so seriously that she had return to base.

(Alex Gordon)

GERMANY: The US III Corps reaches Remagen and send advance units across the Ludendorff Bridge. This is the first crossing of the River Rhine.

The US First Army under General Courtney Hodges reached the Rhine at Cologne today and found all the bridges down. Some 30 miles to the south, however, Second Lieutenant Emmet J Burrows came out of the woods above Remagen to find the disorganized German troops fleeing across the intact Ludendorff railway bridge.

Soon a platoon of US tanks was charging down to the bridge. As it approached a German engineer detonated charges which created a small crater. The Americans pushed on, shelling the German on the east bank. One shell knocked out the engineer responsible for firing the demolition charges. When he came to and turned the key, nothing happened. He tried again and still the detonators failed. An army sergeant raced onto the bridge and amid a hail of American gunfire, ignited a fuse. A powerful explosion lifted the bridge up; it settled back and, incredibly, still stood. General Bradley (C-in-C of the 12th Army Group) exclaimed to Hodges: "Hot dog, Courtney! This'll beat him wide open. Shove everything you can across it."

U-2543 commissioned.

NORWAY:

U-548 sailed from Norway on her final patrol.

U-1023 sailed from Norway on her first and final patrol.

POLAND: The Germans start to evacuate Danzig.

HUNGARY: Budapest: Hitler, in a desperate attempt to recapture Budapest and the Hungarian oilfields, launched Operation Spring Awakening yesterday with two Panzer armies attempting an encircling movement around Lake Balaton. The southern arm has the extra task of disrupting the Russian advance on Vienna.

First reports from the battlefield tell of minor German gains as their tanks flounder in a sea of mud. It is also obvious the Russians knew of the attack and prepared deep defensive positions.

EASTERN FRONT: Marshal Zhukov, striking north to the Baltic, has smashed the 3rd Panzer Army and has cut off Stettin from the sea. According to German reports Zhukov is mounting heavy attacks along a 100-mile stretch of the Oder running from the south-east of Berlin to the approaches to Stettin.

One of the main points under attack is the fortress of Kustrin, 40 miles due east of the German capital. A communiqué from the German high command says that the Russians intend to eliminate it before attacking Berlin.

Meanwhile, Marshal Rokossovsky continues to clear Pomerania. His men captured the German stronghold of Grudziadz, outside Danzig, yesterday.

BURMA: Chinese forces capture Lashio.

CANADA: Frigate HMCS Wentworth arrived Shelburne , Nova Scotia for refit.

Fire tug HMCS Nashwaak assigned to Sydney, Nova Scotia.

Frigates HMCS Charlottetown, Springhill and Stettler departed Halifax for EG-16 Londonderry.

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1946: U.S.A.: Hosted by Bob Hope and James Stewart, the 1945 Academy

Awards are presented at GraumanUs Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, California. RThe Lost WeekendS wins four awards including Best Picture, Best Actor (Ray Milland) and Best Director (Billy Wilder); Best Actress Award goes to Joan Crawford for RMildred PierceS; Best Support Actor Award goes to James Dunn for RA Tree Grows in BrooklynS; and the Best

Supporting Actress Award goes to Ann Revere for RNational Velvet.S

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