March 1943

(Britain)                                                                                

RAF Bomber Command began the Battle of the Rhur on the5^th /6^th March 1943 and continued until the 31^st July 1943. During this period the now famous “Dam Buster” raid was carried out in May 1943. Coke plants, steelworks, armament factories, and synthetic oil plants were the main German industries concentrated in the Rhur. Bomber Command had periodically attacked the Rhur from 1940 and the Germans had responded by installing anti-aircraft guns, searchlights and night fighters. Essen, where the Krupps armament factory was located, was attacked on the 5^th/6^th, 10^th/11^th and 12^th /13^th March 1943. Four other targets were attacked on the 10^th/11^th, 26^th/27^th and 29^th/30^th March 1943. Britain lost a total of 55 aircraft during March 1943 for the attacks on the Rhur. German records indicate 843 people were killed and a total of 3,537 buildings were destroyed. To prevent the Germans concentrating their defences in the Rhur region, other cities were attacked to act as diversionary raids. Nuremburg and Munich were the cities chosen to be attacked. The city of Nuremburg was chosen for its important contribution to the production of armaments, as a prime target for diversion. Old medieval Nuremburg consisted of an inner city of a high proportion of half-timbered buildings. The outer city was the industrial area building diesel engines for submarines and manufactured components for Panther tanks. The marshalling yards for the railway system was another target. On the night of the 8^t /9^th March1943 the RAF attacked with 335 bombers who dropped 358 tons of high explosive and 412 tons of incendiary bombs on the city. In the aftermath of the attack on Nuremburg, the RAF bombers inflicted 171 large fires, 1,748 small fires and 343 casualties to the population. Whether the RAF suffered any losses is unknown as no records appear to be available.

(Germany)

Following the surrender at Stalingrad, German dictator, Adolf Hitler, created the position of Inspector General of Armoured Troops. Hitler appointed General Heinz Guderian to the position on the 1^st March 1943. His responsibilities were to oversee and restore the production of tanks and the training of Panzer forces. Tanks were the major part of the Panzer forces. The Russian campaign and the desert war in North Africa had decimated the German tank numbers. The priority was for the development and manufacture of armoured fighting vehicles.Guderian and Albert Speer, Minister of Armaments and War Production, established a collaborative relationship. Despite Speer’s co-operation Guderian was unable to restore armoured combat power to any significant degree, mainly owing to military failures during 1943. Guderian was appointed Inspector General because of his involvement, in the mid-1930s, in the development of the tanks and crews of the panzer division. He was also involved in the concept of blitzkrieg, the rapid advance of mechanised offensive warfare. His military exploits after the war began was to command the invasion of Poland. He also saw action with the invasion of France, the Low Countries’ and the Soviet Union.

(Eastern Front)

The first two Battles of Kharkov began in November 1941 and ended in May 1942. The German army had occupied the city creating mass destruction and starvation to the civilian population during the first Battle. The Soviet troops had attempted to relieve the city in May 1942 but were heavily defeated thus ending the Second Battle of Kharkov. In February 1943 a new Soviet attack was imminent. After sustaining heavy losses throughout the campaign, and despite Hitler‘s insistence the city be held, the Germans abandoned Kharkov. The Battle of Stalingrad ended on the 2^nd February 1943 when the German 6^th Army finally capitulated to the Soviet Union Army. To counter this defeat German Field Marshal Erich von Manstein launched a counter-strike against Kharkov, bringing in re-enforcements, on the 19^th February 1943 which started the Third Battle of Kharkov. The victorious Soviet Army at Stalingrad was ordered to re-inforce the Soviet forces in their advance to relieve Kharkov. Manstein planned for a three stage offensive. The first stage was to be the destruction of the Soviet spearhead who had over-extended their supply lines and the manoeuvre was completed. The Germans advanced and counter-attacked whenever necessary to the Interior and around Kharkov from the 5^th to 8^th April 1943.  The second and third stage of Manstein’s plan would be when the Germans surrounded and entered Kharkov, and on the 15^th March 1943 the Germans conquered Kharkov for the second time. The First Battle of Kharkov was the previous conquest.                                   

When the Nazis invaded and occupied Poland in September 1939 Krakow was an influential centre for Polish Jews. By April 1940 a Nazi request for the removal of the majority of the Jews was proposed. By December 1940 approximately two thirds of the Jewish population were removed, either voluntarily or involuntarily, to locations outside of the city. In March 1941 the Krakow Ghetto was set up in the Podgorze district of Krakow which originally had approximately 3,500 residents. The Krakow Ghetto was one of five Nazi ghettos in Poland. The 16,000 Jews still in the city were relocated to the ghetto and were only allowed to bring 25 kg of their possessions. The remainder of their possessions were confiscated by the Nazis along with the contents of the various synagogues in the city. In April 1941 the ghetto was enclosed by barbed wire and stone and was guarded by German police but inside the ghetto by Jewish police. From May 1942 the Nazis began systematic deportations (liquidations) to surrounding concentration camps. On the 13^th March 1943 the final liquidation was carried out. 2,000 Jews deemed able to work were transported to labour camps. 2,000 unfit Jews were killed in the ghetto streets and the remaining 3,000 were sent to Auschwitz death camp.

(North Africa)

The Battle of Medenine was the last battle German General Erwin Rommel fought in the Desert War of the North African Campaign. Codenamed Operation Capri, itwas an Axis attack atMedenine in Tunisia on the 6^th March 1943 intending to delay the British Eighth Army attack on the Mareth Line. The Mareth Line was a French protection system built in the late 1930s. The line was built to prevent an Italian invasion of Tunisia from their colony of Libya. Previously, the British had intercepted German wireless communications and were aware of Operation Capri. Consequently they rushed reinforcements up from Tripoli and Benghazi before the attack. When the Axis did attack the result was an absolute disaster and Rommel abandoned the attack at dusk that day. During the day the German Luftwaffe and Italian Regia Aeronautica had made a maximum effort against the British anti-aircraft guns and Desert Air Force but to little effect. He could not afford to lose the forces he required for the defence of the Mareth Line. On the 7^th March 1943 Rommel’s forces began a withdrawal toward the Mareth Line. The British Eighth Army pursuit followed but they were slowed down by rain. The Battle of Medenine was over, and Rommel returned to Europe for good shortly afterwards.

Following the Battle of Kasserine Pass on the 19^th February 1943 newly promoted American, Lieutenant-General George S. Patton, replaced Major-General Lloyd Fredendall as Commanding General of the II Corps. Kasserine Pass was an American victory of sorts, not by American tactics but because Rommel chose to withdraw from the offensive as he had out-run his supply lines. Patton was determined that the Germans would experience different results at the next assault. Major-General Omar Bradley had been assigned to his corps as his deputy commander with orders to ready for action in 10 days. Patton introduced changes by talking to his troops to gain their confidence, praising them as well as working them hard. He ordered them to wear complete, clean and pressed uniforms to instil some pride into the II Corps. Patton was successful in his training programme and changed his battered and demoralised formation into a force ready for action.

On the 17^th March 1943 Patton ordered the U.S. 1^st Infantry Division into the abandoned plains at Medenine. They captured the town of Gafsa and prepared it for a forward supply base for future operations. The following day the 1^st Ranger Battalion, facing little opposition, occupied the oasis of El Quettar. The Italian defenders had retreated into the hills overlooking the town, thereby blocking the mountain pass of El Quettar. When Rommel departed for Europe the command was taken over by General Hans-Jürgen von Arnim, for the Italians the commander was General Giovanni Meese. The Axis commanders were aware of the U.S. movements and decided the German Panzer Division should stop them. 50 German tanks emerged from the pass into El Quettar in the early hours of the 23^rd March 1943. Accompanying German half-tracks and motorcycle/sidecars broke away from the formation in an effort to disgorge troops to over-run the American artillery. German infantry soon over-ran the American front line troops and artillery but the Americans managed to hang on. The German tank attack ran into a minefield and lost momentum. Slowing to re-organise the tanks were bombarded by U.S. artillery and M10 tank destroyers. Within an hour 30 of the 50 tanks had been destroyed and by 09.00 the Germans had retreated from the valley. A second attempt by the Germans was attempted later in the day with a similar result. Realising that further attacks were hopeless the Germans retreated back to their headquarters. The Battle of El Quettar was the first battle whereby U.S. forces were able to beat experienced German tank units.

In the meantime the British Eighth Army, commanded by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery and nicknamed “Monty”, was approaching the Mareth Line from the east. The Mareth Line was located from the Mediterranean Sea toward the Matmata Hills to the east. On the 20^th March1943, under the codename Operation Pugilist, the 50^th Northumbrian Infantry Division manged to penetrate the line held by Italians. However, rain and the hostile terrain prevented the deployment of Allied aircraft, tanks and anti-tank guns leaving the Infantry isolated. An Axis counter-attack, on the 22^nd March 1943, recaptured much of the ground penetrated and by the 24^th March 1943 the Allied attacking forces were recalled. Prior to the main Eighth Army being contained by the defenders of the Mareth Line, Monty ordered the 2^nd New Zealand Division and the 4^th Indian Infantry Division to form the left hook behind the Matmata Hills. They moved south from the Mareth Line, around the southern tip of the Matmata Hills, advancing north in a flanking attack from the 21^st/24^th March 1943. However, the attack was contained at the Tebaga Gap but with reinforcements from Operation Supercharge II the Allies broke through the gap on the 26^th March 1943. Another frontal assault on the Mareth Line together with this success forced the Italian defenders to withdraw in order to escape complete encirclement.

(Pacific)

For the British, based in India, Operation Longcloth began in February 1943 and for the first time, 3,000 Chindits embarked on a four month excursion into Japanese occupied Burma. The idea for the guerrilla force of Chindits was conceived by Brigadier-General Orde Charles Wingate. He believed that victory in South-East Asia could only be achieved by an army prepared to fight in the jungle, and supplied by air. The highly trained Chindits attitude was “The impossible, we do in a day. Miracles take a bit longer”. By the 2^nd March 1943 they had crossed the heavily defended River Chinwin, despite the all-conquering Japanese presence.  To achieve the crossing Wingate split his force into eight separate columns. He met with some initial fortune by putting one of Burma’s railways out of action. By mid-March 1943 the Japanese had three infantry divisions chasing them through the jungle and prevented the air supplies reaching the Chindits. The Japanese trapped them at the bend of one of the many rivers. As the conditions were not as the Chindits had expected and despite some successful guerrilla attacks, Wingate agreed to retrace his steps back to the River Chinwin. The Chindits split into small groups to avoid the Japanese. Running out of food, medical supplies and ammunition they eventually returned to India by various routes.  However, this first operation cost the Chimdit’s 700 casualties of an initial 3,000 who embarked on the raid. Although the cost was high, this raid did have some success as a demonstration to the Japanese that jungle warfare meant they could not expect the land war to go their way for ever. A further Chindits excursion took place in March 1944 after they had been reinforced, trained and ready to tackle the jungles of Burma.  

In the meantime the Americans were engaged in their own campaign against the Japanese in the Pacific theatre. The Japanese eviction and the ultimate U.S. occupation of Guadalcanal was completed by the 7^th February 1943. The intention of the Allied counter-offensive was to capture the main Japanese base at Rabaul on the island of New Britain. The Japanese recognised this threat and proceeded to plan for the despatch of 6,900 troops, all carried by the ships, from Rabaul to Lae, New Guinea. On the 28^th February 1943 the Japanese convoy left Rabaul. Although the journey was risky because of the threat of American aircraft attacks, the alternative of marching through the jungle on New Guinea was greater. Allied naval codebreakers in Melbourne detected the convoy journey and knew the final destination and date of arrival. A three day engagement took place in the South West Pacific Area known as the “Battle of the Bismarck Sea” between the 2^nd /4^th March 1943. The Japanese convoy consisted of eight destroyers, eight troop transport ships only and 100 land based aircraft. The Allied attacking aircraft over the three days consisted of 39 heavy bombers, 41 medium bombers, 34 light bombers, 54 fighters and 10 torpedo boats.  Aircraft of U.S. Fifth Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) attacked the Japanese convoy transporting much needed troops to Lae, The Air Forces located and bombed the convoy on the 2^nd /3^rd March 1943, and followed up with attacks by PT boats on the 4^th March 1943. All eight transport ships and four escorting destroyers were sunk and twenty fighter aircraft destroyed. Of the 6,900 Japanese troops transported by the convoy, only about 1,200, who were on board the remaining destroyers, were landed at Lae. The remaining destroyers then retired to Rabaul and approximately 2,900 troops were rescued. Approximately 2,800 Japanese troops died in the sunken ships. The Allies had 13 servicemen killed and the loss of two bombers together with four fighter aircraft. Following the Battle of the Bismarck Sea the Japanese decided not to attempt any further landing of troops at Lae.

On the 10^th March 1943 the USAAF 14^th Air Force (14AF) was formed by the special order of American President Roosevelt. The 14AF replaced the American Volunteer Group (AVG known as the “Flying Tigers”). When America entered the war in December 1941 the AVG had been established to protect supplies reaching China from India after the Japanese invasion of Burma. Newly promoted Major General Claire Chennault, who had commanded the AVG, was appointed commander of the 14AF and adopted the “Flying Tigers” designation. By the end of the war the 14AF achieved air superiority in the China-Burma-India theatre. An estimated 4,000 Japanese aircraft were destroyed or damaged together with approximately 1,100,000 tons of Japanese shipping. Many bridges, Japanese locomotives and railway trucks were also destroyed. It has not been possible to confirm the American losses of the 14AF.

The Battle of the Komandorski Islands occurred in the North Pacific when American and the Imperial Japanese navies engaged on the 26^th March 1943. The Soviet Komandorski Islands are located in the Bering Sea separating the continents of the American province of Alaska and the USSR. The Japanese had forces on the Aleutian Islands of Alaska as part of their attempt to take control of the Pacific They planned to send a supply convoy to the Aleutian Islands and American intelligence were aware of these plans. American intelligence also estimated the convoy would be escorted by one heavy cruiser, one light cruiser and four destroyers. However, the Japanese had increased the escort force by one heavy and one light cruiser. The U.S. Navy sent one heavy cruiser, one light cruiser and four destroyers to prevent the convoy reaching their destination. In the early hours of the 26^th March 1943 the Americans located the Japanese convoy by radar approximately 100 miles south of the Komandorski Islands. This battle was one of the last pure gunnery duels between fleets of major surface combatants in naval history. Neither side had either air or submarine assistance. The engagement was technically inconclusive, even though the Japanese escort vessels out-gunned the American force. During the battle both sides suffered damage, and the Japanese Admiral Hosogaya, not realising how much damage had been done to the American fleet, retired from the engagement at 12.30 pm. Without pressing home his advantage and on the brink of victory, Hosogaya feared American bombers would appear. Had the Japanese not retired the Americans would have suffered far greater damage. As it is the American heavy cruiser was severely damaged and two destroyers slightly damaged. They also suffered the loss of seven sailors killed and a further 20 wounded. The Japanese had one heavy cruiser moderately damaged and the second slightly damaged. They lost 14 sailors killed and a further 26 wounded. The Japanese did not attempt to re-supply the Aleutian garrison by surface vessels, thereby the battle amounted to a strategic defeat for them. Future re-supplies were conducted by submarine. Admiral Hosogaya retired from active service and was reassigned to govern a group of South Pacific islands.

(Other Theatres)

The Portuguese colony of Goa was neutral territory during the Second World War. Goa is located on the east coast of the British Dominion of India. At the outbreak of war in 1939 three German freighters took refuge in the harbour of Goa. They were joined by an Italian freighter during 1940. The British were aware of these merchant ships but did not perceive them to be a threat. The Indian Mission of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) at Meerut in India intercepted German coded messages in 1942. These messages gave detailed information to German U-boats of Allied shipping leaving Bombay Harbour. A German spy Robert Koch and his wife Grete were living in Goa and SOE discovered them after 46 Allied merchant ships had been attacked. In November 1942 two SOE agents travelled to Goa and on the 19^th December 1942 kidnapped Koch and his wife. SOE suspected German freighter Ehrenfels had a secret transmitter on board to guide German U-boats to their target, on instructions from the Kocks. Koch and wife were escorted back to India for questioning and their ultimate fate is unclear. What was clear was that by March 1943 German U-boats had sunk 12 Allied merchant ships, a total of approximately 80,000 tons. Because of Portugal’s neutrality Britain could not openly invade its territory. In order not to involve British armed forces, SOE opted to recruit members of the Calcutta Light Horse to perform a covert operation. SOE recruited 14 volunteers from the Light Horse and a further four from the Calcutta Scottish, who were military reservists, to carry out this mission. The SOE trained and armed the 18 man assault team, who were mainly middle-aged bankers, merchants and solicitors. The assault force were led by SOE agent Lieutenant-Colonel Lewis Pugh. Some of the force sailed on the hopper barge Phoebe from Calcutta, on the east coast, around India to Goa. The remainder took a train from Calcutta to Cochin, on the west coast and joined the barge there. The town where Momugoa harbour is located was celebrating the final day of carnival on the 9^th/10^th March 1943. All the crews of the ships moored in the harbour were invited to a large party funded by the SOE. Ehrenfels was left with a small crew on board. Both the lighthouse and luminous buoy were “coincidently” not working that night allowing Phoebe to enter the harbour in darkness. Ehrenfels complete with transmitter was attacked and captured by the assault team, killing the captain and some of the crew. Ehrenfels sank after the remainder of the crew opened the sea cocks. Five members of Ehrenfels were reported dead and a further four reported missing, whilst the assault-team suffered no casualties. The remaining two German and single Italian freighters, watching Ehrenfels on fire and sinking, scuttled their ships in order not to be captured by the British. Following the scuttling of their ships the Axis crew members abandoned ships and were arrested by the Portuguese. The SOE assault force returned to Phoebe, with the transmitter but not the code books, and left Momugao Harbour and transmitted to SOE headquarters that all the Axis vessels were sunk. The SOE Calcutta Light Horse and Calcutta Scottish assault force returned to their civilian life. Following the attack only one merchant ship was sunk by 13 German U-boats operating in the area during the rest of March 1943. In April 1943 only three Allied ships were attacked. On the 31^st 0ctober 1943 the Judicial Court of Momugao stated that there had not been an attack by a foreign ship. The crew members were convicted of scuttling their ships and imprisoned until the end of the war.

In America the US House of Representatives voted to extend Lease-Lend plan 10^th March 1943. Before America entered the war Britain was fighting Germany alone after France had fallen to the Nazis in the summer of 1940. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill appealed to President Franklin D. Roosevelt for help. Roosevelt introduced a new policy initiative in mid-December 1940 that the U.S. would lend, not sell, military supplies to Britain whilst still maintaining her neutrality. In March 1941 Congress passed the Lend-Lease Act and Roosevelt signed it into law. By the end of 1941 China and the Soviet Union was include in the Lend-Lease policy. The Soviet Union was desperately fighting the Nazis and on the 16^th March 1943 Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin demanded, for the ninth time, a “Second Front” to relieve the pressure on the Soviet Union.           

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