M’ARTHUR FLIERS DESTROY 22 JAPANESE SHIPS; ENEMY LOSES 15,000 MEN IN CONVOY, 55 PLANES (3/4/43)

Microfilm-New York Times archives, Monterey Public Library | 3/4/43 | F. Tillman Durdin, Brooks Atkinson, Ralph Parker, Sidney M. Shalett

[Homer_J_Simpson]

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Free Republic University, Department of History presents World War II Plus 70 Years: Seminar and Discussion Forum
First session: September 1, 2009. Last date to add: September 2, 2015.
Reading assignment: New York Times articles delivered daily to students on the 70th anniversary of original publication date. (Previously posted articles can be found by searching on keyword “realtime” Or view Homer’s posting history .)
To add this class to or drop it from your schedule notify Admissions and Records (Attn: Homer_J_Simpson) by freepmail. Those on the Realtime +/- 70 Years ping list are automatically enrolled. Course description, prerequisites and tuition information is available at the bottom of Homer’s profile. Also visit our general discussion thread.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Selections from West Point Atlas for the Second World War
Southwest Russia, 1942: German Counteroffensive, Operations, 19 February-18 March 1943
Tunisia, 1942: Situation 22 April and Operations Since 26 February 1943
The Far East and the Pacific, 1941: Status of Forces and Allied Theater Boundaries, 2 July 1942
India-Burma, 1942: Allied Lines of Communication, 1942-1943

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Winston S. Churchill, The Hinge of Fate

[Homer_J_Simpson]

An Enemy Disaster (Durdin) – 2-3
American Bombers Fail in Hunt to Silence Lone Japanese Gunner (Atkinson) – 4
War News Summarized – 4
Red Army Scores (Parker) – 5
Allies Advancing South of Sbeitla – 6
A Flying Fortress Badly Wounded but Still Flying (photo) – 6
Tunisia Protection Lessons Aid Troops in Training Here (Shalett) – 7
Hakkila Refuses Premiership of Finland; Agrarian Boycott Balks Forming of Cabinet – 7
The Texts of the Day’s Communiques on the Fighting in Various War Zones – 8-10

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1943/mar1943/f04mar43.htm

Japanese reinforcement cut down at sea
Thursday, March 4, 1943 www.onwar.com

American PT boats used in battle of Bismark Sea [photo at link]

In the Bismark Sea... The Japanese convoy carrying troops of the 51st Division is again struck by Allied planes from the 5th Air Force. PT-boats join the at attacks. Over the course of the three days, all the Japanese transport, as well as 4 destroyers are sunk and at least 3500 troops are lost. Australian and American air forces have shot down 25 planes for the loss of 5 of their own. This is considered a serious defeat by the Japanese and a setback for their defense of New Guinea.

In Tunisia... Montgomery directs a second infantry division and an armored division to Medenine. A formal defense line has now been established by the British. There are strong antitank defenses, including some of the new 17-pounder guns. Allied intelligence has already warned about a pending Axis attack and this is confirmed by sightings of the 10th and 21st Panzer Divisions moving up.

On the Eastern Front... The Soviets take Olenino and Chertolino to the west of Rzhev. Near Kursk, they capture Sevsk and Sudzha. Meanwhile, Manstein’s counteroffensive now aims at Kharkov and the Red Army troops in the area. Part of the SS Panzer Corps strikes westward from Poltava, while units of the 4th Panzer Army attack northward from a line on the Berestovaya River, west of Izyum.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/frame.htm

March 4th, 1943 (THURSDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: Frigate HMS Towy launched. (Dave Shirlaw)

GERMANY:
U-966 commissioned.

U-776 laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)

NORWAY: Operation Gunnerside.

FINLAND: Marshal Mannerheim states to Gen. Waldemar Erfurth, the German representative at the Finnish GHQ, that there will be no more Finnish attacks. “I have already lost too many men.” (Mikko Härmeinen)

U.S.S.R.: Black Sea Fleet and Azov Flotilla: MS “T-514” (ex-”Ost”) - mined close to cape Mishako (Sergey Anisimov)(69)

INDIAN OCEAN: At 0110, U-160 made a second attack at Convoy DN-21 ENE of East London and reported hits on two ships; one of which was thought to have been sunk and the other left in sinking condition. In fact, Empire Mahseer was hit by two torpedoes and sank within two minutes. 17 crewmembers and one gunner were lost. The master, 29 crewmembers and six gunners were picked up by armed trawler HMS Norwich City and landed at Durban.

At 0346, U-160 fired two torpedoes at Convoy DN-21 ENE of East London and hit two ships after 1 minute 6 seconds and 1 minute 14 seconds. The Marietta E was sunk and Sheaf Crown damaged. Four crewmembers and one gunner from Marietta E were lost. The master, 33 crewmembers and six gunners were picked up by the SAAF crash launch R-8 and landed at Durban. The following British landing craft were lost with the Marietta E - HMS LCP(R)-673, HMS LCP(R)-680, HMS LCP(R)-684, HMS LCP(R)-685, HMS LCP(R)-689, HMS LCP(R)-692, HMS LCP(R)-693 and HMS LCP(R)-727 (each 10 tons). (Dave Shirlaw)

BURMA: Operation Cannibal, an Allied drive to recapture Akyab, is stopped by strong Japanese resistance.

PACIFIC OCEAN: The 3 day Battle of Bismarck Sea ends in a US victory. (Michael Ballard)

ARASHIO IJN, Japanese Destroyer, Sunk 55 miles south-east of Finschhafen by USAAF B-17 aircraft.

ASASHIO IJN, Sunk 45 miles south-east of Finschhafen by USAAF B-25 aircraft.

(James Paterson)

U.S.A.: Submarine USS Cavalla laid down.
Destroyer USS Healy laid down.

Destroyer USS Bell commissioned.

Submarine USS Skate launched.

(Dave Shirlaw)

ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-87 (Kptlt Joachim Bergerm, CO) is sunk west of Leixoes, 41.36N 13.31W by depth charges from corvette HMCS Sheliac and destroyer HMCS St. Croix. The Canadian ships are escorting 57 ship convoy KMS-10 from the UK to Algeria. There are no survivors from the U-boats crew of 49 men. the convoy has been under air attack by German ‘Kondor’ long-range aircraft for two days. Shediac obtained a sonar contact, which the two escorts attacked repeatedly before it vanished without giving any indication of success. Post-war record examination confirmed that U-87 had been destroyed. German records do not indicate that U-87 was one of the three U-boats assigned to attack KMS-10. It is probable that she was merely transiting through the area when she was detected and attacked. (Alex Gordon and Dave Shirlaw)

U-83 sunk SE of Cartagena, Spain in position 37.10N, 00.05E, by 3 depth charges from an RAF Hudson. 50 dead (all hands lost).

U-333 shot down RAF 172 Sqn Wellington when Leigh Light switched on. This aircraft had sunk the U-268 in Feb.

At 0609, the unescorted City of Pretoria was torpedoed by U-172; exploded and sank WNW of the Azores. The master, 108 crewmembers, 24 gunners, seven passengers (DBS) and 5 apprentices were lost.

The unescorted California Star was torpedoed and sunk by U-515 NW of the Azores. 40 crewmembers, eight gunners and four passengers were lost. The master, 18 crewmembers and three passengers landed at Flores, Azores. (Dave Shirlaw)

[fso301]

Here's some more on that p6 B-17 rammed by the Messerschmidt:

[2nd Bn, 11th Mar]

In the far right column of page 6, there’s an Air Force announcement of Colonel Compton, TWENTY-SEVEN years old, taking command of a Heavy Bombardment Group in North Africa.

It reminds me of the Bill Mauldin cartoon of the grizzled old infantryman being greeted by a twentysomething flyer with colonel’s eagles: “Uncle Willy!”

[texanyankee]

Unbelievable! I cant imagine how the B-17 managed to land safely. Thanks for sharing.

[BroJoeK]

---

March 4, 1943:

• "Noted painter Hermann Lismann is deported to the Majdanek death camp."

"The remaining Jews of Kolomyia, Ukraine, were slaughtered in March 1943.
A few years earlier, the Hungarian governor had prevented local Ukrainians from murdering Jews, but liquidations began in 1942.
This picture shows dozens of Jewish corpses lined up on the ground.
A sympathetic Ukrainian appears to be contemplating the bodies in sorrow."

---

[Ecliptic]

Re: Churchill’s concern that the US and UK aren’t fighting enough:

Churchill leaves out the US is in the Pacific, China, India, Africa, underwater and above water in the Atlantic, and being built up in the UK to invade Europe. Plus we were supplying Russia, the UK, India and others. Russia could not have done what they were doing without our supplies.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

How many gunners were normally included in a B-17 crew? It seems like a couple are missing from the list on your post. I’ll bet the tail and waist gunners figured they had had enough excitement for one day when the ME crashed into their work space.

[fso301]

How many gunners were normally included in a B-17 crew?

This was a B-17F, the same variant as the Memphis Belle. From what I can tell, the B-17F had a 10 man crew but I saw on several sites that only 9 men flew on certain type missions (don't know which type mission).

Here are two pic's of the Memphis Belle, one showing a 9 man crew .

Here's one of theMemphis Belle with a 10 man crew:

Here's a little more on the F variant http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=2453.

It seems like a couple are missing from the list on your post.

From the signed list it looks as if a waist gunner is missing but from what I can tell, all crew members survived this mission. Either they flew with a 9 man crew that day or one of the waist gunners didn't want to be reminded.

I’ll bet the tail and waist gunners figured they had had enough excitement for one day when the ME crashed into their work space.

I bet the first thing they did after landing was change their pants.