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• RAF bombed the Philips factory in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. ww2dbase [Bombing of Cities in France and Low Countries | CPC]
• British General Montgomery's troops breached the Mareth Line in North Africa. ww2dbase [Operations Pugilist and Supercharge II | CPC]
• US 1st and 9th Infantry Divisions attacked Italian positions at Hill 369 near El Guettar, Tunisia to little success. ww2dbase [Battle of El Guettar | CPC]
• The British super-gun "Bruce" (named after Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser-the recently appointed C-in-C Home Fleet) was fired for the first time from the RM Siege Battery area behind St. Margarets at Cliffe, Kent, England, United Kingdom. It achieved a range of 62.5 miles vindicating the predictions of the ballistics experts. Unfortunately after 30 shots the rifling on the inside of the barrel was worn so that the ribbed shells failed to "catch" in the grooves. The result was that "Bruce" was unable to make any further contribution to the war effort. ww2dbase [AC]
• USS Bailey moored alongside destroyer tender USS Black Hawk in Dutch Harbor, Alaska for three days of temporary repairs of battle damage. ww2dbase [Bailey | DS]

• German submarine U-596 attacked the convoy ET-16 when west of Algiers and reported five hits on two ships. The Norwegian motor tanker and the British Liberty ship Fort a la Corne were sunk by this attack. The Hallananger was on route from Algiers for Gibraltar and New York in ballast and carrying 1000 tons of fuel oil. The 40 crew members and four gunners abandoned ship in the lifeboats and reached land the next day and were subsequently sent to Algiers. The Fort a la Corne was in ballast and the crew were picked up by escort vessels. ww2dbase [HM]

• British light cruiser HMS Glasgow intercepted German blockade runner Regensburg, whose crew scuttled the ship. ww2dbase [Glasgow | CPC]
• HMS Wear (K 230) scuttled British cargo ship Umaria, which had been fatally damaged by torpedoes from German submarine U-662 on the previous date, with gunfire in the Atlantic Ocean. ww2dbase [HM]
• The 7,031-ton British steam merchant Empire Bowman when on route from Karachi, India; Mormugo, Goa; and Freetown, Sierra Leone, British West Africa for Hull, England, United Kingdom in Convoy SL-126 and carrying a cargo of 8,471 tons of general cargo including 2,500 tons of manganese ore was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-404. Four crew men were lost. The master, 39 crew members and six gunners were picked up by the British frigate HMS Wear (K 230) (Lieutenant G. D. Edwards) and landed at Liverpool, England. ww2dbase [HM]

• Satoru Anabuki, flying Ki-43 fighter "Fubuki", shot down two Hurricane fighters over Mindon, Burma, increasing his score to 26. ww2dbase [Satoru Anabuki | Mindon | CPC]

• Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru arrived at Truk, Caroline Islands. ww2dbase [Hikawa Maru | Truk | CPC]

• G. van der Vuurst, survivor of Dutch steam merchant ship Madoera, which was damaged by German submarine U-653 on 24 Feb 1943, was landed by German submarine U-758 at Bordeaux, France. ww2dbase [Bordeaux, Aquitaine | HM]

• Barbers Point Naval Air Station: Parts of Marine Fighting Squadron 215 (VMF-215) departed. ww2dbase [Barbers Point Naval Air Station | Ewa, Oahu | DS]

• Irako transited the Bungo Strait between Shikoku and Kyushu, Japan with patrol boat PB-46 in escort. ww2dbase [Irako | CPC]

• Auxiliary Aircraft Carrier USS Bogue and her task group arrived at Argentia, Newfoundland. ww2dbase [Bogue | Argentia | DS]

• US submarine Tuna (SS-203) attacked a Japanese convoy north of Manus, Admiralty Islands and sank the 4,606-ton army cargo ship Kurohime Maru, hitting her with 2 of 3 torpedoes fired, and survived the resultant depth-charging by escort vessels. ww2dbase [Tuna | HM]

• An escape planned by 12 American prisoners at the Davao Penal Colony, Mindanao, Philippines was postponed due to a surprise Japanese inspection. ww2dbase [Davao Penal Colony | The Davao Escape | Panabo, Davao | CPC]

• A transport of 2,501 Jews from Thessaloniki, Greece arrived at Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland. 312 men and 141 women were registered, while the remaining 2,048 were gassed. ww2dbase [Auschwitz Concentration Camp | Discovery of Concentration Camps and the Holocaust | Oswiecim | CPC]

• USS Ranger shifted from Casco Bay, Maine to the Boston Navy Yard, Massachusetts. ww2dbase [Ranger | Portland, Maine | DS]

30 Mar 1943 Interactive Map