14 March 1942

GERMANY: Berlin: Adolf Hitler intends to revive German morale, dented after the failure to take Moscow last year, by promising a new offensive against his former Russian ally this summer. He will outline his plans at a ceremony to commemorate Germany's war dead here tomorrow, but the military preparations have been under way for some time.

Where the Wehrmacht will strike, however, is by no means clear. Analysis of the situation shows that the Russians are now very strong in front of Moscow. Hitler may well turn again to the Caucasus, its oilfields and the road to the Middle East.

U-221 launched.

U-177 and U-260 commissioned.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: U-133 sunk in Mediterranean outside Salamis (Saronic Gulf), Greece, in position 37.50N, 23.35E by a mine. 45 dead (all hands lost).

AUSTRALIA: Japanese aircraft bomb Horn Island located 10 miles (16 kilometres) off the northern coast of Queensland. Horn Island, in the Torres Strait between Queensland and New Guinea, will become the main tactical base for Allied air operations in the Torres Strait. The island will be subject to nine Japanese air raids during WWII.

A convoy brought 30,000 American troops who are to serve in Australia and New Caledonia. After a brief stay in Australia the New Caledonia Task Force of some 14,000 officers and men arrived in Noumea on 12 March.

The first US troops came in an eight-ship convoy which was headed for the Philippines when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Two more American divisions are on their way here, and one Australian division is due to arrive back here this month. A concentration of ground forces is now assured.

U.S.A.: Washington: The US chiefs of staff decide to build up American forces in Britain for an attack on Germany, while fighting a defensive war in the Pacific.

German submarines have sunk so many tankers during the past two months that the War Production Board orders gasoline deliveries be cut 20 percent in 17 eastern states and the District of Columbia.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt asks the 48 state governors to set speed limits at 40 mph (64 km/h) to conserve tyres.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: At 0758, the unescorted and unarmed U.S. collier SS Lemuel Burrows was torpedoed by U-404 about five miles SSW of the Brigantine Gas Buoy off Atlantic City after spotting the silhouette of the collier against the bright lights of the city. The U-boat had earlier missed with two torpedoes before hitting with the third on the starboard side between the #2 and #3 holds, followed by a another torpedo at 0815 on the port side amidships. The most of the eight officers and 26 crewmen abandoned ship in two lifeboats, just before the ship was hit at 0828 hours by a coup de grâce on the starboard quarter, causing the ship to lift and then sink, swamping the nearby lifeboats. All survivors were thrown into the icy water. Only eight men managed to cling to the overturned boat, but two eventually slipped into the water and drowned, while other survivors swam to two rafts, which had floated free. The U-boat surfaced and questioned the survivors before leaving the area. After drifting for six hours, eight survivors were picked up by the American SS Sewalls Point and seven others by a boat from the American SS James Elwood Jones. Four officers and 16 crewmen were lost. All survivors were landed at New York, where one survivor died in the Marine Hospital at Staten Island. (Dave Shirlaw and Jack McKillop)

At 0200, the unescorted motor tanker Penelope was hit in the bow by one of two fired torpedoes from U-67 after being hunted for three and a half hours. The ship caught fire, stopped and the crew abandoned ship in three lifeboats and one raft. A coup de grâce fired at 0219 hit near the funnel and caused the tanker to sink, while the oil was still burning on the surface. The U-boat went to a lifeboat, questioned the survivors and gave them the course to Dominica before leaving the area.

At 2118, the unescorted motor tanker British Resource was torpedoed by U-124 north of Bermuda, caught fire and burned until she sank the next day. The master, 41 crewmembers and three gunners were lost. One crewmember and three gunners were picked up by corvette HMS Clarkia and landed at Hamilton, Bermuda.