March 6th, 1944 (MONDAY)
FRANCE: RAF bombers devastate Trappes railway yard as part of the plan to disable communications in Europe in the build-up to the invasion of Europe.
GERMANY: 730 USAAF B-17's and B-24s are dispatched on Mission 250 to hit the Berlin area as follows: 248 of 262 1st Bombardment Division B-17's dispatched hit Berlin, the secondary target. 198 of 226 2d Bombardment Divsion B-24's dispatched hit targets of opportunity at Templin, Verden, Kalkeberge, Potsdam, Oranienburg and Wittenberg. Groups participating are the 44th, 93d, 389th, 392d, 445th, 446th, 448th, 453d and 458th Bombardment Groups (Heavy). The primary targets were industrial areas in the suburbs in Berlin. 226 of 242 3d Bombardment Divsion B-17's hit the primary, the Genshagen industrial area, the secondary, Berlin and a target of opportunity, Potsdam.
Fighter escort for the mission, which included four Ninth Air Force groups, was 86 P-38's, 615 P-47's and 100 P-51's. The bombers claimed 97-28-60 Luftwaffe aircraft; the fighters claimed 81-8-21 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 1-0-12 on the ground. USAAF losses were 34 B-17's, 35 B-24's, 1 P-38, 5 P-47's and 5 P-51's; 9 aircraft were damaged beyond repair and 353 damaged. US casualties were 17 KIA, 33 WIA and 697 MIA.
The first American bombers and fighters appear over Berlin. The raid had been canceled because of weather. One group proceeded to the target with fighter escort.
Göring later said, "When I saw the american fighters over Berlin I knew the jig was up." (Hal Turrell)
BURMA: Air Commando Combat Mission 19 2:30 Flight Time Hailakandi to Inywa, Burma. Bombed warehouses and oil storage depot using incendiary and fragmentation cluster bombs. Fifteen P-51B fighters escorted nine B-25H s. Each fighter loaded with two five hundred pound bombs and six 4.5 inch bazooka-type rockets. Huge explosions and fires started.
Note: from USAF Sources These were the first rockets used in combat by the US, a new development from Wright Field, Ohio, which Colonels Cochran and Alison brought in the theater. (Chuck Baisden)
U.S.A.:
Submarine USS Dragonet commissioned.
Destroyer escort USS Hubbard commissioned.
Frigate USS Rockford commissioned.
Destroyer minelayer USS Henry F Bauer laid down.
Destroyer escort USS Johnnie Hutchins laid down.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-744 (type VIIC) is sunk at 1830hrs in position 52.01N, 22.37W, after being torpedoed by the British destroyer HMS Icarus, then after unsuccessful attempts at towing the boat to port, by depth charges from Icarus, the Canadian frigate HMCS St. Catherines, corvettes Fennel and Chilliwack and destroyers Chaudiere and Gatineau and the British corvette HMS Kenilworth Castle. 12 dead and 40 survivors.
HMCS Gatineau, Chaudiere, St Catharines, Chilliwack, Fennel, HMS Icarus and Keniworth Castle after 32 hours of attack U-744 OLtzS Heinz Blischke, CO, was forced to surface, at 52-10N 23-37W in the North Atlantic. Of the crew of 51, 4 senior ratings, 33 junior ratings survived. Members of Chilliwack boarded U-744 prior to her sinking, OLtzS Blischke, was among those lost in this action. U-744 was considered to be one of the classic U-boat hunts of the war. The C2 support group was searching 4 miles ahead of the 63-ship convoy HX 280, en route from New York City for Liverpool. Icarus obtained an HF/DF bearing and Gatineau obtained a sonar contact at 1000. U-744 was a captained by a highly competent commander who proved to be a very wily opponent. Blischke repeatedly avoided attacks and evaded effectively in the disturbed water caused by depth charge explosions. The attackers expended every weapon in their inventory, including over 290 depth charges and there seemed to be no solution other than waiting for the U-boat to surface. After 32 hours of depth charge attacks, the German crew was at the extreme limit of their endurance and the submarine was seriously damaged. U-744 surfaced and the crew unsuccessfully attempted to scuttle her. Members of Chilliwack boarded the boat and gathered papers and documents. ICARUS torpedoed U-744 but she did not sink. Then, after unsuccessful attempts at towing the boat to port, U-744 was sunk by shallow-set depth charges. (Alex Gordon and Dave Shirlaw)
U-973 sunk NNW of Narvik, in position 70.40N, 05.48E, by rockets from an RN 816 Sqn Swordfish from escort carrier HMS Chaser. 51 dead and 2 survivors.
U-737 damaged an RAF 120 Sqn Liberator that was destroyed when forced to crash land.