11 March 1944

Destroyer HMS Zodiac launched.

Salvage vessel HMS Salvictor launched.

Rescue tug HMS Enticer launched.

Destroyer KNM Svenner (ex-HMS Shark) commissioned.

FRANCE: U-380 destroyed during an air raid on Toulon. One man from its crew was killed. [Maschinenmaat Jonny Christoph].

ALGERIA: Algiers: The Free French government sentences Pierre Pucheu, the former Vichy minister of the interior to death for treason.

BURMA: As the 7th Indian Division takes Buthidaung, the Japanese advance to Witok.

Naik Nand Singh (1914-47), 11th Sikh Regt., led his men up a steep ridge under fire to take one trench, advancing alone to take two more. (Victoria Cross)

Both sides in the battle for Burma are now trying to seize the initiative. In addition to two Allied offensives, Japan returned to the attack this week.

Last month saw the Japanese call off Operation Ha-Go, an attack on British positions in the Arakan peninsula. The Japanese 55th Division has slipped behind the Allied lines at Taung Bazaar in an attempt to cut off supply lines both from the north and from the Ngakyedauk Pass, in the east. The Indian 5th and 7th Divisions were cut off in the "admin box" of Sinzweya. Supplied by air, they fended off repeated Japanese attacks until 25 February, when they were relieved from the east. The Allied capture of Buthidaung today removes the last major obstacle to an advance on Akyab.

Operation U-Go, launched by General Renya Mutaguchi's 15th Army on the night of 7-8 March, is a pre-emptive strike to prevent an Allied offensive in northern Burma. Its main objective is the capture of the key communications and supply centre at Imphal, across the Indian border in Assam; today Japanese troops crossed the Manipur river, east of the Chindwin. Mataguchi has ambitions to advance to Delhi and "liberate" the whole of India on behalf of the nationalist leader Subhas Chandra Bose.

U-Go took General Slim by surprise. He was expecting an attack next week, and is now rushing troops north from Buthidaung to Imphal.

Combat Mission N0. 23 of B-25H BARBIE III 1st Air Commando Group 10th Air Force. 3:00 Hrs. Flight Time Hailikandi to Katha, Burma Bombed dumps and supply areas with good results. 5:00 Hrs. Flight Time (night) Hailikandi to Heho Airdrome, Burma. Mission flown at night which proved unsuccessful. We had a lot of difficulty locating the target and would not have found it if the Japs hadn't turned on their search lights. Only one bomber released bombs and they exploded a mile from the field. We almost had a midair collision when search lights bracketed our lead formation, blinding the pilots momentarily. (Being hit with search lights at night while flying formation is not exactly habit forming).

Air Commando Combat Missions 22 and 23 3:00 and 5:00 Hours Flight Times Hailakandi, Assam to Katha, Burma. Bombed dumps and supply areas with good results. Hailakandi, Assam to Heho airdrome, Burma. Mission flown at night which proved unsuccessful. We had a lot of difficulty locating the target and would not have found it if the Japs had turned on their search lights. Only one bomber released bombs, and they exploded about a mile from the field. We almost had a mid air collision when the search lights bracketed our lead 3 ship formation, blinding the pilots momentarily. Being lit up by search lights at night while flying formation is not exactly habit forming.

Corvette HMCS Chambly completed forecastle extension refit Liverpool, Nova Scotia.

Corvette HMCS Hespeler commissioned.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: UIT-22 is sunk south of the Cape of Good Hope, in position 41.28S, 17.40E, by a South African aircraft. 43 dead (all hands lost).

[Launched as the Italian submarine Alpino Bagnolini on 28 October 1939. Taken over by the Germans, following the Italian capitulation, at her Bordeaux, France base on 9 September, 1943.
* Commissioned into German service.
These boats were roughly 1166tons on the surface, in many ways they were similar in measurements to the German type IXC, they had 8 torpedo tubes and carried 14 torpedoes and had a complement of roughly 57 in Italian service.

UIT-22 (ex Alpino Bagnolini) and UIT-23 (ex Reginaldo Giuliani) were identical boats.]