March 16th, 1944 (THURSDAY)
GERMANY: Vice-Admiral Hellmuth Heye requests a drug "that can keep soldiers ready for battle when they are asked to continue fighting beyond a period considered normal, while at the same time boosting their self-esteem."
A short time later, Kiel pharmacologist Gerhard Orzechowski presented Heye with a pill code-named D-IX. It contained five milligrams of cocaine, three milligrams of Pervitin and five milligrams of Eukodal (a morphine-based painkiller). The drug was tested on crew members working on the navy's smallest submarines, known as the "Seadog" and the "Beaver." (Andreas Ulrich, Der Spiegel. May 6, 2005)(Henry Sirotin)
ITALY: Heavy fighting continues around Cassino.STRAITS OF GIBRALTAR: U-392 (type VIIC) is sunk in position 35.55N, 05.41W, by depth charges from the British frigate HMS Affleck, the destroyer HMS Vanoc and depth charges from 3 US Catalina aircraft (VP 63). 52 dead (all hands lost). (Alex Gordon)
INDIAN OCEAN:
S
class submarine Stonehenge sailing from Ceylon on 25 February for a patrol
around the island of Great Nicobar and the North coast of Sumatra is lost N of
the Malacca Strait. There were no survivors, all 48 of the crew being lost. It
is possible that she was mined, as nothing more is heard of her. (Alex Gordon)(108)
BURMA: Allied troops take Mawlu, cutting the vital rail link from Mandalay to Myitkyina.
Air Commando Combat Mission No. 30 2:45 Flight time Hailakandi, Assam to Kalu, Burma. No record kept. (Chuck Baisden)
NEW GUINEA: US aircraft raid a Japanese convoy off Wewak.
CANADA:
HMC MTB 463 commissioned.
U.S.A.:
Submarine USS Clamagore laid down.
Minesweeper USS Quest launched.
Escort carrier USS Thetis Bay launched.
Destroyer escort USS Hayter commissioned.
Frigate USS Muskogee commissioned.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-801 attacked by an Avenger aircraft from escort carrier USS Block Island in the Mid Atlantic. One man died and 9 men were wounded. The U-boat was sunk the next day.