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• The Indian Congress Party demanded immediate independence from the United Kingdom. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Unhappy with the progress of the interior ministry, Hitler reassigned the task of providing housing to those displaced by Allied bombing to propaganda chief Goebbels. ww2dbase [Joseph Goebbels | CPC]
• German submarine U-754 sank US tug Menominee, barge Allegheny, and barge Barnegat 10 kilometers northeast of Hog Island Lighthouse, Virginia, United States at 0800 hours; 16 were killed, 9 survived. At 2222 hours, 480 miles east of Virginia, U-71 sank British tanker San Gerardo; 51 were killed, 6 survived. ww2dbase [Second Happy Time | CPC]
• Laffey (Benson-class) was commissioned into service. ww2dbase [Laffey (Benson-class) | CPC]
• Italian submarine Tazzoli arrived at Bordeaux, France. ww2dbase [CPC]

• Eight A-24 Banshee aircraft under US Army Captain Floyd Rogers arrived at Port Moresby, Australian Papua; it was the first US squadron to be based at Port Moresby. ww2dbase [Port Moresby | CPC]

• The Death penalty for forging ration cards was introduced in Belgium as the food situation worsens. ww2dbase [AC]

• Tenryu provided cover for the landings at Kieta, Bougainville, Solomon Islands. ww2dbase [Tenryu | Kieta, Bougainville | CPC]
• Japanese troops occupied Bougainville in the Solomon Islands. ww2dbase [Solomon Islands Campaign | CPC]

• 850 Japanese troops landed on Christmas Island unopposed. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Naka supported the landing on Christmas Island as the invasion force's flagship; submarine USS Seawolf attempted a torpedo attack on Naka at 0949 hours but failed to score hits. ww2dbase [Naka | CPC]

• Japanese troops occupied Ceram Island, Dutch East Indies. ww2dbase [New Guinea-Papua Campaign, Phase 2 | Ceram, Maluku Islands | CPC]

• USS S-31 completed her first war patrol off the Panama Canal Zone. ww2dbase [S-31 | CPC]

• Surviving ships of Allied convoy PQ-13 began to arrive at Murmansk, Russia after several attacks by German destroyers, submarines, and aircraft. ww2dbase [Arctic Convoys | Murmansk | CPC]

• Ten Norwegian freighters and tankers, interned by the Swedish at Gothenburg, attempted to break out for Britain. Two of them, transport Lind and tanker B. P. Newton, would make the escape. Six of the remaining eight ships were sunk by mines, German aircraft, and German warships, while the final two were forced to return to Gothenburg. ww2dbase [Gothenburg | CPC]

• Light cruiser Fargo, previously ordered but not yet laid down, was reordered by the US Navy as a carrier to be named Crown Point. ww2dbase [Langley (Independence-class) | CPC]
• USS Colorado departed Puget Sound Naval Shipyard where she had been since Jun 1941. ww2dbase [Colorado | Puget Sound Navy Yard | Bremerton, Washington | CPC]

31 Mar 1942 Interactive Map