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• Neville Chamberlain was born in Birmingham, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Neville Chamberlain | Birmingham, England | CPC]

• Bai Chongxi was born in Guilin, Guangxi, China. ww2dbase [Bai Chongxi | Guilin, Guangxi | CPC]

• Gordon Seagrave was born in Rangoon, Burma. ww2dbase [Gordon Seagrave | Rangoon | CPC]

• Iwate was commissioned into service. ww2dbase [Iwate | CPC]

• Galeazzo Ciano was born in Livorno, Toscana, Italy. ww2dbase [Galeazzo Ciano | Livorno, Toscana | CPC]

• Franklin Roosevelt's son Franklin Jr. was born. ww2dbase [Franklin Roosevelt | CPC]

• Werner Mölders was born in Gelsenkirchen, Westphalia, Germany. ww2dbase [Werner Mölders | Gelsenkirchen | CPC]

• Texas was commissioned into service. ww2dbase [Texas | CPC]

• Ernst Udet, flying a Fokker E.III aircraft, shot down his first opponent, a French Farman F.40 bomber. This victory led to his Iron Cross First Class medal. ww2dbase [Ernst Udet | CPC]

• Adolf Hitler departed Berlin, Germany after a planned coup failed to start. ww2dbase [Adolf Hitler | Berlin | CPC]

• Mohandas Gandhi was sentenced to six years in prison (he was to be released in Feb 1924 on health grounds). ww2dbase [AC]

• Wang Zhi witnessed the death of a fellow student during a student protest in Beiping, China. ww2dbase [Wang Zhi | Beiping | CPC]

18 Mar 1926 Interactive Map

• HMS Hermes arrived at Hong Kong. ww2dbase [Hermes | CPC]

• Devonshire was commissioned into service. ww2dbase [Devonshire | CPC]

• Rear Admiral William W. Phelps was named the commanding officer of New York Navy Yard in Brooklyn, New York, United States. ww2dbase [New York Navy Yard | Brooklyn, New York | CPC]

18 Mar 1931 Interactive Map

• Iwane Matsui was made a member of the Japanese Supreme War Council. ww2dbase [Iwane Matsui | CPC]

• Major General Kennosuke Otsuka was named the chief of staff of the Taiwan Army. ww2dbase [CPC]

• Benito Mussolini staged an event for propaganda in which he received a ceremonial sword from Arab leaders from Italian Libya, symbolizing him as the protector of Arab peoples. ww2dbase [Benito Mussolini | CPC]

• Spanish Republic forces under Colonel Enrique Jurado Barrio launched a counter-attack against Italian troops near Guadalajara, Spain. Two divisions, assisted by Russian tanks and aircraft, fell on the leading Italian units. The ferocity of the counterattack surprised the Italians and their retreat rapidly became a rout. General José Moscardó Ituarte's Nationalist troops, previously advancing steadily, was forced to fall back as the Italians lost Brihuega. Although the Nationalist attack on Guadalajara had gained some ground when the battle finally ended, it had failed to achieve the decisive result which had been hoped for. Also on this date, the Italian Blackshirt Division 'Dio lo vuole' in Spain was disbanded; later in the year, the remaining two divisions of Blackshirts were also disbanded and reorganized into three Italian-Spanish brigades. ww2dbase [The Spanish Civil War | Guadalajara | CPC]

• The first production Wellesley bomber was delivered to the British Royal Air Force for trials. ww2dbase [Wellesley | AC]

• Japanese troops captured Tengxian, Jiangsu Province, China after a two-day battle. The Chinese 31st Division began to march out of Xucheng, Henan Province for Xuzhou area, Jiangsu Province. ww2dbase [Battle of Xuzhou | Tengxian, Jiangsu | CPC]

• Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini met at Brennero, Italy, in the Brenner Pass on the Italian-Austrian border; Mussolini agreed to enter a war on the side of Germany at an opportune moment. ww2dbase [Meeting at Brenner Pass | Brenner, Trentino-Alto Adige | TH]

• The British Chief of Naval Staff recommended the transfer of HMS Apollo to Australia. ww2dbase [Hobart | CPC]
• The British Chief of Naval Staff recommended the transfer of HMS Amphion to Australia. ww2dbase [Perth | CPC]

18 Mar 1938 Interactive Map

• Spain and Portugal entered into a non-aggression pact. ww2dbase [CPC]

• While in Vienna in German-occupied Austria, Adolf Hitler approved the formation of a German protectorate in Slovakia. Elsewhere, France, United Kingdom, and Soviet Union lodged official protests regarding the German occupation of Czechoslovakia. ww2dbase [Dismemberment of Czechoslovakia | Vienna | CPC]

• A group of Japanese troops boarded barges at Xingzi, Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province, China, sailed south 10 kilometers on the Yangtze River, and disembarked to attack Chinese positions at Wucheng. ww2dbase [Battle of Nanchang | Wucheng, Jiangxi | CPC]

• In Russia, the "Industry of Socialism" Exhibition finally opened, sixteen months behind schedule, having finally satisfied the censors that the pictures displayed proved that life had got better in Russia since the removal of the Tsars. ww2dbase [AC]
• At the 18th Party Congress, Joseph Stalin declared that the western aggressor states of United Kingdom and France were pushing Germany toward Eastern Europe, thus provoking an eventual war between Germany and the Soviet Union, a venture that he did not wish to embark the Soviet Union upon. ww2dbase [Joseph Stalin | CPC]

• USS Astoria departed Annapolis, Maryland, United States with the ashes of Japanese Ambassador Hiroshi Saito on board. ww2dbase [Astoria (New Orleans-class) | Annapolis, Maryland | CPC]

• German bombers attacked Dutch trawler Protinus off Ijmuiden, the Netherlands, killing several people including the captain and the first mate. 10 found their way to the lifeboat but 2 of them would perish before they were found by submarine HMS Unity 6 days later. ww2dbase [Ijmuiden | CPC]

• HMS Edinburgh arrived at Tyne, England, United Kingdom for a refit. ww2dbase [Edinburgh | Tyne, England | CPC]
• Alan Turing's first electromechanical machine, "bombe", was installed. ww2dbase [Alan Turing | England | CPC]

• Erwin Rommel departed North Africa for a meeting with Adolf Hitler. ww2dbase [Erwin Rommel | CPC]
• The US Marine Corps 7th Defense Battalion arrived at American Samoa. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Adolf Hitler met with Wilhelm Keitel, Alfred Jodl, and Erich Raeder; Raeder urged Hitler to convince Japan to attack Singapore and recommended Hitler to reveal the plans of the Soviet invasion to Japan. ww2dbase [Adolf Hitler | Erich Raeder | Wilhelm Keitel | Alfred Jodl | CPC]

• British bombers attacked Vlorë, Albania, sinking Italian torpedo boat Aldebaran. ww2dbase [Balkans Campaign | Vlorë | CPC]

• German submarine U-105 attacked Allied convoy SL-68 west of Senegal, French West Africa at 0400 hours, sinking British ship Medjerda, killing the entire crew of 52 and 2 gunners. ww2dbase [CPC]
• German armed merchant cruiser Kormoran transferred 7 torpedoes to submarine U-124 1,050 miles southwest of Cape Verde Islands. ww2dbase [Kormoran | CPC]

• Battleship Bismarck entered the Baltic Sea for trials. ww2dbase [Bismarck | CPC]

• Germany centralized all coal mining and distribution. ww2dbase [CPC]

• Italian troops bombarded Fort Dologorodoc near Keren, Eritrea, Italian East Africa, which British and Indian had only recently gained. ww2dbase [Invasion of Italian East Africa | Keren | CPC]

• British armed boarding vessel Rosaura, carrying Italian prisoners of war, hit a mine and sank off Tobruk, Libya. 14 crew, 5 guards, and 59 Italians were killed. ww2dbase [Tobruk | CPC]
• British Swordfish torpedo bombers of Fleet Air Arm 830 Naval Air Squadron based in Malta bombed the harbor at Tripoli, Libya; 1 Swordfish aircraft was shot down, with its crew of 2 taken prisoner. ww2dbase [Tripoli | CPC]

• The French government-in-exile in Britain established a central bank. ww2dbase [TH]
• German 1st S-boat Flotilla (with 6 motor torpedo boats) raided shipping on the east coast of England, United Kingdom, sinking French ship Daphne II off the Humber Estuary. ww2dbase [England | CPC]
• Douglas Bader was promoted to the rank of wing commander. ww2dbase [Douglas Bader | CPC]

• US and Canada declared a joint defense pact, which included cooperation in ship building efforts on the Great Lakes. ww2dbase [CPC]

18 Mar 1941 Interactive Map

• The repair work on light cruiser Voroshilov completed. ww2dbase [Voroshilov | CPC]

• German submarine U-124 sank Greek ship Kassandra Louloudis off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, United States at 0114 hours; all 35 aboard survived. At 0827, U-124 struck again, sinking US tankers US tankers E. M. Clark; 1 was killed, 26 survived. ww2dbase [Second Happy Time | CPC]

• Douglas MacArthur officially accepted the position of the Supreme Commander of Southwest Pacific Area while still aboard a train traveling for Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ww2dbase [Douglas MacArthur | CPC]
• US 9th Pursuit Squadron, flying P-40 fighters, arrived at Batchelor Field, located 98 kilometers (61 miles) south of Darwin, Australia. ww2dbase [Batchelor, Northern Territory | CPC]

• Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru departed Rabaul, New Britain. ww2dbase [Hikawa Maru | Rabaul, New Britain | CPC]
• Several US B-17 bombers launched from Port Moresby, Australian Papua to attack Rabaul, New Britain, causing no damage. ww2dbase [Rabaul, New Britain | CPC]
• Tenryu arrived at Kavieng, New Ireland. ww2dbase [Tenryu | Kavieng, New Ireland | CPC]

• Japanese aircraft attacked Port Moresby, Australian Papua. ww2dbase [Port Moresby | CPC]

• Chinese troops ambushed 200 Japanese reconnaissance troops near Pyu in Battle of Tachiao, killing 30. Meanwhile, aircraft of the 1st American Volunteer Group "Flying Tigers" bombed the Japanese airfield at Moulmein, claiming 16 Japanese aircraft destroyed on the ground. Of the Burmese coast, troops from India reinforced the garrison on Akyab Island. ww2dbase [Invasion of Burma | CPC, AC]

• Naka was assigned to the Seizure Force for the invasion of Christmas Island. ww2dbase [Naka | Makassar, Celebes | CPC]

• The first A4 rocket exploded on Test Stand VII at Peenemünde, Germany during a combustion chamber test. ww2dbase [Peenemünde Army Research Center | Peenemünde, Pommern | AC]

• British submarine HMS Upholder sank Italian submarine Tricheco 2 miles off of Brindisi, Italy; 38 were killed, 3 survived (including the commanding officer). ww2dbase [Tricheco | Brindisi | CPC]

• Katori departed Yokosuka, Japan. ww2dbase [Katori | Yokosuka, Kanagawa | CPC]

• Japanese troops under Major Kyomi Yokokoji massacred the entire village of Joo Loong Loong (now known as Titi), Negeri Sembilan in Malaya; 990 were killed. ww2dbase [Invasion of Malaya and Singapore | Joo Loong Loong, Negeri Sembilan | CPC]

• US Army engineers arrived at Efate, New Hebrides for the construction of a new airfield. ww2dbase [Efate | CPC]

• Louis Mountbatten was appointed as the British Chief of Combined Operations. ww2dbase [Louis Mountbatten | CPC]

• US President Franklin Roosevelt signed an Executive Order for the establishment of the War Relocation Authority, which led to the internment of Japanese-Americans during WW2. ww2dbase [Internment of Japanese-Americans and Japanese-Canadians | Franklin Roosevelt | Washington | CPC]
• The keel of Oriskany was laid down at Bethlehem Steel Company's Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts, United States. ww2dbase [Wasp (Essex-class) | Quincy, Massachusetts | CPC]

18 Mar 1942 Interactive Map

• I-168 departed Kiska, Aleutian Islands and patrolled an area south of Amchitka. ww2dbase [I-68/I-168 | Kiska | CPC]

• Alpino Bagnolini sighted a periscope in the Atlantic Ocean at 2245 hours; she turned away. ww2dbase [Alpino Bagnolini | CPC]

• The Allies abandoned the attempt to drive Japanese from Donbaik, Burma. ww2dbase [First Battle of Arakan | Donbaik | CPC]
• The main body of the Northern Group of the Chindits completed the crossing of the Irrawaddy River. ww2dbase [Operation Longcloth | CPC]

• Famed Polish Jewish violinist Henri Czaplinski (aka. Genrikh Maksimovich Chaplinsky in Soviet documents) joined the Donukalov Partisan Brigade near Minsk, Byelorussia. ww2dbase [CPC]

• Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru arrived at Truk, Caroline Islands. ww2dbase [Hikawa Maru | Truk | CPC]

• Vichy France repealed a number of anti-Semitic laws. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Italians began to raise the wreck of Algérie in sections at Toulon, France. ww2dbase [Toulon Military Port | Algérie | Toulon, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur | CPC]

• USAAF aircraft, including the 306th Bomb Group flying from RAF Thurleigh, bombed the Vegesack district of Bremen, Germany. Most of the bombs missed the Bremer Vulkan shipyard, striking civilian facilities instead. 108 were killed and over 100 were wounded. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | Bremer Vulkan AG | RAF Thurleigh | Bremen, Weser-Ems | CPC]

• USS Tunny departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her second war patrol. ww2dbase [Pearl Harbor Navy Base and Ford Island Naval Air Station | Tunny | Honolulu, Oahu | CPC]

• Haruki Isayama stepped down as the Chief of Staff of the 26th Infantry Regiment stationed in Hokkaido, Japan and was attached to the Japanese Army school in Gongzhuling, Jilin Province, China as a regimental commander-in-training. ww2dbase [Haruki Isayama | Hokkaido | CPC]

• 56 western missionaries and western civilians, 2 Chinese adult civilians, and 2 Chinese infants were executed by gunfire or drowning aboard Japanese destroyer Akikaze in the Pacific Ocean. ww2dbase [CPC]

• Switzerland was warned of a seemingly impending German invasion. ww2dbase [CPC]

• US 1st Ranger Battalion captured El Guettar, Tunisia. ww2dbase [Battle of El Guettar | El Guettar | CPC]

• Oswald Mosley and Diana Mosley received Norah Elam and Dudley Elam while in imprisonment in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Oswald Mosley | London, England | CPC]
• American oil workers recruited by the Noble Drilling Corporation on a one year contract arrived at Kelham Hall Monastery, Nottinghamshire, England, United Kingdom to work at extracting oil from the Eakring oil field in Sherwood Forest. With imported American rigs the "Roughnecks" would ultimately drill over 100 wells before returning home, producing, at its peak, over 300,000 tons of high grade oil from 170 "Nodding Donkeys" in addition to training (initially unskilled) British workers in American drilling techniques. ww2dbase [Kelham, England | AC]

• The keel of destroyer USS Cassin Young was laid down by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation at San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, United States. ww2dbase [Bethlehem San Pedro Shipyard | Cassin Young | San Pedro, California | CPC]
• At the White House in Washington DC, United States, President Franklin met with Navy Rear Admiral Emory Land, Chairman of the United States Maritime Commission, Rear Admiral Howard Vickery, Vice-Chairman of the United States Maritime Commission, Artemis Gates, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Air, and industrialist Henry J. Kaiser who presented the President with a model of the proposed Casablanca-class escort aircraft carrier, 50 of which Kaiser would build at his Vancouver, Washington shipyard. ww2dbase [White House | Kaiser Vancouver Shipyard | Franklin Roosevelt | Henry Kaiser | Washington, DC | DS]

18 Mar 1943 Interactive Map

• USS Nicholas crossed the 180th meridian. ww2dbase [Line Crossing Ceremony | Nicholas | DS]

• Aircraft of No. 466 Squadron RAAF conducted minelaying operations in the North Sea off of Helgoland, Germany. ww2dbase [North Sea | CPC]

• Chindit troops reached the railway at Kenu, Burma; the subsequent Battle of Pagoda Hill was characterized by savage hand-to-hand fighting that resulted in 23 Chindits and 42 Japanese killed. ww2dbase [Operation Thursday | Kenu | CPC]

• Escort carrier USS Bogue and her task group arrived at Casablanca, French Morocco. ww2dbase [Bogue | Casablanca | DS]

• RAF bombers attacked Hamburg, Germany with approximately 3,000 tons of bombs. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | Hamburg | TH]
• The USAAF 306th Bomb Group flying from RAF Thurleigh launched a bombing raid against the airfield at Lechfeld, Germany. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | RAF Thurleigh | Lechfeld, Bavaria | DS]

• USS Golet departed Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii for her first war patrol. ww2dbase [Pearl Harbor Navy Base and Ford Island Naval Air Station | Golet | Pearl Harbor, Oahu | CPC]

• Japanese 15th Division reached Ukhrul, India, which was about 50 miles from Imphal, India. Behind them, Japanese 31st Division crossed the Chindwin River in eight columns toward India. ww2dbase [Battle of Imphal-Kohima | Ukhrul, Manipur | CPC]

• Japanese submarine I-165 sank British merchant ship Nancy Moller in the Indian Ocean. The submarine picked up six of the survivors and executed two of them by pistol and another two by drowning. The crew then opened fire on the life boat, killing 32 of the over 60 survivors aboard. Ultimately only 31 would survive, picked up by HMS Emerald four days later. ww2dbase [CPC]

• New Zealand troops mounted a failed armored attack on Cassino, Italy, losing all 17 tanks in the process. ww2dbase [Battle of Monte Cassino | Cassino, Lazio | TH]

• Yamato exited drydocks at Kure, Japan. ww2dbase [Kure Naval Arsenal | Yamato | Kure, Hiroshima | CPC]
• Landing ship No. 128 was completed. ww2dbase [No. 101/103-class | CPC]

• USS Iowa bombarded Mili Atoll, Marshall Islands. She was hit by two 120-millimeter shells from Japanese coastal guns during the bombardment, suffering minor damage. ww2dbase [Iowa | Mili | CPC]

• USS Pollack arrived off Nanpo Islands, Japan. ww2dbase [Pollack | CPC]
• USS Ray fired six torpedoes at two Japanese destroyers and one patrol craft in the South China Sea; her crew reported hearing one explosion, but could not confirm it as the submarine dove in expectation of counterattacks. ww2dbase [Ray | South China Sea | CPC]

• Patrol Boat No. 102 arrived at Davao, Philippines at 0855 hours. ww2dbase [Stewart | Davao, Mindanao | CPC]

• At 1100 hours, Auschwitz Concentration Camp prisoner Rudolf Friemel married forced laborer Margarita Ferrer at the camp's Registry Office. It was the only case where a prisoner was allowed to marry in the camp. They had met in Spain when Rudolf Friemel, an Austrian, fought as a volunteer for the Spanish Republicans in the civil war. Friemel was executed by hanging on 30 Dec 1944 for a failed attempt to escape Auschwitz. Ferrer and their child survived the war. ww2dbase [Discovery of Concentration Camps and the Holocaust | Auschwitz Concentration Camp | Oswiecim | CPC]

• USAAF 453rd Bomber Group based at Old Buckenham Airfield (US Station 144) in Norfolk, England, United Kingdom attacked Friedrichshafen in southern Germany. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | Old Buckenham Airfield | Old Buckenham, England | AC]

• After a nine-day maintenance period at Norfolk, Virginia, escort carrier USS Card departed Norfolk bound for New York. ww2dbase [Card | Norfolk, Virginia | DS]

18 Mar 1944 Interactive Map

• 2nd Lieutenant Guy Cary of US 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron shot down a He 162 jet fighter, but positive identification on the victim was not made; some thought it might had been a Me 262 jet fighter. ww2dbase [CPC]
• USS Bailey arrived at Leyte Gulf and went alongside tender USS Whitney for installation of new equipment. ww2dbase [Bailey | DS]

• In Burma, Lieutenant Karamjeet Singh Judge directed the destruction of ten enemy bunkers at a heavily defended cotton mill at Myingyan. Guiding a tank to another bunker for some reason he asked the commander to hold fire while he checked it out. He entered the bunker but was shot. The 21-year-old Punjabi was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. ww2dbase [AC]
• Indian 5th Division captured Myingyan, Burma. In the area, Anglo-Indian troops attempted to cross the moat of Fort Dufferin in Mandalay, Burma in failure, suffering heavy casualties. ww2dbase [Battle of Meiktila-Mandalay | Mandalay | CPC]

• US Third Army captured Boppard, Germany. ww2dbase [Advance to the Rhine | Boppard, Moselland | TH]
• Soviet 1st Polish Army captured Kolberg, Germany (now Kolobrzeg, Poland) while other Soviet units approached Gdynia and Danzig. ww2dbase [East Pomeranian Offensive | Kolberg, Pommern | TH]
• Albert Speer, sensing Adolf Hitler's wish to potentially order the destruction of Germany to prevent Allied capture, attempted to persuade Hitler not to destroy the future of Germany. ww2dbase [Albert Speer | CPC]
• US Army 65th Infantry Regiment, consisted of Puerto Ricans, arrived at Mannheim, Germany for occupation duties. ww2dbase [Mannheim, Baden | CPC]
• Z43 completed the shelling Soviet positions near Kolberg, Germany (now Kołobrzeg, Poland) as German forces completed the city's evacuation. ww2dbase [East Pomeranian Offensive | Z43 | Kolberg, Pommern | CPC]
• The USAAF 306th Bomb Group flying from RAF Thurleigh launched a bombing raid against Berlin, Germany. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | RAF Thurleigh | Berlin | DS]

• General Mark Clark established the goal of the Allied offensive in Italy in spring 1945 to be 'to destroy the maximum number of enemy forces south of the Po [River], force crossings of the Po and capture Verona'. ww2dbase [Operation Grapeshot and Operation Roast | CPC]

• USS Yorktown (Essex-class), USS Enterprise, USS Intrepid, USS Langley (Independence-class), USS Flint, USS San Diego, and USS St. Louis arrived in the operating area off Japan and began launching strikes on airfields on Kyushu, Honshu, and Shikoku. The task group came under air attack almost as soon as operations began. Yorktown and Enterprise were struck by single bombs that resulted in minimal casualties and minimal damage. ww2dbase [Battle of Iwo Jima | Yorktown (Essex-class) | Langley (Independence-class) | Intrepid | Enterprise | San Diego | St. Louis | DS]
• US aircraft dropped propaganda leaflets over Nagasaki, Japan for the first time. ww2dbase [Nagasaki | CPC]
• Patrol Boat No. 102 arrived at Sasebo, Nagasaki, Japan at 1630 hours. ww2dbase [Stewart | Sasebo, Nagasaki | CPC]

• USS Franklin arrived in position south of Japan and launched F4U Corsair fighters of US Marine Corps squadron VMF-214 against the targets in Kagoshima Prefecture. USMC pilot John Stodd was shot down over Izumi Airfield and was captured. The US airmen destroyed many Japanese aircraft on the ground at Izumi. ww2dbase [Franklin | Izumi, Kagoshima | CPC]
• USS Tunny detected a Japanese convoy but she failed to gain favorable attack positions. ww2dbase [Tunny | CPC]
• USS Missouri escorted carriers while the aircraft aircraft struck Japan. ww2dbase [Missouri | CPC]
• USS Springer sank Japanese Transport No. 18 in the East China Sea, hitting her with 3 of 8 torpedoes fired. ww2dbase [Springer | East China Sea | CPC]
• USS S-43 was fired upon by an Allied merchant ship during poor weather, but did not suffer any damage. ww2dbase [S-43 | CPC]

• Filipino guerrillas welcomed the invading American troops on Panay, Philippine Islands. ww2dbase [Philippines Campaign, Phase 2 | Panay | CPC]
• After replenishment and upkeep in San Pedro Bay, Leyte, escort carrier USS Steamer Bay participated in rehearsals for the Okinawa invasion conducted in Leyte Gulf. ww2dbase [Steamer Bay | Leyte Gulf | DS]
• Destroyer USS Saufley departed the Zamboanga area escorting a convoy of supply ships bound for Mindoro, Philippines. ww2dbase [Saufley | Zamboanga, Mindanao | DS]

• US B-24 aircraft, A-20 aircraft, and fighters based in the Philippine Islands attacked Koshun Airfield, Takao Prefecture, Taiwan. ww2dbase [Koshun Airfield | Koshun, Takao | CPC]

• German V-2 rocket hit the Speaker's Corner at the edge of Hyde Park in London, England, United Kingdom at 0930 hours, killing 3 and seriously injuring 9. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]

• Pope Pius XII denounced Nazi German racist policies. ww2dbase [Pius XII | CPC]

18 Mar 1945 Interactive Map

• Georgy Malenkov and Lavrentiy Beria were made full members of the Soviet Politburo. ww2dbase [Lavrentiy Beria | CPC]

18 Mar 1946 Interactive Map

18 Mar 1948 Interactive Map

• Edward Brooks was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general and was named the Assistant Chief of Staff for Personnel of the US Army. ww2dbase [Edward Brooks | CPC]

• USS Croaker was decommissioned from service at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Maine, United States for conversion into a hunter-killer submarine. ww2dbase [Croaker | Kittery, Maine | CPC]

• Pietro Tacchi Venturi passed away. ww2dbase [Pietro Tacchi Venturi | CPC]

• Joseph O'Callahan passed away in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. ww2dbase [Joseph O'Callahan | Worcester, Massachusetts | CPC]

• Erik Hansen passed away in Hamburg, Germany. ww2dbase [Erik Hansen | Hamburg | CPC]

• Vasily Chuikov passed away in Moscow, Russia. ww2dbase [Vasily Chuikov | Moscow | CPC]

• Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced the discovery of the wreck of HMAS Sydney. ww2dbase [Sydney | CPC]

• In the Solomon Islands, the crew of Research Vessel Petrel identified the wreck that they had found on the previous day was that of USS Juneau. ww2dbase [Juneau | CPC]

18 Mar 2018 Interactive Map