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RAF Mosquito operations: 15 to Berlin, 6 to Duisburg, 1 to Aachen and 1 to Sottevaast, 10 Halifaxes minelaying off Brest, 76 aircraft on Resistance operations. 15 Lancasters of No 617 Squadron were unable to locate their target, the La Ricamerie needle-bearing factory near Lyons, because of cloud, and returned without bombing. No aircraft lost."When I saw the American fighters over Berlin I knew the jig was up."
"Erich Hartmann and I had partied heavily the night before and were drunk as heck, despite the fact that we were to recieve our awards from der Fuhrer. Hartmann knew him from before, because as you know he was decorated 3 times by Hitler with the Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds. I was getting the Oak Leaves along with Hartmann.... Hartmann was making some funny comments about him, mimicking him and he tried to stand still without falling over. I was not in much better shape. We only started to sober up as Hitler, after handing us our awards, began describing his plan for "Panzerfest", which was a way to immunize the army divisions against enemy tank attacks. He asked us about Lemberg, where we had come from and where our brave soldiers were fighting those Russian tanks and were dying terribly. He told us about the war in Russia and you had the feeling that you were listening to a complete madman. I thought he was a raving lunatic, and by the time the meeting was over, Hartmann and I needed another drink and Hartmann kept saying, 'I told you so!'"
MEDITERRANEAN: In Italy, B-26s bomb the Rome/Tiburtina marshalling yard and unsuccessfully attack the Orvieto railroad bridge, while B-25s hit the Littoria marshalling yard; P-40s and A-36s strike at enemy positions on the coast at San Felice Circeo, gun positions E of Littoria, guns and tanks at Cisterna di Roma, railroad at Montalto di Castro, train at Monte Libretti station and railway buildings at Zagarolo; and fighters patrol the Anzio area without incident."it seems incredible that the army could advance one step in this flooded terrain, but it has reached that superlative point at which all obstacles are powerless to halt it."
but then warned Austrians that they have;"the first country to fall victim to Nazi aggression",
'U-371' fired a Gnat at Convoy SNF-17 about 30 miles MME of Bougie and observed a hit on a ship, which settled by the stern after the hit. At 0942, a spread of three torpedoes was fired and two hits were heard. After another Gnat at 0948, a further detonation on another ship was heard. The first torpedo struck 'Maiden Creek' in station #52 and the second US troop transport 'Dempo'. The first ship was sunk at 1350 by a coup de grâce. A torpedo hit 'Dempo' on the starboard side. Against orders, the crew immediately began to abandon ship, while the master tried to beach his ship, but she settled slowly and sank around 1055. 'Maiden Creek' was hit by a torpedo forward of the #4 hatch. The explosion broke the shaft, the back of the ship and filled the #4 hold and the engine room with water. The eight officers, 40 crewmen, 29 armed guards (the ship was armed with two 3in and eight 20mm guns) and one passenger abandoned ship in two lifeboats and a raft as the ship slowly settled by the stern. The boats waited two hours near the vessel until an escort appeared and ordered the men back on the vessel to prepare her to be towed by a tug. They tied up the boats at the stern and reboarded the ship. At 1350, the U-boat fired a coup de grâce, which struck on the port side in the stern. The explosion lifted the ship out of the water, destroyed the lifeboats and killed one officer, two armed guards and five crewmen. The survivors jumped overboard and swam to a single raft near the ship. They were rescued after 30 minutes by motor launches from a British destroyer and brought to Bougie. The badly damaged 'Maiden Creek' was towed by a British escort vessel to 'Bougie' on the morning of 18 March and beached, but broke in two forward of the #4 hold and was declared a total loss. 498 servicemen died."a responsibility for participation in the war at the side of Hitlerite Germany."
he added, rather sarcastically - his comment was directed to Erhard Milch -"The only weapon that is strongest in attack is air power!"
WESTERN FRONT: US Eighth Air Force Mission 270: 56 of 65 B-24s hit V-weapon sites at Watten, France; 7 B-24s are damaged; escort is provided by48 P-47s without loss.'the Americans are giving us evidence of this fact every day!"