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WWII On This Day: March 15

What happened on March 15 during World War II? This date brings together 2 events from 1944 and 1945, with period photographs and links to the full operations documented across WW2 Theatres.

1944
A New Zealand six-pounder anti-tank gun fires at German positions near Cassino on 15 March 1944; IWM NA 12816.
A New Zealand six-pounder anti-tank gun fires at German positions near Cassino on 15 March 1944; IWM NA 12816. No. 2 Army Film & Photographic Unit / Imperial War Museums · UK Government public domain Source
Cassino and Anzio: The Road to Rome

Cassino town comes under a new air and artillery attack

A major Allied bombardment struck Cassino town on 15 March before New Zealand troops advanced into the wreckage. The attack was intended to destroy the German strongpoints holding the streets and routes into the valley. German paratroopers used cellars and rubble as shelter. Tanks and infantry struggled through blocked lanes, and artillery observers found it difficult to identify defenders in the ruined town.

Continue in Cassino and Anzio: The Road to Rome →
1945
A converted cable ship laying pipeline across the English Channel, 1944.
Pipeline laying in the Channel, 1944 ·
Operation PLUTO

DUMBO exceeds one million gallons per day

The combined submarine and continental system passed the target of one million imperial gallons per day. Fuel could now move from the British network through Boulogne and onward by pipeline toward the advancing armies.

Continue in Operation PLUTO →