World War II calendar
What happened on March 5 during World War II? This date brings together 2 events from 1943 and 1944, with period photographs and links to the full operations documented across WW2 Theatres.
Pathfinder Mosquitoes used Oboe to mark Essen through cloud for a force of 442 aircraft. The raid began the sustained campaign against the Ruhr industrial region. Oboe greatly improved marking accuracy within its ground-station range, but the command paid heavily as the German night-defence system strengthened.
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Operation Thursday opened on 5 March with gliders towed from Lalaghat toward landing grounds behind Japanese lines. Last-minute reconnaissance showed Piccadilly obstructed by logs, so the main assault was redirected to Broadway. The landing was violent because the clearing contained ruts and hidden obstacles. The Chindit Society records that 35 of the first 61 gliders reached Broadway. Engineers and troops cleared wreckage and prepared a runway so C-47 transports could begin landing the main body. The operation transformed long-range penetration from a marching raid into an air-inserted force with permanent…
Continue in The Arakan and the Chindits →.jpg){kind=link}
