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• Saboteurs in Denmark damaged rail lines around Aarhus. ww2dbase [TH]
• RAF bombers attacked Leipzig, Germany. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | TH]
• 141 Libyan Jews held at the Fossoli transit camp near Modena, Italy were deported to Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp in Germany. ww2dbase [Discovery of Concentration Camps and the Holocaust | CPC]
• The British Royal Navy's Second Escort Group (Captain F. J. Walker CB, DSO and three bars) sank the German submarine U-264. ww2dbase [AC]
• USS Cero sank a Japanese transport north of Dutch New Guinea, hiting her with 2 of 6 torpedoes fired. ww2dbase [Cero | CPC]

• The Japanese garrison on Nissan Island, Green Islands, Australian New Guinea sent the radio message "We are charging the enemy and beginning radio silence" before commencing a final attack. New Zealand troops who had landed on Nissan four days prior would defeat this final charge. ww2dbase [New Guinea-Papua Campaign, Phase 3 | Nissan, Green Islands | CPC]
• 48 SBD and 23 TBF aircraft attacked Lakunai Airfield at Rabaul, New Britain, followed by another attack on Lakunai Airfield and Tobera Airfield by 20 B-24 bombers and 35 fighters. 36 Japanese fighters rose to defend. The Japanese suffered 8 A6M fighters shot down and Lakunai airstrips temporarily taken out of action. The Americans suffered 1 F4U fighter shot down. ww2dbase [New Guinea-Papua Campaign, Phase 3 | Rabaul, New Britain | CPC]
• Starting this date and into the next date, 40 A6M, 21 D3A, 4 D4Y, 13 G4M, and 7 B5N aircraft were withdrawn from Rabaul, New Britain. As a part of the same transfer, 400 ground troops and support personnel departed Rabaul aboard Kokai Maru and Kowa Maru; the convoy was escorted by submarine chaser CHa-48, submarine chaser CH-38, and repair tug Nagaura. When the transfer was complete, Rabaul would only have 10 operational A6M fighters and 2 B5N operational bombers. ww2dbase [New Guinea-Papua Campaign, Phase 3 | Rabaul, New Britain | CPC]

• The 1st Battalion of US 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional) marched past Joseph Stilwell's headquarters at Shingbiyang, Burma as they headed out to the assembly area in Ningbyen for the first long range penetration mission, shaven and helmeted to look good for the general who they expected would show to wish them luck. Stilwell chose to remain in his quarters, disappointing his troops. ww2dbase [Joseph Stilwell | Battle of Myitkyina | Shingbiyang | CPC]

• Armed merchant cruiser Akagi Maru, cruiser Katori, destroyer Maikaze, destroyer Nowaki, and minesweeping trawler Shonan Maru No. 15 departed Truk, Caroline Islands at 0430 hours for Yokosuka, Japan. After 0500 hours, Truk came under attack by many US carrier aircraft. A number of aircraft spotted the group and attacked, sinking Akagi Maru and damaging Katori and Maikaze; at least one US F6F fighter was shot down during the attack on this group. Battleship New Jersey, battleship Iowa, cruiser Minneapolos, cruiser New Orleans, destroyer Bradford, and destroyer Burns then approached at about 1300 hours about 64 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of Truk. Maikaze fired a spread of torpedoes, which missed the two battleships. Gunfire from Minneapolis and New Orleans started a fire on Maikaze, causing an explosion, and leading to her sinking at 1343 hours; all aboard were lost. Then, New Jersey sank Shonan Maru No. 15 with her port side 5-inch battery. Next, Iowa opened fire on Katori, straddling Katori with the first salvo. Katori fired torpedoes, but all of them missed. Iowa's gunfire eventually overwhelmed and sank Katori; Captain Tamekiyo Oda was among those killed. Nowaki alone escaped the attack. ww2dbase [Iowa | New Orleans | Minneapolis | Katori | New Jersey | Attack on Truk | Truk | CPC]

• Z36 was commissioned into service with Korvettenkapitän Fredric von Hausen in command. ww2dbase [Z36 | CPC]

• USS Grayback sank two small Japanese transports in the South China Sea southwest of Taiwan. ww2dbase [Grayback | South China Sea | CPC]

• US Marine Corps squadron VMF-214 was reformed at Marine Corps Air Station Santa Barbara in California, United States. 2nd Lieutenant Ranson Tilton, fresh out of pilot training, was named the acting commanding officer. ww2dbase [Santa Barbara, California | CPC]
• USS Harder completed its scheduled overhaul at Mare Island Navy Yard in Vallejo, California, United States. ww2dbase [Mare Island Navy Yard | Harder | Vallejo, California | CPC]

• Gato-class submarine USS Silversides arrived at Midway. ww2dbase [Silversides | Midway | DS]

19 Feb 1944 Interactive Map