Wednesday, March 1, 1944. The last surface raid in history begins.

U.S. Navy recognition depiction of Japanese Aoba-class heavy cruisers

Three Japanese cruisers broke out for the Indian Ocean Raid.  It was the last action by Axis surface raiders during World War Two, and hence the last such example, something that dated back to the age of sail, in history.  That the Japanese would engage in it frankly showed how far their fortunes had fallen.

There will never be another surface raid again.  This concludes something that dates back to antiquity.

Like much associated with the Japanese in World War Two, it would be marked by mindless atrocity.

The Kingisepp-Gdov Offensive concluded in a Soviet victory.

The Huon Peninsula Campaign concluded in an Allied victory.  As part of that, the Battle of Sio on New Guinea also ended in an allied victory.

A huge strike broke out in the Italian Social Republic against the government.

Hitler received the leaders of the Independent State of Croatia to discuss then current political issues, which is frankly rater surreal.

Today In Wyoming's History: March 1: 1944 Fremont County, Wyoming agriculture agents request 200 POWs for farm labor.

There was a major POW camp in Wyoming, housing Italian and German POWs, in Douglas. Ft. F.E. Warren also housed POWs during the war.

Nebraska also had six, including one at Scotsbluff and one at Camp Robinson.

German POWs, it might be noted, were particularly problematic, in part because US Army authorities in the US were sort of second stringers.  Often the Nazi elements in the camps were able to co-opt the system and even hold court-martials of German POWs within them in order to enforce the ideology of the regime.

Italian POWs, it's often noted, were glad to be out of the war, something that speaks highly for the intelligence of the average Italian.  Often criticized for not showing the fighting spirit the Germans did, the Italians actually served the interest of their country and people to a much greater extent than the Germans in uniform did.

On Italy, for the second time in the war, the Vatican was bombed accidentally by a plan of the RAF, killing one, and injuring another.

The U-358, U-630 and &-709 were sunk by the Allies in the Atlantic.

Wednesday, September 23, 1943. State of Emergency

It was day two of Operation Source.

It would take until March, 1944, to repair the Tirpitz.

Having commenced killing surrendered Italian soldiers at Cephalonia the day prior, the Germans started killing Jews, both Italians and non Italians, at Lake Maggiore.

On the same day, over the recommendation of local administrator, Gestapo member Werner Best, Hitler approved the planned deportation of Danish Jews, to commence on October 2.  As earlier noted, the actions of the Danish underground, combined with a local diplomat providing them information, frustrated this effort and most escaped to Sweden.

Best would be convicted of war crimes after the war and serve a prison sentence.

The German Governor General of Belarus was assassinated by his maid, a secret Soviet partisan, who placed a bomb in his bedroom.

Japanese Prime Minister Tojo declared a state of emergency.  Plans were made for the evacuation of Tokyo.

The Huon Peninsula Campaign began on New Guinea with the US and Australian landing at Scarlet Beach.

As part of the offensive, the Battle of Finschhafen began between Australian and Japanese forces, following the Australian landing at Katika.

The Red Army took Anapa in the Kuban Peninsula, and Novomoskovosk. 

Toni Basel, popular in the 1980s, was born.  This is an odd thought as it means that her teen pop hit came when she was well past the age that it normally would.