March 19, 1942
Today in World War II Pacific History
Day by day chronology

THURSDAY, 19 MARCH 1942

Burma: Lt Gen William J. Slim arrives in Burma to take command of Imperial troops, now formed into Burma I Corps. In Sittang Valley, Japanese begin drive on Toungoo and are opposed by Chinese 200th Div.

IJN: Port Moresby Air Raid March 19, 1942 (Raid #14) eight G3M2 Nells from the 1st Kōkūtai (1st Air Group) bomb Port Moresby. They bomb the town, pier and MV Wanaka in Fairfax Harbor. Seven of the bombers return with holes, but none are lost and no crew wounded or killed.

U.S. Navy: River gunboat USS Tutuila (PR-4) decommissioned at Chungking on January 18, 1942 is leased to the Chinese government for the duration of the Pacific War.

U. S. Navy: In the early morning, PT-41 embarks Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon, his family and his staff at Dumaguete on Negros experiences rough seas on a 240-mile voyage for Oroquito on Mindanao.

USMC: The advance echelon of Marine Aircraft Group 13 (MAG-13) arrives on Tutuila for duty with the Headquarters Samoan Area Defense Force.

IJN: Japanese submarine I-25 surfaces and launched her E14Y Glen pilot W/O Fujita Nobuo on a reconnaissance over Suva on Fiji and spots a cruiser, four transports and smaller ships but is spotted by a searchlight and responds with Morse code and the light switches off. Afterwards, lands two miles offshore and is successfully recovered.