Major Events of March 1942: Key Historical Moments from the Month

Each month is marked by defining moments that shape the course of history. Whether through political shifts, cultural movements, or world-changing events, these periods leave a lasting impression. Dive into the most important events from March 1942 and discover how they influenced the world both then and now.

Major Events of March 1942: Key Historical Moments from the Month

01 Mar 1942 Sobibór Extermination Camp Construction Begins: Construction commenced on the Sobibór extermination camp, a notorious Nazi death camp in occupied Poland where thousands of Jewish people would be systematically murdered during the Holocaust.
02 Mar 1942 Japanese Air Strikes on New Guinea: The Japanese military launched heavy air strikes on New Guinea, strategically preparing for a potential invasion of the region during World War II's Pacific campaign.
03 Mar 1942 Japanese Raid on Broome, Western Australia: During World War II, ten Japanese warplanes launched a devastating attack on the town of Broome in Western Australia, resulting in the tragic loss of over 100 civilian and military lives.
04 Mar 1942 Sook Ching Massacre in Singapore: The Sook Ching massacre, a brutal ethnic cleansing operation conducted by Japanese forces during World War II, concluded in Singapore. This horrific event targeted the local Chinese population, with significant discrepancies in reported casualties. Japanese official records claim fewer than 5,000 deaths, while the Singaporean Chinese community asserts that approximately 100,000 civilians were systematically murdered. The massacre was part of the Japanese military's strategy of terror and subjugation during their occupation of Southeast Asia.
05 Mar 1942 Japanese Capture of Batavia in World War II: During World War II, Japanese forces captured Batavia (modern-day Jakarta), the capital of the Dutch East Indies. The city was left undefended after the withdrawal of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL) garrison and the Australian Blackforce battalion to Buitenzorg and Bandung, marking a significant moment in the Japanese invasion of Southeast Asia.
06 Mar 1942 Japanese Invasion of Java during World War II: Japanese forces of the 2nd Division advanced into Buitenzorg (now Bogor), Indonesia, forcing Dutch colonial troops to strategically withdraw toward Bandung during the Pacific Theater of World War II. This movement represented a critical moment in the Japanese imperial expansion across Southeast Asia.
07 Mar 1942 Tuskegee Airmen First Graduation: Historic moment as the first class of African-American cadets graduated from the Tuskegee Army Air Field flying school, marking a significant milestone in racial integration and military aviation during World War II.
08 Mar 1942 Japanese Attack on Singapore: Japanese forces from the 5th and 18th Divisions, numbering approximately 23,000 troops, began crossing the Johor Strait to attack the Australian 22nd Brigade, which consisted of around 3,000 men. This was a critical phase in the Battle of Singapore.
09 Mar 1942 Atomic Bomb Research Report: Vannevar Bush delivers an optimistic report to President Roosevelt about the potential of producing an atomic bomb, a pivotal moment in the development of nuclear technology.
10 Mar 1942 Japanese Capture of Finschhafen: During World War II, Japanese forces successfully captured the strategic port of Finschhafen in New Guinea, expanding their territorial control in the Pacific theater and posing a significant threat to Allied operations in the region.
11 Mar 1942 First Deportation of Jews from Paris to Auschwitz: On March 11, 1942, the first deportation train carrying Jewish prisoners left Paris, France, bound for the Auschwitz Concentration Camp, marking a tragic escalation of the Nazi Holocaust.
12 Mar 1942 Battle of Java Ends with Allied Surrender: The Battle of Java concludes with the surrender of the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDA) to the Japanese Empire in Bandung, West Java, Dutch East Indies. This significant defeat marked a critical moment in the Pacific Theater of World War II, demonstrating Japan's military dominance in Southeast Asia.
13 Mar 1942 First Woman Colonel in US Army Nurse Corps: Julia Flikke becomes the first woman Colonel in the United States Army Nurse Corps, marking a significant milestone for women's advancement in military leadership during World War II.
14 Mar 1942 First Successful Penicillin Treatment in Medical History: John Bumstead and Orvan Hess became pioneering medical researchers who successfully treated a patient using penicillin, marking a groundbreaking moment in medical science that would revolutionize healthcare and save millions of lives.
15 Mar 1942 Dünamünde Action Holocaust Massacre: Nazi occupying forces and local collaborators committed a horrific mass murder in the Biķernieki forest near Riga, Latvia. Approximately 1,900 Jewish civilians were systematically killed during this brutal action, representing another tragic episode of the Holocaust during World War II.
16 Mar 1942 New Zealand and Australia Declare War on Thailand: As part of the broader World War II Pacific theater dynamics, New Zealand and Australia officially declared war on Thailand, expanding the conflict's geographical and diplomatic scope in the Asia-Pacific region.
17 Mar 1942 Belzec Concentration Camp Opens: The Bełżec extermination camp became operational in Nazi-occupied Poland, marking a horrific escalation of the Holocaust. On this day, approximately 30,000 Lublin Polish Jews were forcibly transported to the camp, which would become one of the primary sites of the Nazi genocide.
18 Mar 1942 Executive Order 9102 - Japanese American Internment: President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9102, establishing the War Relocation Authority (WRA), which became responsible for the controversial internment of Americans of Japanese descent, and to a lesser extent, German and Italian descent, many of whom were legal citizens.
19 Mar 1942 DUPE - FDR's Wartime Mobilization Order: US President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an executive order requiring men aged 45-64 to register for non-military national service during World War II.
20 Mar 1942 MacArthur's Famous 'I Shall Return' Speech: In Terowie, South Australia, General Douglas MacArthur delivers his iconic and morale-boosting speech after being forced to retreat from the Philippines, declaring 'I came out of Bataan and I shall return', symbolizing American determination to liberate the Philippines from Japanese occupation.
21 Mar 1942 Last British Cavalry Charge in History: Approximately 60 Sikh cavalry soldiers (sowars) of the Burma Frontier Force launch a heroic but tragic attack against Japanese infantry at Taungoo, marking the final traditional cavalry charge in British military history. Most soldiers were killed during this desperate engagement.
22 Mar 1942 Second Battle of Sirte in Mediterranean Sea: In a critical naval engagement during World War II, the Royal Navy confronted the Italian Regia Marina in the Mediterranean Sea. This battle was part of the ongoing naval struggles to control strategic maritime routes and supply lines to North Africa and Malta.
23 Mar 1942 Mass Killing of Jews in Lublin During Holocaust: As part of the Nazi genocide, approximately 2,500 Jews from Lublin were either massacred or forcibly deported, representing another tragic chapter in the Holocaust's systematic persecution.
24 Mar 1942 Japanese American Forced Relocation from Bainbridge Island: On March 24, 1942, the U.S. government initiated a discriminatory and unconstitutional mass eviction of Japanese Americans from their homes on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Under Executive Order 9066, over 200 Japanese American residents were forcibly removed from their properties within just six days. Any person of Japanese ancestry remaining on the island after noon on March 30 would face criminal prosecution. This event was part of a broader, racially motivated internment program during World War II that violated the civil rights of American citizens of Japanese descent, driven by wartime hysteria and unfounded fears of espionage following the Pearl Harbor attack.
25 Mar 1942 Deportation of Jews to Belzec Concentration Camp: A group of 700 Jews from the Lvov district were forcibly transported to the Belzec Concentration Camp, a key site in the Nazi regime's systematic persecution and extermination of Jewish populations during the Holocaust.
26 Mar 1942 First Eichmann Transport to Auschwitz: The first 'Eichmann transport' arrived at Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps, marking a significant escalation of the Nazi regime's systematic deportation and extermination of Jewish populations during the Holocaust.
27 Mar 1942 Holocaust Deportation of French Jews: Nazi Germany and Vichy France initiated mass deportations of 65,000 Jews from the Drancy internment camp to German extermination camps, marking a tragic escalation of the Holocaust's systematic persecution and genocide.
28 Mar 1942 Sobibor Extermination Camp Opens: The Nazi German extermination camp Sobibor begins operations in occupied Poland. Between April 1942 and October 1943, at least 160,000 people will be systematically murdered at this horrific site, representing one of the most tragic chapters of the Holocaust.
29 Mar 1942 Japanese-American Internment Proclamation: General John L. DeWitt issued Public Proclamation No. 4, enforcing the forced evacuation and detention of Japanese-American residents from the West Coast. Authorized by Executive Order 9066, this proclamation mandated Japanese Americans to evacuate within 48 hours, with violations punishable by up to one year in prison and a $5,000 fine. This action represented a dark chapter of racial discrimination during World War II.
30 Mar 1942 RSHA Transport to Auschwitz-Birkenau: The first Reich Security Main Office (RSHA) transport of Jewish prisoners from France arrived at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, marking a significant escalation of the Nazi deportation and extermination process during the Holocaust.
31 Mar 1942 Battle of Christmas Island: The Battle of Christmas Island resulted in the successful occupation of the island by Japanese soldiers, marking a significant moment in the Pacific campaign of World War II. The swift and decisive Japanese military action demonstrated their strategic capabilities during the early stages of the war.