March 7
Politics, Yugoslavia
Marshal Tito forms a provisional government in which he accepts representatives of the former royalist government-in-exile. This is a temporary measure, as he intends to retain full control of the government for the Communist Party, which he believes the population will accept without question as a result of partisan successes during the war.

The Rhine was a formidable barrier, but crossing it
was largely a logistical rather than a military
problem for the Allies

Western Front, Germany
Units of the US First Army capture the Ludendorff bridge over the Rhine River at Remagen. The bridge, having withstood bombs, demolition, heavy usage, and artillery shells, collapses into the river 10 days later.

March 10
Western Front, Germany
Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery's 21st Army Group completes the conquest of the area west of the Rhine River. The group has lost 22,934 casualties, although the Germans have suffered casualties totaling 90,000 men defending the area immediately west of the Ruhr.

Air War, Japan
The first American fire raid on Japan, against Tokyo, burns out over 16 square miles (25.6 sq km) of the city and kills 100,000 people.

March 14
Western Front, Germany
General George Patton's US Third Army crosses the lower Moselle River to cut behind the German Siegfried Line defensive system.

March 16
Eastern Front, Hungary
Marshal Fedor Tolbukhin's 3rd Ukrainian Front commences the Red Army's counterattack against Operation Spring Awakening on the Front between Lake Velencei and Bicske. The German IV SS Panzer Corps holds in the face of overwhelming superiority in tanks and men, but the Hungarian Third Army on the left collapses.

Pacific, Iwo Jima
The island of Iwo Jima is declared secure by the Americans following 26 days of combat. They have lost 6821 soldiers and sailors dead, while of the 21,000 Japanese garrison, only 1083 are taken prisoner. The rest have been killed or have committed suicide.

March 17-19
Far East, Burma
The battle for Mandalay begins. The main Japanese garrison is situated in Fort Dufferin, which is pounded incessantly by British artillery. Following an intensive aerial bombardment, the Japanese evacuate the fort on the 19th - Mandalay is in British hands.

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