April 2

On April 2, 1941 German Lt. Gen. Erwin Rommel "The Desert Fox" resumes his advance into Libya to start the nine day recapture of Libya by the Axis powers.

April 1

On April 1, 1945 aftr losing 116 planes and suffering damage to three aircraft carriers, 50,000 American troops of the 10th Army under the command of Lt. Gen. Simon B. Buckner Jr.,  land on the Japanese island Okinawa. Okinawawas 350 miles south of Kyuchu, the southern most Japanese main island. The Americans decided Ikinawa would be a perfect place for a base of operations for a later attack on the Japanese mainland. Roughly 120,000 Japanese soldiers, militiamen, and laborers were on the island and fought hard against the Americans 1,300 ships loads of troops. The Japanese were under the command of Lt. Gen. Mitsuru Ushijima. The Japanese surprised the Americans with a massive attack on the beach head and kamikazes. While the Americans suffered no losses on the beach, the Japanese suffered 50,000 casualties, 12,000 of which were deaths. In the end approximately 117,000 Japanese were killed and 4,000 surrendered. Lt. Gen. Buckner was one killed by Japanese artillery three days before the Japanese surrender. Lt. Gen. Ushijima commited ritual suicide because of the defeat of his troops. 

March 31

On March 31, 1940 the German auxilary cruiser Atlantis launches to go catch and sink Allied merchant ships.

March 30

On March 30, 1940 the Japanese set up a puppet regime in Nanking, China, the old capital of Nationalist China.

March 29

On March 29, 1945 Gen. George S. Patton and the 3rd Army take Frankfurt as "Old Blood and Guts" continues his march east.

March 28

On March 28, 1941 Admiral of the British fleet Andrew Browne Cunningham commands an attack on three major Italian cruisers and two destroyers in the Battle of Cape Matapan in the Mediterranean. Later that year in November, Admiral Cunningham would lead another attack on the Italians which would put an end to the threat from Italy's navy.

March 27

On March 27, 1945 the Germans launched what was left of their V-2 rockets from the only remaining launch sight in the Netherlands. This attack added about 200 English and Belgian citizens to the death toll brought about by the V-2s.