MARCH 10 - DAILY CHRONICLES OF HISTORY

MARCH 10

1920

Red Army under Marshal Tukhachevsky began a western offensive. He was a leading Soviet military leader and theoretician from 1918 to 1937 and commanded the Soviet Western Front in the Soviet-Polish War of 1920–1921.  In the lead-up to hostilities, Tukhachevsky concentrated his troops near Vitebsk, which he theatrically dubbed, "The Gates of Smolensk". When he issued his troops orders to cross the border, Tukhachevsky said, "The fate of world revolution is being decided in the west: the way leads over the corpse of Poland to a universal conflagration.... On to Wilno, Minsk, and Warsaw -- Forward!

1944

The USS Leopold was sunk by enemy action. On 9 March, while south of Iceland, the Leopold  reported a radar contact at 19:50 at 8,000 yd (7,300 m), which placed it 7 mi (11 km) south of the convoy at 57°37′0″N 26°30′0″W. Assisted by the destroyer escort Joyce, Leopold was ordered to intercept. General Quarters was sounded and orders were issued to "fire on sight." A flare was released and gun crew strained to sight the submarine in the lighted area. The U-boat was almost submerged when spotted and the gun crews had to work blind. "Leopold" was struck by an acoustic torpedo fired from the German submarine U-255. Shortly after the torpedo strike the crew of "Leopold" began to abandon ship as the Leopold broke in half. "Joyce" rescued 28 survivors at the close of the action; 171 others were lost through the explosion on board, drowning, and - most of all - cold water emersion." Leopold"'s bow still remained afloat early the next morning, and was sunk as a hazard to navigation by gunfire from "Joyce" 400 miles south of Iceland.

1945

German submarine U-275 struck a mine and sank off Newhaven, East Sussex.


U-681 was grounded off Scilly, damaging the pressure hull and propellers. Unable to dive, the commander of the U-boat, headed towards the Irish coast seeking internment by Irish authorities. But the next morning PB4Y-1 Liberator N of VPB-103 spotted the sub on the surface and went in for the kill.  Eight depth charges further damaged the U-boat.  With sea cocks opened and demolition charges set, U-681 submerged followed by a massive explosion. Of the crew of 47, a British escort picked up 38 survivors.