Chronology of World War II

April 1940

Tuesday, April 16th

Battle for the Atlantic

  • The British submarine Porpoise sinks U-1 off Stavanger.
  • The German auxiliary minesweeper M.1703 (the trawler Midlum (341t) is lost north of Laeso Island on a mine in the minefield laid by the British submarine Narwhal on the 12th.
  • U-14 sinks the Swedish steamers Osmed (1526t) and Liana (1664t) 24 miles north of Kinnaird Head. 13 crewmen are lost on the Osmed and 10 from the Liana. Survivors are picked up by the Swedish steamer Santos and the British trawler Loch Hope.
  • The Swedish steamer Mertainen (4531t) is sunk by German bombing off Trondheim. The crew is rescued and landed at Kristiansund.
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Diplomatic Relations

A Norwegian White Paper on the German invasion lists 13 demands made by the German Minister in Oslo on Apr 9. These were made several hours after the commencement of the German invasion.

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Norway

The British 146th Bde lands at Namsos during the night and is immediately moved inland to Steinkjer.

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[ Apr 15th - Apr 17th]