Air Operations, Europe

The RAF bomb Ry (Denmark), Fornebu and Stavanger airfields.

German Raiders

The German armed merchant cruiser Atlantis sinks the British steamer Scientist (6199t) in the South Atlantic with the loss of 2 of her crew.

Hickam Field, Hawaii

Norway

The French destroyer Bison and the British destroyer Afridi are sunk by German air attacks while evacuating the Allied forces from Namsos. All the British troops in central and southern Norway are evacuated, leaving only a small force at Narvik. From this point on the war in southern Norway is at an end and the fighting shifts to the north where the Norwegian forces have had time to be prepared.

The Norwegian forces in the Trondheim area surrender.

German Troops in Norway

Evacuation of Namsos

Elverum Bombed

German Ships

The Norwegian forces in the Trondheim area surrender.

Secret War

Col Hans Oster of the Abwehr tells Col Bert Sas, Dutch military attaché in Berlin, that Germany will attack the Low Countries soon (probably May 8).

Western Front

Hitler postpones the Gelb offensive from May 5 to May 6. There are further postponement on May 4, 5, 7 and 8.

The French 2nd Army commander, Gen Charles Huntziger, orders the demolition of anti-tank obstacles (built without his approval) on 2 main roads from the Ardennes forest.