Air Operations, Europe
Air Marshal Owen T. Boyd of the RAF is captured by the Italians when his plane is forced down in Sicily.
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]Axis Diplomacy
Hitler offers to send German troops to help the Italians provided they would be released by May 1, 1941, for the invasion of Russia.
[ | ]The Blitz
Birmingham is again the target of 116 aircraft. There is not as much success as the previous night. 118 tons of high explosives and 9,500 incendiaries are dropped. Factories are hit but none seriously. The Hockley Bus Depot is hit and over 100 vehicles are damaged or destroyed.
[ | ]China
Chinese Communist forces launch large-scale guerilla operations against Japanese military units and communications lines in southern Shanxi and northwest Hopei provinces. This operation is called the '100 Regiment Offensive'. The forces of the 8th Route Army inflict losses which prompt the Japanese to retaliate against Chinese villages known to be assisting the Communists.
[ | ]German Raiders
The German armed merchant cruiser Pinguin sinks the British steamer Maimoa (8011t) in the Indian Ocea. The entire crew are made prisoners of war.
[ | ]Greek-Albanian Front
Another 4,000 British soldiers arrive to aid the Greeks.
[ | ]Hungary
Prime Minister Count Paul Teleki and Foreign Minister Pal Csaky agree in Vienna to bring Hungary in to the Tripartite Pact's provisions. Hungary has profited from close relations with Nazi Germany. For example, a trade agreement with German pulled Hungary's economy out of depression but made her dependent on the German economy for both raw materials and markets. In 1928, Germany accounted for 19.5 percent of Hungary's imports and for 11.7 percent of its exports; by 1939 the figures were 52.5 percent and 52.2 percent, respectively. Hungary's annual rate of economic growth from 1934 to 1940 averaged 10.8 percent. In addition, with the assistance from Hitler, Hungary has made territorial gains: parts of southern Slovakia in 1938; Carpatho-Ukraine in 1939; and northeastern Transylvania in 1940. Hitler's help has come at a price, however, and Hungary has been forced to implement anti-Jewish legislation. In addition, two months ago the Hungarian Government allowed German troops to transit the country on their way to Romania.
Hungary Joins the Tripartite Pact |
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