Battle of the Atlantic

• U-106 sinks the British steamer Zealandic (10,578t) 230 miles west-northwest of Rockall with the loss of all 73 of her crew.
• The Italian submarine Torelli sinks the Greek steamer Nicolaos Filinis (3111t) with the loss of 3 crewmen.
• U-96 sinks the British steamer Oropesa (14,118t) southeast of Rockall with the loss of 106 passengers and crew. 143 survivors are picked up by the British rescue tugs Superman and Diligent and the British destroyer Westcott.
• The Dutch tanker Onoba (6256t) is sunk by German bombing about 140 miles off Ireland. The entire crew is rescued.

The Blitz

Bristol and Avonmouth are the targets. 120 bombers are involved in the raid. Damage is caused in both the docks and the city. The raid itself is less fierce than some of the earlier attacks.

Mediterranean

Attacking from bases in Sicily, a force of about 80 Stukas attacks Valletta, Malta in an attempt to sink the carrier Illustrious and put the island's arsenal out of action. Although 10 are shot down, they hit the carrier again as well as the cruiser Perth. The harbor facilities are also badly hit in addition to several churches and a number of public and private buildings. The raid kills about 100 civilians, many of them women and children. This is the first of a long series of raids by the Germans which the Maltese refer to as the 'Illustrious Blitz'.

Attack On Malta

Early in the afternoon, 17 Junkers Ju-88s, escorted by 20 Messerschmitt Me-110s, and 44 Junkers Ju-87s, escorted by 10 Macchi Mc-200s and 10 Fiat Cr-42s, launched their first blitz over Malta, with Illustrious as their target. Bombs rained down on the dockyard and adjacent areas, but the carrier received only one hit, causing superficial damage. Senglea, Vittoriosa and Cospicua bore the brunt of the attack. Many were killed and hundreds trapped under the rubble of their dwellings. Members of the Air Raid Precautions and the Special Constabulary were joined by policemen, soldiers, sailors, dockyard workers and other volunteers to search for survivors. A great tragedy occurred at Vittoriosa where 35 people were killed when the crypt of St Lawrence church, where they were sheltering, received a direct hit.

United States, Planning

Roosevelt asks Congress to appropriate $350 million for the construction of 200 merchant ships.