Battle of the Atlantic

• U-105 and U-106 trail Convoy SL-68 for a week off west Africa sinking 7 ships and damaging the battleship Malaya.
• The Belgian steamer Eminent (500t) sinks on a mine off Wexford. The entire crew is rescued.

A World War II convoy as it steams along the east coast of England, with supplies for London, on March 15, 1941.

Convoy Bound for London

The Blitz

There is a sharp night attack on London. 100 tons of high explosives and 14,000 incendiaries are dropped. The southern and eastern parts of the city are hit. There is damage to the docks area. 3 hospitals are hit and many houses, shops and offices are destroyed across 30 boroughs. There are heavy casualties especially in Southgate where 42 people die.

The Simnia, a British Tanker, is Sunk.

German Raiders

Once again Lütjens' battlecruiser group causes mayhem among a dispersed merchant convoy, OB-294. Over the next couple of days 16 ships are sunk. The British tanker British Strength (7139t) is sunk by the German battlecruiser Scharnhorst in the North Atlantic with the loss of 2 crewmen. The rest are taken prisoner. The British tanker Simnia (6197t) is sunk by the Gneisenau in the middle of the North Atlantic with the loss of 3 of her crew, the rest being made prisoner. The tanker San Casimiro (8046t) is captured by the Gneisenau and scuttled on the 20th. 2 of the crew are taken prisoner. Ships sunk by the Gneisenau are the steamers Royal Crown (4388t), Myson (4564t) and Rio Dorado (4507t). The entire crews are rescued from the Royal Crown and Myson while the entire crew is lost from the Rio Dorado. The tanker Athelfoam (6554t) is sunk by the Scharnhorst. 2 of her crew are lost, the rest are taken prisoner. The Norwegian tankers Polykarp (6405t) and Bianca (5688t) are captured by the Gneisenau.

The 4,564-ton freighter Myson was sunk by Gneisenau.

Gneisenau Victim

The Norwegian tanker Polykarp was captured and taken to Occupied France by a prize crew.

Norwegian Tanker Polykarp is Captured

Italian East Africa

The British attacks toward Keren, Eritrea are renewed. Both the 4th and 5th Indian Divs are now involved. The first attacks by the 4th Indian go fairly well but not all the gains can be held.

United States, Politics

In an important speech Roosevelt promises that the US will supply Britain and the Allies 'aid until victory' and that there will an 'end of compromise with tyranny.'