Axis Diplomacy

• Hitler issues an ultimatum to Yugoslavia ot accept German terms which will place the Yugoslavs under virtual total control of Berlin.
• Adm Raeder meets with the Japanese ambassador in Berlin and expresses 'his desire for a Japanese attack on Singapore.'

Balkans, Politics

The Germans repeat their demands on Yugoslavia made on March 4 to Prince Paul. They now give the Yugoslavs 5 days to make a decision.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The British battleship Malaya is seriously damaged by a torpedo from U-106 when with a convoy in the Atlantic. The Malaya goes to New York for repairs - the first major British warship to receive such help.
• The British steamer Benvorlich (5193t) from Convoy OB-298 is sunk by German bombing west of Ireland with the loss of 5 of her crew. Survivors are picked up by the convoy rescue ship Zamalek.
• U-106 sinks the Dutch steamer Mandalika (7750t) northeast of the Cape Verde Islands with the loss of 3 crewmen. 62 survivors are picked up by the Britih corvette Marguerite.
• The Norwegian steamer Leo is sunk by German bombing 75 miles northwest of the Butt of Lewis. The entire crew is rescued by the British destroyer Echo

The Blitz

London is hit by a very heavy night raid. In the raid by 500 He-111s and Ju-88s that lasts over 6 hours 470 tons of high explosives and 122,000 incendiaries are dropped. The main targets are the dock areas where widespread damage results. Many parachute mines are used which cause tremendous explosions. From these explosions rows of houses in Westham, Poplar and Stepney are knocked out. Several of these mines are of the SC2500 type, nicknamed 'The Max', which lead to great destruction.

There are devastating overnight raids in London, reported to be the worst in a year, since the Blitz in 1940. The target is the Financial District with heavy damage and loss of life, and entire streets obliterated.

Heavy Raid on London

At least 8 hospitals are hit and many public buildings as far apart as Leyton and Bromley. 2,000 fires are started, 3 of which are classified conflagrations and 60 are termed serious. The casualties are heavy as 504 people lose their lives with 1,511 being seriously injured.

Mediterranean

Adm Weichold, the German navy's representative at the Italian supreme command headquarters in Rome, sends a letter to the Chief of Staff of the Italian navy, Adm Arturo Riccardi. He suggests that the Italians should attack in force in the eastern Mediterranean; he has learned that the British naval base at Alexandria has only 1 battleship that is war-ready, the Valiant.