Battle of the Atlantic

• The British steamer London II (1260t) is sunk by German bombing in the Bristol Channel with the loss of 4 of her crew. Also sunk in the same air attack is the British steamer Millisle (617t) with the loss of 10 crewmen.
• In an attack on Convoy SL-68 U-105 sinks the British steamers Clan Ogilvy (5802t), Benwyvis (5920t) and Jhelum (4038t) about 180 miles north of the Cape Verde Islands. 61 are lost on the Clan Ogilvy; 24 survivors are picked up by the British steamer Batna and the Spanish steamer Cabo Villano. 34 of the crew are lost from the Benwyvis; 21 survivors are picked up by the British steamer King Edgar. 8 are lost on the Jhelum; 49 survivors are landed at St Louis, Senegal and interned by Vichy French authorities.

The Blitz

Plymouth is attacked for the second night in a row. 170 bombers participate. The dock area is the target but it is the center of Plymouth that is almost destroyed. More than 20,000 incendiaries are dropped on shopping and residential areas. The City Hospital, the General Post Office, the Old Guildhall and the City Court are among the dozens of buildings wrecked. Many department stores are also hit. 6 schools and 8 churches are badly damaged. The Australian Prime Minister, Robert Menzies, happens to be in Plymouth and helps with the rescue work. In the two nights of raids 336 people are killed and 238 are seriously hurt. 18,000 homes are damaged or destroyed leaving 5,000 people homeless.

In the two intensive attacks on the 20 and 21 March, 336 people lost their lives. Five further attacks in April brought the toll to 590. There was hardly a building in Plymouth that wasn’t touched in some way by the Blitz. Much of the city center was obliterated and although many buildings remained among the debris, most were damaged beyond repair.

Damage in Plymouth

Italian East Africa

Troops of the 11th African Div attack Italian positions in the Marda Pass west of Jijiga. After some resistance the Italians fall back despite the strength of their position.

Mediterranean

In an air attack on Convoy AS-21 German bombers sink the Greek steamer Embiricos Nicolaos (3798t) in the Aegean Sea southeast of Gavdo Island with the loss of 2 of her crew. The Norwegian tanker Solheim (8070t) is badly damaged with the loss of 1. The tanker is abandoned on the 23rd and sinks during that night.

North Africa

The Italian Gen Gariboldi takes over as the new Governor of Libya and Commander-in-Chief of the Italian forces in North Africa. He replaces Gen Graziani who asked Mussolini on February 8 to replace him.

The Italian garrison of Jarabub in southern Libya surrenders to British and Australians after a 15-week seige.

Yugoslavia

In Belgrade Prince Paul, regent of Yugoslavia, decides to sign the Tripartite Pact. This creates a crisis in his cabinet as his ministers refuse to accept this action.