Air Operations, Europe

There is a night raid by the RAF on Kiel. 210 people are killed.

Battle of the Atlantic

The Italian submarine Tazzoli sinks the British steamer Aurillac (4733t) west of Portugal with the loss of the entire crew.

The Blitz

There is a heavy night raid on Belfast, Northern Ireland by about 200 aircraft. The planes drop about 200 tons of high explosives and 29,000 incendiaries. The raid which begins at midnight lasts almost 7 hours. There is widespread damage to industrial targets including shipyards and factories along with residential and commercial properties. There are over 800 people killed along with about 1,500 injured. 1,600 homes are destroyed and 28,000 are damaged resulting in 20,000 people homeless. The Dublin Fire Brigade renders assistance.

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Raid On Belfast

On this day almost 1,000 people died in a night Belfast would never forget. The Blitz of Belfast on April 15, 1941, was the biggest single loss of life in any UK city outside of London during the Second World War. Around 180 Luftwaffe aircraft pounded Belfast with 203 metric tonnes of high explosive, 673 bombs and 29,000 incendiaries in an attack lasting hours. A further 1,500 people were injured and 56,000 houses — half the city’s housing stock — were badly damaged, leaving 15,000 families homeless.

Diplomatic Relations

Bulgaria breaks off diplomatic relations with Yugoslavia. Bulgarian troops begin marching into Macedonia.

Mediterranean

• The British steamers Goalpara (5314t) and Quilloa (7765t) are sunk in a German air attack in Eleusis Bay, Piraeus.
• British bombers sink the Italian steamers Luciana (3329t) and Stampalia (1228t) at Valona, Albania.

North Africa

Rommel's Afrika Korps drives into Egypt, capturing Sollum and moving through the Halfaya Pass.

Movement in North Africa

United States, Home Front

• The Vought-Sikorsky VS-300 helicopter completes an endurance flight of 1 hour 5 minutes at Stratford, Ct. The pilot is Igor Sikorsky.
• 4 men are killed and another 20 are wounded in a gun battle between striking coal miners and mining company officials near Middlesboro, Ky.

United States, Politics

Harry Hopkins is appointed to be Roosevelt's personal representative in charge of running the Lend-Lease program.