Air Operations, Mediterranean

German bombers and Stukas sink the old Greek battleship Kilkis, 10 other warships and 43 merchant ships in Greek coastal waters in attacks over the next few days.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-107 sinks the British steamer Calchas (10,305t) 550 miles north of the Cape Verde Islands with the loss of 24 crewmen. 89 survivors make it in life boats to the Cape Verde Islands or Senegal.

The Blitz

There are heavy night raids on Plymouth. This is the first of 5 over the next few nights ending April 29. 640 bombers are involved in the attacks, 17 are lost. Few public buildings escape damage. 600 people are killed, 450 seriously hurt and 40,000 are left homeless.

China

Japanese army forces occupy Foochow.

Greece

The SS Adolf Hitler Div takes Ioannina, on the flank of the Greek line facing the Italians.

At Larisa, the headquarters of the German 12th Army (von List), Greek plenipotentiaries sign the capitulation. 16 divisions lay down their arms. The news infuriates Mussolini, and on Hitler's orders the ceremony has to be repeated two days later in a villa near Thessaloniki, with an Italian representative present.

Papagos recommends that the Allies leave and permission for the evacuation is given from London.

A new government is formed under Emmanuel Tsouderos, former Governor of the Bank of Greece.

Mediterranean

• 3 battleships from the Mediterranean Fleet shell Tripoli on their return from escorting a Malta convoy. Cunningham has only undertaken this operation under protest and with direct orders from Churchill. At first Churchill wished to try to block the port by sinking the battleship Barham in the entrance to Tripoli Harbor. Only 1 Axis ship is sunk and unloading at the docks is barely disrupted. The British feel that only by finding and destroying ships at sea can the flow of supplies to the Italian and German armies in North Africa be properly disrupted.
• The British steamer Urania (1953t) is sunk by German bombing at Tobruk along with the Greek hospital ship Esperos (1461t) while anchored at Missolonghi. Also sunk in German air attacks are the Greek steamer Ionna (1192t) at Patras and the Greek steamer Archon (1364t) at Euboea.