Air Operations, CBI

• 9 341st Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the dock area at Monywa and 10 other B-25s attack river traffic near Katha.

• Following up on the successful ploy used against the airfield at Yunnanyi on April 26, 20 Japanese Army bombers feint toward the airfield at Kunming, withdraw when 23rd Fighter Group P-40s rise to meet them, and return after most of the P-40s have landed. Only 2 P-40s are in the air to defend the base, but the bombing is fortunately impeded by strong winds, and very little damage results. As the Japanese force is withdrawing to the south, 75th Fighter Squadron P-40s based at the airfield at Lingling arrive on the scene and give chase. 11 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighers are shot down about 100 miles from Kunming against no USAAF losses. However, there are no USAAF fighters left at Kunming when it is struck again by a second Japanese bomber force that fortunately causes very little damage.

Air Operations, Europe

• 207 aircraft carry out another large mine-laying operation. Included in the total are 68 Lancasters, 60 Halifaxes, 47 Wellingtons and 32 Stirlings.
• 167 aircraft lay 593 mines off Heligoland, in the Elbe River, and in the Great and Little Belts. There are low clouds over the German and Danish coasts forcing the planes to fly low in order to establish their positions before dropping their mines. There is a lot of German flak activity.
• 7 Lancasters, 7 Stirlings, 6 Wellingtons and 2 Halifaxes are lost. This is the largest total for a mine-laying operation during the war, but the number of mines laid is also the largest.
• 6 Mosquitos carry out a raid to Wilhelmshaven dropping many flares to divert attention from part of the mine-laying operation occurring nearby.
• There are no losses.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-25s attack 2 ships near Dobo.
• 43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s mount individual attacks against numerous targets.

Air Operations, Solomons

3 XIII Bomber Command reconnaissance B-17s attack the Kahili airfield on Bougainville after flying over Bougainville.

Battle of the Atlantic

Over the next 8 days there is a series of engagements around the convoy ONS-5. The convoy has 42 merchant ships and is attacked by 11 U-boats; in running battles most of the way across the Atlantic it loses 13 vessels. Of the attacking U-boats 7 are sunk and 5 seriously and 12 slightly damaged. This is an important success for the escorts since the ratio of 1 U-boat for 2 merchantmen is very acceptable. There has been little air support for the convoy, which is unusual for such a successful operation.

Diplomatic Relations

Sweden protests the mining of its territorial waters by Germany.

North Africa

While a desperate counterattack by the German 8th Pzr Regiment allows them temporarily to recapture Djebel Bou Aoukaz, the forces of the American II Corps reach Hill 609 after fierce fighting.

In the US II Corps area, the 9th Div continues eastward astride the Sedjenane, reaching Kraim Lerhmed on the north and Kef Sahan on the south. The 39th Regimental Combat Team clears the hills generally north of Hill 382, but the enemy retains Hill 382. In the center of the II Corps area, a main effort is made to clear approaches to Hill 609, which is hampering forward movement of the 34th and 1st Divs. While the 34th Div's 168th Regimental Combat Team clears Djebel el Hara, the 135th Regimental Combat Team occupies Hill 490 and withstands counterattacks against it. In conjunction with the 34th Div, the 16th Regimental Combat Team, 1st Div, secures a foothold on Hill 531, south of 609. The 26th Regimental Combat Team reaches Djebel el Anz against strong resistance. The 18th Regimental Combat Team, to the south, clears part of Djebel Sidi Meftah. On the corps southern flank, Combat Command A, 1st Armored Div, takes hill 315 and part of Hill 299, where the enemy is resisting strongly.

Troops Moving to a New Position near Hill 609, 28 April 1943

In the British 1st Army area, the V Corps is largely successful in containing enemy counterattacks along its front.