Battle of the Atlantic

The U-boat campaign off America continues to score many important successes. The loss of tankers is especially worrying. On April 1 a partial convoy system off the US East Coast is begun. The number of Halifax-UK convoys sailing has to be reduced so that more British and Canadian escorts can be sent to join the US forces. Axis submarines sink 74 ships during the month out of a total Allied loss of 132 ships of 674,500 tons.(Allied Ships Lost to U-boats this month) Only 7 ships are sunk in the Pacific while in the Indian Ocean 150,000 tons is lost largely because of the foray early in the month by the Japanese carrier force.

Air Operations, Europe

RAF Bomber Command attacks increase in intensity this month. The range of targets includes industrial areas in Germany and France and several of the Atlantic ports in France and Norway. Cologne, Hamburg, and Rostock are all heavily hit. There are also offensive fighter sweeps over occupied France practically every day. Like Lübeck in the attack during March, Rostock has been chosen for its inflammable nature and its easy-to-find position on the Baltic. It is an important pointer for the future that, although attacked 4 times this month, industry in Rostock is soon back at full production.

Eastern Front

In the course of the month the German forces receive massive help from their allies. Italy, Rumania, Hungary, Slovakia and Spain all send units and in all 51 divisions are added to the German Order of Battle.

Air Operations, Europe

• 12 Bostons are sent to Boulogne to attack an armed cargo ship. Cloud cover protects the ship so the dock area is bombed instead.
• During the night 34 Wellingtons and 22 Hampdens are sent to Le Havre. A successful bombing mission is claimed, but 1 Wellington is lost. This is the first of 14 RAF raids on Le Havre during the month.
• In another operation 35 Wellingtons and 14 Hampdens are sent to carry out low-level attacks on railway targets. 22 planes successfully carry out this task, but 12 Wellingtons and 1 Hampden are lost. 57 Squadron, based at Feltwell, loses 5 of the 12 Wellingtons dispatched and 214 Squadron based at Stradishall, 7 of its 14 Wellingtons.
• 24 Whitleys and 17 Wellingtons are sent to bomb the Ford factory near Paris. Accurate bombing is claimed by the crews but later photographs do not confirm these claims. 1 Wellington is lost.
• In minor operations 3 Blenheim Intruder flights to Holland turn back, 15 aircraft lay mines off Lorient and in the mouth of the Gironde River, and 5 are on leaflet flights over France. There are no losses in these operations.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

This is the beginning of an 11-day 'blitz' in which the improved Ju-87D Stuka makes its debut attacking Malta. Casualties to shipping either sunk or damaged beyond repair, include the destroyers Gallant, Kingston and Lance, the submarines P-36, Pandora and the Greek Glavkos and the naval tanker Plumleaf. The cruiser Penelope is also damaged.

Air Operations, New Guinea

6 A-24s from the 3rd Light Bombardment Group's 8th Light Bombardment Squadron attack Lae, New Guinea.

Atlantic

11 Norwegian merchant ships, trapped at Gothenburg since April 1940, attempt to run the German blockade and reach English ports. 2 manage to get through on April 5, 6 are sunk or scuttled and 3 return to Gothenburg.

Battle of the Atlantic

The British minesweeping trawler Solomon sinks on a mine north of Cromer. There are no casualties.

Convoy in Bedford Basin, Halifax, April 1,1942

Britain, Politics

King George VI sends a tribute to Malta's heroic resistance to the island's Governor, Lt-Gen Sir William Dobbie, and announces he has accepted the Colonelcy-in-Chief of the Royal Malta Artillery.

Burma

The Chinese troops near Toungoo are forced to continue their retreat. The British at Prome are also heavily attacked. The I Burma Corps is ordered to withdraw from Prome to the area of Allanmyo, north of Prome, to avoid encirclement.

Eastern Front

The spring thaw brings a comparative lull and there is a stalemate along much of the front. There are renewed attempts, however, to free the II Corps of the 16th Army from the Staraya Russa area. In the south Sevastopol reaches its 150th day of siege.

The Germans resume their attack toward the Demyansk. The II Corps comes under intense Soviet attack.

The Soviets are building up their forces in the south in preparation for their offensive around Izyum. The Southwest Front deploys the 21st Army (3 rifle and 1 motorized divisions, 1 rifle brigade), the 38th Army (10 rifle and 3 cavalry divisions) and the 6th Army (7 rifle divisions, 1 cavalry division and 2 tank brigades) in the pocket while the headquarters of the 28th Army, together with 7 rifle divisions and 2 tank brigades, are in reserve. Covering the southern face of the pocket are 13 rifle divisions of the 57th and 9th Armies and 9 cavalry divisions, 1 rifle and 6 tank brigades of the II, V and VI Cavalry Corps of the South Front. The 37th, 12th, 18th and 56th Armies, totalling 18 rifle divisions, 6 rifle brigades and 3 tank brigades, complete the line to the Azov Sea.

Covering the Kharkov sector the Germans deploy the XXIX, XVII, LI and VIII Corps of the 6th Army and the IV Rumanian Corps of the 17th Army. In all the 6th has on the Kharkov axis 16 infantry divisions and 2 tank divisions. Facing the South Front the Germans field 26 divisions. These units form Group Kleist, made up from the 17th Army and 1st Panzer Army. On the Mius is the XIV Panzer Corps (2 infantry, 2 panzer and the 1st and 5th SS Motorized Divisions) while to its north, covering the river line to Debaltsevo, are 3 Italian Divisions and the XLIX Mountain Corps (1 infantry, 1 mountain and 1 Slovak division). From Slavyansk to Debaltsevo are 9 infantry division of the XLIV, IV and LII Corps, while the III Panzer Corps is against the southern face of the Barvenkovo pocket.

Germany, Home Front

Albert Speer, the Minister for Armaments, creates a new system for allocation of raw materials by 'Central Committees, 'Special Committees' and 'Industrial Rents'.

Malta

2 submarines are sunk by Axis torpedo planes. During the next few months Axis aircraft drop more than 6,700 tons of bombs on Malta. The air defense of the island consists of only a few Hurricanes and Spitfires, though they do manage to check the enemy fighter-bombers and during April they shoot down 37 of them. But this is only one aspect of the critical situation in which the British find themselves in the Mediterranean. They have only 4 cruisers and 15 destroyers against the enemy's 4 battleships, 9 cruisers, 55 torpedo-boats and more than 70 submarines. With such tremendous numerical superiority there is clearly a very real risk of an Axis invasion of Malta.

Air Operations, CBI

During the night of the 2nd, 2 7th Heavy Bomb Group's B-17s and an LB-30 undertake the 10th Air Force's first combat mission attacking Japanese shipping in the Andaman Islands. Hits are claimed on a transport and a cruiser.

Air Operations, Europe

There is a night raid on Weymouth. 2 hospitals are hit causing heavy casualties.

• The Ford motor factory near Paris is bombed again by 40 Wellingtons and 10 Stirlings. 1 Wellington is lost.
• 49 planes bomb the Le Havre harbor area with no losses. 23 Hampdens and 7 Wellingtons lay mines in Quiberon Bay. 1 Hampden and 1 Wellington are lost.

Landing in a Sandstorm

Air Operations, Pacific

US 10th Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress bombers fly their first missions in the CBI theater, bombing fleet units in the Andaman Islands.

The US Carrier Hornet Leaving San Francisco

Allied Planning

Churchill receives a letter from Roosevelt to say that Harry Lloyd Hopkins, Roosevelt's specialist in foreign affairs, and Gen George Marshall, Chief of Staff ot the Army, will soon be arriving in London.

Air Operations, CBI

6 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-17s based at Asansol Airfield, India, attack dock facilities and warehouses at Rangoon. 1 B-17 is lost to unknown causes.

Air Operations, Europe

• 2 ships from convoy PQ-13 are destroyed by German bombers at Murmansk.
• Gen Erich Quaade, a Luftwaffe spokesman, admits that the Luftwaffe has been unable to neutralize Malta because of its 'tremendously strong' AA defenses and subterranean storerooms - 'but you cannot expect the Luftwaffe to sink the island with bombs'.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The US freighter Otho (4839t) is torpedoed and sunk by U-754 200 miles east of Cape Henry, Virginia.
• U-505 torpedoes the US freighter West Irmo (5775t) en route to Takoradi, Gold Coast from Marshall, Liberia. 99 survivors are rescued by the British escort vessel HMS Copinsay.

Burma

I Burma Corps retires from Allanmyo, not under enemy pressure but on orders from GHQ. In the Sittang Valley Gen Stilwell's Chinese divisions take up positions in defense of Pyinmana. Two key positions fall to the Japanese this day: the town of Prome, located on the Irrawaddy River north of Rangoon; and the vital port island of Akyab. This latter conquest brings the entire territory of the Arakan in western Burma under Japanese control.

British Submarine P-615

North Sea

U-702 left Heligoland Island on March 29 to patrol in the North Sea where she hits a Northern Barrage mine on this day losing her entire crew.

U-702

Occupied Norway

Lutheran Bishop Eivind Berggrav of Oslo is forcibly prevented from preaching in his cathedral and is placed under house arrest. (See April 10.)

Air Operations, Asia

Japanese bombers hit Mandalay starting huge fires in the bazaar section of the city crowded with natives. A trainload of RAF bombs explodes in the attack. About 2,000 people are killed.

Air Operations, Australia

P-40s from the 49th Pursuit Group's 9th Pursuit Squadron shoot down 7 G3M 'Nell' bombers and 2 A6M Zeros over Darwin between 1330 and 1405 hours.

Air Operations, Europe

In Operation EISSTOSS (ICE STRIKE), Stukas, Ju-88s and He-111s attack the Russian fleet at Leningrad. Among the vessels sustaining damage are the battleships Oktyabskaya Revolutsiya and Petropavlovsk and the cruisers Maksim Gorski and Kirov.

• 12 Bostons and 4 Wellingtons raid the railway yards at St Omer, but the bombs fall in fields near the town. There are no losses.
• 4 Wellingtons are sent to bomb Germany, but 3 return early. 1 plane drops its load over Essen because of cloud cover over the original target of Emden. 21 Hampdens attempt to lay mines in the Frisians, but only 2 are successful. There are no losses.

Air Operations, North Africa

There are RAF raids on Benghazi and Derna.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The US tanker Comol Rico (5034t) is torpedoed and sunk by U-154 about 225 miles north of Puerto Rico kllling 3 of the crew.
• The unarmed US tanker Byron D. Benson (7953t) is torpedoed and sunk by U-552 about 8 miles off Currituck Inlet, North Carolina killing 9 of the 37-man crew.

Diplomatic Relations

The British and Italians agree on an exchange of sick and wounded prisoners of war.

Indian Ocean

A marauding Japanese naval surface squadron and submarines led by the carrier Ryujo roam the Bay of Bengal sinking merchantmen almost at will. Fearing an attack, the British have cleared Calcutta harbor and the ships at sea are picked off at an alarming rate, 28 ships of 144,000 tons over the next 5 days.

The Ceylon Raid Gets Underway

A Catalina seaplane from Ceylon sights the Japanese fleet of Adm Kondo and manages to give the alarm before being shot down by Zero fighters. As well as 4 battleships of the Kongo Class, the Japanese fleet includes their main carrier forces with Adm Nagumo leading Akagi, Soryu, Hiryu, Shokaku and Zuikaku.

Air Operations - Europe

• 179 Wellingtons, 44 Hampdens, 29 Stirlings and 11 Manchesters are sent to bomb the Humboldt works in Cologne. The 263 aircraft are the largest number dispatched to a single target so far during the war. 211 aircraft claim good bomb results, but photographic evidence shows the nearest bombs to the Humboldt factory was 5 miles away. Reports from the ground indicate 1 industrial building is hit along with 90 houses being destroyed or seriously damaged. 7 people are killed and 9 injured in the attack. There are further casualties among a crowd who were watching a burning bomber which had crashed in the middle of Cologne; the bomb load exploded killing 16 people and injuring 30 more. The bomber's crew had been killed in the original crash. There are 4 Hampdens and 1 Wellington lost in the raid.
• 20 Whitleys are sent to bomb the Gnome and Rhone engine factory near Paris. 14 aircraft drop bombs, but the main target is not hit. 1 house is destroyed and 4 are damaged with no casualties. There are no aircraft losses.
• In minor operations, 18 aircraft are sent to Le Havre, 6 Blenheim Intruders to Holland and 11 aircraft lay mines off the French coast with no losses.

Air Operations, Pacific

9 B-26s of the 5th Air Force's 22nd Medium Bomb Group based in the Bismarcks attack the Lakunai and Vunakanau airfields in Rabaul.

Atlantic

US Task Force 39 arrives in Scapa Flow with the aircraft carrier USS Wasp and the battleship USS Washington. These forces are to aid the British Home and Gibraltar squadrons while Operation Ironclad is being carried out against Madagascar.

Chiang Inspects American Air Troops

Battle of the Atlantic

U-154 sinks the US tanker Catahoula (5030t) about 100 miles off the Dominican Republic with the loss of 7 crew members.

Eastern Front

Hitler has made the decision to concentrate the German effort during 1942 on the southern sector of the front. Directive 41 calls for rapid advances into the Caucasus and the capture of the Soviet oil refineries and production centers near Maikop and Grozny. Without thest supplies secured, Hitler maintains that Germany will not be able to prosecute the war past the end of 1943. As the planning continues, the armies at the front push on with their relief attacks.

The 40th Army, with 5 rifle divisions, is allocated to Gen Filipp Golikov's Bryansk Front.

Germany, Planning

Hitler issues Directive No 41 outlining the aims of the forthcoming summer offensive on the Eastern Front, 'In pursuit of the original plan for the Eastern campaign, the armies of the Central sector will stand fast, those in the North will capture Leningrad and link up with the Finns, while those on the southern flank will break through into the Caucasus.'

The Wehrmacht is tasked with 'destroying the enemy before the Don, in order to secure the Causasian oil fields and the passes through the Caucasus mountains'. To create favorable conditions, Hitler orders 'mopping up and consolidation on the whole Eastern front and in the rear areas so that the greates possible forces may be released for the main operation'. Also, the Kerch Peninsula is to be cleared and Sevastopol captured.

British Heavy Cruisers Under Air Attack

The Cornwall Under Attack by Japanese 'Val' Dive-Bombers

Admiralty Islands

A small Japanese contingent from Truk lands at Lorengau, at the extreme northeast of Manus Island. The Admiralty Islands are part of the Bismarck Archipelago, north of New Guinea. The Japanese threat to Australia grows stronger.

Air Operations, Asia

The Japanese carry out their first bombing raids on India hitting Coconada and Vizagupatam, Madras.

Air Operations, Europe

In the ongoing campaign against Essen, 157 aircraft are sent including 110 Wellingtons, 19 Stirlings, 18 Hampdens and 10 Manchesters. The weather is bad with severe storms and icing and the target area is under cloud cover. 49 aircraft claim to have reached the target, but ground reports only a few bomb hits with light damage and no casualties. 5 aircraft are lost: 2 Hampdens, 1 Manchester, 1 Stirling and 1 Wellington.

Air Operations, North Africa

There is a night raid on Alexandria causing 132 casualties.

Air Operations, Pacific

B-25s of the 3rd Light Bomb Group's 13th Light Bomb Squadron attack Gasmata, New Britain.

Axis Diplomacy

The Italian liners Saturnia and Vulania arrive at Gibraltar en route to Somaliland where they are to repatriate 11,000 Italian colonists. 2 other passenger ships are sent later in the month. They return to Italy in July 1942.

Battle of the Atlantic

The unarmed US tanker Bidwell (6837t) is torpedoed by U-160 about 30 miles east of Cape Lookout, North Carolina with the loss of one crew member. In spite of being damaged the ship makes it to Hampton Roads under her own power.

Burma

Reinforcements for the Japanese land at Rangoon. Chiang Kai-shek visits the Chinese division and recommends that the Shan States, on the Chinese frontier, should be defended to the last man. He gives orders to the Chinese 96th and 200th Divisions for the defense of positions around Pyinmana in the Sittang Valley almost half-way between Rangoon and Mandalay.

Eastern Front

Red Army units advance in the area of Smolensk.

Hitler Visits Finland on Marshal Mannerheim's Birthday

Germany, Home Front

Bread, meat and margarine rations are cut including quantities allowed to heavy industrial workers and infants.

India, Home Front

Because of air attacks by the Japanese on India proper, the India Congress Party leader subsequently pledges full military support for the Allied resistance.

Indian Ocean

• Japanese naval force of cruisers and a small carrier under Vice-Adm Jisaburo Ozawa attacks shipping in the Bay of Bengal sinking 16 vessels and causing heavy damage. The 83,000 tons of shipping sunk are largely the vessels dispersed from Colombo on the 4th. The attacks are extremely efficiently carried out. Planes from the carrier Ryujo sink 3 more and also bomb the small Indian ports of Cocanada and Vizagapatam.

  Japanese Light Carrier Ryujo

• The Indian sloop Indus is sunk by Japanese bombing at Akyab, Burma. 10 of the crew are wounded.

American Steamer Sinks Off Cape Hatteras

Burma

The Japanese 18th Infantry Division arrives in Rangoon by sea from Singapore.

Diplomatic Relations

There is an exchange of wounded British and Italian PoWs at Smyrna, Turkey: 60 British and 344 Italian. 4 similar exchanges will take place, the last being June 2, 1943.

Eastern Front

Russian forces open a rail line to Leningrad.

Malta

The island suffers its heaviest attack to date, and also record its 2,000th alert of the war.[MORE]

Destruction of Royal Opera House

Auberge de France in Ruins (NWMA Malta)

Air Operations, Asia

The first experimental flight by a US transport plane over 'The Hump', the Himalayan mountain barrier between India and China takes place. Regular service will be established April 22.

Air Operations, CBI

1st and 3rd AVG Fighter Squadron P-40s down 12 Japanese fighters near Loiwing Airfield, Burma during the afternoon.

Air Operations, Europe

• 4 Bostons sweeping off the Dutch coast attack a ship but record no hits.
• 272 aircraft, including 177 Wellingtons, 41 Hampdens, 22 Stirlings, 13 Manchesters, 12 Halifaxes and 7 Lancasters, are sent to bomb Hamburg. Weather conditions are a problem with icing and electrical storms. 188 planes report bombing the target area, but the raid is a failure.
• 17 people are killed and 119 are injured. At Bremen a load of incendiaries is accurately dropped on the Vulkan shipyard where 4 U-Boats and several surrounding buildings are damaged by fire. 4 Wellingtons and 1 Manchester are lost on the raid.
• In minor operations, 13 Wellingtons are sent to Le Havre, 3 Blenheim Intruders to Holland, 24 aircraft lay mines near Heligoland and 16 aircraft are on leaflet flights to Belgium and France. 1 Manchester on a leaflet flight is lost at sea.

Air Operations, Europe

7 Wellingtons are sent on cloud-cover raids to Essen. Only 1 plane bombs a village north of Essen. There are no losses.

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-123 torpedoes the unarmed US freighter Esparta (3365t) about 14 miles south of Brunswick, Georgia. Only one of the 40-man crew is lost.
• The unarmed US freighter Malchace (3516t) is torpedoed and sunk by U-160 about 50 miles off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The Mexican freighter Faja de Oro rescues the 28 survivors. One crewman is lost.
• U-552 torpedoes and sinks the unarmed US tanker Atlas (7137t) off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina with the loss of two of the 34-man crew. The Coast Guard cutter CG-462 rescues the survivors. Later the same day, the US tanker Tamaulipas (6043t) is torpedoed by U-552. The British trawler HMS Norwich City rescues 35 survivors of the crew of 37.

Burma

The British troops take positions along a front of about 37 miles between Taungdwingyi and Minhla on the Irrawaddy, to defend the oil wells in the area. Both the Allies and the Japanese are preparing offensives, but the Japanese are ready first because they have been more quickly reinforced.

Diplomatic Relations

Vichy France protests the establishment of an American consulate in Brazzaville in the French Congo.

Eastern Front

German attempts to relieve the units of 16th Army trapped around Demyansk make some progress. In the Crimea, the Russians launch violent attacks but make virtually no progress.

Gen Mikhail G. Yefremov, commander of the Russian 33rd Army, commits suicide near Vyazma rather that surrender to the Germans. Yefremov was one of the heroes of the Red Army in the defense of Moscow.

The Soviets renew their offensive in the Crimea, attacking on the Kerch peninsula with 8 rifle divisions, supported by 150 tanks. Yet again the Soviets attack with waves of infantry. This attack is a prelude to the next phase of the Soviet offensive. The Red Army achieves little, however.

Indian Ocean

Trincomalee, on the east coast of Ceylon, is attacked by planes from Nagumo's carriers destroying naval and airfield installations. At the same time a British carrier and a destroyer are reported 70 miles south of Batticaloa, also on the island's east coast. The small British carrier HMS Hermes, undefended, as its aircraft have taken off on an unsuccessful raid on the Japanese fleet is hit by 40 bombs. The Australian destroyer Vampire suffers 13 explosions. They both sink within about ten minutes. Almost 400 men are lost on the carrier, 9 on the destroyer. The British tanker Athelstane (5571t) is also sunk east of Ceylon. While rescuing survivors from the tanker, the British corvette Hollyhock is also sunk. 48 are lost on the corvette, 16 survivors are picked up by Athelstane's boat. The British Eastern Fleet retires to Bombay and Kilindini, Kenya.

At the same time another Japanese fleet of 6 heavy cruisers and the light carrier Ryujo under Vice-Adm Takeo Kurita enters the Bay of Bengal and sinks about 135,000 tons of shipping, almost all engaged in carrying troops and supplies to Burma. The two Japanese squadrons pass throught the Strait of Malacca and return to their bases unscathed.

In their operations in the Indian Ocean the Japanese forces have sunk 112,000 tons of merchant shipping along with one carrier, 2 cruisers and 4 smaller RN ships. This is the high-water mark of the of the Japanese carrier forces' success. Their limitations are now beginning to appear. It is notable that in the attacks on Colombo and Trincomalee, the efficiency of the Japanese strike has been sharply reduced by the small defense forces (even though these have been quickly overcome) when compared with the carriers' early successes.

Japanese Second Wave Attacks

Philippines

Despite direct orders from Gen Wainwright (which came from Gen MacArthur and President Roosevelt) to continue the fight and under no circumstances surrender, at 3:30am Maj-Gen Edward P. King, commander of the Luzon Force, sends officers forward with a white flag to the Japanese forward positions to begin negotiations for surrencder. After meeting with the Japanese comander, Maj-Gen Nagano Kameichiro, unconditional surrender comes into effect at 12:30pm. 76,000 men are captured, 12,000 of them American. Mopping-up operations follow along with the terrible march of the prisoners to San Fernando, 100 miles away. Lacking food and water, and already exhausted and ill, the prisoners are treated with barbaric cruelty. An estimated 7,000 to 10,000 captives will die, including 2,330 Americans. The surrender of Bataan is later approved by Roosevelt.

Air Operations, CBI

2nd and 3rd AVG Fighter Squadron P-40s down 4 Japanese fighters over Loiwing, Burma at 1545 hours.

Air Operations, Europe

• 167 Wellingtons, 43 Hampdens, 18 Stirlings, 10 Manchesters, 8 Halifaxes and 8 Lancasters are sent on a raid to Essen. The forecast over the target was clear, but crews meet clouds. The bombing force becomes scattered and suffers heavily from the Ruhr Flak defenses. The bombing results are poor. Essen reports 7 houses are destroyed, but no serious industrial damage at all. 7 people are killed and 30 are injured. Essen estimates only 6 bomb loads were dropped there from the 172 aircraft that claimed to have bombed there. 14 aircraft including 7 Wellingtons, 5 Hampdens, 1 Halifax and 1 Manchester are lost. Bobmer Command's first 8,000-lb bomb is dropped on this raid although it is not known where it hit.
• In minor operations, 40 rookie crews are sent to Le Havre, 3 Blenheim Intruders to Holland, 3 aircraft lay mines off Heligoland and 5 on leaflet flights over France. 1 Manchester on the Le Havre raid and 1 Hampden minelayer are lost.

Churchill Visits Anti-Aircraft Battery

Battle of the Atlantic

The US tanker Gulfamerica (8081t), silhouetted by the lights of Jacksonville, Florida, is torpedoed and shelled by U-123. 19 of the 48 men on board die in the attack.

Burma

Patrols from the I Burma Corps report that the Japanese are advancing towards the Minhla-Taungdwingyi line.

East Indies

The Japanese land on Billiton Island and seize the tin mines.

India, Politics

The Indian Congress Party and the Moslem League rejects the British constitutional proposals.

Indian Ocean

As a reult of the Japanese air and naval activity south of Ceylon, the British Far East Fleet is withdrawn from bases in Ceylon to take refuge in the Persian Gulf. The Japanese forces, however, are in fact mostly returning to the Pacific. Churchill asks the Americans if they can undertake some large-scale action in the Pacific to draw off the Japanese forces. The Japanese do not exploit their successes immediately but concentrate their efforts on New Guinea and the New Hebrides in order to complete the isolation of Australia.

Occupied Norway

Bishop Eivind Berggrav is sent to Bredvedt Concentration Camp, near Oslo. Quisling threatens him with execution.

Pacific

• The US minesweeper Finch (AM-9) is sunk by aerial bombs off Luzon.
• The US submarine Thresher (SS-200) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese merchant cargo ship Sado Maru (3039t) six miles north of Oshima, near the entrance to Tokyo Bay.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The British anti-submarine trawler St Cathan (565t) sinks after a collision off the South Carolina coast. 31 of her crew are lost.

U-Boat Victim American Tanker Harry F. Sinclair

• The unarmed US tanker Harry F. Sinclair, Jr (6151t) is torpedoed by U-203 7 miles south of Cape Lookout, North Carolina with the loss of 10 of ther 36-man crew.
• The British steamship Ulysses is torpedoed and sunk by U-160 (14,647t) 45 miles south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The high speed transport Manley (APD-1) rescues all hands, 195 crew and 95 passengers.
[ | ]


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Burma

The new Japanese offensive begins in the central sector with attacks on the line held by I Burma Corps.

Eastern Front

Russian landings in the Crimea at Eupatoriya, now Yevpatoriya, are stubbornly resisted by the German 11th Army. The is no major action in the central sector. In the north, German Army Group North is still making slow progress towards their forces cut off in the Kholm-Staraya Russa area.

In an effort to turn the rear of the 11th Army, a new force goes ashore at Evpatoriya. The Germans are prepared for such a move and repel the Soviet landing. But this time the attack at Kerch also fails and is called off.

India, Home Front

Following their outright rejection by the Congress Party, the British Government withdraws its constitutional proposals. Stafford Cripps broadcasts to the Indian people.

Air Operations, CBI

2nd AVG Fighter Squadron P-40s destroy 3 Japanese Army bombers on the ground at Toungoo Airfield, Burma. On the return flight a Ki-32 'Mary' light bomber is shot down by one of the P-40s.

Air Operations, Europe

• 9 Bostons carry out an accurate raid on the Hazebrouck railway yards but 1 aircraft is lost.
• A large raid of 251 aircraft is sent to Essen. The aircraft include 171 Wellingtons, 31 Hampdens, 27 Stirlings, 13 Halifaxes and 9 Manchesters. 173 aircraft claim to have bombed Essen but bombing photographs indicate a wide area of the Ruhr is hit. Reports from Essen show a light improvement on the bombing. 5 high explosives and 200 incendiaries hit the Krupp factory and a large fire is started there. 28 houses are destroyed and 50 others seriously damaged. 27 people are killed, 36 injured and 9 are missing. 10 aircraft including 7 Wellingtons, 2 Hampdens and 1 Halifax are lost.
• This raid concludes a disappointing series of raids on this target which was judged to be the heart of the German armaments industry. There had been 8 heavy raids since the first Gee raid the night of March 8. The conclusions: 1,555 aicraft were sent to bomb Essen; 1,006 claim to have bombed the target; 64 aircraft were lost; 22 aircraft bombing photos within 5 miles of Essen. Reports from the ground show industrial damage on only 2 occasions, a fire in the Krupps factory and a few bombs on some nearby railway lines. In addition 63 civilians were killed and a modest amount of residential property had been hit.
• In minor operations, 27 aircraft are sent to Le Havre, 18 Whitleys to Genoa, 4 Blenheim Intruders to Holland, 20 aircraft lay mines in the German Bight and 7 on leaflet flights over France. No planes are lost.

Air Operations, Pacific

There are 12 Japanese raids on the Corregidor and Manila Bay forts.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The US freighter Delvalle (5032t), en route from New Orleans to Buenos Aires, is torpedoed and sunk by U-154 south of Haiti with the loss of one of her crew. Some of her survivors are rescued by the Canadian armed merchant cruiser HMCS Prince Henry. The rest reach Jacmel, Haiti by motor launch.
• The Panamanian motor tanker Stanvac Melbourne (10,013t) is torpedoed by U-203 about 15 miles off Frying Pan Shoals, North Carolina. The US Coast Guard cutter CG-186 rescues 48 survivors.
• U-130 torpedoes and shells the unarmed US tanker Esso Boston (7600t), en route from Venezuela to Nova Scotia.
• The US freighter Leslie (2609t) is torpedoed and sunk by U-123 about 3 miles southeast of Hetzel Shoals Gas Buoy, Florida. 27 survivors from the 32 on board reach the coast of Florida just north of Cape Canaveral. 1 other survivor is rescued by the US tanker Esso Bayonne.

Burma

Despite receiving help from 38th Chinese Div, which has been defending Mandalay, the British positions on the Irrawaddy are threatened by the Japanese capture of Migyaungye. The western flank of the Burmese forces is now undefended.

Diplomatic Relations

Iran breaks of diplomatic ties with Japan. The Japanese legation in Tehran is reported to have served as a propaganda center in Iran.

Air Operations, Europe

In minor operations, 4 Wellingtons are sent to Boulogne, 47 aircraft are involved in minelaying operations in the Frisians and the German Bight, and 3 more on leaflet flights. 1 Stirling minelayer is lost.

Air Operations, Pacific

In the 'Royce Raid' a special squadron of 3 B-17s and 10 B-25s led by Brig-Gen Ralph G. Royce, flies from northern Australia to a secret strip in the southern Philippines, bombs Japanese-held airfields and harbors, including Manila, and returns to Australia on April 16 with 44 US and Filipino officers and civilians.

Allied Command

Vice-Adm Robert L. Ghormley is designated as commander, South Pacific Area (COMSOPAC). Ghormley is responsible for all Allied base defense forces and local defense forces in the South Pacific, except New Zealand.

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-252 is sunk by the corvette HMS Vetch and the sloop HMS Stork, marking the first success for the new 10cm type 271 radar equipment.

U-252

Class	Type VIIC
CO	Kapitänleutnant Kai Lerchen
Location	Atlantic, NW of Cape Finisterre
Cause	Depth charge
Casualties	44
Survivors	None

• The entire 37-man crew of the US tanker Esso Boston, sunk the previous day, is rescued by the US destroyer Biddle (DD-151) and taken to San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Britain, Command

Rear Adm Lord Mountbatten, despite his junior rank, has been appointed Chief of Combined Operations with a seat on the British Chiefs of Staff Committee. This appointment, only now announced, has been effective since March 18.

Burma

The Japanese achieve a breakthrough in the center of I Burma Corps and push on to the north towards the oil wells. Chinese and British troops reinforce the defenses at Magwe, Taunggyi, Lashio and the Thailand border. The Chinese 6th Army, previously positioned in the Shan States, is ordered to concentrate south of Mandalay.

US Submarine Sinks Japanese Freighter

Air Operations - Europe

• 12 Bostons carry out an accurate bombing raid on the Mondeville power station without a loss.
• 208 aircraft are dispatched to bomb Dortmund. This force which is several times larger than any previously sent to this city includes 142 Wellingtons, 34 Hampdens, 20 Stirlings, 8 Halifaxes and 4 Manchesters. 132 aircraft claim to have bombed the target but bombing photographs indicate the bombs fell across a 40-mile stretch of the Ruhr. The ground reports from Dortmund say 1 industrial building is destroyed, 1 military establishment severely damaged, 4 private dwellings are destroyed with 31 being damaged. 4 people are killed and 27 injured. 5 Wellingtons and 4 Hampdens are lost on the raid.
• In minor operations, 23 aircraft are sent to Le Havre where all the bombs fall on open country, 5 Blenheim intruders to Soesterberg airfield and 1 Stirling lays mines near Heligoland. 1 Wellington is lost on the Le Havre raid.

Avro Lancaster Mk I

Allied Planning

The British government and its military advisers provisionally accept the American plan BOLERO, submitted by Gen Marshall, for the American build-up in preparation for a second front.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The US destroyer Roper (DD-147) sinks U-85 near Cape Hatteras. There were no survivors. This is the first submarine kill by an American ship.[MORE]

U-85

Class	Type VIIB
CO	Kapitänleutnant Eberhard Grueger
Location	Atlantic, off Cape Hatteras
Cause	Depth charge
Casualties	45
Survivors	None

• The British freighter Empire Thrush (6160t) is torpedoed and sunk by U-203 about 8 miles north of Diamond Shoals, North Carolina. The entire crew is rescued by the antisubmarine vessel Asterion (AK-100).
• U-571 sinks the unarmed US freighter Margaret (3352t) off the eastern seaboard at it en route for New York from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Burma

The demolition of oil installations around Yenangyaung, the largest oil field in the Far East, is begun in order to deny them to the Japanese. The Japanese begin to surround the Chinese 55th Div in the area of Mauchi-Loikaw.

Eastern Front

There is renewed fighting near Vyazma as the 50th Army launches a strong attack to free the encircled 33rd Army and Group Belov (Gen Pavel). Initial progress is good; by afternoon leading elements of the 50th Army are only 3 miles from Group Belov, having taken the Zaitsevo heights by storm. The Luftwaffe then enters the battle, launching a crushing attack upon the advancing units. Repeated assaults inflict crippling casualties, forcing the 50th Army to fall back.

Air Operations, Europe

US bombers conduct a daylight raid on the occupied French port of Cherbourg.

• 9 Bostons bomb the harbor and railway targets at Cherbourg without a loss.
• Dortmund is again the target as 152 aircraft including 111 Wellingtons, 19 Hampdens, 15 Stirlings and 7 Manchesters are sent. Although thick clouds and icing meet the bombing force, 88 planes claim to have hit the target area. Dortmund reports 1 house destroyed and 13 seriously damaged with 2 people killed and 6 injured. Bombs falling in Dortmund are the equivalent of 8 bomb loads. 3 Wellingtons and 1 Stirling are lost.
• In minor operations, 18 Whitleys are sent to St Nazaire, 8 Wellingtons to Le Havre, 4 Blenheim Intruders to Holland, 11 aircraft lay mines of St Nazaire and 4 are sent on leaflet flights over France. There are no losses.

Allied Planning

Harry Hopkins and Gen Marshall, Roosevelt's two envoys, return to Washington from London with the British approval of the BOLERO plan. The plan calls for the opening of a second front in Europe, but the details have yet to be worked out.

Battle of the Atlantic

The unarmed US freighter Robin Hood (6887t), en route to Boston from Trinidad, BWI, is torpedoed and sunk by U-575 about 300 miles off Nantucket with the loss of 14 crewmen.

Burma

Following their breakthrough on the 13th the Japanese continue to drive northward, isolating one of Slim's divisions, the 1st Burmese. British forces destroy the oilfields at Yenangyaung as Gen Slim begins to withdraw northward. The Chinese 38th Division fights well in covering the British retreat. With his flank exposed, Stilwell orders the Chinese to hold. One entire Chinese division deserts and disppears into the hills of Burma.

Eastern Front

The Germans launch a series of furious attacks against Soviet partisans and paratroopers trapped in the Dorogobuzh area.

Air Operations - Europe

• 12 Bostons bomb the Le Havre power station and the dock area accurately with no losses.
• In overnight minor operations, 21 aircraft are sent to Le Havre and Lorient, 21 lay mines off French ports and 11 are on leaflet flights over France. 1 Manchester and 1 Wellington are lost in minelaying operations.

Air Operations, New Guinea

B-25s of the 3rd Light Bomb Group's 90th Bomb Squadron attack Salamaua.

Battle of the Atlantic

Rescued off the Coast of Cape Hatteras

• The unarmed US freighter Alcoa Guide (4834t) is shelled by U-123. After an unsuccessful attempt at ramming the U-boat, the freighter is abandoned havine lost two of her crew.. The U-boat then sinks the freigter with gunfire.

Malta

In one of the most unusual awards of the war, King George VI awards Malta the George Cross, for the collective heroism of the Maltese people in the face of the Axis air attacks. The medal, like the Victoria Cross, is given only for the most gallant of deeds. (See Sept 13, 1942.)

Air Operations, Europe

• In the Augsburg Raid, 12 RAF Lancasters are sent to bomb a diesel engine factory in Augsburg, Bavaria, 500 miles from the French coast. 30 Bostons and a large Fighter Command effort are sent to targets in northern France to divert German fighter attention away from this raid. This effort is not so successful as 4 of the Lancasters are shot down on their way to Augsburg. 8 reach the target at roof-top height and drop 17 bombs. 7 of the planes are lost, the others damaged. Although the bombing is accurate the casualties are too heavy to repeat this type of operation.
• During the night, 173 aircraft including 134 Wellingtons, 23 Stirlings, 11 Halifaxes and 5 Manchesters are sent to Hamburg. 107 crews claim to have bombed Hamburg, the German estimate is that no more than 50 did. 75 fires are started with 33 being classified as large. 23 people are killed and 66 injured. 7 Wellingtons and 1 Manchester are lost.
• In minor operations, 22 Whitleys are sent to St Nazaire, 4 aircraft to Le Havre, 6 Blenheim Intruders to Holland and 9 planes lay mines off Heligoland. 1 Intruder and 1 minelaying Manchester are lost.
• First fatal casualty of the ATS (Auxiliary Territorial Service) is reported: Pvt Nora Caveney, 18 years old, is killed at an anti-aircraft battery during a night raid on Southampton.

Women Line Up to Buy Meat

Burma

The Chinese 38th Division and part of the 17th Indian Division are rushed to the area of Magwe to relieve enemy pressure on the 1st Burma Division. Their attempts are unsuccessful and the 1st Burma Division trapped around Magwe. Further north the Japanese hold the main road in the Irrawaddy Valley at Yenangyaung. They cut the road north and south of Pin Chaung, near Yanangyaung. The retreating British set fire to the Yenangyaung oilfields. The Chinese forces in the Sittang Valley and at Mauchi come under heavy pressure and have to give up the defense of Pyinmana. The Japanese maintain pressure on the Chinese 55th Division in the Bawlake-Mauchi area.

Occupied France

Gen Henri Giraud, ex-CO of the French 9th Army, escapes from Konigstein Castle, near Dresden, by climbing down a 46-m-long 'home-made' rope. He disguises himself as a commercial traveller and reaches Switzerland assisted by Free French agents on April 21. Hitler offers a reward of 100,000 marks for his re-capture. This is the 63-year-old Giraud's second escape from captivity in Germany. During World War I he had reached England disguised as a tram conductor.

Re-Fueling the Fleet

Air Operations, CBI

2 AVG P-40s down a Japanese Army reconnaissance plane over Loiwing, Burma at 1300 hours.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

There is a heavy daylight raid on Malta.

Allied Command

The command structure in the Southwest Pacific is changed. Under MacArthur, the supreme commander, are the Commander-in-Chief of Australian forces, Gen Sir Thomas Blamey, who will be in charge of all land operations, the American Gen George H. Brett at the head of the air forces, and Adm Herbert F. Leary, up to now head of the ANZAC forces, who will command Allied naval forces.

Battle of the Atlantic

The unarmed US tanker Axtell J. Byles, in a coastal convoy, is torpedoed by U-136 off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, but reaches Hampton Roads the next day. There are no casualties.

Burma

The Chinese 55th Div, retreating from Mauchi, is effectively destroyed by the Japanese 56th Div south of Loikaw. This leaves the road to Lashio undefended for the moment. Lashio is the southern terminus of the Burma Road. In the Sittang Valley the Chinese 22nd Div is forced to withdraw north of Pyinmana.

Eastern Front

Field-Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb is removed from command of Army Group North attacking Leningrad. Von Leeb was frustrated by Hitler's direction of the war, and Hitler was equally frustrated by the marshal's inability to occupy Leningrad.

Bitter fighting sees the destruction of the paratroopers and partisans at Dorogobuzh, partially clearing the lines of communication to the Rzhev salient. The 33rd Army is brought under heavy attack.

Mediterranean

The British submarine Thrasher sinks the German steamer Bellono (1297t) near Tobruk.

North Sea

The German steamer Seafarer (2978t) sinks on a mine near Borkum, Germany.

Pacific

Bombers from the USS Hornet raid targets in Japan. Under the command of Col James H. Doolittle, 16 B-25 Mitchell bombers of the XVII Bomber Group of the 8th Air Force, take off from the Hornet about 650 miles from Japan, raid Tokyo and other targets and fly on to China.

Technically the raid is extremely difficult. The bombers fly practically unarmed because of the need to lighten them to give extra range and the ability to take off from a carrier deck. The USS Enterprise accompanies the Hornet to give fighter cover. Also escorting the Hornet are the cruisers Vincennes and Nashville, with their complement of destroyers. This is not in fact needed because, although the carriers are sighted, the Japanese wait for them to come within the range of lighter bombers before launching their attack.

B-25 Mitchell Bombers on the Hornet

B-25 Mitchell Bomber Takes Off

B-25 Mitchell Bomber Awaits the Takeoff Signal

US Carrier Hornet Launching the Bombers

Air Operations - Europe

51 aircraft are sent to lay mines in the Frisians. 1 Hampden and 1 Wellington are lost.

Battle of the Atlantic

The US freighter Steel Maker (6176t) is torpedoes and sunk by U-135 west of Bermuda with the loss of one crewman.

Burma

As Japanese columns converge south of Loikaw, the threat to the 'Burma Road' increases. The 'Burma Road' is the route by which Allied supplies are sent to China. Allied troops fall back to Meiktila, a crucial town in central Burma on the main Rangoon to northern Burma rail route. The capture of Meiktila would be of crucial advantage to Japanese logistics in the Burma campaign.

Caribbean

U-130 shells the oil refinery on Curaçao.

Air Operations, CBI

A Japanese Army observation plane is shot down over Pyinmana, Burma by 2 AVG pilots during the morning.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The Allied convoy system is reorganized. The first of 11 new 'escort groups' commences regular patrols between 'WESTOMP', 'Western Ocean Meeting Point', off Newfoundland, and 'EASTOMP', off Londonderry.
• The unarmed US freighter West Imboden (5751t) is torpedoes by U-752 about 200 miles off Nantucket. The crew abandons her as she is being shelled by the U-boat. There are no casualties.

Burma

The Chinese 38th Div retires from Yenangyaung to the north, towards Gwegyo. Covering units of the 1st Burma Div escape from the threat of being encircled. Part of the Chinese 5th Army in the Sittang Valley retires northward from Pyinmana. The Japanese are still very active in the Loikaw-Loilem area.

Eastern Front

Lead elements of Gen Walter von Seydlitz-Kurzbach's relief force make a tentative link with the Demyansk pocket. The SS Totenkopf Division, fighting its way west from inside the pocket, establish a bridgehead on the Lovat as the forces inside the pocket attack to the west.

The Bryansk Front has lost 21,319 killed and missing plus 39,807 wounded since the beginning of January.

Malta

Over the next three days Axis aircraft attack the island ceaselessly destroying or damaging most of the newly arrived Spitfire reinforcements on the ground. It appears as though there is nothing more that Malta can do. Axis forces can land at will. There is actually a plan in place for capture of the island, known as 'Operation C3'. The Italian Adm Vittorio Tur has been nominated to carry it out. German Gen Kurt Student is to aid in the operation with his paratroopers. Mussolini is eager to occupy the Maltese islands but Hitler refuses to give the go-ahead.

Mediterranean

• The USS Wasp (CV-7), escorted by HMS Renown, 2 cruisers and 6 destroyers, ferries 47 Spitfires to Malta. This is a vital reinforcement for the defenders of the island whose whole hope for survival rests on this aid. Unfortunately of the 46 which arrive, 30 are destroyed immediately after landing.
• The British submarine Trident sinks the German steamer Hodor (5386t) northwest of Namsos.

Occupied France

French Fascist leader Jacques Doriot survives an assassination attempt at Rennes.

Philippines

Panay Island as well as Visayan Island are captured by the Japanese and they are now virtual masters of the central Philippines. The small garrisons on Negros, Samar, Leyte and Bohol are in no position to check them.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The US freighter Pipestone County (5102t), en route from Trinidad, BWI, to Boston, is torpedoed by U-576 475 miles off Cape Henry, Virginia. All aboard made it into the ship's four lifeboats.
• The unarmed US freighter San Jacinto (6069t) is torpedoed and shelled by U-201 375 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina with the loss of 14 on board. 169 survivors are picked up two days later by the destroyer Rowan (DD-405).

Burma

There is heavy fighting at Hopong in which the Chinese 6th Army is engaged. Elements of the Chinese 49th Army are quickly switched west and engage the enemy in the Mong Pawn-Loilem area near Taunggyi.

Princess Elizabeth Reviews the Guards

Eastern Front

The German pocket at Demyansk is relieved after being cut off except for air support for two and a half months. This success for air supply will probably contribute to Hitler's decision to attempt it at Stalingrad at the end of the year.

The Demyansk pocket is relieved as elements of the relief force link up with the II Corps.

Leonid Govorov is appointed to command the Leningrad Front, while Gen Mikhail Khozin is placed in command of the Volkhov Group.

Russians to Broadcast Propaganda to German Soldiers

Gen Filipp Golikov, commanding the Bryansk Front, receives orders from the Stavka to assemble a new 48th Army and reinforce the 40th Army in the Kursk and Lgov areas for a counterattack against the northern flank of Army Group South. The Bryansk Front has the 61st, 3rd, 13th and 40th Armies with 23 rifle divisions and 3 tank brigades. Stalin believes the next German offensive will come in the center.

Air Operations - Europe

• Cologne is the target of an experimental raid by aircraft equipped with Gee. 64 Wellingtons and 5 Stirlings are sent with orders to use Gee as a blind-bombing aid. Some hit the target accurately while others drop up to 10 miles away. Cologne records show that 44 high explosive bombs and 1,200 incendiaries fall in the city causing minor property damage. 6 industrial buildings report damage. 4 people are killed and 8 injured. 2 Wellingtons are lost on the raid.
• In minor operations, 23 aircraft are sent to Le Havre, 63 planes are involved in minelaying off Germany and Denmark and 1 on a leaflet flight over France. 1 Wellington on the Le Havre raid and 1 minelaying Hampden are lost.

Barents Sea

The Russian submarine M-173 sinks the German steamer Blankenese (3323t) of the Kirkenes, Norway.

Burma

Chinese troops of 200th Division are sent from there to bolster the position at Taunggyi to counter the Japanese activity in the Loikaw-Loilem area. The Chinese 28th Division should have also moved into the Loilem area, but inattention to Gen Stilwell's orders makes this position dangerous. The Chinese 96th Division continues with its rearguard actions in the Sittang Valley, while the 17th Indian Division, 7th Armored Brigade and the Chinese 22nd Division take up positions around Mektila and near Thazi.

Air Operations, Europe

161 aircraft including 93 Wellingtons, 31 Stirlings, 19 Whitleys, 11 Hampdens and 6 Manchesters are sent to the Baltic port town of Rostock in the first of 4 consecutive night raids. These raids had many of the characteristics of the successful raid on nearby Lübeck 1 month earlier - a concentrated, incendiary, area-bombing attack of a town with only light defences. An added feature on each night, however, is the inclusion of a small force of bombers to attempt a precision attack on the Heinkel aircraft factory on the southern outskirts of Rostock. On this first night, 143 aircraft are sent to bomb the town and 18 the Heinkel factory. Bombing conditions are good but the results of the raid are disappointing. The Heinkel factory is not hit and most of the main bombing intended for the Altstadt fall between 2 and 6 miles away. 2 Wellingtons, 1 Manchester and 1 Whitley are lost on the raid.

Battle of the Atlantic

• During the next 12 days the first 'milch cow' U-boat U-459 refuels 14 other U-boats at a secret rendezvous 805 km northeast of Bermuda. This supply vessel doubles the operational range of the U-boats, which are no longer restricted by having to return to base for refueling.
• The US tanker Connecticut (8684t), bound for Capetown, South Africa, is torpedoed by the German motor torpedo boat LS-4 in the South Atlantic. Survivors are picked up by the German auxiliary cruiser Michel.
• The US freighter Lammont du Pont (5102t), bound for New York, is torpedoed by U-125 about 500 miles southeast of Bermuda with the loss of 4 of her crew.

Burma

The Chinese 200th Div of the Chinese 6th Army begins to retreat from Taunggyi toward Yunnan Province as the Japanese attack Loilem. The Allied forces in the Sittang and Irrawaddy Valleys are forced to retreat because the Japanese 56th Div has forged on from Taunggyi toward Lashio, threatening the left flank of the Allied Armies. Troops of the Chinese Expeditionary Force hold off Japanese advances around Twingon, allowing thousands of Allied troops around Yenangyaung to escape the Japanese net.

Jews Being Deported from Hohenlimburg

Diplomatic Relations

South Africa breaks off relations with Vichy.

Eastern Front

Gen Filipp Golikov receives further orders, ordering him to also concentrate the 61st and 48th Armies for a concentric attack upon Orel. Golikov doubts whether he can complete the assembly of his forces in time and requests more time to prepare.

Air Operations, CBI

4 2nd AVG Fighter Squadron P-40s shoot down a Ki-32 'Mary' light bomber near Loilem, Burma during the morning.

Air Operations, Europe

Exeter is bombed by the Luftwaffe in the first of the 'Baedeker Raids' , so called because they are aimed at historic towns selected from the Baedeker Guide book in retaliation for the RAF raid on Lübeck on March 28. These raids are also nicknamed 'terror raids'.

First of the Baedeker Raids

In Operation 'Götz von Berlichingen', the Russian cruiser Kirov receives further damage from the Luftwaffe at Leningrad.

• 12 Bostons are sent to bomb the Flushing docks. 6 more are sent to Abbeville, but are recalled. There are no losses.
• 125 aircraft of 6 different types are sent to Rostock, 91 to the town and 34 to the Heinkel factory. The center of the town is bombed heavily but the Heinkel factory is not hit although some bombs fall in the area. 1 Hampden is lost.
• In minor operations, 39 aircraft are sent to Dunkirk, 4 Blenheim Intruders to Holland and 3 planes on leaflet flights. 1 Intruder is lost.

Amphibious Training for the South Staffordshires

Eastern Front

After a quiet period, the war on the Finnish front erupts once more as the 26th Army launches a fierce attack in the Kastenga area with 3 rifle divisions. The Finnish III Corps halts the Soviet thrust within 3 miles of the town and inflicts severe casualties. Fighting continues for the remainder of the month.

Air Operations, Australia

P-40s of the 7th and 8th Pursuit Squadrons of the 49th Pursuit Group down 10 of 24 G3M 'Nell' bombers and 2 A6M Zeros over Darwin between 1430 and 1500 hours.

Air Operations, CBI

2nd and 3rd AVG Squadron P-40s down 3 Japanese Army reconnaissance planes near Lashio, Burma during the afternoon.

Air Operations, Europe

The Germans bomb Bath. In the next few days Norwich, York, Hull and Exeter are all hit.

Historic Bath Bombed in Another Baedeker Raid

There is a heavy raid on Leningrad.

• 36 Bostons are sent on Circus operations to the Abbeville railway yards, the Morliax airfield, and harbor targets at Cherbourg, Le Havre and Dunkirk. 29 aircraft drop their bombs. 2 Bostons are lost in these operations.
• 128 aircraft of 6 types are sent to Rostock, 110 top the town and 18 to the Heinkel factory. Heavy bombing of the town with many fires being started. The Heinkel factory is hit for the first time by a Manchester from 106 Squadron commanded by Wing Commander Guy Gibson. No aircraft are lost, but crews report the Flak defenses have been strengthened.
• In minor operations, 6 Stirlings carry out a long-range attack on the Sköda armaments factory in Pilsen, Czechoslovakia. Cloud covers the target upon arrival and at least 5 of the planes drop their loads. 32 aircraft are sent to Dunkirk, 2 Blenheim Intruders to Holland, and 5 planes on leaflet flights. 1 of the Stirlings is lost on the Pilsen raid.

Air Operations, North Africa

A Free French bomber squadron attacks Italian outposts in southern Libya.

Burma

Although the Japanese fail to hold Taunggyi which is now defended by Chinese 5th Army, they continue to move toward Lashio, a position of great strategic importance. To the west, Gen Alexander orders that the forces around Meiktila should withdraw from the Meiktila-Kyaukpadaung line to the north bank of the Irrawaddy. In the Meiktila sector the Chinese 22nd Div is surrounded by the Japanese.

Air Operations, Europe

Bath is again heavily bombed by the Luftwaffe. In the 2 raids on Bath, 400 people are killed.

• 106 of 7 different type are again sent to Rostock, about half to the town and the rest to the Heinkel factory. Successful bombing is reported by both groups. 1 Stirling, 1 Wellington and 1 Whitley are lost.
• The 4 raids in this series result in the destruction of 1,765 buildings and serious damage to 513 more buildings in Rostock. Bomber Command estimates that 130 acres are destroyed, 60 per cent of the main town area. Casualties are 204 people killed and 89 injured.
• In minor operations, 24 aircraft are sent to Dunkirk, 2 Blenheim Intruders to Leeuwarden, 4 aircraft lay mines and 7 on OTU sorties. There are no losses.

Battle of the Atlantic

The US destroyer Sturtevant (DD-240) hits a mine and sinks off Marquesas Key, Florida. 15 of her crew are lost.

Burma

Fearing that Burma is lost, Gen Alexander decides to concentrate all available forces on the defense of India.

Caribbean

The unarmed US freighter Alcoa Partner (5513t) is torpedoed by U-66 80 miles northeast of Bonaire, BWI. 10 of the crew are lost, but 25 survivors reach Bonaire the next day.

Germany, Politics

Hitler, speaking in the Reichstag, claims that the Russian winter has been extremely severe, the worst for 140 years, with temperatures as low as minus 50° C. With the coming of spring he foretells major victories for Germany and calls for supreme effort. Hitler also asks the Reichstag to grant himm 'the positive assurance that I possess the legal authority to see to it that every individual performs his duty and that I may condemn such cases which in my opinion do not fulfull their duties to be imprisoned or to be deprived of their office. . . no matter who they be or what rights they may have acquired.' His absolute power is extended and confirmed.

Hitler addressing the Reichstag on April 26, 1942

Air Operations, Australia

P-40s of the 49th Pursuit Group's 7th and 8th Pursuit Squadrons shoot down 3 G3M 'Nell' bombers and 5 A6M Zeros over Darwin around 1430 hours.

Air Operations, Europe

To continue their reprisal raids, the Germans bomb Norwich.

• 18 Bostons are sent on raids to Ostend and Lille. 1 plane is lost.
• 97 aircraft including 76 Wellingtons, 19 Stirlings and 2 Halifaxes are sent to Cologne. Bombing conditions are favorable and the force reports good results. Reports from the ground show 9 industrial sites are hit, 1,520 houses hit or damages, and 19 other sites affected. 11 people are killed, 52 injured and 1,683 bombed out. A considerable number of bombs fall outside the city to the east causing a large fire in the Tannenwald.
• In another operation 31 Halifaxes and 12 Lancasters are sent to bomb the Tirpitz in Trondheim Fjord. The Tirpitz is found and bombed, but no hits are recorded. 4 Halifaxes and 1 Lancaster are lost.
• One of the lost Halifaxes was piloted by Wing Commander D. C. T. Bennett, later the commander of the Pathfinders. He escaped to neutral Sweden and returned to England 5 weeks later.
• Another Halifax lost on this raid, W1048 of 35 Squadron, was damaged by Flak and its pilot, Pilot Officer Donald Mclntyre, crash-landed it on the frozen surface of a nearby lake, Lake Hoklingen. The crew all survived and the Halifax, a new aircraft on its first operational flight, sank gently. In 1973 this aircraft was salvaged from the bed of the lake and, after restoration by airmen at R.A.F. Wyton, was placed on public display in the R.A.F. Museum at Hendon.
• In minor operations, 12 aircraft are sent to Dunkirk, 8 aircraft lay mines of the German coast and 3 Lancasters and 5 OTU Wellingtons are on leaflet flights. 2 Halifaxes from the Dunkirk raid, 1 Stirling and 2 OTU Wellingtons are lost in these operations.
• The 2 Whitleys dispatched by 58 Squadron to Dunkirk represent the last Whitley operations flown by a front-line Bomber Command squadron. Their last operation to Germany had been by 5 aircraft against Rostock the previous night. OTUs would continue to use small numbers of Whitleys on leaflet flights for some time.

Cruise of U-552 Was Profitable

Canada, Home Front

In a Conscription Plebiscite voters in 8 provinces approve the introduction of conscription for overseas service, but in Quebec there is a 71% majority against. (See July 29, 1942.)

Plebiscite Held in Canada in April 1942

Air Operations, CBI

2nd and 3rd AVG Fighter Squadron P-40s down 15 Japanese fighters between Lashio and Hsipaw, Burma at 1030 hours.

Air Operations, Europe

The Luftwaffe bombs York in what are now called the 'Baedeker 3-star raids', since the Germans officially claim to use this rating from the famous tour guide as a way of selecting towns to be attacked.

Baedeker Bombing of York

• 6 Bostons bomb the St Omer railway yards without a loss.
• 88 aircraft including 62 Wellingtons, 15 Stirlings, 10 Hampdens and 1 Halifax are sent on a raid to Kiel. In bright moonlight and against strong Flak and fighter defenses, 54 aircraft claim good bomb results. Post raid photographs show 'no new damage'. Reports from Kiel, however, all 3 shipyards are damaged as well as the hospital at the Naval Academy, the university library and some private housing. 15 people are killed and 74 injured.
• The Tirpitz in Trondheim is attacked by 23 Halifaxes and 11 Lancasters. Hits are claimed but not confirmed. 2 Halifaxes are lost on the raid.
• In minor operations, 6 Blenheims are sent to the Langenbrugge power station, 4 Blenheim Intruders to Holland and 6 planes lay mines off Kiel and Heligoland. 1 Blenheim is lost on the Langenbrugge raid.

Air Operations, North Africa

There is a night raid on Alexandria by the Luftwaffe. 102 people are killed, 111 injured.

Air Operations, Pacific

There is a Japanese incendiary raid on Lashio at the southern end of the Burma Road.

Burma

The Chinese 28th Div, now moving from Mandalay, is ordered to defend Lashio which is imminent danger of being captured by the Japanese. The Japanese occupy Kehsi Mansam.

Field Marshal Rommel

Air Operations, CBI

7th Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack the Rangoon port area.

Air Operations, Europe

During the night Norwich is again heavily bombed.

Damage in York

Aftermath of the York Air Raid

• 6 Bostons hit the Dunkirk docks without a loss.
• 73 Wellingtons, 9 Hampdens and 6 Stirlings are sent to hit the Gnome and Rhone aero-engine factory outside of Paris. The main factory is not hit but other industrial buildings in the nearby Port de Paris on the Seine. There are no casualties among the French people. 3 Wellingtons are lost on the raid.

• In minor operations, 20 aircraft are sent to Ostend, 6 Blenheim Intruders to Holland and 5 Manchesters lay mines off Kiel and the Danish coast. 1 Wellington and 1 Whitley from the Ostend rain and 1 mine-laying Manchester are lost.

Axis Diplomacy

Hitler and Mussolini meet at Salzburg. The two allies review the situation, which although not catastrophic, is hardly rosy. Hitler is obsessed with the Eastern Front. He seems quite changed, thoughtful and preoccupied, yet as Ciano, the Italian Foreign Minister, emphasizes, he has lost none of his 'verbosity', which he demonstrates in a monologue lasting 1 hour 40 minutes.

Battle of the Atlantic

The US tanker Mobiloil (9925t) is torpedoed and sunk by U-108 about 350 miles northwest of Turks Island. All hands survive the loss of the ship.

Britain, Home Front

In the Rugby and Wallasey by-elections Independent candidates win both seats.

Burma

The Japanese 56th Division enters Lashio, the southern terminus of the 'Burma Road' by which supplies are transported to China, having defeated the Chinese 55th Division. The Japanese covered 300 miles in only 18 days. That pace was maintained in a race with the monsoon weather. If the rains had not been delayed the Japanese would have been stuck in the mud and water. China is now cut off by land and all supplies from the Allies must go by air. Elements of the Japanese Army now turn southwest to begin the attack on Mandalay, in support of the 18th Division heading directly up from the south.

The Chinese 200th Div reaches Liolem, but then turns around and marches toward the Chinese frontier. Gen Alexander decides to withdraw to a new defensive line between Kalewa, Katha, Bhamo and Hsenwi. All available troops will begin to fall back on this line beginning May 2.

Caribbean

The unarmed US tanker Federal (2881t), en route to Banes, Cuba, is shelled and sunk by U-507 killing 4 of the 33-man crew. Fishing boats from Cuba rescues the survivors.

Japan, Planning

The Japanese Imperial General Staff Headquarters designates Port Moresby as a priority objective to assist in controlling New Guinea and the Solomons. The MO Plan is developed to establish a base in Tulagi while a major landing takes place at Port Moresby, New Guinea. The plan involves five elements, including a landing force element, a support group, a carrier striking force with the two fleet carriers, the Shokaku and Zuikaku, a patrol group, and a covering group, with the light carrier Shoho.

Air Operations - Europe

24 Bostons are sent on escorted raids to the Le Havre and Flushing docks, the Abbeville railway yards and the airfield at Morlaix. There are no losses.

Air Operations - New Guinea

8th Pursuit Group P-39s strafe Japanese Navy aircraft and fuel dumps at the airfields at Lae and Salamaua in the afternoon. They also bring down 4 A6M Zeros to the loss of 4 of their own.

Barents Sea

The cruiser Edinburgh is torpedoed by U-456 north of Murmansk while escorting Convoy QP-11. 11 of her crew are lost.

Atlantic

A secret meteoroligical station is established on Tristan da Cunha by the SAAF and the RN.

Burma

The Japanese are now in control of the whole of central Burma. After withdrawing north of the Irrawaddy, British forces destroy the bridge at Ava. The Chinese 22nd Div, having covered the British withdrawal, retires from Mandalay. The Allies already have doubts about the defensive line being established on Gen Alexander's orders, and it seems possible that all the forces of the Chinese 5th Army may have to be withdrawn to Imphal in India. Gen Stilwell receives permission to do so.

The Lyuban Offensive conducted by the Volkhov and Leningrad Fronts comes to an ignominious end. It has cost the Red Army 95,064 killed and missing and 213,303 wounded. The 2nd Shock Army has also been annihilated.

Eastern Front

Spring Thaws Lead to Muddy Roads

Red Army losses in the central sector of the front since the beginning of the year have been massive, with the Kalinin Front having lost 123,400 killed and missing and another 217,800 wounded. The Western Front has lost 149,000 killed and missing and 286,000 wounded.

The 4th Panzer Army has relocated to the south the be deployed on the northern flank of Army Group South.[MORE]

Occupied Soviet Union

An Einsatzgruppen report states with satisfaction that there are no longer any Jews in the Crimea. The Jewish population in the area had numbered up to 60,000 men, women and children, but they have been liquidated by SS squads assisted by local militia.

Pacific

The US submarine Greenling (SS-213) torpedoes the Japanese ammunition ship Seia Maru (6658t).