This Day in the War in Europe: The Beginning (1 Viewer)

[Njaco]

April 21 Sunday
WESTERN FRONT: Clashes between the Luftwaffe and the Allies begins to heat up as warm weather approaches. One of the first occurs at 1205 hours when Oblt. Hans-Karl Mayer of 1./JG 53 destroys a Hurricane north west of Merzig for his second victory. Then at 1655 hours, a rare feat when Ofw. Hans John of 4./JG 51 shoots down a highflying RAF PDU Spitfire south of Stuttgart for his first kill. Also getting his first kill is Oblt. Karl-Heinz Krahl of 1./JG 2 who downs a French Morane south of Saarbrücken shortly before 1730 hours.

NORTHERN EUROPE: A German destroyer and troop transport ship sail up through the melting ice of the Trondheimfjord and land mountain troops at Verdal and Kirknessvag, on the flank of General de Wiart's 146th Brigade which retreats back to Vist. British and Norwegian base at Steinkjer is bombed into the ground, worsening 146th Brigade's position.

Further South, Morgan's 148th Brigade joins Norwegian positions around Lake Mjøsa which are being pummeled by German heavy artillery and 8 He111 bombers. However, 148th Brigade is swept up in retreat before they have dug in (or in some instances even arrived at the front). They set out at midnight on a 14 mile march over hilly, snow-bound lanes back to Lillehammer.

Out at sea, German submarine U-26 sank British merchant vessel "Cedarbank" of convoy AP-1 50 miles northwest of Ålesund, killing 15. Destroyer HMS "Javelin" rescued 30 men, but the vehicles, anti-aircraft weapons, ammunition, and food destined for the British 148th Brigade near Lillehammer were all lost.

In support of the German advance up the fjord to Kirknesvaag and Verdolsora, the Luftwaffe bombs and destroys the facilities at Namsos.

American air attaché to the Nordic countries, US Army Captain Robert Losey, was killed while observing a German bombing on the railway junction at Dombås, Norway. Losey was the first American military casualty of WW2. Captain Losey was attached to the US Embassy when it was decided the embassy staff should evacuate to Sweden to avoid getting caught in the fighting that has developed since the German invasion. After safely escorting Ambassador Florence Harriman across the Swedish border, Captain Losey volunteered to return to Norway and locate the remaining members of the embassy staff. Whilst travelling through Dombås, Captain Losey and his chauffeur took refuge in a railway tunnel when the Luftwaffe began bombing and straffing the area. It is reported that Captain Losey moved to the entrance of the tunnel and whilst standing there he was hit by shrapnel from an exploding bomb. He was killed at the scene. US Minister to Sweden Frederick A. Sterling ordered Naval Attaché Lieutenant Commander Ole E. Hagen to Norway to retrieve Losey's remains.


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[parsifal]

23 April 1940 (Part I)
Known Reinforcements
Allied
ASW Trawler EL MANGELANZELAH - ASW Trawler MANGROVE

Known Losses

MV LOLWORTH (UK 1969 grt): Enroute from Portsmouth to Tyne, in ballast, the ship struck a mine and sank in the North Sea east of Ramsgate, Kent with the loss of two of her 24 crew.

M-1302 SCHWABEN (DKM 436 grt): The aux MSW struck a mine laid by NARWHAL on 13 Apr 40 off Skagen.

Steamer SAYN (Ger 2321 grt) was sunk on a mine in Hubert Bay near Borkum.

NO IMAGE FOUND]

Steamer ROMANSBY (ex-UK Ger 4887 grt), alongside the jetty at Narvik, was destroyed when the jetty was blown up. The steamer's crew of 38 were interned in Sweden.

SC UJ-B TREFF V (DKM 331 grt): The auxiliary submarine hunter was torpedoed and sunk in the Skagerrak by Sub TETRARCH . There were only 3 survivors

DKM War diary
Selected Extracts

OKW Operations Staff has relinquished its demand for a transport operation to Trondheim because of Naval
Staff's rejection. Instead, transport to Bergen is to be reviewed.

Naval Staff considers the operation practicable, even though with certain misgivings. Crossing should be carried out so that at dawn the transports are off Skudesnes, where strong anti-submarine escort and precautionary anti-submarine measures will await the transports.

At a speed of advance of 20 knots in the open sea, the ships would then have to leave the estuaries about 0600 on the day before
and cross the latitude of Hanstholm (57° N) at about 2100.

Defense :
From the Heligoland Bight to Skudesnes close escort by the Fleet, strong ASW escort requiredt, air escort by Air Force fighter and heavy fighter formations. Picked up by S Bootes from Skudesnes; the Fleet forces will be out to sea and will protect the transports advancing in the skerries against penetration by enemy surface forces and partly also against surprise attacks by enemy bombers from the west.

It Is necessary for the operation that very strong air escort of the transports by fighter and heavy fighter formations be provided until the troops and material have been disembarked in Bergen. Group West has very strong objections to the despatch of the
POTSDAM and GNEISENAU because of the great danger from the air, and proposes that the troops should be given fast transport on DDs and TBs (possible to take over about 1,200 men at one time). The question is being re-considered by Naval Staff.

UBOATS
Kriegstagebücher (KTB) - War Diary

U 25 reported again. (Her transmitter was out of order). U 29 at last put into Trondheim. There have been so many radio messages that it had to be investigated whether the boats are not being requested to make too many reports.

Enemy reports are already limited to battleships, cruisers and troop transports, and these are essential if a picture is to be formed of the situation in the operations area and a/c or other boats are to be sent out. The only possibility is to use short signals more. Whether or not these can be D/F'd must be tested by our own D/F network with the next boats to sail.

U 65 again reported battleships and destroyers. She should arrive in the area west of the Shetlands tomorrow together with U 25
and also U 61, coming from Bergen. It will then be necessary to re-dispose the "western boats" in this area. Although during the short time that boats have been there since the occupation of Norway no successes have been achieved, it must nevertheless be assumed that the main route for English supply lies through this area.

A scattered disposition is best for anti-S/M activity at this time of year, at least for the larger boats, while the 2 small boats on the western side can approach closer to the coast and the starting points (Scapa and Loch Ewe). Relevant boats have been informed of the assembly points at Sullom Voe and Luna Ness reported by radio intelligence and a/c. They themselves will have to find out what opportunities these offer. U 43, 9, 19, 46 entered port. U 43 (Lieut.(s.g.) Ambrosius) took 35 tons ammunition to Trondheim and several times sighted cruisers and destroyers, with out being able to attack.
U 46 (Lieut. (s.g.) Sohlen) was operating in the Westfjord and the Ofotfjord and was chased by destroyers. An attack on Warspite failed, because the boat hit a rock when about to fire. A double shot at a French "Albatross" torpedo cruiser, at close range ran under, although the depth set was 3 meters. In spite of her best efforts this boat achieved no success. The Commanding Officer, to whom no blame attaches, will have to be relieved because of nervous exhaustion.

U 9 probably sank a large or Jervis class destroyer; the ship could no longer be heard in the hydrophones after the shot. The sinking is not absolutely certain however. For the rest, there is nothing particular to mention about these small boats. Mines are suspected in the Elbe. Arrangements have been made with F.O.I.C. North Sea Defenses for the next boats to have mine escort. Losses due to mines in our own waters must be avoided at all costs and it should be perfectly possible to avoid them.

Arrivals
Kiel: U-10, U-19, U-46
Trondheim: U-29
Wilhelmshaven: U-43

At Sea 23 April 1940
U-9, U-13, U-14, U-17, U-23, U-24, U-25, U-26, U-30, U-34, U-38, U-47, U-52, U-56, U-57, U-58, U-59, U-60, U-61, U-62, U-65.
21 boats at sea

OPERATIONS
Baltic
Western Baltic

North Sea
Fr Contre Torpilleur DDs conducted a sweep into the Nth Sea to roll up the DKM ASW screen being formed. Fr contre torpilleur DDs INDOMPTABLE, MALIN and TRIOMPHANT of DesDiv 8 had departed Cherbourg on the 19th for Rosyth, departed Rosyth on Operation RAKE. The ships operated in the Skagerrak to the longitude of Hamburg, 10 East. Returning on the 24th, the Fr DDs engaged DKM aux PVs Vp.702 and Vp.709 of the PVFlot 7 and S Bootes S.10 and S.12. After an indecisive action, the engagement was broken off. This early morning engagement was the only surface contact of the operation. The Fr DDs attacked U.26, which was able to escape and arrived in Germany on the 25th. U.56, returning to Germany, sighted the Fr ships sth of Skudesnes on the 24th. The Fr ships were then bombed in the Nth Sea. TRIOMPHANT was near missed and sustained damage to her port propeller shaft bracket. All 3 Fr ships arrived back at Rosyth late on the 24th. Sub TRIAD arrived at Rosyth after patro

FN.153 departed Southend, escort DD VALOROUS and sloop WESTON. DDs WHITLEY and WINCHESTER supported the convoy then joined FN.155. The convoy arrived at the Tyne on the 25th.

Northern Waters
DD VANOC departed Scapa with tkr WAR NIZAM for Sullom Voe. The DD was to wait and escort the tkr back to Scapa after the oil was discharged. After U-boat reports , DDs HAVELOCK and HAVANT departed Scapa for ASW Sweeps.

DDs KIMBERLEY and GRIFFIN departed Scapa for Rosyth22nd to escort steamer RUTLAND (1437grt) to Namsos. Steamer GUNVOR MAERSKE (Den 1977 grt), carrying the 166th AA Bty, escort DDs KIMBERLEY, BRAZEN, WOLVERINE departed Leith for Namsos where they arrived on the 27th. ASWGp 12 of trawlers STELLA CAPELLA, CAPE ARGONA, CAPE CHELUYSKIN, BLACKFLY arrived at Namsos escorting Tkr RONAN (1489grt). The ASW Gp then proceeded to Skelfjord. On 26 April, the Gp departed for Molde.Trawler BLACKFLY was damaged in a collision on the 26th in Skelfjord and remained behind. The gp arrived on 27 May at Molde. The gp remained at Molde until the 30 April/1 May evac.

 

[Njaco]

April 22 Monday
NORTHERN EUROPE: General de Wiart, the old soldier, can smell defeat. German air strikes paralyze Namsos and his supply lines south. Moreover, he risks 146th Brigade becoming encircled at Vist by German landings on his flank. He orders a fighting withdrawal to Namsos. The Brigade began to retreat toward Namsos as German troops began to surround their positions.

Further South, Morgan's 148th Brigade digs in at Faaberg, and defended against German attacks north of Lillehammer. However, they are flanked by German mountain troops scaling the 2,165ft high Balbergkamp, forcing another overnight retreat. The British troops fell back 20 miles to the north overnight and formed a new line at Tretten Gorge, one of the narrowest and most defensible points in the Gudbrandsdal.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Two British Hudson bombers attacked German submarine U-43 in the North Sea. U-43 escaped with minor damage.

The anti-aircraft sloop HMS "Pelican", on her way to the Romsdal Fjord carrying the personnel of the Naval Base party for Molde, Norway, was crippled by a dive-bomber and suffered heavy casualties.

WESTERN FRONT: An Inter-Allied Supreme War Council, also attended by Poland and Norway, met in Paris, France. The meeting was characterized by the political fighting between French leaders Reynaud and Daladier. Allies believe success is at hand and, out of touch with reality, contemplate a "march on towards Oslo".

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[parsifal]

23 April 1940 (Part II)
OPERATIONS (CONT'D)
Northern Waters (Cont'd)
An RN force was formed at Harstad with CLs AURORA and ENTERPRISE and DDs FAULKNOR, CODRINGTON, ARDENT, ELECTRA, ESCAPADE, ACASTA, ZULU, BEDOUIN, one Polish DD assigned the duty of maintaining close British control of the waters around Narvik. DDs FORTUNE and WALKER departed Scapa for Sullom Voe to escort flying boat depot ship MANELA to the Clyde.

For the first time in the war under combat conditions 2 RN carriers operated together, when CVs ARK ROYAL and GLORIOUS departed Scapa on Opn DX with CA BERWICK, CLA CURLEW, DDs FEARLESS, FURY, HASTY, HEREWARD, HYPERION, JUNO. CV ARK ROYAL carried 9 Skuas and 2 Rocs of the 800 Sqn, 9 Skuas and 2 Rocs of the 801 Sqn, 12 Swordfish of the 810 Sqn, 9 Swordfish of the 820 Sqn. CV GLORIOUS carried 9 Gladiators of the 802 Squadron, 11 Skuas of the 803 Squadron, 9 Gladiators of 804 Sqn.GLORIOUS also carried 18 Glads of RAF 263 Sqn. That evening, CV GLORIOUS flew the Gladiator a/c of 263 Squadron to an airfield at Lake Lesjaskog. These planes were intended for the air defense of Aandalsnes and Molde, but were destroyed by LW bombing on the 25th. On 24 April, 6 Skuas of 800 and 801 Squadrons from ARK ROYAL and 6 Skuas of 803 Squadron from GLORIOUS flew missions over Aandalsnes. All a/c returned safely to the carriers, but 2 Skuas crashed landed near the carrier, all aircrew rescued by DDs. The RN force positioned itself midway between Namsos and Trondheim. At 0300 25th, CV ARK ROYAL launched a strike of 14 Swordfish from 810 and 820 Sqns, with an escort of 9 skuas from 800 and 801 sqns. CV GLORIOUS launched 11 Skuas of the 803 Sqn with bombs and a brief to attack the Vaernes airfield and other military targets at Trondheim. CV GLORIOUS lost 4 Skuas of 803 Sqn in the raid, but all the aircrews were rescued. The crews returned to England in a Sunderland a/c to collect replacement a/c. The CAG of CV ARK ROYAL lost 1 Swordfish from the 820 Sqn and 3 Swordfish from the 810 Sqn, Lt .A. Pardoe and PO of 810 Sqn were lost; all other aircrew were rescued, returned to England to collect and redeploy replacementy a/c fropm the reserves. On the 26th, the DD screen was sent to Sullom Voe for refuelling. These DDs were relieved at 0700/26th by DDs GRENADE, BEAGLE, FORTUNE, VOLUNTEER, ENCOUNTER, ESCORT, which sailed from the Narvik area at 1630. The original screen arrived at Sullom Voe on the 26 April. They departed to rejoin early on the 27th. On 26 April, a Skua of 803 Squadron was shot down, pilot recovered unhurt. Another Skua of 801 Sqn was shot down on the 26th. The plane force landed near a snow drift and both crew were unhurt (and returned to service thanks to help from Norwegian resistance). On 27 April, 2 Skuas from ARK ROYAL were shot down by LW a/c, one crew (from 803 sqn) were killed. The other aircrew was rescued. At 2100/27th, CV GLORIOUS was sent to Scapa escort DDs GRENADE, HASTY, FURY, ESCORT, ENCOUNTER, FORTUNE. They arrived at 1800/28th. The raid was repeated on the 28th when ARK ROYAL, escorted by CA BERWICK, CL SHEFFIELD, DDs HYPERION, HEREWARD, FEARLESS, JUNO, launched 12 Swordfish and 7 Skuas to attack Trondheim area targets. 1 Skua of 800 Squadron was shot down. The crew were rescued and returned to Hatston by air.

DD JAVELIN escorting steamer ST MAGNUS (1312grt), which was carrying the survivors from sunken steamer CEDARBANK, arrived at Kirkwall from Aalesund on the 23rd. DD JAVELIN then proceeded to Scapa.

Channel
Fr CL MONTCALM and DDs VAUTOUR and ALBATROS, departed Brest on the 22nd, arrived at the Clyde to relieve damaged CL EMILE BERTIN. DD BRILLIANT completed boiler cleaning at Dover and proceeded to patrol stations OC 1 and OC 2 to relieve DD BOADICEA which had developed a defect. DD BOADICEA's defect was corrected in 24 hrs and returned to service. DD VANESSA and MSW HUSSAR entered the submarine basin to boiler clean. DD VANESSA completed boiler cleaning on the 26th.

UK - France
BC.35 7 steamers, including steamers BARON KINNAIRD and DAVID LIVINGSTONE departed Bristol Channel escorted by DD MONTROSE. The convoy arrived at Loire on the 24th. SA.38 of one steamer arrived at St Malo from Southampton.

Central Atlantic
SL.29 departed Freetown escort AMC PRETORIA CASTLE until 7 May.

Med- Biscay
CL NEPTUNE and DDs DECOY and DEFENDER arrived at Gib for duty with the Med Flt after having departed Freetown on the 18th.
DD DECOY sailed for Malta, but was recalled to escort repair ship RESOURCE. BB ROYAL SOVEREIGN, which was met at sea by DDs KEPPEL and WATCHMAN,arrived at Gibraltar for duty in the Med Flt. CL DRAGON departed Malta. Fr AMC KOUTOBIA departed Algiers escorting 4 liners to Brest.

Far East/Pacific/Australia
CL DANAE arrived at Penang.

 

[parsifal]

24 April 1940
Known Reinforcements
Neutral
USN DD MEREDITH (Benson Class)

SU Submarine S-15 (Serie IX Bis), Submarine S-16 (Serie IX Bis), Submarine S-17 (Serie IX Bis), Submarine S-18 (Serie IX Bis)

Allied
Corvette Bluebell (K 80) - Escort DD CLEVELAND (Hunt Class Type I)

Losses
Steamer CRONSHAGEN (Ger 1787 grt) was sunk and Latvian steamer GUNDEGA (3583grt) was badly damaged on mines off Drogden, near Copenhagen.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Steamer GIRASOL (UK 648 grt) was sunk in a collision northeast of Spit Buoy. The cargo ship collided with CONTRACTOR (UK) in the Nth Sea north of Margate, Kent and sank. All 11 crew were rescued by RICHARD (Belg).
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

DKM Raider ORION sank steamer HAXBY (UK 5207 grt) in the Caribbean Sea NE of the Dominican Republic. 17 of her 40 crew were lost

BB WARSPITE, CLs EFFINGHAM, ENTERPRISE, AURORA, DD ZULU, screened by DDs ENCOUNTER, ESCORT, FAULKNOR, FOXHOUND, HAVOCK, HERO, HOSTILE and ORP DDs BLYSKAWICA and GROM bombarded Narvik. CL EFFINGHAM sank captured Steamer RIVERTON (Ex UK, Ger 5378 grt) moored along an outlying pier. The steamer's British crew of 33 were interned in Sweden (but subsequently returned).

Collier RYDAL FORCE (UK 1101 grt): 3 steamers LOLWORTH, STOKESLEY and RYDAL FORCE were sunk in the Thames estuary by aerial mines dropped by the LW. This vessel was fully laden with coal when lost in the Nth Sea off Ramsgate, Kent with the loss of 11 of her 13 crew, and was enroute from Sunderland to Cowes . The survivors were rescued by RN SARAH HYDE.

Trawler LEONARD (UK 217 grt) was sunk by LW bombing in the North Sea
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

MV STOKESLEY (UK 1140 grt): 3 steamers LOLWORTH, STOKESLEY and RYDAL FORCE were sunk in the Thames estuary by aerial mines dropped by the LW. The cargo ship struck a mine and sank in the Thames Estuary north of Birchington, Kent with the loss of 15 crew

DKM War Diary
Selected Extracts

Narvik ;
In the morning the town and ore railroad were bombarded by 2 BBs, 2 cruisers and 7 DDs. No vital damage. Non-combatant units of troops and prisoners were evacuated along the ore railroad. Gp Narvik blew up the ore pier and set it on fire. Coming from the nth, the enemy attacked nth of positions near Elvenes and on the Oalgge Pass.

Trondheim :
After visiting Trondheim, Commanding Admiral, Norway reports that the withdrawal of the DDs without replacement of the personnel engaged ashore would very greatly prejudice Trondheim* s defense and is therefore impossible.

In reply to a request made by Quartermaster General of Commander in Chief, Air Force, he was informed that six submarines at most
could be made available for transport of aviation gasoline to Trondhelm. The Quartermaster General had made a request which would have necessitated the withdrawal of 24 submarines for transport purposes alone.

Bergen :
Admiral, West Norwegian Coast has ordered the immediate seizure of all Norwegian trawlers and drifters to bring units of commanding Admiral, Defenses, Baltic up to strength. Reconnaissance of Sogne Fjord with reference to the setting-up of torpedo batteries has been carried out. Naval Staff is forced to refuse Group West' s request for the allocation of defense vessels from the Baltic area to Admiral, West Norwegian Coast, since It is not possible to remove vessels at present from the Baltic area because of losses incurred and great claims on all vessels. Gp West has been instructed to investigate the question of handing over two PVs
from the area of Commanding Admiral, Defenses, North and to hand over Ship "7".

It appears from enemy radio traffic that MSWs have exploded a magnetic mine lit cables from Chequers Shoals Buoy. This is the first definite information that the enemy possesses a ready minesweeping gear or "magnet gear" to sweep magnetic mines.

The last few days have confirmed Naval Staff's supposition that:

1. The enemy has begun aerial minelaying operations in the North Sea estuaries, in the Kattegat, in the entrances to the Baltic
and in the western Baltic and that

2. he is in a position to sweep the magnetic mines laid by us with a certainty not yet fully determined.

UBOATS
Kriegstagebücher (KTB) - War Diary

Boats in the operational area, excluding those on their way back or on transport trips, are now distributed as follows:

U 14, 17, 24 off the approaches to Bergen
U 23, 57, 58, 59 east of the Shetlands and Orkneys
U 13, 61, 25, 30, 34, 65 west of the Shetlands and Orkneys or on their way there....U 49, 50 doubtful. Loss probable.

No reports have yet been received from their area west of the Orkneys etc. U 30 and 34 reported by short signal that there was little traffic or patrol.

Arrivals
Kiel: U-9

At Sea 24 April 1940
U-13, U-14, U-17, U-23, U-24, U-25, U-26, U-30, U-34, U-38, U-47, U-52, U-56, U-57, U-58, U-59, U-60, U-61, U-62, U-65.
20 boats at sea

OPERATIONS
North Sea
Sub TRUANT departed Rosyth for Operation KNIFE in the Sognefjord area. Operation KNIFE was to supply arms and ammunition to the Norwegian forces in Sognefjord. On 25 April, off the Norwegian coast, a mine exploded close ahead and TRUANT was forced to return badly damaged to Rosyth for repairs. Sub CLYDE, which had departed Blyth on patrol on the 24th, was recalled to replace TRUANT. Sube CLYDE arrived at Rosyth on the 26th and departed Rosyth on the Operation on the 27th.
Sub SEVERN departed Rosyth for Dundee where she arrived later that day. Sub NARWHAL departed Blyth for Immingham to embark mines. Fr subs PASTEUR, THETIS, CALYPSO departed Harwich. The first with defects and returning to Cherbourg and the second two on patrol. Fr sub ORPHEE arrived at Harwich after patrol. Sub ORPHEE had defects which required repair before patrol could be resumed. The defects were found to be serious and the sub was sent with sub PASTEUR back to Cherbourg for repairs. FN.154 departed Southend, escort DDs WALLACE and VALOROUS. The convoy arrived at the Tyne on the 26th. MT.58 departed Methil, escort DDs WESTMINSTER and WOLSEY. The convoy arrived in the Tyne later that day. FS.154 departed the Tyne, escort DDs WESTMINSTER and WOLSEY. The convoy arrived at Southend on the 26th.

Northern Waters
British troops were embarked on repair ship VINDICTIVE at Bogen to be landed at Narvik should the Germans be induced to surrender after its heavy bombardment. However, the Germans made no such overtures and these troops were disembarked after the BmB and returned to Harstad. Low visibility prevented an assessment of the bombardment. DDs FAULKNOR and ENCOUNTER were left off Narvik to patrol the area. The DDs were joined later that day by ASW trawler NORTHERN SPRAY (655grt) and the next day by CL ENTERPRISE and ORP DD BLYSKAWICA. After this bombardment, BB WARSPITE with DDs HAVOCK, HOSTILE, HERO, FOXHOUND left the Narvik area for Scapa in preparation for WARSPITE's return to the Med. BB WARSPITE arrived at Scapa on the 26th, WARSPITE departed for the Clyde on the 27th. BB WARSPITE arrived in the Clyde escort DDs INGLEFIELD, HERO, FOXHOUND on the 28th.

CA YORK, CLs MANCHESTER and BIRMINGHAM, DDs ACHERON, ARROW, GRIFFIN departed Rosyth with 1600 troops (the rest of the 15th Brigade). At dusk on the 24th, CL MANCHESTER disembarked troops at Molde and CA YORK and CL BIRMINGHAM disembarked troops at Aandalsnes. Gen Paget, which had taken passage in MANCHESTER, boarded Nor DD SLEIPNER, which carried him to Aandalsnes. U.23 made two unsuccessful attacks on CA YORK as she was leaving the area on the 25th.

In heavy air attacks on Aandalsnes, CLA CURACOA was badly damaged when she was struck by a bomb below the bridge and it exploded between decks killing 45 crew and wounding 36. CURACOA was escorted seaward by sloop FLAMINGO which then returned and relieved her as the Aandalsnes guard ship. CLs SHEFFIELD and GLASGOW and DDs WITCH, CAMPBELL, VANSITTART closed to provide cover. The DDs were low on fuel and proceeded directly to Scapa. CURACOA arrived at Scapa on the 26th escort CLs SHEFFIELD and GLASGOW. CURACOA departed Scapa with damaged DD HOTSPUR on the 26th and arrived at Chatham on 1 May was repairing until late August 1940.

The heavy air attacks continued on the 25th at Aandalsnes and TB TRYGG (Nor 198 grt) and ASW Trawlers BRADMAN (RN 452 grt), HAMMOND (RN 452 grt), LARWOOD (RN 452 grt), were badly damaged and run aground (and lost). The trawlers were all units of ASWGp 22. The 4 ships were later salved by DKM and renamed ZICK, Vp.6112 , Vp.6115 , VP 6111.

TB TRYGG. Captured and re-used by the Germans after they captured Andalsnes. BRADMAN on the right

 

[parsifal]

24 April 1940 (Part II)
OPERATIONS (CONT'D)
Northern Waters (Cont'd)
Sloop BITTERN relieved sloop AUCKLAND as AA guard ship and for wireless duties at Namsos. DDs ASHANTI, MOHAWK, NUBIAN, SIKH departed Scapa to operate in the fjords around Trondheim against German coastal shipping. The DDs cruised the fjords from 26 to the 28th supported by CLs MANCHESTER and BIRMINGHAM without success. DDs NUBIAN and ASHANTI operated in Kraakvaagsfjord and off Fro Havet. DDs MOHAWK and SIKH operated in the Trondheim Leads. On 27 April in Kraakvaagsfjord, DDs ASHANTI and NUBIAN searched the fjord while MOHAWK and SIKH patrolled at the mouth of Trondheimsfjord. DD ASHANTI was attacked by LW a/c which were able to damage her with near misses. DDs ASHANTI and NUBIAN returned to Scapa on the 29th. DD ASHANTI departed Scapa on the30th for repairs at Dundee until 23 May when she arrived back at Scapa for duty. The Germans once again avoided Allied probes because of the SIGINT advantages they enjoyed.

DD JUPITER departed Scapa to search for a Walrus seaplane of CL SOUTHAMPTON, flying from Hatston, last reported 20 miles from shore. The search was unsuccessful and the DD returned to Scapa. 3 aircrew and the Walrus of 700 sqn were lost.

After dark there was a LW air raid on Scapa. The area west of Cava was closed until it was declared free of mines next day. Tkr ALDERSDALE (8402grt) arrived at Skelfjord escort DDrs BEAGLE and VOLUNTEER. Polish troopship CHROBRY escort DDs VETERAN and VISCOUNT departed the Clyde for Namsos. They arrived at Namsos on the 28th, but due to port congestion, it was not possible to unload her.She was sent back out to sea that afternoon. . At 2230, they returned and the DDs ferried the troops and stores to the jetty. The ships unloaded until the morning of the 29th when they all sailed. All ships arrived safely at Scapa on the 30th. DD VANOC departed Sullom Voe for Devonport for refitting. The destroyer arrived on the 27th.

West Coast UK
Damaged Fr CL EMILE BERTIN departed the Clyde for Brest escorted by Fr DDs ALBATROS and VAUTOUR. Fr FP.3 of troopships COLOMBIE , MEXIQUE , CHENONCEAUX, PROVIDENCE , escort Fr Dds VALMY, VERDUN, LEOPARD, arrived in the Clyde. Fr troopship GENERAL METZINGER was damaged in a collision on the 25th in St George's Channel en route and arrived at Liverpool. Fr troopship VILLE D'ALGER departed Scapa on the 26th escort by Fr DD FOUDROYANT and DD ANTELOPE to embark the troops from the damaged troopship. On 27 April, the French troopship and DD FOUDROYANT arrived at Liverpool.

Channel
DD VESPER escorted steamers BELLEROPHON and LYACAON from Plymouth to the Clyde. A Uboat was reported off Start Point. DD WAKEFUL departed Plymouth. DD BULLDOG departed Plymouth. DD VESPER and corvette ARABIS were also ordered to search for this UBoat. DD VESPER departed Plymouth and corvette ARABIS departed Plymouth to search.

Med- Biscay
CLs NEPTUNE and ORION departed Gib for Malta. DDs DECOY and DEFENDER, escorting repair ship RESOURCE, departed Gib for Malta.

Other
S/Lt S. Lyver was killed when his Swordfish of the Gosport Torpedo Training Unit hit the sea on a practice torpedo run on aux MSW ROYAL DAFFODIL nw of Troon. Lt V.C. Marryat RM, was killed when his Gladiator of 759 Squadron crashed sw of Wilton.

 

[Njaco]

April 23 Tuesday
NORTHERN EUROPE: British 146th Brigade retreated to Namsos, Norway. The brigade had thus far suffered 19 dead, 42 wounded, and 96 missing. Greater catastrophe befalls Morgan's 148th Brigade at Tretten Gorge. Germans artillery pounds their line all morning and 3 light tanks break through defenses along the river road at 1300 hours. Simultaneously, German mountain troops climb through the highlands and at 1800 hours circle behind the Allied lines. At 1900 hours, 148th Brigade retreats north but is bombed and strafed from the air. Only 309 men manage to escape to safety up the Gudbrandsdal. Since arriving, they have lost 705 men killed, missing or captured. The remnants of the Brigade, seek shelter in a railroad tunnel.

The Norwegian town of Namsos was ablaze, with heavy bombing from the German Luftwaffe. The town, near the river of Namsen, had been the target of determined German attacks for the past few days. HMS "Nubian", a Tribal class destroyer of the Royal Navy, approached the town a few days ago whilst escorting a French convoy. The commander of the vessel described what he saw in reports sent back to Scapa Flow;

"When the town came into view the sight was remarkable. The whole place was a mass of flames from end to end and the glare on the snows of the surrounding mountains produced an unforgettable sight."

All the storage buildings on the waterfront have been destroyed by German bombers, and the mass evacuation of civilians has led to a serious shortage of transport.

Near Oslo, British aircraft conducted a raid on German-controlled airfields.

WESTERN FRONT: Supreme War Council meeting in Paris agrees on the importance of capturing Trondheim, unaware of the British reverses at Namsos and Tretten Gorge. British have not yet informed the French that 'Operation Hammer' has been cancelled.

Fighters from III./JG 53 and RAF No. 73 Squadron meet up again near Sierck-les-Bains, in a fierce battle. Two Hurricanes are shot down near Diedenhofen with one being claimed by Hptm. Werner Mölders, his ninth and last of the 'Sitzkrieg'. The other Hurricane falls to Fw. Franz Gawlick of 9./JG 53 for his second score.

UNITED KINGDOM: 'Budget Day' in Britain saw the increase of tax on beer up by 1d (½p) per pint, whisky up by 1/9 (9p) per bottle, duty on cigarettes is increased. Higher income tax and surtax announced. The postage rate for letters goes up to 2½d (1d) and telephone charges are raised.

Members of the Parliament in Britain criticized that the earlier estimate of 1940 war expenditure of £2,000,000,000 was too low.

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[Njaco]

April 24 Wednesday
NORTHERN EUROPE: Troops of the British 15th Brigade are landed at Åndalsnes after a 9-day journey by sea from France. They immediately move south down the Gudbrandsdal valley towards Lillehammer to reinforce Norwegian troops holding the German advance. They pass Morgan's defeated 148th Brigade falling back to Åndalsnes.

Norwegian 6th Brigade under General Carl Gustav Fleischer attacks Dietl's perimeter north of Narvik. They are held by the Germans at Lapphaug Pass but those marching over Fjordbotneidet mountain find Gratangsbotn undefended. Germans falling back from Lapphaug surprise the resting Norwegians (killing 34, wounding 64 and 130 prisoners) and retake Gratangsbotn (for 9 dead or missing, 16 wounded). At Narvik, the Luftwaffe dropped supplies to the German forces holding the city.

Battleship HMS "Warspite", cruisers HMS "Effingham", "Enterprise", "Aurora" and destroyer HMS "Zulu" (screened by British destroyers HMS "Encounter", "Escort", "Faulknor," "Foxhound", "Havock", "Hero", "Hostile" and Polish destroyers "Blyskawica" and "Grom") sail into Ofotfjord and bombard Narvik. Despite this concentration of force the commanding general decides that the naval guns will not have sufficiently disrupted the German positions because of their unsuitable, flat trajectory of fire. The naval commander is Admiral of the Fleet Lord Cork. This officer has been brought back to active service at Churchill's request. He is senior in the service to even the commander of the Home Fleet. His seniority poses problems in his relations with the military commanders who are at times reluctant to insist on measures which their military knowledge makes them believe essential. HMS "Effingham" sinks captured British steamer "Riverton", docked in the harbour. Naval commander Lord Cork and Orrery goes ashore away from Narvik to assess conditions on the coastline and again concludes that deep snow will make opposed landings impossible.

German troops repelled a British attack near Trondheim.

Around 0700 hours, a mixed force of British bombers are intercepted by fighters from II./JG 77. Five Hudson bombers are shot down with claims given to Fw. Ertel of 6./JG 77 for his first kill. From the 5 Staffel, Fw. Robert Menge gets his fourth kill as does Lt. Edgar Struckmann, Oblt. Pointer is credited with his second victory and Fw. Werner Petermann scores his first victory when he destroys a Hampden. A second British formation of Blenheims at 0925 hours finds Ofw. Jaenisch of 4./JG 77 destroying his first Allied aircraft.

The British fly in eighteen Gloster Gladiators from the aircraft carrier HMS 'Glorious' to help the Norwegians. The Gladiator biplanes of the No. 263 Squadron RAF commanded by Squadron-Leader John Donaldson, arrived at the frozen Lake Lesjaskogsvatnet, which was to become their base of operations. The pilots found the temporary runway to be thick with snow, and the supplies and support to be very underprepared and disorganized. Notably, they have no anti-aircraft support. It is hoped the presence of No. 263 Squadron RAF on Norwegian soil will swing the balance of air power towards the allies.

In heavy Luftwaffe attacks on Åndalsnes, anti-aircraft cruiser HMS "Curacoa" is badly damaged when she is struck by a bomb below the bridge, which explodes between decks killing 45 and wounding 36. She will return to Chatham for repairs and resume active duty in August.

German General Nickolaus von Falkenhorst is appointed Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces Norway. Josef Terboven was appointed the Reichskommissar of Norway.

FliegerFührer Stavenger was formed, the units controlled by this command included 1(F)./122. Other units were 1(F). and 3(F)./ObdL.,1(F)./120, I./ZG 76, Z./KG 30, part of II./JG 77, 2./KG 30 and 1./KüFlGr 106.

UNITED KINGDOM: British House of Commons approved a trade agreement with Spain. It was the first since the Spanish Civil War.

NORTH AFRICA: Duquesne was assigned to Force X stationed in Alexandria, Egypt.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-23 make two unsuccessful attacks on British cruiser HMS "York" (returning to Scapa Flow from Åndalsnes having disembarked General Paget's 15th Brigade).

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[parsifal]

25 April 1940
Known Reinforcements
Neutral
USN DD Tender DIXIE USN CV WASP

SU 4(?) x MBK Armoured GunBoats

Losses
MV BOBBY (Pan 2827 grt) The Panamanian registered cargo ship collided with NE MIDSLAND in the English Channel, 3 nautical miles SE of Dungeness and sank. All 28 crew were rescued by Midsland.

[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Hospital Ship BRAND IV (Nor 343 grt (est)) The hospital ship was bombed in the Norwegian Sea off Alesund by LW a/c and ran aground. Some sources say this ship was only damaged.

[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Coastal Steamer FOLDEN (Nor 316 grt): Bombed and set on fire by LW a/c in off Tonnes, Nordland on Apr. 25-1940. 6 died. The wreck was beached near Tonnes, completely burnt out. Later raised and towed to Bodo, condemned and taken over by insurers, laid up. Sold back to A/S Saltens Dampskibsselskab, Bodo in 1941, repaired and rebuilt at the company's own yard, 337 gt, back in service in July-1944. By the winter of 1945 she was laid up, while the company's Bodin serviced the Salten and Ofoten routes alone.

[NO IMAGE FOUND]

MV HAARDRAADE (Nor 756 grt)): The cargo ship was bombed and sunk at Leirvik, Hordaland by RAF a/c with the loss of 1 crew member. Later raised, repaired and returned to service by Germany in 1944 as Hodnaberg or possibly Haadnaberg)..

[NO IMAGE FOUND]

MV MARGHAM ABBEY (UK 4387 grt) The ship was part of Convoy FS 53 when it struck a mine and sank in the Thames Estuary north of Herne Bay, Kent. All crew were rescued.

Fishing vessel WILLY (Ne 147 grt) was sunk in mining off Terschelling. The entire crew of the fishing vessel was lost.

[NO IMAGE FOUND]

DKM War Diary
Selected Extracts

Area Sth of Trondhelm ; It Is apparent from a radiogram from the Otta area that CV GLORIOUS is off the coast in the Kristiansund - Trondheim area. Disembarkations of troops and material in Andalsnes are completed according to a radiogram from the Commander there; 2 cruisers and DDs sailed after completing their assignment. DDs, freighters and steam tankers were detected in Romsda Is Fjord, Nordal Fjord and Sjflrungs Fjord and successfully attacked by the LW. Air recon sighted enemy forces in the afternoon 60 miles NE of Molde Fjord, consisting of 4 Capital ships (incl BC RENOWN) and 4 cruisers on course 150°. Plans not identifiable.

Home Area ;
The BC HOOD was spotted 30 miles northeast of the Shetlands by air recon. The cruisers GLASGOW and GALATEA in the Shetlands-Scapa area. The enemy sub disposition was detected to a great extent. About 7 boats are thought to be in the Skagerrak and Kattegat, 5 on return passage, 5 outward bound, 3 of the latter into the sthn Nth Sea.

The 5th S-Boote Flot succeeded in recovering a British aerial mine west of Samsfl. A most significant and gratifying success, which within the shortest possible time after the first enemy use of aerial mines has eliminated the element of uncertainty in the problem of combatting the aerial mine and thus represents the first step towards effective defense against it. According to the first statements, it is a ground mine with about 500 kg. of explosive, apparently magnetic firing . The Minelaying Experimental Command has commenced further investigations. Numerous flights by enemy planes during the night of 25 April over Kiel Bay, North Schleswig Into the Fehmarn-Eutin area and Lubeck Bay. Minelaying suspected. Several impacts by bombs or mines in the water are reported from the Elbe and Kiel Canal.

Transports of troops and personnel continue as planned. 2,500 men taken to Larvlk, 900 to Oslo. Further transports en route with 2,100 men.

Commanding Admiral, Norway reports regarding the Norwegian campaign naval vessels commissioned for German use and on vessels
seized. Commissioned with German crews: 2 DDs, 1 ML, 6 TB (2nd class), 1 old ML, 2 MSWs, 6 whalers, 2 aux vessels.

UBOATS
Kriegstagebücher (KTB) - War Diary

English attacks on Bergen and consequent chances of success for the boats there are no longer to be expected. These boats are therefore being disposed northeast of the Shetlands where prospects are likely to be more favorable, especially as U 59 reported a convoy east of the Shetlands. U 26 entered Wilhelmshaven, having transported ammunition etc. to Trondheim. She sank a transport. Otherwise the trip was without incident.

Arrivals
Kiel: U-62
Wilhelmshaven: U-26

At Sea 25 April 1940
U-13, U-14, U-17, U-23, U-24, U-25, U-30, U-34, U-38, U-47, U-52, U-56, U-57, U-58, U-59, U-60, U-61, U-65.
18 boats at sea.

OPERATIONS
Baltic
Western Baltic
Sub TRIDENT fired 2 torps at steamer PALIME (Ger 2863 grt) or PELIKAN (Ger 3264 grt) returning from Stavanger, both missed their targets.

North Sea
DDs SOMALI, MASHONA, TARTAR departed Scapa for Rosyth to escort troopships ULSTER MONARCH (3791grt) and ULSTER PRINCE (3791grt) from Leith to Aandalsnes. The DDs arrived at Scapa with these troopships, after being diverted en route.

Fr sub DORIS arrived at Harwich after patrol. DORIS had defects that required extensive repair before she could resume patrol. OA.136 departed Southend escort DD VENETIA. FN.155 departed Southend, escort DD WHITLEY and sloop LONDONDERRY. DDs WHITLEY and WINCHESTER joined from FN.153. The convoy arrived at the Tyne on the 27th. MT.59 departed Methil, escort DDs VIVIEN and VIMIERA. The convoy arrived in the Tyne later that day. FS.155 departed the Tyne, escort DDs VIVIEN and VIMIERA. The convoy arrived at Southend on the 27th.

Northern Waters
Sloop BLACK SWAN departed Scapa for Andalsnes to arrive at dusk on the 26th. Sloop FLEETWOOD arrived at Scapa with wounded from damaged sloop PELICAN. Sloop FLEETWOOD also escorted steamer HIGHLANDER (1216grt) from Lerwick to abreast Scapa. DD WHITLEY attacked a sub contact. The contact was later assessed as doubtful

West Coast UK
Tkr SEMINOLE (UK 10,389 grt) was damaged on a mine. Fr FS.2 , escort Fr sloops CHAMOIS and COMMANDANT DELAGE, dep Brest on the 18th with freighters BRESTOIS (3094grt), CHATEAU PAVIE (2047grt), SAINT FIRMIN (4528grt). FS.2 now with escort Fr Contre Torpilleur DDs MAILLE BREZE and EPERVIER departed the Clyde for Scapa arrival on the 27th. On 26 April DDs WITCH and CAMPBELL departed Scapa Flow to reinforce the escort, with MAILLE BREZE detaching and returning to the Clyde on the 27th. The convoy arrived safely after calling in at Scapa, (EPERVIER to return to the Clyde) proceeded to Harstad arriving 1 May, escort DDs WITCH and CAMPBELL. CHATEAU PAVIE disembarked at Stoveien, SAINT FIRMIN at Skaanland and Bogen, BRESTOIS at Skaanland.

CL EMERALD and liner DUCHESS OF RICHMOND arrived at Liverpool from Halifax. The CL went on to the Clyde for refit. OB.137 departed Liverpool escort DD WALPOLE from 25 to 28 April, when the DD joined SL.28.

UK-France
BC.34 of steamers BARON CARNEGIE, DUNKWA, GLOUCESTER CITY, KUFRA, LOTTIE R dep Loire escort DD MONTROSE. The convoy arrived in Bristol Channel on the 26th.

 

[parsifal]

26 April 1940 (Part I)
Known Reinforcements
Neutral
USN Navajo class Fleet tug CHEROKEE

Losses
Steamer LILY (Den 1281 grt): There are conflicting accounts concerning the loss of this ship. According to "British and Other Navies in World War 2" by Don Kindell, yjis ship departed Kirkwall for Preston with a British prize crew aboard, on the 25th. The steamer never arrived. The entire 6 man prize crew were lost. According to http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?11229, the ship had passed through allied control at Kirkwall, and was enroute with a danish crew to Preston. She is claimed as torpedoed by U-13 and lost on the 26th. This is corroborated by UBoat Net.

TB GARM (Nor 540 grt): The Draug-class TB was sunk by LW at Bjordal in Sognefjord, north of Bergen. None of the crew were killed.

An RN force consisting of CA YORK, CLs MANCHESTER and BIRMINGHAM, DDs ACHERON, ARROW, GRIFFIN encountered German U-boat supply ships Schiff 26 (Trawler JULIUS PICKENPACK) (DKM 394 grt) and Schiff 37 (trawler SCHLESWIG) ( DKM 433 grt) off Moldefjord. Both ships were on a supply mission and were flying the Dutch flag in disguise. DD ARROW was proceeding independently from Romdalsfjord to Scapa. As DDr ARROW tried to capture trawler SCHLESWIG, the trawler rammed and lightly damaged ARROW. The trawler then was taken under fire by CL BIRMINGHAM and sunk. No survivors were located. After SCHLESWIG was sunk, the other DDs searched for other trawlers. Trawler JULIUS PICKENPACK was captured by

This was a very significant event, as it was one of the first instances where codebooks for the DKM ENiGMA machines were captured. The first success with procurement came was the sinking of U-33 in January 1940 within a mile of the coast of Scotland. One of the sailors forgot to toss some of the rotors in his pocket overboard and they were discovered by the British. This next event saw the capture of a serving DKM vessel (Schiff 26) captured intact, without DKM having knowledge that it had fallen into British hands, as it attempted to pass itself off as the Dutch fishing boat POLARES (and hence did not transmit any emergency signals) was captured along with most of its ENIGMA code books. Without these successes and other raids it is likely that the Naval Enigma would have remained too secure to be cracked with any regularity. Bletchley Park had already begun to read low grade LW and Army supply traffic as a result of the intense signal activity generated by the campaign, but the naval codes, particularly the UBoat codes would remain a secret for some time

DD GRIFFIN. DD GRIFFIN put a boarding party aboard the trawler and the trawler was taken to Scapa arriving on the 28th. DD ARROW proceeded to Scapa with DD ACHERON and arrived on the 27th. Destroyer ARROW was repaired at Middlesborough repairs completed, on the 13 May to return to Scapa.

DDs GRAFTON and ORP BURZA departed Scapa with Tkr BOARDALE (UK 8334 grt), steamers HERON (UK 2374 grt) and BALTEAKO (UK 1328 grt) for the Narvik area. Steamer HERON was carrying 400 D/Cs for the DDs at Narvik. The convoy arrived safely, but on the 30th, tkr BOARDALE was lost after running aground in Assundfjord near Harstad. Destroyer CODRINGTON on the 30th was ordered to assist BOARDALE. Steamers HERON and BALTEAKO with DDs GRAFTON and BURZA arrived in Vestfjord on 1 May. Tkr INVERARDER, escort DDs CODRINGTON and ESCAPADE, was to have pumped the oil out of BOARDALE, but BOARDALE caught fire and was lost before INVERARDER arrived.

DKM War Diary
Selected Extracts

The first supply train from Sweden has arrived at the frontier. Supplies, however, are extremely difficult, since the ore railroad is partly destroyed and without current. Supplies for Narvik are therefore not assured for any length of time

This is a revelation, since Sweden has always maintained it adopted a strictly neutral policy during Weserubung. This is clear evidence that they did not maintain such neutrality, and in fact were buckling under the implied threats made by the Nazis such as violations of the Swedish territorial waters, repeated sinkings of clearly marked Swedish shipping operated as neutral shipping, and deliberate overflights of Swedish territory by the LW.

The department of the British Ministry of Shipping in New York stated that all Danish ships on the high seas which had not transferred to the Allied flag would be seized as prizes since they technically represented enemy tonnage. Transfer to other neutrals would not be acknowledged. The Allies are, however, ready to make agreements on the chartering of such ships.

On the other hand, the Danish Shipping Committee in New York stated that Denmark had opposed the German invasion. Germany has therefore no legal rights over Danish ships. The British assertion that these ships are prizes according to International Law cannot therefore be acknowledged. Endeavors to come to an agreement with the Allies about the routes outside the European war zone have unfortunately failed.

Lloyds Register in 1939 shows the Danes had 709 vessels under their control totalling 1.176 million tons of shipping. About 77% of that shipping was drafted into Allied service after Danish surrender, most of it willingly, and attracting very attractive hiring rates by the British.

According to fresh reports from Group Baltic it is possible that the British ground mine does not work with magnetic but with acoustic firing. If this assumption is confirmed, we must also expect that the British torpedo possesses an acoustic control . (This explains various torpedo hits on the stern as e.g. the steamer PRIEDENAU, the cruiser LUTZOW). Chief, Naval Staff considers that further use of subs off the Norwegian coast and for attacks on enemy naval vessels offers little prospect of success,, in view of
the torpedo difficulties and the slight chances of hitting fast-moving warships, and considers that the resumption of war against merchant shipping In the Atlantic as soon as possible is necessary and alone promises success.

UBOATS
Kriegstagebücher (KTB) - War Diary

U 17 has succeeded in rescuing the crew of an a/c which made a forced landing between the Orkneys and the Shetlands. U 34 attacked the 20,000 ton "Franconia" north of the Minch. The ship's course had been obtained by B Dienst Service intercepts . No success. End-of-run detonator. Probably a miss at long range. Nevertheless it shows that it is possible to attack in this area. U 34 is returning as she has used all her torps.

DKM had not fully appreciated that they not only had problems with the magnetic detonation pistols. Their torps also had faulty depth keeping mechanisms, which would not be completely solved until they were given access to the Italian Fiume and Whitehead mechanisms by Italy. Airborn torpedoes suffered from the same depth keeping problems until 1941.

U 56, 60 and 62 returned from patrol. These boats were operating off Bergen and between the Shetlands and Norway, temporarily also in the area nth of Stadtlandet. They had no opportunities to attack, but sighted numerous enemy forces (DDs). The commanders of U 51 and U 64 reported on their operation in the Westfjord. In spite of difficult conditions (short light nights, calm sea, no chance of taking avoiding action) there were possibilities of success which could have had a decisive effect on ops in the nth if the numerous torpedo failures had not caused every attack to fail. U 64 was to have provided outward escort for the aux cruiser ship 36, but she did not find her and afterwards operated off Narvik. After heavy D/C attacks she put into Narvik for repairs and changing and was sunk by air attack in the Herjangsfjord on 13.4. The crew was saved except for 8 ratings

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Arrivals
Kiel: U-47, U-56

At Sea 26 April 1940
U-13, U-14, U-17, U-23, U-24, U-25, U-30, U-34, U-38, U-52, U-57, U-58, U-59, U-60, U-61, U-65.
16 boats at sea

OPERATIONS
North Sea
Sub NARWHAL departed Blyth on ML opn FD.6 in Aalbeck Bight. Subs SEAWOLF and SHARK arrived at Harwich after patrols. Sub CLYDE arrived at Rosyth to replace damaged sub TRUANT in Opn KNIFE.

MT.60 departed Methil, escort DD WOOLSTON and armed patrol trawler BREDA. The convoy arrived in the Tyne later that day.
FS.156 departed the Tyne, escort DD WOOLSTON and armed patrol trawler BREDA. The convoy arrived at Southend on the 28th.
Steamer CREE (4791grt), astern of convoy FS.54,was damaged on a mine laid on 2 April by DKM Schiff 11 (a disguised ship) . The steamer was towed to Yarmouth. Mine destructor ships BORDE and CORFIELD were engaged in Operation MNS 2 on 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 April.

 

[Njaco]

April 25 Thursday
WESTERN FRONT: Although many others claim to have the first night-fighter kill of the war, it is Obfw. Hermann Förster flying with 10(N)./JG 2 who destroys a RAF Hampden bomber conducting mine-laying operations on the northwest coast of Germany. It is his second victory of the war.

UNITED KINGDOM: A new evacuation scheme was introduced in Britain as a Ministry of Health survey showed that only 8% of eligible children had been registered. Later studies revealed that 19% of parents refused to register their children, while 73% of them simply did not respond to the registration.

NORTHERN EUROPE: 3000 British troops of General Paget's 15th Brigade advance to the village of Kvam, 55 km South of Dombås, where they engage General Pellengahr's 196th Division (8500 motorized infantry with tanks, artillery and dive bomber support) moving up the Gudbrandsdal from Lillehamer. 15th Brigade's Hotchkiss 25mm anti-tank guns destroy 1 Neubaufahrzeug heavy tank, 1 light tank and an armored car in an initial skirmish. Despite German numerical advantage and being supported by dive bombers, the British troops held ground and stopped the German advance. For the first time, a British line holds the German advance.

The RAF 263 Squadron on Norwegian soil came under attack today. The group of RAF Gladiator aircraft operating on the frozen Lake Lesjaskogsvatnet in Norway was discovered by the Germans. German aircraft bombed the rough airfield on and off for eight hours, destroying 13 aircraft on the ground. Several Gladiators get off the ice and provide air cover for Paget's 15th Brigade at Kvam. Returning, they shoot down 3 Heinkel He111s. By the end of the day, Squadron Leader Donaldson ordered the position to be abandoned. The 5 surviving Gladiator aircraft were to be withdrawn to Stetnesmoen.

Two Heinkel He111s from 1(F)./122 were sent on a reconnaissance mission flying from Stavenger to the Shetlands. En route they discovered HMS "Warspite" 100 miles NW of Stavenger heading towards the coast. Three Ju 88s of KG 30 were dispatched to, unsuccessfully as it turned out, attack the ship. One of the reconnaissance Heinkels failed to return.

NORTH AMERICA: US President Roosevelt announced that the United States recognized the state of war between Germany and Norway, and reaffirmed American neutrality in that conflict. To that end, he specifically forbade Norwegian submarines from entering American territorial waters.

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[parsifal]

26 April 1940 (Part II)
OPERATIONS (CONT'D)
Northern Waters
U.13 attacked a steamer west of Pentland Firth, but torpedo defects prevented any damage being done.

DD JUPITER departed Scapa Lerwick with dynamo spares for damaged DD ECLIPSE. DD JUPITER then escorted base ship MANCHESTER CITY departing Kirkwall on the 26th for the Tyne. DD ACHERON departed Scapa 27th and arrived in the Clyde at on the 28th. With only 6 serviceable a/c (losses however had been light), CVL FURIOUS,which had been off Norway since 11 April, was relieved from her station and set course for the Clyde escort DDs DELIGHT, DIANA, IMPERIAL. The old ship had done well, receiving a unit citation Battle Star for her efforts, though she had been limited by the absence of her fighters. FURIOUS arrived in the Clyde on the 29th escort at this point DDs IMOGEN, ISIS, ILEX. DD BROKE departed Scapa for repairs at Devonport.

Troopship FRANCONIA proceeding unescorted from Narvik to the Clyde, was attacked by a Uboat enroute. DDs JANUS and ANTELOPE were sent to assist. However, when it was found FRANCONIA was not damaged, the DDs were recalled to Scapa.
DD ANTELOPE, Fr DD FOUDROYANT, AMC VILLE D'ORAN then departed Scapa for Liverpool, arriving on the 27th. Sloop FLAMINGO, out of ammunition, was relieved by sloop BLACK SWAN on her arrival as AA guard ship at Andalsnes. Sloop FLAMINGO departed Andalsnes for Scapa.

DDs SOMALI, MASHONA, TARTAR dep Leith with troopships ULSTER MONARCH and ULSTER PRINCE for Andalsnes. On the 27th, they were ordered to Scapa to await orders. DDrs IVANHOE, ICARUS, IMPULSIVE departed Immingham on the 26th and arrived at Scapa 27th. DDs JACKAL, JAVELIN, WITCH, CAMPBELL were held in readiness at Scapa to proceed to intercept an unknown warship. This warship was found to be Nor DD SLEIPNER when she arrived at Lerwick. SLEIPNER departed Lerwick 27th and arrived Scapa later that day. ASW trawler BLACKFLY of ASWGp12 was damaged in a collision as she was departing Skelfjord with the rest of the Gp for Molde. The trawler returned to Skelfjord.Trawler BLACKFLY was further damaged on 4 May when she ran aground at Skelfjord.

U.17 rescued a downed German aircrew 70 miles SE of the Shetlands. The seaplane was then destroyed by the submarine.

West Coast UK
OB.137 departed Liverpool escort DD VIMY fro 26 to 29 April, when she was detached to the inbound HX.36. Steamer HIGHLAND PATRIOT (14,172grt) ran aground off East Knock John Buoy. The steamer was refloated later on the 26th.

Channel
Fr convoy FS.1 departed Brest escort Fr DDs CYCLONE and MISTRAL on the 16th, Greenock on the 20th, escort from here DDs BRESTOIS and BOULONNAIS, arrived at Scapa on the 22nd. The convoy departed Scapa on the 23rd, FS.1, composed of Fr freighters SAUMUR (2955grt), AMIENOIS (3713grt), CAP BLANC (3317grt) and escort Fr DDs BOULONNAIS and BRESTOIS and RN MATABELE, arrived at Namsos on the 27th. The convoy disembarked its cargo of stores and ammunition for the troops ashore. DDs BRESTOIS and BOULONNAIS escorted steamers AMIENOIS and SAUMUR departing Namsos on the 29th with 840 French troops. They arrived Scapa on 2 May.

After a loop crossing in St Margaret's Bay, DD BOADICEA was dispatched to join DD KEITH on patrol. Two Fr ASW trawlers were at sea in the area.Trawler L'ORIENTAISE dropped DCs which exploded depth charges on sunken trawler PERIDOT. Tugs were dispatched to assist the French trawler. The loop crossings were later found to be British danbuoy laying yachts.

Nth Atlantic
HX.38 departed Halifax escort RCN DDs SAGUENAY and SKEENA, which were detached on the 27th. The ocean escort was AMC ASCANIA, which was detached on 8 May. Fr submarine AJAX was to have sailed on the 24th to escort the convoy, but defects cancelled the sailing. DDs WALPOLE and WESSEX provided inbound escort from 10 to 12 May, when the convoy arrived at Liverpool.

Med- Biscay
OG.27 was formed from OA.135G, which departed Southend on the 24th, escort DD VIVACIOUS and sloop FOLKESTONE, OB.135G, which departed Liverpool on the 24th, escort sloops FOWEY and DEPTFORD, of 51 ships. Sloop FOLKESTONE escorted the convoy on the 26th. Sloop FOWEY and DD VIVACIOUS escorted the convoy from 26 April. Sloop FOWEY was damaged in a minor collision on the 24th, as her convoy section was setting out. DD VENETIA stood by to assist, but sloop FOWEY was able to proceed with the convoy. On 26 April, DD VIVACIOUS departed the convoy to join convoy HG.27 and on the 27th, sloop FOWEY joined the HG.27 convoy as well. Sloop DEPTFORD escorted the convoy on 26 and 27 April. Fr sloop CHEVREUIL and aux PV MERCEDITA escorted the convoy from 27 April to 3 May. The convoy arrived at Gib on 3 May.

Following Halifax escort duties, BB MALAYA arrived at Gib escorted by DDs VELOX and VORTIGERN. HG.28F departed Gib with 40 ships, escort Fr sloop ANNAMITE and aux PV VIKING from 26 April to 2 May. Sloop SCARBOROUGH and DD VERSATILE assumed escort from 2 to 5 May. The convoy arrived at Liverpool on 5 May. Fr sub LE TONNANT, escorted by PV RAVIGNAN arrived from Casablanca at Gib. The sube had departed Dakar called at Casablanca departing 25 April. The sub departed Gib 28 April and arrived at Bizerte on 1 May, escort sloop YSER which then returned to Casablanca and from there to provide further escort. Subs NAUTILUS and SAPHIR, escort by sloop YSER, arrived at Gib from Brest. The subs departed Gib on the 28th and arrived at Bizerte on 1 May, again escorted by sloop YSER.

 

[Njaco]

April 26 Friday
NORTHERN EUROPE: Adolf Hitler, unhappy that the British 15th Brigade was able to land in Norway without German interference, ordered Åndalsnes, Norway to be bombed the entire day. Part of the British 15th Brigade's supplies were destroyed by the bombing. However, 15th Brigade is 172 km away at Kvam, holding back German 196th Division which loses 50 men, 5 light tanks and 3 armored cars. In the evening, the British 15th Brigade fell back 3 kilometers to form a new line at Kjorem.

RAF Gladiators at Stetnesmoen engage the Luftwaffe, shooting down another He111 but using up all their fuel and ammunition. The last Gladiators are burned. The pilots board ships at Åndalsnes. Squadron Leader Donaldson will be awarded the DSO.

British War Cabinet, now aware of defeats at Steinkjer and Tretten Gorge, starts to consider evacuating Namsos and Åndalsnes. Likewise, General de Wiart declines an offer of additional troops at Namsos since "in case of evacuation, this would complicate matters". This "evacuation" mentality will gain momentum, despite 15th Brigade's successes.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine U-13 torpedoed and sank British steamer "Lily" at 0117 hours, killing the entire crew of 24.

GERMANY: Satisfied with the progress in Norway, Adolf Hitler ordered his generals to resume planning for the invasion of France.

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[parsifal]

NORTH AMERICA: US President Roosevelt announced that the United States recognized the state of war between Germany and Norway, and reaffirmed American neutrality in that conflict. To that end, he specifically forbade Norwegian submarines from entering American territorial waters

.


Norwegian subs? Should that be "German Subs"?

 

[parsifal]

27 April 1940
Known Reinforcements
Axis
Type VIIB U 102

Neutral
USN SIMS Class DD WALKER

Allied
Fr CH-41 Class SC 41 (est)

Losses
Trawler ATHELSTAN (UK 222 grt) The trawler was last seen by Trawler CLAIRE . No further trace was seen of her, and she was listed as missing, presumed lost with all 9 crew.

Steamer NYHAUG (Nor 4044 grt) was sunk by German bombing at Lepsoy. She was later raised, repaired and returned to service as HOLLA. She was still in existence in the 1960's when she was named KYRSTI II
http://www.warsailors.com/norships/nyhaugKirsti.jpg

DKM War Diary
Selected Extracts

The Supreme Commander of the Norwegian Army issu«d an order of the day:
"You did everything In your power to stop the enemy. You were often forced back and thus had to leave your positions. That is
disheartening but the main thing was to gain time. You honorably discharged your duty, for which I thank you. This withdrawal
movement is now at an end and I exhort you anew: Be of good courage and we shall be victorious."

In point of fact, much of the Norwegian army was about to surrender, and the western allies to abandon central Norway.

Sweden :
The Foreign Office is at present trying to obtain the Swedish Govt's consent to the carrying of survivors, wounded and prisoners on the return journey of the trains running to Gp Narvik. This measure is justified as an act of humanity. Even the question of possible internment by the Swedish Govt will be no obstacle.

Denmark :
In reply to the blocking of Danish assets in the U.S.A. The Danes have blocked U.S. assets in Denmark.

UBOATS
Kriegstagebücher (KTB) - War Diary

Lt Prien reported on U 47, which entered Kiel on 26.4. He was operating against the transports entering the Vaagsfjord and was stationed in the southern sector of the fjord, where the transports could be expected to unload. He twice attacked cruisers and destroyers lying at anchor in the Vaagsfjord (Bygden). If the torpedoes had not failed this would have meant a success which would have changed the whole situation in the Narvik area.

U 38 entered port. She too made unsuccessful attacks on "Warspite" in the Vaagsfjord and on a cruiser in the Andfjord. On her way back she made contact with a convoy, which U 47 had shadowed in a masterly fashion, but was forced to dive before she could attack and depth charged.

Naval War Staff issued the following new directions for U-boat operations:

1) Orkneys-Minch area to be occupied constantly.
2) As strong a disposition as possible in the Atlantic.
3) For the present further supplies to Trondheim.
4) if necessary operation for case "GELB".
5) U-boat training.

On the other hand no further action is required in the Norwegian coast area. It is not at present possible to fulfill the 2 main requirements, occupation of the Orkneys-Minch area and operation in the Atlantic, simultaneously. The small boats which are now E and NE of the Shetlands will have to return within the next few days. The 8 small boats which remain for operational purposes will need long rests before they can put to sea again. They have carried out 2 and even 3 patrols with only very short intervals between them. U 13, 61, 25, 30, 34 and 65 are still in the Orkneys-Minch area and west of the Shetlands. These too will have to return soon without being relieved. They too will need some time after their return before they can operate again. I have decided to leave them there until they have exhausted their supplies. It is not yet proven that there are no opportunities to attack, but every ton of enemy supplies sunk there has a greater value than a ton sunk in the Atlantic. Later the small boats can operate in the Orkneys-Minch area and the large ones in the Atlantic. The requirements can only be met with the few boats if they are concentrated and used to best effect. The lack of every boat which is detached for subsidiary operations makes itself felt. It is therefore regrettable that 5 boats are still engaged on transport. U 32 and UA will sail for Trondheim today with ammunition and petrol.

Arrivals
Kiel: U-60
Wilhelmshaven: U-38

Departures
Kiel: UA
Trondheim: U-29
Wilhelmshaven: U-32

At Sea 27 April 1940
U-13, U-14, U-17, U-23, U-24, U-25, U-29, U-30, U-34, U-52, U-57, U-58, U-59, U-61, U-65, UA.
16 boats at sea.

OPERATIONS
Baltic
Eastern Baltic

Western Baltic

North Sea
DD EXPRESS was damaged while entering a lock at Immingham. The DD was repaired at Hartlepool and returned to service.

Northern Waters
CV GLORIOUS left her station off the Norwegian coast on the 27th for replenishment at Scapa arriving with her escort on the 28th. OA.137 departed Southend escort DD WINDSOR..

U.13 on the 27th damaged tkr SCOTTISH AMERICAN (UK 6999 grt) west of Pentland Firth. The steamer was towed to Loch Eribol by decoy ship LOOE (steamer BEAULY: UK 1061 grt) and armed boarding vessel NORTHERN REWARD (RN 655 grt). DDs DELIGHT, DIANA, IMPERIAL en route to Scapa were diverted to assist on the 28th. MSW trawler JUNIPER stood by while 8200 tons, the entire cargo less 1000 tons of oil, which had been lost, was pumped into tkr OIL PIONEER for return to Scapa. Transfer was completed on 2 May. The tkr was able to leave Loch Eribol on 5 May with tug ST MELLONS and trawler JUNIPER for North Shields.

Sub CLYDE for Operation KNIFE and ORP sub ORZEL for patrol departed Rosyth. However, CLYDE developed engine defects and returned the same day. Sub CACHALOT departed Blyth for repairs at Devonport. Fr sub SYBILLE departed Harwich on patrol.

Steamers DELIUS and DALLINGTON COURT and DDs AMAZON and WITHERINGTON had departed the Clyde on the 21st for Scapa, arriving on the 23rd. TM.1, consisting of steamers DELIUS (6065grt), DALLINGTON COURT (6889grt), SPANKER (1875grt), LOCHNAGAR (1619grt) departed Scapa escort DDs AFRIDI, AMAZON, WITHERINGTON on the 24th to arrive at dusk on the 26th. The convoy arrived at Andalsnes at dusk on the 27th. The arriving convoy found the town in flames and the area under heavy air attack yet again. The convoy was bombed for 3 hrs. Steamer DELIUS was damaged by LW bombs. Some disembarkation was done and sloop BLACK SWAN's ammunition was replenished, but when the convoy left in the early morning of the 28th, still under night air attack, the greater part of the stores, including the first hvy AA bty to reach Norway was still aboard the cargo ships. The convoy was ordered to stand off the coast to await further orders. TM.1 departed Romdalsfjord escort DDs AFRIDI, AMAZON, WITHERINGTON. The convoy was under air attack for 4 hrs with 65 bombs being dropped but no damage was done. The convoy was given AA spt by DDs MOHAWK and SIKH, which were withdrawn at dawn on the 28th from the Trondheim blockade to assist TM.1, which now also included petrol carrier RONAN. CL AURORA joined DD FAULKNOR at Bjervik and then both proceeded to Harstad. DD BEAGLE, escorting the carriers, made an attack on a submarine contact. DD IMOGEN, escorting CVL FURIOUS, made an asdic contactat 1012. After 2 DC attacks a periscope was sighted at a 45° angle suggesting a badly damaged U-boat. DD ILEX joined to assist. DD VANSITTART departed Scapa on the 27th for Sullom Voe to escort tkr WAR NIZAM to Invergordon to reload. DD VANSITTART stood by to escort the loaded tkr back to Sullom. DD JACKAL after gunnery exercises departed Scapa to join CL ARETHUSA. Both ships were diverted to Scapa. DDs HOSTILE and HAVOCK departed Scapa for Rosyth to boiler clean and make good minor defects. DDs ARROW and ACHERON arrived Scapa. DD ARROW departed later that afternoon for repairs at Middlesbrough. DD ACHERON departed at 1200 for the Clyde for repairs arriving on the 28th.

Sloop FLEETWOOD departed Scapa for Andalsnes. Sloop BLACK SWAN in Romsdalfjord fired 1200 rounds of ammunition and had only 210 rounds remaining after the LW attacks. No damage was sustained by sloop BLACK SWAN. Steamer EMPIRE ABILITY (7603grt) departed Greenock on the 23rd escort DD JANUS. DDs HAVANT and HAVELOCK from ASW sweep relieved JANUS en route on the 24th. DD JANUS arrived at Scapa on the 25th. Steamer EMPIRE ABILITY (7603grt), which was carrying motorized landing craft, arrived at Harstad escort DDs HAVANT and HAVELOCK. TSM.2 and FS.3 were diverted to Scapa . Both convoys arrived on the 28th escort PVs JASON and GLEANER and ASW trawlers. The escort then returned to the Clyde.

Channel
Fr FP.2 departed Brest on the 18th composed of passenger ships DJENNE (Fr 8790 grt), FLANDRE (Fr 8503 grt), PRESIDENT DOUMER (Fr 11,898 grt). The convoy departed Greenock on the 21st escort DDs FEARLESS, FURY, VANOC. They proceeded to Namsos.En route, they were diverted to Scapa to await developments (as the allies considered whether to evacuate. The convoy arrived at Scapa on the 22nd. Fr Contre Torpilleur DDs CHEVALIER PAUL, MILAN, TARTU and RN DDs CODRINGTON and FAME, departed Scapa on the 24th. This convoy safely arrived at Harstad on the 27th carrying the first contingent of the 27th Demi Brigade of the Chasseur Alpins. Fr DDs TARTU, MILAN, CHEVALIER PAUL departed Narvik with Fr steamers DJENNE and PRESIDENT DOUMER on the 29th. The ships arrived at Scapa on 2 May. Fr steamer FLANDRE departed Narvik escort DD ARDENT on 2 May for the Clyde, via the Minches. They arrived safely on 6 May.

 

[parsifal]

27 April 1940 (Part II)
OPERATIONS (CONT'D)
Central Atlantic
Steamer KONIGSBERG (Ger 6466 grt) departed Rio de Janiero to attempt to return to Europe. En route, she was ordered to replenish Raider WIDDER.

Med- Biscay
Fr sub RUBIS departed Brest for Harwich. CVE ARGUS arrived at Malta from Toulon, escort DDs STURDY and RAN WATERHEN.
The carrier was under repair from 29 April to 29 May. ARGUS departed Malta on 29 May, escorted by 2 Fr DDs. The 3 ships arrived at Toulon on 31 May.

The Fr Force de Raide, BCs DUNKERQUE and STRASBOURG, CLs GLOIRE and GEORGES LEYGUES, DDs MOGADOR, TERRIBLE,AUDACIEUX, TIGRE, LYNX, MARS departed Brest on the 23rd. On 24 April, DD TIGRE, LYNX, MARS attacked a UBoat contact. The force passed Gib on the 27th and arrived at Mer el Kebir later that day. Fr DDs TIGRE, LYNX, MARS arrived at Gib. DDs TIGRE and LYNX departed later that day for Algiers, arriving 28 April. Fr Amiral Estava (Admiral South) transferred his HQ from Toulon to Bizerte on the 30th.

The 4 Ex-Italian TBs now transferred to the Swedish Navy passed Gib en route from Cartagena to Lisbon.

Indian Ocean
CA KENT departed Trincomalee on escort duties.

 

[Njaco]

.


Norwegian subs? Should that be "German Subs"?

You may be correct. I will have to research that further.

EDIT: Norwegian OR German!

The Stanford Daily 26 April 1940 â€" The Stanford Daily

 

[Njaco]

April 27 Saturday
GERMANY: The III Gruppe of JG 2 'Richthofen' is formed with Dr. Erich Mix officially appointed Gruppenkommandeur even though he was chosen on 15 March.

NORTHERN EUROPE: A British attempt to deliver much-needed anti-aircraft weapons by ground to Åndalsnes, Norway was turned back by a three-hour German aerial bombardment. Continued bombing of Åndalsnes forces the port HQ commander Brigadier Hogg to signal London that the situation is hopeless without air cover or anti-aircraft guns. He suggests evacuation. An arriving supply convoy is bombed from 1345 hours to 1700 hours and turns away from Åndalsnes without landing much-needed anti-aircraft batteries.

At Kjorem, after holding the line against attacks by the German 196th Division throughout the day, the British 15th Brigade withdrew 17 kilometers to the north to form a new line at Otta. Meanwhile, the German 196th Division captured the Østerdal valley in Norway. Hogg fails to consult his superior General Paget, who is furious and believes 15th Brigade can win if given fighter and anti-aircraft support. However, Oberst Fischer's Kampfgruppe (196th Division) has met little resistance in the Østerdal valley to the East. They are 60 miles Northeast of Dombås at Alvdal, threatening 15th brigade from the rear.

1(F)./ObdL and 1(F)./122 sent reconnaissance sorties to the north of Aandalsnes, sighting Admiral Wells' force and identifying the carriers as "Ark Royal" and "Eagle". "Glorious" launched a flight of four Sea Gladiators, three from RAF No. 804 Sqdn and one from RAF No. 802 Sqdn, who pursued the 1(F)./122 machine causing severe damage (Lt Smeaton 804 Sqdn (N2275) led the attack and Sub. Lt. Lamb reported that the Heinkel clipped the wavetops several times while making its escape). The Heinkel crash landed to the NW of Trondheim having sustained 65% damage. The crew claimed to have shot down one of their opponents.

EASTERN EUROPE: Chief of the German SS organization Heinrich Himmler gave the order to convert the 22 former artillery barrack buildings at Oswiecim, Poland into a concentration camp, later to be more commonly known by its German name, Auschwitz.

.

 

[parsifal]

28 April 1940
Known Reinforcements
Axis
Supermarina BB VITTORIO VENETO

VENETO was not declared operational until mid August 1940

Losses
MV CAPELLA (Nor 877 grt): The cargo ship was bombed and sunk in Tingvollfjorden, Moreog Romsdal by LW a/c. Raised in 1943, repaired and returned to service as Nor HILLEVAAG in July 1943.

ASW CAPE SIRETOKO (RN 591 grt) The ASW trawler was bombed and sunk in the Norwegian Sea off the west coast of Norway by aircraft of KG 26. She was raised, repaired and put in DKM service as VP 6113.

MV GALLUS (Nor 339 grt) The coaster was bombed and sunk off Kristiansund, Møre og Romsdal by LW a/c. Later raised by the Germans and reported as in use 1942-44.

[NO IMAGE FOUND]

MV SVANHOLM (Nor 696 grt): The coaster was bombed and sunk off the island of Tustna, More og Romsdal by LW a/c. Raised in 1940, repaired and returned to service in 1942 as Bergfin

[NO IMAGE FOUND]

DKM War Diary
Selected Extracts
Conference on the Situation with Chief, Naval Staff Special Items

Combatting British aerial mines ; All offices have been informed of the great difficulties arising from the British use of aerial mines and of the urgency of solving the problem of effective defense and they are working towards this end with all the means in their power.

The attention of subordinate offices will be drawn to the necessity of maintaining special secrecy with regard to all reports about actual or possible further recovery of enemy aerial mines as well as hits on mines, especially also by merchant ships, and to all sweeping results. All information must be transmitted so that the enemy radio monitoring service can gain no insight.

For an appreciation of enemy and of our own minelaying operations it is necessary to ascertain soon how far the aerial
mine as such is finished in construction by the enemy and scheduled for large-scale use. It Is essential to discover particularly whether our own use of aerial mines decided the development of the present British aerial mine or whether it was developed independently by the British. It must be stated already that the British have shown themselves to be masters of improvisation in the use of aerial mines and defense against them and have with simple means, probably without very exact scientific investigations, quite obviously developed both a most useful offensive weapon in their aerial Mine and a useful self-defense and sweeping gear. We must acknowledge that their success in doing this within a very short space of time is a very remarkable achievement.

It is now to be seen that the highly skilled RAF brings the aerial mines to our waters in darkness and in almost every kind of weather, and that it has so far succeeded in carrying the mines almost unmolested over Schleswig Holstein to the Baltic ports, while our own aerial mine formations - thanks to the enemy defenses and their own lack of training - have so far not been in a position to drop the aerial mines in Scapa, in the Clyde or over Liverpool Bay

Further Construction of the Aircraft Carrier GRAF ZEPPELIN : Naval Staff denies the necessity of continuing construction, particularly since there will not be the necessary military and armament prerequisites for the use of the ship in the near future.

DKM were obliquely referencing Gorings refusal to agree to the formation of a dedicated FAA for use on the carrier.

The whole AA armament is at present being used for urgent military tasks at other points. It is not possible to provide it for the
carrier again without severe military disadvantages. Complete armament cannot be installed until about one year
after completion, i.e. the end of 1941. The problem of skilled workers offers very great difficulty. Naval Staff is therefore abandoning further construction work on the carrier.

It is amazing that DKM would justify the discontinuation of the carrier on the basis they didn't need it. The existence of just one carrier for Weserubung would likely have avoided most of the heavy initial casualties and losses that had been suffered

UBOATS
Kriegstagebücher (KTB) - War Diary

Nothing to Report

At Sea 28 April 1940
U-13, U-14, U-17, U-23, U-24, U-25, U-29, U-30, U-34, U-52, U-57, U-58, U-59, U-61, U-65, UA.
16 boats at sea.

OPERATIONS
Baltic
Western Baltic

North Sea
DDs WALLACE and VALOROUS departed Rosyth . DD VALOROUS was detached to an ASW Sweep reported by air in 58‑31N, 2‑38W. DD WALLACE and troopship ORION (23,371grt) arrived at Scapa and then sailed for Rosyth. Later, both DDs were recalled to Scapa. Fr DDs INDOMPTABLE, MALIN, TRIOMPHANT of DesDiv 8 departed Rosyth. The first two ultimately for the Med and TRIOMPHANT for repairs at Lorient.

Fr sub AMAZONE docked at Harwich after patrol. Fr sub ACHILLE docked at Dundee after patrol. Sub SWORDFISH docked at Blyth after patrol. Sub TETRARCH arrived at Rosyth. Fr sub ANTIOPE departed Harwich on patrol. Subs SEALION and SUNFISH departed Harwich to patrol in Bohus Bay. FN.156, after being delayed more than a day by fog, departed Southend, escort DDs WESTMINSTER and WOLSEY. Further hampered by fog, the convoy arrived in two sections. The first arrived at Rosyth, escort DD WESTMINSTER on the 30th. The second half arrived on 1 May, escort DD WOLSEY.

Northern Waters
CV ARK ROYAL launched strikes on Trondheim without achieving any results. She withdrew to Scapa for refuelling that evening where she arrived on 1 May. Following refuelling, ARK ROYAL departed on 4 May for operations off nthn Norway. DDs CODRINGTON and ARDENT departed Bogen for Skelfjord. DD CODRINGTON carried out a recon of the Narvik area with Genl Bethouart and Brig Fraser on board. She bombarded an AA bty, a railway viaduct, machine gun posts whilst at it. On 29 April, DDs CODRINGTON and ESCAPADE departed Skelfjord to escort tkr INVERARDER to Scapa. DDs IVANHOE, ICARUS, IMPULSIVE departed Scapa to carry out ML ZMA in the Trondheim Leads. This was completed on the 29th. The DDs retired towards the Humber, but were diverted en route to Scapa for escort duties. They arrived on 1 May. DDs ESK, EXPRESS, INTREPID were substituted on 1 May for them at Immingham. These DDs departed Scapa on 1 May arriving in the Humber later that day. DD JANUS departed Scapa with the withdrawl dispatches for Namsos and Skelfjord. DDs DELIGHT, DIANA, IMPERIAL arrived at Scapa. DD INGLEFIELD departed the Clyde for Scapa arriving on the 29th. DD FIREDRAKE arrived in the Clyde to join the Home Flt after refitting at Cardiff. DDs WANDERER, ANTELOPE, ACHERON, WALKER, WESTCOTT departed the Clyde for Scapa arriving 29th.

ASWGp 16 arrived at Namsos to join ASW Gp 15. These trawlers remained at Namsos until after the evacuation on 2/3 May. Trawler ARAB was ordered alongside CLA CARLISLE which had supplies for the Fr troops aboard the trawler. On 28 April, Temporary S/Lt P. Collingwood RNVR, was killed in an air attack on CLA CARLISLE.

Sloop BLACK SWAN was badly damaged by LW attacks in Romdalsfjord. The bomb passed through the stern before exploding. Little damage was done and the ship remained in action until the last attack ended. Sloop BLACK SWAN was relieved by sloop FLEETWOOD that night, which departed for Scapa late on the 27th. Sloop BLACK SWAN arrived at Scapa on the 30th with only 29 rnds of AA ammo remaining.She was given temporary repairs by depot ship WOOLWICH. Sloop BLACK SWAN departed Scapa on 2 May and arrived Falmouth on 4 May for repairs completed in late May.

West Coast UK
BB WARSPITE docked at the Clyde with DDs INGLEFIELD, ECHO, FOXHOUND. TS 2 of 2 ships departed Cardiff for the Clyde escort by ASW trawler ST CATHAN.

Channel
DD KEITH proceeded to Dover and moored alongside depot ship SANDHURST for repairs to dynamos and steering gear. Repairs were completed on the 29th. DD BROKE, on passage to Devonport, ran aground 1.3 miles from Goodwin Knoll Buoy. Tugs LADY BRASSEY and DORIA and DD VERITY proceeded to assist DD BROKE. The DD was refloated on the tide and continued to Devonport. DD BROKE sustained no damage in the grounding. During the night of 28/29 April, sub H.32 escort sloop FOXGLOVE and Fr sub RUBIS escort sloop ROSEMARY anchored off Dungeness due to fog. During 29 April, the ships proceeded to the Downs, but had to remain during the night of 29/30 April. PC SHELDRAKE from Harwich was in the Downs to relieve sloop ROSEMARY of the RUBIS escort.

Med- Biscay
BBs MALAYA and ROYAL SOVEREIGN, from the Halifax Escort Force, departed Gib escort DDs VELOX, WATCHMAN, RAN VENDETTA, RAN WATERHEN to reinforce the Med Flt. RAN DD VENDETTA had arrived from Malta on the 25th. RAN DD WATERHEN had arrived earlier on the 28th with transport DILWARA. Shortly before the sailing, RAN DD VENDETTA attacked a submarine contact 6½ miles 142° from Cape Trafalgar. DD VELOX joined in the search, but no further results were made. The British ships were joined on the 29th by Fr BBs LORRAINE, BRETAGNE, PROVENCE from Algiers, CAs TOURVILLE and DUQUESNE, CL DUGUAY TROUIN, DDs LION, LYNX, FORBIN from Mer el Kebir. On 30 April, RAN DDs STUART and VAMPIRE joined the escort force, as later did CL ORION and DDs DEFENDER and DECOY from Malta. This force passed Malta on 1 May and arrived at Alexandria on 3 May. DDs VELOX and WATCHMAN arrived back at Gibraltar on 4 May.

 

[parsifal]

29 April 1940 (Part I)
Known Reinforcements
Neutral
IT MAS 526 Class

(MAS 526 A total of 32 units completed in 1940, roughly 3 per month, precise commissioning dates otherwise not known)

SU G5 Class MTB

Precise commissioning dates for the G-5 class are not known, however they were a major element of the Soviet Coastal forces. 253 units were built from 1934 through to June 1941, with constant improvements. 39 additional units were made in the latter half of 1941. This was a long production run, done principally because until the end of 1940 there was no satisfactory replacement availble. The type was effective, but not outstanding, with the sternward TT hampering accurate delivery

Losses
Sub UNITY (RN 630 grt) The U-class submarine collided with MV ATLE JARL (Nor) off the mouth of the Tyne and sank with the loss of 2 of her 27 crew.

Sloop GRIMSBY assisted and stood by the site. DD WALLACE brought deep sea diving gear from Rosyth. MSWs GOSSAMER and LEDA anchored to nth of the rescue sight on 1 May. They departed 2 May to coal in the Tyne. On 1 May, DD VALENTINE standing by at the site was relieved by sloop EGRET which was then relieved by DD WHITLEY. On 2 May, the search for survivors still on board the submarine was abandoned.

MV WHITETOFT (UK 898 grt) The cargo ship ran aground at Robin Hood's Bay, Yorkshire and was wrecked

Losses were mounting for the RN as the LW took control of the battle in central Norway

MV BEGONIA (Est 1591 grt) The cargo ship was bombed and damaged in Aurlandsfjord off Flam, Norway by a/c from KG 26 on 25 April. She was scuttled by the Norwegians four days later.

ASW trawler CAPE CHELYUSKIN (RN 494 grt) of ASW Gp12 was sunk by German bombing at Andalsnes. Lt H. Roach RNR, was wounded. The crew returned to Scapa in DD MASHONA on 3 May.

[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Steamer ORLAND (Nor 1899 grt) The cargo ship was bombed and sunk in the North Sea off Midsund by LW a/c. All crew survived.

DKM War Diary
Selected Extracts

The German Charge d'Affaires in Washington reports as follows on the attitude taken up by U.S. public opinion towards the
Norway operation and germany: "While the election campaign is on, important decisions regarding foreign policy can only be expected under exceptional circumstances. Such circumstances would arise if Sweden or Holland were attacked. The situation in the Pacific would preclude full U.S. support for the Allies. The U.S.A.'s entry Into the war would necessitate complete military and economic mobilization, for which the organizational and financial basis is at present still lacking. The prospects of Roosevelt's re-election have increased"

Conference between CinC, Navy and the Fuhrer.
Points discussed ;
1. Further construction on the CV GRAF ZEPPELIN. Fuhrer agrees to construction being stopped.
2. The EMDEN is to remain a further two weeks or so in Oslo, until AA defense of the port is sufficiently assured.

UBOATS
Kriegstagebücher (KTB) - War Diary

U 101 left for Trondheim with ammunition and petrol. U 29, which is on her way back from Trondheim and was first to have patrolled the English supply routes, has been ordered to return directly, so that she can leave for the Atlantic as soon as possible. It was only intended to use this boat for one transport trip. U 17, 23, 61, 30 have started on their return passage.

Arrivals
Kiel: U-52

Departures
Kiel: U-101

At Sea 29 April 1940
U-13, U-14, U-17, U-23, U-24, U-25, U-29, U-30, U-34, U-57, U-58, U-59, U-61, U-65, U-101, UA.
16 boats at sea

OPERATIONS
North Sea
Sloop STORK departed Rosyth for Namsos. Subs SNAPPER departed Harwich for station in Bohus Bay. Fr subs CIRCE and CALYPSO departed Harwich on patrol. Sub SEVERN departed Dundee on patrol. FN.158 departed Southend, escort sloops HASTINGS and LONDONDERRY. The convoy was forced to anchor in heavy fog. DDs VIMIERA and VIVIEN relieved the sloops and arrived with the convoy in the Tyne. The convoy arrived in the Tyne on 1 May. MT.61 departed Methil, escort sloops LONDONDERRY and HASTINGS. The convoy was forced to anchor due to fog, but was able to arrive in the Tyne on the 30th. Sloop FOWEY escorting HG.27 was in a collision with steamer ARLETTA (UK 4870 grt), formerly of HG.27, west of Ushant. The sloop was able to proceed slowly to Plymouth. The after cabin flat was flooded. The sloop was repaired at Plymouth from 3 May to 8 June.

Fr DDs carried out sweeps off the Belgian and Dutch coasts as far as Texel. The DDs returned to port on the 30th. After the Norwegian experience there were no longer any objections by the neutrals to the intrusions into their territorial waters.

Northern Waters
Sloop FLAMINGO departed Scapa for Dundee for docking.

BB VALIANT with DDs FURY, FORTUNE, ESCORT, ENCOUNTER departed Scapa Flow with a primary mission of AA spt to CV ARK ROYAL and a secondary mission of Operation ZEAL, the bombardment of the approaches to Trondheim. However, ZEAL was cancelled before it began due to the growing strength of the LW in this area.

CL GLASGOW with DDs JACKAL and JAVELIN arrived at Molde on the 29th from Scapa to take aboard the King of Norway, his govt, some 795 cases of gold (23grt) for transport to Tromso. In addition, 117 survivors from sunken ASW trawlers BRADMAN, HAMMOND, LARWOOD, CAPE SIRETOKO, CAPE CHELYUSKIN were embarked for evacuation back to England. However, not all of the gold could be embarked on GLASGOW in time. The remaining gold was embarked on Norwegian fishing vessels STOLVAG and ALFHILD. The CL arrived at Tromso on the evening of 1 May and was escorted into port by Norwegian PV HEIMDAL. The King of Norway and his government were landed at Tromso. The fishing vessels safely arrived at Tromso on 9 May.

DDs BEAGLE and VOLUNTEER arrived at Scapa from Narvik. Danish steamer GUNVOR MAERSK disembarked the 166th AA Bty and KIMBERLEY and BRAZEN disembarked troops at Namsos. The steamer escorted by DDs WOLVERINE, BRAZEN, KIMBERLEY and naval trawlers HAZEL (RN 530 grt) and WHITETHORN (RN 530 grt) departed Namsos during the early morning. The ships were bombed continuously for 4 hrs on the 28th, but no damage was done. DDs NUBIAN and ASHANTI arrived at Scapa. DD WALLACE departed Scapa for Rosyth at 0400. DD VALOROUS departed Scapa for Rosyth at 0700. Fr DDs BRESTOIS and BOULONNAIS departed Namsos for Scapa with steamers AMIENOIS (Fr 3713 grt) and SAUMUR (Fr 2955 grt) which were carrying 840 Fr troops. DD FAULKNOR departed Bogen for Ballengen where she embarked troops to be landed at west of Haavik, near Ankenes.En route she towed Norwegian trawler SOLBIN. The troops were landed without incident.

DDs KELLY, MAORI, IMPERIAL and Fr DD BISON departed Scapa with Fr AMCs EL MANSOUR , EL D'JEZAIR, and EL KANTARA for the evac of Namsos. CAs DEVONSHIRE and YORK, Fr CL MONTCALM, DDs GRENADE, GRIFFIN, HASTY dep Scapa at 2100 to spt. DDs NUBIAN, AFRIDI, FOUDROYANT departed Scapa later and joined the forces at sea.

TM.1 was returning to Scapa escort DDs AMAZON and WITHERINGTON from Andalsnes. West of the Shetlands, DD MOHAWK was detached to Sullom Voe for refuelling. DD MOHAWK arrived Sullom Voe on the 30th and went on to Scapa arriving at 0600 on 1 May. DDs AMAZON and WITHERINGTON, attacked and claimed sinking U.14, which was returning to Germany. The Uboat sustained only light damage. Wooden battens and a small stool came to the surface, but could not be recovered due to LW a/c in the area. Destroyer WITHERINGTON was damaged on the 29th by German bombing. The damage required 3 days to repair. TM.1 arrived safely at Scapa at 0505 on 1 May.

Sloop AUCKLAND departed Scapa to relieve sloop FLEETWOOD, which was ammo depleted, at Romdalsfjord. The Admiralty then ordered CLA CALCUTTA to join AUCKLAND and share the AA spt dutues in view of the increasing severity of LW air strikes. Early on the 30th, sloop FLEETWOOD left Romdalsfjord with 340 troops returning to England.

Steamer MARTTI RAGNAR (Ex FN , Ger 3989 grt) ran aground and was stranded while proceeding from Bergen with a prize crew. The steamer had been renamed HERRENWYK for German service (and is mentioned again in 1942).