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

[Njaco]

April 26 Saturday
UNITED KINGDOM: The Heinkels of KG 55 again conduct a raid on Bristol during the night. Luftwaffe attacks Liverpool overnight with 92 aircraft.

Operation Tiger: British freighters "Clan Chattan", "Clan Campbell", "Clan Lamont", "Empire Song", and "New Zealand Star", carrying 295 tanks for Egypt, departed from the Clyde in Scotland in Operation Tiger. They were escorted by battleship HMS "Rodney", cruiser HMS "Naiad", destroyer HMS "Havelock", destroyer HMS "Hesperus", and destroyer "Harvester".

NORTH AFRICA: German troops attack British and Australian positions at Halfaya Pass. German Group Herff attacked the British 22nd Guards Brigade at Halfaya Pass. 22nd Guards hold the Pass all day but withdraw overnight to Buq Buq, Egypt. Possession of good defensive positions at Halfaya Pass allows Rommel to concentrate his forces for an attack on Tobruk.

South African 1st Brigade captured Dessie, Abyssinia, taking 4,000 Italians as prisoners of war. Indian 29th Infantry Brigade reaches Amba Alagi from the north.

MEDITERRANEAN: Unternehmen 25/ Unternehmen Marita: The Battle of the Corinth Canal was fought, resulting in German victory. With Germans advancing on Athens and Luftwaffe attacks on mainland evacuation beaches, most Allied troops have been sent across the Corinth Canal Bridge to evacuate from the safety of the Peloponnese peninsula. Just after dawn, two battalions of German 2nd Fallschirmjäger Regiment paratroops land on both sides of the bridge which is quickly blown up by Allied demolition charges (killing several German troops) but German engineers have a crossing operational by the end of the day. British 1st Armoured Brigade and New Zealand 4th Brigade, trapped on the mainland, turn around and march back to beaches South of Athens. Overnight, 8,300 Allied troops were evacuated from beaches south of Athens while 12,950 were evacuated from beaches on the Peloponnese Peninsula. The Luftwaffe relentlessly attacks the embarkation ports and ships at sea sinking Greek torpedo boat "Kydonia" and 3 steamers. To the north in Yugoslavia, British destroyer HMS "Defender" evacuated the crown jewels of Yugoslavia. HMAS "Perth", (cruiser), carried 911 Australian and New Zealand troops, and HMAS "Stuart", (destroyer), evacuated 109, from Tolos to Suda Bay, Crete. Earlier that night "Stuart", had ferried 600 troops from Tolos to Navplion, where they were transferred to "Orion".

EASTERN EUROPE: General Georgy Zhukov, the recently appointed Soviet Chief of Staff, ordered a creeping mobilization to begin, in response to widespread evidence that German forces were moving eastward.

WESTERN FRONT: Wolfgang Falck, stationed at Deelen in the Netherlands, was ordered to attend a meeting at Hamburg, Germany. He would use the opportunity to learn more about new aircraft-mounted radar systems under development: Morgenstern, Flensburg, and SN-2 (Lichtenstein).

RAF conducts a fighter sweep near Boulogne while RAF Bomber Command sends 25 aircraft to attack coastal targets.

GERMANY: RAF Bomber Command sends 50 aircraft to attack Hamburg overnight.

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[Njaco]

April 27 Sunday
MEDITERRANEAN: Unternehmen 25/ Unternehmen Marita: At 0400 hours, Dutch passenger liner "Slamat" departed Nauplia in southern Greece with 211 crew and 500 evacuating Allied troops. "Slamat" and escorting destroyers HMS "Diamond" and HMS "Wryneck" were all sunk by German Stuka dive bombers at 0700 hours, killing about 900. Of 983 on board SS "Slamat", HMS "Diamond" and HMS "Wryneck", only 66 survive. Later in the same morning, German 2.Panzerdivision motorcycle troops captured Athens, raising the Nazi German flag above the Acropolis as a sign of victory and capturing large quantities of fuel, ammunition, and heavy vehicles. Surrendered Greek officers were allowed to retire to their homes with their sidearms without being interned as prisoners of war. German 5.Panzerdivision moved across the Corinth Canal all day and Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler Regiment crossed onto the Peloponnese Peninsula in southern Greece at Patras at 1730 hours. However, 4200 troops including British 1st Armoured Brigade are evacuated from beaches South of Athens. Allied troops evacuate from the Peloponnese to Crete by boat but Greek Cretan 5th Division are left behind, trying to return home for the defense of their island. German bombing sinks 5 steamers. RAN ships evacuating troops from Greece, picked up the last message from Radio Athens as German troops entered the city; 'Closing down for the last time and looking forward to happier days. God be with you and for you'.

Operation Dunlop: The British reinforce their meager fighter force on Malta by flying twenty-four Hurricanes and three Fulmar fighters from the aircraft carrier 'Ark Royal'. The first flight of seven Hurricanes are led to the airfield by a Sunderland flying boat. As the Sunderland moors to a buoy, two Bf 109s from 7./JG 26, flown by Oblt. Müncheberg and his wingman, Oblt. Mietusch, flying at wave-top level, attack and destroy the flying boat, leaving it in flames. The pair of Messerschmitts also damage another Sunderland boat in the attack.

GERMANY: Heinrich Himmler visited Mauthausen Concentration Camp in Austria.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine U-110 sank British ship "Henri Mory" 300 miles west of Ireland at 0130 hours; 28 were killed, 4 survived. 80 miles south of Iceland, U-552 sank British trawler "Commander Horton" at 0210 hours, killing the entire crew of 14. Shortly after, at 0242 hours, 100 miles southwest of the Faroe Islands, U-147 sank Norwegian ship "Rimfakse"; 11 were killed, 8 survived. At 1612 hours, U-147 struck again, sinking British ship "Beacon Grange"; 2 were killed, 82 survived.

NORTH AFRICA: German troops cross the Egyptian border and capture the Halfaya Pass, forcing the British to pull back to a defensive line running from Buq Buq on the coast to Sofia some 50km in to the desert. The British also begin construction of a major defensive line in front of Mersa Matruh.

At Tobruk, German high-level bombers draw the fire of British anti-aircraft guns guarding the harbour while 24 dive bombers attack the AA gun emplacements (4 guns are destroyed, 8 killed); 1 German aircraft was lost. After these losses, the British moved the anti-aircraft guns to conceal positions while dummy guns were constructed in the old anti-aircraft gun positions (during raids, explosives are set off to simulate firing of the dummy guns).

German Deputy Chief of Staff General Friedrich Paulus arrived in Libya. Paulus was dispatched to North Africa to exert some control from High Command over Erwin Rommel, who had been disregarding most orders from Berlin. He has orders from OKH to try to bring Rommel under control and sort out a situation which, from Germany, seems very confused. He immediately halts preparations for more attacks on Tobruk.

UNITED KINGDOM: Winston Churchill made a radio broadcast reporting on the war situation.

"When I spoke to you early in February many people believed the Nazi boastings that the invasion of Britain was about to begin. Now it has not begun yet, and with every week that passes we grow stronger on the sea, in the air and in the number, quality, training and equipment of the great armies that now guard our island," Churchill said. Returning to the line in that February speech asking for the "tools" to "finish the job," Churchill said that "that is what it now seems the Americans are going to do. And that is why I feel a very strong conviction that though the Battle of the Atlantic will be long and hard and its issue is by no means yet determined, it has entered upon a more grim but at the same time a far more favourable phase."

Luftwaffe attacks Portsmouth overnight with 38 aircraft.

SOUTH PACIFIC: British, Dutch, and American conference reaches agreement on joint planning against Japan.

MIDDLE EAST: Rashid Ali's government refuses to allow additional British troops into the country. British ambassador informs Iraqi government that additional troops have nonetheless to be landed at Basra. Elements of British 1st Battalion of King's Own Royal Regiment are airlifted from RAF base at Shaibah to RAF base at Habbaniya.

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[parsifal]

25 APRIL 1941
Known Reinforcements
Allied
Fairmile B ML 225
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Losses
U.103 sank steamer POLYANA (Nor 2267 grt) from dispersed convoy OG.58 in the Central Atlantic. She was on passage from Sunderland to Freetown, carrying Coal with a crew of 25 when lost. At 0038 hrs the POLYANA was hit near the bridge by one torpedo from U-103, capsized fast and sank within one minute. The ship was last seen when detached from the convoy OG-58 and was not reported missing until 30 April when she did not arrive at her destination. The U-boat had missed the freighter with a first torpedo at 2357 hours on 24 April.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

UBOATS
At Sea 25 April 1941
U-38, U-52, U-65, U-75, U-95, U-96, U-101, U-103, U-105, U-106, U-107, U-108, U-110, U-123, U-124, U-143, U-147, U-201, U-552, U-553, UA

21 boats at sea

OPERATIONS
Northern Patrol
Norwegian tanker POLARSOL was damaged by German bombing 180 miles 130° from Myrdals Jokull Light, Iceland. The tanker arrived in tow at Kames Bay on the 30th.

Northern Waters
DD BROCKLESBY departed Scapa Flow escorting steamers AMSTERDAM from Kirkwall and ARCHANGEL from Duncansby Head to Aberdeen. Following the escort, the DD arrived back at Scapa Flow on the 26th.

SW Approaches
Submarine URGE unsuccessfully attacked shipping in the Bay Of Biscay area.

Med/Biscay
DD NUBIAN and sloop FLAMINGO after repairs departed Alexandria to join the Vice Admiral, Light Forces on the ORION. NUBIAN arrived at Suda Bay pre dawn on the 26th. That evening Sloop FLAMINGO arrived in Suda Bay as well.

CL ORION and DDs DECOY, HASTY, HAVOCK, and DEFENDER arrived at Suda Bay at 1800. DDs DECOY, HASTY, and HAVOCK were sent to Navplion to investigate the situation and discover the fate of troopship ULSTER PRINCE.

Submarine UPHOLDER sank troopship ANTONIETTE LAURO (Ger 5428 grt) 2.5 miles 125° from Kerkenah. The troopship was badly damaged and stranded on Kerkenah Bay.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

RHN DDs KOUDOURIOTIS and SPETSAI from Athens, PANTHER, IERAX, SPEHNDONI, and AETOS arrived at Alexandria. RHN submarines GLAUCOS, KATSONIS, NEREUS, PAPANICOLIS, and TRITON also escaped to Alexandria.
Submarine GLAUCOS had been under repair at Salamis. Greek TBs APHIS and NIKI also escaped to Alexandria.

During the night of 25/26 April Operation DEMON continued.

From Megara: CLA COVENTRY, DDs DIAMOND, GRIFFIN, and WRYNECK, and troopships THURLAND CASTLE and PENNLAND. Troopship PENNLAND (NL 16322 grt) was badly damaged en route by the LW off Bela Pouli, near San Giorgio Island. Four crew were lost. 247 crew and about a 100 troops were rescued by DD GRIFFIN which took them to Suda Bay. DD GRIFFIN scuttled the troopship.

Troopship THURLAND CASTLE was also bombed, but was not seriously damaged. RAN DDs WATERHEN and VENDETTA from convoy AN.29 were sent to support the Megara force. Both these DDs embarked troops at Megara. In addition, DDs HASTY, HAVOCK, and DECOY were sent to Megara to carry troops for the lost steamer PENNLAND.

Lighter A.19 (RN 250 grt (est)) embarked troops from the beaches and carried them to the ships. The lighter was later abandoned and was lost when she broke down.

Some 5500 troops were evacuated from Megara.

CL ORION, CLA PHOEBE, and RAN CL PERTH with DD DEFENDER covered these operations.

Yacht THRAKI (Gk 100 grt(est)) was sunk by the LW at Myli.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Steamer SOFIA (Gk 1722 grt) was sunk by the LW at Megara.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

steamers ANNA MARIA (Gk 128 grt) and MARIOUS (Gk 602 grt) were sunk by the LW at Vostizza (Gulf of Corinth).
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Steamer GEORGE A. DRACOULIS (Gk 1570 grt) was sunk by the LW at Chalkis. Date of loss is also given as 20 April.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Steamer THRAKI (Gk 982 grt) was sunk by the LW at Port Kheli (Argolis, eastern Peloponnese).
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Steamer DIMITRIOS NOMIKOS (Gk 1171 grt) was sunk by the LW at Karystos, Euboea. The steamer was raised by the Germans and repaired for their use.

Force H departed Gibraltar on Operations SALIENT and DUNLOP with BC RENOWN, CV ARK ROYAL, CL SHEFFIELD, and DDs FAULKNOR, FEARLESS, FORESIGHT, FURY, and FORTUNE. Accompanying was Force S.of CLA DIDO, ML ABDIEL, and DDs KELLY, KASHMIR, KELVIN, KIPLING, JERSEY, and JACKAL being sent to Malta. This movement was the transfer of ships to the Med Flt in Operation SALIENT and a flyoff of aircraft from ARK ROYAL to Malta in Operation DUNLOP. The flyoff was delayed due to bad weather until 27 April. The ships arrived at Malta on the 28th.

CLA DIDO, ML ABDIEL, and DDs JERVIS, JUNO, JAGUAR, and IMPERIAL (which had just completed her October 1940 mine damage repair) departed Malta on the 28th escorting BRECONSHIRE to Alexandria. DD JANUS remained at Malta for repairs.

DDs KELLY, KASHMIR, KELVIN, KIPLING, JERSEY, and JACKAL remained at Malta to operate as a striking force with CL GLOUCESTER. The DIDO force arrived at Alexandria on the 30th.

Nth Atlantic
HX.123 departed Halifax, escort amc DERBYSHIRE and corvettes COBALT and COLLINGWOOD. The corvettes were detached later that day. BB RAMILLIES joined the convoy on the 30th and remained until 4 May. On 6 May, DD WOLVERINE and corvette BEGONIA joined the convoy. DD VERITY joined on 8 May. DDs CAMPBELTOWN, CHELSEA, MANSFIELD, NEWMARKET, and WESTCOTT, sloop ROCHESTER, and corvettes AURICULA, DIANTHUS, MARIGOLD, NASTURTIUM, and PRIMROSE joined on 9 May. On 9 May, the AMC, DDs CHELSEA, MANSFIELD, NEWMARKET, VERITY, and WOLVERINE and corvette BEGONIA left the escort. The remaining escorts were detached when the convoy arrived at Liverpool on 12 May.

Central Atlantic
CL MAURITIUS arrived at Gibraltar after being relieved by CA LONDON of the escort of convoy SL.71. The CL had embarked the crew of a Wellington bomber which had forced landed at sea in 36-19N, 7-06W. The crew had been rescued by Spanish steamer NORTE and transferred to the cruiser.

Ocean boarding vessel MARON captured ocean going FV JOSEPH ELISE which had departed Casablanca for fishing.A 15 man armed guard, under the command of A/Sub Lt P. G. Martin RNR, was placed aboard the vessel which was sent off towards Gibraltar. The French crew overpowered the British guardon the 26th and the vessel arrived back at Casablanca on the 27th. The guard were interned.

CL DIOMEDE departed Bermuda to intercept Spanish steamer MARQUES DE COMMILLAS, which had departed New York on the 24th, carrying the Italian Naval Attache to Washington. The ship was intercepted and both arrived at Bermuda on the 30th. The steamer was released on 4 May.

Red Sea/Indian Ocean
Steamer EMPIRE LIGHT (UK 6828 grt) was sunk by DKM Raider PINGUIN north of the Seychelles.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Malta

 

[parsifal]

26 APRIL 1941
Known Reinforcements
Axis
Type VIIC U-81

24 ships sunk, total tonnage 41,784 GRT
Sunk at 1130hrs on 9 January 1944 in the Adriatic at Pola, , by bombs during a US air raid (15th AF). 2 dead and 44 survivors.

Type VIIc U-432

20 ships sunk, total tonnage 67,991 GRT
Sunk on 11 March 1943 in the North Atlantic, by depth charges and gunfire from the FNFL corvette ACONIT, suffering 26 dead and 20 survivors.

Allied
Flower Class Corvette HMCS NANAIMO (K-101)

Flower Class Corvette HMCS RAMOUSKI (K-121)

Isles Class ASW Trawler HMS COPINSAY (T-147)
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Black Swan Class Sloop HMS ERNE (U-03)

MSW MMS - 39
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Losses
Steamer MOUNTPARK (UK 4648 grt) was sunk by the LW in the Western Approaches. Six crew were lost on the steamer.
[NO IMAGES FOUND]

U.110 sank steamer HENRI MORY (UK 2564 grt) in the Western Approaches. The ship was on passage from Freetown to Barrow on Furness via Bermuda, with a cargo of manganese and a crew of 32 aboard. At 2330 hours on 26 (some sources put the attack on the 27th) the unescorted HENRI MORY was hit on the starboard side in the after end of the engine room by one torpedo from U-110 while steaming on a non-evasive course at 4 knots in fine and clear weather about 330 miles WNW of Blasket Islands, Ireland. The ship had been dispersed from convoy SL-68 on 21 March, went to Bermuda and then proceeded independently to the UK because the vessel was too slow to join a transatlantic convoy, barely able to make 6 knots and later further reduced due to troubles with its boiler tubes. The crew of 32 men began to abandon ship in the lifeboats, but had difficulties to so in the very dark night and a heavy swell caused the port lifeboat to drift away unoccupied. HENRI MORYsank in less than four minutes and only a few survivors managed to escape the suction of the sinking ship. The master, 25 crew members and two gunners were lost. The port lifeboat was boarded by the cook and he was soon thereafter joined by the chief officer, who was exhausted from swimming to it and could only get aboard after 20 minutes. In the meantime, the U-boat picked up a Russian sailor who clung to wreckage from the upper bridge and subsequently went alongside the lifeboat. The Germans asked the chief officer the usual questions about the name of the ship, cargo and routing and then transferred the rescued man to the boat with a bottle of cognac. He had been interrogated while aboard, given a good drink of cognac and two packs of cigarettes. However, the Germans somehow misidentified the ship as the ANDRE MOYRAND. When U-110 left the area at about 0200 hrs the commander shouted: "Goodbye, you will be picked up shortly. Tell Winston Churchill there is a war on".
Despite the sea anchor and attempts to keep the head to the wind with oars and sails, the lifeboat was riding the easterly swell beam on until daylight as the occupants were all exhausted. No more survivors were found at the sinking position, but in the afternoon a raft with one man aboard was seen about a mile away. Until darkness they attempted to reach the raft but this was prevented by the heavy swell and lack of strength of the three survivors. The lifeboat was circled twice by a British Catalina flying boat in the morning of 29 April and the next day a corvette was seen about four miles away, but the chief officer and the two crew members were eventually picked up by DD HMS HURRICANE at 1545 hours and landed at Gourock in the evening of 1 May. The survivor on the raft was rescued after eight days by the British steam merchant LYACOM.

UBOATS
Arrivals
Lorient: UA

At Sea 26 April 1941
U-38, U-52, U-65, U-75, U-95, U-96, U-101, U-103, U-105, U-106, U-107, U-108, U-110, U-123, U-124, U-143, U-147, U-201, U-552, U-553

20 boats at sea

OPERATIONS
Baltic
Finnish steamer LAPPONIA was damaged by mining off Aalborg whilst in Axis service. The ship sank, but was later raised and repaired at Aalborg.

North Sea
DDs INTREPID and IMPULSIVE departed the Humber to join the Home Fleet replacing DDs COSSACK and ZULU, which in turn were being transferred to the Plymouth Command.

AA ship ALYNBANK departed Methil to provide cover for convoy EC.11 from May Island to Pentland Firth. The ship then proceeded to Scapa Flow.

Northern Patrol
CLs GALATEA and ARETHUSA departed the Iceland Faroes patrol when relieved by CA EXETER and CL NIGERIA.

CA SUFFOLK departed Scapa Flow with DDs ECHO and ACTIVE at 1630 to relieve heavy cruiser NORFOLK on Denmark Strait patrol. The ships arrived at Hvalfjord on the 28th.

Northern Waters
CA NORFOLK arrived at Scapa Flow on the 30th

West Coast
AMCs CALIFORNIA, ALAUNIA, and DERBYSHIRE arrived at Greenock on the 26th.

Convoy WS.8 A of steamers HIGHLAND CHIEFTAIN, EMPRESS OF ASIA, DOMINION MONARCH, REINA DEL PACIFICO, EMPRESS OF RUSSIA, STRATHAIRD, SOBIESKI NEW ZEALAND STAR, CLAN CAMPBELL, CLAN LAMONT, CLAN CHATTAN, ABEEKERK, ARONDA, EMPIRE SONG, and AMC PRETORIA CASTLE departed the Clyde.

Steamers CLAN CHATTAN, CLAN CAMPBELL, CLAN LAMONT, EMPIRE SONG, and NEW ZEALAND STAR were detached to Gibraltar on 2 May as the TIGER convoy for the Mediterranean. CLA NAIAD and DDs HAVELOCK, HESPERUS, and HARVESTER were in the convoy escort for the voyage to Gibraltar. DDrs BEAGLE and ERIDGE escorted the convoy from 26 April to 30 April when they joined convoy SL.71.

RCN DDs OTTAWA, RESTIGOUCHE, SAGUENAY, RN DD LEGION and HURRICANE, and ORP DD PIORUN, escorted the convoy from 26 to 29 April.
BB RODNEY departed Scapa Flow on the 26th to escort the convoy. The BB was relieved by BC REPULSE from Gibraltar. REPULSE arrived at Gibraltar with the three H.class DDs on 5 May. CLA NAIAD was detached from the convoy and arrived at Gibraltar on 4 May.

On 2 May, CL MAURITIUS joined the convoy. On 5 May, DDs DUNCAN and WISHART joined the convoy and on 6 May, DDs HIGHLANDER and BOREAS joined the convoy. On 9 May, the convoy arrived at Freetown with AMC PRETORIA CASTLE, CL MAURITIUS and four DDs.

The convoy departed Freetown on 14 May. The convoy was joined by liner IMPERIAL STAR (10,733grt) which had proceeded independently to Freetown from the UK.

Liner HIGHLAND CHIEFTAIN did not depart with the convoy. She sailed on 15 May escorted by armed merchant cruiser CILICIA to overtake the convoy.

The convoy from Freetown was escorted by DDs HIGHLANDER, WISHART, DUNCAN, and BOREAS from 14 to 16 May. CL MAURITIUS was with the convoy until relieved by CA HAWKINS on 24 May. AMC PRETORIA CASTLE was with the convoy from 24 to 27 May when the convoy arrived at Durban. Troopship STRATHAIRD was detached to Capetown arriving on 24 May and then proceeded to rejoin the Durban section the next day. Troopships IMPERIAL STAR, STRATHAIRD, and EMPRESS OF ASIA arrived at Capetown on 24 May. CA HAWKINS and steamers EMPRESS OF RUSSIA, ARONDA, SOBIESKI, DOMINION MONARCH, STRATHAIRD, REINA DEL PACIFICO, and ABBEKERK arrived at Durban on 27 May.
Steamers SOBIESKI, ARONDA, STRATHAIRD, EMPRESS OF RUSSIA, and ABBEKERK departed Durban on 31 May escorted by CA HAWKINS. The steamers arrived at Aden on 10 June and ships proceeded independently to Suez from that point .

SW Approaches
OG.60 departed Liverpool escort DDs ROCKINGHAM, VANQUISHER, and VISCOUNT, sloops DEPTFORD and LONDONDERRY, corvettes FRESIA, HIBISCUS, PIMPERNEL, and RHODODENDRON, and anti-submarine yacht PHILANTE. Corvette RHODODENDRON was detached that day. The remainder of the escorts, less sloop DEPTFORD, were detached on the 30th. The convoy was joined en route by Dutch submarine O.23. OG.60 arrived at Gibraltar on 10 May escorted by sloop DEPTFORD and submarine O.23.

Channel
DD ANTELOPE departed Portsmouth to join the Home Fleet, arriving at Scapa Flow on the 27th.

Med/Biscay
CL AJAX departed Alexandria to join Vice Admiral, Light Forces. Corvettes HYACINTH and SALIVA and MSW trawler MUROTO were withdrawn from Piraeus. En route to Suda Bay, they swept the approaches to Navplion.

British steamer SCOTTISH PRINCE was damaged by the LW in the Aegean. The steamer was assisted by RAN DD VAMPIRE and sloop GRIMSBY. The steamer made it back to Alexandria on 12 May, badly damaged on her starboard side.

Operation DEMON continued during the night of 26/27 April.

Raphina and Raphtis:commando ship GLENGYLE, steamer SALWEEN, CLA CARLISLE, and DDs NUBIAN, DECOY, and HASTY. A lighter A.6 ferried troops from the beaches to the ships. Navplion and Tolon:commando ship GLENEARN, troopships SLAMAT and KHEDIVE ISMAEL, CLA CALCUTTA, and DDs ISIS, HOTSPUR, GRIFFIN, DIAMOND, and HAVOCK.

Commando ship GLENEARN was bombed en route. She was towed to Kissamo Bay by DD GRIFFIN. GLENEARN was towed from Kissamo Bay by sloop GRIMSBY and later netlayer PROTECTOR to Alexandria arriving on 1 May. To compensate for the loss in lift capability brought about by the withdrawal of the GLENEARN, CLs ORION and PERTH and RAN DD STUART were dispatched from Suda Bay to carry for to fulfil the evacuations that had been tasked to the GLENEARN. PERTH and STUART proceeded to Tolon. ORION proceeded to Navplion where she embarked embarked more than 300 troops lifted off the beach. At Tolon DD STUART saved even more troops, about 600 in fact. Midshipman D. F. Swithinbank was unable to return to cruiser ORION before sailing. He was later able to escape and rejoin British forces. Midshipman (E) J. O. Wigg was wounded and one rating was killed and five ratings were missing.

Troopship SLAMAT (NL 11403 grt) was late in getting away from Navplion in the morning. On the evening of 26 April three cruisers, four DDs, troopship KHEDIVE ISMAIL and the SLAMAT were in the Bay of Navplion.. The only available tenders were one LC, local caiques and the ships' own boats. Two cruisers and two DDs embarked nearly 2,500 troops, but the slow rate of embarkation onto the large troopships meant that KHEDIVE ISMAILdid not get its turn and did not embark any troops.

At 0300 hrs CALCUTTA signalled all ships to sail, but SLAMAT disobeyed and continued embarking troops. CALCUTTA and KHEDIVE ISMAIL sailed at 0300 hrs; SLAMAT did follow at 0415 hrs, by which time she had embarked about 500 troops: about half her capacity.

The convoy steamed sth down the Argolis Gulf, until at 0645. LW a/c attacked it firstly with 3 Bf 109 E-7 fighter bombers, then 9 Ju87s from JG77, Ju88 and Do17Z bombers and additional 9 Bf 109s. A 250 kg (550 lb) bomb exploded between SLAMAT's bridge and forward funnel, setting her afire. Her water system became disabled, hampering her crew's ability to fight the fire. Another bomb also hit her and she started to list to starboard.

SLAMAT's captain, Tjalling Luidinga, gave the order to abandon ship at about that time. . The bombing and fire had destroyed some of her lifeboats and her remaining boats and rafts were launched under a second Stuka attack. The DD HMS HOTSPUR reported seeing four bombs hit SLAMAT. Two lifeboats capsized; one from overloading and another when, in the midst of transferring survivors, DD DIAMOND had to speed away from her to evade an air attack. Some aircraft were observed machine-gunning survivors in the water.

The rest of the convoy were ordered to keep moving, while CALCUTTA rescued some survivors and ordered the DIAMOND to continue rescue operations. At 0815 hrs DIAMONDwas still rescuing survivors and still under more or less continuous attack with the LW continuing it terror attacks on men in the water. At 0916 hrs 3 DDs from Crete reinforced the convoy, so CALCUTTA sent one of them, HMS WRYNECK , to assist DIAMOND. By 0925 hrs DIAMOND signalled that she had rescued most of the survivors and was heading for Suda Bay. WRYNECK reached DIAMOND about 1000 hrs and requested aircraft cover at 1025 hrs. It never arrived.

DIAMOND accompanied by WRYNECK returned to SLAMAT, arriving about 1100 hrs. They found two lifeboats from SLAMAT and rescued their occupants. SLAMAT by this time was afire from stem to stern, and DIAMOND fired a torpedo at her port side that sank her By now DIAMOND was carrying about 600 of SLAMAT's survivors, including Captain Luidinga.

About 1315 hrs a Staffel of Ju 87 bombers came out of the sun in a surprise attack on the two DD sinking both of them . Two bombs damaged D Class DD HMS DIAMOND (RN 1375 grt) was hit on the superstructure, destroying both of her lifeboats and sank her in under 8 mins.

Three bombs hit V&W Class DD WRYNECK (RN 1118 grt); she capsized to port and sank in 10–15 minutes. WRYNECK launched her whaler and each DD launched their three Carley FloatsSeveral men in the Carley floats died either from wounds or from drowning in the swell

WRYNECK's engineer, Maurice Waldron, took command of her whaler and she set off east past Cape Maleas towing two Carley floats and their occupants. In the evening the wind increased, causing the floats to strike the boat, so Waldron reluctantly cast them adrift. DD HMS GRIFFIN rescued survivors from WRYNECK and DIAMOND, some of whom were survivors from SLAMAT. She later took the survivors from to Port Said

After 1900 hrs on 27 April Pridham Wippell became concerned that DIAMOND had not returned to Suda Bay and was not answering radio signals. WRYNECK had been ordered to keep radio silence, so no attempt was made to radio her. Pridham-Wippell sent the DD GRIFFIN to the position where SLAMAT had been lost. She found 14 survivors in two Carley floats that night, more floats and another four survivors in the morning, and took the survivors to Crete.
Survivors in WRYNECK's whaler reached Crete in three stages. On 28 April they aimed for the island of MILOS but were too exhausted so they landed at Ananes Rock, about 13 nautical miles (24 km) SE of Milos. There they met a caïque full of Greek refugees and British soldiers evacuated from Piraeous, who were sheltering by day and sailing only by night to avoid detection. In the evening everyone left Ananes and headed south for Crete, with most people in the caïque and five being towed in the whaler. On 29 April the caïque sighted an LC that had left Porto Rafti near Athens. She took aboard everyone from the caïque and whaler, and the next day they reached Suda Bay.

Nearly 1,000 people were killed in the loss of SLAMAT, DIAMOND and WRYNECK Of the 500 or so soldiers that SLAMAT embarked, only eight survived. Of her complement of 193 crew and 21 Australian and New Zealand DEMS gunners and NZEF Medical Corps, 11 survived. Of DIAMOND's 166 complement, 20 survived. Of WRYNECK's 106 crew, 27 survived

Untouched in these attacks were DDs, VENDETTA, and WATERHEN which were escorting the main group while this drama was unfolding.

After the above losses, VENDETTA and WATERHEN relieved DDs ISIS and HOTSPUR which were escorting troopship KHEDIVE ISMAEL. DDs ISIS and HOTSPUR then ran on to Suda Bay. DD HAVOCK carried the Army HQ and also the Flag Officer Attached Middle East at Navplion and took them to Monemvasia. The DD was then to escort Steamer SANTA BARBARA (UK 5000 grt (est)) from Monemvasia. However, the steamer was sunk by bombing before the destroyer arrived.
[NO IMAGE FOUND

Kalamata:Troopships CITY OF LONDON, COSTA RICA, and DILWARA, CLA PHOEBE, DDs HERO, HEREWARD, and DEFENDER, and sloop FLAMINGO. DEFENDER embarked the Yugoslav crown jewels for transport to Alexandria. Cruiser PHOEBE and DDs HERO and HEREWARD returned empty.

CLs ORION and PERTH and DD STUART arrived at Suda at 1100 with 2000 men. A total of 4300 men were evacuated from Navplion. 8300 men were evacuated from Raphtis and Raphina. 8650 men were evacuated from Kalamata.

Gunboat LADYBIRD bombarded Gazala airdrome. Gunboat APHIS bombarded an enemy column in the Halfaya Pass.

Steamer MAIOTIS (Gk 1712 grt) was sunk by the LW in the Aegean. The steamer was later salved and taken to Trieste and used in Italian service.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Steamer MARIA STATHATOU (Gk 6303 grt) was sunk by the LW at Mylos.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Steamer ZAKYNTHOS (Gk 960 grt) was sunk by the LW off Monemvasia.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Submarine TAKU departed Gibraltar for patrol in the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Submarine UNION departed Gibraltar for Malta, arriving on 4 May.

Central Atlantic
British troopship EMPIRE TROOPER departed Gibraltar, escorted by corvette PRIMULA, for Freetown.

US CV WASP with CA QUINCY and DDs LIVERMORE and KEARNEY departed Hampton Roads on neutrality patrol. This patrol concluded at Bermuda on 12 May. This is the first use of the aircraft carriers on this patrol.

Malta

 

[parsifal]

27 APRIL 1941
Known Reinforcements
Allied
Hunt Class Type II Escort DD HMS FARNDALE (L-70)

Fairmile B ML 249
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Losses
Auxiliary fighter catapult ship PATIA (UK 5355 grt) was sunk off the Tyne near 20.G Buoy, Coquet Island. Baker, T/Lt C. S. Nicholls RNVR, and T/Sub Lt (E) B. K. Prim RNR, and eighteen ratings were killed on the ship. A rating died of wounds on the 28th and T/A/Sub Lt W. Kirkham RNVR, died of wounds on the 29th. Lt F. J. Owen RNR, T/Lt E. L. Riley RNVR, and P/T/Lt B. E. T. Williams RNR, and thirteen ratings were missing. T/Lt (E) E. Jones RNR, T/Paymaster Sub Lt J. McDonald RNR, T/Sub Lt (E) E. H. Maddock RNR, and T/Surgeon Lt A. Watt RNVR, were wounded.

U.552 sank trawler COMMANDER HORTON (UK 227 grt) SE of Iceland.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

U.147 sank Steamer RIMFAKSE (Nor 1134 grt) in the Denmark Strait. The ship was transporting coal to Iceland from Blyth, with a crew of 19. 11 crew were lost in the attack. At 0242 hrs the unescorted RIMFAKSE was struck on the port side by one torpedo from U-147 about 130 miles NW of Scotland and sank by the bow with a heavy list to port within two minutes. Eleven crew members were lost. The Germans tried to question the survivors in the water but got no answers. The master and seven survivors managed to get on a raft, but they were not able to help others that were crying for help in the dark. At dawn they reached another raft by paddling, distributed themselves on the rafts and tied them together. Later that day, the survivors were picked up by HENGIST and taken to Scrabster.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

U.552 sank steamer BEACON GRANGE (UK 10,160 grt) in the Denmark Strait about 130 miles SE of Iceland. The ship was outward bound and empty when lost, on passage from the Tyne to Buenos Airess with a crew of 82. Two crew were missing from the steamer. Corvette GLADIOLUS and Belgian trawler EDOUARD ANSEELE rescued the survivors.

Steamer CELTE (UK 943 grt) was sunk by the LW in Denmark Strait. The entire crew were rescued.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

UBOATS
At Sea 27 April 1941
U-38, U-52, U-65, U-75, U-95, U-96, U-101, U-103, U-105, U-106, U-107, U-108, U-110, U-123, U-124, U-143, U-147, U-201, U-552, U-553

20 boats at sea

OPERATIONS
Northern Waters
DDs SOMALI and BEDOUIN departed Scapa Flow to search for a submarine reported by aircraft. The destroyers were recalled at 23330 and arrived back at Scapa Flow before dawn on the 29th.

DDs TARTAR, ESKIMO, and BROCKLESBY departed Scapa Flow for Rosyth. TARTAR was to boiler clean at Rosyth, whilst ESKIMO and BROCKLESBY were to escort ML AGAMEMNON from Rosyth. The two DDs and the minelayer departed Rosyth on the 29th for Loch Alsh.

Destroyer FARNDALE arrived at Scapa Flow to work up.

West Coast
OB.315 departed Liverpool, escort DDs BULLDOG, CHELSEA, MANSFIELD, and VERITY and corvette LARKSPUR. On the 29th, BULLDOG was detached and MSWs SEAGULL and SHARPSHOOTER joined. VERITY was detached on 1 May and DD CHELSEA and MANSFIELD on 3 May. The remainder of the escort was detached on 4 May when the convoy dispersed.

Sloop ROSEMARY was damaged in a collision with British steamer CARRICKMACROSS at Milford Haven. The sloop was repaired at Milford Haven from 28 April to 6 June.

Med/Biscay
U Class Submarine HMS USK (RN 540 grt) was lost on a minefield off Cape Bon. 32 men (the entire crew) were lost.

Submarine TORBAY unsuccessfully attacked a steamer off Cape Ferrato.

Steamer SNA.7 (Vichy 3500 grt (est)) was sunk on a mine off Cape Bon.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

To relieve congestion in Crete, convoy GA.14 departed Suda Bay with commando ship GLENGYLE, troopships Egyptian KHEDIVE ISMAEL, British SALWEEN , British DILWARA , British CITY OF LONDON, and Dutch COSTA RICA.

Troopship COSTA RICA (NL 8672 grt) was sunk by the LW bombing north of Crete with 2600 troops embarked, while this convoy was forming. The entire crew and all passengers were rescued by CLA PHOEBE and DDs HERO, HEREWARD, and DEFENDER. The convoy was escorted by CLAs COVENTRY and CALCUTTA, RAN DDs STUART, VENDETTA, WATERHEN, and VAMPIRE, and sloop FLAMINGO. DD WRYNECK was supposed to be in this force, but at this time it was not known she was lost.

DD GRIFFIN was sent north to attempt to locate DDs DIAMOND and WRYNECK and found a liferaft carrying one officer and forty eight ratings. CL PERTH and CLA PHOEBE and DDs DECOY, HASTY, NUBIAN, HEREWARD, HERO, and DEFENDER covered the convoy, and arrived at Alexandria on the 29th.

During the night of 27/28 April DEMON continued.

CL AJAX and DDs KINGSTON, KIMBERLEY, and HAVOCK, assisted by three Greek caiques, lifted 4200 troops from Raphina and Raphtis.

Steamer EVANGHELOS GEORGIOU (Gk 441 grt) was sunk by the LW at Kithera.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Steamer ASTIR (Gk 1350 grt) was sunk by the LW German bombing at Kapsalion.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Steamer TASSOS (Gk 333 grt) was sunk by the LW at Hermione.

Steamer FRAGISCOS (Gk 441 grt) was sunk by the LW in the Aegean Archipelago.

Steamer HOLLANDIA (Gk 1759 grt) anchored at Hermione with engine trouble on the 23rd. She was sunk by the LW at Hermione, near Navplion Bay.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Steamer DANAPRIS (Gk 2113 grt) was damaged by the LW at Piraeus. Immobilised, she was captured and then put into service by the Germans
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Central Atlantic
Ocean boarding vessel MARON intercepted five French steamers, escorted by a patrol vessel in the central Atlantic. The Admiralty directed that the convoy should be allowed to proceed. The convoy, escorted by auxiliary patrol vessel ASPRIANT BRUN, departed Casablanca on the 24th and arrived at Dakar on 2 May.

SL.73 departed Freetown escort AMC ESPERANCE BAY for the day only and corvettes CLEMATIS, CROCUS, CYCLAMAN, and MARGUERITE to 6 May. DD DUNCAN escorted the convoy from 29 April to 1 May. On 3 May, CL DRAGON joined to 6 May. DDs BOADICEA to 25 May, COLUMBIA to 25 May, and ST FRANCIS to 21 May and ocean boarding vessels HILARY and REGISTAN, both to 25 May joined on 19 May. On 20 May, DD ST CLAIR for the day only, sloop EGRET to 25 May, and corvettes ARROWHEAD, HEPATICA, SNOWBERRY, and SPIKENARD, all to 25 May, joined, and arrived at Liverpool on 25 May.

Sth Atlantic
CA DORSETSHIRE departed St Helena.

Pacific/Australia
CL DAUNTLESS departed Singapore.

Malta

 

[parsifal]

28 APRIL 1941
Known Reinforcements
Neutral
Cimarron Class AO USS SALAMONIE (AO 26)

Losses
ASW trawler CAROLINE (RN 253 grt) with a Dutch crew was sunk on a mine off
Milford Haven, 13.6 cables 224° from Great Castle Head. All hands were lots
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Ammunition storage ship MONCOUSU (UK 1420 grt) was sunk by German bombing at Plymouth.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Steamer CLAN BUCHANAN (UK 7266 grt) was sunk by DKM Raider PINGUIN in the Indian Ocean. The entire crew were picked up, but 107 of these captives. were lost when PINGUIN was sunk on 8 May.

U.65, U.96, and U.552 attacks on convoy HX.121.
With assistance from Enigma intercepts, the British hunter killer groups then beginning to form enjoyed their fir first successes.

Type IXB U-65 (DKM 1178 grt) was sunk on 28 April 1941 in the North Atlantic SE of Iceland, in position 59.51N, 15.30W, as she was maneuvering to attack HX 112 by DCs from the RN DD HMS DOUGLAS with 50 crew lost (all handst).

SE of Iceland, in position 60.04N, 15.45W, the British corvette HMS GLADIOLUS depth charged U-96. She was forced to dive deep and this did affect her performance in the ensuing convoy battle but disappointingly, there was no damage inflicted on U-96.
These attacks were for many years believed to be those that caused the loss of U-65.

U-552, after torpedoing a ship in HX 121 sth of Iceland, was depth charged in five separate attacks from the escort attached to the special striking Gp, HMS MAORI and INGLEFIELD, forcing the boat to remain submerged for hours until the convoy was out of range

U.552 torpedoed tanker CAPULET (UK 8190 grt) in the Western Approaches. She was on passage from Curacao directly to Scapa. Carrying Fuel Oil. A crew of 44 was embarked. The tanker was abandoned on fire and was later sunk by gunfire from U-201 on the 2 May . Eight crew and one passenger were lost on the tanker.

U.96 sank tkr OILFIELD (UK 8516 grt) in the Western Approaches. On passage from Aruba to London via Halifax, she had a crew of 55 and a full load of benzene when lost. 45 crew and two gunners were lost on the tanker. At 1925 hrs, U-96 fired three single torpedoes at three tankers in HX-121south of Iceland and reported the sinking of two tankers with 18,000 tons and damaging another with 6000 tons after observing three hits. The tankers OILFIELDand the CALEDONIA were sunk and the freighter PORT HARDY was hit and sunk after the torpedo had missed the intended target.
The OILFIELD caught fire immediately and burned until she broke in two and sank the next day. The master, 44 crew members and two gunners were lost. Six crew members and two gunners were picked up by HMS ST ZENO and landed at Londonderry.

U.96 sank tkr CALEDONIA(Nor 9892 grt) in the Western Approaches. She was on passage from Aruba to Glasgow via Halifax, carrying Fuel Oil when lost. Seven crew members of the 35 men and two gunners aboard the CALEDONIA died in the engine room. Five others jumped overboard and tried to get to the only launched lifeboat, but they drifted into the burning inferno around the nearby torpedoed OILFIELD and died. The 25 men in the lifeboat desperately tried to rescue them, but this had to be given up because of the intense heat. The survivors were picked up by the British rescue ship ZAAFARAN and landed in Gourock on 1 May.

U.96 sank steamer PORT HARDY (UK 8897 grt) in the Western Approaches. One crewman was lost. The vessel was on passage from Wellington (NZ) to Avonmouth via Halifax with a crew of 98 and carrying a cargo of meat and dairy products, and some zinc ore. The PORT HARDY was hit on the port side abaft the main mast by one torpedo and sank after about three hours about 165 miles NNW of Rockall. One crew member was lost. The master, 82 crew members, four gunners and ten passengers were picked up by the British rescue ship ZAAFARAN and landed at Greenock on 1 May.

UBOATS
At Sea 28 April 1941
U-38, U-52, U-65, U-75, U-95, U-96, U-101, U-103, U-105, U-106, U-107, U-108, U-110, U-123, U-124, U-143, U-147, U-201, U-552, U-553

20 boats at sea

OPERATIONS
North Sea
British steamer MARIE DAWN was damaged by the LW near Sheringham Buoy (off the Norfolk coast). British steamer EMPIRE STRAIT was damaged by the LW off Great Yarmouth.

Northern Patrol
BC HOOD and DDs ECHO, ACTIVE, ACHATES, and ANTHONY departed Hvalfjord to cover convoys HX.122, escorted by AMC ALAUNIA, and SC.29, escorted by AMC RANPURA. CA SUFFOLK departed Iceland on patrol.

West Coast
OB.316 departed liverpool, escort DDs WOLVERINE and WOOLSTON and corvette BEGONIA. WOOLSTON was detached on the 29th. On the 30th, DDs SALADIN and SKATE and MSW HARRIER joined the convoy. DD WOLVERINE and the MSW were detached on 3 May. DDs SALADIN, SKATE, and VETERAN were detached on 4 May. The convoy was dispersed on 5 May and corvette BEGONIA was detached.

Submarine H.31 and DD VENOMOUS collided during A/S training exercises at Londonderry. VENOMOUS was repaired at Londonderry completed on 18 May.
The submarine received damage to her aft hydroplanes.

Western Approaches
DDs INGLEFIELD and MAORI, which formed a striking force for HX.121, attacked a submarine contact in 60-10N, 17W, where they claimed sinking a submarine.

DDs SOMALI and BEDOUIN were sent from Scapa Flow to investigate a submarine contact reported by aircraft in 59-16N, 7-23W.

Med/Biscay
Salvage work on CA YORK was suspended.

During the night of 28/29 April, DEMON continues.

Kithera - sloop AUCKLAND, corvettes HYACINTH and SALVIA embarked 750 RAF and other personnel.

Monemvasia - CL AJAX and DDs HAVOCK, HOTSPUR, ISIS, and GRIFFIN lifted 4320 troops, including the units delivered there by DD HAVOCK on the 27th.

Kalamata – RAN CL PERTH, CLA PHOEBE and DDs NUBIAN, HERO, DEFENDER, HEREWARD, DECOY, and DEFENDER.

DDs KINGSTON, KIMBERLEY, and KANDAHAR were sent to join the Kalamata force to pick up Yugoslav refugees. On arrival at Kalamata, the harbour was reported to be in enemy hands. DD HERO was sent to investigate and the Main Force retired. DDs HERO, KIMBERLEY, KANDAHAR, and KINGSTON did pick up some 450 troops from Kalamata.

Lighter A.15 departed Suda Bay to assist damaged lighter A.5 off Monemvasia. The lighter had been damaged by the LW. The lighter was later sunk.

En route, lighter A.15 (RN 250 grt (est)) was sunk by the LW with all hands aboard lost.
(NO IMAGE FOUND]

Pre WWI TB KYZIKOS (RHN 243 grt) was sunk by the LW at Salamis.

Steamer AIKATERINI (Gk 462 grt) was sunk by German bombing off Spetsopoulou. The attackers again engaged in machine gunning the survivors in the water.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Steamer ELENI CANAVARIOTI (Gk 797 grt) was sunk by German bombing. The survivors were landed at Izmir.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

During the night of 28/29 and 29/30 April, Malta was heavily bombed.

DD ENCOUNTER in drydock at Malta was badly damaged in attacks on 29 and 30 April. On the 29th, a bomb penetrated her forecastle and exploded inside the ship. The DD was further damaged by bombing on 16 May. ENCOUNTER was repaired completing in mid July and sailed for Gibraltar on 23 July.

MSW FERMOY (RN 250 grt(est)) was damaged beyond repair in dock at Malta on 29 and 30 April.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

ASW trawler CORAL and MSW drifter TRUSTY STAR were also damaged by bombing.

A Swordfish of 810 Sqn ditched off Gibraltar on take off. Sub Lt R. S. Charlier was picked up by CL SHEFFIELD, but Leading Airman D. R. B. Evans was lost.

Force H arrived back at Gibraltar after operations DUNLOP and SALIENT. DDrs FEARLESS, FURY, and WRESTLER departed Gibraltar to join battleship QUEEN ELIZABETH and escort her to Gibraltar.

Submarine URGE departed Gibraltar for Malta.

Red Sea/Indian Ocean
CVL HERMES and CL ENTERPRISE were in the Persian Gulf covering the landings at Basra from convoy BP.1 of steamers NEVASA, BANDRA, ESPERANCE. Steamer WESTERNLAND travelled in this convoy and proceeded on to Suez. Convoy BP.1 departed Bombay on the 21st, escorted by AMC ANTENOR. Sloop LAWRENCE joined on the 25th and sloop FALMOUTH on the 28th. Sloop LAWRENCE was detached on the 28th when RAN sloop YARRA and gunboat COCKCHAFER joined. The convoy arrived at Basra on the 29th.

On the 30th, convoy BP.1A of troopships DEVONSHIRE and NEURALIA departed Bombay, escorted by RAN AMC KANIMBLA. Sloop FALMOUTH joined on 3 May. The convoy arrived at Basra on 6 May.

Convoy BP.2 departed Karachi on 6 May with troopships ROHNA, LANCASHIRE, and VARELA, escorted by KANIMBLA. The convoy arrived at Basra on 10 May.

Convoy BP.3 departed on 9 May from Bombay, escorted by AMC ANTENOR, with troopships TALMA, RAULA, EKMA, and SANTHIA for Basra and STRATHMORE for Suez and from Karachi, escorted by AMC KANIMBLA with EGRA and EL MADINA for Port Sudan. The convoy arrived at Aden on 15 May.

On 10 May, steamers RISALDAR, BAHADUR, JALAVIHAR, and JALADUTA departed Bombay, independently, for Basra.

Convoy BP.4 departed Bombay on 23 May with troopships NEURALIA, DEVONSHIRE, and ISLAMI, escorted by armed merchant cruiser ANTENOR. Sloop SHOREHAM joined on 23 May. The convoy arrived at Basra on 30 May.

The BP series continued and ended 1941 with BP.29 sailing on 18 December. AMCs ANTENOR or KANIMBLA being the escorts through BP.11. After BP.16 and through BP.40 in March 1942, the convoys travelled without escort.

Pacific/Australia
CL DANAE departed Penang.


Malta

 

[parsifal]

29 APRIL 1941
Known Reinforcements
Axis
Type VIIb U-84

6 ships sunk, total tonnage 29,905 GRT
Sunk on 7 August 1943 in the North Atlantic south-west of Bermuda, in position 27.55N, 68.30W, by a "Fido" homing torpedo from a US B-24 aircraft (VB-105 USN/B-4). 46 dead

Allied
Flower Class Corvette HMCS PICTOU (K-146)

Isles Class ASW Trawler HMS ARRAN (T-06)

Brigand Class Rescue Tug HMS FREEBOOTER (W-01)

Motor MSW MMS - 12

Motor Minesweeper J 636 underway in British coastal waters

Losses
U.75 sank Liner CITY OF NAGPUR (UK 10,146 grt) in the N th Atlantic, whilst she was on passage from Glasgow to Karachi via Freetown carrying about 2000 tons of general cargo. 468 passengers and crew were aboard at the time. At 0229 hrs the unescorted CITY OF NAGPUR was hit on the starboard side by one G7e torpedo from U-75 about 600 miles west of Valentia Island, Ireland. The U-boat had spotted this ship and another merchant one day earlier, but then missed her with a first G7e torpedo at 0608 hrs and the other ship with a G7e torpedo at 1314 hours. The CITY OF NAGPURsent radio messages after being hit, but stopped when the Germans fired at her with machine guns. At 0252 hrs, the U-boat fired a stern torpedo, which was a dud. An attempt to set the ship on fire by gunfire was not successful, so a coup de grace was fired at 0333 hrs, which hit on the port side and caused a list. The CITY OF NAGPUR finally sank by the stern one minute after being hit aft by a third torpedo at 0600 hrs. 15 crew members and one passenger were lost. The master, 170 crew members, eight gunners and 273 passengers were picked up by DD HMS HURRICANE and landed at Greenock, where one crew member died of wounds in a hospital.

Steamer KALUA (UK 722 grt) was sunk by the LW 1.5 miles NNE of T.2 Buoy, mouth of Tyne. The entire crew were rescued.

DKM S-Boat Flotilla 1 with S.26, S.27, S.29, and S.55 attacked Convoy EC.13 of 57 ships off Cromer.

Steamer AMBROSE FLEMING (UK 1555 grt) was sunk by S.29 with the loss of ten crew and one gunner from a complement of 22. DDs WORCESTER, EGLINTON, WHITSHED, and WALLACE engaged the S-boats and were mostly successful in protecting the convoy .
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

ML.278 (RN 76 grt) was sunk on a mine at Portsmouth. The entire crew were lost.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

UBOATS
Departures
Bergen: U141
Lorient: U-94

At Sea 29 April 1941
U-38, U-52, U-75, U-94, U-95, U-96, U-101, U-103, U-105, U-106, U-107, U-108, U-110, U-123, U-124, U-141, U-143, U-147, U-201, U-552, U-553

21 boats at sea.

OPERATIONS
North Sea
ML AGAMEMNON departed Rosyth after repairs escorted by DDs ESKIMO and BROCKLESBY for Loch Alsh. The DDs arrived proceeded to Scapa Flow on 1 May after the escort.
British steamer PROWESS was damaged by mine off Projector Buoy, Humber.
British steamer CORGLEN and Norwegian steamer ASKELADDEN were damaged by the LW off T.2 Buoy, Tyne. Both ships were towed back to port.

Northern Waters
DD ARROW departed Scapa Flow at for Chatham to refitting and arrived on the 30th. AA ship ALYNBANK departed Scapa Flow to meet convoy WN.20 in the Pentland Firth and provide escort until meeting convoy EC.13, on 1 May in Pentland Firth. EC. 13 was escorted to Methil, arriving on 2 May.

Channel
In heavy LW air attacks during the night of 29/30 April, CL TRINIDAD under construction at Devonport was hit by a bomb. There was some damage to offices and cabins. Aux PV PESSAC was damaged by the LW attacks at Plymouth. The ship sank with heavy bottom damage. The vessel was repaired in 1942. Lighter C.293 was sunk by German bombing at Plymouth. She was raised, repaired and returned to service

Med/Biscay
Convoy GA.15 departed the Aegean with troopships DELANE (6054grt), THURLAND CASTLE (6372grt), COMLIEBANK (5149grt), CORINTHIA (3701grt), ITRIA (6854grt), and IONIA (1936grt) and oiler BRAMBLELEAF. The convoy was escorted by CLA CARLISLE, DDs KANDAHAR and KINGSTON, and sloop AUCKLAND.

The convoy was covered by Vice Admiral, Light Forces in CL ORION which departed Suda Bay and joined the aborted Kalamata force cruisers PERTH and PHOEBE and the Monemvasia cruiser AJAX north of Crete. DDs DECOY, DEFENDER, NUBIAN, HASTY, and HEREWARD covered the convoy.

DDs HOTSPUR, HAVOCK, ISIS, KIMBERLEY, and HERO were left behind to collect stragglers from the islands.

Rawlings departed Alexandria with BBs BARHAM and VALIANT, CV FORMIDABLE and RAN DDs STUART, VENDETTA, VAMPIRE, WATERHEN, VOYAGER, and RN GREYHOUND to support the convoy. Rawlings met Pridham Wipple south of Kaso Strait on the 30th. PHOEBE and PERTH and DD NUBIAN joined Rawlings and the rest of the force was sent on to Alexandria, arriving on the 30th. Rawlings was also joined by DD ILEX from Alexandria and DDs JUNO and JAGUAR from Malta about this time.
Rawlings contacted convoy GA.15 shortly after and PERTH and NUBIAN were detached to the convoy for close support. DD NUBIAN was damaged by the near miss from the LW. The DD required docking on arrival but her damage was described as "light".

Med Flt at sea and under escort from the "Scrap Iron" Flotilla

After leaving the convoy, Rawlings then turned north to support the Melos and Kalamata forces, and arrived at Alexandria on 1 May. DDs DECOY and DEFENDER continued on to Port Said with two steamers. The Mediterranean Fleet returned to Alexandria on 3 May.

During the night of 29/30 April, DEMON continued.

DDs ISIS, KIMBERLEY, and HERO embarked on 16 officers and 17 other ranks from Kalamata. The reports that the harbour had been captured were not yet fully in effect.
DDs HAVOCK and HOTSPUR moved a battalion of troops from Suda Bay to Heraklion.

Convoy service ship CHAKLA (RN 3081 grt) was sunk by German bombers inside Tobruk Harbour. Two ratings were wounded in the sinking of the ship.

Steamer AETOS (Gk 125 grt) was sunk by the LW in Greek waters.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

The following two ships were bombed and damaged by the LW. Unable to move, they were captured and put into German service at the end of May .

Steamer ELSI (1433grt)
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Steamer KONISTRA (Gk 3537 grt)
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Submarine PANDORA departed Gibraltar for patrol off Naples.

Nth Atlantic
SC.30 departed Halifax, escort AMC SALOPIAN, corvettes COBALT and COLLINGWOOD, and submarine THUNDERBOLT. The corvettes were detached the next day and the submarine on 10 May. On 12 May, DD WATCHMAN, corvette VIOLET, and ASW trawlers ST KENAN, ST ZENO, and VIZALMA joined the convoy. Corvette ABELIA joined the convoy on 14 May. DD WATCHMAN was detached on 15 May. CAM ship ARIGUANI, DDs ERIDGE, LEAMINGTON, and ROXBOROUGH, and MSWs HUSSAR and NIGER joined on 15 May and were detached on 18 May. AMCs SALOPIAN was detached on 17 May. DD BURWELL and corvettes ANEMONE and VERONICA joined on 18 May. The remainder of the escort was detached when the convoy arrived at Liverpool on 20 May.

Central Atlantic
Corvettes GARDENIA and COLUMBINE arrived at Gibraltar from the UK after escort duty with convoy OG.59.

Red Sea/Indian Ocean
NZ manned CL LEANDER departed Colombo to search for German raider PINGUIN six hundred miles west of the Maldives.

Cyrenaica
Bryant's diary: Tuesday 29th April 1941
We had four very intense air-raid attacks in our area. One in the morning, two at dinner time and one at tea-time. There were over 50 planes used in the latter raid and although they drop a large number of bombs and make a terrible amount of noise they do remarkably little damage. I struck it lucky today and found plenty of tinned food and this should be a good reserve.

Malta

 

[Njaco]

April 28 Monday
NORTH AFRICA: At 0600 hours the Luftwaffe bombs Tobruk harbour and defensive positions, to cover the continued buildup of German and Italian troops and armour around the perimeter. General Paulus (German Deputy Chief of Staff), who arrived yesterday, orders Rommel to delay his planned attack on Tobruk, reflecting concerns that Rommel is being too reckless.

German armed merchant cruiser "Pinguin" attacked British ship "Clan Buchanan" in the Arabian Sea 1,200 miles east of Mogadishu, British Somaliland. Before the crew of 110 surrendered and the ship scuttled, a distress signal was sent out, and British warships were dispatched to the area to hunt for "Pinguin".

Obfw. Marseille scores his second victory (his 8th kill overall) in North Africa, a RAF Blenheim bomber over the water off Tobruk.

NORTH AMERICA: Members of the 'America First Committee' held a rally in Chicago. In the speeches, mention of Winston Churchill's name drew boos from the 10,000 person audience. A speech by Colonel Charles Lindbergh, the respected US isolationist, was interrupted by applause when he said that England was in a desperate situation, her shipping losses serious, 'her cities devastated by bombs'. Two months later, the city council of Charlotte, North Carolina, changed the name of Lindbergh Drive to Avon Terrace.

Charles Sweeney joined the United States Army Air Corps. He would later become the pilot of B-29 Superfortress bomber 'Bockscar' that delivered the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine U-123 detected Allied convoy HX121 150 miles south of Iceland and radioed the finding to 5 other submarines. At 0415 hours, U-552 sank a tanker. At 0725 hours, U-96 sank 2 tankers and 1 freighter. U-552 and U-96 are both depth charged by the convoy escorts. While attacking, U-65 was sunk by depth charges launched by British destroyer HMS "Douglas", killing the entire crew of 50.

GERMANY: British Stirling bombers of No. 7 Squadron RAF attacked Emden, Germany during the day.

In Berlin, Germany, German ambassador to the Soviet Union Friedrich Werner von der Schulenburg attempted to convince Adolf Hitler that the Soviet Union was generally friendly toward Germany, and the two nations could achieve greater friendship by working closer together.

MEDITERRANEAN: Unternehmen 25/ Unternehmen Marita: German aircraft sank Greek torpedo boat "Kyzikos" and 2 other ships during the day. Overnight, 4170 Allied troops are evacuated from the Peloponnese peninsula. 2 German companies (5.Panzerdivision) drive into the port of Kalamata and capture the quay as the evacuation begins. Though Allied forces would recapture the port by the end of the day, all British ships had already departed from Kalamata. Royal Navy warships sail back to sea, having embarked only 322 men. HMAS "Perth", had been sent to Greece again to embark troops at Kalamata, which was unsuccessful, and some 6000 troops were left behind to fall into German hands. Most Allied troops are too exhausted to resist but there are several independent small group actions. Sergeant Jack Hinton of New Zealand 2nd Division led an attack to retake the quay at Kalamata, Greece, clearing out 3 machine gun nests and a mortar with grenades and capturing a 6-inch gun. He was shot in the stomach and taken prisoner. He would later win the Victoria Cross (he will receive his medal from King George at Buckingham Palace on May 11 1945, after his release). Allied forces recapture the quay (41 Germans killed, 60 wounded, 100 taken prisoner) but it is too late, the warships are gone.

The Italians began occupying the Ionian and Aegean Islands.

A Seagull amphibian aircraft from HMAS "Perth", (cruiser), was shot down by German aircraft off Anti Kyrethia, Greece. The aircraft crashed into the sea, but her crew of three, (Flight Lieutenant E. V. Beaumont, RAAF, SBLT G. F. Brian, RAN, and PO Telegraphist D. Bowden), swam to a nearby island and were later rescued by HMS "Havock".

Günther Altenburg was made the Reich Plenipotentiary for Greece.

German bombers attacked Malta overnight, badly damaging destroyer HMS "Encounter" in the drydock and destroying minesweeper HMS "Fermoy".

Operation Temple: Such was the desperate condition of Malta that it was decided to explore the possibility of supplying the island by means of clandestine passage by unescorted merchant ships. The steamer "Parracombe" proceeded as a single ship escorted by the corvettes "Columbine" and "Gardenia" to pass through the Strait during the night. Patrols had explicit orders neither to approach nor challenge the ship, whose escort was to detach off Europa Point. "Parracombe" was loaded with 21 cased Hurricane fighters and their associated spares, 68 UP (unrotated projectile) rocket projectors and ammunition for them, and various other military stores. Passing through the Straits she wore the Spanish ensign, assuming French colours when well to the eastward, off the Algerian coast. Her orders were to pass close to Cape Bon, and then to break for Malta during the dark hours to arrive within 50 miles of Malta at dawn to receive fighter cover.

UNITED KINGDOM: Luftwaffe attacks Plymouth overnight with 124 aircraft.

British minesweeping trawler HMT "Caroline", manned by Dutch sailors, hit a mine and sank off Milford Haven, Wales, killing the entire crew.

Winston Churchill, without reference to the Chiefs of Staff, issued a directive stating that there is no need at the present time to make provisions for the defence of Malaya and Singapore.

WESTERN FRONT: RAF Fighter Command conducts a Roadstead operation and a Rhubarb operation. RAF Bomber Command sends 25 aircraft to attack warships at Brest overnight.

NORTHERN EUROPE: A clampdown is made in Norway against degenerate literature, with large-scale book burnings being held.

SOUTH PACIFIC: A beginning was made by the Royal Australian Navy in the employment of women, when 12 members of the Womens' Emergency Signalling Corps were engaged for duty as telegraphists at Harman wireless station, Canberra, ACT.


.

 

[Njaco]

April 29 Tuesday
MEDITERRANEAN: Unternehmen 25/ Unternehmen Marita: Allied resistance on mainland Greece ended at 0530 hours when 8,000 British, New Zealand, Australian, Greek, and Yugoslavian troops surrendered at Kalamata, Greece. The evacuation is over, although men will be collected from various small Greek islands over the next few days. Germans take 6508 British, 2030 Australian, 1614 New Zealand prisoners, plus 3806 Cypriots and Palestinians. Allied support of the British government commitments to Greece (executed mainly by NZ and Australian troops) has cost 2250 killed and wounded and 14,000 taken prisoner (out of 58,000 sent to Greece). In addition, 104 tanks, 192 field guns, 164 anti-tank guns, 40 anti-aircraft guns, 1812 machine guns, 8000 trucks are lost plus 209 aircraft destroyed (72 lost during the combat phase, 55 bombed on the ground by Luftwaffe, 82 destroyed or abandoned during the evacuation). Germany has overrun Greece in 23 days with 1318 killed and 3360 wounded (plus 166 killed and 392 wounded in Yugoslavia). In contrast, the Greco-Italian war in Northern Greece and Southern Albania (which was ended by the German invasion) costs Greece and Italy each about 14000 killed with 60,000 wounded. On the same day, British intelligence picked up positive information about the German invasion of Crete. In response, most British troopships at Suda Bay in Crete were dispatched to Alexandria, Egypt to prevent being attacked by German aircraft.

Six Ju 88s attack Valleta in the early evening. Seventeen Hurricanes are scrambled and shoot down one Ju 88.

Mihailovic and small group of officers and men cross into German-occupied Serbia to form nucleus of Cetnik resistance.

NORTH AMERICA: Charles Lindbergh announced in a letter that he was resigning as a member of the Army Air Corps Reserve due to President Roosevelt's implied criticism of him. The U.S. War Department accepted his resignation.

UNITED KINGDOM: Luftwaffe attacks Plymouth overnight with 162 aircraft, damaging cruiser HMS "Trinidad" and sinking auxiliary patrol vessel "Pessac". British vessel "Moncousu" damaged by Luftwaffe aircraft at Plymouth and subsequently sinks.

The British Admiralty issued a request for six C-3 Liberty hulls to be converted to fighter aircraft carriers. Five of these (HMS "Archer", "Avenger", "Biter", "Dasher" and "Tracker") would enter service in 1943 equipped with Martlet and Swordfish aircraft.

NORTH AFRICA: Rommel is still prevented from launching an attack by General Paulus (OKH Deputy Chief of Staff). German bombers again attack the defensive perimeter, to cover the troop movements around the perimeter, and the harbour, sinking HMS "Chakla" (previously an Indian passenger ship commissioned into the Royal Navy).

MIDDLE EAST: Another Brigade from the British 10th Indian Division lands at Basra, ignoring Iraqi's protests. The Iraqi Army lays siege to The RAF base at Habbaniyh, although RAF planes fly numerous air strikes against them.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine U-75 hit British passengerliner "City of Nagpur" 500 miles west of Ireland with 4 torpedoes between 0230 and 0600 hours, ultimately sinking her and killing 16; 452 survivors were picked up by destroyer HMS "Hurricane".

10 miles off the coast of England, in the North Sea, German motor torpedo boats sank British ship "Ambrose Fleming", killing 11.

GERMANY: RAF Bomber Command sends 71 aircraft to attack Mannheim overnight.

WESTERN FRONT: RAF Roadstead operation: Daylight raid by bombers with fighter escort against shipping off Calais. RAF Bomber Command sends 31 aircraft to attack Rotterdam overnight. RAF Bomber Command sends 39 aircraft to attack coastal targets.


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[Njaco]

April 30 Wednesday
MEDITERRANEAN: Unternehmen 25/ Unternehmen Marita: The British are finished in their defense of Greece and have withdrawn to Crete and Egypt. Since the beginning of the invasion on 6 April to today, the Luftwaffe have destroyed sixty-four British aircraft in the air and a further eighty-seven on the ground.

The Italian 2nd Paratroop Battalion from the 'Folgore' Division drops in on Zante, Cephalonia and San Mauro, capturing the Greek islands and 250 Greek troops. That same day, a Blackshirt unit captures Corfu and a Greek battalion that had regrouped in the local woods.

The Greek island of Crete, with a major Royal Navy base at Suda Bay, is the obvious next stop for the German invasion. New Zealand General Bernard Freyberg VC was appointed commander of Allied forces on Crete, Greece, commanding a garrison of poorly-armed 29,000 British, Australian, and New Zealand troops and 9,000 Greek troops. Many are unarmed and most guns and vehicles have been abandoned on the mainland. Freyberg is briefed by General Wavell on German plans to attack with 'airborne troops plus a possible sea attack' using intelligence from 'most secret sources' (Ultra intercepts, but Freyberg is not told this).

German aircraft bombed Malta with a heavy raid against the harbour and Valleta. A bomb passed through British cruiser HMS "Gloucester" without detonating. The cathedral and a Greek Orthodox church are destroyed.

Georgios Tsolakoglou was named the Prime Minister of the German puppet Hellenic State. Germany appoints Milan Acimovic leader of Serbian puppet government.

Italian supply convoy departs Messina and Augusta for Tripoli with five vessels escorted by Italian destroyers "Euro" and "Fulmine" and three torpedo boats.

In Croatia, Pavelic government passes more anti-Jewish laws, including stripping Jews of citizenship.

NORTH AFRICA: After General Paulus has decided to allow a further effort against Tobruk, the heaviest German attack yet goes in after a bombardment by artillery and many Stuka bombers. The ground assault was launched at 2000 hours after an entire day of artillery shelling at Ras el Madauar near Tobruk. German tanks broke through the defensive perimeter, and German infantry overrun several Australian gun posts penetrating as far as 3 kilometers but some Australians hold out, preventing a complete collapse of the defenses. To their right, Italian Brescia Division fails to break in. The Afrika Korps' second attempt to capture Tobruk is again repulsed by the Australians. A salient in the western section of the perimeter around the Ras el Madauar hill is gained by the attack but vigorous defense halts it there.

By the end of the month, the small Luftwaffe air force of the Afrika Korps is successful in the skies over North Africa. The British have lost twenty-two warplanes during April as opposed to German losses of four aircraft. This forces the British to pull back their aircraft from bases around Tobruk. Obfw. Marseille scores two more victories over Allied aircraft in the desert.

British gunboats HMS "Aphis" and HMS "Ladybird" bombarded Axis positions at Gazala, Libya and Sollum, Egypt.

A six victory Experten with ZG 76 flying Bf 110s, Helmut Fahlbusch is shot down and killed.

Ribbentrop responds to letter from King Farouk of Egypt with a message indicating Germany has no territorial ambitions in Arab lands.

MIDDLE EAST: Overnight, 6,000 Iraqi troops with 30 artillery pieces leave Baghdad on a 'training exercise'. By dawn, they occupy a plateau overlooking RAF airbase at Habbaniya (45 miles West of Baghdad). Rashid Ali expects the arrival of German aircraft and airborne troops but he will be disappointed. RAF Habbaniya is reinforced with 300 men of 1st Battalion King's Own Royal Regiment flown from RAF Shaibah. British Ambassador, Sir Kinahan Cornwallis, warns British civilians to leave Baghdad (230 escorted by road to Habbaniya and then airlifted to Shaibah, 350 take refuge in the British Embassy and 150 in the American Legation).

GERMANY: Adolf Hitler confers with Jodl about last details for Operation Barbarossa and set the launch date to 22 Jun 1941.

RAF Bomber Command sends 81 aircraft to attack Kiel overnight.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine U-107 sank British ship "Lassell" 300 miles southwest of Cape Verde Islands at 2200 hours; 2 were killed, 51 survived.

En route to Liverpool from Nova Scotia, passenger and cargo steamer, SS "Nerissa", was carrying 145 Canadian servicemen, RAF and Royal Norwegian Air Force personnel, Northern Electric technicians, members of the press and a number of civilians. She had sailed across the Atlantic alone and was only 200 miles from her destination when, at 2330 hours, she was struck amidships by a torpedo fired from German submarine U-552. As the lifeboats were being lowered, an explosion split the ship in two, destroying the unlowered boats. U-552 had fired an additional torpedo to ensure the ship's sinking, striking "Nerissa", three minutes after the first. In the short time between the two impacts and her rapid sinking, the ship's radio operator was able to send a Mayday signal along with the ship's position. At first light a Bristol Blenheim of Coastal Command circled the scene. The British destroyer HMS "Veteran" arrived an hour later and picked up the survivors who were transferred to the Flower class corvette HMS "Kingcup" and landed at Derry. All but 84 of the ship's complement of 290 passengers and crew were lost. SS "Nerissa", was the only transport carrying Canadian troops to be lost during World War 2.

NORTH AMERICA: Four old US Coast Guard Cutters were commissioned into British Royal Navy service at New York, New York, United States. They were christened HMS "Banff", HMS "Culver", HMS "Fishguard", and HMS "Hartland" and were manned by crew members of battleship HMS "Malaya", which was currently under repair.

The USA proposes to transfer part of the US Pacific fleet to the Atlantic Ocean. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill supports the move.

WESTERN FRONT: RAF Bomber Command sends 13 aircraft to attack coastal targets.

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[Njaco]

May 1 Thursday
MEDITERRANEAN: In one of their almost daily attacks, Axis aircraft raid Valetta harbor, Malta. Spotting a flight of four Hurricanes over the north coast of Malta, Oblt. Muncheberg from 7./JG 26 dives and attacks the flight. He shoots down two of the British fighters in less than two minutes while his wingman claims another Hurricane. Oblt. Muncheberg's score now stands at forty victories.

Italian troops begin occupying islands of Cephalonia, Ithaca, and Zante.

WESTERN FRONT: Ofw. Erich Rudorffer of I./JG 2 is awarded the Ritterkreuz for achieving nineteen aerial victories.

RAF Bomber Command sends 22 aircraft on anti-shipping mission off the Netherlands.

NORTH AFRICA: Rommel's attack at Tobruk peters out as early morning fog confuses both sides. At 0715 hours, panzers move forward but stumble into a newly-laid minefield where they are pinned down by 2-pounder anti-tank guns (12 tanks immobilized). The 'Ariete' and 'Brescia' Divisions with the help of Bersaglieri, Guastatori and Fiat flamethrower tanks smash a large hole in the Australian defenses, capturing 7 strongpoints ( R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7 and R8) outside Tobruk. British tanks and artillery are sent in to contain the breach (2 Matilda and 2 Cruiser tanks destroyed). In the evening, counterattack by Australian 2/48th Battalion is repelled with heavy casualties. Rommel had expected to take the town of Tobruk. Instead, he has a salient 2 km deep and 3 km wide, won at heavy cost (1240 casualties, only 35 out of 81 Panzers serviceable with 12 destroyed). RAF bombs Benghazi sinking an Italian freighter.

British submarine HMS "Upholder" sinks freighters "Arcturus" and "Leverkusen" (in an empty Afrika Korps convoy returning from Tripoli) near the Tunisian island of Kerkenah.

Fighting in western Ethiopia between the Italian and Belgian Congolese colonial forces was halted for six weeks due to the rainy season. Despite this Italian Duke of Aosta (Viceroy of Italian East Africa) and 7,000 troops are trapped at Amba Alagi, Ethiopia. 5th Indian Division has arrived from Eritrea in the North, while 1st South African Brigade is pushing up from Dessie in the South.

Luftwaffe and Italian aircraft attack Tobruk. Hans-Joachim Marseille shot down his 10th and 11th kills, two British Hurricane fighters, while escorting German Stuka dive bombers to Tobruk, Libya.

MIDDLE EAST: Iraqi force overlooking RAF Habbaniya increases to 9,000 troops with 50 artillery pieces, 12 British Crossley armoured cars and some Italian Fiat light tanks. Despite being on a 'training exercise', they demand that all flying from RAF Habbaniya cease immediately. RAF continues reconnaissance flights while Air Vice Marshall Harry Smart seeks advice from London. Unsurprisingly, Churchill's response is to defend British interests vigorously;

"If you have to strike, strike hard. Use all necessary force.".

ATLANTIC OCEAN: At 0027 hours 100 miles North of Ireland, U-552 sinks British liner "Nerissa" (83 crew and 124 passengers lost, 29 crew and 54 passengers picked up by destroyer HMS "Veteran"). At 1834 hours 200 miles off Sierra Leone, U-103 sinks British SS "Samsø". 400 miles north of the Azores, Italian tanker SS "Sangro" is captured by British ocean boarding vessel HMS "Cavina" and then escorted to Britain by another ocean boarding vessel HMS "Camito".

UNITED KINGDOM: The May Blitz: Overnight, Luftwaffe begins a 7-day blitz on Liverpool. The first bomb landed upon Seacombe, Wallasey, Wirral, at 2215 hours. Liverpool Cathedral was hit by a high explosive bomb which pierced the roof of the south-east transept before being deflected by an inner brick wall and exploding mid-air, damaging many stained glass windows. Another landed on the front steps without exploding but incendiaries destroyed equipment in the contractor's yard at the west end.

The British Government created the Ministry of War Transport. Frederick Leathers, an industrialist who started work as an office boy in the coal trade, was appointed head of the new ministry by Mr. Churchill. He will amalgamate the ministries of shipping and transport, and a peerage on joining the government. Another change is the move of Lord Beaverbrook to be Minister of State - a rank without precedent. Lord Brabazon becomes Minister of Aircraft Production.

GERMANY: Groß-Rosen Concentration Camp, formerly a satellite camp of Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, became an independent camp. It was located in Groß-Rosen, Lower Silesia, Germany (now Rogoznica, Poland).

Generalleutnant August Krakau succeeded Robert Martinek as the commanding officer of the German 7th Mountain Division.

Day and night fighter interceptor controls are united under a single command post. German flak units remain under the control of the individual air district headquarters (Luftgaukommandos), but in other respects German air defense now makes up a single unified military organization.

NORTH AMERICA: The Marine Barracks of New River, North Carolina, United States was established with Lieutenant Colonel William P. T. Hill in command.

Joint Army-Navy Board completes Rainbow-5 calling for abandonment of the Philippines upon the outbreak of war and the sacrifice of the garrison. Hart advised by Navy Department that he would be given at least four days' notice prior to the start of hostilities. Hart instructs his staff to base all plans on a two days' warning.

ASIA: "Kaga" entered the drydocks at Sasebo, Japan. "Kasuga Maru" began conversion into an escort carrier at Sasebo, Japan.

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[Njaco]

May 2 Friday

MIDDLE EAST: The Iraqi Army has concentrated a force of more than a division in strength overlooking Habbaniya. The British Flying School Squadron in Habbaniya armed with Gladiator fighters and supported by Wellington bombers from the RAF base at Shuaiba bombs the Iraqi troops in their positions only a mile away from the airbase. At 0500 hours during Muslim morning prayers, 33 aircraft from RAF Habbaniyah and 8 Wellington bombers from RAF Shaibah bomb and strafe Iraqi artillery on the plateau above Habbaniyah, causing the Grand Mufti in Baghdad to declare jihad against Britain. Iraqis reply by shelling RAF Habbaniyah (13 killed and 29 wounded, including civilians on the base). The British have about 80 obsolescent aircraft at Habbaniyah, many of them training types. Despite their age and unsuitability they are immediately employed against the Iraqi forces with considerable success. The British are aided by five companies of Kurds. The British are, therefore, encouraged to hold Habbaniyah although their ground force there is very small. RAF also bombs Iraqi air force base at Rashid airfield near Baghdad (destroying 22 aircraft on the ground). RAF loses 5 aircraft in all. There are also some skirmishes at several points near the Persian Gulf, especially at Basra where there are riots and some shooting in opposition to further British landings.

NORTH AFRICA: Fighting continues in the German salient at Tobruk but sandstorms limited the offensive capabilities of German tanks. German infantry are held by Allied reserves sent to plug the gap while sandstorms prevent Rommel from using his Panzers. British gunboat HMS "Ladybird" bombards Afrika Korps positions at Derna.

Hans-Joachim Marseille was promoted to the rank of Unteroffizier while stationed in Libya.

MEDITERRANEAN: British destroyer HMS "Jersey" hits a mine off Grand Harbour, Malta, and sinks next to the breakwater (35 crew killed, 48 wounded). As a result, cruiser HMS "Gloucester" and destroyers HMS "Kipling" and "Kashmir" divert to Gibraltar.

Operation Temple: British steamer "Parracombe", carrying 21 crated Hurricane fighters to Malta, sinks on a mine off Cape Bon, Tunisia.

Cyprus Governor announces population from major towns will be relocated to the countryside due to fears of air attack.

WESTERN FRONT: RAF Bomber Command sends 25 aircraft on anti-shipping missions along coast of occupied Europe from France to Norway. German anti-submarine trawler Vp 808 is sunk by RAF bombing off the island of Borkum, near the Dutch/German border. 'Channel Stop' a 2,000-ton ship is claimed off Ostend.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: British minesweeping trawler HMT "Alberic" and destroyer HMS "St. Albans" collide in Pentland Firth between the North of Scotland and the Orkney Islands. HMT "Alberic" sinks with the loss of 13 crew. The destroyer sails to Southampton for repairs to her bows (completed on June 4).

NORTH AMERICA: Royal Navy commissions convoy escort ship HMS "Lulworth" (ex-US Coast Guard Cutter) at New York with a crew from British battleship HMS "Resolution" (under repair in USA).

Admiral Ernest J. King assumes command of the USN's Atlantic Fleet.

The USN's Office of Naval Intelligence initiates a three-week indoctrination course to prepare naval officers for foreign and domestic intelligence duties.

UNITED KINGDOM: The May Blitz: Luftwaffe bombs Liverpool again overnight with 65 aircraft.

EASTERN EUROPE: The Romanian government established the National Center for Romanianization, which was mainly tasked with expropriating Jewish properties and distributing them to Romanians.

GERMANY: RAF Bomber Command sends 95 aircraft to attack Hamburg and 17 aircraft to attack Emden overnight.

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[parsifal]

30 APRIL 1941
Known Reinforcements
Axis
Type IXc U-501

RM Soldati Class DD LEGIONARO

Allied
Flower Class Corvette HMCS TRAIL (K-174)

Flower Class Corvette HMS CELANDINE (K-75)

Banff Class Sloop HMS BANFF (Y-43)

Banff Class Sloop HMS CULVER (Y-87)

Banff Class Sloop HMS FISHGUARD (Y-59)

Following the exchange of 50 over age DDs, 10 USCG cutters were loaned to the RN and reclassified as sloops. These 1700 ton sloops built between 1927 and 1931 were among the largest convoy escorts and possessed good range as a result. These 16 knot sloops were slightly slower than surfaced U-boats, but their 5"/51 guns sometimes could persuade an evading U-boat to submerge.

The BANFF class escort ships were commissioned with crews drawn from BB MALAYA, under repair at that time.

MMS 1 Class MSW MMS 16

Losses
U.107 sank Steamer LASSELL (UK 7417 grt) off the west coast of Africa. She was on passage from Liverppol to Buenos Aires when lost, carrying general cargo. She was sailing independantly, but had previously been attached to the now dispersed OB-309. She had a crew of 53, of which 2 were lost when she sank. At 2155 hrs the unescorted LASSELL was hit on the port side in the engine room by one torpedo from u-107 about 250 miles SW of the Cape Verde Islands. The ship had been in convoy OB-309, which was dispersed on 19 April. Her engines stopped immediately and the ship sank by the stern after about 8 minutes. Two crew members on watch below were lost. One lifeboat had been destroyed by the explosion and another was damaged during launching, so the survivors had to be distributed between the two remaining boats, which lost contact to each other after 3 days. The master, second officer, 22 crew members and one lady passenger were picked up from their lifeboat on 9 May by the BENVRACKIE, which was herself sunk four days later by U-105. 15 survivors from LASSELL were lost in this later incident. The master, nine others and the survivors of BENVRACKIE were rescued after 13 days in lifeboats by the British hospital ship OXFORDSHIRE and landed at Freetown. The chief officer H.W. Underhill, four officers, 13 crew members and eight gunners in the other lifeboat were picked up on 10 May in position by the British steam merchant EGBA and landed at Freetown five days later.

UBOATS
At Sea 30 April 1941
U-38, U-52, U-75, U-94, U-95, U-96, U-101, U-103, U-105, U-106, U-107, U-108, U-110, U-123, U-124, U-141, U-143, U-147, U-201, U-552, U-553

21 boats at sea

OPERATIONS
Northern Waters
Dutch submarine O.13 arrived at Scapa Flow to act as an ASW training ship. DDs COSSACK and ZULU departed Scapa Flow for Plymouth to join the Plymouth Command.

DD IMPULSIVE departed Scapa Flow for Aberdeen to escort the steamer AMSTERDAM for Aberdeen to Lerwick. The two ships departed Aberdeen in the early jmorning and arrived at Lerwick mid-afternoon. On 3 May, the two ships departed Lerwick and proceeded to Aberdeen. Steamer ARCHANGEL joined at 0500 off Duncansby Head. The three ships proceeded to Aberdeen. Delivering the steamers, DD IMPULSIVE returned to Scapa Flow arriving that evening on the 3 May

West Coast
OB.317 departed Liverpool, escort DDs BOADICEA, COLUMBIA, NIAGARA, and ST CLAIR, sloop EGRET, corvettes HEATHER, HEPATICA, ORCHIS, SNOWBERRY, TRILLIUM, and WINDFLOWER, and ASW trawlers AYRSHHIRE, LADY MADELEINE, and ST LOMAN. The escort was detached on 6 May when the convoy was dispersed.

Convoy SA.1 of British steamers EMPIRE CONDOR, EMPIRE CURLEW, EMPIRE EGRET, and EMPIRE WIDGEON was formed at sea and escorted by DDs LEGION, OTTAWA, PIORUN, and RESTIGOUCHE. The convoy arrived in the Clyde on 3 May.

Sloop ERNE was seriously damaged by a near miss, while still in her builder's yard at Westgarth. The sloop was repaired in the Tyne completing on 21 June 1942.

SW Approaches
DKM raider THOR arrived in port after sinking eleven ships for (83,000grt). The raider was met in Biscay by DDs IHN, HEINEMANN, and STEINBRINCK.

Armed boarding vessel LOCH OSKAIG captured steamer CAP CANTIN (Vichy 5500 grt (est)), which had departed Bayonne on the 25th for Casablanca, in 38-10N, 10W, twenty five miles from Cape Espichel.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

The steamer was sent to Gibraltar under armed guard and was met by BC RENOWN and DDs FAULKNOR, FORESIGHT, FURY, FOESTER, and FORTUNE on 2 May. BC RENOWN and the DDs returned to Gibraltar that evening. DD FORESIGHT was detached to escort the steamer and both ships arrived at Gibraltar on 3 May.

Med/Biscay
Naval minesweeping drifter TRUSTY STAR was sunk by the LW at Malta. The drifter was later salved and recommissioned.

CL GLOUCESTER was damaged by the LW in the Mediterranean. The bomb passed through the ship without exploding. The damage required one day for temporary repairs.

Despite the evacuation efforts from mainland Greece having officially ended, the RN continued for some days to snatch trapped soldiers from the jaws of catpture, at considerable risk to themselves. During the night of 30 April/1 May, DDs ISIS, KIMBERLEY, and HERO lifted 24 officers and 176 other ranks from Kalamata. The DDs joined CLA PHOEBE during the afternoon of 1 May and proceeded to Alexandria. DDs HOTSPUR and HAVOCK lifted over 700 troops between them from Milos and returned to Alexandria. These ships all arrived at Port Said on 2 May to refuel, as Alexandria Harbour had been closed earlier that day due to a mine being detonated in the Channel.

At the final, actual, completion of Operation DEMON some 50,672 troops from evacuated from Greece. Nearly 10,000 British and commonwealth troops had been killed or captured in this brief, disastrous campaign.

An Axis supply convoy for the Afrika Korps departed Messina and Augusta with German steamers MARBURG, REICHENFELS, KYBFELS and Italian steamers BIRMANIA and RIALTO escort DDs EURO and FULMINE and TBs CASTORE, ORIONE, and PROCIONE. Distant cover was given the convoy by CAs TRIESTE and BOLZANO, CL EUGENIO de SAVOIA, and DDs ASCARI, CARABINIERE, and GIOBERTI. Attacks on this convoy on 1 May by submarines and aircraft are unsuccessful.

CL GLOUCESTER and DDs KELLY, JACKAL, KELVIN, JERSEY, KIPLING, and KASHMIR departed Malta on 1 May to intercept, but could not make contact. The convoy arrived safely at Tripoli.

Simultaneously a return convoy of German CASTELLON, ARCTURUS, LEVERKUSEN, and WACHTFELS and Italian steamer GIULIA escort DDs FOLGORE, SAETTA, STRALE, and TURBINE departed Tripoli for Naples. On 1 May, submarine UPHOLDER successfully attacked this convoy two miles south of Kerkenah and sank steamer ARCTURUS (Ger 2596 grt)

 

[parsifal]

30 APRIL 1941 (PART II)
OPERATIONS (CONT'D)
Med/Biscay
UPHOLDER also badly damaging steamer LEVERKUSEN. Nine hours later, the submarine returned to the stricken vessel after the DD counterattacks died off and sank steamer LEVERKUSEN (Ger 7386 grt) 4 miles SE of Kerkenah.

The convoy put into Trapani to avoid further attacks. The convoy departed Trapani on 5 May for Naples.
Gunboat APHIS bombarded Sollum on the 30th. Gunboat LADYBIRD bombarded Gazala on the 30th.
At the end of April, tanker MINATITLAN (Mex 10,000 grt), tanker PANUCO (Mex 7800 grt), and tanker TACONA (Mex 10,000 grt), building at Genoa for Mexico, were seized by Italian authorities.
[NO IMAGES FOUND]
Steamer INES (Pan 190 grt) was taken over by the Germans in Greece.
The steamer was rammed and cut in two by an Australian warship in Cretan waters in May.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Nth Atlantic
HX.124 departed Halifax, escort AMC CIRCASSIA and corvettes COBALt and COLLINGWOOD. The corvettes were detached later the same day. DD BROADWAY and corvettes AUBRETIA, HOLLYHOCK, and NIGELLA joined on 11 May. DDs AMAZON, BURWELL, MALCOLM, SCIMITAR, and WATCHMAN, corvettes HELIOTROPE, MALLOW, and VIOLET, and ASW trawlers NORTHERN GEM, NORTHERN WAVE, NOTTS COUNTY, and VIZALMA joined on 12 May. Corvettes ANEMONE, CLARKIA, VERBENA, and VERONICA joined on 14 May. DDs BURWELL, MALCOLM, and SCIMITAR, corvettes AUBRETIA, HELIOTROPE, HOLLYHOCK, MALLOW, NIGELLA, VERBENA, and VERONICA, and the ASW trawlers were detached on 14 May. The AMC and DD WATCHMAN were detached on 15 May. DDs BURNHAM, ERIDGE, LEAMINGTON, and SALISBURY, MSWs HUSSAR and NIGER, and CAM ship ARIGUANI joined on 15 May. DD ROXBOROUGH joined on 18 May and SALADIN on 19 May. DD LEAMINGTON and corvette ANEMONE were detached on 18 May. The remainder of the escort was detached when the convoy arrived at Liverpool on 20 May.

Central Atlantic
BB QUEEN ELIZABETH, escorted by DDs FEARLESS, FURY, and WRESTLER, arrived at Gibraltar from Freetown to join Force H

CL MAURITIUS departed Gibraltar to rendezvous with convoy WS.8 A and escort the convoy to Freetown. BC REPULSE, CLA NAIAD, and DDs HAVELOCK, HESPERUS, and HARVESTER departing the convoy with steamers CLAN LAMONT, CLAN CHATTAN, CLAN CAMPBELL, EMPIRE SONG, and NEW ZEALAND STAR for Gibraltar for the TIGER operation.

Corvettes GARDENIA and COLUMBINE departed Gibraltar for Freetown.

Red Sea/Indian Ocean
On the 30th, DDs NIZAM and NAPIER arrived at Aden after duty in convoy WS.7. The destroyers departed Aden escorting liners QUEEN MARY and QUEEN ELIZABETH which arrived at Suez on 3 May. RAN DD NAPIER arrived at Port Said on 2 May. RAN DD NIZAM arrived at Suez on 2 May. The DDs, carried LL gear for minesweepers, arrived at Alexandria on 4 May for duty with the Mediterranean Fleet.

PV PARVATI (RIN 1548grt) was sunk on a mine in the Indian Ocean. One warrant officer and 15 ratings were missing. The commanding officer, a warrant officer, and twelve ratings were wounded. The 21 survivors were picked up by a British warship.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Pacific/Australia
RAN CA AUSTRALIA departed Singapore with the Australian delegates of the ABDA conference. The cruiser then proceeded to Sydney arriving 3 May.

Cyrenaica
After receiving panzer reinforcements, Rommel planned another assault on Tobruk—an operation viewed by both sides as a "do-or-die" operation. At 6:30 pm on April 30, 1941, the Afrika Korps mounted its heaviest attack to date on the garrison. Stukas and artillery pieces pounded the Allied positions while panzers and grenadier units rushed the southwestern corner of the defenses. The defenders had been forewarned by their intelligence service, but the Germans managed to gain a toehold on the outer defenses and push two miles inside the perimeter. Again, losses were heavy. The enemy failed to eliminate a number of fortified outposts manned by Australian troops who fought, Rommel reported, "with remarkable tenacity. Even their wounded went on defending themselves and stayed in the fight to their last breath."

Malta

 

[parsifal]

Summary Of Losses April 1941 (Unfinished)
Allied
Allied Warships


XXXXX(RN)), (Total XXXXX grt Naval Tonnage)
Allied Shipping



XXXXXXX (UK), XXXXX (Gk), XXXX (Be), XXXXX (Nor), XXXXX (NL), XXXX (NZ)
XXXX grt (Mercantile)
Total Mercantile and Military losses: XXXXX grt
Prizes captured


Neutral shipping


( grt Mercantile)

Neutral warships
None
Total Neutral Mercantile + Military: XXX grt
Total Allied + Neutral: XXXXXX grt

Prizes taken

Cumulative Losses since 9/39

Axis Warships
DKM
XXXXX(DKM XXX grt),

(XXX grt)
RM


XXXX (RM XXXX grt),

(XXXXX grt)

Axis Shipping
GER


(XXXXX grt)
FI


Vichy


(XXXXX grt)
Total Axis Mercantile (XXXXX grt)
Total Axis Mercantile and Naval Tonnage losses: ( XXXXXX grt)

Captured ships
tanker BRITISH ADVOCATE (UK 6994 grt),
steamer GRIGORIOS C II (Gk 2546 grt)

XXX (UK XXXX grt), (XXX Gk)
(+) (XXXXX grt)

 

[parsifal]

01 MAY 1941
Known Reinforcements
Axis
Type VIIc U-568

1 ship sunk, total tonnage 6,023 GRT
Sunk at 0500hrs on 28 May 1942 in the Med nth-east of Tobruk, by DC attacks from the RN DD HERO and the British escort DDs ERIDGE and HURWORTH after being located by a British Blenheim aircraft (203 Sqn RAF/S). 47 survivors (no casualties).

Neutral
Gar Class sub USS GRENADIER (SS210)

Losses
MSW trawler JEAN FREDERIC (RNeN 329 grt) escorting a convoy, was sunk by the LW off Start Point with the loss of 2 crew,
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Balloon barrage vessel SATURNUS (NL 200 grt) with a Dutch crew was declared a constructive total loss after damage.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

U.552 sank steamer NERISSA (UK 5583 grt) in the Western Approaches. The ship was on passage from Halifax to Liverpool, transporting aluminum, motor trucks and some ammunition. She had a crew of 300, including 175 passengers. 83 crew and 124 passengers were lost on the steamer. At 0027 hrs the unescorted NERISSA, a straggler from HX-121, was torpedoed and sunk by U-552 SE of Rockall.. Of the survivors, 30 crew members, five gunners, 53 passengers and three stowaways were picked up by DD VETERAN, transferred to HMS KINGCUP and landed at Londonderry.

U.103 sank steamer SAMSO (UK 1494grt) in the Central Atlantic, off the West African Coast. She was on passage from Freetown to the UK, transporting agricultural nuts. She had a crew of 20, of which 1 man was lost. At 1834 hrs the unescorted SAMSO was hit by one torpedo from U-103 SW of Freetown and sank slowly in 50 minutes.. The master and 18 crew members in three lifeboats landed at Los Island, French Guinea on 3 May, were taken to Conakry and thence to Freetown on 16 May.

UBOATS
Arrivals
Kiel: U-52
Lorient: U-124

Departures
Kiel: U-556
Lorient, France: U-98
St. Nazaire: U-97

At Sea 01 May 1941
U-38, U-75, U-94, U-95, U-96, U-97, U-98, U-101, U-103, U-105, U-106, U-107, U-108, U-110, U-123, U-141, U-143, U-147, U-201, U-552, U-553, U-556

22 boats at sea

OPERATIONS
North Sea
British steamer SEA FISHER (2950grt) was damaged on a mine in the Nth Sea. The steamer was beached by tugs. She was refloated and arrived at Middlesborough on the 5th.

Northern Waters
CA LONDON arrived at Scapa Flow after escorting convoy SL.71. DDs BEDOUIN and ANTELOPE departed Scapa Flow at 2345 to investigate a submarine contact reported in Preswick Bay. No contact was made and the DDs arrived back at Scapa Flow on the 2nd.
DD MAORI departed Scapa Flow to join the Plymouth Command. DD SIKH departed on the 11th for the same assignment. DesFlot 4 was replaced in the Home Fleet by the DesFlot 20

DD IMPULSIVE, escorting steamer AMSTERDAM, departed Aberdeen for Lerwick arriving several hours later. On the 3rd, the DD and steamer departed Lerwick for the return to Aberdeen. At 0500, steamer ARCHANGEL from Kirkwall join company off Duncansby Head. Off Aberdeen, the DD parted company and returned to Scapa Flow, arriving that evening.

RAN DD NESTOR departed Greenock at 1330 to rejoin the DesFlot 7 also operating with the Home Fleet, and arrived at Scapa Flow during the daylight forenoon on the 2nd.

SW Approaches
Ocean boarding vessel CAVINA captured tkr SANGRO (FI 6466 grt), which departed Teneriffe on 21 April for France, on the 1st in 44-36N, 30-20W. The vessel turned the tanker over to
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Ocean boarding vessel CAMITO for the voyage to Gibraltar. Corvettes HEATHER and ORCHIS were ordered to meet and escort the two ships to Gibraltar. However U.97 sank ocean boarding vessel CAMITO (RN 6833 grt) and the tkr on the 6th in 50-42N, 21-20W. 29 RN crew were lost

Two of CAMITO's prize crew on SANGRO and all but four of SANGRO's Italian crew were lost. Survivors of both ships were picked up by corvette ORCHIS.

Ocean boarding vessel CORINTHIAN captured three masted schooner MARTIN PECHEUR (Vichy 350 grt). The ship sank as a result of a fire on the 10th in 37-07N, 8-34W. The prize crew made their way to Gibraltar in one of the ship's boats.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Med/Biscay
DD FAULKNOR with Dutch submarine O.21 departed Gibraltar for exercises. Ex-Italian Steamer POLINICE under British control was sunk by the LW at Malta. The steamer was later salved and returned to service.

ASW LOCH OSKAIG captured steamer CAP CANTIN (Vichy 3317 grt) Early on the 2nd, BC RENOWN and DDs FAULKNOR, FORESIGHT, FURY, FORESTER, and FORTUNE departed Gibraltar to ensure the French would not attempt to recapture the steamer. DD FORESIGHT took over escort of the steamer and the ASW trawler returned to patrol.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

DDs JAGUAR and JUNO attacked a submarine contact in 32-59N, 27-52E. A premature explosion of a DC on JUNO killed Gunner (T) S. C. Parker, which died of wounds on the 2nd, and 11 other crew were wounded. The ship sustained minor damage only.

Submarine TRUANT arrived at Malta from patrol. Owing to the danger from night minelaying, she was sailed at 2000 for Gibraltar.

Sub Lt R. D. B. Hopkins, on loan to the RAF in a Beaufighter of 525 Sqn, was taken prisoner by the Vichy after the a/c crashed between Speval and Gibraltar.

RM CLs EUGENIO DI SAVOIA, DUCA D'AOSTA, and ATTENDOLO and DDs PIGAFETTA, ZENO, DA MOSTO, DA VERAZZANO, DA RECCO, and PESSAGNO laid mines north of Tripoli.

Steamer LARRISA (Ger 1819 grt) was sunk on a mine in the Gulf of Volos.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Steamer SERDICA (FI 1533 grt) was sunk by the RAF at Benghazi.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Central Atlantic
When a direction finding bearing indicated an Italian submarine in 35-00N, 15-30W, Corvettes FLEUR DE LYS, SPIRAE, and COREOPSIS departed Gibraltar to search.

On the 4th, the corvettes attacked a firm contact 110 miles 280° Cape Spartel. Corvettes JONQUIL, GERANIUM, and AZALEA were ordered to join in the search.

Malta
0728-0830 hrs Air raid alert for ten ME 109s which circle round the Island. Hurricane fighters are scrambled; one is damaged and another shot down by a raider; the pilot is safe.

1023-1125 hrs Air raid alert for nine Ju88s approaching the Island. One JU 88 is fired at by AA guns at Benghaisa.

1643-1805 hrs Air raid alert for six bombers and 20 ME 109 fighters approaching the Island from the north at high altitude and head for Grand Harbour. Bombs are dropped in the sea outside the Harbour, believed to be aimed at an A/S trawler. 16 Hurricanes are scrambled and succeed in breaking up the formation of ME 109s which then scout around the coast of the Island in pairs. One group of Hurricanes is caught in a surprise attack. One of them is shot down and crashes near Ghaxaq church; the pilot P/O R A Innes is injured but bales out safely. A second Hurricane is damaged in combat, pilot Sgt Walmsley is slightly injured.

2023-2105 hrs Air raid alert for thirty enemy a/c which approach Grand Harbour and lay mines as well as dropping bombs in the area. One Hurricane is scrambled but does not engage. AA fire 16 barrages against targets exposed by searchlights. LAA guns also engage and claim hits on raiders. One enemy aircraft crashes in the sea off Salina Bay.

OPERATIONS REPORTS THURSDAY 1 MAY 1941
AIR HQ 69 Sqn Two Marylands patrolled eastern Tunisian coast, sighted a convoy. Maryland special patrol north and south point of western Sicily for enemy shipping.

21 Squadron Six Blenheims made two sorties to attack; during the second attack one merchant vessel and one destroyer were attacked and left stationary.

HAL FAR Hurricanes of C Flight 261 Squadron began operating today. Two casualties as a result of combat with the enemy: P/O Innes and Sgt Warmsley were injured.

Cyrenaica
The battle commenced the previous day raged on through the night, and the Allied strongpoints were still active the following morning. They harassed the invaders from behind as other Allied units retaliated with artillery and tank fire from in front and at the flanks of the salient. Dust storms made tactical coordination difficult for both sides. The seesaw struggle continued for three days before Rommel called off the offensive on May 4. His troops retained a two-mile-deep salient near Fort Pilastrino for the rest of the siege, but it had been his most costly attack so far; DAK lost more than a thousand men (German casualties). Lt. Gen. Friedrich Paulus, who had been sent by OKH to observe operations, was shocked by the casualties and the fact that the German troops were "fighting in conditions that are inhuman and intolerable." He advised Rommel that there was no chance of capturing Tobruk with the current forces.

The failure to seize the stronghold, the forward base Rommel badly needed for a proposed thrust into Egypt, was the Wehrmacht's first major reverse of World War II. Rommel received orders from Berlin forbidding him to attack Tobruk again or from advancing further into Egypt. He was told to hold his position and conserve his forces. The hard-driving general was bitter at being compelled to wage a defensive campaign.
Encouraged by Rommel's unexpected setback, British troops advanced from their defensive line in western Egypt and drove the Germans and Italians back toward the strategic Halfaya Pass near the port of Sollum. So far, the British forces had destroyed about 300 German tanks and inflicted 38,000 casualties (twice those of the Allies) since the start of the Axis counteroffensive, most of them Italian. The British had been reinforced by the arrival of almost 300 tanks, dispatched in a fast convoy, on the orders of Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

 

[parsifal]

02 MAY 1941
Known Reinforcements
Allied
Banff Class Sloop HMS LULWORTH (Y-60)
[NO IMAGE FOUND]
Commissioned at New York with crews from BB RESOLUTION under repair.

Losses
MSW trawler ALBERIC (RN 286 grt) was sunk in an accidental collision with DD ST ALBANS in Pentland Firth, with the loss of 13 crew members. The DD proceeded to Southampton at 0400/9th for repairs to her bows, completing on 4 June.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Armed yacht NYULA (RN 48 grt) was sunk in a collision off the Tyne.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

U.201 sank tanker CAPULET, which had been torpedoed and abandoned on 28 April, after being hit by the U-552. (Refer April 28).

Aux ASW trawler Vp 808 (DKM 321 grt) was sunk by British bombing NW of Borkum.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

UBOATS
Arrivals
Lorient: U-101, U-108
St Nazaire: U-553

At Sea 02 May 1941
U-38, U-75, U-94, U-95, U-96, U-97, U-98, U-103, U-105, U-106, U-107, U-110, U-123, U-141, U-143, U-147, U-201, U-552, U-556

19 boats at sea

OPERATIONS
West Coast
OB.318 departed Liverpool escort DDs CAMPBELTOWN and NEWMARKET, sloop ROCHESTER, corvettes MARYGOLD, NASTURTIUM, and PRIMROSE, and ASW trawler ANGLE. DD WESTCOTT and corvettes AURICULA and DIANTHUS joined on the 3rd. The DDs, which joined on the 2nd, and the trawler were detached on the 7th. On the 7th, DDs AMAZON, BROADWAY, and BULLDOG, corvettes AUBRETIA, HOLLYHOCK, and NIGELLA, AMC RANPURA, and ASW trawlers DANEMAN and ST APOLLO joined the escort. On the 8th, DD WESTCOTT, sloop ROCHESTER, and corvettes AURICULA, DIANTHUS, MARIGOLD, NASTURUTIUM, and PRIMROSE were detached; the corvettes to join HX.123. The remainder of the escort was detached on the 10th when the convoy was dispersed.

Med/Biscay
Alexandria Harbour was closed due to mining, but was reopened at 1730 that day. DDs KANDAHAR, JUNO, JAGUAR, IMPERIAL, and HASTY sailed after Alexandria Harbour reopened to relieve RAN DDs STUART, VOYAGER, VAMPIRE, VENDETTA, and WATERHEN escorting the Battle Fleet. The RAN DDs arrived at Alexandria that evening.

DDs DECOY and DEFENDER departed Port Said late on the 2nd to embark troops at Mersa Matruh and transport them to Tobruk.

J class DD HMS JERSEY (RN 1690 grt) entering Grand Harbour, Malta, was sunk on a mine that had been laid by the RA. JERSEY sank next to the Grand Harbour breakwater.
35 crew members were killed. When JERSEY sank the wreck blocked the entrance to Grand Harbour, meaning movements into and out of the harbor were impossible for several days (other anchorages were unnaffected). DDs KELLY, KELVIN, JACKAL and the repairing JANUS were left marooned in the harbor until the wreck was cleared. Some of the ships that rescued the surviving crew had to take passage to Gibraltar. On 5 May the wreck broke into two sections. It was only until after 1946 that the after section was cleared from the entrance, in a series of controlled demolitions carried out between 1946 and 1949. Further salvage and clearance work was done in 1968 to make the harbour safe for large vessels

Because there were no MSWs available, CL GLOUCESTER and DDs KIPLING and KASHMIR, stuck outside the harbor, were sent to Gibraltar after rescuing some of the survivors. .

On the 3rd, CL GLOUCESTER exploded a mine in her paravane at 0224. She was also attacked by RA low level bombers and hit on the stern by a bomb which did not explode at 1325. Neither incident caused significant damage to the cruiser which was docked briefly to correct the damage on her arrival at Gibraltar. GLOUCESTER and KIPLING and KASHMIR arrived at Gibraltar on the 4th.

Gunboat LADYBIRD bombarded Derna.

Steamer PARRACOMBE (UK 4702 grt), carrying crated 21 Hurricanes and other stores brought from England in convoy OG.59 for Malta, was sunk 9.5 miles off Cape Bon on a mine. This movement had been designated Operation TEMPLE. 18 crew were interned in Bizerte.

Greek steamer VIRGINIA (2041grt) arrived at Tobruk with supplies. After unloading, the steamer departed during the night of 2/3 May, escorted by ASW trawler WOLBOROUGH. Despite incessant And heavy air attacks in Tobruk Harbour on the 2nd and at sea on the 3rd, the steamer was not damaged.

Central Atlantic
DD FOXHOUND arrived at Gibraltar from Freetown. DD VIDETTE arrived at Gibraltar from Freetown escorting British steamer NYHOLT.



Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 2 MAY TO DAWN 3 MAY 1941
Weather Fine.

0734-0745 hrs Air raid alert for nine ME 109 fighters which patrol off the coast of the Island; no interceptions or air raid.

0819-0835 hrsAir raid alert for a JU 88 bomber which crosses the Island from Kalafrana to Tigne on recon accompanied by two ME 109s. The bomber is engaged by HAA and is observed to be emitting smoke from its tail as it flies away to the nth.
1445-1600 hrs 13 Beaufighters land at Luqa.

1553-1611 hrs Air raid alert for a patrol by two Messerschmitt 109 fighters which do not cross the coast. Hurricane fighters are scrambled: no interception.

OPERATIONS REPORTS FRIDAY 2 MAY 1941
AIR HQArrivals2 Sunderland. 252 Sqn 13 Beaufighters.Departures2 Sunderland.

A/C casualties One Hurricane crashed, killing the pilot; loss not due to enemy action.

69 Sqn Two Marylands patrolled eastern Tunisian coast. Maryland recon of Tripoli reported convoy.

21 Sqn 1500-1840 hrs 6 Blenheims 21 Sqn attacked two merchant vessels and one destroyer leaving them enveloped in smoke.

HAL FAR Hurricane, pilot Sgt Ottey, crashed from a great height on approaching the aerodrome and burst into flames; pilot killed outright. 3 aircraft 830 Sqn took off on operational flight; all returned safely.

LUQA12 Beaufighters 252 Squadron arrived from the UK.

Cyrenaica
Rommel commits more than 50% of his available German tank force, more than 80 AFVs to the battle in the salient. 40 of these vehicles are lost when they veer of to the right and immolate themselves on a minefield. German casualties now exceed over 1000 to about 800 Allied losses. Italian losses are similarly heavy.

 

[Njaco]

May 3 Saturday

MEDITERRANEAN: Italian torpedo boat "Canopo" and Italian steamers "Birmania" and "Citta D' Bari" are sunk by RAF bombing at Tripoli. British submarine HMS "Triumph" sinks Italian coastal steamer "Tugnin F". with gunfire off Mersa Brega but submarine HMS "Usk" does not return from patrol between Sicily and Tunisia (all 30 hands lost).

At 0224 hours, British cruiser HMS "Gloucester" hits a mine and at 1325 hours she is attacked by Italian bombers (a bomb hits the stern but does not explode). HMS "Gloucester" suffers only minor damage and will arrival at Gibraltar tomorrow.

The Province of Ljubljana was created when Italy annexed part of Slovenia including the city of Ljubljana.

The Germans hold a victory parade in Athens.

NORTH AFRICA: General Morshead's defense in depth has contained the German breakthrough at Tobruk and he goes onto the offensive to pinch out the German salient. After dark, Australian troops and British light tanks attack under a creeping barrage from artillery and British destroyers HMS "Decoy" and "Defender" in the Mediterranean. Their advance is held up by German machine-gunners (preventing the infantry from keeping up with the barrage) and the attack is called off at 0330 hours with 150 Allied casualties. Italian troops repulsed the counterattack, losing only one bunker.

The British forces begin attacks from the north against the Italian positions at Amba Alagi. These positions guard passes in the road between Asmara and Addis Ababa. They are based on a number of steep and rugged hills and there are numerous caves. The position is very strong. 29th Indian Brigade, 5th Indian Division (which has advanced South from Eritrea) attacks up the Falaga Pass towards Italian fortifications at Amba Alagi. Although the attack is a feint, Italian troops are diverted from other approaches and British artillery causes several hundred Italian colonial troops surrender.

MIDDLE EAST: Iraqi artillery on the plateau begins shelling RAF Habbaniya at dawn. The muzzle flashes allow spotters to locate the guns which are then bombed and strafed. RAF again bombs the air force base at Rashid airfield near Baghdad (previously RAF Hinaidi) and an Iraqi Savoia SM 79 bomber is shot down heading for Habbaniya. RAF transport aircraft evacuating women and children from Habbaniya to Shaibah.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: At 0325 hours 200 miles Southwest of Iceland, U-95 sinks Norwegian MV "Taranger" (1 killed, 32 survivors escape in lifeboats). At 2223 hours 75 miles off Sierra Leone, U-103 sinks British SS "Wray Castle" (1 killed, 56 survivors).

UNITED KINGDOM: The May Blitz (Liverpool): Overnight, Germans bomb Merseyside docks with 298 aircraft, sinking numerous freighters. A deflated barrage balloon ignites freighter SS "Malakand", loaded with 1000 tons of shells and bombs. The explosion completely destroys part of Huskisson Dock (4 killed). The explosion was so violent that some pieces of the ship's hull plating were blasted into a park over 1 mile (1.6 km) away. It took seventy-four hours for the fire to burn out. The ship's anchor weighing 2 tons lands 1.5 miles away outside Bootle General Hospital. Luftwaffe also bombs Portsmouth, damaging cruiser HMS "Sirius" which is under construction. SS "Europa" (10,224 GRT), Canadian Government passenger-freighter an ex-Danish registered ship, was sunk by Luftwaffe bombers while alongside in Liverpool. Seventeen people were killed, fourteen seriously injured and thirteen slightly injured, when twelve HEs and many IBs fell in the South Dock area of Sunderland. Eighty-five people were rendered homeless. Three large HEs straddled Fulwell, destroying the Caretaker's house at Redby Schools which was completely demolished, the school premises were also seriously damaged. In Duke Street, shelters were no match for the power of the bomb where Mr and Mrs Anthony Storey were killed together with their daughters Audrey (four) and Edith (thirteen months). A Mr and Mrs Frederick Forster were also victims, while 200yds. away in Westcott Terrace another nine lay dead. A retired policeman returned to his home in Westcott Terrace after a firewatching duty, and found his house in ruins and his seventy year old wife and forty year old daughter dead. An attack between 2320 hours and 0225 hours on a target area that stretched from Hartlepool to West Hartlepool and onto the northern part of Middlesbrough by twenty German aircraft which dropped thirty-two tons of HE and 2,160 IBs. Bombs were also dropped at York.

At 2312 hours the air raid sirens sounded in North Shields, a town on England's north-east coast. A lone German bomber dropped four bombs on the town, two exploding harmlessly, the third hitting a private house killing the two occupants. The fourth bomb made a direct hit on the three-storey Wilkinson's Lemonade Factory, the basement of which was used as a communal air raid shelter and on this night was crammed with 192 men, women and children. The top three stories, filled with heavy factory machinery, collapsed onto the basement trapping the occupants and killing 102 persons including 36 children under the age of 16. Three others died later in hospital bringing the final death toll in the shelter to 105. Whole families were wiped out, including one of six. A soldier was called upon to identify his wife and four children, aged from two to fourteen. One of the heroines of this ghastly night was Mrs Ellen Lee, a woman warden who, although badly burned about the face, rescued thirty-two people from the shelter.

GERMANY: RAF Bomber Command sends 101 aircraft to attack Cologne overnight.

WESTERN FRONT: RAF Bomber Command sends 33 aircraft to attack German naval facilities and warships at Brest overnight. Another 21 aircraft were sent on anti-shipping missions along coast of occupied Europe from France to the Netherlands. Two Blenheims of RAF No. 101 Sqdn are lost attacking shipping off Boulogne for no result.

ASIA: Major attack by Japanese aircraft against Chungking.

Coronation ceremony for Prince Norodom Sihanouk, king of Cambodia.

.

 

[Njaco]

May 4 Sunday
WESTERN FRONT: Kommodore Mölders of JG 51 flying a new Bf 109F destroys a Hurricane of RAF No. 601 Squadron.

RAF Bomber Command sends 97 aircraft to attack German naval facilities and warships at Brest overnight and another 12 aircraft to attack coastal targets.

NORTH AFRICA: Rommel's attacks on Tobruk stall. General Paulus, representing the German High Command, suggests to Rommel that he abandon the attacks at Tobruk in favour of a passive siege to starve the defenders into submission. Rommel halts his attack on Tobruk. The Germans will continue to hold the enclave in the perimeter that they have won but will not be able to extend it at any time later in the siege. For both sides life at Tobruk settles down into a style not unlike the trench warfare of World War I. The ground is very hard so that trenches are often shallow at first. This means their occupants must stay virtually motionless during the day. Neither side is well supplied. Rommel creates a ring of posts to limit Allied sorties outside the wire, while Luftwaffe will try to prevent resupply of the Tobruk garrison by sea. The positions held by 5 Battalion of 8 Bersaglieri under Major Gaggetti around Redoubts 6, 7 and 8 were counter-attacked by the Australians. The Italians responded with strong defensive fire and launched a counter-attack supported by three L3 light tanks. The latter were quickly destroyed at close quarters, and the Australians captured Redoubt 7. The Bersaglieri supported by one M13 tank and three armoured cars, counter-attack and forced them back.

29th Brigade, 5th Indian Division again attacks the Italian mountain fortifications at Amba Alagi. While Italian defenders are distracted by the feint in the Falaga Pass, 6/13th Frontier Force Rifles battalion and 3/2nd Punjab battalion capture 3 foothills (Pyramid, Whale Back and Elephant) between 0415 and 0730 hours. The path to the next hill is over a steep, narrow ridge exposed to Italian machinegun fire, so they wait for dark to advance.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: At 1915 hours off the coast of French Guinea, West Africa, U-38 sinks Swedish SS "Japan" with 3 torpedoes and shellfire from the deck gun (barrel of the deck gun bursts, injuring the gun crew). All 50 crew and 4 passengers reach land and are interned by the Vichy French. German bombing sinks British minesweeper "Fermoy" in dock at Malta.

UNITED KINGDOM: The May Blitz: The German bombing on Liverpool, England, that began on the previous date ended before dawn on this date, killing 850 people and destroying ammunition ship "Malakand" in the harbor. Luftwaffe attacks Liverpool overnight with 53 aircraft. The Times on 5 May 1941, carried the following report:

"The Germans stated that Saturday night's attack on Liverpool was one of the heaviest ever made by their air force on Britain. Several hundred bombers had been used, visibility was good and docks and industrial works, storehouses and business centres, had been hit. In addition to many smaller fires, one conflagration, it was claimed, was greater than any hitherto observed during a night attack."

Luftwaffe attacks Barrow-in-Furness overnight with 55 aircraft and Belfast overnight with 204 aircraft. An attack by seventeen German aircraft on dock installations at Hartlepool, started single fires, the raid lasted from 0020 hours until 0245 hours. Middlesbrough was attacked at the same time.

A Junkers Ju 88 landed on the sea following engine failure off Bridlington at 0015 hours. The crew were rescued and captured by a passing ship, the aircraft sank and was lost. Another Junkers Ju 88 was shot down by a night fighter and dived into houses at 13-15 High Street, Idle, Bradford at 0045 hours. Two civilians were killed and two died later from their injuries, two others were also injured. The crew baled out and were captured.

The Prime Minister of Australia, Mr. Robert Menzies, paid a glowing tribute to British womanhood in a speech broadcast today. He praised;

"…the courage, the action, the endurance of Britain's women. Wherever I go I see them and I marvel at them. Is it possible to believe that not long ago we called them 'the weaker sex'?"

The first mission of the North Atlantic Return Ferry Service flies from Montreal to Blackpool using the Consolidated LB-30A.

NORTHERN EUROPE: Operation Claymore: British Commandos carried out Operation Claymore, a raid on the Lofoten Islands in occupied Norway. The Lofoten Islands were an important centre for the production of fish oil and glycerine, used in the German war industry. The landings were carried out by the men of No. 3 Commando, No. 4 Commando, a Royal Engineers Section and 52 men from the Royal Norwegian Navy. Supported by the 6th Destroyer Flotilla and two troop transports of the Royal Navy, the force made an unopposed landing and generally continued to meet no opposition. They achieved their objective of destroying fish oil factories and some 3,600 tonnes (800,000 imperial gallons) of oil and glycerine. Through naval gunfire and demolition parties, 18,000 tons of shipping were sunk. Perhaps the most significant outcome of the raid, however, was the capture of a set of rotor wheels for an Enigma cypher machine and its code books from the German armed trawler "Krebs". The British experienced only one accidental injury; an officer injuring himself with his own revolver; and returned with some 228 German prisoners, 314 loyal Norwegian volunteers and a number of Quisling regime collaborators. Operation Claymore was the first of 12 commando raids directed against Norway during the Second World War.

EASTERN EUROPE: The Politburo appointed Joseph Stalin the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars, thus taking over as the actual head of the Soviet government, which position was previously held by Vyacheslav Molotov.

GERMANY: Adolf Hitler made an address to the Reichstag reviewing the Balkan campaign and declaring that the German Reich and its allies were superior to any conceivable coalition in the world. Flanked by Göring and Hess, the Fuhrer strode into the Kroll Opera House - where Reichstag deputies have met since the fire of 1933 - to deliver the speech.

"In this Jewish-capitalist age", Hitler declared, "the National Socialist state stands out as a solid monument to common sense. It will last for a thousand years."

The greater part of the speech consisted of an attack on Churchill, who was portrayed as a blood-thirsty warmonger lacking the qualities needed to fight a war. Hitler declared;

"The gift Mr. Churchill possesses is the gift to lie with a pious expression on his face and to distort the truth until finally glorious victories are made of the most terrible defeats."

Grand Admiral Raeder urges Hitler to exploit the victories in Greece and Yugoslavia and launch a major offensive to capture Egypt and Suez. "This stroke", Raeder says, "would be more deadly to the British Empire than the capture of London." But Hitler is obsessed with Operation Barbarossa.

MEDITERRANEAN: Italian convoy departs for North Africa with seven vessels escorted by destroyers "Vivaldi", "Da Noli", and "Malocello" and three torpedo boats supported by three cruisers and five more destroyers.

German troops occupy islands of Lesbos and Chios.

MIDDLE EAST: An airfield at Mosul which is being used by a small German force is one RAF target on this day. The German force is receiving supplies from and via Syria with the cooperation of the Vichy authorities.

.

 

[parsifal]

03 MAY 1941
Known Reinforcements
Axis
Type VIIc U-205

1 warship sunk, total tonnage 5,450 tons, 11 war patrols.
Badly damaged on 17 February 1943 in the Med NW of Derna, , by DCs from the RN DD HMS PALADIN, assisted by a South African Bisley a/ct (15 Sqn SAAF). She was forced to the surface, and captured by a boarding party that seized valuable confidential books and documents and forced the captors to be kept away from other prisoners after their capture. The boat foundered a few hours later while under tow by the British corvette HMS GLOXINIA off Ras al Hilal. 8 dead and 42 survivors.

Type VIIc U-451

1 warship sunk, total tonnage 550 tons
Sunk 21 Dec, 1941 near Tangiers, by DCs from a Swordfish a/c (812 Sqn). 44 dead and 1 survivor.

Allied
U Class Sub P-32 (P/N H-44)

Losses
U-103 sank Steamer WRAY CASTLE (UK 4253 grt) off the SW tip of Africa near Dakar. The ship was on passage from Mauritius to the UK via Freetown with a full load of sugar when lost. She had aboard a crew of 57 of which 1 was to perish. At 2223 hrs on 3 May 1941 the unescorted WRAY CASTLE was hit by two torpedoes fired by U-103 and sank within a few minutes about 110 miles SSW of Freetown. The master, 49 crew members and six gunners were picked up by the Portuguese steam merchant ANGOLA, landed at St. Thomas, Gulf of Guinea and later brought to Freetown by the Portuguese steam merchant LAURENCO MARQUES.

U-95 sank steamer TARANGER (Nor 4873) in the Nth Atlantic. The ship was empty when lost, on her way from Liverpool to Vancouver. She had a crew of 33, of which 1 was lost in the attack.
The TARANGER had been escorted by British aircraft after leaving Liverpool, which attacked a U-boat contact on 30 April. U-95 spotted the unescorted ship at 0620 hours on 2 May and began to track her, but course changes and the high speed of the ship prevented any attacks until a torpedo was fired at 0208 hours on 3 May, but it became a surface-runner. At 0245 hours, the U-boat attempted to stop the vessel with MG fire about 150 miles SW of Reykjavik, but the ship (armed with two Hotchkiss MG) tried to escape zigzagging at full speed and sent emergency messages. The Uboat opened fire with the deck gun after 10 minutes and scored 16 hits with 21 rounds (excellent shooting for the Uboat). After the first hits, the engines were stopped and the crew began to abandon ship while the shelling continued from the starboard side. The port lifeboat got clear, but before the starboard boat could be launched the master was killed and three crew members were wounded. The U-boat went to the other side and fired at torpedo at 0312 hours which again became a surface-runner and a dud. At 0316 hrs, the stern torpedo was fired that hit underneath the bridge and the ship broke in two and sank after being hit by a second coup de grace at 0325 hrs.

Alerted by her radio calls, RN DD HMS ECHO was sent out, but after a fruitless search for 8 hours she headed for Iceland. Both lifeboats set sail for Iceland, but the starboard boat lagged behind. The next day, its occupants spotted the convoy OB 320, and were picked up by Corvette HMS BEGONIA and landed at Reykjavik on 10 May. On 5 May, the seriously injured first engineer had been transferred to DD HMS WOLVERINE which had a doctor on board. In the morning on 5 May, the 17 men in the port boat saw land and were shortly thereafter rescued by the Icelandic motor fishing vessel SIGURFARI about 46 miles from the coast. The vessel took the lifeboat in tow for Akranesi from where they were taken by passenger vessel to Reykjavik on 6 May.

UBOATS
Arrivals
Kiel: U-23, U-58
Trondheim: U-101

Departures
Lorient: U-93, UA

At Sea 03 May 1941
U-38, U-75, U-93, U-94, U-95, U-96, U-97, U-98, U-103, U-105, U-106, U-107, U-110, U-123, U-141, U-143, U-147, U-201, U-552, U-556, UA

21 boats at sea

OPERATIONS
North Sea
AA ship ALYNBANK departed Methil to cover convoy EC.14 from May Island. In Pentland Firth on the 4th, the ship was detached from the duty and returned to Scapa Flow arriving that morning.

ML TEVIOTBANK, escorted by patrol sloops SHELDRAKE and KITTIWAKE, laid minefield BS.55 off the east coast of England. Paddle MSWs SNAEFELL and THAMES QUEEN accompanied the minelay.

Steamer ROYSTON (UK 2722 grt) was badly damaged by the LW 270° from 62C Buoy, Humber. The steamer was taken in tow but sank on the 5th..
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Steamer SITONA (Nor 1143 grt) was badly damaged by the LW also off the Humber. The entire crew was rescued. The steamer sank on the 4th.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Steamer TRAJAN (Nor 1347grt) was sunk near Harwich enroute to London by the LW. The entire crew was rescued.

Light vessel SIRIUS (UK 176 grt) was sunk on a mine at Albert Dock, Liverpool

Northern Patrol
CLs GALATEA and ARETHUSA departed Scapa Flow to relieve CA EXETER and CL NIGERIA on Iceland Faroes Channel patrol. EXETER proceeded to Hvalfjord, whilst NIGERIA arrived at Scapa Flow on the 5th.

BC HOOD and DDs ECHO, ACTIVE, ANTHONY, and ACHATES were ordered to return to Scapa Flow. The ships called at Reykjavik to refuel DDs. DD ECHO also arrived at Hvalfjord late in the evening. The HOOD group departed Iceland on the 4th and arrived back at Scapa Flow on the 6th.

West Coast
The LW also hit Liverpool. ML ADVENTURE, under repair, was damaged by bomb splinters at Liverpool during the night of 3/4 May.

The LW attacks on Liverpool.
Steamer CORBET (UK 468 grt) was sunk on a mine two cables 248° from Herculaneum Dock entrance, Liverpool. Eight crew were lost. One was rescued from the steamer.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Sailing barge BARNACLE (UK 138 grt), tug BONITA (UK 65 grt) in Waterloo Dock, motor barge EMILY BURTON (UK 58 grt), sailing barge PIKE (UK 168 grt), sailing barge LING (UK 164 grt), steam barge WALTON (UK 82 grt) at Huskisson Branch No. 3 Dock, sailing barge SILVERDALE (UK 176 grt) at Canada Dock, motor vessel IVY P. (UK 79 grt) at Langton Branch Dock, flats GROSENOR, ROVER, BRILL (UK 318 grt combined ), DACE (UK 143 grt), LUCE (UK 143 grt) at Canada Dock, MUS (UK 81 grt), RAY (UK 91 grt), ROACH (UK 108 grt), launch SURVEYOR No. 3 (UK 7 grt), barges LONGENDALE (UK 177 grt), ELLESPORT (UK 55 grt), ORRELL (UK 55 grt) at Alexandra Dock No. 3, and PIKE (UK 55 grt), and steamer BRA-KAR (Nor 3778 grt)

were sunk in the raids at Liverpool. Casualties at least aboard these vessels were modest.

Steamer MALAKAND (UK 7649 grt) carried ammunition. She caught fire and exploded, destroying the entire Huskisson Number 2 dock. The explosion is often attributed to a burning barrage balloon, but port records show this fire was put out. The cause of the explosion was from the spread of flames from dock sheds that had been bombed and set alight by incendiary bombs. These fires spread to the MALKAND, and the fire services could not contain the fire. A few hours after the raid had ended, the ship exploded, destroying the entire Huskisson No. 2 dock and killing four people. It took 74 hours for the fire to be put out in the dock.

Steamer ELSTREE GRANGE (UK 6598 grt),
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Steamer DOMINO (UK 1453grt) at Canada Dock, with no casualties
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Steamer EUROPA (Cdn 10,224 grt), was lost when steamer MALAKAND exploded.

Barge ELLESPORT (UK 100 grt (est)) was also destroyed when the MALAKAND went up
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Steamer TACOMA STAR was sunk, but was later salved. One crew member was killed

Flat LUCE (UK 105 grt) was lost when she caught fire from the explosion of steamer BRA-KAR and sailing barge OYSTER.

British steamers AUSTRALIA STAR and CANTAL were damaged by German bombing at Liverpool. One crewman was lost on the steamer CANTAL.

During the night of 3/4 May, British steamer BARONESE, British steamer LOBOS, Tug WAPITI, British steamer MAHOUT, British tanker SAN FABIAN at Stanlow, Liverpool, steamer SILVERSANDAL, British steamer BUSIRIS, British sailing barge LIMPET, British sailing barge OYSTER, British sailing barge GLITTO, and British sailing barge CLAM, Greek steamer KADIN, and Dutch steamer SALLAND were damaged at Liverpool by German bombing. Damage to steamer MAHOUT was caused by explosion of steamer MALAKAND. Tanker SAN FABIAN was repaired at Mobile.
Steamer SILVERSANDAL was set afire by the MALAKAND explosion. One crewman was killed on the steamer. One crewman was killed on Norwegian steamer SALLAND.
They all were returned to service

Channel
In a LW attack on on Portsmouth during the night of 3/4 May, CL SIRIUS under construction was damaged by a bomb which went through her.

Med/Biscay
BBs BARHAM and VALIANT, CV FORMIDABLE, and DDs ILEX, KANDAHAR, JUNO, JAGUAR, GREYHOUND, HASTY, and IMPERIAL arrived at Alexandria.

CLA PHOEBE and DDs HERO, HOTSPUR, ISIS, HAVOCK, and KIMBERLEY departed Port Said and arrived at Alexandria on the 3rd. DDs DECOY and DEFENDER shelled Tobruk during the night of 3/4 May. They then returned to Alexandria.

Steamer ARAYBANK (UK 7258 grt) was badly damaged by the LW at Suda Bay. The steamer was bombed again on the 16th and became a total loss.

Spica Class TB CANOPO (RM 620 grt) was sunk by British bombing at Tripoli.