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.
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