Saturday, March 27, 2021

April 25, 1942: Bath Devastated in Baedeker Blitz

Saturday 25 April 1942

Würzburg Evacuation 25 April 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
German soldiers escort a column of Jewish residents of Würzburg to a waiting train for their evacuation to the extermination camp at Sobibor on 25 April 1942. Photo: State Archives Würzburg.
Battle of the Pacific: The Japanese attempt to bomb Darwin in northern Australia again on 25 April 1942, but they get a hot reception. The 49th Pursuit Group (Interceptor) of Fifth Air Force is now at full strength there. Flying Curtiss P-40 Warhawks, the Group shoots down 10 Japanese bombers and 3 Zero fighters at no loss to themselves. Gradually, the Allied air defenses in the region are firming and are much more effective than just a few weeks earlier.

US Navy submarine USS Spearfish torpedoes 7296-ton Japanese freighter (requisitioned by the Navy) Toba Maru northwest of Luzon, Philippines. The ship's crew manages to beach the ship 10 km west of Cape Candon, Luzon. It is later refloated and towed to Kirun for repair.

US Navy submarine Pickerell (SS-177), on her fourth wartime patrol, torpedoes and damages Japanese hospital ship Takasugo Maru in Manipa Strait, Malay Archipelago (Indonesia).

Aircraft of unknown nationality damage Japanese transport No. 2 Nankai Maru near Shortland Island in the western Solomons.
Saturday Evening Post 25 April 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
The lead story in the 25 April 1942 Saturday Evening Post is "Japan's Islands of Mystery."
Battle of the Indian Ocean: The British continue bugging out from positions they never expected to be in any jeopardy. The Bush Warfare School at Maymyo is forced today to leave for Sagaing and is activated for combat there. While the Chinese 200th Division has recaptured Loilem and neared Hopong, the Japanese continue advancing around them and are on the verge of occupying all of the Shan States. This would open a path to northern Burma via Bhamo and Myitkyina. 

General Alexander observes the Japanese advancing on Mandalay and orders all Allied troops to withdraw to the north of that city. This means the Chinese must abandon their defenses at Pyawbwe, south of Mandalay. General Chang, commander of the Chinese Sixty-Sixth Army, arrives in Lashio and takes command of all Chinese troops in the area, but it does not appear the Allies can hold the city for long.
Zec cartoon 25 April 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
The Zec cartoon in the 25 April 1942 Daily Mirror is all about bombs raining down on Germany. However, just as many bombs have been raining down on England recently. That's not quite so humorous, though.
Eastern Front: General Franz Halder compiles a casualty list from the start of Operation Barbarossa to 20 April 1942. The list shows that 34,039 officers and 1,114,914 men of other ranks have become casualties. Considering that the Heer (Army) began the campaign with a total of 3.2 million men of all ranks, that means that a full third of the army (35.9%, as Halder notes) that invaded the Soviet Union has become casualties - so far. The totals of those killed are 9,077 officers and 232,236 other ranks, with another 874 officers and 53,787 "missing." While Halder does not comment on the figures, this obviously was not how the campaign was supposed to turn out. These casualty figures are far in excess of anything the German Army has experienced before in the war.

The spring thaw ("Rasputitsa") is in full swing, so not much is happening along the Eastern Front. Halder laconically notes, apparently without irony, "All quiet along the entire front. Local enemy probing on the front of the Second Army."

Obstlt. Hans-Ekkehard Bob of JG 54 shoots down a MiG-3 over Leningrad for his 40th victory. During the raid, the Luftwaffe sinks 893-ton Estonian freighter VT-510 (formerly the Vahur, seized by the USSR in 1940).
Winnipeg Free Press 25 April 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
As this 25 April 1942 edition of the Winnipeg Free Press shows, the RAF raids on Rostock receive a lot of press, the Luftwaffe raids on Exeter, not so much. Perhaps that is due to security concerns.
European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe "Baedeker Raids" continue. After two nights of attacking Exeter with mediocre results, tonight's new Luftwaffe target is Bath, which has been largely untouched so far in the war. This raid by 80 aircraft is much more successful than the Exeter raids, causing widespread damage and 400 casualties. Many citizens don't bother seeking cover because previous Luftwaffe missions have overflown the city on the way to the aircraft factories at Bristol. However, the German pathfinders drop their flares over Bath and that leads to a night of horror. The first bombs fall just before 23:00 and the raid lasts for two hours. As is their custom, the Luftwaffe bombers then return a few hours later after refueling and rearming in France, causing more damage and catching people by surprise again after the "all clear" has sounded. Many historic buildings are destroyed among the roughly 19,000 buildings hit in some way during the Bath raids. The Luftwaffe loses four aircraft in this raid.

RAF Bomber Command raids the north German port of Rostock again with 128 bombers. As they have on previous nights, the bombers split up, with 110 heading downtown and 18 to the Heinkel factory on the outskirts of town. For the first time, some hits are scored on the Heinkel factory by Manchester bombers of RAF No. 156 Squadron under the command of Wing Commander Guy Gibson. No planes are lost on this mission.

In a subsidiary attack, half a dozen Stirling bombers attack the Skoda armaments factory in Pilsen, Czechoslovakia. They lose one bomber. Another 32 bombers do a "milk run" to Dunkirk, while 2 Blenheim intruders attack targets inland and 5 bombers drop leaflets over France.

Johannes Seifert of I./JG-26, a top Luftwaffe ace on his way to 57 aerial victories, shoots down a Spitfire five miles northwest of Berck-sur-Mer, killing the pilot.
Liberty Magazine 25 April 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
The 25 April 1942 Liberty magazine's lead story is about "Hitler's No. 1 Headache," which is revealed to be a certain Yugoslav Serb general leading Chetnik detachments. In actuality, the Chetniks were hardly Hitler's biggest problem because many collaborated with the Third Reich. Due to his alleged collaboration, this "headache," Dragoljub "Draža" Mihailović, was convicted of high treason after the war and executed by firing squad in Belgrade (the true extent of his culpability is disputed and his conviction was expunged long after his death).
Battle of the Atlantic: U-108 (KrvKpt. Klaus Scholtz), on its seventh patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 3849-ton British (formerly Finnish) freighter Modesta in the mid-Atlantic 110 miles northwest of Bermuda. There are 18 deaths and 23 survivors, who are rescued by Belgian freighter Belgian Airman. 

RAF aircraft bomb and sink German freighter Leesee off Norway.

US 770-ton freighter Wellesley catches fire and is a total loss in the Oakland Estuary, California.

British 248-ton trawler HMT Daisy is lost in a storm in the Clyde. Boom defense vessel HMT Chorley also springs a leak and is lost, with three dead.
Finnish soldier and dog 25 April 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Finnish soldier and dog in position near Kiestinki, 25 April 1942. Photographer: Erkki Viitasalo. SA-Kuva.
Battle of the Mediterranean: The Axis continues to bomb Malta with overpowering numbers. An estimated 246 enemy raiders make 19 attacks today, dropping 1000 bombs totaling 317,486kg. The bombers target the Pembroke area, including No. 45 General Hospital at St. Patrick's and No. 39 General Hospital at St. Andrews. There are reports by some witnesses (including Lieutenant George Carroll, a bomb disposal officer being treated at No. 45 General Hospital) that the planes are specifically targeting the hospitals.
Anzac Day celebration in Jerusalem 25 April 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Anzac Day celebration in Jerusalem, 25 April 1942 (Library of Congress matpc 21260).
POWs: A full week after French General Henri Giraud's escape from Königstein Fortress, Berlin radio finally announces it. They offer a 100,000 mark reward for information that leads to his capture. Giraud, however, already is in neutral Switzerland, which the Germans probably know from their Swiss spies. Just to make sure that everyone knows that Germany is upset about the escape, word then is put out that Giraud's relatives are being arrested. It is a nice propaganda victory for the Allies and plays out exactly as one would expect.

The entire tale of Giraud's escape from an "inescapable" prison and subsequent events, however, is very odd. Tellingly, after Giraud brazenly returns to Vichy France, the Germans do not compel Premier Petain to return him to Germany for punishment despite German domination of the French state. Getting nowhere with Petain, Giraud quickly goes over to the Free French side despite his well-known antipathy for the British. He receives prominent posts but becomes embroiled in disagreements with Charles de Gaulle about strategy and finally is dismissed from all commands.

Giraud's escape ultimately proves only to be a major distraction for the Allies - which may have been the intent all along. On its face, Giraud's tale of scaling down a prison wall using bedclothes seems like a bit of brilliant derring-do, and that is how the history books treat it. However, while there is no proof of German complicity, the "escape" has the hallmarks of a Gestapo operation.

US Military: US troops arrive in New Caledonia. Its capital of Nouméa quickly becomes the main South Pacific Fleet base of the United States Navy in the region. About 50,000 US troops eventually are garrisoned on New Caledonia. 
Würzburg Evacuation 25 April 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Jews being marched down Schweinfurter Strasse in Würzburg to a waiting train (Photo: State Archives Würzburg).
Holocaust: The Würzburg Gestapo orders about 800 Jews from 19 different sub-districts and three different counties (a total of 80 different communities) to assemble in Platz’schen-Garten. Another group from Würzburg itself also is ordered to appear. They are searched and relieved of any valuables, including all currency. At about 15:00, the group boards a train and leaves on an "evacuation." This is the third deportation from Würzburg to the East. Their initial destination is Krasnystaw in the Lublin district of Poland, where they are marched on foot to Krasniczin. Eventually, the survivors are taken to Sobibor on 6 July 1942.

At Auschwitz, 100 Poles from Cracow are registered. This particular group was arrested on 16 April 1942 while at the Café of Artists and includes four painters (Tadeusz Mróz, Ludwik Puget, Tadeusz Różycki, and Karol Siwek). All four are shot on 27 May 1942.

British Homefront: Princess Elizabeth, 16, registers for war service. She eventually will serve in a motor pool.
Japanese Americans in San Francisco worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Two Japanese-Americans play a game while waiting on 25 April 1942 to be picked up by the War Relocation Authority (WRA) in San Francisco, California (Dorothea Lange).
American Homefront: "Moonlight Cocktail" by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra with Ray Eberle and the Modernaires is the No. 1 song on the Billboard Charts today for the ninth week in a row. It will spend one more week at No. 1 and be the number two record for 1942 after Bing Crosby's "White Christmas."

Future History: Jon Llewellyn Kyl is born in Oakland, Nebraska. He becomes a prominent politician in Arizona, serving in its House delegation from 1987-1995 and later as a senator from 1995-2013 and again in 2018.

Katsuji Adachi is born in Tennōji-ku, Osaka, Japan. As "Mr. Hito," Adachi becomes a famous wrestler, best known as the tag-team partner of American/Canadian wrestler "Mr. Moto" (McRonald Kamaka).
Butch O'Hare in St. Louis 25 April 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Medal of Honor winner Edward H. "Butch" O'Hare receives a ticker-tape homecoming parade along with his wife Rita in his native St. Louis, Missouri, 25 April 1942 (St. Louis Dispatch).

April 1942

April 1, 1942: Convoys Come to the USA 
April 2, 1942: Doolittle Raiders Leave Port
April 3, 1942: Japanese Attack in Bataan
April 4, 1942: Luftwaffe Attacks Kronstadt
April 5, 1942: Japanese Easter Sunday Raid on Ceylon
April 6, 1942: Japanese Devastation In Bay of Bengal
April 7, 1942: Valletta, Malta, Destroyed
April 8, 1942: US Bataan Defenses Collapse
April 9, 1942: US Defeat in Bataan
April 10, 1942: The Bataan Death March
April 11, 1942: The Sea War Heats Up
April 12, 1942: Essen Raids Conclude Dismally
April 13, 1942: Convoy QP-10 Destruction
April 14, 1942: Demyansk Breakout Attempt
April 15, 1942: Sobibor Extermination Camp Opens
April 16, 1942: Oil Field Ablaze in Burma
April 17, 1942: The Disastrous Augsburg Raid
April 18, 1942: The Doolittle Raid bombs Japan
April 19, 1942: British in Burma Escape
April 20, 1942: The Operation Calendar Disaster
April 21, 1942: Germans Relieve Demyansk

2021

Friday, March 26, 2021

April 24, 1942: When Will Help Arrive?

Friday 24 April 192

Manila being bombed, 24 April 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Axis bombs fall on Malta, 24 April 1942.
Battle of the Pacific: Japanese planes raid Port Moresby, New Guinea, on 24 April 1942. They destroy two B-26 bombers at 7-Mile Drome, some PBY Catalinas moored in the harbor, and three P-40E Kittyhawk fighters of RAF No. 75 Squadron.

The Japanese are bombing and shelling the sole remaining US Army outpost in the Philippines located in the caves on Corregidor Island without respite. Much of the world has forgotten about this lone holdout against the Japanese, mentally writing it off when General Douglas MacArthur escaped in mid-March. The troops there no longer seem to be at the top of his priority list, either. However, the troops and service personnel on Corregidor, some of whom are women, are suffering daily. A few trapped soldiers maintain diaries. One of them is Denny Williams.
US Army Nurse Denny Williams.
US Army Nurse Denny Williams, from Culpepper, Virginia, makes dispassionate but telling entries in her diary throughout the Corregidor ordeal. Williams watches some fortunate friends get flown out on seaplanes, but there is no happy ending for her and many others. She writes that "The large blowers in the ventilators have to be shut off when we get direct hits because the blowers circulate the dust caused from the bombs." The stress is inescapable, and to leave the tunnels just to hang some laundry is to risk your life. She records that everyone is making wisecracks to relieve the tension, but "My hands tremble when I’m giving anesthetics; evidently I’m more frightened than I realize." This is not unusual, as "I am not alone in this for even the hands of the calmest doctors tremble." Denny Williams concludes the day's entry with, "When will help arrive?"

US Navy submarine USS Trout (SS-202) torpedoes and sinks Japanese transport Tachibana Maru just south of Susami Kii, Japan (south of Osaka).
Manila Tribune, 24 April 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
The Manila, Philippines, Tribune, 24 April 1942.
Battle of the Indian Ocean: The Battle of Hopong-Taunggyi in Burma ends after a fierce offensive by the motorized 200th Infantry Division of the Chinese National Revolutionary Army that captures Taunggyi. The Japanese, however, shrug off the loss and continue advancing toward Lashio.

Eastern Front: With the spring thaw ("Rasputitsa") in full swing on 24 April 1942, operations remain in a lull. General Franz Halder seems bored as he writes the day's diary entry:

Situation: Unchanged. Enemy continues relieving and regrouping movements opposite the southern part of the front. All quiet in Army Group North. 

The Germans remain worried about the possible Soviet use of poison gas, and Halder discusses preparedness for this and also "Rocket Projector troops" (Nebeltruppen, who man Nebelwerfer mortars and rockets) with General Wilhelm-Francis Ochsner.

The Nebelwerfer have been in use throughout the war and their use is being expanded by both sides on the Eastern Front. The Red Army has its own version, Katyusha rocket launchers. The advantage of these types of weapons is that they are light and inexpensive. These types of weapons also have the benefit of producing characteristic scary noises that cause G.I.s to nickname them "Screaming Mimis."
Bomb damage in Exeter, England, 24 April 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Luftwaffe bomb damage in the historic cathedral at Exeter, April 1942.
European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe conducts the first two so-called "Baedeker Raids" against Exeter on the nights of 23/24 and 24/25 April 1942. The first raid is a dud, causing little damage, but the second kills over 80 people. Luftflotte 3 conducts the raids using KG2 and KG106, led by pathfinders of I/KG100. The raids are moderate in size, comprised of 30-40 bombers, but the bombers fly two sorties each night. This leads to a terrifying, sleepless night. These raids cause more casualties than usual because the standard two sorties are separated by several hours that lull the residents into a false sense of security until the pattern becomes known.

During the day, the RAF sends a dozen Boston bombers to attack Flushing docks and half a dozen to attack the Abbeville airfields (these latter bombers are recalled). No planes are lost.

After dark, the RAF raids Rostock, Germany, for the second night in a row. It sends 125 bombers, with 91 targeting the town and 34 the Heinkel aircraft factory on its outskirts. Once again, the Heinkel factory emerges unscathed, but the town center sustains heavy damage. In subsidiary operations, 39 bombers attack Dunkirk, four Blenheim bombers independently raid the Low Countries (one is lost), and there are three leaflet flights.

Due to battle losses that cannot be replenished with Czechs, the Czechoslovak No. 311 Squadron is withdrawn from RAF Bomber Command and reassigned to Coastal Command. The Czech squadron finishes with over 1000 bombing sorties between 10 September 1940 and 24 April 1942.
Soviet submarine Shch-401 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
A pre-war photo of Soviet submarine Shch-401, sunk by Friendly Fire on or about 24 April 1942.
Battle of the Atlantic: U-136 (Kptlt. Heinrich Zimmermann), on its second patrol out of St. Nazaire, torpedoes and sinks 7244-ton British freighter Empire Drum just before midnight on the 24th about 280 nautical miles (520 km) southeast of New York City. The ship is carrying 1270 tons of explosives and sinks just after midnight on the 25th after Zimmermann pumps a coup de grâce into the ship. He then surfaces and questions the survivors, examines the wreckage, and departs. All 41 crewmen survive, picked up by USS Roper and Swedish freighter Venezia.

Soviet submarine Shch-401 (Capt 3rd Class Moiseev) is sunk in a case of "Friendly Fire" by torpedo-cutters "TKA N13" and "TKA N14." The cutters of the Northern Fleet use depth charges and torpedoes to sink the sub near Komagneset, Vardø, Finnmark Fylke, Norway. Different sources list this action as occurring on either 23 or 25 April 1942. This sinking occurs the day after Shch-401 attacked a German convoy and was damaged by German submarine chasers.

Danish 1359-ton ferry Kalundborg hits a mine and is badly damaged in Kalundborg Fjord. There are no deaths and some passengers are lightly injured. Tugs attempt to tow the ferry port but it sinks.
McComb Journal, 24 April 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
The 24 April 1942 McComb, Mississippi, Journal headlines "Reds Hold Landed U.S. Bomber, Allies Keep Up Raids on Rabaul."
Battle of the Mediterranean: Axis air raids on Malta continue, focusing mainly on the RAF's airfields and the Grand Harbour area. There are many civilian and military casualties in Valletta and Floriana. The first raids are at 05:30 and they continue throughout the day and night. The RAF is down to four Spitfire fighters and about six Hurricane fighters, with some of these planes grounded at various times with damage. The RAF claims three enemy planes destroyed and loses two Wellington bombers, with others damaged, in retaliatory raids on Comiso Airfield in Sicily.

British Military: April 24, 1942, is the first flight of the Miles Master M.25 Martinet (LR 241), performed at Woodley Aerodrome by test pilot Flight Lieutenant Thomas Rose. This is a target tug aircraft used by the RAF and affiliated air forces throughout the remainder of World War II. The Martinet is necessary because front-line aircraft are being shot up too fast for enough to become "obsolete" and only suitable for target-towing duties. Some eventually are developed as radio-controlled target drones pursuant to secret Specification Q.10.43, something the United States also is working on. There are 1,724 Martinets produced in total and some remain in the RAF into the early 1950s.
US Naval base at Argentia, Newfoundland, 24 April 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
U.S. Naval Air Station and Naval Operating Base, Argentia, Newfoundland, April 24, 1942 (U.S. Navy photo NH 113541).
US Military: New color specifications for naval aircraft go into effect. Service aircraft now are non-specular light gray except for non-specular blue-gray on surfaces visible from above. Advanced trainers are to be glossy aircraft gray with glossy orange-yellow on the wing and aileron surfaces, with primary trainers only having gray on their landing gear.

General George C. Marshall sends a thank-you note to General George Patton in appreciation for the gift of a goblet fashioned from a copper oil can. "Dear Patton," the letter begins, "Mrs. Marshall and I were much intrigued with the oil cup." General Patton at this time is commander of the Desert Training Center in the Mojave Desert to prepare for desert warfare. He also commands elements of the First Armored Corps and the Second and Third Armies.

The U.S. Navy announces that it will take over the Sanford (Florida) Municipal Airport (later known as the Orlando (Florida) Sanford International Airport). This is big news for the sleepy town and gets a banner headline in the 24 April 1942 "The Sanford Herald." This decision has a huge impact on the area, as the Navy is ready to spend millions of dollars upgrading the facilities.

The US Army issues Technical Manual "The Army Cook, April 24, 1942."
Finnish Army soldier, 24 April 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Finnish Army Company commander Cpt. Hakala is taking a morning wash. April 24, 1942, Voitatunturi (Voittotunturi). Colorized. [SA-Kuva].
Finnish Military: Kenraalimajuri (Major General) K. I. Viljanen, the commander of the 4th Infantry Division, and those accompanying him are killed when they get lost and wander into a Finnish minefield near Seesjürvi. Only one man from the group survives.

Holocaust: Continuing the gradual degradation of rights for Jewish citizens in the Reich, the government bans all Jews from using public transport. This is a great handicap, as private vehicles are increasingly rare due to production and fuel shortages.

German Homefront:  Plenipotentiary-General for Employment Gauleiter Fritz Sauckel issues a decree requiring women to work in manufacturing. This reflects a growing manpower shortage as casualties on the Eastern Front mount and production of munitions lags.

Canadian Homefront: Lucy Maud Montgomery, O.B.E, author of novels including "Anne of Green Gables," passes away at the age of 67.
Lieutenant Ramlo, 24 April 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
"Official Portrait of US Marine Corps (USMC) Second Lieutenant (2LT) Orvin H. Ramlo, taken at San Diego, California (CA), April 24, 1942. 2LT Ramlo is an ace pilot and is credited with 5 kills." (National Archives 6608411). Ramlo wound up with seven kills and won the US Navy Cross on 10 November 1942. His son, Orvin Jr., became a Colonel and passed away in 2017.
American Homefront: Japanese residents of San Francisco, Alameda, and Contra Costa Counties are ordered to report for registration over the weekend prior to their evacuation. Authorities will take them to the new Tanforan assembly center. The plan is to resettle them in the Gila River Valley, 50 miles southeast of Phoenix, Arizona. Locals in that area see positives from the relocation, with a front-page article in the 24 April 1942 Casa Grande (Arizona) Dispatch titled, "Construction on Japanese Relocation Quarters Will Stimulate Local Business."

The San Francisco supervisor's committee on city planning requests a prohibition on liquor licenses in the areas being evacuated by Japanese residents (bounded by Ellis, Gough, California, and Fillmore Streets). It also proposes to ask Congress to impose a moratorium on all mortgages held by evacuating Japanese citizens.

A "Behind the News" commentary by Arthur Caylor in the San Francisco News warns "Uncle Heiny or Cousin Guiseppe" to discard "certain cameras, short-wave radios and other contraband" or face raids by "G-men."

Warner Bros. releases the comedy "Larceny, Inc." directed by Lloyd Bacon and starring Edward G. Robinson, Jane Wyman, Broderick Crawford, Jack Carson, and Anthony Quinn. Jackie Gleason makes an early appearance as a soda jerk. Robinson, who plays a gangster trying to go straight, takes the film to "soften his image" after a long run of tough gangster and policeman roles. Some reviewers have seen parallels between "Larceny, Inc." and Woody Allen's 2000 film "Small Time Crooks."

C.H. Laessig, who opened the very first gas station in the United States at 418 South Teresa in St. Louis, Missouri, passes away. He and his partner, Harry Grenner, later opened a chain of 40 gas stations across the city.
People displaced by the TVA 24 April 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
One of a series of photos taken on 24 April 1942 of families displaced by the Tennessee Valley Authority's Fort Loudoun Dam (located 602 miles, or 969 km, upstream from the mouth of the Tennessee River). The dam opened on 2 August 1943. Some people view the displacement of these families as a sign of the indifference of government agencies to the needs of the common people (National Archives at Atlanta).
Future History: Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand is born in Brooklyn, New York. She takes after her mother, who occasionally sings professionally, and quickly gains a reputation in her neighborhood for singing in front of her apartment building. She makes her first demo tape at age 13, but her real passion becomes acting. A job as an usher at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater on Broadway in 1960 leads her to audition for the play ("The Sound of Music"), though she isn't hired. A talent show appearance at a Greenwich Village (gay) nightclub turns into a continuing gig, which leads to other gigs, and then some stage roles. Around this time she changes her stage name from "Barbara" to "Barbra." Further roles come along, then television appearances including "The Tonight Show" and "The Ed Sullivan Show." Her first album in 1963, "The Barbara Streisand Album," hits the top 10 on the Billboard charts and wins three Grammys. After that, her career is assured, and ultimately Barbra Streisand becomes a legendary singer and actress who is still active as of this writing in 2021.

Nurse Denny Williams survives the war after spending time in the Santo Tomas POW camp. She passes away in 1997 at the age of 89.
Evacuation orders for Japanese 24 April 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Posting of Japanese Exclusion Order (No. 17, dated April 24, 1942) in Seattle, Washington, 1942 Social Trends in Seattle Vol 14 (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1944).

April 1942

April 1, 1942: Convoys Come to the USA 
April 2, 1942: Doolittle Raiders Leave Port
April 3, 1942: Japanese Attack in Bataan
April 4, 1942: Luftwaffe Attacks Kronstadt
April 5, 1942: Japanese Easter Sunday Raid on Ceylon
April 6, 1942: Japanese Devastation In Bay of Bengal
April 7, 1942: Valletta, Malta, Destroyed
April 8, 1942: US Bataan Defenses Collapse
April 9, 1942: US Defeat in Bataan
April 10, 1942: The Bataan Death March
April 11, 1942: The Sea War Heats Up
April 12, 1942: Essen Raids Conclude Dismally
April 13, 1942: Convoy QP-10 Destruction
April 14, 1942: Demyansk Breakout Attempt
April 15, 1942: Sobibor Extermination Camp Opens
April 16, 1942: Oil Field Ablaze in Burma
April 17, 1942: The Disastrous Augsburg Raid
April 18, 1942: The Doolittle Raid bombs Japan
April 19, 1942: British in Burma Escape
April 20, 1942: The Operation Calendar Disaster
April 21, 1942: Germans Relieve Demyansk

2021

Sunday, March 21, 2021

April 23, 1942: The Mystery of Plane 8

Thursday 23 April 1942

Crew 8 of the Doolittle Mission April 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
The crew of Plane 8, interned in Russia (left to right): Lieutenant Nolan A. Herndon, bombardier/navigator; Captain Edward J. York, pilot; Sergeant Theodore H. Laban, flight engineer/gunner; Lieutenant Robert Emmens, co-pilot; Sergeant David W. Pohl, gunner, not shown.
Battle of the Pacific: The Soviet government announces on 23 April 1942 that one of the 18 April 1942 Doolittle Raid B-25 bombers landed at its airfield at Vladivostok. This is "Plane 8," piloted by Captain Edward J. "Ski" York and co-pilot Lieutenant Robert G. Emmens. This was the only plane that diverted from the planned landing in China and the crew wind up interned in the USSR for 13 months before an NKVD-aided escape to Iran because the Soviet Union is not at war with Japan (until August 1945). 

The bombardier-navigator on the plane, Lieutenant Nolan A. Herndon, later argues (without proof) that Plane 8 was intentionally diverted to Russia under secret orders given only to the plane's pilots. This alleged mission was to test Soviet allegiance to the Allied cause and also to gather information about Soviet airfields that might be useful for later USAAF missions against Japan.

Fueling Herndon's suspicions is the very curious fact that pilots York and Emmens, much to Herndon's astonishment, turn out to be fluent Russian speakers after Plane 8 lands at the Soviet airfield. In addition, during the mission's preparation, the crew of Plane 8 was assembled at the last minute after the rest of the planes already had departed from Eglin Air Force Base for the West coast. There also are odd differences between Plane 8 and the other Doolittle bombers, such as different tuning of its carburetors, as if it was never intended to fly the same flight path as the other bombers.

This leads to an enduring mystery of World War II as to whether Plane 8's pilots were ordered to fly to Vladivostok instead of China. There is no proof of an intentional diversion despite all of the suspicions, and one would think that the navigator would be part of the "plot" instead of just the pilots. Asked point-blank about this years later, Jimmy Doolittle and others involved evaded the question without outright denying the allegation ("I did not send you to Russia" is all that Doolittle would say). This controversy plays out for decades, mostly within the tight-knit community of Doolittle Raid crewmen but also lovers of a good mystery.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: In Burma, the Japanese 56th Division continues advancing from Taunggyi toward Lashio, Burma. The Chinese defenders of Taunggyi, meanwhile, retreat in the direction of Yunnan Province. The 10th Air Force of the USAAF continues evacuating personnel and supplies from Burma to India. There are reports out of India of increased fears of a Japanese invasion there.
Luftwaffe reconnaissance over Sevastopol 23 April 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Luftwaffe reconnaissance taken on 23 April 1942 of the North Bay of Sevastopol, showing numerous large fortresses. Large Soviet forces are holding out in Sevastopol while German General Manstein's 11th Army prevents relief from Soviet forces to the east (Federal Archives Image 168-278-011).
Eastern Front: General Halder merely notes in his war diary, "Situation unchanged, a curiously quiet day on the entire front." Colonel Hans Speidel reports today to Halder after his transfer to the Eastern Front from France to become the Chief of Staff of the 5th Army Corps. The Luftwaffe launches three raids against Murmansk and sinks a floating crane and a tugboat, among other damage.

The Soviet Stavka (high command) relieves General Meretskov as commander of the Volkhov Front. Large Red Army forces are trapped on the western side of the Volkhov River and Meretskov essentially becomes the scapegoat. The entire command is subordinated to Headquarters, Leningrad Front. In Leningrad, General Khozin is ordered to break the Leningrad siege. Unfortunately for the Soviets, the spring thaw ("Rasputitsa") already has created a channel in the middle of the Volkhov River and the Soviets on the eastern bank are no longer to supply the pocket to the west. Inside the pocket, General Vlasov's Second Shock Army is starting to give ground against sustained German pressure, so time is running out for the Soviets.

European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe and RAF stage raids tonight that exhibit the same characteristics and similarly negative results. Both raids are against medium-sized historic towns by a medium-sized bomber force led by a handful of bombers equipped with special navigational equipment. They cause little damage of note. These similarities are an indication of temporary parity in the air war.

The so-called "Baedeker Raids" begin today. They are launched by the Luftwaffe against mid-sized English towns that coincidentally feature prominently in guidebooks. Exeter is tonight's target. Other cities on the list will include Bath, Canterbury, Norwich, and York. These raids are in retaliation for a heavy 28 March 1942 RAF air raid on the historic German city of Lubeck. Tonight's raid by 45 Do 217s of KG 2 and Ju 88s of KG 106 against Exeter causes little damage, but the Luftwaffe plans a follow-up raid on the night of the 24th. They are led to the target by a few specially equipped He 111s of 1./KG 100.

The RAF, meanwhile, makes the first of a series of four raids against the Baltic port town of Rostock. This is somewhat ironic, as Rostock has many similarities to Lubeck, the raid against which caused such ire in the German high command. Rostock has few air defenses and the RAF bombers are guided by pathfinder bombers using the Gee navigational system. The goal of 18 bombers is a precision attack on the Heinkel aircraft factory on the southern outskirts of town, while 143 others bomb the center of town (Altstadt). The raid is a failure, with no hits scored on the Heinkel factory and most of the other bombers missing the town by two to six miles. The RAF loses two Wellington bombers, a Manchester bomber, and a Whitley bomber for these tepid results.
Pearl Harbor flag 23 April 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Two US Navy Yeomen hold a battered flag that was flying in Pearl Harbor at the time of the 7 December 1941 attack. That are at a Naval recruiting office at Kansas city on 23 April 1942 (AP Photo).
Battle of the Atlantic: German motor torpedo boat Esau (LS-4), operating from auxiliary cruiser SS Michel, torpedoes and sinks 8684-ton US tanker Connecticut in the South Atlantic midway between Brazil and Angola. There are 36 deaths and 18 survivors. Michel rescues the survivors and later turns them over to the Japanese as POWs when docked in Yokohama.

U-125 (Kptlt. Ulrich Folkers), on its fourth patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 5102-ton US freighter Lammot Du Pont about 500 nautical miles (930 km) southeast of Bermuda. There are 37 survivors and 17 deaths. USS Tarbell and Swedish freighter Astri rescue the survivors.

Soviet submarine Shch-401 attacks a German convoy off Tanafjord, Norway. It torpedoes and sinks 1359-ton Norwegian liner Stensaas off Slettnes in the Barents Sea. German submarine chaser UJ-1101 rescues the survivors. UJ-1101 and UJ-1110 drop depth charges on the submarine, which temporarily escapes with some damage but later sinks.

British 2768-ton collier Chatwood hits a mine and sinks in the North Sea off Cromer, Norfolk. All 24 crewmen survive. Salvage attempts are made in 1994 by "Desert Star."

US destroyer USS Geer (DD-145) rescues survivors of US freighter Robin Hood, sunk by U-575 on 15 April 1942. Destroyer Rowan (DD-405) rescues the survivors of US freighter San Jacinto, sunk by U-201 on 21 April.
Lammot Du Pont 23 April 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
US freighter Lammot Du Pont, sunk by U-125 southeast of Bermuda on 23 April 1942.
Battle of the Mediterranean: U-565 (Kptlt. Wilhelm Franken), on its fifth patrol out of La Spezia, attacks convoy TA 36 and sinks 1361-ton British freighter Kirkland about 35 nautical miles (65 km) northwest of Sidi Barrani, Egypt. There are 22 survivors and one death. HMT Falk rescues the survivors.

British 4986-ton freighter Jersey hits a mine and sinks in the Red Sea off Suez, Egypt.

At Malta, large Axis air formations attack Grand Harbour installations and the airfields around 11:00. Another large raid is at 15:30. The RAF defenders are down to two operational Spitfires of No. 601 Squadron at Luqa and four Hurricanes of No. 229 Squadron at Hal Far.

Civilian workers are convinced to work repairing airfields at Ta Qali and Luqa despite the oppressive daily Luftwaffe attacks. Detachments of Malta Police also help out. There are plans to compel such assistance in the future under the Compulsory Service Scheme, when they (and next of kin) will receive additional benefits.
The Daily Mirror 23 April 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
The Daily Mirror focuses on a unique angle of the inconclusive Operation Abercrombie commando raid on the French shore near Boulogne on the night of 21/22 April 1942.
South African/French Relations: South Africa severs diplomatic relations with Vichy France.

British Government: Lord Portsea makes a speech requesting that humanitarian aid be sent to the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey despite the German occupation. No decision is made.

Prime Minister Winston Churchill speaks at a Secret Session of the House of Commons about the fall of Singapore in February 1942. It is one of Churchill's longest wartime speeches and very candid about the true situation in the Far East.

German Homefront:  Reich Plenipotentiary for Labour Fritz Sauckel issues a decree for schoolboys aged 14-16 and schoolgirls aged 16-17 to work on farms. Many of the boys, however, already are manning antiaircraft guns.

Reich Finance Minister Count Lutz Schwerin von Krosigk gives a speech to the German Chamber of Commerce in Amsterdam about the Reich's economy. Krosigk claims that the trick to avoiding inflation is to absorb excess buying power. This trick, he says, will enable the German people to avoid economic dependence on the rest of the world.

British Homefront: Crime writer and poet Dorothy L. Sayers gives an address at Eastbourne entitled "Why Work?" She argues that a post-war British economy should not be driven by capitalist consumerism but instead by matching workers with jobs based on talent and intention. It is a vaguely socialist vision that is gradually gaining a foothold within England amidst the deprivations of war.
Evening Star 23 April 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
The Washington, D.C., Evening Star for 23 April 1942 trumpets the RAF's resumption of its air offensive against the Reich and Japanese advances in Burma. It also relays a Soviet communique that the German rear is "disintegrating" as the Reich calls up 1.9 million new reserves, none of which appears to be true.
American Homefront: Construction begins today at the Tule Lake Relocation Center in Newell, California. This is a high-security camp for internees considered a particular threat (for refusing to renounce the Japanese Emperor, for instance), with three layers of barbed-wire fences and armed guards with orders to shoot anyone trying to break out. The morale there becomes notoriously low, with many residents becoming militant and intentionally trying to provoke the guards.

Future History: Alexandra Zuck is born in Bayonne, New Jersey. Alexandra begins working as a child model and takes the professional name of Sandra Dee. Sandra becomes quite successful working in New York. She gets a break at the age of twelve when producer Ross Hunter "discovers" her during a walk on Park Avenue, NYC. This leads Sandra to Hollywood, where she begins working at MGM in 1957. She quickly earns leading roles and switches to Universal Pictures, where Sandra becomes a star. Perhaps her most successful films are "Imitation of Life" (1959), playing Lana Turner's daughter, and "Gidget," which spawns the teenage bach comedy trend. However, her image is that of an ingenue, and that appeal declines as she matures. Sandra's career declines after that, and Universal drops Sandra amid publicity about her divorce from Bobby Darin. Sandra Dee, typecast as a naive teenager, basically retires from acting during the late 1960s and passes away on 20 February 2005.
Tule Lake Relocation Center under construction on 23 April 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Construction begins on 23 April 1942 at Tule Lake Relocation Camp in Newell, California. Actor George Takei spends some time at this camp (Clem Albers, Department of the Interior, National Archives at College Park).

April 1942

April 1, 1942: Convoys Come to the USA 
April 2, 1942: Doolittle Raiders Leave Port
April 3, 1942: Japanese Attack in Bataan
April 4, 1942: Luftwaffe Attacks Kronstadt
April 5, 1942: Japanese Easter Sunday Raid on Ceylon
April 6, 1942: Japanese Devastation In Bay of Bengal
April 7, 1942: Valletta, Malta, Destroyed
April 8, 1942: US Bataan Defenses Collapse
April 9, 1942: US Defeat in Bataan
April 10, 1942: The Bataan Death March
April 11, 1942: The Sea War Heats Up
April 12, 1942: Essen Raids Conclude Dismally
April 13, 1942: Convoy QP-10 Destruction
April 14, 1942: Demyansk Breakout Attempt
April 15, 1942: Sobibor Extermination Camp Opens
April 16, 1942: Oil Field Ablaze in Burma
April 17, 1942: The Disastrous Augsburg Raid
April 18, 1942: The Doolittle Raid bombs Japan
April 19, 1942: British in Burma Escape
April 20, 1942: The Operation Calendar Disaster
April 21, 1942: Germans Relieve Demyansk

2021

Saturday, March 20, 2021

April 22, 1942: Gasoline Rationing in the US

Wednesday 22 April 1942

Japanese light cruiser Naka on 22 April 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Japanese light cruiser Naka at the Seletar Naval Base, Singapore, 22 April 1942. It is showing battle damage amidships and listing after being torpedoed by US Navy submarine USS Seawolf off Christmas Island on 1 April 1942.
Battle of the Pacific: To defend northeast Australia, which is wide open to a Japanese invasion, General Douglas MacArthur's South West Pacific Area command on 22 April 1942 creates Task Force 44 from the ANZAC Squadron. The first commander is Rear Admiral John Gregory Crace (Royal Australian Navy). Task Force 44 becomes instrumental in the defense of Port Moresby in the Australian Territory of New Guinea.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: While the British have slipped out of some traps recently in Burma, the Japanese 15th Army remains in hot pursuit. They advance toward Lashio, the eastern terminus of the Burma Road, with the intention of stopping Lend-Lease supplies to the Chinese Nationalists. The growing threat forces the new US 10th Air Force to begin evacuating military and civilian personnel and their supplies from Burma to India.
Douglas A-20A experimenting with JATO worldwartwo.filminspector.com
A US Army Air Force Douglas A-20A on 22 April 1942 engaged in the first static test run of liquid-fuel jet units. They are installed in the nacelles for Jet-assisted Takeoff (JATO) (US Air Force).
Eastern Front: The Germans, having hacked a tenuous corridor through to the Demyansk pocket at Ramushevo in Operation Brückenschlag ("Bridge-building"), begin moving the first supplies to the 100,000 or so German troops there. The Soviets, shocked at this brilliant German success, are slow to react. They slowly begin preparing an offensive against the corridor which will not be ready before May. General Franz Halder makes a cursory reference to this in his war diary, noting "the gap between X [the relieving troops] and II Corps [the trapped troops] has been closed, but the link needs more strengthening."

Halder next turns to the situation on the Volkhov, where the situation is reversed and the Soviets are trapped in a pocket. He writes that "the many enemy penetrations have again been eliminated. Volkhov river covered with floating ice." This bodes ill for the trapped Soviet forces, which include Soviet Second Shock Army and its promising young commander, General Vlasov.

In Crimea, Soviet General Kozlov now is under new orders from Premier Joseph Stalin to prepare yet another offensive - which would be the fifth - to break through to the trapped forces at Sevastopol. However, while the Soviets have three armies - the 51st in the north, the 44th in the south, and the 47th in reserve - and outnumber the Germans 2-1, the Soviet fighting troops have been decimated during the fighting and are in no position to attack. Stalin's orders, though, help to prevent the institution of a defense-in-depth orientation that would secure the Soviet hold on the territory that they still hold. German General Manstein, for his part, is busy preparing his own offensive, Operation Trappenjagd ("Bustard Hunt"), to eliminate the Soviets from the Kerch region. He is getting help from a massive Luftwaffe buildup within Fliegerkorps VIII under the command of Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen, a very competent air strategist.
U.S.O. event in Times Square 22 April 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Red, white, and blue balloons are released in Times Square, New York, to publicize the U.S.O. military service organization on 22 April 1942 (Photo courtesy of The New York Times).
European Air Operations: Ending a lull in operations, British Bomber command sends 64 Wellington and 5 Stirling bombers to bomb Cologne, Germany. The bombers are guided by the Gee direction-finding apparatus and the crews are ordered as a test to rely on that equipment rather than visual observations. The results are typical, with some bombs dropped over the target while others are dropped as far as ten miles away. There are four deaths and eight injured in the city with minor damage to industrial targets. The RAF loses two Wellington bombers. In other operations, 23 bombers attack Le Havre, 63 aircraft lay mines off of Germany and Denmark, and there is one leaflet flight over France. Two of these bombers, a Wellington on the Le Havre raid and a Hampden laying mines, are lost.
Admiralty teleprinters 22 April 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
"WU Direct BAD/DN Transmitting and Receiving Teleprinters in operation at the Admiralty." © IWM A 9269.
Battle of the Atlantic: U-201 (Kptlt. Adalbert Schnee), on its sixth patrol out of Brest, torpedoes and sinks 7217-ton British freighter Derryheen southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, US. All 51 men aboard survive, rescued by UK freighter Lobos.

U-201 also torpedoes, shells, and sinks 6609-ton US passenger ship San Jacinto southeast of Cape Hatteras. There are 14 deaths and 169 survivors. Destroyer USS Rowan rescues the survivors on the 23rd.

Soviet submarine M-173 (Lt. Cdr Terekhin) sinks 3323-ton German freighter Blandenese (formerly French ship Ange Schiaffino) in the Barents Sea off Kirkenes, Norway. There are 45 survivors and one death.

A big part of the Battle of the Atlantic is rescuing survivors of sunk ships. There are multiple rescue operations underway today. US destroyer Bristol (DD-453) rescues all 35 survivors of US freighter West Imboden (sunk by U-752 on 20 April), destroyer Rowan (DD-405) rescues 18 survivors from US freighter Steel Maker (sunk by U-136 on 19 April), and British freighter Tropic Star rescues the survivors of US freighter Pipestone County (sunk by U-576 on 21 April). While this may seem like the "small change" of the war compared to tales of sinkings and bombings, it's hugely important to operations and the men involved.
Herbert Ihlefeld Bf 109F worldwartwo.filminspector.com
A closeup of the tail of the Bf 109F of Luftwaffe ace Herbert Ihlefeld after he scored his 100th confirmed victory in the Soviet Union for Stab I.JG77 on 22 April 1942. This milestone will lead to Ihlefeld's award of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords on 24 April 1942.   
Battle of the Mediterranean: U-81 shells and sinks 122-ton Egyptian sailing vessel El Saadiah off Palestine.

On Malta, the Luftwaffe already has destroyed almost all of the Spitfire fighters ferried to the island recently. There are at most only 7 of the 46 fighters still operational. Luftwaffe raids occur throughout the day and the Spitfires rise in defense of their own airfields, with two of the fighters crashing on landing (pilots safe). This period of time is known as "Malta's darkest hour."

Battle of the Black Sea: A German tugboat hits a mine and sinks in Odessa Harbor.
Commandos after a raid on France 22 April 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
"Men of No. 4 Commando after returning from a raid on the French coast near Boulogne, 22 April 1942." © IWM H 18957.
Special Forces: Operation Abercrombie, a two-hour Commando landing near Boulogne, ends without incident. The main objective, a searchlight array, is not reached, but there is only one casualty (a commando shot through the ankles by a beachhead sentry). All Germans encountered scatter quickly and, apparently, they suffer no casualties. The main advantage of this sort of inconclusive operation is that it gives the Allies experience in landings and training for the troops.

Partisans: The first phase of Operation Trio, the Axis anti-partisans advance to the Drina in Yugoslavia, continues with some success. However, the main effect of the operation is that it is having the unintended effect of revealing cracks within partisan unity that greatly helps the Axis forces. The monarchist Chetnik forces have little in common with the other partisan units, many of whom are communists. This fault line explodes as the disparate Axis forces display much more unity.

Chetniks, under attack from the Ustaše Black Legion, avoid combat with German units and allows them free passage to attack partisans further back. The partisan main detachments likewise avoid fighting the Black Legion and instead attack the Chetniks, who supposedly are on their side. Some Chetnik troops sign on as Italian auxiliaries to the 5th Alpine Division "Pusteria" and help the advance toward Čajniče. There is brewing pro-Chetnik sentiment within the main partisan detachments that is causing some defections, such as within the Romanija Partisan Detachment. The fighting increasingly becomes a murky political stew that descends to a primal tribal level which transcends the overarching concept of "Allies" and "Axis." While the partisans can be very effective when they work together, every partisan unit is out for itself and has an agenda based on ancient grievances, and many partisan units themselves are rent with internal conflicts due to widely varying allegiances.
Gould Island Naval Torpedo Station worldwartwo.filminspector.com
"Naval Torpedo Station, Firing Pier, North end of Gould Island in Narragansett Bay, Newport, Newport County, RI." This newly built complex is used for testing torpedoes, with the firing pier at the extreme right. The US Navy badly needs this facility because there are increasing reports during the first year of World War II of defective torpedoes. These issues are not fixed until mid-1943 (Library of Congress).
American Homefront: Gasoline rationing picks up steam. The Office of Price Administration (OPA) limits motorists in 17 eastern states to no more than 21.4 US gallons (17.8 Imperial gallons or 81 liters) of gasoline per week beginning 15 May. This is partly a consequence of huge losses of tankers off the east coast of the United States during the Kriegsmarine's Operation Paukenschlag ("Drumbeat").

There is some lingering pro-German sentiment in the tristate area. State and federal authorities raid gathering spots in Union City, Hoboken, and other New Jersey localities that celebrated Hitler's 20 April birthday.

Universal Pictures releases "Saboteur," an Alfred Hitchcock thriller starring Robert Cummings, Priscilla Lane, Otto Kruger, and Norman Lloyd. David O. Selznick, the producer of "Gone With The Wind," gets the project in motion but it eventually winds up at Universal for various creative/financial reasons. Priscilla Lane is borrowed from Warner Bros. and has to finish "Arsenic and Old Lace" before filming her scenes for this film. The film, which began filming in December 1941, includes one famous scene showing the capsized French liner "Normandie" in New York Harbor with a clear implication that its February 1942 sinking was due to sabotage. The climax set in the Statue of Liberty becomes one of Hitchock's most famous monumental settings, which later include Mount Rushmore and the United Nations, among others. "Saboteur" is a financial and critical success and is often considered a precursor to Hitchcock's more famous "North by Northwest" (1959).
Draft board lists worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Draft orders, such as these in the Vidette-Messenger of Porter County, Valparaiso, Indiana of 22 April 1942, are going out all across the United States.

April 1942

April 1, 1942: Convoys Come to the USA 
April 2, 1942: Doolittle Raiders Leave Port
April 3, 1942: Japanese Attack in Bataan
April 4, 1942: Luftwaffe Attacks Kronstadt
April 5, 1942: Japanese Easter Sunday Raid on Ceylon
April 6, 1942: Japanese Devastation In Bay of Bengal
April 7, 1942: Valletta, Malta, Destroyed
April 8, 1942: US Bataan Defenses Collapse
April 9, 1942: US Defeat in Bataan
April 10, 1942: The Bataan Death March
April 11, 1942: The Sea War Heats Up
April 12, 1942: Essen Raids Conclude Dismally
April 13, 1942: Convoy QP-10 Destruction
April 14, 1942: Demyansk Breakout Attempt
April 15, 1942: Sobibor Extermination Camp Opens
April 16, 1942: Oil Field Ablaze in Burma
April 17, 1942: The Disastrous Augsburg Raid
April 18, 1942: The Doolittle Raid bombs Japan
April 19, 1942: British in Burma Escape
April 20, 1942: The Operation Calendar Disaster
April 21, 1942: Germans Relieve Demyansk

2021