April 28, 1942: Brewing Clash in the Arctic

Tuesday 28 April 1942

General Erwin Rommel, leader of the Afrika Korps, receives an Italian military decoration (Italian Colonial Order of the Star, Grand Officer's Cross) on 28 April 1942 (Federal Archive Image 101I-784-0212-34).

Battle of the Pacific: The Japanese 22nd Infantry Division, Thirteenth Army, continues advancing in the Shanghai sector on 28 April 1942. Yesterday it captured Lungyu, today it takes Chinlan (Quinlan). while the island invasions across the Pacific Ocean are important to Imperial Japan, its top priority remains the eternal conflict in China.

Air battles continue over Port Moresby, New Guinea. The Japanese send eight bombers escorted by Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters over the port. During the fighting, death claims the commander of RAF No. 75 Squadron, John Francis Jackson, 34, when his P-40E is shot down and it crashes into a mountainside. The Australians also lose another P-40, while the Japanese lose a Zero piloted by Yoshimitsu Maeda, who is taken as a prisoner.

Jackson has been a stalwart in the aerial defense of the area. His body is identified only by his boots and his personal pistol. John Francis Jackson winds up with 8 aerial victories and he is interred at Moresby's Bomana War Cemetery. Moresby's airport is named Jacksons International Airport in his honor, and there is a monument honoring him and another RAAF pilot, Len Waters.

US Navy submarine USS Seal torpedoes and sinks Japanese freighter Tatsufuku Maru in the South China Sea.

"Daimler scout car of 5th Royal Tank Regiment, 4th Armoured Brigade in the Western Desert, 28 April 1942." © IWM E 11092.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: Japanese troops, temporarily scared off by an unexpected encounter with the Chinese 28th Division, Sixty-Sixth Army, on the 27th, resume their drive north to the Chinese stronghold of Lashio. They run into Chinese defenders of the 28th Division and others. Fierce fighting breaks out. The Sixty-Sixth commander, General Chang, however, already is sending everything that can move back toward China through Kutkai and Wanting.

Eastern Front: Things are so quiet on the Eastern Front that General Franz Halder has given himself leave in Berlin to attend War Academy lectures and, among other things, visit the dentist. Among other things, he attends a lecture by General Walther Wenck and has lunch with the Commandant of the Hungarian War Academy, General Laszlo.

Polish naval officer Zenon Waczyński, executed at Auschwitz on 28 April 1942 after arriving on 5 April.

European Air Operations: After dark, the Luftwaffe switches targets again. After bombing Exeter, Bath, and Norwich, now it bombs York. While the attack causes limited damage, 79 people perish. There has been an unusually high death toll during these "Baedeker Raids" despite the relatively small number of planes involved, perhaps because residents of Great Britain have developed a false sense of complacency after many months without air attacks. They thus are not taking proper precautions such as sleeping in shelters. This is the last of these raids until the night of 3 May 1942.

RAF Bomber Command continues its heavy raids as well. During the day, six Boston bombers attack the St. Omer railway yards without loss. After dark, the main target is Kiel. The RAF sends 88 bombers (62 Wellingtons, 15 Stirlings, 10 Hampdens, and a Halifax), with five Wellingtons and a Hampden failing to return. The attack produces mediocre results, with damage to the city's shipyards and the Naval Academy hospital. There are 15 deaths and 74 injured.

The RAF also sends yet another raid to Trondheim, Norway, in an attempt to sink the Tirpitz. This ties in with mounting Allied fears, discussed below, of danger on the Arctic Convoy route. The attack by 23 Halifax and 11 Lancaster bombers fails to hit the battleship, though the pilots claim some successes.

There also are subsidiary operations by six Blenheim bombers to the Langenbrugge, Germany (northeast of Hanover), power station, four Blenheim Intruders, and six minelayers off the north German coast. The only aircraft lost is one Blenheim from the Langenbrugge raid.

The Germans are furious about the recent raids on Rostock. They admit that the raids caused great damage but deny that the Baltic port was a legitimate military target. The Börsen Zeitung newspaper states:

Probably British agitators will again assert that the airmen attacked only military targets; but that the real purpose is to terrify the German population is too clear to be denied.

Of course, terror raids are have been common in World War II since 1939. They can have quite unintended effects on enemy morale.

Corvette HMS Columbine in port at Tilbury on 28 April 1942. © IWM A 8422.

Battle of the Atlantic: A potential major naval conflict is brewing in the Arctic off the Norwegian coast. If all the units from both sides are brought to bear, it could be a cataclysm of destruction. However, in the Arctic, the weather usually has the last word on such matters, especially during this time of year.

Adolf Hitler has ordered a huge buildup in air and naval units in the north of Norway. This includes a large force of Heinkel torpedo bombers and large surface ships. Battleship Tirpitz also is available for duty at Trondhem. Hitler's goal is to interrupt the Arctic convoys that have been passing mostly unmolested near North Cape, Norway, on their way to and from Murmansk. In addition to planes and surface ships, the Germans have seven U-boats (U-88, U-251, U-405, U-456, U-589, and U-703) in a patrol line waiting for the next convoy.

With these forces now in position, an opportunity to use them arises when German aircraft spot Allied Convoy PQ-15 about 250 nautical miles (463 km) southwest of Bear Island. The German forces prepare to attack in the coming days.

Hitler is not the only one with his thoughts on the Arctic Lend-Lease route, however. A joint Royal Navy-United States Navy task force, code name "Force Distaff," sails today from Scapa Flow in the Orkneys. Force Distaff will provide escort protection to PQ-15 northeast of Iceland. This force includes battleships HMS King George V and USS Washington, aircraft carrier Victorious, and heavy cruisers Wichita and Tuscaloosa. U.S. Rear Admiral Robert C. Giffen is in overall command.

In addition to Force Distaff, British submarines Truant, Unison, Free French submarine Minerve, Norwegian submarine Uredd, and Polish submarine Jastrzab are patrolling off the Norwegian coast. Both sides are prepped and ready to rock and roll at any time.

HMS Lance, hit by Luftwaffe Ju 87 Stuka bombers on 5 and 9 April, shown at the Malta jetty where she was sunk. Attempts were made to salvage Lance but they failed and she was written off. 28 April 1942. © IWM A 9516.

The Russian North Fleet understands the potential for a disaster in the Arctic and makes a diversionary attack in Titovka Bay. The Soviets want to convince the Germans that the threat is not out at sea, but an invasion. Soviet destroyers Remyashchi, Gromki, and Sokrushitelny lead a force of nineteen TSCH auxiliary minesweepers, 32 SKA boats, and two patrol boats (Rubin and Smerch) in the deception.

Unknown yet to the Germans, Convoy QP-11 departs from the Kola Inlet today. Its thirteen ships are escorted by two Soviet destroyers (Sokrushitelny and Kuibyshev) and four minesweepers, with additional escorts waiting to join en route. Thus, the sea north of North Cape could get very crowded very soon with all these ships and naval units in play.

U-136 (Kptlt. Heinrich Zimmermann), on its second patrol out of St. Nazaire, torpedoes and sinks 5163-ton Dutch tanker Arundo about 15 nautical miles south of the Ambrose Lightship at the entrance to New York Harbor. The ship, traveling independently perhaps due to speed issues, is loaded with war supplies including 5000 crates of Canadian beer and sinks within five minutes. There are six deaths and 37 survivors, who are rescued by the destroyer USS Lea (DD-118). 

Yard patrol craft USS YP-77 (private yacht "Edmar" requisitioned for war duty) sinks in the Atlantic after a collision. The US Navy is still learning how to organize convoys and there are a number of mishaps (such as the sinking of USS Sturtevant on 26 April) as the navy officers sort things out.

British tank on display in North Africa. "An official photographer takes shots of a Stuart tank of 5th Royal Tank Regiment, 4th Armoured Brigade, 28 April 1942." © IWM E 11074.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Heavy Axis air attacks continue at Malta. They sink 161-ton Royal Navy tugboat HMS West Dean. People on the island lately have claimed that the Axis forces have been focusing on unexpected targets such as hospitals. Today, the area around St. Publius Parish Church in Floriana is devastated. Thirteen people taking shelter in the church's crypt are killed and another five seriously injured. This is known as the "blackest day for Floriana."

Axis Politics: The Axis leaders have been cultivating the support of Arab nations and ethnic groups. While that hasn't always worked out well, as in the abortive pro-Axis coup in Iraq, the Axis leaders still hope for a general uprising against the British. Also, there are hopes for large numbers of Arab troops within the Wehrmacht. Today, Italian Foreign Minister Count Galeazzo Ciano extends another inducement by promising that Italy will give formal recognition to the independence of Arab States. Since Britain and France exert political control throughout the region, this is a subtle way of encouraging uprisings that would aid the Axis powers. 

The 28 April 1942 Brooklyn Eagle is full of news about President Roosevelt's fireside chat.

American Homefront: James M. Landis, national director of the U.S. Office of Civilian Defense, institutes nightly blackouts of the Atlantic coast in the New York City area. These cover a fifteen-mile strip of the coast. These are to counter U-boat activities in the area, as city lights make it easier for submarines to spot ships silhouetted against background lights.

President Roosevelt gives another of his famous "fireside chats." The title is "On Our National Economic Policy and Sacrifice," and it lasts for just under 33 minutes. He attacks the issue of rationing head-on:

As I told the Congress yesterday, ‘sacrifice’ is not exactly the proper word with which to describe this program of self-denial. When at the end of this great struggle we shall have saved our free way of life, we shall have made no ‘sacrifice.’…

The Office of Price Administration "freezes prices."

Paulette Goddard and John Wayne promoting "Reap the Wild Wind" on the cover of Motion Picture magazine, April 1942.

The FBI under special agent N.L.J. Pieper raids homes and businesses in the San Francisco Bay area and apprehends 24 enemy aliens. Among other contraband, short wave radios are discovered during the sweep. Meanwhile, "several hundred" internees depart from San Francisco today for processing at the Tanforan race Track assembly center. The San Francisco News reports that "It appeared more to be the start of an outing than on "ousting."" Area Commander Lieutenant General DeWitt orders the evacuation of Japanese-Americans from Portland and surrounding areas by May 5.

Some sources claim that the Gallup polling organization releases the results of a poll about the proper name of the current war on 28 April 1942. The preferred name, these sources claim, is "World War II." However, Gallup does not list such a poll anywhere, though it may exist anyway. In any event, what to call the current war varies from nation to nation. Americans have taken to calling it "World War II," but Russians call it "The Great Patriotic War," people in the UK prefer "The Second World War," and so on. 

Just to be clear, the United States does not formally adopt "World War II" as the proper name until after the war's conclusion. This is done at the recommendation in a 10 September 1945 letter from Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson and Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal to the President. This name, after approval by then-President Harry S. Truman, enters the Federal Register on 11 September 1945 (not 28 April 1942) as the official U.S. name of the conflict. This name has been used in many subsequent United States laws.

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

April 22, 1942: Gasoline Rationing in the US

April 23, 1942: The Mystery of Plane 8

April 24, 1942: When Will Help Arrive?

April 25, 1942: Bath Devastated in Baedeker Blitz

April 26, 1942: Hitler Expands His Powers

April 27, 1942: Luftwaffe Bombs Norwich

April 28, 1942: Brewing Clash in the Arctic

April 29, 1942: Japanese Preparing Operation Mo

April 30, 1942: U-Boats Attack!

2021

April 27, 1942: Luftwaffe Bombs Norwich

Monday 27 April 1942

U-552 (Kptlt. Erich Topp) returns to its base in St. Nazaire, France, on 27 April 1942. Note all the victory pennants, the submarine's eighth patrol has been a successful one with seven enemy ships of 45,731 tons sent to the bottom. Clearly visible is the "Red Devil" (Roter Teufel) mascot image on the conning tower (Federal Archive Image 101II-MW-4837-25A).

Battle of the Pacific: The Japanese 22nd Infantry Division of the 13th Army, based in Shanghai and Nanchang, takes the key rail and river junction of Lungyu in Chekiang Province. This is part of a back-and-forth between the two sides in this area that lasts throughout the war, with Lungyu frequently in contention. 

Battle of the Indian Ocean: General Chang, commander of the Sixty-Sixth Army headquartered in Lashio, sends the 28th South from Hsipaw to Namon. While driving south on the Loilem road, it runs into a Japanese motorized column. Both sides quickly retreat, with the Chinese commander heading back to Lashio. Meanwhile, Chang, knowing he can't hold out for long, is sending everything that can move back to China. The Japanese, taken by surprise by the appearance of the Chinese troops further south than expected, regroup for another assault on Lashio in a couple of days.

The USAAF 10th Air Force is building up its forces in India for the conflict in Burma and air supply missions to China. Today, the ground echelon of the 9th Bombardment Squadron, 7th Bomber Group, transfers from Karachi (in modern Pakistan) to Allahabad, India (in the eastern section). Their B-17 bombers already are nearby in Bamrauli.

Internees being shipped off from Seattle, Washington, on 27 April 1942. Seattle Mayor Earl Millikin sends a telegram to Congressman John H. Tolan, Chairman, Committee Investigation National Defense Migration, Washington, D.C., today that begins "Disposition of Japanese property in Seattle going well." He also mentions that "Evacuation thus far very quiet and orderly." (Photograph by Tacoma News Tribune photographer, Howard Clifford. UW562, Special Collections and Preservation Division, University of Washington Libraries).

Eastern Front: The spring thaw ("Rasputitsa") is in full swing all across the Eastern Front, ending operations for the time being. The first area where the roads will dry up is in Crimea, where General Manstein is planning Operation Trapenjagd, a decisive offensive on the Parpach Narrows to eliminate the Soviet presence on the Kerch peninsula. The Soviets are still planning an attack of their own, but all of their previous attacks have failed and the Germans are growing in strength while they weaken due to the Luftwaffe's interdiction of their supplies across the Kerch Strait.

The Luftwaffe attacks Leningrad shipping and sinks training ship TS "Svir." Hermann Goering, head of the Luftwaffe, has billed this series of attacks on Leningrad as an "air offensive" but it is achieving meager results.

Spitfire Mk.Vb BM240/BP-E "Clifton Cinemas" crash landing after a sortie over Lille, Pilot Flt. Lt. R.H.C. Sly, 457 Squadron, Redhill, 27 April 1942 (via Mike Mirkovic).

European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe continues its Baedeker raids on 27 April 1942, switching from Bath to Norwich. It is a clear night, and the Germans make the most of it. They drop over 90 tons of bombs and cause 67 deaths. It bears noting that, while the number of Luftwaffe bombers is smaller than those in the concurrent RAF raids, they typically fly two missions each night (refueling in France), which doubles their effectiveness. The Luftwaffe bombers are causing heavy damage and more casualties than the larger RAF raids, and for the moment at least are dropping their bombs more accurately.

Bomb damage in Norwich on 27 April 1942: St. Augustine's School on Waterloo Road (Swain).

The force of sheer numbers, though, is now on the RAF's side. On the other side of the English Channel, the north German port of Rostock is now a shambles after four nights of RAF bombing. It is estimated that 70% of the city has been destroyed and 100,000 people have been made homeless. However, key industries such as the Heinkel plant on the outskirts of town continue to function.

Tonight, after sending an 18-bomber daylight raid to Ostend and Lille (one bomber lost), RAF Bomber Command switches to Cologne. A total of 97 aircraft (76 Wellington bombers, 19 Stirlings, and 2 Halifaxes) inflict moderate damage on the city at the cost to themselves of six Wellingtons and a Halifax. There are 11 deaths, 52 injured, and 1683 people made homeless. The damage could have been greater, but many of the bombers overshoot the city and their bombs fall harmlessly to the east.

RAF Bomber Command sends another mission to Trondheim to sink the German battleship, Tirpitz. While the 43 bombers (31 Halifaxes and 12 Lancasters) locate the Tirpitz, they score no hits on it. This is one of many failed attempts by the RAF to sink the Tirpitz from 1941 until November 1944. Four Halifaxes and a Lancaster fail to return. Wing Commander D.C.T. Bennett is among the crewmen who are forced to bail out, but he eventually makes it to neutral Sweden and then back to rejoin the RAF within five weeks. Bennett is destined to become the commander of the Pathfinder force.

In other operations, the RAF sends a dozen aircraft to Dunkirk, 8 bombers on minelaying operations off the German coast, and 8 bombers (3 Lancasters and 5 Wellingtons) on leaflet flights. Two Halifaxes from the Dunkirk raid, two Wellingtons, and a Stirling fail to return. All told, 17 RAF aircraft are lost on 27 April for a poor and unsustainable 10.1% loss ratio.

A de Havilland Mosquito NF38 Night Fighter takes off on a mission.

The new de Havilland Mosquito bomber night fighter makes its first operational sortie. It can outfly many fighters at its maximum speed of 407 mph and has excellent handling qualities. The night fighters are equipped with four 20mm cannons. The Mosquito bomber, which has been conducting raids for months, remains a military secret with no announcement of its existence by the RAF.  The arrival of it as a night fighter gives the creaking RAF night defenses a welcome bit of relief as the Luftwaffe Baedeker Raids continue to cause devastation.

After tonight's raid on Dunkirk, which includes two Whitley bombers, they are withdrawn from bombing operations due to becoming obsolete. Henceforth, they will only fly occasional leaflet missions.

Erich Topp carrying the customary bouquet of flowers upon his return to St. Nazaire on 27 April 1942 after a successful war patrol (Federal Archive Fig. 101II-MW-3755-05).

Battle of the Atlantic: The RAF bombs and sinks Danish 1494-ton freighter Inga near the South Horns Reef located off the west coast of Denmark. There is one death. 

Hitler has ordered the Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe to focus on the Arctic convoys that have been passing close to German bases in northern Norway without many losses. Pursuant to those orders, the Kriegsmarine now has heavy cruiser Hipper and pocket battleship Luetzow stationed there, along with 20 submarines (8 for defense and 12 for anti-convoy attacks). The Luftwaffe also has beefed up its presence, with a dozen Heinkel He-111 bombers converted to torpedo-bombers. This large force is waiting patiently for Convoy PQ 15, which sailed from Iceland yesterday.

Pierre Laval and his recent return to power in Vichy France is the cover story for the 27 April 1942 Time magazine (cover credit: Margaret Bourke-White).

Battle of the Mediterranean: Italian aircraft score a major success by sinking British submarine HMS Urge (LtCdr E.P. Tomkinson) off Ra's Al Hilal, Libya. All 32 crew and 11 Royal Navy passengers bound for Alexandria perish.

The Axis bombing raids on Malta begin around 11:15. The Grand Harbour area and nearby military installations are the main targets. The day's attacks are notable for the heavy participation by Italian Fiat Br.20 Cicogna bombers, a low-wing twin-engine medium bomber. The Cicogna bombers usually only operate at night, but Malta's defenses have been so weakened that the Italians feel emboldened to use it during the day, too. The Italians also use Cant Z. 1007 bombers.

For the British defenders, the highlight of the day is a sapper's (Richard Walters) use of a machine gun to down a Junkers Ju-87 Stuka at Floriana. It is a real morale boost for the troops there, whose barracks have been destroyed and who are now living in trenches and tents.

Luftwaffe pilot Ernst Düllberg and others stand before his Bf 109 F-4 of 5/JG 27 in North Africa, April 1942. Ernst Düllberg was credited with 45 victories, 36 over the Western Front. He survived the war and passed away on 27 July 1984.

Partisans: The Axis anti-partisan Operation Trio continues making progress in the Balkans. Today, a combined force of Germans, Italians, and Chetniks occupies Rogatica without any fighting on the way to the Drina River. The Chetniks increasingly are turning their backs on the main partisan force, which is heavily manned by communists. Many partisan units with large Chetnik components are "taken over" by the Chetniks, who execute the political commissars standard in such units. More and more, the fighting is becoming ideological as opposed to nationalistic, which is to the benefit of the Axis forces due to the communist/nationalist split in the partisan units.

US/Vichy France Relations: US Ambassador to France Admiral William Leahy meets with various highly placed individuals within the French government. Pre-war political leader Edouard Herriott tells Leahy that he believes that General de Gaulle is fighting for France's survival and ideals, which is a shocking statement in occupied Paris. Later, Pierre Laval has his one and only meeting with Leahy and tells him that France will enthusiastically collaborate with Germany and that he distrusts Great Britain. Admiral Darlan tells Leahy that he hoped that the two nations would remain friends and that Vichy forces would never fight Americans. Finally, Premier Pétain also promises to remain friendly to the United States. After these meetings, Leahy prepares to Washington.

Stanisława Drzewiecka, 23 or 24, arrives in Auschwitz on 27 April 1942 and has her picture taken, above. She is one of 127 women on the first transport of Polish women sent to Auschwitz. Previously, these women were held in prisons in Cracow and Tarnów. Stanislawa was convicted of smuggling weapons from the mountains to Cracow. She perishes in the camp on 25 October 1942.

Holocaust: All Jews in the Netherlands are required to wear a yellow star badge. This practice began in 1941 in the occupied territories of Poland and the Baltic States. It quickly has spread throughout the Reich and Occupied Europe, though the Vichy authorities have not implemented it.

About 1000 Jews in the Theresienstadt Ghetto are sent east to the death camps of Belzec and Sobibor. The German plan is to "cleanse" Czechoslovakia of Jews and eradicate the Czech culture in order to make its German inhabitants fit better into the Reich. Reinhard Heydrich, the chief architect of the "Final Solution" at the 20 January 1942 Wannsee Conference, has been made the Deputy Protector of Bohemia and Moravia (Czechoslovakia) in order to handle this matter expeditiously.

Canadian Homefront: Canadians vote 65.53% in favor of conscription. Quebec Province alone votes against it.

The Main Street of Pryor, Oklahoma, after the tornado of 27 April 1942.

American Homefront: In San Francisco, residents of Japanese descent complete their registration for evacuation to Tanforan Assembly Center. They are to board trains for the move over the next few days. A total of 1923 people have registered in San Francisco, while an additional 1187 have registered in portions of Contra Costa and Alameda Counties. The total registered to date number 12,028 people, though that figure is incomplete.

Protestant and Jewish clergymen have pledged to aid the Japanese upon their return to the area after the war. They state:

We pledge ourselves to do all in our power to preserve the right which is yours, so that when a day of healing and peace returns you may exercise freely your full rights as American citizens. We also hope that you will not only keep your faith in American ideals but do what you can to influence your friends and relatives in that direction.

The Wartime Civil Control Administration reports that 4200 farms totaling 160,000 acres have been abandoned by the departing internees. They are now being worked by other farmers from nearby localities and states.

A tornado destroys Pryor, Oklahoma. There are 52 dead.

Chiang Kai-Shek (left) and Mahatma Gandhi meet in Calcutta, 27 April 1942. Madame Chiang Kai-shek (not shown) translates Gandhi's English to Chinese for her husband, who is there to see if the Indian nationalist movement will aid the fight against the Japanese (Life). 

Future History: James Lee Keltner is born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. As Jim Keltner, he becomes renowned as a session drummer from the 1960s onward. In particular, Keltner is famous for having worked with George Harrison, John Lennon, and Ringo Starr during the 1970s. He also joins Harrison's supergroup "The Traveling Wilburys" in the 1980s. Jim Keltner remains quite active in the music scene as of this writing in 2021.

Ruth Burtnick is born in Lexington, Kentucky. As Ruth Glick, and sometimes using pen names, she becomes a writer of many novels and cookbooks. Ruth Glick remains active as of this writing in 2021.

One of the Halifax bombers (W1048 of No. 35 Squadron) on the Trondheim raid makes a forced landing on a frozen lake. When the ice melts, it sinks gently to the lake floor. The bomber is raised in 1973, restored, and put on display in the RAF Museum at Herndon.

Nelson Rockefeller, Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs (CIAA) in the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs (OCIAA), on the cover of the 27 April 1942 Life magazine. Rockefeller focused successfully on "cultural diplomacy" in order to form a united front against the Axis.

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

April 22, 1942: Gasoline Rationing in the US

April 23, 1942: The Mystery of Plane 8

April 24, 1942: When Will Help Arrive?

April 25, 1942: Bath Devastated in Baedeker Blitz

April 26, 1942: Hitler Expands His Powers

April 27, 1942: Luftwaffe Bombs Norwich

April 28, 1942: Brewing Clash in the Arctic

April 29, 1942: Japanese Preparing Operation Mo

April 30, 1942: U-Boats Attack!

2021

March 30, 1942: Japanese-Americans Off Bainbridge Island

Monday 30 March 1942

Japanese carrier force Kido Butai on its way into the Indian Ocean on 30 March 1942. In the line are Akagi, Soryu, Hiryu, Hiel, Kirishima, Haruna, Kongo, and Zuikaku.

Battle of the Pacific: As 30 March 1942 begins, the Japanese 55th Division is pushing the Chinese back at Toungoo, Burma. The Chinese 200th Division abandons Toungoo by 04:00 after a bitter battle, retiring in good order to the east. Later in the morning, the Japanese attack in force all along the line, seizing the bridge across the Sittang at 07:00 and breaking into the Chinese line at 08:50. The Japanese then occupy Toungoo from the east against light resistance.

The Japanese success at Toungoo creates a gap in the Allied lines that the Chinese now must try to fill. The Chinese 22nd Division advances from the north and has some success at the Nangyun train station. This threatens the Japanese rear as they advance east from Toungoo. The two Chinese divisions then meet at Yedashe north of Toungoo on the east bank of the Sittang east of Nangyun. This helps to create a new defensive line to the east of Toungoo that slows the Japanese advance along the Sittang River Valley. 

A Japanese force sails toward Christmas Island, south of Java, with 900 troops. There are rich phosphate deposits on the island

US Navy submarine USS Sturgeon torpedoes and sinks Japanese freighter Choyo Maru in the Makassar Strait.

The Daily News, 30 March 1942, headlines attacks in Japan, but the main photo is of the blizzard in Maryland.

Eastern Front: Having pocketed Gogland Island during the Battle of Suursaari, the three Finnish battalions in the area send a patrol to investigate nearby Bolshoy Tyuters. A determined Soviet garrison on the island repels the patrol, and the Finns make plans to return in force in a couple of days. This begins a short but sharp fight for the relatively insignificant island.

General Seydlitz, in charge of the relief force heading toward the Demyansk pocket, bows to the inevitable and informs his superior, General Kuechler, that he must stop the attack and regroup. He decides to shift his main axis of advance north to the main Staraya Rusa - Demyansk road. While more resistance can be expected there, going through the woods in the midst of the spring thaw (Rasputitsa) simply is not feasible. The Soviets, meanwhile, are rushing reinforcements to the area.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command sends 34 Halifax bombers to attack the German battleship Tirpitz in a fjord near Trondheim. The ship is well hidden and the bombers do not locate it. This is one of many unsuccessful raids on the battleship that the British launch over the course of several years. Three bombers do bomb nearby Flak positions. There is one Halifax bomber lost in this raid.

Seattle Daily Times, 30 March 1942, headlines a German destroyer sunk in the Arctic (Z26) and some labor decisions at the US Supreme Court.

Battle of the Atlantic: The after-effects of the fierce German attacks on Convoy PQ-13 continue to reverberate in the Barents Sea. The weather is terrible, adding to the misery of anyone unlucky enough to wind up in the water.

U-585 (Kptlt. Ernst-Bernward Lohse), which has been operating against Convoy PQ-13 in the Barents Sea, is presumed to have hit a German defensive from field Bantos A that drifted loose mine and sunk on or about 30 March 1942. Nobody from the submarine, 44 men, is ever found. U-585 ends its career with no victories in four patrols.

U-435 (Kptlt. Siegfried Strelow), on its second patrol out of Trondheim, finds a straggler from Convoy PQ-13 and sinks it. The ship is 6421-ton US freighter Effingham, which was abandoned because it already had been attacked by U-456 (Kptlt. Max-Martin Teichert). There are 31 survivors and a dozen dead, with many of the deceased having survived the torpedoes but passed away in the lifeboats from exposure due to brutal weather conditions.

British freighter Induna, sunk by U-376 on 30 March 1942.

U-376 (Kptlt. Friedrich-Karl Marks), on its first patrol out of Helgoland, gets its first victory when its crew spots 5087-ton British freighter Induna. The ship is a straggler from Convoy PQ-13 due to bad weather, and U-376 puts one of three torpedoes into it northeast of the Kola Inlet. Another submarine, U-209, had been chasing Induna but U-376 happened to be in its path, so both subs witness the sinking. There are 38 dead and 22 survivors. The tale of the Induna is unique because it is the ship of the convoy's vice commodore, and he had collected a total of six stragglers and formed a new mini-convoy. The Induna was carrying survivors from another sunken ship, Panamanian freighter Ballot. Eleven of the 16 men picked up from the Ballot perish in this second sinking.

U-68 (KrvKpt. Karl-Friedrich Merten), on its third patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 5853-ton British freighter Muncaster Castle. The submarine hits the freighter, which is part of Convoy ST-18, with two torpedoes at 22:43 south of Monrovia. The ship is carrying 268 passengers, and they take to more than ten lifeboats. There are 329 survivors (passengers and crew) and only 24 deaths. 

German raider Thor shells and sinks 4649-ton British freighter Wellpark about 500 miles southwest of St. Helena in the South Atlantic. There are seven deaths.

Japanese-Americans being removed from Bainbridge Island, Washington, on 30 March 1942. This is an assembly point where internees are to be taken to the Puyallup Assembly Center pursuant to Civilian Exclusion Order No. 1. The 227 residents subject to the order have had six days' notice. The 49 residents not on the island on 30 March 1942 are not allowed to return. The internees ultimately wind up at the Manzanar War Relocation Center in California (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, courtesy of the Museum of History and Industry).

Battle of the Mediterranean: King George VI sends Malta an official message:

I have been watching with admiration the stout-hearted resistance of all in Malta – Service personnel and civilians alike – to the fierce and constant air attacks of the enemy in recent. Weeks.

In active defense of the Island the Royal Air Force has been ably supported by R.M.A. [Royal Malta Artillery], and it, therefore, gives me special pleasure, in recognition of their skill and resolution, to assume Colonel in Chief of Regiment.  Please convey my best wishes to all ranks of my new regiment, and assure them of the added pride with which I shall follow future activities.

This is a great honor for the Royal Malta Artillery.

Inter-American Relations: Today is the first meeting of the Inter-American Defense Board in Washington, D.C. Its purpose is to study plans for the defense of the hemisphere.

Inter-Allied Relations: The Pacific War Council is established in Washington, D.C. At this time, it includes representatives of the U.S. (technically President Roosevelt, but Harry Hopkins handles this for him), the U.K., China, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and Canada. Representatives of India and the Philippines are added later.

The Baltimore, Maryland, Sun for 30 March 1942 headlines the Palm Sunday Blizzard.

US Military: Having gained complete control of the Pacific Theater of Operations from the British on 24 March 1942, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff organize it into three sectors: the Pacific Ocean Areas (POA), the South West Pacific Area (SWPA) and the Southeast Pacific Area. The POA contains the smaller islands and atolls on the direct route from the United States to Japan, while the SWPA is centered at Australia and covers the Philippines, New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, the Solomons, and most of the Netherlands East Indies.

While not formally decided at this point, General Douglas MacArthur will have control of the SWPA and Admiral Chester Nimitz will lead the POA, the two most important areas in terms of combat. The Southeast Pacific Area technically has been in existence since the Pearl Harbor attack and currently is under the command of Rear Admiral John F. Shafroth Jr.

Life Magazine, 30 March 1942. Featured on the cover is actress Shirley Temple.

Australian Military: Five Kittyhawk Mk. Ia fighters (P-40Es) arrive at Seven Mile Aerodrome at Port Moresby. These reinforce the RAAF No. 75 Squadron and suggest that the Allies are going to fight hard to keep Port Moresby.

Spain: A Swordfish of RAF No. 801 Squadron lands in Spanish Morocco due to mechanical issues. Defying the common stereotype that Spain is solidly in the Axis camp, it interns the crew accordingly to international law and eventually returns them to the British at Gibraltar - which it is under no obligation to do.

American Homefront: Today is the date mandated for all residents of Japanese ancestry to be off Bainbridge Island, Washington. This is the first such exclusion order that is fully realized. Many Filipino farmers/laborers on the island are not subject to the exclusion order and stay to work the fields previously worked by the Japanese-Americans. This leads to the creation of the Indo-Pino (or Indipino) community there due to intermarriage between residents of Filipino extraction and members of the First Nations tribes of British Columbia.

Many items such as new private automobiles already have ceased production due to government orders. Today, small electric appliances such as electric razors (still new in 1942) and toasters are prohibited from production. Retailers can still sell stocks on hand.

Army medical corps members assist a Bainbridge Island woman to the ferry during the mandatory evacuation of 227 people of Japanese ancestry living on Bainbridge Island on March 30, 1942. (The Seattle Times).

March 1942

March 1, 1942: Second Battle of Java Sea
March 2, 1942: Huge Allied Shipping Losses at Java
March 3, 1942: Japan Raids Western Australia
March 4, 1942: Second Raid On Hawaii
March 5, 1942: Japan Takes Batavia
March 6, 1942: Churchill Assaults Free Speech
March 7, 1942: British Defeat in Burma
March 8, 1942: Rangoon Falls to Japan
March 9, 1942: Japanese Conquest of Dutch East Indies
March 10, 1942:US Navy attacks Japanese Landings at Lae
March 11, 1942: Warren Buffett's First Stock Trade
March 12, 1942: Japan Takes Java
March 13, 1942: Soviets Attack In Crimea Again 
March 14, 1942: The US Leans Toward Europe
March 15, 1942: Operation Raubtier Begins
March 16, 1942: General MacArthur Gets His Ride
March 17, 1942: MacArthur Arrives in Australia
March 18, 1942: Japan Attacks In Burma
March 19, 1942: Soviets Encircled on the Volkhov
March 20, 1942: "I Shall Return," Says MacArthur
March 21, 1942: Germans Attack Toward Demyansk
March 22, 1942: Second Battle of Sirte
March 23, 1942: Hitler's Insecurity Builds
March 24, 1942: Bataan Bombarded
March 25, 1942: Chinese Under Pressure in Burma
March 26, 1942: Win Or Die, Vows MacArthur
March 27, 1942: The Battle of Suusari
March 28, 1942: The St. Nazaire Commando Raid
March 29, 1942: The Free Republic of Nias
March 30, 1942: Japanese-Americans Off Bainbridge Island
March 31, 1942: Japanese Seize Christmas Island

2020