April 17, 1942: The Disastrous Augsburg Raid

Friday 17 April 1942

Douglas SBD "Dauntless" aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6) April 17, 1942 (US Navy).

Battle of the Indian Ocean: The British retreat in Burma accelerates on 17 April 1942 as the Japanese take Yenangyaung, the site of Britain's largest overseas oil fields. The British have skillfully destroyed the 6000-well oil field, which continues to blaze away. The Japanese 214th Regiment has blocked the British Burma Division's retreat route to the north, so the 1st Battalion The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers in Yenangyaung is forced to retreat south - toward the main body of the Japanese force. Things do not look good for them as the Japanese have infiltrated through the jungle and all the roads are blocked.

Fortunately for the British, help is on the way in the form of part of the Chinese 38th Division. While he is under orders not to help the British, Chinese General Sun Li-jen disobeys and sends his 113th Regiment (1121 men) south toward the trapped British. British Lieutenant-General William Slim chips in the 7th Armored Brigade (Brigadier John Anstice) with two regiments of American M3 Stuart tanks and a battery of 25-pounder guns to help General Sun's infantry. This combined force battles its way south toward the trapped British infantry, making good progress in 114-degree Fahrenheit heat.

Ironwood (Michigan) Daily Globe, 17 Aprl 1942. The public knows there are a lot of prisoners in Bataan, but they do not know what is happening to them in the Bataan Death March. That is not disclosed until early 1944.

Battle of the Pacific: The Bataan Death March continues in the Philippines. Prisoners who have survived the roughly 65-mile (105 km) walk to Camp O'Donnell under brutal conditions find little relief there. Men collapse at the camp and many die of exposure. The roads to the south remain clogged with shuffling columns of underfed and dehydrated men hoping they won't fall behind the slow pace and be bayoneted by pitiless Japanese guards. The sides of the roads are littered with dead bodies. Of the 80,000 Allied POWs who began the march, only about 54,000 even make it to the camp.

About 1000 miles (1500 km) east of Japan, Admiral "Bull" Halsey's Task Force 16 continues preparing for the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo. The deck crew of USS Hornet pulls the 16 B-25 bombers to the rear of the flight deck, loads them with four 500-lb bombs apiece and ammunition, and fuels them. The bombers also are fitted with broomsticks painted black in their tails to look like machine guns. All plane systems are checked even though the operation is not scheduled to begin for a couple of days. 

Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle and the Hornet's Captain Marc Mitscher hold a small ceremony on the Hornet's flight deck with the aircrew. They tie "friendship medals" given to the United States by Japan before the war - this apparently was President Roosevelt's idea, who wanted to return the medals in proper fashion. The fleet oilers refuel the ships and then withdraw with the destroyers to the east. The two aircraft carriers, Hornet and Enterprise, continue heading west at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) in radio silence.

Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle pins a Japanese "Peace and Friendship" medal to a bomb destined to be dropped on Tokyo, 17 April 1942 (US Navy).

Eastern Front: General Franz Halder notes in his war diary that there are "confused movements and radio silence" opposite General Kleist's front along the Mius River from south of Kharkiv to Taganrog on the Sea of Azov. While Halder does not flesh this out, it is well known among German commanders that Soviet radio silence usually presages an attack.

Following Hitler's lead, Halder is becoming busy preparing for Operation Blau, the upcoming offensive in Kleist's area toward the Caucasus. Troops are being transferred from Army Group Center to the south (held in reserve for now) and they need support. Today, Halder meets with Reichsleiter Konstantin Hierl, head of the Reich Labour Service (Reichsarbeitsdienst; RAD), to arrange support services for Operation Blau. At some point, Halder notes in his diary, these Labour Service personnel face "incorporation into Army." Halder also meets with the Italian transportation chief, General de Raimondo, and discusses strategy for Blau with General von Sodenstern, the chief of staff for Army Group South.

The Luftwaffe continues building up its strength in the Black Sea region in order to support General Manstein's 11th Army, and this is producing results. KG 26 sinks 4125-ton transport Svanetiya as it is trying to bring reinforcements to Sevastopol, leading to the death of about 535 Soviet soldiers. Luftwaffe General Wolfram von Richthofen is bringing an entire air fleet - which usually supports an entire army group - into the area as units return from winter quarters in the Reich. While the ground contest is fairly even, there is no question that the Luftwaffe dominates the air over the Crimea.

Douglas F-3 "Havoc" aerial reconnaissance aircraft, April 17, 1942.

European Air Operations: During the day, Arthur "Bomber" Harris decides to try something new to address the poor accuracy of his bomber force. He sends a dozen Lancaster bombers to Augsburg while 30 Boston bombers stage a diversionary raid to northern France. The controversial Augsburg raid succeeds in one respect - the eight bombers that get through do make accurate bombing runs. However, the Luftwaffe has something to say about all this, and its pilots shoot down four of the Lancasters en route to the target and three others over Augsburg itself. An additional Boston is lost during the diversionary raid. Many of the bombers that do make it back are damaged. Squadron Leader J.D. Nettleton of RAF No. 44 Squadron, flying one of the five damaged planes that make it back from Augsburg, receives the Victoria Cross for his heroism during this raid.

After dark, RAF Bomber Command does a normal nighttime mission and sends 173 bombers (134 Wellingtons, 23 Stirlings, 11 Halifaxes, 5 Manchesters, and 7 Manchesters) over Hamburg. As is standard with these night raids, bombing accuracy is poor. The bombs start 75 fires, 33 large, in Hamburg, with 23 people killed and 66 injured. In minor operations, 22 Whitleys bomb St. Nazaire, four bomb Le Havre, six Blenheims attack targets in Holland, and nine bombers lay mines off Heligoland.

Overall, it is a bad day for the RAF. Out of 214 sorties, it loses 10 aircraft. This loss ratio of 4.7% is too high for sustainable operations. Thus, Harris decides to end his experimental daylight raids to focus exclusively on night attacks.

"The crew of HMS UPRIGHT with their Jolly Roger Flag recording their successes." Holy Loch, 17 April 1942. © IWM A 8426.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-123 (Kptlt. Reinhard Hardegen), on its eighth patrol out of Lorient, completes one of the war's best patrols by sinking 4834-ton US freighter Alcoa Guide about 300 miles east of Cape Hatteras. Out of torpedoes, Hardegen maneuvers close to the freighter and uses the last of his deck-gun ammunition to shell the ship from only 400 yards. The Alcoa Guide's master, Leroy Cobb, tries to ram the U-boat but fails, so the crew abandons the ship, which sinks at 05:23. There are six dead and 28 survivors. One survivor is at sea until 18 May when he is picked up by freighter Hororata.

During this patrol, U-123 has sunk 8 ships of 39,917 tons and damaged three more of 24,310 tons for a total of 64,227 tons. It is because of successes like this along the east coast of the United States that Admiral Doenitz extends his Operation Paukenschlag through the summer.

A fleet tanker refueling the ships of the Doolittle Raid, 17 April 1942 (US Navy).

U-66 (KrvKpt. Richard Zapp), on its fifth patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 11,020-ton Panamanian tanker Heinrich von Riedemann between Grenada and Isla La Blanquilla. All 44 men on board survive in lifeboats, with 15 men landing at Blanquilla and 29 picked up by passing freighter Karmt the same day as the sinking.

Activity remains bustling along the Arctic convoy route even though no action takes place today. Soviet submarines K-21, S-1010, and ShCh-401 begin a patrol along the Arctic coast and two Soviet destroyers join Convoy PQ-14 to help it into port. U-376, meanwhile, is shadowing the convoy and fires torpedoes at Royal Navy cruiser HMS Edinburgh east of Bear Island, but misses. German U-boat commanders routinely complain about defective torpedoes during this stage of the war, with the problem ultimately traced to the magnetic detonators being triggered prematurely due to variations in the earth's magnetic field.

"One of a fleet of YMCA mobile canteens presented by the Women of India distributing free chocolate to troops in Benghazi." © IWM K 1930.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Luftwaffe General Albert Kesselring's air offensive against Malta, begun on 20 March 1942, is over for the time being. With the skies temporarily clear, the British issue orders today for troops from Army infantry brigades to help clear and restore airfields for operations.

POWs: French General Henri Giraud, held in Königstein Castle near Dresden, escapes by making a 150-foot (46 m) rope out of torn bedsheets, twine, and copper wire. Giraud has alerted his family back in France of his plans in letters using a simple code, so they have placed a British Special Operations Executive (SOE) contact at Schandau. Giraud makes it to Schandau and, supplied there with identity papers and clothes, continues on to the Swiss border.

Resistance: The Gestapo reports that there has been an increase in resistance activities in the Rhineland. These include anti-German graffiti and "V for Victory" signs.

US/Vichy French Relations: In the evening, President Roosevelt announces that he is recalling the US Ambassador to France, Admiral William Leahy (Retired), due to Marshal Pétain's appointment of arch-collaborator Pierre Laval as Vice-Premier (and effective head of the French government). Leahy will remain in France through the end of the month.

This photo was taken on 17 April 1942. It shows the area being cleared for the Pentagon. "Army Blitz levels Arlington Area-Government operations rather than a bomb caused this shell of a house and other wreckage near the new War Department Building in Arlington, Va. Workmen yesterday fired several houses, mostly frame, to clear the way for the network of roads which will surround the Federal structure, shown in the background. Colored families have moved into trailers supplied by the Government." Washington Star, 18 April 1942.

US Military: The US Army Air Force 5th Air Force transfers the 8th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor), 49th Pursuit Group (Interceptor), from Canberra to Darwin, Australia. 

Holocaust: It is "Bloody Friday" in the Jewish District of Warsaw. In the evening, German officers and non-commissioned officers from the police, SS, Gestapo, and Jewish employees of the Jewish Ghetto Police undertake a "hunt" under the direction of SS leader Karl Brandt. The President of the Warsaw Judenrat, Adam Czerniaków, writes in his diary:

There is panic in the district. The shops are being closed. The population is gathering in the street in front of the houses. I went out onto the street and walked through several streets to calm the people down.

Cars containing armed Germans each assisted by a Jew of the Jewish Ghetto Police round up individuals and families based on a list of obscure derivation. The victims are given a few minutes to round up a very few possessions (to allay their suspicions) and then driven to a central spot and executed. A total of 52 people (both women and men) are shot. By the standards of the Holocaust, this is not a lot, but the entire city's Jewish population is terrorized. "Bloody Friday" is considered a prelude to the worst extermination campaigns that begin soon after.

American Homefront: In an article by H. Dyson Carter in The Family Circle magazine, the question is raised of whether comics are bad for children. Carter's answer is a resounding 'No." She (presumably, given the first name is shown as an initial and this is a woman's magazine) writes about the popularity of comics with children:

Yes, you say, but is this healthy? And what you mean is: Isn’t it dangerous to put so much faith in fantasy?  Isn’t this escapism?  Doctors Baker and Lourie answer no to both questions.  Your child isn’t wrong.  It’s you who are wrong.  You’ve lost touch, as adults invariably do, with the essence of childhood-which is a magic compound of imagination and fantasy.  It isn’t so much his faith that a child puts into these comic book stories.  It’s his gathering emotions, his craving for self-expression, his desire to be a part of great adventures.  And great adventures, at his age, are limited only by the limits of his imagination.  And where his imagination leaves off, Superman begins.

This article is the first shot in a long war about this particular issue. In the 1950s, Senator Estes Kefauver and Fredric Wertham will lead a crusade against comic books, so there is hardly unanimity on this topic. It is worth pointing out that the "Batman" and "Superman" comic series are both relatively new in 1942, with a classic serial of "The Batman" running in theaters. In the long run, the view expressed in this 1942 article ultimately prevails.

The Family Circle magazine, 17 April 1942, asks the eternal question: Are comics bad for kids.

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 13, 1942: Convoy QP-10 Destruction

Monday 13 April 1942

Senator Harry S. Truman at the New York Central RR Depot in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on April 13,1942. Truman's Commission is in Michigan to review affairs at the Ford Motor Company, which is producing bombers for the government (Photo credit Harry S. Truman Library & Museum).

Battle of the Pacific: The Bataan Death March that began on 10 April continues in the Philippines on 13 April 1942. It is a six-day march to the San Fernando railhead and more groups of men are starting out every day. The roads north from Mariveles and Bagac are full of shuffling men, routinely mistreated, given minimal food and water, and executed if they fail to keep pace. The first groups that began the march from Mariveles on 10 April and Bagac the following day now are beginning to converge at Pilar, where they march together toward the train. 

While Bataan and Cebu have fallen, the Allies still maintain a presence in the Philippines. Australian-based B-25s stage through Del Monte Airfield on Mindanao to bomb shipping off Cebu and Davao port installations. They make a second attack on Davao during the day. The US Army Air Force loses one B-17E during this mission. The bombers evacuate personnel on their way back to Australia. Separately, the 5th Air Force sends seven A-24 bombers to attack Lae, New Guinea. The escort of 8 P-40E Kittyhawks of No. 75 Squadron loses one plane.

US Navy submarine USS Grayling, operating off the southwest tip of Shikoku, Japan, torpedoes and sinks Japanese freighter Ryujin Maru.

Five Liberty Ships under construction at South Portland Shipyard, 13 April 1942.

After steaming west out of Pearl Harbor for five days at a steady twenty knots through rain, fog, and rough seas, Admiral "Bull" Halsey's Task Force 16 catches up with the task force led by USS Hornet that is heading toward Japan. Hornet carries the Doolittle raiders whose mission is to bomb Tokyo. The combined task force now comprises two aircraft carriers (USS Hornet and Enterprise), three heavy cruisers (Salt Lake City, Northampton, and Vincennes), one light cruiser (Nashville), eight destroyers, and two fleet oilers.

From this point forward, the combined task forces (Halsey is in overall command) will continue toward Japan with USS Enterprise providing scouting and air cover. Unknown to the Americans, Japanese Naval Intelligence already has detected their radio transmissions (at this point Halsey imposed radio silence) and knows that something is up. However, the Japanese await word from their naval picket line ships stationed about 600 miles east of Japan before taking any action.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: Japanese attacks in the Irrawaddy River valley toward the Yenangyaung oil fields are forcing the British back to the northwest. The British still hope to hold the oil fields, but it is not looking good. They now are using the Burma Frontier Force, not real troops but an internal security unit, as infantry.

Time magazine for 13 April 1942 features Sir Stafford Cripps on the cover. His mission to India to arrange a deal with Indian nationalists recently failed.

Eastern Front: In the Crimea, Soviet General Kozlov gradually is bringing his forces back to their starting points after his failed fourth offensive on the Parpach Narrows. His Crimean Front has taken massive casualties in these offensives, but Stalin is contemplating launching a fifth offensive against the advice of his generals. The Luftwaffe, which is building up its power in the area to that of an Air Fleet that usually supports an entire Army Group, is working to isolate Crimean Front. The constant air attacks are causing Kozlov's men to run down their supplies.

General Seydlitz's Operation Brückenschlag relief attack toward Demyansk continues making slow progress north along the Lovat River toward Ramushevo. Simply advancing, however, is no guarantee of success. His forces already have taken 10,000 casualties and reinforcements are not available in abundance. The original OKH plan was for Seydlitz to take Ramushevo before authorizing a breakout from the Demyansk and Kholm pockets, but conditions in the Demyansk and Kholm pockets are deteriorating and now there is no certainty that Seydlitz' men can take Ramushevo before the spring thaw ("Rasputitsa") stops things completely. As General Franz Halder notes cryptically today in his war diary, "Difficult situation at Kholm."

A fire devastates Kewanee, Illinois, in the early morning hours of 13 April 1942 (The Kewanee Historical Society).

Realizing the danger, Hitler authorizes a breakout by Generalmajor H. Zorn's II Corps that maintains the integrity of the Demyansk pocket - a difficult feat - to begin on 14 April. This is Operation Fallreep. It will be led by the Totenkopf SS Division.

At Fuhrer Headquarters, General Franz Halder is keeping close track of troop losses. The original plan was for casualties to diminish during the winter and spring months, but that has not happened. Instead, casualties have remained high. Halder notes the following casualty figures:

• First ten days of March: 3478 (58 officers)
• Second ten days of March: 3139 (67 officers)
• Third ten days of March: 5947 (37 officers)

These are not extraordinary figures by the standards of World War II, but the show that a period that was supposed to provide a respite has done nothing of the sort.

An Army MP on duty in Columbus, Ohio, 13 April 1942.

European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe raids Hull at 00:05 on 13 April. There is some property damage, four killed, and five seriously wounded. The bombs drop in the Willerby Road/Woodlands Road/Springhead Ave. area.

RAF Bomber Command schedules a light day of activity after the heavy attack on Essen on the night of 12/13 April. It sends 47 aircraft on minelaying operations in the Frisian Islands and off the German coast, four Wellington bombers over Boulogne, and three bombers on leaflet flights. It loses a Stirling bomber during the minelaying operation.

Battle of the Atlantic: As 16-freighter QP-10 continues heading from Murmansk to Iceland with a heavy escort, Axis attacks increase in intensity. While the PQ convoys heading to Murmansk are better known, the return convoys turn into deadly gauntlets north of Norway. Today, German destroyers Z24 and Z25 search for the convoy but turn back due to rough weather, but the Germans have multiple ways to attack Arctic convoys and use all of them today. U-435 attacks Royal Navy destroyer HMS Punjabi, but misses, and U-209 also attempts an attack but fails. These actions, however, are only a prelude to the action.

U-436 (Kptlt. Günther Seibicke), on its fifth patrol out of Kirkenes, begins the attacks on QP-10 at 01:00 when it torpedoes and sinks 5823-ton Russian freighter Kiev. The ship sinks within seven minutes and there are six dead, including one woman passenger.

In this photograph published in Life magazine on 13 April 1942, General MacArthur and General Sutherland are shown walking outside the east entrance to Malinta Tunnel on Corregidor. By this time, these two officers have been in Australia for almost a month. However, Corregidor remains under US Army control under General Wainwright. 

U-435 (Kptlt. Siegfried Strelow), on its third patrol out of Kirkenes, follows up U-436's success at 03:30 when Strelow torpedoes and sinks 6008-ton Panamanian ore freighter El Occidente. As with many ore freighters hit by torpedoes, El Occidente sinks quickly and there is no time to launch the lifeboats. There are 20 dead and 21 survivors.

Junkers Ju 88 medium bombers appear over QP-10 at 05:00 and shadow it for an hour. When they attack around dawn, they hit 5486-ton British ore freighter Harpalion. With its rudder and steering gear inoperative, the crew abandons ship after repairs fail. A destroyer escort, HMS Fury, then shells the ship to keep it from falling into enemy hands but fails. U-435 reports later finding the hulk and sinks it with a spread of three torpedoes at 15:50.

Thousands of miles to the southwest, U-154 (KrvKpt. Walther Kölle), on its second patrol out of Lorient, gets another victory in a successful patrol in the Caribbean. Kölle, after a grueling 16-hour chase, torpedoes and sinks 8032-ton British tanker Empire Amethyst at 05:52 about 150 miles northeast of Aruba. The tanker erupts into a fireball and breaks in two, with the stern sinking within five minutes. There are no survivors of the 47-man crew.

U-402 (Kptlt. Siegfried Freiherr von Forstner), on its third patrol out of St. Nazaire, torpedoes 5249-ton British freighter Empire Progress south of Cape Race at 23:26. It takes four torpedoes, one of them a dud, but Empire Progress finally sinks at 00:17 on the 14th. The ship was a member of Convoy ON-80 that had been dispersed. there are 12 dead and 38 survivors.

Fishermen's Club Banquet, Biola University, 13 April 1942 (Biola University Digital Archive alumni1-012).

U-123 (Kptlt. Reinhard Hardegen), on its eighth patrol out of Lorient, continues a highly successful patrol off the east coast of the United States with two sinkings in rapid succession. Using his last torpedo, Hardegen torpedoes and sinks 2609-ton US sugar freighter Leslie about three miles southeast of the Hetzel Shoals Gas Buoy at 05:11. There are four dead and 28 survivors.

Hardegen follows this up by sinking 2647-ton Swedish freighter Korsholm. at 07:45. Hardegen, now out of torpedoes after already sinking or damaging nine ships on this patrol, uses his deck gun to dispose of Korsholm about 70 miles off Cape Canaveral. There are nine dead and 17 survivors. With this sinking, Hardegen provest that he is a master of the economy of force and efficient use of his resources. He also demonstrates the usefulness of deck guns. And, not to give anything away - but he's not through yet on this patrol.

Off Falmouth, naval trawler HMT Lord Snowden collides with another ship and sinks.

German landing craft PiLB 210 is lost today for uncertain reasons.

Newsweek magazine, 13 April 1942 features a cover story about the "ship shortage."

Battle of the Mediterranean: The Luftwaffe bombing offensive against Malta continues and today sinks Royal Navy trawler HMT Coral.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Thrasher sinks 2297-ton German freighter Atlas near Benghazi.

Battle of the Black Sea: Soviet freighter Partizan Zheleznay hits a mine and sinks in the Kerch Gulf. There are six deaths. This is part of the Luftwaffe's interdiction of supplies to General Kozlov's Crimean Front.

Propaganda: German radio announces that mass graves of murdered Polish officers have been found in Katyn, Poland. It is implied that these men were murdered by Soviet occupation forces prior to Operation Barbarossa. The Germans begin an investigation.

Iranian/Japanese Relations: Iran breaks diplomatic relations with the Empire of Japan. This is likely provoked by the recent Japanese Indian Ocean Raid.

Life magazine for 13 April 1942 features Army Supply Chief General Somervell.

US Military: Upon Admiral Chester Nimitz's recommendation, Vice Admiral Robert L Ghormley is appointed Commander-in-Chief South Pacific (COMSOPAC). Ghormley is "connected" and a good friend of President Roosevelt somewhat along the lines of Harry Hopkins. Nimitz's first choice was Admiral Pye, who temporarily held Nimitz's own position for a brief period after Pearl Harbor, but Pye remains "in the doghouse" because he recalled the Wake Island relief attempt in December 1941 (Wake fell immediately thereafter, though that was hardly Pye's fault). Ghormley is a staff officer without recent active commands and no aircraft carrier experience, and carriers recently have become the focus of the war in the Pacific, so he is operating at somewhat of a disadvantage. The assignment seems rushed and sudden, but Ghormley does have a long resume of experience both in the United States and abroad at the highest level of naval affairs.

German Military: Count Claus von Stauffenberg, currently serving in the organizational department of the OKH, makes a rare appearance in General Franz Halder's war diary today. He reports that "OKW (overall military command organization) shows a desire to activate troops of its own." This, of course, would diminish the power of OKH, which controls the army and considers the Eastern Front its own preserve. The growing tension between the influence of OKW and OKH over army operations is a recurrent feature of the middle war years.

British Military: The military announces that Rear-Admiral Lord Mountbatten has been appointed Chief of Combined Operations. He now is a member of the British Chiefs of Staff Committee. Appointment effective 18 March 1942.

Anton Schmid, executed by his superiors on 13 April 1942.

Holocaust: Anton Schmid (January 9, 1900 – April 13, 1942),  a German sergeant (Feldwebel), is executed in Vilnius, Lithuania. Arrested in late January and condemned to death on 25 February 1942, Schmid is shot by his superiors for helping about 250 Jewish men, women, and children escape from extermination by the Nazi SS during the European Jewish Holocaust. Yad Vashem will recognize Schmid as Righteous Among the Nations.

British Homefront: A horrible friendly-fire accident takes place at Imber, Wiltshire, UK. In the "Imber Incident," a crowd of spectators is watching a firepower demonstration when pilot error and poor weather lead to a tragedy. Six Hawker Hurricanes and six Supermarine Spitfires fly in formation and fire their guns at a target (stationary vehicles). Everything goes well until one of the Hurricane pilots mistakenly fires at the crowd of spectators instead of the target. There are 25 military casualties (16 officers) and 71 wounded. The pilot is later found guilty of error in mistaking the spectators as target dummies but remains in the service.

Wild rumors spread after the incident about the number of deaths, the identity of the pilot as American (Sergeant William McLachlan is actually British, KIA 29 June 1942), and other matters. A similar live-fire demonstration on 16 April 1942 for Winston Churchill and US General George Marshall proceeds without incident.

American Homefront: Golfer Byron Nelson wins the Masters golf tournament in a playoff against Ben Hogan. This is the last Masters tournament until 1946.

The Federal Communications Commission reduces the minimum weekly programming time for television stations from 15 hours to 4 hours. This minimum will not be raised again until 1946. The US War Production Board already, on 1 April 1942, has halted the production of television and radio sets for domestic use. Television programs on the air at this time include CBS Television Quiz, The Face of War, CBS Television News, Boxing from Jamaica Arena, Stars of Tomorrow, The Adam Hats Sports Parade: Wrestling at Ridgewood Grove, and Sports with Bob Edge. Many of these and other programs (12 in total) will end in May or June 1942 due to these relaxed FCC requirements.

Future History: Isaac Brown is born in Memphis, Tennessee. He becomes a utility player for the Detroit Tigers from 1969 through 1974. "Ike" Brown singled in the winning runs in Game 3 of the 1972 ALCS. He becomes a popular figure in Detroit, beginning each day saying "It's a beautiful day" regardless of the weather. Isaac Brown passes away on 17 May 2001.

Senator Harry S. Truman, center, leads his commission to investigate possible corruption at the Ford Motor Company in Michigan, 13 April 1942. Incidentally, the Truman Commission traveled by train despite the fact they are posing in front of a bomber (Photo credit Harry S. Truman Library & Museum).

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 11, 1942: The Sea War Heats Up

Saturday 11 April 1942

US tanker Gulfamerica sinking off the Florida coast on 11 April 1942 after being torpedoed by U-123.

Battle of the Pacific: Another column of Allied POWs sets out from Bagac, the Philippines, in the Bataan Death March on 11 March 1942. Along the route, they join at Pilar the first column that set out from Mariveles on the 10th. Their shared objective is Camp O'Donnell, a march of about 60 miles (110 km) away (with a short train ride in between). Along the way, the prisoners are treated with increasing brutality as the Japanese captors tire of the march themselves. Little food or water is provided, and anyone who falls behind is shot, though a few prisoners manage to slip off into the forests to become guerillas. Men are beaten and killed for any specious reason or no reason under the blazing sun.

In Manila Bay, the Japanese continue pounding Corregidor with artillery moved to the shoreline. The remaining US troops in the area continue scuttling ships, including the 1074-ton Filipino passenger and cargo ship Apo.

In Tokyo, the Japanese fleet radio intelligence network continues picking up US Navy radio traffic between Pearl Harbor and ships heading west. These ships are Admiral "Bull" Halsey's Task Force 16, centered around USS Enterprise, and Lt. Colonel Jimmy Doolittle's raiders aboard USS Hornet. The Japanese deduce that the Americans are heading toward Japan, but wait for picket ships to report that the Americans have gotten to within 300 miles of the coast. However, as a precaution, the Japanese do alert the 69 land-based bombers of the 26th Air Flotilla to be ready for action at any time.

US Navy submarine USS Trout torpedoes and sinks a Japanese fleet tanker west of Shionomisaki, Japan. Some A-20 Havocs of the US Army Air Force raids Lae, New Guinea, and bombs and destroys Japanese transport Taijun Maru (3 deaths).

TBD-1 Devastators of VT-6 on the flight deck of USS Enterprise. The Enterprise is hurrying to catch up with USS Hornet, which is carrying the planes for the Doolittle Raid. April 11, 1942

Battle of the Indian Ocean: Using troops freed up from the capture of Singapore in mid-February, the Japanese launch a major offensive in Burma in the middle of a storm toward the Yenangyaung oil fields. The British have the 1st Burma Division and the 48th Indian Infantry Brigade defending, and these formations give good accounts of themselves and hold their ground. The British deploy the 2nd Royal Tank regiment at Thadodan and Alebo near Magwe. The British defense is hampered by heavy jungles that the Japanese can get through while they themselves, due to their equipment, are confined to the roads.

Eastern Front: After today's attacks on the German defenses along the Parpach Narrows in the Crimea fail, Soviet General Kozlov calls off this fourth offensive against the line. It has been a dismal failure. During these four offensives and the initial reconquest of the Kerch Peninsula, the Soviets have lost a staggering 352,000 men, including 236,370 just during the offensives. This is 40% of its manpower, 25% of its artillery, and 52% of its tanks. Stalin, however, is not dismayed by the losses and wants further attacks made.

On the German side, little note is made of Kozlov's attacks. In his war diary, General Halder dismissively writes, "New strong attacks on the Kerch peninsula were repulsed. A landing attempt on the west coast of the Crimea was thrown back." These abortive Soviet landings are at Eupatoriya, Crimea. General Manstein in command of the 11th Army is now free to plan his own offensive, which will begin in about a month.

The 11 April 1942 NY Times carries news about the surrender on Bataan that focuses on the men holding out in the island fortress of Corregidor. There is not a hint about the Bataan Death March because the US government is not releasing any news about it.

The losses from these overly aggressive Soviet attacks will greatly aid the German summer offensive currently being planned at Zossen (General Franz Halder writes in his diary today, "Work on the orders for operation 'Blau."). At the daily situation conference, Hitler cancels all proposed offensives in the Army Group Center sector and orders division transfers to Army Group South and to the West.

Meanwhile, Halder notes that the German relief attempt toward the Demyansk pocket being mounted by General Seydlitz's men "is very tight. Seydlitz is making small advances." The trapped men at Demyansk and Kholm need to be rescued soon as they are drained from spending the entire winter in the pocket.

In the far North, the Soviets attack Finnish positions north of Lake Ladoga at Aunus (Olonets). As with many Soviet offensives, this hits at a "seam," namely, a boundary between two large Axis units. The Soviets break past the Finns in this wild and untamed region, but the Finns quickly regroup. They move in behind the advancing Soviets to cut them off. This turns another overly aggressive Soviet attack into a trap. The Soviets take heavy losses.

Even further north, the Red Air Force attacks the Luftwaffe airfield at Kirkenes, Norway. However, little damage is done.

European Air Operations: It is a light day for both sides, probably because of the weather. No major actions.

US tanker Harry F. Sinclair Jr. burns off Cape Lookout, North Carolina after being torpedoed by U-203, 11 April 1942 (National Archives).

Battle of the Atlantic: Both sides have begun allocating more resources to the Arctic Convoy route around northern Norway. The Soviets send five submarines (K-1, K-2, K-3, S-101, ShCh-401) to the area to ward off any surface attacks (K-2 lays mines today off Vardø), while the German destroyers Z.24 and Z.25 are at sea searching for a convoy. The Germans already have noticed Convoy QP 10 heading back to Iceland from Murmansk which left port yesterday. A Luftwaffe attack by Junkers Ju 88 medium bombers bombs and sinks 7161-ton British freighter Empire Cowper in the Barents Sea. There are nine deaths.

U-160 (Oblt. Georg Lassen), on its first patrol out of Helgoland, torpedoes and sinks 14,647-ton British passenger ship Ulysses about 45 nautical miles (83 km) south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. All 290 people on board are rescued by destroyer USS Manley. Ulysses escaped from Hong Kong prior to the takeover, but her luck ran out in the Atlantic when she collided with another vessel and then had to head to Newport News for repairs.

U-123 (Kptlt. Reinhard Hardegen), on its eighth patrol out of Lorient, continues its reign of terror along the east coast of the United States. It torpedoes and sinks 8081-ton US tanker Gulfamerica about five miles off Jacksonville, Florida. there are 19 dead and 29 survivors. While the ship is abandoned and clearly an unrepairable derelict, Gulfamerica does not completely sink until 16 April. this sinking is a little unusual in that Hardegen surfaces to sink the derelict, but realizes that because it is so close to Jacksonville, some of his salvoes may overshoot the ship and hit the city. So, he circles around to the west and then begins firing. This delay enables a US destroyer, USS Dahlgren, to arrive on the scene, disrupt the attack, and damage U-123. However, Hardegen and U-123 escape. Hardegen receives praise after the war for this humanitarian gesture.

U-130 (KrvKpt. Ernst Kals), on its third patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 5393-ton Norwegian freighter Grenanger northeast of the West Indies. The crew abandons the ship in lifeboats and are spotted by British freighter Almenara - but incredibly, in what may be a unique incident, they turn down the offer of rescue and sail on in their lifeboats with some supplies. The three lifeboats make it to St. Thomas, taken in tow the last part of the way by USS Courier (AMc 72).

HMS Kingston in a Malta drydock after being hit by bombs there. She was written off.

U-203 (Kptlt. Rolf Mützelburg), on its sixth patrol out of Brest, torpedoes and damages 6151-ton US tanker Harry F. Sinclair, Jr. about seven miles (11 km) off Cape Lookout, North Carolina. The crew has to abandon ship immediately because the fuel cargo catches fire and turns the ship into a blazing torch. The flames catch one of three lifeboats as it is being launched, killing the men inside. There are 10 dead and 26 survivors. The ship refuses to sink, so it is eventually taken in tow by HMS Senateur Duhamel (FY 327) to Baltimore. It is rebuilt and returns to service in 1943 as Annibal.

US Navy anti-submarine trawler St. Cathan collides with another ship that also sinks (Dutch freighter Heße) off South Carolina and sinks. There are 31 deaths and eight survivors. the lost men are Royal Navy members because the Royal Navy has lent the St. Cathan to the US Navy due to the growing threat of U-boats off the east coast of the United States.

United Kingdom freighter Trongate catches fire at Halifax, Nova Scotia and has to be scuttled. Trongate was part of Convoy SC-79.

German tanker Eurosee hits a mine in the North Sea off Terschelling, Friesland and breaks in two, sinking quickly.

HMS Jervis attacking a submarine with depth charges in the Mediterranean, 11 April 1942 (© IWM A 8928).

Battle of the Mediterranean: Luftwaffe attacks continue with ferocity on Malta. Today, they bomb and sink Royal Navy destroyer HMS Kingston, which was in dry dock for repairs after already being bombed.

The Luftwaffe also bombs and badly damages Egyptian transport Kawsar near Port Said. She is towed to port but written off.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Torbay (Cdr. A.C.C. Miers) uses his deck gun to sink Italian schooner Gesu Crocifisso about 16.5 miles northeast of Fano Island (northwest of Corfu).

Special Forces: British Commandos mount Operation J V. This is a raid by two Commandos, Captain Gerald Montanaro and Trooper Preece. They are brought close to Boulogne Harbor and then released in a canoe to paddle into the harbor. They quietly plant a limpet mine on a tanker there and paddle back out without issue.

American Homefront: The Office of Civilian Defense, Civil Air Patrol, issues Training Directive No. 25. This sets forth the requirements for inclusion in the CAP program, including the number of hours flying time required as pilots (200) and other factors. In addition to simple reconnaissance missions, the pilots are to become proficient at formation flying, picking up messages that are suspended between two poles, dropping supplies by parachute, radio communications, and similar topics. The CAP is intended to be a major asset in the fight against the U-boat menace.

Lt. Edward "Butch" O'Hare (far plane) and LDMDR Thach flying their F4F-3A Wildcats on 11 April 1942 off Hawaii. O'Hare is the namesake of the airport in Chicago. He would be awarded the Medal of Honor not long after this picture was taken.

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 9, 1942: US Defeat in Bataan

Thursday 9 April 1942

HMS Hermes sinks on 9 April 1942 in this photo taken by Japanese aircrew, perhaps Mitsuo Fuchida.

Battle of the Pacific: The senior US commander on Bataan, the Philippines, Major General Edward P. King, meets with Japanese commander Major General Kameichiro Nagano on the morning of 9 April 1942 to surrender. As negotiations proceed, the US Navy destroyer its facilities at Mariveles and scuttle (or the Japanese destroy with shelling) any remaining ships there, including submarine tender USS Canopus, minesweeper Bittern, and tugs Napa, Yu Sang, and Henry Keswick (later refloated and repaired by the Japanese). A few ships manage to get away with a small number of evacuees to Corregidor, including three ferry launches (San Felipe, Camia, and Dap Dap) and some motor launches.  

The surrender begins a horrifying ordeal for the roughly 75,000 captured Allied (American and Filipino) soldiers, who from the beginning are mistreated and brutalized by their Japanese captors. Many of them do not survive the war. About 10-12,000 Allied troops either avoid capture or escape from the Japanese during the infamous Bataan Death March, which actually begins on 10 April.

The 9 April 1942 Sweetwater, Texas, Reporters paints the US surrender in Bataan as an "epic." This is the same tactic used by the German after the defeat at Stalingrad.

There remains one pocket of Allied resistance in the vicinity. Lt. Gen. Jonathan Wainwright leads a small number of US forces in Malinta Tunnel on the island of Corregidor at the entrance to Manila Bay. Wainright makes a public broadcast from the tunnel during the evening of 9 April 1942, saying in part:

Bataan has fallen. The Philippine-American troops on this war-ravaged and bloodstained peninsula have laid down their arms. With heads bloody but unbowed, they have yielded to the superior force and numbers of the enemy.

The Japanese quickly bring their artillery forward to bombard Corregidor. Fortunately for the island's defenders, it is heavily fortified. Malinta Tunnel includes 13 lateral tunnels branching off from the main shaft on the north side and 11 lateral tunnels on the south side. This provides shelter from the artillery and air pounding that the island soon receives. Ironically, the cement used to build the tunnels was purchased from the Japanese. US Navy submarine USS Snapper delivers some supplies to Corregidor, which is subject to a Japanese blockade.

HMS Hermes sinks off the coast of Ceylon, 9 April 1942.

There are some naval skirmishes offshore. Two US torpedo boats, PT-34 and PT-41, harass Japanese light cruiser HIJMS Kuma and torpedo boat Kiji without causing much damage off Cape Tanon, Cebu Island. The Japanese retaliate later in the day by using floatplanes flying from Japanese seaplane carrier HIJMS Sanuki Maruand to bomb and strafe PT-34, which is beached off Cauit Island (two dead and four survivors, with two or three wounded).

The events of April 9, 1942, deeply permeate the Philippines psyche. April 9th becomes a national holiday, the "Day of Valor" (Araw ng Kagitingan). A "Shrine of Valor" (Dambana ng Kagitingan) and memorial cross are built atop Mount Samat in Pilar, Bataan, the point of the Japanese breakthrough that led to the fall of Bataan.

Far to the east, half of the US Navy's carrier force in the Pacific is sailing almost due west toward Japan. Admiral Bull Halsey leads Task Force 16 in a sprint to catch up with a smaller group led by the aircraft carrier USS Hornet that is carrying B-25s that normally do not fly from carriers. The Japanese remain completely unaware of this approaching menace for the time being. The two groups plan to rendezvous at sea on 13 April.

HMAS Vampire under attack prior to sinking, 9 April 1942. This photo appears to show the bomb striking that breaks it in half.

Battle of the Indian Ocean:  The Japanese Indian Ocean Raid reaches its climax with renewed attacks against Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and British naval forces. At dawn, Admiral Nagumo sends over 100 planes to attack the port of Trincomalee. They are met by 22 defending RAF fighters that are brushed aside. The Japanese wreak devastation on the harbor facilities, including badly damaging/sinking 7953-ton British freighter Sagaing (3 deaths), but do not succeed in locating their real target, the Royal Navy Eastern Fleet. Incidentally, the Sagaing was raised and moved to a different location by the Sri Lanka navy in 2018 to open up the harbor.

However, the Japanese get lucky. Hearing about the Japanese raid, Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Hermes (Captain R.F.J. Onslow), which had left Trincomalee to avoid the raid, turns around to help out. This turns out to be a big mistake. Japanese scout planes quickly locate Hermes and vector in bombers from aircraft carriers Hiryū, Shōkaku, and Zuikaku. They arrive over Hermes quickly before the dwindling shore-based RAF fighters can arrive, and hit it with over 40 bombs in about ten minutes, sinking it. There are about 600 survivors of Hermes and over 307 deaths. The accompanying destroyer HMAS Vampire (nine dead) also is hit, breaks in half, and sinks. Not far away, Royal Navy corvette Hollyhock (49 dead) and tankers Athelstane (5571 tons) and British Sergeant (5868 tons) also are sunk, with Hollyhock sinking in less than a minute. Japanese bombers from Akagi sink 2924-ton Norwegian freighter Norviken (four dead, 42 survivors).

B5N2 "Kate" coded EII-330 of the Zuikaku carrier during the Indian Ocean Raid on Trincomalee, April 9, 1942.

The British retaliate by sending nine Bristol Blenheim bombers of RAF No. 11 Squadron to attack Nagumo's fleet. Somehow, the bombers evade the fleet's combat air patrol, perhaps misidentified as fellow Japanese planes. The bombers make it intact over Nagumo's carriers and drop their bombs from 11,000 feet (3353 m), but achieve no hits. The defending Japanese fighters then shoot down four of the bombers at the cost of two Zeros (the planes returning from sinking the Hermes account for one of the bombers and one of the lost Zeros).

Overall, the raid on Trincomalee is another Japanese victory and caps off a very successful raid in the Indian Ocean. The British have lost a carrier, two cruisers, 23 merchant ships of 112,312 tons, and numerous planes. Royal Navy port facilities at Colombo and Trincomalee have been devastated. However, Nagumo has failed at his real goal of engaging and destroying the greatly inferior British Eastern Fleet. Sinking the Hermes is a feather in Nagumo's cap, but it was an old World War I carrier that had been converted into a training ship between the wars and not a true modern carrier. This is not meant to denigrate the Japanese victory, but assembling a five-carrier fleet and sending it on such a long mission consumed a lot of resources. The returns for the Indian Ocean raid were good, but insufficient to wrest control of the region from the British as hoped. In a way, it becomes a tactical victory but a strategic defeat for the Japanese.

Two B5N2 "Kate" bombers from aircraft carrier Zuikaku depart from Trincomalee Habor, which can be seen blazing in the background, on 9 April 1942.

Eastern Front: Soviet General Kozlov, commander of all forces in the Crimea, launches his fourth offensive against General Manstein's forces defending the Parpach Narrows. Stavka representative Lev Mekhlis, who reflects Stalin's thinking, changes the strategy from previous attacks to mass tanks for a breakthrough rather than distributing them throughout infantry formations. Manstein's 11th Army, however, has received many Luftwaffe reinforcements and the 28th Light Infantry Division. Kozlov also has received reinforcements, but not the best new Soviet tanks such as the T-34.

Kozlov's men already have suffered heavy losses in his previous three offenses and one launched by Manstein. However, Kozlov still commands half a dozen rifle divisions, which could be considered arguably adequate for the job. Massing the tanks also is an effective strategy under the right circumstances, but these turn out not to be the right circumstances.

This Soviet offensive fares no better than earlier offensives and only gains undefendable (marshy, barren) ground. The German 28th Light Division has the new 2.8 cm sPzB 41 light anti-tank gun, and this proves perfect for taking on the advancing Soviet tanks. One Wehrmacht soldier, Obergefreiter Emanuel Czernik, knocks out seven T26 and one BT tank on the first day. The Soviet attack achieves nothing except piling up more Soviet casualties and depleting Kozlov's reserves. The offensive quickly peters out.

The 9 April 1942 NY Times goes to press before news of the fall of Bataan. The big news otherwise is the arrival of US envoys in London to discuss the arrival of masses of US troops.

European Air Operations: It is a cloudy day, so not much happens on the Channel Front. Seven Wellington bombers attempt to raid Essen, but six turn back and the seventh bombs a village north of the city. There are no losses.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-123 (Kptlt. Reinhard Hardegen), on its eighth patrol out of Lorient, continues very successful operations off the east coast of the United States. It torpedoes and sinks 3365-ton US refrigerated freighter Esparta about 14 miles south of Brunswick, Georgia. The torpedo hit releases ammonia gas used in the refrigeration system, causing men to quickly leap overboard (one dies). It takes two hours for the ship to sink completely in the shallow water. There are 39 survivors and only one death.

U-160 (Oblt. Georg Lassen), on its first patrol out of Helgoland, is operating slightly north of U-123 and also scores a success. It torpedoes and sinks 3516-ton US freighter Malchace about 25-50 miles off Cape Lookout. The U-boat then surfaces, circles the slowly sinking ship, and allows most of the crew to abandon ship in good order before finishing the ship off with another torpedo. There is one dead and 28 survivors.

USS California entering No. 2 Dry Dock at Pearl Harbor on 9 April 1942. The battleship was hit by two torpedoes and one bomb during the 7 December 1942 Pearl Harbor raid, sank, and was raised from the mud on the harbor bottom on 4 April 1942. Source: U.S.S. California Torpedo and Bomb Damage confidential report.

U-552 (Kptlt. Erich Topp),  on its eighth patrol out of St. Nazaire, torpedoes and sinks 7137-ton US tanker Atlas near where U-160 sank the Malchace. The Atlas crew abandoned ship in good order before the U-boat fired a second torpedo that ignited the fuel cargo. However, the flames spread across the water as fuel spilled out of the tanker, engulfing a lifeboat and killing two crewmen. There are two dead and 32 survivors.

U-252 (Kptlt. Kai Lerchen), on its first and only patrol of the war out of Helgoland, torpedoes and sinks 1355-ton Norwegian freighter Fanefjeld off the northwest tip of Iceland. All 24 crewmen perish, though some debris and a body are found. The U-boat is in this unusual location because it has just landed espionage agent Ib Arnason Riis in northern Iceland on 6 April 1942.

Retired baseball star Babe Ruth signs a baseball for starlet Jane Withers in the 9 April 1942 The Sporting News. Jane Withers is still alive in 2020. You may remember her as "Josephine the Plumber" in television commercials for Comet cleanser. It is reported elsewhere on this day that the Babe is critically ill but responding to treatment.

Soviet submarine ShCh 421 (Lt. Cdr Vidyaev) hits a mine in German Minefield Ursula and is badly damaged off Svaerholthavet (Porsanger Fjord) in northern Norway. The crew abandons ship to another Soviet submarine, K-22, which torpedoes and sinks it. Another Soviet submarine, M-174, attacks a German convoy off Varangerfjord, Norway, without success.

US Navy torpedo boat PT-59 accidentally torpedoes freighter USS Capella (AK-13) in upper Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, while on maneuvers. The freighter is only damaged and does not sink.

It is a bad night for collisions. The US Coast Guard is trying to implement a convoy system off the east coast, but in blackout conditions, the situation remains chaotic. Norwegian 3931-ton freighter Benwood collides with tanker Robert C. Tuttle northeast of Molasses Reef, Florida. The Benwood is beached on Alligator Reef but later sinks in shallow water, where it becomes a destination for sport divers. In another collision, 2349-ton Argentinian steel freighter Brazil hits the Smith Point Light in the Chesapeake Bay and sinks.

This 500-kg Luftwaffe bomb penetrated through the rotunda of the 1833 Mosta, Malta, church on 9 April 1942. The bomb did not explode and was immediately carted away.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Royal Navy submarine HMS Thrasher torpedoes and sinks Italian freighter Gala off Benghazi, Libya. At Malta, the Axis air offensive continues and sinks Royal Navy destroyer Lance.

Royal Navy submarine Torbay uses its deck gun to sink Italian auxiliary patrol boat/schooner R-113 (Avanguardista) about nine miles off the Greek island of Antipaxos.

US Military: The US Army Air Force 8th Air Force is destined to head to the United Kingdom, but it remains in the United States. Today, it transfers its headquarters to Bolling Field in southern Washington, D.C.

The Onion satirical newspaper published this send-up of homefront news. Purporting to be from April 9, 1942, the page notes that internment camps have been set up for 32 million German-Americans, "including FDR himself."

American Homefront: The national New York Times Best Sellers List begins in the New York Times Book Review (Sundays). The national list debuts a supplement to regular New York City lists published by the paper and is derived from "reports from leading booksellers in 22 cities." The city lists eventually disappear, leaving only the national list.

Future History: President Donald J. Trump designates 9 April 2017 as National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day. The proclamation states in part:

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Bataan Death March. After the surrender of the Bataan peninsula in the Philippines on April 9, 1942, Filipino and American soldiers were rounded up and forced to march 60 miles from Mariveles to San Fernando. An estimated 500 Americans died during the march, as they were starved, beaten, and tortured to death. Those who reached San Fernando were taken in cramped boxcars to POW camps, where thousands more Americans died of disease and starvation.

An annual Bataan Memorial Death March is held at White Sands Missle Range, New Mexico each April 9th. There as still survivors of the Bataan Death March as of 2020.

Brandon deWilde is born in Brooklyn, New York. He becomes a child actor and debuts on Broadway at the age of 7. He goes on to a stellar acting career, being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in "Shane" (1953). However, as he leaves his teens, good film roles become scarce, so he turns more to television roles. Brandon deWilde perishes in a car crash on 7 July 1972 in Colorado. 

Hayward, California, newspapers of April 9, 1942, displayed at a newsstand at a corner drugstore in a Japanese-American neighborhood, recording Bataan's fall. 9 April 1942 (Library of Congress 96509399).

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