This day in the war in Europe 65 years ago

[syscom3]

17 April 1942


GERMANY: Konigstein: General Henri Giraud, the French commander captured in 1940, escapes from a German PoW camp.

Dortmund: The Gestapo reports an increase in anti-Nazi graffiti in this city and other industrial areas of the Rhineland.

Augsburg, Germany: Sqn-Ldr. John Dering Nettleton (1917-43) led six Lancasters on a daylight raid under heavy attack. Only his plane returned.

The RAF followed up its devastating fire raid on mediaeval Lybeck with a daring raid from 500 feet on the M.A.N. diesel engine factory at Augsburg. The object was to "blood" new Lancaster bombers and crews on an industrial target easily identified by vivid landmarks. Seven out of 12 Lancasters, from 44 and 97 Squadrons, were shot down and five damaged. Only eight reached the target and of 17 bombs on target, just 12 exploded. Only four factory workshops were damaged, but the raid has caught the public imagination because it was in daylight at low-level.

UNITED KINGDOM: Southampton: Private Nora Caveney becomes the first ATS casualty of the war when she is killed operating a range-finder on an anti-aircraft battery site.

 

[syscom3]

18 April 1942

EASTERN FRONT: German General Von Leeb is removed from Command of Army Group South in Russia.

NORTH AMERICA: The USN orders a blackout of waterfront lights along the eastern seaboard, where German U-boats have been using the illumination to silhouette their targets.

 

[syscom3]

19 April 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Armed U.S. freighter 'Steel Maker' is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine 'U-136' west of Bermuda. "I am sorry to have to sink you and do this to you," one German officer says apologetically after the enemy has questioned the survivors about the ship, its cargo, and destination, "but this is war." He promises to send 'Steel Maker's position to enable the Americans to be rescued. The last survivor is picked up on 18 May.

German submarine 'U-130' uses its deck gun to bombard Royal Dutch Shell refineries at Ballen Bay on Curacao in the Netherlands West Indies.

NORTH AMERICA: Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau asks Americans to spend 10 percent of their income on war savings bonds.

Lt. Ronald Reagan, a reserve Cavalry officer, is called to active duty.

 

[syscom3]

20 April 1942


ATLANTIC OCEAN: Unarmed U.S. freighter SS 'West Imboden', her presence advertised by an accidental fire in her stack, is torpedoed by German submarine 'U-752' about 200 miles off Nantucket lightship and abandoned as she is being shelled by the U-boat. 'U-752' nears one of the lifeboats and asks about casualties. "That's good," one German officer responds when told that the American merchant sailors have come through unharmed.

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation CALENDAR. The aircraft carrier USS 'Wasp' (CV-7), escorted by the battle cruiser HMS 'Renown' and screened by two US and four RN destroyers, launched 47 RAF Spitfires which landed on Malta; however, 30 are immediately destroyed. Within four days, all but six of the Spitfires are destroyed by Luftwaffe bombings.

WESTERN FRONT: Rennes: Resistants attempt to assassinate the leading French fascist Jacques Doriot.

Vichy: The new head of the Vichy France government, Pierre Laval, today fawned on Hitler and attacked Britain that but sought friendship with the United States. Speaking on the very day that the Nazis shot 30 hostages in Rouen in reprisal for an attack on a German troop train, Laval called Hitler "a conqueror who did not abuse his victory". The gigantic battle that Germany was waging against "Bolshevism". he said, had given a new meaning to the war. But Laval took care not to attack the United States, which he hopes to influence.

 

[syscom3]

21 April 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Two U.S. ships are sunk by German submarines:
- 'U-576' sinks an armed freighter en route from Trinidad, B.W.I., to Boston, Massachusetts, approximately 455 miles SSE of Atlantic City, New Jersey. All 45 men aboard the ship take to the lifeboats. The submarine crew provisions one of the sunken freighter's four lifeboats after questioning some of the survivors.
- 'U-201' sinks an unarmed freighter, en route to San Juan, Puerto Rico, approximately 475 miles SE of Wilmington, North Carolina. Five sailors and 9 passengers are killed; 74 crewmen and 95 passengers survive.

EASTERN FRONT: The three-month battle to relieve 100,000 Germans trapped in the Demyansk pocket northwest of Moscow ends with the surrounded Germans breaking through the Russian lines. The German troops had been supplied by airlifts only for ten weeks.

GERMANY: The Germans request the assistance of the Italian Navy to deal with the ramshackle Soviet flotilla on Lake Ladoga (estimated at 6 gunboats, 2 large and 5 small torpedo boats, 32 armed minesweepers, 9 armed transport ships,17 armed tugboats and 1 submarine, plus another 25 other boats). The Italian Navy promptly agreed and sent the four torpedo boats (MAS 526 to 529) of 12th MAS Flotilla, commanded by Capitano di Corvetta (Lt-Comm) Bianchini, with four officers, 19 NCO's, and 63 other ranks.

MEDITERRANEAN: Malta is nearly defenseless and Italian dictator Benito Mussolini urges an assault led by German parachute units. Hitler is hesitant, recalling the heavy losses his paratroopers suffered in 1941 when they drove the British from Crete.

NORTH AMERICA: The federal government decides to build the "Big Inch" oil pipeline from Texas to New York so Allied tankers won't have to run the German submarine gauntlet along the East Coast.

Washington: President Roosevelt orders all patents owned or controlled by enemy nations to be seized in order to forestall German interference in US industry.

WESTERN FRONT: Louise Leahy, wife of Admiral William D. Leahy, USN (Retired), Ambassador to France, dies of an embolism in Vichy. Her death, on the eve of their departure from Vichy, is a "crushing emotional shock" to the admiral, "beyond the understanding of anyone who has not had an identical experience."

General Giraud reaches Switzerland after escaping from German captivity. He will return to unoccupied France.

The Germans shoot 20 French hostages "for complicity" during the raid on St. Nazaire last month.

 

[syscom3]

22 April 1942

NORTH AMERICA: The Office of Price Administration (OPA) announces that motorists in 17 eastern states will be allowed to purchase no more than 21.4 US gallons (17.8 Imperial gallons or 81 liters) of gasoline per week beginning 15 May.

Police and Federal agents raid Hitler birthday parties in Union City, Hoboken and 50 other New Jersey gatherings.

WESTERN FRONT: The British win a small victory with a commando raid on Boulogne, a port on the English Channel. The commandos suffer few casualties during a two-hour action.

 

[Njaco]

23 April 1942

GERMANY: The RAF made the first of a series of four raids on the Baltic port town of Rostock. These raids had many of the characteristics of the successful raid on nearby Lubeck one month earlier -a concentrated, incendiary area bombing attack of a town with only light defenses. An added feature on each night, however, was the inclusion of a small force of bombers, from RAF 5 Group on the first three nights, to attempt a precision attack on the Heinkel aircraft factory on the southern outskirts of Rostock. On this first night, 143 aircraft were sent to bomb the town and 18 to the Heinkel factory. Bombing conditions were good but the results of the raid were disappointing. The Heinkel factory was not hit and most of the main bombing intended for the Altstadt fell between 2 and 6 miles away. Four bombers - two Wellingtons, 1 Manchester and 1 Whitley - were lost with 1 Wellington claimed by Hptm. Schutze of 4./NJG 2.

A decree issued by Fritz Sauckel, the Reich Plenipotentiary for Labour orders schoolboys aged 14-16 and schoolgirls aged 16-17 to perform agricultural service.

UNITED KINGDOM: The first of the Hitler ordered "Baedecker Raids", the renewed bombing of England was carried out against Exeter by a force of 45 Do 217s of KG 2 and Ju 88s of KG 106 guided by a small force of He 111s of I./KG 100. They caused little damage and the raid was mostly a failure.

 

[syscom3]

24 April 1942

GERMANY: Berlin: For as long as many of them can remember, German women have been told that their true vocation is motherhood. No longer is that the case, it seems. Under a new decree by Gauleiter
Fritz Sauckel, the plenipotentiary-general for employment, they are obliged to work in industry. This means that many mothers will be working in factories for the first time - and earning some 20% less than men for doing the same jobs. The women are not happy about that - nor about the extra problems of shopping and bringing up their children.

Jews are barred from using all forms of public transport.

NORTHERN FRONT: Kenraalimajuri (Major General) K. I. Viljanen, the commander of the 4th Infantry Division, is killed when inspecting the front line near Seesjürvi. Gen. Viljanen and the small party of officers accompanying him get lost and wander into a Finnish minefield. A major steps into a tripwire and is killed instantly, while Gen. Viljanen and two other officers are mortally wounded. Only one officer escapes with lighter wounds.

Soviet submarine "Sch-401" of the Polar fleet and White Sea Flotilla, is accidentally sunk, by torpedoes and depth charges of torpedo-cutters "TKA N13" and "TKA N14", close to Cape Kumagnes Submarine "Sch-411" (uncompleted hull) - sunk by artillery fire at Leningrad (later raised)

UNITED KINGDOM: Exeter is bombed by the Luftwaffe. This becomes the first of the so-called 'Baedeker Raids'. They are a German response to an RAF raid on Lübeck in late March.

The Miles Martinet target-tug prototype (LR 241) makes its maiden flight.

 

[Njaco]

25 April 1942

EASTERN FRONT: Over Leningrad Obstlt. Hans-Ekkehard Bob of JG 54 bounced a Russian MiG-3 and destroyed the fighter bringing his score to forty victories.

GERMANY: The RAF returned to Rostock during the night with 128 aircraft of six types, 110 to the town and 18 to the Heinkel factory. No aircraft were lost although crews reported that Rostock's flak defenses had been strengthened. Heavy bombing of the town and many fires were achieved. Some aircraft also hit the Heinkel factory for the first time, the crews achieving this were flying Manchesters of RAF No. 156 Sqdn, which was commanded by Wing Commander Guy Gibson. Although Oblt. Rudolf Schoenert of 4./NJG 2 was credited with a Wellington during this raid, it may have been a Stirling from another, smaller British raid. Six Stirlings carried out a long-range attack on the Skoda armaments factory at Pilsen in Czechoslovakia. Cloud covered the target on arrival but at least five Stirlings bombed. One Stirling was lost from the raid.

UNITED KINGDOM: The ancient city of Bath was the target of the "Baedecker Raids" during the night with all bomber units of Luftflotte 3 being called upon. including for the first time the training crews from the fourth Gruppen of which IV./KG 2, IV./KG 3, IV./KG 4, IV./KG 30, IV./KG 55 and IV./KG 77 were available, flying an assortment of obsolete Do-17s, He-111s and Ju-88s. Once the aircraft arrived over the city, they would be allowed to fly around at will, making extensive use of shallow dive-bombing and machine-gunning the streets, as the city possessed no AA or Balloon Barage protection. The Luftwaffe flew a total of 151 bomber sorties to Bath, with most aircraft making 2 flights, the crews claiming to have dropped 206 tonnes of HE and 3564 IBs on the city in the biggest effort against Britain since July 1941. The pathfinders from Erg.u.Lehr Kdo 100 were operating with Y-Verfahren, successfully leading in the other participating units from II and III./KG 2, II./KG 40, KuFlGr 106 and KuFlGr 506, in addition to the assorted aircraft from the IV Gruppen. The "Red Alert" went out in Bath at 22:29 hrs and shortly after that, the sky, which had been clear with a bright half-moon, was filled with the light from chandelier flares, which were quickly followed by IBs, the first fires developing in the west of the city in the Upper and Lower Bristol Road areas. Then came the HEs, one of the first of which destroyed Number 3 Gasholder at the Gasworks, while others caused serious damage to the Kingsmead area, at the Abbey Church House and Circus Tavern. A serious fire developed at the Midland Railway Goods Yard. Some of the bombers, however, misidentified the target completely and bombs also fell on the Brislington area of Bristol, where 18 were killed and 41 injured. This, the first phase of the attack, ended with the sounding of the "ALL Clear" at 00:11 hrs. The German aircraft then returned to their French bases to refuel and re-arm before taking off again for their second sorties of the night. The first of the bombers crossed the English Coast at 04:20 hrs and in Bath the "Red Alert" was issued at 04:35 hrs. On this occasion the bombing, whilst heavy, was rarely concentrated, although both the Kingsmead and Oldfield park areas again received a fair amount of attention. Other isolated bombings also took place at Southdown and North Bath, while railway traffic was also affected, the main line between Bristol and London being closed by a damaged bridge at Oldfield park, before the "All Clear" sounded at 06:02 hrs. A total of 4 German aircraft failed to return, resulting in the deaths of 14 cewmen and a further 2 being taken prisoner. One Do-17 of IV./KG 2 crashed into the sea on the return flight, IV./KG 3 lost a Ju-88 at Builth Wells, II./KG 40 lost a Do-217 over Dorset and KuFlGr 506 lost a Junkers crashing into the sea.

 

[syscom3]

26 April 1942

GERMANY: Hitler tells of "Great Victories" to come this summer while addressing the Reichstag. He calls for a "Supreme Effort" to accomplish this. They confirm his absolute power.

 

[syscom3]

27 April 1942

EASTERN FRONT: Baltic Fleet, Ladoga and Onega Flotillas: Shipping loss. Training Ship TS "Svir" is sunk by aviation, at Leningrad.

Czechoslovakia: Theresienstadt: 1,000 Jews are deported to their deaths at Belzec and Sobibor.

GERMANY: The RAF bombs Rostock for the fourth night in a row. 70% of the city has now been destroyed and 100,000 are homeless.

NORTH AMERICA: Washington: Roosevelt places the US economy on a full war footing.

UNITED KINGDOM: The first operational sortie is made by the de Havilland Mosquito night-fighter. Armed with four 20mm guns it can reach 407 mph.

 

[syscom3]

28 April 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The US Navy's Task Force 99, consisting of the battleship USS 'Washington', heavy cruisers USS 'Tuscaloosa' and USS 'Wichita' and four destroyers, sails from the Royal Navy base at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands. This is Force "Distaff," a joint RN-USN task force that will be positioned northeast of Iceland to protect convoy PQ-15 sailing for Murmansk in the Soviet Union. The RN force consists of the battleship HMS 'King George V', the aircraft carrier HMS 'Victorious', the light cruiser HMS 'Kenya' and five destroyers.

 

[Njaco]

29 April 1942

GERMANY: The RAF attacked Kiel for the evening mission. 88 aircraft - 62 Wellingtons, 15 Stirlings, 2 Hampdens and 1 Halifax - were dispatched but only 54 aircraft claimed good bombing results in bright moonlight against strong flak and fighter defenses. Kiel records show that damage was caused at all three shipyards, to the hospital of the Naval Hospital and to the university libraryas well as to private homes. 15 people were killed and 74 injured. 5 Wellingtons and 1 Hampden were lost. Only two bombers were credited to nightfighters with claims going to Ofw. Heinz Struning of Erg./NJG 2 and Oblt. Gunter Koberich of Stab II./NJG 3.

UNITED KINGDOM: The Luftwaffe returned for more of the "Baedecker Raids", this time against the city of Norwich, causing more damage and fires. A Bf-109F-3 of 3(F)/123 succeeded in taking post-raid photographs of Bath, as well as photographing Avonmouth and the Nailsea Munitions store, its long-range drop tank falling at Pill around midday.

WESTERN FRONT: Hptm. Joachim Muncheberg of Stab II./JG 26 shot down a Spitfire near Le Tourquet for his 74th victory. His victim was probably the great Polish ace Major Marian Pisarek, commander of the I Polish Fighter Wing.

 

[syscom3]

30 April 1942

EASTERN FRONT: The Soviet Navy records 1 submarine loss during the month that is not listed by day: Shch-401 Northern Fleet off Fulei Island (sunk by German craft in Tana Fjord, former Shch-313)

 

[Njaco]

1 May 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Force "Distaff," the combined US Navy and Royal Navy force that is protecting convoy PQ-15 enroute to Murmansk, is off Iceland when the RN battleship HMS 'King George V' collides with and sinks the destroyer HMS 'Punjabi'. The US battleship USS 'Washington' (BB-56) is unable to maneuver around the wreckage and must sail through it and the depth charges in HMS 'Punjabi' explode underwater damaging the 'Washington's fire control systems.

EASTERN FRONT: The German seige of the Crimean fortress of Sevastopol by 11. Armee (von Manstein) continued with a ceaseless bombardment by batteries of heavy guns (up to 800mm "Big Dora") and hundreds of bombers (up to 1,000 sorties a day) of Luftflotte 7 (von Richtofen). Heavy fighting also continued on the front around beseiged Leningrad whose inhabitants were suffering from bombing, disease and starvation. 4(F)/122 was now to be found at Saki/Crimea under VIII Fliegerkorps and supported the recapture of eastern Crimea and the seige of Sevastopol while maintaining close surveillance of enemy forces in North Crimea and the Black Sea.

At Kholm and Demyansk another large Russian attack was launched. The pocket, which had now shrunk to less than 1km square in size, was almost overrun as Russian forces came within 100m of the eastern bank of the Lovat River. Again German companies swung into action and halted the Russian assault.

 

[syscom3]

4 May 1942

ATLANTIC OCEAN: In the Caribbean, two U.S. ships are torpedoed by German submarines. An unarmed freighter is sunk while an armed tanker is abandoned but is later reboarded and towed to port.

UNITED KINGDOM: The North American Mustang Mk. I enters combat for the first time today flying with the RAF's No. 26 Squadron from Gatwick, Surrey, England. The Mustang has excellent low-altitude performance but unsatisfactory high altitude and the RAF has equipped the aircraft with cameras to fly low-level tactical reconnaissance missions.

 

[Njaco]

8 May 1942

EASTERN FRONT: Rested and refitted, the Gruppen of SchG 1 arrived at Itshki-Grammatikovo in the Crimea for duty with IV Fliegerkorps of Luftflotte 4 for support of 11 Armee's reconquest of the Kerch penisula (Operation Trappenjagd). Outfitted with Bf 109E-7s, I./SchG 1 arrived and was immediately put into action as was the II Gruppe with 5. and 6. staffeln equipped with Hs 129B-1s and 7./SchG 1 with Hs 123As. After arrival operations started almost immediately with ground attack missions in the eastern Crimea until 15 May and then switching to the Izyum salient southeast of Kharkov at the end of the month. Attacks were carried out against Soviet positions along the front and on troop and supply columns immediately behind the front with such a concentrated effect that the German infrantry assault units were able to break through the forward defenses on the first day of the attack. Over the next several days, 4./SchG 1 attacked various ground targets, shot down an I-16 fighter and destroyed an estimated forty other aircraft during a low-level strafing attack on an enemy airfield in eastern Crimea. Major Siegfried Freytag of Stab II./JG 77 scored his 40th victory.

 

[Njaco]

9 May 1942

EASTERN FRONT: The Red Army launched a counter-offensive against Kharkov. An Hs 129B-1 belonging to II./SchG 1 was shot down by Soviet AA fire, possibly over the eastern Crimea. The pilot, Hptm. Max Eck, was listed as missing.

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation Bowery: - US Navy Carrier "Wasp" and Royal Navy carrier HMS "Eagle" delivered 64 Spitfires to Malta, four of which failed to make it. The mistakes of Operation "Calendar" were ironed out in this operation. Prior to leaving Gibraltar, experienced pilots were flown in by a Hudson (piloted by F/O Matthews) from Malta to train the new pilots in what operations were like over the island and to instruct them in new procedures where each aircraft, on landing, would be met by groundcrew carrying a numbered sign which they would follow to a safety pen, re-fueled and re-armed as fast as possible and get back in the air to meet the Axis aircraft sent over to destroy the new aircraft on the ground. HMS "Eagle" returned to Gibraltar and, loaded with another shipment of 16 Spitfires, returned to Malta as Operation "LB".

 

[Njaco]

10 May 1942

MEDITERRANEAN: The Germans and Italians tried to destroy the newly arrived Spitfires and HMS 'Manxman' which had arrived with spares for the Spifires at Malta. The first raid consisted of 20 Ju 87s and 10 Ju 88s plus heavy escort, the second raid was 10 Ju 88s escorted by approx 35 109's, the third raid was all Italian with Z1007's escorted by 20 MC202 and 10 Re2001 and the fourth raid was 20 Ju 87s plus heavy 109 escort. The defenders were able to put up the following aircraft: First raid - 32 Spits, Second Raid - 20 Spits and 6 Hurricanes, Third Raid / fourth Raid - 42 Spits and 4 Hurricanes (some Spits landed and were replaced by others). These raids were close enougth that some Spits sent up against the Italians, were still on patrol and able to make the initial attacks on the Germans on the fourth raid. It was the first time that the defenders had enough fighters to put up a strong defence and never again, did they send up penny packets in the face of overwhelming odds, As a consequence, although German air raids continued on the island, their intensity was considerably reduced and the RAF was able to regain air superiority over Malta. Moreover, during May, the RAF was able to resume its air offensive against enemy shipping, which led to a sharp drop in Axis supplies reaching North Africa. The Luftwaffe soon ended its air assault on Malta and German air units began to relocate from Sicily to the Western Desert in support of the Afrika Korps or to the Russian Front. ( contributed by Glider)

USS 'Ranger' on a transatlantic ferry trip, reached a position off the African Gold Coast and launched 60 P-40 Warhawks of the Army Air Force to Accra, from which point they were flown in a series of hops to Karachi, India, for operations with the 10th AAF. This was the first of four ferry trips made by the 'Ranger' to deliver AAF fighters across the Atlantic, the subsequent launches being accomplished on 19 July 1942, 19 January 1943, and 24 February 1943.

 

[Njaco]

11 May 1942

EASTERN FRONT: Two Bf 109E-7s belonging to I./SchG 1 were lost over the eastern tip of the Crimea peninsula, both probably shot down by AA fire.

MEDITERRANEAN: The British destroyers "Jackal", "Jervis", "Kipling" and "Lively" left Alexandria to search for reported Axis shipping bound for Benghazi. There was no fighter cover. On being sighted they turned back, but north of Sidi Barrani they were attacked by a specially trained anti-shipping group of German Ju 88s. "Kipling" and "Lively" were sent to the bottom that evening and "Jackal" was scuttled on the 12th May. Only "Jervis" with 630 survivors reached Alexandria.

Hptm. Heinz Baer was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 77.