April 9th, 1939 (SUNDAY)

Easter Sunday

U.S.A.: Washington D.C. Marian Anderson sings before an audience of 75,000 at the Lincoln Memorial, after being denied the use of Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution because of her race. More....

ITALY: Italy assures Britain that she will respect the independence of Albania.

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9 April 1940

Yesterday Tomorrow

April 9th, 1940 (TUESDAY)

NORWEGIAN CAMPAIGN.

MAP

The German Norwegian Invasion begins. Landings at Oslo, Bergen, Kristiansand, Trondheim and Narvik. Parachute troops are used at Oslo.

Norwegian forces resist strongly.

At Narvik, the 40 year old ironclads "Eidsvold" and "Norge" are ordered to resist any attack by force, but both are sunk by torpedoes from destroyer "Wilhelm Heidekamp". (Alex Gordon)

The German Cruiser Königsberg is damaged near Bergen by coastal batteries.

Cruisers "Königsberg" and "Köln" are leading the Group 3 invasion forces to Bergen. The German Navy were regarding this part of the operation as particularly dangerous since Bergen was only 8 or 9 hours sailing time from Britain and they expected that major units of the British Fleet would be waiting for them. In fact the British had no elements stationed off Bergen and the German ships were able to make their approach without any opposition. However, Norwegian Defence forces under Admiral Tank-Nielsen were alert and prepared for action, as the Admiral had reckoned on the German likely reaction to the laying of mines off Narvik by the British Navy the previous day.

He sent two minelayers to lay mines blocking the approaches to the town from both north and south, and stationed some torpedo boats and patrol craft in the same approaches. He alerted coastal forts, extinguished coastal lighting and requested the local army commander to supply infantry for the town's defence, and the air force to make reconnaissance patrols at first light, and Bergen was blacked out.

A coastal lookout reported the German invasion fleet heading towards Bergen from the south just after 0100, but when one of the torpedo boats found itself in a suitable position from which to launch an attack, it held back when its commander saw the overwhelming firepower of the oncoming German ships. As the ships came within range of the main fortress, the commandant ordered the searchlights to be turned on, but they were unable to do so, because their electrical power came from the town supply which had been turned off when the blackout was ordered. The fortress gunners were able to identify silhouettes of the German warships, but held fire as two cargo ships sailed through the firing zone, and "Köln" sailed past the fort and made port in Bergen. The fortress gunners then opened fire on the German ships bringing up the rear of the invasion force and hit the supply ship "Bremse" and seriously damaged "Königsberg", but as the Norwegian infantry failed to arrive, the city fell to the Germans with little resistance. (Alex Gordon)

Germans capture the airfield at Stavanger and put their aircraft to good use.

German Navy forces include a pocket battleship, six cruisers and 14 destroyers for the landings at the five Norwegian ports, with battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau (under the command of Vice-Admiral Günther Lütjens) covering the two most northerly ones. Thirty U-boats patrol off Norway and British bases, but throughout the campaign they suffer from major torpedo defects.

Around 0400 HMS Renown is in action with the two battlecruisers to the west of Vestfjord (some 50 miles off Narvik). In a brief exchange of fire the Gneisenau receives three 38cm hits and is damaged and HMS Renown is slightly damaged by two 28cm hits. The Germans withdraw. (Navy News)

Around the same time the occupation forces heading for Oslo come under heavy fire from Norwegian coastal defences. Heavy cruiser Blucher and the torpedo boat Albatross are sunk by guns and torpedoes in the Oslofjord.

Entering the Oslofjord at midnight, the German squadron led by Blücher and Lützow is spotted and challenged by the Norwegian armed whaler POL III which is sunk by gunfire from a German torpedo boat. Shortly after, the German squadron passed two small forts which attempted to engage the Germans but were hindered by heavy fog. Both POL III and the forts advise Oslo sea defence district that they are under attack.

At approx 0400 the new German heavy cruiser "Blücher" carrying Rear-Admiral Kummetz, General Erwin Engelbrecht and 1000 troops of the 163rd. Infantry Division followed by Panzerschiffe Lützow approaches the Drøbak Narrows in the Oslo Fjord. The Oscarsborg fortress (which was regarded as the strongest fortress in Europe when it was built at the time of the Crimean War) was in darkness, and Admiral Kummetz assumed that there would be no resistance. A searchlight on the opposite shore to the fortress illuminated the German warship and the fortress immediately opened fire with its 1905 Krupp 28 cm. guns to good effect. Blücher was set on fire but continued forward, until almost immediately it came within range of the Austrian-built torpedo battery and was hit by two of the torpedoes. This set her fate, and about two hours later Blücher rolled over and sank. Admiral Kummetz and General Engelbrecht were able to swim ashore and made prisoners by the Norwegians. The command of the invasion fleet then passed to the commander of Lützow who ordered the fleet to turn back, and landed the troops further back down the fjord about 50 miles from Oslo.

The torpedo boat "Albatros" is also sunk in the Oslo Fjord. (Alex Gordon)

Norwegian coastal defence ships Eidsvold and Norge are sunk at Narvik. The Norwegian Ægir is sunk at Stavanger and Tor is sunk at Frederikstad.

When the German invasion of Norway began, the Royal Navy was quick to respond, sending the Home Fleet to sea to support its other elements at sea and to, hopefully, crush the Kriegsmarine forces involved. One of the ships dispatched to join the gathering forces was the sole Royal Navy carrier in home waters, HMS Furious, escorted by the destroyers, HMS Maori, HMS Ashanti, and HMS Fortune. Unfortunately for future operations, Furious, which had been in the Clyde after completing a refit, had only been able to land-on her two Swordfish TSR Squadrons, 816 and 818. Her presence with the fleet being considered a necessity, the Admiralty refused permission for the ship to close the Orkneys to embark her Skua equipped fighter-dive bomber Squadron, 801, then at Evanton in Scotland. Thus, when she joined the fleet off Trondheim on 10 April, she embarked but 18 Swordfish and no fighters. (Mark Horan)

A Home Fleet cruiser force is detached to attack the German warships in Bergen, but is soon ordered to withdraw. As they do they come under sustained air attack and Tribal Class destroyer HMS Gurkha, which is screening other units of the Home Fleet is bombed and sunk south-west of Bergen at 59 13N, 04 00E when she is attacked by a mixed force of Ju.87 and He.111 dive bombers. There are 190 survivors. This is the first loss of a Tribal class destroyer and the first loss of a British destroyer to air attack. (Alex Gordon)(108) HMS Rodney is damaged by German air attack.

In the evening German cruiser Karlsrühe leaves Kristiansund and is torpedoed by submarine HMS Truant. She has to be scuttled the next day.

Three Heinkel 111 units of KGs 4, 26 and 100 performed 'demonstration flights' and leaflet raids with some bombing of Oslo-Kjeller airfield and flak positions. All three Gruppen of KG30(Ju88) take part.

Luftwaffe: 41 bombers of KG 26 in company with Ju88s of KG30 attack Royal Naval units, damaging cruisers HMS Devonshire, Glasgow and Southampton and sinking the destroyer HMS Gurkha.

Three fighter Gruppen of ZG1 and ZG76 (Bf110C) take part as the fighter cover.

German troops under General Nikolaus von Falkenhorst have been landed in every Norwegian port as far north as Narvik.

(Mark Horan and Alex Gordon)

DENMARK:

Major-General Eduard Dietl's Mountain Division and the Luftwaffe's First Parachute Regiment go in as the spearhead of this invasion. The main German army is under General Kaupitsch. Hardly a shot has been fired.

The invasion began as 5am when three troopships sailed into Copenhagen harbour. A lone policeman who resisted the invaders with a pistol fell, and the city is taken without further fighting. Trawlers escorted by E-boats then brought troops into all Denmark's ports and major islands, giving them control of the vital sea passages, the Skagerrak and the Kattegat, between Denmark and Norway. Airborne troops land at Aalborg airfield and motorised troops cross Denmark's land frontier at Flensburg and Tondern. At Gjedser a ferry came in ferrying troops and an armoured train.

After 16 Danish deaths King Christian X ordered a cease-fire at about 6am. The Danish C-in-C General Pryor ignored the order, then at 6.45am, the King sent his personal adjutant to ensure that it was obeyed.

The occupation puts Germany in an unprecedented legal position. Since Denmark did not resist, Denmark is not at war with Germany. It is still neutral. The Germans are faced with a coalition government embracing most Danish democratic parties which they cannot depose without undermining their claims, however tenuous, of not threatening other neutral nations.

The Danish Air Force flew one mission today when a Fokker CV from 2. Squadron performed a reconnaissance along the Danish-German border. The onboard radio wasn't working. The other CV which saw action was shot down right after take-off by a BF 110 Both airmen (Godfredsen and Brodersen) was killed. (Per Biensø)

Detailed description of today's events in Denmark.

GERMANY:

The Wehrmacht High Command announced:-

Operations for the occupation of Denmark and the Norwegian coast, went according to plan on April 9. No incidents occurred anywhere during the landings and entry into Denmark. On the coast of Norway, notable resistance was offered only in Oslo; this was broken in the afternoon hours. Oslo itself has been occupied.

BELGIUM: The British and French governments ask for permission for their troops to enter the country; the government refuses.

U.S.A.: The Joint Planning Committee of the Joint Board submits a new general estimate of the world situation in relation to American defence and preparations for war. This is part of the revision of existing plans, and for developing or completing new plans for the rainbow series. Formulators of the rainbow plans envision multiple, simultaneous enemies, instead of individual enemies each designated by a single colour, e.g., ORANGE stands for Japan.

9 April 1941

April 9th, 1941 (WEDNESDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: Birmingham is attacked by the Luftwaffe with 237 bombers. Belfast was also bombed last night, killing 13 and injuring 81.

NETHERLANDS: The government breaks diplomatic relations with Hungary.

GERMANY: Ernst Heinkel AG are put in control of Hirth Motoren Gmbh in order to speed up production of their turbojet engines.

YUGOSLAVIA: German forces take Veles and are advancing rapidly towards the Albanian border and junction with Italian forces after taking Tetovo and Prilep. Nish has also been captured and the advance guard of the German forces have crossed the Drava River.

The Wehrmacht High Command announced:

Mobile troops and infantry divisions under the command of Field Marshal List, advancing from Bulgaria, have broken through the Yugoslavian border defences and despite difficult mountain terrain, have penetrated over 60 miles into the Skopje (Ueskub) Basin and crossed the Vardar river, thereby cutting off the Yugoslav forces from their Greek and British allies.

Belgrade: The Yugoslav General Staff announced:

All troop reports which have reached our general staff so far indicate that the situation on the fronts is progressing favourably. We have succeeded in halting all attacks and have in part repulsed them. Our troops are fighting with the greatest determination and have inflicted heavy losses on the enemy.

GREECE: The Metaxas Line in Greece collapses.

Salonika: Within three days of crossing into Greece from Bulgaria, German forces have captured the key port of Salonika, and forced the surrender of the whole eastern wing of the Greek army between Salonika and the Turkish border. This brings them within striking distance of the main defence line, which is manned by British, Australian and New Zealand troops.

An announcement from a British military spokesman in Athens indicates though that there has not yet been any contact between Germans and Commonwealth forces, although a small patrol was fired upon by New Zealanders when trying to cross the river Aliakmon.

The danger to the Olympus-Aliakmon line is also an outflanking move from Yugoslavia through the Monastir Gap. Wilson decides to create a blocking force in the Florina valley directly under his command. The 1st Armoured Brigade and the 19th Australian Brigade are detached from Blamey's 1st Australian Corps and placed under command of General Mackay. Mackay's force deployed at Vevi where the Monastir valley narrows to 100 to 500 yards and followed a winding course through a defile flanked by steep rock-strewn hills with few trees. (Anthony Staunton)

The strongest resistance to the Germans has been in the Struma valley, where the frontiers of Yugoslavia, Greece and Bulgaria meet. German military spokesmen admitted that the Greeks were putting up a tough fight. But then the weight a German armour forced the Yugoslavs to withdraw, leaving the Greek flank exposed. the Greeks were brushed aside and the Panzers raced on to Salonika.

In a message to his people, King George of the Hellenes says: "We shall win with the help of God and the benediction of the Holy Virgin. Yes, we shall win! The historians will once again have to write that the country renowned for Marathon and Salamis does not waver, does not submit, does not surrender. Forward, Children of Hellas, for the supreme struggle, for your altars and your hearths."

LIBYA: The Afrika Korps captures Bardia, a town on the coastal road near the Egyptian border.

U.S.A.: Washington: United States-Danish agreement relating to defence of Greenland by the United States is signed. Department of State BULLETIN, April 12, 1941, Vol. IV, pp. 443, 445.

...Another important contribution to the allied war effort was made by the Danish envoy, Henrik Kauffmann in Washington. He did not recognise the government in Copenhagen during the war and acting on his own he granted the US basing rights in the Danish controlled Greenland. This allowed the transfer of short range aircraft to Britain via Greenland and Iceland... (Erik Juel Anderson)
When Denmark was occupied (9 April 1940) Kauffmann declared himself a free representative, following orders from the government in Copenhagen under the reservations that the government could be acting under German pressure. His main objective in the first years of the occupation was to be recognized by the US government as representative for a free (but non-existing!!) Danish government. In 1941 he got the recognition by signing the Greenland treaty. The Danish government (we didn't have a government in exile) withdrew his credentials, charged him with high treason and had his property in Denmark impounded. (Klaus Velschow)(57)

The North Carolina Class battleship USS North Carolina (BB-55) is commissioned at the New York Naval Shipyard in Brooklyn, New York. She is first new U.S. Navy battleship to enter the fleet since USS West Virginia (BB-48) was commissioned in 1923.

9 April 1942

April 9th, 1942 (THURSDAY)

GERMANY: During the day, seven RAF Bomber Command Wellingtons are dispatched on a cloud-cover raid to Essen; only one aircraft bombs a village north of Essen.

Hitler on US production: In the economic field we can learn much from the United States. The motor industry of the United States, by standardization of types and mass production, has reduced the cost of a motor car to such an extent that every workman over there can afford to keep and run a car. Our own procedure has been exactly the reverse. We are constantly bringing out new models and modifying and improving existing ones. The result is that we have to produce an immense number and variety of spare parts, for the parts of a different model of the same make of car are never interchangeable. Nothing like this occurs in America. (207)

NORWAY: The people conduct a one-day "silence strike" on the second anniversary of the German invasion. No Norwegian speaks to a German or Norwegian collaborator.

U.S.S.R.: Strong Soviet efforts to advance from the Kerch area in the Crimea make little headway against stubborn German forces. The Germans remain on the defensive on the central front, containing most of Soviet Army thrusts; on the northern front, the Germans launch fresh attacks in the Lake Illmen area and make slow progress against firm opposition toward encircled forces in vicinity of Cholm and Staraya Russa.

Vyazma: To avoid the dishonour of surrender to the Germans, General Mikhail Yefremov commits suicide.

Crimea: The Red Army launches a new offensive but gains little ground.

INDIAN OCEAN: At 1035 hours, the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes, Australian destroyer HMAS Vampire, British corvette HMS Hollyhock, depot ship HMS Athelstane and RFA oiler British Sergeant, are about 65 miles (105 kilometres) south of Trincomalee, Ceylon, and 5 miles (8 kilometres) offshore. The ships are located and attacked by Japanese aircraft from the aircraft carriers HIJMS Akagi, Hiryu and Soryu. HMS Hermes is hit by 40 bombs and capsizes and sinks at about 1045 hours. Sixteen aircraft then attack the Australian destroyer and after several near misses, a 250-kilogram (551-pound) bomb hits the boiler room and four other bombs hit in rapid succession; a fifth bomb breaks the ship’s back and she splits in two. Remarkably, only eight men are lost. The corvette, depot ship and oiler are also sunk.
Nine Blenheim Mk. IVs of RAF No. 11 Squadron based at Colombo Racecourse, Ceylon, attack the Japanese carriers but they are beaten off by AA fire and fighter attacks; five of the nine aircraft are shot down.

Japanese bombers with a huge fighter escort, bombed the China Bay airfield and dockyard at Trincomalee today, causing major damage. Warned of the approach, RAF Hurricane fighters and naval Fulmars intercepted, shooting down 15 Japanese aircraft for the loss of eight Hurricanes and three Fulmars. In a gallant attempt at retaliation, nine RAF Blenheims attacked the Japanese carrier fleet.

Five British aircraft were shot down and the remainder damaged. Their bombs scored only near misses, but they destroyed five enemy aircraft. Because of the impending raid shipping had been cleared from Trincomalee, but with the raid over the carrier HMS HERMES, with HMAS VAMPIRE, turned for home.

A Japanese scout plane had reported their position. Fighters sent to aid the Hermes did not arrive in time. Nagumo's carriers flew off 85 bombers and nine fighters which attacked the Hermes in waves. Within ten minutes she had been hit by 40 bombs and sunk, there are 307 casualties. Bombers then attacked the Vampire, which had 13 direct hits before breaking in two and sinking. A corvette, HMS HOLLYHOCK, is escorting tanker HMS ATHELSTONE and RFA oiler BRITISH SERGEANT were also lost an hour after the first attacks. HOLLYHOCK sinks 30 miles SSE of Batticaloa (Ceylon) at 07 21N, 81 57E. (Jack McKillop and Alex Gordon(108)

INDIA: With the breakdown of autonomy negotiations, British forces crack down on dissidents. One of those arrested is Mahatma Gandhi.

BURMA: The Burma I Corps is now disposed to defend oil fields, on a general line Minhla-Taungdwingyi, a 40-mile (64 kilometres) front. The Chinese are not in position to support the corps because of a series of contradictory orders.

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: On Bataan, at 0330 hours, emissaries of Major General Edward King, Commanding General Luzon Force, start to the Japanese lines under a white flag to arrange for surrender. General King surrenders the Luzon Force unconditionally at 1230 hours, and a grim march of prisoners from Balanga to San Fernando follows. The fall of Bataan permits Japanese aircraft previously employed against it to devote their full attention to Corregidor Island in Manila Bay. For the first time since the end of March, enemy planes attack in force. Japanese artillery emplaced at Cabcaben, on southern Bataan, opens fire on Corregidor.
USN facilities at Mariveles are demolished to prevent enemy use: Navy forces scuttle submarine tender USS Canopus (AS-9), minesweeper USS Bittern (AM-36), tug USS Napa (AT-32), and dry-dock Dewey. Ferry launches San Felipe (YFB-12), Camia (YFB-683), and Dap Dap (YFB-684), and Canopus motor launches, evacuate men and equipment to Corregidor.
     In the Visayan Islands, the Cebu Island garrison is alerted as the enemy flotilla heading toward the Island is spotted.
     Submarine USS Snapper (SS-185) delivers food to Corregidor.
     Motor torpedo boats PT-34 and PT-41 engage Japanese light cruiser HIJMS Kuma and torpedo boat HIJMS Kiji in a running fight off Cape Tanon, the southern tip of Cebu Island; HIJMS Kuma is hit by a dud torpedo and machine gun fire. Later that same day, PT-34 is bombed and strafed by floatplanes from the Japanese seaplane carrier HIJMS Sanuki Maruand beached off Cauit Island. A second bombing and strafing attack by Sanuki Maru's planes destroys PT-34, which suffers two dead and three wounded from her six-man crew in the action.

After four months' epic resistance the 76,000 emaciated and diseased US and Filipino troops and civilians defending Bataan have surrendered. Major-General King said that he was defying orders not to surrender from Major-General Wainwright, now on Corregidor, in order to avoid a "mass slaughter" by the 50,000 strong Japanese enemy.

2,000 men were evacuated to Corregidor, which is still holding out.

The PoWs pose a logistics problem to their captors who are now turning their attention to the island of Corregidor. The Japanese therefore plan to move the prisoners to Camp O'Donnell, but with the nearest railhead 65 miles away they will have to force march them there.

AUSTRALIA: The USAAF’s 7th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) moves from Bankstown Aerodrome, New South Wales, to Batchelor Aerodrome, Northern Territory, 50 miles (80 kilometres) south of Darwin. The squadron, equipped with P-40Es, joins the 9th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) which has been at Darwin since 17 March.

Melbourne, Australia: The 2nd victim of the "Brownout Strangler", 31 year old Pauline Thompson was found this morning. She had told her husband, a policeman in Bendigo, that was going to a dance at the Music Lover's club with a number of her girlfriends and a very young American, Private Justin Jones. She had planned to meet Private Jones at the American Hospitality Club before the dance at 7pm. Private Jones was 30 minutes late. Pauline gave up waiting for Jones and she was later seen with a soldier at the Astoria Hotel. They were seen leaving the hotel just before midnight. It was a dark, rainy miserable night. Pauline's body was found at about 4am on the steps of Morningside House in Spring Street. She had been badly strangled and her clothing was torn. (Denis Peck)

U.S.A.: In a message to General Douglas MacArthur, Commanding General U.S. Army Forces, Far East, General George C Marshall, Chief of Staff U.S. Army, proposes that all participating nations in the Southwest Pacific should be represented on the staff of General Headquarters especially since MacArthur’s Chief of Staff and the naval and air commanders will be Americans. Marshall adds that President Franklin D Roosevelt wants Dutch and particularly Australians appointed to “a number of the higher positions.”
     A radio controlled Great Lakes TG-2 torpedo bomber operated as a drone, directed by control pilot Lieutenant M. B. Taylor of Project Fox, makes a torpedo attack on the destroyer USS Aaron Ward (DD-483) steaming at 15 knots in Narragansett Bay in south-eastern Rhode Island. Taylor utilized a view of the target obtained by a television camera mounted in the drone, and directed the attack so that the torpedo was released about 300 feet (91 meters) directly astern of the target and passed under it.
     Motor torpedo boat PT-59, on a practice run in upper Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, accidentally torpedoes cargo ship USS Capella (AK-13); tugs are on the scene immediately and anchor the damaged auxiliary in shoal water.
The 8th Air Force HQ echelon is relocated to Bolling Field, Washington, DC, to prepare the 8th for a move overseas.

A radio controlled TG-2 drone, directed by control pilot Lieutenant M. B. Taylor of Project Fox, makes a torpedo attack on the destroyer Aaron Ward steaming at 15 knots in Narragansett Bay. Taylor utilized a view of the target obtained by a television camera mounted in the drone, and directed the attack so that the torpedo was released about 300 feet directly astern of the target and passed under it. (Gordon Rottman)

The Wartime Civilian Control Agency established to administer wartime internment in the U.S. (Pat Holscher)

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German and Italian submarines sink five unarmed U.S. merchant ships in the Western Hemisphere. (1) U-123 sinks a tanker en route from Honduras to New York about 21 miles northeast of Jacksonville Beach, Florida. (2) U-160 sinks a freighter about 63 miles (101 kilometres) south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. (3) U-552 sinks a tanker about 69 miles (111 kilometres) south southwest of Cape Hatteras. (4) Later in the day, U-552 sinks a second tanker about 71 miles (114 kilometres) south southwest of Cape Hatteras. (5) Italian submarine Pietro Calvi sinks a tanker route to Caripito, Venezuela from Buenos Aires, Argentina, by gunfire about 120 miles (193 kilometres) north northwest of Fortaleza, Brazil.

9 April 1943

April 9th, 1943 (FRIDAY)

TUNISIA: Ninth Air Force P-40's in a fighter-bomber role attack Sfax, as the British Eighth Army, in pursuit of the retreating enemy, reaches a position a few miles to the southwest of the coast. Northwest African Air Force fighters continue reconnaissance of the northern half of Tunisia and the Straits of Sicily and hit enemy movement and defences over wide areas between Sfax and Enfidaville.

NORTH AFRICA: The British 8th Army takes Maharos, 50 miles south-west of Gabes.

NEW GUINEA: Fifth Air Force B-25 Mitchells bomb and strafe the airfield and town and dock areas of Madang. A-20 Havocs hit the Kitchen Creek-Mubo area and individual B-17s attack barges at Bogia, Alexishafen and Finschhafen and hit the town of Wewak.

ADMIRALTY ISLANDS: Individual B-17 Flying Fortresses strafe vehicles at Lorengau on Manus Island.

PACIFIC OCEAN: US submarines sink four Japanese ships.

- USS Drum (SS-228) attacks a Japanese convoy, sinking an army cargo ship about 180 miles (290 km) north-northwest of Kavieng, New Ireland Island, Bismarck Archipelago.

- USS Grayling (SS-209) in an attack on a Japanese convoy off Mindoro, Philippine Islands, sinks an army cargo ship about 10 miles (16 km) east of Dumali Point

- USS Tautog (SS-199) attacks a Japanese convoy in Buton Passage, off south-eastern Celebes Island, Netherlands East Indies, sinking an army cargo ship. Tautog then sinks destroyer HIJMS Isonami as the enemy warship attempts to rescue survivors.

TERRITORY OF ALASKA: ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: An Eleventh Air Force B-24 Liberator flies reconnaissance over Kiska, Attu and the Semichis while P-40's fly reconnaissance over Kiska.

U.S.A.: The USN re-establishes the rank of Commodore.

9 April 1944

April 9th, 1944 (SUNDAY)

FRANCE: During Eighth Air Force Mission 294, 5 B-17s drop 2.752 million leaflets on Rouen, Paris, Amiens and Caen, France at 2224-2338 hours without loss. During the night, 23 B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER operations delivering supplies to the Resistance.

S.O.E. operative Peter Lake is parachuted into the Dordogne. His mission, to train members of the members of the Resistance in sabotage and guerilla warfare in preparation for D-Day. More... (Scott Peterson)

ITALY: Twelfth Air Force P-40 and A-36 Apache fighter-bombers bomb the railroad line between Rome and Bracciano, hitting tracks, a station, and a warehouse; attack Littoria and Terracina, repair shops northwest of Valmontone and several gun positions; and bomb scattered motor transport during armed reconnaissance of the Avezzano-Sora-Pontecorvo-Ceprano areas.

CENTRAL EUROPE: The Eighth Air Force flies Mission 293: 542 bombers and 719 fighters are dispatched to aircraft factories and airfields in Germany and Poland; the bombers claim 45-8-14 Luftwaffe aircraft; 32 bombers and 10 fighters are lost.

- 41 B-17s bomb the aviation industry at Rahmel, Poland and 96 attack Marienburg, Germany; 3 others hit targets of opportunity; 6 B-17s are lost.

- 33 B-17s bomb the Focke-Wulf plant at Poznan, Poland and 85 bomb the Heinkel plant at Warnemunde, Germany; 18 others hit Marienehe Airfield; 12 B-17s are lost

- 106 B-24s bomb an assembly plant at Tutow, Germany; 14 hit Parchim, Germany and 6 hit targets of opportunity; 14 B-24s are lost.

Escort is provided by 119 P-38s, 387 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 213 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s; the fighters claim 20-1-6 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 19-0-8 on the ground; no fighter support is available over the targets because of bad weather or distance: 2 P-38s, 4 P-47s and 4 P-51s are lost.

INDIA: Japanese troops surround the British IV Corps at Kohima and Imphal.

North BURMA: Indaw: Hundreds of gliderborne troops have been dropped into Burma to reinforce the Chindits. This second wave of Chindits landed to the west of the Japanese line of communications, joining up with one of the original Chindit columns, and aims to cut the line of communications of the Japanese besieging Imphal.

Air Commando Combat Mission N0. 41 2:55 Flight Time Hailakandi, Assam to Indaw, Burma. Bombed Japanese supply dumps. (Chuck Baisden)

The Mogaung Valley is attacked by 100+ Tenth Air Force fighter-bombers and a few B-25s; the aircraft hit town areas, bridges, storage areas, support ground forces, and hit targets of opportunity in general in or near Mogaung, Kamaing, Laban, Hopin, Myitkyina, and Nsopzup; 25 B-25s and P-51s hit fuel dumps at Indaw, bomb a road near Manhton and support ground forces at Lasai; 6 B-24s bomb Mandalay railroad yards, another bombs nearby Maymyo, and 13 others mine areas near Mandalay and Magwe; also in the Mandalay area, 11 P-38s damage several locomotives, numerous railroad cars and set a steamer afire near Ywataung.

CHINA: 2 Fourteenth Air Force B-25s sink a Japanese merchant vessel off the southern tip of Hainan Island claim 3 fighters shot down over Yulinkan Bay.

JAPAN: A weather sortie by an Eleventh Air Force B-24 over Matsuwa Island, Kurile Islands, is negative due to low clouds and fog.

BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO: On New Britain Island, 23 Thirteenth Air Force B-25s bomb Lakunai; 31 fighter-bombers hit Ralum supply areas while 22 others strike Wunapope; and during the night of 8/9 April, 7 B-25s fly heckling missions against Rabaul.

MARSHALL ISLANDS: Seventh Air Force B-24s fly a photo reconnaissance mission over Maloelap, Wotje, and Mille Atolls, and a single Tarawa Atoll-based B-25 bombs Taroa Island, Maloelap Atoll; B-25s, in a shuttle mission from Abemama Island, bomb Jaluit Atoll, rearm at Majuro Atoll, and then hit Maloelap Atoll.

NEW GUINEA: 55 Fifth Air Force B-25s bomb the Aitape area while B-24s and A-20s hit Wewak, Boram, Cape Moem, AA positions along Hansa Bay, and barges southeast of Mushu Island and in the Wagol River; and P-39Airacobras hit troops, barges, and bridges in the Madang, Awar, Bogia and Bunabun areas.

PACIFIC OCEAN: US Submarines sink 2 Japanese ships:

- USS Seahorse (SS-304) attacks a Japanese convoy sinks a transport about 40 miles (64 km) west of Saipan, Mariana Islands.

- USS Whale (SS-239) sinks a Japanese army cargo ship off the northwestern coast of Kyushu, Japan.

The Japanese hospital ship Takasago Maru is damaged by a mine off the Palau Islands.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Rockets and machine gun fire from four TBM Avengers and FM-2 Wildcats of Composite Squadron 58 (VC-58) in the escort aircraft carrier USS Guadalcanal (CVE-60), together with depth charges from destroyer escorts USS Pillsbury (DE-133), USS Pope (DE-134), USS Flaherty (DE-135), and USS Chatelain (DE-149), sink German submarine U-515 at 1515 hours local off Madeira Island, Portugal. 44 of the 60 man crew on the U-boat survive.

Jim Verdolini notes in his diary: (Jim is 17-years-old and on his first ship. Some of the information was inserted postwar after conversations with his old Skipper, ComOfficer, Engineering Officer and shipmates).

April 9, 1944 Aboard U.S.S. Guadalcanal CVE60

A CVE is a small escort carrier, approximately 500 ft long, carrying a compliment of 870 men, and 27 planes. Our primary mission was to hunt and kill submarines. Our operating area on this deployment was between the Azores and Gibraltar. It was a known as U boat lane.

We kept going to Battle Stations. Our planes had spotted a sub on the surface, but it was too late to make a pass. The pilot could not get a shot at it. It was dark, and he saw it silhouetted. When he turned back it was gone. The Captain sent out another flight, and at 0130 hours (1:30AM) They spotted the sub again, and dropped depth charges. No luck. We secured from GQ for the night.

1300 hours(1 PM) our destroyers were pinging on the U boat again. At 1410 hours the Destroyer Escort Pope, dropped a depth charge pattern, and the U boat commander at 600 feet gave orders to blow all tanks, and prepare to abandon ship. We could see the sub from the bridge of our ship, and when he broke the surface, all ships fired at him.

We couldn't tell if he was abandoning ship, or would try to torpedo us.

Four minutes later the sub slowly reared herself up and sank. We fished forty five survivors out of the water. She was U-515. We found out later, that the crew of U 515 hated their Captain. He had frozen promotions on his boat to prevent any of his hand picked crew from being transferred. His name was Werner Henke, and the British wanted him for questioning about the British ship Ceramic, which was torpedoed and only one man survived to tell about it. Seems that Henke torpedoed the Ceramic, then surfaced. He had thought it was a troop transport, but it actually had dependents coming from Australia. The people were in the water, men, women and children. But the U boat could not take any aboard. No room. He did take one soldier back to Germany, to prove that he had sunk a transport. The rest of the survivors died in the water from exposure.

Capt. Henke promised to co-operate with our skipper, if we did not turn him over to the British. However after we returned Stateside, Capt. Henke tried to escape, and was shot and killed. The U-515 had four sights on us, but our Cans (Destroyer Escorts) were doing their job, and the U Boat had to abort each time.

9 April 1945

April 9th, 1945 (MONDAY)

GERMANY: Königsberg Fortress surrenders to the Soviets. The siege has lasted 59 days. The fighting cost the Germans 42,000 men dead and 27,000 captured. A quarter of the city's population, 25,000 civilians, also died in the fighting because Hitler refused to allow their evacuation. General Otto Lasch, his situation hopeless, finally surrendered to prevent more bloodshed. Hitler is furious and has ordered him to be shot, but he is already a prisoner.

The US 9th Army takes the Krupp factories in Essen.

RAF attack on Kiel. Kriegsmarine cruisers ADMIRAL SCHEER is damaged beyond repair, Hipper and Emden are also heavily damaged.

Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, former head of the Abwehr [military intelligence], General Hans Oster, another ex-Abwehr officer, and Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a theologian, are hanged at Flossenburg for treason.

The Eighth Air Force flies Mission 935: 1,252 bombers and 846 fighters are dispatched to visually attack underground oil storage, an ammunition plant and 10 jet airfields; they claim 85-1-60 Luftwaffe aircraft; 7 bombers and 5 fighters are lost:

- 76 B-17s bomb a munitions plant at Wolfratshausen while 107 hit Oberpfaffenhofen Airfield and 139 attack Furstenfeldbruck Airfield.

Escorting are 137 P-51s; they claim 4-0-10 aircraft on the ground.

- 89 B-17s attack an oil depot and 66 attack an airfield at Neuburg while 128 bomb Schleissheim Airfield; 3 B-17s are lost. The escort is 193 P-51s; they claim 1-0-3 aircraft in the air and 70-0-37 on the ground; 3 P-51s are lost.

- 212 B-17s bomb Riem Airfield at Munich; 10 others hit the secondary, the marshalling yard at Ingolstadt; 3 B-17s are lost. 149 P-51s escort; they claim 6-0-4 aircraft on the ground; 1 P-51 is lost.

- 109 B-24s bomb Lechfeld Airfield, 96 attack Memmingen Airfield, 88 hit Leipheim Airfield, 62 bomb Landsberg Airfield and 33 hit Landsberg East landing ground; 1 B-24 is lost. 193 P-51s escort claiming 4-0-5 aircraft on the ground.

During the night of 9/10 April, the Eighth Air Force flies Mission 937:

14 B-24s bomb Stade Airfield using PFF methods; 5 Mosquito's escort the bombers.

700+ Ninth Air Force A-20s, A-26 Invaders and B-26 Marauders strike marshalling yards at Jena and Saalfeld, oil targets at Bad Berka and Dedenhausen, ordnance depots at Naumburg and Amberg-Kummersbruck, and several targets of opportunity; fighters escort the bombers, attack several airfields and a fuel storage facility, fly area patrols and armed

reconnaissance, and support the III Corps along the Lenne River, the 3d Armored Division east of the Weser River toward Nordhausen, the VIII Corps in the Arnstadt area and the XII and XX Corps in the Thuringer Forest and around Erfurt.

150+ Fifteenth Air Force P-38s bomb and strafe railroad bridges at Rattenberg, Seefeld, and Telfs, Austria and Rosenheim, and to the south near the Austro-German border, and also hit rail lines in the Munich-Rosenheim.

WESTERN EUROPE: During the night of 9/10 April, 10 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands and France during Eighth Air Force Mission 936.

ITALY: The British 8th Army under General McCreery begins a spring offensive. They advance towards Ferrana and Bologna.

The US 5th Army begins minor ops towards Modena.

Sepoy Ali Haidar (b.1913), 13th Frontier Force Rifles, overcame two strongpoint's to enable his company to establish a bridgehead. (Victoria Cross)

Sepoy Namdeo Jadhao (b.1921), 5th Mahratta Light Infantry, carried two men through a minefield, the silenced three machine-guns, allowing a bridgehead to be secured. (Victoria Cross)

Twelfth Air Force A-20s and A-26s on intruder missions during the night of 8/9 April, bomb bridges, vehicles, and targets of opportunity in the Po River Valley and northeastern Italy; during the day B-25s and XXII Tactical Air Command fighter-bombers [in conjunction with RAF Desert Air Force fighter-bombers and Mediterranean Allied Strategic Air Force heavy bombers] blast gun positions, troop concentrations, enemy HQ, and strongpoint's in the Lugo-Imola area in support of a British Eighth Army offensive; other XXII Tactical Air Command fighter-bombers hit communications in northern Italy (including the Brenner line) and methane plant and ammunition and fuel dumps in the west central Po Valley. 825 Fifteenth Air Force B-24s and B-17s in close coordination with the British Eighth Army, pound gun positions and other forward military targets southeast of Bologna, in the area immediately west and southwest of Lugo; 88 P-51s provide target cover. 90+ P-51s escort supply (to northern Italy) and transport missions and support tactical aircraft attacking positions in the Imola area; other airplanes continue reconnaissance operations.

JAPAN: During the night of 9/10 April, the XXI Bomber Command flies Mission 62: 16 B-29 Superfortresses mine Shimonoseki Strait between Kyushu and Honshu Islands without loss.

Okinawa: A destroyer and an attack cargo ship are damaged by Japanese assault demolition boats while kamikazes sink an LCT and damage a destroyer. Shore batteries damage a high-speed transport and an LST while an infantry landing craft is damaged by Japanese aircraft.

Destroyers USS Mertz (DD-691) and USS Monssen (DD-798) sink Japanese submarine HIJMS RO 56, 45 miles (72 km) east of Okinawa.

BONIN ISLANDS: 16 VII Fighter Command P-51s from Iwo Jima Island bomb and strafe military installations at Chichi Jima Island during the early morning.

PACIFIC OCEAN: 17 Guam-based Seventh Air Force B-24s bomb the Marcus Island airfield and defensive installations in the North Pacific.

USN submarines sink 3 Japanese ships.

- USS Parche (SS-384) sinks a minesweeper as she is escorting transport (ex-armed merchant cruiser) northeast of Sendai, Honshu, Japan.

- USS Spadefish (SS-411) damages a merchant cargo ship off the west coast of Korea,. The cargo ship attempts to run aground to facilitate salvage, but sinks before she can accomplish her goal.

- USS Tirante (SS-420) attacks convoy TAMO-53 in Yellow Sea, sinking an army tanker and damages a coast defence vessel.

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: 22 Seventh Air Force B-24s from Angaur Island, Palau Islands, hit a troop concentration at Kabacan on Mindanao.

Far East Air Forces A-20s and fighter bombers support ground forces on Luzon in the Balete Pass, Baguio, and Solvec Cove areas and at several points in south-western Luzon Island, and attack Japanese forces in the Legaspi area. B-24s and fighter-bombers support ground forces in central Cebu Island and on Negros Island.

The U.S. Army's 163d Regimental Combat Team lands on Jolo Island (6.00N, 121.10E) in the Sulu Archipelago. The invasion is supported by three USN destroyers and aircraft of Marine Aircraft Groups Twelve and Thirty Two (MAG-12 and MAG-32) based on Mindanao. The Japanese defenders withdraw into the hills in the centre of the island.

BURMA: 70+ Tenth Air Force P-38s and P-47s attack troops, supplies, gun positions, and general targets of opportunity along and behind the central Burma battleline around Mong Pawn, Wan Htum, Pang po, Kyawkku, Mong Hko, Hanhwe-Mu, Laihka, and other points; transports complete 415 sorties to forward areas.

CHINA: 9 Fourteenth Air Force B-24s bomb the docks at Canton and Kowloon in Hong Kong and attack targets of opportunity at Bakli Bay on Hainan Island; 8 B-25s bomb Sinyang railroad yards and nearby targets of opportunity; 13 other B-25s knock out a bridge north of Hsuchang and hit various targets around Laohokow, Sichuan, Sinyang, Likuanchiao, Lichen, and along the Han River; and 19 P-51s hit targets of opportunity in or near Neihsiang, Laohokow, and Sichuan.

Several Far East Air Forces B-24s on armed reconnaissance missions hit coastal targets.

FRENCH INDOCHINA: 2 Fourteenth Air Force P-38s attack trucks in the Dien Bien Phu area.

Several Far East Air Forces B-24s on armed reconnaissance missions hit coastal targets.

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