Saturday 8 June 1940

Scharnhorst opening fire on HMS Glorious on 8 June 1940.

Battle of the Atlantic: Operation Juno is one of the least-publicized naval encounters of World War II in relation to the damage inflicted. This most definitely is because the damage inflicted was almost entirely upon the Royal Navy. Compared to Operation Juno, the Bismarck battle a year later was almost a sideshow; but, anyone with the slightest interest in World War II knows every detail about the sinking of the Bismarck. The lack of attention to Operation Juno must be ascribed to the fact that the battle's winner was the war's loser. This is not at all unusual, and perfectly understandable given how "history" works; but the battle stands for that point as much as anything else at this point.

There is the added element that the Admiralty's papers on the incident remain locked up under the infamous "100-year rule," which could be waived - but, for so embarrassing, nay humiliating an incident, will not be. The papers will remain secret until 2040, by which time pretty much everyone but people like us will have long forgotten the incident - as they largely have already.

Operation Juno is one in a succession of German naval sorties that sail up the Norwegian coast. With many of the other operations, the objective was to break out into the Atlantic by circling around Great Britain; however, the objective of Operation Juno is to aid General Dietl's mountain troops trapped against the Swedish border east of Narvik. Adolf Hitler is obsessed with Dietl's predicament, and the idea is to pound the Allied base at Harstad to prevent further Allied reinforcements.

Since battleships Bismarck and Tirpitz are not ready, the Kriegsmarine sends its most reliable pocket battleships (really heavy cruisers): Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. They are accompanied by heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper and the destroyers Z20 Karl Galster, Z10 Hans Lody, Z15 Erich Steinbrinck, and Z7 Hermann Schoemann. Any surface sortie is dangerous, but the Germans have gotten away with it previously and this is a rare chance to use the surface ships to achieve a strategic purpose, as opposed to mere commerce raiding as with the Admiral Graf Spee.

Early on, Luftwaffe reconnaissance reports that the Allies are evacuating from Harstad. This robs Operation Juno of its strategic impact. Admiral Wilhelm Marschall aboard the Gneisenau, however, decides on his own initiative not to waste the opportunity - Kriegsmarine surface sorties are rare opportunities for aggressive commanders and not to be wasted. He turns the mission into a pure naval raid, disregarding his orders to avoid enemy action.

He has plenty of opportunities. With the Allies pulling out of Narvik, the sea lanes between there and Scapa Flow are crowded with Royal Navy vessels. First, heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper comes upon largely empty troopship HMS Orama, tanker Oil Pioneer and minesweeping trawler Juniper - and dispatches all three. The Orama is a modern (1924) Orient Line passenger liner which had been impressed into Royal Navy service. She goes to the bottom about 300 miles west of Narvik, but thankfully she is not full of troops and only 19 men lose their lives. The Admiral Hipper takes aboard 280 prisoners. To the Admiral Hipper's credit, there is an accompanying hospital ship, the Atlantis, which has obeyed the rules of war by not radioing its position - and the Admiral Hipper lets her go. After this, Admiral Marschall detaches the Admiral Hipper with a couple of destroyers to make port in Trondheim.

The sinking of the Orama and the others, however, is just the appetizer. Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Glorious ((77) Captain Guy D’Oyly-Hughes) leaves Harstad at 03:00 bound for Scapa Flow, accompanied by destroyers HMS Arden and Acasta. Glorious is serving as a transport vessel and has onboard all of the Gladiators and Hawker Hurricanes from Bardufoss and a smaller-than-usual complement of its own planes. The Hurricanes are not equipped for naval landings and their pilots are not trained in operating from carriers, so the planes just get in the way. In fact, D'Oyly-Hughes all stowed all of the planes below decks for some reason despite being in a war zone. This makes aircraft carrier Glorious vulnerable, and D'Oyly-Hughes requests, and receives, permission, to return to Scapa Flow independently at full speed. Much is made of this decision in the critical commentaries on the incident, but during World War II it is a well-regarded theory that the best protection for any ship is speed.

Accompanied by the destroyers, Glorious heads south. D'Oyly-Hughes made some critical mistakes: he failed to keep any aircraft in the air as a constant Combat Air Patrol, and he failed to post any lookouts in his crow's nest. The former error is somewhat understandable because he only had nine Sea Gladiators and five Swordfish on board (in addition to the land planes); failure to post lookouts, though, smacks of incompetence.

The Scharnhorst and the Gneisenau spot HMS Glorious and her escorts about 180-200 miles west of Norway at around 16:30. Admiral Marschall opens fire at maximum range and incredibly scores a hit on his third salvo with his 11-inch shells at 24 km. Hits at such a range ar devastating because the shells come down almost vertically and plunge through the decks, "plunging fire" is the favorite tactic of the "Battleship Admirals." This damage, only 6 minutes into the encounter, prevents the Glorious from launching any aircraft and essentially seals her fate.

The two Royal Navy destroyers, Ardent and Acasta, lay smoke and closed on the two pocket battleships. This is a desperate maneuver, and everyone in the Royal Navy has the memory of HMS Glowworm in the back of their minds. The suicide mission pays off in part when one of Acasta's torpedoes (it launches four) hits the Scharnhorst, causing serious damage and killing 50 German sailors. The destroyers' 120 mm guns, however, cause little damage on the larger German ships, and both Ardent (151 dead, 2 survivors) and Acasta (161 dead, 1 survivor) soon are on the bottom (the former at 17:50, the latter at 19:20).

As seen from the Scharnhorst, the Gneisenau firing her main guns.

HMS Glorious herself is never a factor after the initial hits. Both Scharnhorst and Gneisenau make hits, the Gneisenau striking the bridge and almost certainly killing D’Oyly-Hughes early in the encounter. Marschall orders Scharnhorst to cease firing against the sinking ship. HMS Glorious goes under at 19:10, taking with it about 1531 men, including 63 RAF pilots from No. 46 and 263 Squadrons.

Scharnhorst and Gneisenau then head for Trondheim themselves. They have proven once and for all that, under the right circumstances, the Kriegsmarine surface fleet can be absolutely devastating. The Scharnhorst is in bad shape, with flooding of 2,500 long tons and her after-turret out of action. She will require a trip back to Germany for repair. Meanwhile, with the German pocket battleships retiring, the final Royal Navy troop convoy from Narvik gets through to Scapa Flow un-noticed.

HMS Glorious sinking.

Western Front: Hitler, at his forward Wolfsschlucht headquarters, issues Fuhrer Directive No. 14, Continuation of the Offensive in France. It deals with tactics more than strategy and really is quite unnecessary. However, it reinforces the image that Hitler wishes to project of being in charge of a successful campaign. He notes "extremely strong resistance... north of Paris," which is debatable, and otherwise just confirms orders already given. Army Group A is to attack on 9 June southwards towards the Marne. Hitler also specifically singles out "attached SS units and the SS Death's Head Division" as key elements of the offensive. There is a slight reorientation of the offensive away from the encirclement of the Maginot Line and toward Paris.

General Rommel and his 7th Panzer Ghost Division, along with the accompanying 5th Panzer Division, reach the Seine at Rouen. The 5th Panzer sends troops into the city. French 10th Army is in tatters. British 51st (Highland) Division on the coast is bypassed and its lines of communication cut.

Back on the Somme, XIV Panzer Corps breaks through the French artillery block at Amiens. French 7th Army at Péronne continues to hold 16th Panzer Division to a standstill, which must be extremely frustrating as they watch the breakthrough to Rouen. It is a typical hedgehog campaign, with some strong points holding, but others failing and allowing strong breakthroughs.

European Air Operations: The air over the front is full of swirling planes. Captain Wuillame of Groupe de Chasse (Fighter Group) I/2 is flying a Morane-Saulnier MS406. He claims three Bf 109E fighters in only 15 seconds over the Somme sector. Despite this victory, the lack of adequate French air cover is becoming a major problem for the Allied ground forces.

French bombers attack factories near Berlin before dawn.

Battle of the Atlantic: British freighter Hardingham hits a mine and sinks in the English Channel.

Italian warships lay more mines in the Mediterranean.

Convoy HG 33 departs from Gibraltar, Convoy SL 35 departs from Freetown.

German Military: German casualties are hitting 5,000/day., much higher than in previous campaigns - but France is the Big Enchilada.

Norway: The Allies conclude their evacuation of troops from Narvik and Harstad, taking off a final tranche of 24, 000 men. Before departing, they render the port facilities useless to the Germans until repaired - which they soon are.

The Norwegian troops opposing General Dietl near the border pull out and disguise their departure by leaving dummies along the line. The German mountain troops soon realize what is happening, and occupy Narvik again. There are still Norwegian troops in the area, but they have no Allied support whatsoever and are out-matched by the Wehrmacht troops.

Anglo/French Relations: Prime Minister Reynaud sends his deputy General Charles de Gaulle to England to confer with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

Australian Government: Sir Keith Murdoch, a newspaper magnate, becomes the Australian Minister of Information.

Science: Edwin M. McMillan and Philip H. Abelson at the University of California at Berkeley reveal the discovery of element 93, neptunium (symbol Np), a decay product of uranium-239.

League of Nations: Increasingly irrelevant in a world at war, the League of Nations lays off 75% of its staff.

French Homefront: The rumble of distant gunfire becomes noticeable in Paris, though the government reassures the populace that is is just nearby anti-aircraft artillery.

British Homefront: The US State Department issues an advisory for US citizens in England and Ireland to depart next week on the liner Washington in order to avoid a possible German invasion.

There is a media blackout in the UK. George Orwell writes, "In the midst of a fearful battle, one has the impression there's no news." There is indeed news, but none of it is good for the Allies.

Future History: Nancy Sinatra is born in Jersey City, New Jersey. She becomes famous in the 1960s for such hits as "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" and "You Only Live Twice," along with the No. 1 duet with her dad Frank, "Something Stupid."

Nancy Sinatra in the 1960s.

June 1940

June 1, 1940: Devastation at Dunkirk
June 2, 1940: Hitler Visits France
June 3, 1940: Operation Paula
June 4, 1940: We Shall Fight
June 5, 1940: Fall Rot
June 6, 1940: Weygand Line Crumbling
June 7, 1940: British Evacuating Narvik
June 8, 1940: Operation Juno
June 9, 1940: Norway Capitulates
June 10, 1940: Mussolini Throws Down
June 11, 1940: Paris an Open City
June 12, 1940: Rommel at St. Valery
June 13, 1940: France Goes Alone
June 14, 1940: Paris Falls
June 15, 1940: Soviets Scoop Up Lithuania
June 16, 1940: Enter Pétain
June 17, 1940: The Lancastria Sinks
June 18, 1940: A Day of Leaders
June 19, 1940: U-boats Run Wild
June 20, 1940: Pétain Wilts
June 21, 1940: Hitler's Happiest Day
June 22, 1940: France Is Done
June 23, 1940: Hitler in Paris
June 24, 1940: Six Million Jews
June 25, 1940: German Celebrations
June 26, 1940: USSR Being Belligerent
June 27, 1940: Malta in Peril
June 28, 1940: Channel Islands Bombed
June 29, 1940: Gandhi Insists on Independence
June 30, 1940: Channel Islands Occupied

2020

Friday 7 June 1940

As taken from Admiral Hipper on 7 June 1940, this picture shows the Gneisenau, with Scharnhorst to the right. Admiral Marschall is convening of a conference of his commanders.

Western Front: Hitler already is sensing an impending victory in France. On 7 June 1940, he moves to the Wolfsschlucht headquarters in Bruly-le-Peche in order to be seen as leading his troops to victory.

General Erwin Rommel of XVI Panzer Corps, 4th Army finds a seam in the Allied defenses and advances 30 miles to Forges-les-Eaux. This puts him within striking distance of both Rouen and Le Havre. He is accompanied on the thrust by 5th Panzer Division (which never gets any credit....) "Other troops," i.e. 5th Panzer Division, take Noyon and Fores-les-Eaux in the same general vicinity. An incidental effect of Rommel's leap forward is that the British 51st (Highland) Division is cut off along the coast.

Rommel is fully aware of the historic nature of his successes, noting: "We have broken past the Maginot line- it's like some beautiful dream!" The Germans have lived in fear of the French since 1918, and today marks a key turning point in that attitude.

The French 10th Army (General Robert Altmayer) has its front broken by the Rommel thrust and has to retreat to Rouen and behind the Seine River. Already, the French are looking at Paris over their shoulders. The Weygand Line is holding in places, but overall the hedgehog strategy is turning into a disaster.

Between Amiens and Peronne, the French line holds firm, with von Kleist's Panzer Group making minimal gains. The French artillery at Amiens is decisive in frustrating the Wehrmacht attack.

Further east, the tanks of Panzer Group Guderian seize bridgeheads across the Aisne. Guderian's goal is to advance south behind the Maginot Line by heading to the Swiss border, thereby enveloping the fortresses and making their actual capture academic.

A major problem for the French is that the Luftwaffe is establishing air supremacy. The French Air Force (Armée de l'Air) has reasonably good equipment, but it does not have enough of anything. More fundamentally it is completely lacking in organization and tactics. Whereas the fight over Dunkirk against the RAF was reasonably equal, the air battle over France is turning into no contest at all.

European Air Operations: After dark, the French make an unsuccessful attempt to retaliate for Operation Paula, the Luftwaffe's recent mildly successful raid on Paris. They convert Centre NC223 mail planes for an attack on Berlin, sending them on a circuitous route from Bordeaux over the Baltic. The crews miss Berlin entirely and drop their bombs on open countryside, so technically it is not the first raid on Berlin - it is the first attempted raid on Berlin.

The RAF sends 24 bombers to attack Hannover, Germany.

The tailfin of Spitfire PR Mk I P9331. It was left behind at Reims after an abortive sortie by acting F/L Louis D "Tug" Wilson on 7 June 1940. Detached to No 212 Squadron RAF at Meaux in April, the 23-year-old Wilson had led a reconnaissance flight to Poitiers and La Rochelle, photographing enemy advances.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-48 (Korvettenkapitän Hans Rudolf Rösing) torpedoes and sinks 4,212-ton British freighter Frances Massey about 15 miles off Tory Island northwest of Ireland. Only one man of the 35-man crew survives when found by destroyer HMS Volunteer.

U-48 then torpedoes 5,888-ton British freighter Eros in the same location. All 62 crew survive when picked up by a trawler, but the freighter remains afloat.

Admiral Marschall, commanding the flotilla led by HMS Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, stops to refuel despite being informed by Luftwaffe reconnaissance planes of some nearby "supply ships" (which actually are troopships carrying RAF soldiers home from Norway) that would be easy targets. This keeps his flotilla from coming to British attention, a factor which will prove decisive for coming operations. Marschall is after bigger game.

Convoy OA 163GF departs from Southend.

Norway: HMS Glorious arrives off Narvik and takes aboard the 10 remaining Gloster Gladiators and 8 remaining Hawker Hurricanes previously ferried to Bardufoss. While Hurricanes have flown off carriers before, this is the first landing of the advanced land-based fighters on one. No. 46 and No. 263 squadrons are now entirely out of Norway.

The British continue evacuating troops from Narvik, 4600 leaving at Harstad. The Allies no longer have air cover in northern Norway. General Dietl has noticed the easing of pressure against his troops and is moving back towards Narvik. A Royal Navy convoy heads for Great Britain.

King Haakon VII and the rest of the Norwegian government board the Royal Navy heavy cruiser HMS Devonshire at Tromsø and depart at 20:00 for exile in the UK. They are accompanied to England by thirteen ships, five aircraft and 500 men of the Royal Norwegian Navy.

Ireland: The government declares a state of emergency due to the situation in France.

British Military: Captain B. A. W. Warburton-Lee of the First Battle of Narvik (10 April 1940) is posthumously awarded the first V.C. awarded during the way.

Houlton, Maine farmer dragging a US warplane across the Canadian border, 7 June 1940.

June 1940

June 1, 1940: Devastation at Dunkirk
June 2, 1940: Hitler Visits France
June 3, 1940: Operation Paula
June 4, 1940: We Shall Fight
June 5, 1940: Fall Rot
June 6, 1940: Weygand Line Crumbling
June 7, 1940: British Evacuating Narvik
June 8, 1940: Operation Juno
June 9, 1940: Norway Capitulates
June 10, 1940: Mussolini Throws Down
June 11, 1940: Paris an Open City
June 12, 1940: Rommel at St. Valery
June 13, 1940: France Goes Alone
June 14, 1940: Paris Falls
June 15, 1940: Soviets Scoop Up Lithuania
June 16, 1940: Enter Pétain
June 17, 1940: The Lancastria Sinks
June 18, 1940: A Day of Leaders
June 19, 1940: U-boats Run Wild
June 20, 1940: Pétain Wilts
June 21, 1940: Hitler's Happiest Day
June 22, 1940: France Is Done
June 23, 1940: Hitler in Paris
June 24, 1940: Six Million Jews
June 25, 1940: German Celebrations
June 26, 1940: USSR Being Belligerent
June 27, 1940: Malta in Peril
June 28, 1940: Channel Islands Bombed
June 29, 1940: Gandhi Insists on Independence
June 30, 1940: Channel Islands Occupied

2020

Thursday 6 June 1940

Foredeck of the Scharnhorst, following a minesweeper. It is at sea off Norway along with sister-ship Gneisenau.

Western Front: The Germans on 6 June 1940 continue pressing their bid to break into the heart of France. On most parts of the Weygand Line, the French continue to have success at repelling the German attacks under Fall Rot.

The French line is in the most peril along the Somme between Amiens and the sea. There, XVI Panzer Corps of the 4th Army makes the largest gains in the entire offensive. General Erwin Rommel's 7th "Ghost" Panzer Division sidesteps the effective French artillery at Amiens and breaks through to the west of that city, advancing 20 miles between Abbeville and Amiens. This illustrates one of the inherent weaknesses of the "hedgehog" theory of defense, as there is no "line" to cross, but instead simply places to avoid. The 5th Panzer Division also makes good gains.

The 51st Highland Division at Saint-Valery-sur-Somme at the mouth of the Somme is in deep trouble, but it has the good fortune of being the closest portion of the line to England.. RAF Bomber command supports it with a raid of 38 bombers.

Further east, between Amiens and Peronne, von Kleist's Panzer Group is held. To the east of Kleist's troops, Panzer Group Guderian seize bridgeheads across the Aisne.

The French 10th Army, 7th Army, and 6th Armies are withdrawing under pressure. The French are using their 75mm field guns as anti-tank artillery, just as the Wehrmacht uses its 88 mm anti-aircraft guns in the same role. Firing at panzers over open sights is a dangerous occupation, but even the best panzers are susceptible to direct hits.

About 109,000 French troops evacuated to Great Britain pursuant to Operation Dynamo demand to be sent back to France to defend their country.

A short-barreled Panzer IV in France, May/June 1940 (Eckert, National Archive).

European Air Operations: The French send 21 LeO-451 bombers against German panzers at Chaulnes.

The RAF Bomber Command sends 24 bombers to attack Hamburg and other German targets during the night, and 41 aircraft to attack German lines of communication for the troops at the front.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-46 (Oberleutnant zur See Engelbert Endrass) torpedoes British 20,277-ton armed merchant cruiser (converted liner) HMS Carinthia west of Galway Bay, Ireland at 01:13. The Carinthia is in bad shape but remains afloat at day's end.

German minesweeper M-11 hits a mine and sinks off of Norway.

British ship Harcalo hits a mine and sinks in the English Channel near Dover.

German raider Atlantis is back in the south Atlantic, disguised as Dutch freighter MV Abbekerk. It stops and captures 7,230-ton Norwegian freighter Tirranna. Five of the crew perish. The ship is taken as a prize but retained in the area due to a lack of fuel.

Norwegian submarine B.3 departs from Harstad for Tromso but experiences an explosion which cripples it. The submarine lays up in Gavlfjord near Tromso.

German raider Thor sails toward the Atlantic for a mission.

The Italian Navy begins laying mines.

Norway: The Royal Navy continues evacuating troops from Narvik, some 5,200 today from Harstad. The aircraft carrier HMS Glorious is approaching to recover the RAF aircraft at Bardufoss - which will eliminate Allied air cover.

German Military: The Germans are discriminating amongst their Belgian prisoners of war depending upon their language. Flemish prisoners are released, while French speakers are sent to German POW camps.

French Government: Prime Minister Paul Reynaud warns his Cabinet that he may withdraw the government to French possessions in North Africa to continue the struggle, if necessary.

British Government: The new British Ambassador to Moscow is Sir Stafford Cripps, well known for his socialist views.

Italy: Mussolini - with the King's assent - orders long-time military Chief of Staff Pietro Badoglio to prepare for war with France and Great Britain.

China: At the Battle of Tsaoyang-Ichang, the Japanese 11th Army captures Chingmen, Shihlipu, and Shihhuichiao.

Japanese bombers launch another attack on Chiang Kai-shek's capital, Chungking.

German troops advancing across the Somme on 6 June 1940.

June 1940

June 1, 1940: Devastation at Dunkirk
June 2, 1940: Hitler Visits France
June 3, 1940: Operation Paula
June 4, 1940: We Shall Fight
June 5, 1940: Fall Rot
June 6, 1940: Weygand Line Crumbling
June 7, 1940: British Evacuating Narvik
June 8, 1940: Operation Juno
June 9, 1940: Norway Capitulates
June 10, 1940: Mussolini Throws Down
June 11, 1940: Paris an Open City
June 12, 1940: Rommel at St. Valery
June 13, 1940: France Goes Alone
June 14, 1940: Paris Falls
June 15, 1940: Soviets Scoop Up Lithuania
June 16, 1940: Enter Pétain
June 17, 1940: The Lancastria Sinks
June 18, 1940: A Day of Leaders
June 19, 1940: U-boats Run Wild
June 20, 1940: Pétain Wilts
June 21, 1940: Hitler's Happiest Day
June 22, 1940: France Is Done
June 23, 1940: Hitler in Paris
June 24, 1940: Six Million Jews
June 25, 1940: German Celebrations
June 26, 1940: USSR Being Belligerent
June 27, 1940: Malta in Peril
June 28, 1940: Channel Islands Bombed
June 29, 1940: Gandhi Insists on Independence
June 30, 1940: Channel Islands Occupied

2020

Sunday 2 June 1940

A Coastal Command Hudson with a blazing Dunkirk oil storage tank behind it, early June 1940.

Western Front: French forces on 2 June 1940 man the perimeter at Dunkirk. The Germans push the Allied defenses back, but they do not break. The pocket is now only two miles long and a little deeper. Almost all British troops - aside from stragglers - are now gone, with the vast majority of troops remaining in the pocket being French soldiers. The day ends with the French holding a perimeter on the edges of town.

Adolf Hitler makes his first visit to French soil during the war. He stages a photo op at the Canadian National Vimy Ridge Memorial. This is partly to refute Allied propaganda that the Wehrmacht has destroyed it. He orders the SS to guard the monument.

General Georges continues to make plans for an offensive against the German line along the Somme. Much of the Allied line is held by British troops, with the mass of the French Army remaining behind the Maginot Line in the south.

Chief of the General Staff Dill sends Sir Alan Brooke back to France to organize a new BEF south of the Somme.

Mussolini postpones the Italian attack on French positions in the Alps to 10 June.

Dunkirk: There are 26,256 troops evacuated today (9,561 Allied troops embark from Dunkirk harbor and 6,695 from the beaches). Due to the decision to evacuate only during the night, British naval losses go down significantly; the Royal Navy has only two destroyers damaged. The final British unit leaves today and French soldiers are being evacuated as well. The French are disorganized - partly due to decisions taken by the British without their knowledge - and this hampers their evacuation. Some French troops do not see a realistic possibility of evacuating to England and desert, hoping to get back to their homes by slipping through the lines.

Royal Navy hospital ship HMS Worthing is damaged by the Luftwaffe attack, along with numerous smaller vessels.

Baron Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen, a Luftwaffe General and also a cousin of the famous "Red Baron," is disgusted at the outcome fo the battle. He writes in his diary: "A victory over England has been thrown away."
European Air Operations: The Germans continue attacks in the Rhône Valley region between Lyons and Marseilles, causing many civilian casualties.

The RAF is still primarily engaged in supporting the French defenders at Dunkirk, sending 24 aircraft to attack the advancing Germans during the day and 16 at night.

The British send 24 aircraft to hit targets in Germany during the night.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-101 (Kapitänleutnant Fritz Frauenheim) torpedoes and sinks 3,577-ton British freighter Polycarp about 41 miles south of Land's End at 03:00. All 43 crew survive.

US passenger liner President Roosevelt, with 720 Americans aboard, and liner Manhattan, with 1,905 passengers, depart for America from Galway and Genoa, respectively. As a general matter, it is believed that fast liners are safer by sprinting across the ocean on their own that by participating in a slow-moving convoy.

Convoy OA 160 departs from Southend, Convoy OB 160 departs from Liverpool, Convoy OG 32F departs from Gibraltar, and Convoy HX 47 departs from Halifax.

Princess Elizabeth - the future Elizabeth II - and sister Margaret with their corgi named Jane, 2 June 1940 (Lisa Sheridan/Studio Lisa / Getty).

Norway: German 2nd Mountain Division continues pushing north towards Narvik to relieve General Dietl's forces trapped near the border. They depart from Sorfold (to the east of Bodo) and remain over 100 miles south of Narvik as the crow flies, over rough terrain. The roads are not continuous, and the Wehrmacht troops must either take ferries or go overland in mountainous terrain riven with lakes and fjords. This exposes them to both aerial and naval attacks.

The Luftwaffe attacks Harstad, losing nine bombers. RAF Pilot Officer Louis R. Jacobsen of No. 263 Squadron, flying out of Bardufoss, has a big day near Narvik. He shoots down four Heinkel He 111 and two Junkers Ju 88 medium bombers for a total of 6 bombers in one day.

Luftwaffe transports drop another 45 men of the 1st Fallschirmjaeger Regiment to reinforce General Dietl. The Norwegian, Polish and French troops pursue the Germans toward Sweden, while the 26,000 British troops remain in port to prepare for the evacuation.

Royal Navy aircraft carriers HMS Glorious and Ark Royal arrive off Narvik to provide air cover and to take off the RAF fighters at Bardufoss.

British Government: War Secretary Anthony Eden gives a frank radio speech update on Operation Dynamo. He states that 80% of the BEF has been evacuated intact, minus battle losses and the few still remaining to be picked up:

The British Expeditionary Force still exists, not as a handful of fugitives, but as a body of seasoned veterans. We have had great losses in equipment. But our men have gained immeasurably in experience of warfare and in self-confidence. The vital weapon of any army is its spirit. Ours has been tried and tempered in the furnace. It has not been found wanting. It is this refusal to accept defeat, that is the guarantee of final victory.

US Government: Weighing in on the issue of German influence in South America, Admiral Harold Stark, Chief of Naval Operations. President Roosevelt takes up one of his options and decides that the right course is to send an 8-inch cruiser to South America (along with the cruiser he already has sent), along with occasional destroyer visits from the Atlantic Squadron.

Italian Government: Italo Balbo confers with Foreign Minister Count Ciano before returning to his position in command of Italian forces in Libya. Both men are quite leery about new Italian military adventures.

Spain: Sir Samuel, the new British Ambassador to Spain, arrives in Madrid. There are crowds of anti-British demonstrators demanding the return of Gibraltar to Spain.

Greece: Constantine II, the heir to the Greek throne, is born in Psychiko, Athens, Greece.

British Homefront: The government evacuates 50,000 children from urban areas in southeastern England.

American Homefront: "The Spirit" makes his debut in the Sunday comics section.

Hitler at Vimy Ridge. This picture was widely circulated in German publications to show Hitler at the front and to prove that the memorial had not been destroyed.

June 1940

June 1, 1940: Devastation at Dunkirk
June 2, 1940: Hitler Visits France
June 3, 1940: Operation Paula
June 4, 1940: We Shall Fight
June 5, 1940: Fall Rot
June 6, 1940: Weygand Line Crumbling
June 7, 1940: British Evacuating Narvik
June 8, 1940: Operation Juno
June 9, 1940: Norway Capitulates
June 10, 1940: Mussolini Throws Down
June 11, 1940: Paris an Open City
June 12, 1940: Rommel at St. Valery
June 13, 1940: France Goes Alone
June 14, 1940: Paris Falls
June 15, 1940: Soviets Scoop Up Lithuania
June 16, 1940: Enter Pétain
June 17, 1940: The Lancastria Sinks
June 18, 1940: A Day of Leaders
June 19, 1940: U-boats Run Wild
June 20, 1940: Pétain Wilts
June 21, 1940: Hitler's Happiest Day
June 22, 1940: France Is Done
June 23, 1940: Hitler in Paris
June 24, 1940: Six Million Jews
June 25, 1940: German Celebrations
June 26, 1940: USSR Being Belligerent
June 27, 1940: Malta in Peril
June 28, 1940: Channel Islands Bombed
June 29, 1940: Gandhi Insists on Independence
June 30, 1940: Channel Islands Occupied

2020

Sunday 26 May 1940

Geoffrey Dalton Stephenson's Supermarine Spitfire MK1 N3200, being inspected by Germans, after it was shot down on a beach at Sangatte, near Calais on May 26, 1940. He wound up a POW at Colditz.

Western Front: Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of the BEF from the Continent, is authorized on 26 May 1940 to proceed in the evening by the British War Cabinet. Admiral Bertram Ramsey, in charge of Royal Navy forces at Dover, takes command of the operation.

Vice-Marshal Keith Park, commander of RAF No. 11 Group in southeast England, allocates 16 fighter squadrons to establish air supremacy over Dunkirk at one time, with others held in reserve.

Hitler ends the "stop order," authorizing "armored groups and infantry divisions in direction Tournai-Dunkirk."

The 10th Panzer Division attack on Calais continues, and it is clear that the end of the battle is approaching. General Guderian has given the division until the afternoon to capture the port or he will pull the division and leave its destruction to the Luftwaffe - which would be a huge slap in the face to the division. Thus, the German attacks are rabid and unrelenting.

At first light, fifteen small Royal Navy vessels arrive towing boats for an evacuation - though no evacuation has been ordered. In fact, one of the ships delivers a message to the commanding officer, Brigadier Nicholson, to continue fighting. Unlike 24 hours previously, Nicholson is worn out and sees clearly the direction in which the battle is heading. He reports that the Germans are in the north end of town and he has no more tanks or other basic necessities.

The German bombardment also begins at around the same time, 05:00. The completion of the capture of nearby Boulogne has freed additional artillery for Calais, doubling General Schaal's firepower. There also are mass Stuka attacks, followed by armored attacks. The Allied line finally breaks around 13:30, when Bastion 11 manned by French volunteers out of ammunition, falls. That sets in motion the final Allied collapse, and the Germans are soon across the defensive canals and in the city streets. The commander of the British forces, Brigadier Claude Nicholson, surrenders at 16:00. The Germans take 3500 prisoners, and only 200 wounded escape on the boats. With Calais having fallen, the panzers immediately turn and head toward Dunkirk.

German Sixth Army continues pressing against the Belgian troops holding the northern side of the Allied line. The BEF has to send reinforcements to prevent a breakthrough. It is clear that the Belgian Army - an irreplaceable part of the defensive perimeter - is on its last legs. The Belgians and British reinforcements struggle to hold Izegem, Nevele, and Ronsele, while the elite Chasseurs Ardennais stand like a rock. The Belgian reserves go into battle, and auxiliary troops are formed in the rear. The Belgians flood the canals to serve as tank traps. The Belgians tell the French at noon that "the Army has nearly reached the limits of its endurance."

The British fall back on Dunkirk without asking permission or even informing their allies. It is particularly noticeable around Lille, where it opens a gap in the line otherwise manned by the Belgians and French on either side. The Belgians are forced to fall further back themselves, while the French 1st Army essentially becomes encircled.

The British withdrawal and the Belgian weakness becomes a virtuous cycle - for the Wehrmacht. It becomes apparent by 18:00 that the British are pulling back on the Lille-Ypres sector. Meanwhile, Belgian morale plunges. King Leopold, informed of all of these movements, prepares to move his headquarters to Middelkerke. He is running out of territory to command.

The Germans attack between Courtrai and Valenciennes.

The French recapture some of the German bridgeheads over the Somme - but not all of them.

A British Cruiser Mk IV tank under repair, Blangy-sur-Ternoise. 26 May 1940.

Battle of the Atlantic: The RAF sinks four ships to block the entrance to Zeebrugge Harbour.

U-13 and U-48 leave Kiel to take up positions around the British Isles.

Convoy OA 155G departs from Southend, Convoy OB 155 departs from Liverpool. Australian/New Zealand troop convoy US 3 arrives at Cape Town.

European Air Operations: Fierce air battles continue over the Channel Ports. The Stukas pound Calais with 200 Stuka sorties.

The Luftwaffe aids the German 10th Panzer Division in Calais with attacks on Calais Citadel.

The RAF attacks railway marshaling yards in the Rhineland during the night.

Norway: Colonel Gubbins, knowing that further defense is pointless due to Operation Alphabet, withdraws his defensive line to the ferry port of Rognan. The Irish Guard makes a fighting withdrawal, leaving behind (destroying) supplies. At the port, they take ferries across the fjord - just barely leaving ahead of the Germans when the ferry breaks down. He receives air cover from a new RAF base at Bodø, which is the first RAF presence in the vicinity.

The Luftwaffe sinks British anti-aircraft cruiser Curlew (D 42, Captain Basil C. B. Brooke) in Lavangsfjord, Ofotfjord near Narvik. Nine crew perish. The Curlew had been especially helpful because it possessed the only radar in the area.

Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Glorious ferries Hurricanes of No. 46 Squadron to Skaanland near Narvik. The runway is sod, but Hawker Hurricanes are sturdy planes.

The Luftwaffe continues its gradual reinforcement of General Dietl's force in Narvik, bringing in 81 men of the 1st Fallschirmjaeger Regiment.

Anglo/Belgian Relations: Prime Minister Churchill meets with Belgian Prime Minister Pierlot and Foreign Minister Spaak.

Anglo/French Relations: French Prime Minister Paul Reynaud visits Churchill in London.

Italy: Mussolini meets with Army Chief of Staff Pietro Badoglio and Air Marshal Italo Balbo in Rome to discuss his growing urge to join the Axis conflict. Badoglio states that Italy is unprepared for any conflict and illustrates this by pointing out that the army does not even have enough shirts. Mussolini replies:

History cannot be reckoned by the number of shirts.

He explains that he needs "a few thousand dead" to be able to hold his head high at the peace table. Mussolini orders Badoglio to prepare his forces for an invasion of France on 5 June 1940.

German Military: Admiral Otto Schniewind, Chief of Staff of the Seekriegsleitung (Maritime Warfare Command), reaches a conclusion: "Evacuation of (BEF) troops without equipment …. is conceivable by means of large numbers of smaller vessels …. even from the open coast."

British Military: General Sir Edmund Ironside becomes Commander-in-chief of the Home Forces. Sir John Greer Dill replaces Ironside as Chief of the Imperial General Staff. While done politely, and with Ironside putting the best positive spin about it in his diary, there is an element of scapegoating for the disastrous course of the battle on the Continent. In addition, Ironside has proven undiplomatic with the French.

French Military: General Maxime Weygand issues Ordre Général d' Operation No. 1184 3/FT:

The battle on which the fate of the country depends will be fought without any idea of retreat, on the line which we hold today.

US/Latin American Relations: The US minister in Uruguay, Edwin Wilson, follows up on his previous report of undue German influence within the Uruguayan government. He reports by telegram to Secretary of State Cordell Hull that the Uruguayan government has had its police searching the homes and businesses of German nationals. Wilson states that the police are using "rough methods" and that tension is arising between the two governments as a result.

American Homefront: President Roosevelt gives his fireside chat "On National Defense." He emphasizes that the US has become more secure since his inauguration, and emphasizes:

There is nothing in our present emergency to justify a retreat from any of our social objectives.

German Homefront: Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, 33, son of Wilhelm, German Crown Prince, perishes of wounds sustained in France.

British Homefront: A national day of prayer for the troops is held in the UK. Westminster Abbey is packed.

A British officer examines a knocked-out German 88 mm anti-aircraft gun, May 26-29, 1940.

May 1940

May 1, 1940: British Leave Åndalsnes
May 2, 1940: British Depart Namsos
May 3, 1940: Many Norwegians Surrendering
May 4, 1940: Bader Returns
May 5, 1940: HMS Seal Survives
May 6, 1940: Allies Focus on Narvik
May 7, 1940: In The Name of God, Go!
May 8, 1940: Exit Chamberlain
May 9, 1940: Enter Churchill
May 10, 1940: Fall Gelb
May 11, 1940: Eben Emael Surrenders
May 12, 1940: Germans at Sedan
May 13, 1940: Rommel at Work
May 14, 1940: German Breakout in France
May 15, 1940: Holland Surrenders
May 16, 1940: Dash to the Channel
May 17, 1940: Germans Take Brussels
May 18, 1940: Germans Take Antwerp
May 19, 1940: Failed French Counterattack
May 20, 1940: Panzers on the Coast
May 21, 1940: Battle of Arras
May 22, 1940: Attacking Channel Ports
May 23, 1940: British Evacuate Boulogne
May 24, 1940: Hitler's Stop Order
May 25, 1940: Belgian Defenses Creaking
May 26, 1940: Operation Dynamo
May 27, 1940: King Leopold Surrenders 
May 28, 1940: The Allies Take Narvik
May 29, 1940: Lille Falls
May 30, 1940: Operation Fish
May 31, 1940: Peak Day for Dynamo

2020

Tuesday 30 April 1940

The "Clacton Heinkel" which crashes on 30 April 1940.

Norway: Hitler is pleased with the progress of Operation Weserubung and issues a congratulatory Order of the Day on 30 April 1940.

General Otto Ruge issues a somewhat different statement:

Allied forces are withdrawing from Romsdal and presumably Namsos. The situation has thus been changed. A military collapse is to be expected in Gudbrandsdalen, Romsdal and Trondelag. The Government and Army High Command are transferring to Northern Norway.

Norway Army Operations: The British at Andalsnes begin evacuating during the night. The British 15th Brigade at Dombås is given the order to retire after holding there all day against German attacks. The 15th leaves by train for Andalsnes, where they will be evacuated. At 17:00, cruisers HMS Manchester & Birmingham and destroyers HMS Inglefield, Diana and Delight, all under Vice-Admiral Layton, all depart Scapa Flow for this mission.

General de Wiart's troops at Namsos are also waiting to be evacuated by the destroyer force that is en route from Scapa Flow.

The Germans of the 196th Infantry Division occupy Dombås and make contact with German troops of the 359th Infantry Regiment south of Trondheim. They are on foot because they have had to leave their vehicles behind the bridges that the British demolished.

The Germans coming west from the Osterdal link up with their comrades at Dragset.

Narvik is the new focus of Allied operations in Norway. Norwegian 6th Infantry Brigade, 7th Infantry Brigade, and French 27th Demi-Brigade de Chasseurs are slowly advancing toward Narvik from the north.

The devastation caused by the Clacton-on-Sea Heinkel.

European Air Operations: During minelaying operations, a Heinkel He 111 which is carrying a magnetic mine is damaged by anti-aircraft. After trying to crash-land safely, it crashes into a suburban neighborhood at Clacton-on-Sea, Essex. It explodes and causes the deaths of the four-man crew, two civilians, 156 injured civilians, and the destruction of 50 houses.

The RAF bombs Stavanger and Oslo-Fornebu airfields overnight, and they also attack Aalborg airfield in Denmark. The RAF wants to minimize disruptions of the evacuations.

Two British aircraft carriers, HMS Ark Royal and Glorious, provide some air cover. The Luftwaffe goes out to attack them, and they are forced to retreat further off the coast.

Anti-submarine trawler HMS Warwickshire is sunk by the Luftwaffe off Trondheim.

Battle of the Atlantic: Monthly April 1940 shipping losses:

• 58 Allied Ships
• 158,218 tons
• 5 U-boats sunk

The Luftwaffe sinks Royal Navy anti-aircraft sloop Bittern off Namsos. Stukas dive-bomb it and set it on fire in the stern. There are 20 lives lost. A nearby destroyer, HMS Janus, rescues the crew and then torpedoes the flaming hulk. Admiral Forbes is being proved correct about the unwise decision of using ships to provide an anti-aircraft defense.

Royal Navy minesweeper HMS Dunoon hits a mine and sinks off Great Yarmouth near Smith's Knoll. There are 27 lives lost.

Kriegsmarine torpedo boat Leopard is involved in a collision in the Skagerrak and sinks.

French destroyer Maille Breze has two of its own torpedoes explode and destroy it in the Clyde. There are 25 deaths, 48 wounded.

Convoy OB 139 departs from Liverpool, Convoy SL 30 departs from Freetown, and Convoy HX 39 departs from Halifax.

Minesweeping trawler HMS Fir (J. W. H. Whitelaw) is commissioned.

US Military: The Norwegian tanker Willy catches fire in the Cooper River at Charleston, South Carolina. If allowed to burn, it could have destroyed the ship and the Charleston pier. The Commandant of the Sixth Naval District organizes a team that extinguishes the fire.

US/Italian Relations: President Roosevelt sends Mussolini a personal telegram that begins, "My dear Signor Mussolini."

High wind damage in the first block of Elliott Street in Chaffee, Mo., on the day after a tornado struck about 5:35 p.m. on April 30, 1940.

April 1940

April 1, 1940: Weserubung is a Go
April 2, 1940: British Subs On Alert
April 3, 1940: Churchill Consolidates Power
April 4, 1940: Missed the Bus
April 5, 1940: Mig-1 First Flight
April 6, 1940: Troops Sailing to Norway
April 7, 1940: Fleets At Sea
April 8, 1940: HMS Glowworm and Admiral Hipper
April 9, 1940: Invasion of Norway
April 10, 1940: First Battle of Narvik
April 11, 1940: Britain Takes the Faroes
April 12, 1940: Germans Consolidate in Norway
April 13, 1940: 2d Battle of Narvik
April 14, 1940: Battle of Dombås
April 15, 1940: British in Norway
April 16, 1940: Germans Cut Norway in Half
April 17, 1940: Trondheim the Target
April 18, 1940: Norway Declares War
April 19, 1940: Dombås Battle Ends
April 20, 1940: Germans Advancing in Norway
April 21, 1940: First US Military Casualty
April 22, 1940: First British Military Contact with Germans
April 23, 1940: British Retreating in Norway
April 24, 1940: British Bombard Narvik
April 25, 1940: Norwegian Air Battles
April 26, 1940: Norwegian Gold
April 27, 1940: Allies to Evacuate Norway
April 28, 1940: Prepared Piano
April 29, 1940: British at Bodo
April 30, 1940: Clacton-on-Sea Heinkel

May 1940

May 1, 1940: British Leave Åndalsnes
May 2, 1940: British Depart Namsos
May 3, 1940: Many Norwegians Surrendering
May 4, 1940: Bader Returns
May 5, 1940: HMS Seal Survives
May 6, 1940: Allies Focus on Narvik
May 7, 1940: In The Name of God, Go!
May 8, 1940: Exit Chamberlain
May 9, 1940: Enter Churchill
May 10, 1940: Fall Gelb
May 11, 1940: Eben Emael Surrenders
May 12, 1940: Germans at Sedan
May 13, 1940: Rommel at Work
May 14, 1940: German Breakout in France
May 15, 1940: Holland Surrenders
May 16, 1940: Dash to the Channel
May 17, 1940: Germans Take Brussels
May 18, 1940: Germans Take Antwerp
May 19, 1940: Failed French Counterattack
May 20, 1940: Panzers on the Coast
May 21, 1940: Battle of Arras
May 22, 1940: Attacking Channel Ports
May 23, 1940: British Evacuate Boulogne
May 24, 1940: Hitler's Stop Order
May 25, 1940: Belgian Defenses Creaking
May 26, 1940: Operation Dynamo
May 27, 1940: King Leopold Surrenders 
May 28, 1940: The Allies Take Narvik
May 29, 1940: Lille Falls
May 30, 1940: Operation Fish
May 31, 1940: Peak Day for Dynamo

2019

Wednesday 24 April 1940

The German hierarchy in Norway: Vidkun Quisling, Heinrich Himmler, Reichskommissar Josef Terboven, and military commander Generaloberst Nikolaus von Falkenhorst in 1941 (Bundesarchiv, Bild 101III-Moebius-029-12 / Möbius / CC-BY-SA 3.0).

Norway: The Germans, bypassing Quisling, on 24 April 1940 appoint Josef Antonius Heinrich Terboven as Reichskommissar or Gauleiter of Norway. Naturally, his authority ends at the range of German guns.

U.S. Naval Attaché Lt. Commander Ole E. Hagen, taking up where the deceased Robert E. Losey left off, escorts a party of American citizens evacuated from Oslo to the interior of Norway. Then, they cross into neutral Sweden and safety in Stockholm.

Norway Army Operations: German troops in eastern Norway advance past Lillehammer in the Osterdal and reach Rendal.

The British 15th Infantry Brigade (General Bernard Paget) lands at Andalsnes moves quickly to take up a blocking position at Kvam. The troops have been cooped up in the ships since the 15th.

The German 196th Infantry Division has crushed the British 148th Infantry Brigade, which, down to about 300 men, retires past the Paget's troops at Kvam to Otta. Otta is another key road junction in the chain of defiles that bisect Norway. The Germans are hot on the heels of the 148th Infantry Brigade and run into the fresh 15th Infantry Brigade.

At Hegra Fortress, the incessant German bombardment continues. Today, the Germans knock out the second and last of the 7.5 cm guns in the fortress, making it even less of a threat to the Germans. After this point, the Germans use an assortment of unusual or captured weaponry to gradually wear down this non-threatening nuisance.

At Narvik, the Norwegian 6th Brigade (General Carl Gustav Fleischer) attacks south towards Narvik at Gratangsbotn. The German mountain troops under General Dietl hold the attack at Lapphaug Pass. The crafty Germans circle back through an undefended pass near Gratangsbotn on Fjordbotneidet mountain and ambush the Norwegians, who have relaxed for the night. The Germans kill 34, wound 64, take 130 prisoners and set up a new position at Gratangsbotn, for casualties of their own of 9 dead and 16 wounded. The Germans at Narvik are elite troops, with high morale and well-led.

Norway Naval Operations: British battleship Warspite, which had been devastating during the Second Battle of Narvik, returns there with cruisers HMS Effingham, Enterprise and Aurora, and destroyer Zulu (they are screened by British destroyers HMS Encounter, Escort, Faulknor, Foxhound, Havock, Hero, Hostile and Polish destroyers Blyskawica and Grom). The battleship force, under the command of Admiral of the Fleet Lord Cork, once again boldly sails up the Ofotfjord and bombards Narvik again for three hours and point-blank range. HMS Effingham sinks captured British cargo ship Riverton at the dock.

However, the accompanying cruiser Vindictive, which is loaded with troops for a landing, does not land its troops after the commanding British army General cancels the landing. Here is where it gets controversial: despite the devastating firepower assembled, it is said that the flat trajectory of the ships' fire does not sufficiently eliminate the enemy according to the standard story.

Many thus later blame Cork for the failed invasion at Narvik, because he is an easy target who has been brought back off the retired list and has seniority over everybody else, so nobody dares to question him. However, the British are facing determined German troops who do not easily succumb. Both Cork - no pansy - and General Orrey in command of the ground troops actually go ashore, but they find that the snow makes the landing too difficult against mountain troops dug in all over the fjord. It is impossible to square the legend - that the fleet approached too close to town to destroy the defenders - with the reality that it was the ground commander who called off the invasion due to the weather conditions.

Three French destroyers in the Skagerrak battle German patrol boats and also fend off Luftwaffe attacks.

Narvik and surrounding hills aflame after the 24 April 1940 shelling.

European Air Operations: The RAF raids five Luftwaffe airfields which are supporting German ground operations in Norway: Aalborg, Kristiansand, Oslo, Stavanger, and Westerland on the island of Sylt. During the raid, the RAF sinks two German patrol boats north of Sylt. Luftwaffe fighters challenge the British bombers over Stavanger.

The RAF conducts armed reconnaissance over Trondheim Fjord.

HMS Glorious sends its cargo of 18 No. 263 Squadron Gloster Gladiators to frozen Lake Lesjaskogsvatnet, between Andalsnes and Dombås. The operation once again shows poor planning, as the lake base has no anti-aircraft support.

The Luftwaffe bombs Åndalsnes during the day. They badly damage the British anti-aircraft cruiser HMS Curacoa with a bomb that crashes through the deck in front of the bridge, explodes, and kills 45 men and wounds 36. The ship has to withdraw to Chatham.

Royal Navy aircraft carrier Ark Royal sends its Fleet Air Arm aircraft into battle against German fighters over Trondheim.

The Luftwaffe bombs Scapa Flow during the night. After dropping some bombs on land and machine-gunning a road, the RAF and anti-aircraft drive them off.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-23 spots British cruiser HMS York while it is steaming back to Scapa Flow after having deposited Paget's troops at Åndalsnes. Despite two attempts, the U-boat fails to hit the fast cruiser.

British freighters Stokesley and Rydal Forces hit mines in the English Channel and sink.

Convoy OA 135G departs from Southend, Convoy OB 134 departs from Liverpool, and Convoy OB 135 departs from Liverpool.

German armed auxiliary cruiser Orion sinks British freighter Haxby east of Bermuda.

HMS Griffin (H31).

Spy Stuff: Two British destroyers, HMS Griffin and Acheron, are on patrol in the North Sea when they stop a freighter for inspection off Andalsnes, about halfway between Bergen and Trondheim on the Norwegian coastline. The ship's captain claims that it is an ordinary Dutch trawler. The British boarding party from Griffin does a thorough inspection and finds that it is the disguised Kriegsmarine surface raider Schiff 26 - the Polares. It is trying to bring supplies to Narvik.

The German crew acts quickly and throws a weighted bag overboard. The British act even quicker and retrieve the bag before it sinks. It turns out to contain some of the German Enigma machine coding machine keys for the period 23–26 April, including the procedures for scrambling the rotors.

These are quickly sent to Bletchley Park, site of the Ultra decoding project. The cryptanalysts there use the information to program their "Bombe" electro-mechanical computers. The machines prove that they can decode German transmissions from this time period.

This is a clear breakthrough for the Ultra team. Now, they have proven that their system works. From this point on, the Royal Navy is tasked with finding new "cribs" such as the ones from the Polares to enhance their code-breaking. Ultimately, this enables the Bombes to break German codes even without recent cribs.

China: At Macao, the Japanese advance and force the police to retreat into the Portuguese colony.

American Homefront: Baseball legend Lou Gehrig makes what is believed to be his final dugout appearance during a Yankees game.

A huge fire in Natchez claims a hundred or more lives.

April 1940

April 1, 1940: Weserubung is a Go
April 2, 1940: British Subs On Alert
April 3, 1940: Churchill Consolidates Power
April 4, 1940: Missed the Bus
April 5, 1940: Mig-1 First Flight
April 6, 1940: Troops Sailing to Norway
April 7, 1940: Fleets At Sea
April 8, 1940: HMS Glowworm and Admiral Hipper
April 9, 1940: Invasion of Norway
April 10, 1940: First Battle of Narvik
April 11, 1940: Britain Takes the Faroes
April 12, 1940: Germans Consolidate in Norway
April 13, 1940: 2d Battle of Narvik
April 14, 1940: Battle of Dombås
April 15, 1940: British in Norway
April 16, 1940: Germans Cut Norway in Half
April 17, 1940: Trondheim the Target
April 18, 1940: Norway Declares War
April 19, 1940: Dombås Battle Ends
April 20, 1940: Germans Advancing in Norway
April 21, 1940: First US Military Casualty
April 22, 1940: First British Military Contact with Germans
April 23, 1940: British Retreating in Norway
April 24, 1940: British Bombard Narvik
April 25, 1940: Norwegian Air Battles
April 26, 1940: Norwegian Gold
April 27, 1940: Allies to Evacuate Norway
April 28, 1940: Prepared Piano
April 29, 1940: British at Bodo
April 30, 1940: Clacton-on-Sea Heinkel

2019