Remembering History by day WW2

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From: SeaWaves Magazine

April 11th 1940


1940 - Shipping in the Kattegat is bombed by RAF squadrons 10 Sqn. Six a/c. One returned U/S, one bombed ship without result. 51 Sqn Five a/c. One bombed ship without result. 77 Sqn. Six a/c. One returned U/S. No ships sighted. One FTR. 102 Sqn. Six a/c. One bombed and destroyed an 8,000 ton ammunition ship
1940 - Returning from the Oslo landings, pocket battleship Lutzow is torpedoed and badly damaged by submarine HMS Spearfish in the Skagerrak
1940 - HMS Penelope is damaged when she runs aground in Vestfjord on her way into Narvik
1940 - Both HMS Ark Royal and HMS Glorious arrive independently at Malta, and then depart for Gibraltar escorted by the destroyers HMAS Stuart, HMS Bulldog, Westcott & Wishard
1940 - RAF reconnaissance reports having placed Admiral Hipper in Trondheim on 10 April, plans were drawn up for HMS Furious' squadrons to make a dawn torpedo attack on Trondheim and sink the foe. This was to be the first aerial torpedo attack of the war to date. All 18 aircraft were to participate, 816 Squadron being led by Lieutenant-Commander Henry Horace Gardner, RN and 818 Squadron by Lieutenant-Commander Patrick George Osric Sydney-Turner, RN. Takeoff commenced at 0400, with the entire force taking its departure at 0419, the squadrons proceeding independently to attack from different directions. Climbing to 8,000 feet enroute, 816 Squadron sighted Trondheim Fjord at 0514, the roads being entirely obscured in cloud. Hoping to surprise the foe, the formation commenced a diving attack at 0519. Emerging from the clouds at 3,000 feet, the cruiser was nowhere to be seen, having "flown the coup" the prior evening. Flying towards Skjoren Fjord, the Squadron sighted a destroyer that appeared to be at anchor and opted for her. In actuality the target was Theodore Riedel, which had run fast aground the day before. 816's attack commencing at 0522, all nine aircraft making good drops on the stationary target. But to their horror, about 500 yards from the target, all the torpedo tracks ended, four of the nine exploding. Not equipped with proper maps, the attackers had not realized that the target was aground in shoal water. Meanwhile, 818 Squadron sighted another Maass-class destroyer in Trondheimfjord heading towards the harbor. Unknown to the British, this was Friedrich Eckholdt, returning after her unsuccessful attempt to sortie home with the Hipper. In any case, eight of the nine attackers were able to release their "kippers" on her. Two exploded prematurely, the other six being skillfully avoided. It was a very disheartened band that returned to the ship at 0630. Later that morning, Furious dispatched a two Swordfish of 816 Squadron on an armed reconnaissance over Trondheim harbor. After completing the main task, they opted to dive bomb Reidel, apparently still aground in Skjoren Fjord at 1220. Unfortunately, all the six bombs dropped fell wide of the mark. Both aircraft returned safely at 1345
1940 - Corvette HMS Arrowhead laid down Sorel PQ
1940 - Corvette HMCS Wetaskiwin (ex-Banff) laid down Vancouver BC
1940 - U-435 laid down
1940 - U-5 encountered a British submarine & fired one torpedo without success
1940 - U-7 set out a landing party to occupy the Norwegian lighthouse Marstein
1940 - Submarine HMS Spearfish torpedoes & damages German pocket battleship Lützow putting her out of action for about a year
1940 - On her way into Narvik to support the attack of British destroyers, Light cruiser HMS Penelope ran aground off Fleinver in the Vestfjord and was badly damaged. She was towed clear by the HMS Eskimo

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From: SeaWaves Magazine

April 11th 1941


1941 - President Roosevelt tells Churchill that the US Navy will extend the American Defensive Zone to 26 degrees West. The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden are no longer war zones. This means that US ships can now dock in Egypt
1941 - Under American pressure Admiral Darlan agrees not to move the battlecruiser Dunkerque from Oran to dry dock in Toulon lest it should fall into German hands
1941 - The German Navy investigates and concludes that none of their submarines are in the vicinity at the time of USS Niblack's attack. The US Navy's conclusion is that Niblack has depth-charged a false contact
1941 - Bangor-class minesweepers HMCS Kenora, For William, Milltown, Kentville, Mulgrave ordered
1941 - Destroyer HMS Blankney commissioned
1941 - Corvette FS Commandant Drogou (ex-HMS Chrysanthemum) launched
1941 - SS Aegeon sunk by U-124 at 06.55N, 15.38W

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From: SeaWaves Magazine

April 11th 1942


1942 - USS Trout torpedoes a Japanese fleet tanker west of Shionomisaki, Japan
1942 - Escort carrier HMS Ravager laid down
1942 - Destroyer HMAS Quickmatch launched
1942 - Minesweeper USS Bond laid down
1942 - Destroyers USS Hailey & Hazelwood laid down
1942 - Light fleet carrier USS Langley laid down
1942 - Submarine USS Grunion commissioned
1942 - Destroyers USS Chevalier & Gansevoort launched
1942 - Minesweeper USS Starling launched
1942 - Destroyer HMS Kingston damaged by aircraft in Valletta at Malta while in dry dock. She rolled over and became a constructive total loss.
1942 - ASW trawler HMS St Cathan lent to the United States Navy in February 1942. Sunk in a collision with the Dutch merchantman Hebe off Little River, South Carolina
1942 - U-446 launched
1942 - At 0422, the unescorted Gulfamerica on her maiden voyage was hit by one torpedo from U-123 about five miles off Jacksonville, Florida. Illuminated by the lights of the Jacksonville Beach resort, the tanker had stopped steaming a zigzag course only 20 minutes before the attack. The torpedo struck at the #7 tank on the starboard side and caused a tremendous explosion and fire. The master ordered the engines stopped and the ship abandoned as the radio operator sent distress calls. The armed guards manned the 4in after gun (the ship was also armed with two .50cal guns), but did not fire on the U-boat. The eight officers, 33 crewmen and seven armed guards began abandon ship in an orderly manner, but then U-123 tried to bring down the radio antenna with the AA gun and fired about 12 shells from the deck gun into the engine room on the port side. In the resulting confusion, a lifeboat capsized, while another with the master and ten crewmen got away in ten minutes. Ten minutes later another boat with only three men left and three others abandoned ship on a liferaft, later they picked up two men from the water. Five men had been killed by the torpedo blast or the machine gun fire and 14 men drowned after jumping overboard. A total of two officers, two armed guards and 15 crewmen perished. The survivors were all rescued by US Coast Guard patrol boats and taken to Mayport, Florida. The tanker settled by the stern with about a 40° list to starboard but did not sink until 16 April
1942 - At 1855, the unescorted Grenanger was torpedoed and sunk by gunfire by U-130
1942 - SS Ulysses sunk by U-160 at 34.23N, 75.35W
1942 - At 1320, the unarmed Harry F Sinclair Jr was torpedoed by U-203 7 miles south of Cape Lookout, while steaming on a zigzag course at 13.5 knots with USS Herbert & a USCG boat as escort off the port quarter. A torpedo struck on the port side under the pump room between the #4 and #5 tanks. The explosion immediately created a blazing inferno amidships and the crew of eight officers and 28 crewmen left the ship in three lifeboats and one raft, but the men in one of the lifeboats perished in the flames. Neither the radio operator nor any of the deck officers survived, a total of four officers (including the master) and six crewmen died. The survivors in the lifeboats were picked up about two hours later by armed trawler HMS Hertfordshire & the destroyer rescued the two men on the raft. All survivors landed in Morehead City, North Carolina. On 15 April, armed trawler HMS Senateur Durhamel towed the burned out Harry F Sinclair Jr into Morehead City. She was eventually towed to Baltimore, arriving on 24 June, where the ship was repaired and returned to service in 1943 as Annibal

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From: SeaWaves Magazine

April 11th 1943


1943 - HMAS Pirie, a minesweeper, and the British vessel Hanyang bound from Milne Bay to Oro Bay were attacked by a large force of enemy planes. Pirie fought back and brought down one of the attacking planes. She sustained a direct hit from a bomb, which tore through the bridge structure and exploded near the forward gun. Seven crewmembers were killed. The Hanyang was also damaged during the attack and had three fatal causalities
1943 - USS Branch, commissioned as HMS Beverley on 8 Oct. 1940, part of the destroyers-for-bases deal, is sunk. Beverley was torpedoed by U-188 was sunk with the loss of all but four of the ship's company of 152
1943 - Two US armed freighters are sunk by German submarines U-195 and U-615 in the North Atlantic
1943 - Corvette HMCS Summerside arrived Saint John NB for refit
1943 - U-615 was slightly damaged by debris, when the Liberty ship Edward B. Dudley exploded after being hit by a coup de grâce from a distance of 800 meters. The commander was wounded and the U-boat was forced to return to base
1943 - At 0549, U-188 fired a torpedo at Convoy ON-176 SW of Iceland and observed a hit on a tanker after 1 minute 34 seconds, which finally sank after 45 minutes with a broken back. At 0550, two torpedoes were fired and after 1 minute 58 seconds and 2 minutes 11 seconds hits on two ships were heard. At 0552 again two torpedoes were fired, which hit a fourth ship after 1 minute 58 seconds and began to settle by the bow. However, Allied records indicate that only destroyer HMS Beverley was hit and sunk at that time. There were only 4 survivors out of a crew of 155
1943 - The new 37mm anti-aircraft cannon on U-181 exploded in action while on patrol in the South Atlantic killing one man and wounding two more. [Matrosengefreiter Wilhelm Williger]
1943 - At 1540, the Matt W. Ransom on her maiden voyage in station #32 of Convoy UGS-6A was struck under the #1 hold by two mines laid on 10 April by U-117 off Casablanca. The explosions threw water 100 feet in the air, causing holds #1 and #3 to flood within one hour. The keel was broken, steam lines were severed and other equipment was damaged. The crew of eight officers, 26 crewmen, 28 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in, one 3in and eight 20mm guns) and two passengers abandoned ship in six lifeboats after 25 minutes because they misinterpreted the order of the master to go for their abandon ship stations. One boat swamped because the men mishandled the falls. The men in the lifeboats were picked up by the American submarine chasers USS PC-481 and USS PC-471 and landed at Casablanca. The master and six men later reboarded the ship, got her under way and took her into Casablanca six hours later, where temporary repairs were made until 20 September. Then she left for Gibraltar for further repairs, arriving the next day. On 7 November, the Liberty ship left with convoy GUS-20 for New York, arriving there on 25 November
1943 - The unescorted Empire Whimbrel was torpedoed & sunk by U-181 about 420 miles SW of Freetown. The U-boat reported the vessel under her old name Monasses. The master, 45 crewmembers and seven gunners were picked up by destroyers HMS Wolverine & Witch and landed at Freetown
1943 - At 2041, the James W. Denver was hit by one of three torpedoes fired by U-195 about 475 miles west of Las Palmas, Canary Islands. The ship straggled on her maiden voyage from the convoy UGS-7 due to overheated engine bearings and was proceeding alone on a straggler route at 11 knots. The torpedo was spotted by the coxswain when it was 40 yards from the ship, but it struck on the starboard side between the #2 and #3 holds before evasive maneuvers were taken. The engines were secured and the ship took a heavy list and settled by the head, bringing the propeller out of the water. 20 minutes after the hit the eight officers, 34 crewmen, 26 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in and nine 20mm guns) and one passenger (US Army security officer) abandoned ship in five lifeboats. A motorboat capsized during launching and threw 18 men into the sea, but they all get into other boats. The master stayed on board for an hour and later stayed with his lifeboat in the vicinity of the sinking until the next morning. The other four boats set together sail for the African coast, but became separated during the second night. The U-boat fired hours a coup de grâce at 2207, which missed. The vessel was sunk by another coup de grâce at 0120on 12 April. Six crewmembers and five armed guards in a boat were picked up after seven days by the Spanish SS Cabo Huertas and landed at Las Palmas on 21 April. Another boat with 15 survivors was picked up in 22°42N/35°05W by the Spanish steam merchant Campana after 13 days and landed at Aruba on 3 May. On 6 May, the master and 13 men landed about 90 miles north of Port Etienne, Rio de Oro. These men might have died there on the desert, but a British patrol aircraft spotted them after three days, which dropped food and medical supplies to them. They were picked up the following day by submarine chasers PC-2040 & PC-1041 and landed at Port Etienne on 11 May. After 23 days at sea, another eleven survivors were rescued by the Portuguese steam fishing trawler Albufeira in 21°55N/17°10W and landed at Lisbon on 10 May, but the second engineer died of exposure and was buried at sea. The remaining 18 survivors in the last boat were rescued after 35 days by the Spanish sailing vessel Juan near Belle Nassent and taken to La Aguerrio, Rio de Oro, but an oiler later died in a hospital at Gibraltar
1943 - At 0022 & 0024, U-593 fired four single torpedoes at two ships in a small convoy consisting of four steamers and three escorts about 60 miles northeast of Bardia and observed a hit amidships on the first ship which broke in two and sank and saw a hit on the second. However, the only ship hit was the Runo. 16 crewmembers were lost. The master, 15 crewmembers and five gunners were rescued and landed at Alexandria on 13 April
1943 - At 2228, the Ingerfire was torpedoed by U-613 and sank within one minute about 400 miles east of Newfoundland. The ship had lost Convoy ONS-2 in stormy weather and was proceeding as romper ahead of the convoy. Six Norwegian and two British crewmembers were lost. The survivors were picked up by HMCS St Croix & Camrose early in the afternoon of 12 April

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From: SeaWaves Magazine

April 11th 1944


1944 - A USN PB4Y-1 Liberator of VB-108 based on Eniwetok attacks an enemy submarine while on patrol, claiming a sinking. This was undoubtedly HIJMS I-174, which departed on 3 April 1944 from the Inland Sea of Japan for the Marshall Islands. It failed to answer when called 11 Apr 44
1944 - USS Redfin sinks Japanese destroyer HIJMS Akigumo in the eastern entrance to Basilan Strait in the Philippines
1944 - Destroyer escort USS Pratt laid down
1944 - Minesweeper HMAS Junee commissioned
1944 - Sloop INS Hind commissioned
1944 - Destroyer escort USS Fieberling commissioned
1944 - Destroyer escorts USS Delbert W Halsey & Mack launched
1944 - Escort carrier USS Lunga Point launched
1944 - Boom defense vessels HMS Precapt & Baron launched
1944 - Minesweeping trawler HMS Hermetray launched
1944 - During an air raid on Stettin 5 men from U-803 were killed
1944 - Destroyer escort USS Holder irreparably damaged by German Aircraft off Algiers 11 April 1944. Stricken 23 September 23 1944. Parts used to repair USS Menges. Hulk sold on 20 June 1947 and broken up for scrap
1944 - U-2323 laid down
1944 - U-362 was attacked by an RN Martlet aircraft in the Arctic Sea, and damaged so badly that she had to return to base
1944 - On U-802, an accident required the amputation of a crewmember's finger
1944 - On U-1061 a lookout broke his leg during heavy weather
1944 - U-108 sunk at Stettin, by bombs; raised; taken out of service at Stettin 17 Jul, 1944; scuttled there 24 Apr 1945

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From: SeaWaves Magazine

April 11th 1945


1945 - Sabang in the Indian Ocean is shelled by Admiral Walker's British Eastern Fleet. Battleships HMS Queen Elizabeth and FS Richelieu are part of this fleet
1945 - USS Missouri & Enterprise are damaged by Kamikaze attacks off Okinawa along with USS Kidd, Samuel S. Miles and an LCS(L). Bombs damage Essex & Hale. Strafing damages USS Black & Hank
1945 - USS Parche sinks an auxiliary minesweeper off Todogasaki, Japan
1945 - USS Spadefish sinks an auxiliary minesweeper off Tokckok-Kundo, Japan
1945 - RAF Liberator G.R. Mk VIs of No. 203 Squadron based at Kankesanturai, Ceylon, sink a submarine chaser and an auxiliary netlayer in the Andaman Sea in the Bay of Bengal
1945 - A mine sinks an auxiliary submarine chaser off Futaoi-Jima, Shimonoseki, Japan
1945 - Six crewmembers of frigate HMCS Strathadam killed after premature Hedgehog explosion
1945 - Frigate HMCS St Thomas departed Londonderry to refit Halifax NS
1945 - U-2368 commissioned
1945 - U-486 had to abort patrol when her Schnorchel failed

[Peter Clare]

1945 : President Roosevelt dies


Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the longest serving president in American history, dies of a cerebral hemorrhage three months into his fourth term.
In 1932, at the height of the Great Depression, Governor Roosevelt of New York was elected the 32nd president of the United States. In his inaugural address in March 1933, President Roosevelt promised Americans that "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" and outlined his "New Deal"--an expansion of the federal government as an instrument of employment opportunity and welfare. Although criticized by the business community, Roosevelt's progressive legislation improved America's economic climate, and in 1936 he swept to re-election.
During his second term, he became increasingly concerned with German and Japanese aggression and so began a long campaign to awaken America from its isolationist slumber. In 1940, with World War II raging in Europe and the Pacific, Roosevelt agreed to run for an unprecedented third term. Re-elected by Americans who valued his strong leadership, he proved a highly effective commander in chief during World War II. Under Roosevelt's guidance, America became, in his own words, the "great arsenal of democracy" and succeeded in shifting the balance of power in World War II firmly in the Allies' favor. In 1944, with the war not yet won, he was re-elected to a fourth term.
Three months after his inauguration, while resting at his retreat in Warm Springs, Georgia, Roosevelt died of a massive cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 63. Following a solemn parade of his coffin through the streets of the nation's capital, his body was buried in a family plot in Hyde Park, New York. Millions of Americans mourned the death of the man who led the United States through two of the greatest crises of the 20th century: the Great Depression and World War II. Roosevelt's unparalleled 13 years as president led to the passing of the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which limited future presidents to a maximum of two consecutive elected terms in office.

[Peter Clare]

1897 : Frederick William Winterbotham, one of Britain's top code breakers, is born


Winterbotham, a British secret service official who would play a decisive role in the World War II Ultra code-breaking project, is born on this day in 1897.
A graduate of Oxford and trained in law, Winterbotham had been a pilot with the Royal Flying Corps in World War I before joining the British secret service (MI-6) in 1929 as chief of air intelligence. In 1938, Winterbotham and MI-6 colleagues learned of a German encrypting device called Enigma. By 1940, British experts broke Enigma's code, enabling MI-6 to intercept top secret and highly sensitive messages (even from Hitler himself) transmitted to and between German armed forces. Winterbotham was given the responsibility of distributing the German data, code-named Ultra, to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, among others. This data proved invaluable to the Allies as a strategic tool in anticipating and undermining Axis military operations, from the Battle of Britain to Normandy.
Winterbotham was made a Commander of the British Empire in 1943 and was awarded the Legion of Merit in 1945. He died in Blandford, Dorset, in 1990.

[Peter Clare]

1897 : Frederick William Winterbotham, one of Britain's top code breakers, is born


Winterbotham, a British secret service official who would play a decisive role in the World War II Ultra code-breaking project, is born on this day in 1897.
A graduate of Oxford and trained in law, Winterbotham had been a pilot with the Royal Flying Corps in World War I before joining the British secret service (MI-6) in 1929 as chief of air intelligence. In 1938, Winterbotham and MI-6 colleagues learned of a German encrypting device called Enigma. By 1940, British experts broke Enigma's code, enabling MI-6 to intercept top secret and highly sensitive messages (even from Hitler himself) transmitted to and between German armed forces. Winterbotham was given the responsibility of distributing the German data, code-named Ultra, to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, among others. This data proved invaluable to the Allies as a strategic tool in anticipating and undermining Axis military operations, from the Battle of Britain to Normandy.
Winterbotham was made a Commander of the British Empire in 1943 and was awarded the Legion of Merit in 1945. He died in Blandford, Dorset, in 1990.

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Seems he found the secret of longevity as well!