- April 4
- Quote by Adolf Hitler to Japanese Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsuoka: "... Germany would... prompty take part in case of a conflict between Japan and America...". [492.36]
- The Canadian federal cabinet introduces Order In Council PC 2385, The Merchant Seamen Order, giving authorities power to detain disobedient seamen from ships of any registry in Canadian ports. [27.18]
- Adolf Hitler issues Directive No. 27, ordering the destruction of the remaining Yugoslav forces, and the launching of a decisive attack against Anglo-Greek forces in northern Greece. [149.114]
- General Olof Thörnell, commander of Swedish forces, issues a report to government, stating that Sweden should prepare to participate in a war against the Soviet Union, for the sake of Finland, Sweden's future position, and prestige in northern Europe. [113.506]
- Benghazi falls to the Germans. [753.39]
- April 6
- (early) Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union sign a treaty of friendship, providing for "amicable relations" in the event of foreign attack. [47.200] [517.1793]
- (0500 hours) The first wave of German Stuka bombers cross into Yugoslavia, beginning a three-day bombardment of Belgrade. [47.200] [84.342] [149.113] [277.59] [508.1765,1770] [753.39]
- (just after dawn) The German 12th Army under Field Marshal List crosses from Bulgaria into the Macedonia area of Yugoslavia. [508.1770]
- German battle cruiser Gneisenau is hit by a torpedo from British Coastal Command aircraft in Brest Roads, sustaining extensive damage. [173.33]
- British forces capture Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from Italy. [166.354]
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- German forces invade Greece. [84.342] [149.113] [277.59] [813.249]
- (night) An ammunition ship in the Greek port of the Piraeus is hit by an air-raid, devastating the town. [508.1770]
- April 7
- A column of German 12th Army crosses Vardar river in Greece. [508.1770]
- The German 12th Army captures Skopje, Yugoslavia. [508.1770]
- German submarine U-124 torpedoes and sinks Canadian merchant ship Portadoc west of Sierra Leone in the Central Atlantic Ocean. [27.18]
- (evening) 229 British aircraft attack the Germany port of Kiel, temporarily halting submarine production. [84.80]
- April 8
- (0800 hours) German tanks enter Salonika. [508.1770]
- The French Foreign Legion seizes the Eritrean port of Massaouah from Italian occupation. [481.24]
- German 14th Corps under General von Kleist captures Nis, Yugoslavia. [508.1770]
- German forces break through the Metaxas Line in Greece. [508.1765]
- German General Erwin Rommel sends his main force to Mechili, attacking from east and west, forcing the surrender of British forces. [277.78]
- April 9
- The US signs agreement with an ambassador for the Danish king to assume temporary responsibility for the defence of Greenland. [822.144]
- April 10
- The German 2nd Army begins its main advance in Greece. [508.1765]
- In Washington, USA, a treaty is signed with the Danish government for the US to take over protection of Greenland. [416.E5] [575.12]
- (evening) British bombers score four hits on the German battle cruiser Gneisenau in Brest harbor, putting it out of action for several months. [84.81] [173.33]
- April 12
- The German government demands the Danish Government try Minister Henrik de Kaufmann for treason for negotiating the treaty with the United States for protection of Greenland, and to announce that the Danish government is not bound by the treaty. [575.12]
- April 13
- The Yugoslav capital of Belgrade is occupied by German forces. [149.113] (April 12 [508.1765])
- Japan and the Soviet Union sign a five-year non-aggression pact. [130.45] [166.303,354] [376.70] [405.517] [410.27] [444.570] [517.1793] (April 14 [492.37])
- April
- The Canadian merchant ship SS Nerissa is torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic. [117.11]
- Josef Stalin prepares the country for war with Germany, including partial mobilization, transferring forces from Siberia to the west, sending 28 rifle divisions and four armies to the border with Germany, and begins assembling a fifth army near Moscow. [277.90]
- The British Royal Navy parks a tanker and a support ship in Hvalfjord, Iceland, as a refuelling depot for convoy escort ships. [27.9]
- April 16
- (0220 hours) Near Kerkenah Islands in the Mediterranean, four British destroyers ambush a convoy of five merchant ships with three destroyers, sinking or setting all ships burning out-of-control within an hour. One British destroyer, the Mohawk is lost to two torpedoes. [377.68]
- April 17
- Yugoslavia signs an armistice with Germany. [47.200] [149.117] [166.330]
- April 19
- British Prime Minister Winston Churchill personally informs Josef Stalin of an impending German attack, based on "Ultra" intelligence intercepts. [277.90]
- April 20
- Greek armies on the Albanian front surrender to German forces. [149.117] [508.1765]
- April 21
- Adolf Hitler decides to attack Crete, to remove it as a base of British operations. Code name for the plan is Operation Mercury. [277.62]
- April 22
- Mainland Greece surrenders to Germany. [166.330] [508.1765]
- April 23
- Greece surrenders to Italy. [508.1770]
- April 24
- The Greek government surrenders to Germany. [149.32,117] (April 23 [166.354])
- April 25
- British forces begin an evacuation of Greece. [508.1765]
- Adolf Hitler issues Directive No. 28: Undertaking Mercury. Preparations are to be made to occupy the island of Crete. [149.117] [508.1765]
- April 26
- German forces capture Corinth, Greece. [508.1765]
- April 27
- By mid-day, German panzer tanks enter Athens, Greece. [277.60] [508.1765]
- April 28
- British Prime Minister Winston Churchill directs his Chiefs of Staff not to make any further enhancements of defence of Malaya and Singapore. [439.133]
- April 30
- The USA proposes to transfer part of the US Pacific fleet to the Atlantic Ocean. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill supports the move. [439.133]
- British Lieutenant General Bernard Cyril Freyberg takes command of 35,600 British, New Zealand, Australian, and Greek troops on Crete. [277.64]
- April (month)
- Allied and neutral shipping losses for the month: 664,000 tons. [84.80]
- May 1
- (evening) German planes begin several nights of bombing Liverpool, England. [238.5]
- May 2
- (0500 hours) British at Habbaniya, Iraq, launch an attack on Iraqis building up force outside the base. [740.22]
- May 3
- (to May 4) SS Malalkand is bombed in a 300 Luftwaffe bomber attack on Liverpool cargo of 1000 tonnes of bombs and shells explode over 74 hours. 57 vessels destroyed, half of port's shipping berths destroyed, entrance to dock blocked. [837.83]
- May 5
- Italians surrender in East Africa. [721.42]
- Haile Selassie returns to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to reclaim his throne. [381.12]
- Soviet military intelligence reports about 105 German divisions concentrated in the east, facing the Soviet Union. [135.16]
- Tokyo signals its embassy in Washington, warning that coded messages are being read by the Americans. (After an investigation, a reply on May 20 suggests that low-level messages amy be compromised, but not high-level diplomatic messages.) [376.70]
- British Defence Committee transfers control of operations in Iraq to the Middle East Command under General Sir Archibald Wavell. [740.23]
- May 6
- Josef Stalin replaces Molotov as prime minister (chairman of Council of People's Commissars). [277.90] [517.1793,1798]
- Iraqi forces outside British base at Habbaniya, Iraq, disperse. [740.22]
- British Chief of Imperial General Staff General Dill proposes to Winston Churchill that Britain abandon the Middle East, concentrating all armored forces in England against possible invasion. Churchill is opposed to the idea. [439.144]
- May 7
- French Deputy Premier Jean Darlan concludes a secret treaty with Germany, allowing German arms shipments across Syria to Iraq. [575.10]
- May 8
- British corvette HMS Aubretia and destroyers HMS Bulldog and HMS Broadway capture German submarine U-110 off Iceland. An Enigma encoding machine is captured, and captain Fritz-Julius Lemp (responsible for sinking passenger liner Athenia at start of war) is taken prisoner. [27.10] [493.60] [545.46] [617.37] (May 9 [798.40])
- (evening) British Bomber Command sends 359 aircraft against targets in the Hamburg-Bremen area of Germany. [84.342]
- (evening) German planes make a seventh consecutive night bombing of Liverpool, England. Over the seven days, 870 tonnes of high explosive and 112,000 incendiary bombs were dropped on the important port city. 4,000 residents died. [238.5]
- May 9
- A submarine torpedoes Newfoundland-registered merchant ship Esmond in the North Atlantic, in convoy OB-318. [27.18]
- A peace treaty is signed between Vichy France and Siam, granting large areas of Cambodia and Laos to Siam. [46.38]
- May 10
- (1745 hours) Rudolf Hess, Adolf Hitler's deputy, leaves Augsburg in a specially modified Messerschmitt-110, flies through the weakest section of British coastal radar, over an RAF base twice with no response, misses his landing spot and bails out over a farm south of Glasgow, breaks an ankle, and is captured by a farmer with a pitchfork. (Some evidence suggests that Hitler sent Hess to a pre-arranged meeting to negotiate peace in the west, before an attack could be launched against the Soviet Union.) [88.4] [376.56] [416.E5] [562.28] [802.44] [803.18]
- May 11
- A British force entering Iraq from Transjordan overruns the garrison at Rutbah, 90 miles inside border. [740.24]
- May 12
- A five-ship convoy of 295 tanks and 43 Hurricane fighter planes arrives at Alexandria from England, to aid in the defense of the Suez Canal. A sixth ship struck a mine in the Sicilian Narrows and sank. [277.110]
- May 13
- Four Soviet armies of the high command reserve are ordered to move from the interior to the Western and Kiev army groups. [331.833]
- May 15
- In North Africa, British General Sir Archibald Wavell launches Operation Brevity, sending 26 Matilda tanks with the 22nd Guards Brigade against enemy positions at Sollum and Halfaya Pass along the Libya-Egypt frontier. The operation is successful, taking Halfaya Pass with the loss of seven tanks. [277.110]
- At a diplomatic reception, a drunken Professor Karl Bömer, head of the Foreign Press Department, announces to diplomats and journalists that he was being promoted to Gauleiter of the Crimea, following the invasion of Russia on June 22. [376.54]
- Soviet Defence Commissar Marshal Timoshenko and Chief of General Staff Georgi Zhukov submit a plan to Premier Josef Stalin for a land force of 152 divisions and 3000-4000 aircraft to destroy 100 German divisions in a pre-emptive strike in southern Poland. Stalin recognizes a lack of preparation for war, and refuses to sanction this or a general mobilization. [135.16] [331.820,833]
- May
- British scientists begin intensive work on "Oboe", the code name for a system of wireless navigation and bombing. [84.155]
- At the chemical warfare research facility in Suffield, Alberta, Canada, metallic cadmium mixed with explosive RDX is test-fired in shells. If used against humans they would create harmless-looking smoke which would cause fibrosis of the lungs. [51.62]
- Adolf Hitler addresses the Reichstag in the Kroll Opera House in Berlin, Germany. Part of his address states "Germany can no longer be subjugated. She is so strong that no combination of Powers could ever successfully prevail against her.". [375.6]
- May 16
- Convoy HX-127 departs Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, destined for England. [733.14]
- May 17
- Adolf Hitler issues Directive No. 29, noting that the defence of Greek territory will be an Italian responsibility. [149.117]
- May 18
- A British force entering Iraq from Transjordan arrives at Habbaniya. [740.24]
- May 19
- The German battleship Bismarck departs from Gdynia (Poland) to head for the North Atlantic with the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen. [112.629] [173.34]
- Fallujah, Iraq, falls to British forces. [740.24]
- Soviet NKGB agent Richard Sorge in Japan warns Josef Stalin that nine German armies with 150 divisions are preparing for war with the Soviet Union. Stalin rejects the credibility of the information. [376.54]
- May 20
- (just after dawn) Operation Mercury is launched, as German gliders and 7th Airborne Division paratroopers land near principal airports on Crete, with the mission of securing them for transport of 5th Division troops. Many gliders crash, and many paratroopers are shot in the air. [78.261] [149.122] [166.354] [277.65] [508.1765,1772] [813.249]
- A submarine torpedoes Newfoundland-registered merchant ship Rothermere in the North Atlantic, in convoy HX-126. 22 die. [27.18]
- Japan's embassy in Washington, USA, replies to Tokyo that while its low-level coded messages may be compromised, its high-level diplomatic messages are secure. [376.70]
- (afternoon) More German paratroopers land on Crete, east of Rethimnon and around Iraklion. Losses are higher than the first wave, with half of the troops killed in the air or in early ground fighting. [277.67]
- Swedish cruiser Gotland sights Bismarck and Prinz Eugen in Skagerrak. [173.34]
- (about 2100 hours) British Admiralty is first alerted by an agent in Sweden of the sighting of German battleship Bismarck and heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen travelling north through Danish waters. [29.85] [112.629] [173.34]
- May 21
- (by dawn) Allied forces withdraw from Maleme airfield on Crete. [508.1772]
- (0900 hours) The heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen stops at Bergen, Norway, to refuel; the battleship Bismarck does not. [173.34] (about 1800 hours [112.629])
- (morning) On Crete, German transport planes begin landing at airport near Maleme. [277.67]
- (afternoon) On Crete, several companies of German paratroopers land near Maleme airport. [277.67] [508.1765]
- (late afternoon) On Crete, German 5th Mountain Division troops begin landing at the Maleme airport. [277.67]
- British ships sink most of 25 small vessels north of Crete carrying heavy weapons and some 5th Mountain Division troops. [277.67]
- (at dusk) Operation Rheinübung begins, as German battleship Bismarck and heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen head out to the Atlantic Ocean. [147.55] [173.34]
- May 22
- (0052 hours) British battle cruiser Hood, battleship Prince of Wales, and six destroyers leave Scapa Flow off Scotland, to join the Norfolk and Suffolk cruisers in the Denmark Strait. [173.35]
- (about 0300 hours) The battleship Bismarck and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen leave Norwegian waters, heading north-west around Britain. [112.629]
- British ships attack a convoy of small ships carrying men and supplies to Crete. German Stuka dive-bombers destroy three cruisers and six destroyers, damaging thirteen other ships, including two battleships and the only aircraft-carrier in the Mediterranean fleet. [277.68]
- May 23
- Adolf Hitler issues Directive No. 30: Middle East. Hitler orders support of Iraq against British forces. [149.122]
- (1200 hours) The battleship Bismarck and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen enter the Denmark Strait. [173.35]
- (1922 hours) British cruisers Norfolk and Suffolk sight the battleship Bismarck and heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen in the Denmark Strait between Iceland minefields and pack-ice of Greenland. Bismarck opens fire on the Norfolk, which escapes. The British trail the German ships with the help of radar. [112.628] [173.34]
- May 24
- (0247 hours) Cruiser Suffolk regains sight of the Bismarck. [173.40]
- (0535 hours) British warships Hood and Prince of Wales sight the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen. [112.628] [173.40]
- (0552 hours) The Hood opens fire on the Bismarck. [173.40]
- (about 0552 hours) The Bismarck and Prinz Eugen fire on the Hood. The second shot from the Prinz Eugen hits the upper deck, setting anti-aircraft ammunition on fire. [173.40]
- (0601 hours) The fifth shot from the Bismarck hits the Hood, penetrating the deck to the main ammunition magazine and explodes, destroying the ship. Only three of a crew of 1422 survive. [112.628] [173.40] [846.24]
- The Prince of Wales scores a hit on the bow of Bismarck, causing over 1000 tons of fuel forward of the damage to be unavailable. [112.628] [173.40]
- The Bismarck and the Prinz Eugen hit the Prince of Wales, which then withdraws back to the Norfolk and Suffolk. [173.40]
- (about 1800 hours) The battleship Bismarck and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen split up, the Prinz Eugen continuing into the North Atlantic, and the Bismarck heading for St.-Nazaire, France, for repairs. [112.628]
- (2200 hours) British carrier Victorious arrives at about 100 miles from Bismarck, in place to launch an air attack. [173.40]
- (2210 hours) Vctorious launches nine Swordfish biplanes to attempt to torpedo the Bismarck. [173.40]
- (about 2400 hours) Eight Swordfish biplanes from the Victorious attack the Bismarck with torpedoes, scoring one hit amidships, but doing little damage. [112.628] [173.41]
- May 25
- (about 0100) The Bismarck and the Prince of Wales exchange a few shots at a range of ten miles, neither scoring a hit. [173.41]
- (0306 hours) Cruiser Suffolk loses contact with the Bismarck. [173.34]
- German forces launch a full-scale attack on Crete, capturing Galatas temporarily. [508.1765,1772]
- May 26
- (about 0600 hours) A reconnaissance plane from Northern Ireland spots the Bismarck. [112.628]
- (1036 hours) A Royal Air Force Coastal Command Catalina flying boat out of Loch Erne sights the Bismarck. [173.34,42]
- (1430 hours) British carrier Ark Royal arrives within fifty miles of the Bismarck, ready to launch aerial torpedo attacks. [173.42]
- Fourteen Swordfish planes from the Ark Royal launch torpedoes on a ship which turns out to be the British cruiser Sheffield. All torpedoes miss or detonate early. [173.42]
- (1915 hours) British carrier Ark Royal launches 15 Fairey Swordfish torpedo-bomber floatplanes against the Bismarck. [106.16] [112.628] [147.55] [173.43]
- (2035 hours) Swordfish planes from Ark Royal contact the Sheffield, receiving visual signal of the position of the Bismarck. [173.43]
- Swordfish planes launch torpedo attacks on the Bismarck. Two hits are scored, one knocking out the steering gear, jamming the rudder at 15 degrees to port. Another torpedo strikes amidships, doing little damage. [106.16] [112.628] [147.55] [173.43]
- (evening) Crete commander Major General Bernard Freyberg of New Zealand reports by radio to Cairo, Egypt, that his forces can no longer hold the island. (An evacuation of 17,000 British and Greek troops soon begins.) [78.262] [149.33,122]
- May 27
- (morning) British ships knock out the Bismarck's fire control system, then the main turrets. [112.628] [173.46]
- (1000 hours) All main armament guns of the Bismarck are out of commission. [173.47]
- (about 1000 hours) Commander of the Bismarck orders the ship scuttled. [112.628]
- (1010 hours) All secondary armament guns of the Bismarck are out of commission. [173.47]
- (about 1020 hours) British destroyer Dorsetshire strikes the Bismarck with three torpedoes, two starboard, one port. [173.47]
- (1040 hours) The German battleship Bismarck sinks, either from British shells and torpedoes, or from the German sailors scuttling it. 115 survive from a crew of over 2200. [106.16] [112.628] [173.34,47]
- In North Africa, German General Erwin Rommel launches a counterattack on Halfaya Pass, recapturing it. [277.111]
- On Crete, German forces reach Khania. [277.68]
- US President Franklin Roosevelt declares an unlimited state of national emergency. [416.E5]
- US President Franklin Roosevelt orders 25,000 US troops readied to sail for the Portuguese Azores within a month. [38.91] [166.338]
- General Archibald Wavell authorizes the evacuation of Crete. [508.1765]
- May
- Josef Stalin calls up 800,000 reserve forces. [277.90]
- May 28
- On Crete, German forces occupy Suda Bay. [277.68]
- (night) British ships evacuate 3500 British and Greek troops from Iraklion, Crete. (A further 13,000 are rescued over four nights from Khora Sfakion.) [277.69] [508.1773]
- May 29
- (early) The British Royal Navy evacuates the garrison at Heraklion, Crete. [508.1773]
- May 30
- British forces reach Baghdad, Iraq, forcing Prime Minister Rashid Ali and the grand mufti to flee to Persia. [149.125] [740.24]
- May 31
- (about 0010 hours) German planes unintentionally drop bombs on Dublin, Ireland. Their target was Belfast, but British radar defense distorted their direction-finding beam to change their course. [38.161] [656.2]
- In convoy HX-127 from Canada to England, merchant ship Gravelines is torpedoed and half sunk; 11 die. [733.15]
- Commodore L.W. Murray of the Royal Canadian Navy is appointed commander of the Newfoundland Escort Force. [1.6]
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