The battle at Kvam is concluded. The British 15th Brigade fell back 3 kilometers to Kjorem after their supplies were destroyed by a full day of bombing from the Germans, who had complete air superiority. London began seriously considering a complete withdrawal from Norway.
At 5:30 AM, the Germans commenced an intense artillery and machine gun barrage on the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. The Germans then commenced a series of infantry attacks against the left flank held by “C” company of the York and Lancaster Regiment. These attacks were all beaten off.
At 9:00 a.m., the Germans continued to attack the left flank of the British. This time they moved further up the steep hillside to the farmstead called Hillingen seter. Here they were met by three brave Norwegian soldiers, who though outnumbered, fought them off, losing their lives in the process. At 11:00 a.m., the Germans renewed their attack, and now had air support, as well as increased artillery, to bomb the village of Kvam. They began to have some success infiltrating the British lines.
Around 1:00 p.m., the Germans brought tanks down the road toward “B” and “C” companies of the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry in front of the village. The British had three of their 25 mm Hotchkiss anti-tank guns positioned to defend the road; however, a light road block had been created across the road using tree branches. These tree branches prevented any of the anti-tanks guns from finding their targets. According to Plevy, Captain A.F. McRiggs crossed the road twice, fully exposed to machine gun fire from the German positions, to remove the debris from the road. Just as he finished, a bullet hit him in the shoulder, but one anti-tank gun could now see the tank.
Corporal Stokes of the York and Lancaster Regiment was in command of the third Hotchkiss gun beside the road at the back of the village. He could now see the tank and with his first shot he stopped the tank. His second shot set it on fire and left it at the side of the road. Moments later a second tank came up the road. Stokes waited until it was immediately beside the first tank, and he destroyed it with two shots in exactly the same way he stopped the first. Then the Germans sent an armored car rapidly down the road, and when it came between the two tanks, Corporal Stokes knocked it out with one shot. The three disabled vehicles now blocked the road. Corporal Stokes realized that his Hotchkiss gun was about to become a prime target, so he pulled his crew away from the position just before the Germans destroyed it. Stokes and his crew now became infantrymen.
Around 4:00 PM, the British were in danger of being flanked on the left, but a company from the York and Lancaster battalion managed to hold them off. Then a company of 40 Norwegian skiers came down from high on the slopes above the battle. These Norwegian ski troops under the command of Paul Jørgenvåg opened fire on the Germans from a long distance up on the valley side. Although the fire had little effect from that distance, the Germans were forced to retreat because of their exposed position.
Unfortunately the situation was deteriorating and at 5:00 PM, General Paget issued orders for Kvam to be abandoned at 11:00 PM and the companies were to retreat behind new positions at Kjørem approximately 4–5 km further north, where companies from the York and Lancaster Regiment and the Green Howards had set up a new defensive position. At 6:00 PM, the Germans gained full control of the island in the Lågen. German artillery began to fire phosphorus shells into the forests where several British companies were in position, and the resulting forest fires forced the British to escape. Still the British held until ordered to retreat by General Paget.
The battle in Kvam on 25 and 26 April 1940 was the hardest in southern and central Norway. 1st Battalion King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry and 1st Battalion York and Lancaster had 54 soldiers killed. In addition, three Norwegian soldiers and three Norwegian civilians were killed in Kvam.
The three civilians killed included a Dane, Søren Sørensen, who was staying on the Svarthaugen farm. When he saw that the farm was burning, he went down to save the farm animals. After the battle, he was found near the railway line with three bullets through the head. The other civilian was Petter Klomstad at Kjestad farm. He had seen the farm on fire and he ran to help a 92 year old bed-ridden woman on the farm. When some grenades began exploding, he ran into the barn for shelter. When he ran out of the barn, he was killed by shrapnel from a grenade. Later in the day, 70-year-old Mari Bakken returned to her house to pick up more clothes. Her son found her in the courtyard the following morning with a bullet through her heart.
The retreating British fought another delaying action at Kjørem on 27 April, and another at Otta on 28 April. After this action, fought mainly by the 1st Green Howards, the British were able to break contact with the Germans. “Sickleforce” would be evacuated from Aandalsnes by 31 April.
The gold reserves of the Norges Bank (Bank of Norway) had been in Oslo at the beginning of the war, then taken to Lillehammer. There it had to stay until the end of the Battle of Dombås. Once the Fallschirmjäger company there led by Oblt. Herbert Schmidt surrendered on 19 April, the path was clear to get it out of the country. The gold, contained in 820 large boxes and 725 smaller crates, was sent by train via Dombås to the British base at Åndalsnes during the afternoon of the 19th, arriving at the port late in the evening.
While the whole shipment weighs 49 tons, it is to be shipped beginning on 26 April 1940 in smaller chunks to minimize the risk of loss. The first chunk, 8 tons, is loaded onto the cruiser HMS Galatea on the night of 25/26 April and shipped to England. With it goes Norwegian Director of Shipping Oyvind Lorentzen, who is to arrange for the Norwegian merchant fleet to be placed at the Allies’ disposal.
The British War Cabinet, unlike the Supreme Allied War Council, is facing reality. It contemplates evacuating Namsos and Åndalsnes. General de Wiart agrees and declines the offer of additional troops: “in case of evacuation, this would complicate matters.” Everyone starts thinking about evacuation, and it becomes the common wisdom that all that is left to do is arrange an orderly evacuation.
The Germans enter Voss after the Luftwaffe devastated it.
Rations, medical supplies, and specialist personnel reach besieged German forces at Narvik by railroad via neutral Sweden.
Satisfied with the progress in Norway, Adolf Hitler ordered his generals to resume planning for the invasion of France.
Gladiator biplanes based out of Stetnesmoen, Norway intercepted a group of German He 111 bombers, downing one of them; this RAF unit would run out of fuel and ammunition by the end of this engagement, however. Adolf Hitler, unhappy that the British 15th Brigade was able to land in Norway without German interference, ordered Åndalsnes, Norway to be bombed the entire day; part of the British 15th Brigade’s supplies were destroyed by the bombing while they continued to hold their line against attacks by the German 196th Division at Kvam, 172 kilometers from Åndalsnes. In the evening, the British 15th Brigade fell back 3 kilometers to form a new line at Kjorem.
RAF Wellingtons bomb Stavanger aerodrome and fjord, while six Whitleys search Oslo Fjord attacking oil tanks and a refinery at Vallo and Grisebu. A ship of 5,000 tons is hit.
The unescorted Danish steam merchant Lily was torpedoed and sunk by the U-13, commanded by Max-Martin Schulte, north of Scotland in the northern Atlantic Ocean. Lily (Master O.P. Sørensen) was struck on port side between the bridge and forward mast by one G7a torpedo from U-13 while steaming at 8 knots in a calm sea about 11 miles southeast of Sule Skerry, Orkney Islands. At 0028, the Lily had been hit by one torpedo from U-13, but it did not detonate. At 0117, another torpedo was fired which struck at the bow and broke off the forecastle, causing the ship to sink within 45 seconds. All of the ship’s complement of 24 died. The 1,281 ton Lily was carrying china clay and was bound for Preston, England.
The Royal Norwegian Navy Draug-class destroyer HNoMS Garm was bombed and sunk in Sognefjord by Luftwaffe aircraft. The Norwegian Draug-class destroyer Garm was sunk by German bomber planes. She was sunk by a direct hit from Luftwaffe bombers while anchored near her sister ship Troll at their Sognefjord base of Bjordal. Five German bombers attacked the two destroyers and one of the around thirty bombs dropped hit Garm right behind the front funnel, detonating two of her torpedoes and some other ammunition. The ship was almost broken in half by the explosion and burned for hours before sinking. All members of the crew had abandoned ship when the attack came as she had no effective anti-aircraft weapons to defend herself with, hence no casualties were endured during Garm’s sinking.
The Kriegsmarine auxiliary patrol boat Schiff 37 (requisitioned trawler Schleswig), disguised as a Dutch vessel, was shelled and sunk west of Ålesund, Norway (62°37’N 4°00’E) by the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Birmingham.
The Kriegsmarine auxiliary patrol boat Schiff 26 (requisitioned trawler Julius Pickenpack) was captured by destroyer HMS Griffin in 62 37N, 04 00E at 0955. Destroyer Griffin put a boarding party under the command of Lt J.A.J. Dennis aboard the trawler and the trawler was taken to Scapa Flow, arriving on the 28th. Trawler Julius Pickenpack had the name Polaris painted on her counter. This deception caused confusion upon the identity of this trawler for many years.
With only six serviceable aircraft, the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Furious, which had been off Norway since 11 April, left her station and set course for the Clyde. Destroyers HMS Delight, HMS Diana, and HMS Imperial of her escort were detached for Scapa Flow at 1800/27th and arrived at 1900/28th.
HMS Glorious and HMS Ark Royal continue air strikes on German positions in Norway
Sloop HMS Flamingo, out of ammunition, was relieved at 1900 by sloop HMS Black Swan on her arrival at 1900 as anti-aircraft guard ship at Åndalsnes. Sloop Flamingo departed Åndalsnes at 2100 for Scapa Flow.
U-17 rescued four survivors of the crashed German aircraft BV 138 and then sank the wreck with gunfire.
Submarine HMS Narwhal departed Blyth on minelaying mission FD.6 in Aalbeck Bight.
Destroyers HMS Somali, HMS Mashona, and HMS Tartar departed Leith at 2200 with troopships Ulster Monarch and Ulster Prince for Åndalsnes. At 0043/27th, they were ordered to Scapa Flow to await orders. They arrived at 1700/27th.
Steamer Cree (4791grt), astern of convoy FS.54,was damaged on a mine laid on 2 April by German minesweeper Schiff 11 in 52-53N, 02-19E. The steamer was towed to Yarmouth.
French convoy FS.1 departed Brest escorted by French destroyers Cyclone and Mistral on the 16th, Greenock on the 20th, escorted by destroyers Brestois and Boulonnais, arrived at Scapa Flow at 0700/22nd. The convoy departed Scapa Flow on the 23rd at 0700, French convoy FS.1, composed of French freighters Saumur (2955grt), Amienois (3713grt), Cap Blanc (3317grt) and escorted by French destroyers Boulonnais and Brestois and destroyer Matabele, arrived at Namsos at 2030/27th. The convoy disembarked its cargo of stores and ammunition for the troops ashore. Destroyers Brestois and Boulonnais escorted steamers Amienois and Saumur departing Namsos on the 29th with 840 French troops. They arrived Scapa Flow at 1200 on 2 May. Destroyer Matabele and steamer Cap Blanc arrived at Scapa Flow at 0700 on 2 May.
On the Western Front during last night there were a number of artillery actions in the vicinity of the Saar River, it was reported today. During the day both artilleries continued active and there were several clashes between first line elements. The French evening communiqué said: The enemy made a raid on one of our outposts, which, after a short skirmish, finally remained in our hands.”
With the recent news of higher taxes and other higher government fees in Great Britain, the public begins quietly re-allocating its resources. Prices of UK antiques are up dramatically since September, and the current joke is that foreign collectors “hope to buy up Britain cheap before Hitler gets it.” Likewise, UK silver, art, rare books and gems are in great demand; fearful of wartime taxation and inflation, the rich are buying small, portable, concealable wealth rather than keeping their wealth in cash assets which can be taxed or seized.
Under the heading “Budget Delusions,” The Economist, leading financial weekly, owned by Sir Walter T. Layton, Opposition Liberal, makes an uninhibited attack today on the budget presented by Sir John Simon, Chancellor of the Exchequer. The budget is criticized as being “too weak” and underestimating the cost of fighting the war.
A special Parliamentary committee surveying Britain’s war costs reported today “a serious bottleneck” in aircraft production in the matter of manufacture of machine tools. The report also criticized “the great excess of cost over estimate” in prewar construction of factories, camps and airdromes. The committee said a shortage of skilled machinists in the aircraft industry gradually was becoming worse because of expansion of the industry and the diversion of skilled personnel to other works. Is said that “highly skilled men are being enticed away by offers of abnormal remuneration in less skilled jobs,” often in airplane factories themselves instead of in tool and machine making shops. A similar situation often occurs in arms or ordnance factories, the committee report said.
An Anglo-Swiss trade agreement is achieved. The Germans have been extremely respectful of Swiss neutrality so far, just as in World War I. A notable feature of the Anglo-French-Swiss accord, signed in Paris and Berne today, consists in the way in which France and Britain have cooperated to offer concessions that one of these nations would not have been able to provide alone.
Belgian King Leopold refused to accept the Pierlot Cabinet’s resignation today and requested the Ministers to remain in power. In a letter to Premier Hubert Pierlot he said: “I would be acting against the country’s interests if I accepted the government’s resignation at a time when a Senate vote has just shown our foreign policy has the almost unanimous support of the nation. This is no time for ministerial crises on purely internal grounds.”
A manifesto distributed in Ljubljana, Yugoslavia, by Slovene Nationalists, in which Germany and Italy are attacked, is prominently and indignantly displayed in today’s Giornalo d’Italia.
The Rumanian political amnesty decreed by the King last night has created a great sensation in the capital of Bucharest. It was expected that an amnesty would be made on the tenth anniversary of King Carol’s return to Rumania, June 8, but there was no suspicion that there would be one now. The government declares the reason for it is the fact that the present critical times necessitate complete internal unity. The amnesty applies to those condemned for most of the political crimes committed after the Act for the Protection of Internal Order was decreed on April 15, 1938. The offenses to which it refers are, first of all, those committed by the Iron Guard, but it also takes in those committed by Communists. The law was brought in during the premiership of Armand Galinescu and was directed against the opponents of the Rumanian Front, primarily the Iron Guard.
Convoy MT.60 departed Methil, escorted by destroyer HMS Woolston and armed patrol trawler HMS Breda. The convoy arrived in the Tyne later that day.
Convoy FS.156 departed the Tyne, escorted by destroyer HMS Woolston and armed patrol trawler HMS Breda.
Convoy OG.27 was formed from convoys OA.135G, which departed Southend on the 24th, escorted by destroyer HMS Vivacious and sloop HMS Folkestone, OB.135G, which departed Liverpool on the 24th, escorted by sloops HMS Fowey and HMS Deptford, of fifty one ships. Sloop Folkestone escorted the convoy on the 26th. Sloop Fowey and destroyer Vivacious escorted the convoy from 26 April. Sloop Fowey was damaged in a minor collision on the 24th, as her convoy section was setting out. Destroyer HMS Venetia stood by to assist, but sloop Fowey was able to proceed with the convoy. On 26 April, destroyer Vivacious departed the convoy to join convoy HG.27 and on the 27th, sloop Fowey joined the HG.27 convoy. Sloop Deptford escorted the convoy on 26 and 27 April. French sloop Chevreuil and auxiliary patrol vessel Mercedita escorted the convoy from 27 April to 3 May. The convoy arrived at Gibraltar on 3 May.
Convoy OB.137 departed Liverpool escorted by destroyer HMS Vimy from 26 to 29 April, when she was detached to convoy HX.36.
Convoy HG.28F departed Gibraltar with forty ships. The convoy was escorted by French sloop Annamite and auxiliary patrol vessel Viking from 26 April to 2 May. Sloop HMS Scarborough and destroyer HMS Versatile escorted the convoy from 2 to 5 May. The convoy arrived at Liverpool on 5 May.
Convoy HX.38 departed Halifax at 1000 escorted by Canadian destroyers HMCS Saguenay and HMCS Skeena, which were detached on the 27th. The ocean escort was the armed merchant cruiser HMS Ascania, which was detached on 8 May. French submarine Ajax was to have sailed on the 24th to escort the convoy, but defects with an air compressor cancelled the sailing. Destroyers HMS Walpole and HMS Wessex escorted the convoy from 10 to 12 May, when the convoy arrived at Liverpool.
The War at Sea, Friday, 26 April 1940 (naval-history.net)
Submarine NARWHAL departed Blyth on minelaying mission FD.6 in Aalbeck Bight.
Submarines SEAWOLF and SHARK arrived at Harwich after patrols.
Submarine CLYDE arrived at Rosyth to replace damaged submarine TRUANT in Operation KNIFE.
Destroyer GRAFTON and Polish destroyer ORP BURZA departed Scapa Flow at 0200 with oiler BOARDALE (8334grt), steamers HERON (2374grt) and BALTEAKO (1328grt) for the Narvik area. Steamer HERON was carrying 400 depth charges for the destroyers at Narvik. The convoy arrived safely, but on the 30th, oiler BOARDALE was lost after running aground in Assundfjord in 68-43N, 14-24.5E near Harstad. Destroyer CODRINGTON at 1241/30th was ordered to assist oiler BOARDALE. Steamers HERON and BALTEAKO with destroyers GRAFTON and BURZA arrived in Vestfjord on 1 May. Tanker INVERARDER, escorted by destroyers CODRINGTON and ESCAPADE, was to have pumped the oil out of BOARDALE, but BOARDALE caught fire and was lost before INVERARDER arrived.
Destroyer JUPITER departed Scapa Flow at 0600 for Lerwick with dynamo spares for damaged destroyer ECLIPSE. Destroyer JUPITER then escorted base ship MANCHESTER CITY departing Kirkwall at 1800/26th for the Tyne.
The British force consisting of heavy cruiser YORK, light cruisers MANCHESTER and BIRMINGHAM, destroyers ACHERON, ARROW, and GRIFFIN encountered German U-boat supply ships Schiff 26 (trawler JULIUS PICKENPACK: 394grt) and Schiff 37 (trawler SCHLESWIG: 433grt) off Moldefjord. Both German ships were on a supply mission and were flying the Dutch flag in disguise. Destroyer ARROW was proceeding independently from Romdalsfjord to Scapa. As destroyer ARROW tried to capture trawler SCHLESWIG, the trawler rammed and lightly damaged destroyer ARROW. The trawler then was taken under fire by light cruiser BIRMINGHAM and sunk in 63 00N, 04 19E.No survivors were located. After SCHLESWIG was sunk, the other destroyers searched for other trawlers. Trawler JULIUS PICKENPACK was captured by destroyer GRIFFIN in 62 37N, 04 00E at 0955. Destroyer GRIFFIN put a boarding party under the command of Lt J.A.J. Dennis aboard the trawler and the trawler was taken to Scapa Flow, arriving on the 28th. Trawler JULIUS PICKENPACK had the name POLARIS painted on her counter. This deception caused confusion upon the identity of this trawler for many years. Destroyer ARROW proceeded to Scapa Flow with destroyer ACHERON and arrived at 0600/27th. Destroyer ARROW departed 1630/27th for Middlesborough for repairs escorted by destroyers HAVOCK and HOSTILE. Destroyer ARROW, repairs completed, departed Middlesbrough on 13 May to return to Scapa Flow. She arrived at Scapa Flow at 0730 on 14 May.
Destroyer ACHERON departed Scapa Flow at 1200/27th and arrived in the Clyde at 1300/28th.
With only six serviceable aircraft, aircraft carrier FURIOUS, which had been off Norway since 11 April, left her station and set course for the Clyde. Destroyers DELIGHT, DIANA, and IMPERIAL of her escort were detached for Scapa Flow at 1800/27th and arrived at 1900/28th.
Aircraft carrier FURIOUS arrived at 0700/29th in the Clyde escorted by destroyers IMOGEN, ISIS, and ILEX.
Destroyer BROKE departed Scapa Flow at 0800 for repairs at Devonport.
Troopship FRANCONIA (20,175grt), proceeding unescorted from Narvik to the Clyde, was attacked by a German submarine at 0105 in 59 48N, 5 59W. Destroyers JANUS and ANTELOPE were sent to assist. However, when it was found FRANCONIA escaped damaged, the destroyers were recalled to Scapa Flow at 0545.
Destroyer ANTELOPE, French destroyer FOUDROYANT, armed merchant cruiser VILLE D’ORAN departed Scapa Flow 1700 for Liverpool, arriving 2015/27th.
Sloop FLAMINGO, out of ammunition, was relieved at 1900 by sloop BLACK SWAN on her arrival at 1900 as anti-aircraft guard ship at Aandalsnes.
Sloop FLAMINGO departed Aandalsnes at 2100 for Scapa Flow.
French convoy FS.1 departed Brest escorted by French destroyers CYCLONE and MISTRAL on the 16th, Greenock on the 20th, escorted by destroyers BRESTOIS and BOULONNAIS, arrived at Scapa Flow at 0700/22nd. The convoy departed Scapa Flow on the 23rd at 0700, French convoy FS.1, composed of French freighters SAUMUR (2955grt), AMIENOIS (3713grt), and CAP BLANC (3317grt) and escorted by French destroyers BOULONNAIS and BRESTOIS and destroyer MATABELE, arrived at Namsos at 2030/27th. The convoy disembarked its cargo of stores and ammunition for the troops ashore. Destroyers BRESTOIS and BOULONNAIS escorted steamers AMIENOIS and SAUMUR departing Namsos on the 29th with 840 French troops. They arrived Scapa Flow at 1200 on 2 May. Destroyer MATABELE and steamer CAP BLANC arrived at Scapa Flow at 0700 on 2 May.
Destroyers SOMALI, MASHONA, and TARTAR departed Leith at 2200 with troopships ULSTER MONARCH and ULSTER PRINCE for Aandalsnes. At 0043/27th, they were ordered to Scapa Flow to await orders. They arrived at 1700/27th.
Destroyers IVANHOE, ICARUS, and IMPULSIVE departed Immingham at 2100/26th and arrived at Scapa Flow at 1900/27th.
Destroyer JACKAL, JAVELIN, WITCH, and CAMPBELL were held in readiness at Scapa Flow to proceed at 2100 to intercept an unknown warship. This warship was found to be Norwegian destroyer HNoMS SLEIPNER when she arrived at Lerwick. Destroyer SLEIPNER departed Lerwick at 0900/27th and arrived Scapa Flow at 1700/27th.
Anti-submarine trawler BLACKFLY of the 12th Anti-Submarine Group was damaged in a collision as she was departing Skelfjord with the rest of the Group for Molde. The trawler returned to Skelfjord. Trawler BLACKFLY was further damaged on 4 May when she ran aground at Skelfjord.
Convoy MT.60 departed Methil, escorted by destroyer WOOLSTON and armed patrol trawler BREDA. The convoy arrived in the Tyne later that day.
Convoy FS.156 departed the Tyne, escorted by destroyer WOOLSTON and armed patrol trawler BREDA. The convoy arrived at Southend on the 28th. Convoy FS.157 was cancelled.
Steamer CREE (4791grt), astern of convoy FS.54, was damaged on a mine laid on 2 April by German minesweeper Schiff 11 in 52-53N, 02-19E. The steamer was towed to Yarmouth.
Mine destructor ships BORDE and CORFIELD were engaged in Operation MNS 2 on 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 April.
U-13 attacked a steamer west of Pentland Firth, but torpedo defects prevented any damage being done.
U-17 rescued a downed German aircrew seventy miles southeast of the Shetlands. The seaplane was then destroyed by the submarine.
Norwegian torpedo boat HNoMS GARM was sunk by German bombing at Bjordal in Sognefjord, north of Bergen. None of the crew were killed in the bombing as they were able to abandon ship when they spotted the German planes coming to attack.
After a loop crossing in St Margaret’s Bay, destroyer BOADICEA was dispatched to join destroyer KEITH on patrol. Two French anti-submarine trawlers were at sea in the area. Trawler L’ORIENTAISE dropped depth charges which exploded depth charges on sunken trawler PERIDOT. Tugs were dispatched to assist the French trawler. The loop crossings were later found to be British dan laying yachts.
Convoy OG.27 was formed from convoys OA.135G, which departed Southend on the 24th, escorted by destroyer VIVACIOUS and sloop FOLKESTONE, OB.135G, which departed Liverpool on the 24th, escorted by sloops FOWEY and DEPTFORD, of fifty one ships. Sloop FOLKESTONE escorted the convoy on the 26th. Sloop FOWEY and destroyer VIVACIOUS escorted the convoy from 26 April. Sloop FOWEY was damaged in a minor collision on the 24th, as her convoy section was setting out. Destroyer VENETIA stood by to assist, but sloop FOWEY was able to proceed with the convoy. On 26 April, destroyer VIVACIOUS departed the convoy to join convoy HG.27 and on the 27th, sloop FOWEY joined the HG.27 convoy. Sloop DEPTFORD escorted the convoy on 26 and 27 April. French sloop CHEVREUIL and auxiliary patrol vessel MERCEDITA escorted the convoy from 27 April to 3 May. The convoy arrived at Gibraltar on 3 May.
Convoy OB.137 departed Liverpool escorted by destroyer VIMY fro 26 to 29 April, when she was detached to convoy HX.36.
Steamer HIGHLAND PATRIOT (14,172grt) ran aground off East Knock John Buoy. The steamer was refloated later on the 26th.
Following Halifax escort duties, battleship MALAYA arrived at Gibraltar escorted by destroyers VELOX and VORTIGERN.
Convoy HG.28F departed Gibraltar with forty ships. The convoy was escorted by French sloop ANNAMITE and auxiliary patrol vessel VIKING from 26 April to 2 May. Sloop SCARBOROUGH and destroyer VERSATILE escorted the convoy from 2 to 5 May. The convoy arrived at Liverpool on 5 May.
French submarine LE TONNANT, escorted by patrol vessel RAVIGNAN arrived from Casablanca at Gibraltar. The submarine had departed Dakar called at Casablanca departing 25 April. The submarine departed Gibraltar 28 April and arrived at Bizerte on 1 May, escorted by sloop YSER. The patrol vessel returned to Casablanca. Submarines NAUTILUS and SAPHIR, escorted by sloop YSER, arrived at Gibraltar from Brest. The submarines departed Gibraltar on the 28th and arrived at Bizerte on 1 May, escorted by sloop YSER.
Convoy HX.38 departed Halifax at 1000 escorted by Canadian destroyers HMCS SAGUENAY and HMCS SKEENA, which were detached on the 27th. The ocean escort was Armed merchant cruiser ASCANIA, which was detached on 8 May. French submarine AJAX was to have sailed on the 24th to escort the convoy, but defects with an air compressor cancelled the sailing. Destroyers WALPOLE and WESSEX escorted the convoy from 10 to 12 May, when the convoy arrived at Liverpool.
The Senate in Washington passed and returned to the House the $1,025,057,170 Labor-Federal Security Appropriation Bill, and adjourned at 5:39 PM until Monday noon.
The House continued debate on Wages and Hours amendments, and adjourned at 5:47 PM until Monday noon.
The State Department announced the conclusion of two months of discussions of the effects of Allied war policies on American economy with official experts from London and Paris.
The U.S. House of Representatives continued general debate today on amendments to the wage-hour law. A preliminary skirmish over rules had shown revisionists out-voting New Deal supporters, 233 to 141. Advocates of change in existing wage-hour standards, and some of those opposed to revision, agreed that the vote by which the House agreed late yesterday to take up three pending wage-hour bills was a fair indication that it would pass one of the measures by about the same margin. Plans for Congressional adjournment by June 1, however, made action by .the Senate doubtful. As the House began considering proposed amendments affecting some white collar workers and processors of agricultural commodities, the special House committee investigating the National Labor Relations board resumed hearings. House sentiment toward the wage-hour law is expected to be reflected early next month in house votes on proposed changes in the Wagner Labor Relations Act.
The economy movement in the Senate suffered another blow today with adoption of a bill appropriating $1,025,057,170 for the Labor Department and the Federal Security Agency.
The principal battle to defeat President Roosevelt’s third and fourth reorganization orders will be fought in the Senate, according to the understanding at the Capitol today, the House withholding action until the result in the Senate is known.
President Roosevelt devoted the last afternoon of his Spring vacation to an inspection tour of Pine Mountain Valley Homesteads, a rural resettle ment project which was begun in early New Deal days and which now boasts 182 farm families.
A showdown between President Roosevelt and Vice President Garner for the Texas delegation appeared inevi table today as third-term drafters, led by Secretary Ickes, indicated their determination to force the issue.
The issue that will face the voters next Fall is not a question of whether a Republican or a Democrat should be in the White House but a question “of whether we’ll have peace or war,” Frank E. Gannett, newspaper publisher and candidate for the Republican Presidential nomination, asserted.
President John L. Lewis of the C.I.O. made a direct appeal tonight for support of the nation’s Blacks in his threatened third party movement by demanding elimination of poll taxes and enactment of federal anti-lynching legislation.
The Dies committee announced today it is issuing a subpoena for Michael Quill, president of the Transport Workers Union (C.I.O.), who requested “full and immediate right” to reply to Communism charges by his predecessor, Thomas O’Shea. Robert E. Stripling, committee secretary, said that Qulll was being notified of the issuance of a subpoena and that a hearing date would be fixed as soon as possible. Quill described O Shea’s testimony as a “series of unfounded and lying slanders.” In asking for a hearing, Quill revealed that he had asked Dies for “the same American right to be heard in 1938 in answer to the same slanderous charges made then.
Mapes Davidson of Orange, New Jersey, former trial examiner for the National Labor Relations Board, charged today before the House committee investigating the NLRB that Frank Bloom, assistant chief trial examiner of the board, repeatedly sought to have him change a decision so as to favor a member of the Congress of Industrial Organizations. The House committee, headed by Representative Smith, resumed its sessions today.
Assurances have been given by the British and French Governments in conversations just concluded by their economic representatives in Washington, D.C. that they will do what they feel they can, in view of the necessities of their war problems, to diminish inconveniences caused to the United States by the Allies’ contraband control measures.
Ships of the United States fleet did not venture out of the Hawaiian group of islands (a string 1,200 miles long) during Fleet Problem 21, which came to a close this morning with the arrival of nine men-of-war at Pearl Harbor, Admiral Richardson, fleet commander in chief, said today. While declining to describe the exact boundaries of the war game exercises, the admiral did comment that the maneuvers involved more steaming than he had seen in any others in the Pacific area. He revealed, however, that patrol planes from the Naval Air Station at Pearl Harbor had taken part in advance base operations at Johnston Island and French Frigate Shoals. New advance bases at Midway, Palmyra and Wake were not utilized. Complete satisfaction was expressed by Admiral Richardson with the performances of officers, men and ships under high pressure. He asserted the new type destroyers on which there had been criticism that they were top-heavy had proved themselves entirely satisfactory in what at times was heavy sea weather, so bad that two destroyers were withdrawn from the maneuvers and sent to Pearl Harbor for minor repairs to bent plates.
The heavy cruiser USS Houston is scheduled to go to an Orient station in August, replacing the heavy cruiser USS Augusta. Eighteen destroyers will depart with the fleet when it sails homeward May 9. These are the Mahan, Lamson, Flusser, Drayton, Phelps, Dewey, Hull, Macdonough, Worden, Aylwin, Dale, Farragut, Monaghan, Porter, Cushing, Perkins, Preston, and Smith. Other destroyers will be sent here to replace them and keep the Hawaiian detachment at present strength. More than forty ships of the base force and train entered the harbor Wednesday and Thursday and last night staged a striking searchlight review, steaming slowly past Diamond Head and off to the west with every available searchlight flashing first in rhythmic patterns and then individually for nearly an hour. The display was watched by 100,000 spectators.
Henry Cauthon, Ku Klux Klansman who took part in a terror campaign against Blacks and Whites in an Atlanta suburb, faced the maximum penalty for a misdemeanor today one year on the chain gang plus six months in jail. He also must pay a $1,000 fine. Cauthon was the first of 12 Klansmen indicted for the terror to be tried. He was found guilty by a jury on one count of assault and battery representing one flogging. Sixteen counts were dismissed. He was convicted of flogging P. S. Toncy, an organizer for the Congress of Industrial Organization’s Textile Workers union.
The strike of American Federation of Labor teamsters at the World’s Fair was settled on the basis of a compromise formula proposed by Mayor La Guardia. Resumption of normal deliveries after a two-day shutdown ended the possibility that the strike might delay the opening of some exhibits.
Major League Baseball:
Yankee Red Rolfe has nine assists at third base against Boston, but the Red Sox win 8–1.
Thornton (Lefty) Lee plagued his former teammates again today, hurling four-hit ball while the White Sox battered Johnny Allen of the Indians for an 11–1 victory.
At Philadelphia, Freddie Fitzsimmons shuts out the Phils, 6–0, as the Dodgers move to a 6–0 record atop the National League. Cookie Lavagetto hits a 7th-inning grand slam to give Fitz a comfortable margin.
Joe Bowman Jr., who had just returned from his father’s funeral in Kansas City, clouted a ball 400 feet into the right-field stands today for a home run with two mates on base to give the Pirates a lead that led to a 10–4 triumph over the Cardinals.
At Wrigley, the Cubs score 5 in the 1st inning, 4 on a grand slam by Swish Nicholson off Junior Thompson, as Chicago defeats the Reds, 6–2.
The Giants send slow-footed slugger Zeke Bonura back to the Senators for pitcher Rene Monteagudo and $20,000.
New York Yankees 1, Boston Red Sox 8
Cincinnati Reds 2, Chicago Cubs 6
Chicago White Sox 11, Cleveland Indians 1
Boston Bees 3, New York Giants 5
Brooklyn Dodgers 6, Philadelphia Phillies 0
St. Louis Cardinals 4, Pittsburgh Pirates 10
Philadelphia Athletics 6, Washington Senators 8
Both Chinese and Japanese claimed smashing successes in scattered battle actions today. Japanese spokesmen said their forces were “crashing forward leaving behind them a trail of Chinese dead and wounded” at Kaifeng, the Honan capital, from which the Chinese claimed Wednesday to have driven the Japanese after a twenty-two-month occupation. Japanese headquarters in Shanghai asserted that their forces in Shansi were “slaughtering Chinese right and left” and had “shattered the cream of Chiang Kai-shek’s army,” of whom 25,000 were said to be dead and the remainder in full flight.
The Chinese reported in dispatches today they had seized the outer defense posts about Nanchang and virtually isolated the Japanese-held capital of Kiangsi Province. The Chinese said they had won control of the area around Kaoping, in Southeastern Shansi Province. The Japanese were reported to be in full flight northward after suffering heavy losses. In Southwestern Anhwei Province the Chinese reported they were successfully withstanding a southwestward Japanese thrust from Wuhu and had recaptured several Japanese-occupied townships.
Japanese planes again have bombed the Mengtze and Kaiyuan sections of the French-controlled Yunnan railway, it was announced in Kunning today. The railway line was “slightly damaged,” the announcement said.
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 147.73 (-0.83)
Born:
Stone Johnson, United States Olympic sprinter and AFL pre-season kick returner and running back (Kansas City Chiefs), in Dallas, Texas (d. 1963). On August 30, 1963, the rookie Johnson, a 200-meter track finalist in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome and former world record holder, suffered a fractured vertebra in his neck in a preseason game against the Houston Oilers in Wichita, Kansas during a kickoff return. He died 10 days later, on September 8, at the age of 23. Although he was only on the team’s active roster during preseason, his jersey number 33 was retired.
Tom Adams, NFL wide receiver (Minnesota Vikings), in Keewatin, Minnesota.
Jerry Fowler, AFL tackle (Houston Oilers), in Shreveport, Louisiana (d. 2009).
John Buck Wilkin, American singer-songwriter and session musician (Ronny & the Daytonas – “GTO”), in Tulsa, Oklahoma (d. 2024).
Giorgio Moroder, record producer, songwriter, and film score composer (“Cat People”; “Top Gun”), in Urtijëi, Italy.
Died:
Carl Bosch, 65, German chemist, engineer and Nobel laureate (1931).
Naval Construction:
The Royal Navy Bar-class boom defense vessel HMS Barmill (Z 67) is laid down by the Blyth Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. Ltd. (Blyth, U.K.).
The U.S. Navy 70-foot Elco patrol motor torpedo boat USS PT-14 is laid down by the Electric Launch Company Ltd. (Elco), (Bayonne, New Jersey, U.S.A.).
The U.S. Navy Navajo-class fleet tug USS Cherokee (AT-66) is commissioned. Her first commanding officer is Lieutenant Commander Paul Leicester Ford Weaver, USN.
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