World War II Database

• Home
• » Events
• » WW2 Timeline
• » 3 Apr 1942

• German submarine U-552 sank US collier David H. Atwater with her deck gun 10 miles off Chincoteague Inlet, Virginia, United States at 0340 hours; 24 were killed, 3 survived. German submarine U-754 sank US freighter Otho 150 kilometers east of Hampton Roads, Virginia, United States, killing 31 of 53 aboard. In the South Atlantic, German raider Thor forced the crew of Norwegian ship Aust to abandon ship and sank her with gunfire. At 2331 hours, U-505 sank US ship West Irmo 200 miles off Ivory Coast, French West Africa; 10 were killed, 90 survived. ww2dbase [Second Happy Time | Thor | CPC]
• Aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh began working on Ford's B-24 Liberator production line at Detroit, Michigan, United States as a consultant. ww2dbase [B-24 Liberator | AC]
• Admiral Chester Nimitz was confirmed as the Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Ocean Area. ww2dbase [Chester Nimitz | CPC]
• Japanese submarine I-17 sank British ship Glenshiel in the Indian Ocean at 0340 hours; all aboard survived. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Soviet destroyer Shaumian ran aground and was wrecked off Gelendzhik in southern Russia. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Allied convoy QP-9 arrived at Reykjavik, Iceland without any losses. At Murmansk, Russia, German aircraft sank British merchant ship Empire Starlight, British merchant ship New Westminster City, and Polish merchant ship Tobruk; Soviet ship was also damaged in the attack. ww2dbase [Arctic Convoys | CPC]

• German submarine U-702 became missing in the North Sea 100 miles off the Norwegian coast; all 44 aboard were never seen again. ww2dbase [CPC]
• German Type IXC U-Boat U-505 torpedoed and sunk the American freighter West Irmo off the British Gold Coast (Ghana). 10 were killed and 99 were rescued. ww2dbase [Second Happy Time | U-505 | DS]

• Six B-17 bombers of the US 10th Air Force based in Asansol, India attacked Rangoon, Burma, setting three warehouses on fire; one aircraft was lost in this attack. ww2dbase [Invasion of Burma | CPC]

• Naka arrived at Bantam Bay, Java, Dutch East Indies under tow by Natori. ww2dbase [Naka | CPC]

• Shokaku entered the Indian Ocean. ww2dbase [Shokaku | CPC]

• The 10th MAS Flotilla special forces unit of the Italian Navy was relocated from La Spezia, Italy to nearby Muggiano. ww2dbase [CPC]

• After a heavy artillery and aerial bombardment from 0900 to 1500 hours, Japanese troops launched an attack on the Bataan Peninsula in Philippine Islands, penetrating the lines held by the Filipino 41st Infantry Division. ww2dbase [Invasion of the Philippine Islands | TH, CPC]

• German bombers attacked Murmansk, Russia, sinking Polish ship Tobruk and British ships New Westminster City and Empire Starlight in the harbor. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Israel Fisanovich was made a Hero of the Soviet Union and was awarded the Order of Lenin. ww2dbase [Israel Fisanovich | CPC]

3 Apr 1942 Interactive Map