9 Apr 1941 | World War II Database

9 Apr 1941

German troops reached the Monastir Gap in Macedonia, southern Yugoslavia, preparing to cross into Greece to outflank the Metaxas Line and the Aliakmon Line. German troops also arrived at Nis, Yugoslavia and Salonika, Greece on this day. ww2dbase [Balkans Campaign | TH]
RAF bombers attacked the German naval base at Kiel. ww2dbase [TH]
237 German bombers conducted a raid on Birmingham, England, United Kingdom, dropping 285 tons of high explosive bombs and 1,110 incendiary bombs. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | CPC]
Italian 27th Division "Brescia" and German 5th Light Division reached Tobruk, Libya. ww2dbase [Siege of Tobruk | CPC]
German submarine U-107 sank British ship Harparthian 400 miles northeast of Canary Islands at 0037 hours; 4 were killed, 39 survived. ww2dbase [CPC]
German submarine U-98 sank Dutch ship Prins Willem II 200 miles southeast of Iceland at 0216 hours; 3 were killed, 22 survived in 2 lifeboats. ww2dbase [CPC]
North Carolina was commissioned into service. ww2dbase [North Carolina | CPC]

Egypt

HMS Eagle departed Alexandria, Egypt. ww2dbase [Eagle | Alexandria | CPC]

France

Maggiore Baracca departed Pauillac, France at 1303 hours and arrived at Le Verdon-sur-Mer, France at 2029 hours. ww2dbase [Maggiore Baracca | Pauillac, Aquitaine | CPC]

Italy

The P.111 prototype aircraft took its first flight. ww2dbase [P.111 | CPC]

Japan

Prince Hiroyasu stepped down as the chief of the Japanese Navy General Staff. ww2dbase [Hiroyasu | CPC]

Russia

The head of the Soviet Air Force Directorate Pavel Rychagov complained to Joseph Stalin that his pilots were flying in "coffins", referring to the poor condition of aircraft due to state neglect. ww2dbase [Moscow | CPC]

United States

Danish ambassador to the United States Henrik Kauffmann, on his own accord, invited the United States to send troops to defend Greenland from a possible German invasion. ww2dbase [Washington | CPC]

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis

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