April 3rd, 1940 (WEDNESDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM:
A Heinkel shoots down a Spitfire of 41 Squadron, RAF Fighter Command, over the Yorkshire coast. The Heinkel is also lost and a trawler sunk.There is a cabinet shuffle. Churchill is made chairman of the Ministerial Defence Committee, following Admiral of the Fleet Lord Chatfield's resignation as Minister for the Co-ordination of Defence. Churchill's appointment to chair the Ministerial Defence Committee is a significant increase in his responsibilities. Berlin says that Churchill has been promoted from "warmonger" to "grand warmonger". Churchill meanwhile is persuading the cabinet to adopt his plan for mining Norwegian territorial waters - six months after he first made the proposal. Churchill raised it soon after the outbreak of the war as a means of exploiting Britain's superiority at sea. Then, Chamberlain rejected it; now he has changed his mind. His reluctance to expand the war and violate the rights of the neutrals has been worn away by the 'hawks', led by Churchill and the French who are eager to activate conflict away from France. (Robert Mårtensson)
Lord Woolton, the director of the Supply Ministry, is made Food Minister. He later becomes famous for "Woolton Pie"
London: Air Marshal Charles Portal has been made C-in-C of Bomber Command in succession to the much respected Air Chief Marshal Sir Edgar Ludlow-Hewitt, who becomes Inspector General of the RAF. Portal is a brilliant Staff Officer with an analytical mind who sometimes loses sight of the sensibilities of his colleagues. He is the favourite disciple of Lord Trenchard, the "Father of the RAF", and faithfully follows his mentor's advocacy of al out attack by bombers. Despite the success by Stuka dive-bombers supporting land forces, Portal is an opponent of co-operation between Bomber Command and the army.
LUXEMBOURG: The government announces plans for the emergency evacuation of Luxembourg City.
NORWEGIAN CAMPAIGN. Final consent is given for the British mining of the Norwegian Leeds.
BALTIC SEA: The first German troops leave for Norway. The supply ships bound for Narvik are disguised as cargo ships. Over the next few days 26 merchantmen carrying 8,105 tons of Army stores, 2,660 vehicles and 1,641 horses set out, plus four tankers with fuel for the warships that would be carrying the invasion force.
GERMANY: Berlin: A Dutch assistant military attaché passes onto the Danes and Norwegians information that something is afoot in the north German ports.