April 18th, 1940 (THURSDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM:
10 Sqn. Three aircraft to Kjeller and three to Fornebu. No bombing due to poor weather.
58 Sqn. Three aircraft to Kjeller and Fornebu. No bombing due to poor weather.
77 Sqn. Three aircraft to attack shipping in Trondheimfjord. None sighted. One aircraft ditched.
London: General Sir John Dill, the commander of 1 Corps of the BEF in France, has become
the vice-Chief of the Imperial General Staff. Aged 59, Dill is a former director of
military operations. Before the war he commanded the army's Staff College. In France he
has earned a considerable reputation as commander of one of three army corps holding
ground between two French army groups, an allied wall of men which has the impregnable
fortress of the Maginot Line on its right. Dill is a man of mature judgement whom friends
describe as "canny" and opponents as irresolute. However, among his admirers is
Winston Churchill, the First Lord of the Admiralty, who is not known for his dithering.
Dill, like some French military leaders, has risen to prominence as a classroom warrior
who prefers to make his move only after all information is to hand. The German High
Command is reputed to have a low opinion of British officers who are averse to taking
decisions; but Dill is probably of tougher mettle than his detractors think.
'Gone With The Wind', the film colossus famed for costing (GBP) 1 million to make, taking three hours and 40 minutes to see and winning Oscars galore, including one for Vivien Leigh as best actress, had its premiere in no fewer than three West End cinemas tonight. It has broken box office records in America. The critics' reception in Britain has been warm, but not ecstatic. "Very good indeed but no masterpiece," declares Campbell Dixon in the Daily Telegraph.
GERMANY: Hitler recovers sufficiently from his previous days panic to order Dietl to hold Narvik as long as possible before withdrawing into the interior.
NORWEGIAN CAMPAIGN: Four days after sinking the gunnery training ship Brummer, submarine HMS Sterlet is
presumed lost in the Skagerrak to A/S trawlers.
Allied troops disembark at Åndalsnes (100 miles southwest of Trondheim) and Trondheim, and
occupy the Faeroe Islands.
The British 148th Brigade lands at Åndalsnes , Norway.
The French 5th Chasseurs Alpines land at Namsos, Norway. They are without legging type bindings for their skis and thus are unable to use them.
(Mark Horan adds): There are no missions on this date. RNAS Hatston is quiet. HMS Furious, after refuelling at Tromsø , is transiting the most narrow party of Grotsund fjord when she is surprised by a single FW-200 of I/KG 40 which drops two 250 kg bombs.
One lands very close, badly whipping the hull, and stripping some turbine blades. Although the ship continues operations, this damage will eventually force her home for repairs.
Meanwhile, HMS Glorious arrives in the Clyde, completing her high-speed dash from Alexandria. She immediately disembarks 812 and 823 Squadrons (Swordfish), in preparation for embarking 263 Squadron, RAF, for transport to Norway.
Having taken aboard enough fuel to again steam, HMS Furious sent off three aircraft. One Swordfish was dispatched on a search mission to seaward of "Furious" fjord to ensure that the ship could depart safely. A second was dispatched to the Narvik area with orders to locate Flag Officer Narvik for further communication, while a third was sent to Narvik to photograph the area.
Meanwhile, Furious got underway. At 1350, while transiting the narrowest part of Grotsund fjord in company with the destroyers HMS Isis and HMS Ilex, she was surprised by a single FW-200 of I/KG 40 which dropped two 250 kg. bombs. One landed very close, badly whipping the hull, and stripping some turbine blades. The ship then returned to "Furious" fjord to evaluate the damage, recovering two of her aircraft at 1515. The third, 816's U4K:P4214 was returning home at low altitude in poor weather after completing the photographic mission when it hit a power line across Kvalsund. In the resulting crash, Lieutenant(A) Frank Whittingham, RN (P) was killed while Lieutenant(A) O. M. Cheeke, RN (O) and Leading Airman F. White, RN (AG) were seriously injured, though quick action on the ground saved both.
Although Furious was to continue operations, the damage to her turbines would ultimately force her home for repairs. (Mark Horan)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: HMS Ark Royal in company with the destroyers HMS Westcott and HMS Bulldog are en-route to the Clyde. HMS Glorious, now in company with the destroyers HMS Walker and HMS Walpole arrive in the Clyde after nightfall.