April 23rd, 1940 (TUESDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM:
RAF Bomber Command: 4 Group. Bombing - Fornebu, Kristiansund, Aalborg and Trondheim airfields. Shipping in Oslofjord.
10 Sqn. Four aircraft bombed Kristiansund, one bombed Fornebu, one bombed and hit a motor vessel and machine-gunned another in Oslofjord.
51 Sqn. One aircraft to bomb shipping but FTR.
58 Sqn. Three aircraft to Aalborg. Two bombed.
102 Sqn. Six aircraft to Trondheim. No bombing due to weather.
London: taxpayers were called up in a big way for the war effort today. In Parliament Sir John Simon, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced Budget proposals for higher income tax and surtax. He also increased duties on tobacco, beer, spirits and matches as well as announcing dearer postal and telephone charges.
On top of all that there will be a novel new tax on the sale of most goods not already heavily taxed. It will be called "Purchase Tax". Exactly how it works has still to be decided. The standard tax rate will be 7/6 in the pound, and surtax starts on incomes over GBP 1,500 a year instead of GBP 2000. Cigarettes will now cost 1/5 for 20, and beer is up a penny a pint while whisky will cost 16/- a bottle.
The rate for a three-minute telephone trunk call will be 1/2 above 50 miles. There will be a basic charge of 9d for nine words instead of 6d, and greetings telegrams will cost 1/- instead of 9d. Sir John explained that this War Budget is intended to curb spending. He warned that when peace returns the government will take effective action against those making "colossal war fortunes".
Minelayer HMS Abdiel launched.
Minesweeping trawlers HMS Mangrove and El Malenza commissioned.
Corvettes HMS Coreopsis and Geranium launched.
GERMANY: Berlin: The slow progress of the German forces moving up from Oslo toward Trondheim and Åndalsnes causes Hitler’s ‘excitement to grow’, according to Jodl.
NORWAY: The retreating British troops of Sickleforce are suddenly attacked in the Tretten valley by three German tanks. They charge through the centre of the defensive line. Troops west of the Lågen withdraw in haste; those east of the river are cut off. After a further retreat of 45 miles, Morgan could count only nine junior officers and some 300 men out of his original strength of 1,000. The 148th Brigade, routed in its first major engagement, no longer existed as a fighting unit. Morgan sends the survivors back to Åndalsnes for evacuation.
The British 15th Brigade lands at Molde and Åndalsnes to relieve the 148th Brigade.
The Fleet Air Arm in the NORWEGIAN CAMPAIGN: (Mark Horan)
At 0800 HMS Ark Royal, in company with the destroyers HMS Sikh, HMS Mashona, and HMS Juno, having flown off the Swordfish of 821 Squadron to Hatston en-route, arrived at Scapa Flow and commenced refuelling.
At 1230, Vice-Admiral Air Wells, flying his flag on Ark Royal, in company with HMS Glorious, the heavy cruiser HMS Berwick, the anti-aircraft cruiser HMS Curlew, and the destroyers HMS Fearless, HMS Fury, HMS Hasty, HMS Hereward, HMS Hyperion, and HMS Juno, departs Scapa Flow. Immediately afterwards, Ark flies aboard the Skua and Roc fighters of 800 and 801 Squadrons.
Wells mission, dubbed Operation DX, is to transport the RAF fighters to the ice landing ground on Lake Lesjaskog and to cover the Allied landing sites at Åndalsnes to the South, and Namsos to the North of Trondheim. HMS Ark Royal has embarked 44 aircraft of four Fleet Air Arm squadrons:
800 Squadron: 9 Skuas, 2 Rocs
801 Squadron: 9 Skuas, 3 Rocs
810 Squadron: 12 Swordfish
820 Squadron: 9 Swordfish
HMS Glorious has embarked 46 aircraft of three Fleet Air Arm squadrons as well as the RAF squadron:
803 Squadron: 11 Skuas
802 Squadron: 9 Sea Gladiators
804 Squadron: 9 Sea Gladiators
263 Squadron, RAF: 17 Gladiators
Due to the loss of one of 263 Squadrons valuable Gladiator IIs the day before, 802 Squadron sells one of their Sea Gladiators to the RAF for duty in Norway.
Meanwhile, severe snowstorms prevent any air operations from HMS Furious, which steams for Harstad and anchors in Bygden Fjord.