April 24th, 1940 (WEDNESDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM:
Destroyer HMS Cleveland launched.
FRANCE: The Premier, Paul Reynaud, urges Mussolini not to enter the war.
NORWEGIAN CAMPAIGN: After four days of continuous Anti-Aircraft duty off Åndalsnes, cruiser HMS Curacoa is badly damaged by bombs. Carrier HMS Glorious flies off Gladiator biplanes for shore operations. Two sections of nine Gladiators each accompanied by a two seat Skua (with navigator) leave Glorious. This is the first time that the Gladiator pilots have flown from the deck of a carrier (the aircraft were flown on by FAA pilots), but they all got into the air and by 7pm all the Gladiators are safely down on the frozen lake.Oslo: Hitler appoints Josef Terboven, a tough young Nazi Gauleiter (Essen), to be Reich Commissar for Norway.
General von Falkenhorst decides that most of Pellengahr’s division can now be diverted from Trondheim and sent to Åndalsnes to complete the destruction of Morgan’s forces. The relief of Trondheim would be the responsibility of Colonel Hermann Fischer, who was pushing up the Østerdal valley with three infantry battalions, two artillery battalions, an engineer battalion and some tanks and motorised units.
Although weather was still poor, the arrival off Trondheim and
Åndalsnes of the
Home Fleet carriers HMS Ark Royal and HMS Glorious promises a new phase in the
Campaign - one where some level of air support, particularly fighters, will be
available to the Allied forces in Northern Norway. Unfortunately for these
efforts, Admiral Wells elected to keep the carriers well off shore, meaning the
Skuas would have a long flight both to and from the combat areas.
At 0300 and continuing until 2115, Glorious' two Sea Gladiator squadrons
begin flying two-hour standing patrols over the task force. The ship puts
one section in the air overhead and keeps two more sections on deck in
reserve.
Throughout the day the air department on HMS Glorious prepared the RAF Gladiators for takeoff. Finally, at 1600 with the task force in position 65.00 N, 5.24 E, under overcast skies with frequent snow squalls, wind from the NE at force 3 with 25' seas, conditions are barely acceptable to attempt the transfer. Thus, at 1615, HMS Ark Royal dispatched one section three Skuas from each of the two fighter squadrons on board (800 and 801) to patrol over the fleet debarkation site at Åndalsnes. At 1636, Glorious followed with two sections of 803 Squadron (three Skuas each) to conduct fighter patrols over the Romsdalen Valley to directly cover the landing of the RAF Squadron.
Glorious then began preparing the first of two ranges of nine 263 Squadron Gladiators, each with one Skua of 803 Squadron to lead them in. The first range departed at 1715 and the second at 1830. In the event, the operation is a complete success, with all 18 Gladiators arriving safely on the Lake airfield. While patrolling the Romsdalen area, 803 Squadron's Blue (Lieutenant W. P. Lucy, RN) and Red (Lieutenant A. B. Fraser-Harris, RN) sections find themselves engaging several German He-111s of KG 4 between 1755 and 1810, ultimately downing two and damaging another. By the time the Skuas returned to the fleet, however, they were desperately short of fuel and two of Ark's contingent, 6M:L3050 (Midshipman(A) C. Treen, RN (P) and Naval Airman A. E. T. Goble, RN (AG)) and 7K:L2877 (Lt. C. P. Campbell-Horsfall, RN (P) and Petty Officer Airman A. E. Suggett, RN (AG)) ran dry and were forced to make water landings. Fortunately, all four aircrew are rescued by screening vessels.
The day's aerial activity saw the two carriers with 27 Skuas for fighter patrols and 17 Sea Gladiators and 5 Rocs for Fleet defence.
Meanwhile, near Narvik, things take a turn for the worse on HMS Furious when a second turbine sheds some blades, leaving her with only two good engines. After consultations, the Commander in Chief, Home Fleet, Admiral Sir Charles M. Forbes, RN decides that she is to refuel and then return home for repairs.
CANADA: Minesweepers HMCS Cowichan, Malpeque and Ungava laid down North Vancouver, British Columbia.
U.S.A.: Destroyer USS Meredith launched.