April 27th, 1940 (SATURDAY)
NORWAY:
The commanding officer of 46 Sqn. (Hurricane) arrives in a Sunderland flying boat. He is to visit the Setnesmoen landing-ground currently in use by the Gladiators of 223 Sqn. and report on its suitability for use by Hurricanes. He recommends that a Hurricane squadron should be sent immediately with ground staff and servicing equipment accompanying them in flying boats. It is too late though as the damage to Aandalsnes has seriously reduced the capacity of the port to handle the supplies needed for the Allied Expeditionary force.
Pellengahr reaches Paget’s line at Kjorem. The British hold
stubbornly, but once more the Germans circle up over the snowy ridges, outflanked the
defenders and inflict heavy losses; one 700-man British unit suffered nearly 400
casualties. Paget urgently asked London for another brigade of infantry, more
anti-aircraft artillery and effective air support. Without that he radios that he
can’t hold any position for more than two days, and he would be lucky to manage a
delaying action back to Åndalsnes on the coast.
(Mark Horan adds):
HMS Furious, escorted by HMS Isis, HMS Ilex, HMS Imogen, HMS Imperial, HMS Delight, and HMS Diana and maintaining a constant A/S patrol with her Swordfish, continued their course to the Clyde in the face of steadily worsening weather. At 1012, Imogen picked up a strong asdic contact and attacked it with three patterns of depth charges, but obtained no visible results. At 1800, having passed the Orkneys, Delight, Diana and Imperial were detached to Scapa Flow. Meanwhile, off Norway, Vice-Admiral Wells' intentions were to provide fighter patrols over the Allied bases throughout the day.
At 0820, with the carriers in position 64.40 N, 04.48 E, Lieutenant R. L. Strange, RN led one section of 801 Squadron on the first fighter patrol over Åndalsnes . They intercepted two He-111">He-111s of 4/LG 1, forcing one down with its port engine afire.
Meanwhile, German snoopers find the Task Force, and HMS Glorious begins standing patrols with 802 and 804 Squadrons Sea Gladiators at 0935. At 0940, Lt. R. M. Smeeton's Blue Section of 804 Squadron (three Sea Gladiators) engages a He-111">He-111 of 1(F)/122, damaging it in a long chase, though the pilot managed to successfully crash land back at base. At 1030, HMS Glorious dispatches the four operational Skuas of the battered 803 Squadron, one section to Åndalsnes , and the other to Aalesund. Yellow section (S-Lt.(A) G. W. Bronkensha, RN, engages a He-111">He-111 of 7/KG 26 and forces it down. These aircraft are recovered by HMS Ark Royal on their return, HMS Glorious having a serial of nine Sea Gladiators ranged to meet the expected German air attack.
At 1130 both carriers came to action stations and Glorious began "double banking" her fighter patrols, keeping two sections aloft over the fleet and two more sections ranged on deck ready to take off immediately if needed.
At 1230, HMS Ark Royal dispatches Yellow section of 800 Squadron (Capt. R. T. Partridge, RM) to Åndalsnes . The three Skuas engage an force down a He-111">He-111 of 9/KG 26 near Grotli, but the COs 6A:L2940 is hit by return fire cutting his petrol line and force-lands as well. The crew, Partridge and his observer, Lieutenant R. S. Bostock, RN after several adventures, get to the landing sites and finds their way back to Scapa.
At 1515, Ark dispatched two further sections of five Skuas to patrol over Åndalsnes, three from 800's Red section, led by Lt. G. E. D. Finch-Noyes, RN, and two from 801 led by Lieutenant-Commander H. P. Bramwell, RN. They arrived just as a large scale air attack was developing on a British convoy below. At 1600 they drove off two Ju-88s of KG 30 with minor damage and then, at 1610 found themselves attacking a formation of 15 Heinkels of KGr 100 following up. In the wild melee that followed the Skuas expended all their ammunition, hitting several bombers, one badly, and although none were brought down, their attacks on the ships below were not pressed home.
At 1645, Ark dispatches another full section from 801, under Lt.(A). Lt.(A) William Coutenay Antwiss Church, RN. They sight and engage a single He-111">He-111 of 2/KGr 100, shooting it down into the fjord below, but return fire sends Lt. Church's 7L:L2931 down into the sea in flames. He, and observer Acting S-Lt.(A) David George Willis, RN perish. The others return safely, ending the days aerial activity.
Soon thereafter, Glorious is detached to return to Scapa to fuel and gather in replacement aircraft. Ark Royal now has 18 Skua (800 = 7, 801 = 7, 803 = 4), and 5 Roc (800=2, 801=3) fighters on board.
GERMANY:
Berlin: Germany officially declares war on Norway.
The German employment ministry today drafted a confidential programme to make registration compulsory for all women aged from 15 to 40, as a result of which many women never before employed and thus not registered with an employment office will become available to work in industry. How women will react to the measure is uncertain, since a woman’s pay for any given job is on average only 80% of what a man would get. And the idea of general compulsory employment for women is opposed by some senior Nazis, such as Göring , because it runs contrary to the Nazi doctrine of women as domestic creatures.
U.S.S.R.: Soviet submarine SC-136 launched.
SINGAPORE: A conference between American, Dutch and British military officers ends in Singapore. They have reached an agreement on combined operations of defence forces in the event of war with Japan.
The "ADB" Plan is developed here, but both US War and Navy Departments recommended it be rejected as they felt it was defeatist and compromised US interests by insisting on defence of trade routes over offensive actions against Japanese. So, the agreement reached at Singapore came to naught. RADM "Speck" Purnell, Chief of Staff to the US Asiatic Fleet, had been the US naval representative. The meeting was chaired by Air Vice-Marshal Sir Robert Brooke-Popham. (Marc Small)
CANADA: Corvette HMCS Nanaimo laid down Esquimalt , British Columbia.
U.S.A.: Destroyer USS Walke commissioned.