30 April 1940

10 Sqn. Six aircraft. Two recalled, four bombed Fornebu starting fires. Opposition fierce.

Clacton: two civilians are killed and 150 injured when a mine-laying Heinkel crashes and explodes, the first civilian deaths of the war on mainland Britain.

Mark Horan adds:
HMS Furious is in the Clyde making preparations for dry docking to repair hull and turbine damage, having arrived the previous morning. At 1415, the French contre-torpilleur, FS Maillé Breeze, which is taking on ammunition at Tail of Bank, accidentally discharges one of her 550 cm (21.7") torpedoes while the tubes are arranged fore and aft. The torpedo crashes into the aft end of the forward superstructure causing a large explosion. Fires and secondary ammunition explosions consume the ship. 47 of the crew are rescued by small boats from HMS Furious, HMS Firedrake, and HMS Barfield. Casualties include 6 dead and 27 missing.

HMS Glorious departs Scapa Flow, escorted by destroyers HMS Acheron, Antelope, Beagle, and Volunteer to fly on aircraft. HMS Volunteer suffers a machinery casualty and returns. The rest set off to rendezvous with Vice-Admiral Carriers in Ark Royal. It had been intended for her to acquire replacement Skuas for the three Squadrons at sea, her own 803
as well as Ark Royal's 800 and 801. However, with 803's CO Lucy detached on Ark Royal, confusion reigned and the Squadron, which had arrived on the 27th with two unserviceable Skuas, is able to fly on three Skuas and a single Roc. She does, however, re-embark 823
Squadron' Swordfish. Her new air group thus comprises:

802 Squadron: 8 x Sea Gladiator
804 Squadron: 9 x Sea Gladiator
803 Squadron: 3 x Skua, 1 x Roc
823 Squadron: 12 x Swordfish

HMS Ark Royal (F-VAdm Wells) is at sea with battleship HMS Valiant, cruiser HMS Berwick, and destroyers HMS Fearless, Hyperion, Fury, Fortune, Encounter, and Escort, preparing for the planned bombardment of Trondheim Leeds.

Monitor HMS Roberts laid down.

Destroyer HMS Cowdray laid down.

Corvettes HMS Celandine and Lavender laid down.

Minesweeping trawler HMS Fir commissioned.

Sloop HMS Bittern is disabled in an air attack sunk by JU87 dive-bombers off Namsos at 64 28N, 11 30E and has to be scuttled and sunk by HMS Carlisle. There are no casualties.

The minesweeper HMS Dunoon was sunk by a mine off Great Yarmouth at 52 45N 02 23E whilst engaged on routine mine clearance operations. (Alex Gordon)(108)

Six RAF Blenheims attack Stavanger aerodrome and make high level bombing attacks on about 150 enemy aircraft seen on the ground. One defending Bf109 is shot down.

General Rüge leaves Molde on board a British destroyer, destined for Tromsø. Norwegian units left behind at Molde and Åndalsnes scatter through the countryside or are arrested by German units.

Also departing Molde is HMS Glasgow. She is carrying the Norwegian gold reserves. When she arrives in Molde the town is on fire and the jetty ablaze and under attack from German fighters.

French troops and what remains of Brigadier Morgan's 148th Brigade board cruisers in Åndalsnes and Molde. German aircraft attack the evacuation fleet through the day and mount the first night attack of the war. (88) (Alex Gordon)

The 800 Squadron aircrew of Midshipman(A) Gallagher and Naval Airman Halifax stranded at Setnesmoen landing ground awoke to find themselves absolutely alone, the RAF and Royal Marine personnel having pulled back to be evacuated during the night. With the rapidly approaching dawn expected to bring on further German air attacks, and having no way to start their Skua, the pair made ready to salvage everything useful before burning it. While doing so, the pair found several old corroded Coffmann cartridges. Hastily re-packing their gear, they got their Skua started and managed a successful takeoff while under attack by an He-111. Without any maps of the area, Gallagher opted for his "best estimate" course to the Orkneys, and roughly three hours later made a successful landing at RNAS Hatston, none the worse for the experience!

ASW trawler HMS Jardine scuttled after being damaged by German aircraft off Norway the previous day.

ASW trawler HMS Warwickshire sunk by German aircraft off Trondheim, Norway. Raised by the Germans on 1 June 1940 and commissioned by them as NKi09/Alane. She was sunk on 19 July 1943 near Narvik, northern Norway by the Soviet submarine S-56.

GERMANY: Believing that the Scandinavian campaign is over, Hitler orders his generals to make their final preparations for an attack on the west. He told General Jodl and other military commanders to be prepared to launch operations on 5 May or within 24 hours of any later day.

Intelligence reports of an imminent German attack have been received by the Dutch and Belgian governments through the Vatican, which was alerted by German officers opposed to Hitler’s plans. Intercepts of the Vatican messages, decoded by the Germans, have been shown to Hitler. He intends to go ahead notwithstanding.

POLAND: Lodz: SS thugs have established a total reign of terror over Jews in this city. Women have been forced to dance naked at gunpoint, and all Jews are forced to wear armbands with the Star of David. The SS set fire to the synagogue and summoned the fire brigade - to stop the fire spreading to other buildings. Jews have been herded into a ghetto which at midnight tonight will be sealed off.

The ghetto is one of the most run-down areas of the city, comprising 32,000 mainly one-room apartments, only 700 of which have running water. Into these cramped and insanitary conditions the Nazis have kicked, beaten and prodded 160,000 people.

U.S.A.: A group of Pittsburgh residents offers a million dollar reward for the capture of Adolf Hitler alive.

The motion picture "That Hamilton Woman" is released in the U.S. Directed by Alexander Korda, this action adventure film stars Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, Alan Mowbray and Gladys Cooper and depicts the ill-fated romance of Lord Admiral Nelson and Lady Emma Hamilton. The film was nominated for four technical Academy Awards and won one.