U-13 (Type IIB) is believed sunk in the North Sea north of Newcastle, in position 55.26N, 02.02E, by depth charges from the sloop HMS Weston. There are some survivors. (Alex Gordon)

RAF records show that Boulton Paul Defiants have shot down 65 enemy aircraft, mainly over Dunkirk against bomber formations.

RAF Bomber Command: 2 Group. 21 Sqn. Attacks on pontoon bridges near Nieuport. 107 Sqn. Bombs MT at Oostvleteken, Flak intense, 1 Bf109 shot down and one turned away by a lucky shot from a Blenheim’s nose blister gun. Blenheims escorted by Hurricane’s of 145 Sqn. which shot down two Bf109s. In the evening 24 crews from Wattisham bomb bridges in the Nieuport area and stop a German attack.

Signposts are removed from crossroads to confuse any invasion force.

Lieutenant General Alan Brooke arrives in Dover.

Detling, Kent: Cpl Joan Daphne Mary Pearson (b. 1911), WAAF, rescued the pilot of a burning bomber. She went back for the wireless operator, but found him dead. (Empire Gallantry Medal).

Minesweeping trawler HMS Blackthorn commissioned.

River Class destroyers HMCS St Laurent, Restigouche and Skeena arrived at Devonport and were assigned Western Approaches Command(.DS)

WESTERN FRONT: Operation Dynamo: Destroyer FS Sirocco sunk off Dunkirk by German MTBs S-23 and S-26.

Lord Gort hands over the command of British troops still in France to Major-General Harold Alexander, and departs for Dover; 68,014 troops also leave today. In the air over Dunkirk the RAF looses 28 fighters, and claims 28 German fighters.

Nursing Sister Catherine Mary Butland, who was evacuated from Dunkirk after two weeks at a clearing station in Belgium, has accused the Germans of ignoring the universal Red Cross sign and bombing ambulance trains. She and seven other nurses were driven to Dunkirk in a truck by a colonel.

GERMANY: Germany’s economy is being reshaped to bolster its military campaigns. The Ministry of Armaments and Munitions was set up under Fritz Todt in March to improve the flow of arms to the front line.

Unlike the other warring powers, Germany was preparing for war as early as 1936, when a four-year economic plan was introduced which included large-scale investment in armaments. Despite this, Germany’s reserves are not geared to cope with a protracted war; this is one reason behind Hitler’s Blitzkrieg strategy. With other heavy industries, armaments have been hit by shortages of labour and raw materials, although the latter should be eased by the occupation of areas rich in iron-ore, such as Norway and Luxembourg.

NORWAY: The British blocking force evacuates Bodo.
HMS Ark Royal et al arrive in Scapa 0529 and commence refueling operations. At 0830, the two carriers depart, HMS Ark Royal still flying the flag of Vice-Admiral Wells. Escort is provided by five DDs, HMS Acasta, HMS Arden, HMS Acheron, HMS Highlander, and HMS Diana. The first task at sea is to embark aircraft. On this trip, the two carriers will carry the following aircraft:

HMS Ark Royal:

800 Squadron: 12 Skuas

803 Squadron: 12 Skuas

810 Squadron: 12 Swordfish

820 Squadron: 9 Swordfish

HMS Glorious:

802 Squadron (-): 6 Sea Gladiators

823 Squadron (-): 6 Swordfish

On this, the last trip to Norway, Admiral Wells mission is three-fold.: First, to cooperate with the forces ashore to cover the evacuation of all ground forces in the Narvik are. Second, to cover the movement of all troop convoys to the British Isles. Finally, HMS Glorious is to re-embark the surviving Gladiators of 263 Squadron, RAF as well as the Walrus amphibians of 701 Squadron, FAA. At this point, the belief is that the surviving Hurricanes of 46 Squadron will have to be destroyed. (Mark Horan)

JAPAN: Launching a bombing campaign against south-east China, Japan says that it will bomb Chungking until the Nationalist spirit breaks.

CANADA: Patrol vessel HMCS Moose (ex-US yacht Cleopatra) commissioned.

Yachts Cleopatra and Conseco purchased by RCN and were converted to patrol craft HMCS Moose and Otter respectively in Quebec City.

 U.S.A.: Washington: Roosevelt asks Congress to authorise an extra $1,300 million in defence spending, for "acceleration and development of our military and naval needs as measured in both machines and men" .
Boston: A US team achieves the first successful automatic tracking of an aircraft in elevation and azimuth using a prototype centimetric radar on the roof of the MIT Radiation Lab. (Cris Wetton)

The motion picture "Buck Benny Rides Again" is released in the U.S. This western musical comedy directed by Mark Sandrich, stars Jack Benny, Ellen Drew, Andy Devine, Phil Harris, Dennis Day, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Ward Bond, Fred Allen and Don Wilson. The plot has New Yorker Jack Benny going to a ranch in Nevada and trying to convince singer Drew that he is 100% cowboy.

Destroyers USS Nicholson and Wilkes launched.

BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC: U-boats start returning to the Western Approaches. As they do, one of the first 'Flower' class corvettes, HMS Arabis, attacks one of their number in defence of a Gibraltar/UK convoy.

With the closure of the Mediterranean to Allied shipping, the trade routes around Africa and the ports to sustain them take on a new importance. Particularly vital is the West African base at Freetown Sierra Leone.

Losses. 10 ships of 55,000 tons.

MERCHANT SHIPPING WAR:

Losses. 90 ships of 231,000 tons.

At 1402, the Orangemoor in Convoy HGF-31 was hit amidships by one torpedo from U-101 and sank within a short time southwest of Roches Doures. 18 crewmembers were lost. The master and 21 crewmembers were picked up by the Brandenburg and landed at London.