April 4th, 1941 (FRIDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: Roosevelt had expressed concern for the Italian civil population in Abyssinia. Churchill telegrams to re-assure him that all efforts would be made to provide for civilians once the fighting has stopped. In the meantime though, all efforts were going towards keeping the armies supplied.London:
Churchill appealed to Simovich, the Yugoslav Minister President, saying that he could not understand his argument about playing for time. The German army and air force were concentrating for an attack on Yugoslavia, and what was wanted was a decisive forestalling thrust by the Yugoslavs into Albania.
The Government issues a new regulation regarding the official time in the country. This regulation provides for double summer time, during which period the time is two hours in advance of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), starting on the day after the first Saturday in May (4 May 1941) and ending on the day after the second Saturday in August (10 August 1941), both at 0100 hours GMT (rather than the previously used 0200 hours). The time for the rest of the year remained one hour in advance of GMT. The order provided savings for certain contracts with agricultural workers and concerning the production of milk: for those purposes, the time was to be taken to be one hour in advance of GMT throughout the year, unless the parties to the contract agreed otherwise.
FRANCE: Professor Georges Claude informs the Academy of Sciences at Paris of a new low cost, synthetic motor fuel called "acetylated ammonia", 40% acetylene and 60% ammonia. It should put France's cars back on the road as it can run a car 300 miles on a single tank.
GERMANY: Berlin: Hitler meets Matsuoka again, and promises to join Japan in fighting the US if it should declare war.
The anti-British propaganda film 'Omh Kruger' [Uncle Kruger], which depicts British atrocities against the South Africans in the Boer War, is released.
In an article in the German scientific magazine 'Die Naturwissenschaften' it is announced that Professors Clusius and Dickel of the University of Munich can now separate Uranium 235 from Uranium 238.
The Wehrmacht High Command announced:
As we already reported in a special announcement, on April 2, German and Italian troops continued their pursuit of British troops whom they defeated at Mersa-el-Brega in North Africa. We have captured Agedabia and reached Zuctina. The enemy is retreating northward in haste.
U.S.S.R.: Polish General Anders was taken from his cell in a Moscow prison and led to a luxuriously furnished study. Upon reaching this room, Anders was informed that in accordance with a recently signed Polish-Soviet agreement, he was promoted to Lieutenant General and appointed the commander of all Polish troops in the Soviet Union. The stunned Anders was then taken by limousine to a Moscow apartment which had been furnished for his personal use. (Alex Bielakowski)
EGYPT: The 2nd Armoured Division is abandoned without supplies at Msus because the British garrison there had prematurely blown up the all the fuel store, thinking to save them from the German tanks.
Cairo: The Reuters News Agency announced:
An official British government spokesman has said that Great Britain is allowing the enemy to penetrate farther east in Cyrenaica, until a point is reached where he can be fought with the greatest prospect of victory.
LIBYA: The German 5th
Light and the Italian Ariete Divisions advance toward Mechili is going well.
German and Italian spearheads reach Benghazi and occupy the city.
ETHIOPIA: Italian forces quit Addis Ababa.
RED SEA: Italian torpedo boat Giovanni Acerbi is sunk near Massawa, Eritrea, by British torpedo bombers.
U.S.A.: Washington: Roosevelt agrees to allow Royal Navy warships to be repaired in the U.S. Among the first ships to benefit from this order are the battleships HMS Malaya and Resolution. RN warships are also to be allowed to refuel in the U.S. when on combat missions.
The government freezes Bulgarian assets in the U.S.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: Armed merchant cruisers again suffer heavy losses at widely scattered locations and in different circumstances. Today AMC HMS Voltaire is sunk at 14 25N, 40 40W in a gun duel with raider 'Thor' west of the Cape Verde islands and U-boats sink ten vessels of a 22-ship US convoy. One U-boat is sunk.
AMC
Cormorin is lost whilst escorting MV Glenarty to Freetown due to fire in the
North Atlantic at 54 34N 21 20W. There are 20 casualties, but 405 survivors
who are taken on board accompanying destroyers. The blazing Cormorin is
finally despatched by a torpedo from HMS Broke.