1 May 1943

London: Noel Coward's stage tribute to the ordinary Englishman, This Happy Breed, opened last night at the Haymarket. Coward himself played Mr. Gibbons, squire of 17 Sycamore Road, Clapham, south London.

The play was first presented in Blackpool on 21 September last year. Nothing could be further removed from the naval captain whom he portrayed in In Which We Serve. Yet they are connected by a gritty, undemonstrative patriotism which is not taken in by events - the false hopes of Munich, for instance. The Gibbons family lives through the General Strike, the Depression, the Abdication, and the coming of the war with phlegmatic common sense and endurance.

GERMANY: Berlin: The International Medical Commission signs its report on the Katyn massacre, confirming that it took place in 1940 and therefore must have been the work of the Russians.

U.S.S.R.: Baltic Fleet and Ladoga Flotilla: (Sergey Anisimov)(69)Submarine loss. "Sch-323" - mined at Morskoi channel (later raised)

NEW CALEDONIA: The Americal Division is reorganised as a triangular formation, losing its 51st Infantry Brigade Headquarters (redesignated as HQ and HQ Company, Americal Division) and TF 6814 Headquarters (disbanded). (Yves J. Bellanger)

U.S.A.: The documentary film "Russians at War" is released in the U.S. This 61-minute documentary was compiled from newsreel footage taken by unaccredited Soviet cameramen and shows scenes of life in the Soviet Union during the Winter Campaign of 1941.

Destroyer escort USS Frament laid down.

Destroyer escorts USS Francis M Robinson and Weber launched.

Escort carrier USS Coral Sea launched.

Minesweeper USS Gladiator launched.

Submarine USS Bowfin commissioned.

Destroyer escort USS Burden R Hastings commissioned.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: At 0030, U-107 fired a spread of two stern torpedoes at the unescorted Port Victor NE of the Azores, which was zigzagging directly into a good firing position in about 1000 meters distance. The ship carried 65 passengers (including 23 women and children) stopped after one torpedo hit amidships and the crew made the lifeboats ready to be launched. After a first coup de grâce hit amidships at 00.36 hours the boats were lowered, but when she was hit in the bow by a second coup de grâce at 0045. Two lifeboats were destroyed and the occupants killed. The vessel developed a list to port but still sent radio messages until being hit underneath the bridge by a third coup de grâce, which broke the ship in two and caused her to sink. Twelve crewmembers, two gunners and five passengers were lost. The master, 74 crewmembers, ten gunners and 60 passengers were picked up by HMS Wren and landed at Liverpool.

SS Adelfotis sunk by U-182 at 03.32S, 21.33W.

U-613 engaged in a gun battle with an RAF 172 Sqn Wellington. The aircraft was damaged in the attack and crash-landed, no fatalities among crew.

At 0540, U-515 attacked Convoy TS-37 for a second time about 75 miles SW of Freetown and fired three single torpedoes. The first hit the City of Singapore after 1 minute 8 seconds in the stern and the ship was observed to burn fiercely before she sank. The second torpedo hit the Mokambo after 1 minute 5 seconds and set her on fire. The third torpedo hit after 35 seconds the Clan MacPherson, which began to sink by the stern. The master, 86 crewmembers and ten gunners from the City of Singapore were picked up by trawlers HMS Arran and Birdlip and landed at Freetown the same day. The Clan MacPherson foundered later in 08°04N/14°12W. Four crewmembers were lost. The master, 126 crewmembers, seven gunners and two naval signalmen were picked up by Arran and landed at Freetown the same day. The Mokambo was badly damaged, but remained afloat. The ship was towed to Freetown roads by the tugs Aimwell and Onana, but capsized on 2 May and sank. Two men were injured of the crew of 51 (27 Belgians, 16 Congolesians and 8 British) and six gunners.