Diary April 18, 1942

B-25 Mitchell launching from USS Hornet
B-25 Mitchell launching from USS Hornet for Tokyo during the Doolittle Raid.
WW2 War Diary for Saturday, April 18, 1942:

Air War

Pacific: DOOLITTLE RAID. 16 US Army AF B-25 Mitchell bombers, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel ‘Jimmy’ Doolittle, operating from carrier Hornet, make surprise daylight raid on Tokyo, Yokosuka naval base, Nagoya, Osaka and Kobe, and crash-land in east China.
Mediterranean: Heavy daylight raid on Malta.
Germany: 113 RAF bombers attacking Hamburg and dropping 173t of bombs.

Neutrals

Vichy France: Laval forms new Cabinet at Vichy, with himself as ‘Chief of Government’, Minister of Home and Foreign Affairs; Darlan becomes Supreme Commander of Armed Forces.

Eastern Front

Siege of Leningrad: von Leeb, commanding German forces, relieved of duty.

Oval@3x 2

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