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• USS Enterprise sailed toward Coral Sea, but would arrive too late to participate in the upcoming battle. ww2dbase [Enterprise | CPC]
• USS Hornet sailed toward Coral Sea, but would arrive too late to participate in the upcoming battle. ww2dbase [Hornet (Yorktown-class) | CPC]
• Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini met at Berchtesgaden in southern Germany to discuss Mediterranean strategy; priority was given to capturing the Suez Canal and neutralizing Malta. Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano noted that Hitler appeared to be very tired. ww2dbase [Adolf Hitler | TH]
• Indiana was commissioned into service. ww2dbase [Indiana | CPC]
• German submarine U-456 damaged HMS Edinburgh, escorting Allied convoy QP-11, with two torpedoes (one hitting amidships and another ripped off the stern) in the Norwegian Sea 200 miles north of Murmansk, Russia at 1618 hours. She was carrying £5,000,000 worth of Soviet gold meant as down payment for US weapons and other war supplies. HMS Edinburgh sailed for Murmansk at the slow speed of 3 knots, escorted by two British destroyer and two Soviet destroyers. U-456 ran out of torpedoes thus could not make further attacks, but the submarine remained near the convoy to report in the convoy's position. ww2dbase [Edinburgh | CPC]
• 24 British DB-7 Boston bombers attacked Flushing in the Netherlands and Abbeville, Morlaix, and Le Havre in France. All aircraft returned safely. ww2dbase [Bombing of Cities in France and Low Countries | CPC]
• German submarine U-162 sank British tanker Athelempress 180 miles east of Barbados at 0152 hours; 3 were killed, 19 survived. At 0336 hours, 18 miles south of Cape Fear, North Carolina, United States, U-402 sank Soviet ship Ashkhabad; all 47 survived. German submarine U-507 sank US tanker Federal 5 miles north of Gibara, Cuba at 1810 hours, killing 5 of 33 aboard. ww2dbase [Second Happy Time | CPC]
• Friedrich Paulus began planning for Operation Fridericus, an offensive south of Kharkov, Ukraine. The launch date for this operation was set for 18 May 1942. ww2dbase [Second Battle of Kharkov | CPC]
• A German Fw 200 Condor aircraft spotted Allied convoy PQ-15 250 miles southwest of Bear Island, Norway. ww2dbase [Arctic Convoys | CPC]
• Wilhelm was killed in action on the Eastern Front. ww2dbase [Wilhelm | CPC]

• USS S-35 arrived at Dutch Harbor, US Territory of Alaska, ending her first war patrol. ww2dbase [S-35 | Unalaska | CPC]

• U-576 sank Norwegian ship Taborfjell about 95 miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, United States at 0737 hours; 17 were killed, 3 survived. ww2dbase [U-576 | Second Happy Time | CPC]

• B-26 Marauder bombers of US 22nd Bomb Group moved from Reid River field near Townsville, Australia to Port Moresby, Australian Papua in preparation of a raid on Rabaul, New Britain. ww2dbase [Port Moresby | CPC]

• A group of P-39D Airacobra fighters arrived to reinforce Port Moresby, Australian Papua. ww2dbase [Port Moresby | CPC]

• In western Burma, Chinese 38th Division began to move westward to join the Anglo-Indian troops already en route for India. After the tanks of the British 7th Armoured Division had successfully crossed the Ava Bridge over the Irrawaddy River, Chinese troops blew up the bridge to slow the Japanese pursuit. ww2dbase [Invasion of Burma | CPC]
• Japanese troops captured Lashio Airfield, Burma. ww2dbase [Lashio Airfield | Lashio | CPC]

• Carriers Shokaku and Zuikaku departed from Truk to support the Port Moresby, New Guinea invasion. ww2dbase [Zuikaku | Shokaku | Truk | CPC]
• Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru arrived at Truk, Caroline Islands. ww2dbase [Hikawa Maru | Truk | CPC]
• Katori departed Truk, Caroline Islands. ww2dbase [Katori | Truk | CPC]

• After dark, British RAF bombers attacked German targets in the Paris, France region. At least one errant bomb landed on a hospital in Argenteuil northwest of Paris, killing 5. ww2dbase [Bombing of Cities in France and Low Countries | Argenteuil, ÃŽle-de-France | CPC]

• At Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, Joseph Rochefort sent Chester Nimitz a report regarding Rochefort's hypothesis that the Japanese might soon be striking at Port Moresby, Australian Papua. Since radio intercepts made mention of multiple targets, he concluded that Tulagi in the Solomon Islands was also a likely target. ww2dbase [Battle of Coral Sea | Pearl Harbor Navy Base and Ford Island Naval Air Station | Honolulu, Oahu | CPC]
• Gato-class submarine USS Silversides departed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on her first war patrol. ww2dbase [Silversides | Pearl Harbor, Oahu | DS]

• Repair ship Akashi arrived at Kure, Japan. ww2dbase [Akashi | Kure, Hiroshima | CPC]

• Kamoi arrived at Emidji, Marshall Islands. ww2dbase [Kamoi | Emidji | CPC]

• Two PBY Catalina aircraft from Mindanao evacuated 50 personnel (including 20 nurses) from Corregidor, Philippine Islands as the island was again subjected to a large scale artillery and aerial bombardment. ww2dbase [Invasion of the Philippine Islands | Corregidor, Cavite | CPC]

• Tatsuta Maru departed Takao, Taiwan. ww2dbase [Tatsuta Maru | Takao | CPC]

• German bombers attacked Norwich, England, United Kingdom for the second consecutive day. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Norwich, England | CPC]

30 Apr 1942 Interactive Map