27 Apr in WW2 History | World War II Database

27 Apr 1909

Bo Seng Lim was born.
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27 Apr 1916

The Pre-dreadnought battleship HMS Russell was wrecked after hitting a mine off Malta.
Friedrich Christiansen was awarded the Iron Cross First Class and Knights Cross with Swords of the House Order of Hohenzollern.
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27 Apr 1929

United Kingdom

Roderick Carr became a flight instructor with the No. 4 Flight Training School in Britain.
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27 Apr 1933

In Germany, Hermann Göring was appointed Minister of Aviation.
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27 Apr 1937

Photo(s) dated 27 Apr 1937

Hull approaching an anchorage in the lower end of Iliuliuk Bay, in the Aleutian Islands, North Pacific, 27 Apr 1937

27 Apr 1939

Alois Eliás was named the prime minister of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.
The British government introduced a national conscription policy for 20 and 21-year-old males.
The British Air Ministry awarded the largest-ever order for a US-built fighter aircraft with an order for 524 P-40 Tomahawk fighters.
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China

Japanese troops counterattacked against the Chinese offensive at Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China, engaging in combat south and southeast of the city.
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Russia

Viktor Abakumov was named the head of the UNKVD Directorate of Rostov Oblast, Russia.
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Historical document written: No. 22: Memorandum from the German Government denouncing the Anglo-German Naval Agreement
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Photo(s) dated 27 Apr 1939

Akagi in Sukumo Bay, Shikoku, Japan, 27 Apr 1939

Kirishima and Akagi in Tsukumo Bay, Japan, 27 Apr 1939

27 Apr 1940

A British attempt to deliver much-needed anti-aircraft weapons by ground to Åndalsnes, Norway was turned back by a three-hour German aerial bombardment. At Kjorem, after holding the line against attacks by the German 196th Division throughout the day, the British 15th Brigade withdrew 17 kilometers to the north to form a new line at Otta. Meanwhile, the German 196th Division captured the Østerdal valley in Norway.
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Poland

Chief of the German SS organization Heinrich Himmler gave the order to convert the 22 former artillery barrack buildings at Oswiecim, Poland into a concentration camp, later to be more commonly known by its German name, Auschwitz.
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Historical document written: NORWALD
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27 Apr 1941

At 0400 hours, Dutch passenger liner Slamat departed Nauplia in southern Greece with 211 crew and 500 evacuating Allied troops; Slamat and escorting destroyers HMS Diamond and HMS Wryneck were all sunk by German Stuka dive bombers at 0700 hours, killing about 900. Later in the same morning, German 2nd Panzer Division captured Athens, raising the Nazi German flag above the Acropolis as a sign of victory and capturing large quantities of fuel, ammunition, and heavy vehicles; surrendered Greek officers were allowed to retire to their homes with their sidearms without being interned as prisoners of war. German 5th Panzer Division moved across the Corinth Canal all day and Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler Regiment crossed onto the Peloponnese Peninsula in southern Greece at Patras at 1730 hours. 4,200 Allied troops were evacuated from beaches south of Athens.
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Heinrich Himmler visited Mauthausen Concentration Camp in Austria.
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German submarine U-110 sank British ship Henri Mory 300 miles west of Ireland at 0130 hours; 28 were killed, 4 survived. 80 miles south of Iceland, U-552 sank British trawler Commander Horton at 0210 hours, killing the entire crew of 14. Shortly after, at 0242 hours, 100 miles southwest of the Faroe Islands, U-147 sank Norwegian ship Rimfakse; 11 were killed, 8 survived. At 1612 hours, U-147 struck again, sinking British ship Beacon Grange; 2 were killed, 82 survived.
German horizontal and dive bombers attacked Tobruk, Libya, destroying 4 anti-aircraft guns (killing 8); 1 German aircraft was lost. After these losses, the British moved the anti-aircraft guns to conceal positions while dummy guns were constructed in the old anti-aircraft gun positions.
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Libya

German Deputy Chief of Staff Friedrich Paulus arrived in Libya.
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Photo(s) dated 27 Apr 1941

Heinrich Himmler visiting the Mauthausen Concentration Camp in Austria, 27 Apr 1941, photo 1 of 2

Heinrich Himmler meeting a man at the rank of SS-Obersturmführer, Mauthausen Concentration Camp, Austria, 27 Apr 1941

Heinrich Himmler visiting the Mauthausen Concentration Camp in Austria, 27 Apr 1941, photo 2 of 2

27 Apr 1942

Luftwaffe aircraft conducted a raid on Norwich, England, United Kingdom.
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USS Yorktown departed for Coral Sea.
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The first of 127 Polish female political prisoners arrived at Auschwitz Concentration Camp. They were imprisoned in Block 8.
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Troops of the Australian Sparrow Force on Portuguese Timor, now waging a guerrilla war against the Japanese, received supplies by Australian aircraft.
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Alaska

While off Attu, US Territory of Alaska in the Aleutian Islands, USS S-35's cook was diagnosed with mumps, forcing the submarine to return to base.
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Australia

Japanese aircraft attacked the airfield near Darwin, Australia; 3 Japanese bombers and 4 escorting fighters were shot down by the US fighters assigned to the airfield, while the Americans lost 4 P-40 fighters.

Australian Papua

9 Japanese Type 1 bombers and 11 Zero fighters attacked Seven Mile airfield near Port Moresby, Australian Papua, destroying 3 A-24 and 1 B-26 aircraft.

British Western Pacific Territories

USS Astoria departed Tongatapu, Tonga to join Task Force 11.
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China

A major mining disaster in Manchukuo in Japanese-occupied northeastern China resulted in the death of 1,527 miners.

Germany

RAF conducted a 100-bomber raid on Rostock, Germany; it was the fourth consecutive nightly raid on Rostock. Over Köln (Cologne), 97 British bombers (76 Wellington, 19 Stirling, 2 Halifax) dropped bombs and damaged 1,520 homes and killed 11; 7 bombers were lost.
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Hawaii

Joseph Rochefort's cryptanalytic team based in Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii reported that the Japanese Navy had changed call signs of some major warships, possibly indicating that a major operation was about to take place.
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Joseph Rochefort's cryptanalytic team at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii decrypted a radio message from Nobutake Kondo to Tokyo, Japan requesting navigation charts of the Aleutian Islands area and latest intelligence at AOE and KCN (which was determined to be Dutch Harbor and Kodiak in the Aleutian Islands).
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Norway

31 British Halifax and 12 Lancaster bombers attacked German battleship Tirpitz and other ships at Trondheimsfjord near Trondheim in Norway to little effect. 5 bombers were lost during this attack.
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Russia

Allied convoy QP-11, consisted of 13 merchant ships, departed northern Russia.
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At Murmansk, Russia, HMS Edinburgh embarked wounded merchant mariners, British Army personnel (who had trained Soviet counterparts), British Royal Air Force personnel (who also trained their Soviet counterparts), and Czechoslovakians and Polish nationals who had fled German occupation.
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Photo(s) dated 27 Apr 1942

French Marshal Pétain and US Ambassador Leahy, Vichy, France, 27 Apr 1942

27 Apr 1943

The German Inspector of Concentration Camps ordered that only the mentally ill prisoners could be gassed via the Aktion T-4 Euthaniasia Program.
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Radar jamming devices began operations in eastern England, United Kingdom.
Captain Lord Charles Lyell was killed in Tunisia whilst knocking out a 88mm gun position and two machine gun posts. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.
USS Tunny departed Midway Atoll for Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii.
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USS Scorpion fired six torpedoes at a Japanese convoy, sinking the merchant ship Yuzan Maru with four hits; she was depth charged by an escorting destroying and suffered minor damage.
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Admiral Dönitz issued a new order to his submarine commanders, instructing that they were to cross the Bay of Biscay submerged during the night and to resurface during the day only long enough to recharge their batteries. This proved something of a mistake for the Germans as it permitted some 12 RAF Squadrons to contribute to daylight anti-submarine operations.
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Orde Wingate and his small group of Chindits reached the Chindwin River in Burma. They were able to cross it later in the day with the help of Gurkha Rifles men from the western bank of the river.
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USS Puffer was commissioned into service with Lieutenant Commander M. J. Jensen in command.
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Photo(s) dated 27 Apr 1943

USS Yorktown underway off Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, Virginia, United States, 27 Apr 1943; note Measure 21 camouflage

27 Apr 1944

Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru arrived at Truk and departed later on the same day.
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» Tabular Record of Movement
Overseas civilian travel was banned by the British government.
British Sergeant Norman Jackson's Lancaster bomber was attacked by a German nightfighter after a bombing run over Schweinfurt, Germany. As he observed that the starboard wing was on fire, he climbed outside with a parachute and a fire extinguisher. Holding on with one hand, he attempted to put out the fire while the aircraft traveled at 200 miles per hour at the altitude of 20,000 feet. He was eventually thrown off the aircraft as the German nightfighter returned for a second attack. He would survive the fall and would become captured.
Destroyer Yuzuki rescued survivors of sunken light cruiser Yubari.
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Remy Van Lierde was assigned to No. 3 Squadron RAF, flying Tempest Mk. V fighters.
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Anglo-Indian troops attempted to attack the Japanese positions on the far side of the tennis court in Kohima, India.
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USS Seahorse sank Japanese cargo ship Akigawa Maru west of Saipan, Mariana Islands.
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Japan

Light carrier Ryuho arrived at Kure, Japan.
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Russia

Semyon Timoshenko was awarded the Order of Suvorov 1st Class for the third time.
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United Kingdom

Canadian and New Zealand prime ministers arrived in London, England, United Kingdom for the Imperial Conference.

Photo(s) dated 27 Apr 1944

US Navy African-American mechanic Alvin V. Morrison working on PBY Catalina aircraft at Naval Air Station Seattle, Washington, United States, 27 Apr 1944

Sherman Crab flail tank under test with the UK 79th (Experimental) Armored Division Royal Engineers, 27 Apr 1944

Canadian 1st Special Service Force troops relaxing near Anzio, Italy, 20-27 Apr 1944

USS Flier at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California, United States, 27 Apr 1944, photo 1 of 2; note barges YC-312 and YF-509 in background

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27 Apr 1945

USS Sea Cat departed for her third war patrol.
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Italian partisans captured Benito Mussolini.
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US First Army captured Kempten and Straubing in southern Germany.
The western Allies refused to consider Himmler's attempts at negotiation for peace.
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Operation Kikusui No. 4 was launched off Okinawa, Japan, participated by about 65 Japanese Navy and 50 Japanese Army special attack and escorting aircraft.
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Japanese Shinyo special attack boats damaged destroyer USS Hutchins and an LCI landing ship at Okinawa, Japan.
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Aleksandr Vasilevsky began planning for the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation.
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Burma

The British East Indies Fleet sailed from Trincomalee, Ceylon to begin a series of strikes prior to the capture of Rangoon, Burma; this force of battleships, cruisers and destroyers would take it in turns to fuel and then screen the carriers hitting airfields, installations and coastal shipping in the Nicobars, the Andamans and along the Burma coast. Meanwhile, on land, Indian 17th Division was attacked by a Japanese suicide offensive north of Pegu; it was repulsed after the Japanese suffered 500 killed.
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Germany

German 9.Armee and 20.Armee both attempted to attack towards Berlin, Germany, but both were rebuffed by Soviet forces.
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Italy

US Fifth Army entered Genoa, Italy.
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Brazilian infantry and US tanks drove out German troops at Collecchio, Italy.
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Poland