6 Apr 1940
- RAF Bomber Command suspended leaflet dropping missions in Germany. ww2dbase [CPC]
- German submarine U-59 torpedoed and sank Norwegian steamer Navarra 20 miles off the Scottish coast at 0316 hours, killing 12. Finnish steamer Atlas rescued 14 survivors in a lifeboat. ww2dbase [CPC]
- British submarines Truant and Seal departed Rosyth, Scotland for the Norwegian coast, while Tarpon was ordered to patrol the German coast near Helgoland Bight. ww2dbase [CPC]
- RAF aircraft conducted a photo reconnaissance mission over Kiel, Germany to monitor preparations for the German invasion of Norway. German Kriegsmarine's Marine Gruppe 1 departed Cuxhaven, Germany for Narvik, Norway with 2,000 soldiers on 10 destroyers escorted by battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. Marine Gruppe 2 departed Wesermünde, Germany for Trondheim, Norway with 1,700 soldiers on 4 destroyers escorted by cruiser Admiral Hipper. Both departures were made after nightfall to escape British detection. ww2dbase [Invasion of Denmark and Norway | CPC]
- Orion departed Germany on her first raiding mission. ww2dbase [Orion | CPC]
- German submarine U-1 disappeared in the North Sea, and the crew of 24 were never seen again. The submarine most likely was lost to a British naval mine. ww2dbase [North Sea | CPC]
- U-1 struck a British naval mine and sank in the North Sea. ww2dbase [U-1 | North Sea | CPC]
- Emden embarked 600 troops at Swinemünde, Germany. ww2dbase [Emden | Swinemünde, Pommern | CPC]
- Fleet escort ship F2 was recommissioned into service. ww2dbase [F2 | CPC]

6 Apr 1940 Interactive Map
Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis
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