Allied Supreme War Council meeting in London resolves that neither Britain nor France will make a separate peace with Germany. However, French ideas to attack Soviet shipping and oilfields are rejected to avoid bringing USSR into the war against the Allies. As a compromise to initiate some aggressive action, the Allies decide to lay mines in Norwegian coastal waters (Operation Wilfred) starting April 5. Churchill hopes to provoke a German response, legitimizing Allied “assistance” to Norway with the goal of interrupting Swedish iron ore shipments to Germany. The French agree in principle to Churchill’s plan to drop mines in the River Rhine (Operation Royal Marine) also starting on April 5, pending ratification by the French War Committee.
Norwegian steamer SS Burgos hits a German mine and sinks 30 miles West of Skegness, England. Egret class sloop HMS Pelican rescues the crew. http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?2805
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment