Day 951 April 8, 1942

Indian Ocean. At 1.50 AM, 200 miles off the Southern tip of India, Japanese submarine I-3 sinks British collier Fultala carrying 8,000 tons of coal.

At 4.57 AM 300 miles off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, U-84 sinks Yugoslavian SS Nemanja (13 dead, 34 survivors). U-123 sinks 2 American tankers in shallow water 10 miles off St. Simon´s Island, Georgia; SS Oklahoma at 7.52 AM (19 killed, 18 survivors) and SS Esso Baton Rouge at 8.44 AM (3 killed, 65 survivors). Both ships will be refloated, repaired and returned to service. 20 miles off the North coast of Brazil, Italian submarine Calvi sinks US tanker Eugene V.R. Thayer with a torpedo and 120 shells from the deck gun.

Off Alexandria, Egypt, Italian bombers sink British minesweeping whaler HMS Svana and anti-submarine whaler HMS Thorgrim.

Bataan, Philippines. At 11 AM, Japanese bombers and fighters attack US II Corps forces digging in on the Alangan River. As Japanese infantry ford the river near the coast, they are caught in a crossfire by concealed Filipino troops. After an hour of fighting, the Japanese retreat back across the river but return later with tanks and rout the Filipinos, causing the whole US line to fall back. Many II Corps soldiers, starving and suffering from malaria and dysentery, become separated from their units in the jungle. With defeat imminent, US troops and medical staff begin withdrawing across the narrow strait to the fortified island of Corregidor.

A Catalina flying boat spots the Japanese Carrier Fleet approaching Trincomalee, Ceylon. British aircraft carrier HMS Hermes and Australian destroyer HMAS Vampire are sent out of port for safety.

Overnight, RAF Bomber Command sets a new record, sending 272 bombers (177 Wellingtons, 41 Hampdens, 22 Stirlings, 13 Manchesters, 12 Halifaxes, 7 Lancasters) to Hamburg (4 Wellingtons and 1 Manchester lost).