24 Apr 1941 | World War II Database

24 Apr 1941

German paratroopers captured the Corinth Canal in Greece. Meanwhile, German aircraft sank hospital ship Andros and 11 freighters off the coast and damaged British cruiser HMS York and submarine HMS Rover at Suda Bay, Crete; Greek torpedo boats Aigli, Alkyoni, and Arethousa were scuttled to prevent capture. British troops held off German attacks through the afternoon at Thermopylae, destroying 15 German tanks, before withdrawing after sundown. At 1900 hours, Greek luxury yacht Hellas was bombed at Piraeus while boarding 500 British civilians and 400 wounded Allied soldiers, killing 500. ww2dbase [Balkans Campaign | York | TH]
US Navy extended its range for Neutrality Patrols to as far east as Iceland and as far south as Rio de Janeiro. ww2dbase [CPC]
The German Naval Attaché in Moscow, Russia reported back to German Navy headquarters that it had been learned that the British had deduced the German invasion of the Soviet Union to take place around 26 Jun 1941, and the British had shared this information with the Soviet Union. ww2dbase [Operation Barbarossa | CPC]

Atlantic Ocean

Maggiore Baracca sighted a vessel at a great distance in the Atlantic Ocean at 1150 hours. Commanding officer Capitano di Corvetta Enrico Bertarelli decided not to pursue the target for it might be flying a neutral flag, and that a surface run was too dangerous. ww2dbase [Maggiore Baracca | CPC]
Alessandro Malaspina sighted a merchant ship in the Atlantic Ocean at 2207 hours and attempted to approach. ww2dbase [Alessandro Malaspina | CPC]

Libya

Italian infantry attacked two points of the Tobruk, Libya defenses at 0700 hours; the attacks were halted within an hour with heavy casualties and 107 captured. ww2dbase [Siege of Tobruk | Tobruk | CPC]

United States

The first M3 tank constructed at the Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant in Michigan, United States was delivered to the US Army. ww2dbase [M3 Lee/Grant | Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant | Warren, Michigan | CPC]
In a statement, Frank Knox, the United States Secretary for the Navy, proclaimed: "We can no longer occupy the immoral and craven position of asking others to make all the sacrifices for this victory which we recognize as so essential to us." ww2dbase [Frank Knox | AC]