Real time Discusion thread

- With Admiral Robeck having resigned yesterday due to illness, he is replaced as commander of the Dardanelles expedition by Rear Admiral John de Robeck, formerly the second-in-command. Churchill immediately encourages de Robeck to energetically attack the straits, and the later, accepting Carden's plan, states that with good weather the operation will begin tomorrow.

Accordingly, the British begin surveying the gorge itself. Heath has his troops escort engineers into the gorge. They find that the Italians have dumped rocks and debris into it, blocking the way. The engineers make a start to clearing the way. However, the small parties come under heavy Italian defensive, and the effort must be abandoned.

General Lewis Heath's 5th Indian Infantry Division continues to pursue the fleeing Italian troops toward the port of Massawa. The 4th Indian Infantry Division has been redirected to Port Sudan for shipment to Port Sudan - showing the amount of confidence that Middle East Commander General Archibald Wavell has in a single division's ability to subdue the port's garrison.

At 07:45, the Afrika Korps launches the next stage of its offensive, sending 50 tanks and taking part in the defenses at Mersa Brega. The Afrika Korps takes Ajdabiya. The British lose numerous armored cars and light tanks. This attack is into the "Mersa El Brega Gap," an area between the coast and desert where the flat ground makes it good tank country.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Tigris attacks and sinks 5486-ton German armed tanker Thorn about 75 miles (110 km) southwest of St. Nazaire in the Bay of Biscay. The attack is distinguished by the huge amount of effort that Bone puts into the attack: no less than seven torpedoes and gunfire. Tankers are always difficult to sink because of their construction, but that is an inordinate amount of munitions for one medium-sized ship.

The Luftwaffe, perhaps to emphasize that it is still not there and not completely flown off to Bulgaria, attacks Bristol in its first big raid in many days. It sends 94 bombers, of which 76 arrive to make bombing runs. The bombers are from KG 1, KG 26, KG 76, KG 27, KG 54 and KGr 806. The bombers are led to the target by fourteen Heinkel He 111s which are specially equipped with X-Verfahren guided radar. Another group of nine Luftwaffe bombers hit Hull. In both cities, the priorities are docks and factories, and while much damage is done, it is contained and does not cause as many casualties as some raids earlier in the Blitz.