Cabinet papers from April 1941

Wednesday 2nd April 1941

Meeting minutes

extract Chancellor of the Exchequer Sir Kingsley Wood is now presenting his budget for 1941/2 to the War Cabinet
person Kingsley Wood
place Greenwood, Nova Scotia
 

Prince Friedrich of Prussia.

extract Home Secretary raises the case of Prince Friedrich of Prussia, grandson of the Kaiser, currently interned in Canada
person Herbert Morrison
organisation Home Office
 

Thursday 3rd April 1941

Meeting minutes

extract PM warns French battleship Dunkerque may be handed over to Germans. Consulting with Roosevelt on whether to attack it
place Toulon
organisation United States Navy
 

Meeting minutes

extract General Haining: Some of our forward posts overrun in Libya. Our troops withdrawing to a position north of Agedabia
extract PM: President Roosevelt has allotted funds to build a further 200 ships for us. I stated urgent need for escort vessels
extract Admiralty: The air attack against our shipping was more intense during March than in any previous month
person Alexander Cadogan
person Herbert Morrison
place Greece
place Finland
place Cranborne
place Iceland
place Narvik
place Malta
place Greenwood, Nova Scotia
place Libya
organisation Home Office
organisation RAF Coastal Command
 

Monday 7th April 1941

Meeting minutes

extract Cadogan: Looks as though a "show of force" might be necessary before the position in Iraq can be redressed
extract Cadogan: Our Ambassador at Budapest "told to leave as soon as possible". Yugoslav government has left Belgrade
extract General Haining: Germans moving into Yugoslavia advanced towards Skoplje and Stip yesterday against slight resistance
person Alexander Cadogan
person Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell
person George Cadogan, 3rd Earl Cadogan
person Stafford Cripps
person William Patrick Stuart-Houston
place Athens
place Cranborne
place Iraq
place Belgrade
place Hungary
place Moscow
place Turkey
place Basra
place Eritrea
place Addis Ababa
place Bulgaria
place Greenwood, Nova Scotia
place Libya
 

Meeting minutes

extract Menzies: Chance of German advance underestimated by Wavell. We consented to Greek attack because told Libya push unlikely
extract PM: If we hold the advance at Tobruk we can be well satisfied. "But we must recognise that this might not be possible"
extract PM: Deterioration due to 7th Armoured Division at Cairo for refit. Not realised it would be so completely out of action
extract PM: General Wavell reports position in Western Desert greatly deteriorated yesterday. Hopes to stabilise front at Tobruk
person Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell
place Greece
place Egypt
place Sicily
place Sudan
place Malta
place Tobruk
place Libya
 

Tuesday 8th April 1941

Meeting minutes

extract Beaverbrook: Serious damage suffered by aircraft factories at Rochester and Belfast last night
extract Haining: Greeks holding out at Roupel Pass and on the Nestos Line. Yugoslavs have given ground in the Strumica Valley
extract General Haining: It is believed our infantry formations in Libya have completed their withdrawal to the Tobruk area
extract War Cabinet accepts offer from President Roosevelt for additional US forces to defend Newfoundland, Bermuda and Trinidad
person Edward Bridges, 1st Baron Bridges
person George Cadogan, 3rd Earl Cadogan
person John Anderson, 1st Viscount Waverley
person Telesforo Trinidad
place Cranborne
place Bermuda
place Albania
place Newfoundland, Kentucky
place Greenwood, Nova Scotia
place Libya
organisation Hopatcong High School
 

Wednesday 9th April 1941

Ireland. Report of a visit by the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia.

extract PM Menzies reports on Irish visit. De Valera not altogether impossible. Britain has not tried hard enough to negotiate
place Dublin
 

Thursday 10th April 1941

Meeting minutes

extract PM opposes requesting US approach Eire government over bases. "Discreet soundings" if De Valera willing to visit London
extract General Haining: Greek troops still holding out NE of Salonika though cut off by German advance. Our forces holding line
extract PM: Issue communiqué naming Generals and state part of our rear-guard cut off but our main force now in the Tobruk area
extract War Secretary: Germans broadcasting 6 UK Generals, 2,000 troops prisoners in Libya. Should we admit 3 Generals missing?
place Cranborne
place Tobruk
place Berlin
place Eritrea
place Addis Ababa
place Greenwood, Nova Scotia
place Libya
organisation Foreign and Commonwealth Office
 

Friday 11th April 1941

Meeting minutes

extract Air Chief: Aircraft losses in Libya during the previous two or three days are Enemy: 25, Our Own: 9
person E. F. L. Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax
place Cranborne
place Tobruk
place Greenwood, Nova Scotia
place Libya
 

Meeting minutes

extract General Dill: Now clear the Germans had assembled "a considerably stronger force in Libya than we had reckoned on"
extract Attlee: "Somewhat surprised at the rapidity and force" of Libya attack in face of telegrams received from Desert Front
extract Eden: Hitler's plans "retarded and thrown out of gear" by Greek resistance and Yugoslav coup - both with our support
extract Foreign Secretary Eden and the Chief of the Imperial General Staff outline discussions held in Balkans and Middle East
person Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell
person Stafford Cripps
person Adolf Hitler
place Republic of Macedonia
place Athens
place Greece
place Egypt
place Belgrade
place Turkey
place Sicily
place Malta
place Tobruk
place Cyprus
place Alexandria
place Bulgaria
place Libya
place Tripoli
organisation United States Navy
 

Monday 14th April 1941

Economic Warfare. Report for March, 1941.

extract Dalton: Central features of economic war last month "threats and boasts" from France to increase their sea-borne supplies
person Hugh Dalton
place South America
organisation United Nations
 

Meeting minutes

extract Indian Government to send troops to secure Basra in Iraq. General Rashid Ali to be told but force will "land in any case"
extract General Dill: Our force in Greece holding its own against heavy German attack. But enemy has taken Sollum on Egypt border
extract General Dill: Germans have occupied North Yugoslavia. Their advance likely to be by Sarajevo and Mostar to the Adriatic
extract Air Chief: In Libya on April 12th our bombers made 4 attacks and dispersed about 60 enemy tanks drawn up to attack Tobruk
extract Air Chief: In Balkans we have (with severe aircraft losses) inflicted fairly serious damage on advancing German troops
person John Anderson, 1st Viscount Waverley
person Rashid Ali al-Gaylani
place Greece
place Egypt
place Cranborne
place Iraq
place Iceland
place Basra
place Eritrea
place Albania
place Addis Ababa
place Libya
organisation RAF Coastal Command
 

Meeting minutes

extract PM: "Navy must be prepared to suffer heavy losses in order to cut the enemy line of communication" from Italy to Libya
extract Telegram from Yugoslav government asking for air evacuation to Athens. Greek government considering evacuation to Crete
extract General Dill: "Most serious news" German mechanised columns moving to cut off Greek army in Albania
person Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell
person Rashid Ali al-Gaylani
place Athens
place Greece
place Egypt
place Baghdad
place Iraq
place Basra
place Albania
place Cyprus
place Tripoli, Greece
place Alexandria
place Libya
organisation United States Navy
 

Thursday 17th April 1941

Meeting minutes

extract Morrison: Palace of Westminster "considerably damaged". Damage to Admiralty building, Selfridges, Kidbrooke aerodrome
extract Morrison: Attack on London last night affected 66 boroughs, especially Central and South London. 40 serious fires
person Herbert Morrison
person Duff Cooper
person Telesforo Trinidad
place Cranborne
place Iraq
place Madrid
place Basra
place Dublin
place Greenwood, Nova Scotia
organisation Home Office
organisation New Zealand Treasury
organisation Parliament of the United Kingdom
 

Meeting minutes

extract PM: Situation in Libya "considerably better" than it appeared a week ago. "Good chance" German thrust can be "liquidated"
extract PM: "Crete must be held in force". We have 59,000 men in Greece. Afraid we shall lose most of our artillery and tanks
extract PM: Clear implication the Greek Army "might be unable to continue the struggle". "We should fall in with their views"
extract PM: General Papagos has announced a withdrawal to the Thermopylae position and has suggested we re-embark our forces
person Rashid Ali al-Gaylani
place Athens
place Greece
place Egypt
place Iraq
place Basra
place Tripoli, Greece
place Libya
place Tripoli
organisation Air Force F.C.
organisation British Army
organisation Parliament of the United Kingdom
 

Friday 18th April 1941

Reports for the Month of March 1941 for the Dominions, India, Burma and the Colonies, Protectorates and Mandated Territories.

extract India Secretary: Mr. Gandhi's anti-war civil disobedience has now entered "third stage". Public interest generally low
person William Patrick Stuart-Houston
person E. F. L. Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax
person Malcolm MacDonald
place Great Britain
place Ethiopia
place Berlin
place Republic of China
place Burma
organisation Air Force F.C.
organisation Parliament of the United Kingdom
organisation Government of Canada
organisation Indian National Congress
 

Sunday 20th April 1941

New Construction Programme, 1941.

extract Admiralty proposes further extension to Navy's "sink at sight" zone to whole of Adriatic and Aegean except Turkish waters
extract First Lord of the Admiralty circulates naval construction programme for the year ahead. No new capital ships in 1941
place Fiji
organisation New Zealand Treasury
organisation United States Navy
 

Monday 21st April 1941

Meeting minutes

extract PM: RAF outmatched in Greece. "Main thing is to get the men away". Decision to evacuate taken this morning
extract General Blarney "quite clear" we cannot hold Thermopylae position "for very long", only policy early re-embarkation
extract General Dill: NZ division in Greece practically intact, Australians have lost 2 battalions, 2 more have "severe losses"
person Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell
place Athens
place Greece
place Libya
 

Invasion: Instructions to the Public.

extract Cabinet asked to postpone release of invasion leaflet 'Beating the Invader' as public "distracted" and Press "crowded"
person John Anderson (Australian politician)
 

Meeting minutes

extract Eden: "We should try to open up discussions with the Soviet Union", although I am "not very sanguine of good results"
extract Air Chief: In my view our bombers are "flying too low over Germany". Issuing orders to deal with this
person Stafford Cripps
person Francisco Franco
place East Germany
place Cranborne
place Iraq
place Madrid
place Moscow
place Turkey
place Greenwood, Nova Scotia
organisation Home Office
organisation RAF Coastal Command
 

Tuesday 22nd April 1941

Use of Military Personnel for Non-Military Purposes.

extract War Secretary complains soldiers being diverted to non-military roles. Opposes reduction in troops for invasion defence
person David Margesson, 1st Viscount Margesson
 

Wednesday 23rd April 1941

Italian Civilians in Ethiopia.

extract War Secretary "gravely concerned" over fate of Italian civilians in Addis Ababa. Risk of a massacre when Emperor returns
person David Margesson, 1st Viscount Margesson
place Ethiopia
place Africa
place Addis Ababa
 

Conditions in Poland.

extract Eden circulates letter from exiled Polish President to Pope: "Millions of human beings are threatened with extermination"
person Anthony Eden
organisation Advanced Micro Devices
organisation Foreign Office (Germany)
 

Proposed extension of the ban on visitors to coastal areas.

extract Home Secretary and War Secretary discuss the case for and against widening existing ban on visitors to UK coastal areas
person Herbert Morrison
person David Margesson, 1st Viscount Margesson
place Northern Ireland
 

Thursday 24th April 1941

Meeting minutes

extract War Cabinet approves publication of "Beating the Invader" leaflet to all householders
extract Morrison: Plymouth main target for the last 3 nights. Overnight 4 oil tanks set alight. Fires not yet under control
extract Air Chief: Bombardment of Tripoli harbour "far more satisfactory" than first appeared. Several ships sunk, others damaged
extract Air Chief: Aircraft losses in last 72 hours in home and overseas theatres; Enemy 31 (+15 probable), Our Own 14
person Edward Bridges, 1st Baron Bridges
person Herbert Morrison
place Plymouth
place Fiji
place Cranborne
place Iraq
place Ethiopia
place Eritrea
place Kenya
place Tripoli, Greece
place Africa
place Addis Ababa
place Libya
place Tripoli
organisation Home Office
organisation Royal Navy
 

Meeting minutes

extract PM Menzies "uneasy" retreating troops in Greece have enough air support. Churchill to urge all possible aircraft be used
place Greece
place Libya
 

Saturday 26th April 1941

Policy towards Turkey.

extract Eden: "Most we can hope for" from Turks "benevolent neutrality". In our interest to supply and support their armed forces
person Anthony Eden
place Great Britain
place Greece
place Egypt
place Iraq
place Turkey
place Basra
place Europe
place Istanbul
place Cyprus
place Alexandria
place Syria
place Bulgaria
 

Monday 28th April 1941

Meeting minutes

extract Eden: Position of Syria "serious", risk of German paratroop attack. UK to urge Vichy France to defend its territory
extract General Dill: Enemy advancing in Western Desert from Sollum. Have penetrated 5-6 miles across Egyptian frontier
extract General Dill: Evacuation of troops from Greece proceeding. 27,000 evacuated. 13,000 have landed in Crete of 59,000 total
extract Admiralty: British Ambassador to Yugoslavia taken prisoner. Submarine Regent found port of Kotor under enemy occupation
extract Air Chief: RAF bomber used cloud over Emden for 45 minutes this afternoon. 18 500lb bombs dropped, streets machine-gunned
person Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell
person George Cadogan, 3rd Earl Cadogan
place Lancaster, Lancashire
place Greece
place Ankara
place Cranborne
place Turkey
place Malta
place Dakar
place Washington
place Syria
place Greenwood, Nova Scotia
organisation Parliament of the United Kingdom
organisation Foreign and Commonwealth Office
organisation House of Commons of Canada
 

Meeting minutes

extract PM: "We must now expect a period of great enemy activity in the Mediterranean". Attacks will be made on Crete and Malta
extract PM Churchill: I feel no regret over the decision to send troops to Greece
person Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell
place Greece
place Egypt
place Malta
organisation United States Navy
 

Tuesday 29th April 1941

Food Situation in the United Kingdom. Monthly Report for March 1941.

extract Food Minister warns March food losses at sea highest since July 1940 and second highest since the beginning of the war
place City of London
place South Wales
 

Anti-Gas Precautions.

extract Attlee: Gas mask campaign having "good" response. Phosgene attack "need not be serious" if masks are put on quickly
organisation Air Force F.C.