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April 25, 1941 - Rumors About Athens.

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This day in 1941 was staring at the 600th since that ominous overture to Poland in 1939. And in that time, Europe was engulfed in a series of invasions, surrenders and daily desperation.

From London came word that German bombing raids over Britain the previous night were mostly confined to the Southeast and Northeast of England, but casualties were reported to be small. It was also the second successive night London went without a raid alarm.

The RAF retaliated with attacks on targets throughout occupied Europe.

The Free French Island of Tahiti declared itself on the side of DeGaulle.

There were unconfirmed yet persistent reports that Athens had fallen to the Germans and that Greece was in danger of being a lost Allied cause.

From Berlin came news that the previous nights address by Charles Lindbergh of the America First Committee at Madison Square Garden in New York drew praise in the German press, fueling speculation that maybe America would not get involved in the War after all.

Hitler concluded talks with Hungarian leaders in the wake of preparing German plans for the occupied Balkan region. Japanese Foreign Minister Matsuoka returned to Tokyo, armed with assurances and a renewed alliance with Berlin. Rumors that Germany was planning a move to Spain and Portugal were shrugged off as British propaganda, despite credible reports that some 2,500 German operatives posing as "tourists" were roaming the streets of Madrid.

It was also learned that German brewers were considering the idea of "light beer" to go with calls from the government to curb alcohol use, even though they hadn't even entered the experimental stage yet. And shortages were turning into rationing of cigarettes and cigars, in the wake of government calls to ban tobacco, which was deemed not such a good thing from a morale point of view.

And back in the U.S. - Secretary of State Cordell Hull called for renewed support of Britain in their fight against the axis and to support Lend-Lease.

All on this day in April, 1941 as reported by NBC and it's News Of The World.



April 18, 1941 - "Yugoslavia Has Ceased to Exist".

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News on this day in 1941 was grim for the Balkans. As of 9:00 pm the previous night, the Yugoslav Army signed surrender terms with Germany, ending Yugoslavia's defense against German invasion and ending Yugoslavia. The surrender was carried out by the remaining Yugoslav military leaders, acting on behalf of King Peter, whose whereabouts was unknown. Berlin then announced a New Order for the Balkans would be announced soon and all eyes were on Greece, which was next in line and continuing the resistance.

But the war went on in other parts of Europe. RAF bombers staged another raid on Germany, hitting targets in Berlin and, it was later revealed, targets in Cologne and the occupied Dutch city of Rotterdam. 8 British planes were lost and it was the first time the new Sterling Bomber was used in raids.

While downplaying damage reports, the Germans staged their own raids on Britain, primarily hitting port cities.

Public opinion in Britain was running against the Government's handling of the War so far. Most Britons felt the problem lay on the Political/Diplomatic side with the "wait-until-attacked" policy having disastrous results, and what was needed was an overall Aggressive/Offensive Policy.

Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill - it was learned a number of Senators were using their influence to try and get draft deferments for their sons and constituents with most claiming family members being actively involved in important defense work. It wasn't sitting well with the public and many were called out for their actions.

The Soft Coal miner's strike was continuing. The Senate commenced arguments on the Vincent Bill which would legally prevent unions from going on strike in the Defense Industry. And a heated argument was anticipated over the newly introduced Convoy Bill and our increasing participation in the European conflict.

And that's what happened on this particular April 18th in 1941 as reported by the NBC News Of The World.