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April 17th, 1942
UNITED KINGDOM: Southampton: Private Nora Caveney becomes the first ATS casualty of the war when she is killed operating a range-finder on an anti-aircraft battery site.
GERMANY: Konigstein: General Henri Giraud, the French commander captured in 1940, escapes from a German PoW camp. Giraud was imprisoned in the castle prison at Konigstein. He escapes by lowering himself down the castle wall and jumping on board a moving train, which takes him to the French border. Hitler, outraged, orders Giraud’s assassination upon being caught, but Giraud is able to make it to North Africa via a British submarine. He joins the French Free Forces under General Charles de Gaulle and eventually rebuilds the French army. (Jack McKillop)
Dortmund: The Gestapo reports an increase in anti-Nazi graffiti in this city and other industrial areas of the Rhineland.
The RAF has followed up its devastating fire raid on mediaeval Lübeck with a daring raid from 500 feet on the M.A.N. diesel engine factory at Augsburg. The object was to “blood” new Lancaster bombers and crews on an industrial target easily identified by vivid landmarks. Seven out of 12 Lancasters, from 44 and 97 Squadrons, were shot down and five damaged. Only eight reached the target and of 17 bombs on target, just 12 exploded. Only four factory workshops were damaged, but the raid has caught the public imagination because it was in daylight at low-level.
Augsburg, GERMANY: Sqn-Ldr. John Dering Nettleton (1917-43) led six Lancasters on a daylight raid under heavy attack. Only his plane returned. (Victoria Cross)
Australia: The first class of Dutch personnel bound for the Royal Netherlands Military Flying School at Jackson Army Air Base (1 mile northwest of Jackson, Mississippi), leaves Australia. (Jack McKillop)
The RAF suffering prohibitive losses in daylight bombing raids, which will force them to switch to night bombing. The US Army Air Force will continue daylight bombing.