- Apr 1 Allied air raid on Japanese occupied harbor city Kupang, Timor, Indonesia
- Apr 1 Mexico changes from 3 time zones to 2
Historic Event
Apr 2 USS Hornet with Jimmy Doolittles B-25 departs from San Francisco
- Apr 2 LPGA Titleholders Championship Women's Golf, Augusta CC: Dorothy Kirby retains title by 5 strokes ahead of Eileen Stulb
Music History
Apr 8 Arnold Schoenberg & Tudor's ballet "Pillar of Fire" premieres in NYC
- Apr 9 Battle of Bataan; US-Filipino forces overwhelmed by Japanese at Bataan
- Apr 9 Alexander Gretchaninov's 4th Symphony premieres at Carnegie Hall, NYC, with John Barbirolli conducting the New York Philharmonic
- Apr 10 Cigarettes & candy rationed in Holland
- Apr 11 US Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal established
- Apr 12 Japan kills about 400 Filipino officers in Bataan
US Masters Golf
Apr 13 9th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Byron Nelson wins an 18-hole playoff by 1 stroke over runner-up Ben Hogan
- Apr 14 Destroyer Roper sinks German U-85 of US east coast
- Apr 16 Japanese occupying army on Java installs film censorship
- Apr 17 12 Lancasters bomb MAN factory in Augsburg
- Apr 17 Operations begin to destroy Sobibor Concentration Camp
- Apr 17 POW French General Henri Giraud escapes from his castle prison in Festung Königstein
- Apr 18 "Stars & Stripes" paper for US armed forces starts
- Apr 18 James Doolittle bombs Tokyo & other Japanese cities
- Apr 18 Stanley Cup Final, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON: Toronto Maple Leafs beat Detroit Red Wings, 3-1 for a 4-3 series win; Toronto recovers after losing first 3 games
- Apr 20 46th Boston Marathon won by Joe Smith in 2:26:51.2
- Apr 20 German occupiers forbids Dutch access to their beach
- Apr 23 4-day allied bombing on Rostock begins
- Apr 23 1st night Exeter bombed by German Luftwaffe
- Apr 24 2nd night Exeter bombed by German Luftwaffe
- Apr 25 Beginning of a 3 night bombing blitz on Bath by German Luftwaffe - 417 killed
- Apr 26 Coal mine explosion kills 1,549 at Honkeiko, Manchuria
- Apr 27 Belgian Jews are forced to wear stars
- Apr 27 Tornado destroys Pryor, Oklahoma, killing 100, injuring 300
- Apr 28 German Luftwaffe estimated to have flown over 11 thousand sorties against Malta since 20th March
- Apr 28 "WW II" titled so, as result of Gallup Poll
- Apr 28 Nightly "dim-out" begins along US East Coast
- Apr 29 Japanese troop march into Lashio, cutting off Burma Road
- Apr 29 Jews forced to wear a Jewish Star in Netherlands & Vichy-France
- Apr 30 1st submarine built on Great Lakes launched, (Peto), Manitowoc, Wisconsin