[Sailor Steve]

April 21, 1917

Air War:
0945 Yalta-born Russian pilot Pavel Argeyev, flying a Nieuport 17, shoots down a two-seater for victory number 2.

1728 German ace Lothar von Richthofen, in an Albatros D.III, shoots down Nieuport 17 B1568 for victory number 9. 2nd Lt Alan Bertram is wounded, dies on April 27.

1730 Irish RNAS pilot Francis Casey, in Sopwith Pup N6182, is credited with two Albatros D.IIIs for victories number 3 and 4.

1730 German ace Kurt Wolff, in an Albatros D.III, shoots down BE.2e 1766 for victory number 17. Cpt Eric John Dauben Routh is wounded, 2nd Lt Alexander George Ridell MacKenzie unharmed; crashed on their own side of the lines.

1740 Canadian RNAS pilot John Malone, in Sopwith Pup N6208, shoots down a German two-seater for victory number 5.

1745 German ace Karl Schäfer, flying an Albatros D.III, shoots down Nieuport 23 A6797 for victory number 20. Lt F. Sadler is killed.

1745 Kurt Wolff scores his second victory of the day, shooting down Nieuport 23 A6755 for victory number 18. 2nd Lt Cecil Victor de Burgh Rogers is killed.

1830 French ace Henri Languedoc, in a Nieuport, shoots down Albatros D.III 2096/16 for victory number 7. Ltn Friedrich-Wilhelm is taken prisoner.

1845 Two british aircraft from different units share a kill over an Albatros D.III:
English RNAS pilot Anthony Arnold, in Sopwith Triplane N5458, number 2.
Canadian RFC pilot Reginald Malcolm, in FE.2d A6383, number 6
Malcolm's observer, 2nd Lt J.B. Weir, unknown.

1850 Anthony Arnold scores his second victory of the day, shooting down another Albatros D.III for victory number 3.

1855 English RFC ace James Leith, in FE.2d A6383 with Lt G.M.A. Hobart-Hampden as observer, shoots down an Albatros D.III for victory number 8.

1855 Australian RNAS ace Bob Little, flying Sopwith Triplane N5496, shoots down an Albatros D.III for victory number 7.

2000 French ace Armand Pinsard, in a SPAD VII, shoots down an Albatros D.III for victory number 9. Ltn Günther von der Hyde is killed.

German two-seater ace Karl Meyer, flying a Friedrichschave bomber with Obflgmstr Kastmer as observer, shoots down Royal Navy blimp C-17 for victory number 7.

Armand Pinsard gains his second victory of the day, shooting down an "Enemy Aircraft" for number 10.



North Atlantic Ocean, far west of Ireland:
Victor Dieckmann, commanding U-61, sinks two ships:
Norwegian barque Skjold, 1,592 tons, bound from New York for Glasgow with a load of drummed oil and grease.
British tanker SS Telena, 4,778 tons, en route from Philadelphia to Queenstown with a load of benzine.



Northwest of Ireland:
Otto Wünsche, in U-70, sinks British freighter SS Sebeck, 4,601 tons, barrying a general cargo from Liverpool to Alexandria. His score is now 55 ships and 85,578 tons. Sebek had been attacked six monthe earlier, on October 12, 1916, but had been refloated and returned to service.



Celtic Sea:
Hans Rose, in U-53, sinks British freighter SS Pontiac, 1,698 tons, heading from Liverpool to Genoa with a general cargo. His score is now 32 ships and 76,141 tons.



North Atlantic Ocean, far west of Brittany:
Gerhard Berger, in U-50, sinks British freighter SS Diadem, 4,307 tons, en route from Dakar to London with a load of rice. His score is now 19 ships and 67,520 tons.

Hans Walther, in U-52, attacks British sloop HMS Heather, 1,250 tons, with his deck gun. The sloop recieves minor damage but her captain is killed by a shell splinter.



North Sea:
Martin Schelle, in UC-33, scuttles two British trawlers off Foula Island, on the west side of the Shetlands:
Jedburgh, 165 tons.
Yeovil, 164 tons.
Schelle's score is now 8 vessels and 6,938 tons.

Kurt Tebbenjohanns, in UC-44, sinks Norwegian freighter SS Peik, 701 tons, carrying a general cargo from Newcastle to Arendal. His score is now 22 ships and 15,803 tons.

Karl Neureuther, in UC-55, sinks Norwegian freighter SS Gerda, 979 tons, en route from North Shields to Skien with a load of coke and bicarbonate of soda; off Sumburg Head, Shetland Islands. His score is now 2 ships and 1,348 tons.

UC-30 (Heinrich Stenzler) hits a mine off Esbjerg, Denmark. 27 lost, no survivors.



Bay of Biscay:
Reinhold Saltzwedel, in UC-21, sinks two vessels:
French fishing dundee Emile et Charlotte, 41 tons, scuttled off Il d'Yeu.
Norwegian barque Ville de Dieppe, 1,254 tons, travelling in ballast from La Pallice to New York. At 0900 UC-21 fires two rounds astern of Ville de Dieppe, both of which miss. The crew begin to abandon ship. Two French patrol planes fly overhead and the u-boat dives. Ten minutes later the aircraft are gone and UC-21 surfaces and resumes the attack. After 20 rounds the ship begins to sink and UC-21 departs for the open ocean. A french submarine discovers the crew in their lifeboats and towes them back to La Pallice. Saltzwedel's score is now 64 ships and 98,896 tons.



Mediterranean Sea:
Kurt Hartwig, in U-32, sinks Italian brigantine Giosue, 140 tons; Off Tunis, deck gun. His score is now 41 ships and 50,015 tons.

British freighter SS Warrior, 3,674 tons, carrying a load of coal from Cardiff to Alexandria, hits a mine laid off Fratelli Rocks, Tunisia, by Otto Launburg in UC-37. His score is now 20 ships and 48,425 tons.



Indian Ocean, off South Africa:
The weather has cleared somewhat, and HMFM Trent reports towing HMS Severn much easier.