Action of 4 April 1941

Action of 4 April 1941
Part of The Second World War, Battle of the Atlantic
Modern map of the Cape Verde islands
Date 4 April 1941 Location mid Atlantic Ocean 14°30′N 40°30′W / 14.500°N 40.500°W / 14.500; -40.500 Result German victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom	Germany
Commanders and leaders
J. A. Blackburn	Otto Kähler
Strength
Armed merchant cruiser HMS Voltaire	Auxiliary cruiser Thor
Casualties and losses
74 killed ~100 wounded 195 captured Voltaire sunk	Thor damaged

The action of 4 April 1941 was a naval engagement fought during the Battle of the Atlantic during the Second World War. A German commerce raider, Thor (Schiff 10 to the Kriegsmarine, Raider E to the British), encountered the British armed merchant cruiser HMS Voltaire and sank her after a short engagement. The German crew rescued the British survivors, some of whom were repatriated and gave an account to the Admiralty. It was accepted that German commerce raiders were too well armed for converted ocean liners equipped with obsolete guns but nothing else was available to the Royal Navy until later in the war.