This day in the war in Europe 65 years ago

[Njaco]

25 April 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Battle of Slow UK/North American Convoy ONS4 - A Swordfish of RAF No. 811 Sqdrn from 'Biter' found 'U-203' and the destroyer 'Pathfinder' finished the submarine off.

EASTERN FRONT: After a lull in the fighting at Warsaw, the German SS troops cut off water and electricity to the Ghetto and continued their clearing operations, burning the city to the ground.

NORTH AFRICA: The British V Corps, with heavy armour support, succeeded in capturing 'Longstop' Hill after heavy fighting.

JG 77 resumed battling in the skies over Tunis. Lt. Ernst-Wilhelm Reinert of 4./JG 77 brought down a Spitfire and an Airacobra in the afternoon, bringing his score to 152 enemy aircraft destroyed.

WESTERN FRONT: I./KG 2 and II./KG 2 returned back to the airfields at Eindhoven and Soesterberg. On the return trip near Lindesnes, a Do 217 from 4./KG 2 crashed into the sea from a collision with a Fw 190 from I./JG 11, based at Lister. Uffz. Helmut Glagla of 1./JG 11 and Fw. Gunther Stahr's entire Dornier crew were killed.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

26 April 1943

UNITED KINGDOM: I reported to No 1 Aircrew Reception Centre in St John's Wood, London to commence training for RAF aircrew. I would have to be there for about three weeks, billeted in requisitioned properties, kitted out with uniform, medically examined, inoculated and introduced to drill and physical training.

GERMANY: 215 Lancasters, 135 Wellingtons, 119 Halifaxes, 78 Stirlings and 14 Mosquitoes attacked Duisburg. 17 aircraft were lost. This heavy raid was a partial failure. The Pathfinders claimed to have marked their target accurately but daylight reconnaissance showed that most of the bombing had fallen to the northeast of Duisburg. The Main Force may have bombed too early or they may have been lured by early fires short of the target. However, Duisburg had more than 300 buildings destroyed and a death roll of between 130 and 207, reports varied. 4 of the Mosquitoes taking part in this raid were from 2 Group. They bombed Duisburg 3 hours after the main raid, then dived hard and flew back to England at low level. Bombs hit 6 other towns in the Ruhr.

WESTERN FRONT: 6 RAF Mosquitoes attacked railway targets at Tours, Julich and Lingen without loss.

EASTERN FRONT: At 11:00 hours near Taman, Lt. Erich Hartmann of 7./JG 52 destroyed a Russian R-5 for his 8th victory. (Njaco)

 

[Njaco]

27 April 1943

WESTERN FRONT: 12 RAF Venturas dispatched to attack a railway target at St Brieuc turned back because of 10/10ths cloud. (Hugh Spencer)

58 RAF Halifaxes, 46 Lancasters, 31 Wellingtons and 25 Stirlings went on the biggest minelaying operation so far mounted. 123 aircraft carried out their flights successfully, laying 458 mines off the Biscay and Brittany ports and in the Frisian Islands. 1 Lancaster was lost. (Hugh Spencer)

EASTERN FRONT: Over the Kuban bridgehead, Oblt. Joachim Kirschner, Staffelakpitaen of 5./JG 3, destroyed a pair of Russian lend-lease Boston bombers to bring his score to 100 victories so far during the war.

NORTH AFRICA: Djebel Bou Aoukaz fell to British forces.

 

[Njaco]

28 April 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: A series of running battles, between German U-Boats and Convoy ONS-5, begin. These battles will last through 6 May. The convoy will lose 13 transports. 7 U-Boats are sunk with damage to others. The ratio of 2 transports to 1 U-boat is acceptable. This convoy is being protected by British escorts and PBY-5A Catalinas of the US Navy's Patrol VP-84 based as Naval Air Facility (NAF) Reykjavik, Iceland. The effective air escort during the main battle was RCAF No. 5 Squadron from Newfoundland which sank 'U-630' on 4th May. Earlier in the voyage, on 24 April, 'U-710' was sunk by RAF 206 Squadron. The surface escort accounted for the remainder of the U-boat losses. The weather from 28 May onwards was atrocious. (Syscom)

In the Atlantic, a US Navy hunter-killer group comprised of the auxiliary aircraft carrier USS 'Bogue' and four destroyers drives off five German U-boats deploying against Convoy HX 235. (Syscom)

EASTERN FRONT: Following in the footsteps of Oblt. Kirschner of the day before, the Staffelkapitaen of 4./JG 3, Lt. Wolf Ettel, shot down 3 Russian LaGG-3s to bring his score to 100 kills. At JG 52, Lt. Erich Hartmann of 7./JG 52 downed a Soviet LaGG-3 in the morning near Taman to bring his score to 9.

GERMANY: 6 RAF Mosquitoes carried out a raid to Wilhelmshaven, dropping numerous flares to divert attention from the minelaying force which was operating nearby. No Mosquitoes were lost.

NORTHERN FRONT: The Finnish Parliament passes a law decreeing that all recipients of the Mannerheim Cross (the Finnish equivalent of the VC or MOH) would additionally receive the sum of 50 000 Finnish marks. It is a considerable sum, equivalent to a lieutenant's yearly pay. (Syscom)
A Ju 88A-14 of 9./KG 6 was lost and crashed into the North Sea. Only the body of Uffz. Hans Hart washed ashore on 26 June 1943 in the vicinity of beach pole #5 near Den Helder. His body was buried at the cemetery of Huisduinen.​

WESTERN FRONT: 207 RAF aircraft - 68 Lancasters, 60 Halifaxes, 47 Wellingtons and 32 Stirlings - carried out another large minelaying operation. 167 aircraft laid mines off Heligoland, in the River Elbe and in the Great and Little Belts. Low cloud over the German and Dutch coasts forced the minelayers to fly low in order to establish their positions before laying their mines and much German flak actvity was seen. 22 aircraft - 7 Lancasters, 7 Stirlings, 6 Wellingtons and 2 Halifaxes - were lost. This was the heaviest loss of aircraft while minelaying in the war, but the number of mines laid was the highest in one night.

 

[Njaco]

29 April 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: 3(F)./122 dispatched a number of sorties, one of which was a combined overseas training flight and check of German minefields. One Ju 88 was shot down by RAF No. 486 Sqdrn Typhoons south of the Isle of Wight. Another Ju 88 was attacked by a fighter and shot down into the sea, 20km to the west of the island of Terschelling, where it exploded. Uffz. Rudolf Wolf and his crew were all killed.

WESTERN FRONT: A fighter sweep - or 'Rodeo' - by the US 56th FG flying P-47 Thunderbolts over the Dutch coast brought the Focke-Wulfs of JG 26 up to battle. The Fw 190s made a short, head-on pass at the American fighters in groups of two and shot down 2 P-47s, the claims being made by Ofw. Hans Heitmann of 8./JG 26 and Uffz. Wilhelm Mayer of 6./JG 26. The Geschwader lost no fighters in this action. At about the same time, Ofw. Johannes Edmann of 8./JG 26 downed a Spitfire in the sea near Zeebrugge.

MEDITERRANEAN: 1(F)./122 was engaged in tracking the movements of the RN battleships HMS 'Nelson' and HMS 'Rodney' together with 6 lesser ships that had just passed Gibraltar headed into the Med. One Ju 88 was sent out on an over water recon sortie. A second Ju 88 was sent out but failed to find the warships due to weather conditions.

EASTERN FRONT: A series of minor attacks by the Red Army near Novorossiysk slowly pushed the Germans back.

 

[Njaco]

30 April 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: British submarine 'Seraph', releases a corpse "The Man Who Never Was" into the sea of the Spanish port of Huelva. This is part of the deception plan for the invasion of Sicily. (Syscom)

The U.S. Navy turns over responsibility for convoys sailing between Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and the UK to the Royal Navy and Royal Canadian Navy. (Syscom)

Axis submarine losses for the month of April amounted to 14 German and 1 Italian U-Boats including 3 destroyed by the RAF in the North Atlantic and off the Canaries; 1 by an RAF Bay of Biscay patrol; 1 by an RAF-laid mine in the Bay of Biscay; 1 by the RAAF north of the Faeroes and 3 to US forces in the North and South Atlantic including the one Italian.
​

EASTERN FRONT: Lt. Erich Hartmann of 7./JG 52 gained his first double kill, 2 Soviet LaGG-3s over Taman. His score was now at 11 kills.

NORTH AFRICA: German armor led in retaking Djebel Bou Aoukaz but sustained heavy losses.

Frank Hill from the US 31st FG related escorting 18 B-25s on a sea sweep as;

"...absolutely one of the most interesting missions I've ever been on! Our Squadron was close cover, and Col. Dean was leading the 308th as top cover. By this time I was in the 309th Squadron as commander. We flew from Le Sers to the coast then up towards Cape Bon. As we neared the Cape, we could see 2 large vessels making large wakes in the water. We were supposed to go around the Cape and go into the Gulf of Tunis to bomb some shipping that was in the harbor but here were two very large ships. So the bomber commander decided to lay their eggs there. Just as we were making the first bomb run, we saw 9 enemy 109s above us and to the right and a fight was started between them and the 308th with Col. Dean. The boats below were turning furiously and sending up plenty of flak and the first bombs did not land too close. The bombers made a slight turn to the right and headed out to sea then swung around in a large left turn and headed right back in again towards the ships. At this time, the enemy 109s were really trying to get at the bombers but every time they would come in close, we would always be there and shooting at them. Major Thyng damaged one and it beetled on away. The 308th really was tangling in there - and the enemy 109s were keeping us busy also. I got burned up with the rear gunners of the bombers because they were shooting at us also. But I guess they couldn't pick us out from the enemy 109s. The second bomb run was really beautiful. They flew a straight course and all the flak didn't make them flinch a bit. One whole stick of bombs hit the large cruiser, in a direct hit, and it practically lifted it out of the water. An explosion occurred and big, black rolls of smoke came up high in the air. The ship was still burning as we last looked at it from 20 miles away. The smaller ship, probably a small cruiser, was heading towards the burning cruiser, probably to rescue people who might still be alive. ME 109s continued to fight us most of the way home, but never hit any of us and we only claimed a few damaged. Col. Dean got one destroyed. He was with the 308th at that time. It was a really good show!"

Gefr. Karl Unkell from Stab./JG 77 was killed in combat near Cape Bon. Lt. Baumel from 6./JG 77 claimed a Spitfire for his first kill.

GERMANY: On 20 April, Duncan Sandys, Churchill's son-in-law and Parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Supply, was appointed to head a committee to review all evidence of German long-range rocket development. Mr. Sandys thought that the Germans must have had a special base for experimental projects. A check of air photographs revealed that Peenemunde, on the Baltic, was a likely spot. Medmenham unearthed photographs taken by a bomber pilot on a raid against Kiel in May 1942, which revealed much building and mysterious earthworks. Some photographic sorties were immediately launched. On 22 April, a Mosquito took photos of the area. One of these revealed an object projecting from the seaward end of a building. In the next frame, taken 4 seconds later, the object had vanished and in its place was a puff of smoke. The British did not realize it, but the photos showed the 21st experimental firing of an A4 rocket. Nevertheless, the Sandys Committee had concluded that Peenemunde was an experimental station dealing with projectiles and explosives. If rockets were being developed there it would be a while before they were operational. Peenemunde was to be kept under observation and every effort made to establish its role.

190 RAF Lancasters, 105 Halifaxes and 10 Mosquitoes attacked Essen, 12 aircraft lost. Cloud was expected over the target so a Pathfinder technique based solely on Oboe Mosquitoes skymarkers was planned. This was not expected to give such good results as groundmarking but the plan worked well and 238 crews reported that they had bombed Essen. Because of the cloud, no bombing photographs were produced. A map from Essen showed that this modest attack did produce new damage areas all over the city although there was no major concentration. 189 buildings were destroyed and 237 severely damaged. The Krupps factory was hit again. 53 people were killed and 218 injured. Bombs also fell on 10 other Ruhr towns particularly in Bottrop just to the north of Essen which was hit by 86 high explosive bombs. (Hugh Spencer)

8 RAF Stirlings and 4 Halifaxes of the Pathfinders carried out H2S training attacks on Bocholt. 1 Stirling was lost. In the whole of April 1943 1739 RAF Bomber Command aircrew were lost, POW's or killed. (Hugh Spencer)

 

[Njaco]

1 May 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: 'U-613' engaged in a gun battle with an RAF No. 172 Sqdrn Wellington. The aircraft was damaged in the attack and crash landed with no fatalities among the crew.

'U-515' attacked Convoy 'TS-37' for a second time about 75 miles southwest of Freetown and fired 3 single torpedoes. The first hit the 'City of Singapore' in the stern and the ship was seen to burn fiercely before she sank. The second torpedo hit the 'Mokambo' and set her on fire. The third torpedo hit the 'Clan MacPherson', which began to sink by the stern. The master, 86 crewmembers and 10 gunners from the 'City of Singapore' were picked up by trawlers HMS 'Arran' and 'Birdlip' and landed at Freetown the same day. The 'Clan Macpherson' foundered later. Four crewmembers were lost. The 'Mokambo' was badly damaged but remained afloat. The ship was towed to Freetown roads by tugs 'Aimwell' and 'Onana' but capsized on 2 May and sank.​

EASTERN FRONT: KGr zb V9 was redesignated as I./TG 3 (Transportfliegergeschwader) as part of the general restructuring of the Luftwaffe's air transport branch.

NORTH AFRICA: The US II Corps took Hill 609 in 'Mousetrap Valley'. Axis forces began to withdraw from the area. At sunset 7 Ju 88 bombers and 6 Ju 88 torpedo bombers of III./KG 26 and 3 He 111 Torpedo bombers of II./KG 26 attacked a convoy to the north of Benghazi that had left Alexandria and was sailing to Malta and Tripoli. The steamboat 'Erimpura' was sunk and the tanker 'British Trust' was hit by bombs and a torpedo which sank her also.

WESTERN FRONT: 5./BFGr 196 was redesignated 1./SAGr 128. The unit took on 17 Ar 196s and 6 Fw 190s along with a couple of Bu 133s. 5./BFGr 196, 1./SAGr 128 and 10./ZG 1 were three of the designations used by this small but successful Luftwaffe unit. 1./SAGr 128 was based at Brest-Sud throughout its existance but had detachments at Bayonne. In 8 months of operations, this unit lost no Ar 196s but 5 Fw 190s were lost to enemy action and 8 to other causes. During the early months of 1943, the Luftwaffe was not providing adequate protection for the Atlantic U-Boats and this situation had to be remedied. The introduction of centimetric radar on Allied aircraft in February 1943 meant that U-Boat sinkings greatly increased. Aside from patrolling the waters around Brest, the unit was also occasionally deployed against US bombing raids with mixed results. It was impossible for 1./SAGr 128 and 10./ZG 1 to change the course of the war in the Bay of Biscay with just a handful of Fw 190s and Ar 196. Allied technical developments, new aircraft types and weight of numbers meant that the Fw 190s could only cause some disruption to Allied successes. On some notable occasions, the long-range Fw 190s were very successful but these pin-pricks were not enough to save the U-Boat force from near annihilation between May and December 1943. While operating from Brest, 5./BFGr 196, 1./SAGr 128 and 10./ZG 1 worked alongside other German units under Fliegerfuhrer Atlantik. 8./JG 2 periodically flew against Coastal Command anti-submarine aircraft and in June 1943, the Staffel took on strength some long-range Fw 190A-5/U8s (some of these were kept until February 1944). The best known of the German units flying over the Bay of Biscay was V./KG 40 with its Ju 88s (it would become I./ZG 1 in October 1943). Other units were more enigmatic, like the Me 410 equipped 7./ZG 1. Other elements of ZG 1 and ZG 26 also made appearances over the Bay in 1943 and 1944 with Ju 88s and Bf 110s. 1./SAGr 129 operated the BV 138 and BV 222 while 2./SAGr 128 flew the Ar 196 A-3.

12 RAF Bostons went to a railway target at Caen and 6 Mosquitoes to the Philips factory at Eindhoven. Both raids were abandoned because of cloud. (Hugh Spencer)

18 RAF Wellingtons and 12 Stirlings laid mines off the Brittany and Biscay coasts. 1 Stirling was lost. (Hugh Spencer)

 

[Njaco]

2 May 1943

GERMANY: A maximum force, 154 B-17s, 21 B-24s and 12 B-26s of the US 8th Bomber Command were dispatched against 4 targets. This was the first time more than 200 US bombers were dispatched. The principal attack was against submarine yards and naval installations at Kiel and destroyed 3 U-Boats. They lost 5 B-24s and 3 B-17s.

WESTERN FRONT: 42 B-17s were dispatched against the former Ford and General Motors plants at Antwerp, Belgium. 38 bombers hit the target and claimed 5 Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed. One B-17 was lost. The bombers were escorted by 118 P-47s which claimed 4 Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed and lost 3 P-47s. 39 B-17s were dispatched against the Coutrai airfield and lost 2 B-17s. Another 12 B-17s were sent against the Velsen power station at Ijmuiden and hit the target without loss.

RAF Mosquitoes raided the railway yards at Thionville, France.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The German transport 'Gneisenau' struck a mine and sank, east of Gedser. 'U-465' was sunk in the Bay of Biscay north of Cape Finisterre by depth charges from an RAAF No. 461 Sqdrn Sunderland with all hands lost. 'U-188' was heading home through the Bay of Biscay when a Whitley aircraft attacked it. The commander, KL Siegfried Ludden and a crewmember were seriously wounded.

UNITED KINGDOM: German Dornier bombers laid mines off the Thames and Huber estuaries.

NORTH AFRICA: In Tunisia, P-40s attacked shipping off the coast. Bad weather restricted the NASAF to recon missions. NATAF fighters hit tank and troop concentrations near Massicault and Tebourba and flew recon as the US II Coprs occupied Kef en Nsour while Axis forces withdrew toward Bizerte.

 

[Njaco]

3 May 1943

WESTERN FRONT: 12 Venturas of RAF No. 487 Sqdrn (New Zealand) were dispatched to attack a power station on the northern outskirts of Amsterdam. One aircraft returned early; the remaining 11 proceeded with an escort of 3 squadrons of Spitfires. Unfortunately, an earlier Spitfire sweep had alerted the German defenses while the Ventura force was still flying at a low level over the North Sea. Unfortunately, also, an exceptional number of experienced German fighter pilots were present at Schiphol airfield for a conference. 69 German fighters were thus up in the air near Amsterdam when the Ventura force crossed the Dutch coast. Some of the German fighters engaged the Spitfires while the remainder attacked the bombers. 9 Venturas were shot down before reaching the target and a 10th was badly damaged but it managed to return to England. The only remaining Ventura was that of S/L L. H. Trent. His Ventura, completely alone, pressed on to the target and bombed it. The bombs just missed but some of the blast caused some damage. This last Ventura was then immediately shot down. The story of this action was reconstructed after the war and S/L Trent was awarded the Victoria Cross in 1946.

Ofw, Ernst Heesen of 5./JG 1 was killed in action. He had 28 victories to his credit, flying for JG 1 and JG 3 during the war.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: In Iceland, Lt. General Frank M. Andrews, the USAAF officer who was Commanding General European Theatre of Operations, US Army (ETOUSA) was killed in an aircraft crash while landing. There has been specualtion over the years whether Andrews instead of Eisenhower would have commanded the Allied forces in Europe if he had lived. Camp Springs Army Air Field in Maryland was renamed Andrews Army Air Field (now Air Force Base) in 1945 in his memory.

NORTH AFRICA: The US 1st Division along with French troops captured Mateur, 20 miles from Bizerte as they fought their way out of 'Mousetrap Valley'. P-40s flew fighter-bomber missions against a bridge, buildings and docks in the northeast part ofthe country. NASAF B-25s bombed a landing ground near Protville and B-17s hit shipping at Bizerte.

 

[Njaco]

4 May 1943

WESTERN FRONT: The USAAF dispatched 79 B-17s against the former Ford and General Motors plants at Antwerp. The B-17s were escorted by 117 P-47Cs up to 175 miles from their bases along with Spitfires. The Spitfires and Thunderbolts intercepted the Fw 190s of JG 26 sent to attack the bombers and were successful in keeping the German fighters away from the bombers. A diversion was flown by 20 B-17s and 13 B-24s towards the French coast arousing more than 100 German fighters (about half of the total number in the region) and kept many of them airbourne long enough to prevent their attacking the main effort. No bombers were lost on this mission. A pilot with JG 26 wrote that the Geschwader's failure to destroy the bombers had brought, "a great salvo from Reichsmarschall Hermann Goring. We should be disbanded - our formation leaders should be arrested - we are all cowardly dogs!" Oblt. Konrad von Donner of Stab II./JG 26 was credited with destroying a 4 engined airplane near Scheld-Mundung. A Spitfire was also awarded to Major Josef Priller from Stab./JG 26 for his 85th victory.

Polish pilots flying in the RAF F/O Dubielecki claimed 2 Fw-190s damaged and P/O Zurakowski claimed 1 Fw-190 damaged. F/O Lipinski in Spitfire IX (EN131, PK-M), was killed in action over Flushing (Vlissingen, Netherlands). Although he virtually never made any notes in his log book, the Northolt Wing's Deputy Commnader S/Ldr Sawicz, after flying that mission had made an entry in it: "An exhausting flight - heavy fight. I got out of a/c on very shaky legs. One Fw-190 damaged."

12 RAF Venturas attacked railway yards at Abbeville. 3 Mosquitoes out of 6 despatched bombed power stations at Haarlem and The Hague. No losses. (Hugh Spencer)

ATLANTIC OCEAN: After sailing for a week through raging storms, westbound convoy 'ONS-5' made contact with the German wolf pack sent to destroy it. As German submarine 'U-630' was starting its attack run, a Canadian RAF airplane depth charged the U-Boat, sinking it.

EASTERN FRONT: Hitler decided to post-pone the planned summer offensive at Kursk until more of the new Tiger and Panther tanks could be delivered. By mid-May, the Russians had prepared an extensive defense network that was more than enough to defeat the Germans at Kursk.

NORTH AFRICA: In an act of purest desperation, the Italian merchant ship 'Campobasso' attempted to deliver desperately needed fuel and military supplies to the Axis forces in Tunisia. It was intercepted and sunk by British destroyers. Weather restricted most NASAF operations to recon and uneventful sweeps. NATAF fighters attacked gun positions and vehicles near Zaghouan and Massicault and at other points in the surrounding area. A-20s and medium bombers hit Zaghouan in support of the French advance.

GERMANY: 255 RAF Lancasters, 141 Halifaxes, 110 Wellingtons, 80 Stirlings and 10 Mosquitoes attacked Dortmund - the largest non-1000 raid of the war to date and the largest on this city. 31 aircraft were lost and a further 7 aircraft crashed in bad weather at their bomber bases. The initial Pathfinder marking was accurate but some of the back-up marking fell short. A decoy fire site also attracted many bombs. Half of the large force did bomb within 3 miles of the aiming point and severe damage was caused in central and northern parts of Dortmund. The city's report stated that 1218 buildings were destroyed and 2141 seriously damaged including the Hoesch and the Dortmunder Union steel factories and many facilities in the dock area. The old Rathaus was among 7 buildings of a cultural nature which were destroyed. At least 693 people were killed including 200 prisoners of war and 1075 people were injured. The number of dead in this raid was a new record. (Hugh Spencer)

 

[Njaco]

5 May 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Convoy 'ONS-5', now being dogged by over 20 German submarines, began to take serious losses. However, the German U-Boat 'U-192' was sunk.

An airbourne Lifeboat was used operationally for the first time, when it was dropped from an aircraft of RAF No. 279 Sqdrn.

The first MAC (merchant aircraft carrier) ship MV 'Empire MacAlpine' a converted grain cargo vessel of 8,800 tonnes 481 ft long and carrying just 4 Swordfish onboard sails for Halifax with west bound convoy ONS 9 to increase the mid Atlantic air cover. Doubts had been expressed about the ability of the aircraft to operate from such small vessels in lively seaways but in fact it was found on the return voyage with convoy HX 245 that the Swordfish crews could operate in weather conditions unsuitable for the Grumman Avengers of no 846 squadron aboard the accompanying escort carrier HMS 'Chaser'. (Trackend)

GERMANY: The commander of Luftwaffenkommando Ost, Generaloberst Robert Ritter von Greim was given command of Luftflotte 6.

NORTH AFRICA: British forces broke through the defenses of 5.Panzerarmee (von Arnim) south of Tunis. After taking then losing the town in very heavy fighting, British forces re-captured Djebel Bou Aoukaz late in the day. This action secured the left flank for the final drive on Tunis. NATAF fighters and bombers flew missions against strongholds on the slopes of Djebel Bou Aoukaz. The British 5th Corps was now commanded by Horrocks and included the 6th and 7th Armoured Divisions and the 4th Indian Division. With the front collapsing on all sides, the German fighters of the Desert jagdflieger lost another experte. Oblt. Gunther Hannak of 7./JG 27 and previously of I(J)./LG 2 and JG 77, was shot down and captured by the Allies, ending the war with 49 destroyed enemy planes to his credit.

The Axis made one more attempt to supply Tunis, sending the 'San Antonio' to her doom, this time at the hands of American bombers. There would be no more attempts to supply Tunisia.

NORTHERN FRONT: Fw. Georg Thurimger of 13./KG 30 lost control of his Ju 88A-4 during take-off at Fliegerhorst Aalborg West and collided with a Ju 88 belonging to III./KG 30 parking nearby. '4D+IX' was damaged and Fw. Thuringer was killed and two of his crew injured.

EASTERN FRONT: Heavy fighting continued on the Kuban peninsula as Red Army forces took Krymsk and Neberjaisk from the German 17.Armee.

 

[Njaco]

6 May 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Over 30 German submarines were engaged with convoy 'ONS-5' as the 11th merchant ship was sunk. However 4 more U-Boats were sunk. 20 more submarines would attack the convoy but only one more merchant ship would be destroyed.

EASTERN FRONT: Heinz Scholz of JG 52 was killed in action. Lt. Franz Schall of 3./JG 52 gained his first victory when he shot down a LaGG-5 fighter.

NORTH AFRICA: The British opened the final assault on Tunis and Bizerte before dawn. The assault was supported by massed artillery fire and the most intensive air bombardment yet employed in North Africa. The British 5th Corps, led by Horrocks, broke through the Axis front, taking Massicault and advanced toward Tunis. The attack along with the heavy air support succeeded in destroying the remnants of the German 15.Panzerdivision. B-25s attacked Furna and Massicault and the surrounding areas. Meanwhile the US II Corps advanced toward Bizerte, Ferryville and Protville and the Free French 19th Corps approached Pont du Fahs.

NATAF airplanes bombed El Aouina, La Sebala and Ariana airfields during the night. During the day, fighters, A-20s and medium bombers flew over 1,400 sorties, attacking Protville and La Sebala airfields, trucks on the Massicault-Tunis road, Bordj Frendj, Djebel Achour, traffic near Tunis and other strongpoints in extreme northeast Tunisia. B-25s and B-26s bombed 2 beached vessels at Cape Zebib and ships, a lighthouse and parked aircraft near Cape Fortass, Zebib, Cap Serrat and Protville.

This day saw the largest number of Luftwaffe fighters destroyed in the North African theatre by an American fighter group in one day to date. The record set for the US 31st FG was 11 destroyed German aircraft. one probably destroyed and two damaged, without a single loss. Frank Hill became one of the first aces of the US 31st FG that day;

"On the morning mission, I was leading the Spit IXs. That was the newer Spitfire with the bigger engine and I chased 2 109s around the sky, finally got one which dove head-on into the ground just north of Tunis. Just a little before this, I followed one Me 109 north towards Bizerte and shot at him and he continued to dive with black smoke coming out all the way down. There was another Me 109 on our tail, so we had to turn to head into it to avoid getting hit. Just as I turned back, I saw a large explosion just where the first Me 109 was headed, so I believe he went in also. Later on it was confirmed by my wingman. In the afternoon we were up again and this time we ran into about 16 Me 109s and Macchi 202s, which was the Italian fighter. There were 6 of us in Spit Vs and 4 above us in Spit IXs. I started after this formation, came up from underneath where they didn't see us, and shot at one Macchi which I hit. He immediately half-rolled and started down. I don't know if he crashed or pulled out. I just kind of damaged it. After their whole formation split up, and so did ours, a general dogfight was a result. Major Kelly, who was a new replacement at that time who I'd known back at the 40th squadron at Selfridge, was my number 2 man. He stayed with me, even though he lagged behind a couple of times, because he was in a much slower plane. When we sighted more Me 109s and gave chase, two of them turned off and climbed into the sun. So we went right after them, underneath and behind so they didn't see us. When we were able to close in again, I opened fire on the lead one when they both half-rolled and the one went straight down with glycol and smoke coming out. Major Kelly watched him for a long while, and he believed he never did come out of the dive. The other one straightened out right away and I came up on his tail and fired what little ammunition I had left at him and Kelly shot at him and we both broke away. The German must have known I was out of ammunition because he turned right back and started after us. He was almost on Kelly's tail when I told Kelly to break hard left. The Me 109 overshot us and never did attack us again. We were down to our last few gallons of gas, so we landed at an emergency field near the front, re-serviced and came on home. For the day's work, I claimed 2 enemy 109s destroyed, one probably destroyed and one damaged, and one Macchi damaged."

Although the number of German aircraft destroyed was mounting, Lt. Ernst-Wilhelm Reinert of 4./JG 77 managed to claim a Spitfire near Tunis.

WESTERN FRONT: Hptm. Robert Olejnik replaced Hptm. Dietrich Wickop as acting Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 1 after Hptm. Wickop was killed in action.

 

[Njaco]

7 May 1943

EASTERN FRONT: Ofw. Albert Brunner of 5./JG 5 was killed in action. He had 53 victories against the Allies at the time of his death. Also killed this day was Oskar Loffler of JG 3. He died having destroyed 5 enemy aircraft during his career.

NORTH AFRICA: Fighting in North Africa was coming to a speedy conclusion as von Arnim's Axis forces retreated into the Cape Bon peninsula. 5.Panzerarmee evacuated Tunisia and Bizerte. It was 03:15 am when the order was given for the British to drive into the city. Armoured cars of the 11th Hussara were they first - as they had been in every major town or city captured since El Alamein - followed almost immediately by the tanks. Thousands of civilians lined the streets of Tunis to pelt British troops with spring flowers, bestowing kisses on embarrassed troops of the Derbyshire Yeomanry as their tanks rolled in. Even then, however, the fighting was not over, as small pockets of fanatical Germans continued to snipe from vantage points on public buildings and mosques.

The final assault on the Djebel Bou Aoukaz hills overlooking the city had involved an artillery barrage of an intensity not known since El Alamein. The technique was to use a concentration of fire, centrally controlled, on all known enemy positions. Shells landed on every two yards of front, causing total havoc. A huge air attack began at dawn, with the RAF flying more than 200 sorties. By 09:30 am the 4th Indian Division had cleared a path for IX Corps tanks. Simultaneously, the US II Coprs began its final assault towards Bizerte in the north. After some tough fighting, the US 9th Infantry Division drove into the city in the late afternoon but formal entry was reserved for the French Corps Franc d'Afrique.

The last remnants of the Luftwaffe abandoned their airfields and flew off for Sicily or Italy. For JG 77, the evacuation from the Cape Bon peninsula was a chaotic affair. The Geschwader had suffered heavy losses in the air and on the ground while claiming 333 kills in total in North Africa. Transport aircraft were in short supply and the pilots found themselves flying a shuttle between Tunis and Sicily with up to 2 passengers in the fuselages of the Bf 109s. Having achieved some 50 victories over North Africa, 4./JG 77 experte Fw. Ernst-Wilhelm Reinert was just one pilot to fly the hazrdous over-water flight. Too tall to squeeze into the fuselage of a 109, Reinert took the controls of 'White 7', the Bf 109G assigned to his superior, Oblt. Zeno Baeumel, while Baeumel and a mechanic crammed into the machine. Enroute to Sicily, Reinert sighted a formation of Royal Navy Martlets and swung his heavily loaded fighter in behind one of the British aircraft to deliver the coup de grace before putting down in Sicily, no doubt to the immense relief of his terrified passengers. Once back on the mainland and with most of their aircraft unmaintained and even unservicable on arrival in Sicily - the majority of the ground crews having gone into captivity in North Africa - the pilots of I. and II./JG 77 returned by train to Germany to collect new aircraft. Only III./JG 77 remained in Italy, being based in Foggia northeast of Naples. Aircraft were taken on loan from JG 53 in an effort to rebuild the Gruppe. Obstlt. Johannes Steinhoff now took over as Geschwaderkommodore as the Geschwader, now part of Fliegerkorps II, prepared for the Allies to invade Sicily.

WESTERN FRONT: The battle with convoy 'ONS-5' came to an end. In the week long battle, the convoy of 42 merchants and 9 escorts were attacked by 51 U-Boats. the convoy lost 13 ships but the escorts and land-based Catalina planes sank 7 U-Boats, seriously damaging 5 more. Despite the serious losses, the Allies considered this a great success.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: RAF maritime patrol aircraft sank 3 U-Boats in oneday. A Handley-Page Halifax of No. 58 Sqdrn sunk 'U-109' and a Short Sunderland of RAAF No. 10 Sqdrn sank 'U-663', both engagements taking place in the Bay of Biscay. Meanwhile a Lockheed Hudson of No. 233 Sqdrn sank 'U-447' off Gibraltar.

UNITED KINGDOM: Lt. General Jacob L. Devers was appointed Commanding General European Theatre of Operations US Army replacing General Andrews who was killed in Iceland.

MEDITERRANEAN: During the night in Sicily, NASAF Wellingtons bombed the docks and shipping at Trapani as a diversion for a mine-laying mission off Malta.

 

[Njaco]

8 May 1943

EASTERN FRONT: Hitler now gives in about allowing a full scale withdrawal from the Crimea. (Syscom)

The fighters of JG 52 lost Helmut Haberda when the 58 victory experte was killed in action.

Mordechai Anielewicz (1919-1943), commandant of the ZOB during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising is killed battling the Nazis. (Syscom)

MEDITERRANEAN: Fw. Karl Hosmann of 2./JG 77 was listed as missing in action and presumed dead. He had destroyed 8 enemy aircraft during his combat career. Another pilot with JG 77, Oblt. Helmut Mickel was killed in a flying accident. He died having destroyed 25 enemy aircraft during his career.

NASAF P-38s and NATAF fighters along with A-20s attacked the airfield on Pantelleria Island between Cape Bon and Sicily.

NORTH AFRICA: The British 6th Armoured Division drove from Hammam Lif towards Hammamet, preventing the Germans from making an orderly withdrawl. The Luftwaffe, battered and exhausted, abandoned Tunisia. Admiral Cunningham launched Operation 'Retribution' to prevent Axis armies from evacuating North Africa.

NASAF B-26s and P-40s attacked small vessels off Tunisia. Weather prevented the success of other shipping sweeps, but B-25s hit a road junction and railroad at Korba and a highway south of Beni Khalled. On the ground, Corps Franc d'Afrique made an official entry into Bizerte as the British 7th Armoured Division pushed north from Tunis toward the US II Corps zone. The British 5th Corps' 1st Division and 4th Indian Division pushed east with the French 19th Corps which met firm resistance near Zaghouan.

 

[Njaco]

9 May 1943

MEDITTERANEAN: In Italy, B-24s attacked harbour facilities at Messina, scoring hits on the ferry terminal, roundhouse, 2 ferries and a ship. B-25s hit the landing ground on Pantelleria Island. In Sardinia, during the night, NASAF Wellingtons bombed Villacidro, Elmas and Decimomannu airfields. In Sicily, B-17s with P-38 escort bombed Palermo. B-26s followed immediately with an attack on the same target. Fw. Josef Brandl of 7./JG 27 was listed as missing in action. He had 7 kills with JG 27.

WESTERN FRONT: A Ju 88R-1 defected to Britain, landing near Aberdeen. Allegedly it was carrying an important agent but the secrets of the 'Lichtenstein BC' radar were also extremely valuable. This night-fighter version of the Ju 88, using BMW radial engines instead of the normal Jumo 211s, with pilot Oblt. Herbert Schmid, r/o Obfw. Paul Rosenberger and engineer Obfw. Erich Kantwill took off from Fliegerhorst Aalborg West on an operational flight and at 16:06 hours the aircraft was reported lost over the North Sea. The crew of the Ju 88 from 10./NJG 3 was believed to have contacted the Allies about their defection and 2 Spitfires intercepted and escorted the night-fighter to airbase Dyce-Aberdeen in Scotland. The Junkers was practically brand new and fresh from the factory with the FuG 202 'Lichtenstein BC' interception radar onboard. The crew were made prisoners of war. This Ju 88R-1, now in the RAF museum at Hendon, is one of two surviving Ju 88s - the other being a Ju 88D-1 in the USAF museum.

NORTH AFRICA: Axis forces facing the US II Coprs in Tunisia, began to surrender. Six generals were among those who capitulated. King George VI told Eisenhower,

"the debt of Dunkirk is repaid!"

as the Allies began to take 50,000 Axis soldiers prisoners.

 

[pbfoot]

NORTH AFRICA: ....At 09:50 hours, 5 Spitfires of RAF No. 145 Sqdrn were protecting 12 Spitfires of RCAF No. 417 Sqdrn as they patrolled over the Cape Bon-Tunis area. Near Grembala, they intercepted 2 Bf 109s flying at 16,000 feet and one Spitfire was subsequently shot down. Two claims were made over the Cape Bon region by pilots of 7./JG 53. The first claim was for a Kittyhawk by Lt. Walter Hicke, the second was for a Spitfire made by Uffz. Georg Amon for his first kill.
.....

.

found this at the hanger

 

[Njaco]

10 May 1943

EASTERN FRONT: Unternehmen 'Citadel' was approved by Hitler. The attack at Kursk would begin in June. Intelligence reports indicated that the Soviets were expecting the attack and preparing strong defenses to meet it. The fighter pilots of JG 52 lost another member of the Geschwader when Ernst Ehrenberg was killed in action. He had a final victory total of 10 kills.

Organized resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto ended. SS Brigadefuehrer Stoop declared, "The Warsaw ghetto is no more!"

NORTHERN FRONT: Lt. Gunter Busse of 14(Jabo)./JG 5, flting a Fw 190A-3, was killed in action over Pummankibukten, shot down by the AA defenses. Another pilot from JG 5, Lt. Gunther Steinmann of 4./JG 5 was also lost over Kowdosero to flak.

NORTH AFRICA: All organized resistance in northeast Tunisia ended as Axis forces began to surrender. Over the course of the next 2 days, 238,243 unwounded Axis soldiers would become POWs. Numerous motor transport and troop concentrations on the Cape Bon peninsula were bombed and strafed as the British 6th Armoured Division drove to Hammamet. The British ended Axis chances of escape by cutting off the peninsula.

MEDITERANEAN: NATAF fighters, A-20s and medium bombers attacked Pantelleria harbour.

WESTERN FRONT: A B-17 on a ferry flight to the UK, ran out of fuel and belly landed on a beach in Ireland. Met by guests from a local hotel, the crew were sent across the border and onto the US 379th BG.

 

[Njaco]

11 May 1943

UNITED KINGDOM: A daylight raid by 20 German fighter-bombers on Great Yarmouth killed 26 girls staying at an ATS hotel.

The US 94th BG (Heavy) and its 331st, 332d, 333d and 410 BS (heavy with B-17Fs arrived at Earls Colne, England from the US. The 334th, 335th, 336th and 412th BS (Heavy) of the 95th BG, also with B-17Fs, arrived at Framlingham, England.

MEDTERRANEAN: The Allies ended a 3 day aerial bombardment of the Italian island of Pantelleria. In Sicily, B-24s struck Catalina harbour, severly damaging the area and several ships. NASAF B-17s, B-26s and B-25s bombed Marsala, hitting the warehouse, docks, railroad yards, seaplane base and city area.

NORTH AFRICA: NATAF fighters and A-20s attacked vehicles, gun positions and troop concentrations in the Zaghouan-Sainte Marie du Zit area on Cape Bon as the British 4th Division completed an uneventful sweep around the Cap Bon peninsul, revealing no important forces there. Resistance in the Zaghouan sector was weakening.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

12 May 1943

GERMANY: 238 Lancasters, 142 Halifaxes, 112 Wellingtons, 70 Stirlings and 10 Mosquitoes attacked Duisburg. 34 aircraft lost. This was the fourth raid on Duisburg so far during the Battle of the Ruhr, the first 3 raids having been only partially successful. The Pathfinder marking on this night, however, was near perfect and the Main Force bombing was particularly well concentrated. The centre of Duisburg and the port area just off the River Rhine, the largest inland port in Germany, suffered severe damage. 1596 buildings were totally destroyed and 273 people were killed. 4 of the August Thyssen steel factories were damaged. Nearly 2000 prisoners of war and forced workers were drafted into Duisburg to repair windows, roofs and other bomb damage. In the port area 21 barges and 13 other ships totalling 18,921 tons were sunk and 60 further ships of 41,000 tons were damaged. It was not deemed necessary to attack Duisburg again during this period. (Hugh Spencer)

NORTH AFRICA: After three years of struggle, Allied forces liberated all of North Africa from the Axis powers. A quarter of a million troops (130,000 Germans and 120,000 Italians) surrendered in Tunisia, ending the campaign. General Jurgen von Arnim and 25 other generals were included in the tally of prisoners. General Gustav Fehn, the last commander of the vaunted 'Afrika Krops', sent this final message to higher authorities;

… "Ammunition exhausted. Equipment destroyed. In accordance with orders received, the Afrika Korps has fought to the last man".

General Alexander, in a message to Churchill wrote,

"It is my duty to report that the Tunis campaign is over. All enemy resistance has ceased. We are masters of the North African shores
."

British Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Atlee, formally announced end of the North African Campaign. Mussolini promoted General Messe to Field Marshall in hope of inspiring him to hold out.

Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF) fighters, A-20's, and medium bombers flew sweeps and tactical reconnaissance over the battle area and hit positions south of Bou Ficha which formed the last link between the enemy forces and the sea. By night, enemy resistance in the south was almost ended.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: A Consolidated Liberator maritime patrol aircraft of RAF No.86 Squadron based at Aldergrove, Co. Antrim, Ireland, dropped a Mark 24 acoustic homing torpedo (codenamed 'Fido'), seriously damaging U-Boat 'U-456' and driving it to the surface. It was originally thought to have been sunk as the result of subsequent attacks by a Short Sunderland of No.423 Squadron RCAF, and the warships HMS 'Lagan' and HMCS 'Drumheller'. However, it now appears that 'U-456' was forced to dive by approaching destroyers and then sank because of the damage inflicted by the Liberator. This may properly be said to mark the first successful use of an air-dropped precision weapon in air warfare. The Sunderland and the two warships had actually combined to sink 'U-753'. 'U-456' was sunk while facing the British destroyer HMS 'Opportune' after being badly damaged by the 'Fido' homing torpedo. All 49 hands on the U-boat were lost.

Among other notable U-Boat actions were 'U-223' was rammed by HMS 'Hesperus' in the North Atlantic and badly damaged. 'U-377' and 'U-359' assisted the boat, which could no longer dive, and 'U-223' reached base on 24 May. 'U-311' shot down an RAF 206 Sqn B-17 Fortress and 'U-89' was sunk in the Northern Atlantic, by an RN 811 Sqn Swordfish from HMS 'Biter', destroyer HMS 'Broadway' and frigate HMS 'Lagan'.

The Canadian-built, British-registered cargo ship 'Fort Concord' (7,130 GRT) was damaged by 'U-456' and later sunk by 'U-403' north of the Azores. 'Fort Concord' was proceeding from New York City to Liverpool, as part of the 46-ship convoy 'HX-237'. She was loaded with 8,500 tons of grain and 700 tons of military stores. Thirty-seven of the 56 crewmembers, DEMS gunners, and passengers onboard were lost. The survivors were rescued by the Canadian Flower-class corvette 'Drumheller' and were landed in Londonderry. Records show that 'HX-237' arrived in Liverpool on 17 May 43 without having lost any ships, indicating that 'Fort Concord' was sunk after straggling behind the convoy. 'U-230' shot down an RN 811 Sqn Swordfish in Convoy 'HX-237'. The 'Sandanger', a straggler from Convoy 'HX-237' due to thick fog, was hit amidships, in the pump room and in #6 tank by three torpedoes from 'U-221' and caught fire immediately. Some survivors tried to abandon ship in boats and rafts but they died in the burning sea. After the tanker broke in two, the stern sank while the burning forepart remained afloat. Because of the fast combustion, an area of low pressure was created, which caused a very strong wind to blow in along the water from the high pressure area outside of the flames, and this wind split the flames on the starboard side in two. This phenomenon saved the 19 survivors in the only intact lifeboat. They rowed for 40 minutes through this area away from the flames that burned just a few feet above their heads and behind them. The tanker sank completely about 90 minutes after the hits, but the fuel burned for several hours on the water surface. 20 crewmembers, including the master and all deck officers were lost. The survivors set sail and were spotted several times by aircraft, one of them dropped a portable radio transmitter that made it possible that they were picked up on 22 May by HMCS 'Kootenay' and landed at Londonderry the next day. The 'Brand' was separated from Convoy 'HX-237' in thick fog and was torpedoed by 'U-603'. 36 crewmen and seven gunners abandoned ship in three lifeboats. The vessel sank after seven minutes, taking two crewmen and one gunner with her. The lifeboats set sails for Ireland, but were picked up the same day by corvette HMCS 'Morden'. A Swordfish aircraft had been sighted in the afternoon and it had probably guided the corvette to the boats.

WESTERN FRONT: The 417th Night Fighter Squadron, US VIII Fighter Command arrived at Ayr, Scotland from the US and began training with Beaufighters.

EASTERN FRONT: SKR-31 (ex-RT-43 'Ribets') was sunk by Luftwaffe aircraft, close to Cape Zip-Navolok.

MEDITERRANEAN: Hitler downgraded the defence of Sicily, giving priority to Sardinia and the Peloponnese. In Sicily, Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) Wellingtons bombed the docks at Marsala during the night. Some bombs fell on Mazara del Vallo and Trapani.

NORTH AMERICA: The Trident Conference begins in Washington, DC. Churchill and Roosevelt meet until the 25th of May. They decide on a target date of May 1, 1944 for D-Day in northwest Europe. The US forces in the Pacific receive no restrictions on operations. British General Morgan, as Cossac, is choosen to head the Allied buildup of forces in preparation for the 1944 cross channel operation. (Syscom) Note - for those that want to know more, heres a link that gives you all the details. This is an important conference for the allies, because it essentailly spells out the basic strategy of the war up to the Normandy invasion.

Chapter VI: The Trident Conference - New Patterns: May 1943

 

[Njaco]

13 May 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The British sank three out of seven U-boats hunting convoy 'HX-237', which has lost three ships. 'U-753' was sunk by HMCS 'Drumheller', HMS 'Lagan' and RCAF 423 Sqn aircraft. A Sunderland from RCAF 423 Sqn sighted 'U-753' while flying in support of convoy 'HX-237'. Making skillful use of cloud cover, F/Lt Musgrave approached to within a mile before being sighted by the U-boat, which opened a withering fire that drove off her attacker. The Sunderland orbited out of the U-boat's AA range and called for support from the convoy escorts, only 10 miles away. As 'Lagan' and 'Drumheller' approached the U-boat dove, at which point the Sunderland made its attack. Two depth charges were seen to explode and the escorts made a series of follow-up attacks that produced oil and debris. Convoy 'HX-273' arrived in New York City on 17 May 43 with 45 ships. The convoy did lose 3 ships to U-boats, but theses were all 'stragglers' and no ships were lost from within the main body of the convoy.

'U-176' attacked Convoy 'NC-18' and sank the 'Nickeliner' and 'Mambi'. The 'Mambi' was hit by one torpedo and sank fast. Of 29 Cuban crewmembers and five American armed guards, only the master, nine crewmembers and one armed guard survived. A first torpedo in the port bow and a second hit the 'Nickeliner' on the port side aft. The first explosion lifted the bow out of the water and threw water and flames about 100 feet into the air and the second released ammonia from the tanks. As the bow began to settle, the engines were secured and the eight officers, 15 crewmen, seven armed guards (the ship was armed with one 3in and two .30cal guns) and one passenger abandoned ship in two lifeboats 30 minutes after the hits. The tanker sank at 10:15 hours, while the survivors were picked up by a Cuban submarine chaser and landed at Nuevitas.
​

GERMANY: 135 RAF Halifaxes, 104 Wellingtons, 98 Lancasters, 95 Stirlings and 10 Mosquitoes attacked Bochum. 24 aircraft were lost. This raid started well but after 15 minutes what were believed to be German decoy markers drew much of the bombing away from the target. (Hugh Spencer)

156 RAF Lancasters and 12 Halifaxes were despatched in a further attempt to bomb the Skoda armaments factory at Pilsen. 120 aircraft from this force were from 5 Group and the remainders were Pathfinders. 9 aircraft were lost. This target again proved to be a difficult one to find and mark accurately and nearly all the bombs fell in open country north of the Skoda works. (Hugh Spencer)

12 RAF Mosquitoes went to Berlin, 1 was lost, and 8 aircraft went minelaying in the Frisians. (Hugh Spencer)

EASTERN FRONT: Uffz. Alexander Bleymuller, a pilot with 10 kills flying with 3./JG 53, was listed as missing in action against the Russians.

Volga Flotilla: GB "Vanya Communist" - was mined close to Svetlii Yar, in the Stalingrad area.

WESTERN FRONT: The USAAF's VIII Bomber Command in England flew Mission Number 55 against the Luftwaffe airfields at Meaulte and St. Omer with 4 groups of B-17s escorted by 13 squadrons of Spitfires. 97 B-17s were dispatched against the Avions Potez aircraft factory at Meaulte and 72 B-17s were dispatcged against the Longuenesse and Ft. Rouge airfields at St. Omer. At 12:00 hours the fighters of II./JG 26 were ordered into the air as the bomber formations reached the Belgian coast. After the B-17s suddenly turned south towards northern France, II./JG 26 was redirected to Lille. All the Fw 190s headed to the new vector except for the plane of Oblt. Otto Stammberger and his wingman who had a broken radio and did not recieve the new instructions. Not noticing that the rest of his Staffel had left for Lille, Oblt. Stammberger attacked the escorting Spitfires alone with his wingman. After his plane was hit and his fuel tank exploded, Stammberger bailed out and landed hard with a damaged parachute. He was knocked unconcious and ended up in hospital, severely injured. The rest of JG 26's fighters reached the bombers on their return course and attacked. The fighters of II./JG 26 ignored the Spitfires and assailed the 91st BG in the low box while the fighters of III./JG 26 attacked the 305th BG in the high box and the escortingSpitfires. The attack was vicious and several American airmen commented on the ferocity of the Luftwaffe's engagement. Hitting the bomber formations from the rear, the German fighters were able to damage several bombers while flying straight through the formations. One B-17 was severely damaged when a bomb was dropped on it from a bomb-carrying Fw 190. 3 B-17s and 3 RAF Spifires were shot down at a cost for the Luftwaffe of Oblt. Stammberger and an Unteroffizier, who was shot down in flames by a Spitfire. One of these B-17s was HELL'S ANGELS of the 303rd BG (H) which today completed it's tour of 25 missions, the first B-17 crew to complete a tour intact.

During 'Ramrod 71' over Amiens, Polish pilot F/O Kuryllowicz (BS410, PK-E) was shot down and became a POW.

The 416th Night Fighter Squadron, US VIII Fighter Command arrived at Honiley, England from the US. Detachments were dispersed to Cranfield, Usworth and Bath to train with Beaufighters under control of the RAF.

12 Bostons attacked Cherbourg docks and 6 Mitchells attacked railway targets at Boulogne. 1 Mitchell was lost. (Hugh Spencer)

NORTH AFRICA: At 2.15pm today, the teleprinter chattered out a message for the British prime minister, who was in Washington. "Sir," said the Allied C-in-C, General Alexander,

"it is my duty to report that the Tunisian campaign is over. All enemy resistance has ceased. We are the masters of the North African shores."

The German commander in North Africa, General von Arnim, had surrendered yesterday, and the Italian Feldmarschall Messe surrendered the "1st Italo-German Panzerarmee", the current designation of Rommel's 'Panzer Army Afrika'. The end came quickly as Axis troops found themselves trapped between 2 Allied spearheads and began to give themselves up in the thousands. A small 11th Hussar squadron from Montgomery's British Eighth Army found itself with 10,000 exhausted men of the once formidable Afrika Korps. Then the deluge began as General von Vaerst, commanding 5.Panzerarmee, signaled; "We will fight to the last." - only to watch his beaten troops raise their hands and march into captivity. On a beach near Bizerte, another Hussar squadron found 9,000 disconsolate Germans awaiting rescue, some trying to build rafts. More Germans had escaped in commandered small boats, only to be plucked out of the ocean by the Royal Navy. About 240,000 Germans and Italians went into captivity. The focus of all now turned to Sicily. For Hitler, who ordered a defence to "the last bullet", the implications were serious. The defeated Afrika Korps would have been invaluable in the defence of Europe. For the British, American and French, bitter lessons had been learnt. American generals and their troops had seen German armour in action and learned how to cope with skilled defensive fighting. The French learned to co-operate with the British, despite the sinking of their fleet. And the British, celebrating in the bars of Tunis, learned that it was a long way from Alamein.

MEDITERRANEAN: After two weeks of constant bombardment from the air, Italian defenders on Sardinia were joined by German troops as the island braced itself for an Allied invasion. Few Axis leaders now doubted that Sardinia would be the target and coastal defenses were being rebuilt and the airfields repaired after the Allied raids. B-17s, B-25s and B-26s from 7 Bomb Groups, escorted by fighters from 7 Fighter Groups, bombed Cagliari, hitting shipping, the dock area, marshalling yard, oil dump, chemical plant and the city area. Allied forces launched a series of heavy bombing attacks on Pantelleria Island in preparation for the invasion of Sicily. The intensive bombardment was an essential part of an Allied deception plan which involved the corpse of a mythical "Major William Martin" of the Royal Marines washed up in Spain last month carrying allegedly secret documents, giving details of the landings from North Africa. Hitlers Abwehr was taken in by the apparent authenticity; hence the reinforcements. Field Marshal Kesselring, the German commander in Italy, was known to be dubious, however, and kept strong mobile forces in Sicily and Southern Italy which he regarded as the more logical area for the attack. It was Mussolini who called for reinforcements for Sardinia.

Ofhr. Hans-Jurgen Schumacher of 7./JG 77 was injured attempting to get airbourne from Foggia in Bf 109G-4 'White 5' - although the aircraft was 90% destroyed, the pilot returned to III./JG 77 after 14 days of hospitalization.

'U-616' was attacked by escorts in the Mediterranean with 64 depth charges. The boat suffered severe damage and had to return to base.

In Italy, B-25s bombed Augusta while RAF Liberators, under operational control of the IX Bomber Command, attacked the Messina ferry terminal. Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) Wellingtons bombed the area of the railroad station, marshalling yard and docks in Naples during the night.

UNITED KINGDOM: Although the Bristol area was not targeted by the Luftwaffe during 1943, Cardiff was attacked and in preparation for this on the afternoon of 13 May, two Bf 109F-5s of 3(F)./123 undertook a pre-raid mission to South Wales, their drop tanks falling at Yatton on what was one of the last operations carried out locally.

British officials announced that for the first time in the war, there were more German prisoners of war in the hands of the Allies than British prisoners in the hands of the Axis.