This day in the war in Europe 65 years ago

[Njaco]

14 May 1943

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation 'Mincemeat', the deception operation for the invasion of Sicily, bore fruit as the Germans reinforced their forces in Greece against the upcoming invasion, which, of course, would never come.

The Allies' Mediterranean Air Command ordered a sea and air blockade of Pantelleria.

In Sardinia during the night, Wellingtons hit Cagliari. During the day, B-25's and P-38 escorts bombed the dock and town area of Olbia claiming the destruction of 3 vessels. B-26's hit Porto Ponte Romano. During the day, P-38's bombed tunnel, barracks, airfield, industry,power station, and town areas at Sassari and Abbasanta, Italy; and Alghero and Porto Torres, Sardinia.

WESTERN FRONT: Maximum force was put in air as part of combined offensive against Wehrmacht. The USAAF VIII Bomber Command in England flew Mission Number 56. A maximum force, 154 B-17s, 21 B-24s and 12 B-26s, were dispatched against four 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, Germany. 136 B-17s and 21 B-24s were dispatched with 126 B-17s and 17 B-24s hitting the target at 1200-1203 hours local. They claimed 62 Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed and lost 5 B-24s and 3 B-17s. The attack succeeded in destroying 3 U-boats. U-237 was sunk at Germaniawerft Kiel, by US bombs. Raised, repaired, and returned to service on 8 Oct 1943.15 B-17s of the US 96th and 351st BGs bombed Wevelghem, leaving the airfield unservicable. Oblt. Erwin Leykauf, Staffelkapitaen of 12./JG 26 decided to try and take-off during the raid and crashed his bf 109 in a bomb crater. Another Bf 109G from 9./JG 26 collided with a Spitfire on take-off with both planes crashing to the ground. The Staffel pilot survived but lost an eye. Most of the Focke-Wulfs of JG 26 were able to get airbourne and intercepted the bombers. Two of the B-17s shot down were claimed by II./JG 26 along with a P-47 from the US 78th FG and an RAF Spitfire. But losses to JG 26 were heavy. Two pilots from 5./JG 26 were killed from return fire of the B-17s and the Staffelkapitaen of 8./JG 26, Hptm. Karl Borris, was forced to bail out of his damaged Fw 190. He opened his chute too soon and was severely injured when it collapsed and he landed hard. Another pilot from 8./JG 26 was seriously injured by return fire from the bombers. The US 78th got its first Luftwaffe kill when a P-47 shot down a fighter from 6./JG 26 during the battle. With the airfield at Wevelghem unusable, III./JG 26 was forced to move operations to the Lille-Nord airbase.

42 B-17s were dispatched against the former Ford and General Motors plants at Antwerp, Belgium; 38 hit the target at 132 hours local. They claimed 5 Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed and one B-17 was lost. The bombers were escorted by 118 P-47 of the US 4th FG and 78th FG, which claimed 4 destroyed Luftwaffe aircraft. 3 P-47s were lost. At 12:52 hours, II./JG 1 sortied 29 Fw 190s to meet the bomber force. Within 20 minutes of takeoff, they were engaged in fierce combat. Ofw. Otto Bach of 5./JG 1 was credited with his 6th victory, a B-17.

39 B-17s were dispatched against Courtrai Airfield, France. 34 bombers hit the target and two B-17s were lost.

In the 4th raid, 12 B-26s were dispatched against the Velsen power station at Ijmuiden, The Netherlands. 11 bombers hit the target. 1 B-26 was damaged beyond repair when it crashed upon returning to base and 9 others were damaged. The attack at Ijmuiden was made at low level by the 322d Bombardment Group (Medium), the first US medium bomber group to become operational in the UK. Three B-17s were downed with fragmentation bombs dropped by Uffz. Wilhelm Fest of 5./JG 11, Ofw. Erich Fuhrman of 5./JG 11 and Biermann. The weapon was a 250lb bomb, dropped with a set fuse to blow at low altitude. A B 17F belonging to 91 BG, 322 BS,christened "Hells Angels", with a hole on the rudder and with one engine stopped, crashed into the North Sea west of Amrum killing all onboard. Later in the afternoon, Fw. Peter Crump of 5./JG 26, returning from an unsuccessful interception, found a lone B-17 flying over the coast. As he attacked the bomber, he himself was hit and lost his entire electrical system. Finally landing at Vlissingen - after manually lowering his landing gear, but with no flaps or trim tabs - Fw. Crump found a single bullet hole that had narrowly missed him and hit his electrical system.

ATLANTIC OCEAN; 'U-640' was sunk in the North Atlantic east of Cape Farewell, Greenland in position 60.32N, 31.05W by depth charges from a USN VP-84 Catalina. 49 dead.

NORTHERN FRONT: SS day was celebrated in Oslo, Norway.

A BV 138C-1 of 1./706 made an emergency landing at sea after a battle with enemy aircraft. A Do 24T-3 of 5.Seenotstaffel had an engine catch fire during the rescue of the Blohm and Voss plane.

EASTERN FRONT: German forces in the Leningrad area attempted to cut the land bridge to the city, but the operation fell apart quickly.

Submarine "M-122" of the Polar Fleet and White Sea Flotilla was sunk by aviation, close to Cape Zip-Navolok.

GERMANY: The British and American Chiefs of Staff at the TRIDENT Conference approved operation Pontblank, the systematic strategic bombing of Germany. That very night, British bombers struck the Skoda munitions factory near Pilsen. 156 Lancasters and 12 Halifaxes were dispatched in a further attempt to bomb the armaments factory. 120 aircraft of this force were from No. 5 Group and the remainder were Pathfinders.The terror bombing did little real damage, as the 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 but 9 bombers were lost in the raid.

Bochum was attacked by 442 RAF aircraft - 135 halifaxes, 104 Wellingtons, 98 Lancasters, 95 Stirlings and 10 Mosquitoes. Of this force, 24 aircraft were lost. The raid started well but after 15 minutes, what were believed to be German decoy markers drew much of the bombing away from the target. Lothar Linke, a night-fighter NJG 2 with 28 victories, was killed over Holland.

 

[Njaco]

15 May 1943

WESTERN FRONT: The USAAF VIII Bomber Command in England flew Mission Number 57. 113 B-17s were dispatched against various targets in Germany as well as airfield and naval installations on Helgoland Island and the naval base and submarine construction works at Wilhelmshaven. 76 bombed the targets and claimed 29 Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed but five B-17s were lost. 80 B-17s were dispatched against the U-boat yard, marshalling yard and airfield at Emden. 59 bombers bombed at 1056-1103 hours local and claimed 14 destroyed Luftwaffe aircraft while one B-17 was lost.

The personnel of 7./JG 54 losts pilots when Lt. Friedrich Rupp was shot down and killed attacking B-17s over the North Sea along with Gunther Fink who was also killed. Fink had shot down 46 enemy aircraft during his combat career while Rupp had destroyed 52 enemy aircraft.

116 P-47 Thunderbolts were dispatched on a high altitude sweep of the Amsterdam/Rotterdam area in the Netherlands prior to the bombing raids. They claimed two Luftwaffe aircraft damaged and one P-47 was lost.

RAF No. 315 (Polish) Squadron flew Circus 297 over Caen. P/O Blokin in a Spitfire IX, was shot down by one Focke Wulf, while F/O Dubielecki damaged another. G/C Pawlikowski flying a Spitfire IX, was killed by AA, NE of Caen (France). Sgt Lewandowski was also killed. 2./JG 2 lost its Staffelkapitaen when Oblt. Horst Hannig was bounced by RAF Spitfires near Caen. He managed to bail out of his Fw 190 but his parachute failed to open and he was killed. A former Eastern Front experte, Oblt. Hannig had managed to add only 8 more victories - including a 4 engined bomber - to his 90 Russian kills since taking over 2 Staffel in January.

Major Fritz Losigkeit, Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 1 gave up his duties to Hptm. Rudolf-Emil Schnoor.​

ATLANTIC OCEAN: 'U-266' was sunk in the North Atlantic by depth charges from an RAF No.58 Sqn Halifax. At 20:43, the unescorted 'Maroussio Logotheti' was hit by two torpedoes from 'U-105' and sank immediately. The ship had been missed by a first torpedo, which detonated prematurely. The second officer was taken prisoner by the U-boat, transferred four days later to 'U-460' and landed at Bordeaux on 25 June. 'U-607' fired a spread of two torpedoes at the unescorted 'Irish Oak' and hit her twice under the bridge after 2 minutes 10 seconds. After the crew had abandoned ship, she was sunk by a coup de grâce. 'U-591' was hit with machine gun fire from an RAF No.10 Sqn Whitley that wounded the Commander and one seaman. The boat had to abort its 3 day-old patrol and returned to St Nazaire 2 days later.

MEDITERRANEAN: Hitler, worried over the potential for an Allied invasion of Italy (and the subsequent fall of Mussolini's regime), removed troops earmarked for the eastern front and Operation Citadel and sent them to Italy.

In Sicily, Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) Wellingtons bombed Palermo during the night.

Axis forces in Yugoslavia launched their fifth offensive against aimed at smashing local resistance. Unternehmen "Schwarz", as it was called, was the biggest offensive so far against the partisans, and promised to be the most savage. Axis troops were ordered to move "with utmost brutality" against "the hostile population". Four German and Italian divisions were supported by Bulgarian troops and the Ustachi, the notorious Croatian irregulars. In all 120,000 men were lined up against a much smaller force of guerrilla fighters. The Germans and their allies were using new tactics. Until now they had advanced along main roads; but now were using Tito's methods, advancing across the countryside, often by night.

EASTERN FRONT: Stalin dissolved the Komintern, the Communist International, who's mission was to obtain the worldwide revolution. He thought it might be good for relations with Churchill and Roosevelt. The timing of the announcement, which will take effect in a week, is significant. The Grand Alliance against the Axis powers came under strain last month when Moscow broke with the Polish government in exile in London over the Katyn atrocity.

Lt. Erich Hartmann of 7./JG 52 got his 15th kill when he destroyed a Russian U-2 biplane over the Kuban area.

NORTH AFRICA: General Giraud deposes the bey of Tunis for collaboration with the Axis.

UNITED KINGDOM: Hugh Spencer: I was posted to No 19 Initial Training Wing (ITW) at Bridgnorth, Shropshire for more basic training before going to a radio school on 22nd July.

 

[Njaco]

16 May 1943

WESTERN FRONT: THE DAMBUSTER RAID – After 6 weeks of intensive training, RAF No.617 Sqdrn, lead by Wing Commander Guy Gibson, raided the power generating dams in the Ruhr. A force of 19 specially modified Avro Lancasters attacked the series of dams using Upkeep rotating mines designed by Barnes Wallis. Despite flying at extremely low level to avoid German night fighters, five bombers were destroyed and one other turned back with flak damage before reaching the target. One bomber turned back when a high wave tore the bomb from the belly. The twelve remaining planes headed for their targets. Five Lancaster hit and breached the Mohne Dam while three bombers struck and breached the Eder damn. Two planes hit the Sorpe Dam and one the Schwelme Dam but neither was breached. Three more bombers were downed on the return flight. The subsequent flooding caused severe damage and disrupted transportation routes. Civilian losses were estimated at 1,294 (859 people of Neheim-Husten were killed when the entire town was wiped out). Power supplies were disrupted to the local industry, and water was rationed in the area until the next winter, but little damage was done to factories. Gibson would be awarded the Victoria Cross for his gallantry during the mission, having delivered his attack with great accuracy and afterwards circling very low for half an hour, drawing the enemy fire to his aircraft to clear the way for the attacks that followed. 34 other aircrew from the squadron were also decorated. This raid was re-enacted yesterday, 16th May 2008, over the Derwent Valley Dam in Derbyshire, England. (Hugh Spencer)
BBC NEWS | UK | Dambusters remembered 65 years on (V2)

The Germans confiscated all wireless sets in the Netherlands.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: 'U-463' was sunk in the Bay of Biscay by depth charges from an RAF No.58 Sqn Halifax. 57 dead (all hands lost).

EASTERN FRONT: The Nazi SS troops in Warsaw blow up the synagogue in the Warsaw Ghetto. Their actions in the Ghetto resulted in 14,000+ killed and 40,000+ sent to the death camp at Treblinka. Only eight buildings have survived: the police lodgings, quarters for factory guards and a hospital. The remnants of the Jewish resistance, driven from their bunkers by poison gas, still refused to give in. One man attacked the Germans with stones; he was beaten with rifle butts, kicked and left soaked in blood.

Operation 'Gypsy Baron' started as six German divisions (5 infantry and 1 panzer) made a partisan sweep through the Bryansk area. The attack would kill or capture 3,000 partisans but would not have any long-lasting effects on Soviet operations in the area. Further south, 17.Armee launched an attack out of the Kuban bridgehead. Little progress was made.

MEDITERRANEAN: Submarine HMS 'Unruly' torpedoed and damaged the Italian merchant 'Nicolo Tommaseo'.

In Sicily, Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) Wellingtons bombed Trapani during the night.

GERMANY: The aircraft of the fledgling Nachtjagd Versuchs Kommando (NJVK) led by the former bomber pilot of III./KG 30, Major Hans Joachim "Hajo" Herrmann, took to the air from Staaken airfield to defend the city of Berlin. But heavy AA fire kept the formation away from the RAF planes. The flak was so intense that the Fw 190 of Fw. Hans Muller was damaged by the ground fire but he was able to return to base. The idea of the Nachtjagd Versuchs Kommando night-fighting tactic had its roots in the mind of Major Herrmann even though he had never flown a single engined fighter in combat. The idea was based on using fast single engined fighters such as the Fw 190 or Bf 109 using 300 litre drop tanks under each aircraft for a longer operation time and patrolling over the approximate target cities of the RAF bombers. In the moon-shine, the NJVK pilots could find their targets and intercept them. For easier recognition, ground forces with lights and special units equipped with bomber planes were alled to help. From the ground the lights were turned toward the clouds, which illuminated and made a white base from which the bombers were easily seen. Bomber crews dropped phosphor or other illuminating materials from above. Herrmann began to test this style of bomber hunting in April 1943 from Staaken.

NORTHERN FRONT: After sinking 2 "M" class submarines and 2 freighters during a 3 day period early in May, the personnel of 14(Jabo)./JG 5 were recognized for their achievement. Congratulations for these feats came from the highest level of the German administration.

 

[Njaco]

17 May 1943

WESTERN FRONT: The USAAF's VIII Bomber Command in England flew Mission Number 58: 159 B-17 Flying Fortresses were dispatched to hit the port area and U-boat base at Lorient, France; 118 bombed the target and claimed 47 Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed. An additional 39 B-17s were dispatched to hit the docks and sub pens at Bordeaux, France. 34 bombed and one B-17 was lost. The Fw 190s of I. and III./JG 2 and 1./SAGr 128 intercepted the bombers. Oblt. Wurm of 1./SAGr 128 made his unit's only claim, a Fortress II, while JG 2 claimed 10 bombers and a Spitfire. The Luftwaffe concentrated its efforts on the B-17s of the US 1st and 4 th BW, which lost 7 bombers shot down and 28 damaged.

In a third strike, 11 B-26 Marauders were dispatched on a low-level mission to bomb power stations at Haarlem and Ijmuiden, The Netherlands. One B-26 aborted, the other ten are all shot down before they reached the target. This action prompted the Eighth Air Force to abandon low-level medium bomber attacks. A B-26 Marauder of the USAAF was one of the flight of ten that encountered heavy AAA fire while en-route to bomb the power plants. It was shot down and forced to ditch in a canal. On-board was navigator Jim Hoel, of Evanston, Illinois, USA, one of three survivors of the aircraft's six man crew. During the crash Jim lost his elaborate Gallet Chronometer. 60 years later in 2003, Peter Cooper of England returned the watch to Jim.

The 'Memphis Belle' returned from a raid on Lorient, France, finishing her 25th bombing mission with an intact crew. This was a first for a plane in the USAAF's VIII Bomber Command. During the Belle's 10 months of combat, her crew shot down eight enemy fighters, probably destroyed five others, and damaged at least a dozen more, dropped more than 60 tons of bombs over Germany, France and Belgium, flew 148 hours, 50 minutes, and covered more than 20,000 combat miles. Although there were no major injuries in the crew, the plane had five engines shot out and on one mission, her tail was nearly shot away.

RAF No.315 (Polish) Squadron flew Rodeo 217 over Cayeux-Poix. F/O Zajac was credited with 1 Fw-190 damaged.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The 'Aymeric' in Convoy 'ONS-7' was torpedoed and sunk by 'U-657' east of Cape Farewell. 52 crewmembers and one gunner were lost. The master, 18 crewmembers and six gunners were picked up by British rescue ship 'Copeland' and trawler HMS 'Northern Wave' and landed at Halifax on 25 May.

'U-648' shot down an RAF 10 OTU Sqn Whitley. The entire aircrew was lost. 'U-229' was attacked by a Catalina with four bombs. The boat was damaged so badly that it returned to base. 'U-128' was sunk in the South Atlantic south of Pernambuco by gunfire from destroyers USS 'Moffett' and 'Jouett', and depth charges from two USN VP-74 Mariners. 'U-646' was sunk SE of Iceland by depth charges from an RAF 269 Sqn Hudson. 'U-657' sunk east of Cape Farewell, Greenland by depth charges from corvette HMS 'Swale'.

MEDITERRANEAN: A convoy of Allied ships successfully traversed the Mediterranean Sea without meeting any enemy submarines or air attacks. This was the first convoy to do this since Italy joined the war in 1940, offering tangible proof that the Axis has quit North Africa.

In Italy, Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) Wellingtons bombed the Lido di Roma seaplane base and dropped leaflets over Rome.

EASTERN FRONT: The 17.Armee continued it's attacks in the Kuban. Soviet defenses hold firm.

UNITED KINGDOM: The Luftwaffe sent 89 bombers on a night air raid against Cardiff in Wales and during the course of this a few stray bombs fell at Aust. Uffz. Joachim Troger of 3./KG 2 was rescued from the sea off Clevedon, his Do 217 having crashed at Woodspring Bay following a mid-air collision.

Britain and America came to an agreement to share the work and the results of a joint attack on the codes and ciphers of the Axis powers. Britain is to concentrate its efforts on the German and Italian ciphers while the US war department devotes its attention to the Japanese army ciphers. Experts from both sides will work on each other's cryptanalytic programmes, and there will be a full exchange of information and "decrypts". It was also agreed to adopt the Bletchley Park codename of "Ultra", derived from Ultra-Secret, for all information gleaned from breaking the German Enigma, the Japanese "Purple" and the Italian C38M enciphering machines. Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire, 40 miles north of London, is the wartime home of the vastly expanded government code and cipher school whose name gives little hint of the extraordinary work it is doing in allowing Allied commanders to read enemy secrets.

 

[Njaco]

18 May 1943

WESTERN FRONT: The Combined Bomber Offensive (CBO) plan for the round-the-clock bombing of the enemy from the UK by the RAF and USAAF was approved by the Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCS). The U.S. Eighth Air Force now has authorization to proceed with daylight strategic bombing within the type of combined offensive it has long wished to initiate. The CBO plan lists the destruction of German fighters as the immediate priority objective. Primary objectives in order are German submarine yards and bases, the German aircraft industry, ball bearings, and oil (the last being contingent upon attacks from the Mediterranean against Ploesti, Romania). Secondary objectives in order of priority are synthetic rubber and tires, and military motor transport vehicles.

Hptm. Wilhelm-Ferdinand Galland of JG 26 was awarded the Ritterkreuz for achieving 35 victories and promoted to the rank of Major.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: 'U-103' rescued two shipwrecked survivors of the 'Fort Concord', which had been sunk by 'U-456' a week earlier.

MEDITERRANEAN: 'U-414' attacked Convoy 'KMS-14' (combined with 'UGS-8') northeast of Mostaganem, Algeria, damaging SS 'Fort Anne' and sinking CAM ship SS 'Empire Eve'. The master, 55 crewmembers, 12 gunners and 13 RAF personnel from the 'Empire Eve' were picked up by boom defense ship HMS 'Barfoil' and an LCT and landed at Algiers. Five crewmembers were lost.

In Sardinia during the night, Wellingtons bombed the Alghero-Sassari area. In Sicily, B-17s, with fighter escort, bombed Trapani.

The Northwest African Air Force (NAAF) began a strong air offensive against Pantelleria Island in conjunction with a naval blockade. Over 80 B-25s and B-26s, escorted by P-38s, blasted the island, hitting Porto di Pantelleria and Marghana Airfield. Prior to invading Sicily, the Allies needed to 'reduce' the two smaller islands of Pantelleria and Lampedusa.

The Axis launched Unternehmen "Schwarz". Unternehmen "Schwarz" was a joint German-Ialian-Craotian anti-partisan offensive south of Sarajevo and Montenegro and used Ju 88s including those of Einsatzkampf Gruppe Ju 88/Gen.d.Fl.Ausb., II./LG 1 and IV./LG 1. Einsatzkampf Gruppe Ju 88/Gen.d.Fl.Ausb. formed in April/May 1943 in Germany as a provisional unit using assests taken from the bomber training schools and operated over Yugoslavia, mainly from Belgrade-Zemun, Sarajevo-Butmir and Mostar-South. It provided bomber support for Unternehmen "Schwarz". Einsatzkampf Gruppe Ju 88/Gen.d.Fl.Ausb. lost at least 5 Ju 88s on operations in the Balkans, all the Ju 88A-4 losses were crashes and accidents - none to hostile fire. The Gruppenkommander was Karl-August von der Fecht.

 

[Njaco]

19 May 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: 'U-954' was sunk in the North Atlantic SE of Cape Farewell, Greenland by depth charges from corvettes HMS 'Jed' and 'Sennen' escorting convoy SC-130. Among the crew of 47 who perished was Admiral Dönitz' younger son, Peter.

'U-273' was sunk SW of Iceland by depth charges from an RAF 269 Sqn Hudson.

The Canadian-flagged barquentine 'Angelus' was stopped by 'U-161' north of Bermuda and sunk by gunfire after the crew of ten men abandoned ship in a lifeboat. When USS 'Turner' found the boat after five days; only two of them were still alive, the others had died from exposure. The survivors were landed at Portland ME on 27 May 1943.

GERMANY: The USAAF VIII Bomber Command in England flew Mission Number 59: 123 B-17 Flying Fortresses were dispatched against the U-boat yards at Kiel, Germany. 103 bombed the target and claimed 48 Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed. Six B-17s were lost. A smaller force, 64 B-17s, was dispatched against the naval yards at Flensburg, Germany. 55 attacked the target and claimed 12 Luftwaffe aircraft. No B-17s were lost. An uneventful diversion is flown by 24 B-17s.

Hptm. Georg-Hermann Greiner was transferred back to 10./NJG 1 from Nachtjagdschule 1.

NORTH AMERICA: Churchill addressed a joint session of the US congress saying that,

"The enemy is still proud and powerful. He is hard to get at. He still possesses enormous armies, vast resources and invaluable strategic territories. But, there is one grave danger, the undue prolongation of the war … No one can tell what new complications and perils might arise in four or five more years of war. And it is in the dragging-out of the war at enormous expense, until the democracies are tired or bored or split, that the main hopes of Germany and Japan must now reside."

Mr. Churchill, who first addressed a joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives in December 1941, was greeted by cheering lasting for a minute and a half before he spoke. His 50-minute speech was heard clearly in London by radio. The first cheers during it came when the British prime minister said "our partnership has not done badly". He was cheered again when he promised his government's determination to fight the Japanese in Burma.

EASTERN FRONT: : BP "ChF-6 "Pervansh" of the Black Sea Fleet and Azov Flotilla was sunk by a schnellboat, in the Gelenjik-Sochi area.

MEDITERRANEAN: 2nd Lt. Louis Curdes, of the US 82nd FG, 95th FS shoots down two Bf 109s near Villacidro, Sardinia. In Sardinia, B-25s hit Milis and Villacidro Airfields while B-26s bombed Monserrato and Elmas Airfields, the outskirts of Quarto Sant'Elena, and Cagliari harbor. In Sicily, B-17s bombed Milo Airfield at Trapani.

NORTH AFRICA: In Tunisia after 2 days of sand storms, aircraft were again airborne. P-40s flew escort for ships in the area east of Kelibia off Cap Bon peninsula.

 

[Njaco]

20 May 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The US Tenth Fleet was established, headquartered in Washington, D.C., under command of Adm. Ernest J. King. The role of Tenth Fleet was to coordinate American anti-submarine operations in Atlantic. Rear Admiral Francis S. Low, King's Assistant Chief of Staff (Anti-submarine), was appointed Chief of Staff Tenth Fleet. All anti-submarine resources from US Fleet headquarters were transferred intact to the Commander Tenth Fleet. Admiral King retained command in order to direct asset allocation between commands in the Atlantic. He also did this to take the lead in the struggle with the US Army Air Corps over control of squadrons assigned to anti-submarine duty. General George C. Marshall wished Army very long-range and long-range squadrons to be commanded by an army general officer and to create a Coastal Air Command under the command of the Army Air Corps, headed by Lieutenant General McNarney. King was adamantly opposed to this arrangement and carried on an active struggle to gain control over long-range, land-based aircraft for naval uses. Eventually, the US Army Air Corps withdrew from anti-submarine patrols and transferred its aircraft to the USN.

The 'Benakat' left Capetown in a coastal convoy which was formed in the Table Bay, but left after three days to continue her voyage on the prescribed route to the destination. On 14 May the Admiralty radioed a new course. At 0728 on 20 May a torpedo struck her from 'U-197' on the starboard side, just before the bridge. The explosion caused very heavy damage, wrecked the starboard lifeboat and destroyed the starboard machinegun-platform, injuring the first and fourth mate (not seriously). After the hit no electric power was left, so the distress signal could only be send a few times. The ship began to list to starboard, and with some difficulty the crew succeeded in boarding the three remaining lifeboats and rowed away. About 20 minutes later a second torpedo hit the 'Benakat' on the starboard side and broke her in two. The bow section sank and the stern remained afloat. The U-boat surfaced and fired with the deck gun at the port side of the vessel until the stern sank.

'U-258' was sunk in the North Atlantic by depth charges from an RAF 120 Sqn Liberator.

WESTERN FRONT: 2 RAF Mosquitoes bombed locomotive sheds at Tergnier without loss. (Hugh Spencer)

3 RAF Mosquitoes went to Berlin and 23 aircraft went minelaying in southern Biscay. (Hugh Spencer)

MEDITERRANEAN: In Sardinia during the night, Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) Wellingtons bombed Villacidro and Decimomannu Airfields. During the day, P-38s bombed Milis Airfield and targets of opportunity at Bonorva while B-25's bomb Villacidro, Alghero, and Decimomannu Airfields.

In Italy, P-38s bombed the docks on the Gulf of Aranci, a railroad bridge NE of Perfugas, the Macomer rail junction, and targets of opportunity at Sassari, Bonnanaro, and Chilivani while B-17s struck Grosseto Airfield.

The full weight of Allied air power was being thrown at airfields in Italy, Sicily and Sardinia in an attempt to neutralize the Luftwaffe and the Italian air force. Over the past 48 hours, at least 186 Axis aircraft were destroyed in day and night bombing. The most spectacular raid hit Grosseto airfield, 90 miles north of Rome. Flying Fortresses saturated the field and installations with fragmentation bombs, leaving 58 Italian bombers wrecked.

In the Mediterranean, P-38s and P-40s strafed and bombed Pantelleria Island.

UNITED KINGDOM: A Typhoon fighter based at Milfield airfield, near Wooler, crashed in Ford Westfield Woods. The aircraft had left Milfield when it reached about 200' the engine stalled and the machine crashed to the ground. The pilot, a Flight Lieutenant was killed.

The 524th, 525th, 526th and 527th Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), 379th Bombardment Group (Heavy) arrived at Kimbolton, England from the US with B-17F's. They will fly their first mission on 29 May 43.

A father and son from Seaton Delaval in Northumberland were prosecuted by the Ministry of Labour and National Service, charged with being persistently late for work without a reasonable excuse. They were both fined 40s. (£2.00). - a sizeable sum for the period!

 

[Njaco]

21 May 1943

WESTERN FRONT: The US VIII Fighter Command dispatched 105 P-47 Thunderbolts on a fighter sweep in the Ostend/Ghent area. They claimed no Luftwaffe aircraft but three P-47s were lost.

4 Mosquitoes bombed a railway target at Orleans. 1 aircraft was lost.

64 Wellingtons, 36 Stirlings and 4 Lancasters carried out extensive minelaying in the Frisians and the River Gironde and off La Palice. 4 aircraft were lost.

'U-381' was listed as missing south of Greenland. There was no explanation for its loss.

EASTERN FRONT: Heavy fighting continued between the Germans and Russians in the Kuban.

GERMANY: The USAAF's VIII Bomber Command in England flew Mission Number 60: 98 B-17 Flying Fortresses were dispatched against the U-boat yards at Wilhelmshaven, Germany. 77 hit the target and claimed 47 Luftwaffe aircraft. Seven B-17s were lost. A second, smaller strike of 63 B-17s was dispatched against the U-boat yards at Emden, Germany. 46 bombed the target and claimed 31 Luftwaffe aircraft. Five B-17s were lost. At Wilhelmshaven German fighters were reported firing rockets.

MEDITERRANEAN: Admiral Rene Godfroy, after having his crews back pay made good by the British, formally announced that his French naval units, interned at Alexandria, would join the Allied cause.

Submarine HMS 'Sickle' attacked 'U-755' but missed. 'Sickle' then torpedoed and sank 'U-303' south of Toulon.

In Italy during the night , RAF Liberators, under operational control of IX Bomber Command, bombed Messina and Reggio di Calabria. During the day, B-24s hit Vila San Giovanni and Reggio di Calabria. Gunners claimed 4 Axis fighters destroyed.

In Sardinia during the night, Wellingtons hit Villacidro and Decimomannu Airfields and targets of opportunity. During the day, B-25s and B-26s bombed the same airfields. In Sicily, B-17s hit hangars, repair shops, dispersal points, and a gun battery at Castelvetrano.

In the Mediterranean, P-40s attacked gun positions and targets of opportunity on Pantelleria Island.

The Luftwaffe carried out a raid by FW-190 fighter bombers against Malta.

 

[Njaco]

22 May 1943

GERMANY: The General der Jagdfleiger Adolf Galland visited Lechfeld airfield to test fly the new Me 262 jer fighter (code 'PC+UD' werknummer 262 000004). After being instructed on tapping the brakes and getting airbourne, Galland spotted a prop-driven airplane flying near the airfield. Excited with the jet, Galland banked toward the small plane and engaged in a mock combat. He was very impressed with the handling and the quickness of the Me 262, stating that it felt, "as if an angel were pushing!" Upon landing he wrote a quick telegram to Generalluftzugmeister Milch;

.... "The Me 262 is a tremendous stroke of fortune for us. It will guarantee us an unbelievable advantage in operations, so long as the enemy sticks to piston propulsion. It opens up entirely new possibilities in tactics."

He reached 520 mph and said that it would regain air superiority for Germany.

WESTERN FRONT: 7 Mosquitoes went to attack railway workshops at Nantes but turned back because of fighter opposition. No losses.

As emergency services deliver bread, milk and coffee to households which have had their power supplies cut, Albert Speer, Hitler's armaments minister, pulled 7,000 men out of the Atlantic Wall defences in France to repair the breached Ruhr dams. At least 476 people died, and 156 were missing (91), after a nine-foot wave of 100 million cubic metres of water tore through the Mohne valley, wrecking road and rail bridges and flooding towns and villages. Among the dead were many slave labourers, including women from the Ukraine. A further 47 died in the Eder area.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German Admiral Karl Doenitz withdrew his U-boats from the North Atlantic after mounting losses. Two Grumman TBF Avengers of Composite Squadron Nine (VC-9) in the auxiliary aircraft carrier USS 'Bogue' (ACV-9) depth charge and damaged the German submarine 'U-569' in the North Atlantic. The sub was subsequently scuttled by her crew. 25 of the 46-man crew survived. This was the first U-boat sunk by an escort carrier on a hunter-killer patrol. 'U-305' was attacked twice by Avengers from USS 'Bogue'. The boat had to return to base.

EASTERN FRONT: Finnish patrol boats were in action against their Soviet counterparts. VMV 17 was hit by gunfire, two men lost and one wounded, in addition two wounded in other boats. Two enemy boats were sunk. Soviet submarine Shch-408 of the Baltic Fleet was sunk off Vaindlo Island by the Finnish minelayer 'Ruotsinsalmi'.

There were increasing signs that both sides were about to launch their long-prepared summer offensives on the Eastern front. Artillery barrages were rumbling all along the front, and there was intense aerial activity while the ground forces spared for position. The battle would centre on the great Soviet salient bulging into the German lines before Kursk. Hitler planned to launch Operation Citadel, a huge attack to cut off the salient, on 9 May, but postponed it on 5 May until mid-June to allow more preparation.

Lt. Hans Strelow of JG 51 disappeared during combat against Soviet fighters. Shot down in enemy territory, he committed suicide before he could be captured by the Russians. He had destroyed 68 enemy planes during his career.

An Fw 190 jabo, "Black 3" of 14(J)./JG 5 was lost to Soviet flak near Tayp Navolok, the pilot Claus Biwer losing his life.

MEDITERRANEAN: In Sicily, as a diversion for a convoy passing off Sicily during the night, Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) Wellingtons flew intrusion missions dropping bombs on Castelvetrano, Sciacca, Milo, and Bo Rizzo Airfields.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

.

 

[Njaco]

23 May 1943

WESTERN FRONT: 12 Venturas of 487 Squadron bombed a power station at Zeebrugge in the first operation for the squadron since its heavy losses on the Amsterdam raid 3 weeks earlier. The formation's bombs fell on to railway yards near the power station. No losses.

The personnel of III./JG 26 moved to new bases at Cuxhaven-Nordholz to support JG 1, III./JG 54 and JG 11 in Reichsverteidigung duties.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German Admiral Karl Dönitz ordered all U-boats to be fitted with anti-aircraft guns.

A Fairey Swordfish Mk. II, aircraft "B" of No. 819 Squadron in the escort aircraft carrier HMS 'Archer', damaged the German submarine 'U-752' in the North Atlantic with rockets and the sub was scuttled by her crew. 17 of the 46-man crew survived. This was the first successful sinking of a U-boat using rockets.

EASTERN FRONT: Heavy fighting continued between the Germans and Russians in the Kuban.

UNITED KINGDOM: The last major raid of the war in the North-East caused the highest death toll. In its 35th raid of the war and its 11th of appreciable dimensions, eleven PMs, sixty-seven HEs, nine firepot HEs and about 600 IBs fell on Sunderland causing widespread damage. 84 people died and 221 were injured; among the dead were a group of joiners from Glasgow who were there to repair earlier bomb damage. Many casualties occurred when a PM landed on St George's Square. Three Public Shelters were hit; three died in the Bromarsh Shelter, North Bridge Street, five in Bonners Field Shelter, Monkwearmouth and thirteen in Lodge Terrace Shelter at Hendon. The Isolation Hospital (now Havelock Hospital) was evacuated because of an UXPM. Including those slightly damaged about 5,000 houses were involved in this last attack and, together with the attack of 15/16th May, about 15,000. The morale of the people was reported as excellent.

Simultaneous lunchtime Luftwaffe attacks were launched against Hastings and Bournemouth. Hastings was attacked by 20 aircraft of II/SKG 10, with Bournemouth attacked by 26 from IV/SKG 10. At Hastings, anti-aircraft sites appeared to be the chosen targets but, for a change, these sites and the fighter standing patrol had received ample warning. The town was still bombed and the two German losses, one to a Typhoon, the other to anti-aircraft fire, occurred after the bombs had been dropped. The two Fw 190s lost on the Hastings raid were flown by Fw. Adam Fischer of 6./SKG 10 and Ofw. Herbert Dobroch.

The peacefulness of a beautiful Sunday morning was abruptly shattered when the German aircraft, led by Lt. Leopold Wenger, conducted their most audacious raid on Bournemouth. Despite a six-minute warning, the attack on Bournemouth was a total success. Considerable damage was caused to the town centre with five buildings destroyed and a further 3,000 damaged. The Kingsway Hotel, the Congressional Church and Beales Department Store sustained significant bomb damage, but at the Landsdowne Circle the Metropole Hotel, being used by trainee RAF aircrew, was virtually destroyed when it took a direct hit. One Fw 190 of 15./SKG 10 was lost to AAA fire, flown by Uffz. Schmidt on his first operational flight. Casualties were high. Among the 128 killed that day were 51 service men. (C.Goss, and others )

The 417th Night Fighter Squadron, US VIII Fighter Command based at Cranfield, England sent a detachment to Scorton, England to train with the RAF on Beaufighters.

NORTH AMERICA: The USS 'New Jersey' BB-62 was commissioned. The sister ships of the Iowa class were: USS 'Iowa', USS 'Missouri' and USS 'Wisconsin'. She displaces 45,000 tons, with a length of 887 feet 7 inches, a draft of 38 feet and beam of 108 feet 1 inch. Powered by 4 Westinghouse turbines fired by 8 boilers, with 212,000 shaft horsepower, she has a top speed of 33+ knots. She will carry a crew (WWII) of 120 officers and 3,000 enlisted men. Nine 16"/50 cal guns in 3 turrets are the main armament, with 20 5"/38 cal dual purpose guns in twin mounts for the secondary armament. AA weapons include 64 40mm AA guns in 16 quad mounts and 49 20mm AA guns. She carries 3 Vought OS2U Kingfisher floatplanes. The USS 'New Jersey' is now a floating museum on the Camden waterfront in New Jersey. Battleship New Jersey

MEDITERRANEAN: Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) B-25s and B-26s bombed the docks and airfield on Pantelleria Island and P-40s attacked gun positions on the island.

In Italy, P-38s attacked the zinc works at Iglesias and Carloforte harbor on San Pietro Island.

GERMANY: After a 9 day break in major operations, Bomber Command despatched 826 aircraft on this raid to Dortmund, 343 Lancasters, 199 Halifaxes, 151 Wellingtons, 120 Stirlings and 13 Mosquitoes. 38 aircraft were lost. This raid involved the greatest number in a "non-1000" force so far in the war and the largest raid of the Battle of the Ruhr. The Pathfinders marked the target accurately in clear weather conditions and the ensuing attack proceeded according to plan. It was a very successful raid. Large areas in the centre, the north and the east of Dortmund were devastated. Nearly 2,000 buildings were completely destroyed. Many industrial premises were hit, particularly the large Hoesch steelworks which ceased production. 599 people were killed, 1275 were injured and the bodies of about 25 other people were never found. Dortmund was not attacked in strength again by Bomber Command until exactly 1 year after this raid. There is an interesting story to tell about a Wellington of 431 Squadron which took part in this raid. Just after leaving the target the Wellington was coned by searchlights and hit several times by fragments of flak. The rear gunner reported that he thought the aircraft was on fire. The pilot twice put the aircraft into a steep dive to evade the searchlights but was not able to do so. There was some confusion over whether an order to bale out was given by the pilot and the pilot actually did leave the aircraft. The bomb aimer, Sergeant S.N. Sloan, an Englishman, took over the controls and eventually was able to shake off the searchlights. The navigator and wireless operator were still aboard and Sergeant Sloan flew the aircraft back to England and made a perfect landing at Cranwell. He was immediately awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal, commissioned and posted to a pilot training course. The wireless operator, Flying Officer J.B.G. Bailey and the navigator, Sergeant G.C.W. Parslow received immediate awards of the DFC and the DFM respectively. They later became part of the crew of Wing Commander J. Coverdale, the squadron commander but were killed with Coverdale on the night of 21/22 June 1943 on a raid to Krefeld. Sergeant (later Flight Lieutenant) Sloan came back to Bomber Command as a Halifax pilot with 158 Squadron and flew on operations from January 1945 until the end of the war. In the post-war years he served with the King's Flight.

​

During the heavy raid on Dortmund, the total weight of bombs dropped by RAF Bomber Command on Germany reached 100,000 tons. To mark the occasion, the Air Officer Commanding in Chief, RAF Bomber Command, Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris sent this message;

"In 1939, Goring promised that not a single enemy bomb would reach the Ruhr. Congratulations on having delivered the first 100,000 tons of bombs on Germany to refute him".

 

[Njaco]

24 May 1943

ATLANTIC OCEAN: In the first three weeks of May, 31 German U-boats were sunk. Because of these mounting losses, Admiral Donitz had ordered all U-boat patrols in the north Atlantic to break off operations against the convoys, ending the battle of the Atlantic. Earlier in the day he had told U-boat commanders:

"Only you can fight the enemy offensively and beat him ... the German nation has long felt that our arm is the sharpest and most decisive and that the outcome of the war depends on the success of failure of the BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC."

As the day wore on Dönitz absorbed yesterday's news that two more U-boats had been sunk while attacking the convoy 'HX-239'. That brought the month's losses up to 33, but, worse than that, increasingly they were failing to get through the escorts. Just five days ago a pack of 33 U-boats attacked 'SC-130' and failed to sink a single ship. No fewer than five of the pack were sunk. One boat, 'U-954' sunk by a Coastal Command Liberator of 120 Squadron, took all hands to the bottom, including the grand admiral's 21-year-old son, Peter. Although he showed no emotion when told of his personal loss, Dönitz could not ignore the growing evidence that the two year battle to rupture the Allies' ocean supply lines was being lost. Radar and the increasing successes in breaking the Enigma codes have made the U-boats more vulnerable to the escorts. Equally, the escorts have been growing in power and effectiveness. Escort carriers, both British and American, have increased the extent of the routes which can be offered air support. And more effective anti-submarine weapons like the Hedgehog and the Squid have been introduced. The plain fact is that more U-boats have been operating here than at any time during the war, but the score of successful sinkings has been rapidly declining. With the month almost over, the Allies have lost less than one-third as much shipping as the 476,000 tons North Atlantic losses in March. By tonight the U-boats were moving to the South Atlantic to take up positions south of the Azores. A few remain to convince the Allies that the convoys are still in danger. They hope to tie up as many Allied escort ships as possible here for as long as they can.

'U-441' shot down an RAF 228 Sqn Sunderland. It was the first success of the Flak boats. 'U-594' shot down an RAF 228 Sqn Sunderland. The entire aircrew was lost.

WESTERN FRONT: A Bf 110 belonging to 6./ NJG 3 was seen circling Løjt Skovby when the left engine suffered a failure. It flew towards the east and then came back over Sønderskov and prepared to land. Pilot Obfw. Helmut Teichmann passed low over a farm and belly landed up a hill in a field. It skidded along for about 70-100 metres before it came to a halt. Obfw. Teichmann and Air gunner Lt. Josef Zeit were killed. The Ortskommandantur in Aabenraa was informed about the crash and soldiers were sent out to guard the wreck until it could be removed by Luftwaffe.

NORTHERN FRONT: A Ju 88A-4 belonging to 12./KG 30 made an emergency landing due to engine failure in a field near Arentsminde west of Fliegerhorst Aalborg West at 19:30 hours. It approached from the north and touched down in the northern end of the field and skidded along for about 80 metres before it came to a halt. The aircraft was 15% damaged and the crew were unharmed.

EASTERN FRONT: Dr. Josef Mengele takes up his new position at Auschwitz concentration camp. His sickening and grotesque "medical research" would lead to the death of several thousand Jews.

MEDITERRANEAN: In Italy, B-24s hit the Villa San Giovanni ferry slip and railroad yards, and ferry terminal and a nearby tanker at Reggio di Calabria. In Sardinia, P-40s, P-38s, B-25s, B-26s and B-17s, bombed targets including Carloforte harbor, factories, hangars, and oil dump at Alghero and the seaplane base at Porto Conte, the railroad bridge at Arbatax, the area near Macomer, the town of Iglesias,the harbor at La Maddalena Island, harbor, warehouses, and dump at Terranova, and the airfield at Olbia.

During the night, Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) Wellingtons bombed the harbor and airfield at Pantelleria Island. During the day, NASAF and Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF) fighters followed with more attacks on the airfield.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

.

 

[Njaco]

25 May 1943

WESTERN FRONT: 12 Mitchells attempted to raid Abbeville airfield but cloud over the target and flak disrupted the attack and only 5 aircraft bombed dispersal buildings near the airfield. 2 Mitchells were lost.

12 Bostons on a raid to Cherbourg abandoned the operation.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: 'U-467' was sunk SE of Iceland by a Fido homing torpedo from a USN VP 84 Catalina.

NORTH AMERICA: The TRIDENT Conference between Churchill and Roosevelt ended in Washington. The decision to invade northern France was concluded with May 1, 1944 being selected as D-Day. Decisions were also made regarding knocking Italy out of the war early, increasing aid to China and beginning offensive operations in the Pacific. Churchill's plan to invade the Balkans was rejected. As well as this they agreed to step up the strategic bombing of Germany and occupied Europe as a preliminary to invasion; to bomb the Ploesti oilfields in Romania, from bases in the Mediterranean and to increase aid to China. Allied superiority over the enemy in munitions production was now beginning to tell, Churchill said Allied air power had become a decisive factor in the war, and the bombing campaign against Germany would be a 24-hours-a-day operation. War would continue until unconditional surrender was obtained "from all those who had molested us". Roosevelt then interrupted Churchill to say that "molested" was the best example of understatement he had heard.

NORTH AFRICA: Avro York Ascalon (LV 633) flew the Prime Minister and Allied commanders to Algiers via Gibraltar. This aircraft was flown by RAF No. 24 Squadron at Northolt and was furnished as a flying conference room.

EASTERN FRONT: Baltic Fleet and Ladoga Flotilla: The submarine "Sch-408" was sunk by aviation and surface ships gunfire of 'Ruotsinsalmi' and Patrol Boat 'VMV', close to Vaindlo lighthouse at Keri.

Lt. Udo Cordes of 9(Eins.)./KG 3 was awarded the Ritterkreuz after 150 combat missions and 41 locomotive kills, 19 trains of which were 2 tank wagons and 3 were carrying ammunition. Until the award he had also destroyed 11 tanks, 2 flak emplacements and achieved 2 aerial victories. Lt. Cordes was one of the most successful Luftwaffe bomber pilots, known as "Der Lok-Toter."

Oblt. Egon Albrecht, Staffelkapitaen of 1./ZG 1 was awarded the Ritterkreuz for 15 aerial victories plus 11 aircraft, 162 motor vehicles, 254 covered vehicles, 3 locomotives, 8 flak positions, 12 anti-tank gun positions and 8 infantry positions destroyed on the ground.

MEDITERRANEAN: 'U-414' was sunk in the western Mediterranean NW of Tenes by depth charges from corvette HMS 'Vetch'.

B-24s attacked the Messina, Italy ferry docks and railroad yards. NASAF fighter, medium and heavy bombers bombed Terranova, a tunnel near Macomer, and Messina. In Sardinia during the night, Wellingtons bombed the docks and marshalling yard at Olbia. Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) fighters, medium and heavy bombers bombed Portoscuso, Porto Empedocle, Boccadifalco Airfield, Licata harbor, and Milo Airfield.

Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF) and NASAF P-40s and B-25s hit the airfield, shipping, and military concentrations on Pantelleria Island.

GERMANY: General Galland reported on the abilities of the Me 262:

"Most Esteemed Herr Generalfeldmarschall!
On Saturday, the 22d of the month, I tested the Me 262 at Augsburg in the presence of Oberst Petersen and other persons from the Technical Office. I would have preferred to report personally to the Generalfeldmarschall and also elaborate on other matters, however I was so occupied after my visit to Sicily that there was simply no time. The Reichsmarschall has ordered me to report today.

Concerning the Me 262, I beg to state the following:
1.) the aircraft represents an enormous leap forward; it would give us an unimaginable lead over the enemy if he adheres to the piston engine.
2.) In-flight handling of the airframe is impressive.
3.) The power plants are fully convincing, except during take-off and landing.
4.) The aircraft offers entirely new tactical prospects.

I beg to submit the following proposal; The Fw 190D is under development, its performance should match the Me 209's in all respects. The performance of the two types, however, will not be superior to the enemy's models, particularly at altitude. The only progress seems to be in armament and higher speeds. Conclusion:
a.) Me 209 be discontinued.
b.) Total fighter production to switch from the Fw 190 with BMW 801 to the Fw 190 with DB 603 and Jumo 213 engines.
c.) The construction and industrial capacities thus released to be concentrated on the Me 262 with immediate effect.

I shall report on my return.
Heil Hitler! Herr Generalfeldmarschall your most obediant servant.
Galland."

323 Lancasters, 169 Halifaxes, 142 Wellingtons, 113 Stirlings and 12 Mosquitoes attacked Dusseldorf. 27 aircraft were lost.This raid was a failure. There were two layers of cloud over the target and the Pathfinders experienced great difficulty in marking it. It is believed that the Germans were also operating decoy markers and fire sites. The result was that the Main Force bombing was scattered over a wide area. There was no concentration in Dusseldorf which recorded only 50 to 100 buildings destroyed and some 30 people killed.

 

[Njaco]

26 May 1943

GERMANY: Albert Speer, Germany's armaments minister agrees to fund a new program to develop pilotless planes. The project would lead to the development of the V1 'buzz bomb' and the V2 ballistic missile.

Reichsmarschall Goring met with Hitler to discuss the Me 262. Hitler forbid any production of the jet as a fighter until he personally assessed the plane, stating; "Nothing will be done with the new fighter until I have decided on its merits!"

NORTH AMERICA: Roosevelt and Churchill agree to collaborate on the development of the atomic bomb after a year of working separately.

EASTERN FRONT: The Red Army began an offensive against the German forces isolated in the Kuban bridgehead between the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.

"Krasnogvardeetz" of the Volga Flotilla was mined close to Besimyannii Is., in the Stalingrad area.

1,042 Gypsies were executed in gas chamber at Auschwitz after typhoid breaks out.

MEDITERRANEAN: During an air attack by an RAF 500 Sqn Hudson in the Mediterranean one man was killed and two men wounded on 'U-755'. The boat was forced to return to port due to heavy damage but was sunk 2 days later.

The first through convoy to complete the Mediterranean passage since 1941 arrives at Alexandria without loss; it left Gibraltar on 17 May.

In Sardinia, Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) medium and heavy bombers hit the airfields at Ponte Olivo, Biscari, and Comiso. P-38s hit Porto Ponte Romano shipping, and Villacidro Airfield. NASAF P-40s attacked gun emplacements, trucks, and troops on the SE coast of Pantelleria Island. Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF) P-40s also bombed Pantelleria. In Italy, NASAF P-38s hit the Tirso power dam and the Golfo Aranci harbor.

WESTERN FRONT: The 'Oost Vlaanderen' was part of a German convoy on the way from St Malo in northern France to St Peter Port in Guernsey, carrying a cargo of guns and cement for the German fortifications. Just 1.5 miles outside St Peter Port, it was attacked by RAF aircraft and holed at the waterline on the port side and sank.

II./JG 1 was engaged in the late afternoon in fierce combat with a group of 40 p-47s and Spitfires. Lt. Otto Bach of 5./JG 1 was credited with shooting down a Spitfire as was Fw. Flecks. Strangely, Allied Fighter Command records list nothing about this engagement.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: 'U-436' was sunk in the North Atlantic west of Cape Ortegal, Spain by depth charges from frigate HMS 'Test' and corvette HMS 'Hyderabad'.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

.

 

[Njaco]

27 May 1943

GERMANY: 274 Lancasters, 151 Halifaxes, 81 Wellingtons and 12 Mosquitoes attacked Essen, 23 aircraft were lost. The weather was cloudy and sky-marking had to be used. The main bombing was scattered with many aircraft undershooting. The limited damage caused in Essen was mainly in the central and northern districts. 488 buildings were destroyed, 196 people were killed and 547 injured. Bombs fell in 10 surrounding Ruhr towns.

WESTERN FRONT: 14 Mosquitoes of 105 and 139 Squadrons were despatched to fly at low level and attack a glass works and the Zeiss optical instruments factory at Jena. These were the last operations flown by the two squadrons with 2 Group before the coming transfer to 8 Group. The round flight from the Dutch coast was more than 500 miles. 2 Mosquitoes of 139 Squadron collided on the outward flight near Paderborn and crashed. Another Mosquito of 105 Squadron was also lost. 11 aircraft bombed the 2 targets with great accuracy. On the return to England 2 more Mosquitoes, 1 from each squadron, crashed in Norfolk and all the crews were killed.

23 aircraft went minelaying in the Frisians, 1 aircraft was lost.

Looted works of art deemed "Unfit for sale" are brought by military trucks to the Jeu de Paume, and in the garden within the courtyard there, a bonfire is lit and the paintings burnt. Between five and six hundred works by amongst others, Masson, Miro, Pacabia (whose daughter Jeannine is in the resistance network with which Samuel Beckett has contact), Suzanne Valadon, Klee, Max Ernst, Picasso, Kisling (the man himself, a Jew, has been denounced by the model he so delighted in painting), Léger, La Fresnaye and Mané-Katz are destroyed.

EASTERN FRONT: The German 17.Armee suspended offensive operations after making no progress. The Soviets began their own operations in the Kuban, and also met stiff resistance.

MEDITERRANEAN: For the first time in the war, small parties of British troops were para-dropped into Yugoslavia to coordinate sabotage and guerrilla activities with Tito's partisans. The partisans have been in heavy fighting now for ten days and prepared to breakout now that the British have arrived.

For the first time since Italy came into the war, the Italian government admitted to the world that its people were rebelling against the Mussolini regime and staging strikes. Strikes were forbidden years ago by the Fascist government, and a public decree today ordered all strikers to return to work at once. Fear of an Allied invasion was driving thousands of Italians away from the south of the country.

The destroyer FS 'Leopard' was stranded and wrecked North of Benghazi. The wreck was destroyed on 19 June 1943.

Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) P-40s bombed the harbor defenses on Pantelleria Island and Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF) P-40s attacked targets on the S coast of Pantelleria. In Sardinia, NASAF B-25s and B-26s hit Villacidro and Decimomannu Airfields.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The 'Sicilia' was stopped by 'U-181' by shots across her bow and was sunk by a torpedo at 0829 hours after the crew had abandoned ship.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

.

 

[Njaco]

28 May 1943

WESTERN FRONT: RAF 315 (Polish) Squadron flew a circus over St. Omer. During a fight with Bf-109s, F/Sgt Rogowski was shot and KIA over Bergues near Calais.

12 Venturas bombed a power station at Zeebrugge, 1 aircraft lost.

34 aircraft went minelaying in the Frisians, off Brittany ports and in the River Gironde. No losses.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: 'U-154' fired six torpedoes at Convoy 'BT-14' about 125 miles east of Fortaleza, Brazil and reported one tanker damaged, one freighter sunk, one tanker probably sunk and two more freighters sunk. In fact each of the three ships - 'Florida' in station #53, 'Cardinal Gibbons' in station #61 and 'John Worthington' in station #42 were hit by one torpedo and all reached port safely, but the last ship was never repaired. The 'Cardinal Gibbons' was struck on the starboard side abaft the stem and a hole was ripped in the forepeak tank containing fresh water. The eight officers, 35 crewmen and 27 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in and nine 20mm guns) remained on board and suffered no injuries. The vessel remained on course and arrived in Port of Spain, Trinidad on 5 June. The 'Florida' was struck forward of the after peak on the starboard side 15 feet beneath the waterline. The explosion opened a hole 16 feet by six feet and broke her back. The ship lost way as water filled the engine room and the stern settled until the stern gun platform was awash. 15 minutes after the attack, the eight officers, 34 crewmen and 27 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in, one 3in and eight 20mm guns) abandoned ship in three lifeboats. A fourth boat swamped in the moderate seas. All hands were picked up by USS 'PC-592' and landed at Fortaleza the same day. A salvage crew boarded the tanker and corvette USS 'Saucy' towed her into Fortaleza. The salvage ship USS 'Crusader' later towed the 'Florida' to San Juan, Puerto Rico for temporary repairs. Permanent repairs were done at Chester, Pennsylvania, after which the tanker returned to service. The 'John Worthington' was struck by one torpedo at the #8 tank. The explosion blew a hole 30 feet by 10 feet in her side, buckled the deck and pushed fragments out the port side. The ship veered 30° to starboard, but regained her course and continued on her way, rejoining the convoy the next morning. Only a few of the eight officers, 34 crewmen and 14 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, one 3in, two .50cal and two .30cal guns) suffered slight injuries. After temporary repairs at Trinidad the ship was sailed on 10 June to Galveston, Texas for major repairs, arriving on 21 June. But the tanker was never repaired and did not return to service.

'U-177' attacked Convoy 'CD-20' and claimed two ships with 16000 grt sunk. The ships sunk were the 'Storaas' and the 'Agwimonte'. The 'Agwimonte' was in station #53 (last ship of the starboard column) and the lookouts spotted the wake of a torpedo from 'U-177' but it was too late. The torpedo struck on the starboard side between the #2 and #3 hatches, causing the ship to heel to starboard and the sea washed over the foredeck and the bridge. The watch below secured the engines and the ship settled on even keel. Ten officers, 36 men and 23 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in, one 3in, eight 20mm and two 30cal guns) abandoned ship in two lifeboats and three rafts. The first boat swamped in the swells when the after fall failed to release. The men tumbled into the sea and climbed back on board the 'Agwimonte'. Several of these men left the ship with the overcrowded second lifeboat. The master and 5 men bailed out the swamped boat and picked up two men from a raft. One hour and twenty minutes later they witnessed a second torpedo attack, which caused the boiler to explode and she sank bow first off Cape Agulhas in ten minutes with the general alarm still blaring. Two of the survivors on one of the rafts later transferred to an abandoned lifeboat of the 'Storaas'. The armed trawler SAS 'Vereeniging' picked up 61 survivors from a lifeboat and two rafts and landed them at Port Elizabeth, South Africa. A South African Army plane sighted the other two boats in the afternoon of 29 May. An Army crash boat rescued the occupants of those boats 18 hours after the attack and landed them two hours later at Gordon Bay.

'U-304' was sunk in the North Atlantic SE of Cape Farewell, Greenland by depth charges from an RAF 120 Sqn Liberator.

MEDITERRANEAN: The US 15th Air Force attacked the Italian oil refineries at Livorno with 100 B-17 bombers. During the night, RAF Liberators, under operational control of the IX Bomber Command, bombed Augusta. During the day, B-24s of 2 groups hit Foggia Airfield and the surrounding area.

In Sardinia during the night, Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) Wellingtons bombed Villacidro, Decimomannu, and Elmas Airfields. In Sicily, NASAF medium bombers attacked the airfields of Sciacca, Castelvetrano, Milo, and Bo Rizzo. Pantelleria Island was hit by NASAF P-40s and Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF) A-20s.

British support for Yugoslavia's partisans arrived - in the shape of two officers and two wireless operators parachuted onto a mountainside in Serbia in a gale, while a battle raged around them. Their commanding officer, Captain F. W. Deakin, a former literary assistant to Winston Churchill, will report directly to London.

'U-755' was sunk in the Mediterranean NW of Mallorca, by rockets from an RAF 608 Sqn Hudson from Blida in North Africa. This was the first U-boat sunk by an RAF aircraft by means of rocket-fired projectiles fired from beneath the wings.

UNITED KINGDOM: The award of the Victoria Cross to Wing-Commander Guy Gibson, who planned and led the raid on the Rühr dams, was announced.

 

[Hugh Spencer]

.