This Day in the War in Europe: The Beginning

[Njaco]

May 4 Saturday
NORTHERN EUROPE: 30,000 Allied troops were present near Narvik, Norway, including units of the French Foreign Legion, French mountain troops, Polish troops, the British 24th Brigade, and Norwegian troops, aiming to take Narvik from the Germans. Meanwhile, German 2nd Gebirgsjäger Division's mountain troops began marching 350 miles north from Trondheim, Norway to relieve the German 139th Gebirgsjäger Regiment in Narvik. Detecting this, the Allies deployed 300 to 500 men each at Mosjöen, Mo, and Bodö in an attempt to stop this movement.

The planes of KuFlGr 506 stop and seize the Norwegian steamer "Roaldjal" loaded with Zellulose bound for France and escort the ship to Trondheim.

German He 115 aircraft bombed British submarine HMS "Seal" in the Kattegat. "Seal" dove from the surface to the depth of 30 meters in response while continuing to deploy mines, her primary mission. After the bombers departed, the British submarine was aware of German trawlers following her. When more German vessels appeared ahead, and with the waters too shallow to dive, Commander Lonsdale decided to change direction – but unfortunately this caused the "Seal" to sail into a minefield. While evading anti-submarine trawlers, she hit a mine and began to settle to the sea floor. Now tilted upwards by 10 degrees, the "Seal" crew found their bow stuck in the muddy sea bed. As nighttime arrived, the Germans departed, unaware of the accident. The British sailors valiantly tried to bring their vessel to the surface during a series of attempts, whilst struggling with the deteriorating air quality aboard their submarine. Soon the batteries and air supply began to fail, and the crew were at one point ordered to all move to the front of the submarine to try to change the balance of the vessel. In another ingenious plan, the heavy keel was detached. Eventually the engineer reached a valve, releasing air stored aboard the submarine, and it surfaced. The crew suffered headaches and nausea with the sudden influx of oxygen. Important documents and cipher equipment were then destroyed and thrown overboard, and the commander decided to head for the Swedish coast. With the engines and controls damaged, it was found the "Seal" had to sail backwards to make any progress. As the stricken vessel moved towards Sweden, mud lodged inside the one remaining engines caused it to fail, and thus the submarine was brought to a final halt.

A Polish warship operating alongside Royal Navy ships off Narvik was destroyed by a German bomber. The ORP "Grom" was firing upon coastal targets in support of Allied operations when a German Heinkel He 111 aircraft dropped a bomb on her. The bomb struck one of the "Grom's" midship torpedo launchers, detonating a torpedo inside the tube. The "Grom" was broken into two from the resulting explosion. ORP "Grom" was one of the most hated Allied warships amongst the German troops operating in Norway. The crew of the Polish warship had shown a fierce determination to hunt down and kill any German troops spotted along the coast.

ASIA: The keel of "Shinano" was laid down at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal in Yokosuka, Japan.

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[parsifal]

5 May 1940
Known Reinforcements
Neutral
On July 11, 1938, USN invited designers to submit plans for a 70-foot motor torpedo boat, and a 54-foot motor torpedo boat. A prize of $15,000 was offered for the winning design in each class, and prizes of $1,500 each to all entrants whose plans reached the final stage of competition. like the RN, the US was beginning from a long way behind. The Navy announced on March 21, 1939, that Sparkman and Stephens, naval architects previously known for their sailboat designs, had won the prize in the 70-foot class, and that Prof. George Crouch, who made his design for Henry B. Nevins, Inc., was the winner in the 54-foot class. Throughout the latter part of 1939 through 1940, the Americans moved gradually to form their first three PT sqns, officially forming after the completion of sea trials for the early ordered boats (with na total of about 30 completed)

PT 3 and 9 undergoing smooth water high speed trials May 1940
Allied
RN CL FIJI

Losses
ELDRID (Nor) The damaged cargo ship was scuttled at Narvik, Nordland by German forces (see 10th April for loss recording).

MV MAIANBAR (Aus 513 grt) The cargo ship ran aground off Newcastle, Australia. She was declared a total loss.

HNoMS SILD (Royal Norwegian Navy): The 1.-class torpedo boat was scuttled in the Norwegian Sea off Haroya, More og Romsdal to prevent capture by German force. loss already recorded (see 9 April entry)


DKM War Diary
Selected Extracts

Sharp attacks by the Labor Party and whole of the British press on the Government regarding its handling of the Norwegian campaign. Demand for an exhaustive inquiry into the reasons for defeat. Criticism is directed particularly against the inadequate equipment of the Expeditionary Force, the inactivity of the British Fleet, which operated only off Narvik, i.e, in a safe area (fear of risks), the inferiority of the R.A.F. and the reluctance of the British leaders to make decisions, The perfect cooperation between the German Army and Air Force is specially emphasized. The general effect of the defeat in Norway has very much shaken Chamberlain's position. Demands are being made for the creation of a War Cabinet and the formation of a new National Government to include the Labor and Liberal parties and In the circumstances this can be expected to materialize.

.

In a speech in Charleroi, President Pierlot again declared Belgium's firm resolve to prevent any passage of troops through her territory, Belgium was- no longer a battlefield where other nations could fight out their disputes. In Belgium' only a static war would be possible, which gives no hope of a quick decision. An attack or a comparable act incompatible with Belgian security or prestige would fore 3 her to fight to the last man.

On passage to the Baltic the GNEISENAU, escorted by MSW M "98" and. the MSW Flot 12, struck a mine NW of Westertill, Compartment V, on the port side. British ground-mine. The ship continued her passage at 18 knots. According to later information damage is only slight. Mine defense apparently took second place when putting out into the open sea. Realizing that the danger from mines existed mainly in the river estuarie s, while there was danger from submarines further out, the Fleet had provided mine defense in the Jade and Elbe, but during the passage at high speed in the open sea gave priority to ASW measures. Since the enemy has dropped aerial mines between the Jade and Elbe, he cannot intend also to use submarines in these waters.

The Elbe is temporarily closed on account of the doubtful mine situation e The Weser and the Ems must also be closed to vessels with cargoes of ore until a check sweep has been carried out. Minelaying by enemy planes is beginning to make itself unpleasantly felt and causing serious interruptions on the traffic routes which are important to German war economy.

Numerous reports of submarine-chase in the Heligoland Bight have led Group Wast to make an urgent requiest for thy return
of the 12th Submarine-Chaser Flotilla. Bearing in mind that the GNEISENAU has struck a mine, the Group also requests the
return of the 2nd Minesweeper Flotilla, as it has not enough vessels to keep the main channels clear.

Once the transport of the 2nd Gebirgsjager XX to Norway is completed in a few days' time, it will be possible to return the escort units urgently required for protecting transports in the Skagerrak/Kattegat area.

UBOATS
Kriegstagebücher (KTB) - War Diary

U 25 and U 65, the only boats west of the Shetlands, have been given freedom of action in the whole area. U 32 entered Trondheim, U 14 Kiel. Her experience off Bergen and NW of the Shetlands do not differ from those of other boats. UA and U 101 have been ordered to return direct from Trondheim. Now that the English have retreated from the whole of southern Norway, an operation against the supply routes to Narvik doesn't promise success. According to radio intelligence reports, 2 steamers, one a 6,000 tonner, have run into the minefield laid by U 9 in the Firth of Moray. This is further proof of the fact that such minefields, laid with the mines far apart, are successful in the long run. "Gneisenau" struck an a/c mine between the Elbe and the Jade. It is thus necessary for boats to proceed only with mine escort until they reach the 25 meter line. This will mean delays, with the few forces we have at present which are suitable as escort only against contact mines. U 24, 57, 59, 61 were first ordered to Wilhelmshaven instead of to the Elbe, as it was thought that the mine hit had occurred in the Elbe, Gneisenau having given a wrong position.

Arrivals
Kiel: U-14
Trondheim: U-32
Wilhelmshaven: U-24

Departures
Kiel: U-9
Trondheim: U-101, UA

At Sea 5 May 1940
U-9, U-25, U-57, U-59, U-61, U-65.
6 boats at sea

OPERATIONS
Baltic
North Sea
Sub NARWHAL arrived in the Humber after patrol. Sub TRITON arrived at Rosyth after patrol. A German cruiser was reported sighted off Nordeney and a large enemjy merchant ship in Nordeney Harbour. All the Nore MTBs and patrol sloops were brought to high readiness state (30 mins sailing notice). Sub patrols off the Dutch coast were reinforced. RN Aux ML HAMPTON laid mines in minefield DML 9 escort DDs KEITH, BOREAS, BRILLIANT, VERITY. A further planned extension of minefield DML 9 was cancelled on the 10th.

OG.28 was formed from convoys OA.140G, which departed Southend on the 2nd escort DD WHITEHALL, OB.140G, which departed Liverpool on the 2nd escort sloop ROCHESTER, with 44 ships. Sloop ROCHESTER and DD WHITEHALL escorted the convoy from 5 May and then were detached to convoy HG.28. Fr DD JAGUAR escorted the convoy from 5 to 10 May and Fr PV MINERVE joined near Gib. The convoy arrived at Gib on the 10th.

FN.163 departed Southend, escort DD VALENTINE and sloop WESTON. The convoy arrived at the Tyne on the 7th. MT.64 departed Methil, escort DD WOLSEY, sloop WESTON, armed patrol yacht BREDA. The convoy arrived in the Tyne later that day. FS.163 departed the Tyne, escort DD WOLSEY, sloop WESTON, armed patrol yacht BREDA. Early on the 6th, DD WOLSEY was detached to proceed independently to Devonport. The convoy arrived at Southend on the 7th.

Northern Waters
CA BERWICK departed Scapa for the Clyde. Damaged CA SUFFOLK, in company with 7 troopships escort DDs KELLY, Fr TARTU, GRIFFIN, GRENADE, IMPERIAL, CHEVALIER PAUL, MILAN departed Scapa for the Clyde, arriving on the 6th. DD FAULKNOR operating in Rombaksfjord near Straumein Point struck a submerged wreck. FAULKNOR sustained damage to her ASDIC dome and the directing gear. She left with a convoy on the 7th to return to England for repairs.

DDs VETERAN, VISCOUNT, FIREDRAKE cleared the Clyde with British troopships ULSTER PRINCE for Mosjoen and ROYAL SCOTSMAN (3244grt) for Bodo. Escort was reinforced by the arrival of DDs NUBIAN and JUNO on 6 June and DD VISCOUNT detached at 1030.
VISCOUNT arrived at Scapa on the 6th. The Mosjoen and Bodo groups parted company on the 8th. DDss JUNO and VETERAN with ULSTER PRINCE proceeded to Mosjoen and DDs NUBIAN and FIREDRAKE with ROYAL SCOTSMAN proceeded to Bodo.

Tkr WAR NIZAM (UK), escort ASW trawlers WHITETHORN and LE TIGER departed Scapa for Sullom Voe.

Channel
MTB.22, MTB.24, MTB.25 arrived at Dover from Portsmouth.

Med- Biscay
DDs KEPPEL and VORTIGERN dep Gib to meet arriving BB WARSPITE, escort DDs DOUGLAS and WRESTLER. DD VELOX later departed the joined DDs KEPPEL and VORTIGERN. DDs DOUGLAS and WRESTLER were relieved in the vicinty of Alboran Island and arrived at Gib on the 6th. On the 11th, DDs KEPPEL, VELOX, VORTIGERN arrived at Gibr from Malta after this escort duty.

 

[Njaco]

May 5 Sunday
NORTHERN EUROPE: The German forces continue to advance north from Trondheim. More Allied troops arrive in the north at Tromsø and Harstad. This contingent is from the French Foreign Legion and the exiled Polish forces.

After a 25-day battle, the Norwegian fortress of Hegra surrendered at 0525 hours. The 190 men were the last Norwegian troops actively resisting German invasion in southern Norway. Civilian nurse Anne Margrethe Bang was also captured. They would all be released within the next two months by the order of Adolf Hitler in recognition of their bravery during the defense.

Two Arado Ar 196 seaplanes from 1./KuFlGr 706 spot the British submarine, the HMS "Seal", which had been damaged by a mine in the Kattegat the day before. Captain Lonsdale attempted to return fire with the deck-mounted guns, but they were damaged. With his crew ill and many wounded, and his ship powerless and unable to submerge, the captain had no choice but to surrender by waving the white table cloth from the mess. Lt. Günther Mehrens, pilot of one of the Arado seaplanes lands alongside and takes the captured sub commander to his airfield at Aalborg (incidentally on Lonsdale's 35th birthday). The British crew attempted to scuttle their submarine, but were unable to do so. The submarine would later be towed to Frederikshavn, Denmark, repaired, and commissioned into German service. Aside from a few coastal craft and abandoned ships, the "Seal" was the only British warship to fall into enemy hands during WW II.

Off Norway, eight Heinkel He 111 bombers attack Allied ships, scoring a hit on a battleship with a 1000lb bomb. A crew member of a 1(F)./122 He 111 was wounded when it was attacked by two Sunderland flying boats near Bodö, Norway.

During the day over Narvik, the Luftwaffe tries to attack enemy batteries but cannot locate them in the snow.

Hptm. Blumensaat transfers his special unit, IV(N)./JG 2 and their Arado 68F biplanes from the airbase at the Hage to the airfield at Hopsten and begin training on the Bf 109D for night operations.

GERMANY: Adolf Hitler pushed the decision date for the invasion of France to the following day.

The commander of Luftflotte 5 and General-Inspector of the Luftwaffe and Representative of the Reichs Minister of Aviation and Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe Generaloberst Erhard Milch is awarded the Ritterkreuz.

UNITED KINGDOM: Norway established a government-in-exile in London, England, United Kingdom.

In Ireland, Captain Hermann Goertz, a member of the Abwehr (a German military intelligence organization), lands by parachute near Dublin. He subsequently makes contact with Irish Army officers and members of the IRA. (Goertz is detained by Irish authorities in November 1941.)

NORTH AFRICA: Emperor Haile Selassie re-enters Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, exactly five years to the day of when it was occupied by Italy. Benito Mussolini had been eyeing Ethiopia (also known as Abyssinia) as an economic colony to be added to Italian Somaliland, in East Africa, since the 1920s. He hoped to resettle 10 million Italians in a unified East Africa. Despite Ethiopia's membership in the League of Nations, which provided it with recourse to other member nations in the event of invasion, Italy, also a League member, attacked on October 3, 1935. Selassie formally protested before the League Council, but the League responded with only mild sanctions, fearing that a more extensive embargo, or the closure of the Suez Canal, denying Italy needed supplies and reinforcements - would lead to war - and Italy simply getting its oil from the United States, which was not a party to League agreements. Britain and France, both fearing that a general war would be harmful to their collective security, proposed secret negotiations with Italy, wherein Italy would be offered territory in Ethiopia's northeast; in exchange, Mussolini would end his aggression. Ethiopia would only be told of this negotiation after the fact; should Selassie reject the terms, France and Britain were off the hook, having made a "good faith" effort at peace. They could then oppose further sanctions against Italy, even propose that the ones in place be removed, thereby sparing themselves a confrontation with Mussolini. But the plans for the secret negotiation were leaked to the press, and both Britain and France were humiliated publicly for selling out a weaker League partner.

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[parsifal]

6 May 1940 (PartI)
Known Reinforcements
Axis
FI BB LITTORIO

Like her sister VITTORIO, the LITTORIP was not ready for operations until after August 1940

Neutral
USN SUBCHASER SC450

SC462 class profile pictured. SC 450 class was simailr (I think)

Allied
RN Tree Class ASW Trawler ASH - RN Flower Class Corvette CALENDULA

Losses

Tkr BRIGHTON (UK 5359 grt) The tkr struck a mine and sank in the North Sea off Dunkerque. All 34 crew were rescued.

ASW Trawler LOCH NAVER (RN 262 grt) The naval trawler collided with another vessel off Hartlepool, Co Durham and sank. The survivors were rescued by the RN yacht BREDA

V-101 (DKM 500 grt (EST)) The vorpostenboot sank in the Kattegat.

[NO IMAGE FOUND]

MV BRAGE (Ger 5954 grt) was sunk on a mine near Kiel Light Ship.

[NO IMAGE FOUND]

V-811 (DKM 500 grt (est)) The vorpostenboot struck a mine in the Ems estuary and sank.

[NO IMAGE FOUND]

MV VOGESEN (Ger 4220 grt) The cargo ship struck a mine and sank in the Kattegat

DKM War Diary
Selected Extracts

Koht spoke to the Norwegian nation from the B.B.C., London. He declared that he had gone to London and Paris to carry out
negotiations on behalf of the Norwegian Government. He spoke with great hatred about the German campaign in Norway. The
German attack on Norway had been planned a long time in advance. Now hypocritical speeches were being made in the attempt to cover up this fact. "Great Britain and France will help us in our struggle and the Polish Government is sending 10,000 men. Naturally it must be some time before this aid can take effect. The Western Powers have solemnly pledged themselves to help us."

Great Britain :
The press is discussing the possibility that a Government crisis could be avoided at present by granting fuller powers to Churchill (Ministry coordinating the three Services). Severe criticism of the Norwegian campaign by Lloyd George.

Vatican
The Belgian Ambassador to the Vatican has reported to his Government; "The attack on Belgium and Holland is said to be scheduled for the coming week (the telegram is dated 2 May). It is probable that Italy will soon enter the' war also."

Conference on the Situation with Chief, Naval Staff
1. Order for Operation "Gelb" will be given very soon. The Fuehrer f.s decision depends merely on the. weather situation.
2. Discussion on the "Anti-mine Organization". Chief, Naval Staff wishes to build up the organization as soon as possible in order to solve the problem .of. defense against mines, since otherwise there is a real, danger that our whole shipping will be crippled.

he British Admiralty announces the sinking of the DD AFRIDI off Namsos (hit by a bomb . and the loss of the British destroyer THUNDERBOLT (1,975 tons, formerly the Polish DD GROMK; The French Naval Staff reports the loss of the large DD BISON (2,136 tons) on 3 May. She was bombed while proceeding in an Allied troop, convoy.

Naval Staff thinks it possible that the AFRIDI was the "cruiser of the YORK class" which the LW reported to have destroyed on 3 May.

Northern Norway;
In addition to the naval forces recently reported in the Harstad- Narvik area, air reconnaissance has detected another BB in the Tjelsund. Several steamers were unloading in Harstad. The CV reported in the Narvik area is probably the ARK ROYaL. Several transports have been observed in Tromsoe.

43 of the survivors of the HUNTER are said to have arrived in Northern Sweden where they have been interned. According to a B.B.C. report they are shortly to be released from internment (as survivors from shipwreck) and returned to Britain. This report has still to be confirmed. By releasing these internees, Sweden would create a very significant and desirable precedent for the treatment of our own DD crews in the event of their withdrawal to Sweden.

UBOATS
Kriegstagebücher (KTB) - War Diary

U 9 sailed for case "GELB", UA and U 101 for Trondheim. U 25, 24, 57, 59, 61 entered Wilhelmshaven, U 25 unexpectedly. She had trouble with her transmitter during the last few days and could not report. She made the same observations as the other boats in the Westfjord, but the Commanding Officer knew how to make clever use of the positive aspects of disposition in the fjords. He is probably responsible for the sinking of a destroyer off Narvik. U 24 had no opportunities to attack off Bergen and NE of the Shetlands. U 61 was operating first off Trondheim (Gripshoelm) and then off the Minch. Her experiences agree with those of U 13 (see 2.5). Off the Minch she sighted the "Warspite" at 12,000 meters and later had to start on her return passage as one diesel was out of action. U 57 and U 59 confirm the impression that it is now hardly possible to operate east of the Orkneys and Shetlands. U 57 was heavily depth-charged. She had 2 unmistakable gyro failures and so lost her chances of success. Since 16.1 U 57 has been at sea for 82 days out of 111 (-74%). With this, the limits of the possible have been reached. there are similar cases with other boats. Many boats will require a long period of rest after these weeks of utmost strain.

Arrivals
Wilhelmshaven: U-25

Departures
Wilhelmshaven: U-24

At Sea 6 Mayl 1940
U-9, U-57, U-59, U-61, U-65.
5 boats at sea.

OPERATIONS
Baltic
Western Baltic
DKM Raider WIDDER departed Kiel to operate in the Central Atlantic, via the Denmark She was attacked by sub SNAPPER, but the torp spread missed her, and WIDDERs escorts drove SNAPPER off.

North Sea
FN.164 departed Southend, escort DDs VIVIEN and VIMIERA, and arrived at the Tyne on the 8th. FS.164 departed the Tyne, escort DD WINCHESTER and sloop LONDONDERRY, and arrived at Southend on the 8th.

Submarine SEALION attacked escorted transports MOLTKEFELS (Ger 7863 grt) and NEIDENFELS (Ger 7838 grt) 19 miles Vaderobod Light. 6 torps were fired and 3 hits claimed, but in fact all had missed. Sub TRIAD of SubFlot 2, SEAWOLF, SHARK, SNAPPER of SubFlot 3, STURGEON of Subflot 6 and Fr subs AMAZONE, ANTIOPE, CALYPSO, CIRCE, DORIS ORPHEE, SYBILLE, THETIS of Fr SubFlot 10 began patrols in the southern North Sea and blockade of Texel in anticipation of the German invasion of the Low Countries. Sub TRIAD departed Rosyth on patrol on the 6th, SEAWOLF departed Harwich on the 6th, SHARK departed Harwich on the 7th, STURGEON was already at sea having departed Blyth on 30 April and continued patrol until returning on the 11th, SNAPPER was also already at sea having departing Harwich on 28 April and continued patrol until arriving back at Blyth on the 11th.

Fr Sub ANTIOPE was already at sea having departed Harwich on 28 April and arrived back on the 8th, CALYPSO, which had departed Harwich on 29 April to relieve AMAZON off Texel, arrived back for refuelling on the 11th, CIRCE arrived at Harwich with defects from patrol on the 6th and set off again on the 12th, DORIS and AMAZONE departed Harwich on patrol on the 6th ORPHEE departed Harwich on patrol on the 3rd, LA SIBYLLE already at sea having departed Harwich on 27 April completed her patrol on the 8th when she arrived back at Harwich, THETIS arrived at Harwich from patrol on the 7th and departed again on patrol on the 10th.

Reassignments on patrol areas were made on 10/11 May. Fr submarines THETIS and ANTIOPE were moved to patrol areas off Lowestoft and Yarmouth. Fr sub AMAZONE was moved to 40 miles west off Texel and Fr sub DORIS was ordered to a parallel patrol line 50 miles west of Rotterdam. However, submarine DORIS had already been lost by that time.

Northern Waters
CL ENTERPRISE suffered splinter damage from near misses by the LW. CL SOUTHAMPTON departed Scapa for Rosyth. CLA CALCUTTA departed Scapa for the Narvik area. DDs WOLVERINE and WITHERINGTON arrived at Scapa with boom defense vessel META from Leith. DD ESCAPADE departed Rosyth for Invergordon to escort Br tkr INVERADER to Scapa. The ships departed Invergordon on the 7th and arrived at Scapa Flow on the 8th. DD ESCAPADE went on to Liverpool for repairs. She arrived at 9th.
DD CODRINGTON departed Invergordon with Br tkr WAR BHARATA for Scapa that evening.

 

[parsifal]

6 May 1940 (Part II)
OPERATIONS [CONT'D]
West Coast UK
NS.2 departed the Clyde for Narvik. It was composed of base ship MASHOBRA and British steamers BALZAC, CALUMET, COXWOLD escort DDs JAVELIN and JACKAL and Fr DDs BRESTOIS and BOULONNAIS. On the 7th, steamers BALZAC and COXWOLD ran aground sth of Neist Light (off the Hebrides). Steamer BALZAC was escorted by DD BRESTOIS to Stornoway. DD BRESTOIS continued on to Scapa. DD BRESTOIS carried out a DC attack on a suspected UBoat contact but this was later judged a non sub. Steamer COXWOLD was taken by BOULONNAIS and BRESTOIS to Scapa, arriving on the 8th after being delayed by fog in Pentland Firth.
DDs WITHERINGTON and WOLVERINE departed Scapa on the 7th with steamer META to rendezvous with the convoy on the 7th.
On joining, DD WITHERINGTON was sent to Stornoway to provide ASW protection for steamer BALZAC. She was later relieved by ASW ST CATHAN. DD WITHERINGTON arrived at Scapa on the 9th. The fuel stores on COXWOLD were embarked on British steamer ULSTER MONARCH (3791grt) which departed Scapa on the 10th unescorted for Narvik. On the convoy's arrival in the Narvik area, DDs JAVELIN and JACKAL were ordered to return to Scapa immediately. DDs JAVELIN and JACKAL departed Tjelandet on the 1th.

DDs ESK, EXPRESS, INTREPID arrived Scapa with mines for operation DZ, an ML op in Norwegian waters. However, this op was later cancelled. DDs HERO and FOXHOUND departed Scapa for boiler cleaning at Rosyth. DDs IVANHOE, ICARUS, IMPULSIVE departed Scapa for Immingham to boiler clean and embark mines.

Channel
DD WILD SWAN and MSW SKIPJACK began boiler cleaning at Dover. DD WILD SWAN returned to service on the 9th.

 

[Njaco]

May 6 Monday
NORTHERN EUROPE: German mountain troops of the 2nd Gebirgsjäger Division continued their slow march north from Trondheim, Norway to Narvik, where South Wales Borderers of the British 24th Brigade, French Chasseurs Alpins mountain infantry, and French colonial artillery troops continued to assert pressure on the German troops. Norwegian forces launch attacks around Roeros-Stoeren. A Norwegian column of trucks and pack animals on the road Elvenes-Ora are destroyed by a Luftwaffe air attack. At Bodö an Allied float plane is destroyed by the Luftwaffe.

Off Narvik, British cruiser HMS "Enterprise" was slightly damaged by a near miss by an aerial bomb, killing one Royal Marine.

British submarine HMS "Sealion" attacked German transports "Moltkefels" and "Neidenfels" in the Skagerrak at 1400 hours. All 6 torpedoes missed.

GERMANY: 'Fall Gelb', the German invasion of France, was once again postponed by Hitler.

MEDITERRANEAN: Pope Pius XII shared the intelligence gathered by Vatican agents that Germany was planning on invading the Low Countries with the Princess of Piedmont Marie José, who was the sister of King Leopold III of Belgium and wife of Italian Crown Prince Umberto. The Princess informs her brother, King Leopold of Belgium.

Italian battleship "Littorio" was commissioned into service.

WESTERN FRONT: A massive German armored motorized column, many miles long was spotted driving west through the Ardennes forest but the Belgian Army did not respond.

British submarine HMS "Snapper" attacked German armed merchant cruiser "Widder" 30 miles east of Denmark at 1525 hours. Both torpedoes missed.

SS 'Brighton', a (5,359t) cargo ship, Dunkirk from the Humber with coal was sunk by a mine approaching Dunkirk.

UNITED KINGDOM: The Norwegian gold reserves arrived in London, England, United Kingdom.

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[parsifal]

7 May 1940
Losses
Steamer FOLDEN (Nor 316 grt) was sunk by German bombing off Helgeland.

[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Fishing vessel SAINT PIERRE (Belg 15 grt) was sunk by a mine off Kwinte Bank.

[NO IMAGE FOUND]

DKM War Diary
Selected Extracts

Today saw the beginning of the Commons debate on the Norwegian campaign. The main objections of public opinion to the
Government's handling of affairs are particularly as follows:

1. The employment of obsolete methods. The war of 19 40 was conducted exactly like that of 1914, without any regard
for new military weapons,
2. Preparations for the Norwegian campaign were inadequate and the planning was far too cursory.
3. The Allies were slow and hesitating in their political and military decisions, while the Germans acted quickly.
4. The reports given to the public were misleading and full of misinformation. At first complete success was reported and this made the ensuing disappointment all the more sharply felt. The French press also emphasizes this objection particularly.
5. The events in Norway have made a very unfavorable impression on the neutrals.

Embassy reports from Stockholm, Helsinki and Belgrade emphasize that the Allied evacuation of Namsos without notification to
the Norwegians has made a deep impression in Sweden, Finland and Yugoslavia. The British attitude is regarded as absolute
treachery and means a heavy blow to British prestige. The Swedish attitude towards Germany has greatly improved,

Superior enemy forces supported by artillery are pressing back our troops belonging to Group "Windisch" , Group Narvik
has made an urgent request for air. support and submarine operations against the namerous enemy forces. In reply to
an inquiry from Commanding Admiral, Norway he was informed that experiences and losses to date have shown that submarine
operations are not possible inthe Narvik area. Reasons s
a) Insufficient darkness for submarines to surf act to recharge batteries «
b) Best conditions for pursuit using hydrophone and location gear and for air partrol
c) No possibility of immediate withdrawal from the narrow fjords in the event of strong anti-submarine measures.
Hence further submarine operations are impossible.

UBOATS
Kriegstagebücher (KTB) - War Diary

Narvik requested U-boats as defense against enemy landings. Naval War Staff refused. A request from Sea Defense Commandant Trondheim to use U 32 as wing protection for Army troops proceeding north also had to be refused.With the few U-boats available, it is already difficult to do without the transport boats. It is essential to avoid wasting boats for other subsidiary tasks, especially if these do not promise any success.

Arrivals
Kiel: U-24, U-57, U-59 , U-61

Departures
Kiel: U-7

At Sea 7 Mayl 1940
U-7, U-9, U-65.
3 boats at sea.
(this was the lowest number at sea to date)

OPERATIONS
North Sea
Sub NARWHAL departed the Humber on ML mission FD.10. RN paddle MSW QUEEN OF THANET sighted a periscope in the Firth of Forth. CLA COVENTRY, which was departing Rosyth, was recalled. DD VALENTINE and sloop WESTON attacked a contact 12 miles from May Island. The next day, VALENTINE and WESTON were relieved by ASW trawlers BRIMNESS and THORNWICK BAY . MLs TEVIOTBANK and PRINCESS VICTORIA escort patrol sloops WIDGEON, PUFFIN, PINTAIL, SHEARWATER laid minefield BS 2 extending minefield LB. Sloops WIDGEON and PUFFIN were released from the escort after the minelay to escort Danish trawlers found to Yarmouth. The destination was changed en route and they arrived in the Humber. After the minelay, preparing for operation BS 3, ML PRINCESS VICTORIA burnt out her main switchboard and was delayed. FN.165 departed Southend, escort DD WHITLEY and sloop EGRET. The convoy arrived at the Tyne on the 9th. MT.65 departed Methil, escort sloops GRIMSBY and HASTINGS. The convoy arrived in the Tyne later that day. FS.165 departed the Tyne, escort sloops GRIMSBY and HASTINGS. The convoy arrived at Southend on the 9th.

Northern Waters
CL AURORA was damaged off Narvik when a bomb was droped on her, landing forward of B-turret. A and B turrets were put out of action, but AURORA, required for operations around Narvik, was not withdrawn from the area for repairs until 25 May when she was relieved by CL SOUTHAMPTON. 4 Marines were killed and 4 Marines were wounded by the bomb. CL AURORA arrived at Portsmouth on the 29th and was under repair until 28 June. ORP DD BLYSKAWICA was damaged by splinters from near misses in the same attack. DD FAULKNOR was near missed but not damaged.

DDs FAULKNOR , AMAZON, IMOGEN, WHIRLWIND departed Bjervik that evening with liners MONARCH OF BERMUDA, EMPRESS OF AUSTRALIA , VILLE D'ALGER for Scapa arriving on the 9th, less DD WHIRLWIND. DD FAULKNOR departed Scapa on the 10th Grimsby for repair at Grimsby of damage sustained on the 5th. Repairs were completed on 13 June. DD IMOGEN had been ordered to return to England for overdue repairs. DD IMOGEN departed Scapa Flow on the 15th for Chatham for damage repairs. She arrived at on the 16th and the repairs were completed on 12 June. Troopship CHROBRY (ORP 11,442 grt) departed Leith for Narvik escort DD KANDAHAR and HOSTILE. The DDs were soon relieved by DDs SOMALI (D.6) and ESCORT which departed Scapa on the 8th. DDs KANDAHAR and HOSTILE returned to Rosyth at high speed. Troopship CHROBRY and DDs SOMALI and ESCORT arrived at Harstad on the 11th.

Br troopship ROYAL ULSTERMAN (3244grt) escort DD MATABELE departed Scapa for Leith.

West Coast UK
DD GALLANT and BULLDOG departed Greenock to escort British troopship ALMANZORA to Scapa arriving on the 8th. MSW SHARPSHOOTER arrived at Scapa from Scrabser with Vice Adm Orkneys and Shetlands embarked. Fr DDr MISTRAL arrived in the Clyde with Fr tkr TARN.

Med- Biscay
HG.29 with 45 ships departed Gib. Ocean escort was Sloops SANDWICH from 7 to 17 May and BIDEFORD from 7 to 10 May. In Home Waters, the convoy was escorted by RN corvette CLARKIA from 15 to 17 May. The convoy arrived at Liverpool on the 17th. Fr subs MEDUSE and AMPHITRITE departed Oran for Brest. They passed Gibraltar on the 8th and joined convoy 23 RS, escorted by sloop L'IMPETEUSE. On arrival at Brest, both submarines began refitting.

 

[parsifal]

8 May 1940
Known Reinforcements
Axis
MSW Type 1935 M-19

DKM War Diary
Selected Extracts

Debate on Norway iir the House of Lor^s. Continuation of the Commons debate. Chamberlain openly admitted the failure of the Norwegian campaign. The main thing now was to avoid splitting up British forces, i.e. to use them where vital interests had
to be protected in view of German aggression.

The Norwegian Commander in Chief had repeatedly made urgent requests for an attack on Trondheim at all costs, as this town was important not only as a port but also as the seat of the Royal Government. It was said that the Norwegians would no longer dare to continue their resistance if there were no serious attempt to attack Trondheim. Under these circumstances Great Britain had taken the risk. The number of troops sent to Trondheim did not depend on the number of men available, but on the speed of finding suitable ports, which were still ...open to British forces. The British plan to capture Trondheim failed for two reasons:
1) The impossibility of taking air bases.
2) The unexpected rapidity with which German reinforcements
.. were brought up.

Chamberlain closed his speech with an appeal to Parliament to stand together at this critical time. In the course of the Commons debate, the Government came under sharp attack and the hesitant and indecisive attitude of the leaders and the lack of enthusiasm of the Fleet and the R.A.F. were subjected to criticism. The Labor Party called for resignation of the Government and the Conservatives for the formation of a War Cabinet. A statement made by Member of Parliament Wedgewood is worth
noting. He said that in future. Great Britain must be prepared even to take illegal and unexpected action, as Hitler had done
to date* Britain's Fleet was in a position to save Britain from starvation, but not from invasion. Since the Fleet had
not prevented the. German landing in Norway, it was quite conceivable that it would also not be able to prevent a landing
in Lincolnshire.

Adm Roger Keyes denied these statements,, He particularly regretted that Trondheim had not been taken by assault, and
action which in his opinion would have been quite possible and successful. At the opening of the Norwegian campaign he
had gone to the Admiralty to suggest an action based on his experiences at Gallipoli and on the Belgian coast during World
War I. His suggestion had been turned down. Ho was told that the Mediterranean situation made it undesirable to risk
ships in the Norway operation.

UBOATS
Kriegstagebücher (KTB) - War Diary

U 65 has been recalled. She is alone NW of the ORkneys and it is no longer possible for her to proceed to another more favorable operations area, as she has used up most of her supplies. It is therefore better not to keep this boat at sea any longer, but to make her ready at time for operation in the Atlantic, now that it is finally clear that operation west of the Orkneys is very difficult for large boats.

Departures
Trondheim: U-32

At Sea 8 May 1940
U-7, U-9, U-32, U-65.
4 boats at sea

OPERATIONS
Baltic
Western Baltic
Sub TAKU . attacked steamers PALIME (Ger 2863 grt) and PELIKAN (Ger3264 grt) escorted by TBs MOEWE and KONDOR in the Nth Sea, sixty miles off Tyboroen. The steamers were undamaged and later arrived at Stavanger on the 9th, but TB MOEWE was severely damaged in the stern. MOEWE was towed by KONDOR to Wilhelmshaven and was repairing until April 1941. After the 10 hr counterattack, TAKU was forced to return to Rosyth arriving on the 15th.

North Sea
CL SOUTHAMPTON was docked at Rosyth for repairs from 8 to 20 May. Steamers ALBERT (Sd 1745 grt) and TYRA BRATT (Sd 1301 grt) were seized by German forces at Stavanger. Their loss is recorded in the April summaries. Steamer TYRA BRATT was detained at Haugesand and her crew was returned to Gotenburg. The steamer was renamed NOGAT for German service. OA.141 departed Southend escort DD VIVACIOUS. FN.166 departed Southend, escort PV BREDA. The convoy arrived in the Tyne on the 10th. FS.166 departed the Tyne, escort DD VALENTINE and sloop WESTON. The convoy arrived at Southend on the 10th.

Northern Waters
DDs HYPERION, HEREWARD, JANUS departed Scapa with CL BIRMINGHAM for Rosyth. CA DEVONSHIRE departed Scapa to return to Northern Norway. DDs WESTCOTT and VOLUNTEER met the CA 10th. They arrived at Tromso kate that evening. DD WESTCOTT refuelled from the CA at Tromso that night. The DDs were involved in ASW duties around Tromso from 10 to 14 May. On 14 May, the DDs were detached to Vice Admiral Air to escort the Carriers operating off nthn Norway. DD ISIS struck wreckage in Balangen Fjord and was badly damaged. Her propellers were wrecked and her tiller flat was damaged. She was towed to Skelfjord by DD ILEX.
ISIS departed Skelfjord under tow for England on the 10th. Late that day DD SOMALI met a Norwegian fishing vessel, en route to the Faroes with 12 Norwegian AF officers. The boat was given a boat's compass and directed to the Shetlands. A Swordfish aircraft of 810 Squadron from ARK ROYAL crashed into the sea on landing. S/Lt W. G. Adams, S/Lt H.E. H.Pain, Leading Airman H.G. Edwards were picked up by DD MAORI. Sadly, Adams died of injuries incurred in the crash on 5 October 1940. Edwards was injured, but not seriously.

West Coast UK
DDs KELLY and KIMBERLEY departed Greenock with for Rosyth to join a force of 8 DDs on duty on the East Coast. OB.141 departed Liverpool escort DD VERSATILE from 8 to 10 May. The convoy was dispersed on the 12th.

Western Approaches
To forestall anticipated German landings on Iceland, AMC CALIFORNIA and armed boarding vessels KINGSTON PERIDOT, KINGSTON JACINTH, NORTHERN DUKE operated off the Icelandic coast. Armed boarding vessels KINGSTON ONYX and KINGSTON TURQUOISE joined AMC CALIFORNIA on the 13th off Iceland and armed boarding vessel DISCOVERY II arrived off the east coast of Iceland on the 22nd. In Operation FORK, CA BERWICK and CL GLASGOW with DDs FORTUNE and FEARLESS departed Greenock for Reykavik where they arrived on the 10th to land a detachment of Royal Marines. The troops landing was completed early on the 10th and the FORK ships departed Reykavik late on the same day. The cruisers searched for eastern fjord for German activity and took on board all German nationals for transport to England. The DDs were detached on the 11th and arrived at Scapa on the 12th. Cruisers BERWICK and GLASGOW arrived at Liverpool on the 12th. CA BERWICK was refitting at Liverpool until the beginning of August. Cruiser GLASGOW was refitting from 14 May to 1 July 1940. CL GLASGOW departed Liverpool on 7 July.

Channel
French Amiral Jean Abrial was lent 6 DDs of Convoy C for the defense of Belgium. This force was designated "FA" and was dispatched in four sections. On the 10th, DDs VALENTINE and WINCHESTER departed Dover for operations under Abrial's command.
DD VALENTINE had arrived at Dover on the 9th after escorting convoy FS.66. On 11 May DDs VIMIERA and WESTMINSTER departed Dover. DDs WHITLEY and WOLSEY arrived at Dover from the nth on the 12th. DD WHITLEY departed Dover for FA operations early on the 13th, followed by WOLSEY on the 15th. However, heavy losses cut short the life of this unit. On 19 May "FA" was disbanded with VALENTINE and WHITLEY already lost, WESTMINSTER and WINCHESTER badly damaged. Only WOLSEY and VIMIERA remained fit for further operations and were ordered to the Dover Command. Fr DDs carried out a 24 hr sweep within 20 miles of the Belgian and Dutch coast as far nth as Egmond. No contact was made.

Nth Atlantic
HX.41 departed Halifax escort RCN DDs RESTIGOUCHE and ST LAURENT, which were detached on the 9th. The DDs turned the convoy over to ocean escort, AMC RANPURA and Fr sub AJAX later on the 8th. The AMC and sub were detached on the 20th. DD MACKAY and sloop ABERDEEN joined on the 19th and corvette CLARKIA on the 20th. The escort was detached on the 23rd when the convoy arrived at Liverpool.

Med- Biscay
Fr Contre Torpilleur DDs ALBATROS and VAUTOUR departed Brest escorting liner PASTEUR to St Nazaire, where the liner arrived that day. The DDs returned to Brest, arriving early afternoon on the 10th after spending 6 hours in Quiberon Bay. Fr DDs INDOMPTABLE and MALIN passed Gib en route from Brest for Oran, where they arrived on the 9th.

 

[Njaco]

May 7 Tuesday
NORTHERN EUROPE: The main focus of the Luftwaffe this day is the area around Narvik and supporting the German forces engaged with Allied forces. At 0830 hours a Luftwaffe float plane lands at Narvik with troops of Geb.Pz.Jg.Abt. 48. On further attacks on Allied shipping in the area, Luftwaffe planes damage one British battleship and two cruisers. German Luftwaffe aircraft attacked British cruiser HMS "Aurora" off Narvik, Norway at 1641 hours, putting A and B turrets out of action and killing 7 Royal Marines.

GERMANY: Adolf Hitler pushed the decision date for the invasion of France to the following day.

UNITED KINGDOM: There is a major debate in the House of Commons on the conduct of the war and especially of the Norwegian campaign. At the vote Chamberlain's government has a majority of 281-200 but when compared to former support this is not sufficient to allow the government to continue to claim to be representative. The responsibility is Chamberlain's for failing to establish a coherent decision-making structure to see that plans were properly coordinated and that subordinates worked sensibly and efficiently. Amongst those present at the debate was Sir Roger Keyes, retired Admiral of the Fleet. Wearing full dress uniform, he defended the actions of the British military personnel, accusing the government of being at fault for poor leadership.

"It is not the fault of those for whom I speak that the enemy have been left in undisputable possession of vulnerable ports and aerodromes for nearly a month, have been given time to pour in reinforcements by sea and air, to land tanks, heavy artillery and mechanized transport, and have been given time to develop the air offensive which has had such a devastating effect on the morale of Whitehall. If they had been more courageously and offensively employed they might have done much to prevent these unhappy happenings and much to influence unfriendly neutrals."

Former cabinet minister Leo Amery joined the debate, criticizing the entire British approach to the war. He demanded that a new coalition government be formed, with a smaller war cabinet similar to the leadership in WW1. Amery admitted that his criticism of the Prime Minister and members of his cabinet was awkward as he counted many of them as friends. Despite this, he said he felt it necessary to quote Oliver Cromwell when addressing the Prime Minister.

"You have sat too long here for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go."

Other MPs continued the criticism, with one, Arthur Greenwood, asking if there were any MPs left who were not aware of the dissatisfaction with the British efforts so far in the war. He also compared the muted, false cheers for the Prime Minister when he first stood to speak with the much more enthusiastic cheers for Sir Roger Keyes when he explained the inept leadership. The debate continues tomorrow.

PACIFIC OCEAN: US President Roosevelt ordered the US Navy Pacific Fleet to remain in Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii indefinitely as a deterrent to Japanese expansionism.

WESTERN FRONT: French General Maurice-Gustave Gamelin restores leave for Army soldiers.

.

 

[parsifal]

9 May 1940 (Part I)
Losses
Sub DORIS (Fr 552 grt) 45 dead, no survivors. The surfaced DORIS was hit by 1 of 2 G7a torpedoes from U-9, exploded and disappeared within one minute. 3 of the men lost were from the RN.

Tanker CORRIENTES (DKM 4565 grt), used for refuelling German U Boats, at Las Palmas was sunk by French divers.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

MV EMSSTROM (Ger 4517 grt)The cargo ship struck a mine and sank in the Hubertgat.

8 Skuas of 806 Sqn and 6 Blenheims of 254 Squadron departed Hatston to attack Bergen, where German training ship BREMSE was reported. This ship was not located, however the MSW M-134 (DKM 550 grt (est)) was located and sunk. 3 dead, ship was later salved and restored in 1943 to service as patrol boat JUNGINGEN. 1 Blenheim of 254 Squadron (a LR fighter units at that time) was lost when it was struck by flak. Its 3 crew were lost. 2 Skuas were able to fly directly back to Hatston, however, the other 6 had to land at Sumburgh for fuelling. 1 Skua, flown by Petty Officer Airman A. Jopling, crashed arriving back at Sumburgh (about 60% damage, airframe returned to service after repair), there were no injuries. A second Skua, was damaged by shrapnel, but after repair at Sumburgh, returned to Hatston.

DKM War Diary
Selected Extracts

In view of the situation in Northern Norway, conversations have taken place in Stockholm between the Swedish Government and
German representatives to see whether, if necessary, supplies for Narvik can be effected extensively from Sweden, While there are possibilities of transit for food and medical supplies, strict neutrality has made the Swedish Government refuse permission for armaments to pass through,

,

Great Britain :
Noteworthy is a statatement by Churchill that In order to. increase the effectiveness of the blockade Btitish submarines have orders to sink all German ships without warning by day or at night. (Order came into force on 3 April.) Churchill emphasized the
alleged heavy German losses and, like. Chamberlain, vigorously denied the loss of large British ships. At the division there were 281 votes for the Government and 200 against . Havas reports that the British Government has taken special measures to prevent any invasion from land, sea or air. Increased defense of all British airfields against surprise landings by German troop-. transport planes. Plans drawn up to guard all strategically important points on main roads. Obstacles prepared to hinder the advance of invasion troops.

UBOATS
Kriegstagebücher (KTB) - War Diary

U 101 and UA entered Heligoland and in the afternoon both proceeded up the Elbe to Kiel, attached to an escort unit. These boats have carried supplies to Trondheim. The transport of petrol was unpleasant, but presented no major difficulties. No attacks were made.

At Sea 9 May 1940
U-7, U-9, U-32, U-65.
4 boats at sea

OPERATIONS
Baltic
Western Baltic

North Sea
DDs EXPRESS, ESK, INTREPID departed Scapa Flow to lay mines for ZMC, minelaying in the Nth Sea off Helgoland, then proceed to Immingham. DKM MLs ROLAND, COBRA, PREUSSEN, KAISER laid minefield 16 west of Jutland escorted by DKM DDs BEITZEN, SCHOEMANN, HEINEMANN, TB GREIF, S-Bootes S.30, S.31, S.32, S.33 of S-Flot 2. CL BIRMINGHAM and DDs HYPERION, HEREWARD, HAVOCK, JANUS departed Rosyth to attempt to intercept this enemy force reported off the Isle of Sylt. Outside Rosyth, DDs KELLY , KIMBERLEY, KANDAHAR, HOSTILE rendezvoused with the BIRMINGHAM force. However, KIMBERLEY, just arriving from Greenock and short on fuel, was later detached for refuelling at Rosyth. After refuelling, KIMBERLEY went to Sheerness and arrived late on the 10th. DDs FORESIGHT, FURY, BULLDOG, GALLANT departed Scapa initially with the intention of covering BC REPULSE and CLs SHEFFIELD and MANCHESTER for gunnery trials east of Pentland Firth. The heavy units returned to Scapa about 2 hrs after startig out, freeing the DDs, now joined by DD MOHAWK, to operate in coordination with the Rosyth units. These DDs were to proceed to attempt interception of a reported 6 DKM S-Bootes and sink them before joining CL BIRMINGHAM for the destruction of the MLs.
DD KANDAHAR made a submarine contact during the operation, and KELLY and KANDAHAR were detached to undertake Sweep for the contact. DD BULLDOG, which lost touch with her group, also later joined them. At 2230 that night, DD KELLY was torpedoed and badly damaged by German S.31 in the Nth Sea.

HMS Kelly pictured as she arrived in the Tyne under tow on the 13th May 1940.
27 ratings were killed and Commissioned Engineer E. W. Cole was wounded. KELLY was taken in tow by DD BULLDOG.

Some minutes later, on the 10th, DKM S.33 was rammed in heavy fog by DD BULLDOG (standing by KELLY)> The SBoote actually hit both RN ships as she glanced off one and hit the other. BULLDOG was slightly damaged to them, but S-33 was badly damaged, requiring until late November to repair. She was able to return to Wilhelmshaven.

S-30 class S-Boote left, and S-Flot 2 returning to port, June 1940

At daylight on the 10th, KELLY in tow of BULLDOG was proceeding at 5 knots. DDs KANDAHAR, FURY, GALLANT were escorting the two DDs. KELLY's wounded were transferred to destroyer KANDAHAR. CLs SHEFFIELD and MANCHESTER departed Scapa to provide a screen for damaged KELLY. The cruisers joined KELLY that afternoon. Mid morning on the 10th, CL BIRMINGHAM and DDs HYPERION, HEREWARD, HAVOCK, HOSTILE, FORESIGHT, KIMBERLEY were ordered to proceed towards Terschelling. They later arrived at Harwich on the 10th. CC Hudsons of 233 Squadron provided cover for the KELLY through the withdrawal. DD KANDAHAR left the KELLY screen on the 11th and arrived at Rosyth to refuel and land the wounded . She rejoined the KELLY escort that evening. On 11 May, CruSqn 18 requested a tug for KELLY as DD FURY (now providing the tow) could not exceed 3 knots and Aircraft had reported 2 Uboats in the area. CLs SHEFFIELD and MANCHESTER departed the screen on the 11th and arrived at Rosyth that evening. On the 12th, tugs WATERMEYER and BRAHMAN joined the group, providing some much needed tow capability. Further Tugs arrived later that day. KELLY in tow of tugs WATERMEYER and BRAHMAN, KANDAHAR, FURY, BULLDOG, GALLANT arrived in the Tyne on the 13th. KELLY had been in tow for 91 hrs. KELLY was repairing in the Tyne at Hebburn until 18 December 1940.

FN.167 departed Southend, escort sloop LONDONDERRY. The convoy arrived at the Tyne on the 11th. MT.66 departed Methil, escort DDs VIVIEN and VIMIERA. The convoy included 2 Danish steamers under armed guard. The convoy arrived the next morning.
FS.167 departed the Tyne, escort DD VIVIEN. The convoy was recalled when it was thought there were mines being laid in the channel.

Northern Waters
There were two SCISSORS landings during the night of 9/10 May. Landings on 8/9 May were cancelled due to fog. DDs JUNO and VETERAN arrived at Mosjoen escorting British troopship ULSTER PRINCE (3791grt) with 290 officers and men. After the landings, completed on the afternoon of the 10th, DD JUNO was ordered to leave ULSTER PRINCE and proceed to Scapa with all speed.
DD VETERAN and troopship ULSTER PRINCE returning to the Clyde called at Sullom Voe to refuel on the 11th, arriving at Greenock on the 13th. DD FIREDRAKE conducted a recon of Ranenfjord on report of enemy activity. DD NUBIAN and British troopship ROYAL SCOTSMAN (3244grt) arrived at Bodo on the 9th with 290 men. FIREDRAKE rejoined DD NUBIAN and troopship ROYAL SCOTSMAN late on the 9th. Early on the 10th ferried the troops ashore in a SCISSORS operation. DDs FIREDRAKE and NUBIAN then departed Bodo in the early hours of the 10th with the troopship, arriving separately back at Scapa on the 10 and the 12th.

In operations off the far northern coast, a/c operating from CV ARK ROYAL were carried out, resulting in a crash for a Swordfish from 810 Squadron. The crash was a take off accident, crew safe and picked up by a DD. CLA COVENTRY after refuelling departed Sullom Voe on the 9th for Bogen where she arrived on the 14th. On her arrival, CLAs CAIRO and CALCUTTA departed Skelfjord for Rosyth for refuelling and re-ammunitioning.

West Coast UK
DD GRENADE departed Greenock for Liverpool to carry out boiler cleaning

SW Approaches
OG.29F was formed from convoys OA.143GF, which departed Southend on the 6th, escort corvette ARABIS (first use of a Flower Class by Convoy Cmd) from 6 to 8 May, OB.143GF, which departed Liverpool on the 6th, escort DD VIMY and sloop DEPTFORD from 6 to 9 May. The two convoy elements joined to form a group of 56 ships. VIMY was detached to convoy HG.29 F. Sloop DEPTFORD escorted the convoy from 10 to 14 May. DD WINDSOR and corvette PERIWINKLE escorted the convoy on the 9th and then were detached to convoy HG.29 F. The convoy arrived at Gib on the 14th.

Channel
Midshipman P. L. Atkinson was killed when his Walrus of 765 Squadron crashed in the Solent.

 

[nuuumannn]

Brilliant guys.very very informative. This is an extraordinary effort by all of you involved.

Parsifal, a minor quibble

and RNZN CL LEANDER.

Leander and Achilles at this time of the war were still units of the Royal Navy, as New Zealand didn't have her own navy and were therefore HM Ships, rather than HM New Zealand Ships, as part of the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy. This changed on 1 October 1941, when the NZ Div officially became the Royal New Zealand Navy and the prefix HMNZS was introduced for the first time.

 

[Njaco]

May 8 Wednesday
NORTHERN EUROPE: The raids on Allied shipping at Narvik continue. Two British cruisers in the Skjomen fjord are damaged. The Luftwaffe also attack Allied infantry columns north of Hartwig lake and the Elvenes-Skoglund road.

UNITED KINGDOM: The opposition party in the United Kingdom, the Labour Party, called for a vote of no confidence for Prime Minister Chamberlain's government. Meanwhile, former Prime Minister David Lloyd George called for Chamberlain to step down for the good of the country. For a while it seems that Lord Halifax will be the next prime minister. Most of the Conservative majority in Parliament would prefer to have Halifax, and the Labour minority are ready to support him. The problem is that as a peer he sits in the House of Lords and this is not ideal for a national leader. At the meeting of senior Conservatives Halifax's own worries about this leave Churchill as the only alternative.

GERMANY: Adolf Hitler again pushed the decision date for the invasion of France to the following day.

ASIA: American river gunboat "Tutuila" ran aground on a reef and became stranded in the Yangtze River at Chongqing, China.

Chinese Communist Brigadier General Chen Yi recommended his superiors to launch an offensive against Nationalist positions in Jiangsu Province, China.

EASTERN EUROPE: In Moscow, Timoshenko replaces Voroshilov as commissar for defense. Training programs are soon introduced to correct some of the defects which have appeared during the Winter War.

WESTERN FRONT: German commandos in Dutch uniforms crossed the Dutch border to hold bridges for the advancing German army.

.

 

[Marcel]

WESTERN FRONT: German commandos in Dutch uniforms crossed the Dutch border to hold bridges for the advancing German army.

Chris, don't know where you got that last 'fact', but sound to me like a lot of humbug. Never heard of bridges being held before the invasion. Don't think it ever happened, although there were a lot of rumours about fifth collumnists, back in the day.

B.T.W. I am preparing a contribution to this thread for the days 10-14 may, from the Dutch perspective. I've got tons of stories, but no single day-to-day-covering-all site so it's a little hard to find the main lines and keep it short and to the point. But I'll try.

 

[parsifal]

9 May 1940 (Part II)
OPERATIONS [CONT'D]
UK-France
BC.37 with 5 steamers departed Bristol Channel escort DD VESPER. The convoy arrived at Loire on the 11th. SA.40 of 2 steamers arrived at St Malo from Southampton. Fr Contre Torpilleur DDs TARTU and CHEVALIER PAUL departed Greenock escorting steamers DJENNE, FLANDRE, PRESIDENT DOUMER, PROVIDENCE. The convoy arrived at Brest on the 11th.

Central Atlantic
SL. 31 departed Freetown escort AMC DUNNOTTAR CASTLE until 23 May. On 23 May, DD WINCHELSEA, sloop DEPTFORD, corvette PERIWINKLE joined the convoy and escorted it to arrival at Liverpool on the 28th

Pacific/Far East/Australia Station
CVL EAGLE departed Singapore after completing repairs and refit. EAGLE called at Colombo on 14 to 17 May. The carrier arrived at Aden on the 22nd and continued on that evening, escorted by CLs GLOUCESTER, LIVERPOOL, and HMAS SYDNEY. On 23 May, RAN CL HOBART relieved CL LIVERPOOL and on the 24th, both HOBART and GLOUCESTER were detached. EAGLE departed Port Said on the 27th for duty with the Med Flt and arrived at Alexandria, escort DDs HEREWARD and HERO

 

[parsifal]

9 May 1940
RAF Deployments France on the eve of the batrtle
The RAF Squadrons in France 10 May 1940
Air Component Headquarters
HQ Air Component: Air Vice-Marshall C.H.B. Blount
HQ No. 14 Group: Group Captain P.F. Fullard
60 (Fighter) Wing
85 Sqn Hurri Mk I , Lille

87 Sqn: Hurri Mk I, Senon (NE of Verdun)

61 (Fighter) Wing
607 Sqn: Hurri Mk I, Glad, (Vitry-en-Artois NE of Arras)….within days of the German invasiuon the Gladiators of this squadron had been hurriedly replaced with Hurricanes from the RAFD Reserves)

615 Sqn: Hurri Mk I Glad, (A flt : Le Touquet sth of Boulogne, B flt : Abbeville)

63 (Fighter) Wing – (created on 10 May 1940)
3 Sqn: Hurri Mk I : (Merville)

79 Sqn Hurri I (Merville)

70 (Bomber Reconnaissance) Wing
18 Sqn: Blen Mk IV (Some sources say Mk Is, perhaps a mixed TO&E?): (Goyencourt, then Crecy, France)

57 Sqn: Blen Mk V (location not stated)52 (Bomber) Wing53Sqn: Blen Mk IV (location not stated)

55qn: Blen Mk IV (location not stated)

50 Army Co-operation) Wing)
4 Sqn: Lysander (location not stated)
13 Sqn: Lysander (location not stated)
16 Sqn Lysander (location not stated)

51 Army Co-operation) Wing)
26 Sqn: Lysander (location not stated)
81 Sqn: Lysander (location not stated)
16 Sqn Lysander (location not stated)

Advanced Air Striking Force HeadquartersHQ Air Component: Air Vice-Marshall P.H.L. Playfair
67 (Fighter) Wing
1 Sqn: 12 Hurri MkI; Wassincourt (SE of Reims, midway to Nancy)

73 Sqn 12 hurri Mk I - Rouvre (SW of Paris)

Wing Commander Peter Ayerst in a 73 sqn Hurricane landing at Rouvres, in early 1940
Read more: RAF ace Peter Ayerst who was last survivor of Battle of France dies aged 93 | Daily Mail Online
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212 PRU sqn (Coulommiers, France Feb 1940 to Jun 1940)

212 PRU sqn Spitfire Spring 1940
501 sqn 12 hurri Mk I - Betheniville (arriving 10 May, village east of Reims)

501 Sqn Scramble by Ivan Berryman.
501 Sqn Scramble*by Ivan Berryman. (P) - Military-Prints.com



No. 71 (Bomber) WingVilleneuve Sur Lot
105 sqn 16 Fairey Battle Villeneuve Sur Lot (SW of Bordeaux).
114 sqn 16 fairey Battle (Conde - a chateau on the Aisne about 100 miles from Paris)
139 Sqn 16 FDairey Battle (Plivot - due Sth Of Reims)
150 Sqn 16 Fairey Battle (Ecury - near Chalons en Champagne , sth of Reims)

75 (Bomber) Wing
88 Sqn 16 Battle (Mourmelon Nth of Chalons en Champagne)
103 Sqn 16 Fairey Battle (Betheniville village easat of reims)

208 sqn (possibly 218 sqn) 16 Fairey Battle (Auberive region Nth of Dijon).

76 (Bomber) Wing

12 sqn a6 Fairey battle Amifontaine, Nth of Reims midway to Laon)
142 sqn 16 Battles (Berry-au-Bac Nth of Reims midway to Laon)
226 sqn 16 Battle (Reims)

Fairey Battle Reserve Sqn
98 sqn spt unit ? Fairey Battle (Nantes) ferry pilots only.

World War 2 - RAF May 1940

 

[Njaco]

Marcel, that was sort of poor sentence writing. They had soldiers acting like Dutchmen until the invasion and then they went for the bridges. Nothing before. Again poor sentence structure.

 

[Njaco]

May 9 Thursday
NORTHERN EUROPE: German attacks on Allied shipping at Narvik continued with a steamer hit and damaged. A cruiser off Harstad escapes the attack. Four Polish battalions arrived at Narvik, Norway.

HMS 'Kelly' was leading a destroyer flotilla operating against a German minelaying force off the enemy coast, escorted by cruiser HMS "Birmingham" and destroyers HMS "Kandahar", HMS "Bulldog", HMS "Kimberley" and HMS "Hasty". An escorting aircraft reported a U Boat ahead, so the 'Kelly' and her sister ship HMS 'Kandahar' proceeded to hunt it. A short while later the aircraft reported the sighting of the minelaying force, so the captain of the 'Kelly' (Lord Louis Mountbatten) decided to abandon the hunt and rejoin his flotilla. At 2345 hours a blurred shape was spotted some 600 yards away. At the same time a torpedo track was seen heading straight for the 'Kelly', too late to be avoided. She was lifted bodily with the force of the detonation, which tore a hole in her side, right down to the keel. The foremost boiler room was blown open to the sea and everyone in it was killed. Torpedo boat S-31 damaged HMS "Kelly" with one torpedo, killing 27. The 'Bulldog' appeared through the mist, steam and smoke and soon the stricken ship was under tow in a very short space of time.

WESTERN FRONT: The Belgian army is placed on alert because of recent tension and signs of German troop movements. The Luftwaffe has been successful in keeping Allied reconnaissance flights away from the German preparations.

In France, Reynaud has been growing more and more, unhappy with the leadership of Gamelin, the Supreme Commander. He has been unable to dismiss him because he is supported in Cabinet by Daladier, who remains influential although he is no longer prime minister. These quarrels now come to a head but no announcement is made pending the formation of a new government. The German attack on May 10th will cause the changes to be deferred.

During the night seven Luftwaffe planes from IX Fliegerdivision drop mines in the areas of Den Helder, Ymuiden, Hoek van Holland, Scheelde, Vlissingen, Zeebrugge and Ostende.

German submarine U-9 torpedoed and sank the French submarine "Doris" 40 miles off of the Dutch coast at 0014 hours, killing 45 French and 3 British sailors.

UNITED KINGDOM: British Prime Minister Chamberlain offered to form a coalition government with the opposition Labour Party, but the attempt was unsuccessful. Labour Party leaders Arthur Greenwood and Clement Attlee refuse to form a unified government with the Conservatives so long as Neville Chamberlain is Prime Minister. In the afternoon, Chamberlain began to discuss with Halifax and Churchill, the two leading contenders to be his successor, about the possibility of his resignation.

Conscription maximum age in the United Kingdom was raised again to 36.

Two He 111s of 2(F)./122 flew a reconnaissance sortie over the Thames Estuary. Hurricanes of RAF No.56 Sqdn intercepted but were unsuccessful in their attacks.

GERMANY: Adolf Hitler issued the order to commence the invasion of France and the Low Countries at dawn on the following day. At noon German meteorologists made a firm forecast of clear skies on the following morning; Adolf Hitler gave the meteorology officer a medal on the spot. In the afternoon, Hitler departed Berlin, Germany for this temporary forward headquarters codenamed 'Felsennest' near Bad Münsereifel in the Rhineland region of Germany to observe the coming invasion. Adolf Hitler and his staff arrived at the 'Felsennest' headquarters in the Westwall fortifications on the German-French border later in the day.

German General Hans Oster warns the Dutch military attaché in Berlin for the third time in a week that a German offensive against the West is imminent.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: British troops occupied Iceland.

NORTH AMERICA: The first Vultee Model 48 Vanguard prototype aircraft collided with a Sirius aircraft at Vultee Field in Downey, California, United States.

.

 

[Marcel]

Marcel, that was sort of poor sentence writing. They had soldiers acting like Dutchmen until the invasion and then they went for the bridges. Nothing before. Again poor sentence structure.

Ah, that was a rumour back then, but I think there is a mistake in that. German soldiers dressed as Dutch have indeed tried to capture some bridges, but they entered the country during the night of 9-10 May 1940.

 

[Marcel]

Before 03.55h: Large formations of German aircraft violate Dutch airspace, disappearing over the North Sea.
03.55h, Aircraft attack all know airfields. Most Dutch aircraft in the air, apart from 11 G-1's at Bergen which are either destroyed or severely damaged. Desparate dogfights start over the the west of the country.
The German army attacks over the whole length of the border.

plan of attack:

Parts of the German 18th army attacks the provinces Groningen, Drenthe and Friesland, aiming for the Afsluitdijk. The rest, of the 12th army would attack through the provinces Overijssel and Gelderland, trying to attack the Dutch main line of resistance, the Grebbeberg.
The main thrust would go through the lightly defended province of Brabant, to Rotterdam and into Holland. For this, the 7th airborn division would be landing in Dordrecht and around Moerdijk to capture the bridges. Part of it would go south, taking the north-west route through Belgium.
22nd Airborn division lands on airfields near the Hague to capture the Dutch government and Queen.

North:
Although not heavily defended, the Germans would reach the dyke only on 12 May. The panzertrain that should have lead the way was stopped near Winschoten, 11 km past the border. Many bridges were blown up and other sabotage acts by the Dutch defenders slowed their advance.

Defence near Zwolle:

Middle:
Germans make heavily use of Panzer trains, although their succes is limited. When evening falls, the 12th army reaches Wageningen, at the foot of the Grebbeberg, the south of the line.

South:Landing Heinkel on the river Maas
The only panzertrain to have success breaks through near Mill. The Dutch derail the train and heavy fighting starts behind the line. In Limburg, all bridges were blown, delaying the attack on Belgium with 2 days.
Further west, German airborn troops land at Dordrecht en Lage Zwaluwe to capture the Moerdijk bridge. Surprise is complete. The Dutch weapons were still stowed away, so it took some time to for the defenders before they could react. The bridge was taken.

Germans in the polder, south of Dordrecht:

Rotterdam:
In the early morning, 12 Heinkel floatplanes land on the river Maas. The troops capture the Willemsbrug. Airfield Waalhaven is heavily attacked by bombers. the G-1 squadron there shoots down many, but then have to land where they can as the airfield is conquered by german airborn troops. Heavy fighting starts in the city.
Dutch torpedoboat Van Galen is send to attack the Germans, but without aircover it doesn't stand a chance and is sunk by Stukas.
Landing Heinkel on the river Maas

The Hague:
German airborn troops land at airfields Ypenburg and Valkenburg. Valkenburg however is too soft and most Junker aircraft have to land on the highways and beaches. Many are lost. Dutch recrutes manage to recapture the airfields in the evening. 2100 German airborn troops are captured and shipped to England.

Ju52 aircraft landed on a highway:

Den Helder:
The only real dogfight between units of the Luftwaffe and the ML starts at 04.50h over De Kooij, Den Helder. One D.XXI is shot down and at least 6 Bf109's fall. The german squadron leader makes an emergency landing on De Kooij.

During this they, one of the most unlikely victories of the war took place when sgt. Roos 'shot down' a Bf110 by jettisoning his canopy which landed in the propellor of the German aircraft. Sgt. Roos was later shot down, most likely by friendly aac near Schiphol, where his Fokker D.XXI was excavated many decades later. The wreckage is now on display in the Museun "Crash '40-'45"

At the end of the day, most of the small Dutch airforce is wiped out and the airforce will not play a decisive role in the coming battles.

 

[parsifal]

10 May 1940 (Part I)
Losses
Collier HENRY WOODALL (UK 695 grt) The collier struck a mine and sank in the North Sea 3 nautical miles off Withernsea, with the loss of seven of her 14 crew. The survivors were rescued by VIIU (Estonia).

Fr sub RUBIS, which departed Harwich on the 3rd, laid mines on the 10th in minefield FD.14 sth of Egersund which sank the following 3 ships.

Trawler VANSO (Ex-Nor 54 grt) on the 26th was lost on this minefield.

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Steamer ALMORA (Ex-Nor 2433 grt) was damaged on 7 July. This ships was raised ands returned to german service early 1944, finally sunk by RN carrier strikes 6 May 1944

Steamer KEM (Ex-Nor 1706 grt) was sunk on the minefield on 24 July, but was later raised and repaired. Steamer ARGO (Ex-Nor 412 grt) was sunk on 28 July.

DD VAN GALEN (RNeN 1600 grt) Admiralen-class DD. The ship was ordered to shell the German forces at the captured airfield Waalhaven near Rotterdam. Before she could do so she was attacked by LW a/c and badly damaged. Nevertheless she made it to the Merwedehaven, where she finally sank. The ship was raised by the Germans on 23 October 1941, and being not worth repairing she was scrapped.
Pictures

The battered Van Galen (I) after May 1940

Steamer BOSCHDIJK (Ne 6876 grt) The cargo ship was bombed and sunk at Rotterdam by He111s as an element of the notorious terror campaign against Rotterdam.

Tug DE OCEAAN (RNeN 250 grt (est)) The tug was scuttled in the Wadden Sea between Ameland and Terschelling.

MV DINTELDIJK (Ne 5333 grt) The cargo ship was bombed an sunk at Rotterdam by LW a/c as part of the notorious bombing of Rotterdam. Raised by the Germans, re-entering service late 1940, finally lost late 1941.

Tug CALAISIEN (Fr 250 GRT (EST)) The tug was bombed and sunk at Calais, Pas-de-Calais by LW a/c.

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Troopship CAMPINAS (DKM 4541 grt) The troopship struck a mine in the Kattegat off Drogden, Denmark and sank.

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MV GOSLAR (Ger 6000 grt) The cargo ship was scuttled at Paramaribo, Suriname to avoid capture by Dutch forces.

MV SOPHIE RICKMERS (Ger 7033 grt) The cargo ship was scuttled in the Netherlands East Indies to avoid capture by Dutch forces. Raised, repaired and put in Dutch service as TOENDJOEK.

Boarding parties of the Ne sloop VAN KINSBERGEN captured steamers ESTE (Ger7915 grt), VANCOUVER (Ger 8269 grt), HENRY HORN (Ger 3164 grt), PATRICIA (Ger 3979 tons), FRISIA (Ger 561 grt ), KARIBIA (Ger 428 grt), ALEMANIA (Ger 1380 grt) at Curacao.

In operation WILDENTE, German troops from Trondheim were embarked on the Ex-Norwegian coastal steamer NORDNORGE (Ex Nor, DKM 991 grt), manned by personnel from DDs JACOBI and RIEDEL. These troops were landed at Ranfjord on the 10th and their presence facilitated the capture of Mosjoen (240 km nth of Trondheim) by German troops. German intentions were clear...to get close enough to Narvik to make air supply a possibility, but this was never effectively achieved. The only RN warships in a position to intercept were the CLA CALCUTTA, and DD ZULU at Skelfjord. By the time ZULU arrived late that evening, , the 300 German troops had been completely disembarked at Hemnes. However, ZULU was able to sink NORDNORGE at Hemnesberget in Ranfjord with all the supplies for the German troops aboard. CLA CALCUTTA soon arrived and participated in the British bombardment of the village. Hemnes was set afire and the petrol stores were blown up. DD ZULU embarked the survivors of No. 3 Platoon of No. 1 Independent Company which had been holding the village before the German landing.

Before NORDNORGE was sunk, the Germans had managed to unload the two mountain guns, while the some of the other supplies lost in the sinking were replaced the next day by seaplanes

MV WESTERWALD (Ger 4541 grt) The cargo ship struck a mine and sank in the Danish Straits

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DKM War Diary
Selected Extracts

Our troops marched in for the decisive battle against the Western Powers in Holland, Belgium and Luxemburg Holland and Belgium are offering resistance and appealing to Great Britain and France for help " The Dutch Government "has announced that
a state of war exists between Germany and Holland as from 0855

There was no formal declaration of war by Germany that preceded their actual operations.

The German Foreign Minister declared that the German measures were necessary in order to defeat the plan of the Western Powers to attack the Ruhr area via Holland and Belgium, The Western Powers announce that they are determined to give effective help to Holland and Belgium immediately and with all the means in their power.

Chamberlain resigned at the critical hour since the. Labor Party refused to serve in him Government. Winston Churchill" Is '"'taking'
over the post of PM and re-forming the Government. Iceland has been occupied by British troops. A guarantee was given to the Icelandic Government that the purpose of the occupation was to safeguard the island against German invasion. At the close, of hostilities troops would be withdrawn

USA
Attitude not clear, but apparently for the present determined to maintain neutrality whilst giving extensive indirect support to the Western Powers.

Norway
King Haakon is apparently very ill in Tromsoe. It is reported that members of the Norwegian Parliament intend to go to Tromso to urge the King to open peace negotiations with Germany.

Operations comments
Army operations in Holland, Belgium and Luxemburg have gone according to plan and succeeded beyond our expectations.
In spite of their extensive defensive measures we have, everywhere caught the enemy by surprise. The general impression of Army and Air Force operations on the evening of 10 May is esceedingly favorable.

UBOATS
Kriegstagebücher (KTB) - War Diary

C-in-C Navy in the plotting room, head of Operations Department reported to him. The transport boats are being redistributed: U 25, a boat which is not very suitable for use in the Atlantic, will be converted for transport. U 122 will make one transport trip and then be available for use in the Atlantic. UA, U 26 and U 123 will remain detached for transport, U 123 after she has commissioned. The smaller Type VII boats, which have only a small carrying capacity for a/c petrol, will thus be released from transport duties.

There is not a single mention of Fall Gelb in Donitz's war diary.

Arrivals
Kiel: U-101, UA

At Sea 10 May 1940
U-7, U-9, U-32, U-65.
4 boats at sea

OPERATIONS
Baltic
Western Baltic
On this date, of the surviving 10 DKM DDs, 7 were repairing defects. Late on the 7th, DD JACOBI departed Trondheim and arrived at Wilhelmshaven on the 9th for repairs and refitting. DD RIEDEL at Trondheim with serious defects did not leave until 8 June to return to Wilhelmshaven. Only DD SCHOEMANN was operational and capable of duty.

North Sea
Fr DDs BRESTOIS and BOULONNAIS and RN DD WITHERINGTON departed Scapa escorting 4 steamers to the Clyde, where they arrived on the 11th. DDs HOSTILE and FORESIGHT arrived at the Humber to refuel. FN.167 had departed the Tyne, escort DD VIVIEN on the 9th, but was forced to return due to suspected mining. The DD was replaced by sloop EGRET. The convoy arrived at Southend on the 12th. TM.66 arrived at Rosyth, escort DDs VIVIEN and VIMIERA.

Operation off the Dutch Coast
DDs ESK, EXPRESS, INTREPID of the DesFlot 20 were at sea laying minefield ZMC off Heligoland. On their return to Humber, they were ordered to join ML PRINCESS VICTORIA which was being escorted by PCs PUFFIN, SHELDRAKE, WIDGEON en route to lay mines off Egmond near Ijmuiden. The purpose of these mining ops was to safeguard the seaward defences of "Fortress Holland". The DDs relieved the PCs and the minefield, under operation CBX, was successfully laid in a 6 mile line. The ML and DDs were back in the Humber by the 11th. On 12 May, DDs ESK, EXPRESS, INTREPID laid another minefield, designated BS 3, off the Dutch coast. During the night of 14/15 May, DDs ESK, EXPRESS, INTREPID and ML PRINCESS VICTORIA laid minefield BS 4 off the Dutch coast. CLs ARETHUSA and GALATEA departed the Nore to support naval ops off Holland. DDs KEITH and BOREAS departed Dover to provide escort for the cruisers. CL BIRMINGHAM and most of her escort (which departed Rosyth and Scapa Flow on the 9th) were still at sea and operated off Terschelling. These ships came under the command of the Commander in Chief Nore from the 10th. DDs of this force, including MOHAWK, bombarded the Dutch coast. DD MOHAWK was near missed by LW strikes in the Nth Sea off the Dutch coast and later required repair from the damage when her rudder failed. The DDs of DesFlots 1, 5, and 7 were ordered to join Nore Command. The DDs of DesFlots 2, 4, and 8 were to be released when relieved.