This Day in the War in Europe: The Beginning

[parsifal]

03 May 1941 (Part II)
OPERATIONS (Cont'd)
Med/Biscay (Cont'd)
Steamer BIRMANIA (FI 5305 grt) was set afire and exploded in Tripoli harbour.

Steamer CITTA D' BARI (FI 3339 grt) was lost from the explosion of steamer BIRMANIA.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Coastal steamer GUISSEPPE ORLAND (FI 838 grt) was lost on a mine at Tripoli.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Coastal steamer TUGNIN F. (FI 425 grt) was sunk by Submarine TRIUMPH gunfire 11 miles northwest of Mersa Brega.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Nth Atlantic
CL DELHI arrived at New York to refit. The refit was not completed until 12 January 1942.
Central Atlantic
DKM AO NORDMARK replenished U.105 and U.107 at sea.

Ocean boarding vessel HILARY intercepted tanker RECCO (FI 5595 grt), which had departed Teneriffe on 21 April.The tanker scuttled herself to avoid capture.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Red Sea/Indian Ocean
NZ manned CL LEANDER arrived at Colombo.

Malta
Weather Fine.
0715-0750 hrs Air raid alert for enemy fighters which approach the Island and carry out a patrol off the coast; no air raid.
1438-1515 hrs Air raid alert for a single JU 88 bomber which carries out reconnaissance with an escort of ME 109s. The JU 88 is engaged by HAA guns; no claims. Hurricane fighters are also scrambled. During the raid a Beaufighter takes off for a local test despite signals from the aerodrome trying to stop it. The Beaufighter flies towards a Sunderland moored at Kalafrana at high speed, raising the suspicions of the Hurricanes which turn and attack with long-range fire, before recognising the friendly aircraft. The Beaufighter's undercarriage is damaged and the pilot Flt/Lt William Riley has to make a forced landing on the aerodrome; the crew are all safe, and a/c damaged but repairable.
2045-2245 hrs Air raid alert for 30+ HE 111 and JU 88 bombers which approach from the north and carry out a heavy mine-laying and bombing raid on the Dockyard, Valletta, Floriana and Luqa, causing considerable damage to civilian property, chiefly in Valletta which is hit by both mines and bombs. A bank, a church and the main civil hospital are hit; over 100 houses are demolished, gas and water mains are damaged; 4 civilians are killed and 5 wounded.

Casemate Barracks is hit by a mine and another lands close to Floriana Pavilion; both buildings are severely damaged. Eight Royal Engineers (RE) and one civilian employee of Royal Army Service Corps are killed, five RE seriously injured and several more slightly injured. Three members of Royal Malta Artillery and two of 3rdBn Kings Own Malta Regiment are wounded.
AA guns fires a heavy counter barrages. One raider is destroyed plus another possible by Bofors guns. A Malta night fighter is scrambled but does not engage as searchlights illuminate raiders only briefly.

0145-0323 hrs Air raid alert for 15-20 enemy a/c which approach from the north and drop bombs in the areas of Luqa, Hal Far, Grand Harbour, Floriana and Zabbar. In the Dockyard workshops and stores are damaged, a large crater is blown in Oil Wharf which partially collapses. HMS FERMOY in No 5 dock is hit again, this time amidships; she floods and sinks but is raised and repaired. Parachute mines are laid inside and outside Grand Harbour and Marsamxett Harbour. A night capable Hurricane up but illuminations too brief for interception. Bombs create several craters on Luqa aerodrome and damage equipment. AA guns fire 12 barrages; no claims. A night fighter is scrambled; no engagement.
AIR HQArrivals1 Sunderland with passenger Sir Arthur Longmore en route to UK.Departures1 Sunderland.
69 Sqn Two Maryland recon Tunisian coast.
21 Sqn 4 Blenheims despatched on a sweep of Tripoli and Benghazi for enemy supply ships; nil report.
HAL FAR Three aircraft 830 Sqn took off on operational flight; all returned safely.
LUQA One Maryland B crew arrived from Middle East by Sunderland.

 

[Njaco]

May 5 Monday
MEDITERRANEAN: Operation Tiger. Overnight, British freighters (carrying 295 tanks to General Wavell in Egypt) pass through the Strait of Gibraltar with a large escort of warships from Force H. Force H was to cover convoy WS 8A through the Mediterranean to Egypt.

The III Gruppe of JG 27 returns to the airfields on Sicily to assist in the upcoming invasion of the island of Crete.

NORTH AFRICA: The besieged Allied garrison at Tobruk is resupplied by Navy warships for the first time. Australian destroyers HMAS "Voyager" and HMAS "Waterhen" complete the round trip from Alexandria to Tobruk overnight. From now until the end of the siege two destroyers will be used on such missions on most nights and at about weekly intervals reinforcements will be brought in and the wounded evacuated.

At 0415 hours, 3/2nd Punjab battalion advances across the ridge from Elephant to Middle Hill (towards Italian stronghold at Amba Alagi). As dawn breaks, they get held up in barbed wire and are pinned down by 12 Italian machineguns only 500 yards ahead (8 killed, 28 wounded). They wait all day under fire to retreat back to Elephant after dark.

Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie triumphantly returns to his capital Addis Ababa, 5 years to the day since fleeing the Second Italo-Abyssinian War on May 5 1936. The streets of the city were lined with black and white African troops. After being welcomed with a 21-gun salute he spoke of his gratitude;

"...to Almighty God that I stand in my palace from which the Fascist forces have fled."

ATLANTIC OCEAN: At 1117 hours, U-38 sinks British MV "Queen Maud" (1 killed, 43 survivors) 200 miles off Sierra Leone.

UNITED KINGDOM: The May Blitz: Luftwaffe bombing of Navy yard at Belfast, Northern Ireland, does minor damage to British aircraft carrier HMS "Furious", seaplane tender HMS "Pegasus", destroyer HMS "Volunteer", corvettes HMS "Bryony", "Buttercup" and "La Malouine" (seized from the French at Portsmouth on June 22 1940). HMS "Furious" departs next day for Liverpool. Bombing of shipyards on the Clyde Estuary, Scotland, does more serious damage to destroyer HMS "Marksman" and submarines HMS "Traveller" and "Trooper", which are under construction.

Luftwaffe attacked Glasgow overnight. Some 386 enemy planes passed over the area in waves of about thirty every seven minutes or so, on the way to 'blitz' Clydeside. At Newcastle, enemy aircraft were overhead for most of the alert period. Bombs fell at Newcastle, North Shields and Cullercoats in Northumberland, Cleadon, Annfield Plain and Blaydon in Co Durham and Hull in Yorkshire. Twelve enemy bombers also attacked Hull between 2341 hours and 0205 hours, fourteen tonnes of HE were dropped and damage was reported in the dock area.

A Heinkel He 111H damaged by a night fighter in an attack on Greenock, eventually crashed at Whorlton Park near Newcastle at 0300 houts. Three of the crew were captured and one was killed, and according to the book 'Front Line' another bomber fell into the sea at Druridge Bay, from which there were no survivors. A single HE dumped from the Heinkel which crashed at Whorlton Park fell near the top of Shibdon Dene near the end of Widdrington Road (Quarry Gardens near Rydal Mount) and near to an air raid warden's post.

GERMANY: Adolf Hitler visited the naval yard at Gdynia (Gotenhafen). He inspected both "Tirpitz" and "Bismarck". Since the harbour was not large enough to accommodate both battleships at the same time, "Tirpitz" was moored at the Seebahnhof pier and "Bismarck" anchored in the roadstead. Adolf Hitler, Wilhelm Keitel, and Günther Lütjens embarked battleship "Bismarck". Hitler inspects the interior of U-57, a U-boat which had been raised after sinking near Brünbuttel, as part of the inspection visit to the Kriegsmarine base at Gotenhafen.

RAF Bomber Command sends 141 aircraft to attack Mannheim overnight.

EASTERN EUROPE: Stalin informed by Richard Sorge in Tokyo that Hitler will invade Soviet Union in mid-June. Soviet military intelligence reports about 105 German divisions concentrated in the east, facing the Soviet Union. Stalin announced at a passing-out ceremony for military cadets that there did exist a threat from Germany for which the Red Army had to prepare itself rapidly.

MIDDLE EAST: British Defence Committee transfers control of operations in Iraq to the Middle East Command under General Sir Archibald Wavell.

ASIA: Tokyo signals its embassy in Washington, warning that coded messages are being read by the Americans. After an investigation, a reply on May 20 suggests that low-level messages may be compromised, but not high-level diplomatic messages.

INDIAN OCEAN: Fears that the Axis forces might use the French colony island of Madagascar as a base from which they could cut the Allied supply line to India round the Cape of Good Hope, British and two East African brigades invaded the island on May 5, 1941, (Operation Ironclad). This was its first action against French troops in World War II. British casualties were 109 killed and 284 wounded. French casualties were some 200 killed and 500 wounded. The total number of deaths from malaria has never been published but is estimated to be higher than those who died from battle wounds. After the invasion of the island most of the French troops who had surrendered volunteered to join De Gaulle and fight the Germans.

WESTERN FRONT: In response to appeals by Petain's government, the US delivers 14,000 tons of flour.

U-69 (Jost Metzler) departed Lorient for the first long range mission by a Type VIIC U-boat. She headed into the Central Atlantic to operate off the West Coast of Africa and to lay mines. Metzler received a Knight's Cross for this voyage on return to base.

NORTH AMERICA: The White House announced:

"We can offer no official confirmation that 26 American merchant ships loaded with tanks, anti-aircraft guns, and other war material landed in the Suez Canal. We can only say that we do not rule out the possibility".

.

 

[parsifal]

04 MAY 1941
Known Reinforcements
Allied
Abdiel Class ML HMS LATONA (M-76)

Losses
U-38 sank MV JAPAN (SD 5230 grt) off the west coast of Africa. The ship had previously been part of OB-310 but was sailing unescorted when attacked. She was travelling from Milford Haven to the Middle East via Freetown when lost, transporting some general cargo and coal. She had a crew of 54, all of whom survived. At 1829 hrs the unescorted and unarmed JAPAN was missed by two G7e torpedoes fired by U-38 249 miles NW of Freetown. The U-boat then surfaced and began shelling the ship, setting the cargo in the forward holds on fire after three or four hits. The crew had stopped the engines when the U-boat surfaced nearby and immediately abandoned ship in two lifeboats when it opened fire. The barrel of the deck gun burst after the ninth round, injuring some members of the gun crew. At 1915 hrs, a coup de grace was fired that hit aft and finally caused the ship to sink vertically by the stern after one hour, still burning. On 7 May, the crew and four passengers made landfall at the coast of French Guinea and were interned by the Vichy French authorities. They were later transferred to Marseilles and the Swedish crew were allowed to return to Sweden.

MSW trawler BEN GAIRN (RN 234 grt) was sunk by a parachute mine Waveney Dock, Lowestoft. There were no casualties on the trawler.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Steamer TREGOR (UK 222 grt) was sunk by the LW six miles off Trevose Head (nth coast of Cornwall), whilst transporting flour from Avonmouth to Hale. The crew of six were rescued.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

UBOATS
At Sea 04 May 1941
U-38, U-75, U-93, U-94, U-95, U-96, U-97, U-98, U-103, U-105, U-106, U-107, U-110, U-123, U-141, U-143, U-147, U-201, U-552, U-556, UA

21 boats at sea

OPERATIONS
North Sea
CA NORFOLK departed Scapa Flow for docking at Rosyth to replace a damaged propeller. The cruiser departed Rosyth after repairs on the 11th. Departing, the cruiser was involved in a collision with Dutch skoot SPARTA, but no damage was done to the cruiser.

DD PUNJABI departed Rosyth escorting AMC MORETON BAY to Cape Wrath. After this escort, the DD proceded to Scapa Flow arriving during the evening of the 5th.

DD SOUTHDOWN, departed Sheerness on the 3rd but was was damaged the next day in the Nth Sea by a near miss from the LW. The DD's hull was leaking and her steering motors were temporarily out of action.

MSW SELKIRK was damaged by the near miss off Roughs Buoy. The ship was towed to port and was under repair in the Thames from 15 May to 31 July. Patrol yacht FRANC TIREUR was also damaged by a near miss.

Northern Patrol
DDs INTREPID and IMPULSIVE departed Scapa Flow for Loch Alsh to escort ML opn SN.9A.

West Coast
Belgian steamer MARIE FLORE was damaged by the LW off the UK west coast. The steamer was beached at Padstow (nth Cornwall coast)on the 5th.

PNEUMATIC ELEVATOR No. 11 (UK 295 grt) was sunk at Liverpool as a result of the explosion of steamer MALAKAND the previous night.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Tug BISON, British steamer TALTHYBIUS, British steamer BARON INCHCAPE, Tug HORNBY, Tug ENID BLANCHE, British hopper barge No. 33, barge AID, flat JOHN, and British steamer ROXBURGH CASTLE were damaged by follow up raids on Liverpool by the LW. BARON INCHCAPE settled onto the seabed. She was bombed again on the 6th. Steamer TALTHYBIUS was bombed again on the 8th. ROXBURGH CASTLE is known to have been repaired at Birkenhead. During the night of 4/5 May, British sailing barge BONGO was damaged by German bombing at Liverpool.

Med/Biscay
MSW FERMOY was sunk in dock at Malta by the LW. Hospital ship KARAPARA was damaged by German bombing at Tobruk. The hospital ship arrived at Alexandria on the 6th and continued on to Port Said. Submarine TAKU made an unsuccessful attack on a coastal steamer in the Messina Strait.

LA Masa Class TB GIUSEPPE LA FARINA (RM 785 grt) , which had departed Tripoli on the 3rd for Trapani with tanker LUISIANO, was sunk by a mine off Kerkenah.

An Italian convoy with troopships VICTORIA, ANDREA GRITTI, SEBASTIANO VENIER, MARCO FOSCARINI, BARBARIGO, CALITEA, and ANKARA departed Naples escorted by DDs VIVALDI, DA NOLI and MALOCELLO and TBs PEGASO, ORIONE, and CASSIOPEA. The convoy was covered by CLs EUGENIO DI SAVOIA, DUCA D' AOSTA, and ATTENDOLO and DDs PIGAFETTA, ZENO, DE RECCO, DA MOSTA, and VERAZZANO. En route to Tripoli, DDs PIGAFETTA and ZENO attacked a submarine contact. The convoy arrived without loss on the 5th. On the convoy return, the distant force covered a German convoy to Italy of steamers MARBURG, KYBFELS, REICHENFELS, MARCO POLO, and RIALTO escort DDs EURO and FULMINE and TBs PROCIONE, ORSA, CENTAURO, CIGNO, and PERSEO from Tripoli on the 5th.
The convoy arrived at Palermo on the 7th.

Central Atlantic
CL FIJI from convoy SL.72 and CLA NAIAD from convoy WS.8A arrived at Gibraltar and embarked ammunition for the passage to the Eastern Mediterranean.

Red Sea/Indian Ocean
RAN sloop YARRA arrived to Basra to quell rebellion. A few days later, the sloop engaged Iraqi gunboats and captured them along with some Axis merchantships.

Malta
Weather Fine.
0735-0750 hrs Air raid alert for a small formation of enemy fighters approaching the Island. AA guns engage at long range one ME 109 which does not cross the coast splashes into the sea. Hurricanes do not intercept.

0804-0835 hrs Air raid alert for one JU 88 bomber which approaches the Island with two ME 109s and carries out reconnaissance from south to north over the Island. AA guns engage the bomber; no claims. Three Hurricanes are scrambled and engage the JU 88; it falls into the sea 20 miles north. One Hurricane is blinded by oil from the JU 88 and has to break off combat. The ME 109s counter-attack the Hurricanes, damaging one and slightly wounding the pilot.

0825-0930 hrs Air raid alert for six enemy search planes which circles north of the Island looking for the JU 88 that had been brought down earlier.

OPERATIONS REPORTS SUNDAY 4 MAY 1941
830 Sqn Fleet Air ArmSwordfish overnight ops ML approaches to Tripoli.

AIR HQArrivals 1 Beaufighter; 69 Sqn 2 Maryland.
Departures1 Sunderland.69 SqnMaryland patrolled eastern Tunisian coast. One Hurricane attempted recon of Comiso but clouds prevented visibility.
HAL FAR One Hurricane damaged in combat with the enemy; pilot P/O Hall sustained a splinter wound in the left arm.

LUQA One Maryland A crew arrived in Maryland; B crew took it on reconnaissance of Ionian Sea and returned.

Cyrenaica
As the enemy had failed to resume the offensive, Morshead began planning to use his reserves in a counter-attack directed at retaking the lost territory. Brigadier Wootten, who knew his commander's mind, had spent the day with the 20th Brigade acquainting himself with the situation in the battle area.

Orders for the operation were given at a conference at div hq on the morning of 3rd May. Wootten was given a choice of three possible methods of counter-attack. He chose a method involving a night attack from the flanks with artillery support, hoping thus to get in behind the forward enemy positions in the Salient. The attack was to be made by two battalions attacking from right and left along the perimeter and rolling up the enemy's flanks to the apex at Ras el Medauuar. The 2/12th Battalion (Lieut-Colonel Field), on the right, was to attack through to Medauuar, the 2/9th (Lieut-Colonel Martin), on the left, up to the left shoulder of that feature, stopping at R1. The 2/10th Battalion was to push forward from its positions in the centre, send out fighting patrols to give support on the left flank of the 2/12th Battalion's attack, and assist in mopping up. Some of the artillery had been redisposed during the night in preparation for the attack. Approximately three artillery regiments were to support the operation. A timed artillery program was worked out. Barrages were to move to the first objectives at the rate of 100 yards in three minutes, then fire on the second objective for 90 minutes, followed by timed concentrations of less duration on subsequent objectives. An anti-tank regiment, 2 platoons of machine-guns, 12 light tanks and 7 infantry tanks were to be available for consolidation. The start-time was fixed at 7.33 p.m.

Wootten's counter-attack was made in almost pitch darkness with little aid from a low moon which was in its first quarter and obscured by a slightly overcast sky. Field's battalion on the right started on time, but Martin's battalion was late in coming forward, necessitating half an hour's postponement of its attack.

From its assembly area in a wadi on the left of the Fig Tree Road (where it had received some casualties from intermittent shelling), Field's battalion moved, without drawing any fire, to the start-line on the right of the Fig Tree Road behind the 2/10th Battalion's forward positions. The attack was made on a frontage of 500 yards with two companies up, "C" and "A" Companies in front ("C" on the right), "D" and "B" Companies ("D" on the right) followed 100 yards in rear. "C" Company was to take the first three posts encountered (S7, 6 and 5); "D" was then to come round and take the next two.

After passing through the 2/10th Battalion positions the forward companies ran into cross-fire from each flank fired from mgs situated, on the right, outside the perimeter, and on the left, deep within the Salient. This put the troops to ground, and the noise and darkness combined to render coordinated movement forward extremely difficult. On the right some groups were able to infiltrate outside the perimeter along the anti-tank ditch past S7, and on the left other groups got forward to the vicinity of S6 by following a pipe-line ditch. Many of the men simply got lost. For four hours and a half efforts were made to re-establish organisation and infiltrate the troops forward while the ground continued to be lacerated by mg and mortar fire from nests mainly outside the zone covered by the supporting artillery. At 12.30 a.m. the commander of "C" Company informed Field that he would be able to mount an assault on S6 and S7 if 15 minutes of artillery fire could be arranged. Field at first tried to arrange an artillery program on the unneutralised machine-gun positions on the flanks but found that to do so would require lengthy calculations, which ruled it out as an immediate possibility. Eventually a repetition of the original program was arranged for 15 minutes from 1.15 a.m. The enemy fire was not neutralised, however, and the attack could not be pressed home. Field reported the failure to Wootten.

On the left of Field's battalion, Captain Lines 70 company of the 2/10th Battalion was given the task of mopping up enemy posts established forward of a line of diggings running south-west of the Water Tower. The two forward platoons were stopped by heavy cross-fire, but Lieutenant Bidstrup 71 co later succeeded in working his way to the left and got through to the tank ditch. There a position was taken up, from which a German patrol of seven men was ambushed and captured. Lines' company later assisted in reorganising "A" Company of the 2/12th Battalion and getting out their wounded.

A patrol of two platoons from the reserve company of the 2/10th Battalion under Lieutenant Cook 72 co was given the task of mopping up an advanced enemy position 800 yards west of Bianca. The patrol set off at 9.10 p.m. after its objective had been bombarded with mortars for 10 minutes but, some 400 yds from its start-line, ran into mg fire from at least six guns. Lt Cook immediately ordered his platoon to charge the mg nest with the bayonet. As the men drew close, grenades were thrown into the enemy position, which was then stormed and captured without loss. On the left Lt Beames' platoon was caught in a cross-fire as it advanced. Beames and other members of the patrol were wounded and the platoon was pinned down. At Cook's behest Lance-Corporal Taylor made three searches in an endeavour to find Beames' party. During one of these he located an enemy machine-gun post and charged it single-handed with his Tommy-gun, slaying all six of the crew

As the night wore on it became obvikous that whilst the counterattacks were making progress, and the Australians were getting the better of the German defenders the original objective of fully pinching out the salient was not going to be achieved at tolerable cost.

18th Brigade attack, 3rd–4th May

 

[Njaco]

May 6 Tuesday
WESTERN FRONT: In Paris, senior German diplomat Otto Abetz and French Foreign Minister Admiral Darlan negotiate a preliminary agreement to send Vichy French war materiel in Syria to the Iraqis (in return, French "occupation costs" are reduced from 20 million to 15 million Reichsmarks a day). Although later rejected by the French government and never ratified, the Paris Protocols also allow Germany use of airbases in Syria to transport aircraft to Iraq. Luftwaffe Colonel Werner Junck is ordered to establish Fliegerführer Irak with 12 Messerschmitt Bf110 fighters and 12 Heinkel He111 bombers.

Flying a new Bf 109F, Kommodore Mölders of JG 51 downs a Hurricane of RAF No. 601 Squadron.

RAF fighters and Blenheim bombers conduct Roadstead operation to Gravelines while RAF Bomber Command sends 16 aircraft to attack Le Havre overnight. RAF Bomber Command sends 18 aircraft on anti-shipping missions along coast of occupied Europe from France to Germany

NORTH AMERICA: The maiden flight of the Republic XP-47B with Lowry P. Brabham at the controls. Although there were minor problems, such as some cockpit smoke that turned out to be due to an oil drip, the aircraft proved impressive in its first trials. The Republic XP-47B-RE Thunderbolt (40-3051) was originally ordered as the XP-47-RE. This aircraft is the first of 15,579 P-47s accepted by the USAAF.

The Douglas XB-19 four-engined bomber begins taxi tests. It has a length of 132.25 feet (40,34 meters), a wingspan of 212 feet (64,62 meters), an empty weight of 86,000 pounds (39 009 kilograms), normal range of 5,200 miles (8 369 kilometre) and a maximum range of 7,710 miles (12 408 kilometres). Although not delivered with armament, it was designed to have one 37 mm cannon and one .30 calibre (7.62 mm) machine gun in the nose and forward dorsal turret; a .50 calibre (12.7 mm) machine gun in the tail, rear dorsal turret, ventral turret, left and right waist positions; and a .30 calibre machine gun on each side of the bombardier's position and on each side of the fuselage below the horizontal stabilizer. A normal crew consisted of 16-men but two additional flight mechanics and a six-man relief crew could be accommodated in a special compartment fitted with eight seats and six bunks. To feed this mob, a complete galley was included. The government paid Douglas $1.4 million ($17.32 million in 2006 dollars) but Douglas had spent an additional $4 million ($49.47 million in 2006 dollars) of their own money. During the next 2-1/2 years, it was transferred from Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio, to Patterson Field in Dayon, to Lockbourne AAAB in Columbus, Ohio, and finally to Clinton County AAFld, Wilmington, Ohio. Finally, it was placed in storage at Davis-Monthan Field, Tucson, Arizona on 17 August 1946 and was scrapped in 1949.

Igor Sikorsky sets a new helicopter endurance records when he flies his VS-300 helicopter for 1 hour, 32 minutes and 26 seconds.

Henry Stimson, the United States Secretary for War, made a surprise statement by telling his countrymen that the United States must use its fleet to ensure the triumph of democracy.

MIDDLE EAST: After four days of non-stop British air raids, the Iraqi troops were forced to leave the high ground around Habbaniya. Overnight, Iraqi troops withdrew from the plateau overlooking RAF Habbaniya after suffering 1,000 casualties, largely by RAF aircraft. They abandon 6 Czech 3.7 inch howitzers, 1 field gun, 1 Italian tank, 10 Crossley armoured cars, 79 trucks, 3 anti-aircraft guns, 56 machineguns, 340 rifles and 500,000 rounds of ammunition. They were pursued by the British King's Own Royal Regiment, which leaves RAF Habbaniya in armoured cars (carrying 2 WWI-era 4.5 inch howitzers, previously used as ornaments at the entrance to the officers' mess) and caught up with the Iraqi troops at Sinn El Dhibban, taking 433 prisoners at the cost of 7 British troops killed and 14 wounded. To the south, the 21st Infantry Brigade of the Indian 10th Division arrived by sea at Basra.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarines U-103 and U-105 sank 3 more British freighters off Sierra Leone, British West Africa, and killing 12. The crew of U-103 stopped to help the survivors righting a listing lifeboat.

German submarine U-97 sank British ocean boarding vessel HMS "Camito" and recently captured Italian tanker "Sangro" 500 miles west of Ireland, killing 28.

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation Tiger: With the Afrika Korps driving through North Africa towards the Suez Canal, pushing the Western Desert Force before them and British forces close to collapse and strategic locations threatened, the British High Command risks sending a reinforcement convoy across the Mediterranean to Alexandria. The convoy consists of five large transport ships, escorted by "Ark Royal", the battleships HMS "Renown" and HMS "Queen Elizabeth", the cruisers HMS "Sheffield", HMS "Naiad", HMS "Fiji", and HMS "Gloucester", and screened by destroyers of the 5th Destroyer Flotilla. This convoy coincided with reinforcements for the Mediterranean Fleet, a six ship convoy MW 7 from Egypt to Malta, along with 48 more Hurricanes to be flown off HMS "Ark Royal" and "Furious" (Operation Splice) to Malta. 'Tiger' was transporting tanks (Matildas and the new Crusaders) needed for the operations in North Africa. Prior to "Ark Royal's" departure, Captain Holland left to recuperate from stress and poor health, and was replaced by Captain Loben Maund. The convoy left Gibraltar on 6 May, and was detected by Italian aircraft. The convoy, limited to 14 knots (26 km/h) and escorted by so many capital ships, is such a tempting target that Italian and German aircraft are mobilized.

British submarines HMS "Taku" and HMS "Truant" sank Italian ship "Bengasi" off Italy.

Allied commander on Crete, General Bernard Freyberg received intelligence that the Germans were likely to launch a large airborne assault on Crete, Greece on 17 May. He would continue to expect the invasion to come from the beaches rather than the sky, however.

NORTH AFRICA: The German 8.Panzerregiment arrived in North Africa.

EASTERN EUROPE: Polish doctor Zygmunt Klukowski noted in his diary that, on this date, he observed Germans conscripting Polish civilians to build military airfields and air raid bunkers even though there was no active war in Eastern Europe.

Stalin receives warning from military attaché in Berlin that Hitler intends to invade Soviet Union later in the month.

Stalin nominated to serve as President of the Council of People's Commissars.

UNITED KINGDOM: Greenock Blitz: The Luftwaffe bombed the town of Greenock, Scotland for the first of two consecutive nights. Luftwaffe attacks Liverpool overnight with 232 aircraft. The Luftwaffe bombs Belfast with incendiaries. An attack on Tyneside and Northumberland lasted from 0000 hours until 0200 hours by twenty-eight enemy aircraft. Bombs were dropped at Newcastle, Seaton Sluice, Bedlington, Ashington, Ouston, Belford, Whitley Bay, Mitford Steads, Seahouses, Chathill, Blyth and Yetlington in Northumberland, Haverton Hill, Seaton Carew, Coundon, Crawcrook, West Hartlepool, Redmarshall, Brandon, Consett, Leam Lane and Boldon in Co Durham. At Newcastle six HEs were dropped at Walker, eight houses demolished, several seriously damaged, these were on the carriageway at Blackwell Avenue. One demolished a garage, another hit Wilkin's chocolate factory at Cremona Park (present site of Minories and Buist's garages) and the other two (1 UXB) fell in open ground. Twelve HEs were dropped by one enemy aircraft, on the RAF Station, Ouston, Stamfordham. Sixteen RAF personnel slightly injured by splinters and machine gun bullets. Hangar damaged by shrapnel and fire, three planes destroyed by fire, AFS units from Newburn and Gosforth attended. Water mains fractured. After dropping the bombs, plane circled round, came low down and machine-gunned the aerodrome. Planes belonging to the aerodrome were in the process of landing at the time of the occurrence. In Co Durham, One HE fell on Davy and United Roll Foundry, (Toys' Foundry) causing severe damage to buildings, plant, an electric sub-station and the compressor house. A chimney stack 120 feet high was destroyed. The Steel Foundry, machine shop and cranage were seriously disrupted and power was cut off, seriously affecting melting, moulding and dressing shop operations. (Production was back to normal six days later). Two workmen were fatally injured.

A Junkers Ju 88 was shot down and crashed on the north side of Holy Island at 0400 hours. The crew were all captured, after they had destroyed their aircraft. A Heinkel He 111-H crashed at St Georges Mental Hospital, Morpeth, narrowly missing the buildings, at 2359 hours. The cause of the crash is uncertain. Five German airmen were arrested by hospital attendants and made prisoners at the hospital.

GERMANY: RAF Bomber Command sends 115 aircraft to attack Hamburg overnight.

.

 

[Njaco]

May 7 Wednesday
MEDITERRANEAN: After gaining three more victories in the past week over the British at Malta, Oblt. Muncheberg of JG 26 is awarded the Ritterkreuz.

UNITED KINGDOM: The May Blitz (Liverpool): For the seventh successive night Liverpool and Merseyside are ablaze. Liverpool was bombed with an attack by 166 aircraft for the seventh (and final) consecutive night, damaging destroyer HMS "Hurricane". In the city the Custom House, Corn Exchange, Museum and Central Station were destroyed. Lewis's department store was gutted and a wing of Walton jail was demolished killing 22 prisoners. A Mersey Ferry, the "Royal Daffodil", was sunk and a school shelter was hit, killing 160. Sixty patients and staff of a hospital died in a direct hit. One of the worst fires occurred at the Bryant and May match factory. By this time, 75% of Liverpool's port capacity had been destroyed. Sixty-nine out of 144 deep water berths were put out of action, and the total tonnage of cargo landed was down by 75 percent by the end of the seventh night, an impressive result considering the accuracy of such attack at the time. Seventy-six thousand people are made homeless and 3,000 were killed or injured. Troops have been brought in to help clear the streets of wreckage. Cars have been banned from entering the centre, and so many telephone cables and exchanges are out of action that people have been unable to get through. British vessels "Marton" and "Trentino" were destroyed overnight by Luftwaffe aircraft while in drydock at Liverpool. Defiants from RAF No. 256 Squadron destroy several He 111s, including one from 3./KG 55 that crashes in Flintshire, another Heinkel from 6 Staffel crashing in Denbighshire and a third from 1./KG 55 going down in Yorkshire. A Beaufighter from RAF No 604 Squadron destroys a 3./KG 55 He 111 over Dorset. Another Heinkel from 1 Staffel fails to return and is listed as missing.

The May Blitz (Hull): Seventy-two German aircraft raided industrial and dock installations at Hull, and dropped 110 tonnes of HE (311 bombs) and 9,648 IBs. The raid was due to German aircraft being diverted from their primary target of Liverpool. There was extensive damage and major fires started at the Riverside Quay and the shopping centre as well as domestic, industrial and railway damage. An extensive fire was also seen to the west of the docks and near to three large mills situated at the riverside. It is said that when the extent of the raid was realized every man and woman in the Civil Defence Service, whether on rota duty, on reserve, or free from duty, reported to his or her HQ, despite bombs, shrapnel, or the difficulty of travelling, except on foot. This made it possible, within two hours, to halve parties, thus dealing with two incidents instead of one. The elder among the school children, boys and girls, even turned out to act as messengers, and since normal means of communication were either destroyed or partly out of action, their services were invaluable. Casualties were heavy and included 264 killed and 165 seriously injured. This was the night on which British pilots leaving the coast of Denmark were able to see Hull on fire. The barges 'Delite', 'Ladore' and 'Whitakers II' were sunk. German planes were dropping all types of bombs, at first, mainly IBs, but as the night went on it became evident that the technique was to start a small fire with an IB or an oil bomb, and then use HEs to damage surrounding property. An open roof would act as a chimney, helping to create an upward draught. Often the result was that before a fire unit arrived the building was an inferno. To add to the difficulties the river water was low and the water mains were damaged. Many fires raged and some in the centre of the city were immense. It was a night of 464 outbreaks, almost all of a major character. Windows would grow red and then become molten; walls, roofs and ceilings fell in, adjoining structures caught fire from sparks or flying embers, the firemen fought on, concentrating on keeping the fires in as confined a space as possible. The branch office of the Yorkshire Post and the Yorkshire Evening Post, Paragon House, Paragon Street, was destroyed by the fire which swept the centre of the city during the attack. At 0836 hours 8 May, the Regional Officer at Leeds received the following report:- " All fires under control.".

Bombs again fell at Tynemouth Borough in Northumberland, West Hartlepool, Hartlepool and Billingham in Co Durham and Middlesbrough in Yorkshire. Three HEs fell close to the Cramlington Colliery Railway between Flatworth Pit and High Flatworth. Three HEs fell on and beside the Backworth Colliery Railway at High Flatworth. The Luftwaffe made attacks on the Docks and Installations at Hartlepool by five aircraft, West Hartlepool by nine aircraft, Middlesbrough and a large Chemical Works at Billingham by five aircraft. Five people were injured when three HEs fell east and south of the Travellers Rest Hotel, Stockton Road causing considerable damage to residential property.

Churchill wins vote of confidence in Parliament. In a speech to the House of Commons Churchill says:

"Some have compared Hitler's conquests with those of Napoleon. It may be that Spain and Russia will shortly furnish new chapters to that theme. It must be remembered, however, that Napoleon's armies carried with them the fierce, liberating and equalitarian winds of the French Revolution, whereas Hitler's empire has nothing behind it but racial self-assertion, espionage, pillage, corruption and the Prussian boot."

Douglas Bader shot down a German Bf 109 aircraft and claimed another probable.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Royal Navy knows that German weather ships in the North Atlantic receive encrypted signals using the German naval Enigma codes. HMS "Somali" captured the German weather ship "München" off Iceland along with an Enigma cypher machine and code book.

German submarine U-94 sank British ship "Ixion" and Norwegian ship "Eastern" Star 150 miles south of Iceland at 2300 hours. Destroyer HMS "Bulldog" and sloop HMS "Rochester" dropped 98 depth charges over 4 hours, but U-94 was able to escape with only minor damage.

Italian submarine "Tazzoli" sank Norwegian ship "Ferlane" off West Africa.

INDIAN OCEAN: German armed merchant cruiser "Pinguin" stopped small British tanker "British Emperor" 400 miles off British Somaliland with gunfire, whose crew was able to send distress signals before being taken prisoner. The tanker was scuttled with torpedoes from "Pinguin". Meanwhile, British cruiser HMS "Cornwall" sailed toward the location of the distress signal.

NORTH AFRICA: During the day, German bombers sank British minesweeper HMS "Stoke" at Tobruk, Libya, killing 21. After nightfall, British cruiser HMS "Ajax" and destroyers HMS "Havock", HMS "Hotspur", and HMS "Imperial" bombarded Benghazi, Libya, sinking Italian ships "Tenace" and "Capitano Cecchi".

MIDDLE EAST: Indian 20th and 21st Brigades marched out of Basra, Iraq to attack nearby port of Ashar. Brigadier Slim arrives at Basra from India as chief of staff to General Edward Quinan.

ASIA: The Battle of South Shanxi began. The Battle of South Shanxi, also known as the Battle of Jinnan and Zhongtiao Mountains Campaign by the Chinese and as the Chungyuan Operation by the Japanese, was one of the 22 major engagements between the National Revolutionary Army and the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Japanese North China Front Army with six divisions and three brigades launched the offensive to clear Chinese forces from the north bank of the Yellow River between Loyang and Tungkuan. Japanese troops assaulted Shanxi in an attempt to occupy the Chungtiao mountains. Japanese North China Front Army began attacking Tungfeng, Fulochen, and Chiangtienchen. Japanese 3rd Air Group was deployed to support ground operations. During the Chungyuan Operation the 1st Hikodan at Ani airfield supported the ground operations of the 1st Army, while the 3rd Hikodan supported the operations of the 21st and 35th Divisions.

GERMANY: Fritz Grobba departs Berlin to become German representative in Iraq.

WESTERN FRONT: RAF fighters and Blenheim bombers conduct Roadstead operation to Gravelines. RAF Bomber Command sends 15 aircraft to attack St Nazaire and 89 aircraft to attack German naval facilities and warships at Brest overnight. RAF Bomber Command sends 16 aircraft to attack coastal targets.

.

 

[Njaco]

May 8 Thursday
WESTERN FRONT: Kommodore Moelders of JG 51 in a Bf 109F destroys a Spitfire from RAF No. 92 Squadron.

Germany and Spain sign an agreement for Spain to send workers to the Reich.

UNITED KINGDOM: The May Blitz (Hull): German aircraft conducted the last of the two consecutive nightly raids on Hull. In bright moonlight, the Luftwaffe made another heavy attack on Hull with 120 aircraft. As with last night, this raid assumed major proportions through the addition of aircraft diverted from another target, this time Sheffield which was still attacked with 34 aircraft. Between 00.00 and 03.40 - 120 enemy aircraft dropped 157 tonnes of HE and 19,467 IBs. The areas most affected were the King George, Alexandra and Victoria Docks, and east and north Hull. There was much domestic, industrial and railway damage and major fires in Hedon Road and in the timber on the docks. Casualties were once again, very heavy, and included 116 killed and 160 seriously injured. Numerous large fires erupted all over Hull, with 150 burning at one time, the biggest was in the vicinity of the Albert and William Wright Docks and among factories along the river. Explosions and fire was reported at the Gasworks (Hull was without gas for six weeks after the attack) and a power station was destroyed. Almost the whole of the riverside was razed by fire, Riverside Quay and Alexandra docks were damaged. Ruins along the banks of the river Hull (a small tributary of the Humber) included flour mills and stores bearing such names as Ranks - Spillers - Gilboys - Rishworth - Ingleby and Lofthouse. Dock warehouses burst open and thousands of tons of burning grain slid into the river Humber.

Hull became greatly indebted to the 2,000 military who helped by taking on rescue work, directing traffic, demolishing dangerous buildings, and running transport. It is worth mentioning that officials of the Dogs Home and the RSPCA, together with other animal lovers, dealt with 700 domestic pets, not hesitating to enter dangerous buildings to rescue them.

The Nottingham Blitz was an attack by the German Luftwaffe on Nottingham with 95 aircraft. By the time of the raid, Nottingham had built a significant number of public shelters. The John Player & Sons tobacco company had built a network of tunnels at its factory and under local streets sufficient to house around 5,000 of its workers. There were over 100 bombers in the Nottingham raid. The X-Gerät beams set up to cover the Rolls Royce works were detected, and radio counter-measures diverted the attack to the moors north east of the town. A Starfish decoy fire system located near Cropwell Butler in the Vale of Belvoir confused the aircraft, and many of the bombs intended for Nottingham were dropped on open farmland in the vale. Records list 12 fires as serious, 40 as major and 42 as medium. In some cases, fires started by incendiary bombs were put out before they took hold. There were fierce fires at Trivett's Building near St. Mary's Church, in Short Hill and three of the Boots' factories in Poplar Street, Island Street and Station Street. Casualties were heavy. There were 159 people recorded as killed with 274 injured. At the Coop bakery on Meadow Lane, 49 employees and members of the Home Guard were killed, and 20 others injured. At University College, 45 people were killed.

Among German aircraft losses were three Heinkel 111s, all shot down by Defiants during the attack on Hull. The first crashed at Wellings Farm, Patrington, near Hull at 0130 hours. Four of the crew were killed and one captured. The second force landed at Long Riston, near Hull at 0140 hours. Two of the crew were killed and two captured and the third crashed at Sunk Island Road, Patrington, near Hull at 0200 hours. Three of the crew were killed, one captured and one listed as missing.

INDIAN OCEAN: A Walrus seaplane from British cruiser HMS "Cornwall" spotted German armed merchant cruiser "Pinguin" 400 miles off British Somaliland. The two ships fired on each other at 1714 hours. "Pinguin" was fatally damaged by "Cornwall's" superior firepower, but "Cornwall" was also hit, killing 1 and wounding 3. Shortly after "Pinguin's" commanding officer gave the abandon ship order, an eight-inch shell hit "Pinguin", detonating her store of 130 naval mines and sinking her; 341 crew and 214 prisoners were killed, 66 crew and 22 prisoners survived.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine U-97 sank British ship "Ramillies" in the North Atlantic; 29 were killed, 12 survived.

GERMANY: 359 British RAF bombers attacked Hamburg and Bremen in Germany. RAF Bomber Command sends 19 aircraft to attack Kiel Canal overnight.

NORTH AFRICA: Indian troops attacked Amba Alagi, Abyssinia at dawn, taking the Falagi Pass and three hills east and south of the city, respectively. Later in the morning, Italian troops counterattacked and recaptured two of the hills.

Destroyers detached from RN Mediterranean Fleet bombard Benghazi.

MIDDLE EAST: British and Transjordanian forces began the Assault on Rutbah Fort. A column of the Arab Legion, under Glubb Pasha, reached the fort at Rutbah. They picketed the ground surrounding the fort, to wait for the impending Royal Air Force bombardment. The H4-based Blenheims of No. 203 Squadron RAF arrived and bombed the fort, and thinking that the fort had surrendered, left. The fort did not surrender and the RAF returned twice that day to bomb the fort without success.

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation Tiger: 'Tiger' Convoy comes under air attack, first by the Italian Air Force, then the Luftwaffe and were engaged by Fleet Air Arm fighters from carriers "Ark Royal" and "Formidable". The 'Tiger' convoy had escaped discovery due to bad weather and poor visibility until 8 May but from this day on, it became the focus of air battles for the next four days. The first incoming raid was reported at about 1345 hours, some 32 miles from the ships. HMS "Ark Royal" of Force H embarked a second squadron of Fulmars to assist the resident Fulmars of RAF No. 808 Squadron under Lieutenant Commander Rupert Tillard. This was RAF No. 807 Squadron under Lieutenant Commander J. Sholto Douglas. Only twelve aircraft were serviceable this morning but two sections (four aircraft) of RAF No. 807 Squadron were scrambled to join the four Fulmars of RAF No. 808 Squadron already on patrol. Five torpedo bombers (SM 79s) of the 280o Squadriglia (led by Capitano Dante Magagnoli) attacked the convoy, escorted by 15 CR.42s of 3o Gruppo C.T. The four Fulmars of RAF No. 808 Squadron intercepted them, but as Lieutenant Commander Tillard led the attack they were themselves attacked by a dozen escorting CR.42s of the 3o Gruppo. Almost immediately Tillard's Fulmar was shot down. He and his observer, Lieutenant Somerville (Admiral Somerville's nephew), were killed. The three other Fulmars were also hit. The 280o Squadriglia reported that Sottotenente Marini's aircraft was hit and crashed near La Galite (a French flying boat took the crew to Tunisia, which later was repatriated). Sottotenente Cappa, hit by cannon fire, launched a torpedo against a large ship from close range, and then disappeared into the water with the loss of all the crew. He was awarded a posthumous Medaglia d'oro al valor militare. The Italian pilots claimed five Fulmars shot down, one of these being credited to Capitano Giorgio Tugnoli. This was the only combat with biplane fighters over the convoy but the battle continued all day. 16 SM 79s of 38o Gruppo from Sardinia, attacked the 'Tiger' convoy in small groups from 1520 hours to 1700 hours. The protecting Fulmars nevertheless managed to protect the fleet and no ships were sunk. Over the day, "Ark Royal's" twelve Fairey Fulmars drove off over fifty aircraft, with the assistance of targeting information from HMS "Sheffield's" radar and anti-aircraft fire from the escorts. British vessel "Ranwsley" was damaged by the Axis aircraft and towed to Crete. Italian cruisers and destroyers sortied unsuccessfully to intercept the RN forces. Italian vessels "Tenace" and "Capitano A. Cecchi" were sunk by destroyers detached from RN Mediterranean Fleet.

ASIA: The Battle of South Shanxi: Japanese North China Front Army attacked Tungfeng and captured Tsiyuan, Menghsien, Fulochen, and Yuanchu.

.

 

[parsifal]

05 MAY 1941
Known Reinforcements
Allied
Bar Class Boom Defence Vessel HMS BARSING (Z-75)
(NO IMAGE FOUND]

Fairmile B MLs 158 and 253
(NO IMAGE FOUND]

Losses
U-38 sank the MV QUEEN MAUD (UK 4976 grt) off the west Coast of Africa. She was on passage from UK to Alexandria via the Cape carrying coal and govt stores including a/c spare parts. She had been part of OB-309, but was now sailing independently. She had a complement of 44, of which one was lost in this incident. At 1105 hrs the unescorted QUEEN MAUD, was hit by two torpedoes fired by U-38 208 miles west of Freetown and sank within three minutes after a coup de grace hit at 1117 hours. One crew member was lost. The master, 38 crew members and four gunners were picked up by the Portuguese merchant MIRANDELLA, transferred to HM cruiser DRAGON and landed at Freetown on 8 May.

BV FIDELIA (RN 147 grt) was sunk by the LW at Lowestoft.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Steam barge TRAFFIC (UK 155 grt) was sunk by German bombing at Huskisson Dock, Liverpool. The entire crew was rescued.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Steamer FAIR HEAD (UK 1719 grt) , formerly known as the ZEALAND, was sunk by the LW at Belfast. Two crew were lost.

UBOATS
Departures
Lorient: U-69
Wilhelmshaven:U-111

At Sea 05 May 1941
U-38, U-69, U-75, U-93, U-94, U-95, U-96, U-97, U-98, U-103, U-105, U-106, U-107, U-110, U-123, U-141, U-143, U-147, U-201, U-552, U-556, UA

23 boats at sea

U-141 was attacked by a Hudson from RAF 269 sqn about 50 miles astern of OB 318. Damage from three depth charges forced the U-boat to break off the patrol. A Whitley aircraft, DDs HMS ELECTRA and HMS ESCAPADE were directed to the scene, but did not locate the U-boat.

OPERATIONS
North Sea
DD TARTAR arrived at Scapa Flow after boiler cleaning at Rosyth.
Northern Patrol
MLs AGAMEMNON, MENESTHEUS, and PORT QUEBEC of the ML sqn 1 departed Loch Alsh to lay minefield SN.9A escort DDs INTREPID, IMPULSIVE, ST MARYS, and BRIGHTON. CL KENYA was with the force from the Butt of Lewis. CLs EDINBURGH, MANCHESTER, and BIRMINGHAM of CruSqnn18 departed Scapa Flow on the 5th to cover the minelay which was accomplished on the 6th.

After the minelaying, Cru Sqn 18 units joined DDs SOMALI, NESTOR, BEDOUIN, and ESKIMO, which had departed Scapa Flow on the 5th and refuelled at Skaalefjord, for operation EB. The DDs departed Skaalefjord at 0730/6th and joined the cruisers at sea.

CL NIGERIA arrived at Scapa Flow after Faroes-Iceland patrol.

Northern Waters
DD BROCKLESBY with ASW trawler HAMLET departed Scapa Flow to escort tanker WAR DIWAN to Skaalefjord. The ships arrived on the 6th. Late that evening, DD BROCKLESBY, trawler HAMLET, and tanker WAR PINDARI departed Skaalefjord.
Fve miles 270° from Gloup Holm on the 7th, the ships met tanker WAR BHARATA for escort to Scapa Flow. DD BROCKLESBY arrived back at Scapa Flow after this escort duty late on the 8th.

West Coast
CVL FURIOUS and seaplane tender PEGASUS were damaged by the LW at Belfast. Neither ship was significantly damaged. The carrier was struck by one small bomb, and a parachute mine powerful enough to lift her stern out of the water. She also suffered a near miss that slightly damaged the funnel ducting. Despite her age she was a strong ship and absorbed this damage rather well. She was not taken out of service for repairs. The seaplane tender required seven days repair. The next day, FURIOUS departed Belfast for Liverpool. DD VOLUNTEER, under repair and in drydock, was also damaged by German bombing. Corvette LA MALOUINE at anchor in Musgrave Channel was damaged by a near miss. The corvette was repaired at Belfast in three months. Corvettes BRYONY and BUTTERCUP were also damaged.
British steamer ST EUNAN was damaged by mining 5 miles SW of St Ann's Head (at the entrance to Milford Haven .

British steamer SILVERSANDAL (which had been slightly damaged by bombing on the 3rd), and British steamer CLAN MACINNES were damaged by the follow on LW attacks on the Liverpool docks. British whaler SUMBA was also damaged by a near miss. The whaler was beached in Sully Bay, Barry Roads. She arrived at Barry for repairs on the 12th.

DD NEWARK under repair at Belfast was damaged in the bombing. British steamers SHEPPERTON FERRY and CAPE BRETON and blockship FREDERIKA LENSEN were damaged by German bombing at Belfast. Steamer CAPE BRETON was sunk in dock. She was refloated and repaired. DD MARKSMAN, under construction at Greenock was lifted off the blocks and severely damaged in the air attack. The DD suffered severe damage to her stern. The construction of the destroyer, renamed MAHRATTA, was restarted in another berth on 18 August.

Subs TRAVELLER and TROOPER, under construction, at Greenock were damaged in the attacks on the Scotts yard.

Western Approaches
DDs ELECTRA and ESCAPADE departed Scapa Flow to join convoy HX.122 being shadowed by a U-Boat. En route, the DDs were involved in a U-Boat search reported by a/c. The search was unsuccessful and the DDs joined the convoy by dark. After safely delivering the convoy, the DDs turned about to escort in SC.29 on the 6th. They were detached from SN.29 at dark on the 7th and then proceeded back to Scapa Flow at noon on the 8th.

Corvette BEGONIA picked up 17 survivors from a sunken merchant ship. She transferred these survivors to DD WOLVERINE.
SW Approaches
OG.61 departed Liverpool escort sloop SCARBOROUGH and ASW trawler MAN O.WAR. The trawler was detached on the 6th and replaced by ASW trawler WELLARD, which continued with the convoy until dark. On the 7th, DDs KEPPEL, LINCOLN, and SABRE, sloop FLEETWOOD, and corvettes ALISMA, DIANELLA, and KINGCUP joined the convoy. Sloop FLEETWOOD and the corvettes were detached on the 9th and the DD on the 10th. RNeN submarine O.21 joined the convoy on the 13th and corvettes AZALEA, GERANIUM, and JONQUIL, which departed Gibraltar on the 13th, on the 14th. The convoy arrived at Gibraltar on the 19th, escorted by sloop SCARBOROUGH and submarine O.21.

Med/Biscay
Part of WS.8A neared Gibraltar after being escorted from England by BC REPULSE, CLA NAIAD, and DDs HAVELOCK, HESPERUS, and HARVESTER. This convoy, famously designated TIGER, was merchant ships CLAN LAMONT, CLAN CHATTAN, CLAN CAMPBELL, NEW ZEALAND STAR, and EMPIRE SONG. BB QUEEN ELIZABETH and DDs VELOX, FEARLESS, FORESIGHT, and FORTUNE departed Gibraltar on the 4th to relieve REPULSE and the three H.class DDs which proceeded to Gibraltar, arriving on the 5th.

BC RENOWN, CV ARK ROYAL, CLs FIJI and SHEFFIELD, and DDs WRESTLER, KASHMIR, and KIPLING met the convoy and the two groups passed Gibraltar during the night of 5/6 May. On the 6th, DDs FAULKNOR, FORESTER, FURY, HARVESTER, HAVELOCK, and HESPERUS departed Gibraltar and joined the force. CLA NAIAD and CL GLOUCESTER departed on the 5th and 6th, respectively. BC REPULSE was left at Gibraltar due to her inadequate AA protection. CLAs CARLISLE and COVENTRY, DDs DEFENDER, GREYHOUND, and HASTY, corvette GLOXINIA, and whaler SWONA departed Alexandria on the 5th with the slow Malta convoy MW 7B consisting Norwegian tankers HOEGH HOOD and SVENOR. SWONA was to complete fitting LL sweeps at Malta.

DD DEFENDER departed with convoy MW 7 B, but had to return to Alexandria on the 6th with condenser problems.

In Operation MD.4, the Med Flt built around BBs WARSPITE, BARHAM, and VALIANT, CV FORMIDABLE, CLs AJAX, ORION, and RAN CL PERTH, ML ABDIEL, and DDs JERVIS, JUNO, JAGUAR, KANDAHAR, KIMBERLEY, KINGSTON, RAN NAPIER, RAN NIZAM, IMPERIAL, GRIFFIN, HOTSPUR, and HAVOCK departed Alexandria on the 6th. Fast supply ship BRECONSHIRE also departed Alexandria to refuel DDs at Malta.

CLAs DIDO and PHOEBE, and CALCUTTA, and DDs ILEX, ISIS, HERO, and HEREWARD departed Alexandria after the Fleet with the fast Malta convoy MW 7 A supply ships British SETTLER, Norwegian THERMOPYLAE, Danish AMERIKA, and Norwegian TALABOT, and tug ST ISSEY. On the 7th, the Med Flt DDs were refuelled at sea from supply ship BRECONSHIRE.

During the night of 7/8 May, CL AJAX and DDs HAVOCK, HOTSPUR, and IMPERIAL bombarded Benghazi.

Steamer TENACE (FI 1142 grt) was sunk after being hit repeatedly by gunfire from HM warships AJAX, HOTSPUR and HAVOCK just outside the small harbour at Benhazi.

Steamer CAPITANO CECCHI (FI 2321 grt) was also sunk in by the same ships, with the location given as 2½ miles 314° from Tre Palme, respectively.

The British ships rejoined the Battle Fleet on the 8th.

RM CLs DUCA DEGLI ABRUZZI, GARIBALDI, BANDE NERE, and CADORNA and 5 DDs departed Palermo on the 8th. They were reported by British air west of Trapani on the 8th.

The escorts of both Malta convoys were detached at dark on the 8th before the convoys arrived at Malta to join the TIGER convoy off Pantelleria. Both convoys safely arrived at Malta on the 9th following corvette GLOXINIA's minesweeping of the Channel. Supply ship BRECONSHIRE and DD HOTSPUR, HAVOCK, and IMPERIAL proceeded to Malta on the 8th, arriving the next day.

Pilot Lt Cdr R. C. Tillard DSC and Observer Lt M. F. Somerville DSC, in a Fulmar of the 808 Sqn from aircraft carrier ARK ROYAL was lost on the 8th.

Pilot Lt C. W. R. Peever and Petty Officer Airman F. Coston in a Fulmar of 803 Sqn, Lt Observer Lt (A) G. B. Davie RNVR, and Petty Officer Airman W. T. Chatfield in aFulmar of 803 Sqn and Pilot T/Sub Lt (A) K. H. Smith RNVR, Observer P/T/Sub Lt (A) B. H. Groves RNVR, and Leading Airman C. F. Norman in an Albacore of 829 Sqn from CV FORMIDABLE were lost on the 8th. A second Albacore was shot down, but its crew was rescued. Additionally, an Albacore of 826 Sqn, piloted by Lt Cdr W. H. G. Saint ran out of fuel and ditched astern of BB BARHAM which rescued the crew.

BC RENOWN had a gun accident on the 8th which killed six ratings and wounded Sub Lt D. M. Brightman RNVR, and twenty five ratings. BB QUEEN ELIZABETH was attacked by one RA torpedo plane during the night of 8/9 May and was near missed. Damage was claimed in this attack on BC RENOWN, but she suffered no damage.

Steamer EMPIRE SONG (UK 9228 grt) of the TIGER convoy was lost in the Narrows off Malta on the 9th on a mine. Her crew was picked up by DD FORESIGHT, which was damaged by debris and concussion damage to her machinery from the exploding steamer and sustained several casualties. DD FORTUNE was also standing by the steamer and picked up all but A/Gunner (T) A. E. Carter which was killed from FORESIGHT's whaler which was also sunk in the explosion. Eighteen crew and passengers were lost on the steamer.

Steamer NEW ZEALAND STAR was lightly damaged by mining at the same time as steamer EMPIRE SONG.

Force H.was relieved on the 9th in the Narrows 50 miles sth of Malta of the escort of the convoy by CLAs PHOEBE, DIDO, COVENTRY, CALCUTTA, and CARLISLE, and DDs ILEX, ISIS, HERO, HEREWARD, GREYHOUND, and HASTY.

Force H.DDs FAULKNOR, FURY, FORESIGHT, FORTUNE, FORESTER, and FEARLESS proceeded into Malta to refuel. The convoy escort was still composed of BB QUEEN ELIZABETH, CL GLOUCESTER, and FILI and CLA NAIAD..

The Malta destroyer force of destroyers KELLY, JACKAL, KELVIN, and JANUS had been mined in port since JERSEY's loss on the 2nd. Minesweeping corvette GLOXINIA was able to clear a channel to allow the destroyers to depart to meet the TIGER convoy on the 9th.

Depth charges had been used also to clear a channel to sea out of the blocked Malta harbour.

Passing the Narrows, the convoy was left to CLAs DIDO, NAIAD, PHOEBE, CARLISLE, CALCUTTA, and COVENTRY, and the DDs. The rest of the ships joined the Med Flt Main Body.

RA air recon reported a cruiser and four destroyers (DDs FAULKNOR, FURY, FORTUNE, FORESTER, and FEARLESS returning to rejoin Force H.after refuelling at Malta; DD FORESIGHT remained at Malta) proceeding at high speed towards Gibraltar.

31 RA planes attacked this force on the 10th and claimed damaging a cruiser. DD FORTUNE was badly damaged by a near miss. DD FURY escorted the damaged DD. On the 11th, tug ST DAY and four motor launches met DD FORTUNE. CL SHEFFIELD and DDs HARVESTER and HESPERUS were detached to escort. They arrived at Gibraltar on the 12th. DD FORTUNE was repaired to complete in November, including refitting, at Chatham.

Before sunset on the 10th, the RN Malta based DDs KELLY, KIPLING, JACKAL, KASHMIR, and KELVIN were detached from the Battle Fleet to bombard Benghazi before returning to port. The bombardment was accomplished. DDs KELVIN, KELLY, KASHMIR, and JACKAL were all near missed by LW JU87s after the bombardment.

Lt (A) P. S. Touchbourne and Leading Airman C. H. Thompson of 806 Sqn from FORMIDABLE was killed when their Fulmar crashed taking off on the 10th. On the 11th, CLAs DIDO and CALCUTTA and DDs JANUS and ISIS were detached from the Battle Fleet to proceed to Alexandria to refuel.

On the 11th, sub Lt (A) P. D. J. Sparke and Leading Airman A. S Rush of 806 Sqn from FORMIDABLE were killed when their Fulmar was lost after colliding with a LW bomber. The DIDO group arrived at Alexandria early on the 12th and departed the same day to join convoy ANF.30.

DDs KELLY, JACKAL, KELVIN, KASHMIR, and KIPLING arrived at Malta during the morning of the 12 May.

The Mediterranean Flt arrived back at Alexandria at 1300 with BBs WARSPITE, BARHAM, and VALIANT, CV FORMIDABLE, CLAs NAIAD, CARLISLE, and COVENTRY, CLs GLOUCESTER, FIJI, and RAN PERTH, and DDs JERVIS, JAGUAR, JUNO, NAPIER, NIZAM, GREYHOUND, GRIFFIN, ILEX, HERO, HAVOCK, HOTSPUR, HASTY, HEREWARD, IMPERIAL, KANDAHAR, KINGSTON, and KIMBERLEY.

Force H.of BC RENOWN, CV ARK ROYAL,and DDs FAULKNOR, FORESTER, FURY, FEARLESS, and HAVELOCK arrived at Gibraltar on the 12th.

RAN DDs VOYAGER and WATERHEN departed Alexandria on a transport mission to Tobruk during the night of 5/6 May. The DDs arrived at 0030 on the 6th and departed at 0400 the same day proceeding to Alexandria.

Central Atlantic
DD VIDETTE departed Gibraltar for refitting in the United Kingdom

Red Sea/Indian Ocean
RAN sloop PARRAMATTA arrived at Suez to reinforce the Med Flt. However, she was ordered to remain there temporarily to provide protection for liners QUEEN MARY and QUEEN ELIZABETH.

Pacific/Australia
NZ manned CL ACHILLES arrived at Suva with a liner from Auckland.
Cyrenaica
The failure of the 18th Bde's counter-attack marked the end of a phase. No longer was it possible to regard the ground given up as a temporary loss to be recovered at first opportunity. The aim of re-establishing the perimeter on the original line, if not discarded, was at least deferred. The immediate emphasis changed to a policy of improving the new line opposite the Salient and of recovering organisation by reverting as far as possible to normal brigade groupings through a succession of reliefs. There had been a degree of improvisation in the dispositions made to block further penetration after the perimeter had been breached.

The regrouping was to begin on the night of 4th–5th May. In the Salient sector Lieut-Colonel Windeyer's 2/48th Battalion was ordered to take over the right of the new defence line from the two right-hand companies of Lieut-Colonel Verrier's 2/10th Battalion, while Lieut-Colonel Martin's 2/9th Battalion, coming under command of Brigadier Murray's brigade, was to take over defences in the centre of the Salient, near Bianca, from the left company of the 2/10th Battalion and the right company of Lieut-Colonel Brown's 2/1st Pioneer Battalion.

On the afternoon of 4th May, Martin made preliminary moves in conjunction with Brown's battalion, bringing forward part of his own battalion to close a gap on Brown's right flank. Simultaneously Brown's right-hand company, under Captain Graham, moved forward for about a quarter of a mile, dislodging an enemy machine-gun post in the process. Three members of a covering party provided by the 2/1st Pioneers for the forward move of the 2/9th were killed. Private Rundle2saw Privates Cheney3and Goodfellow fall. From a position of comparative safety he went to their assistance, found Goodfellow dead, but decided to carry in the mortally wounded Cheney; on this compassionate errand Rundle was shot down and killed. Heavy machine-gun fire caused some of the ground taken up by the 2/9th to be relinquished.

The planned reliefs took place on the night of the 4th May. Graham's company of the 2/1st Pioneers was relieved by the left company of Martin's battalion, then side-stepped to the left and pushed forward through the neighbouring company of the Pioneer battalion which held the switch-line running north from R14, and took up a position in front of the old switch-line and to the right of the previously isolated forward perimeter posts west of R14. The 2/10th Battalion was withdrawn, after its relief, into reserve at Pilastrino.

Later in the night the main body of the 2/32nd Battalion, of which one company was already in the fortress, arrived at Tobruk from Mersa Matruh in the DDs DECOY and DEFENDER. This brought Morshead's infantry strength up to four complete brigades. The new bn was temporarily placed under Brigadier Wootten's command and immediately put into a defensive position near the junction of the El Adem and Bardia Roads.
On the morning of 5th May Colonel Martin, surveying the positions he had taken over during the night, found his bn holding a general north-south line running through the important track junctions (not all printed on the map) behind and east of Bianca. Appreciating the need of denying to the enemy that dominant point of vantage and observation, Martin at once decided to push his line forward. The move was executed in the early afternoon under intense machine-gun fire and shelling. Ten men were killed and 22 wounded (one mortally) and 2 men were reported missing; but though costly in life the realignment added greatly to the security of the defence at its weakest point and moreover enabled an excellent, if vulnerable, observation post for the artillery, later known as "Nixon'sPost" (named after onbe of the soldiers who fell taking it), to be established.

Tobruk – Disposition 5 May 1941

 

[parsifal]

05 MAY 1941 (Cont'd)
OPERATIONS
Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 5 MAY TO DAWN 6 MAY 1941
Weather Fine with a fresh wind.
0828-0843 hrs Air raid alert for a small formation of enemy fighters which approach the Island and patrol off the coast; no air raid.
2010-2030 hrs Air raid alert triggered by the return of a Maryland aircraft.
OPERATIONS REPORTS MONDAY 5 MAY 1941
ROYAL NAVY830 Sqn Fleet Air ArmSwordfish overnight operations minelaying approaches to Tripoli. Information received that one Merchant Vessel blew up and one Merchant Vessel burned out while they were laying the mines. As no bombs were dropped it is suspected that a flare from a Swordfish landed on the ship unloading petrol and ammunition
AIR HQ
Departures1 Sunderland. 69 Sqn Maryland on shuttle service recon from Middle East via Greek coast and Zante. 2 Marylands recon eastern Tunisian coast. Marylands departed Gibraltar 1530 hrs arrived Malta safely; no shipping or aircraft seen en route. Beaufighter patrols to 60 miles west of Malta from dawn to 1000 hrs in connection with air escort for special merchant vessel due Malta; ship not sighted. Patrols will be repeated tomorrow at the same time.
LUQA Maryland B crew left; C crew arrived PM. Two flights of Beaufighters went out to escort British vessel PARRACOMBEto Malta but did not find it.

 

[parsifal]

06 MAY 1941
Known Reinforcements
Axis
Type M-1935 MSW M-151
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

S boat S-105

"S 105" with Heart-Ace and "S 80" with Diamonds-Ace

Losses
U-103 sank the MV DUNKWA (UK 3218 grt) west of Freetown. The ship was dispersed from convoy OB-310, and was on passage from Glasgow to Nigeria, carrying a cargo of mixed iterms and Government stores. A crew of 47 were aboard, of which 7 were to be lost. At 1717 hrs the DUNKWA, was hit aft by one stern torpedo fired by U-103 and sank within 8 minutes 216 miles west-northwest of Freetown. Five crew members and three gunners were lost. The Germans noticed that the 39 survivors were in only one overcrowded lifeboat, so they righted a swamped lifeboat and provided water to the survivors. The master, 37 crew members and one gunner were picked up by the POLYDORUS and landed at Oban.

U-103 sank the unescorted MV SURAT (UK 5529 grt) NW of Freetown.. She was on passage from Karachi to the Uk, carrying pig iron, rape seed and peas, with a crew of 65 of which 4 were to be lost. At 0515 hrs SURAT was hit by a stern torpedo from U-103 NW of Freetown. The U-boat had spotted the ship, en route with 13 knots, at 1603 hrs the day before and only could keep up with her due to her zigzag course that also caused a first torpedo fired at 2345 hours to miss. The crew apparently noticed the attack and evaded two torpedoes fired at 0510 hours and a first stern torpedo five minutes later. The second stern torpedo fired shortly afterwards then hit the stern and stopped the ship, but also a first coup de grace at 0526 hours missed. The ship sank immediately after being hit amidships by two coups de grace at 0613 and 0625 hrs respectively. Four crew members were lost. The master, 58 crew members and two gunners were picked up by the British hopper barge FOREMOST and landed at Freetown

U-105 sank the steamer OAKDENE (UK 4255 grt) whilst she was on passage from the Cardiff to Buenos Aires with a cargo of coal in the Central Atlantic midway between West Africa and the Sth American Coast. She had embarked a crew of 35, all of whom survived the loss. She had been part of OG-59, but was dispersed when hit. At 1052 hrs the OAKDENE was hit aft by one G7e torpedo from U-105 and sank NW of St. Paul Rocks. The master, 31 crew members and three gunners were picked up by CA DORSETSHIRE.

U-556 sank the trawler EMANUEL (Faroes 165 grt) with gfunfire just off the Faroe Islands
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

UBOATS
Arrivals
St Nazaire; U-552

Departures
Kiel: U-109

At Sea 06 May 1941
U-38, U-69, U-75, U-93, U-94, U-95, U-96, U-97, U-98, U-103, U-105, U-106, U-107, U-109, U-110, U-111, U-123, U-141, U-143, U-147, U-201, U-556, UA

23 boats at sea

OPERATIONS
West Coast
CVL FURIOUS arrived at Liverpool to complete her refit that had commenced at at Belfast.

British steamer INDUSTRIA was damaged by the LW at Liverpool. The steamer proceeded to Greenock where she was drydocked on the 19th. Greek steamer MOSCHA D. KYDONIEFS was damaged by the LW at Liverpool.

SW Approaches
Convoy HG.61 departed Gibraltar escorted by sloop SANDWICH, corvettes AZALEA, GERANIUM, and JONQUIL, and Dutch submarine O.21. The convoy was joined on the 7th by special service vessel FIDELITY. The corvettes were detached on the 12th and the submarine on the 13th. Ocean boarding vessel HILARY joined the convoy with captured Italian tanker GIANNA M. on the 12th and ocean boarding vessel CAVINA joined on the 14th. On the 16th, the convoy was joined by DDs LEGION, READING, VANQUISHER, and WINCHELSEA, sloop LONDONDERRY, corvettes CAMPANULA, FREESIA, GENTIAN, HIBISCUS, PIMPERNEL, and RHODODENDRON. The convoy arrived at Liverpool on the 20th.

Submarine CACHALOT arrived at Gibraltar from Devonport on the 6th. The submarine departed on the 8th for Malta arriving on the 15th from England with supplies. After unloading, the submarine departed on the 16th for Alexandria.

Med/Biscay
Submarine TRIUMPH attacked a convoy of German steamers BROOK and TILLY L. M. RUSS which departed Tripoli on the 5th for Benghazi escorted by RM TB CLIMENE off Buerat, but was unsuccessful.

Submarine TAKU sank steamer CAGLIARI (FI 2322 grt) at 1944, three miles from Fuscaldo,
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Submarine TRUANT sank steamer BENGASI (FI 1716 grt) three miles 131° from Cavoli.

Lt N. K. Cambell and Lt (A) G. D. Nutt of 830 Squadron from ST ANGELO were shot down and made prisoners of war in a raid on Tripoli. Petty Officer Airman W. G. T. Welsh died of injuries on the 7th.

Convoy AN.30 of British steamer LOSSIEBANK, CAPE HORN, CITY OF CANTERBURY, and RAWNSLEY departed Haifa escorted by sloop GRIMSBY and Port Said escorted by sloop FLAMINGO for Suda Bay. RAN DDs STUART, VAMPIRE, and WATERHEN and Sloop AUCKLAND joined the convoy north of Alexandria on the 7th. The convoy was delayed by engine problems in steamer CITY OF CANTERBURY, then in steamer RAWNSLEY. On the 7th, STUART developed defects and was sent back to Alexandria being relieved by RAN DD VOYAGER.

Steamer RAWNSLEY (UK 4998 grt) was badly damaged by LW torpedo bombing on the 8th. The steamer was taken in tow by sloop GRIMSBY and escorted by RAN DD WATERHEN. The steamer was towed to Herapatra Bay. Bad weather prevented the steamer from being towed further on the 10th. The steamer was anchored at Herapatra Bay and sloop GRIMSBY returned to Alexandria. Steamer RAWNSLEY was sunk by German air attack on the 12th off Herapatra.

RAN DD STUART attacked a submarine contact 28.5 miles 278° from Ras el Tin. She was joined by ASW trawler KINGSTON CYANITE and ASW whaler KOS 22. The convoy arrived at Suda Bay on the 9th.

Nth Atlantic
HX.125 A departed Halifax escorted by BB REVENGE, AMC ASCANIA, and corvettes COBALt and WETASKIWIN. The corvettes were detached later that day. Escort vessels BANFF, CULVER, FISHGUARD, and HARTLAND joined the convoy on the 7th. The BB was detached on the 13th. On the 16th, DDs CHELSEA, CHURCHILL, MANSFIELD, VERITY, and WOLVERINE and corvettes BEGONIA, CONVOLVULUS, and LARKSPUR joined the escort and were detached on the 18th. On the 18th, DDs RAMSEY, RIPLEY, WALKER, and WATCHMAN, sloop ENCHANTRESS, corvettes BLUEBELL, CANDYTUFT, HONEYSUCKLE, HYDRANGEA, TULIP, and WALLFLOWER , and MSW SALAMANDER joined the convoy. DD CALDWELL joined on the 19th. MSWs BRAMBLE, GOSSAMER, SEAGULL, and SHARPSHOOTER were with the convoy on the 19th. DDs ESCAPADE and INGLEFIELD joined the convoy on the 20th and corvettes TULIP and WALLFLOWER were detached. DDs ESCAPADE and INGLEFIELD and corvette HONEYSUCKLE were detached on the 21st.

HX.125B departed Halifax, escorted by sloop ABERDEEN. The escort vessels BANFF, CULVER, FISHGUARD, and HARTLAND arrived at Greenock on the 22nd. Both convoys arrived at Liverpool on the 22nd

Red Sea/Indian Ocean
P/T/Sub Lt (A) L. M. Herbert RNVR, of 814 Sqn in CVL HERMES, was killed when he was struck by a propeller blade.

NZ manned CL LEANDER departed Colombo with liners AQUITANIA, ILE DE FRANCE, and MAURETANIA (35,739grt) of troop convoy US.10B. The convoy was turned over to RAN CA CANBERRA on the 7th.

Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 6 MAY TO DAWN 7 MAY 1941
Weather Fine.
1154-1250 hrs Air raid alert for six HE 111 bombers approaching the Island escorted by 30+ ME 109s. They carry out a high level bombing raid on Luqa, dropping 15 high explosive bombs on the aerodrome. One Beaufighter is written off, two badly damaged and six slightly damaged. A shelter of 2ndBattalion Royal West Kent Regiment is hit but no personnel are inside. 11 Hurricane fighters are scrambled and attack the bombers, one of which is last seen with its engine on fire and unlikely to reach base. Hurricanes are shot down by raiders but all the pilots bale out and are safe: Sgt R A Branson suffers burns to his right leg and P/O C K Gray is wounded in the left thigh. A third Hurricane crash lands and is written off. P/O A Dredge's Hurricane crashes in flames on the airfield; he suffers severe burns. Pilot Officer P D Thompson's Hurricane is damaged but he manages to land, despite suffering from a splinter wound in his leg. One ME 109 is damaged by AA.

1755-1830 hrs Air raid alert for five JU 88 bombers, with an escort of 20 ME 109s. The bombers carry out a second high level attack on Luqa. A bomb hits tar barrels north of the aerodrome, starting a large fire. Hurricanes are again scrambled and shoot down one JU 88.

2020-2330 hrs Air raid alert for 36 enemy aircraft which come over in three waves, including JU 87s, JU 88s and HE 111s. Bombs are dropped on Luqa aerodrome; bombs and mines on the Grand Harbour area. The Northern Petroleum tank at Marsa is destroyed, causing a large fire. 14 houses are destroyed in Casa Paola and Cospicua; one civilian is killed. Luqa runway is damaged with craters and another shelter of 2ndBn Royal West Kent Regiment is damaged. Three Marylands are damaged and unserviceable but repairable. In the Dockyard several workshops are extensively damaged, stores and sheds destroyed. Parachute mines laid in and outside Marsamxetto and Grand Harbour.

A new defensive policy for AAt guns is put into operation, while searchlights achieve a good number of illuminations. Two Hurricanes are scrambled to 10000 and 15000 feet in the first part of the raid, with no AA fire. They shoot down one raider confirmed, plus one probable and one damaged. AA then engages with a barrage, followed by the scramble of further Hurricanes. Heavy AA fire eight barrages. Bofors guns fire at parachute mines and at all aircraft below 3000 feet, destroying two: one lands on the Ordnance Repair Shops at the Ospizio.

Air raid alert triggered by an enemy search party then circles the island 15 miles off the coast for 45 minutes.

Cyrenaica
The enemy made a last attempt to extend the breach of the perimeter on the morning of 6th May. About 7.30 a.m. a strong German fighting patrol closed in on Post S9 in the area held by Captain Malloch's company of the 2/23rd Battalion. The attack was driven off with the help of artillery fire and supporting fire from Post S8 but one man in the post was killed and another wounded. More enemy, estimated to be in excess of one company, were then observed about 300 yards from the wire; but after enduring fire for two hours the enemy withdrew at 9.30 a.m.

Henceforward the positions in the Salient were steadily improved by digging, wiring and mining, and were edged forward when opportunity offered. As each side developed its positions and pushed them out towards the other, the strain on the men holding the front, particularly in the Salient, became intense, sapping vigour and draining away enthusiasm.

 

[Njaco]

May 9 Friday
ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine U-110 and U-201 attacked Allied convoy OB-318, sinking 3 British freighters. U-110 was forced to surface by 10 depth charges from British corvette HMS "Aubretia", then shelled by destroyers HMS "Bulldog" and HMS "Broadway" embarking on what was later called Operation Primrose. The German crew thought the submarine had already been fatally damaged and sinking, and abandoned ship. Recognizing the opportunity to capture the ship, the commanding officer of HMS "Bulldog" quickly rescued many of the German crew and put them below decks so they could not observe (but submarine commander Lemp died in the water, possibly shot as he attempted to swim back to the submarine), and sent a boarding party to capture her. The capture was completed at 1245 hours, yielding an Enigma cipher machine and code book. The British cargo ship "Empire Cloud" was torpedoed and damaged on her maiden voyage by German submarine U-201 near Cape Farewell, Greenland with the loss of five crew. She would be towed, repaired and returned to service. U-201 was damaged by 99 depth charges but was able to return to her home port for repairs.

German submarine U-103 sank British ship "City of Winchester" 700 miles west of Sierra Leone, British West Africa at 2309 hours; 6 were killed, 92 survived. In the same area, Italian submarine "Tazzoli" sank Norwegian tanker "Alfred Olsen"; the entire crew survived.

ASIA: A peace treaty was signed between Thailand and France in Tokyo, Japan, officially ending the Franco-Thai War; the French was coerced by the Japanese to relinquish their hold on the disputed border territories.

The Battle of South Shanxi: Japanese North China Front Army attacked 9th Army of Chinese 1st War Area around Fengmenkou and Lungwanwo and captured Wangyuan. Japanese aircraft conduct major attack against Chungking. The 4th Hikodan (8th and 14th Sentais) were placed under the command of the commander of the 3rd Hikoshidan. It was stationed at Taiyuan and Hankou and together with the 75th Sentai, ordered to cooperate with the future operations of the 13th Army. The 4th Hikodan had previously supported South China Area Army in the landing in the vicinity of Fuchou.

EASTERN EUROPE: The Soviet Union declared that it no longer recognized the diplomatic standing of Belgium, Norway and Yugoslavia.

Soviet agent reports to Stalin from Bulgaria that Germany will invade in June.

GERMANY: Adolf Hitler disembarked battleship "Bismarck".

RAF Bomber Command sends 146 aircraft to attack Mannheim and Ludwigshafen overnight.

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation Tiger: When the Convoy WS 58 was passing about 12 miles off Cape Bon three mines were exploded in the paravanes of the "New Zealand Star" and the "Empire Song" at about midnight. British transport ship "Empire Song" hit two of the mines and sank. In addition to the 18 men killed, 57 tanks and 10 Hurricane fighters aboard were also lost. The survivors were taken on to Malta in the destroyer HMS "Foresight". British vessel "New Zealand Star" was damaged by the third mine.

MIDDLE EAST: The Assault on Rutbah Fort: The RAF continued to bomb the fort at Rutbah at intermittent intervals. One plane sustained such heavy small-arms fire that it crashed on the way back to the airfield, killing the pilot. That evening, 40 trucks armed with machine guns arrived at the fort to reinforce the garrison. Half of the trucks were irregulars under the command of Fawzi al-Qawuqji and the other half were Iraqi Desert Police. Commander Glubb Pasha decided to withdraw his soldiers back to H3 to await the reinforcement of the main column.

The Grand Mufti decrees jihad against the British Empire.

German aircraft begin to stage through Syrian airfields to support Iraqi nationalists in revolt against British rule. As a result, Churchill instructs Wavell to allow Free French under General Catroux to invade Syria. Free French consist of only five battalions (mostly African) and some artillery. Wavell demurs – he has just dispatched his only (fully-equipped) cavalry brigade across the desert to Iraq, he is expecting the German assault on Crete to begin soon, and dealing with axis forces in the western desert, so cannot support such an operation.

NORTH AFRICA: German intelligence intercepted a British radio transmission containing weather information in the Libyan-Egyptian border region. This gave suspicion that an offensive was about to be taken place. The Afrika Korps war diary noted that "In the past, such reports had always been issued prior to the important enemy offensives to capture Sidi Barrani, Bardi, Tobruk, and the Gebel." Rommel's response was to strengthen the eastern side of his cordon around Tobruk as a precaution against sorties from the garrison, and to order Kampfgruppe von Herff to adopt a more aggressive posture.

After nightfall, Australian destroyer HMAS "Vendetta" departed Alexandria, Egypt and arrived in Tobruk, Libya to embark wounded troops.

UNITED KINGDOM: The May Blitz: 500 Luftwaffe aircraft mount a heavy raid on London. At RAF Waddington in Waddington, Lincolnshire, England, a direct hit by a German bomb on the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI) station and a nearby air-raid shelter killed three airmen and seven women who worked in the NAAFI, including Mrs. Raven, the manageress. The Luftwaffe attempted to hit the Rolls-Royce aero engine factory in the East Midlands, but their bombs only managed to kill a few farm animals.

Before midnight the sirens went again at Hull, and a third night of raids was expected and prepared for. But few of the enemy made landfall, and with exception of four bombs at Sutton, little happened except the strain of a five hour stand-by for officials and civilians alike, all by now, exhausted.

WESTERN FRONT: RAF Bomber Command sends 13 aircraft to attack coastal targets.

 

[parsifal]

07 MAY 1941
Known Reinforcements
Neutral
Benson Class DD USS WOOLSEY (DD 437)

Allied
Flower Class Corvette HMS MIGNONETTE (K-38)

Fairmile B ML 215
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

HDML 1042
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Losses
U-94 sank the steamer EASTERN STAR (Nor 5658 grt) in the Nth Atlantic. She was part of convoy OB 318 when lost. She had a crew of 40, all of whom survived , She was outward bound from Liverpool to Halifax, carrying general cargo, naphthaline, cresylic acid and 16 aircraft in boxes. Between 2310 and 2312 hours on 7 May 1941, U94 fired four torpedoes at the convoy OB-312 about 200 miles SW of Reykjavik and reported four ships sunk, but Kuppisch apparently interpreted depth charges dropped by HMS BULLDOG and HMS ROCHESTER immediately after the torpedoes had detonated on the IXON and EASTERN STAR as hits on other ships. Both escorts dropped together 67 depth charges on the U-boat, damaging it slightly. The EASTERN STAR was hit on the starboard side by one torpedo, caught fire and sank some hours later. All crew members abandoned ship in three lifeboats and were picked up by Armed Yacht HMS DANEMAN shortly thereafter and landed in Reykjavik on 12 May.

U-94 sank steamer IXION (UK 10258 grt) in the nth Atlantic. The ship was attached to OB-318 when lost. All 105 crew survived, She was outward bound, on passage from Liverpool to New York with a cargo of general cargo and over 900 bags of mail. The IXION was hit on the port side by one torpedo and sank. The master and 18 crew members were picked up by Corvette HMS MARIGOLD and landed at Greenock. 77 crew members and nine gunners were picked up by the British steam merchant NAILSEA MOOR and landed at Sydney, Nova Scotia.

MSW trawler SUSARION (RN 260 grt) was sunk by the LW three miles SE of Humber Light Vessel.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Naval drifter GOWAN HILL (RN 96 grt) was sunk by the LW at Greenock.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

RM Sub TAZZOLI sank steamer FERLANE (Nor 4310 grt) in the SW Approaches. The crew were all rescued.
[NO IMAGES FOUND]

steamer RIL IDA (UK 53 grt) was sunk by the LW at Victoria Dock, Hull.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Flat ELLESBASNK (UK 43 grt) was sunk by the LW in Stanley Dock at Liverpool.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Steamer BLUESTONE (UK 106 grt) was sunk by the LW at Greenock. The crew were all rescued.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Steam Barge KINEENAN (UK 72 grt) was sunk on a mine at Liverpool. All five crew were killed on the barge.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Sailing barge IDA BURTON (UK 46 grt) was sunk by the LW at Liverpool.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

FV WATERLILY (UK 12 grt) was sunk by the LW in Bessom Creek, West Mersea.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Steam barge KINEENAN (UK 72 grt) was sunk on a mine at Liverpool. All five crew were killed on the barge.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

UBOATS
At Sea 07 May 1941
U-38, U-69, U-75, U-93, U-94, U-95, U-96, U-97, U-98, U-103, U-105, U-106, U-107, U-109, U-110, U-111, U-123, U-141, U-143, U-147, U-201, U-556, UA

23 boats at sea

U-94 was attacked repeatedly after an attack on OB-318 and damaged as the escorts pounded the boat with depth charges for four hours after she had audaciously sank two ships in the convoy. The damage was repaired and U-94 continued on patrol, but was prevented from making further attacks on this convoy

OPERATIONS
North Sea
AA ship ALYNBANK departed Scapa Flow at 0600 to escort convoy WN.23. At 1400, she transferred to convoy EC.16. At 0400on the 8th, the ship transferred to convoy WN.24 which she escorted to Methil arriving early on the 9th.

Northern Patrol
CLs EDINBURGH, MANCHESTER, and BIRMINGHAM after covering ML Opn SN.9 A met DDs SOMALI, RAN NESTOR, BEDOUIN, and ESKIMO, which had just refuelled at Skaalefjord, for Operation EB to search for a German weather vessel.
On the 7th, weather ship MUNCHEN (Ger 306 grt) was captured off Iceland. The British cryptologist Harry Hinsley then working at Bletchley Park realised at the end of April 1941 that the German weather ships, were using the same ENIGMA code books as were being used on the U Boats. The trawlers, which were transmitting weather reports to the Germans, were in turn being sent naval Enigma messages.

Although the weather ships did not transmit enciphered weather reports on ENIGMA machines, they still needed to have one of the machines on board if they were to decode the ENIGMA signals transmitted to them. Hinsley realised that if the code books could be captured from one of these vulnerable trawlers, the naval ENIGMA system could be broken, with British intelligence able to decipher messages to U-boats and discover their locations. The problem remained that if the navy were to attempt to capture one of the weatherships, the German crew would have time to throw their current Enigma settings into the sea before they were boarded. Hinsley instead reasoned that the following month's ENIGMA settings would be locked in a safe aboard the ship, and could be overlooked if the Germans were forced to hastily abandon ship. On being informed, the RN despatched seven ships to the NE of Iceland at the beginning of May 1941. The target was the MUNCHEN, one of the weather ships operating in the area. In the course of the raid, the weather ship, and the ENIGMA settings for June 1941 were captured. As a result, naval ENIGMA messages transmitted during June 1941 could be quickly deciphered.

Halfway through June 1941 the Germans replaced the "bigram" tables used in ENIGMA. This would have resulted in a code breaking blackout unless further settings could be captured. Hinsley and the Admiralty were concerned that capturing another weather ship might alert the Germans to their vulnerability and cause them to immediately alter them again. It was eventually decided to take the risk and on 25 June 1941 four warships were despatched to capture the codebooks from the LAUERNBURG, another weather ship operating north of Iceland, which Hinsley had selected. Among the mass of charts and signaling papers naval intelligence office Allan Baker discovered some vital information; he had come across three loose sheets that Hinsley had hoped he would find. Two of these were headed Steckerverbindungen (plug connections) and one was a list of the Innere Finstellung (inner settings) i.e.: the ENIGMA wheel order, and the settings for the rings around the wheels that could be altered only by fiddling around inside the ENIGMA machine. It was thanks to these documents that naval ENIGMA messages were read throughout the remainder of 1941.

WBS 6 MUNCHEN and HMS SOMALI - May 1941. The RN reported her sunk to try and preserve their ENIGMA secrets. The ruse apparently worked. In fact she was quietly sold in 1943 to the Faeroes islands as the FROYEN.

Northern Waters
DD NESTOR arrived at Scapa Flow on the 8th. The cruisers and DD SOMALI arrived at Scapa Flow on the 10th. DDs BEDOUIN and ESKIMO, which had been detached to search for a U-Boat 60 miles west of the Shetlands, arrived at Scapa Flow on the 10th. The German ship arrived at Thorshavn on the 9th. DD FARNDALE departed Scapa Flow on the 13th to escort the ship. The DD and the trawler, disguised as Norwegian trawler FROYEN, arrived at Scapa Flow on the 15th.

DD WALPOLE departed Scapa Flow for Aberdeen to meet steamers AMSTERDAM and ARCHANGEL off the entrance that night and escort them to Lerwick and Kirkwall, respectively. At 2050 on the 8th, WALPOLE departed Lerwick escorting steamer AMSTERDAM back to Aberdeen. The steamer was delivered to Aberdeen on the 9th. The DD returned to Kirkwall, arriving at 1300 to escort steamer ARCHANGEL to Aberdeen. They departed at 1800 and arrived off Aberdeen on the 10th. WALPOLE returned to Scapa Flow during midmorning on the 10th after this escort duty.

West Coast
OB.319 departed Liverpool, escort corvettes ANEMONE and CLARKIA. DDs BURNHAM, ERIDGE, and SALISBURY, CAM ship ARIGUANI, and MSW HUSSAR joined the escort. MSW NIGER, and ASW trawlers ST ELSTAN and VIZALMA joined on the 9th. DDs BURNHAM and SALISBURY and the CAM ship were detached on the 12th. DDs MANSFIELD and WOLVERINE and corvette CONVOLVULOUS joined on the 12th. The escort was detached on the 13th when the convoy was dispersed.

During the night of 7/8 May, DD HURRICANE was sunk by the LW in the continuing bombing campaign against Liverpool in shallow water at Liverpool. The destroyer was salved and returned to service in January 1942. DD VISCOUNT was also damaged in this air raid. The destroyer was taken to Devonport and repair was completed in January 1942. CAM ship MAPLIN was hit by a bomb at Liverpool. British Tug HORNBY grt) was sunk by the LW at Liverpool, however the tug was salved and repaired. British steamer CLAN MACINNES was damaged by German bombing at Liverpool.

Med/Biscay
MSW STOKE (RN 350 grt (est)) was sunk by the LW at Tobruk. Commissioned Engineer G. L. Rose and Twenty ratings were lost on the minesweeper. Gunboat LADYBIRD rescued the survivors.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

MSW whaler SVANA was damaged by a near miss in the same attack.

Steamer KATINA P. (Gk 1216 grt) was sunk by the LW at Astakos (in the Gulf Of Corinth).
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Steamer TANAIS (Gk 1700 grt (est)) was damaged by the LW at Suda Bay. The steamer sank, but was salved by the Germans for their use.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Steamer PASCOLI (FI 2939 grt) was sunk off Saseno (an island off the Albanian coast) on a mine.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Central Atlantic
DDs VELOX and WRESTLER departed Gibraltar to meet CL DUNEDIN and troopships MONARCH OF BERMUDA and EMPRESS OF JAPAN, coming from Freetown. The ships arrived at Gibraltar on the 8th. CL DUNEDIN was taken in hand for repairs to boiler tubes.

Red Sea/Indian Ocean
Tanker barge SAFIYEH (UK 176 grt) was sunk by Italian bombing near Basra . The barge was refloated and towed to Abadan for repair.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]
Tanker BRITISH EMPEROR (UK 3663 grt) sunk by DKM Raider PINGUIN at 8-30N, 56-25E in the Indian Ocean.The tanker was able to radio an SOS. CVL EAGLE and CA HAWKINS put out from Mombasa as well as CA CORNWALL. NZ manned CL LEANDER, which had departed Colombo on the 6th with an ANZAC convoy, was ordered to turn her convoy over to RAN CA CANBERRA and assist in the search. CL s LIVERPOOL and GLASGOW and AMC HECTOR also assisted in the search.

The crew of 44 from the tanker were taken on board the raider as pows. The next day the raider was shelled and sunk by CA CORNWALL with the loss of 341 crew and 200 prisoners of war on board

Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 7 MAY TO DAWN 8 MAY 1941
WeatherOvercast with low cloud.
0904-0925 hrs; 1019-1048 hrs Air raid alerts for a formation of ME 109s which carry out patrols round the Island Hurricane fighters are scrambled but there are no engagements.

1319-1340 hrs Air raid alert; for 8 ME 109s spotted heading towards the SE coast. Guns at Delimara and Benghaisa forts open fire and the raiders retreat without crossing the coast

1548-1620 hrs Air raid alert for one JU 88 which approaches the Island escorted by 6 ME 109s. The JU 88 crosses the Island on recon and is engaged by HAA guns; no claims. Hurricane fighters are scrambled. The weaver of the formation collides with another aircraft; both crash and are written off. Pilot Sergeant H H Jennings died when his aircraft hit the ground near Gharghur. The other pilot Sergeant Walker, managed to bale out before his aircraft plunged into the sea

2032-2141 hrs Air raid alert for 12 enemy a/c approaching the Island from the north. Low cloud makes it difficult to locate targets and some raiders turn away without dropping any bombs. Others drop bombs on Luqa aerodrome and in the sea off Tigne. Four bombs hit a military post near Ghar Dalam, destroying a store and damaging an accommodation hut. Three men are slightly wounded. Searchlights illuminate raiders twice and AA guns fire an immediate barrage; no claims. A Hurricane NF is scrambled but does not engage.

OPERATIONS REPORTS WEDNESDAY 7 MAY 1941
ROYAL NAVY 830 Squadronoperations against small a convoy inside Lampedusa which already been attacked by Blenheims.

AIR HQArrivals1 Bombay.Departures1 Bombay.69 SqnMaryland despatched recon Naples returned to report a convoy: 5 Blenheims 21 Sqn and 3 Beaufighters 252 Squadron despatched to attack; two ships received direct hits and a Beaufighter shot down one RA SM81 transport. A second Maryland sent to reconnoitre the convoy after the attack failed to return. Maryland photo-recon of Taranto. Planned recon of Naples delayed 24 hours.

Cyrenaica
The decision at the end of April to withdraw combatant aircraft from Tobruk was followed by an order from Western Desert Force headquarters that the army-cooperation squadron personnel should be returned. Morshead protested without avail in a message sent on 7th May. He submitted that execution of the order would prejudice the security of the fortress unless, before No. 6 Squadron was withdrawn, it was replaced by an army-cooperation unit equipped to provide tactical and artillery reconnaissance under his orders; he had no effective air reconnaissance at all and it was urgently necessary that he should be provided with air observation for his artillery and the means to photograph enemy positions of which ground observation was impossible. General Beresford-Peirse replied with sympathy, expressing hopes of better things to come, but indicated that nothing could be provided from the current scanty resources of aircraft.

 

[parsifal]

08 MAY 1941
Known Reinforcements
Axis
Type VIIc U-569

U-569 under air attack just prior to her loss
1 ship sunk, total tonnage 984 GRT. Scuttled on 22 May 1943 in the North Atlantic east of Newfoundland, in position 50.40N, 35.21W, after being badly damaged by depth charges from two TBF Avenger a/c (VC-9 USN/T-6 & T-7) of the CVE USS BOGUE. 21 dead and 25 survivors.

S-Boat S-114

S 114" of der 6. SFltl with Letter "H" in Finnland 1944 - Picture: Archives Ola Erlandsson

Allied
Bathurst Class Corvette HMAS BENDIGO (J-187)

Losses
U-97 sank steamer RAMILLIES (UK 4553 grt) in the Western Approaches. The ship was unescorted at the time, but had been attached to OB-317. She was on passage from Tyne to Baltimore carrying high grade coke (refined coal), with a complement of 41, of which 29 were to lose their lives. At 0800 hrs, U-97 spotted two merchants on west course southeast of Cape Farewell and four hours later two others that followed the first group. All ships had been dispersed from convoy OB-317. The U-boat chased the first ships and fired at 1704 hours a torpedo at the RAMILLIES, but missed and was not able to fire at the ships of the second group because they were too far away. So the U-boat had to overtake the first group again during the night and fired at 1214 hours on 8 May another torpedo at the same ship but again missed. At 1813 hours, a third torpedo was fired which hit the RAMILLIES and stopped her but did not sink. At 1848 hours, a coup de grace was fired that malfunctioned, but the second at 1903 hrs hit the ship in the stern and caused her to sink fast in the vertical. The master, 25 crew members and three gunners were lost. Eleven crew members and one gunner were picked up by the British steamer GEDDINGTON COURT and landed at Halifax.

UBOATS
Departures
St Nazaire: U-74

At Sea 08 May 1941
U-38, U-69, U-74, U-75, U-93, U-94, U-95, U-96, U-97, U-98, U-103, U-105, U-106, U-107, U-109, U-110, U-111, U-123, U-141, U-143, U-147, U-201, U-556, UA

24 boats at sea

OPERATIONS
North Sea
MSW trawler SILICIA (RN 250 grt) was mined 190° from Albert Dock entrance, Hull.
Seven men were killed and three were wounded. The survivors were rescued by ML.211.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Naval drifter THISTLE V (RN 79 grt) was lost by mining off Lowestoft, 10 of the crew were lost.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Fishing smack THISTLE (UK 16 grt) was sunk on a mine. There were no casualties on the smack.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Naval drifter UBERTY (RN 93 grt) was sunk by the LW at Lowestoft. 13 crew were lost.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

DDs WHADDON and VIVACIOUS, both under repair in the Tyne, were damaged by the LW. Patrol sloop PUFFIN, en route from Humber to Flamborough, was damaged by the explosion of two practice DCs. She was under repair for two days.

In LW attacks on Alexandra Dock, Hull, the following vessels were sunk;

Sailing barge DELITE (UK 89 grt),

Sailing barge LADORE (UK 91 grt),

Barge WHITAKERS No. II (UK 48 grt),

and Lighter WELCOME HOME (UK 38 grt).

There were no casualties on the four ships.

Ketch WELCOME HOME (UK 38 grt) was sunk by the LW at Hull. No details on precise location or casualties.

Northern Waters
Vice Admiral W. J. Whitworth CB, DSO, struck his flag of Vice Admiral Battle Cruiser Squadron on battlecruiser HOOD. Vice Admiral L. E. Holland CB, formerly Vice Admiral 18th Cruiser Squadron, was named to replace him and hoisted his flag on HOOD on the 12th.

DDs TARTAR, PUNJABI, MASHONA, INGLEFIELD, ECHO, and ANTELOPE departed Scapa Flow to hunt for a U-Boat reported by CC a/c six miles 110° from Sule Skerry. The DDs INTREPID and IMPULSIVE, returning from escort of the 1st Minelaying Squadron in SN.9A, joined the submarine hunt. The search was called off on the 9th and the DDs returned to Scapa Flow.

West Coast
OB.320 departed Liverpool, escort corvettes GLADIOLUS and VERONICA and ASW trawlers ST KENAN and ST ZENO. DDs LEAMINGTON and ROXBOROUGH and corvette ABELIA joined on the 9th. Corvette LARKSPUR joined on the 13th. On the 13th, DDs LEAMINGTON and ROXBOROUGH, corvettes ABELIA and VERONICA, and the trawlers were detached. The remainder of the escort was detached on the 14th when the convoy was dispersed.

In heavy air attacks by the LW on the Clyde disruption to the building schedule of DD PAKENHAM and monitor ROBERTS was achieved.

ASW yacht VIVA II (RN 521grt) was sunk by the LW 13 miles west of Trevose Head.
20 of the crew were lost. Only officers were to survive, wounded, picked up by DD CLEVELAND...
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

In LW attacks on Liverpool, the following ships were lost on this night at Canada Dock

Steamer MARTON (UK 4969 grt), with no crew on steamer MARTON listed as casualties when bombed.

Steam barge ROSE (UK 143 grt),

Steamer TRENTINO (UK 3079 grt). The entire crew of steamer TRENTINO was rescued.

Steam barge BURMAH (UK 127 grt) were sunk at Liverpool.

British steamer ROYAL DIAFFODIL II, Finnish steamer ANNENBERG, Belgian steamer LEOPOLD II, Norwegian steamer STROMBOLI, and British crane HERCULES were damaged by the LW at Liverpool. The crane was sunk, but was salved and repaired

SW Approaches
BC REPULSE, CVE ARGUS, and troopships EMPRESS OF JAPAN and MONARCH OF BERMUDA departed Gibraltar for the UK, arriving on the 15th.

Channel
Tug IRISHMAN (UK 99 g rt) and dredger F. W. No. 20 (UK 83 grt) both blew up off Sword Sands in Langston Harbour, Portsmouth. There were five killed on the tug and three lost on the dredger.

Med/Biscay
Submarine TRUANT, which was proceeding from Malta to Gibraltar intercepted Vichy steamer GALLIUM, en route from Bone to Sete, and escorted her towards Gibraltar. On the 9th, Norwegian steamer BAALBECK reported to the Vichy authorities that the French steamer was proceeding escorted by a Submarine east of Majorca. Vichy DD SIMOUN departed Oran on the 9th to intercept. On the 10th, Vichy TB LA BAYONNAISE and subs DIANE, EURYDICE, THETIS, and ANTIOPE departed Oran.
On the 11th, the steamer was recaptured by the French ships. Steamer GALLIUM arrived at Marseilles on the 14th.

Submarine CACHALOT arrived at Malta with stores from Alexandria. The submarine departed on the 16th and arrived back at Alexandria on the 22nd.

FV LUIS PUEBLA (Sp 106 grt) was sunk on a mine during the night of 8/9 May 160 miles northeast of Gijon. Nine crew of a crew of twelve were lost

Red Sea/Indian Ocean
Sinking the Raider DKM PINGUIN
Just after 0500 hrs. on 7 May, PINGUIN intercepted and sank tanker BRITISH EMPEROR, which was on passage from Durban to Abadan, about 375 nmi ESE of Cape Guardafui. The tkr had transmitted a distress message and HMS CORNWALL and other ships had been ordered to try and assist. CORNWALL, en route to refuel at the Free French controlled Seychelles Islands intercepted the message, when about 520 nmi sth of the attack. CORNWALL altered course to NNW and increased speed to 20 kn. A plan was devised to catch the raider, using the Walrus spotter a/c aboard the CORWALL to close the raider's furthest on line escape line was put into effect and then search to cover the largest potential variations of the raiding ship's speed and course. CORNWALLs captain increased speed to 25.5 kn, and heading was altered to due g north between the Seychelles and the Chagos Is.
Vice-Adm Ralph Leatham the CinC East Indies Station, ordered other ships to participate in the search. NZ manned CL LEANDER was sailing westwards at 25 kn from nine Degree Channel towards Socotra, while CL HMS LIVERPOOL, which was north of Cape Guardafui, sailed for Eight Degree Channel, making fo Colombo. CL HMS GLASGOW, steaming from the Gulf of Aden, passed Cape Guardafui that morning at 23 kn, to a position about 100 nmi south-east of the headland. The ship then turned SW at 20 kn towards the Equator, about 300 nmi from the African coast. Farther west, AMC HMS HECTOR, patrolled from the Equator to a position 300 nmi to the SW.
On the afternoon of 7 May, the two a/c on CORNWALL flew recon sorties for 3 hrs and then altered course to get on the line of the main search. This was plotted for a mean speed of 13 kn for an hour after the time of the raider report, assuming that the raider needed an hour to sink British Emperor and then depart at full speed until dark. At 2130 hrs, CORNWALL turned ESE and slowed to search on this line, before the moon set. At dawn, CORNWALL sent both aircraft to search an area three knots on either side of the raider's estimated speed and turned east at 18 kn (steaming away from the raider). At 0707 hrs on 8 May, one of the a/c sighted a ship heading SW at 13 kn, about 65 nmi west of CORNWALL but did not report the sighting, until landing at about 8:00 a.m. At 0825 hrs. CORNWALL altered course to about WSW increasing speed to 23 kn. The second a/c was launched again at 1015 hrs. and at 1223 hrs. it reported that the unknown ship was steaming at 15 kn and had hoisted the signal letters of Norwegian MV TAMERLANE, which the raider resembled but was not on the list of expected ships.
CORNWALL increased speed to 26 kn then to 28 kn. At 1345 hrs, an a/c was launched to give the bearing, course and speed of the suspected ship by wireless; the ship was finally sighted by CORNWALL at 1607 hrs. The ship began transmitting "raider reports", continuing to claim she was the TAMERLANE. Despite orders to heave-to and two warning shots, the ship maintained course and speed for more than an hour, until the range was below 12,000 yards. At 1710 hrs, CORNWALL turned to port and the suspected raider made a larger turn to port, opening fire with five guns just before 1715 hrs, running up the German battle ensign before doing so. Due to mechanical failures, CORNWALL did not immediately return fire for about two minutes and was frequently straddled by shells fired at a rapid rate. German disguised Raiders had hand picked crews with the very best gunners in the KM assigned to them. Two minutes after being fired upon, the CORNWALL returned fire firing two salvoes from the forward 8-inch turrets. The fore steering gear of Cornwall was disabled by a 5·9-inch shell hit and after going out of control for a moment, the after steering gear used. By 1718 hrs, all of CORNWALLs guns had opened fire, with the advantage of superior range finders and director and military grade fire control, instead of local gun control as the PINGUIN was forced to use. A salvo hit PINGUIN, which blew up at 1726 and sank 500 nmi north of the Seychelles, about 300 nmi from where it had sunk BRITISH EMPEROR. Lt (E) G. C. Winslade was the only British fatal casualty. Three ratings were wounded. The cruiser rescued three officers, fifty seven ratings, and twenty two prisoners, ten from CLAN BUCHANAN, one from EMPIRE LIGHT, and eleven from BRITISH EMPEROR. Eighteen officers, 323 ratings, and 200 prisoners, including ninety seven from CLAN BUCHANAN, were lost on the German ship. Raider PINGUIN (DKM 7766 grt) had sunk 17 ships, plus 11 whalers captured, for a total of 136,551 tons.

PINGUIN as she is thought to have appeared at the time of her loss

Cruiser CORNWALL proceeded to Durban for repair completing 10 June. The survivors from cruiser PINGUIN departed the Seychilles on the 17th in steamer KHANDALLA and arrived at Mombasa on the 20th.

Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 8 MAY TO DAWN 9 MAY 1941
Weather Overcast, wet and misty; poor visibility, improving later.

1650-2000 hrs Air raid alert for about 10 enemy a/c which cross the coast and drop five bombs in the area of Della Grazia. Night Hurricanes are scrambled but two searchlight illuminations are too brief for them to intercept the raiders. AA fire one barrage. Many bombs are dropped in the sea and a few on land.

OPERATIONS REPORTS THURSDAY 8 MAY 1941
ROYAL NAVY 830 Sqn Fleet Air ArmOne Swordfish search for Fulmar failing to arrive from FORMIDABLE

AIR HQ Arrivals2 Sunderland; 4 Wellington.69 SqnMaryland patrol between Skerki Bank and Cape Carbonara; visibility bad.

LUQA 4 Wellingtons arrived from Gibraltar.

Cyrenaica
Wavell developed his plan to seize the initiative on the Egyptian frontier (Operation BREVITY). The nature of the forward British defence on the frontier was the same, though the formations and units had changed. It rested on a screen of four mobile columns, three above the escarpment on the open desert flank, and one on the coast, the inland and coast forces each being under a separate headquarters. Both headquarters were in the Buq Buq area after 7th May, when the 7th Armoured Div SG HQ, in charge of the inland columns, came there from Sidi Barrani. Attached to each force was a troop of Major Argent's 12th Btty, 2/3rd AT Regt, with the third troop providing a section of guns with each force headquarters.
On 6th May the German High Command, on the recommendation of Gen Paulus, ordered General Rommel to prepare a defensive line from Gazala to Gadd el Ahmar on which to fall back if the Sollum - Bardia front had to be abandoned. The message was intercepted by the British Intelligence and encouraged Wavell to move quickly.
Preliminary British moves on 8th and 9th May in the Sidi Suleiman, Point 206 (sth of Capuzzo) and Halfaya areas alerted the enemy and an intercepted weather report, transmitted by the British to all units in a form known from experience to precede a British operations, confirmed the apprehensions of the German command, which made dispositions to meet the threat. The33rd Reconnaissance Unit, a bn of theTrento Div, Hohmann'sII Bnof the5th Pz III an MC II were sent from Tobruk to join the Herff Group at Sollum, and on 11th May an extensive sweep of mobile forces and armour aimed at Deir el Hamra was made across the plateau south of Sollum dislodging British outposts. On the 12th the German screening columns edged forward both above and below the escarpment to an area north-east of Sofafi. Near Qaret el Reteim a gun of Sergeant Gillam's troop of the 12th AT Btty engaged German ACs and scored a direct hit.) The German columns drew back to the Salum area on the night of the 13th.
General Beresford-Peirse's instructions to Morshead for participation by the fortress were sent under cover of a letter written on 8th May but were not delivered to Morshead until 13th May. They reached him just as a major relief within the fortress was being effected. The chance that aggressive action by the fortress might affect the enemy's dispositions favourably for the prospects of a frontier operation was not great in view of the disclosure of the real intention and the taking up of pre-battle dispositions before Morshead could act. Nevertheless Morshead did the best he could at such short notice and planned operations with real, if limited, objectives while seeking at the same time to aggrandise them in the enemy's eyes to the appearance of a full-scale attack. The deceptive measures for this purpose were to be simulated radio and wireless deception and transport moves on a scale for major operations.

 

[Njaco]

May 10 Saturday
ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine U-556 attacked Allied convoy OB-318 between Greenland and Iceland, sinking British ship "Empire Caribou" (34 killed, 11 survived) and Belgian ship "Gand" (1 killed, 43 survived) and damaging British ship "Aelybryn" (1 killed).

German submarine U-110, captured by HMS "Bulldog" on the previous day, sank while being towed toward Iceland. Her Enigma cipher machine and code book, however, had already been retrieved by the British.

ASIA: The Battle of South Shanxi: Japanese North China Front Army capture Fengmenkou and Lungwanwo and then attacked Tungfeng. Japanese aircraft conduct major attack against Chungking.

Bulgaria established diplomatic relationship with the Japanese-sponsored puppet state of Manchukuo.

Vice Admiral Toshio Shimazaki was named the Chief of Staff of the Mako naval port at Pescadores islands, Taiwan.

GERMANY: A rocket engine (RII-203) for the Messerschmitt Me163 reaches a test speed of 623mph. The engine is not yet mounted and flying but in a test rig on the ground.

RAF Bomber Command sends 119 aircraft to attack Hamburg and 23 aircraft to attack Berlin overnight.

British Lieutenant Anthony "Peter" Allan escaped the Oflag IV-C prisoner of war camp at Colditz Castle, Germany by hiding in a straw mattress that was being carried out of the camp by cooperative French laborers.

MEDITERRANEAN: Operation Tiger: RN destroyer "Fortune" heavily damaged by Axis aircraft. RN Force H turns for Gibraltar as other RN destroyers were detached from Mediterranean Fleet to bombard Benghazi.

Italian manufacturing firm Caproni delivered midget submarines CB-3, CB-4, CB-5, and CB-6 to the Italian Navy at La Spezia, Italy.

MIDDLE EAST: The Assault on Rutbah Fort: The Arab Legion arrived back at H3 in the morning and found No. 2 Armoured Car Company RAF under Squadron Leader Michael Casano waiting there. The squadron had been sent up ahead of the main column to assist the Arab Legion in taking Rutbah. Casano took his armoured cars to Rutbah whilst the Arab Legion replenished their supplies at H3. Casano's armoured cars fought an action against al-Qawuqji's trucks for most of the rest of the day, and although the result was not decisive the trucks retired to the east under the cover of dark to leave the garrison to its fate. That night the RAF succeeded in a night bombing, with several bombs landing inside the fort.

The Germans in Athens set FliegerFührer Irak in motion when several Me110s and a number of troop transports flew to Baghdad via Rhodes-Aleppo-Damascus-Mosul. The aim of this operation was to provide aid to the rebel Iraqi generals so as to threaten the flank of the British forces in North Africa. Churchill said later that at that time the Germans actually had an airborne landing troop strong enough to have enabled them to seize Syria, Iraq and Persia with their precious oilfields. 4./ZG 76 under Lt. Col. Holbein, formed part of the "Junck Special Aerial Force" which was to initiate the planned operation in Iraq. All the German aircraft carried Iraqi national emblems. Colonel Junck reported later: "The force was deployed overhastily with aircraft that were not equipped with tropical kits. Some of them did not even have the maps and charts which were indispensable for such missions."

NORTH AFRICA: British destroyers HMS "Kelly", HMS "Kipling", HMS "Jackal", HMS "Kashmir", and HMS "Kelvin" from Malta bombarded Benghazi, Libya at 1700 hours. German dive bombers fought back but caused no damage. After nightfall, also in Libya, British gunboat HMS "Ladybird" shelled Gazala 30 miles west of Tobruk.

Indian troops marched out the Falagi Pass, which was captured on the previous day, toward the 11,400-foot Mount Gumsa east of Amba Alagi, Abyssinia. Italian troops who held Mount Gumsa would be withdrawn into Amba Alagi after sundown.

UNITED KINGDOM: The May Blitz: The Luftwaffe mounts the largest night raid on London of the war. 570 German Bomber crews flying two and even three sorties drop 708 tons of HE and 2,393 incendiary bomb bins that caused more than 2,000 fires. This raid inflicts more damage than previous raids with more than 3,000 people killed or injured. At the same time the Luftwaffe suffers its heaviest night-raid losses. 27 German aircraft are shot down, a toll which had previously only been reached during day raids. KG 55 loses two He 111s from I Gruppe during the attacks. Low tide on the River Thames made firefighting difficult as it was harder to draw water, thus fires caused more damage than usual. The House of Commons, the roof of Westminster Hall and the top of Victoria Tower were alight. In the City of London, the Mint and the Tower were both ablaze.

The Flight of Rudolf Hess: Sparking a controversy that will last long after the war, Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess landed in Scotland with a Bf 110 fighter (3869) Aircraft VJ+OQ in an attempt to dissuade Duke of Hamilton to introduce him to King George VI in order to broker peace between the United Kingdom and Germany. This mission was not authorized by Adolf Hitler. Hess, Deputy Führer of the Third Reich and Hitler's private secretary – he took dictation for Hitler's book 'Mein Kampf' - , takes off from Augsburg in an unarmed plane and flies to the British Isles to attempt peace negotiations on his own. Dressed as a Luftwaffe flight lieutenant, his airplane stalls and he bales out over a Scottish farm. He landed 12 miles from the Duke's residence, broke his ankle, and was arrested by a farmer and taken to a Glasgow hospital. After his identity is established, he is interned at the Tower of London, asking the British to join Germany in its fight against bolshevism. Hitler orders Propaganda minister Göbbels to declare Hess' flight an act of a deranged man, stating; "It seemed that Party Member Hess lived in a state of hallucination, as a result of which he felt he would bring about an understanding between England and Germany . . . The Nationalist Socialist Party regrets that this idealist fell a victim to his hallucination. This, however, will have no effect on the continuance of the war which has been forced on Germany." British Prime Minister Churchill later writes that despite standing by Hitler, Hess had atoned for his sins by "his completely devoted and frantic deed of lunatic benevolence." Hess never sees freedom again. Convicted at Nuremburg in 1946, he will be held in Spandau Prison, West Berlin, until his death in 1987.

The 200th Beaufighter aircraft was completed.

RAF Headquarters announced: Last night a Dutch bomber squadron was deployed for the first time. Up to now Dutch air crews in the Dutch aerial formation, served as reconnaissance fliers. Shipments from the USA have now made it possible to set up the first Dutch bomber wing, which flew its mission last night against a German Luftwaffe base in Kristiansund, southern Norway.

WESTERN FRONT: The Strike of the 100,000: The Strike of the 100,000 was an 8-day strike in Belgium which took place from 10–18 May 1941 during the German occupation. It was led by Julien Lahaut, head of the Belgian Communist Party (Parti Communiste de Belgique or PCB), even though the Nazi—Soviet Pact was still in force. The object of the strike was to demand a wage increase though it was also an act of passive resistance to the German occupation. The strike originated at the Cockerill steel works (Cockerill Fonderie) in the industrial town of Seraing, in eastern Belgium. The date significantly marked the first anniversary of the German invasion of Belgium.

RAF Bomber Command sends 18 aircraft to attack coastal targets.

.

 

[parsifal]

British Lieutenant Anthony "Peter" Allan escaped the Oflag IV-C prisoner of war camp at Colditz Castle, Germany by hiding in a straw mattress that was being carried out of the camp by cooperative French laborers.

Peter Allan was on the run for 9 days before being recaptured due to exhaustion and running out of money. Colditz is located in Saxony, and Allan had firstly travelled to Poland to escape via Sweden before changing plans and making for Vienna, during which he had hitched a lift with a helpful SS officer! He was part American and had hoped for assistance from the still neutral US embassy. He was short of money and very cold and hungry by the time he reached vienna, and had to be depressed and exhausted by then. He was caught sleeping rough in a park and unable to move his legs when caught .

There is dispute about how many successful escapes from colditz there actually were, but the most knowledgeable appear to be 16 from the castle proper. This is not bad as a batting average with 31 escape attempts known to have been foiled. There may have been others that went unreported however.

The known successful escapes were:

1. French Lieutenant Alain Le Ray escaped April 11, 1941. He hid in a terrace house in a park during a game of football. First successful Colditz escapee and first to reach neutral Switzerland.
2. French Lieutenant Rene Collin escaped May 31, 1941. He climbed into the rafters of a pavilion during exercise, hid there until dark and slipped away. He made it back to France.
3. French Lieutenant Pierre Lebrun escaped July 2, 1941. He was captured trying Collin's method. Later vaulted over a wire in the park with the help of an associate. He reached Switzerland in eight days on a stolen bicycle.
4. Dutch Lieutenant Hans Larive escaped August 15, 1941. He hid under a manhole cover in the exercise enclosure, emerged after nightfall, took a train to Gottmadingen, and reached Switzerland in three days.
5. Dutch Lieutenant Francis Steinmetz also escaped August 15, 1941 with Larive
6. Dutch Major C. Giebel escaped September 20, 1941 using the same method as Larive and Steinmetz.
7. Dutch Lieutenant O L Drijber escaped September 20, 1941 with Giebel.
8. British Lieutenant Airey M S Neave escaped January 5, 1942. Crawled through a hole in a camp theatre (after a prisoner performance) to a guardhouse and marched out dressed as a German soldier. He reached Switzerland two days later. This first successful British escape was a joint British Dutch effort. Neave later joined MI9.
9. Dutch Lieutenant Anthony Luteyn escaped January 5, 1942 with Neave.
10. British Lieutenant Hedley Fowler escaped September 9, 1942. Slipped with four others through a guard office and a storeroom dressed as German officers and Polish orderlies. Only he and Van Doorninck reached Switzerland. Like Luteyn and Neave, this was another successful British Dutch effort.
11. Dutch Lieutenant Damiamen joan van Doorninck escaped September 9, 1942 with Fowler.
12. British Capt. Pat Read escaped October 14, 1942. Slipped through POW kitchens into the German yard, into the Kommandantur cellar and down to a dry moat through the park. It took him four days to reach Switzerland.
13. Canadian Flight Lieutenant Howard Wardle (one of the original 6 officers sent to colditz in 1940) (RAF) escaped October 14, 1942 with Reid.
14. British Major Ronald B Littledale escaped October 14, 1942. He slipped through POW kitchens into the German yard, into the Kommandantur cellar and down to a dry moat through the park. He reached Switzerland in five days.
15. British Lieutenant-Commander William E Stephens escaped October 14, 1942 with Littledale.
16. In a sign of the hardening german attitudes, British Lieutenant William Millar escaped January, 1944. He broke into the German courtyard and hid in a German truck intending to go to Czechoslovakia. He never reached home and is listed missing on the Bayeux memorial. There is speculation that he was caught and executed in Mauthausen concentration camp as a victim of the secret Kugel-erlass ("Bullet decree") July 15, 1944
A number of the escapees owe something to not less than the SS itself. Once escaping from captivity, POWs still faced the considerable challenge of negotiating their way to non-hostile territory. The "Singen route" into Switzerland was discovered by Dutch naval lieutenant Hans Larive in 1940 on his first escape attempt from Oflag VI-A in Soest. Larive was caught near Singen close to the Swiss border. The interrogating Gestapo officer was so confident that the war would soon be won by Germany that he told Larive of a safe way across the border. Larive memorized it and many prisoners later escaped using this route. This includes Larive himself, Francis Steinmetz, Anthony Luteyn, Airey Neave, Pat Reid, and Howard Wardle in their escapes from Colditz.

The inmates at colditz could not, by any stretch be considered well treated, but they were treated with some respect by the Germans and suffered less than some of the other, more notorious camps

 

[Njaco]

May 11 Sunday
ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine U-103 sank British ship "City of Shanghai" with the last torpedo 750 miles southwest of Sierra Leone, French West Africa at 0130 hours after tracking her for 16 hours; 6 were killed, 67 survived.

ASIA: The Battle of South Shanxi: Japanese North China Front Army advancing toward Yellow River, captures Wufuchien and begins attacking Tungfeng.

Troops of Wang Ching-Wei's puppet government begin operations against Nationalist forces along the lower Yangtze River. Chiang Kai-shek and Chou En-Lai meet in Chungking.

Japan makes proposals to the USA in order to improve relations. They demand that the USA stop supplying war materials to China and that they normalize trade relations. These are rejected by the USA, although both sides agree to continue talks.

GERMANY: Adolf Hitler summoned top Nazi Party officials to discuss how to handle Rudolf Heß's unauthorized flight to the United Kingdom. Adolf Galland was ordered by Hermann Göring to dispatch his pilots to search for and shoot down Rudolf Hess' Me-110 aircraft somewhere over the North Sea.

Hitler met with Vichy Vice-Premier François Darlan at the Berghof. Hitler agreed to release French World War I veterans from POW camps (with the exception of officers and professional soldiers) in exchange for the Vichy government compromising its neutrality by allowing German planes to land in French Syria and to help supply the Afrika Korps from French Tunisia. Hitler tells Admiral Darlan that France must collaborate fully with Germany or be treated like Poland.

RAF bombers attacked Hamburg and Bremen in Germany. RAF Bomber Command sent 92 aircraft to attack Hamburg and 81 aircraft to attack Bremen.

MEDITERRANEAN: German forces completed the occupation of the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea. German troops occupy island of Kythera.

Axis Convoy, delayed since 8 May, departs Naples for Tripoli with six vessels escorted by Italian destroyers "Aviere", "Geniere", "Grecale", "Camicia Nera", and "Dardo" and supported by four cruisers and nine destroyers.

MIDDLE EAST: British Habforce, following behind Kingcol, departs Palestine to reinforce Habbaniya. British Brigadier Kingstone departed Haifa, Palestine with a column of horse cavalry and armored cars to reinforce RAF Habbaniya, Iraq. Meanwhile, the first 3 German Luftwaffe aircraft from Greece landed at Mosul, Iraq. Bf-110 fighters of Zerstörergeschwader 76 reach Syria en route to Iraq. Two French Morane 406 fighter planes of 7 Squadron, 1st Fighter Group (GCI/7), forced the 3 Bf-110's from 4./ZG 76 to land in the Syrian city of Palmyra because the German planes had crossed French territory without announcing their presence. Major Axel von Blomberg, Luftwaffe liaison officer to Rashid Ali, was sent to Baghdad to make arrangements for a council of war with the Iraqi government. However, Blomberg was killed by friendly fire from Iraqi positions. His Heinkel 111 bomber was shot at from the ground as it flew low on approach and Blomberg was found to be dead upon landing.

NORTH AFRICA: South African 1st Brigade finally reaches Amba Alagi, having fought up the road from the capital Addis Ababa in the South. The Italian mountain stronghold is now surrounded but they have laid in supplies and ammunition for a lengthy seige.

UNITED KINGDOM: The May Blitz: At night the Luftwaffe attack 45 RAF airfields - although two-thirds of the airfields hit are dummy installations. A night attack on Linton on Ouse airfield near York, caused damage and several casualties including the Station Commander, who was killed. During the day, German Luftwaffe aircraft bombed RAF Feltwell in England.

After last night's raids so many London streets are impassable - estimated at a third - that people can hardly struggle to work. Every main line railway terminus is out of action. Over 150,000 people are without gas, water or electricity. John Colville, secretary to Winston Churchill, observed great fires burning on the southern shore of River Thames in London, result of the previous night's bombing. Rescue parties are still digging. Among the dead are the mayors of Westminster and Bermondsey. Many fires are still burning. There is huge gin fire in City Road and in the west the burning Palmolive soap factory is perfuming the air as the water directed on it turns into froth.

During the night mission to London, KG 55 lost six He 111s from I and III Gruppen. F/Lt D.A.P. McMullen DFC, flying a Defiant of RAF No 151 Squadron, claims one of the bombers from 9./KG 55. London's Bridgewater House was bombed. A major work by French painter Paul Delaroche, "Charles I Insulted by Cromwell's Soldiers" (1837) depicting the British monarch shortly before his execution in 1649, was thought to have been virtually destroyed. In 2009 it was unrolled and found to be in good condition.

The 1st Messerschmitt 109F was shot down above England.

WESTERN FRONT: The first combat mission by the RAF's new four-engine Halifax bombers failed to succeed when the bombers failed to find their French targets.

Operation Josephine B: British and Free French forces began Operation Josephine B with the objective of destroying an electrical transformer station in Pessac. The plan was to drop a team of saboteurs by parachute; they were to break into the transformer station, attach bombs and incendiaries with delay timers. The bombs would wreck the transformers and the incendiaries would set fire to the transformer cooling oil to complete the destruction. The sabotage team was sent to SOE's Station XVII for training in industrial sabotage by Cecil Vandepeer Clarke. The sabotage team parachuted into France and hid their container of equipment and reconnoitered their target. They were dismayed to discover a high tension wire just inside the top of the 9-foot-high (2.7 m) perimeter wall and the sound of people moving about inside. They also failed to obtain bicycles on which they had planned to make a silent get-away. Discouraged, they lost heart and gave up.

.

 

[parsifal]

09 MAY 1941
Known Reinforcements
Allied
Flower Class HMCS MATAPEDIA (K-117)

Hunt class Escort DD HMS BROCKLESBY (L-42)

HDMLs 1021, 1027
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Bangor Class MSW HMS POLRUAN (J-97)

ASW Trawler TARANTELLA (T-142)
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Losses
U-103 sank Steamer CITY OF WINCHESTER (UK 7120 grt) in the central Atlantic, midway between West Africa and the Brazilian coast. She was on passage from London to Beira then Capetown carrying a mixrf cargo. 98 crew were aboard, of whom 6 were to lose their lives. At 2309 hrs the unescorted CITY OF WINCHESTER, dispersed on 28 April from convoy OB-313, was hit by one of two torpedoes and sank after being hit amidships by a coup de grace at 2346 hrs about 400 miles SSW of the Cape Verde Islands. Six crew members were lost. The master, 84 crew members and seven gunners were picked up by the Norwegian motor merchant HERMA and landed at Takoradi.

U-110 sank Steamer BENGORE HEAD (UK 2609 grt) in the nth Atlantic. The ship was on passage from Belfast to Montreal with a crew of 41, of which one member was to be killed. The ship had sailed as part of OB-318. At 1158 hrs, U-110 attacked the convoy east of Cape Farewell and sank BENGORE HEAD and ESMOND but was then captured after being heavily damaged in the counterattack of the escort ships and foundered later. One crew member from BENGORE HEAD was lost. The master, 35 crew members and four gunners were rescued: 16 survivors by the Norwegian steam merchant BORGFRED and landed at Sydney on 18 May and 24 survivors by Corvette HMS AUBRETIA and landed at Reykjavik.

According to the interrogation reports prepared by the Admiralty Intelligence Division (http://www.uboatarchive.net/U-110A/U-110INT.htm) U-110 remained at periscope depth for some time after these attacks and was preparing for a further attack on a large merchant ship of around 10000 tons, but the OB-318 escort vessels responded. The escort group was well integrated and trained with British corvette HMS AUBRETIA locating the U-boat with ASDIC whilst her blind spots were covered by DD HMS BROADWAY. At various times both ships dropped DCs, forcing U-110 to surface. U-110 survived these attacks, but was seriously damaged with her attackers now including HMS BULLDOG, after AUBRETIA used all her DCs. The two DDs remained in contact. BROADWAY shaped course to ram, but fired two depth charges beneath the U-boat instead, in an endeavour to make the crew abandon ship before scuttling her. Lemp announced "Last stop, everybody out", meaning "Abandon ship". As the crew turned out onto the U-boat's deck they came under fire from the two attacking DDs with casualties from gunfire and drowning. The British had believed that the German deck gun was to be used and ceased fire when they realised that the U-boat was being abandoned and the crew wanted to surrender.

Accounts state Lemp realised that U-110 was not sinking and attempted to swim back to it to destroy the secret material, but was never seen again. A German eyewitness testified that he was shot in the water by a British sailor, but his fate is not confirmed, and this version does not appear in the after action reports by either ship neither does it get a mentioned by war correspondent Helmut Ecke who was on board at the time. But the death of Lemp remains a questionable episode. Including Lemp, 15 men were killed in the action, 32 were captured. Certainly ther was a lot at stake, and both sides knew it.

HMS BULLDOGs boarding party, led by sub-lieutenant David Balme, got onto U-110 and stripped it of everything portable, including her Kurzsignale code book and naval ENIGMA machine withg the additional rotors. William Stewart Pollock, a former radio operator in the RN and on loan to BULLDOG, was on the second boat to board U-110. He retrieved the Enigma machine and books as they looked out of place in the radio room. U-110 was taken in tow back toward Britain, but sank en route to Scapa. The documents captured from U-110 played a vital part for Bletchely Park codebreakers solve "Reservehandverfahren" (a reserve German hand cipher).

Type IXB U-110 (DKM 1040 grt) The ship was captured but hen foundered, or was deliberately sunk the day after its capture. DD BROADWAY was damaged alongside the submarine when the submarine's hydroplane pierced the DD's engine room. BROADWAY was repaired at Dundee in two months. The submarine sank in tow of DD BULLDOG during a storm on the 10th.

U-110 departing Lorient on her second and final cruise

Mine destructor ship QUEENWORTH (UK 3010 grt) was sunk by the LW eight cables 85° from Outer Dowsing Light Buoy (in the Nth Sea) . No crew were killed in the loss.

U-201 sank MV GREGALIA (UK 5,802 grt) when on route from GLASGOW for BUENOS AIRES in Convoy OB-318 in ballast she was torpedoed by U-201 and sunk ENE of Cape Farewell. Crew of 66 saved rescued by British steamer AELYBRYN.

Steamer CRITON (Vichy 4564 grt) was seized by AMC CILICIA at 10-11N, 20-17W off Freetown. The steamer was taken to Freetown, arriving on the 11th. CRITON joined convoy SL.78 on 19 June for passage to Belfast. The steamer fell out of the convoy and was returning to Freetown. She was intercepted on 21 June by auxiliary patrol vessel AIR FRANCE IV and armed trawler EDITH GERMAINE which ordered her to proceed to Konakri. After the steamer made a radio report, the French ships took off the crew and sank the steamer. Twenty four crew and the armed guard under the command of A/Sub Lt S. K. Stretten RNR, were interned at Konakri. Three crew of the steamer died during internment and a fourth later died of illness sustained.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

RM submarine TAZZOLI sank tanker ALFRED OLSEN (Nor 8817 grt) in the SW Approaches. The entire crew were rescued.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Trawler TANKERTON TOWERS (UK 97 grt) was sunk by the LW off St Goven's Light Vessel. The crew of eight were rescued.
[NO IMAGE FOUND

UBOATS

At Sea 09 May 1941
U-38, U-69, U-74, U-75, U-93, U-94, U-95, U-96, U-97, U-98, U-103, U-105, U-106, U-107, U-109, U-110, U-111, U-123, U-141, U-143, U-147, U-201, U-556, UA

24 boats at sea

OPERATIONS
Baltic

North Sea
Mine destructor ship CORFIELD was damaged by near misses by the LW in the Humber. British sailing barge WHITAKER'S No. 17, British steamer DAN Y BRYN, and steamer CASTILIAN were damaged by thje LW at Hull. Two crew and two gunners were lost on steamer CASTILIAN. During the night of 9/10 May, British tankers SAN ROBERTO and BRITISH STATESMAN were damaged by the LW 22 miles ENE of Spurn Point, 53-44N, 0-38E. Both tankers were towed to Immingham.

West Coast
AMC CIRCASSIA arrived at Greenock on the 9th. British Steamer OSTREVENT was damaged by the LW near Swansea. British steamer FISHPOOL was damaged by the LW at Barrow.

Med/Biscay
AS.30 departed Suda Bay escorted by RAN DDss VAMPIRE, WATERHEN, and VOYAGER and sloops FLAMINGO and AUCKLAND. MSW DERBY and RHN DD SPHENDONI joined the escort force later. The convoy arrived at Alexandria on the 12th escorted by VAMPIRE and VOYAGER and sloop AUCKLAND.

RAN DD VENDETTA evacuated wounded from Tobruk during the night of 9/10 May to Alexandria.

Nth Atlantic
British steamer EMPIRE CLOUD was damaged in the nth Atlantic. Five crew were lost. Survivors were picked up by Corvette NIGELLA. The ship arrived at Rames Bay on the 20th in tow of tug THAMES.

SC.31 departed Halifax, escorted by AMC WOLFE and corvettes COBALT and COLLINGWOOD. The corvettes were detached the next day. Escort vessel LULWORTH joined on the 11th. The AMC was detached on the 21st. DDs AMAZON and BULLDOG, corvettes AUBRETIA, HOLLYHOCK, and NIGELLA, and ASW trawler DANEMAN joined on the 21st and were detached on the 24th. On the 24th, DDs CAMPBELTOWN, WANDERER, and WESTCOTT, sloops FLEETWOOD and ROCHESTER, and corvettes AURICULA, DIANTHUS, MARIGOLD, NASTURITUM, and PERIWINKLE joined the escort force. Sloop ROCHESTER and corvette PRIMROSE were detached on the 27th. All, but CAMPBELTOWN and corvette PERIWINKLE, were detached on the 29th. The remaining two escorts were detached when the convoy arrived at Liverpool on the 30th.

USN TG with CV RANGER, CA VINCENNES, and DDs SAMPSON and EBERLE departed Bermuda on neutrality patrol concluding at Bermuda on the 23rd.


Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 9 MAY TO DAWN 10 MAY 1941
Weather Overcast with extremely poor visibility; some rain.

0935-1035 hrsAir raid alert for four JU 87 dive-bombers escorted by 16 fighters approaching the Island. Despite the poor visibility the raiders launch an attack on a convoy approaching Grand Harbour; the attack is unsuccessful. Two Swordfish, two Fulmars, five Hurricanes and five Beaufighters are scrambled to attack the raiders. One Beaufighter shoots down a JU 87, another is probably shot down by fighters.

1100-1145 hrsAir raid alert for two enemy aircraft which approach from the NE heading for shipping outside Grand Harbour. HM ships engage with AA fire; no bombs are dropped. A convoy of seven ships arrives safely.

1532-1550 hrsAir raid alert; raid does not materialise.

OPERATIONS REPORTS FRIDAY 9 MAY 1941
ROYAL NAVY Marsaxlokk is used as an oiling base by 8 DDs and BRECONSHIRE. All available AA guns are mounted around the Bay.Convoys MW 7A and 7B, consisting of BRECONSHIRE, four merchant vessels, and two tankers arrived safely.

AIR HQ 0715-1530 hrs 5 Beaufighters standing patrol for a convoy passing southwards.

HAL FAR Three Fulmar aircraft arrived from the aircraft carrier Formidable.

 

[Njaco]

May 12 Monday
ASIA: The Battle of South Shanxi: Japanese North China Front Army captures Kuangkou, Maotien, and Shaoyuan, holding north bank of Yellow River. Japanese North China Front Army continues attacking Tungfeng.

Japanese government suggests a complete settlement of all disagreements with the US.

EASTERN EUROPE: Moscow recognizes Rashid Ali's Iraqi government.

GERMANY: Admiral Günther Lütjens and other staff officers embarked battleship "Bismarck".

The Nazi Party issued a press release on the subject of Rudolf Hess, claiming that he was "suffering from mental illness" and that the Führer had ordered the immediate arrest of those who helped Hess. Believing they might be involved in the flight of Rudolf Hess, Hitler orders arrests of all astrologers, occultists, and clairvoyants. Hitler abolished Rudolf Hess' post of Deputy Führer, transferred its duties to the new title of Chief of the Nazi Party Chancellory and appointed Martin Bormann to the job.

Polish Lieutenant Mietek Chmiel and Lieutenant Miki Surmanowicz failed in their attempt to escape the Oflag IV-C prisoner of war camp at Colditz Castle, Germany.

Finnish military delegation invited to discussions about cooperation against Soviet Union.

RAF Bomber Command sends 105 aircraft to attack Mannheim and Ludwigshafen overnight. The RAF's attack on targets in northern Europe continued last night for the second night running. There have been raids on Hamburg, Bremen, Berlin, Emden and Rotterdam, and although not terribly effective, they have had some spectacular and deadly results. One airman described the explosion of a heavy bomb on Hamburg:

"The flash was like a great flaming red ball, half a mile across ... we felt a kick from the blast."

MEDITERRANEAN: The lone fighter squadron defending Malta, RAF No 261 Squadron, is ordered disbanded and its equipment given to the newly formed RAF No 185 Squadron. Defense of the island is now up to RAF No 249 Squadron, recently flown in to Malta from the aircraft carrier 'Ark Royal'.

Italian torpedo boats "Pleiadi" and "Pegaso" sank British submarine HMS "Undaunted" off Tripoli, Libya at 2030 hours, killing the entire crew of 32.

Operation Tiger was completed successfully. The British convoy carrying 135 infantry tanks, 82 cruiser tanks, 21 light tanks, and 43 Hurricane fighters arrived at Alexandria, Egypt having traveled through the dangerous Mediterranean Sea. Churchill's gamble has paid off and Allied forces in North Africa can face the Afrika Korps on level terms. RN Mediterranean Fleet returns to Alexandria and Force H returns to Gibraltar.

British submarine HMS "Rorqual" sank two small Greek vessels carrying German troops off the island of Lemnos in the Aegean Sea.

MIDDLE EAST: 6 Luftwaffe He-111s under the command of Colonel Junck landed in the Syrian capital of Damascus on their way to Iraq to support the revolt of Rashid Ali.

NORTH AFRICA: 47 German dive bombers sank British gunboat HMS "Ladybird" in Tobruk harbor, Libya with two bomb hits, killing 4 and wounding 14; "Ladybird's" gunners damaged two German dive bombers in return. Although she settled in 10 feet of water, her 6-inch gun was still above water, and thus she would remain useful as a stationary anti-aircraft gun platform while repairs were being done. Admiral Andrew Cunningham sent the message to her commanding officer; "Great fighting finish worthy of highest ideals and tradition of the Navy and an inspiration for all who fight on the seas."

NORTH AMERICA: Three former US Coast Guard Cutters were commissioned into Royal Navy at New York, United States as HMS "Sennen", HMS "Walney", and HMS "Totland". Like cutters commissioned shortly before them, they were manned by the crew of battleship HMS "Malaya", which was currently under repair in the United States.

In Washington, the Japanese ambassador, Nomura Kichasaburo, presents Secretary of State Cordell Hull with a proposal for the establishment of "just peace in the Pacific."

UNITED KINGDOM: Bombs were dropped on Newcastle and Eshott in Northumberland, Billingham, Stockton, Darlington, North Hylton, Darlington, and Hartlepool in Co Durham and Middlesbrough, Northallerton, Thornaby and Hull in Yorkshire. In brilliant moonlight, Jesmond was attacked, a few IBs dropped in Reid Park Road and St George's Terrace. IBs were dropped near St George's Church. A large chemical works at Billingham was attacked by nineteen enemy aircraft between 00.30 and 02.10 hours. They dropped twenty-seven tons of HE (twenty-five bombs) and 1,584 IBs. Worst damage and casualties were near St Peters Church where several properties had to be demolished. An unusual feature of this raid was a double smoke screen seen in the sky. It has never been fully explained.

British MPs met for the first time in their new temporary home, the House of Lords.

Anti-shipping missions conducted by 125 Luftwaffe aircraft along British coast. British vessels "Richard de Larrinaga" and "Fowberry Tower" were sunk by Luftwaffe aircraft.

The Right Honorable Charles, Earl of Suffolk and Berks, a volunteer bomb-disposal officer who had worked on many new and unknown devices, is killed with his assistants attempting to defuse delayed-action bomb in London: aged 35. (George Cross)

.

 

[parsifal]

10 MAY 1941
REINFORCEMENTS
None
LOSSES
U-556 sank the MV EMPIRE CARIBOU ( UK 4861 grt) She was on passage from London to Boston with a cargo of chalk when lost. She was part of OB-318, and had a complement of 45, of which 34 were to lose their lives. t 0752 hrs the EMPIRE CARIBOU, had completed her dispersal from convoy OB-318, was torpedoed and sunk by U-556 about 465 miles SW of Iceland. The master, 31 crew members and two gunners were lost. Nine crew members and two gunners were picked up by DD HMS MALCOLM, landed at Reykjavik and then brought to Greenock by DD HMS SCIMITAR.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

U-556 sank MV GAND (BE 5086 grt) in the Nth Atlantic. She was on passage from Liverpool to Nova Scotia when lost, travelling in ballast with a crew of 43 of whom 1 was to perish. At 2037 hrs on the GAND, dispersed from convoy OB-318, was torpedoed and sunk by U-556 about 210 miles SE of Cape Farewell. One crew member was lost and another wounded. The master, 38 crew members and four gunners were rescued.

UBOATS
At Sea:
U-38, U-69, U-74, U-75, U-93, U-94, U-95, U-96, U-97, U-98, U-103, U-105, U-106, U-107, U-109, U-111, U-123, U-141, U-143, U-147, U-201, U-556, UA
23 boats at sea

OPERATIONS
North Sea
AA ship ALYNBANK departed Methil with convoy EC.17 from May Island to Pentland Firth. On the 11th, the ship and DD WINDSOR, which had been sent to Scapa Flow to work up, arrived at Scapa Flow.
LW attacks on the port of London sank small auxiliary ships ALTAIS (UK 5 grt), COMET I (UK 5 grt), FAISLANE (UK 5 grt), IGLOO (UK 5 grt), JAKE II (UK 6 grt), NOMAD III (UK 6 grt), SAFARI (UK 4 grt) , and MISS ENGLAND (UK 4 grt). British steamer TOWER FIELD was damaged by the LW off Outer Dowsing Buoy. Sludge vessel HENRY WARD was damaged by the LW in Dry Dock, Green and Silley Weir, London.

Northern Patrol
CLs GALATEA and ARETHUSA were relieved on the Iceland Faroes Passage patrol by CLs NIGERIA and KENYA.

Northern Waters
CA LONDON and DDs MASHONA and TARTAR departed Scapa Flow for the Clyde to provide escort for CVL FURIOUS. The three ships arrived on the 11th.

DD BLANKNEY departed Scapa Flow and met CL NEPTUNE off Rattray Head. The two ships arrived at Scapa Flow that afternoon. NEPTUNE had been sent to Scapa Flow following her refit to work up. NEPTUNE departed Scapa Flow for the Clyde after working up on the 25th. She arrived the next day.

West Coast
Submarine TRIBUNE arrived at Holy Loch on the 25th.

Western Approaches
Steamer AELYBRYN was damaged by U&-556, though the B-Dienst claimed her to be sunk, the ship in fact was not lot until 1943, to U-160 in the Indian Ocean

Med/Biscay
ML.1011 (RN 49 grt), on passage from Suda Bay to Sphakia, was sunk by the LW. During the night of 10/11 May, gunboat LADYBIRD bombarded Gazala.

Nth Atlantic
AMC AURANIA and submarine TRIBUNE departed Halifax with convoy HX.126 with a local escort of RCN corvettes CHAMBLY and ORILLA. The convoy was joined on the 20th by DD MALCOLM and on the 21st by DDs BURNHAM and BURWELL, corvettes ARABIS, HELIOTROPE, MALLOW, and VERBENA. DD SCIMITAR joined on the 22nd and DDs KEPPEL and SABRE, corvettes DIANELLA, GLADIOLUS, and KINGCUP, ASW trawler LADY ELSA, and CAM ship SPRINGBANK on the 23rd. ASW trawlers NORTHERN WAVE and NORTHERN GEM escorted the convoy in Home Waters. The AMC was detached on the 21st. DDs BURNHAM and MALCOLM on the 22nd, corvettes ARABIS, HELIOTROPE, MALLOW, and VERBENA on the 23rd, DD SCIMITAR on the 24th, DDs KEPPEL and BURWELL and corvette GLADIOLUS on the 26th, and DD SABRE on the 27th. DD VENOMOUS joined on the 26th. The convoy arrived at Liverpool on the 28th with destroyer VENOMOUS and corvette KINGCUP.
Central Atlantic

Convoy SL.74 departed Freetown escorted by AMC BULOLO until 29 May. Corvettes AMARANTHUS, ANCHUSA, ASPHODEL, and CALENDULA escorted the convoy from 11 May to 19 May. CA DORSETSHIRE joined the convoy on the 12th to 26 May.

On the 30th, DD READING to 4 June, VANQUISHER to 2 June, and WINCHELSEA to 2 June, and corvettes GENTIAN to 4 June, HIBISCUS to 4 June, PIMERNEL to 4 June, and RHODODENDRON to 4 June joined. The convoy arrived at Liverpool on 4 June.

Ocean boarding vessel HILARY captured tkr GIANNA M. (FI 5719 grt), which had departed Las Palmas on 27 April, 325 miles north of the Azores, 45N, 24-42W. The ocean boarding vessel escorted the tanker to join convoy HG.61. The tanker arrived in Belfast Lough on the 20th and was used by the British as EMPIRE CONTROL.
Submarine SEVERN arrived at Gibraltar from Freetown.

Malta
AIR RAIDS DAWN 10 MAY TO DAWN 11 MAY 1941
Weather Overcast with poor visibility.

1136-1150 hrsAir raid alert for three ME 109 fighters which patrol round the Island. Their presence suggests the passage of JU 52 transport aircraft north to south off Malta. Three Beaufighters are sent to investigate; one fails to return. The other two Beaufighters find no trace of the JU 52s. A fourth Beaufighter is sent to search for the missing aircraft. F/Lt J Lowe and F/Sgt J H Tranter are reported missing.

1408-1420 hrs Air raid alert for a small formation of ME 109s which patrol round the Island without crossing the coast.
1843-1942 hrs Air raid alert for six ME 109 fighters which approach the Island, split up and patrol at 20000 feet. One group circles for some time off Kalafrana before one ME 109 dives down and machine-guns a Sunderland at its moorings in Marsaxlokk Bay; the aircraft burns out and sinks. Hurricane fighters are scrambled and engage the ME 109s, claiming one probably shot down. Heavy and light AA guns also engage; Bofors claim a direct hit on a Messerschmitt.
Military casualties Flight Lieutenant John Joseph Lowe, Flight Sergeant John Henry Tranter, Royal Air Force, 252 Sqn
.
OPERATIONS REPORTS SATURDAY 10 MAY 1941

ROYAL NAVY HMS FORESIGHTarrived for repair of defects.

AIR HQ Departures1 Sunderland.

69 sqnMaryland shuttle from the Middle East via the Greek coast. Maryland patrol off eastern Sicilian coast. Maryland photo-reconn of Tripoli; about 25 merchant ships seen, some 9000 tons. Maryland Ionian Sea patrol. Maryland shuttle service to Zante and back.

252 sqn Nine Beaufighters carry out a daylight successful strafing attack on aerodromes at Catania and Comiso doing much damage. Wellington bombers night attack on Tripoli caused several large explosions and large fires. All aircraft returned safely.

HAL FAR 830 sqnFive aircraft carried out operational flight against Tripoli; all aircraft returned safely.

 

[Njaco]

May 13 Tuesday
ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarines U-98 and U-111 attacked Allied convoy SC-30 off Greenland in the morning, sinking British ship "Somersby" (entire crew of 43 survived and rescued by Greek ship "Marika Protopapa") and armed merchant cruiser HMS "Salopian" (3 were killed, 287 survived). Also in the morning, U-105 sank British ship "Benvrackie" at 0748 hours 700 miles off Sierra Leone, British West Africa; 28 were killed, 55 survived.

ASIA: The Battle of South Shanxi: Japanese North China Front Army captures Tungfeng. Isolated north of Yellow River by Japanese North China Front Army, units of Chinese 1st War Area ordered to break out to the north in small groups and commence guerrilla operations.

EASTERN EUROPE: Four Soviet armies of the high command reserve are ordered to move from the interior to the Western and Kiev army groups. The Red Army commenced the movement of substantial forces to the western frontier, but out of the thirty-three divisions deployed only four or five were fully equipped by the outbreak of war.

Soviet Defense Commissar Marshal Timoshenko and Chief of General Staff Georgi Zhukov submit a plan to Premier Josef Stalin for a land force of 152 divisions and 3000-4000 aircraft to destroy 100 German divisions in a pre-emptive strike in southern Poland. Stalin recognizes a lack of preparation for war, and refuses to sanction this or a general mobilization.

GERMANY: Battleship "Bismarck" and heavy cruiser "Prinz Eugen" conducted refueling exercises.

In Germany, a new Decree on wartime military jurisdiction was published, which removed crimes against civilians from the sphere of courts martial and suspended any obligation to punish offences against "hostile civilian persons" committed by soldiers.

At a diplomatic reception, a drunken Professor Karl Bömer, head of the Foreign Press Department, announces to diplomats and journalists that he was being promoted to Gauleiter of the Crimea, following the invasion of Russia on June 22.

The Royal Air Force bombed Heligoland.

German ambassador Papen reports to Berlin on favorable prospects for Turkey allying with Germany.

MIDDLE EAST: A shipment of Vichy French weapons arrived in Mosul, Iraq from French Mandate of Syria, containing 15,500 rifles, 6 million rounds of ammunition, 200 machine guns, 4 75-mm field guns, and 10,000 shells. Meanwhile, a British mobile column from Palestine reached Rubah, Iraq, finding it already abandoned by Iraqi forces. The fort at Rubah (protecting the oasis spring and an airstrip for refueling British civilian aircraft flying to India) had been occupied by Iraqi troops on May 2 but abandoned on May 10 after bombing by RAF Bristol Blenheims of RAF No. 203 Squadron from Basra.

NORTH AFRICA: British troops began gathering for the Operation Brevity offensive in the Libyan-Egyptian border region. Axis aircraft discovered and bombed one tank concentration. Conceived by the commander-in-chief of the British Middle East Command, General Archibald Wavell, Brevity was intended to be a rapid blow against weak Axis front-line forces in the Sollum–Capuzzo–Bardia area of the border between Egypt and Libya.

British gunboat HMS "Gnat" shelled the German airfield at Gazala, Libya 30 miles west of Tobruk after sundown in an attempt to disrupt the German aerial campaign against the besieged Tobruk.

UNITED KINGDOM: The May Blitz: Another large scale raid on London, similar to that of May 10, is mounted, again damaging large portions of the city.

Homeless members of the House of Commons met today in Church House, Westminster, normally the assembly hall of the Church of England. Their own chamber is a heap of rubble. Only the scorched walls remain - the Speaker's chair, the table and its despatch boxes all perished. A small bomb struck Big Ben, denting and blackening the clock face, but is it still chiming the hours. 'Parliamentary business will not be interrupted by enemy action," Churchill declared at Question Time in the substitute chamber.

A Junkers Ju 88 shot down by AA gunfire from the patrol boat 'Protective', crashed into the sea off Spurn Head at 0032 hours. Two of the crew were killed.

Anti-shipping missions conducted by 40 Luftwaffe aircraft along British coast.

British scientists begin intensive work on "Oboe", the code name for a system of wireless navigation and bombing.

WESTERN FRONT: RAF Bomber Command sends 44 aircraft on anti-shipping missions along coast of occupied Europe.

.

 

[Njaco]

May 14 Wednesday
ATLANTIC OCEAN: German armed merchant cruiser "Atlantis" sank British ship "Rabaul" with shellfire 500 miles west of South Africa; 7 were killed, 51 were captured.

ASIA: The Battle of South Shanxi: Japanese North China Front Army mops up along north bank of Yellow River and attempts to interdict isolated remnants of Chinese 1st War Area as they escape to conduct guerrilla operations.

"Kaga" departed the drydocks at Sasebo, Japan.

EASTERN EUROPE: Romania passed laws which required all adult Jews to become forced laborers.

GERMANY: "Bismarck's" 12-ton port side crane and catapults broke during exercises with the light cruiser "Leipzig". Operation Rheinübung was again delayed until the crane was repaired. Lütjens and Lindemann received the code date for Operation Rheinübung: 'Marburg 5724'. By combining the first and last digits and dividing that number (54) by three, Lütjens and Lindemann learned that they were to pass through the Great Belt on the night of 18 May. Lütjens, however, refused to sortie without Bismarck's port cranes and catapults in working order. 'Marburg' was postponed for at least three days.

MEDITERRANEAN: The forces needed for Unternehmen MERKUR, the Crete invasion, are not assembled so the invasion is postponed. But VIII Fliegerkorps begins flying sorties over the island as a prelude. Luftwaffe switches attacks from British shipping off Crete to airfields on the island. Two Hurricanes are destroyed in air combat and a Hurricane and a Fulmar are destroyed on the ground. But the Luftwaffe loses six Bf 109s shot down including one to anti-aircraft fire. British vessel "Dalesman" sunk by Luftwaffe aircraft at Suda Bay.

British cruiser HMS "Dido" departed Suda Bay, Crete, Greece and headed for Alexandria, Egypt with £7,000,000 worth of Greek gold aboard. She was escorted by destroyers HMS "Stuart", HMS "Vendetta", HMS "Janus", and HMS "Isis'.

Col. Kippenberger takes command of composite New Zealand 10th Infantry Brigade for operations on Crete.

Bulgaria annexed part of Greek Macedonia and Greek Thrace.

MIDDLE EAST: A British Blenheim bomber flying reconnaissance over Syria spotted a German Ju 90 transport aircraft at the Vichy French airfield at Palmyra. The British government gave permission to attack, and RAF fighter soon attacked the airfield, damaging two He 111 bombers. Later that afternoon 3 British Blenheim bombers with 2 Curtiss Tomahawk fighters flying cover, made a low-level strafing attack on Palmyra without visible success. This was the first time that Curtiss Tomahawks were deployed in the war.

Fearing a concentrated Axis offensive against the Middle East from the Balkans via Syria, the Chiefs of Staff order Wavell to secure Syria as soon as possible. Wavell tells the UK Chiefs of Staff that occupation of Syria will require an entire corps including an armoured division.

NORTH AFRICA: Axis aircraft attempted to locate British troop concentrations near the Libyan-Egyptian border as a British offensive was suspected; none were found.

NORTH AMERICA: USN Pacific Fleet Exercise No. 1 commences off California coast.

UNITED KINGDOM: The British RAF formed No. 121 Squadron, also known as the second Eagle Squadron. It was consisted of American volunteers.

Karl Richter, a German spy, is arrested in East Anglia shortly after parachuting in.

WESTERN FRONT: Lord Gort was appointed the Governor of Gibraltar.

The first mass round-up of Jews in Paris took place. More than 3,700 foreign Jews were arrested when they reported to a gymnasium for police examination of their status. They were sent to the internment camps of Pithiviers and Beaune-la-Rolande. Nazi occupiers in Netherlands forbade Jewish music.

French Admiral Francois Darlan, leader of the armed forces of Vichy France, broadcast to the citizens that only within the confines of the Third Reich can France thrive. Darlan tells Petain that he will collaborate with Hitler to prevent France's "Polandization".

.