Air Operations, Europe

The RAF bomb Ry (Denmark), Fornebu and Stavanger airfields.

German Raiders

The German armed merchant cruiser Atlantis sinks the British steamer Scientist (6199t) in the South Atlantic with the loss of 2 of her crew.

Hickam Field, Oahu, Hawaii, May 3, 1940. Bishop Point in Pearl Harbor's Main Entrance Channel is at the bottom of the photo. Hickam Field, Hawaii

Norway

The French destroyer Bison and the British destroyer Afridi are sunk by German air attacks while evacuating the Allied forces from Namsos. All the British troops in central and southern Norway are evacuated, leaving only a small force at Narvik. From this point on the war in southern Norway is at an end and the fighting shifts to the north where the Norwegian forces have had time to be prepared.

German troops and bombers on snowy and icy airfield during the battle for Norway, May 3, 1940. German Troops in Norway

Evacuation of Namsos (1850 British, 2345 French & some Norwegian troops, 30 German POWs) is complete at dawn. The British destroyer Afridi leaves at 0445, staying to shell vehicles left behind on the dock. Luftwaffe bombers attack the convoy at 0945. The French destroyer Bison sinks at 1010 with 103 lives lost. The British destroyers Afridi, Imperial and Grenade rescue survivors from the water. Afridi is also bombed at 1400 and sinks in 45 minutes. 49 of Afridi’s crew, 13 men of 146th Brigade and 30 of the 69 just rescued from Bison are killed). Griffin and Imperial pick up survivors. Evacuation of Namsos

The Norwegian town of Elverum, near the Swedish border, burns after a German bombing mission. Elverum, Norway, May 3, 1940. Elverum Bombed

The Norwegian forces in the Trondheim area surrender.

German ships at a Norwegian port. German Ships

The Norwegian forces in the Trondheim area surrender.

Secret War

Col Hans Oster of the Abwehr tells Col Bert Sas, Dutch military attaché in Berlin, that Germany will attack the Low Countries soon (probably May 8).

Western Front

Hitler postpones the Gelb offensive from May 5 to May 6. There are further postponement on May 4, 5, 7 and 8.

The French 2nd Army commander, Gen Charles Huntziger, orders the demolition of anti-tank obstacles (built without his approval) on 2 main roads from the Ardennes forest.