Chronology of World War II

May 1940

Sunday, May 12th


Air Operations, Europe

5 Battles flown by volunteers make a suicidal attack on the Vroenhoven and Veldwezelt bridges over the Albert Canal in Belgium. All 5 are shot down by flak although the Veldwezelt bridge is damaged.

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Battle of the Atlantic

  • The British steamer Roek (1041t) sinks on a mine in the Nieuwe Waterweg east of Rotterdam. 20 crew and 31 refugees are rescued.
  • The British steamer St Denis (2435t) sinks on a mine in a river between Hook and Rotterdam partially blocking the channel.
  • The Dutch steamer Prinses Juliana (2908t) is sunk by German bombing off Hook. She was carrying troops from Flushing to Ijmiuden. The British destroyers Wild Swan and Havock pick up the survivors.
  • The Swedish steamer Indus (729t) is seized by German troops at Bergen. She will later be renamed Metz for German service. The Swedish steamer Eros is also seized by the Germans at Bergen and later renamed Illkirch for German service.
  • The German trawler Kathe Jurgensen (346t) is sunk on a mine near Lubeck.
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Britain, Home Front

3,000 enemy aliens and 11,000 non-enemy aliens are interned. Kingsley Wood is appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer, Anderson, Home Secretary and Morrison, Minister of Supply.

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Norway

2 battalions of the French Foreign Legion land at Bjerkvik, near Narvik.

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Western Front

The French 7th Army advancing into Holland is engaged with the German advance of the 9th Pzr Div near Tilburg and is thrown back. It is ordered to evacuate Breda and fall back on the Schelde. In their main armored thrust the Germans enter Sedan without a fight spearheaded by Guderian's 1st and 10th Arm Divs. The French light mechanized forces in the area retire to the left bank of the Meuse where they have substantial artillery support deployed to deny the crossing to the Germans. All the bridges over the Meuse are blown up except at Mézières, where French 'fortress' troops continue to hold both banks. Advance guards of 3 Pzr corps reach the Meuse later in the day along a 130 km front, from Dinant to Sedan, having advanced 120 km in 3 days. Farther north the 7th Arm Div reaches the Meuse on a level with Dinant. The Luftwaffe systematically bombs the Allied lines of communication.[MORE]

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