Air Operations, Mediterranean

The Luftwaffe launches a series of attacks on ships of the Royal Navy at Crete by bombers, fighter-bombers and Stukas. Bombs from the Stukas sink the cruiser Gloucester with a loss of 693 killed and the destroyer Greyhound. The cruiser Fiji is crippled and abandoned, the battleship Warspite is damaged along with 3 other ships.

Aerial attack of a Ju-87 Stuka bombers on the British cruiser Gloucester, 22 May 1941

British Cruiser Gloucester Under Attack

Photograph taken by a German airman recording the sinking of the British cruiser Gloucester off the coast of Crete, 22 May 1941

Sinking of the Gloucester

During the night 3 British destroyers shell the airborne forces on Maleme airfield. The British destroyers Decoy and Hero evacuate King George of Greece and his staff from the island.

Air Operations, North Africa

There are British air raids on Benghazi.

Battle of the Atlantic

• U-111 sinks the British steamer Barnby southwest of Iceland with the loss of 1 crewman. 44 survivors land at Reykjavik.
• U-103 sinks the British tanker British Grenadier (6857t) southwest of Freetown. All 49 of the crew are picked up by the Portuguese steamer Ganda and the Spanish tanker Jose Calvo Sotelo.
• The German steamer Ditmar Koel (5088t) sinks on a mine near Juist, East Frisian Islands.

Crete

Ju-52s land reinforcements at Malema. There is little change in the Allied positions, but in the face of the growing strength and complete air superiority, Freyberg cancels a further counterattack during the night and orders a withdrawal instead. Also during the night, King George of Greece is evacuated from the island to Egypt.

German paratroopers leaving a Ju52 transport plane at Maleme, Crete.

Ju-52 Transport in Crete

Germany, Preparations

Kesselring, CO Luftflotte 2, moves into his new HQ at Poznan, Poland. This signifies the completion of the large-scale transfer of German air forces from the West to the 'Russian Front'.

Italian East Africa

British pressure increases on the Italian defenders in the Galla Sidamo sector.

Mediterranean

• German convoys sailing for Crete with mountain troops and supplies are harassed by the Royal Navy.
• The British destroyer Greyhound is sunk in a German air attack with the loss of 77 of her crew. Survivors are picked up by the British destroyers Kandahar and Kingston. German air attacks claime the British light cruiser Gloucester with the loss of 676 of her crew and the British light cruiser Fiji with the loss of 257 of her 780 man crew.