Battle of the Atlantic

• The British light cruiser Edinburgh intercepts the German steamer Lech (3290t) 400 miles north of the Azores. The German ship scuttles herself.
• U-107 sinks the Greek steamer Papalemos (3748t) just off the coast of west Africa with the loss of 2 of her crew. 27 survivors make it to the coast in lifeboats.

Crete

Gen Ringel, not realizing how desperate a state the enemy is in, instead of moving all his troops to the south of the island where the British are assembling for evacuation, concentrates them in the north towards Retimo and Heraklion, ordering his mountain troops to support the attacks on those two places. The Allied forces fight some small, rearguard actions to cover their retreat to the evacuation beaches at Sfakia. Evacuations from Sfakia take place each of the next 4 nights.

Troops Being Evacuated on a British Corvette

British Wounded Evacuated to Alexandria

During the night the Heraklion garrison of 4,000 men is taken off by a force of cruisers and destroyers. These ships are heavily attacked while withdrawing. In the course of the evacuations the anti-aircraft cruiser Calcutta and the destroyers Greyhound, Hereward and Imperial are lost.

The Italians land at Sitia, near the northeastern tip of the island, a contingent of 2,700 men who had left Rhodes the previous day on board 13 small craft escorted by 5 destroyers and 6 submarines.

Iraq

The Allied forces occupy Ur. The 20th Indian Bde has made this advance from Basra but can go no further for the moment because repairs to roads and railroad tracks are needed.

Mediterranean

The Greek steamer Georgos (667t) is sunk by German bombing at Candia.