Air Operations, New Guinea

8th Pursuit Group P-39s shoot down 2 A6M Zeros over Port Moresby at 0730 hours.

Air Operations, Pacific

5th Air Force B-25s attack the Japanese seaplane base at Deboyne Island.

Britain, Home Front

Churchill broadcasts a warning that if the Germans use poison gas in Russia, Britain will retaliate. '. . . if we are satisfied that this new outrage has been committed by Hitler we will use our great and growing air superiority in the West on the largest possible scale far and wide against military objectives in Germany.' Unknown to the British, SS killer squads have already used carbon monoxide gas vans to kill Soviet Jews.

Burma

The Japanese attack in the Shwegyin sector.

Eastern Front

At noon the weather in the Crimea clears and the Germans resume their attack. With its armies crumbling, the Stavka instructs the Crimean Front to pull back its forces to the Tartar Ditch. Manstein quickly overcomes this position as he strives to complete the encirclement of the 44th and 51st Armies.

Field Marshal Halder estimates that since June 1941 the Ostheer has suffered 1,183,000 casualties.

Malta

Gen Albert Kesselring, in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the southern front in Sicily, reports to Berlin that Malta 'has been completely neutralized'.

From the USS Ranger group -- May 10, 1942 -- Approximately 80 miles off coast of Accra, Africa. Commenced to launch P-40s at 0800. Last flight at 1715. Takeoffs were fairly good.

US Carrier Ranger in Action

Occupied Soviet Union

The Germans open a new death camp at Maly Trostenets, a small village outside the Belorussian city of Minsk. Some 250,000 Jews will be deported from Western Europe to the camp, where they will be killed in gas vans similar to those used at Chelmno and Riga.

Philippines

Gen Sharp, commanding the remaining American forces in the central Philippines and Mindanao, gives the order to surrender. A few small groups in the southern Philippines and on Luzon keep fighting for a few weeks.