Air Operations, Bismarcks
V Bomber Command B-25s attack Gasmata. 43rd Heavy Bomb Group B-17s and 90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s mount individual attacks against Cape Gloucester and Gasmata.
[
| 
]Air Operations, East Indies
V Bomber Command B-25s attack Barique, Dili, and Penfoei, Timor.
[ | ]Air Operations, Europe
- A formation of 10 Marauders is annihilated by flak and Me-109s in a low-level raid on the Ijmuiden power station. The 8th Air Force transfers this type of aircraft to medium-altitude missions with strong fighter escorts.
- There is a night raid on Cardiff by 89 aircraft. 6 are lost.
Daylight Ops:
- 13 Venturas bomb the Caen airfield without a loss.
- 3 Mosquitos are sent to Munich and 6 aircraft lay mines off La Pallice.
- 1 Stirling minelayer is lost.
Salvage After London Raid - 17 May 1943 (AP Photo) |
 |
FRANCE:
- 90 1st Heavy Bomb Wing B-17s attack the Lorient U-boat base, and 38 4th Heavy Bomb Wing B-17s attack power facilities at Lorient in the face of heavy Luftwaffe fighter opposition and flak.
- 5 B-17s are lost, 29 are damaged; 1 crewman killed, 8 wounded, 57 missing
- Approaching their target at low level from the sea, 34 2nd Heavy Bomb Wing B-24s attack the Bordeaux U-boat base with more than 85 tons of bombs against only light opposition.
- 1 B-24 is damaged; 2 crewmen are wounded
NETHERLANDS:
- 322nd Medium Bomb Group send 11 B-26s to undertak a minimum-level attack on power stations at Ijmuiden and Haarlem. 1 plane aborts and heads home early, and all of the remaining B-26s are lost.
- 10 B-26s are lost; 60 crewmen are lost
| ]Air Operations, New Guinea
- 43d Heavy Bomb Group B-17s and 90th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s mount individual attacks against Finschhafen and Lae.
- At least 25 G4M 'Betty' bombers destroy an Australian Army brigade headquarters at Wau.
| ]Air Operations, Solomons
AirSols light bombers and fighters attack Rekata Bay.
[ | ]Aleutians
On Attu, the units from Holtz Bay advance and occupy the positions evacuated by the enemy during the night. The units at Massacre Bay also discover that the Japanese have gone and occupy Jarmin Pass.
[ | ]Battle of the Atlantic
- The German submarine U-128 is sunk by a combination of effort from naval land-base aircraft (VP-74) and the US destroyers Moffett (DD-362) and Jouett (DD-396) off Brazil.
- U-640 is engaged in operations against convoy ONS-7. After sinking the steamer Aymeric, the U-boat is attacked and by the frigate HMS Swale.
- U-646 is beginning her first patrol when she is sighted by Hudson 'J' of No 269 Squadron. The aircraft approaches at low level and drops four depth charges from 50 feet perfectly stralling the U-boat. The submarine is seen sinking leaving wreckage and debris on the surface.
|
|
| Class | Type VIIC |
| CO | Oberleutnant zur See Heinrich Wulff |
| Location | Atlantic, W of Faroe Islands |
| Cause | Air attack |
| Casualties | 46 |
| Survivors | None |
| ]Diplomatic Relations
In Washington the US and Britain agree to exchange intelligence obtained from deciphered signals, codename 'Ultra'. The US will concentrate on Japanese ciphers, Britain on German and Italian.
[ | ]
Mediterranean
For the first time since Italy entered the war, an Allied convoy passed through the Strait of Gibraltar and steamed across the length of the Mediterranean without meeting any Axis opposition. Possession of the North African (?)littorla permitted safe and free passage for the movement of troops and supplies.
[ | ]Pacific
The US submarine Grayback (SS-208) attacks a Japanese convoy and sinks the army cargo ship England Maru (5330t) about 60 miles northwest of Mussau Island.
[ | ]Secret War
The US and Britain arrive at a cooperation agreement in the code-breaking war against the Axis. From now on, the two countries will actively share the burden of unravelling the ciphers produced by the German Enigma, the Japanese Purple and the Italian C38M machines. The Allies will share not only technical knowledge, but also the intelligence gleaned, to be known as ULTRA. US intelligence analysts are to spend more time on Pacific theater intelligence, while Britain focuses on German and Italian ciphers.
[ | ]Spain
There is a disastrous fire at El Ferrol naval base. 3 cruisers and 2 destroyers are seriously damaged.
[ | ]Yugoslavia, Resistance
(15th?) The Germans begin their fifth major offensive against Tito's Partisans, code name Operation SCHWARZ and commanded by Gen Rudolf Luters. The main striking forces for the operation are to be provided by the SS Div Prinz Eugen and 2 formations specially brought in, 1st Mtn Div and 4th Brandenburg Regt. Various other Axis formations are to hold an encircling ring and altogether there are 120,000 against Tito's 20,000 at most.
[ | ]