Air Operations, Aleutians

6 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s, 10 B-25s, 8 343rd Fighter Group P-38s, and 37 P-40s attack Kiska throughout the day.

Air Operations, CBI

• 9 308th Heavy Bomb Group B-24s temporarily based at Hsinching airfield at Chengtu attack various targets in Ichang. When 40 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters attack the B-24s, they are driven off by the 40 23rd Fighter Group and Chinese Air Force P-40 escorts. One Chinese Air Force pilot and one USAAF pilot each claim one 'Oscar' downed, and bomber gunners claim a rather improbable 20 'Oscars' shot down plus 5 probables.
• The 3 Ichang missions by 14th Air Force bombers and fighters materially aid the Chinese Army in defeating the Japanese Army threat to take the city and thus choke Yangtze River traffic in Nationalist-held regions.
• 6 23rd Fighter Group P-40s attack trains and troops at Siaokan.

Air Operations, Europe

• Relays of Allied bombers continue to attack Italian targets. B-17s destroy many grounded planes on the Foggia airfield.
• 3 Me-110 night-fighters attack a DC-3 over the Bay of Biscay believing that Churchill is on board. This erroneous information has been fed to them through a German agent in Lisbon who reported only that he had seen someone who looked like the British Prime Minister join the flight.

• The squadrons of No. 2 Group send 54 aircraft of 5 raids on the Group's last day before leaving Bomber Command. 12 Venturas are sent to attack the power station at Zeebrugge, 12 more the airfield at Caen and 6 to the Cherbourg docks. 12 Mitchells attack a shipyard at Flushing. All these raids are successful. 12 Bostons are sent to attack a power station in France but do not reach their target.
• 1 Mitchell is lost, but 3 of its crew are rescued.

Air Operations, Far East

US and Chinese aviators shoot down 20 Japanese fighters in a short aerial combat over Ichang, Hunan Province.

Air Operations, New Guinea

90th Heavy Bomb B-24s attack the airfield and town area at Lae.

Air Operations, Pacific

B-24s bomb Lae. A lone B-17 routs a Japanese fighter squadron over Finschhafen. 3 of the crew are wounded.

Air Operations, Solomons

3 XIII Bomber Command B-24s attack targets in southern Bougainville.

Aleutians

On Attu the Americans reconnoitre the whole of the island in search for Japanese survivors. They find only corpses.

Japanese Soldiers Use Grenades to Commit Suicide

Ridge between the East Arm of Holtz Bay and Chichagof Bay, Attu, May 31, 1943. (U.S. Army Signal Corps) Japanese soldiers used hand grenades to commit suicide when it was clear that their final banzai attack on Attu on May 29, 1943, would fail. This photograph shows a group of approximately 40 Japanese soldiers who died in this manner; the rest were killed by Americans. The photo shows just where the soldiers fell. Later these bodies were removed and buried.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-boats U-440 and U-563 are sunk by Coastal Command aircraft, Dönitz having instructed their commanders to engage aircraft with their guns.

Eastern Front

The opposing forces around Kursk continue to build. The Ostheer is sending the buld of its replacements to this sector, other sectors having to get by with what they have.

During May the Germans pull the 4th SS Motorized Division out of the combat line and disband the 7th Lufwaffe Division. The 79th Infantry Division enters the line bringing Ostheer deployment to 16 panzer, 14 panzer grenadier and 146 infantry divisions.

Free French

(when?) Adm Réne Godfroy, commander of the French naval units in Alexandria, formally announces that his ships will join the Allied military effort.

Germany, Home Front

Speer's Armaments Ministry assumes responsibility for naval armaments including U-boat construction.

Germany, Planning

Gen Guderian tries to talk Hitler out of a summer offensive on the Russian front. Hitler replies, 'You're quite right. Every time I think of this attack my stomach turns.' In the end, however, he approves Operation CITADEL, which turns into the disastrous Battle of Kursk.

Mediterranean

Pantelleria is shelled by a British cruiser and 2 destroyer. It has already been bombed several times in the past few days.