Air Operations, Europe

RAF targets this month include Stuttgart and Mannheim as well as day and night attacks on strategic installations in France. All these operations are overshadowed by the raid on Cologne on the night of the 30th.

Battle of the Atlantic

The efforts of the 'milch cows' mean that there is the large number of between 16 and 18 U-boats off the US coast during the month. Their only easy successes are off Florida, and they are gradually moving south to the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico where there are as yet no convoys. British and Canadian ships are being moved to strengthen the US forces in the area however. From the middle of the month a fairly complete convoy system covers all the US coast north of Florida. There is also one pack operation against ONS-92 on the main convoy routes. Axis submarines sink 125 ships of 607,200 tons this month out of a total of 705,000 tons.(Allied Ships Lost to U-boats this month)

Air Operations - Europe

12 Bostons attack a parachute factory in Calais and the railway stations at St Omer with no losses.

Air Operations, New Guinea

8th Pursuit Group P-39s shoot down 4 A6M Zeros in a couple of seperate actions near the Port Moresby/Seven Mile Airfield between 0750 and 0845 hours.

Atlantic

The British destroyer Punjabi is sunk after colliding with the battleship King George V. The latter suffers damage from exploding depth charges.

Burma

Mandalay falls to the Japanese 18th and 56th Divisions and Monywa to the 33rd Division as British forces find their left flank totally exposed. The Allies are now retreating, with the Chinese 6th Army heading for the Chinese province of Yunnan. Units of the 5th and 66th Armies withdraw to Yunnan or northern Burma.

Damage in Mandalay

Japanese Troops Marching through a Captured Town

Eastern Front

In the siege of Sebastopol May Day celebrations and demonstrations are held despite German air raids and artillery fire. During the period from May through November of 1942 448,694 civilians will be evacuated from Leningrad by boat across Lake Ladoga.

The XXXIX Panzer Corps begins a counterattack aimed at relieving the long encircled garrison at Kholm.

City Militia Women Spotters

The Demyansk Operation has cost the Soviet forces 88,908 killed and 156,603 wounded.

Clearing Debris in Velletta, Malta

Mediterranean

During the next two days 2 U-boats are sunk while attempting to disrupt the 'Tobruk Ferry'.

On May 1 U-572 is attacked by Hudson 'M' of No 233 Squadron RAF with three depth charges. She is damaged but makes it to the Spanish port of Cartagena on May 2, where she is interned.

U-573

Air Operations, Europe

In a huge mine-laying operation 96 aircraft are involved from Germany to Brittany. 2 Manchesters are lost. 11 aircraft make leaflet flights to France with no losses.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

British aircraft carry out overnight raids on the islands of Rhodes and Leros and, in Greece, on the Piraeus area and the outskirts of Athens.

Barents Sea

The cruiser HMS Edinburgh, already damaged by U-456 on April 30th, is further damaged by German destroyers under tow to Kola Inlet. 43 more of her men are lost in this action. After this attack she is scuttled by the British destroyer Foresight.

HMS Edinburgh after a Torpedo Hit

HMS Edinburgh Loses Its Battle

HMS Edinburgh Sinks

Australia, Home Front

The area of Townsville, in north Queensland, is put on invasion alert.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-402 torpedoes and sinks the US yacht Cythera (PY-26) off the coast of North Carolina. 66 men are lost; 2 survivors are rescued by the U-boat and taken back to Germany as POWs.

Battle of the Coral Sea

The buildup to the Battle of the Coral Sea begins. The principal aim of the Japanese plans is the capture of Port Moresby. The Japanese forces are divided into 5 groups to accomplish this and other subsidiary tasks. These forces include the large carriers Zuikaku and Shokaku under the command of Vice-Adm Takeo Takagi which are to provide overall cover.

A second group with the small carrier Shoho and 4 heavy cruisers, Rear-Adm Amitomo Goto, is to help first with close support for the landings on Tulagi, to establish a seaplane base there, and then with the main operations. Vice-Adm Nariyoshi Inouye commanding at Rabaul, from where the main invasion force is to set out, is in command.

Largely because of American ability to read the Japanese codes, Adm Nimitz is able to order a concentration of Allied task forces to oppose the Japanese who in turn believe that there can be at most one enemy carrier in the area. The small Australian garrison's withdrawal from Tulagi is designed to encourage the Japanese attacks by feigning weakness. The officer commanding the naval squadron, Task Force 17, patrolling the Coral Sea, Rear-Adm Frank J. Fletcher, immediately heads for Tulagi with the carriers Yorktown (CV-5) and Lexington (CV-2) and supporting forces. The other Allied ships come from 2 other task forces: Task Force 11, under Rear-Adm Aubrey Fitch, with the carrier USS Lexington and Task Force 44, under Rear-Adm John G. Crace, with Australian and American cruisers. At first only Task Force 17 is in operation.

Burma

Monywa is attacked by 3 brigades of I Burma Corps but are driven back by the Japanese who had just captured the place. The attacking troops fall back in disorder while the rest of the Burma forces fall back to Shwegyin.

Norwegian Sea

The Polish submarine Jastrzeb is mistakenly attacked by the Norwegian destroyer St Albans and the British minesweeper Seagull off northern Norway with the loss of 5 on board. After the mistake is realized, St Albans and Seagull rescues the survivors. The minesweeper then scuttles the badly damaged submarine.

Air Operations, CBI

• 1st AVG Squadron Leader Robert H. Neale downs 3 Ki-27 'Nate' fighters over Moulmein airfield.
• A 1st AVG Figher Squadron P-40 downs a Japanese Army reconnaissance bomber near the Lingling airfield during the afternoon.

Air Operations, Europe

In another 'Baedeker' Raid the Luftwaffe heavily bombs Exeter. 90 aircraft start a conflagration in the city center. The cathedral and 9 churches are wrecked. Firemen and ARP personnel are machine-gunned in the bright moonlight. The Germans lose 7 planes in the raid.

Damage in Exeter after Baedeker Raid

2 He-111s, taking off from a northern France airfield, are shot down by Sqn-Ldr James Maclachlan, a one-armed fighter pilot.

• 6 Bostons raid the docks at Dunkirk without a loss.
• After receiving an unfavorable weather forecast, 81 aircraft including 43 Wellingtons, 20 Halifaxes, 13 Stirlings and 5 Hampdens are sent to bomb Hamburg on the 100th anniversary of a great fire in Hamburg. The city is completely covered by cloud and only 54 aircraft bomb on the estimated position of the city.
• Despite these unfavorable circumstances the bombing is an unexpected success. 113 fires are started of which 57 are classified as big. 77 people are killed, 243 injured and 1,624 are bombed out. 2 Wellingtons are lost on the raid.
• In minor operations, 9 aircraft are sent to St Nazaire, 4 Blenheim Intruders, 2 lay mines off Heligoland and 8 are on leaflet flights over France. There are no losses.

Air Operations, New Guinea

8th Pursuit Group P-39s shoot down 3 G3M 'Nell' bombers over Port Moresby at 0900 hours.

Norwegian Sea

The German steamer Konsul Carl Fisser (5843t) is sunk by British bombing near Alesund, Norway.

Occupied Denmark

Thorvald Stauning, the Prime Minister of Denmark 1929-1942, dies a the age of 68.

Air Operations, CBI

During the night 4 7th Bomb Group B-17s attack the Rangoon/Mingaladon airfield.

Air Operations, Europe

There is a Luftwaffe night raid on the Isle of Wight.

• 6 Bostons are sent to bomb the power station at Le Havre, but only hit nearby buildings. There are no losses.
• In a raid on Stuttgart, 121 aircraft are dispatched. These include 69 Wellingtons, 19 Hampdens, 14 Lancasters, 12 Stirlings and 7 Halifaxes. As on the recent Rostock raid, a number of aircraft are instructed to bomb a specific factory. In this case it is the Robert Bosch factory which makes dynamos, injection pumps and magnetos. Complete cloud cover makes the raid a failure as bombs are scattered across a wide area of Stuttgart and the surrounding countryside. 13 people are killed and 37 injured in Stuttgart. The Bosch works are not hit. A decoy site near Lauffen, 15 miles north of Stuttgart, attracted a number of bombers.
• In minor operations, 9 aircraft are sent to Nantes, 5 Stirlings attack the Skoda munitions facility in Pilsen, Czeshoslovakia, 8 planes lay mines off Heligoland and 6 are on leaflet flights over France. 1 Stirling is lost on the Pilsen raid.

Col-Gen Ivan Konev

Air Operations, North Africa

Axis aircraft bomb Alexandria, hitting port and railway installations.

Air Operations, Pacific

22nd Medium Bomb Group B-26s from the Bismarcks attack the Rabaul/Vunakanau airfield in New Guinea.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The unarmed US freighter Eastern Sword (3785t) is torpedoed by U-162 about 12 miles off Georgetown, British Guiana.
• The German submarine U-507 attacks three US tankers during this day. The first, Norlindo (2686t) is torpedoed and sunk about 200 miles northeast of Havana, Cuba losing 5 of her crew. Eight hours later U-507 torpedoes and shells the Munger T. Ball (5104t). Flames, fed by the ships cargo of gasoline, trap many crewmen with only 4 of the 34-man crew survive. The third tanker is the unarmed Joseph M. Cudahy (6950t) which is torpedoes about 74 miles northwest of the Dry Tortugas. Only 10 of the 37-man crew survive.
• The Commander-in-Chief, US Fleet, Adm King, orders the Coast Cuard Auxiliary to use civilian small craft as coastal pickets in response to the German U-boat threat.

Battle of the Coral Sea

The bagins as Task Force 17 under Rear-Adm Frank Jack Fletcher attacks the Japanese Tulagi Invasion Force under Rear-Adm Shima Kiyohide at Tulagi in the Solomon Islands. Elements of the invasion force goes ashore on Tulagi and Gavutu to establish defenses. Aircraft from the US carrier Yorktown (CV-5) sink the destroyer Kikuzuki, the mine sweeper Tama Maru and the auxiliary minesweepers WA-1 and WA-2. Damaged in the attack are the destroyer Yuzuki, minelayer Okinoshima, the transport Azumasan Maru and the cargo ship Kozui Maru. This is the first carrier-versus-carrier naval battle as opposing surface ships never exchange fire. The Yorktown then returns south to join the rest of the Allied forces.

Burma

Akyab on the Bay of Bengal is evacuated by the British. The Chinese 29th Div is defeated at Wanting on the Burma Road and other Chinese forces at Bhamo on the Irrawaddy. Chiang-Kai-shek orders the Chinese 5th Army to concentrate in the Myitkyina area.

The American Flying Tigers abandon Burma and re-establish their base at Kunming, China.

Artist Terry Pyles Illustrates Flying Tigers in Action

Air Operations, CBI

• 1st and 2nd AVG Fighter Squadron P-40s down 7 Japanese fighters over Paoshan, China at 1300 hours.
• During the night 4 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack the Rangoon/Mingaladon airfield possibly destroying 40 and damaging 26 Japanese aircraft on the ground.

Air Operations, Europe

• 12 Bostons are sent to bomb the coke ovens at Zeebrugge and the Lille power station. Only the Zeebrugge target is bombed with no losses.
• 77 aircraft including 49 Wellingtons, 13 Stirlings, 11 Halifaxes and 4 Lancasters are sent to bomb Stuttgart and the Bosch factory. The ground is covered with haze which causes the bombers to miss again. The nearest bombs to Stuttgart fall in woods to the west of the city. The Lauffen decoy site again attracts a number of the bombers. 3 Wellingtons and 1 Stirling are lost.
• In minor operations, 19 aircraft are sent to bomb Nantes, 14 Blenheim Intruders to Schiphol, and 10 planes are on leaflet flights over France. There are no losses.

Battle of the Coral Sea

Takagi's carriers enter the Coral Sea from the west. Fletcher is refuelling but fortunately for him the Japanese make no contact.

Burma

Gen Stilwell, in Burma with his Chinese troops who are retiring on Myitkyina, learns of the true extent of the Japanese advance further north on the Irrawaddy. The railway has been cut at Indaw and the Japanese have captured Bhamo. He decides that his forces must retire toward India, not China. Japanese forces have in fact entered China via the Burma Road.

Eastern Front

Red Army units begin assaults directed at Kharkov and Kursk.

Lead units of the XXXIX Panzer Corps are in sight of Kholm and, after a furious battle with the 3rd Shock Army, break through to relieve Group Scherer (Gen Theodor). The 103-day siege has been broken, but the struggle has cost Group Scherer dear, over 1,500 men killed and 2,200 wounded. Barely 1,200 men of the original force remain fit for action. The siege has also cost the Luftwaffe significant losses. Some 252 Ju-52 planes have been lost, but 65,000 tons of supplies were flown into the pocket together with 30,000 men. 35,000 wounded were also flown out of the battle.

The Bryansk Front reports to the Stavka that it is unable to attack toward Orel as scheduled. Gen Filipp Golikov requests a postponement until May 16 at the earliest, to which Stalin reluctantly agrees. The Stavka, however, maintains that the attack must begin by th 16th, as the Southwest Front offensive will be launched as planned on the 12th.

Japan, Planning

Imperial Headquarters orders the navy to prepare for an attack and landing on Midway Island (the MI Plan) and key points in the western Aleutians (the AL Plan) and 'to destroy all enemy forces that may oppose the invasion'.

Madagascar

In Operation IRONCLAD British forces land at Courier Bay near Diego Suarez supported by a British naval squadron under the command of Rear-Adm Neville Syfret and consisting of the battleship Ramilies, the carriers Indomitable and Illustrious, the light cruiser Hermione, the Dutch cruiser Van Heemskerk and 4 destroyers.

An Invasion Barge Ferrying a Motor Ambulance to the Shore

Air Operations, CBI

During the night 3 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack the Rangoon/Mingaladon airfield hitting a fuel dump.

Air Operations, Europe

• 18 Bostons are sent to bomb the Boulogne docks, the Calais parachute factory and the power station in Caen. All the targets are hit without a loss.
• Stuttgart and the Bosch factory are again the target as 97 aircraft are dispatched. These include 55 Wellingtons, 15 Stirlings, 10 Hampdens, 10 Lancasters and 7 Halifaxes. This raid is another failure with the crews blaming ground haze for their failure to identify the taget. Ground reports that no bombs fall in Stuttgart, but some hit the woods to the west of the city. The Lauffen decoy may have been responsible for a raid on Heilbronn, only 5 miles from Lauffen but 20 from Stuttgart. More than 150 buildings are hit there and 7 people are killed.
• In minor operations, 19 aircraft are sent to Nantes, 4 Blenheim Intruders to Holland and 9 planes make leaflet flights to France. 1 Intruder is lost.

Battle of the Atlantic

The unarmed US tanker Halsey is torpedoed by U-333 northeast of Jupiter Inlet, Florida. The 32-man crew escape in two lifeboats.

Burma

The Chinese 200th Div, and part of the 55th, still at Taunggyi, are ordered to fall back on Myitkyina. Later they succeed in returning to China. Stilwell's Chinese recapture Maymo.

Caribbean

U-507 shells the unarmed US freighter Alcoa Puritan (6795t) and abandoned by all hands. The crew is rescued later in the day by the Coast Guard cutter Boutwell (WPC-130).

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China

Gen Chiang Kai-shek leads Chinese forces in a new major offensive along a 400-mile front against Japanese occupiers in seven major cities, including Shanghai and Nanking.

China Sea

The American submarine Skipjack sinks 3 Japanese ships during the month of May.

Eastern Front

In the Crimea, the 11th Army prepares to wipe out the Soviet forces at Kerch and capture Sevastopol. Manstein has decided to deal with the Kerch concentration first, deploying the bulk of his strength here and leaving only thin covering forces to screen Sevastopol. Operation BUSTARD is aimed to strike the 44th and 51st Armies in their exposed forward positions, encircling the mass of the two armies on the narrow isthmus. The Crimean Front deploys 249,800 ne. For the operation Manstein has assembled the XLII, Rumanian VII and XXX Corps, a force of 5 German and 2 Rumanian infantry divisions, 1 panzer division and 1 Rumanian cavalry division. To the west the LIV Corps covers Sevastopol.

Liberia

US forces begin arriving in Liberia.

Madagascar

Royal Marine Commandos, landed from the destroyer Anthony, break the stubborn resistance by Vichy troops at Diego Suarez. The Vichy gunboat D'Entrecasteaux is crippled by bombs off the coast near Diego Suarez.

Pacific

• The US submarine Skipjack (SS-184) sinks the merchant passenger/cargo ship Kanan Maru (2567t) about 26 miles northeast of Cam Ranh Bay, French Indonesia.
• The US submarine Triton (SS-201) attacks a Japanese convoy north-northeast of Keelung, Formosa sinking the cargo ship Taiei Maru (2209t) and the transport/cargo ship Taigen Maru (2231t).

Air Operations, Europe

• 12 Bostons are sent to bomb the Ostend power station and the Zeebrugge coke ovens. Direct hits are recorded at Zeebrugge and near misses at Ostend. There are no aircraft losses.
• In another large mine-laying operation, 81 aicraft are involved near Copenhagen, the Great Belt, Kiel and Heligoland. 1 Hampden and 1 Wellington are lost in these operations.
• In minor operations, 5 aircraft are sent to St Nazaire and 1 Halifax on a leaflet flight over France. There are no losses.

Air Operations, New Guinea

An 8th Pursuit Group P-39 shoots down an A6M Zero over Port Moresby at 1230 hours.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-136 shells and sinks the Canadian merchant ship Mildred Pauline in the North Atlantic.

Battle of the Coral Sea

Fletcher sends Task Force 44 under Rear-Adm John G. Craceto attack the Japanese transports bound for Port Moresby. The Japanese sight these ships and unsuccessfully launch heavy attacks on them with land-based aircraft. The US destroyer Farragut (DD-348 is damaged by friendly fire while engaged in repelling the air attack. The Japanese also sight the American tanker the Neosho (AO-23) and the destroyer USS Sims (DD-409). They are attacked and sunk but the Neosho has been mistaken for a carrier.

The Americans also record a success, locating Rear-Adm Goto's covering force and sinking the small carrier Shoho. An attempt by Takagi late in the day to locate and attack the American carriers is a failure, with 21 aircraft lost for no result. A small group is sufficiently confused and attempt to land on the Yorktown.

Japanese Carrier Shoho Is Torpedoed

The Japanese transports turn back to Rabaul to await the outcome of the carrier action.

Black Sea

Beginning this day and going to July 2, 24 Russian submarines carry out 77 supply missions to Sevastopol and to evacuate some of the wounded. 4 submarines are lost during this tims.

Britain, Home Front

Churchill tells Parliament that Diego Suarez on Madagascar has surrendered to British forces and ships of the Royal Navy are entering the harbor. He regrets the need to fight French troops, who, he says, fights with gallantry. He says, 'We trust that the French nation in time will come to regard this episode as a recognizable step in the liberation of their country, including Alsace-Lorraine, from the German yoke.'

Diplomatic Relations

The Peruvian Trade Agreement is made between the United States and Peru. Pres Manuel Prado visits Washington and expresses whole-hearted support for Roosevelt's policies and profound admiration for the heroic efforts of the British people.

Germany, Home Front

Albert Speer forms the State Armaments Council, the Rüstungsrat. Included in the council are Erhard Milch, 3 generals and 8 representative of the armaments industry.

Indian Ocean

2 Vichy submarines, the Le Heros and the Monge are sunk off Diego Suarez.

Air Operations, CBI

During the night 6 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack the Rangoon port area and the Rangoon/Mingaladon airfield.

Air Operations, Europe

• 6 Bostons are sent to attack the Dieppe port and railway yards. None are lost.
• 193 aircraft including 98 Wellingtons, 27 Stirlings, 21 Lancasters, 19 Halifaxes, 19 Hampdens and 9 Manchesters are sent to bomb Warnemünde and its nearby Heinkel aircraft factory. There are no details from the ground about results but Bomber Command reported 'the attack was only moderately successful'. 19 aircraft including 8 Wellingtons, 4 Lancasters, 3 Hampdens, 2 Halifaxes, 1 Manchester and 1 Stirling are lost.
• In minor operations, 3 Blenheim Intruders are sent to Leeuwarden and 3 planes lay mines of Heligoland. There are no losses.

Air Operations, New Guinea

8th Pursuit Group P-39s shoot down 2 A6M Zeros over Port Moresby between 1455 and 1530 hours.

Battle of the Atlantic

The unarmed US freighter Ohioan (6078t) is torpedoed by U-564 4-1/2 miles off the coast of Florida. She sinks so quickly no lifeboats could be launched. Coast Guard craft rescue 22 survivors of the 37-man crew.

Britain, Home Front

Archibald Sinclair, Secretary for Air, speaking in Birmingham, says that the RAF does not wish to destroy historic German cities but 'we must and will destroy the enemy's means of making war - his defenses, factories . . . wherever they may be found . . . a terrible summer is in prospect for the German Air Force. By day and night, in the air and on the ground they will be exposed to unrelenting attacks . . .'

Britain, Policy

The British Foreign Office announces that British commanders in Madagascar have assured French authorities there that the island would remain French and revert to French sovereignty after the war. These assurances are given 'in return for their co-operation and in order to avoid bloodshed.'

Burma

The Japanese take Myitkyina, and important rail terminus and air base in northern Burma. In a futile attempt to stem the Japanese Burma offensive, the Chinese 5th Army has been sent to occupy defensive positions around the town, but was unable to halt the Japanese 15th Army.

Eastern Front

The first real German attacks of the year begin slowly with an offensive by 22nd Panzer Div of 11th Army in the Crimea aimed at clearing the Kerch Peninsula. The Germans begin by testing the strength of the Russian forces in readiness for a large-scale summer offensive. The ultimate objectives are the oil fields of the Caucasus.

The German 11th Army launches Operation BUSTARD as the XXX Corps attacks the 44th Army frontally. For this task it deploys the XXXII, VII Romanian and XXX Corps (LIV Corps covers Sevastopol). At the same time, an assault force lands behind the coastal flank of the 44th, unhinging the shaken Soviet defenses. In the center of the line, the XLII Corps also attacks but is held up on strong Soviet defenses. After a brief battle the southern wing of the 44th Army collapses, enabling the XXX Corps to introduce its mobile units into the battle.

Russian Tanks Lead a Counter-Attack

Battle of the Coral Sea

Reconnaissance aircraft from each fleet sight their enemy virtually simultaneously and all the carriers dispatch strikes. SBDs from Lexington and Yorktown damage the Shokaku.

While the US planes are attacking the Japanese Carrier Strike Force under Vice-Adm Takagi Takeo, Japanese carrier bombers and attack planes attack TF-17. The Lexington (CV-2) is badly hit and abandoned and the Yorktown (CV-5) is damaged. The Lexington is later finished off by the American destroyer Phelps (DD-360). The Shokaku is seriously hurt. The Japanese losses in aircraft have been especially severe and with them have gone irreplaceable, highly trained pilots. The Japanese are forced to abandon their attack on Port Moresby and this, the first real check to the Japanese advance means that the action can be justly described as a strategic victory for the Americans. This is the first major naval battle fought without visual contact between the main bodies of opposing forces.

Zuikaku's air group suffers heavy losses. Damage to the Shokaku, as well as to Zuikaku's air group, prevents the use of these two carriers for several months.

USS Lexington as Seen from the Yorktown

The Lexington Under Attack

The Shokaku Under Dive-Bombing Attack

Air Operations, CBI

A 1st AVG Fighter Squadron P-40 downs a Japanese reconnaissance plane near Kunming during the afternoon.

Air Operations, Europe

• 12 Bostons are sent to attack an oil depot at Bruges and the railway yards at Hazebrouck. There are no direct hits at either target. There are no losses.
• There are only minelaying operations during the overnight period. 20 aircraft are sent off the Danish coast, Kiel and the German Bight. There are no losses.

Map of the Battle of the Coral Sea

Air Operations, New Guinea

8th Pursuit Group P-39s shoot down 2 A6M Zeros over the Port Moresby/Seven-Mile Airfield during morning action.

Air Operations, Pacific

1 5th Air Force B-17 and 8 22nd Medium Bomb Group B-26s attack the Japanese seaplane base at Deboyne Island.

Battle of the Atlantic

While on patrol US Coast Guard cutter Icarus (WPC-110) locates U-352 by sonar off the coast of North Carolina. After two depth charge attacks, the submarine surfaces and is abandoned.

U-352

Battle of the Coral Sea

US and Japanese carrier forces break off contact in the Battle of the Coral Sea. Although the losses of shipping on both sides are roughly equivalent, the Battle of the Coral Sea halts Japanese expansion plans in Papua and the Solomon Islands, and signals the first major Japanese reverse in the war. Japan has also suffered heavy loss of pilots and aircraft.

Eastern Front

The Russians launch a major offensive from the Donets bridgdhead in an effort to push the Germans back to Kharkov marking the beginning of the Battle of Kharkov. The front line sways back and forth in the eastern Ukraine throughout May and June before the Germans finally regain the initiative.

The XXX Corps pushes deep into the southern flank of the 44th Army. The 22nd Panzer Division thrusts through the Soviet line to overwhelm the 51st Army to the north. Just as the attack gains momentum, a heavy rain shower brings movement to a halt. This gives the Soviets a chance to pull back, which they take. Only a fraction of the 44th and 51st Armies, however, manage to fight their way out of the Kuban.

Galapagos Islands

With permission of the governor of Ecuador, US units land.

New Guinea

The Japanese supreme command orders the suspension of the Port Moresby landing.

Philippines

The Japanese forces on Mindanao press home their attacks near Dalirig, practically finishing the defenders' resistance.

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'.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

For the next week Axis aircraft continue to attack Malta day after day, while Axis fighters are engaged in furious 'dogfights' with the British Spitfires. Both sides lose many planes.

Air Operations, Pacific

• 5th Air Force B-17s attack Japanese shipping at Kessa in the Solomon Islands.
• 5th Air Force B-25s attack the Japanese seaplane base at Deboyne Island.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The German U-boat U-553 penetrates the St Lawrence river in Canada and torpedoes a transport.
• U-558 sinks the British anti-submarine trawler Bedfordshire (443t), on loan to the US Navy, off Cape Lookout, North Carolina with the loss of the entire crew of 37.

Burma

Part of the retreating British forces fight a sharp action at Kalewa before continuing on to the Imphal area.

Canada, Politics

Following a referendum on April 27 the Canadian Parliament passes legislation to introduce full conscription.

China

The Japanese launch a local offensive in Chenkiang province.

Eastern Front

German troops go back on the attack in the Crimea, recapturing Feodosiya.

In the Crimea the Germans push rapidly east with mobile forces, while the bulk of the XXX Corps thrusts into the rear of the 51st Army. The XLII and VII Rumanian Cavalry Corps pin the 51st frontally while the XXX Corps penetrates into the rear. After just 4 days of intense fighting, the 44th Army has been virtually destroyed. Late in the day the 22nd Panzer Division reaches the northern coast of the Kerch peninsula, isolating the bulk of the 51st Army, some 8 Soviet divisions.

In the sun-drenched Ukraine, Timoshenko prepared to launch the second battle for Kharkov. Having massed more than three quarters of a million men and large quantities of equipment, the Soviet armies were sure of victory. But the Germans lay in wait, replenished and ready to attack. Hard fighting lay ahead before the real business of the summer could begin.

Germany's Panther Tank

Air Operations, CBI

• 4 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-17s based at the Calcutta/Dum Dum airfield in India attack Myitkyina airfield from which Japanese fighters can now reach the Allied airfield at Dinjan, India.
• 2nd and 3rd AVG Fighter Squadron P-40s destroy 14 Japanese fighters and 1 transport plane on the ground at Hanoi's Gia Lam airfield.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

RAF Kittyhaws and Beaufighters attack a formation of 16 Ju-52 troop-carriers off the north African coast. 9 are shot down while 2 others are badly damaged.

Air Operations, New Guinea

8th Pursuit Group P-39s shoot down 2 A6M Zeros over Port Moresby at 0750 hours.

Battle of the Atlantic

The US tanker Esso Houston (7699t) is torpedoed by U-162 about 150 miles east of Barbados and abandoned. 42 survivors leave the ship in two life boats.

Britain, Home Front

The first major contingent of the US 8th Air Force arrives in England.

Burma

The Japanese cross the Salween River and head for Kengtung. Japan's steady advance through Burma slows substantially, however, under extremely heavy monsoon rains, which turn jungle trails into almost impassable quagmires.

Eastern Front

While the German Army Group South continues its offensive against Kerch, the Russian Southwest Front launches a counteroffensive from the Barvenkov Salient south of Kharkov. This offensive is a renewal of the attempts made in January to trap German forces against the Sea of Azov. It is a 'pincer' attack northwards from the Izyum salient and southwest across the Donetz River.

The Soviet Southwestern Front launches the Kharkov Offensive designed to push German forces back to the Dnieper River from the Barvenkovo salient. To achieve this it has Group Bobkin (Gen Leonid), which has 2 rifle divisions and a cavalry corp plus the 2nd Cavalry Corps from the Southwestern Front's Reserve, and the 6th, 21st, 28th and 38th Armies. In addition, the Southern Front (9th and 57th Armies) will attack from the south. Total Red Army forces for the offensive are 765,000 troops. 1,200 tanks, 13,000 artillery pieces and 900 aircraft. Following lengthy artillery barrages the 21st, 28th and 38th Armies attack, to achieve advances of only 6 miles.

The Second Battle of Kharkov Begins

Second Battle of Kharkov, May 1942

Air Operations, Europe

4 Wellingtons are sent on a cloud-cover raid to Essen. The target is not found, but 3 aircraft drop their bombs. Mulheim is identified as one of the areas hit. There are no losses.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• 5th Air Force B-17s and 22nd Medium Bomb Group B-26s, based in the Bismarcks, attack the Rabaul/Lakunai and Rabaul/Vunakanau airfields as well as shipping in the Rabaul harbor.
• 2 8th Pursuit Group P-39s down 2 A6M Zeros over Port Moresby/Seven-Mile Drome during noon hour sorties.

Atlantic

• British MTBs sink the torpedo boats Iltis and Seeadler escorting the disguised raider Stier from Rotterdam to Bordeaux. 200 men are killed. the British lose MTB-220
• The Mexican tanker Portrero del Llano is sunk by a U-boat off Miami. 13 are killed. Mexico demands compensation on May 15.

U-Boat Victim Mexican Tanker Portrero del Llano

Gulf Oil Tanker Penn Torpedoed by U-506

Battle of the Atlantic

The unarmed US freighter Norlantic 2606t) is shelled by U-69 while en route to Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela from Pensacola, Florida. Six of the 29-man crew are lost.

Burma

Japanese troops, pursuing the Chinese 6th Army, cross the Salween on the way to Kengtung.

Diplomatic Relations

Adm Georges Robert agrees to the immobilization of French ships in ports under his jurisdiction in the West Indies.

Fiji

American troops replace New Zealanders in the islands' garrison.

Air Operations, CBI

7th Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack Myitkyina.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• 5th Air Force bombers hit both Rabaul and Lae.
• 8th Pursuit Group P-39s shoot down 3 A6M Zeros over the Port Moresby/Seven-Mile Airfield at 0730 hours.

Atlantic

• After heavy losses along the Eastern seaboard, the first major convoy operation along the east coast of the US begins from Hampton Roads, Va to Key West, Fl.
• The damaged cruiser Trinidad leaves Murmansk for Scapa Flow under heavy escort. Ju-88s attack and set the ship on fire. She is scuttled on May 15.

Australia, Home Front

The American 32nd Div arrives in Australia.

Battle of the Atlantic

An area off St John's, Newfoundland is mined by a German submarine. They are not actually discovered until late in 1943.

Burma

British troops withdrawing from Burma reach the Indian border at Tamu, in Assam.

Diplomatic Relations

The French high commissioner for Martinique and Guadeloupe agrees to immobilize 3 French warships, accommodating the US which does not want them to end up in German hands and conforming to Vichy's obligations under the armistice not to turn them over to the US.

Eastern Front

The Kharkov Offensive is already running out of steam, with the 28th and 38th Armies grinding to a halt. Indeed, counterattacks by the 3rd and 23rd Panzer Divs against the junction of the 2 armies push back the Soviet frontline. South of Kharkov the 6th Army and Group Bobkin (Gen Leonid) are having more success, pushing on toward Krasnograd. In the Crimea the Soviet 44th and 51st Armies have been annihilated. The German 170th Infantry Div enters Kerch.[MORE]

British-Made Tanks in the Attack

Air Operations, Europe

Stukas attack shipping at Murmansk.

50 aircraft are sent to the Western Baltic on a mine-laying mission. 2 Hampdens and 2 Wellingtons are lost.

B-24s In Production at the Willow Run Bomber Plant

Barents Sea

The British light cruiser Trinidad is sunk by German bombers while escorting an Arctic convoy. 62 crew and passengers are lost.

Battle of the Atlantic

The US freighter Nicarao (1445t) is torpedoed and sunk by U-751 north of San Salvador, Bahamas losing 8 of the 35-man crew.

Burma

The first British forces reach India in the retreat from Burma. The British casualties from the campaign have been about 30,000 from a force of 45,000. Many of those 'casualties' are Burmese deserters. The Chinese losses cannot be computed, but must have been enormous. There are about 95,000 Chinese engaged and only one formation, 38th Div, remains as a viable fighting unit. The Japanese losses of less than 8,000 reflect their superior training, tactics, equipment and air power. With the monsoon season beginning the Japanese can be well satisfied with having so rapidly overrun Burma and with cutting China off from surface communication.

Eastern Front

After fierce fighting, troops from von Manstein's 11th Army capture Kerch eliminating the Russians from the Crimea, except for Sevastopol in the southwest corner of the peninsula. The Russians lose 176,000 men, including many taken prisoner, and most of its armor. Stalin's reaction was, 'You see, that's where going on the defensive gets you.'

The German XXXVI Corps and Finnish III Corps attack the Soviet 26th Army at Kastenga. However, the attacks are beaten off.

North of Kharkov the German 3rd and 23rd Panzer Divs continue their attacks, forcing the Soviet 28th and 38th Armies on to the defensive. However, Soviet success to the south of the city means Timoshenko can think about committing his mobile units to exploit the advance. If Krsnograd falls, the German 6th and 17th Armies will be endangered. In the Crimea the German 11th Army mops up after its victory. The Soviet Crimea Front has lost 162,282 dead or captured, 14,284 wounded and 1,100 artillery pieces, 260 tanks and 3,800 vehicles either destroyed or captured. In addition, the Soviets have lost more than 300 aircraft shot down.

The German High Command determines to counterattack the Southwestern Front and destroy it, thus increasing the chances of success for its own offensive in the area.[MORE]

India

Gen Harold Alexander transfers his headquarters from Burma to the area of Imphal, India. Gen Stilwell also arrives in India.

New Guinea

Australian reinforcements in the form of half a brigade and groups of anti-aircraft gunners, are dispatched to Port Moresby to bolster the local defenses.

North Africa

The British 8th Army is preparing to go over to the offensive, but Axis forces show they may be ready first to begin an attack.

Air Operations, CBI

• The RAF bombs Akyab, Burma.
• 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack the airfield at Myitkyina rendering it unusable.

Air Operations, Europe

7 Lancasters and 7 Manchesters lay mines off Heligoland and Kiel. There are no losses.

Inspecting the 9th Armored Division

Air Operations, New Guinea

14 5th Air Force B-25s and 4 22nd Medium Bomb Group attack Lae and Lae's airfield.

Air Operations, Pacific

5th Air Force bombers attack the Japanese seaplane base at Deboyne Island.

Caribbean

U-103 shells and sinks the unarmed US freighter Ruth Lykes (2612t) with the loss of 5 of her crew.

Eastern Front

The Germans capture Kerch dashing Russian hopes that the siege of Sevastopol can be lifted any time soon.[MORE]

Bodies and Destroyed War Material on the Beach of Kerch

Air Operations, Europe

• 12 Bostons accurately bomb the Boulogne docks without a loss.
• 32 Stirlings and 28 Wellingtons are sent on mine-laying missions in the Frisians and Heligoland areas. German night fighters are active and account for the loss of 5 Stirlings and 2 Wellingtons.
• In minor operations, 27 aircraft are sent to bomb Boulogne and 1 Stirling flies a leaflet mission over France. 1 Wellington is lost on the Boulogne raid.

Air Operations, New Guinea

An 8th Fighter Group P-39 shoots down an A6M Zero over Port Moresby/Seven-Mile Drome at 1030 hours.

Battle of the Atlantic

The US freighter Challenger (7667t), en route to Trinidad for voyage repairs, is torpedoed and sunk by U-155 with the loss of 8 men on board. 56 survivors are rescued by the yacht Turquoise (PY-19).

Eastern Front

The German Army Group South counterattacks against the Izyum salient and east of Kharkov, stopping the Soviet offensive and forcing them to abandon thrusts towards Kharkov and the Donbas. The fighting grows more intense as the Germans eventually push the front eastward 25 miles.

Under German pressure the Soviet 21st, 28th and 38th Armies north of Kharkov are falling back. To the south of the city the German Group Kleist (Gen Ewald von) (III Panzer, XLIV and LII Corps) begins its counterattack between Barvenkov and Slavyansk, hitting the Soviet 9th Army head on. By the evening the Germans have captured Barvenkovo and created a 9-mile hole between the 9th and 57th Armies and pushed 20 miles into the Soviet rear. To the west, meanwhile, Red Army units continue to attack, the XXI and XXIII Tank Corps advancing through the Soviet 6th Army's positions.[MORE]

India, Home Front

Moslem fanatics, Hurs, derail the Punjab Mail Train near Karachi, killing 25 passengers and injuring 140. 4 days later Hurs stop a bus at Mirpukhas and slaughter 13 passengers. (see June 1, 1942)

Pacific

• The US submarines Tautog (SS-199) and Triton (SS-201) sink the Japanese submarines I-28 and I-164 of Truk and Kagoshima respectively.
• The US submarine Skipjack (SS-184) sinks the Japanese army transport Taizan Maru (3149t) near the mouth of the Gulf of Siam.

Battle of the Atlantic

The unarmed US freighter Quaker City (4961t) is torpedoed and sunk by U-156 about 300 miles east of Barbados with the loss of 10 of her crew.

Britain, Command

Adm Sir Henry Harwood is appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean area. Adm Sir Andrew Cunningham will head up the naval delegation to Washington.

All-Norwegian Fighter Squadron

Britain, Planning

Air Marshal A. T. Harris, head of the RAF Bomber Command, submits a detailed plan for an air assault on Germany based on the assumption that it will be possible to send 1,000 bombers over Germany in a single night.

Burma

Chiang Kai-shek orders the Chinese 5th Army, which has been reduced to basically the Chinese 22nd and 96th Divisions, to take up positions between Myitkyina and Fort Hertz. The survivors of the 22nd Div eventually reach the Ledo area between July and August. Later the remainder of the 96th Div returns to China from Fort Hertz.

Caribbean

• The unarmed US tanker Mercury Sun (8893t) is torpedoed and sunk by U-125. Six crewmen are lost in the attack and the ship abandoned.
• U-125 torpedoes and sinks the unarmed US freighter William J. Salman (2616t) en route to Antigua, BWI with the loss of six of her crew.

Eastern Front

North of Kharkov, the 38th Army launches a limited action, but is soon under heavy German counterattack and is forced to pull back to its start lines. Later in the morning, the 28th Army also attempts an attack but achieves only limited success.

Air Operations, Europe

• 197 aircraft including 105 Wellingtons, 31 Stirlings, 29 Halifaxes, 15 Hampdens, 13 Lancasters and 4 Manchesters are sent to bomb Mannheim. 155 aircraft claim to have hit the target area, but bombing photographs show most of the bomb loads landing in forests or open country. A concentrated group of incendiaries do hit in the harbor area on the Rhine. 4 small industrial installations are burned out. Only light damage is caused elsewhere. 2 firemen are the only fatal casualties. 4 Halifaxes, 4 Stirlings and 3 Wellingtons are lost on this raid.
• In minor operations, 65 'freshmen' crews are sent to bomb St Nazaire, but the results are poor. 9 aircraft lay mines off Lorient and near Heligoland and 13 are on leaflet flights over France. 1 Wellington is lost on the St Nazaire raid.
• The RAF heavily bomb Mannheim in a night raid.

Allied Planning

The UN Air Training Conference is held in Ottawa lasting 4 days. The enlarged Empire Air Training Scheme will be signed at Ottawa on June 5, 1942.

Caribbean

The unarmed US freighter Isabela (3110t) is torpedoed, shelled and sunk by U-751 35 miles south of Navassa Island Light with the loss of three crewmen. Survivors reach Cape Briton, Haiti in lifeboats.

Air Operations, Pacific

Lt-Col James H. Doolittle is awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for leading the Tokyo Raid of April 18, 1942.

President Roosevelt and Brig-Gen James Doolittle

Gulf of Mexico

• The US freighter Heredia (4732t) is torpedoed and sunk by U-506 two miles south of the Ship Shoal Buoy, Louisiana. The ship sinks rapidly losing 37 of those on board. 26 survivors are rescued by shrimp boats and a seaplane.
• The US freighter Ogontz (5037t) is torpedoed and sunk by U-103 losing 19 men in the attack.

Air Operations, East Indies

5th Air Force B-17s attack the Timor/Koepang airfield and its anti-aircraft batteries.

Air Operations, New Guinea

An 8th Fighter Group P-39 shoots down 2 A6M Zeros over Waigani at 0900 hours.

Atlantic

The Mexican tanker Faja de Oro(6,067t) is sunk by U-106 off Florida. 10 of the crew are killed with 27 surviving.

Britain, Planning

Air Marshal Harris's plan for an air attack on Germany by the RAF receives the approval of the government and the Chiefs of Staff. Harris sends a letter to Coastal, Fighter and Army Co-operations Commands describing the operation and asking for maximum possible cooperation. His directive anticipates the complete destruction of one of Germany's biggest industrial cities: Cologne or Hamburg, which must be razed to the ground on a single night.

Caribbean

The US freighter Clare (3372t) is torpedoed and sunk by U-103 about 40 miles off the south coast of Cuba. All hands survive in rafts and a lifeboat. Later, U-103 torpedoes and sinks the US freighter Elizabeth losing 6 of those on board. 36 survivors reach the coast of Cuba the next day.

Burma

The Japanese are virtually in control of Burma. The 4 divisions employed, the 18th, 33rd, 55th and 56th, now begin mopping-up operations and take up defensive positions. In the fighting in Burma the Japanese have suffered about 7,000 casualties against 13,463 British, Indian and Burmese dead.

The rearguards of I Burma Corps return to India and are absorbed into the IV Corps.

Japanese Tanks Crossing an Auxiliary Bridge in Burma

Gulf of Mexico

• The unarmed US tanker Halo (6986t) it torpedoed and sunk by U-506 about 50 miles from Southwest Pass with the loss of 19 of her crew.
• The US freighter George Calvert (7191t) is torpedoed and sunk by U-752 near the Yucatan Channel losing three of those on board. 58 survivors reach the coast of Cuba the next day.

Air Operations, Europe

In minelaying operations, 33 Wellingtons and 15 Stirlings are sent to the Biscay ports, but poor weather allows only 18 aircraft to lay mines. There are no losses.

Air Operations, New Guinea

22nd Medium Bomb Group B-26s attack the airfield at Lae.

Battle of the Atlantic

Eastern Front

Throughout the day the 57th Army fights a fierce defensive battle, preventing its isolation by the German armor. The III Panzer Corps, however, has unexpectedly turned north, away from the smaller encirclement of the 57th to the larger isolation of the entire Izyum group, Meanwhile, the 3rd and 23rd Panzer Divisions prepare to attack from Balakleya in order to link up with the III Panzer Corps. By the end of the day, the corridor to the east has been halved. The fate of the Soviet troops in the Izyum salient appears bleak.

Diplomatic Relations

Japan agrees to a request by the International Red Cross for a representative to visit British PoWs.

King George Visits Airborne Forces

Air Operations, Asia

Lt-Col Takeo Kato, Japanese AAF fighter 'ace' with 58 victories, disappears in his Nakajima fighter over the Bay of Bengal.

Air Operations, Europe

In minor operations, 27 Halifaxes are sent to bomb St Nazaire but cloud cover prevents all but 3 from bombing. 31 aircraft are sent to lay mines off St Nazaire and the Baltic Coast. There are no losses.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• 5th Air Force B-17s attack the Rabaul/Lakunai and Rabaul/Vunakanau airfields and shipping in Rabaul harbor.

• 22nd Medium Bomb Group B-26s attack shipping at Lae.

Caribbean

The unarmed US tanker William Royce Thompson (7061t), en route to Curacao, NWI, is torpedoed by U-558. There are no casualties and the ship reaches port under her own power.

Diplomatic Relations

Mexico declares war on Germany, Japan and Italy.

Canadian Merchant Ship Frank B. Baird

Eastern Front

The 23rd and 3rd Panzer Divisions attack from Andreyevka and Balakleya, while the III Panzer pushes up from the south. By the end of the day, the Barvenkovo pocket has been sealed. Timoshenko tries to counterattack immediately with the 38th Army in an effort to relieve the pocket, but his forces are unable to move in time. At the same time he orders the 6th and 57th Armies and Group Kostenko (Gen Fyodor) to break out.

New Guinea

Reinforcements are sent to the Wau area to defend the Bulolo valley. Native volunteers have been enrolled to fight beside the Allied, mostly Australian, troops.

Secret War

US intelligence reveals Japanese plans for attacks on Midway Island ant the Aleutian Islands.

Air Operations, New Guinea

5th Air Force B-25s attack Lae.

Burma

Lt-Gen Stilwell and a small group of men reach safety at Dimapur after a 150-mile retreat through the Burmese jungle.[MORE]

Caribbean

The US tanker Samuel Q. Brown is torpedoed by U-103 south of the Yucatan Channel losing two of her crew in the attack. 53 survivors gather in two lifeboats.

Eastern Front

Army Group South strikes hard at the Russians in the Kharkov area. The German 6th Army from the north and Group Kleist (Gen Ewald von) (17th Army and 1st Panzer Army) work to encircle elements of the Russian 6th and 57th Armies west of the Donets in what becomes known as the Barvenkovo Salient.

The Finns abandon their attacks at Kastenga after a lack of success. Bitter fighting with the 26th Army has exacted a high price upon the attacking Finns.

Heavy fighting rages between Barvenkovo and Balakleya as the Germans widen their corridor. The destruction of the pocket begins. Lt-Gen Fedor I. Kostenko takes control of the 6th and 57th Armies inside the pocket. Amid confused and heavy fighting, the 57th Army abandons Lozovaya while the limited relief attacks by the 38th and 9th Armies are easily repelled.

Snow Melting Results in Widespread Flooding on the Russian Front

Destroyed Russian Equipment

Air Operations, CBI

During the night 5 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack Rangoon.

Air Operations, Europe

There is another Luftwaffe night raid on the Isle of Wight. It is repeated on June 3.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• 22nd Medium Bomb Group B-26s attack the Rabaul/Vunakanau and Rabaul/Lakunai airfields.
• While attacking Lae, 8 unescorted B-25s from the 13th Light Bomb Squadron, 3rd Light Bomb Group, are intercepted for the first time by A6M Zeros. 5 of the bombers are brought down with help from antiaircaft fire. The remaining bombers are badly damaged with one crash-landing at Port Moresby.

Burma

Stilwell arrives in Delhi after a 20-day trek through the Burma-Assam jungle.

Dutch Cargo Ship Hector

Caribbean

The unarmed US freighter Beatrice (3451t) is torpedoed by U-558, but the torpedo fails to explode. The submarine then surfaces to shell the ship which is abandoned under fire with the loss of one man. There are 30 survivors, 21 reaching Pigeon Island, Jamaica in a lifeboat. The others are rescued by a British patrol craft.

Air Operations, CBI

During the night 5 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack targets in the Rangoon area. 2 of the B-17s are damaged in the operation.

Air Operations, Europe

4 Bostons make an uneventful sweep off the Dutch coast.

Air Operations, New Guinea

5th Air Force B-17s attack the Rabaul/Vunakanau airfield.

Panamanian Tanker Persephone

Panamanian Tanker Persephone Sunk by U-593

Australia, Home Front

In the 'Australia First' conspiracy, 3 men and a woman are arrested at Perth for plotting to set up a Fascist Government, to negotiate peace with Japan, to assassinate politicians, Communists and Catholic priests and sterilize the Jews. 2 of the men are sentenced to prison on June 29.

Battle of the Atlantic

The US destroyer Blakely (DD-150) is torpedoed by U-156 off Martinique, French West Indies. She is able to reach Fort-de-France under her own power. 6 of her crew die and 21 are wounded in the attack.

Eastern Front

The Soviet forces in the Izyum pocket attempt to bulldoze their way to the east. Bitter fighting with the III Panzer and LI Corps on the eastern face of the pocket proves fruitless as the German lines hold fast.

Russians Advance on Kharkov

Gulf of Mexico

The unarmed US freighter Alcoa Carrier (5588t) is torpedoed and shelled by U-103 and abandoned. None of her crew are lost.

India

Part of the Chinese 38th Div manage to reach India from Burma.

Air Operations, Europe

4 Lancasters lay mines in the Great Belt without any loss.

Air Operations, New Guinea

8th Fighter Group P-39s shoot down 4 A6M Zeros over Mount Lawson between 1115 and noon.

Arctic

The US freighter Syros (6191t), in Convoy PQ-16, is torpedoed and sunk by U-703 about 200 miles southwest of Bear Island. 11 men on board are lost. 28 survivors are picked up by the British minesweeper HMS Hazard.

Britain, Planning

The orders for the 'thousand-bomber raid' are issued.

Diplomatic Relations

• In London Vyachevslav Molotov signs a 20-year Mutual Assistance Treaty between the USSR and Britain. He also pressed for a second front. Churchill will not commit Britain to such an effort until it is 'sound and sensible', adding, 'Wars are not won by unsuccessful operations.' Molotov then departs for Washington.
• The USSR and Britain sign a 20-year Mutual Assistance Agreement in London. In June, Molotov, Soviet foreign minister will say of the agreement: 'The treaty consolidates the friendly relations which have been established between the Soviet Union and Great Britain and their mutual military assistance in the struggle against Hitlerite Germany. It transforms these relations into a stable alliance. The treaty also defines the general line of one joint action with Great Britain in the post-war period.' Stalin will actually renege on any agreements reached with Britain regarding the map of post-war Europe.
• Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer has secret 'peace talks' with the Bishop of Chichester in Stockholm.

Eastern Front

Repeated futile attacks fail to provide an exit for the Soviet forces from the Izyum pocket. Heaps of killed and wounded litter the battlefield while the pocket is further reduced, the Soviet troops being hemmed into a space 10 miles deep by 2 miles long. Masses of Soviet soldiers are by this time surrendering to the German troops. During the bitter fighting, Gen Gorodnyansky of the 6th Army is killed.

Gulf of Mexico

The unarmed US tanker Carrabulle (5030t) is torpedoed and sunk by U-106. As a full lifeboat is being lowered, a second torpedo hits the ship killing 22 of the 24 men in the lifeboat. 18 survivors are rescued by the US freighter Thompson Lykes. Later, U-106 shells the US freighter Atenas, but accurate Armed Guard gunfire drives away the U-boat before any damage is inflicted. There are no casualties on the Atenas.

Midway

Adm Nagumo's 1st Carrier Fleet leaves the Inland Sea. He has the carriers Akagi, Kaga, Soryu and Hiryu, with 2 battleships, cruisers and destroyers as escort. The US Task Force 16, based around the Enterprise (CV-6) and Hornet ) (CV-8), returns to Pearl Harbor from the South Pacific where the Japanese believe it still to be.

North Africa

Rommel begins a new offensive, Operation THESEUS, in the Western desert with holding attacks on the Gazala Line made by the Italian infantry. The Gazala Line is a series of minefields and field fortifications stretching from Gazala to Bir Hacheim. He has 3 German divisions, the 15th and 21st Panzer and 90th light, and 2 Italian, Ariete and Trieste, deployed on his right. On his left, in the Gazala sector, he has Gen Ludwig Crüwell's group. In this group are the Italian X and XXI Corps consisting of the Sabratha, Trento, Brescia and Pavia Divisions and the German 15th Light Infantry Brigade.

Rommel's Tanks Ready to Attack

Gen Neil Ritchie, commanding the British 8th Army, has deployed most of his troops opposite Crüwell anticipating Rommel will attack along the coast so he can head straight for Tobruk. He has XIII Corps to the north with the 1st South African Div in the front line with the British 50th Div flanked by the 2nd South African Div, the 5th Indian Div, the 9th Indian Brigade and the 1st Army Tank Brigade. To the south, on the left of the British line are 2 armored divisions, the 1st and the 7th along with CCI Guards Brigade, the 3rd Group of the Indian motorized brigade and the 29th Brigade of the 5th Indian Div. This will be the portion of the line in which Rommel's tanks will be operating.

Air Operations, Europe

Because of thunderstorms and low clouds over the target forces Air Marshal Harris to postpone the 'thousand-bomber raid' against one of Germany's most highly industrialized cities.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

Waves of British bombers attack Messina, Catania and Syracusa in Sicily.

Air Operations, New Guinea

5th Air Force B-17s bomb Rabaul.

Arctic

7 He-111s and 111 Ju-88s sink 5 ships of Convoy PQ-16.

Battle of the Atlantic

The British minesweeper Fitzroy sinks on a mine off Great Yarmouth with the loss of 13 crewmen.

Combined Operations Exercise on the Isle of Wight

China

The Chinese evacuate Kinhwa after fierce fighting and severe Japanese bombing.

Czechoslovakia, Resistance

2 Czech patriots, Jan Kubiš and Josef Gabčik, dropped by parachute from a British aircraft, attempt to assassinate Reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich. He is ambushed near Prague while driving to his country residence at Penenske Brezany. The blast severs Heydrich's spine. The Czechs escape and Himmler's deputy dies of wounds on June 4 at age 38.

A plan, implemented in London for the assassination of Heydrich, is carried out by British-trained Czech assassins.

This decision has always caused speculation, as he was the only Nazi leader thus targeted. In late spring of 1942, a section of Czech soldiers flew from England and were dropped outside Prague. Heydrich, possibly through bravado, rode in an open-topped unprotected car on his war from his residence to the palace. The assassination team struck during the journey. His car was mcahine-gunned on the Kirchmayer Boulevard. Heydrich was injured and drew his pistol. Then the Czech's Sten gun jammed. Heydrich was about to pursue the assassin with a grenade, thrown by another member, Kubiš, exploded, impregnating him with horsehair stuffing and pieces of metal springs from the car seat.

At 21:10 hours that evening, Karl Hermann Frank, former deputy leader of the Sudeten German Party, Secretary of State and Chief of Police in Bohemia and Moravia under Heydrich, was ordered by Himmler via telegram to arrest 10,000 hostages from among the Czech intelligentsia and to shoot 100 of the most important that same night.

Village of Lidice, Czechoslovakia

Eastern Front

The shocked remnants of the Izyum grouping continue their vain attempts to escape. Bloodied and defeated, few manage to escape the German defensive fire and air attacks.

German Soldiers Inspecting Destroyed Soviet Tank

Doris 'Dorie' Miller Awarded the Navy Cross

Gulf of Mexico

The unarmed US freighter Alcoa Pilgrim (6759t), en route to Mobile, Alabama from Trinidad, is torpedoed and sunk by U-502. The ship sinks so fast there is not time to launch lifeboats. 31 of her 40-man crew are lost.

Japan, Home Front

Prime Minister Tojo claims, in a speech to the Imperial Diet, that Japan stands on the verge of 'ultimate victory'. Australia lies defenseless and must 'reconsider her attitude. . . or suffer the consequences. Japan will never sheathe the sword of righteousness until the influence of the Anglo-American Powers. . . has been completely uprooted.'

Air Operations, Europe

Because of more bad weather the 'thousand-bomber raid' has to be postponed again.

3rd Squadron Hell's Angels of the American Volunteer Group

Air Operations, New Guinea

8th Fighter Group P-39s down 3 A6M Zeros over Port Moresby and the Port Moresby/Seven-Mile airfield between 0830 and 0845 hours.

Burma

The Japanese occupy Kengtung, one of the few towns in the country they have not reached.

Caribbean

The US tanker New Jersey (6414t) is torpedoed and sunk by U-103 about 90 miles southwest of Grand Cayman Island. There are no casualties and all 41 on board abandon the ship in two lifeboats.

China

The Japanese penetrate Yunnan Province using the Burma Road. In Chekiang Province, Japanese forces take the capital, Kinhwa, having suffered heavy losses from Chinese resistance. In one action, the Japanese lost 1,500 men in a minefield.

Eastern Front

The Kharkov battle ends in a brilliant victory for the Germans, who eliminate the enemy salient west of the Donetz in the area of Kharkov.

Only the last stubborn units of the Soviet armies in the Izyum pocket fight on. The bulk of the Soviet force has now either been destroyed or has surrendered.

Mediterranean

British destroyers Hero and Hurworth are detached from the escort of convoy AT-47 to search for a U-boat in the area. Contact is made two hours later and the U-boat is subjected to a series of depth charge attacks. The U-boat surfaces, but is set upon by gunfire from the surface ships. She dives again but can't stay submerged due to exhausted battery. The captain orders the submarine abandoned and scuttled.

U-568

New Hebrides

American troops coming from Efate land on the island of Espiritu Santo, where an airfield is to be built big enough to take the bombers supporting the landing in the Solomons.

North Africa

The 21st Panzer Div moves northward alone about 0800. It is opposed by the 8th Royal Tanks of the 1st Army Tank Brigade which puts up a spirited resistance. It is soon forced to retire, however. Maj-Gen Georg von Bismarck pushes on to the escarpment overlooking the coast road, captures the South African strongpoint at 'Commonwealth Keep' just south of this on the way. They halt at the escarpment. They will be recalled the next day when Rommel realizes the seriousness of his position.

Air Operations, CBI

4 7th Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack the airfield at Myitkyina from high altitude.

Air Operations, Europe

• 77 aircraft including 31 Wellingtons, 20 Halifaxes, 14 Lancasters, 9 Stirlings and 3 Hampdens are sent to hit the Gnome and Rhone factory near Paris. Later photographic evidence shows little or no damage to the factory. Reports from the ground say 38 houses are destroyed and 49 damaged. 34 French citizens are killed and 167 are injured. 4 Wellingtons and 1 Halifax are lost on the raid.
• In minor operations, 31 aircraft are sent to bomb Cherbourg and 17 to Dieppe. 21 aircraft lay mines in the Frisians and off Copenhagen and 3 make leaflet flights over France.

Air Operations, New Guinea

8th Fighter Group P-39s down 5 A6M Zeros 50 miles southeast of Port Moresby at 0950 hours.

Air Operations, Pacific

The Royal Australian Air Force opens bombing operations against Tulagi in the Solomons.

Australia, Technology

Australia's first home-produced wartime aircraft, the Commonwealth CA-12 Boomerang, makes its first flight. Although designed in only five months, the Boomerang proves to be a tough and maneuverable fighter.

Diplomatic Relations

Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov arrives in Washington to discuss US arms aid to Russia and review US-British planning for a second European front in 1942. He will be there until June 4.

Molotov, Soviet foreign minister, is at the White House. President Roosevelt promises him that the Western Allies will open a second front in 1942. Molotov rejects a suggestion by Roosevel that the USSR agrees a treaty with Germany on the prisoners of war issue. Soviet troops in German hands do not have any international protection as the USSR has not signed the Geneva Convention of 1929, which specifies humane treatment for prisoners of war. This official posture stems from the Soviet concept of battlefield bahavior. The Red Army field manual states that a loyal soldier is either fighting or is dead; surrender is considered to be treason. The wartime edition of the standard Soviet encyclopedia states that 'the penalty for premeditated surrender into captivity not necessitated by combat conditions is death by shooting'.

Eastern Front

The Germans complete their encircling maneuver west of the Donets. The Russians have lost 250,000 men. They have badly underestimated the German strength and preparedness. In fact the Germans had intended in any event to pinch out the Russian salient and the Russian attacks between May 12 and 19 only made this operation more worthwhile.

The Izyum battle is largely over as the Soviet surrender. Barely 22,000 men have escaped. The battle since the 12th has cost the Soviets 170,958 killed or captures and 106,232 wounded, 1,250 tanks and 2,000 artillery pieces destroyed or captured. Gens Fyodor Kostenko, Kuzma Podlas, Leonid Bobkin and Gorodnyanski all fall in the fighting.

The disastrous offensive leaves the Southwest Front with barely two thirds of its original strength, while the German 6th Army has suffered only 20,000 casualties during the operation.

The debacle at Kharkov proved once again the inability of the Soviet Command to master a rapidly developing situation. Sticking rigidly to pre-determined goals in spite of a significant change in combat conditions had cost the Red Army a quarter of a million men. Stalin's refusal to heed the advice of his generals had had the same results as in the summer of '41. However, the defeat at Kharkov had been an outstanding achievement for the Germans. A seemingly desperate situation had been turned to their advantage, and a considerable force, which would have presented real problems had it been intact at the time of the impending offensive, had been disposed of relatively easily. This victory went a long way toward rebuilding German confidence, so badly shaken during the winter.

Air Operations, CBI

7th Heavy Bomb Group B-17s attack the airfield at Myitkyina but it now appears abandoned.

Air Operations, Europe

• Bomber Command sends more that 1,000 bombers to raid Cologne. A total of 1,046 aircraft, 602 Wellingtons, 88 Stirlings, 28 Whitleys, 46 Manchesters, 131 Halifaxes and 79 Hampdens, plus 50 aircraft attacking German fighter bases take off from 52 fields in Britain. Included in the total are 101 planes with Polish crews and 367 bomber/trainers. The operation begins at 10:30pm. The first to take off are the Stirlings of XV Group from the airfield at Wyton in Huntingdonshire. The bombs start dropping on Cologne just after midnight. This enormous effort has only been made possible by scraping together every plane from operational squadrons and training units. The planes from the training units are flown by pupils and instructors. 898 actually attack Cologne dropping 1,455 tons of bombs, two-thirds of which are incendiaries. The raid is a considerable military and propaganda success. Only 41 of the 1,046 bombers are lost, mostly shot down by German night-fighters. This total includes 29 Wellingtons, 4 Manchesters, 3 Halifaxes, 2 Stirlings, 1 Hampden, 1 Lancaster and 1 Whitley. It is a terrifying experience for the city's inhabitants, hundreds of whom are unable to get out of the cellars. Raging fires devastate the city center, and the whole of Cologne is enveloped in a cloud of dense, acrid smoke. Around 2,500 separate fires are started with 1,700 of them considered major conflagrations. The crews returning home could see Cologne burning from 150 miles away. The damage is tremendous: half the city's power supply is eliminated, 368 industrial plants are hit, 13,000 houses are buildings destroyed, 6,000 seriously damaged and more than 59,000 people are left homeless. 486 people are killed and 5,027 are wounded.
• In support operations, 49 Blenheims and 7 Havocs of Fighter Command attempt to attack German night-fighter fields along the bomber route. No particular success is recorded by these attacks and 2 Blenheims are lost.

  The First 1,000 Bomber Raid by the RAF

• Prior to this historic raid, Air Marshal Harris sends a message to all Bomber Command stations: 'Press home your attack. . . with the utmost determination. . . if you individually succeed the most shattering and devastating blow will have been delivered against the very vitals of the enemy. Let him have it - right on the chin!'
• Hermann Göring noted in his diary about the bombing of Cologne: 'Of course, the effects of aerial warfare are terrible if one looks at individual cases. But we have to accept them.'

The First 1,000 Bomber Raid by the RAF

Battle of the Atlantic

The unarmed US freighter Alcoa Shipper (5491t), en route to New York from Trinidad, is torpedoed and sunk by U-404 losing three men in the initial explosion. The ship sinks so fast there is no time to launch lifeboats with four more of the crew going down with the ship. There are 25 survivors.

Eastern Front

Special announcement from Hitler's HQ claims the great battle around Kharkov is ended and that the German and Axis forces had transformed their defense against a strong enemy into a proud victory of annihilation and that the Luftwaffe has driven the enemy out of the air.

The Germans counterattack along the Volkhov, isolating the 2nd Shock Army. Gen Andrey Vlasov's men have been fighting in virtual encirclement for nearly three months. 9 divisions and 6 brigades have been cut off, all short of food and ammunition. Repeated attacks by the 59th and 52nd Armies fail to break through and create an escape corridor for the 2nd Shock.

Air Operations, Europe

• British Mosquito bombers, constructed from wood, fly their first bombing sorties against a German city, Cologne. Their main objective is to take photos of the damage from the previous night's raid. 1 plane is hit by Flak over the city and later crashes in the North Sea.
• During the night, 2 Wellingtons are sent to bomb Cologne but cloud cover prevents any details of the results.

Air Operations, New Guinea

5th Air Force B-17s attack Lae and Salamaua.

Burma

400,000 refugees have crossed the Burma-India frontier since December 1941.

China

Chiang Kai-shek pleads with the US to speed up military aid to China.

Eastern Front

The Ostheer had been extensively reinforced and rebuilt for the summer campaigning season, the Panzerwaffe numbering 3,981 vehickes, of which nearly 1,000 are operational while the Luftwaffe has 3,400 aircraft.

The Luftwaffe has taken time to restructure its forces, deploying a number of new formations with the army groups. In Finland, the 5th Air Fleet has been strengthened to 260 aircraft, Gen Alfred Keller's 1st Air Fleet with Army Group North has 375 aircraft, while Army Group Center has Gen Robert von Greim's Luftwaffe Kommando Ost with 600 aircraft. By far the greatest Luftwaffe commitment is in the Ukraine and the Crimea. Army Group South can call upon Gen Alexander Lohr's 4th Air Fleet, comprising the IV and VIII Air Corps and the I Flak Corps with nearly 1,600 aircraft.

The Ostheer begins to redeploy its forces for the next phase of operations during June. The 11th Army is to destroy the Soviet forces at Sevastopol, concentrating 1,300 artillery pieces around the port and the VIII Air Corps with 720 aircraft. The Soviets have 101,000 men in 7 infantry and 3 marine divisions and 3 marine brigades, 600 artillery pieces, 2,000 motor vehicles, 40 tanks and 60 aircraft. The city is ringed by 3 lines of defense, the first consisting of a belt of trenches and minefields, supported by divisional artillery, while to the rear is the second, sited between the Belbek Valley and Severnaya Gulf that are designed to hold up any forces attacking toward the port. The final line of defense consists of another belt of trenches on the outer limits of the city, again supported by minefields and artillery.

To overcome this formidable array, Manstein has redeployed his army, leaving the XLII Corps and VII Rumanian Corps at Kerch to deal with any Soviet threat from the Kuban. The bulk of the German strength is massed around the Sevastopol perimeter, LIV Corps against the northern flank and XXX to the south, with the Rumanian Mountain Corps in between, The LIV Corps (22nd, 24th, 50th and 132nd Infantry Divisions) has been reinforced with 56 heavy and medium artillery batteries and 41 light gun batteries, 18 mortar batteries and 2 assault gun battalions, while XXX Corps (72nd and 170th Infantry Divisions and 28th Light Division) has 25 heavy and medium batteries, 5 light artillery batteries, 6 mortar batteries and 1 assault gun battalion. The Rumanian corps has 12 medium batteries and 22 light artillery batteries. Many of the heavy artillery pieces are the super heavies of the German army. Among these is the Gamma mortar, a huge 427mm weapon with a range of nearly 9 miles, the Karl 615mm artillery piece and the Gustav 800mm gun. The Gustav is so large it takes a crew of 2,500 to operate it, but can fire its massive projectile 28 miles. Its fire is so powerful that it can disable a fortress with one shot. Around the city perimeter the Germans have 7 infantry divisions, with 2 Rumanian divisions in support. A 5-day artillery barrage is to soften the Soviet defenses before the main assault begins. As the 11th Army lacks panzer forces, a number of assault gun battalions operate in conjunction with the infantry.

During May the Germans have brought 6 infantry divisions into the line, but 1 panzer and 3 infantry leave. This gives the Ostheer a combat force of 19 panzer, 15 motorized and 129 infantry divisions.

During May 1942 the Germans lose 38,000 men killed on the eastern front.

Despite their disastrous defeats at Kerch and Kharkov, May has been spent rebuilding the combat units, armored and air forces. At the end of the month, the Red Army has 6,190 tanks and the air force 3,160 aircraft. New air armies have begun to form, being allocated to specific fronts, providing aerial support whenever and wherever it is required. The 1st to 5th Air Armies are raised, 1st goint to West Front, 2nd to Southwest Front, 3rd to Kalinin Front, 4th to South Front and 5th to North Caucasus Front.

North Africa

Gen Ritchie, commanding the British 8th Army, is convinced that Rommel's maneuver has ground to a halt. 'Now I've got him in the hollow of my hand,' he writes to Gen Auchinleck, Commander-in-Chief of British armed forces in the Middle East. But Rommel is a long way from being subdued. The Afrika Korps overruns 150th Brigade of the British 50th Div. The brigade was dug in between 2 desert tracks, the Trigh Capuzzo and the Trigh el Abd, southwest of Sidi Muftah. Rommel's supply route is free. In the afternoon the British XXX Corps launches an ineffective counterattack, but is promptly repelled.[MORE]