Monday 7 April 1941

LSSAH (1st SS Panzer Division, Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler) motorcycles in Bulgaria on their way to the Yugoslav border at Klistendil, April 7, 1941. The LSSAH is to follow the 9th Panzer Division of XL Panzer Corps (General der Panzertruppe Georg Stumme) and help exploit its breakthrough.

Operation 25: The Wehrmacht continues grinding forward in Yugoslavia against very light opposition - and often none at all - on 7 April 1941.

The XL Panzer Corps continues skidding across southern Yugoslavia at a lightning pace. Exactly when particular areas fall is difficult to ascertain, as the Germans are simply driving east as fast as they can. Today, the Germans pocket Prilep and the 9th Panzer Division moves on to regional center Skopje in Macedonia. Skopje is a major road junction from the Yugoslav coast to Greece, so this further isolates the bulk of the Yugoslav military and population to the north.

The Yugoslav Army counterattacks against the northern flank of the XL Panzer spearhead but fails to make any progress.

In the north, General Maximillian Baron von Weichs continues moving south with his 2nd Army. The Hungarians occupy territory north of the Danube that was lost in the treaties ending World War I.

Along the coast, the Italian 2nd Army under General Ambrosio makes a lunge south from the Trieste region. The Yugoslav 3rd Army attacks with five infantry divisions (13, 15, 25, 31 and 12 Divisions) in northern Albania west toward Elbasan, apparently to help the Greek Army conquer the Italians. This makes sense in the context of the Yugoslavs having watched the Italian/Greek conflict for months and contemplating how they could help the Greeks, and perhaps was a standing plan for the eventuality of hostilities with Italy. In the abstract, freeing the Greek forces to shift east would help the Allies to form a front there, but it assumes that the Yugoslavs can hold off the Germans while that plan plays out - a very risky bet.

The Luftwaffe continues pounding Belgrade in Operation Punishment. The Luftwaffe has complete command of the skies, but estimates of each side's losses during the battle vary widely and are completely unreliable. This is the climax of the Luftwaffe's attack on the capital. Estimates of Yugoslav casualties in Belgrade also vary widely and are completely unreliable, ranging from 1500 to 17,000, with the official figure 2,271.

Fires from yesterday's raid burn out of control, creating giant plumes of smoke and guiding follow-up raids to the city. The main targets hit today include the main railway station and a pontoon bridge across the Danube east of the city. The rail line is the major means of international communication from Belgrade, and XL Panzer Corps already has cut the mainline to Greece around Prilep. The Stukas also continue their work on the Yugoslav Air Force, which essentially has been missing in action, with many of its planes destroyed on the ground.

The Luftwaffe is having such an easy time that the fighters of 7,/JG 26, flying out of Taranto, return to their previous bases on Sicily. During this very brief operation over the Balkans, commander Oblt. Müncheberg scores a victory, a Yugoslav Fury biplane.

In Budapest, the government claims that the Yugoslav Air Force attacked three of its airfields and that its own forces shot down eight of the bombers. This is unconfirmed.

Croatian exile Ante Pavelic continues his broadcasts from Florence. He calls on Croats, who by and large are sympathetic to Germany, to resist the central government and set up their own state Naturally, Pavelic has some ideas on who might lead such an independent Croatian government.

New York Times, 7 April 1941.

Operation Marita: At this stage of the invasion, Greece remains of secondary importance while the Wehrmacht carves up Yugoslavia. The Wehrmacht has attacked the incomplete Greek Metaxas Line on the Bulgarian/Greek border, with the British positioned further back. The German XVIII and XXX Corps are leading the attack.

A simple glance at the map, however, shows that the panzers at Skopje are perfectly positioned to turn south and head toward Thessalonica (Thessaloniki). This would cut off the Greeks on the Bulgarian frontier and the British expeditionary force on the Aliakmon River line. Strategically, the German 12th Army under the command of Field Marshal Wilhelm List is best off by just keeping the Allied forces in place while they are enveloped to the west.

However, that does not mean that the Bulgarian/Greece front is quiet, and suggesting that does the men fighting there a huge disservice. Soldiers are fighting and dying there just like they are in Yugoslavia - in fact, given the ease of the German invasion of Yugoslavia, there may be more soldiers dying in Greece at any particular time. The Germans make progress on the western flank.

The people at the port of Piraeus continue picking up from the events of the 6th. Then, the harbor was rocked on the first day of the invasion when ammunition ship Clan Frazer blew up, sinking and damaging over a dozen ships. The dock facilities, which have been used to bring in British troops, are completely wrecked and the Royal Navy withdraws its remaining ships from the port to Suda Bay, Crete.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 1012 Greek freighter Kyrapanagia off the port of Piraeus.

Greece severs diplomatic contact with Bulgaria and Hungary, while Great Britain breaks diplomatic relations with Hungary.

European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe remains active on the Channel Front despite the fact that numerous formations have been withdrawn to support Operation Marita. There are several different attacks that leave a lasting impression.

The Luftwaffe sends 179 bombers against Glasgow and 43 against Liverpool and Greenock. These attacks begin around 23:05.

A Heinkel He 111 equipped with X-Verfahren direction-finding equipment guides a small group of bombers from KG 54 and 55 to attack Bristol and Avonmouth after 21:00. A Beaufighter of RAF No. 219 Squadron shoots down a Heinkel from 1,/KG 55.

It is the first night of the "Belfast Blitz." This is not the first raid on Belfast, but it apparently is the first intentional bombing of the city. The Germans bomb the docks and also hit nearby residential areas. It is a small attack by half a dozen bombers and causes - by Blitz standards - only light damage, including destroying a factory used to manufacture fuselages for Short Stirling bombers. There are 13 deaths. The Luftwaffe loses a plane, but the pilots are delighted that the air raid defenses are relatively light.

During the day, the RAF conducts standard Rhubarb operations over France.

After dark, RAF Bomber Command, No. 2 Group, attacks the Kiel dock area, Cologne and Bremerhaven. The Kiel attack is the night's centerpiece, involving 229 bombers dropping 40,000 incendiaries and lasting for five hours. Kiel is easily accessible by the RAF bombers and receives poundings with great regularity - so far during the war, it has been attacked three dozen times. Despite that, the port remains fully functional. The RAF attack on Bremerhaven is much lighter, made by only 24 bombers.

East African Campaign: The South Africans consolidate their control over Addis Ababa. The Polizia dell'Africa Italiana (Police of Italian Africa) remain on patrol in the city with their approval. At Massawa, the British once again call on Italian Admiral Bonetti to surrender, but he refuses. The 7th Indian Infantry Brigade Group, 10th Indian Infantry Brigade, and a tank squadron prepare to assault the port on the 8th.

The Royal Navy is standing offshore bombarding Massawa in Operation Atmosphere, but Admiral Bonetti still has naval forces at his disposal. He sends Italian MAS 213 (torpedo boat) out after dark to shoo the British off. The Italians torpedo light South African cruiser HMSAS Capetown, badly damaging its stern and killing four sailors. The Capetown must be towed to Port Sudan, and later to Bombay. The repairs will take until July 1942.

Convoy BN 23 departs from Suez.

Battle of the Atlantic: Invasion fears are mounting. The Admiralty for some reason fears a major Luftwaffe raid on Scapa Flow in northern Scotland, so it orders the Home Fleet to sail. There is no air raid, and the ships return.

U-124 (Kptlt. Georg-Whilhelm Schulz) is operating around the Cape Verde Islands thanks to the good Kriegsmarine supply network which has kept it at sea there for the past month. It torpedoes 1746-ton Canadian freighter Portadoc, then surfaces and uses its deck gun to finish it off. The entire crew escapes in two lifeboats. They sail east and, in six days, make it to Benty, French Guinea - where the Vichy French intern them. The Portadoc was sailing as an independent.

German tanker Nordmark replenishes U-105 (Kapitänleutnant Georg Schewe) and U-106 (Kptlt. Jürgen Oesten) prior to their heading to Rio de Janeiro to escort a trapped German freighter, 3290-ton Lech, back to France.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks Royal Navy 258-ton minesweeping trawler Roche Bonne (Rochebonne) about eight miles southeast of the Lizard. Captain W.R. Settlefield and his ten sailors perish.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 213-ton British trawler Sylvia southeast of the main Faroe Islands, east of Suðuroy. There is one death.

The Luftwaffe bombs and damages 3829-ton British freighter Kirnwood east of Clacton on Sea.

British 945-ton freighter Elisabeth hits a mine and sinks five miles (9 km) southeast of Portscatho. There are two deaths.

Convoy OB 307 departs from Liverpool.

Canadian minesweeper HMCS Cowichan (J 146) is commissioned.

Things are heating up in Alexandria, Egypt, but in Alexandria, Louisiana, the 3rd Battalion of the 164th Infantry Division marches for Army Day. 7 April 1941 (Dickinson Library).

Battle of the Mediterranean: In his diary, visiting Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies notes after the War Cabinet meeting, with classic understatement: "Things have gone wrong in Libya."

The Afrika Korps continues its rampage across Libya. The panzers effectively capture Derna, capturing the airfield and block the Via Balbia - the British position there now is hopeless. At Mechili, reached by the Germans on the 6th, the Afrika Korps twice demands that the remnants of the shattered British 2nd Armoured Division surrender, but the British hold out. Rommel orders his panzers forward (Group Olbrich) for an immediate attack. After a difficult march over harsh terrain, Group Olbrich is in position around Mechili as night falls, ready for a final attack on the 8th. General Rommel is upset at the delay, feeling the attack should have been conducted today. General Johannes Streich, the commander of the 5th Light Division (of which Group Olbrich is a part), claims among other things that yesterday's sandstorms clogged his panzers' turrets.

This battle presents a sort of an alternate reality to the majority of World War II. Throughout the conflict, the Allies, via their Ultra decryption service, read many German communications in real-time - in fact, there may be cases when the British read German messages before the intended German recipient does. However, with General Rommel leading from the front and ignoring orders from his supposed Italian commander, the British have very little spy intelligence to work with. On the other hand, the British are retreating in a pell-mell fashion that approaches raw panic. As they go, they are sending radio messages in the clear and on the fly to headquarters identifying their positions - which the Wehrmacht's intelligence service is reading and forwarding to Rommel.

General Erwin Rommel continues flying in his personal Fieseler Storch observation plane above the battlefield. By doing this, he sees not only where the British forces are, but also exactly where his own forces are - which is a lot more than the British commanders know. The Luftwaffe also helps out, reporting that large British forces are concentrating around Gazala, now the westernmost tip of British control. Luftwaffe transport planes work overtime bringing in supplies to the forces investing Mechili. Supply is a major developing problem for the Wehrmacht, with some troops without rations for four days now - a consequence of unexpected success.

The Germans and Italians spirit Generals O'Connor and Neame, captured on the 6th, out of Libya to imprisonment in Italy.

At Malta, supplies continue to tighten. Food rationing is introduced.

William Faulkner's final screenplay of Twentieth Century Fox's "The Bouncer and the Lady," dated 7 April 1941.

Propaganda: Berlin radio reports that Allied shipping losses for March 1941 totaled 718,000 tons. Losses indeed were high for the month, but that is about double the actual amount. The broadcaster also does not mention the 5 U-boats lost during the month. Excessive shipping claims by the Germans become a running joke, especially among Allied POWs who keep running totals and show that, if the claims were remotely true, the entire Allied fleet of vessels would be at the bottom of the sea.

British Military: General Bernard Law Montgomery, aka "Monty," is appointed commander of XII Corps. This is a key command, responsible for the Kent/Sussex sector in southeast England. With invasion fears running wild as spring approaches, this is a key vote of confidence. Montgomery immediately institutes a training program for all ranks and begins sacking officers he believes are incompetent.

The Gloster E.28/39 (Meteor) prototype is delivered to Brockworth airfield for ground (taxiing) tests. This version does not include a fully working jet, the key component of any jet fighter, but the engine provided can power the aircraft sufficiently to make short hops off the ground. A Power Jets W.1 engine is just about ready for delivery to the airfield for full flight tests.

US Military: The US sends a force, TG 7.2, from New York Navy Yard to establish Naval Station Bermuda under the command of Captain Jules James, USN. TG 7.2 includes aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-4) and heavy cruisers Tuscaloosa and Wichita, which will stay and make Bermuda their home port. This relatively small force will be greatly augmented by large US naval forces. This is one of the bases ceded by the British to the US pursuant to the destroyers-for-bases deal of September 1940.

Iraq: The British forces at Habbaniyah are growing increasingly worried about the change in government from a pro-British to pro-Axis orientation. Whitehall telegrams Middle East Commander General Archibald Wavell asking him what troops he can spare for Iraq. Wavell responds that, given operations in both Libya and Greece, all that he can spare is a battalion.

Newsweek Magazine, 7 April 1941.

China: Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek, in an appearance before the Executive Yuan, vows to cooperate with the Communist military - temporarily. He previously has ordered his troops to attack the Communists when they come to close to his own sphere of control, but now changes his tune:

…these border imbroglios are mere secondary questions. We can’t worry too much over such trivialities. As the international situation improves, they will automatically be settled. Let's wait at least until we get a definite assurance from England and the United States before we clamp down on the Communists.

British Government: It is Budget Day. The government raises taxes again, raising the toll by 1s 6d to 10s in the £. Chancellor of the Exchequer Kingsley Wood aims to reduce inflation by increasing taxation and forcing the public to save more. The total tax increase is expected to increase revenues by £250, with a government budget deficit of £2.304 billion. This is a huge increase, made more onerous by the fact that numerous deductions are eliminated. Of course, technically the British government is insolvent given its growing obligations under Lend-Lease, so increases are borne, by and large, with good humor or at least acceptance by many citizens and the media.

American Homefront: The Gallup opinion research firm publishes the results of a poll. The question posed is:

Which of these two things do you think it is more important for the United States to try to do — to keep out of the war ourselves, or to help England win, even at the risk of getting into the war?

Of the respondents, 67% prefer to help England win. This is a 7% increase from a similar question asked in January 1941.

Life Magazine, 7 April 1941, "Spring Showers."

April 1941

April 1, 1941: Rommel Takes Brega
April 2, 1941:Rommel Takes Agedabia
April 3, 1941: Convoy SC-26 Destruction
April 4, 1941: Rommel Takes Benghazi
April 5, 1941: Rommel Rolling
April 6, 1941: Operation Marita
April 7, 1941: Rommel Takes Derna
April 8, 1941: Yugoslavia Crumbling
April 9, 1941: Thessaloniki Falls
April 10, 1941: USS Niblack Attacks
April 11, 1941: Good Friday Raid
April 12, 1941: Belgrade and Bardia Fall
April 13, 1941: Soviet-Japanese Pact
April 14, 1941: King Peter Leaves
April 15, 1941: Flying Tigers
April 16, 1941: Battle of Platamon
April 17, 1941: Yugoslavia Gone
April 18, 1941: Me 262 First Flight
April 19, 1941: London Smashed
April 20, 1941: Hitler's Best Birthday
April 21, 1941: Greek Army Surrenders
April 22, 1941: Pancevo Massacre
April 23, 1941: CAM Ships
April 24, 1941: Battle of Thermopylae
April 25, 1941: Operation Demon
April 26, 1941: Operation Hannibal
April 27, 1941: Athens Falls
April 28, 1941: Hitler Firm about Barbarossa
April 29, 1941: Mainland Greece Falls
April 30, 1941: Rommel Attacks

2020

Thursday 24 May 1940

Spitfire Mark.1A, P9374 on the beach of Calais sometime soon after 24 May 1940. It went down on 24 May 1940. F/O Peter Cazenove survived the crash-landing and ultimately became a POW. The plane was buried under the sand shortly after this shot for decades, but emerged in 1980 and has been restored. The plane is flyable and is at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford.

German Military: The OKW (German military high command) issues a stop order (Fuhrer Directive 13) to General Paul Ewald von Kleist on 24 May 1940. It calls for "the annihilation of French, British and Belgian forces in the Dunkirk pocket." Panzer Group Kleist controls the Wehrmacht's spearhead which has been aiming at the sea and, more recently, specifically toward the Channel Ports. All troops are to stop and consolidate their current positions.

This order quite possibly is the most controversial incident of World War II, and not just among historians. The OKH (army high command) led by General von Brauchitsch and General Halder objects at the time. With General Guderian's XIX Corps only 18 miles from Dunkirk and the Germans already in possession of Boulogne, Hitler expresses concern about the "Flanders marshes" that he recalls as a World War I infantry corporal.

In truth, the OKW has been increasingly leery about the over-extension of the panzer forces since the crossing of the Meuse, and not just Hitler. There is a case to be made that the stop order is wise and prevents a chance for an Allied counter-stroke that could surround some of the more advanced Wehrmacht positions. There also is a military theory that you want to provide your enemy a "Golden Bridge," an escape route that is too inviting for them to take rather than stand and fight. In any event, the order is only in place for the day, so perhaps too much is made of it by historians.

The precise reason for the stop order is fertile ground for conspiracy theorists - was Hitler actually trying to save the BEF for some reason? - but will never be known. It existed only inside the head of Adolf Hitler, though Hermann Goering assures the Fuhrer that his Luftwaffe can prevent any escape. Hitler himself commented on this issue on 26 February 1945, claiming that he allowed the British to escape as a "sporting gesture." One way or the other, the order is widely believed to have affected the course of World War II.

Western Front: The XIX Corps is on the line Gravelines - Omer - Bethune. Only one portion of the line is active, at Calais.

The 10th Panzer Division (General der Panzertruppe Ferdinand Schaal) is attacking at Calais and that operation is not considered to be affected by the stop order. The British reinforcements have just arrived within the last day to hold the port, but now they form a solid defensive line and the Germans make no progress. However, the supply of the Allied troops now is a problem, as they are under constant air and ground attack and going through prodigious amounts of ammunition. General Guderian gives Schaal until the morning of the 26th to take the town, or he will withdraw the panzers and order the Luftwaffe to level it.

Both sides begin artillery fire early, at 04:45. German artillery fire destroys large sections of the docks. Some of the ships are evacuated without having unloaded all of their equipment.

The Allies have consolidated their positions into the heart of the town. The 10th Panzer Division attacks all along the line and makes some progress in the south, but British counterattacks push them back. The panzers try again in the afternoon with better success, and French Fort Nieulay surrenders. The panzers get through the defensive line on the south, aided by German snipers within the town (collaborators). While the 10th Panzer Division retains the southern part of the town, it also reports that it has lost a third of its equipment and half of its tanks.

The British maintain a steady stream of supplies to the town, and British destroyers offshore are bombarding the German positions, but the situation is deteriorating. The Admiralty orders all non-combatants to be evacuated. There is dissension on the Allied side, as the French do not want to evacuate the port. The British refuse to send any more reinforcements. There are reports of a relief column advancing from the north, but it is nowhere in sight. The German artillery and panzer fire destroys the dockside cranes, making the job of evacuating more difficult - especially of the wounded.

At Boulogne, there are still some British forces waiting to be evacuated as the day begins. HMS Vimiera takes the last lot off from the docks in the early hours of the morning, arriving back at Dover at 04:00. French General Lanquetot is out of touch with headquarters and continues to resist in the Haute Ville, the ancient citadel. He expects reinforcements that are no longer coming. The German 2d Panzer Division occupies the rest of the town and attacks Lanquetot's holdouts in the evening, but he holds out.

A party of Welsh Guards also has been left behind in Boulogne. They are congregated down by the docks along with a motley collection of other stragglers. Despite having no hope of rescue, they hold out until the 25th.

The 1st Panzer Division is at the Aa Canal, 10 miles from Dunkirk. There is one BEF battalion between them and the port, but they are forced to halt.

The German troops on other sectors of the front are unaffected by the stop order. The German Sixth Army under General Reichenau forces the Belgian 1st and 3rd Divisions back at Kortrijk. They take up a defensive position along the Lys River. The Belgian 9th and 10th Divisions soon join the line there, and the Belgian II Army Corps counterattacks and takes 200 prisoners. The Luftwaffe harasses the Belgian positions, and the RAF cannot respond quickly because it is operating out of England. A German attack on Ypres, which threatens to surround the Belgians, is checked with difficulty by the Belgian 2nd Cavalry Brigade and the 6th Infantry Division.

Maubeuge on the banks of the Sambre falls, with 90% of the town destroyed during the fighting. St. Omer also falls.

The Germans occupy Ghent and Tournai.

European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe launches some raids after nightfall in Yorkshire, East Anglia, and Essex. There are 8 civilian casualties in Middlesbrough - the first such casualties in England (previous casualties were in Scotland).

The RAF bombs the Cologne railroad marshalling yards during the night with 59 bombers.

The RAF sends 69 bombers to attack German positions around Calais.

The Luftwaffe sinks British ship Brighton at Dieppe.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-37 (Kapitänleutnant Victor Oehrn) torpedoes and sinks 3,994 ton Greek freighter Kyma about 300 miles west of Ushant. There are 23 survivors and 7 perish.

The Royal Navy is active off the Channel Ports, aiding the BEF and French forces defending them. Royal Navy cruisers Arethusa and Galatea, Polish destroyer Okręt Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (ORP) Burza, and destroyers HMS Grafton, Greyhound, Wessex, Wolfhound, and Verity support the troops.

Canada sends destroyers HMCS St. Laurent (H83), HMCS Restigouche (H00) and HMCS Skeena (D59) from Halifax to the UK to aid in the war effort.

The President of Panama, Augusto S. Boyd, sends diplomatic notes to Germany, Great Britain, the Dominican Republic and the Inter-American Neutrality Committee in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil regarding the Hannover incident of 8 March 1940. He claims that it was a violation of the Pan-American Neutrality Zone.

Convoy OA 154 departs from Southend, Convoy OB 154 departs from Liverpool, and Convoy HX 45 departs from Halifax.

The British commission corvette HMS Gardenia (K 99) (Lt. Commander Trevor A. O. Ellis).

Norway: The Supreme Allied War Council meets in Paris and decides to wind up the Norwegian campaign - but only after capturing the vital port of Narvik and destroying it. They do not inform the Norwegian government. The withdrawal is given the code "Operation Alphabet."

The German 2d Mountain Division continues pursuing Colonel Gubbins' troops north from Mo i Rana. Gubbins has some of his troops hold a switch position about 10 miles (16 km) south of Rognan. The men of the Irish Guards, Nos. 2 and 3 Independent Companies, and Royal Artillery Battery 203 wait for the Germans, equipped with mortars, machine guns and with 25-pound artillery emplaced to sweep the road. The Germans advancing toward Bodo will be walking into an ambush.

French Alpine troops land at Bjerkvik, which is across the fjord from Narvik.

At Narvik, the Germans essentially are surrounded, with the Norwegians on the north, the French on the west, and the Poles on the southwest. The RAF is operating Gladiator Glosters out of Bardufoss just to the north. As cover for Operation Alphabet, the British contemplate launching an attack on Narvik, but not right away. French General Béthouart in particular would like to teach the Germans a lesson here, where they are more vulnerable than back in France.

The Luftwaffe continues its gradual reinforcement of General Dietl's troops in Narvik, dropping another 55 mountain troops by parachute, while seaplanes bring 14 more. The rail line through Sweden also brings 40 German troops, violating Swedish neutrality.

Military Intelligence: Bletchley Park's Code and Cypher School has had great success recently in decoding certain (but not all) German Enigma Machine coded messages. It begins routing its finding in close to real-time to the BEF, the RAF and, of course, Prime Minister Winston Churchill. This is all top secret, of course, and the actual source of the information is rarely provided to any but the absolutely most highly placed individuals.

Belgian Government: King Leopold III remains in the increasingly narrow portion of the country still held by the Allies and has no intention of leaving like Queen Wilhelmina of Holland. He states, "Whatever happens, I have to share the same fate as my troops." His Prime Minister, Hubert Pierlot, strongly suggests that Leopold leave the country, but Leopold refuses. Some feel that his remaining in the country after a capitulation would be contrary to the best interests of the nation. In any event, whether to surrender is a question for the elected government, not the King.

Leon Trotsky

Soviet Government: Stalin has had it in for old rival Leon Trotsky for some time, and today he does something about it. Trotsky has emigrated to Coyoacán, Mexico, but nowhere is far enough when Stalin wants you dead. An armed force attacks Trotsky's fortified compound, throwing bombs and firing machine guns. The attackers eventually leave - but Trotsky and his wife Natalia survive by ducking under the bed.

British Government: King George VI addresses the public by radio broadcast on Empire Day. He states:

"The decisive struggle is now upon us ... Let no one be mistaken; it is not mere territorial conquest that our enemies are seeking. It is the overthrow, complete and final, of this Empire and of everything for which it stands, and after that the conquest of the world. And if their will prevails they will bring to its accomplishment all the hatred and cruelty which they have already displayed."

Sir Samuel is named ambassador to Spain.

German Military: Heinrich "Heinz" Trettner receives the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. He is a Major on the General Staff and 1a (operations officer) of the 7th Flieger-Division (parachute division). This is a recognition of the fine service of the paratroopers in the war so far.

Ireland: The government forms a Local Security Force.

Middle East: General Eugene Mittelhauser takes over command of French forces.

French Homefront: In an odd but purely Gallic expression of patriotism, 10 leading Paris fashion houses declare they will not close despite the war. "At this grave hour, couture will continue." Coco Chanel is making a controversial decision.

American Homefront: Night baseball games are introduced at the Polo Grounds in Manhattan, New York and Sportsman's Park in St. Louis.

"Our Town," starring William Holden and Martha Scott, is released.

The Polo Grounds, 24 May 1940.

May 1940

May 1, 1940: British Leave Åndalsnes
May 2, 1940: British Depart Namsos
May 3, 1940: Many Norwegians Surrendering
May 4, 1940: Bader Returns
May 5, 1940: HMS Seal Survives
May 6, 1940: Allies Focus on Narvik
May 7, 1940: In The Name of God, Go!
May 8, 1940: Exit Chamberlain
May 9, 1940: Enter Churchill
May 10, 1940: Fall Gelb
May 11, 1940: Eben Emael Surrenders
May 12, 1940: Germans at Sedan
May 13, 1940: Rommel at Work
May 14, 1940: German Breakout in France
May 15, 1940: Holland Surrenders
May 16, 1940: Dash to the Channel
May 17, 1940: Germans Take Brussels
May 18, 1940: Germans Take Antwerp
May 19, 1940: Failed French Counterattack
May 20, 1940: Panzers on the Coast
May 21, 1940: Battle of Arras
May 22, 1940: Attacking Channel Ports
May 23, 1940: British Evacuate Boulogne
May 24, 1940: Hitler's Stop Order
May 25, 1940: Belgian Defenses Creaking
May 26, 1940: Operation Dynamo
May 27, 1940: King Leopold Surrenders 
May 28, 1940: The Allies Take Narvik
May 29, 1940: Lille Falls
May 30, 1940: Operation Fish
May 31, 1940: Peak Day for Dynamo

2020

Thursday 23 May 1940

Photographed by their commander, Erwin Rommel, in a Fieseler Storch, this shot shows the 7th Panzer Division, advancing from Arras toward Rouen. 23-24 May 1940.

Western Front: French Commander-in-chief General Weygand on 23 May 1940 comes up with a new plan. This one is to hold a pocket on the coast in Flanders indefinitely, the Réduit de Flandres. Theoretically, this could be supplied from Great Britain and hold out indefinitely. In reality, the Allies' grasp on the region already is extremely tenuous.

The Allies have been holding on the Scheldt River line, but today that cracks. The Germans cross the river and seize Allied supply depots. The BEF goes on half-rations as a result. Ghent falls to the German 18th Army.

General Guderian in charge of XIX Corps in the Channel Ports region is convinced that the only remaining threat is that the British BEF will manage to escape. He orders an immediate assault by the panzers on the fly without waiting for the infantry to catch up. The Allies send 18 French Latecoere seaplanes to bomb the bridges between the Somme and Boulogne to slow Guderian up. The entire scene is a picture of mass confusion, with units intermingled, enemy forces locked into an "embrace," and nobody quite sure where the front is.

The panzers of 2nd Panzer Division are pressing against Boulogne. At 10:00, it attacks from the south and forces the Irish Guards back into town. The Allies in the port have radio problems and lose communications with headquarters. They are told at noontime by an arriving destroyer, HMS Vimy, that they are expected to hold at all costs. However, by 18:00, the order comes to evacuate.

The Royal Navy sends six destroyers to take off as many men from Boulogne as possible. They lose two destroyers, both French, the Jaguar and Drage, but take off 4,360 men. There is a highly unusual land/naval confrontation between the German ground troops, with the Germans firing artillery and tank shells at the British ships. A Panzer IV and one of the destroyers gets into an odd exchange in which the panzer sinks the ship. The panzer crew gets the right to paint a rare "ship" kill on their turret. Overall, though, the British warships provide an extremely effective port defense as they complete the evacuation, though several of the Royal Navy ships are badly damaged. The captains of both HMS Keith and HMS Vimy are killed.

The German 1st Panzer Division is advancing up the Pihen-Les-Guînes road (the Omer road) toward Gravelines. Fierce local battles erupt between the British 3rd Royal Tank Regiment, the 30th Motor Brigade and the panzers, with the British troops forced back into Calais. The 1st Panzer Division, which would have occupied Calais if weakly defended, decides to bypass the port and continue on toward Gravelines/Dunkirk.

The 10th Panzer Division secures the high ground near Calais, while the British 30th Infantry Brigade arrives to help with the defense there. The entire area is a scene of massive confusion, with random British and German units often taking the same roads and one side or the other mistaking the enemy as being friendly forces. The Germans are within sight of Calais, but their line is not continuous, and formations on both sides pass through enemy lines here and there. Tanks of the 10th PD are able to bombard Calais from their position on the overlooking hills.

General Rommel's 7th Panzer Division has been sitting before Arras for three days, and his patience pays off. Early in the morning, Lord Gort issues an order for the British to evacuate the city. Lord Gort has no faith in French promises of counterattacks or strategies in the area. Rommel's panzers head west toward Rouen.

The French mount local attacks near Peronne and Amiens that accomplish little.

General Gaston Billotte, former commander of 1st Army Group, passes away. He has been in a coma since a car accident on 21 May.

European Air Operations: While the RAF fighters have almost all been withdrawn across the channel, they at least are operating from established bases and, at least temporarily, have an advantage along the coast.

Air operations over Boulogne are intense. RAF fighters are needed elsewhere, and the Luftwaffe has free reign over the port for most of the day. The RAF fighters finally arrive at 19:20.

The Luftwaffe bombs French destroyer Orage and sinks it.

The Luftwaffe catches French destroyer Jaguar, which has been damaged by Kriegsmarine S-boats and sinks it.

French destroyer Chacal is sunk at Boulogne by combined Luftwaffe and shore fire.

Norway: Colonel Gubbins has had enough of Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Byrnand Trappes-Lomax, the commander of the Scots Guards, believing him to be too interested in retreating. Gubbins relieves him during the afternoon. Gubbins orders the entire unit withdrawn to Bodø. The German mountain troops take the high ground overlooking the Viskisnoia River, Gubbins' proposed stop line, so he has to retreat further. Gubbins now tries to hold Fauske on the north side of the Skjerstadfjorden, which is a key intersection on the road north. While there is a lot of ground left to hold, the British are giving it up in a hurry.

The Luftwaffe continues its daily reinforcements of General Dietl's troops at Narvik, this time dropping 65 mountain troops by parachute from Junkers Ju 52 transport planes. For many of the men, it is their first parachute drop.

The 14 Gladiator Glosters of RAF No. 263 Squadron enter into operation from Bardufoss north of Narvik.

P/O John "Jack" Benzie of No 242 Squadron RAF, shown at RAF Coltishall in 1940. He is a 25-year-old Canadian who bails out wounded south of Dunkirk on 23 May 1940. He is KIA 7 September 1940.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-9 (Oberleutnant Zur See Wolfgang Lüth) at 12:54 torpedoes and sinks 3,256-ton Belgian freighter Sigurd Faulbaum (a captured German ship) off of Zeebrugge. The crew survives.

Convoy HG 31 departs from Gibraltar, Convoy SL 33 departs from Freetown.

The British commission destroyer HMS Harvester (H 19) ( Lt. Commander Mark Thornton).

Terrorism: The British arrest 76 IRA suspects in Northern Ireland.

Anglo/Irish Relations: Irish head of state Éamon de Valera informs the British that Ireland will result in a German invasion and will require British assistance if any landings take place.

Holocaust: The Germans turn their attention to the "Roma" peoples, the Gypsies. Mass round-ups begin, and they are sent to occupied Poland for internment in concentration camps.

British Homefront: The authorities arrest Sir Oswald Mosley, MP Captain Archibald Maule Ramsay, and dozens of others for being Fascist sympathizers, a crime under Defence Regulation 18B. Mosley is notorious for giving fascist speeches and being the leader of the British Union of Fascists, while Ramsay is associated with the Right Club, which opposes "organized Jewry." The Right Club is considered fertile ground for German spies.

The Crown approves the Treachery Act 1940.

German Homefront: German media applauds the British for implementing the Emergency Powers Act, noting that "At last England has seen sense and abandoned decadent democracy."

Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, featuring Frank Sinatra and the Pied Pipers, with Buddy Rich.

American Homefront: President Roosevelt wins the Vermont Democratic primary.

Frank Sinatra records "I'll Never Smile Again" (written by Ruth Lowe) with Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra, backing vocals by the Pied Pipers (including Jo Stafford). The single will become number one on Billboard's first "National List of Best Selling Retail Records" — the first official national music chart — on July 27, 1940. It will stay at the top spot for 12 weeks, until October 12, 1940. This is considered Sinatra's major breakthrough and begins his rise to legendary status.

Captured French soldiers of the 158eme Regiment d'Infanterie (43eme Division d'Infanterie) carry a wounded comrade past a damaged French 25mm Hotchkiss (SAL Mle 34) anti-tank gun positioned at a crossroads in the Belgian village of Thulin. 23 May 1940 (colorized).

May 1940

May 1, 1940: British Leave Åndalsnes
May 2, 1940: British Depart Namsos
May 3, 1940: Many Norwegians Surrendering
May 4, 1940: Bader Returns
May 5, 1940: HMS Seal Survives
May 6, 1940: Allies Focus on Narvik
May 7, 1940: In The Name of God, Go!
May 8, 1940: Exit Chamberlain
May 9, 1940: Enter Churchill
May 10, 1940: Fall Gelb
May 11, 1940: Eben Emael Surrenders
May 12, 1940: Germans at Sedan
May 13, 1940: Rommel at Work
May 14, 1940: German Breakout in France
May 15, 1940: Holland Surrenders
May 16, 1940: Dash to the Channel
May 17, 1940: Germans Take Brussels
May 18, 1940: Germans Take Antwerp
May 19, 1940: Failed French Counterattack
May 20, 1940: Panzers on the Coast
May 21, 1940: Battle of Arras
May 22, 1940: Attacking Channel Ports
May 23, 1940: British Evacuate Boulogne
May 24, 1940: Hitler's Stop Order
May 25, 1940: Belgian Defenses Creaking
May 26, 1940: Operation Dynamo
May 27, 1940: King Leopold Surrenders 
May 28, 1940: The Allies Take Narvik
May 29, 1940: Lille Falls
May 30, 1940: Operation Fish
May 31, 1940: Peak Day for Dynamo

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