Monday 27 May 1940

German propaganda leaflet dropped at Dunkirk.

Western Front: The English and French meet at Cassel on 27 May 1940 to determine how best to defend Dunkirk in order to evacuate troops. General Weygand hears about the decision and phones Churchill in a fury, saying "Your decision dishonors Britain." French troops also will be taken off and transshipped to southern French ports such as Cherbourg as possible, but it is a Royal Navy operation and the priority is BEF soldiers.

The Belgian line begins to give way during the morning. The Germans get through the Allied defensive line in multiple spots by 11:00: Maldegem, Ursel, and Thielt/Roeselare. The Chasseurs Ardennais evacuate Vinkt, which the Germans occupy, around 16:00. At 17:00, King Leopold sends a messenger to German headquarters to discuss terms. The messenger returns with the message:

The Führer demands that arms be laid down unconditionally.

At 23:00, King Leopold agrees to a ceasefire as of 04:00 on 28 May, with fighting to continue until then.

The British and French counter-attack against the German bridgehead held by 38 Corps at Abbeville south of the Somme.

General Guderian advances from the Aa River toward Dunkirk using his motorized infantry.

British and French troops are defending Lille, particularly 50,000 men of the French First Army. This resistance attracts Wehrmacht troops, which takes the pressure off the port of Dunkirk.

At Calais, Vice-Admiral Bertram Ramsay sends the motor yacht Gulzar to the port to see if it can bring back any remaining BEF troops. After being shot at by German troops who have occupied the town, the yacht sees some British troops on the eastern jetty, takes them aboard, and heads back to Dover. A few more British troops are holding out in the Calais citadel, and the RAF drops some last supplies for them at dawn, losing three Lysanders in the process. German artillery in Calais sinks British vessel Sequacity, discouraging further Royal Navy attempts to approach the port.

British (1st Battalion, The Cameron Highlanders) and French prisoners being marched back from the area of the crossing of the La Bassee Canal. 27 May 1940. Note the kilt, bottom left. German tanks are out in the open, not fearing air attack.

Dunkirk: The first few men are taken off in Operation Dynamo. Sources vary on the numbers, with the official figure 7,669 men taken off. The port and surrounding dunes are jam-packed with literally hundreds of thousands of troops, and equipment is scattered about everywhere. The best military discipline of the highest possible order is maintained on the beaches despite the worsening situation and dark prospects. For this reason, if there is any "finest hour" of the British Army - this is it.

There are 4 British Divisions under General Sir Alan Brooke holding the Ypres-Comines canal. This becomes known as the Battle of Wytschaete. The Panzers are closing in and now are within 4 miles of the port facilities. The entire city is within range of German artillery, but naval operations are possible (with losses) despite shelling and Luftwaffe attack. The British line must hold right where it is for the evacuation to succeed, and for several days.

Nobody needs any maps or directions to orient themselves with regard to the port. It is a blazing mess, spewing a huge column of smoke visible for miles. The RAF is attempting to achieve aerial supremacy over the port and is largely succeeding, but the Luftwaffe planes can still get through and cause a lot of damage even if many are shot down.

The Germans drop propaganda leaflets on the shrinking beachhead, urging surrender.

European Air Operations: The RAF is active over Dunkirk, sending 48 planes to attack the advancing panzer troops.

The Luftwaffe also is active around the port. They sink British ship Worthtown off of Dunkirk.

At Calais, The Luftwaffe records 160 aircraft lost or damaged and the RAF 112 during the entire course of the battle.

The RAF attacks oil installations in Germany.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-37 (Kapitänleutnant Victor Oehrn) torpedoes and sinks 5,008-ton British freighter Sheaf Mead about 180 miles from Cape Finisterre. There are 5 survivors, and 32 perish.

U-37 also sinks 3,425-ton Argentinean freighter Uruguay. There are 13 survivors, while 15 perish - they are last seen in a lifeboat that is never located.

Convoy OA 156 departs from Southend, Convoy 156 departs from Liverpool.

Norway: The Poles, French and Norwegian troops in the area prepare to attack Narvik. A naval bombardment begins shortly before midnight.

The Luftwaffe bombs and strafes Bodø in the evening. There are 12 deaths, and 5,000 are made homeless. The British troops have broken off contact with the German 2d Mountain Division and are preparing for evacuation.

German/Romanian Relations: The two countries sign an agreement whereby the Romanians receive captured Polish weapons in exchange for giving Germany Romanian oil.

War Crimes: In the Le Paradis Massacre, SS Totenkopf (Theodor Eicke) captures 99 men of the 2nd Battalion Royal Norfolk Regiment at the Rue de Paradis at Cornet Farm, just outside Le Paradis. The British, mostly wounded, are disarmed and then led to a barn on the farm. There, two machine guns from No. 4 Machine-gun Company fire at the men, and any survivors are bayoneted. There are two survivors. A total of 97 prisoners perish. The two survivors are captured by another unit after the SS men leave. Hauptsturmführer Fritz Knöchlein is the officer in charge.

There also is the Vinkt Massacre. This occurs at Vinkt, Belgium, where the Belgian Chasseurs Ardennais is mounting a fierce resistance. On 25-28 May, the German 225th Division takes hostages, uses them as human shields, and executes hostages for undetermined reasons. The German troops pick refugees at random from passing columns and shoot them. The total number dead is said to be 86 people, though there is disagreement on who should be included in the massacre figure and who was killed by Belgian artillery fire. The total thus is between 86-140, depending upon how you calculate it.

British Government: There are discussions within the cabinet about whether to pursue peace talks with Mussolini as the mediator. Prime Minister Winston Churchill is a hawk, Foreign Minister Lord Halifax is a dove. There is general agreement, though, that some kind of a deal under the right terms would be acceptable. As Churchill says at one point, "I would be happy to get out of our present difficulties" under the right arrangement.

US Navy: U.S. Navy Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Harold R. Stark responds to a query from Admiral James O. Richardson, who is chafing at having the fleet based at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii:

Why are you in the Hawaiian area? Answer: You are there because of the deterrent effect which it is thought your presence may have on the Japs going into the East Indies.”

Turkey: French, British and Turkish representatives begin extended conferences in Haifa regarding what assistance the Allies are willing to offer Turkey.

American Homefront: Former US President Herbert Hoover makes a radio broadcast, "We Have No Good Reason to be Discouraged or Fearful":

What America must have is such defenses that no European nation will even think about crossing this three thousand miles of ocean at all. We must make sure that no such dangerous thoughts will be generated in their minds. We want a sign of 'Keep Off the Grass' with a fierce dog plainly in sight.

The US Supreme Court hands down a decision in United States v. American Trucking Associations, 310 U.S. 534 (1940). It holds that federal agencies may not regulate employees whose duties do not affect safety and operation.

Daily Mirror, 27 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

Sunday 26 May 1940

Geoffrey Dalton Stephenson's Supermarine Spitfire MK1 N3200, being inspected by Germans, after it was shot down on a beach at Sangatte, near Calais on May 26, 1940. He wound up a POW at Colditz.

Western Front: Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of the BEF from the Continent, is authorized on 26 May 1940 to proceed in the evening by the British War Cabinet. Admiral Bertram Ramsey, in charge of Royal Navy forces at Dover, takes command of the operation.

Vice-Marshal Keith Park, commander of RAF No. 11 Group in southeast England, allocates 16 fighter squadrons to establish air supremacy over Dunkirk at one time, with others held in reserve.

Hitler ends the "stop order," authorizing "armored groups and infantry divisions in direction Tournai-Dunkirk."

The 10th Panzer Division attack on Calais continues, and it is clear that the end of the battle is approaching. General Guderian has given the division until the afternoon to capture the port or he will pull the division and leave its destruction to the Luftwaffe - which would be a huge slap in the face to the division. Thus, the German attacks are rabid and unrelenting.

At first light, fifteen small Royal Navy vessels arrive towing boats for an evacuation - though no evacuation has been ordered. In fact, one of the ships delivers a message to the commanding officer, Brigadier Nicholson, to continue fighting. Unlike 24 hours previously, Nicholson is worn out and sees clearly the direction in which the battle is heading. He reports that the Germans are in the north end of town and he has no more tanks or other basic necessities.

The German bombardment also begins at around the same time, 05:00. The completion of the capture of nearby Boulogne has freed additional artillery for Calais, doubling General Schaal's firepower. There also are mass Stuka attacks, followed by armored attacks. The Allied line finally breaks around 13:30, when Bastion 11 manned by French volunteers out of ammunition, falls. That sets in motion the final Allied collapse, and the Germans are soon across the defensive canals and in the city streets. The commander of the British forces, Brigadier Claude Nicholson, surrenders at 16:00. The Germans take 3500 prisoners, and only 200 wounded escape on the boats. With Calais having fallen, the panzers immediately turn and head toward Dunkirk.

German Sixth Army continues pressing against the Belgian troops holding the northern side of the Allied line. The BEF has to send reinforcements to prevent a breakthrough. It is clear that the Belgian Army - an irreplaceable part of the defensive perimeter - is on its last legs. The Belgians and British reinforcements struggle to hold Izegem, Nevele, and Ronsele, while the elite Chasseurs Ardennais stand like a rock. The Belgian reserves go into battle, and auxiliary troops are formed in the rear. The Belgians flood the canals to serve as tank traps. The Belgians tell the French at noon that "the Army has nearly reached the limits of its endurance."

The British fall back on Dunkirk without asking permission or even informing their allies. It is particularly noticeable around Lille, where it opens a gap in the line otherwise manned by the Belgians and French on either side. The Belgians are forced to fall further back themselves, while the French 1st Army essentially becomes encircled.

The British withdrawal and the Belgian weakness becomes a virtuous cycle - for the Wehrmacht. It becomes apparent by 18:00 that the British are pulling back on the Lille-Ypres sector. Meanwhile, Belgian morale plunges. King Leopold, informed of all of these movements, prepares to move his headquarters to Middelkerke. He is running out of territory to command.

The Germans attack between Courtrai and Valenciennes.

The French recapture some of the German bridgeheads over the Somme - but not all of them.

A British Cruiser Mk IV tank under repair, Blangy-sur-Ternoise. 26 May 1940.

Battle of the Atlantic: The RAF sinks four ships to block the entrance to Zeebrugge Harbour.

U-13 and U-48 leave Kiel to take up positions around the British Isles.

Convoy OA 155G departs from Southend, Convoy OB 155 departs from Liverpool. Australian/New Zealand troop convoy US 3 arrives at Cape Town.

European Air Operations: Fierce air battles continue over the Channel Ports. The Stukas pound Calais with 200 Stuka sorties.

The Luftwaffe aids the German 10th Panzer Division in Calais with attacks on Calais Citadel.

The RAF attacks railway marshaling yards in the Rhineland during the night.

Norway: Colonel Gubbins, knowing that further defense is pointless due to Operation Alphabet, withdraws his defensive line to the ferry port of Rognan. The Irish Guard makes a fighting withdrawal, leaving behind (destroying) supplies. At the port, they take ferries across the fjord - just barely leaving ahead of the Germans when the ferry breaks down. He receives air cover from a new RAF base at Bodø, which is the first RAF presence in the vicinity.

The Luftwaffe sinks British anti-aircraft cruiser Curlew (D 42, Captain Basil C. B. Brooke) in Lavangsfjord, Ofotfjord near Narvik. Nine crew perish. The Curlew had been especially helpful because it possessed the only radar in the area.

Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Glorious ferries Hurricanes of No. 46 Squadron to Skaanland near Narvik. The runway is sod, but Hawker Hurricanes are sturdy planes.

The Luftwaffe continues its gradual reinforcement of General Dietl's force in Narvik, bringing in 81 men of the 1st Fallschirmjaeger Regiment.

Anglo/Belgian Relations: Prime Minister Churchill meets with Belgian Prime Minister Pierlot and Foreign Minister Spaak.

Anglo/French Relations: French Prime Minister Paul Reynaud visits Churchill in London.

Italy: Mussolini meets with Army Chief of Staff Pietro Badoglio and Air Marshal Italo Balbo in Rome to discuss his growing urge to join the Axis conflict. Badoglio states that Italy is unprepared for any conflict and illustrates this by pointing out that the army does not even have enough shirts. Mussolini replies:

History cannot be reckoned by the number of shirts.

He explains that he needs "a few thousand dead" to be able to hold his head high at the peace table. Mussolini orders Badoglio to prepare his forces for an invasion of France on 5 June 1940.

German Military: Admiral Otto Schniewind, Chief of Staff of the Seekriegsleitung (Maritime Warfare Command), reaches a conclusion: "Evacuation of (BEF) troops without equipment …. is conceivable by means of large numbers of smaller vessels …. even from the open coast."

British Military: General Sir Edmund Ironside becomes Commander-in-chief of the Home Forces. Sir John Greer Dill replaces Ironside as Chief of the Imperial General Staff. While done politely, and with Ironside putting the best positive spin about it in his diary, there is an element of scapegoating for the disastrous course of the battle on the Continent. In addition, Ironside has proven undiplomatic with the French.

French Military: General Maxime Weygand issues Ordre Général d' Operation No. 1184 3/FT:

The battle on which the fate of the country depends will be fought without any idea of retreat, on the line which we hold today.

US/Latin American Relations: The US minister in Uruguay, Edwin Wilson, follows up on his previous report of undue German influence within the Uruguayan government. He reports by telegram to Secretary of State Cordell Hull that the Uruguayan government has had its police searching the homes and businesses of German nationals. Wilson states that the police are using "rough methods" and that tension is arising between the two governments as a result.

American Homefront: President Roosevelt gives his fireside chat "On National Defense." He emphasizes that the US has become more secure since his inauguration, and emphasizes:

There is nothing in our present emergency to justify a retreat from any of our social objectives.

German Homefront: Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, 33, son of Wilhelm, German Crown Prince, perishes of wounds sustained in France.

British Homefront: A national day of prayer for the troops is held in the UK. Westminster Abbey is packed.

A British officer examines a knocked-out German 88 mm anti-aircraft gun, May 26-29, 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

Saturday 25 May 1940

Refugees in France, May/June 1940.

Western Front: The confusion of the German high command about halting operations with their decision of 24 May 1940 always becomes a point of discussion about the Battle of France and the evacuation of the BEF. This leads to the natural conclusion that "If only if" the Germans had been a little more clear-headed, they would have destroyed the BEF, invaded England, and we'd all be speaking/writing German.

However, these arguments always ignore concomitant massive confusion on the Allied side. If you are going to "smooth out" imperfection on one side, consider also the other side of the equation. French Commander-in-chief Weygand plans on 25 May 1940 a concentric attack on the panzer spearhead across northern France. However, to implement it, he requires British cooperation, and that is not forthcoming. BEF commander General John Vereker Lord Gort cancels his part of the pincer attack at 17:00, and this causes Weygand, in turn, to cancel the entire thing amidst recriminations.

In this instance, from a military perspective only, Lord Gort is absolutely correct: the plan has no hope of success with the forces available. However, in a larger sense, it shows the futility of divided command, lack of respect and cohesion between the allied forces, and complete mismanagement by all concerned of this desperate situation. Everybody has an opinion, everyone is sure they are right, and wars are lost when every opinion counts. You need assured command to win wars, not independent crusading barons.

Flowing from Lord Gort's decision is another, larger decision: it is time to implement Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of the BEF. This is a hugely cynical - but absolutely necessary - determination that the Belgian Army must be abandoned, along with what remains of Belgian territory, in order to protect England (and maybe what remains of France). War Minister Anthony Eden has assured Lord Gort that the resources will be available - but this is such a massive operation that it will strain even the Royal Navy's abilities.

The Belgians are not stupid: the immediately see which way things are going. The Belgian 5th and 17th regiments surrender their bridgehead at Meigem against orders. There is a report of an incident of "fragging," where soldiers shoot their own officer ordering them to stop their retreat.

However, not all of the troops in Belgium have given up. The Chasseurs Ardennais deploy to Vinkt and fight off the German 56th Infantry Division like lions.

Things become desperate in Belgium as the men won't fight and the German tanks can't be stopped. The BEF troops are fighting for time, time to evacuate, and they will try anything. An improvised anti-tank line of wagons is set up along the rail line from Ypres to Roeselare.

The BEF uses the day to reinforce the port defenses at Dunkirk.

On the German side, the Hitler stop order remains in place for Panzer Group Kleist. However, that does not mean there is no fighting in that sector, not by a long shot. General Guderian leads from the front, and he addresses his men: "I asked you to go without sleep for 48 hours. You have gone for 17 days!"

The 2d Panzer Division finishes mopping up at Boulogne. The last British troops under Major J.C. Windsor Lewis of the Welsh Guards surrender at 13:00. Altogether, the Germans take about 5,000 British and French troops into captivity at Boulogne, where all resistance is now ended.

The 10th Panzer Division assault on Calais continues. General Guderian has given it until 14:00 on 26 May to take the port, so fighting is intense. Vice-Admiral James Somerville makes the hazardous crossing to the port during the night and meets with the local commander, Brigadier Claude N. Nicholson. Nicholson is optimistic but says he needs continued supply. An assortment of Royal Navy warships continues giving offshore fire support.

 At dawn, the German bombardment resumes, and there is smoke and fire everywhere. Panzer General Schaal, sends a surrender demand to the mayor, André Gerschell, apparently for transmission to the military authorities. Nicholson, once he hears of it, refuses, then refuses another ultimatum in the afternoon. The Germans attempt a determined attack in the east which the 1st Rifle Brigade repulses at first at the Marck and Calais canals. Nicholson attempts a counterattack, which fails in the sand, and then the line at the canals falls. The troops on the east withdraw under fire through the city streets to the docks. The Germans also make progress in the southeast.

The wounded are piling up, and the defense is undermined by collaborators. The day ends with the British in control of only portions of the city, with some units already attempting to break out toward Dunkirk. Air attacks over the city is intense, with effective air cover by 605 Squadron and bombing missions by both sides. RAF claims to shoot down dozens of aircraft, including Ju 87 Stukas performing ground support missions.

The French launch an attack on Amiens that leaves them with part of the town.

In eastern France, French engineers are blowing up locks on the Rhine-Rhône canal in order to flood surrounding territory to block the panzers.

Canadian P/O Robert D "Jumbo" Grassick was sent with A Flight of No 242 Squadron RAF to Vitry-en-Artois on 14 May 1940, on attachment to No 607 Squadron RAF, moving to No 615 Squadron RAF at Abbeville 2 days later before returning to RAF Kenley on 19 May. The 23-year-old Canadian claimed 2 Me 109 fighters and a Ju 88 destroyed on 15 and 16 May and a Bf-109 over Dunkirk on 25, 29 and 31 May. Following his original unit to Le Mans on 12 June, he withdrew to RAF Coltishall 4 days later.

European Air Operations: The focus of operations by both sides is the Channel Ports, and there are savage air battles above Calais especially. The Luftwaffe sends in Stukas to pound the ground troops, and RAF fighters are there to defend. The RAF is operating exclusively from England now.

The Luftwaffe sinks Royal Navy destroyer Wessex off of Calais.

Royal Navy minesweeper Charles Boyes hits a mine in the North Sea and sinks.

The Luftwaffe drops mines off of southern England ports after dark.

Battle of the Atlantic: There is shore support by the Royal Navy at the Channel Ports. Destroyers HMS Grafton, Greyhound, Wessex, Wolfhound, Verity, and the Polish Okręt Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (ORP) Burza. Wessex is sunk during the day by the Luftwaffe.

Convoy OG 31F forms off Gibraltar.

British aircraft carrier Illustrious is commissioned.

Norway: The German 2d Mountain Division closes up on the improvised British defenses as it advances through the Saltdal. They attack on the east side of the river. The line holds through the day, but the Germans shift their attack to the west side and make some progress.

Colonel Gubbins is informed about Operation Alphabet, the plan to evacuate Norway. This means there is no longer a reason for fanatical resistance since he has to fall back to Bodø to be taken off anyway.

At Narvik, the gradual reinforcement of Narvik continues, as the Luftwaffe drops another 99 mountain troops (for many, their first jumps) to reinforce General Dietl.

The Luftwaffe bombs RN Fleet Air Arm depot ship Mashobra near Narvik and it ultimately sinks.

Military Intelligence: A German staff car is captured with plans to attack between Menin and Ypres with two corps.

Soviet/Lithuanian Relations: Soviet Foreign Commissar Vyacheslav Molotov accuses the Lithuanian government of "provocations" after several Soviet soldiers go missing in the country.

French Military: While the vast majority of France remains safe behind the deceptively secure Maginot Line, frustration within the government is reaching the boiling point. The French Army relieves 15 Generals of their commands.

Belgian Government: Belgian Prime Minister Pierlot is in London for consultations with Foreign Minister Spaak. This is in part a demonstration to King Leopold of where they think that he (and the rest of the government) should be.

US Military: The US Navy conducts landing practices at San Clemente Island, California.

French Homefront: There are refugees not only from northern France but also from the eastern portions of the country. Lille is largely abandoned, with entire families carrying whatever they can of their possessions. There continue to be reports of the Luftwaffe strafing refugee columns, which is a war crime under any definition.

British Homefront: The BEF is expending massive amounts of ammunition, so ammunition plants have around-the-clock shifts.

The world is burning in Europe, but it is business as usual in the US.

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

Wednesday 22 May 1940

Isle of Man ferry Mona Queen steams toward Boulogne on 22 May 1940, carrying Welsh and Irish Guards to reinforce the port defenses. It returned to England carrying 2,000 women and children (photo by Lt. Peter Kershaw RNVR).

Western Front: From the grand occupation of all of Holland and Belgium beginning on 10 May, the French and British in the Low Countries have now, on 22 May 1940, been pushed back into a shrinking perimeter north of Amiens and south of Antwerp. The main changes now are the steady compression of the eastern face of this "box," which is well west of Brussels, toward the sea.

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill flies to Paris (Vincennes) to hash out a strategy with the Anglo-French Supreme War Council. General Weygand advances the idea of cutting off the German spearhead at the Channel by launching concentric attacks from north and south. Everyone agrees that it is a good idea, but the mass of French forces remain behind the Maginot Line in the south. Deposed Commander-in-chief General Gamelin not only had proposed this plan but tried to implement it - and now more precious days have passed.

In the morning, the OKW orders Guderian's XIX Corps to head north, toward the isolated BEF and associated French forces. Reorienting the Axis of a major offensive is extremely difficult, and the Wehrmacht has to do it on the fly at the end of a long, tenuous supply network for its advanced troops.

The initial objectives are Boulogne (2nd Panzer Division) and Calais (1st Panzer Division), but this soon changes. The 10th Panzer Division is retained to guard the southern flank. Boulogne, Calais and Dunkirk collectively are referred to as the "Channel Ports."

British troops at Calais are under the protection of RAF fighters based in England, and the air battle begins at first light. Both sides take losses, but the RAF is able to attack the advancing panzers. The 1st Panzer (Generallautnant Friedrich Kirchner) and other formations get across the Authie River at 08:00. They meet only scattered resistance at Desvres, Samer, and near Boulogne. Guderian quickly tinkers with the plan and sends the 10th Panzer Division (Generalleutnant Ferdinand Schaal) toward Samer/Calais, and the 1st toward Dunkirk. The 10th Panzer has to stop to garrison Amiens until infantry units arrive.

The British at Boulogne have been reinforced by the 20th Guards Brigade and have had time to dig in. The 2nd Panzer Division (Generalleutnant Rudolf Veiel) is advancing in two columns makes steady progress toward Boulogne after brushing aside French 48th Infantry Regiment troops at Nesles. A panzer attack on the Boulogne perimeter at 17:00 is repulsed, and another at 19:00. Fighting continues into the night, with the Germans isolating some Irish Guards at 22:00. As the day concludes, 2d Panzer is attacking Welsh Guards positions along the coast.

General Rommel still stands before Arras, waiting for the infantry to aid his assault on the key town. He also is recuperating from the large British tank attack of the 21st, which gave him quite a fright.

The German 18th Army attacks the retreating Belgians near Eeklo. German 6th Army presses forward near Courtrai against the British 4th Infantry Division and 44th Infantry Division.

With the German spearheading turning north, the main front on the Somme/Oise/Aisne starts to solidify. The Belgian army retreats to the Lys River.

View of Rotterdam in May 1940 (Instytut Pamieci Narodowej).

European Air Operations: All the action is over the besieged Allied troops congregating near the Channel Ports. The action starts at 06:00, with 151 Squadron sending up Hawker Hurricanes, shooting down a Junkers Ju 88. No. 74 Squadron Spitfires also get a Junkers Ju 88 - both of the Junkers are from Lehrgeschwader 1 (LG 1). One Spitfire is lost. There also are some major dogfights over the area, with 54 Squadron and 92 Squadron mixing it up with JG 27 - both sides lose a couple of planes. The numbers become difficult to track, but both sides are taking roughly even losses.

RAF Bomber Command sends 59 planes to attack the advancing Wehrmacht spearhead.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-37 (Kapitänleutnant Victor Oehrn) sends four torpedoes at 9,494-ton British freighter Dunster Grange south of Ireland. When they all miss, it surfaces to use the deck gun. The Dunster Grange is armed, and when the U-boat surfaces, the British ship returns fire. The U-boat departs, and the Dunster Grange continues toward Liverpool.

Convoy OA 153 GF departs from Southend, Convoy OB 153 departs from Liverpool.

Norway: The British retreat from Mo i Rana north toward the British base at Bodø continues apace, and local commander Colonel Gubbins has difficulty trying to stop it. His plan is to man a defensive line at Storjord, 20 miles (32 km) south of the ferry stop at Rognan. His Scots Guards troops, though, under Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Byrnand Trappes-Lomax, are in motion toward the north and showing no signs of stopping. In fact, Trappes-Lomax is putting his men on requisitioned buses to make the trip faster and easier. The German 2d Mountain Division is hot on their heels. The bottom line is that the intended line at Storjord becomes a nullity and some other solution must be found.

The Luftwaffe continues its gradual reinforcement of General Dietl at Narvik, dropping off an additional 63 men there from seaplanes.

The Luftwaffe sinks Royal Navy anti-submarine trawler Melbourne near Narvik.

More RAF units depart from the Continent for England as their bases come closer to the front lines.

British Government: Parliament passes the Emergency Powers (Defence) Act 1940. While not quite martial law, it gives the government extensive new powers of citizens and property (banks, munitions production, wages, profits, work conditions).

Military Intelligence: Bletchley Park crack some Luftwaffe Enigma settings. Luftwaffe signals officers are notoriously lax about following even the simplest security protocols, whereas, say, Kriegsmarine signallers are much more rigorous.

War Crimes: The Soviet men who liquidated the Polish officers at Katyn Forest - 21,000 without a single escape! - are being given medals and cash awards. The Soviets are also busy deporting relatives to Siberia based on the "last letters" the deceased men were allowed to write,

Belgium: King Leopold has told General Weygand that the area still controlled by Allied troops only has enough food left for two weeks.

Romania: The government mobilizes the reserves.

Albania: Italian Foreign Minister Count Ciano arrives in Durres aboard the Italian Cruiser Garibaldi for an inspection tour.

Finland: In an early sign of Finlandization, the pro-Moscow Finland - Soviet Peace and Friendship Society forms.

Gibraltar: Non-essential personnel are being transported to French Morocco.

Australia: The government authorizes the formation of the 8th Infantry Division.

China: The Japanese aerial attacks on Chungking continue.

After returning late from a strafing run near Arras on 22 May 1940, F/O Roderick MS "Roddie" Rayner (pictured) and F/O Richard Lindsay "Dick" Glyde of No 87 Squadron RAF found their base at Merville in disarray. Carrying only what could be put in the plane, they evacuated to RAF Debden.

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