Friday 30 May 1941

On or about 30 May 1941, a Fordson Armoured Car of No. 2 Armoured Car Company RAF, operating with 'Habforce', waits outside Baghdad, Iraq, while negotiations for an armistice take place between British officials and the rebel government (Imperial War Museum Collections Collection No.: 4700-20; Reference Number: CM 923).

Anglo/Iraq War: The British 4th Cavalry Brigade of 1st British Cavalry Division, an advance party of Habforce troops, arrives at Baghdad on 30 May 1941 and opens talks for surrender. The entire Habforce only numbers 1200 men, with eight guns and a few armored cars, but the numerically superior Iraqi troops refuse to fight them. The British occupy the nearby airfield.

Iraqi leader Rashid Ali has left for Persia, taking his soldiers' monthly payroll of 17,000 dinars. Accompanying him are the Grand Mufti and the rest of the Iraqi government. They head for Germany.

The British are expanding their cushion around their main base at Habbaniya airfield. They attack Ramadi, about a dozen miles northwest of Habbaniya. Another large British force from Basra advances past Ur. The Indian 25th Infantry Brigade arrives aboard ship at Basra.

Dr. Fritz Grobba, the head of the German diplomatic mission to Baghdad, leaves the capital today. There now is no longer any German presence in Iraq, as the small Luftwaffe contingent is in disarray with all of its planes out of operation. There is a force of about ten Italian Fiat Cr 42 biplane fighters, but they also prepare to flee from their base at Kirkuk.

British Middle East Commander General Archibald Wavell's Air Force releases a statement:

In Iraq our fighter squadrons flew patrols throughout the day in support of our advancing troops while Italian aircraft tried to prevent them. One of these aircraft was shot down ar Khanugh (Iraq). A number of British reconnaissance planes and bombers operated in cooperation with motorised units. We have destroyed the hangars on the airfield at Deir ez Zor in Syria. In Abyssinia, South African aircraft attacked Italian troops still fighting near Gimma. Direct hits were observed on buildings, as were a number of fires. Several Italian motor trucks went up in flames north of Alegh. Forts Azozo and Digya were bombed at Gondar (Ethiopia). In Libya, an enemy bomber wing yesterday undertook an assault on Tobruk; anti-aircraft succeeded in shooting down four of them and several others were damaged. Five of our own aircraft failed to return from these operations.

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill is still concerned about the Iraqi oil fields - he sends a memo to General Ismay warning of a "fierce and justifiable outcry if we fail to destroy these oil fields before they fall into enemy hands."

"Lockheed Hudson Mark IIs and IIIs of No. 233 Squadron RAF based at Aldergrove, County Antrim, flying in starboard echelon formation over Northern Ireland." 30 May 1941 © IWM (Daventry B J (Mr), CH 2841).

European Air Operations: After dark, Luftwaffe bombers attack the Bristol area and the Mersey industrial area.

About 30 German planes cross England and bombs Dublin just after midnight on 31 May. The local inhabitants send up a flare to denote their status as neutrals, which the Germans disregard. Areas hit include Phoenix Park (home of the Dublin Zoo) and the North Strand area. Overall, 34 people perish, 90 are wounded, twenty homes are destroyed, 55 greatly damaged and 400 people left homeless. The Irish lodge a diplomatic protest in Berlin, to which the Germans reply that "there can be no question of any intentional attack on Éire territory." The Reich blames "high winds" on the "error."

RAF Bomber Command sends a dozen aircraft on a coastal sweep.

Churchill tells Sir Archibald Sinclair, Secretary of State for Air (and also the leader of the Liberal Party) that the RAF should supply the Army with "the modest force they require" for Army co-operation squadrons. This means transferring 30 Blenheim bombers now and 30 more (for an army reserve) at a later date.

"Pilot Officer James 'Ginger' Lacey DFM and Bar, hard at work on a model airplane in No 501 Squadron's dispersal hut at Colerne, 30 May 1941." © IWM (CH 2814).

East African Campaign: Churchill sends Middle East Commander Wavell a cable about "Jibuti," meaning French Somaliland:

It will be convenient to have this place in the near future, and I shall be glad if you will consider what forces would be necessary to break the French resistance.... The time to strike depends, of course, upon events in Syria which ma lead to a breach with Vichy.

In the meantime, he urges a continuation of the blockade "with the utmost strictness."

The East African 22nd Infantry Brigade, advancing west from Soddu, reaches Sciola in Galla-Sidamo. The Italian defenders withdraw from Sciola after dark.

Empire Protector, sunk 30 May 1941 by U-38 off Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-106 (Kptlt. Jürgen Oesten), on its second patrol out of Lorient and operating west of the Cape Verde Islands, torpedoes 6373-ton British freighter Silveryew at 00:36. There is one death. The 53 survivors take to the boats and land at San Antonio, Cape Verde Islands.

U-38 (Kptlt. Heinrich Liebe), on its 9th patrol out of Lorient and operating off Freetown, Sierra Leone, torpedoes and sinks 6181-ton British freighter Empire Protector. There are five deaths, including the Master, John Cringle. The 33 survivors are taken aboard Dutch freighter Arundo.

Italian submarine Marconi, operating on its third patrol out of Bordeaux as part of BETASOM, torpedoes and sinks 8129-ton British naval tanker Cairndale southwest of Trafalgar. There are 4-5 killed. A large group of Royal Navy escorts attack the Marconi, but it gets away.

An unidentified submarine torpedoes 6990-ton British tanker British Yeoman in the same general vicinity where the Marconi is operating. However, apparently, the torpedo is defective, because minimal damage is caused. The British Yeoman makes it to Gibraltar for inspection.

British 2842-ton freighter Westavon hits a mine and sinks south of Clacton-on-Sea in the Thames Estuary. Everyone survives.

The Luftwaffe bombs and damages 700-ton British freighter Kyleclare off Limerick.

HMCS Ottawa and Restigouche arrive in St. John's, Newfoundland to join the new Newfoundland Escort Force (NES).

Convoy SL 76 departs from Freetown bound for Liverpool.

Royal Navy corvette HMS Myosotis (Lt. Gerald P. S. Lowe), sloop Gorleston (Commander Ronald W. Keymer) and submarine P-33 (Lt. Reginald D. Whiteway-Wilkinson) are commissioned.

New York Times, 30 May 1941.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Evacuations continue of British soldiers on Crete. At Sfakia, destroyers HMS Napier and Nizam take off 1510 men. The Luftwaffe catches them as they sail for Alexandria and damage both with near misses. Overall, 6029 Commonwealth troops are taken off on 30 May before dawn and again before midnight, but there are many more waiting for evacuation.

German motorcycle troops moving east from Suda and Canea (Chandia) link up with Italian troops and armor heading west from their landing ground at Sitia. They can now head south toward Sfakia, where the British are busy evacuating their troops. Troops of the 1st Fallschirmjäger Regiment reach Heraklion (Candia), linking up with the German garrison there. While in doubt only days earlier, Operation Mercury is turning into a roaring success.

The Luftwaffe attacks the Royal Navy ships evacuating the Commonwealth troops from Crete. These include Australian cruiser HMAS Perth, damaged in its engine room with 13 dead, destroyer HMS Kelvin, also damaged, and cruiser Calcutta sunk northwest of Alextrania.

A map on page 2 of the 30 May 1941 New York Times showing the situation on Crete.

Brigadier Vasey's Australian 19th Infantry Brigade serves as the rearguard for the evacuation, but British, Greek and New Zealand troops also fight hard. New Zealand soldier Charles Hazlitt Upham receives the Victoria Cross for his services on Crete through 30 May. Today, his platoon disperses an advance party of German soldiers coming down a ravine near Force Headquarters at Sfakia.

There are British troops left behind all across Crete. Remnants of Australian 2/1 and 2/11 battalions, which have been cut off, surrender near Retimo (Rethymno).

Partisan activities continue on Crete. At this stage, they mainly involve helping Commonwealth troops defend specific locations, but there are instances of sniping and full-scale armed defense of villages. The Germans are quite upset that non-soldiers are fighting them and vow revenge.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 105 ton Greek freighter Aghios Pantlemon off Tobruk.

There is a major incident when 3821-ton Bulgarian freighter Knyaguinya Maria Luisa (Fürstin Maria Luisa) explodes at Piraeus, Greece. As it blows up, it also destroys 2140 ton German freighter Alicante and 3127-ton Romanian freighter Jiul (Ziul). There are multiple casualties on all three ships, a tug, and also Italian freighter Adis Abeba. Damage to the city of Piraeus is minimized only because the ship does not explode at once, but only while being towed to a shipyard by tugs. There is a dispute as to the cause of this explosion: Greek partisans claim that their sabotage sinks the Maria Luisa, while RAF Wellington bombers also may be the cause.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Triumph torpedoes and damages 3667-ton Italian armed merchant cruiser (AMC) Ramb III. The Ramb II is sailing from Tripoli to Benghazi and makes it to port.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Utmost attacks an Italian convoy off Sirte but causes no damage.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Torbay claims to sink two caiques in the Aegean using its deck gun.

At Malta, the Cheshire Regiment lands on Gozo, which the British fear may be used for an invasion of Malta.

Spy Stuff: In Tokyo, Richard Sorge sends another message to Moscow. It begins:

Berlin informed [German Ambassador to Japan] Ott that German attack will commence in the latter part of June. Ott 95 percent certain war will commence.

As he has with numerous other warnings about Operation Barbarossa, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin disregards this warning. In fact, he has had his staff work up plans for an invasion of Germany (see the Zhukov Plan of 15 May 1941).

Actress Hansi Knoteck on the cover of Filmwelt, 30 May 1941.

Anglo/US Relations: The US Coast Guard transfers the tenth Lake-class cutter, USCGC Itasca, to the Royal Navy as HMS Gorleston. The Itasca is famous for being the ship anchored at Howland Island in the Pacific which received the final transmissions from aviators Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan.

Anglo/Arab Relations: Prime Minister Winston Churchill sends a memo to Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden telling him that "No encouragement should be given to those suggestions of treachery and bad faith on our part towards the Zionists." The Revisionist Zionist Movement has alleged that the British are moving toward a more conciliatory policy toward Arab interests due to the war in Iraq. He notes that "I am quite certain that we should lose in America far more than we should gain in the East."

German Military: Admiral Raeder meets with Hitler to argue for his "peripheral strategy" against Great Britain. He proposes that the Wehrmacht launch a "decisive Egypt-Suez offensive for the autumn of 1941 which would be more deadly to the British Empire than the capture of London." Hitler decides to wait until after he defeats the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa. There remains a large body of opinion among members of the German government and Wehrmacht that is opposed to Operation Barbarossa, and this is one of their final attempts to dissuade Hitler from invading the Soviet Union.

Ireland: The Fianna Fáil government of Éamon de Valera signs into law the Second Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland. Among other things, it includes restrictions on the right to habeas corpus, an extension of the right of the government to declare a state of emergency, changes to provisions dealing with the reference of bills to the Supreme Court by the president and various changes needed to bring the official Irish text of the constitution into line with the English text.

Siam: King Rama VII Prajadhipok, former King of Siam from 1925 to 1935, passes away.

Holocaust: The German occupation authorities introduce repressive measures against the Jewish population of Yugoslavia. Among other things, all persons now identified as Jews (the definition has just been decided) are forced to wear the yellow Star of David.

Manolis Glezos and Apostolos Santas, who tear down the Reich swastika flag on the Acropolis on 30 May 1941.

Greek Homefront: Two university students named Manolis Glezos and Apostolos Santas climb on the Acropolis and tear down the swastika flag. This is considered a seminal point in the Greek resistance of World War II.

American Homefront: Drivers Floyd Davis and Mauri Rose win the Indianapolis 500. This is the last race involving a winning car carrying two drivers. After this, the race is suspended until 1946.

Abbott and Costello comedy "In the Navy" is released. The Andrews Sisters, Dick Powell, and Shemp Howard also appear. This is the comedy duo's follow-up to smash hit "Buck Privates" and is another big hit, becoming the sixth most popular film of 1941.

Future History: Marisa Solinas is born in Genoa, Italy. She goes on to become a popular singer and actress in Italy. She appears in Bernardo Bertolucci's film debut, "La commare secca" (The Thin Gossip) (1962).

Roberto Calasso is born in Florence. He becomes a top Italian intellectual and writer.

USS North Carolina. "View looking aft from the battleship's bow, showing her forward superstructure and 16"/45 guns. Photographed during her maiden voyage, circa May 1941. Note Measure 1 camouflage paint, CXAM-1 radar antenna, anchor chains, and deck planking." (US Navy).

May 1941

May 1, 1941: British Hold Tobruk
May 2, 1941: Anglo-Iraq War
May 3, 1941: Liverpool Hammered
May 4, 1941: Hitler Victory Speech
May 5, 1941: Patriots Day
May 6, 1941: Stalin In Command
May 7, 1941: May Blitz
May 8, 1941: Pinguin Sunk
May 9, 1941: U-110 Captured
May 10, 1941: Hess Flies Into History
May 11, 1941: The Hess Peace Plan
May 12, 1941: Tiger Arrives Safely
May 13, 1941: Keitel's Illegal Order
May 14, 1941: Holocaust in Paris
May 15, 1941: Operation Brevity
May 16, 1941: Blitz Ends
May 17, 1941: Habbaniya Relieved
May 18, 1941: Croatia Partitioned
May 19, 1941: Bismarck at Sea
May 20, 1941: Invasion of Crete
May 21, 1941: Robin Moore Sinking
May 22, 1941: Royal Navy Destruction Off Crete
May 23, 1941: Crete Must Be Won
May 24, 1941: Bismarck Sinks Hood
May 25, 1941: Lütjens' Brilliant Maneuver
May 26, 1941: Bismarck Stopped
May 27, 1941: Bismarck Sunk
May 28, 1941: Crete Lost
May 29, 1941: Royal Navy Mauled Off Crete
May 30, 1941: Sorge Warns, Stalin Ignores
May 31, 1941: British Take Baghdad

2020

Wednesday 28 May 1941

The 9th Cavalry passes in review at its new home at Camp Funston, Ft. Riley, Kansas, 28 May 1941.

Anglo/Iraq War: Things begin heating up in Syria on 28 May 1941, which is on the list of British targets because it is considered the gateway to the ongoing battle in Iraq. The RAF raids Aleppo, a key transit hub for the Axis support of operations in Iraq. During this raid, an RAF Blenheim reconnaissance is shot down by Vichy French pilot Lt. Vuillemin of 7 Squadron, 1st Fighter Group (GCI/7) in a Morane 406. This is the first aerial victory of a Vichy French pilot over the RAF.

The Vichy French also send 28 new Dewoitine D.520s of the 6th Squadron, 3rd Fighter Group (GCIII/6) from Algeria via Athens, which unit arrives on 28 May 1941 at Rayak (two planes failing to make it).

The British continue their concentric attack on Baghdad. The main thrusts are from the south (Indian troops from Basra) and west (Habforce advancing from Fallujah). Today, the 20th Indian Brigade captures Ur after a march of 110 miles.

In Baghdad, rioting and looking take hold as the British approach. Dr. Fritz Grobba, head of the German diplomatic mission, cables Berlin with the warning that the British are approaching with "one hundred tanks." While this is a vast exaggeration, it conveys the key message that the city is about to fall. The Luftwaffe mission, Special Force Junck (Sonderkommando Junck) led by Luftwaffe Oberst Werner Junck, has only two Heinkel He 111s left and only four bombs for them. A force of eleven Italian Fiat CR-42 fighters has arrived but is having little effect.

A London housewife gets her washing up to dry, Monday, May 28, 1941 in London. (AP Photo).

European Air Operations: RAF Fighter Command conducts an anti-shipping sweep off the French coast. RAF Bomber Command sends 14 planes to attack Kiel. This is one of the countless RAF raids throughout the war that targets the remaining German battleship, Tirpitz. The planes make no hits.

Prime Minister Winston Churchill instructs General Ismay to begin setting up "Air Squadrons and also at least a Brigade Group" composed of Yugoslav expatriates. A similar agreement is reached with Norwegian refugees.

Churchill also sends a telegram to William Averell Harriman ("My dear Harriman"), one of President Franklin's "special envoys," thanking him for a recent note promising delivery of six Douglas DC-2 transport planes and fourteen Lockheed transports.

A censored war photo was taken by a press agency photographer on 28 May 1941. © IWM (HU 131478).

Battle of the Atlantic: U-107 (Kptlt. Günther Hessler) continues its lengthy second patrol off of Freetown, Sierra Leone. AT 14:52, it torpedoes and sinks 3748 ton Greek freighter Papalemos. The Papalemos is an independent, and the hit on the stern in the port side destroys the superstructure and a lifeboat. Captain Hessler has his men accelerate the sinking with some target practice with the anti-aircraft gun, then sails over to the two lifeboats. In a rare act of kindness, he gives the survivors some food, cigarettes and other provisions after asking them a few questions.

HMS Edinburgh intercepts German blockade runner Lech about 400 nautical miles (740 km) north of the Azores, at the Bay of Biscay. The Lech's crew scuttles it. Some sources place this as happening on 22 May.

The Luftwaffe is active over the Atlantic searching for Royal Navy ships returning from the interception battleship Bismarck. Many of the Royal Navy ships are low on fuel and traveling slowly and without zig-zagging or other precautions. The German planes attack Canadian destroyer HMCS St Clair (formerly USS Williams (DD-108)) and HMS Mashona about 100 miles west of Galway Bay, Ireland. The handful of German planes (Junkers Ju 88 aircraft of I Staffeln, Kampfgeschwader 77) sink the Mashona, and St Clair picks up the survivors.

German flak ship (vorpostenboot) V 1610 "Innsbruck" sinks today of uncertain causes, probably RAF bombing.

British freighter City of Rangoon spots and rescues three survivors of Greek freighter Marionga, sunk by U-103 on 24 May, off Freetown. The U-boats have sunk so many ships in the area recently that there are lifeboats and rafts in many places.

Convoy OB 327 departs from Liverpool

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Lightning is commissioned, and destroyer Panther, corvette Cowslip, and minesweeping trawler Professor are launched.

Canadian minesweepers HMCS Kelowna launched at Prince Rupert and Guysborough laid down in North Vancouver.

Polish destroyer ORP Krakowiak (formerly HMS Silverton) is commissioned (Tadeusz Gorazdowski).

Free French corvette Roselys (formerly HMS Sundew) is launched.

U-579 and U-580 are launched, U-183 is laid down.

"6-inch howitzers towed by AEC Matador artillery tractors of 79th (The Scottish Horse) Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery, pass over a bridge near Huntly in Banffshire, 28 May 1941." (Lockeyear W T (Lt), War Office official photographer, Imperial War Museum).

Battle of the Mediterranean: With the British decision to evacuate Crete having been made at the highest levels on the 27th, Commonwealth troops fight rearguard actions as they head south for pickup at Sfakia (Sphakia, south of Canea/Chandia) and other points. Two companies of the Māori Battalion under Captain Rangi Royal in the New Zealand 5th Brigade make a temporary stand at Stylos, beating up the 1st Battalion of the 141st Gebirgsjäger (Mountain) Regiment and 85th Gebirgsjäger Regiment in order to allow the main force to gain ground. Sgt Alfred Clive Hulme (1911-82) of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force wins the Victoria Cross for actions here and elsewhere on Crete throughout the past week. Many other anonymous soldiers also fight valiantly.

However, not all of the Commonwealth troops get away clean. The 800 men of Layforce (so named for commander Colonel Robert Laycock), which landed at Suda Bay on the 26th and 27th, are caught there along with some other units (20th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery). At the end of the day, Laycock's men stage a night retreat to Beritiana, but it is too late - most are killed or captured. In all, only 179 of the 800 Commandos of Layforce make it to Egypt. Laycock himself, along with brigade major Evelyn Waugh (the famous author), escape in one of the unit's three tanks.

The Luftwaffe is active over the ports and airfields on the north coast such as Heraklion, Suda, and Rethymno which the Germans need to bring in more reinforcements. This gives the retreating British time to get to the southern embarkation points - but they have to hurry. The German planes sink 667 ton Greek freighter Georgos at Heraklion (Candia) Harbour and 298 ton Greek freighter Aghia Kyriaki at Cape Kephola.

Fallschirmjager heading back to Major Edgar Stentzler’s temporary field headquarters, near Platanias, Kreta, 28 May 1941 (Federal Archive Bild 1011-166-0508-15).

The Italian relief convoy which set out on the afternoon of 27 May from Rhodes arrives at Sitia at 17:20. They are surprised to encounter no Royal Navy ships at all, which they don't realize are all to the south of the island supporting the evacuation. The Italians bring 13 L3/35 tanks and 3000 men of the 50th Infantry Division. This is the first Axis armor on Crete. The Italians ignore the retreating British and hook up with the German troops at Ierapetra.

The Royal Navy sends Force B, led by light cruisers Ajax, Dido, and Orion, from Alexandria to take men off from Heraklion. They arrive at 23:30 and evacuates 3486 men from Heraklion after dodging Luftwaffe bombs, with Ajax hit and forced to return to base. On the way home, the Luftwaffe bombs and sinks destroyer Hereward, with 71 men killed or missing and 85 taken prisoner.

Royal Navy Force C heads for Sfakia. Consisting of destroyers Kandahar, Kelvin, Napier and Nizam, it takes off 608 men without loss.

President Roosevelt's declaration of a National Emergency during a radio broadcast takes precedence over the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck in the Arizona Daily Star, 28 May 1941.

Evacuations from Sfakia generally wait for the 29th. There are 32,000 Commonwealth troops on Crete, which is a manageable number to evacuate, but they are spread out throughout the island and some either can't make it to the south coast or have to fight their way through to get there. Men try to get off every which way they can - motor launch HMML 1030 (Lt W. M. O. Cooksey RNVR)  sinks while trying to escape from Suda Bay.

Greek civilians participate in the attacks on the advancing Wehrmacht. There are snipers, groups of civilians actively participating in the defense of key points, and supply services given to the defending Commonwealth troops. The defense is fiercest around Heraklion. The Germans view such civilian participation as illegal and treacherous, beginning a cycle of hatred between the local inhabitants and the occupying forces.

While the disastrous situation on Crete is being wound up, the British turn to other sectors. Winston Churchill sends Middle East Commander General Archibald Wavell with "observations" about the Middle East which Wavell is much more able to judge himself. Churchill opines that "Everything must now be centered upon destroying the German forces in the Western Desert" considering that "you and Freyberg pronounced situation [on Crete] hopeless." He urges Wavell to fight until he has "beaten the life out of General Rommel's army." He hopes that in this way "the loss of Crete will be more than repaired."

Woman reading to children outside, The University of Iowa, May 28, 1941, by The University of Iowa Libraries, via Flickr (photo by Kent, Frederick W. (Frederick Wallace), 1894-1984).

As usual, Churchill cannot resist some covert digs at Wavell. He notes that "We were all very much puzzled" at some of Wavell's appointments of commanders. It is akin to a baseball team owner questioning a manager's lineup. Churchill notes that, while one such appointment to command troops in the western desert, Noel Beresford-Peirse, "is a good Divisional Commander, it is difficult to believe that he can compare with Wilson [sent to Palestine] in military stature, reputation or experience." One can only imagine Wavell's reaction to such second-guessing from afar.

Wavell indeed is planning his next operation on the Libyan frontier. He signals London that this operation, codename "Battleaxe," will include all available armored strength. This includes the "Tiger cub" brought in by the Tiger convoy of which Winston Churchill is so fond. The 7th Armoured Division will lead the advance. Wavell includes in his message some criticism of British armor - he considers the army's armored cars too lightly armored and inadequate to provide protection against either Luftwaffe strafing or Wehrmacht armored cars.

The RAF attacks Italian shipping off Tripoli, damaging Italian freighters Sebastiano Venier and Marco Foscarini. The master of the Foscarini beaches it near Tripoli.

In Malta, soldiers begin wearing their summer uniforms. The government decides to clamp down on a long-standing issue of soldiers selling their uniform equipment such as boots and shirts to civilians by stamping clothing with the soldiers' serial numbers.

Original capture on the back of this photograph: “The motley tribal army listens to Haile Selassie message after the defeat of 30,000 Italians.” 28 May 1941.

Anglo/US Relations: Hamilton Fish, a New York congressman who chairs the naval affairs committee (and who is not a favorite of President Roosevelt), reviews some data about US cooperation with the British. He reveals that the Royal Navy has filed 132 requests with the US government for permission to have damaged warships repaired at US naval yards. This, of course, violates the rules of war for neutrals, but the US is neutral in name only at this point.

Today, the light cruiser HMS Liverpool adds to the list of Royal Navy ships repaired in the US as it departs from Manila bound for repairs in San Francisco due to damage sustained in October 1940.

South Africa: Prime Minister Jan Smuts officially vests as the first South African Field Marshal in the British Army.

Maximilian Kolbe.

Holocaust: Maximilian Kolbe, a Franciscan friar and a future saint of the Catholic church, arrives at the German Auschwitz camp from Warsaw.

British Homefront: Minister of Food Lord Woolton introduces egg, fish, and milk rationing. He also announces that successful prosecutions under Food Control Orders now totaled 17,319, a sign that the black market is thriving.

American Homefront: Animation workers vote to go on strike at the Walt Disney studios after Walt Disney fires Union leader Art Babbitt. They are members of the AFL Screen Cartoonists Guild.

Original caption: "Bringing mention of 'Mickey Mouse' and 'Pluto' into the picket line, members of the A.F. of L. Screen Cartoonists Build are shown picketing the Walt Disney Studios on 28 May 1941 after a strike call. Some of the placards they carry show pictures of Disney characters and such slogans as 'Are We Mice or Men?'" This incident is known as The Great Walt Disney Cartoonists Strike of 1941. The photo is dated 28 May 1941, though many accounts state the strike officially begins on 29 May.

May 1941

May 1, 1941: British Hold Tobruk
May 2, 1941: Anglo-Iraq War
May 3, 1941: Liverpool Hammered
May 4, 1941: Hitler Victory Speech
May 5, 1941: Patriots Day
May 6, 1941: Stalin In Command
May 7, 1941: May Blitz
May 8, 1941: Pinguin Sunk
May 9, 1941: U-110 Captured
May 10, 1941: Hess Flies Into History
May 11, 1941: The Hess Peace Plan
May 12, 1941: Tiger Arrives Safely
May 13, 1941: Keitel's Illegal Order
May 14, 1941: Holocaust in Paris
May 15, 1941: Operation Brevity
May 16, 1941: Blitz Ends
May 17, 1941: Habbaniya Relieved
May 18, 1941: Croatia Partitioned
May 19, 1941: Bismarck at Sea
May 20, 1941: Invasion of Crete
May 21, 1941: Robin Moore Sinking
May 22, 1941: Royal Navy Destruction Off Crete
May 23, 1941: Crete Must Be Won
May 24, 1941: Bismarck Sinks Hood
May 25, 1941: Lütjens' Brilliant Maneuver
May 26, 1941: Bismarck Stopped
May 27, 1941: Bismarck Sunk
May 28, 1941: Crete Lost
May 29, 1941: Royal Navy Mauled Off Crete
May 30, 1941: Sorge Warns, Stalin Ignores
May 31, 1941: British Take Baghdad

2020