Tuesday 8 July 1941

Finnish tank crew with captured T-8, July 8, 1941 (Photo: SA-Kuva).

Eastern Front: In the Far North sector, Operation Arctic Fox produces its first significant success when German XXXVI Corps takes Salla on 8 July 1941. The Soviet 122nd Rifle Division retreats and is closely followed by the Germans and Finnish 6th Division. The fighting is bitter, and the Soviets lose 50 tanks and most of their artillery. SS Division Nord pursues Soviet 122nd Rifle Division toward Lampela, while the German 169th Division advances toward Kayraly. Finnish 6th Division continues its left-hook maneuver and tries to get behind the Soviets retreating toward Kayraly and Lape Apa.

In the Army Group North sector, the Germans of General Reinhardt's 41st Panzer Korps, 4th Panzer Group (Colonel General Erich Hoeppner) reach Pskov. The city sustains extensive damages, including the medieval citadel. This is the first major penetration of the Stalin Line. A little to the north, General Dietl's Army of Norway is stopped after establishing a bridgehead over the Litsa River, well short of its objective of Murmansk.

Field Marshal Fedor von Bock, Colonel Walther von Hünsdorff (hidden), Colonel-General Hermann Hoth, Colonel-General Wolfram von Richthofen. (Moosdorf/Mossdorf, Federal Archives, Bild 101I-265-0048A-03).

In the Army Group Center sector, tank ace Otto Carius is in the lead tank of the 20th Panzer Division (General Hoth's Panzer Group 3) at Ulla on the Dvina River when his Czech-built 38(t) tank is hit. The Russian 47-mm antitank round penetrates the front armor, smashes Carius' teeth and amputates the left arm of the radio operator. After being patched up, Carius hitchhikes to the front, now on the outskirts of Vitebsk (from Carius' "Tigers in the Mud"), and rejoins his unit.

In the Army Group South sector, German Panzer Group 1 and Sixth Army meet a Soviet counterattack at Kishinev by Soviet 5th Army. The Germans simply reorient their advance slightly to the north.

Luftwaffe ace (7 victories) Walter Margstein of JG 53 is killed in action.

Syrian/Lebanon Campaign: Australian 2/3rd Battalion and 2/5th Battalion of 7th Division cut the road from Damour north to Beirut. In addition, in the south, 2/2nd Pioneer Battalion and units of 6th Divisional Cavalry Regiment march north along the coast road.

Vichy General Henri Dentz, the commander of French forces in the Levant, has seen enough. Even though Damour itself still holds out, the Australian advance around Damour has made the defense of Beirut problematic. Dentz quietly seeks terms for peace.

"RAF aerial photograph of Wilhelmshaven." © IWM (HU 91200).

European Air Operations: The RAF has been accumulating and training on Boeing B-17C Flying Fortresses for months. Today, RAF Bomber Command sends the B-17s on their first operational mission, a daylight flight to Wilhelmshaven. Assigned to RAF Bomber Command's No. 90 Squadron based at Polebrook, Northamptonshire, the three B-17s fly individual sorties (one has to abort to a secondary target) rather than together as a formation.

The RAF is unhappy with the results and makes clear that future bombing runs are to be conducted as formations rather than individually. The crews complain of various shortcomings of the bombers, including difficulties using the Norden bombsight and inadequate defensive armament.

RAF Fighter Command sends Circus missions to attack the Lens power station (13 fighter squadrons, one bomber lost) and Lille (19 fighter squadrons, 7 losses). The RAF also sends a sweep over northern France.

After dark, RAF Bomber Command attacks Muenster (51 bombers) and Hamm (73), Biefeld (33), and Merseburg (14).

The Luftwaffe sends a night raid against Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

Fortress B.I AN530, WP-F (U.S.A.A.F. B-17C 40-2066) in RAF service (Royal Air Force).

Battle of the Atlantic: Royal Navy submarine HMS Sealion sinks Vichy French trawlers Christus Regnat and St Pierre d'Alacantra off Ushant (Ouessant, Finistère).

German 460-ton converted minesweeping trawler M-1104 Jan Hubert collides with another vessel off southwest Norway and sinks.

Convoy HG-67 departs from Gibraltar bound for Liverpool.

Canadian corvette HMCS Shediac (Lt. Commander Lt. John O. Every-Clayton) is commissioned.

U-86, U-161 and U-656 are commissioned.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Royal Navy submarine HMS Torbay surfaces east of the island of Kithera (Kythera), Greece and uses its deck gun to sink German freighters LXIV and LI.

Royal Navy cruiser HMS Cornwall hits a wharf in Durban and sustains damage to its stem.

At Malta, the Italian Regia Aeronautica sends bombing missions against various points. An RAF Hurricane shoots down an Italian BR-20 "Stork" medium bomber south of the island.

"Boeing Fortress Mk I of No. 90 Squadron RAF based at West Raynham, Norfolk, 20 June 1941." © IWM (CH 2873).

Axis Relations: The major European Axis powers officially carve up Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia's neighbors receive "a little something:"

• Italy obtains: Dalmatian coast and some related islands, part of Slovenia, and rule over an expanded Croatia ("Great Croatia") as an "independent kingdom" via new king the Duke of Savoy
• Hungary: the Backa and Baranya triangle
• Germany: Serbian and Banat administration via puppet government, plus garrisons the remainder of Slovenia
• Bulgaria: part of Macedonia
• Albania: the remainder of Macedonia
• Montenegro: independence

The benefits of this carve-up to the recipients are few. However, they reflect long-held national desires for expansion into areas of "historic interest" and nationalism.

The Italian Embassy, Berlin. Note the blacked-out headlights and equipment for emergency lighting, in accordance with blackout regulations (Proietti, Ugo, Federal Archives, Bild 212-061).

Anglo/Soviet Relations: A Soviet military mission arrives in London.

Winston Churchill's first personal message to Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin arrives in Moscow. Churchill boasts about RAF Bomber Command's attacks on Germany and promises, "The longer the war lasts the more help we can give."

German/US Relations: The American Embassy in Berlin arranges the release of American journalist Richard C. Hottelet. Arrested on espionage charges on 15 March 1941, Hottelet is a member of the so-called Murrow Boys, U.S. war correspondents recruited by CBS on-air reporter Edward R. Murrow. Hottelet soon heads for Lisbon, where he can catch a flight to London.

US/Japanese Relations: Japanese Foreign Minister Matsuoka Yosuko sends a diplomatic note to US Ambassador to Japan Joseph Grew. It states that Japan desires peace and wishes to prevent the spread of war from Europe to the Pacific.

Hitler with Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels at the Wolfschanze in Rastenburg, East Prussia, 8 July 1941.

German Military: OKW operations chief Franz Halder briefs Hitler on the progress of the war in the Soviet Union. It is an encouraging briefing in which Halder claims that the Wehrmacht has pretty much destroyed 89 of 164 known Soviet rifle divisions (which is a vast overstatement). However, Halder insists that more power is needed on the eastern front, so Hitler releases 70 Mark IIIs, 15 Mark IVs, and the remaining Czech tanks from the OKW reserve. Management and use of reserves will be a huge topic of disagreement between the OKH (army command) and OKW (overall military command) throughout the war.

US Military: Patrol Wing 8 (Fleet Air Wing 8) is established at Naval Air Facility Breezy Point, Norfolk, Virginia. It later moves to Alameda, California.

While not technically a part of the US military, in substance it is an extension of the US Army Air Force. Today, pilots and staff of the American Volunteer Group (actually employed by a shell company) depart San Francisco for the Far East aboard Java Pacific liner "Jaegerfontein."

In Memphis, Tennessee, Army Major General Benjamin Lear, Commander of US Second Army, happens to observe some of his troops whistling at women passers-by while driving by. Lear makes all 350 men in the convoy walk the remaining 15 miles (24 km) to their destination. The troops' commander, Major General Ralph E. Truman (cousin of Harry), attempts to get Lear "retired" but fails. From this point forward, the rank and file call him "Yoo-hoo Lear."

Battleship USS Arizona arrives at Pearl Harbor.

British Military: Cadet David George Montagu Hay receives the Albert Medal for Lifesaving. Hay - who later becomes the 12th Marquess of Tweeddale - jumped out of a lifeboat after the sinking of freighter SS Eurylochus by German raider Kormoran on 29 January 1941 to rescue an officer without regard to his own safety.

Reykjavik, Iceland, 8 July 1941. US Marines landed on 7 July in order to relieve British troops and allow them to return to England.

China: There is a Japanese air raid on Chungking, the Nationalist capital. The British Embassy, already damaged in previous attacks, is destroyed during the raid.

Holocaust: Jews in the Baltic States are forced to wear the Yellow Star of David badge.

Soviet Homefront: The government institutes food rationing in major cities.

American Homefront: John D. Rockefeller, Jr. makes a speech to the Selective Service Parents and Neighbors Committee of the United Service Organizations that is broadcast over radio station WMGA in New York. He lists "the things that make life most worth living," which are all beliefs. These are:

• "the supreme worth of the individual"
• "Every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation, every possession, a duty"
• "the law was made for man and not man for the law"
• "the dignity of labor"
• "thrift"
• "Truth and justice"
• "sacredness of a promise"
• "the rendering of useful service"
• "an all-wise and all-loving God"
• "love"

Rockefeller urges everyone to support the United Service Organizations to create a new world that recognizes "the brotherhood of man."
Major League Baseball holds its annual All-Star Game at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. With the American League trailing 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Ted Williams hits a three-run home run to earn a 7-5 victory for the American League (Joe DiMaggio, on first base, actually scores the winning run). Williams later comments that the walk-off home run "remains to this day the most thrilling hit of my life."

Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio at the All-Star Game held on July 8, 1941.

July 1941

July 1, 1941: US TV Broadcasting Starts
July 2, 1941: MAUD Report
July 3, 1941: Stalin Speaks
July 4, 1941: Pogroms in Eastern Europe
July 5, 1941: Germans on Schedule
July 6, 1941: Australians Attack Damour
July 7, 1941: US Marines in Iceland
July 8, 1941: Flying Fortresses In Action
July 9, 1941: British Take Damour
July 10, 1941: Sword and Scabbard Order
July 11, 1941: Cease-fire in Syria and Lebanon
July 12, 1941: Anglo/Russian Assistance Pact
July 13, 1941: Uprising in Montenegro
July 14, 1941: Katyusha Rocket Launchers in Action
July 15, 1941: Smolensk Falls
July 16, 1941: Stalin's Son Captured
July 17, 1941: Heydrich Orders Mass Executions
July 18, 1941: Twin Pimples Raid
July 19, 1941: V for Victory
July 20, 1941: The Man Who Wouldn't Shoot
July 21, 1941: Moscow in Flames
July 22, 1941: Soviet Generals Executed
July 23, 1941: Secret Plan JB 355
July 24, 1941: Operation Sunrise
July 25, 1941: US Naval Alert
July 26, 1941: Italian E-Boat Attack on Malta
July 27, 1941: MacArthur Returns
July 28, 1941: Auschwitz Exterminations
July 29, 1941: Rescue From Crete
July 30, 1941: Raid on Petsamo and Kirkenes
July 31, 1941: Final Solution Order

2020

Saturday 16 November 1940

A picture of devastated Coventry Cathedral featured on the 16 November 1940 edition of the Daily Express. Accounts of the bombing are still sketchy as of this date, with estimates of 1000 casualties (actually, more than that, though the dead subsequently are estimated to number at 500-600.

Italian/Greek Campaign: The Battle of Korytsa, at the town of Korçë, opens on 16 November 1940 in southern Albania in the Morava Mountains. The Italian 9th Army defends the sector against the Greek III Army Corps. This is part of the larger Battle of Morava–Ivan heights. The Italians have strong defenses around the town, but the Greeks are highly motivated and operating on foot, infiltrating through unexpected areas of rough terrain. The Italians also are taken by surprise, overconfident in the balance of forces and who has the initiative - which in fact has switched to the Greeks.

Elsewhere, the news is no better for the Italians. The Greeks attack in the Koritsa sector with the 9th, 10th, and 15th Greek divisions. A Greek cavalry division enters Konitsa in the Pindos sector. The Greek 1st Infantry Division takes control of the Kamenik Heights. In the coastal sector, the Greek 8th Division continues its offensive on the Negrades sectors and the Kalamas River.

The British continue using cruisers to ferry troops to Piraeus. At this point, 4230 troops have arrived, many in support of RAF operations.

While Coventry's Holy Trinity Church spire still rises, the city is gutted.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command retaliates for the destruction of Coventry by sending daylight raids against several German cities, including Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg, Antwerp, and other cities. The raid on Hamburg, a favored RAF target, is particularly heavy, with 131 bombers involved.

The Luftwaffe sends raids against the south coast of England. For the first time, Luftwaffe planes attack the Hebrides. After dark, the Luftwaffe sends 87 planes against London.

King George V tours devastated Coventry.

The RAF creates a photo-reconnaissance unit of adapted Spitfire fighters.


Battle of the Atlantic: German cargo ships Phrygia (4137 ton), Idarwald (5033 ton), Orinoco (9660 ton) and Rhein (6031 ton) depart from Tampico, Mexico in a bid to make port in occupied France. The Orinoco breaks down at the mouth of the Rio Panuco and is towed back to port by an accompanying tug. The other three ships continue to sea, but spot patrolling US destroyers USS Plunkett (DD-431, LtCdr P.G. Hale), McCormick (DD-223, Cdr T.V. Cooper), and Broome (DD-210, LtCdr. T.E. Fraser). The US ships are operating as part of the Neutrality Patrols agreed to by the nations of the Americas in Havana, Cuba.

The crew of the Phrygia mistakes the US ships for Royal Navy ones and scuttles the ship. The two accompanying ships continue to sea, attempting to outrun the shadowing US ships. It is widely known that US ships are openly broadcasting the positions of German ships and tracking them, which Royal Navy ships can pick up and use to intercept German ships, so the fact that US ships continue to shadow them is extremely dangerous for the German freighters.

Elsewhere, the destroyer HMS Naiad spots 384 ton Kriegsmarine weather ship BS 4 Hinrich Freese (a converted fishing trawler) off Jan Mayen Island, Norway. The Royal Navy light cruiser chases it and apparently opens fire. Realizing that the ship cannot outrun the cruiser, the captain of the weather ship intentionally runs it aground on the Søraustkapp, wrecking the ship with the loss of two lives. The rest of the crew survives as POWs, rescued by trawlers HMT Elm and Wistaria. The weather ship has been operating as support of German raiders such as Admiral Scheer and rescuing the crews of downed Luftwaffe seaplanes.

U-137 ( Kapitänleutnant Herbert Wohlfarth) is on its third patrol out of Lorient and is patrolling in the sea lanes west of Bloody Foreland, County Donegal, Ireland when it spots 5887-ton British freighter Planter. The Planter, carrying fruits and vegetables from Egypt, has been part of Convoy SLS 53, but perhaps out of impatience with the convoy's deliberate speed (convoy speeds are restricted to the speed of the slowest ship), the captain of the Planter has outrun the convoy and become essentially an independent. Such ships are called "rompers." This proves to be a poor decision, as U-137 pumps a torpedo into the ship and sinks it. There are 59-60 survivors and 13 crew perish. The survivors are rescued by HMS Clare.

U-65 (K.Kapt. Hans-Gerrit von Stockhausen), on an extended patrol out of Lorient and sailing about 650 km west of Freetown, spots 3059-ton British freighter Fabian. After putting a torpedo into the ship at 14:29, U-65 surfaces and hits the ship with five out of eight shots from its deck gun. There are 6 deaths. The Germans question the 33 survivors in lifeboats and provide them with food and water before leaving the scene. The men are rescued by 7121 British tanker SS British Statesman.

Royal Navy 550-ton anti-submarine trawler HMT Arsenal (Skipper C. R. Radford RNR) collides off Kilchattan Bay (the Clyde estuary) with Polish Navy destroyer Burza, which had barely survived a bomb hit at Dunkirk but been repaired. The crew survives, rescued by HMS Arrow and tug Superman. The wreck is about four miles south of Toward. HMS Arrow, meanwhile, is damaged by exploding depth charges on the Arsenal and requires repairs in the Clyde until January. The Burza also requires repairs in the Clyde that take two months.

The Luftwaffe attacks Convoy FS 335, damaging 2052-ton British freighter Sherbrooke southeast of Orfordness. In addition, 2178 ton British freighter Dagenham is damaged on a mine northeast of Mouse Light Vessel.

German raider Thor restocks from supply ship the Rio Grande. The Thor also transfers prisoners it has taken to the Rio Grande, which then heads to France.

Heavy cruiser HMS Norfolk returns to service after repairs in the Tyne.

US Navy PBY Catalina flying boats are now patrolling the North Atlantic from bases in Bermuda, supported by seaplane tender USS George E. Badger. They operate from a base obtained in the September 1940 destroyers-for-bases deal with the UK. The deal helps both sides because the British are no longer required to allocate manpower to Bermuda, and the US air patrols can provide useful intelligence to the Royal Navy.

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Cotswold (L-54, Lt. Commander Peter J. Knowling) is commissioned and transfers from Greenock to work up at Scapa Flow.

US Navy minesweeper USS Osprey (AM 56, Lt. Commander Cecil L. Blackwell) is commissioned.

Collier's, 16 November 1940.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Italian bombers raid Alexandria during the night.

Malta continues a period free of air raids. Many from the harbor areas who have evacuated to the interior are returning to their homes. There are practical reasons for this, as living far from work is a burden for many people. Estimates are that over 20,000 people have repopulated the area around Grand Harbour and Marsamxett Harbour. While this is a nice sign of confidence in the war effort, the lack of underground or "rock" shelters is becoming a major concern.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: German raider Atlantis rendezvouses with its captured Norwegian tankers Teddy and Ole Jacobs. The Atlantis refuels from the Teddy, then sinks it. The Atlantis then sends captured Norwegian vessel Ole Jacob, full of high-octane aviation fuel (extremely useful to the Axis) and manned by a prize crew, to Japan.

The Ole Jacob carries top-secret British war documents recovered from British vessel Automedon. The documents are to be delivered to the German ambassador in Japan, who will give copies to the Japanese and the German government in Berlin. These are extremely sensitive and Top Secret documents that detail the British military position and plans in the Far East. Many believe they are instrumental in the Japanese decision to initiate war on 7 December 1940.

The classic tuft stitch ladies' jumper knitting pattern is first published in the 16 November 1940 issue of Woman's Weekly. "Skill level: Advanced."

US/Vichy French Relations: Acting Secretary of State Sumner Welles has asked (on 13 November) the Chargé d'Affaires ad interim, H. Freeman Matthews, to meet with the French about the status of the French battleships Jean Bart and Richelieu. Accordingly, Matthews meets with French leader Marshal Henri Philippe Pétain. Mathews asks if the US can buy the battleships. Pétain demurs. He says that the ships will only be used to defend French territory and not against the British and adds: "Under present circumstances, I have neither the right nor the possibility of selling them."

German Military: Colonel General Heinz Guderian, one of the stars of the Polish and French campaigns while commanding XI Corps, is promoted to command of Panzer Group 2 (these formations are not yet designated Panzer Armies) in Germany. Guderian is one of the most respected men in the Wehrmacht (and internationally) due to his widely read book about tank tactics. Colonel-General Hermann Hoth, another successful panzer leader, takes over Panzer Group 3 in France.

The wall of the Warsaw Ghetto.

Mexico: Protests continue about the results of the 7 July 1940 Presidential election in which Manuel Ávila Camacho prevailed over war hero Gen. Juan Andreu Almazán. Many protesters are jailed. The election results, in which Camacho received 93.9% of the vote, have spurred many of Almazán's supporters to riot to protest a supposedly fraudulent result. Almazán himself has fled the country in hopes of stirring up support for his cause in the United States. The inauguration of Camacho is scheduled for 1 December 1940. The wave of protest against the result is called almazanismo. It is fair to point out that such lopsided election returns in hotly contested elections are rare in democracies, especially those where there is obvious widespread street support for the loser. The US, for its part, does not want to get involved in this foreign quarrel and is not supporting Almazán.

Holocaust: The Warsaw Ghetto is now walled-off from outside contact. An estimated 380,000-400,000 people are trapped inside an area too small to support them comfortably. Armed guards patrol the wall.

British Homefront: A correspondent with the Daily Express asks the Mayor of Coventry, J.A. Moseley if he intends to order an evacuation of the city. He replies:

Of course not. We stay.

While the Daily Express highlights the Coventry raid's devastation on its front page, other newspapers downplay the damage and instead focus on things like the need to maintain war production there (the Guardian) or simply give short shrift to the entire affair (The Times makes the raid only the third leading article of the day). The Daily Express expresses a need for "more action to beat the night bomber" and "less talk about the so-called slackening of the blitz."

American Homefront: In the "Fifth Down" game between college teams Cornell and Dartmouth, college official Red Friesell mistakenly gives Cornell an extra down during the last seconds of the game. This mistake provides the opportunity for Cornell to score a touchdown which apparently wins the game for it 7-3. Officials (and everyone else) reviewing the game film quickly notice the error and forfeit the win, handing it to Dartmouth. The game is notable not only for the bad call and the reversal but for its unique status as a game. The outcome and score are decided by film only after the game is over and the teams have left the field. Cornell, incidentally, was on an 18-game winning streak at the time, and Dartmouth was only 3-4; the decision was a cruel blow to Big Red supporters.



November 1940

November 1, 1940: Hitler Irate
November 2, 1940: U-31 Sunk - Again
November 3, 1940: Kretschmer's Master Class
November 4, 1940: Spain Absorbs Tangier
November 5, 1940: Jervis Bay Meets Admiral Scheer
November 6, 1940: San Demetrio Incident
November 7, 1940: Galloping Gertie
November 8, 1940: Italian Shakeup in Greece
November 9, 1940: Dutch Fascists March
November 10, 1940: Fala and Doc Strange
November 11, 1940: Taranto Raid
November 12, 1940: Molotov Takes Berlin
November 13, 1940: Molotov Foils Hitler
November 14, 1940: Moonlight Sonata
November 15, 1940: Warsaw Ghetto Sealed
November 16, 1940: France Keeps Battleships
November 17, 1940: Malta Hurricane Disaster
November 18, 1940: Hitler Berates Ciano
November 19, 1940: Birmingham Devastated
November 20, 1940: Hungary Joins Axis
November 21, 1940: Dies White Paper
November 22, 1940: Italians Take Korçë
November 23, 1940: U-Boat Bonanza!
November 24, 1940: Slovakia Joins In
November 25, 1940: Molotov's Demands
November 26, 1940: Bananas Be Gone
November 27, 1940: Cape Spartivento Battle
November 28, 1940: Wick Perishes
November 29, 1940: Trouble in Indochina
November 30, 1940: Lucy and Desi Marry

2020

Thursday 16 May 1940

Germans crossing the Meuse on 16 May 1940 (Schmidt, Federal Archive).

Western Front: The Allied line is in disarray on 16 May 1940 in both France and Belgium. Paris is still safe - for the moment - but the Belgian government packs up and moves to Ostend.

Following a disastrous meeting with British Prime Minister Churchill (see below), French Prime Minister Paul Reynaud replaces General Gamelin with General Weygand - who is unfamiliar with the condition of the campaign and must fly up from Syria.

The Wehrmacht is moving with lightning speed. The Blitzkrieg is at its height, with the Luftwaffe blazing a trail for fast mobile forces. The speed of the panzers is preventing a coherent Allies response. Nobody really knows where the front is from hour to hour, and this prevents effective counter-measures. French attempts to counter-attack are hampered by refugees clogging the roads, an inability to know precisely where the Germans are, and roads littered with the destruction already caused by the German panzers, artillery, and Luftwaffe.

In France, "Fast Heinz" Guderian is now 60 miles west of Sedan, at Montcornet and around St. Quentin. General Hoth has his XV Panzer Corps, led by Erwin Rommel's 7th Panzer Division, a little further north in the Avesnes-sur-Helpe/Cambrai vicinity. As part of his move forward, Rommel's panzers serendipitously cut through the French 5th Motorised Infantry Division which is conveniently bivouacked on both sides of the very road that Rommel is using. Rommel destroys the French unit, leaving it with just 3 tanks as it retreats in disarray.

Raadhuisstraat, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 16 May 1940. The Wehrmacht arrives in strength. “Thousands of citizens of Amsterdam lined the roads to watch the impressive panzer vehicles, motorcycle brigades, army vehicles and so forth, that filed past in perfectly disciplined columns.”

On Army Group A's left flank, the battle on the Stonne Plateau continues. The village of Stonne changes hands repeatedly, but the French counterattack makes no lasting gains. To the Wehrmacht, this battle is meaningless, but it protects the flank of the panzer forces moving quickly westward. The further they go, however, the more vulnerable their flanks become to other attacks - if the French can find the troops to mount them. The Battle of Stonne Plateau also reveals that the French tanks are quite capable and a match for the best German tanks, the Panzer IV medium tanks. A French Char B1 Bis tank destroys 2 Panzer IVs and 11 Panzer IIs while shrugging off dozens of standard German anti-tank hits.
The strategic implication of the Rommel/Guderian advance is that the Wehrmacht could separate the BEF and some French forces from the heart of France. By advancing independently on parallel lines, they provide each other with flank protection. This part of the campaign is known as "The Dash to the Channel." The dash is to Abbeville, which effectively would seal off Allied forces farther north.

The Germans are also waging a campaign against the Maginot Line. Around mid-day, the artillery of the 71st Infantry Division begins shelling the town of Villy and a fortress of the Line that overlooks it called La Ferté.

In Belgium, the Allies retreat from the Dyle Line to a new line on the Scheldt River, which was their jumping-off point before springing forward to the Dyle Line. This effectively abandons Belgium to the Wehrmacht.
The German 6th Army under Reinhardt disperses the Belgian K-W Line.

At Gembloux, the day's battle ends in a tactical stalemate, but a strategic victory for the Germans. The French line is never pierced and they batter the attacking Germans, but the deteriorating situation west of Sedan imperils the Allied lines of communication. At dusk, the French are ordered back to the French border to protect their own flanks. The failure to finish off the French today, though, has huge negative consequences in the coming weeks for the Germans.

Map noting German advances in France and the Low Countries between 10 and 16 May 1940. (US Military Academy).

Battle of the Atlantic: The French send their destroyers Fougueux, Frondeur, Cyclone, and Siroco to bombard the Germans in the vicinity of Walcheren and South Beveland.

The Royal Navy sends the carrier Furious to Norway to ferry Gladiator and Hurricane fighters.

German raider Widder meets supply ship Nordmark to refuel.

Troop convoy US 2 from Australia brings the 17th Infantry Brigade to Egypt.

Convoy OA 149 departs from Southend, Convoy OB 149 departs from Liverpool, Convoy OG 30F forms at Gibraltar, and Convoy HX 43 departs from Halifax.

European Air Operations: France sends 26 of its brand new LeO 451 second-generation bombers against the panzers refueling at Montcornet. They lose four of their number.

The RAF moves its bases from near the Meuse closer to Paris, near Troyes at Anglure.

P/O Kenneth NT "Hawkeye" Lee was rushed with No 501 Squadron RAF to Bétheniville on 10 May 1940 and accounted for 3 enemy aircraft in the next 3 days. Forced to retreat to Anglure on 16 May and to Le Mans on 2 June, the 24-year-old pilot destroyed two more. On exhausting his ammunition while attacking a Heinkel He 111 on 10 June, he turned away when his Hurricane Mk I blew up and bailed out, hitting the tailplane. Injured in the hand and leg, he was evacuated to Britain 10 days later from Saint-Malo.

Narvik: The Luftwaffe continues its gradual reinforcement of General Dietl's troops at Narvik, dropping another 76 paratroopers (Fallschirmjaeger) of the 1st Fallschirmjaeger Regiment.

Anglo/French Relations: Winston Churchill flies to Paris to consult with Prime Minister Paul Reynaud, Defense Minister Daladier and General Gamelin. In his memoirs, Churchill recalls that he asked Gamelin at this meeting, first in English and then in French, “Where is the strategic reserve?” (“Où est la masse de manoeuvre?”). Gamelin simply replied, “Aucune!” ("There is none"). This led Reynaud to replace Gamelin with Weygand.

Churchill also notes: "In the garden of the Quai d'Orsay I see venerable officials burning secret documents. Already evacuation of Paris is being prepared." It is a common scene in European capitals recently.

Anglo/American Relations: President Roosevelt responds to Prime Minister Churchill's shopping list of 14 May. He notes that he will require "specific authorization of the Congress" for some of the requests and that he will keep the US fleet at Hawaii "at least for the time being."

US Government: President Roosevelt addresses a joint session of Congress. He establishes a target of 50,000 military aircraft a year. This appears from all experience to be an unreachable goal. He requests a total of $900,000,000 appropriation to fund this project. His individual requests include $546 million for the Army, $250 million for the Navy/Marine Corps, and $100 million for the Executive branch to handle contingencies. These are all unheard-of amounts of money.

Ireland: The Irish government, which has been maintaining strict neutrality, requests arms from the British government to equip the Irish Army.

Holocaust: In Occupied (rump) Poland, Gauleiter Hans Frank orders arrest and execution of Polish political, professional and religious leaders.

China: At the Battle of Tsaoyang-Ichang, the commander of the Chinese 33rd Army Group of the Chinese 5th War Area, General Chang Tze-Chung, is killed in action as his troops recapture Tsaoyang.

Germans crossing the Meuse, 16 May 1940 (Ang, Federal Archive).

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

Friday 10 May 1940

German Junkers Ju 52s dropping paratroopers in the Netherlands, 10 May 1940.

Fall Gelb: Hitler finally permits the much-postponed invasion of France and the Low Countries to proceed on 10 May 1940. The German ambassadors in Belgium and Holland issue memoranda to those governments full of justifications for the violation of their neutral status. The two nations in turn appeal to Great Britain and France. Queen Wilhelmina of Belgium in particular is incensed.

The British government is now led by Winston Churchill, who has been warning the neutral countries of their danger for months. It immediately warns the Germans against bombing civilians.

Holland, Belgium, and Luxembourg declare war on Germany.

French fortifications along the frontier were incomplete and never were intended to cover the entire border. The French, however, placed a great deal of faith in them.

Western Front: Fall Gelb opens with 77 Wehrmacht Divisions (10 Panzer, 2 airborne) in the front line. Hitler issues his prophetic order of the day:

Soldiers of the West Front ! The battle which is beginning today will decide the fate of the German nation for the next thousand years.

During the night, Army Group B (Fedor von Bock) launches its offensive into Holland and Belgium. The ground troops are supported by Fallschirmjäger (paratroopers) from the 7th Flieger Division and 22nd Luftlande Division (Kurt Student). These paratroopers land beginning at 05:35 at The Hague, on the road to Rotterdam and atop the Belgian fort at Eben-Emael on the Albert Canal. During the day, the German forces advance 10-15 miles into both Holland and Belgium.

At the Battle of Maastricht, the 4th Panzer Division is briefly delayed by resistance at Gulpen. By the time they get to Maastricht, the Dutch have time to destroy the bridges across the Maas which the Wehrmacht needs. After resisting throughout the day, the Dutch retreat and the Germans take the sector. The German losses are about 190 dead, 9 armored cars and tanks, and 10 Luftwaffe aircraft, while the Dutch losses are  47 troops.

The main German thrust is through the Ardennes with Panzer Corps XI (Guderian), XLI (Reinhardt) and XX (Hoth). Army Group A (von Rundstedt) has 41,000 vehicles in General von Kleist's Panzergruppe, and they have only four road routes through the forest. Congestion occurs immediately. The Luftwaffe maintains air superiority, shooting down dozens of French bombers, allowing the armored columns time to sort things out.

Further south, facing the Maginot Line, Army Group C (von Leeb) attacks the front between Trier and the Swiss border.

The French high command under General Gamelin reacts quickly. It implements Plan D. The French Seventh Army crosses the Dutch border only to run into retreating Dutch forces. It heads to Brussels, Belgium to form a defensive perimeter. The BEF and French with 32 divisions execute the Dyle Plan, crossing into Belgium.

The Dutch commence defensive flooding in East Holland.
European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe has 3500 aircraft in operation to support Fall Gelb. They fly over 1000 sorties during the day.

At Eben-Emael, 78 paratroopers under Oberlt. Rudolf Witzig land in DFS 230 gliders directly atop the fortress itself. The attackers eliminate all above-ground opposition and enemy firepower using top-secret magnetic hollow charges. The day ends with the paratroopers in complete control of the surface of the strategic fort and the 650 Belgian defenders trapped in underground galleries. While the defenders have not yet surrendered, they are helpless and the way is clear for the German 6th Army to advance as the paratroopers also seize bridges over the canal.

At The Hague, the Luftwaffe first bombs the area around Ypenburg airfield then drops paratroopers there. Other paratroopers land at Ockenburg airfield and Valkenburg airfield. The Luftwaffe is unable to land at the airfields due to destroyed aircraft on them, and the Dutch launch furious counterattacks. At the end of the day, the Dutch have retaken all of the airfields and the paratroopers forced into nearby villages and dunes. The Germans also lose a staggering 182 transport aircraft, primarily the workhorse Junkers Ju 52.

The Luftwaffe conducts raids against airfields in all of the enemy territories commencing at dawn.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks Dutch liners Statendam (28,300 t) and Veendam (15,500 t) at Rotterdam.

The RAF and Dutch fighters shoot down Junkers Ju 52 transport planes over Holland. The RAF also conducts fighter-bomber raids on advancing Wehrmacht armored troops. Of 32 RAF Battle bombers sent into action, 16 are shot down and the rest damaged.

The Luftwaffe mistakenly bombs Freiburg by mistake, killing 57 civilians. Propaganda Minister Goebbels promptly blames the French.

There is a major dogfight over Belgium as Nine Belgian Fairey Fox biplane fighters intercept a group of Bf 109s. The biplanes manage to shoot one Messerschmitt down for three of their own number.

The RAF sends 33 Bristol Blenheim light bombers against the advancing Wehrmacht in Holland, losing three bombers.

The RAF also sends 32 Fairey Battle light bombers against the German troops in Luxembourg, losing 13 of their number to anti-aircraft fire and 10 to Luftwaffe fighters.

During the night, the RAF bombs the Wehrmacht lines of communications to the east of the Holland/German border. This is the first attack by the RAF on German soil.

The RAF commences the much-delayed Operation Marine, the mining of the Rhine River.

British Politics: Prime Minister Chamberlain resigns at 18:00 after the Labour Party at 17:00 reports that it will only agree to support a coalition government led by someone other than Chamberlain. Winston Churchill is voted in as the new Prime Minister, visits the King, and forms a coalition government.

New British Cabinet:

• Churchill: Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, First Lord of the Treasury;
• Chamberlain: Lord President of the Council;
• Clement Attlee: Deputy Prime Minister and Lord Privy Seal;
• Lord Halifax: Foreign Minister;
• General Ismay: Secretary of the Imperial Defense Chiefs of Staff Committee, Deputy Secretary of the War Cabinet, and Chief of Staff to Churchill in his role as Minister of Defense.

Battle of the Atlantic: Iceland has declared its de facto independence from Denmark, but the British are not taking any chances. Four Royal Navy warships deposit 800 Royal Marines in Reykjavik of the 2nd Royal Marine Battalion under Force Sturges. They arrest German citizens and sympathizers, close down the German embassy, and fortify the harbor. The Icelandic government issues a formal protest to the British government. It also asks its citizens to treat the British invaders as "guests."

2019