RAF Bomber Command: 4 Group (Whitley). Bombing - road/rail communications in Monchen-Gladbach. 51 Sqn. 6 aircraft all bombed, one damaged by Flak. 58 Sqn. 3 aircraft all bombed, opposition severe. 77 Sqn. 3 aircraft all bombed, one FTR. 102 Sqn. 6 aircraft all bombed. 1 damaged by Flak.

This is the first attack by British aircraft on the German mainland.

2 Group ( Blenheim). 21 Sqn. 12 aircraft bomb bridges at Maastricht. Heavy Flak. Two aircraft lost, 1 Bf109 shot down.

Western Front:

The Wehrmacht High Command announced:

After crossing the borders of Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg, the German West Army has repulsed the enemy border troops everywhere in Holland and Belgium and, despite the [enemy's] destruction of countless bridges, and despite obstructions of every kind, is on the offensive and advancing rapidly. Paratroops and airborne troops have landed and are about to carry out their security missions. Luftwaffe units, flying in relays, are supporting the advance of the Army by bombing columns and troop camps, and by damaging or destroying roads, railway lines and bridges. Their sweeping reconnaissance has brought clear information about enemy army movements. Furthermore, on May 10, massed forces of the German Luftwaffe led the first grand assault on the root of the enemy air force in France, Belgium and Holland. 72 airfields were attacked, 300-400 enemy aircraft destroyed on the ground, large numbers of airfield installations and hangars destroyed by fire and explosions.

BELGIUM:

German soldiers reach the Albert Canal causing the Belgian Army to begin to evacuate its positions on the Albert Canal. One armoured division of 16 Panzer Corps crosses the Meuse at Maastricht. On the "Gembloux Gap" the Cavalry Corps Commander is shocked to find "no defence works around the township, which was one of the key points in the defence line."

"The High Command is mostly in a state of confusion, and civilian refugees are blocking up the roads. The whole plan rests on the strength of the Gembloux position and the ability of the Belgian Army to delay the enemy. Neither has turned out as expected. If they act without delay before this evening, they can still prevent the Dyle plan from being carried out and adopt the Escaut Plan. Only the First Army’s three divisions of motorised infantry are on the move, the rest of the infantry has not yet crossed the frontier. They can still be held back," wrote General Prioux.

At 10 pm Billotte countermands Prioux and insists they stick with the Dyle Plan. Progress of 1st and 9th Armies is still slow although they have encountered no opposition and the Luftwaffe has had little or no effect.

The Belgian Air Force sends out 9 aircraft to bomb the bridges over the Albert Canal. They missed their targets; 7 of the planes did not come back.

18:00 12 French LeO-45 night bombers with fighter cover attacked three bridges west of Maastricht and German tanks advancing on Tongres. They inflicted almost no damage, and 1 bomber and 4 fighters were lost

NETHERLANDS:

The Hague: A daring plan to occupy the airfields around The Hague, seize the capital and kidnap Queen Wilhelmina has been foiled by Dutch forces. Recovering from their early disarray when parachutists landed, Dutch infantry, backed by artillery, have driven the Germans from the three airfields.

This has saved the Queen and the government, but it has tied down substantial Dutch reserves, which are badly needed on the Amsterdam and Rotterdam sectors. The German 18th Army, under General Georg von Kuchler, has taken intact vital bridges over the Meuse; one company actually splashed down on the river at Rotterdam in ancient seaplanes.

At 1300 hours the Germans, having penetrated the Dutch defences, made contact with General Henri Giraud’s Seventh French Army at Tilburg near the Belgian border. The French, who were to have linked up with the Dutch, found they had already retreated. Left to fend for himself and lacking air support and anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns, Giraud has been forced to pull back to Antwerp. This has opened the way for the 9th Panzer division to thrust towards Rotterdam and relieve airborne troops holding the bridges across the river there. But the Dutch are holding firm and Hitler has ordered forces from the Belgian front to move against the Dutch. "Resistance must be broken speedily," he says.

The exiled German Kaiser, Wilhelm II, who lives at Doorn, was offered asylum in Britain by Churchill. He rejected the offer, and a few hours later Hitler’s Panzers overran his home.

FRANCE:

[Morning]

The French Army report stated:

During the night we continued our movements to Belgium. Despite a vigorous assault, the enemy was not able to continues his advance south of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Nothing noteworthy occurred in Lorraine and Alsace.

On Friday, the German Luftwaffe bombardment of French territory claimed countless victims among the civilian population. The French High Command regrets having to report that we have more than 100 dead and wounded to mourn, including (especially) women and children.

RAF AASF: 02.45: Pilots are woken to prepare to prevent the Luftwaffe knocking out Berry-au-Bac. A heavy raid took place in Rheims, but the airfield was not attacked.

05:00 Squadrons stood down in sections for breakfast.

08:00 12 He-111s are reported to be approaching Berry-au-Bac and 1 Sqn is ordered into the air. ‘A’ flight circles the airfield in defence while ‘B’ flight intercepts the raid. The bombers see the Hurricanes coming, turn and climb away into the sun at full speed.

Vincennes: Gamelin learns, to his astonishment, that Georges had delegated to Billotte the duties of liaison with the Allies with which he had been personally entrusted. Although this was "not at all to his liking" and he considered it an "abdication", he accepted it for, he says, "it is often better to accept an accomplished fact than to hamper a commander’s actions".

GERMANY:

The German News Bureau (DNB) reported:

Yesterday 3 enemy bombers attacked the open city of Freiburg-im-Breisgau, which is located completely outside our own field of operations and contains no military installations. From now on, any planned enemy bomb assault on the German population will be answered by 5 times the number of German aircraft bombing an English or French city.

U-81, U-356 laid down.

While HMS Glorious completes the embarkation of 46 Squadron's Hurricanes, the reconstituted 263 Squadron, with 18 new Gladiator IIs, is moving to the Fleet Air Arm station at Cambeltown (on the Clyde) in preparation to joining HMS Furious, now repaired and ready for further service.

At HMS Sparrowhawk (RNAS Hatston):

Acting Captain C. L. Howe again unleashes 806 Squadron on Bergen, this time targeting a newly discovered oil tank farm on Asko Island. At 0510 the Lt.Cdr. C. L. G. Evans, RN led off six Skuas of 806 Squadron, each carrying 1x250lb SAP and 4x20lb Cooper bombs, escorted by three Coastal Command Blenheims of 254 Squadron, RAF, each carrying 8x25lb incendiaries. Several tanks were hit and all aircraft returned safely.

Off Narvik:

At 0540 HMS Ark Royal, in company with the anti-aircraft cruiser HMS Curlew and destroyers HMS Inglefield, HMS Mashona, HMS Jaguar, and HMS Encounter at position 71.02N, 15.25 E, received a signal from Flag Officer Narvik requesting fighter patrols over HMS Penelope and convoy, HMS Aurora off Narvik, and HMS Enterprise and convoy bringing the Scots Guards to Mo. Determining that the distance involved precluded performing all three missions simultaneously, Ark endeavoured to cover the two convoys. At 1000 three Skuas of 803 Squadron were dispatched to HMS Penelope followed, at 1035, by two more from the same Squadron to HMS Enterprise. No enemy aircraft were encountered by either however. While the intent was to launch relief patrols, the weather deteriorated such that flying was suspended temporarily.

ITALY:

Rome: Despite constant urging by Hitler, Italy continues to pursue a course of neutrality - although many observers believe that, sooner or later, Mussolini will take advantage of Allied setbacks to enter the war. The Duce has never dropped his ambition to turn the Mediterranean into an "Italian Lake".

The bulk of the Italian press has become increasingly vociferous and pro-Nazi, with glowing accounts of German victories in France and Norway. Mussolini’s propaganda machine is claiming that Britain’s Royal Navy is largely obsolete and no match for his impressive array of battleships which are taking part in well-publicised exercises in the Adriatic.

For all his bombast, Mussolini is aware that his country - with a coastline as long as Britain’s - is vulnerable to invasion and that British domination of the Straits of Gibraltar in the west and Suez in the east could effectively blockade imports to Italy.

VATICAN CITY: Pope Pius XII publicly condemns the Nazi invasions of Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg and laments a world "poisoned by lies and disloyalty, and wounded by excesses of violence." (Russell Folsom)

The President wants a mobile expeditionary force to be created as well as a programme to expand and modernise the US armed forces. At present the American Army is not one of the 12 largest in the world. Mr. Roosevelt would like the rate of production of military aircraft in US factories to be increased to 50,000 a year - and he will tell Congress not to interfere, as it did recently by the terms of the Neutrality Acts, with arms deliveries to the Allies.

Roosevelt also issues a proclamation (1) proclaiming American neutrality in the European war and (2) restricting belligerent submarines from using U.S. ports and territorial waters, excluding the Panama Canal Zone.

WEST INDIES: A British force lands on the Dutch islands of Curacao and Aruba to prevent possible German attempts at sabotage in the important oil refineries of these islands.

ATLANTIC OCEAN:

London: The Blitz builds up. Chamber of House of Commons destroyed: MPs now meet in House of Lords. 20,000 Londoners killed and 25,000 badly wounded in war so far. Liverpool, Glasgow and Clydebank, Belfast, Southampton, Portsmouth and Plymouth all feel weight of Nazi attacks.

After last nights raids so many London streets are impassable - estimated at a third - that people can hardly struggle to work. Every main line railway terminus is out of action. Over 150,000 people are without gas, water or electricity. Pavements are littered with burnt-out incendiaries.

At least 5,000 houses have been destroyed. Estimates for last nights casualties are over 1,400 people dead and 1,800 badly injured. Rescue parties are still digging. Among the dead are the mayors of Westminster and Bermondsey. Many fires are still burning. There is huge gin fire in City Road and in the west the burning Palmolive soap factory is perfuming the air as the water directed on it turns into froth.

Corvette FS Mimosa (ex-HMS Mimose) commissioned.

VICHY FRANCE: Darlan meets Hitler and declares resolve to enter war against Britain.

GERMANY: The Wehrmacht High Command announced:

Over the last few nights the British air force has once again deliberately bombed the residential districts of German cities, including the German capital. In retaliation, strong German Luftwaffe forces carried out a major assault on London last night. Ground visibility was good and the British capital was bombed throughout the night by relay waves that dropped high-explosive bombs of all calibres and tens of thousands of incendiary bombs.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: Submarine HMS Undaunted sailed from Malta on 1 May for a patrol off Tripoli. She was due to return to Malta on 11 May but she failed to do so and is presumed lost on mines. It is also possible that she was sunk by the Italian torpedo boat Pegaso which had sailed from Tripoli on the 12th. At 2030 that evening Pegaso signalled that she had attacked a submarine with depth charges and that a large patch of oil had been observed, an indication of the submarines destruction. Against this theory is the fact that by that date Undaunted should have been back at Malta but it is possible that a decision to remain at sea longer had been taken or that she had suffered mechanical problems preventing her return. It is also possible that she was sunk by the Italian torpedo boat Pleiade off Tripoli on the 13th but this is not very likely.

LIBYA: Five Royal Navy destroyers bombard the harbour at Benghazi.

SYRIA: Two French Morane 406 fighter planes of 7 Squadron, 1st Fighter Group (GCI/7), forced 3 Me110's from 4 Squadron, 76 Destroyer Wing to land in the Syrian city of Palmyra because the German planes had crossed French territory without announcing their presence.

U.S.A.: Herbert Hoover, the former president, says that America must stay out of the war in order to help Britain.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: U110 sinks on tow to Iceland.

City of Shanghai (Master Arthur Frank Goring), dispersed on 28 April from Convoy OB-313, was spotted by U-103, but the lookouts of the vessel also spotted the U-boat and tried to escape. Schütze wrote in the KTB - Nun muss er fallen, wenn ich auch nur einen Aal im Rohr habe (Now he must fall, even if I have only one torpedo in my tube). At 0148 on 11 May, after a hunt of 19 hours, U-103 fired the last torpedo and hit the City of Shanghai, which was then finished off with the 105-mm gun off St Paul Rocks. Six crewmembers were lost. The master and 27 crewmembers were picked up by the Dutch merchant Stad Arnhem and landed at Freetown. 17 crewmembers were rescued by the British merchantman Richmond Castle and landed at Glasgow. 22 crewmembers were picked up by the Argentinian merchantman Josefina S and landed at Pernambuco.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: Destroyer HMS Lively in company with HMS Jervis, Jackal and Kipling sailing to intercept an Axis convoy off Benghazi is subjected to air attack by a German squadron of 31 Junkers JU87 dive bombers from Crete. Lively sinks after taking three or four direct hits abreast of A turret mounting Her survivors are taken aboard Jervis and Jackal. Location 100 miles NE of Tobruk at 33 24N 25 38E.

 Destroyer HMS Kipling is subjected to the same round of air attacks and sinks 60 miles N of Mersa Matruh at 32 28N 36 20E. Her survivors are taken on board Jackal.

 Destroyer HMS Jackal is scuttled at 32 23N 36 25E after being damaged in the same attack which sank Kipling. Jervis had managed to take her in tow, but the damage proved too great and she was sunk on 12 May by Jervis. (Alex Gordon)(108)

SOLOMON ISLANDS: A US submarine sinks the Japanese minelayer OKINOSHIMA.

UNITED KINGDOM: Great Yarmouth: A daylight raid by 20 German bombers kills 26 girls staying at an ATS hostel.

Corvette HMCS Kenogami departed Londonderry with EG B-4 and Convoy ON-183. The convoy arrived safely at New York City on 25 May.

GERMANY:

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: The Allies end a three-day aerial bombardment of the Italian island of Pantelleria.

BURMA: The British pull the 26th Division back from Maungdow.

Generals Irwin and Lloyd are relieved.

At 1530 hours local, the Northern Force lands on the north side of Holtz Bay and pushes southeast; the Southern Force lands at Massacre Bay at 1620 hours and pushes north. By 2200 hours, the Northern Force is 0.5 miles (805 m) from a hill dominating Holtz Valley while the Southern Force has secured a beachhead in Massacre Bay.

The operation is supported by the U.S. Navy's Task Force 51 consisting of the battleships USS Idaho (BB-42), USS Nevada (BB-36) and USS Pennsylvania (BB-38; the auxiliary aircraft carrier USS Nassau (ACV-16) with Composite Squadron Two One (VC-21) and Marine Observation Squadron One Hundred Fifty Five (VMO-155) embarked; eight destroyers; plus the transports and escorts which included two Royal Canadian Navy Flower-class corvettes, HMCS Dawson and HMCS Vancouver.

The Northern Force is supported by the heavy cruisers USS San Francisco (C-38 and USS Wichita (CA-45); the light cruiser USS Louisville (CL-28) and four destroyers. The Southern Force is supported by the light cruisers USS Detroit (CL-8), USS Raleigh (CL-7), USS Richmond (CL-9) and USS Santa Fe (CL-60) plus five destroyers.

Both ships bombard Holtz Bay and Chichagof Harbor.

Aircraft of the Eleventh Air Force also support the invasion. Eleven B-24s and 12 B-25s fly five missions against the island.

CANADA: Minesweeper HMCS Fort Frances laid down Port Arthur, Ontario.

Trawler HMS Anticosti commenced refit Louisbourg , Nova Scotia.

JAPAN: US forces attacks increase on the Shuri Line on Okinawa. They also launch a fresh offensive aimed at the capital, Naha.

Boeing B-29 Superfortresses of the USAAF's Twentieth Air Force fly six missions to Japan.

Missions 167 to 171: Fifty B-29s attack airfields at Oita, Saeki, Nittagahara, Miyazaki, and Miyakonojo on Kyushu Island; eight others hit targets of opportunity. Missions against Japanese airfields terminate the air campaign, begun on 17 April, during which the Twentieth Air Force has devoted a major effort toward hitting sources of Kamikaze raids against USN and USMC forces in the Battle of Okinawa.

Mission 172: 92 B-29s bomb the Kawanishi aircraft plant at Kobe; one other hits a target of opportunity; they claim nine Japanese fighters; one B-29 is lost.

Off Okinawa, two kamikazes crash into the Task Force 58 flagship, the aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) with Carrier Air Group Eighty Four (CVG-84) aboard. Kamikazes also damage the destroyer USS Evans (DD-552) and a large support landing craft (LCS) and a "Baka" rocket-powered glide bomb damages the destroyer USS Hugh W. Hadley (DD-774). At 7.45 a.m., the first Japanese plane was sighted, heading directly for the ship. In the ensuing hour and thirty-five minutes, the action was nonstop. The first plane was shot down at a range of 1,200 yards. Ten minutes later, at 7.55 a.m., radar picked up a mass of 156 enemy planes approaching at various altitudes, in groups of 36, 50, 20, 30 and 20, all headed toward the Hadley and her sister ship, the USS Evans. Marine Corsair fighters formed a protective cover above the ships. The Corsairs attacked first, and reported shooting down 12 Japanese planes.

On the USS Bunker Hill, the first kamikaze releases its 500 pound (227 kg) bomb which smashes through the flight deck and out the side, exploding just above the water, and the aircraft crashes into the flight deck and skids over the side, destroying nearly all the ready-deck aircraft. The second kamikaze dives at the carrier at nearly a vertical dive, dropping its 500 pound (227 kg) bomb just before it hits the deck. 

The bomb smashes through the flight deck, but does not make it through the hangar deck where it explodes. The thickened armour protecting the machinery spaces below has proved effective. After several hours of fighting fires, the ship is able to sail under her own power and returns to Bremerton, Washington via Pearl Harbor for repairs. A total of 346 men lose their lives, 43 are counted missing and 264 have been wounded, many with severe burns. Many of the ship's pilots died either in their planes or inside the skin of the ship when the second bomb exploded.

Pictures of the Bunker Hill.

An extract from Jim Verdolini's diary, on the USS RANDOLPH:

I was not aboard at this time.

Glen Boren

     A comprehensive USS Bunker Hill website:

http://www.navsource.org/archives/02/17.htm

     Photo of VMF-451 on the USS Bunker Hill:

http://www.kithobbyist.com/warlords/F4U-1D.htm

     Photo of the disaster of May 1lth, 1945:

http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/ships/carriers/histories/cv17-bunkerhill/cv17-bunkerhill.html

     (Russ Folsom)

NEW GUINEA:  Australian troops of the veteran 6th Division today attacked Wewak, where they seized the area occupied by the headquarters of the Japanese 18th Army. The attack was the culmination of six months' arduous campaigning in steamy jungle country after the Australian Army had taken on responsibility for the continued neutralization of the Japanese forces left stranded by MacArthur's leap-frogging advances.

The enemy garrisons including those in New Britain and the Solomons totalled in excess of 150,000 with the greatest concentration around Rabaul, in New Britain. American policy had been to allow bypassed Japanese to "wither on the vine", but the Australians set out to "destroy the enemy where it could be done with light casualties."

Even so the resulting loss of life among the Australians is now being regarded by many as too high a price to pay.

U.S.A.: Destroyer USS Hanson commissioned.