Showing posts with label Operation Ry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Operation Ry. Show all posts

Thursday, April 22, 2021

May 12, 1942: Soviets Attack At Kharkov

Tuesday 12 May 1942

Winston Churchill 12 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
A wartime press photograph of Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill on 12 May 1942. He is addressing the Parliamentary Home Guard in London while carrying his gas mask.
Battle of the Pacific: Despite the failure of Operation Mo during the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Japanese continue with Operation RY on 12 May 1942. This was intended as a follow-up to the Port Moresby invasion, but since that invasion was stopped by the US fleet, Operation Ry takes center stage. This is an invasion of Nauru and Ocean Island for their phosphate deposits.

Despite the fact that the Japanese invasion fleet is at sea from Rabaul, Operation RY already is in trouble. Just as the invasion of Port Moresby had to be postponed indefinitely (to 3 July), Operation RY also is postponed today. This is due to the sinking of the Japanese flagship, minelayer Okinoshima, by S-42. While the Japanese don't know this, US Admiral "Bull" Halsey is fast approaching with his Task Force 16 and is almost ready to engage the invasion force. The Japanese fix a new date of 17 May for the Operation RY invasion, but Halsey aboard USS Enterprise and accompanying aircraft carrier Hornet (the units that launched the Doolittle Raid on 18 April) will have something to say about that if it proceeds.
USS Charger 12 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
The U.S. Navy escort carrier USS Charger (AVG-30) at anchor on 12 May 1942. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 12 (Modified) (Naval History and Heritage Command NH 55073).
Battle of the Indian Ocean: The monsoon season begins today in Burma, slowing operations just as the spring thaw ("rasputitsa") has done recently in the Soviet Union. The Japanese expand their control in eastern Burma by crossing the Salween River. Their next objective in this region is Kengtung. The 2nd Burma Infantry Brigade completes a long march north through the Myitha Valley and joins with the Chin Hills Battalion, Burma Frontier Force about 15 miles south of Kalemyo. Here, the 2nd Brigade can take trucks to the border town of Tamu where the British are assembling a frontier force to defend India.
Midway pilots May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
The pilots of the U.S. Marine Corps scout bomber squadron VMSB-241 on Midway between 17 April (when Henderson took command) and 28 May 1942 (when Frazer and Smith were detached). Those marked with an “x” were killed during the upcoming Battle of Midway, 4-6 June 1942 (U.S. Navy photo 80-G-40283/Everett Collection Historical (USN reference number may be wrong)).
Eastern Front: Marshal Semyon Timoshenko launches a major offensive to recover the Ukrainian city of Kharkov, a major industrial center and the fourth city of the Soviet Union. His military commissar is native Nikita Khrushchev, who has great powers as Timoshenko's political "minder." Timoshenko has built up a 3:2 advantage in infantry and 2:1 in tanks at the attack points.

The Soviet attack begins with an hour-long artillery barrage at 06:30, then a twenty-minute air assault. This effective preparation sharply limits the Wehrmacht's response, and the subsequent ground assault makes good progress. There are two main lines of attack, from the Volchansk (north of Kharkov) and Barvenkovo (south) areas, which are intended to converge and form a pincer trapping the German forward units. The infantry units make such good progress during the morning that Timoshenko prepares his second echelon, usually kept in reserve for an eventual breakthrough, for immediate use.

While caught largely by surprise (some Germans apparently did have some knowledge that an attack was coming), the Sixth Army under General Paulus recovers fairly quickly. The Luftwaffe has sufficient fighters in the area to establish aerial supremacy, but the bombers remain to the south in Crimea with General Erich von Manstein's 11th Army. Thus, the effectiveness of German control of the air is less than it could be. The Wehrmacht infantry also is able to launch some local counterattacks, including three near the Soviet village of Nepokrytaia.

The attack is proceeding north and south of Kharkov, with the main effort to the south. The goal is to engulf the city. Soviet tanks range within eleven miles of the city. To protect the city, Army Group South commander Field Marshal Fedor von Bock releases the 23rd Panzer Division and the 71st and 113th Infantry Divisions. At the end of the day, the Red Army has advanced 10 km (6.2 miles). However, it fails to score a clean breakthrough.
Panzer IV in Crimea May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Russia, Crimea, Kerch peninsula - Panzer IV (turret number 924) and mounted infantry in combat, May 1942 (Federal Archive B 145 Fig. F016223-0024).
The May 1942 Soviet Kharkov offensive is doomed to failure even before it begins for a very specific reason. The Germans at Adolf Hitler's insistence have been flooding the Army Group South rear areas with troops preparing for the grand summer offensive, Case Blue, that he intends to be the decisive campaign of the war. Paulus has been planning a preliminary offensive in the exact area of the Soviet attack, Operation Fridericus, and thus has units that are at full strength. In fact, the three divisions that Bock releases today to save Kharkov were intended to spearhead Fridericus and thus are fully staffed and ready for action. The real question is what effect this Soviet attack will have on Hitler's grand strategy for the summer, but the Red Army offensive is driving into a dead end.

At Fuhrer Headquarters, General Franz Halder writes in his war diary, 

Heavy attacks at Volchansk and in VIII Corps sector against Sixth Army, objective Kharkov. The enemy used 100 tanks in each attack and has scored considerable initial successes. Air Force units must be diverted from the Crimea to this battle area. 23rd Armored Division is released for commitment at the front.

While Halder sees the necessity of transferring Luftwaffe units to the Kharkov battle, Hitler insists that they remain in Crimea until that battle is completely won.

In Crimea, Manstein's Operation Trappenjagd is proceeding toward a quick and successful conclusion. The Germans have trapped the Soviet 51st Army in a pocket on the northern half of the line (at the Parpach narrows) while other units (22nd Panzer Division and the 132nd and 170th Infantry Divisions) are making good progress toward the ultimate objective, Kerch. One German unit, the Grodeck Brigade, already has penetrated the second Soviet defensive line (the "Sultanovka Line") and that line shows little chance of holding once the other Wehrmacht divisions attack. Halder writes, "Good progress on the Kerch peninsula: 29,000 prisoners, 220 guns, 170 tanks, etc."

European Air Operations: There are no operations due to inclement weather.
USS Massachusetts 12 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
USS Massachusetts. "Entering Boston Harbor, Massachusetts, after leaving the Fore River Shipyard at Quincy, 12 May 1942. Photographed from an altitude of approximately 400 feet. Note harbor defense net system at top, with a Net Tender (AN) in attendance." (Naval History and Heritage Command NH 97254).
Battle of the Atlantic: Wolfpack Hecht attacks Convoy ON-92 in the mid-Atlantic southeast of Cape Farewell with great success, sinking five ships and possibly damaging a sixth in a night of savagery. U-124 (Kptlt. Johann Mohr), on its ninth patrol out of Lorient, has a big night, sinking four ships of the convoy. The four victims of U-124 (16,100 tons in total) are:
  • 7065-ton British CAM ship Empire Dell (2 dead 46 survivors)
  • 4959-ton British freighter Llanover (all 46 survive)
  • 5389-ton British Cristales (all 82 survive)
  • 4371-ton Greek freighter Mount Parnes (all 33 survive)
U-94 (Oblt. Otto Ites), on its ninth patrol out of St. Nazaire, torpedoes accompanies U-124 and sinks 5630-ton Panamanian freighter Cocle, which is traveling with convoy ON 92 midway between Ireland and Nova Scotia. There are five deaths and 37 survivors, who are rescued by British freighter Bury. Cocle served as the flag ship for Admiral Richard E. Byrd during his Second Arctic Expedition. There are five dead and 37 survivors.

The "Battle of the St. Lawrence Seaway" opens today with the sinking of 5364-ton British freighter Nicoya by U-553. It sinks south of Anticosti, Quebec, Canada. There are six deaths and 82 survivors.

U-553 also torpedoes and sinks 4712-ton Dutch freighter Leto 8 nautical miles north of Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec, Canada. There are 12 deaths and 41 survivors.

U-507 torpedoes and sinks 10,731-ton US tanker Virginia about one and a half miles off Southwest Pass, Louisiana, in the Gulf of Mexico. the three torpedoes set off a massive fireball that prevents the launch of lifeboats. There are 27 deaths and 14 survivors, who are rescued by motor torpedo boat USS PT-157.

German patrol boats UJ 1101, UJ 1108, and UJ 1110 sink Soviet Northern Fleet submarine K-23 off Nordkinn Cape in the Barents Sea. All 71 men aboard the submarine perish. 

Luftwaffe planes bomb and sink 424-ton Soviet patrol boat Brilliant in or near the Iokanga River near the Barents Sea. It is raised on 25 September 1942 and returned to service in June 1944.
Rhodesian soldiers training 12 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
"Rhodesian troops of the 60th King's Royal Rifles training with a 2-inch mortar, 12 May 1942." North Africa. © IWM E 11699.
Battle of the Mediterranean: The Luftwaffe sends fourteen Junkers Ju 52 transport planes of III./KGzbV 1 from Maleme/Crete heading to Derna Cyrenaica. Each carries a standard complement of 20 soldiers. About 80 km off the North Africa coast, a formation of 14 Beaufighter and Kittyhawk fighters intercepts the German planes. A one-sided battle ensues in which nine of the virtually defenseless Ju 52 transport planes are shot down and another 2 are forced to land on the shoreline.

The Luftwaffe's raids on three Royal Navy destroyers north of Mersa Matruh, Egypt, claim their final victim during the early morning hours of 12 May. Badly damaged destroyer HMS Jackal is taken under tow by fellow destroyer Jervis, but the damage proves to be too great. After the Jackal's crew abandons the ship, Jervis scuttles it with a torpedo. There are nine dead. This completes the Luftwaffe's sinking of three of four destroyers that had been stalking an Italian convoy to North Africa.

The air battle over Malta heats up even further today as the Luftwaffe shoots down nine Supermarine Spitfires and damages another two on the ground. Despite the losses, the RAF planes still badly disrupt the Axis attempts to bomb the island. The British still have dozens of operational Spitfires after the recent deliveries.
US Marines in Ireland 12 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Men of US 1st Provisional Marine Battalion arriving at Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, 12 May 1942 (The United States Marine Corps Frederick and Henry Strybing Collection).
Battle of the Black Sea: German aircraft sink several Soviet transport ships at or near Kerch that are ferrying wounded soldiers back to the mainland. They are:
  • Soviet ship Berezan
  • 712-ton Krasny Flot
  • 348-ton Krasny Moryak
  • Soviet patrol boat PK-083
  • Soviet patrol boat SKA-0133
  • Soviet patrol boat SKA-0183
  • Soviet patrol boat SKA-0411
  • Soviet patrol boat SKA-0611
  • Soviet patrol boat SKA-0811. 
German Military: Lt. Max-Hellmuth Ostermann of 7./JG 54 on the Eastern Front becomes the 6th fighter pilot in aviation history to reach 100 victories. While flying his Bf 109F-4, Ostermann is badly wounded in the right arm and upper thigh but makes it back to base and goes to the hospital for an extended stay. For this, Ostermann will receive the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords at the hands of Adolf Hitler in June 1942.

US Military: Aircraft of the 8th Army Air Force begin arriving in Great Britain. Planes with sufficient range to fly use the South Atlantic air ferry route linking the US with West Africa via Natal, Brazil.

Holocaust: At Auschwitz Birkenau, 1500 Polish Jews are killed in gas chambers. This is considered the beginning of the final phase of mass murder in the Third Reich.
Japanese-American soldier 12 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Japanese-American soldier, 12 May 1942 (National Archives 537850).
American Homefront: 20th Century Fox and Darryl F. Zanuck release "This Above All," directed by Anatole Litvak and starring Tyrone Power and Joan Fontaine. It is a wartime romance that serves various propaganda purposes by showing a wealthy woman who joins the  Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), a hero who wins a medal at Dunkirk, and so forth. The film goes on to win an Oscar for art direction and is nominated in several other technical categories. 

Future History: Ian Robins Dury is born in Harrow, Middlesex, England, the son of a local bus driver. He becomes a major figure during the punk/new wave eras of rock music, including being the frontman for Ian Dury and the Blockheads. Dury also branches out into acting, including a role in Peter Greenaway's The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989). Ian Dury passes away in 2000 at the age of 57.
Auschwitz victim Artur Paraszewski 12 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
21-year-old Artur Paraszewski, gassed at Auschwitz on 12 May 1942 (Auschwitz Memorial/Muzeum Auschwitz).

May 1942


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Wednesday, April 21, 2021

May 11, 1942: First Japanese Retreat at Deboyne

Monday 11 May 1942

Soviet soldier surrendering in Crimea, May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
A Soviet soldier surrendering in Crimea during Operation Trappenjagd, May 1942. In the background is a Panzer 38(t), turret number 711 (Federal Archive B 145 Fig. F016237-0025A).
Battle of the Pacific: The Japanese are forced to evacuate their Deboyne Islands seaplane base east of New Guinea on 11 May 1942 due to three consecutive days of Allied air attacks. The base was only recently established as part of Operation Mo in order to cover the invasion of Port Moresby. However, that invasion now is very unlikely due to the recent damage to the Japanese carrier forces. This withdrawal (the Japanese never return) cements the Allies' strategic victory in the Battle of the Coral Sea. Giving up on the invasion at this point is somewhat ironic because the path has become clear due to the withdrawal of Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher's Task Force 17 to the east. However, the Japanese don't know that and they choose not to risk an invasion without first knowing the US fleet can't intervene.

Australian Rear Admiral John Crace completes the withdrawal of Task Force 44 (three cruisers and three destroyers) from the Coral Sea, arriving at Cid Harbor, Australia. This leaves no large Allied naval units in the Coral Sea. Admiral Fletcher, refueling at Tongatabu, detaches cruisers USS Astoria, Minneapolis, and New Orleans under the command of Rear Admiral Thomas Kinkaid to join Admiral "Bull" Halsey's Task Force 16 (USS Enterprise) near Efate, Vanuatu (northeast of New Caledonia). The Japanese, unable to find TF 17 since it has left the area, cancel their pursuit today when Admiral Shigeyoshi Inoue issues orders for all forces to leave the area entirely.
Tanker Sabine approaching Enterprise, 11 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
"The U.S. Navy fleet oiler USS Sabine (AO-25) approaches the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) for refueling on 11 May 1942. On deck are Douglas SBD-2/-3 Dauntless from Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6) and Bombing Squadron 6 (VB-6). A Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat from Fighting Squadron 6 (VF-6) in the foreground bears the old red-centered star markings." U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command 80-G-14115.
Operation Ry commences when a Japanese invasion force leaves the fleet base at Rabaul under the command of Rear Admiral Shima Kiyohide. The force has no aircraft carriers (Shōkaku and Zuikaku have both been sent back to Japan for repairs and replenishment and Shōhō was sunk on 7 May). Vice Admiral Takeo Takagi, who commanded at the Battle of the Coral Sea, now commands the 5th Cruiser Division consisting of two heavy cruisers and four destroyers. Two transport ships, Kinryū Maru and Takahata Maru, carry troops from the 6th Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF) and Kashima SNLF.
Japanese-Canadian internees, 11 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Japanese-Canadian internees at the medical building at Hastings Park, Vancouver, 11 May 1942 (Vancouver Public Library 14911).
The Operation Ry invasion force leaves in the middle of the night and runs into trouble immediately. US Navy submarine S-42 (Commander Oliver G. Kirk) torpedoes the Japanese flagship, minelayer Okinoshima, west of Buka Island at 04:52. The convoy's escorts mount a depth charge attack, damaging S-42 and forcing it to withdraw to Moreton Bay, Brisbane. Shima transfers his flag to the destroyer Yūzuki and continues with the invasion. Okinoshima, taken under tow, capsizes at 06:40 in St. George's Channel.

During the afternoon, a US Navy PBY out of Nouméa spots the powerless and drifting tanker Neosho that the Japanese attacked on 7 May while patrolling over the Coral Sea. US destroyer Henley is dispatched to the tanker. Upon reaching the ship, Henley's crew finds and rescues 109 Neosho survivors and 14 survivors of destroyer Sims, which was accompanying Neosho and sank on the 7th. Henley then scuttles the tanker with gunfire.

The US submarine force gets another victory when S-44 torpedoes and sinks repair ship Shoei Maru, en route to assist Okinoshima, off Cape St. George, New Ireland. 

US Navy submarine USS Greenling torpedoes and sinks Japanese freighter Kinjosan Maru off Truk (Chuuk), South Pacific Mandate.

Japanese freighter Oridono hits a Japanese-laid mine near Surabaya, Java, and sinks.
A USAAF B-26 in the Aleutians, 11 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
"U.S. Army Air Forces Martin B-26 Marauder Medium Bomber (USAAF Serial # 40-1447) On the airfield at Cold Bay, Alaska, with a Mark XIII aerial torpedo hung below its bomb bay, 11 May 1942" (Naval History and Heritage Command 80-G-246587).
Battle of the Indian Ocean: British troops in Burma continue their withdrawal to the frontier areas and India. The 2nd Burma Infantry Brigade marches northward toward the border town of Tamu, while the 1st Burma Infantry Brigade continues marching eastward toward Tamu via Yuwa and the Yu River. The 17th Indian Infantry Division also is heading for Tamu via the Kabaw Valley. In this way, the British are concentrating their forces along the Indian border, virtually conceding all of Burma to the Japanese. The Japanese, meanwhile, are happy to consolidate their possession of Burma and make no moves toward India at the present time.

The Chinese also are getting out of Burma. The 6th Division heads toward the Salwen River on the way to Kengtung (Kyaingtong).
Soviet soldier surrendering in Crimea, May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
A Soviet soldier surrendering during Operation Trappenjagd, May 1942 (Federal Archive B 145 Fig. F016237-0024A).
Eastern Front: At Fuhrer Headquarters in East Prussia, General Franz Halder finally shows a little enthusiasm for Operation Trappenjagd, the 11th Army offensive against Red Army forces in Crimea. He writes that there are "Heartening advances at Kerch; probably one-half of the enemy forces may be regarded as encircled. Otherwise, nothing new."

In Crimea, the Germans under General Erich von Manstein solidify their growing advantage over the Red Army in the Kerch peninsula. The 22nd Panzer Division reaches the coast of Azov in the north, effectively encircling the 51st Army along with the 50th Infantry Division and 28th Light Division. The 30th Corps, meanwhile, continues east toward Kerch with two divisions and the Grodeck Brigade. All of the Wehrmacht forces make further dramatic progress during the day, with the Germans practically eliminating the 51st Army pocket, 22nd Panzer turning east toward Kerch, and 132nd and 170th Infantry Divisions approaching the remaining Soviet line (the "Sultanovka" line).

General Fretter-Pico's scratch Grodeck Brigade that already has broken through the Sultanovka line, meanwhile, is low on ammunition. It forms a "cauldron" and fights off furious Red Army counterattacks with ammunition and supplies air-dropped to it. This is another benefit of the Luftwaffe's absolute dominance over the battlefield. While the Grodeck Brigade is no longer advancing, it poses a serious thorn in the Red Army's side and saps its response to the threats elsewhere.
Manstein and Richthofen in Crimea, May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Colonel General Erich von Manstein and Luftwaffe Colonel General Wolfram von Richthofen confer on the Crimea Battlefield during Operation Trappenjagd, May 1942 (Federal Archive Image 183-B18917).
The Second Battle of Kharkiv, in a strategic sense far more significant than the sideshow in Crimea, is nearing as Red Army troops begin final preparations for an offensive on the southern portion of the Eastern Front. The Front Military Council issues its combat orders, and these are distributed to all unit commanders late in the evening at Komsomol and part meetings. Enthusiasm is high within the ranks as leadership characterizes this as a "decisive offensive."

German troops also are preparing for an offensive, Operation Fridericus, but they are not as close to attacking as are the Soviets. Soviet 21st Tank Corps and 23rd Tanks Corps get into position with the 21st, 28th, 38th, and 6th armies today on the Southwestern Front, while the Southern Front has the 24th Tank Corps and the 57th and 9th armies. The ground is still muddy from the spring thaw ("rasputitsa"), complicating preparations and giving the Wehrmacht a better chance of observing the troop movements.

European Air Operations: The Channel Front is quiet today, perhaps due to poor weather. There are no missions logged by either side.
HMT Bedfordshire, sunk on 11 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
HMT Bedfordshire, sunk by U-558 on 11 May 1942.
Battle of the Atlantic: U-558 (Kptlt. Günther Krech), on its seventh patrol out of Brest, torpedoes and sinks armed naval trawler HMT Bedfordshire off the coast of Ocracoke Island in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. Bedfordshire is assisting the US Navy with anti-submarine patrols and is crewed by Canadian and British sailors. All 37 men on board perish. A 38th sailor, Sam Nutt, was in jail in Morehead City and missed the sailing, saving his life. Due to the absence of survivors, the ship's fate is somewhat of a mystery until U-558 is sunk in 1943 and Kapitänleutnant Krech and his ship's log are captured.

U-502 (Kptlt. Jürgen von Rosenstiel), on its fourth patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 4963-ton British freighter Cape of Good Hope northeast of the Virgin Islands. When the ship does not sink quickly, the U-boat surfaces and shells it. All 37 crewmen survive.
HMS Kipling, sunk on 11 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
HMS Kipling, one of three British destroyers sunk in the Mediterranean on 11 May 1942.
Battle of the Mediterranean: Lord Gort makes his first report as the commander of Malta. He writes that the dozens of newly arrived Spitfire fighters have enabled the RAF to gain "local air superiority." Due to this shift in the balance of power, Lord Gort lifts restrictions on the use of anti-aircraft ammunition. Recently departed commander General Dobbie, of course, would have loved to have had these kinds of forces under his control to produce better results, but those types of shifts often are timed to accompany changes in command in order to give the new commander prestige.

Just when the situation at Malta appears to be improving due to the arrival of a large Spitfire fighter force, disaster strikes for the British. The Admiralty gets a little over-confident and the men in the ships pay for it as three waves of German bombers wreak havoc.

While stalking an Italian convoy to North Africa, British destroyers Jackal, Jervis, Kipling, and Lively are sighted by Luftwaffe reconnaissance north of Mersa Matruh/Sidi Barrani, Egypt. During the afternoon, the destroyers decide to turn back, but it is too late. Eight Junkers Ju 88s of I/Lehrgeschwader 1 (I/LG 1) based at Heraklion on Crete attack at 16:31. They score three direct hits on Lively, sinking it. But this is just the beginning.
HMT Queen Mary worldwartwo.filminspector.com
On 11 May 1942, HMT Queen Mary (shown) leaves New York en route to the Clyde and becomes the first ship to carry over 10,000 (9880 are troops, 875 are crew). The trip takes 5 days, 3 hours, and 48 minutes, averaging 25.58 knots. This cruise is just a warmup, though, the ship can carry many more people than that. Queen Mary does not travel in convoy, relying on its speed and zigzag course to evade U-boats.
At around 18:15, the second round of bombers, nine Ju 88s and four Heinkel He 111s of II/LG 1 from Eleusis, Greece, arrives overhead. They cause no damage.

At 20:00, the third wave of bombers, ten Ju 88s from I/LG 1, arrives. This is the worst attack at all. The Germans quickly sink Kipling and score a direct hit on Jackal, along with three near misses that cause underwater damage. Jervis, the only intact destroyer, takes Jackal in tow, but its fires and flooding get out of control and ultimately it must be abandoned and scuttled. It is a great day of success for the Luftwaffe and one of the worst days of the campaign for the Royal Navy.

All told, 77 Royal Navy sailors perish in the three destroyers while 630 men are rescued. They eventually reach Alexandria.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 154-ton Royal Navy tug C.308 at Malta. There are ten deaths.
Li'l Abner, 11 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Li'l Abner comic strip from 11 May 1942 (Al Capp).
Battle of the Black Sea: The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 422-ton Soviet barge Anakriya off Kerch. The ship is evacuating wounded from Crimea (Stalin has not authorized any withdrawals for able-bodied soldiers).

The Luftwaffe also bombs and sinks the 840-ton Soviet gunboat Rion, which also is evacuating wounded soldiers from Kerch.
Time Magazine, 11 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
The 11 May 1942 Time magazine features Soviet diplomat Maxim Litvinoff on the cover (cover credit: Boris Artzybasheff).
German Military: Hptm. Heinz "Pritzi" Baer (Bär) of IV./JG 51 on the Moscow front is transferred to become the Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 77. JG 77 currently is fighting in Crimea in support of Manstein's offensive with great success. Bär is a free spirit and anti-authoritarian (much like the war's top tank ace, Kurt Knispel) who clashes with hardcore National Socialists in the Luftwaffe (of which there are many). This might ordinarily be considered a liability for a leadership position in the Wehrmacht, but Bär also is an outstanding fighter pilot. The German military tends to put these kinds of philosophical differences aside as long as a soldier is producing, and Bär produces. He quickly begins racking up victories in Crimea at a rapid pace (he ends the war as one of the top Luftwaffe aces).

Australian Navy: Destroyer HMAS Nepal is commissioned. It is destined to be used by Two Cities Films to represent fictional destroyer HMAS Torrin in the British war film "In Which We Serve," starring Noel Coward.
Queen Elizabeth inspects WRNS, 11 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Queen Elizabeth visits Didsworth Manor, Windsor, on 11 May 1942. "Her Majesty inspecting the WRNS during her visit." © IWM A 8477.
Holocaust: SS-Untersturmführer Dr. Rascher reports to Reichsführer-SS Heinrich  Himmler on the results of high-altitude medical experiments being conducted on prisoners at concentration camps. He writes in part:

The question of the formation of embolism was investigated in 10 cases. Some of the experimental subjects died during a continued high-altitude experiment; for instance, after one-half hour at the height of 12 Km.

Rascher also comments that "some experimental subjects were kept underwater until they died."

A Zionist Conference is held at the Biltmore Hotel in New York City. The participants adopt Declaration that states in part:

The Conference calls for the fulfillment of the original purpose of the Balfour Declaration and the Mandate which recognizing the historical connection of the Jewish people with Palestine' was to afford them the opportunity, as stated by President Wilson, to found there a Jewish Commonwealth.

The Declaration concludes that there cannot be "peace, justice and equality" until "the problem of Jewish homelessness is finally solved." The Declaration also "offers a message of hope and encouragement" to those in the "Ghettos and concentration camps of Hitler-dominated Europe."
Nuremberg Police Chief Martin at the SS Barracks, 11 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Inner courtyard of the SS barracks in Nuremberg, showing a visit by Gestapo Chief and Chief of Police Benno Martin during an exercise on 11 May 1942.
American Homefront: Eleanor Roosevelt publishes an article in the "New Republic" titled "Race, Religion and Prejudice." She writes:

We have had a definite policy toward the Chinese and Japanese who wished to enter our country for many years, and I doubt very much if after this war is over we can differentiate between the peoples of Europe, the Near East, and the Far East. Perhaps the simplest way of facing the problem in the future is to say that we are fighting for freedom, and one of the freedoms we must establish is freedom from discrimination among the peoples of the world, either because of race, or of color, or of religion.

She counsels patience to those wishing quick progress on race relations as "you must not expect miracles overnight."

Labor activist Susan Green writes "Of Special Interest to Women" in "Labor Action." She complains that there are too many exceptions to recently announced price controls and urges housewives to "organize themselves into neighborhood housewives' groups" in order to combat "war profiteers." Green is an avowed communist, and her issues with the system actually go much deeper than mere profiteering. She concludes her article by complaining about "the profit system that Mr. Roosevelt has pledged himself to preserve." 
Life magazine featuring Joan Caulfield, 11 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
The 11 May 1942 Life magazine features Harry Conover Agency model and future starlet Joan Caulfield on the cover.

May 1942


2021
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Monday, April 19, 2021

May 10, 1942: Spitfires Rule Over Malta

Sunday 10 May 1942

USS Long Island, 10 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Curtiss SOC-3A of VGS-1 parked on the flight deck of escort carrier USS Long Island (AVG-1), 10 May 1942 (Naval History and Heritage Command 80-G-14521).
Battle of the Pacific: USAAF B-25 and B-26 bombers based in Port Moresby attack the new Japanese seaplane base at the Deboyne Islands on 10 May 1942 for the second day in a row, losing one of each type of bomber. The Japanese seaplane tender Kamikawa Maru is badly damaged and departs for repairs. Without the tender, the base is difficult to sustain. Thus, the Japanese begin evacuating the Deboyne base today due to its vulnerability and the failure of Operation Mo to invade Port Moresby. However, the seaplanes based there remain operational and spend the morning searching for Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher's Task Force 17 (USS Yorktown) without success. B-17 bombers also bomb the port of Kessa, Buka, in the Northern Solomon Islands.

Rear Admiral Fletcher already has departed the area, taking TF 17 south of New Caledonia. At 01:00, Australian Rear Admiral John Crace, commanding TF 44, also orders his cruisers back to Australia after losing communication with Fletcher. Unable to find the Allied carrier fleet, Vice Admiral Takeo Takagi takes most of his fleet back to Rabaul and sends his remaining aircraft carrier, Zuikaku, back to Japan to replenish its air units.

The Japanese, as a follow-up to their intricate Operation Mo, have planned to invade Nauru and Ocean Island. This is Operation Ry. The ships assigned to this operation are planning to set out, but the failure of Operation Mo makes this a much riskier proposition. Takagi is to command a critical component of this operation, too, though his 5th Cruiser Division will have no carrier support.
Kualoa Airfield, Hawaii, 10 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Kualoa Airfield, Oahu, Hawaii, 10 May 1942.
Major General Jonathan Wainwright officially surrenders to Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma today. This is more symbolic and a formality, as Wainwright has been in captivity for several days and no longer has the authority to order surrenders. However, Major General William Sharp, in command of remaining Allied troops in the Philippines based primarily in Mindanao, decides to follow Wainwright's lead out of fears of a massacre of Wainwright's men if he does not. Right after Wainwright's radio speech, he orders the surrender of all remaining troops. Many of Sharp's Filipino troops decide to join the guerilla forces of Colonel Wendell Fertig instead rather than surrender. Like Wainwright, Sharp ultimately is sent to confinement in Mukden (Shenyang), Manchuria. This marks the end of the Philippine Campaign. The Allies have lost 140,000 lives and there are about 12,500 Allied prisoners of war. They are treated with great brutality.

US Navy submarine USS Silversides (SS-236) is operating 540 miles north of Marcus Island when it gets into a surface battle with Japanese guard boat No. 5 Ebisu Maru. The battle ends in a draw, with the heavily damaged Japanese boat making it back to port and the submarine losing one crewman when it is raked with machine gunfire.
President Roosevelt, 10 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
President Franklin Roosevelt at an early-morning "birding party" near Pine Plains, New York. FDR is a big bird lover and Margaret "Daisy" Suckley, lower right, organized this one on 10 May 1942 (FDR Presidential Library 62-383).
Battle of the Indian Ocean: A new player enters the war in Burma when the Thai Phayap Army invades Shan State as a Japanese ally. There aren't many Allied troops left there, though, just scattered troops left behind during retreats who cause little trouble to the Axis troops. In western Burma, the British are retreating as fast as they can. Gurkha units are performing rearguard duties before they, too, retreat.

Japanese bombers attack Imphal, India. It is the first attack of the war on Imphal. The Japanese later claim that they were bombing an airfield, but the city has no airfield. At least 70 civilians are killed and another 80 wounded. The local population flees the city after the bombing and does not return for several days.

The Japanese attack the 17th Indian Division, about 10,000 men, at Shwegyin Chaung near the Chindwin River. This forces the 17th Division to withdraw up the Kabaw Valley to the border town of Tamu. The Japanese do not follow and instead fall back on their base.

To cover the retreating Allied forces, the 10th Air Force sends four B-17s to bomb Japanese planes parked at the Myitkyina Airfield. They destroy several planes and cause damage to the runway.

The Japanese have sent some ships in the "A Detachment" into the Indian Ocean for another raid on merchant ships from Penang. The A Detachment includes submarines I-10, I-30, I-16, I-18, and I-20, as well as tender Nisshin. Among the objectives is to reconnoiter the East African coast for potential invasion location. Some of the submarines carry reconnaissance planes, others Kai 1 (tiny) submarines. Today, the A Detachment refuels at sea from tankers Aikoku Maru and Hokoku Maru.

Illustrating the global nature of the conflict, aircraft carrier USS Ranger launches 60 P-40 Warhawk fighters off the African Gold Coast. The planes fly to Accra and then on to Karachi, India, where they are to join the 10th Air Force for operations out of India.
Soviet prisoners of war stacking bales of hay, May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Soviet POWs stacking bales of hay for the Germans, May 1942 (Schürer, Federal Archive Image 183-B19683).
Eastern Front: General Franz Halder, who generally takes a cautious or even pessimistic view of developments of the front, writes in his war diary: "The Kerch offensive, which was going on so well, has been slowed down by adverse weather. Other fronts quiet." The Kerch Offensive he's referring to is Operation Trappenjagd.

The truth isn't quite so miserable for the German cause as Halder implies. Luftwaffe Fliegerkorps VIII greets the morning, during which light rain continues drizzling down until noontime, by attacking Soviet tanks desperately trying to stop the German breakthrough. This includes 11 KV-1 tanks, which are heavily armored but slow and ponderous. Another part of Fliegerkorps VIII, KG 55, sends its Heinkel He 111 bombers to attack the infantry. While 8 of the slow bombers are shot down, they drop enough anti-personnel bombs (SD-2) to decapitate the forward Soviet units. Luftwaffe General Wolfram von Richthtofen sends other bombers to attack the Soviet supply lines from Kerch to the mainland. During these attacks, they sink three transport ships carrying 900 wounded, a gunboat, six patrol boats, and assorted other vessels.

The 22nd Panzer Division is held up by the rain and mud and only begins moving during the afternoon. However, after that it makes good time on its drive to the northern coast to trap Soviet 51st Army and almost completes the encirclement by nightfall. General Fretter-Pico's scratch Grodeck Brigade, meanwhile, continues driving east toward Kerch without much opposition and even gets through the second main Soviet line (the Sultanovka, or Turkish Wall, Line). The Soviets had hoped to make a stand at this line by pulling troops back from the front, but the Red Army generals can only engage in recriminations on why this doesn't happen. Fretter-Pico decides late in the day to send the 132nd Infantry Division toward Kerch along the same road the Grodeck Brigade took in the morning even though there are signs the Soviets are attempting to seal that hole in the front.
Luftwaffe helper in France, May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
A Luftwaffe helper (Luftwaffenhelfer) at a flight control center in France, May 1942 (Lysiak, Bruno, Federal Archive Image 101I-616-2527-23A).
While the Crimea battle is going badly for it, the Red Army is preparing a major offensive by the Southwestern Front and Southern Front. It is to be aimed at Kharkiv. There are six armies in the two fronts, with hundreds of tanks and masses of artillery. In overall command is Marshal Semyon Timoshenko. His Military Commissar, who technically has equal input into tactical and strategic decisions, is Nikita Khrushchev. The attack, which has been delayed by the spring thaw ("rasputitsa"),  is scheduled to begin on 12 May.

The Wehrmacht also is planning an operation centered on Kharkiv. This is Operation Fredericus, which is to be completed by the Sixth Army under the command of General der Panzertruppe Friedrich Paulus. The goal of Operation Fridericus is to blow a hole in the Soviet line south of Kharkiv around the "Izyum Bulge," a projection of the Red Army line formed during the Soviet winter counteroffensive. This, it is hoped, will be the opening stages of "Case Blue," the decisive summer offensive spelled out in Fuhrer Directive No. 41 that is to capture the Caucasus oil fields and finish the Soviet Union as a major power. It is vital to German plans that Operation Fridericus be executed quickly and completely.

The choice of Paulus as commander of both Sixth Army and this critical operation is curious. He is well known to be primarily a staff officer with little battle experience. However, he also is known to be bright and hard-working, and that counts for a lot in the Third Reich. Paulus advanced to this position in January 1942 because he has been a protege of Field Marshal Walther von Reichenau - but Reichenau passed away the same month, leaving little reason for Paulus to fill this key position over other, battle-hardened commanders.

The Army Group South rear areas near Kharkiv are filling up with troops penciled in to serve in Case Blue. In effect, the other army groups are being deprived of troops at the expense of Army Group South. However, Hitler is adamant that these new troops are to be kept in reserve and are not to be used for any purposes other than Case Blue. So, Paulus must complete Operation Fridericus using only Sixth Army. That operation is projected to begin on 18 May. Today, Paulus submits his final draft of Operation Fridericus but warns his superiors that the Soviets may be planning a spoiling attack.

So, both sides are preparing large offensives at the same spot in the southern front, with the Soviets planning to attack first. The Germans have about 300,000 men at the front in this general area, supported by 1000 tanks and 1500 aircraft. However, a great deal of Luftwaffe strength remains fully committed in Crimea for some time.
Q-Ship Evelyn, 10 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Q-ship Evelyn, 10 May 1942 (US Coast Guard).
European Air Operations: There are no operations by either side, most likely due to inclement weather.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-333 (Kptlt. Peter-Erich Cremer), on its second patrol out of La Pallice, torpedoes and sinks 5214-ton British freighter Clan Skene 300 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras. This is an opportunistic sinking by U-333 because it was damaged by depth charges a few days ago and was limping back to France when it spotted the unescorted freighter. There are nine deaths and 73 survivors, who are picked up by USS McKean (APD 5).

U-506 (Kptlt. Erich Würdemann), on its second patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 7050-ton US tanker Aurora about 40 nautical miles from Southwest Pass, Louisiana. There are one death and 38 survivors, who are rescued by USS Onyx and YP-157. Two tugs take the burning tanker in tow to Algiers, Louisiana, and it is eventually repaired and returned to service under the new name Jamestown.  

U-588 (Kptlt. Victor Vogel), on its third patrol out of St. Nazaire, torpedoes and sinks 4031-ton UK freighter Kitty's Brook about 35 nautical miles (65 km) east of Cape Sable, Nova Scotia. There are 25 survivors and nine deaths.

German replenishment oiler Warmia hits a mine in the Bay of Biscay and is severely damaged.
Romanian pioneers celebrate King's Day, 10 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Romanian pioneers celebrate the Day of the King, 10 May 1942. They are carrying Pignone model 1937 flame-throwers.
Battle of the Mediterranean: Axis spies have told the Germans and Italians in Sicily about the recent arrival of over 60 Spitfire fighters, so they try to eliminate this new force as quickly as possible. The Luftwaffe sends 20 Ju 87 Stukas and 10 Junkers Ju 88s with a heavy escort, followed by another raid by 10 Ju 88s escorted by over 30 Bf 109s. A third raid then comes in by Italian Cant Z1007 bombers escorted by 10 MC 202 and 10 Re 2001 fighters. Finally, a fourth raid by 20 Stukas with Bf 109 escorts takes place. The raids come in quick succession, but they meet heavy fighter opposition. The Spitfire fighters disperse the attacks, shoot down many bombers, and convince the Axis headquarters that daylight raids on Malta are now a very bad idea. 
Spitfires May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Spitfires of RAF No. 91 Squadron lined up at RAF Hawkinge, May 1942.
German 79-ton Schnellboot (E-boat) S-31 hits a mine and sinks in while laying mines off Sliema Point near Grand Harbour, Malta. The mines are intended to sink freighter HMS Welshman, which is carrying ammunition for the island's anti-aircraft guns, ground personnel for the recently arrived Spitfire fighters, and spare aircraft engines, among other things. Welshman gets in and out of the harbor by nightfall without damage. It is likely that S-31 hits one of the mines it had just laid that accidentally got cut from its moorings. There are 13 deaths and 13 survivors, including skipper Lt. Heinrich Haag.
HMS Welshman unloading at Malta, 10 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
HMS Welshman at the dock in Malta, 10 May 1942. © IWM A 9507.
Battle of the Black Sea: The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 1048-ton Soviet transport Chernomorets during a voyage from Kerch to Novorossiysk. There over 500 deaths, many of them wounded men being repatriated.

War Crimes: The Luftwaffe raids Alexandria, bombing and sinking British hospital ship Ramb IV (formerly an Italian ship but captured at the port of Massawa on 10 April 1941). There are 165 deaths, 155 of them wounded soldiers. There are always excuses for bombing hospital ships in the fog of war, but they are clearly marked. Doing so is a recognized war crime.

US Military: The US Navy holds a demonstration of towing fighter planes behind a larger aircraft in order to increase their range at the Naval Aircraft Factory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A twin-engined Douglas BD A-20 successfully tows two Grumman F4F Wildcat fighters for an hour at 180 knots at 7000 feet. Despite the success of the demonstration, the idea does not catch on.

President Roosevelt authorizes the Air Medal to recognize meritorious achievements while flying.
Exclusion Order No. 61, issued 10 May 1942 worldwartwo.filminspector.com
Civilian Exclusion Order No. 61, issued 10 May 1942.
British Homefront: Winston Churchill gives a radio address on the second anniversary of his having replaced Neville Chamberlain as Prime Minister. He specifically warns Hitler about using poison gas, saying:

we shall treat the unprovoked use of poison gas against our Russian ally exactly as if it were used against ourselves and if we are satisfied that this new outrage has been committed by Hitler we will use our great and growing air superiority in the West to carry gas warfare on the largest possible scale far and wide against military objectives in Germany.

Churchill does not mention that both sides are developing poison gas and have been for some time. Hitler has shown no indication that he intends to use it against England, though there is evidence Germany is using it in certain instances on the Eastern Front (and in concentration camps, of course). Canada established the Suffield Field Experimental Station in Alberta in 1941 to develop and test poison gas. Beginning around this time, the Canadian government gasses about 2000 people, including many without full protective gear. Many sustain injuries, especially around the eyes.

American Homefront:  The Western Defense Command issues Civilian Exclusion Orders No. 60 and No. 61. They require every individual or family with full or partial Japanese ancestry to register at a Civil Control Station within 24 to 48 hours.

It is Mother's Day. Knott's Berry Farm sells a record 6,390 1/2 chicken dinners during the day. The demand for chicken dinners is so strong that the restaurant runs out of chickens by 17:00, with some guests waiting as long as four hours for their chicken.

President Roosevelt spends a quiet day at Hyde Park, New York, without any appointments.

May 1942


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