May 18, 1942: Soviet Command Confusion

Monday 18 May 1942

Finnish sailors lay mines from minelayer Ruotsinsalmi in the Gulf of Finland, 18 May 1942. Those are mines lined up and ready to drop. Incidentally, many WWII mines remain in the Gulf of Finland and present a hazard to navigation (SA-Kuva).

Battle of the Pacific: While still awaiting definitive proof as to the next Japanese target, which has the codename AF, the three major US naval intelligence centers in Washington, Honolulu, and Melbourne on 18 May 1942 report that an attack will happen soon from AF's northwest. The Melbourne station (formerly based at Corregidor and considered the least "political" of the stations) adds that the airstrikes will take place from 50 miles northwest of AF.

Admiral Nimitz, trusting in an unproven hunch by some of his intelligence officers that AF refers to Midway, orders submarines to patrol fifty miles northwest of the island. He also orders US Navy Task Forces 16 and 17 to leave the Efate area and head east toward Pearl Harbor. This leaves no US aircraft carriers in the southwest Pacific, but Nimitz is confident that the Japanese won't stir up trouble there due to his recent ruse. The Japanese recently sighted USS Enterprise and Yorktown as Nimitz intended and don't know where they are heading. This sighting has convinced the Japanese to suspend all offensive operations in the area, completing Nimitz's successful gamesmanship.

B-17 bombers attack the airfield at Koepang, Timor.

Admiral Nimitz is on the cover of Time magazine, 18 May 1942.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: Japanese troops occupy Pantha on the Chindwin River. More British and Indian troops of BURCORPS straggle into Indian and Burmese border towns such as Tamu and Imphal. the final unit of the 17th Indian Infantry Division, the rearguard 63rd Indian Infantry Brigade, arrives in Tamu. The entire division has 9,908 men and now is sent up to Imphal to reform with the 48th and 16th Indian Infantry Brigades.

The 18 May 1942 Daily Mirror is full of news about German problems at Kharkov.

Eastern Front: In the early morning hours, General Ivan Bagramyan, chief of staff to Marshal Timoshenko at Southwestern Front, comes out openly against the continuation of the Red Army offensive in light of the fierce German counterattacks. He points to successful German advances in the Barvenkovo region and suggests moving troops there. Timoshenko disagrees and visits Stalin later in the morning, telling him that everything is fine and the offensive can continue heading west. Bagramyan appeals to political Commissar Nikita Khruschhev to appeal to Stalin. Khruschev also is having his doubts and calls Marshal Vasilevskiy of the Stavka to ask Stalin to change his mind (despite being the highest-ranking soldier in the USSR, Vasilevskiy's main job was to screen Stalin's phone calls). At this point, the primary sources contradict themselves as to who exactly speaks to whom about what, but the bottom line is that Stalin adamantly refuses to override Timoshenko. The Red Army keeps attacking 180 degrees away from the danger point.

On the German side, it is becoming clear that a major victory may be possible, but the whole affair remains a wild gamble. Field Marshal Fedor von Bock, commander of Army Group South, visits General Ewald von Kleist, commander of First Panzer Army, at Stalino to plan the next step. Both are mystified at the Soviet failure to respond to the developing mortal threat to the southern Red Army pincer arm. Bock is concerned because if the Soviets take Kharkov, he'll look bad to Hitler regardless of ultimate success. He and Kleist basically shrug and continue strengthening the push to cut the Soviets off at Izyum.

During the day, Timoshenko orders his tank forces to smash forward toward Kharkov from the south. At Fuhrer headquarters, General Franz Halder notes that "The number of tank brigades committed by the enemy is really astounding." They make temporary progress in some places, but the attacking units have been weakened by Timoshenko's removal of one tank corps to guard Izyum from the First Panzer Army counterattack (it has not yet arrived there). Local German counterattacks restore the front south of Kharkov by the end of the day.

Marder III tank destroyer (Sd. Kfz. 139) in Crimea, May 1942 (Federal Archive B 145 Fig. F016217-0015A).

The Luftwaffe continues transferring units from Crimea and begins asserting itself all across the Kharkov front. It establishes complete aerial dominance. Fliegerkorps IV claims to destroy 130 tanks and 500 motor vehicles. German panzer troops of Seventeenth Army and III Panzer Corps continue barreling north at the Soviet breakout point and reach Izyum, narrowing the Soviet supply corridor to the Red Army troops advancing further west. The Soviet breakthrough point is now down to about a 20-mile breach, still sufficient and significant but showing no signs of withstanding the advancing panzers. The Soviets are not sending troops back east through the corridor to safety, the flow of traffic remains to the west.

Luftwaffe ace Gordon "Mac" Gollob continues his torrid streak in the air after taking over JG 77. Operating out of Kerch, Crimea, he claims three Polikarpov R-5 reconnaissance bombers for his 94th to 96 victories. He is eager to reach the 100-victory mark quickly, a matter of pride to Luftwaffe units. On the ground, General Manstein's 11th Army continues to whittle away at the few Red Army pockets left in the Kerch area. General Halder notes that "the few small remnants left are still fighting fiercely."

Today is considered the termination of the Demyansk supply operation by the Luftwaffe. It has been a successful mission, but aircraft losses total 265 planes, many of them Ju-52 transports The main supply unit, KGzbV 8, is disbanded and its planes returned to training schools.

A Grumman F4F Wildcat took off from the USS Enterprise's flight deck on May 18, 1942 (US Navy).

European Air Operations:  There are no major operations by either side along the Channel Front as a lengthy springtime lull continues.

General Stilwell's headquarters burns in Maymyo, Burma, in this photo from the 18 May 1942 Life magazine.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-558 (Kptlt. Günther Krech), on its seventh patrol out of Brest, torpedoes and sinks 1254-ton Dutch freighter Fauna in the Caicos Passage near the Turks and Caicos Islands. There are two deaths and 27 survivors.

U-156 (Kptlt. Werner Hartenstein), on its third patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 4961-ton US freighter Quaker City 300 nautical miles east of Barbados. The U-boat surfaces, questions the crewmen in their four lifeboats, and directs them to Barbados. There are 11 deaths and 29 survivors, who are mostly rescued by USS Blakeley.

U-125 (Kptlt. Ulrich Folkers), on its fourth patrol out of Lorient, sinks 8893-ton US tanker Mercury Sun 125 nautical miles (232 km) south of Cape Corrientes, Cuba. There are six deaths and 29 survivors, who are rescued by SS Howard.

U-125 also torpedoes and sinks 2616-ton US freighter William J. Salman 125 nautical miles (232 km) south of Cape Frances, Cuba. There are six deaths and 22 survivors, who are rescued by Latvian freighter Kegums.

Italian submarine Comandante Cappellini shells and sinks 5747-ton Swedish freighter Tisnaren midway between Brazil and Senegal. All 41 crewmen are rescued by US freighter Black Hawk.

Italian submarine Barbarigo torpedoes Brazilian freighter Commandante Lyra east of Fortaleza, Brazil. The damaged ship is towed to Fortaleza by seaplane tender USS Thrush (AVP-3).

The Luftwaffe raids shipping in the Kola Inlet. The score some near-misses on US freighter Deer Lodge, but the ship remains operational. It moves to another anchorage.

After over a month at sea, the last survivors of US freighter Alcoa Guide (sunk by U-123 on 16 April) are rescued by British freighter Hororata.

After almost a month at sea, a radio operator from US freighter Steel Maker, sunk by U-136 on 19 April, is found on a raft and rescued by an unnamed rescue raft. The man is in surprisingly good condition, having accumulated supplies from several rafts that floated free from the sinking ship.

US tanker Benjamin Brewster finds 19 survivors from US tanker Gulfoil, sunk by U-506 on 16 May.

Scientists J. Robert Oppenheimer takes over the US nuclear program on 18 May 1942.

Battle of the Mediterranean: In Operation LB (part of "Club Run"), HMS Eagle ferries 17 Spitfire fighters to Malta. Malta now has 76 Spitfires operational. Six Albacores have issues and fail to fly off.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Turbulent sinks 2384-ton Italian freighter Bolsena off Benghazi. There are 50 deaths and 36 survivors.

Soldiers of the 1st Bn Dorsetshire Regiment on Malta capture an Italian spy at Marsascala Bay. The man, Giuseppe Guglielmo, who gives himself up willingly, admits to having been dropped off nearby by a naval torpedo boat. His mission was to investigate beach defenses. However, his pickup ride never arrived, so he surrendered.

Battle of the Black Sea: Soviet submarine ShCh-205 torpedoes and sinks 128-ton Turkish freighter Duatepe ten miles off the coast of Bulgaria. It also shells and sinks 350-ton Turkish schooner Kaynardzha in the same area.

Manhattan Project: Gregory Brett quits as the coordinator of physic research on fast neutron phenomena. Arthur H. Compton asks J. Robert Oppenheimer to replace him.

US/Panama Relations: The two countries sign an agreement providing for the use of Panamanian defense areas by US troops.

Life magazine of 18 May 1942 features an article about Bombardier school.

US Military: Large numbers of US troops arrive in Northern Ireland on lighters after arriving in the Firth of Clyde aboard Queen Mary on 16 May. This is the fourth contingent of MAGNET Force. This completes the arrival of the 34th Infantry Division and includes most personnel from the 1st Armored Division. A separate group from the US Army 209th Coast Artillery (Antiaircraft) also arrives in Northern Ireland after alighting in Scotland on 17 May.

The Office of Naval Inspector General is established. Rear Admiral Charles P. Snyder is the first commander.

The US Army Air Force receives its first delivery of the Republic P-47B Thunderbolt. The plane will first see combat in April 1943.

A photo from an article about Bombardier School in Life magazine, 18 May 1942.

British Military: Vice-Admiral Henry Harwood, a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty and Assistant Chief of Naval Staff, becomes the Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet. He flies his flag at HMS Nile.

Japanese Homefront: Hisao Yamazaki incorporates Daiwa Kogyo, Ltd. It is located in Suwa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Yamazaki is a local clock shop owner who is supported by the Hattori family (of Seiko Group fame), for whose company he used to work. Yamazaki's shop manufactures watch parts. In 1982, the entity, after various corporate transactions and after having evolved into a manufacturer of computer printers, renames itself the Epson Corporation.

The Santa Ana Register provided an update at the bottom of their front page about the "expulsion" of Japanese Americans from Orange County. By May 17, 1942, all persons with Japanese ancestry--whole or partial--were gone. (Santa Ana Register, May 18, 1942)

American Homefront: The Santa Ana Register reports that 1,543 internees from Orange County, California, are now at "a concentration camp near Parker Dam, Arizona, as a result of expulsion of all persons of Japanese ancestry under Army Orders."

"Counterspy" starring Don MacLaughlin premieres on the NBC Blue Network (which became ABC). McLaughlin plays David Harding, chief of a secret US military unit named "Counterspies." Harding's organization combats the Gestapo and the Japanese Black Dragons during the war and various other organizations after 1945. The show is popular enough to remain on the radio until 29 November 1957 and spawns two feature films, but never airs on television.

Counterspy premieres on 18 May 1942.

May 1942

May 1, 1942: Japanese Take Mandalay

May 2, 1942: Cruiser Edinburgh Sunk

May 3, 1942: Japanese Take Tulagi

May 4, 1942: Fletcher Attacks at Tulagi

May 5, 1942: British Invade Madagascar

May 6, 1942: Corregidor Falls to Japan

May 7, 1942: Scratch One Flattop!

May 8, 1942: Lexington Sunk in the Coral Sea

May 9, 1942: Manstein on the Attack in Crimea

May 10, 1942: Spitfires Rule Over Malta

May 11, 1942: First Japanese Retreat at Deboyne

May 12, 1942: Soviets Attack At Kharkov

May 13, 1942: Crisis at Kharkov

May 14, 1942: Where in the World is AF

May 15, 1942: Germans Take Kerch

May 16, 1942: Sobibor Begins Operation

May 17, 1942: Germans Counterattack at Kharkov

May 18, 1942: Soviet Command Confusion 

May 19, 1942: Soviet Panic at Kharkov

May 20, 1942: Churchill and Molotov Negotiate

May 21, 1942: U-106 Sinks the Wrong Tanker

May 22, 1942: AF is Midway!

May 23, 1942: German Forces Surround Soviet Armies at Kharkov

May 24, 1942: German Anti-Partisan Operations in Full Swing

May 25, 1942: Soviet Breakout at Kharkov Fails

May 26, 1942: Rommel Pounces in North Africa

May 27, 1942: Heydrich Fatally Wounded in Prague

May 28, 1942: German Victory At Kharkov

May 29, 1942: Japanese at Madagascar

May 30, 1942: First RAF Thousand-Plane Raid

May 31, 1942: The Attack on Sydney Harbour

2021

May 14, 1942: Where in the World is AF

Thursday 14 May 1942

HMS Trinidad after being fatally damaged by Luftwaffe bombers in the Barents Sea on 14 May 1942. It had to be scuttled.

Battle of the Pacific: On 14 May 1942, the Commander in Chief, United States Navy, and Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Ernest J. King strongly suspects that the Japanese are planning another big operation. He instructs Admiral Chester Nimitz to declare a state of  "Fleet Opposed Invasion" and gives Nimitz complete control of all military resources in the central Pacific, including those in the Hawaiian Islands. There is a growing consensus within the naval intelligence service that the next Japanese moves will be toward Midway Island and Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands, but this is not yet absolutely certain.

Led by the naval intelligence office in Hawaii, HYPO, naval codebreakers in Washington and at Station CAST in Melbourne, Australia, have cracked the main Japanese fleet code, called JN-25B. Unfortunately, even reading the Japanese communications in plain language does not completely reveal where the attack will take place. The Japanese refer to their next main target cryptically as being at "AF." Unfortunately for the codebreakers (but a sign of good code discipline by the Japanese), the messages do not identify where AF is. Different people in naval intelligence come up with different theories, but there is no certainty.

"Rear Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner, USN (left), and Major General Alexander A. Vandegrift, USMC. Working on the flag bridge of USS McCawley (AP-10), at the time of the Guadalcanal-Tulagi operation, circa July-August 1942." Naval History and Heritage Command 80-CF-112-4-63.

The head of the War Plans Division in Washington, D.C., Admiral Richmond K. Turner, does not believe the conclusion by HYPO and CAST that Midway is the target. Instead, he relies on the Navy's main codebreaking unit in Washington, OP-20-G (Station NEGAT), which draws a different conclusion. Perhaps influenced by Turner's personal preconceptions and beliefs, the station concludes that AF is the Hawaiin Islands and not Midway. Wherever AF is, other decrypted communications have established that it is going to be bombed, strafed, and subjected to an amphibious assault before too long, so everyone understands the urgency.

Turner has complete control over OP-20-G and forbids its members from disseminating any interpretation of AF as Midway Island. The situation turns into a classic bureaucratic turf war with everyone determined to make their point of view prevail. At HYPO in Hawaii, Commander Joseph J. Rochefort sees how Turner (who has caused Rochefort problems in the past) is distorting the intelligence results and resolves to force Turner to accept the evidence as he sees it.

Rochefort consults his staff members for ideas on how to break the logjam. One of them, Jasper Holmes, comes up with the idea of planting news of a false water shortage crisis at Midway in order to see if that will dupe the Japanese into unknowingly revealing the identity of AF. Following military protocol, Rochefort takes the idea to his superior, Chief Intelligence Officer Edwin T. Layton, who then mentions it to Admiral Nimitz. Nimitz ultimately likes the idea and approves it. 

USS Saratoga at the Puget Sound Navy yard, 14 May 1942. If you look closely at the upper right, you also can see an unidentified battleship (US Navy).

All of this will take a couple of weeks to set up and get the necessary approvals. Nimitz orders a message sent to Midway using an undersea cable (that the Japanese presumably aren't reading) telling them to send a false radio message about a water shortage. They will do this using a code the Japanese are known to have broken. Just to "get the message out" further, Midway also sends an uncoded radio signal about the water shortage. This sets in motion one of the greatest military intelligence successes of World War II.

Nimitz also engages in his own game of bluff with the Japanese. Since the intelligence is hardening that the next Japanese objective is Midway, he needs Admiral Halsey's Task Force 16 ready for it. Halsey, however, is still east of the Solomons to counter the expected Japanese invasions of Nauru and Ocean Island. Nimitz orders Halsey to make sure the Japanese see his ships. Once that is accomplished, Halsey is to head back to Pearl Harbor and prepare for the Midway battle. Nimitz also places eight submarines along the suspected path of Japanese carriers Zuikaku and Shōkaku.

Fifth Air Force sends B-17 and B-26 bombers to attack Rabaul and Lae.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: British forces retreating in Burma are congregating at the border town of Tamu. The Japanese are content to solidify their control of the rest of the country, where there are still scattered Allied units that have not yet reached safety.

While the Allied ground forces in Burma are retreating, the US Army Air Force 10th Air Force is on the offensive. Several B-17 bombers attack Myitkyina for the second time. Extensive damage is done to airport runways and buildings.

The Charlotte News, 14 May 1942.

Eastern Front: After a very dangerous start to the battle at Kharkov for the Germans, they begin to regain their equilibrium and blunt the Soviet drive west. While the Luftwaffe remains badly outnumbered over the battle, it gradually succeeds in establishing air superiority. On the Soviet side, Marshal Semyon Timoshenko is forced to bring up his reserve air units, which also are quickly ground up. Gaining control of the air enables the Luftwaffe's ground attack planes called up from Crimea to attack effectively. At Fuhrer Headquarter, General Franz Halder indicates the view there that the situation south and east of the city is the crisis point.

The Soviets are attacking along two fronts on either side of Kharkov, across the Barvenkovo River in the north (Soviet Southwestern Front) and from a Soviet projection into the front at Izyum (the "Izyum Bulge) to the south (Southern Front). The plan requires both pincers to advance and meet to the west of Kharkov. In the Soviet view, one of the main purposes is simply as a spoiling attack to prevent the Germans from launching a major offensive toward Moscow. What the Soviets don't realize is that the Germans have no immediate plans for Moscow and instead have, like them, concentrated their power along the southern sector of the front - right where the Red Army is attacking.

The Germans are having their greatest success in slowing the offensive on the northern sector despite the Soviets initially having more success there. The Germans are attacking Soviet pincers in several localized offensive using fresh reserves that, because of the early Red Army successes there, have been sent to the north pincer rather than the southern one.

A map of the Caucasus from the 14 May 1942 The Charlotte News. 

Hitler discusses the Kharkov situation with General Ewald von Kleist, in command of the 1st Panzer Army along the southern salient. He tells Kleist to use the 3rd Panzer Corps in a quick counterattack toward the base of the Soviet breakthrough. The options are to try to contain the Soviets or to cut them off. Typically, Hitler prefers the latter option. If it succeeds, it potentially would encircle the Soviet troops in the south. However, if it fails, the summer offensive is off and the strategic situation radically deteriorates for the Reich. Allowing the Soviet offensive to mushroom to the west while trying to cut off the Red Army's communications to the east is a bold strategy that will either lead to a brilliant victory or a debilitating defeat.

In Crimea, meanwhile, the Soviet defense is collapsing. General Erich von Manstein has three divisions approaching Kerch today, threatening the only good Red Army escape route. However, Hitler still mandates a full Luftwaffe effort there at the expense of the Kharkov front.

European Air Operations: A lull in operations by both sides continues, most likely due to the weather.

U-84 enters the submarine pen at Brest, 14 April 1942 (Federal Archive Fig. 101II-MW-4905-07).

Battle of the Atlantic: U-564 (Kptlt. Reinhard Suhren), on its fifth mission out of Brest, torpedoes and sinks Mexican tanker Potrero del Llano off Cape Florida. This is a mistake, as Mexico is a neutral country. While watching the ship early in the morning, Suhren misreads the Mexican flag as Italian (which, due to the variation of the flag being flown, is an easy mistake to make). In any event, Suhren, not realizing the ship is Mexican, decides it is a legitimate war target. He torpedoes Potrero del Llano, causing 13 deaths and 22 survivors, who are picked up by USS PC-536. This sinking causes a diplomatic incident between Mexico and Germany. After another sinking on 20 May 1942, Mexico declares war two days later.

After being bombed and damaged in the Arctic Ocean by the Luftwaffe on 14 May 1942 and then running into one of its own torpedos, 8821-ton Royal Navy cruiser HMS Trinidad, now trying to return to the UK for permanent repairs and with speed reduced to 20 knots, is attacked by 20+ Ju-88s. One bomb hits near the previous damage and starts a fire that gets out of control. It must be scuttled by HMS Matchless the next day. There are 63-69 deaths, including 4 Czech airmen.

U-507 (KrvKpt. Harro Schacht), on its second mission out of Lorient, torpedoes and damages 4148ptno Honduran freighter Amapala in the Gulf of Mexico. US Coast Guard Cutter Boutwell takes Amapala in tow, but it eventually sinks. There are one death and 57 survivors, rescued by patrol aircraft and fishing schooner Gonzalez.

U-155 (Kptlt. Adolf Cornelius Piening), on its second patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 2483-ton Belgian freighter Brabant in the Caribbean southwest of Grenada. There are three deaths and 34 survivors.

U-162 (FrgKpt. Jürgen Wattenberg), on its second patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 6917-ton British tanker British Colony 90 nautical miles (170 km) northeast of Bridgetown, Barbados. There are four deaths and 43 survivors.

U-125 (Kptlt. Ulrich Folkers), on its fourth patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 2493-ton Honduran freighter Comayagua in the Caribbean 14 nautical miles (26 km0 southwest of Grand Cayman Island. There are seven deaths and 35 survivors, who are rescued by British freighter Cimboco.

U-506 (Kptlt. Erich Würdemann), on its second patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and damages 6821-ton US tanker David McKelvy 35 nautical miles (65 km) south of the Mississippi River. While the ship is beached on the Louisiana coast, it is written off. There are 17 deaths and 25 survivors, who are rescued by USCGC Boutwell.

German minesweeper M 1307 Neufisch I hits a mine and sinks off Esbjerg, Denmark. There are eight deaths.

The commander of U-84, Horst Upholff (center) and Heinrich Lehmann Willenbrock (left) upon U-84's return from a patrol on 14 May 1942. U-84 sank two ships of 8,240 tons on the patrol (Federal Archive Image 101II-MW-4905-23).

Battle of the Mediterranean: Greek 6692-ton freighter Mount Olympus hits a mine and sinks off Port Said. There are three deaths and 27 survivors.

British submarine HMS Turbulent sinks 243-ton Italian schooner San Giusto. There are 1 death and 11 survivors.

Air attacks continue against Malta despite its improved air defenses. RAF pilots John "Tony" Boyd and Colin Finlay are shot down and killed.

Battle of the Black Sea: Soviet 1326-ton destroyer Dzerjinsky hits a mine and sinks off Sevastopol. There are 260 deaths.

Norman Hartnell exhibits his first collection of utility dresses for women, 14 May 1942 (AP Photo).

Special Operations: Operation Fritham takes place. This is a Norwegian attempt, launched from the River Clyde aboard ice-breaker D/S Isbjørn and the sealer Selis, to secure coal mines on Spitsbergen, Svalbard. The icebreaker turns out to be absolutely necessary, as the bay is covered in ice. The two ships are discovered almost immediately by a Junkers Ju 88 reconnaissance plane. Before the ships can make it to their destination, however, four FW 200 Condor bombers arrive and sink the icebreaker and set the other ship on fire. No equipment can be rescued from the ships.

With thirteen men dead and nine others badly wounded, the remaining crews take refuge in nearby houses abandoned since Operation Gauntlet in 1941. This essentially ends the effectiveness of the operation, and it turns into a survival exercise that ultimately is ended without results.

Beaufort Mk II of RAF No. 86 Squadron, 14 May 1942.

Spy Stuff: U-213 (Oblt. Amelung von Varendorff), on its second patrol out of Lorient, has been laying mines near St. John's, Newfoundland, but it has a passenger who it lets off near the town of St. Martins, New Brunswick. This Lieutenant M.A. Langbein, who has documents identifying him as "Alfred Haskins" of Toronto, Ontario. Langbein's role is to monitor convoys leaving Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Once ashore, Langbein acts in a very un-spy fashion. He destroys his radio and makes it to Ottawa, Ontario, which isn't the best place to observe convoys from. Langbein ultimately surrenders himself to authorities late in 1944, having done no spying but having run through the thousands of dollars his spymasters have provided him.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt approved legislation establishing the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), 14 May 1942.

US Military: President Roosevelt signs legislation authored by Massachusetts Republican Rep. Edith Nourse Rogers creating the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps. It authorizes a voluntary enrollment program for up to 150,000 women in non-combat roles. Under the WAAC umbrella, women fill a variety of jobs including as medical care professionals, welfare workers, clerks, cooks, messengers, military postal employees, chauffeurs, and telephone and telegraph operators. In 1943, this evolves into the Women's Army Corps.

Full convoys begin along the US East Coast. The first convoy departs from Hampton Roads, Virginia, to Key West, Florida.

Australian Homefront: Food and clothing rationing to begin.

American Homefront: The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra premieres Aaron Copeland's "Lincoln Portrait." The piece includes narration that is often handled by celebrities such as Tom Hanks, Charlton Heston, and James Earl Jones.

Future History: Atanacio Pérez Rig is born in Ciego de Ávila, Cuba. As a boy, he plays baseball for the team of the sugar mill that employs his father, and, eventually, he works. In 1960, Cincinnati Reds scout Tony Pacheco sees him playing on the sugar factory team and signs him to a contract with the Reds' instructional team in Havana. Known professionally as Tony Pérez, he does well, sets various team batting records in the Reds' system, and is called up to the major league team on 26 July 1964. Tony Pérez goes on to a Hall of Fame career, including being a seven-time all-star and a three-time World Series champion. He has his uniform number (No. 24) retired by the organization. Perez also has managed the Florida Marlins. As of 2021, Tony Perez remains closely associated with the Reds organization.

On 14 May 1942, Boston Red Sox left fielder Ted Williams, left, tests the arm of Red Sox second baseman Bobby Doerr before their game against the White Sox, in Chicago. Williams will join the US Navy Reserve on 22 May 1942.

May 1942

May 1, 1942: Japanese Take Mandalay

May 2, 1942: Cruiser Edinburgh Sunk

May 3, 1942: Japanese Take Tulagi

May 4, 1942: Fletcher Attacks at Tulagi

May 5, 1942: British Invade Madagascar

May 6, 1942: Corregidor Falls to Japan

May 7, 1942: Scratch One Flattop!

May 8, 1942: Lexington Sunk in the Coral Sea

May 9, 1942: Manstein on the Attack in Crimea

May 10, 1942: Spitfires Rule Over Malta

May 11, 1942: First Japanese Retreat at Deboyne

May 12, 1942: Soviets Attack At Kharkov

May 13, 1942: Crisis at Kharkov

May 14, 1942: Where in the World is AF

May 15, 1942: Germans Take Kerch

May 16, 1942: Sobibor Begins Operation

May 17, 1942: Germans Counterattack at Kharkov

May 18, 1942: Soviet Command Confusion 

May 19, 1942: Soviet Panic at Kharkov

May 20, 1942: Churchill and Molotov Negotiate

May 21, 1942: U-106 Sinks the Wrong Tanker

May 22, 1942: AF is Midway!

May 23, 1942: German Forces Surround Soviet Armies at Kharkov

May 24, 1942: German Anti-Partisan Operations in Full Swing

May 25, 1942: Soviet Breakout at Kharkov Fails

May 26, 1942: Rommel Pounces in North Africa

May 27, 1942: Heydrich Fatally Wounded in Prague

May 28, 1942: German Victory At Kharkov

May 29, 1942: Japanese at Madagascar

May 30, 1942: First RAF Thousand-Plane Raid

May 31, 1942: The Attack on Sydney Harbour

2021

May 9, 1942: Manstein on the Attack in Crimea

Saturday 9 May 1942

"German U-boat, U-352, May 1942. 33 German prisoners were brought ashore at the Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina, by US Coast Guard cutter Icarus (WPC-110) after the sinking of the German submarine, U-352, off the Atlantic coast on 9 May 1942. The Executive Officer of the German submarine repeats in German the instructions given to him by US Navy officers as the crew eat “chow.”" Naval History and Heritage Command 80-G-41304.

Battle of the Pacific: Rear Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher takes Task Force 17 out of the Coral Sea on 9 May 1942, ending the Battle of the Coral Sea. With only one fleet carrier, USS Yorktown left, Fletcher proceeds south of New New Caledonia and proceeds toward Tongatabu to refuel. Australian Rear Admiral John Crace, in charge of Task Force 44, keeps his cruiser force in the area throughout the day to guard Port Moresby.

The Japanese fleet is short of fuel, so Vice Admiral Takeo Takagi's Carrier Strike Force, also down to one carrier (Zuikaku), spends the day refueling. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto has ordered him to pursue and engage the Allied warships again. In the evening, Takagi heads southeast with his refueled ships, then turns southwest toward the Coral Sea. The invasion of Port Moresby remains on hold unless and until Takagi can eliminate the Allied forces.

The Japanese recently set up a seaplane base in the Deboyne Islands during the opening stages of Operation Mo in order to assist with the invasion of Port Moresby. Today, the Allies begin a series of air raids on the base that damage seaplane tender Kamikawa Maru and eventually force the Japanese to leave.

Having taken the US island fortress of Corregidor, the Japanese seek complete control of the Philippines by taking Dalirig on Mindanao.

Manila, the Philippines during the Japanese occupation, 9 May 1942.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: The Burma Corps continues withdrawing west across the Chindwin River. Today, the divisional headquarters and the 13th Indian Infantry Brigade makes the crossing. Their destination is the border town of Tamu, which is not that far but will require traversing some rough, roadless terrain

USS Albacore in Measure 9 camouflage (dull black) off Groton, 9 May 1942.

Eastern Front: It is day two of the German offensive in Crimea and everything is going the Wehrmacht's way. General Franz Halder's war diary entry is short and succinct: "Breakthrough on the southern wing. The attack is making good progress. All quiet on the rest of the front."

General Erich von Manstein's attempt to clear the Kerch peninsula, Operation Trappenjagd ("Bustard Hunt"), continues on 9 May with great success. In some ways, the operation resembles the opening days of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, with crushing German domination sweeping aside all opposition. Where the Germans attack, the Red Army gives way, and casualties are light.

German engineers have successfully created an opening through the Soviet anti-tank ditch in the south. Manstein uses it to commit the 22nd Panzer Division in a move east, then north to the Sea of Azov coast. This maneuver eventually traps the Soviet 51st Army in a pocket, isolating about one-third of the Soviet strength. The 44th Army in the south is in disarray, and the 47th Army in reserve at Kerch is slow to react, hampered by Luftwaffe attacks on the roads.

Colonel-General Erich von Manstein, left, and Luftwaffe commander Wolfram von Richthofen in Crimea, May 1942 (Cherry, Federal Archive Image 183-B18908).

The Red Army counterattacks with its armor, but the Luftwaffe has complete aerial superiority and, with little tree cover, an open field of fire on the roads. Luftwaffe General Wolfram von Richthofen has assembled overwhelming power from units that have returned from the Reich after being refurbished over the winter. German planes down 25 Soviet planes over the breakthrough point and wreak havoc on the counterattacking Red Army tanks. The Luftwaffe launches 1700 sorties during the day, not far under the 2100 sorties on the first day of the offensive. Overall, the Luftwaffe claims 52 Soviet planes shot down during the day for only two losses. A rainstorm during the evening effectively ends operations for the day.

General Hans Zorn, the commander of the breakout attempt from the Demyansk pocket that ultimately led to its relief (in conjunction with Seydlitz's advance to Ramushevo), visits Fuhrer Headquarters in East Prussia. Halder writes that he looks "Quite worn!"

European Air Operations: After 12 Boston bombers attack Bruges oil storage tanks and Hazebrouck railway yards, it is a quiet night. The only activity by either side is a mission by 20 RAF bombers to lay mines off Denmark and Germany. There are no losses.

German U-boat, U-352, May 1942. 33 German prisoners were brought ashore at the Navy Yard, Charleston, South Carolina, by US Coast Guard cutter Icarus (WPC-110) after the sinking of the German submarine, U-352, off the Atlantic coast on 9 May 1942. US Marines, with fixed bayonets, stand guard as prisoners are lined up in front of the Coast Guard cutter (Naval History and Heritage Command 80-G-41302).

Battle of the Atlantic: U-352 (Kptlt. Hellmut Rathke), on its send patrol out of St. Nazaire, is depth-charged and sunk near Morehead City, North Carolina by US Coast Guard ship Icarus. There are 15 deaths and 33 survivors. The submarine ends its career with no victories.

U-162 (FrgKpt. Jürgen Wattenberg), on its second patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 1905-ton Canadian freighter Mount Louis south of Trinidad. There are 13 deaths and 8 survivors, who are rescued by Canadian freighter Mona Marie.

U-564 (Kptlt. Reinhard Suhren), on its fifth patrol out of Brest, torpedoes and sinks 7138-ton Panamanian tanker Lubrafol three nautical miles off Delray Beach, Florida. There are 13 deaths and 31 survivors, who are rescued by US Coast Guard ships. Lubrafol does not actually sink today, but it is a burning wreck with no hope of salvage until it finally does go under on 11 May.

Near Bir Hacheim in North Africa, a German soldier wearing a pith helmet mans a 7.92mm machine gun MG15 with tripod on a motor vehicle, May 1942 (Zwilling, Ernst A., Federal Archive Image 101I-443-1551-06A)

U-69 (Oblt. Ulrich Gräf), on its eighth patrol out of St. Nazaire, torpedoes and sinks 6825-ton Norwegian tanker Lise northeast of Aruba. There are 12 deaths and 33 survivors, many of whom are rescued by two Dutch ships while others make it to shore in lifeboats. Some sources place this sinking on 12 May.

U-125 (Kptlt. Ulrich Folkers), on its fourth patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 11,941-ton Canadian tanker Calgarolite 50 nautical miles (93 km) southwest of Grand Cayman Island. Folkers surfaces when the tanker does not sink right away and uses his deck gun to finish the job. All 45 crewmen survive.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 928-ton Norwegian freighter Douro midway between Iceland and Scotland. There are ten deaths and ten survivors, who are rescued by Icelandic trawler Gyllir.

German 125-ton minesweeper R-45 collides with a minesweeper tender off Dunkirk, France, and sinks. Also sunk in the collision is 508-ton M-533.

British Spitfire V fighter taking off from carrier USS Wasp for Malta, 9 May 1942 (US National Archives).

Battle of the Mediterranean: The US Navy and Royal Navy mount another carrier ferry mission to Malta today. This is Operation Bowery. USS Wasp and HMS Eagle launch 64 Supermarine Spitfires, with 58 actually making it to the island. Despite the losses, this is much more successful than Operation Calendar, when a similar ferrying mission resulted in disaster when the fighters were quickly attacked and mostly destroyed by the Luftwaffe. Operation Bowery is a successful mission that builds on the learning experience of Operation Calendar. 

This mission leads Prime Minister Winston Churchill to comment, "Who said a Wasp couldn't sting twice?" The presence of the Spitfires essentially ends the daylight bombing campaign against Malta.

An internee awaiting the evacuation bus, 9 May 1942.

American Homefront: "Tangerine" by Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra with Bob Eberly and Helen O'Connell becomes the No. 1 song on the Billboard chart. It knocks off "Moonlight Cocktail" by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra with Ray Eberle and the Modernaires after ten weeks. Ray Eberle and Bob Eberly are brothers despite the slight differences in their last names, Bob just changed his for professional purposes.

Thoroughbred Alsab wins the Preakness, spoiling the chance of Shut Out to win the Triple Crown.

Future History: John David Ashcroft is born in Chicago, Illinois. He becomes a politician from Missouri who becomes Governor of that state, a US Senator, and the US Attorney General from 2001-2005.

May 1942

May 1, 1942: Japanese Take Mandalay

May 2, 1942: Cruiser Edinburgh Sunk

May 3, 1942: Japanese Take Tulagi

May 4, 1942: Fletcher Attacks at Tulagi

May 5, 1942: British Invade Madagascar

May 6, 1942: Corregidor Falls to Japan

May 7, 1942: Scratch One Flattop!

May 8, 1942: Lexington Sunk in the Coral Sea

May 9, 1942: Manstein on the Attack in Crimea

May 10, 1942: Spitfires Rule Over Malta

May 11, 1942: First Japanese Retreat at Deboyne

May 12, 1942: Soviets Attack At Kharkov

May 13, 1942: Crisis at Kharkov

May 14, 1942: Where in the World is AF

May 15, 1942: Germans Take Kerch

May 16, 1942: Sobibor Begins Operation

May 17, 1942: Germans Counterattack at Kharkov

May 18, 1942: Soviet Command Confusion 

May 19, 1942: Soviet Panic at Kharkov

May 20, 1942: Churchill and Molotov Negotiate

May 21, 1942: U-106 Sinks the Wrong Tanker

May 22, 1942: AF is Midway!

May 23, 1942: German Forces Surround Soviet Armies at Kharkov

May 24, 1942: German Anti-Partisan Operations in Full Swing

May 25, 1942: Soviet Breakout at Kharkov Fails

May 26, 1942: Rommel Pounces in North Africa

May 27, 1942: Heydrich Fatally Wounded in Prague

May 28, 1942: German Victory At Kharkov

May 29, 1942: Japanese at Madagascar

May 30, 1942: First RAF Thousand-Plane Raid

May 31, 1942: The Attack on Sydney Harbour

2021

May 6, 1942: Corregidor Falls to Japan

Wednesday 6 May 1942

Japanese soldiers celebrate their final victory (for now) in the Philippines atop a US coastal defense gun on 6 May 1942 (Naval History and Heritage Command NH 73222).

Battle of the Pacific: At 13:30 local time on 6 May 1942, US Lieutenant General Jonathan M. Wainwright surrenders the 10,000 Allied soldiers on Corregidor Island in Manila Bay to the Japanese forces of Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma. The surrender follows a vicious battle throughout the night and the landing of three Japanese tanks at 09:30.

While Wainwright knows that he could hold out longer militarily, his troops are almost out of potable water and he knows there is no hope of relief. It is a difficult decision, but holding out would only lead to more needless deaths and the end result would be the same.

Before he surrenders, Wainwright sends one last radio message to General Franklin Roosevelt. It says, "There is a limit of human endurance, and that point has long been passed." He then orders that remaining gunboats Luzon (later raised and repaired by the Japanese), Oahu, and Quail be scuttled to prevent their falling into enemy hands.  Colonel Samuel L. Howard, commander of the 4th Marine Regiment that conducted the defense, burns the regimental flag as well as the national colors. At about 11:00, Wainwright sends two officers carrying a large white flag out of the entrance to Malinta Tunnel, watched by grinning Japanese soldiers posing for the camera.

Surrender of Corregidor, the Philippines, 6 May 1942 (National Archives at College Park 535553).

That afternoon, Wainwright and three aides drive to the Japanese line in a battered Chevrolet staff car. After taking a boat to the mainland, they then are made to wait in a small frame house in the stifling heat for hours until Homma sees them. He and his aides note that Japanese shore artillery is still firing at Corregidor.

General Homma presses Wainwright to order all Allied forces in the Philippines to surrender (the Visayan-Mindanao Force has not surrendered), but Wainwright responds that he only controls troops on Corregidor. After that, Homma gets up to leave and refuses to talk further. The approximately 11,000 Allied troops are sent to various locations after the surrender. The US Army and Navy nurses remain on Corregidor for a few weeks to care for sick patients before being sent to the Santo Tomas prison camp. About 4,000 of the other troops are marched through the streets of Manila to the Fort Santiago and Bilibid Prison camps, with the vast majority of the remainder being sent to other Japanese camps. Wainwright is sent to confinement in Manchuria.

A very few Allied troops become guerilla fighters. In the most unique reaction to the Japanese success, 18 men from gunboat Quail (AM-15) led by their commander, Lt. Cmdr. John H. Morrill, sail a 36-foot motor launch from their ship away from the island (without orders or Wainwright's knowledge). The outcome of that voyage is described below.

General Homma speaks fluent English and is broadly sympathetic to the plight of the captured soldiers. However, he does nothing effective to stop atrocities by his own soldiers beyond issuing vague orders (which are ignored) that they should be treated properly. While the victor, Homma has fallen out of favor with his superiors due to the length of time the victory took and his lack of aggressiveness and harshness. Homma soon loses his command and, in 1943, retires (likely involuntarily) from the military entirely.

Victorious Japanese soldiers lower the US flag flying over Corregidor, 6 May 1942 (Naval History and Heritage Command NH 73223).

Far to the south of Guadalcanal, Rear Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher combines his Task Force 17 (USS Yorktown) with TF 11 (Lexington) and TF 44. The Japanese carrier force commanded by Vice Admiral Takeo Takagi is slowly steaming south while refueling toward him, but Fletcher is unaware of this and also spends time refueling. At 10:50, Takagi receives a report from a Kawanishi reconnaissance flying boat that the US fleet is 300 nautical miles (350 miles, 560 km) to the south. He detaches his two fleet carriers, Shōkaku and Zuikaku, to head toward the US fleet in order to attack at first light on the 7th.

Meanwhile, USAAF B-17 bombers based in Australia attack the Japanese Port Moresby invasion convoy throughout the day. However, they have no success, illustrating the difficulties level bombers have in hitting moving warships. Late in the day, the Japanese seaplane tender Kamikawa Maru sets up a seaplane base in the Deboyne Islands to provide air support for the invasion.

At 18:00, informed of the location of the Japanese invasion forces (but not the carriers) by General MacArthur, Fletcher completes his refueling and heads northwest. This closes the gap between the two carrier forces to 70 nautical miles (130 km) as darkness falls. The stage is set for a major battle on 7 May if the two sides discover each other's position.

General Homma, right, dictates terms to General Wainwright, left.

At Tulagi, the new Japanese occupants put into operation their seaplane base. Nearby in the Florida Islands, 264-ton minesweeper Tama Maru, damaged during the 4 May US Navy air attacks, finally sinks. There are four dead and seven wounded.

RAAF PBY Catalina A24-20 is shot down while on a daylight reconnaissance mission east of its Port Moresby Seaplane Base over the Coral Sea. The crew had just reported spotting two Japanese destroyers (likely of the Operation Mo invasion force) when contact was lost. The crew later is declared dead, but pilot Geoff E. Hemsworth is known to have been taken as a prisoner. However, nothing more is known about his fate and likely the Japanese execute Hemsworth on some unknown date. The crew is memorialized at the Port Moresby Memorial.

In the East China Sea northeast of Keelung, Formosa (Taiwan), US Navy submarine USS Triton torpedoes and sinks 5664-ton Japanese freighter Taigen Maru (alternately Taiei Maru). There are 31 dead.

US Navy submarine Skipjack (SS-184) torpedoes and sinks 2567-ton Japanese freighter Kanan Maru 26 miles northeast of Cam Ranh Bay, French Indochina (Vietnam).

Japanese forces sink 58-ton US freighter Laida 30 nautical miles (56 km, 35 miles) northeast of Port Moller, Alaska, in the Aleutian Islands. The Japanese have designs on the Aleutians and are scouting it for their upcoming invasion.

The fall of Corregidor is worldwide headline news, as in the 6 May 1942 Portsmouth, Ohio, Times.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: The British invasion of Madagascar (Operation Ironclad) continues on 6 May 1942 against erratic Vichy French resistance. While the initial lodgement phase and capture of the port of Diego-Suarez happened quickly on 5 May, the next British objective, the French naval base at Antisarane, proves much more troublesome. The port is defended by trenches, two redoubts, pillboxes, and flanked on both sides by impenetrable swamps. The British also have had to march 21 miles to reach it and are far from their supplies.

The British, though, have several advantages. These include air and sea superiority and a dozen tanks. French 1969-ton aviso (sloop) D'Entrecasteaux temporarily escapes to open water because its draft is so shallow that torpedoes pass under it, but the ship is tracked down and heavily damaged by British naval and air power. The ship is beached with the loss of 16 crewmen.

Lt. Colonel Michael West, commander of the South Lancashires' 2nd Battalion, sets out at 02:00 to flank the French defenses at Antisarane. However, the swamps prove impenetrable. They have some successes but are eventually forced to withdraw after losing communication with the other units. At 05:00 the RAF bombs the French defenses, and the frontal assault begins at 05:30. It fails due to accurate French 75mm artillery and machinegun fire, leaving the British force scattered and demoralized. 

Rear Admiral (later Admiral/Sir) Edward Neville Syfret, commander of Royal Navy forces (Force H, Eastern Fleet) at Madagascar, in recently captured Diego-Suarez, ca. 6 May 1942.

The British make a second frontal assault at 20:30, after darkness has fallen. This attack has more success. By 23:00 the British capture the forward line of French trenches that front the "Joffre Line." In conjunction with this attack, the destroyer HMS Anthony makes a daring dash to the Antisarane docks and lands 50 Marines before quickly scampering to safety. The Marines, under Captain Martin Price, enter the town and cause chaos, firing their guns and throwing grenades. Price frees some British prisoners and then withdraws to the docks to form a defensive perimeter for the night. Around midnight, the troops from the frontal assault break into Antirasane as well and capture the French headquarters.

In Burma, Japanese forces based in the recently captured Bhamo regional center, approach the British base at Myitkyina in northern Burma. The British have no intention of holding there and prepare to evacuate to the west.

US Lieutenant General Joseph Stilwell, known as "Vinegar Joe," begins his "walkout" from Burma to Assam, India. Accompanying him are the 117 men and women of his staff. The Assam route is used by many other retreating Allied and Chinese troops. Stilwell's case is different than most because he is a senior Allied commander and technically is second-in-command of all Chinese forces under Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, though in reality the Chinese generals ignore Stilwell and do what they want.

General Stilwell, right, during his "walkout" from Burma, ca. 6 May 1942 (Ibiblio).

Eastern Front: For months, Joseph Stalin has clung to his belief that his forces on the Kerch peninsula can break through to relieve the Red Army garrison bottled up in Sevastopol to the west. However, today he changes his mind and issues Order No. 170357, which orders all forces to turn to the defensive. Typically for Stalin, he blames the troops in the field for their failure to defeat the enemy and refuses to send reinforcements or allow a withdrawal. However, while the overall gist of the order is to adopt a defensive posture, it also stipulates that the troops first launch local operations to improve their positions. This keeps the Red Army troops from digging in just as General Erich von Manstein, commander of the German 11th Army, is preparing a major assault to breach the Soviet lines.

At Kholm, General Franz Halder notes briefly that the breakthrough to the Kholm pocket is "further improved" and that wounded who have been trapped in the pocket now can be evacuated. Otherwise, he notes, "Remainder of the front very quiet due to the weather and road conditions." Curiously, he makes no mention of Crimea, where Manstein is preparing a major offensive. Manstein, known to be one of Hitler's favorites, has few other fans at Fuhrer headquarters.

A Blohm and Voss BV 141 reconnaissance aircraft. Photographed on 6 May 1942 (Federal Archive Image 183-B21073).

European Air Operations: A Luftwaffe intruder bombs and sinks the Fairmile B motor launch HMS ML 160 at Brixton in Greater London.

During the day, the RAF sends 18 Boston bombers to Boulogne (docks), Calais (parachute factory), and Caen (power station). After dark, the target for the third night in a row is Stuttgart. It is another moderately sized attack of 97 bombers (55 Wellingtons, 15 Stirlings, 10 Hampdens, 10 Lancasters, and 7 Halifaxes) with the primary target once again the Robert Bosch factory, which so far has not been touched. This mission also is a failure, and the people of Stuttgart don't see any bombs fall at all. Instead, the Lauffen decoy site once again draws off many bombers, which mistakenly bomb the city of Heilbronn only five miles from the decoy site. Seven people die in Heilbronn and over 150 buildings are destroyed, but Stuttgart suffers no damage.

In subsidiary operations, 19 bombers attack Nantes, there are four Blenheim bombers on Intruder missions (one lost), and 9 bombers drop leaflets.

British freighter Empire Buffalo, sunk by U-125 on 6 May 1942.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-125 (Kptlt. Ulrich Folkers), on its fourth patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 6404-ton British freighter Empire Buffalo west of the Cayman Islands. The freighter was en route from Kingston, Jamaica, to New Orleans, USA. There are 13 deaths and 29 survivors, who are rescued by the US ship Caique. Empire Buffalo escaped the same fate on 18 September 1939 when, as US freighter Eglantine, a U-boat stopped it but then allowed it to proceed.

U-125 also torpedoes and sinks 1946-ton US freighter Green Island about 80 nautical miles (150 km) south of Grand Cayman Island. All 22 crewmen are picked up by British ship Fort Qu'Appelle.

U-507 (KrvKpt. Harro Schacht), on its second patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks US freighter Alcoa Puritan in the Gulf of Mexico 15 miles (28 km) off the mouth of the Mississippi River. All 54 people on board are rescued by Coast Guard cutter USCGC Boutwell.

U-108 (KrvKpt. Klaus Scholtz), on its seventh patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 4422-ton Latvian freighter Abgara southeast of Great Inagua Island, the Bahamas. All 34 crewmen reach land in their lifeboats.

Dutch freighter Amazone, sunk by U-333 on 6 May 1942.

U-333 (Kptlt. Peter-Erich Cremer), on its second patrol out of La Pallice, torpedoes and sinks 1294-ton Dutch freighter Amazone near Fort Pierce, Florida. There are 14 deaths, while 11 survivors are picked up by US Navy submarine chaser USS PC-484.

U-333 also torpedoes and sinks 7088-ton US tanker Halsey off St. Lucie Inlet, Florida. The 33-man crew takes to the boats and is almost rescued by submarine chaser USS PC-451, but it spots U-333 and embarks on a pursuit. Shortly after they leave, the tanker explodes and breaks in two. The men in the boats ultimately are rescued by local fishing boats.

U-333 also torpedoes and damages 8327-ton US tanker Java Arrow about eight miles off Vero Beach, Florida. The crew abandons ships, but the tanker does not sink. A US Coast Guard officer boards the tanker and determines it can be towed to show, so the master, Sigvard J. Hennichen, and four crewmen board the tanker, which ultimately is towed to Port Everglades and repaired. There are two dead and 45 survivors.

Royal Navy 913-ton armed trawler HMT Senateur Duhamel sinks after colliding near Cape Lookout, North Carolina with auxiliary ship USS Semmes (AG-24). 

The USS Quail, scuttled at Corregidor on 6 May 1942. Several members of her crew refused to surrender to the Japanese and instead rode a motorboat out into the Pacific.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Residents of Malta expect an Axis invasion, and those fears are exacerbated on 6 May 1942 when a naval battle erupts within sight of shore off Grand Harbour. The twenty-minute battle is between a Royal Navy motor launch, ML-130, on its normal patrol, and German E-boats laying mines. The British vessel is blown up, with four deaths and nine men taken prisoner. Otherwise, it is a normal day on Malta during the recent Blitz, with attacks beginning a little before 10:00 and lasting throughout the day. There is some good news at 19:20 when five Hurricanes Mk 2C arrive from Egypt to bolster the defense.

Battle of the Black Sea: Soviet 2782-ton transport Vostok hits a mine and sinks at the entrance to the Kerch Strait. There are ten dead and 47 survivors, who are picked up by an escort.

US Military: The US Army Air Force requisitions all but 200 civilian Douglas DC-3s passenger planes into military service. These will become C-47 Skytrain (or Dakota) military cargo planes, many used to carry supplies to China over "The Hump" by the 10th Air Force.

The US Navy opens a Naval Auxiliary Air Facility, Nawiliwili, Kauai, Hawaii.

The 4th Marine Regiment is captured on Corregidor on 6 May 1942 and is deactivated on 18 June 1942. It is reactivated on 1 February 1944 on Guadalcanal.

The First Battalion of the Fourth Marine Regiment is captured on Corregidor and temporarily ceases to exist. It will be reactivated on 1 February 1944 on Guadalcanal by redesignation of the 1st Raider Battalion, 1st Raider Regiment.

A Douglas C-47 Skytrain in flight (USAF).

British Homefront: The first American Red Cross Service Club in the UK opens at Northern Counties Hotel in Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

American Homefront: A student at Washington State, Carl Ronning, writes an "open letter" to Governor of Idaho Chase A. Clark. After noting that Clark recently forbade out-of-state Japanese-Americans from enrolling in any state college, Ronning writes:

I am certain, Mr. Governor, that the majority of the people of Moscow [Idaho, location of the state university] and the students of the University do not approve of your actions. I myself am soon slated for the army, but if I thought that I was going to fight to defend any of the actions such as you have committed, I would hang my head in shame.

Of course, it would be difficult for many such students to attend college while they are in internment camps as ordered by President Roosevelt.

Future History: General Wainwright survives the war in Japanese captivity. After being released, he plays a prominent role in the official Japanese surrender ceremony held on the USS Missouri on 2 September 1942. President Harry Truman awards Wainwright the Medal of Honor upon his return to the United States.

General Homma also survives the war. He is tried as a war criminal for the Bataan Death March and other atrocities, found guilty, and is executed by firing squad on 3 April 1946.

Lt. Cmdr. John H. Morrill of USS Quail and his 17 men set out from Corregidor in their motor launch at 10:15 on 6 May, shortly before the surrender. Morrill has prepared adequate supplies for the trip (after all, his scuttled ship no longer needs them), but the outboard engine is old and cranky. They experience engine troubles on their ride out of Manila Bay but make it past the Japanese patrol vessels nearby. The men land in the small village of Digas, where they are welcomed by the local inhabitants and are given the opportunity to fix the engine. Then, after numerous other stops, they finally reach Darwin, Australia (a distance of 3200 km) on 6 June 1942. Without any ceremony, the US Navy then sends the men on new assignments.

The Road to Mandalay Bar in West Portal, San Francisco, 6 May 1942.

May 1942

May 1, 1942: Japanese Take Mandalay

May 2, 1942: Cruiser Edinburgh Sunk

May 3, 1942: Japanese Take Tulagi

May 4, 1942: Fletcher Attacks at Tulagi

May 5, 1942: British Invade Madagascar

May 6, 1942: Corregidor Falls to Japan

May 7, 1942: Scratch One Flattop!

May 8, 1942: Lexington Sunk in the Coral Sea

May 9, 1942: Manstein on the Attack in Crimea

May 10, 1942: Spitfires Rule Over Malta

May 11, 1942: First Japanese Retreat at Deboyne

May 12, 1942: Soviets Attack At Kharkov

May 13, 1942: Crisis at Kharkov

May 14, 1942: Where in the World is AF

May 15, 1942: Germans Take Kerch

May 16, 1942: Sobibor Begins Operation

May 17, 1942: Germans Counterattack at Kharkov

May 18, 1942: Soviet Command Confusion 

May 19, 1942: Soviet Panic at Kharkov

May 20, 1942: Churchill and Molotov Negotiate

May 21, 1942: U-106 Sinks the Wrong Tanker

May 22, 1942: AF is Midway!

May 23, 1942: German Forces Surround Soviet Armies at Kharkov

May 24, 1942: German Anti-Partisan Operations in Full Swing

May 25, 1942: Soviet Breakout at Kharkov Fails

May 26, 1942: Rommel Pounces in North Africa

May 27, 1942: Heydrich Fatally Wounded in Prague

May 28, 1942: German Victory At Kharkov

May 29, 1942: Japanese at Madagascar

May 30, 1942: First RAF Thousand-Plane Raid

May 31, 1942: The Attack on Sydney Harbour

2021