Diary May 24, 1916
Diary for Wednesday, May 24, 1916: Western Front Verdun – Fighting on whole front: Germans regain Fort Douaumont and Caillette woods with 100 PoWs. Mangin temporarily disgraced. French recapture part […]
War Diary
Diary May 24, 1941
Diary for Saturday, May 24, 1941: Sea War Atlantic: HMS Hood sunk by battleship Bismarck in Denmark Strait, East of Greenland – only three survivors out of 1,419. Prince of
Diary May 23, 1916
Diary for Tuesday, May 23, 1916: Western Front Artois, Vimy: BEF IV Corps counter-attack with 2 brigades ruined by German counter-barrage; British losses 2,500 to 1,344 German. Verdun: German counter-attack
Diary May 23, 1941
Diary for Friday, May 23, 1941: Sea War Mediterranean: Destroyers Kashmir and Kelly (Lord Louis Mountbatten) sunk by Ju 87 Stukas off Crete. Me 109E fighter-bombers destroy 5 British MTBs
Diary May 22, 1916
Diary for Monday, May 22, 1916: Air War Verdun: French Nieuport 11s of Esc N65 destroy 6 kite-balloons using very short-range firework-type rocket projectiles devised by French Navy Lieutenant Le
Diary May 22, 1941
Diary for Thursday, May 22, 1941: Air War Airborne invasion of Crete: Ju 52s land reinforcements at Maleme. Air War: Kesselring, Commander of Luftflotte 2, moves into his new HQ
Diary May 21, 1916
Diary for Sunday, May 21, 1916: Southern Fronts Italian Front: Cadorna forms reserve Fifth Army (whose 5 Corps and 2 cavalry divisions concentrate in Vicenza-Padua-Citadella triangle by June 5); puts
Diary May 21, 1941
Diary for Wednesday, May 21, 1941: Air War Airborne invasion of Crete: German airborne troops storm ‘Hill 107’, overlooking Maleme airfield (Crete). 80 Junkers Ju 52 crash-land on shell-swept airfield,
Diary May 20, 1916
Diary for Saturday, May 20, 1916: Western Front Verdun: Gallwitz’s 5 German divisions assault Mort Homme, seize the top summit of Hill 295. Eastern Front Russia: Italy appeals to STAVKA
Diary May 20, 1941
Diary for Tuesday, May 20, 1941: Air War GERMAN AIRBORNE INVASION OF CRETE (Operation Merkur = ‘Mercury’): 490 Ju 52 transports take off from primitive strips near Athens, towing 100
Diary May 19, 1916
Diary for Friday, May 19, 1916: Southern Fronts Trentino: Italians abandon Mt Toraro-Mt Melignone line, destroying their forts, but after 5-mile advance Austrian XX Corps waits for artillery to come
Diary May 19, 1941
Diary for Monday, May 19, 1941: Neutrals USA: Mayor La Guardia appointed head of Office of Civilian Defense.
Diary May 18, 1916
Diary for Thursday, May 18, 1916: Western Front Verdun: Unsuccessful German attack on Avocourt Wood and Hill 304 (repeated following day); 300 French guns (including 4 x 14.5-in mortars) begin
Diary May 18, 1941
Diary for Sunday, May 18, 1941: Sea War Operation Rheinübung (‘Rhine Crossing’): Battleship Bismarck and heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen leave Gdynia (Baltic) to attack Atlantic convoys. Occupied countries Yugoslavia –
Diary May 17, 1916
Diary for Wednesday, May 17, 1916: Southern Fronts Trentino: Austrians claim 6,300 PoWs. Tyrol Kaiserjager capture Mts Maggio and Sima di Campulozzo. Salonika: British War Committee rejects Macedonian offensive. Western
Diary May 17, 1941
Diary for Saturday, May 17, 1941: Politics Russia concludes agreement with Raschid Ali regime in Iraq.
Diary May 16, 1916
Diary for Tuesday, May 16, 1916: Southern Fronts Italian Front: Cadorna arrives at Thiene from Udine to conduct Trentino defence. Middle East Armenia: 15,000 Russians (new 127th Division) sail from
Diary May 16, 1941
Diary for Friday, May 16, 1941: North Africa Rommel receives orders from Berlin to concentrate Afrika Korps against British at Sollum, leaving Italians to guard Tobruk siege ring. Air War
Diary May 15, 1916
Diary for Monday, May 15, 1916: Southern Fronts AUSTRIAN TRENTINO OFFENSIVE begins on 21-mile front with 4 hours intensive barrage from 0600 hours. Elite XX Edelweiss Corps (Archduke Charles) has
Diary May 15, 1941
Diary for Thursday, May 15, 1941: North Africa First British Offensive against Afrika Korps (Operation Brevity): Halfaya Pass and Sollum recaptured. Air War British Government authorizes counter-measures against German aircraft
