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 […]
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War Diary
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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,
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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
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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
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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
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Diary May 19, 1941
Diary for Monday, May 19, 1941: Neutrals USA: Mayor La Guardia appointed head of Office of Civilian Defense.
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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
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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 –
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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
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Diary May 17, 1941
Diary for Saturday, May 17, 1941: Politics Russia concludes agreement with Raschid Ali regime in Iraq.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Diary May 14, 1916
Diary for Sunday, May 14, 1916: Southern Front Salonika: Joffre forwards 1916 Macedonian offensive plan to British, asks for 2 more divisions. Isonzo: Austrians recapture Adria shipyard with Hills 12
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