NAZIS GET SUDA BAY AND CANDIA, CRETE; ITALIANS LAND; BRITISH PLAN RETREAT (5/30/41)

Microfilm-New York Times archives, Monterey Public Library | 5/30/41 | C. Brooks Peters, Herbert L. Matthews, Craig Thompson, Hallett Abend, David Anderson

[Homer_J_Simpson]

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[Homer_J_Simpson]

Free Republic University, Department of History presents World War II Plus 70 Years: Seminar and Discussion Forum
First session: September 1, 2009. Last date to add: September 2, 2015.
Reading assignment: New York Times articles delivered daily to students on the 70th anniversary of original publication date. (Previously posted articles can be found by searching on keyword “realtime” Or view Homer’s posting history .)
To add this class to or drop it from your schedule notify Admissions and Records (Attn: Homer_J_Simpson) by freepmail. Those on the Realtime +/- 70 Years ping list are automatically enrolled. Course description, prerequisites and tuition information is available at the bottom of Homer’s profile. Also visit our general discussion thread

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Selections from West Point Atlas for the Second World War
German Assault on Crete, May 1941
North Africa – Rommel’s First Offensive, 24 March-15 June 1941
Marcks’ Plan, August 5, 1940
Operation Barbarossa (Dir. 21), December 18, 1940
The Mediterranean Basin
The Far East and the Pacific, 1941 – The Imperial Powers, 1 September 1939

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Winston S. Churchill, The Grand Alliance

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Axis Squeeze is On – 2-3
Crete Evacuation is Seen in London – 3-4
Halifax Says Lesson of Crete Will Deter Nazis from Invasion – 4
The International Situation – 5
Nazis Claim Big Toll by Surface Warships – 5
Bar to New German ‘Misdeeds’ Pledged by Foreign Secretary – 5-6
Japanese Pressing East Indies on Pact (by Otto D. Tolischus) – 6
Ex-Kaiser Failing in Serious Illness – 6
Iraqi Town Taken in British Advance – 7
Schmeling Alive, Berlin Announces – 7
Zamzam Survivors Get Nazi Exit Visas – 7
When the Roar of German Guns Thundered Round Mount Olympus (photo) – 8
Navy Must Keep Fit, Admiral Says – 9
37 Liberals Ask U.S. to Avoid War – 9
100 Bismarck Men Saved by British – 10
Axis Drive Halted in Egyptian Pass – 10
85% See Us in the War, Gallup Survey Finds (by George Gallup) – 10
The Texts of the Day’s War Communiques – 11-12
Egyptian Premier Holds Democracy Will Prevail – 12
The Atlantic Fleet Grows (by Hanson W. Baldwin) – 12

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1941/may41/f30may41.htm

Iraqi leader flees to Iran

Friday, May 30, 1941 www.onwar.com

In Iraq... Although the main Allied force is held up at Ur and the small British force from Habbaniyah is only advancing slowly, Rashid Ali gives up the struggle and flees to Iran.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/30.htm

May 30th, 1941

UNITED KINGDOM: Churchill to Wavell: “It would be convenient to have [Djibouti] in the near future, and I shall be glad if you will consider what forces would be necessary to break the French resistance.”
The tenth and last Lake-class U.S. Coast Guard cutter, USCGC ITASCA is transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS GORLESTON. Itasca was present at Howland Island in 1937 during the Amelia Earhart around-the-world flight. (Keith Allen and Jack McKillop)

Corvette HMS Myosotis commissioned.
Submarine HMS P-33 commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)

ÉIRE: The Luftwaffe bomb Dublin killing 34 people, wounding 90 and destroying or damaging 300 buildings. “High Winds” are again blamed by the Germans for the mistake.

GERMANY:

Grand Admiral Raeder renews his proposal to Hitler that there should be a ‘decisive Egypt-Suez offensive for the autumn of 1941which would be more deadly to the British Empire than the capture of London.’

Hitler decides that this can wait until the collapse of the Soviet Union which should happen no later than October.

GREECE: CRETE:

2nd Lt Charles Hazlitt Upham (b. 1908), 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force, displayed great valour many times from 22-30 May. (Victoria Cross; only VC and bar of the war)

Early in the day more troops are lifted from the southern port of Sphakia by another cruiser force. Well to the south the Australian cruiser HMAS Perth is bombed and damaged.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: HMS Calcutta was bombed and sunk by two German Ju-88 bomber aircraft in the Mediterranean north-west of Alexandria, Egypt, during the Battle of Crete. Calcutta was from the third group of the ‘C type’ cruisers that were based on the WWI-vintage Arethusa Class light cruiser. They were intended to serve as leaders for destroyer flotillas and as scouts for the battle fleet in the North Sea. Several were converted into AA cruisers in the late 1930’s. Their low endurance and relatively poor seakeeping characteristics limited their utility outside of ‘small sea’ operating areas. (Dave Shirlaw)

EGYPT:

Cairo: The British Middle East Air Force announced:-

In Iraq our fighter squadrons flew patrols throughout the day in support of our advancing troops while Italian aircraft tried to prevent them. One of these aircraft was shot down ar Khanugh (Iraq). A number of British reconnaissance planes and bombers operated in cooperation with motorised units. We have destroyed the hangars on the airfield at Deir ez Zor in Syria. In Abyssinia, South African aircraft attacked Italian troops still fighting near Gimma. Direct hits were observed on buildings, as were a number of fires. Several Italian motor trucks went up in flames north of Algeh. Forts Azozo and Digya were bombed at Gondar (Ethiopia). In Libya, an enemy bomber wing yesterday undertook an assault on Tobruk; antiaircraft succeeded in shooting down four of them and severak others were damaged. Five of our own aircraft failed to return from these operations.

IRAQ:

British troops of the 4th Cavalry Brigade of 1st British Cavakry Division stood at the gates of Baghdad after travelling 500 miles across the desert from Palestine. Rashid Ali, the German and Italian diplomats in Iraq and the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, all fled to Persia. A cease-fire agreement was signed.
The main British forces are at Ur, the force from Habbaniyah has advanced slightly.

PALESTINE:

Jerusalem: The American Associated Press News Agency reported:

British and Indian troops are continuing their non-stop advance toward Baghdad and encountering no major resistance anywhere. It is now known that two motorised columns are carrying out the operation. Other British forces supported by tanks are operating against Iraqi troop positions at Ramadi about 12 miles northwest of Habbaniya.

NEWFOUNDLAND: HMCS Restigouche and Ottawa arrived in St John’s, Newfoundland, and became the first destroyers to join the newly formed Newfoundland Escort Force. (Dave Shirlaw)

ATLANTIC OCEAN:

At 0036, the unescorted Silveryew was hit in the stern by one of two torpedoes from U-106 and sank west of the Cape Verde Islands. One crewmember was lost. The master, 49 crewmembers and three gunners made landfall at San Antonio, Cape Verde Islands.
At 1311, the unescorted Empire Protector was torpedoed and sunk by U-38 southwest of Freetown. Five crewmembers were lost. The master, 29 crewmembers and three gunners were picked up by the Dutch merchantman Arundo and landed at Freetown. (Dave Shirlaw)

[abb]

Consolidated Catalina flying boat

[texas booster]

Fascinating to read the article about the Keep America out of War Congress. Reinhold Niebuhr lent his name to the letter but was later push aside as not liberal enough.

Socialists, labor unions and the truly left was tried to slow the march to war, not for any good reason but to be “principled”.

Amazing how far left, many groups are, based on nothing more than what their parents and colleges taught them.

[Seizethecarp]

This Iraqi revolt of 1941 is fascinating to me. I am finding lots of interesting background today on the Grand Mufti and Saddam's uncle and the Ba’ath Party modeling themselves on the Nazis:

The Nazis Find a Home in Post-Mubarak Egypt
http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/05/the_nazis_find_a_home_in_postm.html

Saddam and the Third Reich Part 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFdT-vYVbl0&feature=related

[henkster]

Hey, Homer, are we going to get some important sports results tomorrow from a certain Memorial Day event?

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Hey, Homer, are we going to get some important sports results tomorrow from a certain Memorial Day event?

I'm afraid not. On Wednesday we will have a pictorial preview of the U.S. Open but nothing tomorrow.

[GreenLanternCorps]

As World War II rages, the Kaiser from World War I lives, but not for much longer.

As King of Prussia and German Emperor:

In exile:

[henkster]

“Socialists, labor unions and the truly left was tried to slow the march to war, not for any good reason but to be “principled”.”

No, it’s not on principle, but on orders...from “the Center.” Their tune will change in about 3 weeks and the leftists will be begging for us to go to war with Hitler.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/

Day 638 May 30, 1941

Evacuation of Crete. Overnight 29th-30th, British cruisers HMS Phoebe, Perth, Calcutta & Coventry, destroyers Janus, Hasty & Jervis and assault ship Glengyle (with landing craft) embark 6029 troops at Sphakia. RAF fighters protect the convoy returning to Alexandria, Egypt, keeping most German and Italian bombers at bay, but HMS Perth is hit by a bomb in the engine room (4 crew, 2 Marines, 7 troops killed). During the day, Luftwaffe aircraft strafe and bomb thousands of Allied troops waiting to evacuate in the cliffs above Sphakia. Destroyers HMS Kelvin, Kandahar, Napier & Nizam depart Alexandria in the morning for another evacuation run but Kandahar breaks down and Kelvin is damaged by a bomb (1 killed, 4 wounded). HMS Napier & Nizam can only embark 1510 troops at Sphakia overnight 30th-31st.

Iraqi government of Rashid Ali collapses. British forces reach the outskirts of Baghdad from Falluja in the West and 2 Indian brigades are advancing from the South. Rashid Ali, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and members of the National Defence Government flee to Persia and then on to Germany.

At 0.36 AM near Cape Verde Islands, U-106 sinks British MV Silveryew (1 killed, 50 crew and 3 gunners reach San Antonio, Cape Verde Islands). At 2.07 PM off Sierra Leone, U-38 sinks British SS Empire Protector (5 killed, 30 crew and 3 gunners picked up by Dutch steamer Arundo and landed at Freetown).