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Battle for Crete: the controversies

The Battle for Crete is the most contested event in New Zealand's military history. The nature of the battle, with its relatively clear sequence of events leading to the outcome, lends itself to disputation over who was responsible for the mistakes that allowed the Germans to gain control of the vital airfield at Maleme and to hold it against the subsequent counter-attack. During the first two days Creforce, with the great advantages provided by the foreknowledge of the invader's intentions given by ULTRA intelligence, had an opportunity to inflict a humiliating defeat on the Germans — the first they would have suffered on land during the Second World War. That this opportunity was not grasped greatly disappointed the British Prime Minster, Winston Churchill, and left many searching for a scapegoat, both then and since.

Recent New Zealand historians have tended to focus on the officers responsible for operations in the Maleme sector, especially Lieutenant-Colonel L.W. Andrew VC, the commander of 22 Battalion deployed in the crucial positions dominating the airfield, especially Hill 107. Andrew's decision to pull back off the hill during the night of 20–21 May opened the way for the Germans to occupy it without opposition on the morning of the 21st. Assuming incorrectly that two of his companies on the edge of the airfield had been overrun, he determined to pull back to occupy defensive positions before daylight, when the Luftwaffe would make such a manoeuvre too dangerous. This decision has been characterised by a New Zealand historian (Chris Pugsley) as a loss of nerve on the part of Andrew.

The commanders of the neighbouring battalions, 21 and 23, Lieutenant-Colonels Allen and Leckie respectively, have also been criticised for failing to carry out their pre-invasion orders to counter-attack immediately if the Germans secured a lodgement on the airfield. A failure to perceive the danger — signal rockets sent up by 22 Battalion were not seen — a degree of uncertainty in the pre-invasion orders, and the lack of drive exhibited by their superior ensured that neither battalion intervened to assist 22 Battalion. The suggestion by one historian (Tony Simpson) that Leckie had a nervous breakdown on the first morning, and that this accounts for 23 Battalion's failure to go to 22 Battalion's assistance, can however be discounted. Although Simpson's claim was based on the recollection of an officer of the battalion, several members of the battalion who were present have strongly denounced any suggestion that Leckie was incapacitated and have pointed to the orders he received from his superior, Brigadier James Hargest, 5 Brigade's commander.

Hargest has been heavily criticised by several recent historians of the battle, especially Laurie Barber and John Tonkin-Covell in their study of Freyberg as commander. His lethargy and lack of judgement during the first two days of the battle have placed the spotlight on the circumstances in which he came to be serving with 2NZEF, given that he had been found unfit for overseas service in 1939 and had secured his commission through his political connections as a member of Parliament. Hargest acquiesced in Andrew's plans to pull back from Hill 107 during the 20th — 'If you must, you must' — and led Leckie and Allen to believe that 22 Battalion was holding its own at Maleme without the need for assistance. The fact that he remained at his headquarters well removed from the scene of action has also been criticised.

Controversy also surrounds the actions of the temporary commander of 2 New Zealand Division, Brigadier Edward Puttick. His failure to order a counter-attack on the German concentration in the Prison Valley on the 20th was perhaps his biggest tactical error of the campaign. He was reluctant to commit his reserves because of a fear of a further paratroop landing (a danger somewhat alleviated once the German second wave went in at Retimo and Heraklion) but more especially by the perceived threat from the sea. He too did not take the situation in hand on the first day by ensuring a more aggressive response on Hargest's part.

Finally, the commander of Creforce, Major-General B.C. Freyberg, has also been the subject of considerable criticism, and as overall commander of the Allied forces on Crete must take responsibility for the failure. His performance was attacked at the time by several of his subordinates. Hargest, for example, (and ironically in light of his own deficiencies during the battle) complained to the New Zealand Prime Minister, Peter Fraser, that he did not 'keep control over the conduct of operations', failed to take his senior officers into his confidence and occasionally left doubts as to his intentions. Brigadier Inglis also raised doubts about Freyberg's conduct of the battle at a meeting with Churchill in London shortly after the battle. These contemporary criticisms have been echoed more recently by several British historians (Antony Beevor, Callum MacDonald) in light of revelations of the ULTRA intelligence available to Freyberg. They accuse him of muddled thinking and of making a key mistake on 21 May based on a misreading of an ULTRA signal, leading to the counter-attack by 28 and 20 Battalions being fatally delayed on his orders because of an expectation of an imminent seaborne attack. Freyberg made serious tactical errors in both his dispositions (especially in leaving the area west of the Tavronitis River unguarded) and his response to the invasion, but the ULTRA argument is too simplistic as an explanation for the failure of the crucial counter-attack. Even if the launching of that attack was indeed delayed by Freyberg because of a misreading of the signal in question, there can be no certainty that it would have succeeded if it had gone ahead at the earlier time planned, given that it was in two-battalion strength only and the Germans at the airfield had been reinforced by fresh troops the previous day.

Ian McGibbon

Day one, 20 May 1941:
The landings at Maleme Airfield

The attack on Maleme airfield was assigned to Group West under the command of General Eugen Meindle and started early in the morning with fighters and bombers of Richtofen's VIII Fliegerkorps hitting the airfield in two waves. Their attacks were concentrated on the exposed Bofors anti-aircraft guns, troops on the ground, and especially on Hill 107. This hill, overlooking the airfield (and now the location for the German war cemetery), was an important focus for the German airborne troops, many of whom would die there. At around 08:15 the airborne assault began, the first troops on the ground were the elite 1st Battalion of the Assault Regiment, who arrived by towed glider.

Glider borne troops were planned to land at the mouth of the Tavronitis river to attack the western edge of the airfield, a force under Major Koch (who would later receive a fatal stomach wound) would land and assault the south-western and north-eastern slopes of Hill 107, and Major Braun would land and lead his glider troops to capture the iron bridge over the river.

Although the gliders carrying this group landed where they were intended to, they were raked by small arms fire from the New Zealanders on the ground. Braun, the commander, was killed while still in his glider. The area around Maleme, in fact most of Crete, is covered in olive groves with low walls made of the sharp local rocks. This would have been a dreadful place to land a glider, or come down by parachute. The terrain made movement and force concentration difficult. It was also hot and dry, which would take its toll of both side. Anyone visiting the area today cannot help but wonder how anyone could have contemplated glider landings in that hilly, stony, olive tree covered countryside. No wonder so many died.

Behind the glider borne troops would come the paratroopers in their tri-motor JU52 transport aircraft. A number of problems are faced by paratroop forces; if they drop from too great a height they risk missing the aiming point for the drop; if they drop too low they risk their parachute failing to open; they are vulnerable to ground fire from defending forces if they are dropped over a defensive position; their main weapons are dropped separately in weapons containers as a man and all his equipment is too heavy for the parachute and he would fall too quickly.

At Maleme and Kastelli Kissamos the German paratroops were dropping against defensive positions, many were killed before they reached the ground, and many more were killed before they could retrieve their weapons from the weapons containers. Those who dropped over Kastelli led by Lieutenant Murbe were killed in large numbers by the 1st Greek Regiment, and the local villagers. Very few survived that drop. At 08:15 74 paratroops dropped on Kastelli, by 11:00 there were only 17 alive, and all were captured. The Cretan villagers proved that they would not stand by and see their island invaded without taking their own dreadful revenge. Although they had very few weapons, they fought with anything to hand. However, as a result the Germans would later raze villages to the ground, and murder hundreds of civilians as reprisals for their show of defiance.

The German intelligence staff under a Major Reinhardt had given General Student and his team an incorrect appreciation of the resistance the invasion would meet on Crete. On the evening before the battle they stated that the British garrison on Crete was no more than 5,000 strong, 400 of them at Iraklion and none at Rethymnon. All the New Zealanders and Australians, according to the intelligence brief, had been removed to Egypt and their were no Greek forces on the island. They were in for a surprise.

Generaloberst Kurt Student

The German assault had met a much sterner defense around Maleme than they had been led to expect. The German parachute training manual had been captured, without their knowledge, during their attack on Ypenbourg aerodrome in Holland, May 1940. This allowed British commanders to plan for defense against paratroop attacks. However, by mid morning groups to the west of the Tavronitis had started to link up with some of those on the slopes of Hill 107. At this point they should have been supported by the 3rd Battalion under Major Scherber, but the dropping plan for this group had had to be changed at the last moment. Their take-off from Greece had been delayed because of the dust clouds over the runways created by all the previous aircraft, and to avoid the possibility of their dropping over the sea at Maleme they were dropped in scattered groups over the hills to the south which were expected to be unoccupied.

One German pilot said of the dust; "The clouds of dust whipped up by the first take-offs blinded the other pilots, with the result that by the time the transports reached their destination, our fighters and bombers providing the air cover had to dash back to refuel."

In fact they were now dropped onto the New Zealand 21st and 23rd Battalions, who killed many of them as they hung from their parachutes. Scherber himself being killed before he reached the ground. The attack at this point was not going well. The intended pincer attack on the airfield would now have to become an assault from one direction only, the west bank of the Tavronitis.

By the late evening of the first day Student became aware that none of the airfields on Crete were in German hands, Groups Centre and East had both failed to take their objectives, and the whole attack was not going to plan. Of his commanders on the ground Sussman, Scherber, Koch, Braun and Plessen were dead, Meindl and Derpa were severely wounded. It was imperative that he should capture one of the landing fields and commit his mountain troops. Colonel Ramke was assigned the task of capturing Maleme, but for him to succeed Meindle must hold out until the relieving forces arrived. While Student could see failure looming before him General Freyberg could afford to be cautiously optimistic. He still held all three airfields and the ports at Suda and Heraklion. However his perception of his defensive position was based on his assumption that having released some of his reserves to Brigadiers Puttick and Hargest, that these commanders were using them to good effect. In fact both had been over cautious, and the effects of this were to be particularly serious around Maleme and the high point, Hill 107.

Colonel Andrew's repeated requests for assistance from Hargest were not afforded the urgency they required. At 17:00 he made a direct request to Hargest to let him know when he could expect a counter attack from 23rd Battalion. On being told by Hargest that this would not be forthcoming as the 23rd was "itself engaged against paratroops in it's own area" he decided he had to launch his own counter attack. Andrew attempted a counter attack on the Germans around Hill 107. With his force fragmented he had only a limited number of infantry he could send in with the tanks. They suffered severely from the German machine guns. Both of his tanks were lost in the attack, as well as most of his reserves. He then informed Hargest that he had no alternative but to withdraw, unless he received reinforcements quickly. Andrew's withdrawal abandoned his forces that were still fighting to the west of the airfield, those of Campbell and Johnson. Both groups were still full of fight and ready to hang on. When Campbell discovered that the Battalion had in fact withdrawn (he no longer had radio contact with them) he was shocked. He had confidently expected that there would be a counter attack, and that they would be a part of it. He now split the remnants of his Company into three, and told them to escape as best they could to the south. Johnson, on the coastal side of the airfield decided at first light on the 21st that the Battalion had withdrawn, and that he should now pull his men out. While two companies from two separate battalions were assigned to Andrew by Hargest they were so late in arriving that all initiative was lost. This apparent lack of understanding of the situation at Maleme, and the slow response of Hargest to the need to reinforce Andrew, effectively lost the airfield to the Germans the following day.

At the end of the 20th May the Germans around Maleme were in an exhausted state. They could not have withstood a determined counter attack by the New Zealand forces. Unfortunately Hargest and Puttick played a cautious hand, when movement and initiative were called for. Both these commanders operated from their Headquarters, without visiting the forward areas that were under pressure. If Hargest had gone to the forward Battalions instead of sending Captain Dawson, he may well have stopped the withdrawal of Andrew's 22nd Battalion. Maleme was central to Freyberg's defense plan, as well as to the German plan of invasion. Freyberg's plan called for strong counter attacks to prevent the seizure of the airfields. In the afternoon and evening of the 20th caution destroyed the plan, and Freyberg had failed to ensure that his subordinates aggressively deployed the reserves he had released to them.

Day two, 21 May 1941:
The capture of Maleme Airfield

The aircraft with the ammunition supply for the beleaguered paratroops landed at Maleme around 07:00 on the 21st. Although the flight had proved that it was possible to fly into Maleme, the decision was taken to consolidate the German position around the airfield before sending in any more troops. Ramke and the rest of his men made their landings in the late afternoon and early evening, and as with all the other drops and landings, many died before they had any chance to be effective. Ramke now had some 1800 men under his command, and anticipated more reinforcements from the sea. He hoped soon to go onto the offensive.

The price of Maleme: the wrecked German transports litter the airfield

Meanwhile, in Athens and Germany, politics and the needs of Barbarossa came together to see the active command of the invasion of Crete taken from General Student and given over to General Ringel. The slippage in the timetable for the successful taking of objectives on Crete, and the continued need for the involvement of the Luftwaffe were causing concern that they may impact the timetable for the invasion of Russia. It had always been a requirement that the invasion of Crete must not impact Barbarossa.

Freyberg needed to regain control of the airfield at Maleme if he was to be able to stop the German invasion. To do this he agreed to a very risky strategy. He would attack with only two battalions, at night, and one of these battalions, the 20th New Zealand (the other was the Maori 28th Battalion), had to come from the western side of Chania. The transport needed for this move would not be available until the New Zealanders were relieved by an Australian battalion coming from Georgioupoli, the New Zealanders would then take over the transport from the Australians. As this handover was not expected to happen until around midnight, it would be quite late before they could arrive for the planned attack. An additional problem was the start line for the assault. The forces currently in place around Maleme had German units on their right flank along the coastal area from Maleme to Platanias. This meant that the new forces would need to traverse an area held or covered by the Germans before they could come up with those units they were supporting.

Signal from Freyberg to Wavell, 22 May.
"The position at Heraklion is that the enemy appears to have penetrated the town but, as far as can be ascertained, the aerodrome holds. At Retimo we are still in a position to deny the enemy the use of the landing ground but the garrison is being attacked from the east. A successful counter-attack was carried out this morning. At Suda we are occupying a perimeter defence and are in fill possession of all our base organisation.

The position at Maleme is less secure. The enemy has made tremendous efforts to knock us out and I am bringing in help from Georgiopolis. Owing to severe bombing and heavy casualties one battalion withdrew from the defences in the immediate vicinity of Maleme aerodrome during the night of 20-21 May. Early in the day we still commanded the landing area with machine-gun, trench mortar, and artillery fire. However, at 9:15 a.m. the enemy dropped approximately 500 parachutists just west of the aerodrome, also another lot in the vicinity of the enemy's main concentration at the prison and on the road five miles south west of Canea. At 4:15 p.m. 500 parachutists dropped behind the aerodrome defences and our field guns were put out of action by air action. At 5 p.m. thirty planes landed on the aerodrome and others on the beaches. I am hoping to reinforce Maleme tonight bu the situation is now obscure and, I feel, perhaps precarious. Everybody here is determined to fight hard. Do all you can to damage the surface of the aerodrome."

Day three, 22 May 1941:
The Allied counter attack

The move of the 20th NZ did not go to plan. The Australian battalion had suffered air attacks and delay on their way to Chania, so the New Zealanders did not reach their start point for the attack until nearly 03:00. The Maoris had been at their start point for some 3 hours, and the slow movement of the Australians to hand over their transport to the New Zealanders would result in the attack going ahead with only two companies (C & D) of the 20th Battalion. While the hand over had been taking place in Chania between the two battalions, the flotilla of sea borne reinforcements for Van der Heydte at Maleme was intercepted and destroyed by the British fleet. Freyberg knew of this naval action, and now felt that his planned counter attack must succeed, in spite of the late arrival of the New Zealanders.

Freyberg's optimism following the destruction of the flotilla stemmed from his earlier incorrect interpretation of information from ULTRA regarding the aim of the flotillas, and his view of how the Germans would use their airborne and seaborne forces. He seems to have believed that the main attack would be a seaborne invasion, rather than an airborne invasion which would capture parts of the coast to allow reinforcement by sea. This difference in emphasis gave him the optimism mentioned above. After the war he said "We for our part were mostly preoccupied by seaborne landings, not by the threat of air landings". An interpretation which coloured later actions.

At 03:30 the attack went ahead. The 20th, under Brigadier Burrows, advanced on the seaward side of the road, and were tasked to clear the airfield, while the Maori Battalion (28th), under Colonel Dittmer, was to retake Hill 107. The attack was supported by three light tanks. The 20th met stiff resistance but did make slow progress. The Maoris on their left made better progress as many of the Germans they had expected to meet had earlier withdrawn to the north, and were now hindering the 20th in their advance. When the two forces of Burrow and Dittmer met it was starting to get light. They decided that C Company (of 20th) would go for the north of Pirgos village, while D Company would attack the eastern edge of the airfield. The Maoris would make their direct assault on Hill 107. The tanks would go pretty much through the centre towards Pirgos, unfortunately they were quickly disabled making the C Company advance into the village very difficult. Although the forces were advancing the failure of Hargest and Puttick to commit all available forces in the area to the attack was now causing the gains to be squandered. Dittmer tried to get Leckie and Andrews with their 23rd and 22nd Battalions to support him and Burrows. They declined, preferring to hold the ground they had. The counter attack had come to a halt. During the time that all this was going on Brigadier Hargest was signaling Division that he thought the Germans might be withdrawing! Despite bitter fighting, the advance of the 20th turned into a withdrawal. It would be a similar scenario for the 21st. Although they initially made good progress towards Hill 107, by the afternoon they were forced to withdraw to Vineyard Ridge.

At the same time as the Germans were fighting off the counter attack at Maleme, they were attacking strongly at Galatas, South West of Chania, and threatening to cut the Chania-Maleme coast road. The attacks came from forces under Colonel Heidrich as cover for some of his forces who were trying to make contact with those under Ramcke. These attacks met stiff opposition from poorly armed Greek forces. However, during 23rd May Heidrich's forces were able to join up with those on the coast road.

Win at a heavy cost; 7,000 of the 22,000 German soldiers engaged in battle at Crete were either killed or wounded

All through the day Ramcke's reinforcements were being flown into Maleme, despite the attack on the airfield. However, a large number of the transports were destroyed on the ground. With the strengthening of the German forces, General Ringel was flown into Maleme on the evening of the 22nd. Control of the Battle for Crete had now definitely moved from General Student, who had lost the confidence of the German High Command.

By early evening on the 22 May Freyberg had decided that he wanted a second counter attack to be made by 5 Brigade, who would be strengthened by two battalions from 4th Brigade. Circumstances would prevent this. Hargest, who had not yet visited his troops at the front was pessimistic about the chances of this second attack succeeding. Also, Puttick was less in favour of moving two battalions from 4th Brigade as he was concerned about German activity in Prison Valley and around Galatas. Freyberg allowed himself to be persuaded and 5th Brigade were pulled back from Maleme towards 4th Brigade. Ringel could now consolidate his hold on Maleme, and the Maleme/Chania coast road, and join up with the forces in the Galatas are. Freyberg had always said that control of the airfields was crucial to the control of Crete. By allowing the counter attack to go ahead without committing his troops in sufficient strength, and then canceling the second attack, he had allowed that control to go to the Germans. With the withdrawal of the 5th Brigade on the 23rd May, Maleme was now well and truly in German hands.

For an excellent account of the Battle from the German side
Click the link

Additional Sources:

http://www.crete-1941.org.uk
www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/4602/kreta.htm www.aerenlund.dk
www.explorecrete.com
www.standto.com
www.defence.gov.au
www.gebirgsjaeger.4mg.com
home.freeuk.com/johndillon
jodiecon.org
www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk
www.rickard.karoo.net
www.keele.ac.uk
www.brooksart.com

On this Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on May 27:
1332 Ibn Khaldun Tunis, Arab historian/sociologist (Muqaddimah)
1595 Benedictus Carpzovius [Benedikt Carpzov], German lawyer
1626 William II prince of Orange/stadholder
1652 Elisabeth C "Liselotte" van de Palts German/French duchess of Orleans
1738 Bonaventura Furlanetto composer
1756 Maximilian I Jozef King of Bavaria
1774 Francis Beaufort Admiral/hydrographer (Beaufort wind force scale)
1794 Cornelius Vanderbilt millionaire (B & O railroad)
1799 Jacques-François-Fromental-Elle Halevy [Elie Levy], composer
1806 Charles-Joseph Tolbecque composer
1815 Henry Parkes British journalist/premier of Australia
1818 Amelia Jenks Bloomer suffragette known for her pantaloons
1819 Julia Ward Howe US, author/lecturer (Battle Hymn of the Republic)
1822 Henry Wylde composer
1822 Josef Joachim Raff composer
1823 John Gray Foster Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1874
1836 Edwin Gray Lee Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1870
1836 Jay Gould US railroad executive, financier
1837 "Wild Bill" Hickok [James Butler] cowboy/scout
1837 Robert Frederick Hoke Major General (Confederate Army), died in 1912
1839 Luigi Capuana Sicilian author/critic (Roccaverdina)
1849 "Blind" Tom Bethune pianist/composer
1852 Billy Barnes cricketer (England all-rounder 1880-90)
1854 Georges Eekhoud Belgian writer (Jeune Belgium)
1861 Victoria E Matthews educator
1867 Arnold Bennett England, novelist/playwright/critic (Great Babylon)
1870 Lionel Palairet cricketer (elegant England bat in the Golden Age)
1871 Georges-Henri Rouault Fr expressionist painter (Miserere et Guerre)
1874 Dustin Farnum US, actor (Squaw Man, Virginian) [or 1870]
1874 Richard von Schaukal Austria poet/writer (Eros Thanatos)
1879 Lucile Watson actress (Great Lie, Watch on the Rhine, Let's Dance)
1881 Rudolf Pannwitz German writer
1884 Bax Brod composer
1887 Emiel van der Straeten Flemish playwright (Sudanese legends)
1887 Erich Kuttner German journalist/historian (Vorwärts)
1887 Frank Woolley cricketer (long-running England left-arm all-rounder)
1888 Louis Durey composer
1891 Claude Adonai Champagne composer
1892 Sara Heyblom Dutch actress (Pygmalion, Fietsen naar de Maan)
1894 Dashiell Hammett Maryland, author (Sam Spade, Maltese Falcon)
1894 Louis-Ferdinand Céline France, novelist (Journey to End of Night)
1895 Marij Kogoj composer
1897 John Douglas Cockroft English physicist (Radar, Nobel 1951)
19-- Isabel Lascurain México, singer
1902 Celius Dougherty composer
1906 Robert Shone director-general (NEDC)
1907 Felix de Nobel Dutch orchestra leader
1907 Rachel Louise Carson biologist/ecologist/writer (Silent Spring)
1908 Alex Brown snooker player
1908 Harold Rome composer (Fanny, Pins & Needles)
1908 Melle J Oldeboerrigter [Melle], Dutch painter/cartoonist
1909 Isador Goodman composer
1910 Daniel Greenway CEO (Daniel Greenway & Sons)
1911 Hubert Humphrey (Senator-D-MN) 38th Vice President (1965-69), 1969 Presidential candidate
1911 Torolf Elster Norwegian journalist/writer (Frihet och demokrati)
1911 Vincent Price St Louis MO, actor (House on Haunted Hill, The House of Usher, Pit and the Pendulum, Scream and Scream Again, The Fly)
1912 John Cheever writer (Wapshot Chronicle)
1912 Sam Snead Hot Springs VA, PGA golfer (Masters 1949, 52, 54/PGA-1963, 65, 67, 70, 72, 73)
1913 Arthur Mervyn Stockwood bishop (Southwark England)
1913 Wolfgang Schulze [Wols] German cartoonist/painter
1914 Hugh Le Caine composer
1914 Lord Erroll of Hale British minister
1914 Rose Stainton CEO (British Airways)
1915 Herman Wouk New York NY, novelist (Caine Mutiny, Winds of War)
1915 Mario del Monaco Italian opera singer (Verdi/Puccini)
1916 Norman Griggs Vice President (Building Society Association)
1918 Yasuhiro Nakasone Japanese PM (1982-87)
1919 Kam Fong Honolulu HI, actor (Hawaii Five-0)
1920 Michael Webster CEO (DRG)
1920 William Crawshay Lord-Lieutenant of Gwent
1921 Caryl Chessman kidnapper who got the death penalty (1960)
1921 Redd Stewart Ashland City TN, guitarist/pianist (Pee Wee King Show)
1922 Christopher Lee London England, actor (Hound of the Baskervilles)
1922 Sidney Keyes English poet (Iron Laurel)
1923 Henry Kissinger Secretary of State (1973-77)/Nobel Peace Prize (1973)
1923 Lord Freyberg British Colonel of General Staff
1925 John Moberly diplomat
1925 Mai Zetterling Sweden, actress (Only 2 Can Play, Quartet)
1926 Gordon Leggat cricketer (open batsman for New Zealand in 9 Tests 1953-56)
1927 Bryan Cowgill deputy chairman (Mirror Group)
1927 Jan Blokker Dutch writer/journalist (VPRO, People's Newspaper)
1928 Thea Musgrave Barnton Midlothian Scot, composer (Mary Queen of Scots)
1929 Donald Howard Keats composer
1930 Eino Tamberg composer
1930 John Barth novelist (The Sot-Weed Factor)
1930 Simon Barrington-Ward
1930 William S Sessions Arkansas, director of FBI
1931 Florence Sharples director (British YWCA)
1931 John Chapple British chief of General Staff
1931 Kenny Price Florence KY, country singer (Midwestern Hayride, Hee Haw)
1931 Veroslav Neumann composer
1932 Jeffrey Bernard singer
1934 Harlan [Jay] Ellison US, sci-fi author (7 Hugos, Doomsman, Babylon 5)
1935 Elias Gistelinck Flemish composer
1935 Lee Meriwether Los Angeles CA, Miss America (Time Tunnel, Barnaby Jones)
1935 Ramsey Lewis Chicago IL, pop jazz artist (Hang on Sloopy)
1936 Benjamin Bathurst vice chief of British Defense Staff
1936 Eric Anderson headmaster (Eton)
1936 Lord Holme president British Liberal Party
1936 Louis Gossett Jr Brooklyn NY, actor (An Officer & a Gentleman, The Deep)
1939 Don Williams Floydada TX, country singer (I Believe in You)
1939 Earl Cairns CEO (S G Warburg & Co)
1939 Jerry Mercer Montréal Canada, rock drummer (April Wine-Just Between You and Me)
1940 Rene Koering composer
1941 Adriaan Venema Dutch journalist/author (Mussert)
1941 Allan Carr Chicago IL, director (Grease, Happiest Millionaire)
1941 Davina Phillips actress
1942 Kent Bede Bernard Trinidad, 4X400 runner (Olympics-bronze-1964)
1942 Priscilla Anne McLean composer
1942 Roger Freeman British minister of transport
1943 Bruce Weitz Norwalk CT, actor (Hill St Blues, Death of a Centerfold)
1943 Cilla Black Liverpool England, rock vocalist (You're My World)
1944 Christopher J Dodd (Governor/Senator-D-CT, 1981- )
1945 Bruce Cockburn Ottawa Canada, folk rock vocalist (Waterwalker)
1947 Liana Alexandra composer
1947 Peter DeFazio (Representative-D-OR)
1947 Robert Reinacher Jr horse trainer
1948 Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Volkov cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-8, T-14, TM-7)
1948 Anna E "Annelies" Balhan Dutch revue-artist/actress (Sweet Chairty)
1948 Pete Sears bassist (Jefferson Starship)
1951 Beau Kazer Toronto Ontario Canada, actor (Brock-Young and Restless)
1951 John Conteh boxer
1951 Norma Jean Almodovar Binghampton, auto-biographer (Cop to Call Girl)
1954 Catherine Carr US breaststroke swimmer (Olympics-2 gold-1972)
1955 Bill Malley Oakland CA, Nike golfer (1991 El Paso Open-30th)
1955 Graeme "Jock" Edwards cricketer (beefy New Zealand lefty batsman late 70's)
1956 Lisa Niemi Houston TX, actress (Dirty Dancing, Will Rodgers Follies)
1956 Nick Lowery NFL kicker (New York Jets)
1956 Steve Pagano horse trainer
1957 Bruce Furniss US swimmer (Olympics-2 gold-1976)
1957 Duncan Goodhew swimmer
1957 Siouxsie Sioux [Janet Susan Dallion] Kent England, punk rock vocalist (Siouxsie & the Bandshee-Wild Thing)
1958 Linnea Quigley Davenport IA, actress (Night of the Demons, Virgin High)
1958 Neil Finn rocker (Split Enz-I Got You, Crowded House)
1960 Ray Armsetad Kirksville MO, 4X400 runner (Olympics-gold-1984)
1960 Vinodhan John cricket pace bowler (Sri Lankan in 6 Tests 1983-84)
1961 Cathy Silvers New York NY, actress (Jenny-Happy Days, Foley Square)
1961 Jill Sterkel US swimmer (Olympics-bronze-1976, 84, 88)
1961 John Lugbill Wauseon OH, US canoist/kayaker (Olympics-92)
1961 Peri Gilpin Waco TX, actor (Roz Doyle-Frasier)
1962 Mariangela D'Abbraccio Naples Italy, TV actress (Passioni)
1962 Meg Parsont personality (David Letterman Show)
1962 Ravi Shastri cricketer (Indian SLA all-rounder 1981-92)
1962 Ray Borner Australian basketball center (Olympics-1984, 88, 92, 96)
1965 Jacob Brumfield Bogalusa LA, outfielder (Toronto Blue Jays)
1965 Pat Cash Australia, tennis player (Wimbledon 1987)
1965 Todd Bridges San Fransisco CA, actor (Diff'rent Strokes, Fish)
1966 Eric Leckner NBA center (Detroit Pistons)
1966 John Jaha Portland OR, infielder (Milwaukee Brewers)
1966 Ray Sheppard Pembroke, NHL right wing (Florida Panthers)
1966 Sean Kinney US rock drummer (Alice in Chains-We Die Young)
1967 Chin Yang jockey
1967 Doug West NBA guard (Minnesota Timberwolves)
1967 George McCloud NBA forward/guard (Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns)
1967 Paul Gascoigne soccer player
1967 Ruthie Bolton Holifield WNBA guard (Sacramento Monarchs/Olympics-gold-96)
1968 Cedric Smith NFL running back (Washington Redskins, Arizona Cardinals)
1968 Frank Thomas "Big Hurt", 1st baseman (Chicago White Sox, 1993 MVP)
1968 Jeff Bagwell Boston MA, infielder (Houston Astros)
1968 John Connelly Toledo OH, Nike golfer (1991 New Hampshire Open)
1969 Chip Beake WLAF administrative assistant (Barcelona Dragons)
1969 Dondré T Whitfield Brooklyn NY, actor (Another World, All My Children)
1969 François Letourneau St Jerome Québec, canoeist (Olympics-96)
1969 Lesley Tashlin Toronto Ontario, 100 meter hurdler (Olympics-96)
1969 Todd Hundley Martinsville VA, catcher (New York Mets)
1969 Travis Williams NBA forward (Charlotte Hornets)
1970 Liz Earley St Catharines Ontario, LPGA golfer (1995 Thailand Open)
1970 Michael Blackburn Australian laser yachter (Olympics-96)
1970 Todd Collins linebacker (New England Patriots)
1971 Corey Beck NBA guard (Charlotte Hornets)
1971 Ferdino Hernandez soccer player (FC Utrecht)
1971 Monika Schnarre Toronto Ontario Canada, actress (Ivana-Bold & Beautiful)
1971 Scott Szeredy NFL/WLAF kicker/punter (Chiefs, Barcelona Dragons)
1972 Antonio Freeman NFL wide reciever (Green Bay Packers-Superbowl 31)
1972 Karen Hecox US 1500 meter runner
1972 Troy Sienkiewicz NFL tackle/guard (San Diego Chargers)
1974 Danny Wuerffel NFL quarterback (New Orleans Saints)
1976 Darrell Russell defensive tackle (Oakland Raiders)
1976 Richard Park Seoul Kor, NHL center (Pittsburgh Penguins)
1980 Jessica Deglau Vancouver British Columbia, 200 meter butterfly (Olympics-96)

Deaths which occurred on May 27:
0866 Ordoño I King of Asturia (850-66), dies
0927 Symeon czar of Bulgaria ( -927)
1039 Dirk III Hierosolymita Count of Holland, dies
1178 Godfried van Rhenen bishop of Utrecht, dies
1508 Ludovico Sforza [il Moro] Italian duke of Milan, dies at 55
1525 Thomas Münzer German vicar/boer leader, executed
1541 Margaretha duchess of Salisbury, beheaded
1549 Lijsbeth Dirksdr Fries antabaptist, drowns
1564 Jean Caulvin [John Calvin] priest/church reformer, dies at 54
1569 François de Coligny French general (Jarnac), dies
1576 Louis de Boisot Dutch Admiral, drowns at about 44
1580 Jonker Barthold Entens van Mentheda until Middelstum dies
1596 Tibaldi II Italian painter/sculptor/architect, dies
1627 Everhardus van Bronchorst lawyer, dies at 73
1638 Nicolas Forme composer, dies at 71
1647 Achsah Young becomes 1st woman known to be executed as a witch (Massachusetts)
1652 Jacques Huyn composer, dies at 39
1661 Archibald Campbell Scottish politician, beheaded at about 53
1690 Giovanni Legrenzi Italian composer, dies at 63
1708 Jacques Danican Philidor composer, dies at 51
1768 Johann M Fleischmann German/Dutch stamp/letter designer, dies
1790 Jeremiah Carlton laziest man in history, heir to a large fortune at 19 went to bed & stayed there for next 70 years, dies at 89
1797 François-Noal "Gracchus" Babeuf French utopian socialist, dies at 36
1840 Niccolò Paganini composer/violinist, dies at 57
1855 Nikolaj A Bestoezjev Russian writer/painter (Account of Holland), dies
1863 Edward Payson Chapin Union Brigadier General, dies at 31
1876 Joseph Bosworth lexicographer/scholar, dies
1878 Carlo Marsili composer, dies at 49
1887 Coenraad J van Houten Dutch cocoa manufacturer, dies at 86
1896 Allard Pierson theologist/philosopher/art historian/poet, dies
1902 Jan van Droogenbroeck Flemish poet, dies
1910 Robert Koch German bacteriologist (TB, Cholera, Nobel), dies
1914 Joseph Wilson Swan physicist/chemist, dies
1916 Joseph S Galliéni General/Military Governor of Paris, dies
1918 Henry Adams US literature historian (Esther), dies at 80
1925 Ed McKeever president (Brooklyn Dodgers), dies of pneumonia
1934 Meijer Linnewiel [Professor Kokadorus] Amsterdam street hawker, dies
1939 Joseph Roth Austria, journalist (Fluctuate ohne Ende), dies at 44
1941 AH Borgesius tutor/experimentator/amateur astronomer, dies at 76
1941 Günther Lütjens German Admiral (Bismarck), dies
1949 Ropert L Ripley cartoonist (Believe It or Not), dies at 55 in New York
1951 Thomas Blamey soldier, dies
1954 Herzmanovsky-Orlando writer, dies
1958 Ainslie Pryor actor (Adventures of Hiram Holiday), dies at 46
1958 Samuel Stritch US cardinal/archbishop (Chicago), dies
1960 Edward Brophy actor (Champ, Dumbo, Great Guy), dies at 65
1960 George Zucco actor (Fog Island, Black Raven, Desire Me), dies at 74
1963 Lambrakis Greek EDA-parliament leader, murdered
1964 Jawaharial Nehru Independent India's 1st PM, dies at 74
1968 Little Willie John rocker, dies at 30
1969 Jeffrey Hunter actor (Christopher Pike-Star Trek Cage), dies at 43
1970 Emmy van Lokhorst author, dies at 78
1971 Chips Rafferty actor (Kona Coast, Walk into Hell), dies at 62
1975 Ezzard Charles heavyweight boxing champion (1949-51), dies in Chicago at 53
1976 Ruth McDevitt actress (Jo-All in the Family), dies at 80
1982 Jo Lagrillière [Joke] Flemish cartoon character, dies at 47
1983 Arnoldus Christian Vlok van Wyk composer, dies at 67
1985 Kay Campbell actress (All My Children), dies at 80
1986 Gaston Duribreux Flemish writer (Sour Dove), dies at 82
1988 Florida Friebus actress (Bob Newhart Show), dies of a stroke at 79
1988 Melvin J "Cy" Oliver US jazz composer/orchestra leader, dies at 77
1988 Renato Salvatori actor (Burn, Luna, 2 Women), dies
1989 Jack Starrett director/actor (Chase, Nightwish, 1st Blood), dies
1991 Ed Dodd cartoonist (Mark Trail), dies at 88
1992 Daniël Robberechts Belgian writer (Aankomen in Avignon), dies at 55
1992 Glen White dancer/actor (Graft, Camille), dies of AIDS at 42
1992 John Myhers director/actor (Billion Dollar Hobo), dies at 70
1992 Tony "Big Tuna" Accardo mobster (St Valentines Day), dies at 86
1993 Jan Wiley actress (Underdog, Brute Man, She Wolf of London), dies
1993 Willem P G Assmann Dutch MP, dies at 85
1994 Norman Cook British museum curator, dies at 87
1994 Red Rodney [Albino Red/The Red Arrow] bebop-trumpeter, dies at 66
1994 Theo Swagemakers portrait painter, dies at 95
1995 C W Stubblefield music Promoter, dies at 64
1995 Ulyses Simpson Kay composer, dies at 78
1996 Albert "Pud" Brown clarinetist/saxophonist, dies at 79
1996 Ivan Sutton concert Promotoer, dies at 82
1996 Jack Massey groundsman, dies at 85

Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1965 LYNN DOYLE W. ALIQUIPPA PA.
{AA HIT CRASH TARGET AREA NO PARA}
1966 MONAHAN ROBERT W.
{01/01/67 RELEASED}
1966 SCALES THOMAS R.
{01/01/67 RELEASED REFNO 0347 DECEASED}
1967 BLACKWOOD GORDON B. PALO VERDE CA.
{PROB DEAD---REMAINS RETURNED ID 11/20/89}
1970 LEE GLEN H. HONOLULU HI.
{REMAINS ID'D 8/23/94, DPMO SP GLENN}
1971 KNUCKEY THOMAS W. WHARTON NJ.
{REMAINS IDENTIFIED 02 AUG 93}
1971 TAYLOR PHILLIP C. GRAND ISLAND NY.
{REMAINS IDENTIFIED 02 AUG 93}
1972 LATENDRESSE THOMAS B. YAKIMA WA.
{03/28/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98}

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

On this day...
1281 Flemish Earl Gwijde Dampierre takes financial responsibility of Brugge
1328 French king Philip VI Valois crowned
1529 30 Jews of Posing Hungary, charged with blood ritual, burned at stake
1660 Denmark & Sweden sign ceasefire
1679 Habeaus Corpus Act (no false arrest & imprisonment) passes in UK
1689 Anthonie Heinsius succeeds G Fagel as pension advisor of Holland
1703 St Petersburg (Leningrad) founded by Peter the Great
1738 Turkish troops occupy Orsova & Ochakov
1796 James S McLean patents his piano
1813 Americans capture Fort George, Canada
1844 Samuel F.B. Morse completes 1st telegraph line
1850 Mormon Temple in Nauvoo IL destroyed by tornado
1854 Marine Telegraph from Fort Point to San Fransisco completed
1856 Doctor William Palmer found guilty of poisoning
1862 Battle of Hanover Court House VA (Slash Church, Peake's Station)
1863 CSS Chattahoochie explodes on Chattahoochie River GA, 18 die
1863 Siege of Port Hudson LA
1864 Skirmish at Salem Church (Haw's Shop) VA
1873 1st Preakness Stakes won by Survivor (2:43)
1878 6th Preakness: C Holloway aboard Duke of Magenta wins in 2:41.75
1878 Australia Cricket 41 & 12-1 defeat MCC 33 & 19
1881 9th Preakness: T Costello aboard Saunterer wins in 2:40½
1882 10th Preakness: T Costello aboard Vanguard wins in 2:44½
1883 Czar Alexander III crowned in Moscow
1893 Audath Yisroel forms at Kattowitz (Katowice) Poland
1895 British inventor Birt Acres patents film camera/projector
1896 1st major tornado to strike urban US (St Louis & E St Louis MO); killing 255 & leaving thousands homeless
1896 Bay District Race Track closes
1898 Arthur Pinero's "Trelawney of the 'Wells'" premieres in London
1900 Lord Roberts' army fights the Vaal in South Africa
1902 27th Preakness: L Jackson aboard Old England wins in 1:45.8
1903 37th Belmont Stakes: John Bullman aboard Africander wins in 2:21.75
1903 Queen Wilhelmina opens Berlages Merchants bureau in Amsterdam
1904 National League record of 5 stolen bases in a game (Dennis McGann, New York Giants)
1905 30th Preakness: W Davis aboard Cairngore wins in 1:45.8
1905 Japanese fleet destroys Russian East Sea fleet in Straits of Tushima
1906 1st outlining of Gustav Mahler's 6th symphony, in Essen
1907 Bubonic Plague breaks out in San Fransisco
1916 Groundbreaking begins on Hugh Grant Circle in the Bronx
1917 Race riot in East St Louis IL, 1 black killed
1918 Battle of Aisne
1919 1st transatlantic flight ends; US Navy flying boat takes 11 days
1919 Charles Strite patents pop-up toaster
1920 Tatar ASSR is established in Russian SFSR
1921 After 84 years of British control, Afghánistán achieves sovereignty
1927 Japanese military intervention in Chinese civil war
1927 Thomas Masaryk elected Czechoslovakian president
1929 2nd Ryder Cup: Britain-Ireland, 7-5 at Moortown, England
1930 Richard Drew invents masking tape
1931 1st full scale wind tunnel for testing airplanes, Langley Field VA
1931 Piccard & Knipfer make 1st flight into stratosphere, by balloon; 1st use of pressurized cabin in a balloon
1933 Austrian communist party banned
1933 Century of Progress Exposition opens in Chicago
1933 Federal Securities Act signed
1933 Trailing 11-3, Yankees score 12 runs in 8th & beat White Sox 15-11
1933 Walt Disney's "3 Little Pigs" released
1935 Supreme Court declares FDR's National Recovery Act unconstitutional
1936 RMS Queen Mary leaves Southampton for New York on maiden voyage
1937 Carl Hubbell wins his 24th consecutive game (since July 17, 1936)
1937 Golden Gate Bridge, San Fransisco, dedicated
1938 Bradman scores his 1000th cricket run of England season, earliest to do so
1940 British & French begin evacuation of Dunkirk (Operation Dynamo)
1941 Allied troops begin evacuating Kreta
1941 FDR proclaimes an "unlimited national emergency" due to Germany's sinking of Robin Moor
1941 German battleship Bismarck sunk by British naval force
1942 Dorie Miller, awarded navy cross for deeds at Pearl Harbor
1942 Hitler orders 10,000 Czechoslovakians murdered
1942 Italian army begin siege of French western Fort Bir Hachim
1942 Top German Nazi Reinhard Heydrich is shot & mortally wounded in Prague
1943 French defiance under Jean Moulin meets secretly in Paris
1943 US forbids racial discrimination in war industry
1944 Allies land on Biak, Indonesia (operation Horlicks)
1944 Japanese advance in Hangkhou China
1944 Jean-Paul Sartre's "Huis Clos" premieres in Paris France
1948 Arabs blow up Jewish synagogue Hurvat Rabbi Yehudah he-Hasid
1948 Hank Greenberg buys an interest in the Cleveland Indians
1949 Indians start 12-17, owner Bill Veeck arranges a "Second Opening Day"
1949 Martin Canine, cartoon character, spoofs Martin Kane
1949 Russian stop train traffic West-Berlin
1950 "Arms & the Girl" closes at 46th St Theater NYC after 134 performances
1950 Bollingen Prize for poetry awarded to Wallace Stevens
1951 Chinese Communists force Dalai Lama to surrender his army to Beijing
1951 Maritime Museum at Aquatic Park, San Fransisco opens
1952 European Defense Community forms
1953 Dutch social democratic/Dutch Liberal Party win municipal elections
1955 Boston Red Sox Norm Zauchin gets 10 RBIs, beating Senators 16-0
1955 Red Buttons Show, last airs on NBC-TV
1956 French raid in Algiers
1956 US performs nuclear test at Enwetak (atmospheric tests)
1958 Ernest Green & 600 whites graduate from Little Rock's Central HS
1958 Vanguard SLV-1 launched for Earth orbit (failed)
1960 Baltimore manager Paul Richards devises oversized catcher's mitt (used by Clint Courtney)
1960 Military coup overthrows democratic government of Turkey
1961 1st black light is sold
1961 Fiorentina wins 1st Europe Cup II in Florence
1961 President Kennedy announces US goal to reach the Moon
1961 Ralph Boston of the US, sets then long jump record at 27' ½"
1962 Ruth Jessen wins LPGA Dallas Civitan Golf Open
1963 3 New Jersey businessmen purchase the NHL Colorado Rockies, & get approval to move them to the New Jersey Meadowlands (Devils)
1963 Jomo Kenyatta elected 1st prime minister of Kenya
1964 "From Russia With Love" premieres in US
1964 Inter Milan wins 9th Europe Cup 1 in Vienna
1965 Inter Milan wins 10th Europe Cup 1 in Milan
1966 55th German F-16 Starfighter crashes
1966 6 French fighters crash above Spain
1967 "Sherry!" closes at Alvin Theater NYC after 65 performances
1968 6th Mayor's Trophy Game, Mets beat Yankees 4-3
1968 National League awards Montréal & San Diego major league franchises
1968 Nuclear submarine Scorpion is lost
1969 Jerry Lewis Show second run, last airs on NBC-TV
1969 Walt Disney World construction begins
1970 British expedition climbs south face of Annapurna I
1970 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk USSR
1971 23rd Walker Cup: Great Britain/Ireland 13-United States 11
1971 UCLA wins NCAA basketball championship
1972 "Applause" closes at Palace Theater NYC after 900 performances
1972 "Jimmy Castor Bunch's Troglodyte" (Cave Man) hits #6
1973 Rick Wohlhuter runs record 880 yards in 1:44.6
1974 Pirates Ken Brett no-hits Padres until 9th inning
1975 Paul McCartney releases "Venus & Mars"
1975 Stanley Cup: Philadelphia Flyers beat Buffalo Sabres, 4 games to 2
1975 Worst motor vehicle disaster in UK; bus full of elderly women plunges from Dibble's Bridge Yorkshire, killing 38
1976 "Something's Afoot" opens at Lyceum Theater NYC for 61 performances
1977 2 Boeing 747s by Pan Am & KLM collide in Canary Islands, killing 582
1977 NYC fines George Willig 1¢ for each of 110 stories of the World Trade Center he climbed
1979 Penny Pulz wins LPGA Corning Golf Classic
1979 Pope John Paul ordains John J O'Conner as a bishop
1980 South Korean police ends people's uprising; 2,000 killed
1981 John Hinckley attempts suicide by overdosing on Tylenol
1981 Lenny Randle tries to blow a slow roller foul but the umpire says no
1981 Liverpool wins 26th Europe Cup 1 at Paris France
1981 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk USSR
1982 "Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?" opens at Alvin NYC for 5 performances
1982 John McMullen buys NHL Colorodo Rockies & gets approval to move to New Jersey
1983 Former EPA official Rita Lavelle indicted for contempt of Congress
1984 Beth Henley's "Miss Firecracker Contest" premieres in NYC
1984 Joanne Carner wins LPGA Corning Golf Classic
1984 Manuela Manleeva wins 3 singles tennis matches in one day
1985 Britain agrees to return Hong Kong to China in 1997
1985 Inaugural bands parade for President Reagan
1986 France performs nuclear test at Muruora Island
1986 Norway Showcase groundbreaking
1986 President Reagan orderes 2 Poseidon-class submarines be dismantled
1987 Jim & Tammy Bakker appear on "Nightline" after PTL scandal
1987 Postage wins 32nd Europe Cup 1 in Vienna
1987 Yankee Phil Niekro is 3rd pitcher to make 700th start (Young & Sutton)
1988 Senate ratified a treaty eliminating medium-range nuclear missiles
1990 74th Indianapolis 500 runs; Arie Luyendyk wins with an average speed of 185.981 mph
1990 César Gaviria Trujillo chosen President of Colombia
1990 Jan Stephenson wins J C Penney LPGA Golf Skins Game
1990 Pat Bradley wins LPGA Corning Golf Classic
1990 Radical Democratic Party holds 1st political meetings in Moscow
1991 Austrian Boeing 767-300 explodes at Bangkok, 223 die
1993 Dale Murphy ends carreer at 398 homeruns
1993 Mafia bombs Uffizi-museum in Florence, kills 6
1994 Alexander Solzhenitsyn returned to Russia after 20 years in exile
1994 Final broadcast of Arsenio Hall talk show
1994 Flintstones live action movie opens in theaters
1994 Larry King ended his radio show
1994 Radio conservative Rush Limbaugh (43) weds Marta Fitzgerald (35)
1997 1st all female (20 British women) team reaches North Pole
1997 Judge finds Pamela Lee not guilty of breaking a contract
1997 Major league revenue sharing begins, New York Yankees pay out most $28 million
1997 Marv Albert pleads innocent to charges of sexually assault
1997 Russian President Boris Yeltsin signs a historic treaty with NATO

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Afghánistán : Independence Day (1921)
Nicaragua : Army Day
Nigeria : Children's Day
Turkey : Freedom & Constitution Day (1960, 1961)
US : Memorial Day/Decoration Day, a legal holiday (1868) - - - - - ( Monday )
Virginia : Confederate Memorial Day (1868) - - - - - ( Monday )

Religious Observances
old Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St John I, pope, martyr
old Roman Catholic : Feast of St Bede the Venerable, doctor, writer
Lutheran : Commemoration of John Calvin, renewer of the church

Religious History
1664 Colonial theologian Increase Mather, 24, was installed as minister of Boston's Second (Congregational) Church. He remained there until his death in 1723.
1799 Birth of George Washington Doane, American Episcopal clergyman. One of the foremost promoters of Episcopal missions in his day, Doane also authored many hymns, including "Fling Out the Banner! Let It Float" and "Softly Now the Light of Day."
1917 Benedict XV promulgated the "Codex iuris canonici." Divided into five books and 2,414 regulations, the CIC was the first revision of canon law in the Catholic church in modern times, and went into effect at Pentecost the following year.
1924 The General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, meeting at Springfield, Maryland, repealed its ban on dancing and theater attendance.
1927 Birth of Ralph Carmichael, a popular sacred composer whose works flourished most during the 1960s-1970s. Among his oftªsung arrangements are "The Savior is Waiting" and "He's Everything to Me."

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

Thought for the day :
"When forced to choose between two evils, try the new one."

Air Power
Junkers JU-87 "Stuka"

The reputation of the Junkers Ju 87 as a weapon of war was made in the early days of World War II, when this dive-bomber was used in the Polish campaign, following up its success there with operations across Europe. The Stuka, as it became known universally (from Sturzkampfflugzeug, or dive-bomber), was considered by the Luftwaffe to he virtually invincible, but this was true only after air superiority had been gained. During the Battle of Britain in 1940 the RAF rapidly disproved the myth and the Stukas were so severely mauled by Hurricanes and Spitfires, that they were eventually withdrawn from operations over Western Europe. Junkers began construction of three prototypes of the Ju 87 in 1934 and a specification was issued around it. Ironically, in view of later events, a 640 hp (477 kW) Rolls-Royce Kestrel engine powered the first aircraft. Square twin fins and rudders proved too weak and during dive testing in 1935 they collapsed and the aircraft crashed.

The second prototype had a redesigned single fin and rudder and a 610 hp (455 kW) Junkers Jumo 210A engine. It was soon joined by a third prototype with further modifications, and official evaluation took place in 1936 against three competitive aircraft, the Arado Ar 81, Hamburger Ha 137 and Heinkel He 118. Orders were placed with Junkers and Heinkel for 10 aircraft each, the other two types being eliminated.

The pre-production batch of Ju 87A-0 aircraft had 640 hp (477 kW) Jumo 210Ca engines and changes to facilitate production, these being followed by Ju 87A-1 initial production aircraft which began to replace Hs 123 biplanes in the spring of 1937, and three aircraft were tested under operational conditions by the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War. The Ju 87A-2 was the next production model, with a 680 hp (507 kW) Jumo 210Da engine with supercharger, but this remained in production and service for only about six months before a major redesign was undertaken with the seventh prototype and Ju 87B-0 pre-production series. The new model was the Ju 87B-1 with considerably more power, its Jumo 211Da giving 1,200 hp (895 kW), while the fuselage and landing gear were completely redesigned. Large, streamlined spats replaced the earlier model's trousered main landing gear units and the fin and rudder were enlarged. Again tested in Spain, the new variant proved its abilities, and the production rate was stepped up by in mid-1939 to 60 per month and as a result, on the outbreak of World War 11 the Luftwaffe had 336 Ju 87B-ls on strength.

The Ju 87B-2 which followed had a number of detailed improvements and was built in several variants including ski-equipped versions and, at the other extreme, with tropical operation kit as the Ju 87B- 2/Trop. Italy received a number of Ju 87B-2s and named the type Picchliatello, while others went to Axis countries, including Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania. A long-range anti-shipping version of the Ju 87B series appeared as the Ju 87R type, variants from Ju 87R-1 to Ju 87RA all having detail differences but a common main armament of one 551 lbs (250 kg) bomb with Dienartstab attachment and provision for underwing drop tanks. A pre-production batch (Ju 87C-0) of a navalised version, the Ju 87C-1, was built for operation from the aircraft-carrier Graf Zeppelin, but the ship was not completed and the aircraft were converted back to Ju 87B standard.

Although the Stukas had suffered severe losses at the hands of the RAF, the Luftwaffe had no immediate replacement available and development continued, the next production model being the Ju 87D-1 with the new 1,410 hp (1051 kW) Jumo 211J-1 engine. Considerable changes were made in the aircraft's appearance and armour was increased, probably the most popular improvement. Production of this version began in 1941 and deliveries during that year totalled 476, with 917 in 1942. The type was deployed extensively in the Middle East and on the Eastern Front, and in the former area was even used as a glider tug under the designation Ju 87D-2. The Ju 87D-3 had extra armour protection for the ground-attack role, and an odd experimental version of the Ju 87D-3 had a pod above each wing, both capable of carrying two persons and intended to be used to drop agents behind enemy lines. The pods were designed to be released in a shallow dive and to descend by parachute, but the point of this is obscure and it is not known if flight trials and release ever took place. The designation Ju 87D-4 applied to a torpedo-bomber version. The Ju 87D-5 had the outer wing panels extended to give a span of 49 ft 2 1/2 in (15.00 m), the increase being necessary to cope with the heavier loads that were being carried. Dive brakes were omitted as the variant was intended only for ground-attack.

The Ju 87s in use on the Eastern Front were, by 1943, being severely mauled by the Red Air Force during daytime operations. A night assault version, also without dive brakes, was developed as the Ju 87D-7 with flame-damped exhausts two wing-mounted 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon and night-flying equipment. The Ju 87D-8 final production version was a similar but simplified aircraft. A final operational version should he mentioned, the Ju 87G-1, which was a conversion of the Ju 87D-5 for tank-busting operations with a 37 mm cannon beneath each wing. For a while this version enjoyed considerable success on the Eastern Front, but when Soviet fighters could be spared for deployment against the type its low speed and poor manoeuvrability with the heavy cannon made it extremely vulnerable. The Ju 87H series were trainers, produced by conversion of Ju 87D airframes.

The final production figure for all models of the Ju 87 was in excess of 5,700, with most of these being built after 1940, when the RAF had already shown the type to be very vulnerable without adequate fighter cover. It can only be assumed that the type continued in production for so long because no suitable replacement was forthcoming.

Specifications:
Type: Two Seat Dive Bomber & Attack Aircraft
Design: Chief Engineer Hermann Pohlmann of Junkers Flugzeug und Motorwerke AG
Manufacturer: Junkers Flugzeug und Motorwerke AG in Dressau until 1939 when the plant moved to Weser Flugzeugbau at the Berlin-Tempelhop airport with components from SNCASO in France

Powerplant:
(B-Series) One 1,200 hp (895 kW) Junkers Jumo 211Da 12-cylinder inverted Vee piston engine.
(D & G-Series) One 1,410 hp (1051 kW) Junkers Jumo 211J-1 12-cylinder inverted Vee piston engine.
(D-7/D-8) One 1,500 hp (1119 kW) Junkers Jumo 211P 12-cylinder inverted Vee piston engine.

Performance:
Maximum speed: 255 mph (410 km/h) at 12,600 ft (3840 m)
cruising speed: 199 mph (320 km/h) at 16,700 ft (5090 m)
service ceiling: 23,915 ft (7290 m)
Range: 954 miles (1535 km) on internal fuel

Dimensions:
Span: 45 ft 3 1/2 in (13.80 m)
length: 37 ft 8 3/4 in (11.50 m)
height: 12 ft 9 1/2 in (3.90 m)
wing area: 343.38 sq ft (31.90 sq m)
Weights: Empty equipped 8,598 lbs (3900 kg) with a maximum take-off weight of 14,550 lbs (6600 kg).

Avionics:
Revi 16B Gunsight
FuG 125 Navigation equipment (H-1/R-11 Only)
LGW-Siemens K 23 Autopilot
FuG 16ZY Radio Transmitter/reciever
BSK 16 Gun Camera

Armaments:
Two Rheinmetall 7.92 mm (0.31 in) forward-firing MG 17 machine guns in wings
Twin 7.92 mm (0.31 in) Mauser MG 81Z machine-guns on GSL-K 81 mounts in rear cockpit,
Maximum bombload of one 3,968 lbs (1800 kg) bomb beneath fuselage,

Alternative loads beneath fuselage and wings, included
anti-personnel bombs. (D-7)
two 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons in the wings (G-1)
two 37 mm BK 3,7 (Flak 18 or Flak 36) cannons in containers below the wings (D-4)
two weapon containers below the wings each containing six 7.92 mm (0.31 in) MG 81 machine guns.

Junkers Ju 87 Stuka in flight

Junkers Ju 87 Stuka on an airfield
Junkers Ju 87 Stuka's in formation

All photos Copyright:
Frans Bonnè
214th Squadron