Diary May 15, 1941

Matilda tank Operation Brevity
Pictured from a British trench: Matilda II tanks are moving forward against positions of the Afrika Korps during Operation Brevity.
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 refuelling on Syrian airfields (Vichy France) en route to Iraq.

Home Fronts

Britain: First British jet aircraft – Gloster E.28/39 Pioneer – tested at Cranwell, Lincs.

Neutrals

USA: US coast guards board every French merchant ship in American ports, including liner Normandie.
Battleship Washington (launched June 1940) joins the fleet 5 months ahead of schedule.

Occupied countries

Channel Islands: Mrs. Sybil Hathaway, Dame of Sark (Channel Is.), deported to German concentration camp as reprisal for anti-Nazi activities on Guernsey.

Oval@3x 2

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1 thought on “Diary May 15, 1941”

  1. Another failure of the British to deal with Rommel in 1941. He had isolated Tobruk and was defending the Egyptian frontier, yet British attempts to break the siege failed time and again. According to von Mellenthin in “Panzer Battles” the British never really solved mobile warfare in the dessert. They just relied on their enormous economic advantage allied with the US.

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