Diary May 19, 1940

War Diary, 05-1940, Diary WW2, Year 1940 / 1 minute of reading

The captured French General Giraud arrives on the Bonn-Hangelar airfield. Later he was able to escape and played a prominent role during the Allied landings in Vichy North Africa in 1942 (Operation Torch). Remarkably, it was his second escape from a German POW camp, because during World War One he did the same from a castle in Saxony to Switzerland.

Diary for Sunday, May 19, 1940:

Western Front

GAMELIN DISMISSED. WEYGAND MADE ALLIED C-IN-C. De Gaulle’s tanks make second counter-attack on Guderian‘s Corps, in Laon-Montcornet sector; some French tanks threaten Guderian’s HQ, and he summons assistance from 10th Panzer Division, but Ju 87 Stukas halt French advance before they arrive.
General Giraud, commander of French 9th Army, captured by German tank unit. Germans capture St Quentin.

Sea War

Atlantic: U-boat U-37 sinks 9 merchant ships off northwest Spain (May 19-June 2).

Air War

Sensational reports of 100,000 people killed in Rotterdam raid (May 14). RAF bomb oil installations in northwest Germany.

Neutrals

Sweden: Home Defense Corps (Swedish Home Guard) to be formed. Petrol rationing introduced.

About The Author

Kretaner

My name is Norman 'Kretaner' and since my childhood I am interested in history and strategy games. Later, I have learned programming and the development of computer games, and finally with the Internet, also web design. I'm in the fortunate position to combine all my interests with my work and to live on a place of my choice, on Crete. All information, figures, specifications and statistics used here had been compiled from a variety of sources and the large, over decades collected, library of the author about military history, WW2 and weapons.