This day in the war in Europe 65 years ago

[Hugh Spencer]

29th May 1943
292 Lancasters, 185 Halifaxes, 118 Stirlings, 113 Wellingtons and 11 Mosquitoes attacked Wuppertal, 33 aircraft lost.
This attack was aimed at the Barmen half of the long and narrow town of Wurrertal and was the outstanding success of the Battle of the Ruhr. Both Pathfinder marking and Main Force bombing was particularly accurate and a large fire area developed in the narrow streets of the old centre of the town. It is probable that this fire was so severe that the first small form of what would later become known as a 'firestorm' developed. Because it was a Saturday night, many of the town's fire and air raid officials were not present, having gone to their country homes for the weekend and the fire services of the town, in their first raid, were not able to control the fires. Approximately 1000 acres, possibly 80% of Barmen's built up area, was destroyed by fire. 5 out of the town's 6 largest factories, 211 other industrial premises and nearly 4,000 houses were completely destroyed. The number of buildings classed as seriously damaged, 71 industrial and 1,800 domestic, indicates the high proportion of complete destruction. Various figures were given for the number of people killed but our expert on Ruhr raids, Norbert Kruger, advises that the figure of 'approximately 3,400' was the nearest reasonable estimate. The above figures indicate that the property damage in this raid was about twice as severe as any previous raid on a German city while the number of people killed in this comparatively unprepared backwater of the Ruhr was about 5 times greater than any previous city raid.
12 Venturas bombed Caen airfield without loss.

[Njaco]

GERMANY: The Bf 110s of NJG 1 along with the Fw 190s and Bf 109s of NJVK intercepted the formations of RAf bombers attacking Wuppertal. Many of the bombers were shot down during the 20 mile run through the guns of the Kammhuber Line, ground-controlled "boxes" patrolled by Luftwaffe night-fighters. Many Nachtjagders added to their scores including Hptm. Manfred Meuer, Staffelkapitaen of 3./NJG 1, who destroyed 4 RAF bombers during the combat. Two Halifaxes were brought down by pilots from Major Hajo Herrmann's NJVK. The raid killed 2,450 civilians and left 118,000 homeless. Over 80% of the city was destroyed as 1000s acres of the city were burned out in a firestorm.

WESTERN FRONT:The USAAF's VIII Bomber Command in England flies Mission Number 61: 169 B-17 Flying Fortresses are dispatched against the submarine pens and locks at Saint-Nazaire, France; 147 aircraft hit the target at 1706-1711 hours local and claim 6-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; eight B-17s are lost. In two other raids, 72 B-17s are dispatched against the Rennes, France naval depot; 57 hit the target at 1601-1605 hours and claim 19-5-14 Luftwaffe aircraft; six B-17s are lost. In the third raid, 38 B-24 Liberators are dispatched against the U-boat yards at La Pallice, France; 34 hit the target without any casualties on either side.
....Seven YB-40s, heavily armoured B-17s with increased firepower for escorting bombers, flew their first mission. YB-40s showed an inability to keep up with B-17s after they dropped their bombs and the need for modification of waist and tail gun feeds and ammunition supplies. US 327th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 92d Bombardment Group (Heavy), based at Alconbury, flew its first mission with the YB-40 to St. Nazaire, France.

ENGLAND: A damaged Sunderland flying boat of No. 461 Sqdn., RAAF, is successfully landed on an airfield in South Wales. This is one of the first occasions on which a flying-boat has been put down safely on land.

INDIAN OCEAN: At 1937, the unescorted 'Hopetarn' was torpedoed and sunk by 'U-198' about 450 miles east of Durban. Six crewmembers and one gunner were lost. The second officer was taken prisoner by the U-boat, landed at Bordeaux on 24 September and taken to the POW camp Milag Nord. The master, 28 crewmembers and seven gunners were picked up two days later by the British merchantman 'Nirvana' and landed at Durban on 3 June.

UNITED STATES: Rosie the Riveter appears on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post.

MEDITERRANEAN: In Sicily during the night, Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) Wellingtons bombed the town areas, docks, and airfield at Castelvetrano, Bo Rizzo, Trapani, and Marsala. In Sardinia, NASAF P-38s bombed Porto Ponte Romano.
....P-40s, P-38s, and B-26s of NASAF and Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF) attacked gun positions, a radar station, and town area on Pantelleria Island.
....21 year old Uffz. Kurt Selle of 9./JG 77 was lost. Escorting re-supply Ju 52s, the engine of his Bf 109G-6 'Yellow 9' suddenly seized. Selle had no choice but to attempt a ditching in the Mediterranean but struck rocks off El Tavolara. The pilot died instantly.

EASTERN FRONT: Lt. Erwin Fleig, Staffelkapitaen of 2./JG 51 and a 66 victory experte is forced to bail out of his damaged Bf 109 during combat with Russian fighters. He lands uninjured in enemy territory and is captured becoming a POW.

[Njaco]

ENGLAND: Twenty children and 5 adults were killed when a bomb hit a church in Torquay, England dropped by German raiders.

WESTERN FRONT: The 'Flora MacDonald', escorted by armed trawler HMS 'Fandango', was hit by one torpedo from 'U-126'. The torpedo struck on the port side in the engine room, killing the third assistant engineer and a fireman. The explosion opened a large hole that immediately flooded the engine room, stopped the engines and caused the ship to settle by the stern. A fire started in the #3 hold and flames, shooting 40 feet in the air, quickly trapped some of the men in their quarters. The surviving crewmembers of the eight officers, 36 men, 24 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in and nine 20mm guns) and two passengers abandoned ship in six lifeboats and two rafts. Five of these men suffered severe burns. The fire raged out of control and spread to the #2 and #4 holds and the entire midships house. The armed trawler picked up the survivors and decided to head to Freetown, so the badly burned men could be treated. Three of them died on board and the other two died in the hospital in Freetown from their burns. 20 men were hospitalized. At 1430 the next day, tug HMS 'Zwarte Zee', escorted by sloop HMS 'Milford' and corvettes HMS 'Woodruff' and 'Tamarisk', took the still burning vessel in tow for Freetown at 5.5 knots. At 1800 on 1 June, they beached the ship in Freetown Harbor where the cargo of rubber was salvaged. The Liberty ship burned for 16 days and was later declared a total loss.
....'U-418' fought off an RAF No. 210 Sqn Catalina aircraft. The aircraft made it home but was so "holed" that she sank on landing. Later salvaged. The boat was most probably 'U-418', which was lost shortly afterwards.
....'U-459' shot down an RAF No. 10 Sqn Whitley.
....Vichy broadcast an announcement that the French naval squadron at Alexandria had gone over to the Allies.
....27 RAF aircraft conducted minelaying off Biscay ports.
....Towards evening, Oblt. Wurm of 1./SAGr 128 downed a Liberator at 20:54 hours in the area north of the Brest peninsula. His victim was probably from RAF No. 224 Sqdrn. Ofw. Vincenz Giessuebel of 14./KG 40 made a claim for a Liberator northwest of Brest and this was possibly related to Oblt. Wurm's victory.
....Stabs-Fw. Fritz Stritzel of Stab I./JG 2 was listed as missing in action against the Allies and presumed killed. He died with a final victory score of 19 enemy aircraft destroyed.
....Pilot Uffz. Berg and crew member Obfw. Wirths took off in a Bf 110G-4 belonging to 7./NJG 3 from Fliegerhorst København – Kastrup at 14:05 hours for a calibration flight for a radar station in the Skagerak. When finshed with the calibration they sighted an “English” freight ship and attacked. The ship fired back with flak and the Bf 110 was hit and the engines stopped. The aircraft ditched in the Skagerak at 16:10 hours and the crew survived long enough to be rescued after a long stay in the water. Obfw. Wirths was taken to the Lazarett, Copenhagen where he stayed until 30 June.

MEDITERRANEAN: In Italy, B-24s hit Foggia Airfield, damaging buildings and hangars, and destroying several aircraft. P-38s bombed the Chilivani railway station and marshalling yard, hit port and railroad at Aranci. B-17s bombed the Pomigliano aircraft factory and landing ground and Capodichino Airfield and marshalling yard.
....During the night, Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) Wellingtons bombed Pantelleria Island. The following morning medium bombers and fighters also hit the island. Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF) fighters hit Pantelleria Island. B-25s attacked concentrations on the NE slope of the Island.

[Hugh Spencer]

31st May 1943
The squadrons of 2 Group despatched 54 aircraft on 5 raids on this, the last day before the group left Bomber Command.
30 Venturas were despatched - 12 to attack Zeebrugge power station, 12 to Caen airfield and 6 to Cherbourg docks. 12 Mitchells bombed a shipyard at Flushing. All of these raids were successful. The only casualty was a Mitchell of 180 Squadron which ditched in the sea. 3 of its crew were picked up safely but Flight Sergeant A.W.Wood, the New Zealand wireless operator, died - the last casualty suffered by 2 Group with Bomber Command. 12 Bostons sent to attack a power station in France were not able to reach th target.
27 aircraft went minelaying off Biscay ports without loss.
The approximate number of Raf Bomber Command aircrew lost during May 1943, killed or POW, was 1579.

[Hugh Spencer]

1st June 1943
23 Wellingtons and 10 Stirlings laid mines in the Frisians, off Texel and off the Biscay ports without loss.

[Njaco]

MEDITERRANEAN: The US 15th Air Force hit the Italian airfields at Foggia, destroying large numbers of aircraft.
....In Italy, Royal Air Force (RAF) heavy bombers, including Liberators of No. 178 Squadron under operational control of the IX Bomber Command, bombed oil stores, harbor, and seaplane base at Augusta. Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) B-17s bombed the airfield and marshalling yard at Foggia. In Sardinia, P-38s bombed Cagliari, a factory at Guspini, and a power station at Santa Caterina.
....NASAF medium bombers and fighters hit defended positions on Pantelleria Island. Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF) P-40s also hit positions on the island.

GERMANY: Admiral Dönitz transfered responsibility for naval armaments to Albert Speer's ministry.
....Chronic shortages were biting deeper into German civilian morale. Today the government announced a cut in the weekly meat ration from 12 to nine ounces, and the SS, in one of its regular secret reports, noted on 6 May that despite stiff penalties bartering was increasing. This was not surprising, given the lack of consumer goods. An SS report on 17 May expressed concern at the consequences of a shortage of alarm clocks: arms workers and miners, exhausted from long hours and frequent air raids, were sleeping through early shifts.

NORTH AFRICA: Generals de Gaulle and Giraud began talks on a provisional government of France. It was also announced that Rear Admiral Rene Emile Godfroy's naval squadron, immobilized at Alexandria, joined Giraud's forces on 7 May.
....The Egyptian Cabinet voted to resume diplomatic relations with Russia.

WESTERN FRONT: 'U-440' was sunk in the North Atlantic NW of Cape Ortegal, Spain, by depth charges from an RAF No. 201 Sqn Sunderland. 'U-563' was sunk in the Bay of Biscay SW of Brest, by depth charges from RAF No. 58 and No. 228 Sqn Halifaxes and an RAAF No. 10 Sqn Sunderland.
....The Danish resistance blows up an engine shed at Toender as sabotage mounts, despite Danish King’s appeal for a halt.
....A III./KG 101 Fw 190 crashed at an unknown location, causing 10% damage. Two Fw 190s were sent to Beauvais and St. Andre. During the day Oblt. Homann, Technical Officer of III./KG 101 sent a strength report. The Gruppe had 36 pilots and the Fw 190A-3 that had crashed was being repaired, having suffered a burst hydraulic pipe. Two Fw 190A-5s were handed over to JG 2 at Beaumont le Roger. Stab./JG 2 was based at this airfield and had recieved 3 Fw 190A-5s from other units, I./JG 2 had recieved one Fw 190A-5 and III./JG 2 had recieved 12 Fw 190A-5s from other units.

ENGLAND: SS 'Catford' (1,568t) on a voyage from London to the Tyne was sunk by a mine, off the Humber.
....Between 01:44 and 01:49 hours 8 photo flash bombs fell south of Bristol, one of which, having failed to ignite, was recovered unburnt at Winford.

EASTERN FRONT: The Gruppenkommandeir of II./JG 51, Hptm. Josef Fozo was badly injured in a take-off accident and ended his combat career in hospital. He had destroyed 24 enemy aircraft during the war along with 3 victories in the Condor Legion.

[Njaco]

MEDITERRANEAN: An attack by Wellingtons against Pantelleria Island during the night was followed by Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) P-38s and B-17s while Northwest Tactical Air Force (NATAF) P-40s attacked gun positions on the island during the day.
....In Italy, NASAF P-40s strafed the seaplane base on Stagnone Island and P-38s bombed the railroad near Balesrate. In Sardinia, P-38s, B-26s, and B-25s, bombed Porto Torres harbor, Porto Ponte Romano and Olbia harbor.
....III./JG 77 was ordered to take up residence at the airfield of Chilivani near Olbia to provide aerial cover in concert with II./JG 51 from Allied bombing raids on Italian ports and airfields. An airfield with reasonable facilities, the pilots recalled above all the intense heat of the Mediterranean summer. Uffz. Helmut Schwarzenhoelzer remembered; "On Sardinia we were accommodated under canvas and the stifling heat was unbearable. Temperatures reached 40 degrees plus on the ground in the broiling sun while at altitude in the cockpits of our 109s, temperatures could fall as low as minus 20...."

ENGLAND: RAF No. 315 (Polish) Squadron arrived at Hutton Cranswick (12 Group), Yorkshire, where it received "new" Spitfire VB and VCs. RAF No. 350 (Belgian) squadron reaches full strength at Acklington with the addition of R. Bladt and A. Van Wersch.
....Army Co-operation Command was disbanded and the 2d Tactical Air Force was formed in the United Kingdom under command of Air Marshal J.H. D'Albiac.
....Eden announced that Empire casualties in first three years of war were 92,089 killed, 226,719 missing, 88,294 wounded and 107,891 captured.

EASTERN FRONT: The Soviets raid airfields and facilities at Smolensk, Orel and Bryansk in an attempt to disrupt the German buildup for the Kursk Offensive.
....Submarine "Sch-406" of the Baltic Fleet and Ladoga Flotilla was sunk by aviation and surface ships gunfire, close to Porkallan-Kallboda lighthouse. GB "KL-12" (ex-"Kalyaev") was lost by field artillery, close to Vasilisin Is., on Onega Lake.
,,,,Major Seifert of I./JG 26 was ordered to give up command of his Gruppe and take a position on the staff of a German mission to Bulgaria. Unknown to Seifert, his mother had invoked the "last surviving son" rule when his brother Gerhard was killed in February. She requested his removal from combat.
....The Staffelkapitaen of 4./JG 3, Lt. Wolf Ettel was finally awarded the Ritterkruez after achieving 120 kills against the Russians. Heinz Leber of JG 51 was killed in action with afinal victory tally of 54 destroyed planes.

WESTERN FRONT: Germany began operations with a U-boat festooned with Anti-aircraft guns. Initially, the Allies were surprised by the new platform but quickly adopted newer, less risky tactics for dealing with the threat.
....Britain lost an outstanding actor-director when Leslie Howard was lost presumed dead after the plane he was travelling in disappeared over the Bay of Biscay. The British airliner, a Douglas DC-3-194, msn 1590, owned by KLM (Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij NV) but leased to British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) as G-AGBB, left Lisbon for Eire, and its last radio message was: "Enemy aircraft attacking us." He was shot down by a flight of Ju-88s.
....Leslie Howard had been lecturing in Portugal and Spain on his films 'Pimpernel Smith' and 'The First of the Few'. As a result, 900 cinemas there were to show British films. He was 50 and universally popular. After playing Ashley Wilkes in 'Gone with the Wind' he returned to Britain, where he was the definitive Professor Higgins in the film of 'Pygmalion'. His other films include 'Of Human Bondage' and 'The Petrefied Forest'.
....Although it came to be believed that the real target was Howard's manager, Alfred Chenhalls, who bore a passing resemblance to Winston Churchill, it now appeared certain that Howard was the actual target. Alerted to Howard's presence in the Iberian Peninsula by German agents, Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels had ordered the plane shot down in order to silence the outspoken anti-Nazi actor.
....The sloop HMS 'STARLING' and an RAF Liberator E/120 each sink a U-boat in separate actions. 'U-202' (Type VIIC) was sunk at 0030hrs southeast of Cape Farewell, Greenland, by depth charges and gunfire from the British sloop HMS 'Starling'. 'U-418' (Type VIIC) was sunk in the Bay of Biscay northwest of Cape Ortegal, Spain, by rockets from a British Beaufighter aircraft (Sqdn. 236/B).

NORTH AFRICA: Churchill spoke to British troops gathered in the dusty heat of the Roman ampitheatre at Carthage.

U.S.A.: The 477th Bombardment Group (Medium) was first activated at MacDill Field, Tampa, Florida, assigned to the Third Air Force and trained with B-26 Marauders. The four squadrons assigned were the 616th, 617th, 618th and 619th Bombardment Squadrons (Medium).

[Hugh Spencer]

2nd June 1943
21 Wellingtons and 14 Stirlings laid mines off the Biscay ports without loss.

[Njaco]

WESTERN FRONT: A Short Sunderland of RAAF No. 464 Squadron,was attacked over the Bay of Biscay by eight Junkers Ju 88s. The ensuing combat last for 45 minutes and the Sunderland shot down three of the attacking Ju 88s. The Sunderland was badly damaged, with one of its crew killed and three wounded. Nevertheless, the pilot, Flight Lieutenant C.B. Walker brought the aircraft safely back and was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Service Order.
....The combat indicated the seriousness with which the Germans viewed the Allied air threat to their U-boats transiting the Bay of Biscay from their French coastal ports. The Germans deployed long range Junkers Ju 88s of KG 40 and shorter ranged Focke Wulf Fw 190 fighters to try to combat the threat of Allied aircraft. In response the Royal Air Force (RAF) deployed Bristol Beaufighter and later de Havilland Mosquito squadrons to try to counter the threat of German interceptors. The patrols became known as Instep operations. The RAF lost 15 aircraft in patrols over the Bay of Biscay during June 1943. 4 Junkers Ju 88s were claimed as destroyed by Instep patrols.
.... 'U-105' (Type IXB) was sunk near Dakar, by depth charges from a one-of-a-kind French Potez-CAMS 141 flying boat named "Antarés" of Flotille d'exploration 4E, French Naval Air Force. The 4-engine flying boat that sank 'U-105' was the only one of that design built. The aircraft, named after a star as tradition in the French Navy, was based at Dakar and she sank the boat after a 2 hour chase.
....'U-521' (Type IXC) was sunk in the North Atlantic southeast of Baltimore by depth charges from the US submarine chaser PC 565.

EASTERN FRONT: Luftwaffe raiders bombard Soviet positions at Kursk. The Red Air Force bombed Kiev and Roslavl. The Russians claimed 162 "kills" for the loss of 30 planes.

MEDITERRANEAN: The British destroyer HMS 'Jervis' and the Greek ship 'Vasilissa Olga' attacked an Italian convoy, sinking the torpedo boat 'Castore' and two merchant ships.
....In a message aimed at Allied bombing strategists, Pope Pius XII appealed to the warring nations to observe the "laws of humanity" in air warfare. He implicitly condemned the routine targeting of civilians in "terror" bombing campaigns, although he did not comment on German bombing.
....During the night, Wellingtons of Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) hit Pantelleria Island in the Mediterranean and dropped pamphlets on Naples, Italy. Fighters and medium bombers hit Pantelleria during the following morning and afternoon. P-38s attacked the airfield at Milo, Sicily while P-40s strafed targets of opportunity in Sardinia.

UNITED STATES: Famed American football player Nile Kinnick, winner of the 1939 Heisman Trophy, died during a training flight from the USS 'Lexington' over the Caribbean. He experienced engine problems during the flight and ditched into the Caribbean. While a rescue boat arrived soon after he ditched, his body was never found.

GERMANY: A Ju 88R-2 was experimentally fitted with the enlarged squared-off tail unit of a Ju 188, becoming the Ju 88 V-58. A completely revised armament fit was introduced. Two MG 151/20 cannon were housed in the right-hand side of the nose, and 4 more located in a ventral tray under the left side of the belly. Designated Ju 88G V-1, the new version first flew in June 1943 and served as the prototype in deleting the nose mounted MG 151 cannon, as they blinded the pilot at night. The increased power of the 1,700 hp BMW 801D radials helped restore much of the type's good handling qualities. The Ju 88G-1 was the first series production version, essentially the same as the G-0.

[Hugh Spencer]

3rd June 1943
24 Wellingtons and 15 Stirlings went minelaying off the Biscay ports. No losses.

[Njaco]

WESTERN FRONT: The French Resistance supported by British SOC agents destroyed 300 tons of tyres at the Michelin tyre factory at Clermont-Ferrand, badly damaging the facility.
....A Ju 88A-4 belonging to 13./KG 30 belly landed due to engine failure at Fliegerhorst Aalborg West and was 50% damaged. An Ar 66 belonging to JG 102 made an emergency landing near Blaavand as the pilot was lost. The Ar 66 was 35% damaged but the pilot was unharmed.
....German mining operations, laid by a U-boat, sink 'Halma', a cargo ship sailing under the Panamanian flag, off the coast of Halifax, Nova Scotia.
....'U-308' (Type VIIC) was sunk in the Norwegian sea northeast of the Faroes by torpedoes from the British submarine HMS 'Truculent'. 'U-594' (Type VIIC) was sunk west of Gibraltar by rockets from a British Hudson aircraft (48 Sqdn.).

GERMANY: A tunnel was broken at OFLAG VIIB at Eichstätt which got 65 officers out, all of whom were recaptured within a matter of days but which caused such a diversion of resources as to cause the Gestapo to insist upon extermination on the next mass escape.

EASTERN FRONT: Germany launched Operation Cottbus, aiming to destroy Soviet partisans in the area of Borisov.
.... A Ju 88D-1 belonging to 4(F)./122 was shot down by a fighter in the Krymskaya-Krasnodar area.

ENGLAND: US HQ 5th Air Defense Wing arrived at Duxford, England from the US. This unit will be redesignated the 66th Fighter Wing in Jul 43. HQ 384th Bombardment Group (Heavy) and it's 545th Bombardment Squadron(Heavy) arrived with B-17s at Grafton Underwood, England from the US. HQ 386th Bombardment Group (Medium) and it's 552d, 553d and 554th Bombardment Squadrons (Medium) arrived with B-26s at Snetterton Heath, England from the US.
....The first fruits of victory reached British shops, Algerian wine.

MEDITERRANEAN: Fighters, light and medium bombers of the Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) and Northwest Tactical Air Force NATAF) attacked defended positions on Pantelleria Island in the Mediterranean following a raid on the town area and docks by Wellingtons during the night.
....French generals Charles de Gaulle and Henri Giraud join forces in Algiers to create the French Committee of National Liberation. Their organization will act as the French authority wherever the French empire exists beyond the reach of the Nazis.

[Njaco]

MEDITERRANEAN: The bombardment from sea and air of the island of Pantelleria in the Sicilian Channel continued. During the night, Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) Wellingtons bombed Syracuse, Sicily; Catanzaro, Italy; and Pantelleria Island in the Mediterranean, which was also hit on the following day by fighters, light, medium, and heavy bombers, of NASAF and the Northwest Tactical Air Force (NATAF).
....General Henri Giraud was appointed C-in-C of the Fighting French Army.
....In Italy, B-24s attacked Grottaglie Airfield, leaving hangars and other building in flames. B-24 gunners claimed 3 fighters shot down.

WESTERN FRONT: The British submarine HMS 'TRUCULENT' sinks 'U-308' off the Faeroe Islands by torpedoes. All U-boat crew of 44 are lost. 'U-594' (Type VIIC) was sunk west of Gibraltar by rockets from a British Hudson aircraft (48 Sqdn.).
....Three Ju 88s belonging to 11./KG 30 were practising formation flying in the area south of Østervraa, Denmark. When the formation turned to one side '4D+IV' turned in the opposite direction and cut the tail off '4D+HV' and both aircraft fell to the ground. A fire erupted in one engine of '4D+IV' and when it hit the ground next to a small pond some of the nearby trees were set on fire. The Ju 88 lying with the belly up continued to burn and was a 100% loss. '4D+HV' started turning round and round as it now had no tail to stabilize it and none of the crew were able to bail out. The tail fell between Skovfogedgaarden farm and St. Nejsum farm and the fuselage with the crew fell on the grounds belonging to St. Nejsom farm.
....Aage and Anna Bering arrived and found Air gunner Uffz. Erich Träger of '4D+IV' standing badly shaken near the wreck. He and a comrade had managed to bail out of the aircraft, but at too low an altitude. Their parachutes were caught in the branches of trees and this had saved Trägers life while his comrade had died after his body hit the trunk of a tree. Aage and Anna found the dead flyer still hanging in the tree and lowered him to the ground. When they realised that he was dead, they covered him with his parachute.
....Träger walked over to the nearby St. Nejsom farm and talked to Ida and Anton Jensen. They only understood two words of what he was saying: "Comrades" and "Telephone". They guided him towards the main building where he used the phone to contact Aalborg. Afterwards he returned to the crash site where he spent the rest of the afternoon sitting in one of the German trucks that arrived from Aalborg.
....The third Ju 88 made a couple of low passes over the area and then turned towards Aalborg. The first Germans to arrive were some elderly soldiers that were garrisoned in Østervraa. Together with civilians they tried to get the flyers out of the aircraft, but gave it up when they heard that Luftwaffe personnel were on their way towards the crash site. Instead they told the civilians to leave the site.
....Pilot Fw. Willi Hinka, Navigator Uffz. Herbert Schwarzer and Wop Uffz. Heinrich Messemer died and were laid to rest in Frederikshavn cemetery on 10 June 1943. Pilot Uffz. Hans-Jürgen Skopnik, Navigator Obergefreiter Karl-Heinz Müller, Wop Gefreiter Heinz-Günther Kaltenhausen and Air gunner Flieger Hans Sontopski of '4D+HV' were all laid to rest in Frederikshavn cemetery on 10 June 1943.

EASTERN FRONT: In a rare attempt at long range strategic bombing, the Germans raid the massive new Soviet tank factory at Gorki.

ENGLAND: The US 544th, 546th and 547th Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), 384th Bombardment Group (Heavy) arrived with B-17s at Grafton Underwood,
England from the US. The group will fly it's first mission on 22 Jun. The 555th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 386th Bombardment Group (Medium) arrived at Snetterton Heath, England from the US with B-26s.
....The House of Commons rejected any lifting of the economic blockade against occupied Europe.

[Hugh Spencer]

5th June 1943
12 aircraft went minelaying in the Frisians. No losses.

[Njaco]

EASTERN FRONT: The Luftwaffe launched a series of heavy raids on Kursk, the pivotal point of the Russian salient which bulged dangerously into the German lines between Orel, in the north and Kharkov in the south.
....Despite the withdrawal of fighter squadrons to face the growing threat of Allied bombers in the west, and the need to reinforce the Mediterranean, the Germans were able to rebuild Field Marshal von Richtohofen's Luftlotte 4 into a powerful striking force. His Stukas and Bf 109s were joined by Henschel 129 tankbusters and Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighters.
....However, the Luftwaffe, like the Wehrmacht, was devoting a significant part of its strength to containing the threat posed by the Russian partisans who now had their own airstrips behind the German lines. These were used to deliver supplies and evacuate wounded partisans and peasants. A report today on the current anti-partisan Operation 'Cottbus' said that these airstrips take twin-engined aircraft.
....Moscow claimed the destruction of 752 German aircraft in combat and on the ground in the week ended 5 June for loss of 212 Russian aircraft, and reported that during May the enemy had lost 2069 planes on the Eastern front.

MEDITERRANEAN: British ships kept up the heavy shelling of Pantelleria Island.
....During the night, Northwest African Air Force Wellingtons hit docks and the town area of Pantelleria Island in the Mediterranean. During the day, B-25s and P-38 Lightnings extended the attack on the island, hitting mainly gun positions. German fighter opposition, extremely light at first, picked up when Bf 109s and Fw 190s appeared along with Italian fighter aircraft.
....During the early morning, Royal Air Force (RAF) heavy bombers, under operational control of the IX Bomber Command, attacked the harbor at Catania, Sicily. In Sardinia, B-26s bombed Porto Ponte Romano while P-38s hit airfields at Monserrato and Capoterra.

WESTERN FRONT: Operations outside the North Atlantic prove to be more successful for the Germans as 'U-513' sinks 4 ships off the coast of Brazil. But losses for the German wolf packs continued. 'U-217' (Type VIID) was sunk in the mid-Atlantic by depth charges from Avenger aircraft of the US escort carrier USS 'Bogue'.

UNITED STATES: Boeing engineers start preliminary studies for developing a jet-powered aircraft.

[Njaco]

EASTERN FRONT: SS units murder 13,000 Jewish men, women and children in five medium-sized "Aktions" throughout occupied Poland and the Ukraine.
....A Ju 88D-1 belonging to 4(F)./122 failed to return from a sortie over Poti on the Black Sea coast.

MEDITERRANEAN: The bombardment of the island of Pantelleria continued into its third consecutive day. During the night, Northwest African Strategic Air Force (NASAF) Wellingtons hit the town and docks of the Island. The following afternoon, Spitfires, P-40s, P-38s, B-26 Marauders, A-20 Havocs, A-36 Apaches, and B-25 Mitchells of the NASAF, Northwest African Tactical Air Force (NATAF) and USAAF Ninth Air Force continued pounding the island. The Allied air bombardment increased and was concentrated on coastal batteries and other gun emplacements as the second phase of air offensive against Pantelleria Island started.
....In Italy, B-24's struck the harbor areas of Villa San Giovanni and Reggio di Calabria, and ferry slips and railroad yards at Messina. B-24 gunners claimed 8 fighters destroyed.

NORTH AFRICA: In a speech ironically delivered a year to the day prior to the Allied invasion of Normandy, General de Gaulle, to the Free (Fighting) French, called for a fourth republic. His appeal for "national renovation" was being taken by observers here to mean that he did not intend France to return to the pre-war constitution of the Third Republic. De Gaulle also told his audience that "France does not want to be liberated by others, even by her best friends. She does not want gifts. We intend win our liberty ourselves."

WESTERN FRONT: General Franco proposes "no-bombing" zones in Europe. The Allies reject the idea as beneficial to the Axis.