May 1943
Appearance
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The following events occurred inMay 1943:
May 1, 1943 (Saturday)
[edit]- More than 480,000 American coal miners walked off of the job a minute after midnight, when theUnited Mine Workers' contract with the nation's mining companies expired. U.S. PresidentRooseveltnotified UMWA PresidentJohn L. Lewisto cease the wartime work stoppage by 10:00 am, an order which was ignored, and then issued an Executive Order directing that "The Secretary of the Interior is authorized and directed to take immediate possession so far as may be necessary or desirable, of any and all mines producing coal in which a strike or stoppage has occurred or is threatened...".[1]At the time, there was only a three-week supply of coal for American steel manufacturers and ten days' supply for some railroads.[2]The strike would resume on June 1.[3]
- Over 800 British Empire soldiers and sailors died when the troopshipErinpurawas sunk north ofBenghaziby German bombers. One of the bombs struck a hold full of ammunition, and the ship went down in four minutes, taking with it 600 African troops fromBasutoland(nowBotswana), 140 Jewish soldiers from Palestine, 54 sailors from British India, and five English crew.[4]
- In Tunisia, theBattle of Hill 609ended as the U.S. Army'sII Corpsdrove Germany'sAfrika Korpsfrom a strategic position.[5]An author would note that the battle, the first clear cut victory of U.S. forces in the North African Campaign, was "the American Army's coming-of-age."[5]
- TheFord Motor Companyfired 141 employees, mostly African-American, from its aluminum and steel plants inRiver Rouge, Michigan,because of labor disputes.[6]
- Count Fleetwon theKentucky Derby.[7]
- Born:Ian Dunn,Scottish gay and paedophile rights activist, inGlasgow[8](d. 1998)
May 2, 1943 (Sunday)
[edit]- The top secret project of deception code-namedOperation Mincemeatcontinued at the Spanish town ofHuelva,where a funeral was held for Major William Martin of Britain'sRoyal Marines,whose body had washed ashore on April 30.[9]Major Martin was, in reality, a homeless Welshman namedGlyndwr Michael,who had died onJanuary 28and whose body was used to deceive German intelligence regarding the starting point for an Allied invasion.[9]
- President Roosevelt went on nationwide radio to talk about the need to end the coal strike, then directed his comments to the strikers themselves, saying "You miners have sons in the Army and Navy and Marine Corps... I only wish I could tell you what they think of the stoppage of work in the coal mines."[10]
- Twenty Japanese bombers andZero fighterscarried out asignificant raid on Darwin,Australia,
- The German submarineU-465was sunk in theBay of Biscayby aShort SunderlandofNo. 461 Squadron RAAF.
- Born:Mustafa Nadarevic,Yugoslav and Bosnian actor and comedian, inBanja Luka(d. 2020)
- Died:Viktor Lutze,52, Chief of Staff for the SA Sturmabteilung, a day after being fatally injured in a single car accident.
May 3, 1943 (Monday)
[edit]- The United States Supreme Court invalidated, 5–4, a city ordinance inJeannette, Pennsylvaniathat required members of the Jehovah's Witnesses religious denomination to pay for a peddles' license in order to distribute religious literature.[11]The city ordinance required each individual distributor to pay $10 per day. The ruling, inMurdock v. Pennsylvania,invalidated similar ordinances in Alabama, Arizona and Kansas as a violation of the constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion.[11]
- TheBattle of the Campobasso Convoywas fought offCape Bonover the night of May 3–4. The result was a British victory as one Italian merchant ship and one fleet torpedo boat were sunk with the Royal Navy taking only light damage in return.
- Died:U.S. Army Lieutenant GeneralFrank Maxwell Andrews,59, Commander of U.S. Forces in Europe, in the crash of a B-24 bomber during bad weather inIceland.Andrews Air Force Base,near Washington, D.C., was named in his honor.
May 4, 1943 (Tuesday)
[edit]- A bill to eliminatefederal income taxfor all Americans for an entire year failed to pass by four votes, 202–206.[12]The legislation, based on ideas proposed by New York Federal Reserve Bank chairmanBeardsley Ruml,was replaced by a "pay as you go" Robertson-Forand bill that virtually eliminated the 1942 income taxes for 90% of Americans.[12]
- The German submarineU-109was sunk with the loss of all hands in the Atlantic Ocean by aB-24 LiberatorofNo. 86 Squadron RAF.
- The German submarinesU-439andU-659collided with each other west ofCape Ortegal,Spain, and both sank.
- Died:Géo André,53, French Olympic medalist in athletics, was killed in action in Tunisia.[13]
May 5, 1943 (Wednesday)
[edit]- The Vatican Secretary of State sent a request to the government of the Nazi-controlledSlovak Republic,requesting the exclusion of Jews "who have entered the Catholic religion" from the list of persons to be deported to Nazi concentration camps.[14]The office of Prime MinisterVojtech Tukagave its response on May 28, pledging that converts would be kept in local concentration camps, separate from other Jews, "and given every opportunity to fulfill their Christian religion."[14]
- TheBattle of West Hubeibegan as Japanese forces (some 120,000 men) of the11th Armyunder GeneralIsamu Yokoyamastarted an offensive in westernHubeiprovince, south of theYangtze River,against defensive positions of the ChineseNational Revolutionary Army.[15]
- The German submarineU-638was depth charged and sunk northeast of Newfoundland by the British corvetteSunflower.
- Born:Michael Palin,British comedian, inSheffield
May 6, 1943 (Thursday)
[edit]- AdmiralErnest J. King,the U.S.Chief of Naval Operations,ordered the creation ofNaval Combat Demolition Units,after the success, in September, of a group of U.S.[16]Navy divers who had destroyed nets that had prevented American ships from entering Morocco's Sebou River.[16]
- Six German submarines (U-125,U-192,U-438,U-531,U-630andU-638) were sunk after sinking 12 ships fromConvoy ONS 5in the last major North Atlantic U-boat "wolfpack"attack of the war.
- Born:Andreas Baader,West German terrorist and leader of the Red Army Faction, known as theBaader-Meinhof Gang;inMunich(d. 1977)
May 7, 1943 (Friday)
[edit]- TunisandBizertewere liberated by Allied troops, with Bizerte falling to the Americans at 4:15 pm local time, and the Tunisian capital being conquered five minutes later by the British First Army.[17]
- Sex symbol and film starMae Westwas granted a final divorce from her husband, Frank Szatkus, whom she had married onApril 29, 1911.The couple had been separated for more than thirty years.[18]
- The German submarinesU-447andU-663were depth charged and sunk by Allied aircraft in the eastern Atlantic and Bay of Biscay, respectively.
- Born:Peter Carey,Australian novelist, inBacchus Marsh,Victoria
- Died:Fethi Okyar,63,Prime Minister of Turkey,1924–1925
May 8, 1943 (Saturday)
[edit]- TheU.S. Joint Chiefs of Staffapproved the recommendations contained in theStrategic Plan for the Defeat of Japan,with the objective of theunconditional surrenderof the Japanese Empire.[19]
- Three Japanese destroyers were sunk on the same day. TheKagerōwas bombed and sunk southwest ofRendovaby American aircraft; theKuroshiostruck a mine and sank nearKolombangarain the Solomon Islands; and theOyashiowas disabled by a mine and then sunk by aircraft near Kolombangara.
- Count Fleetwon thePreakness Stakes.[20]
- The Western filmThe Ox-Bow IncidentstarringHenry Fondapremiered in New York City.[21]
- Died:Mordechai Anielewicz,24, Jewish leader of theWarsaw Ghetto Uprising.Anielewicz, head of the resistance groupŻydowska Organizacja Bojowa,apparently killed himself after the Nazi SS surrounded the ZOB command post at18 Miła Streetin Warsaw.[21]
May 9, 1943 (Sunday)
[edit]- Francisco Franco,the fascist dictator ofSpain,which remained neutral duringWorld War II,spoke in favor of world peace, "declaring that neither the Axis nor the Allies could destroy the other".[22]Franco, who had won theSpanish Civil Warwith assistance from bothGermanyandItaly,spoke in the city ofAlmeríaas the Axis powers were surrendering to the Allies in North Africa.[22]
- AJunkers Ju 88fitted with the newLichtenstein radarset was secretly flown from Norway to Scotland by a crew of defectors possibly led by a British intelligence agent. The analysis of this new advanced equipment and other data about the tactics of German night-fighters would be vital to the Allies.[23][24]
- Died:Wilmeth Sidat-Singh,25, African-American college football and basketball star and member of theTuskegee Airmen,was killed after the engine of his plane failed during a training mission.
May 10, 1943 (Monday)
[edit]- On the day that theEnabling Act of 1933was set to expire by its terms,Adolf Hitlersigned an order extending his dictatorship indefinitely. Published in theReich Law Gazette,the decree stated "The Reich government will continue to exercise the powers bestowed on it by virtue of the law of March 24, 1933. I reserve for myself the obtaining of a confirmation of these powers of the Reich government by the Greater German Reichstag," although the German parliament was never called back into session by Hitler again.[25]
- Hitler approved Operation Citadel, the attack on the Kursk salient, for June.[26]
- To mark the tenth anniversary of theNazi book burningsin Germany, the 300 largest libraries in the United States flew their flags at half-mast.[27]
- Born:Dick Darman,Director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget 1989–1993; inCharlotte, North Carolina(d. 2008)
May 11, 1943 (Tuesday)
[edit]- An assault force of 3,000 troops from the 7th U.S. Infantry Division invadedAttuin theAleutian Islands,in an attempt to expel occupying Japanese forces.[28][29]The island, part of Alaska, had been renamed Atsuta by Japan, and was a supply point for the Aleutian island ofKiska,still in use by Japan for a submarine operating base.[28][29]
- U.S. Secretary of the NavyFrank Knoxinadvertently gave a clue that Allied forces intended to use Sicily for an invasion of Europe, potentially undermining the British disinformation campaign ofOperation Mincemeatto convince German intelligence that the attack would be made from Greece and Sardinia.[30]Ironically, Knox's comment that "Possession of Sicily by the Allies would obviously be a tremendous asset" was interpreted as an obviously clumsy attempt at deception, which Nazi Propaganda MinisterJoseph Goebbelswould describe as "baseless rumors and attempts at a smoke screen".[30]
- The German submarineU-528was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean by a British aircraft and Royal Navy sloopFleetwood.
May 12, 1943 (Wednesday)
[edit]- TRIDENT,the first wartime conference between U.S. President Roosevelt and UK Prime Minister Churchill, began inWashington, D.C.,and continued for 16 days.[31]Churchill and his entourage had arrived in Washington from New York the night before after being secretly transported across the North Atlantic Ocean on theRMSQueen Mary.[31]
- Colonel GeneralHans-Jürgen von Arnimand GeneralGiovanni Messe,commanders, respectively, of the German Army and the Italian Army in North Africa, both surrendered themselves to the Allies, although Arnim refused to sign terms of unconditional surrender of German forces.[32][33]Arnim and many of his troops had been cornered at theCape Bonpeninsula in Tunisia, near the town ofSte. Marie du Zit,by the 4th Indian Division of the British forces.[32][33]
- TheBattle of West Hubeibegan during theSecond Sino-Japanese War.
- Maliq Bushati,the figureheadPrime Minister of Albaniaduring Italian occupation, was replaced byEqrem Libohova.[34]
- The German submarinesU-89,U-186andU-456were all lost to enemy action in the Atlantic Ocean. Most notably,U-456was damaged by the newFido homing torpedodropped by a B-24 ofNo. 86 Squadron RAFbefore being finished off by the British destroyerOpportune.
- The Japanese submarineI-31was sunk off of the coast of Alaska, nearAttu Island,by the destroyerUSSEdwards.
- Died:Szmul Zygielbojm,48, Jewish-Polish politician, by an overdose of pills while in exile in London. His suicide note closed with the words, "having failed to achieve success in my life, I hope that my death may jolt the indifference of those who, perhaps even in this extreme moment, could save the Jews who are still alive in Poland".[35]
May 13, 1943 (Thursday)
[edit]- TheNorth African Campaigncame to an end after nearly three years, as the 164th Infantry Division of Germany'sAfrika Korpslaid down its weapons and its commander, Major GeneralKurt Freiherr von Liebensteinbecame the last of the Axis officers to surrender in Africa.[36]The commanding British Field Marshal, SirHarold Alexander,sent word to Prime Minister Churchill, saying that "It is my duty to report that the Tunis campaign is over. All enemy resistance has ceased." During the week, 150,000 Germans and Italians became prisoners of war of the Allies.[36]
- The German submarineU-753was depth charged and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean by a Short Sunderland ofNo. 423 Squadron RCAFand two ships.
- The comedy filmThe More the MerrierstarringJean Arthur,Joel McCreaandCharles Coburnwas released.
May 14, 1943 (Friday)
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/86/Centaur_%28ARTV09088%29.png/150px-Centaur_%28ARTV09088%29.png)
- TheAHSCentaur,an Australianhospital ship,was torpedoed and sunk nearNorth Stradbroke Island,off of the coast of Queensland, byJapanese submarineI-177,killing 268 of the 363 persons on board. There were no patients on board at the time, but the ship was carrying 245 Australian and British medical personnel.[37]
- The German submarinesU-235,U-236andU-237were all sunk atKielin an American air raid. All three U-boats would be raised, repaired and returned to service.
- The Japanese submarineRo-102was sunk in the Pacific Ocean by two American patrol boats.
- The German submarineU-640was depth charged and sunk off Cape Farewell, Greenland by an American PBY Catalina.
- The U.S. Public Roads Administration reported that only a few states were observing the 35 mile per hour speed limit that had been imposed nationally during wartime, with vehicles traveling as fast as 45 mph in Minnesota.[38]
- Born:
- Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson,President of Icelandfrom 1996 to 2016, inÍsafjörður
- Jack Bruce,Scottish musician and songwriter, inBishopbriggs(d. 2014)
May 15, 1943 (Saturday)
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Lamine_Bey.jpg/100px-Lamine_Bey.jpg)
- Sidi Muhammad VII al-Munsif,the Bey of Tunis, was forced to abdicate by France's GeneralHenri Giraud.Replacing al-Munsif was his son,Muhammad VIII al-Amin.Two days later, the al-Munsif would be put on a ship and sent to Madagascar, along with his harem of 25 wives.[39]The Bey had elected to remain in Tunis after the Axis occupation began and had collaborated with the German authorities, who had made him a figurehead King of Tunisia.[39]
- At an airbase atCarlsbad, New Mexico,Dr.Louis Fieser,the chemist who had developednapalm,conducted the first test of the experimental "bat bomb",with a timed 0.6 ounce explosive attached to aMexican free-tailed bat.After a demonstration with dummy bombs showed that the bats would, as planned, seek shelter in buildings, Dr. Fieser attached live explosives to six dormant bats for a demonstration in front of cameras.[40]The bats woke up before detonation, then flew towards the wooden control tower, barracks, and other buildings and set a fire that destroyed much of the base.[40]
- The Irish-operated steamshipIrish Oakwas torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean by German submarineU-607despite sailing as a clearly marked neutral vessel.
- The German submarinesU-176andU-266were lost to enemy action in the Atlantic Ocean.
- Operation Checkmateended with all seven British commandos being captured after managing to sink one minesweeper.
- Died:Horst Hannig,21, German Luftwaffe fighter ace, was shot down over northern France
May 16, 1943 (Sunday)
[edit]- Operation Chastisewas carried out by nineteen bombers of the Royal Air Force on German dams in the Ruhr valley industrial region, causing massive flooding and loss of life. The Moehne River dam and the Eder dam contained two-thirds of the water stored for the Ruhr basin.[41]German radio reported that at least 711 people were confirmed dead, and claimed that 341 of them had been Allied prisoners of war.[42]"That night", German Armaments MinisterAlbert Speerwould write later, "employing just a few bombers, the British came close to a success which would have been greater than anything they had achieved hitherto with a commitment of thousands of bombers.[43]But they made a single mistake which puzzles me to this day: They divided their forces and that same night destroyed the Eder Valley dam, although it had nothing whatsoever to do with the supply of water to the Ruhr. "[43]
- The end of theWarsaw Ghetto Uprisingwas complete as SS PolizeifuhrerJürgen Stroopsent his triumphant dispatch to Berlin, announcing that "The former Jewish quarter of Warsaw is no longer in existence.[44]The large-scale action was terminated at 2015 hours by blowing up the Warsaw Synagogue... Total number of Jews dealt with 56,065 including both Jews caught and Jews whose extermination can be proved. "The operation had been commenced onApril 19.[44]
- The German submarineU-182was sunk nearMadeiraby the destroyerUSSMacKenzie,while theU-463was sunk in theBay of Biscayby aHandley Page HalifaxofNo. 58 Squadron RAF.
May 17, 1943 (Monday)
[edit]- TheBRUSA Agreementwas signed between the governments of Britain and the United States to exchange personnel and wartime intelligence between the cryptanalysis agencies of the two nations, along with those of Canada and Australia.[45]
- The ten surviving RAF bombers out of 19 from the"Dam Busters"returned, though only six would survive to the end of the war.[46]
- TheUnited States Armycontracted with theUniversity of Pennsylvania's Moore School to develop the computerENIAC.
- TheMemphis Belle's crew became the first aircrew in the8th Air Forceto complete its 25-mission tour of duty. The aircraft and crew, first to survive their tour, returned to the United States to assist in publicity for the sale of War Bonds.[47]
- The German submarinesU-128,U-646andU-657were all lost to enemy action in the Atlantic Ocean.
- Born:Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin,King of Malaysiafrom 2001 to 2006, and Raja of Perlis since 2000; inArau
- Died:Montagu Love,66, British actor
May 18, 1943 (Tuesday)
[edit]- With an Allied invasion of Italy imminent,Pope Pius XIIsent an appeal to U.S. President Roosevelt, asking that American bombers spare the destruction ofRome,noting that its "many treasured shrines of religion and art" were "the precious heritage not of one people but of all human and Christian civilization".[48]
- Having captured Tunisia, the Allies began the bombing of the Italian island ofPantelleria,100 miles from Tunis.[49]Pantelleria would be invaded without opposition on June 11, and would serve as a base for attacks on the larger Italian island ofSicily,60 miles away.[50]
- TheHot Springs Conference,which would create the basis for theFood and Agriculture Organization,opened in the United States inHot Springs, Virginia.[51]
- Born:Jimmy Snuka(ring name for James William Reiher), Fijian-born American professional wrestler (d. 2017)
May 19, 1943 (Wednesday)
[edit]- Following years of experimentation to test the safety of the first antibiotic drug, the United States Army Medical Corps cleared the release ofpenicillinfor use in all military hospitals. Two days later, the first patient to receive the drug would be an unidentified U.S. Army soldier.[52]Although the bacteria-killing properties of the moldPenicillium chrysogenumhad been discovered byAlexander Fleming15 years earlier, production was limited until 1942, when a potent strain of the mold was discovered on acantaloupethat had been discarded from a market inPeoria, Illinois,where research was being performed on synthesizing the drug. The "Peoria strain" was found by microbiologist Dorothy I. Fennell[52]to yield 50 times as much penicillin as previously tested strains, making mass production possible. Mary Hunt, a technician of the lab, is usually given credit for discovering the cantaloupe that contained the mold[53]although the laboratory's supervisor,Kenneth B. Raper,would tell a reporter in 1976 that "A housewife in town knew we were looking for moldy food, and she brought in the moldy cantaloupe," and handed it over to a guard, then departed without ever leaving her name.[54]
- Winston Churchilladdressed a joint session of the United States Congress (as well as a national radio audience), reviewing the course of the war and reassuring his audience of Britain's dedication to its alliance with the United States.[55]Churchill noted that "We will wage war at your side against Japan while there is breath in our bodies and while blood flows in our veins."[55]
- German Propaganda MinisterJoseph Goebbelsdeclared that, after 60 days of work,Berlinwas nowJudenfrei—free of Jews.[56]
- The German submarineU-273was depth charged and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean by a Lockheed Hudson ofNo. 269 Squadron RAF.
- German submarineU-954was sunk southeast ofCape Farewell, Greenlandby British warships. Among the crew who perished in the sinking was the son of AdmiralKarl Dönitz,Peter Dönitz.[24]
- Born:Helena Quinn,Australian-born American theoretical physicist, inMelbourne
- Died:Kristjan Raud,77, Estonian painter
May 20, 1943 (Thursday)
[edit]- TheUnited States Court for China,a federal civil and criminal court that had been based inShanghaisince 1906, ceased operations upon the ratification by the U.S. of a treaty with China, signed onJanuary 11,relinquishingextraterritorialityprivileges.[57]
- Joseph E. Davies,the former American ambassador to the Soviet Union, met secretly with Soviet Premier Stalin to deliver a letter from U.S. President Roosevelt, proposing "an informal and completely simple visit for a few days between you and me" during the summer, "either on your side or my side of the Bering Straits".[58]The invitation was kept secret even from British Prime Minister Churchill.[59]
- The German submarineU-258was depth charged and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean by a B-24 ofNo. 120 Squadron RAF.
- TheNational Advisory Committee for Aeronautics'Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory(now theGlenn Research Center) held its dedication ceremony inCleveland,Ohio.[60]
- Died:John Stone Stone,73, American physicist and inventor[61]
May 21, 1943 (Friday)
[edit]- The government ofBulgaria,under pressure from its Axis partner,Germany,agreed to surrender the 25,000 Jewish residents ofSofiafor deportation to concentration camps. Within three days, massive protests were organized and the plan was foiled. The city's Jews were resettled in labor camps within Bulgaria, with the men to be used for public works, but no further attempts at extermination were made.[62]
- Tokyo Radio announced theApril 18death of the commander of Japan's Navy, AdmiralIsoroku Yamamoto,who had been killed when his plane was shot down over the Solomon Islands by an American fighter plane. The announcer, whose voice broke, said that Yamamoto "engaged in combat with the enemy and met a gallant death in a warplane", giving the first reports of the military leader's death, which had not been announced in the United States.[63]President Roosevelt, who had orderedOperation Vengeance,was asked by reporters for a comment, and his sarcastic official statement was "Gosh!".[64]
- The German submarineU-303was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean offToulonby the British submarineSickle.
May 22, 1943 (Saturday)
[edit]- TheCominternwas dissolved inMoscow.The Communist International, which had been founded with the goal of "formenting of world revolution", had been voted out of existence by its executive committee on May 15 and an announcement was made inPravda.[65][66]In that the Soviet Union had joined the Allies after the invasion of the USSR by Germany in 1941, the declaration was believed by Western observers to be a signal by Joseph Stalin that the Soviet Union intended to stop its policy of trying to foment revolution in the other nations until after World War II.[67]
- British Commandos carried outOperation Farrier,a raid on the Yugoslavian island ofMljet.
- The German submarineU-569was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean after being depth charged and damaged by twoGrumman TBM Avengeraircraft from the escort carrierUSSBogue.
- Born:
- Tommy John,American major league baseball player, inTerre Haute, Indiana
- Betty Williams,Northern Irish political activist, and 1976Nobel Peace Prizelaureate, inBelfast(d. 2020)
- Died:Helen Taft,81, First Lady of the United States 1909–1913 and widow of PresidentWilliam Howard Taft
May 23, 1943 (Sunday)
[edit]- The heaviest air raid in history, up to that time, began as the Royal Air Force dropped 2,000 tons of bombs onDortmund,topping the record of 1,500 tons dropped onDuisburgon May 12.[68]
- The Italian submarineLeonardo da Vinciwas depth charged and sunk west of Portugal by two British warships.
- The German submarineU-752was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean by a rocket attack fromFairey Swordfishaircraft of819 Squadron, Fleet Air Armfrom the British escort carrierArcher.[68]
May 24, 1943 (Monday)
[edit]- After Allied forces in the North Atlantic sank 22 of the 60 German U-boats in the first two weeks of May, Grand AdmiralKarl Dönitzordered the remaining submarines to halt their attacks on Allied convoys, and to make "a temporary shift of operation to areas less endangered by aircraft".[69]Because of an improvement in Allied radar and in air patrols, "Black May"would see the sinking of 41 of the German subs in a single month.[69]
- Died:Parker Corning,69, seven-term U.S. Congressman and businessman who "once a millionaire many times over, died essentially broke"[70]
May 25, 1943 (Tuesday)
[edit]- At theAuschwitz concentration campin occupied Poland, a group of 1,035 Gypsies (507 men and 528 women) were killed in a single day. SS personnel, armed with lists of the persons to be exterminated, went around to each of the barracks, and took the condemned to the gas chambers.[61]
- The German submarineU-414was depth charged and sunk northwest ofTénès,Algeria by corvetteHMSVetch,and theU-467was depth charged and sunk in the North Atlantic by an American PBY Catalina.[61]
- Born:
- Jessi Colter,American singer and composer, inPhoenix, Arizona
- Leslie Uggams,American singer and actress, inNew York City
May 26, 1943 (Wednesday)
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/Edwin_Barclay_portrait.jpg/150px-Edwin_Barclay_portrait.jpg)
- Edwin Barclay,thePresident of Liberia,was welcomed by U.S. President Roosevelt to the White House, along with President-electWilliam Tubman.That evening, the African leader "became the first member of his race to spend the night as a guest at the Executive Mansion".[71]In the next 45 years, Ethiopian EmperorHaile Selassie I(in 1954 and 1963), Haitian PresidentPaul Magloire(1955), and entertainerSammy Davis, Jr.(1973), along with their families, would be the only other black dignitaries to spend the night at the White House.[72]
- U.S. President Roosevelt ordered striking workers at three rubber companies inAkron, Ohio,to return to work. In a telegram to union leaders, Roosevelt said that unless production resumed at noon the next day, "your government will take the necessary steps to protect the interests of the nation". Nearly all of the employees at Goodyear Tire, Firestone Tire and General Tire reported for work the next day, although only a few at B.F. Goodrich complied.[73]
- The German submarineU-436was depth charged and sunk west of CapeOrtegalby two British warships.
- Died:Edsel Ford,49, American businessman, philanthropist, and President of Ford Motor Company, died of stomach cancer
May 27, 1943 (Thursday)
[edit]- The U.S.Office of War Mobilizationwas established by President Roosevelt under Executive Order No. 9347.James F. Byrneswould be named as the first Director.[74]
- TheFair Employment Practices Commission(FEPC) was given additional powers to punish discrimination, under Executive Order No. 9346.[75]
- The U.S.War Production Boardissued an order that all contractors engaged in war production were barred from practicing racial discrimination.[76]
- "Nazi cultural functionaries" in German-occupied Paris removed the paintings of disapproved artists from theGalerie nationale du Jeu de Paume,and burned them in the museum's courtyard. Destroyed were works byAndré Masson,Joan Miró,Francis Picabia,Max Ernst,Fernand LégerandPablo Picasso.[77]
- At the Polish city ofTluste,now part of Ukraine, liquidation of the Jewish population was carried out by the German SS, with 3,000 persons killed in a single day. The people were gathered in the town square, then led in groups of at least 100 to 200 to the town's Jewish cemetery, where they were shot.[78]
- Upon the conclusion of the Washington Conference, Winston Churchill flew to Algiers with GeneralGeorge Marshallto discuss military strategy with Eisenhower.[79]
- Born:
- Bruce Weitz,American TV actor (Hill Street Blues), inNorwalk, Connecticut[79]
- Cilla Black,British singer and television presenter inLiverpool,England (d. 2015)
- Died:Arthur Mee,67, British educator and children's author who createdThe Children's Encyclopædiain 1908, which was published in the United States asThe Book of Knowledge[79]
May 28, 1943 (Friday)
[edit]- After the Japanese forces onAttu Islandhad been reduced from 2,500 to 1,000 in the fight with the United States, the remaining group decided to launch suicide attacks on the American forces.[33]
- The German submarineU-304was depth charged and sunk southeast of Cape Farewell, Greenland by a B-24 ofNo. 120 Squadron RAF,and theU-755was attacked with rockets and sunk north ofMajorcaby a Lockheed Hudson ofNo. 608 Squadron RAF.
- Aaron Copland's balletRodeowas performed for the first time, with symphonic accompaniment by Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops.[80]
May 29, 1943 (Saturday)
[edit]- RAF Bomber Commandsent 719 aircraft tobomb Wuppertalovernight.[81]The raid created afirestormthat killed over 3,500 people.[82]
- Norman Rockwell's illustration ofRosie the Riveterwas introduced, on the cover of the Memorial Day issue of theSaturday Evening Post.Rockwell's inspiration was a 1942 song written byRedd Evansand John Jacob Loeb, and recorded byKay Kyser,and the model for the painting was a 19-year-old telephone operator fromArlington, Vermont,Mary Doyle.[83]
- "That Old Black Magic"byGlenn Millerand His Orchestra hit #1 on theBillboardsingles chart.
- Died:Muhamed Mehmedbašić,56, Bosnian revolutionary and conspirator in the 1914assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinandof Austria, was killed by theUstaše,the secret police of the Nazi-sponsoredIndependent State of Croatia
May 30, 1943 (Sunday)
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a8/US_troops_at_the_Battle_of_Attu.jpg/150px-US_troops_at_the_Battle_of_Attu.jpg)
- After 19 days of fighting, the United States recapturedAlaska'sAttu Islandfrom the Japanese Army, annihilating the remaining fighters "except for a few snipers".[29][84]The Japanese soldiers who were not killed in battle committed mass suicide, and a search of the island found no survivors. Of the 2,500 Japanese who originally tried to hold the Alaskan island, only 28 prisoners were alive at the battle's end, while the American losses were 600 dead.[33]
- Dr.Josef Mengelebegan his service as a medical officer in theAuschwitz-Birkenauconcentration camp, and spent the next 19 months conducting bizarre surgical experiments on the captive patients.[85]
- In a German air raid on the British coastal town ofTorquay,a church was bombed, killing 35 children and four Sunday school teachers.[86]
- The British submarineHMSUntamedsank during a training exercise in theFirth of Clydewith the loss of all 35 of her crew.[87][88]She was later raised, repaired and returned to service as HMSVitality.[87]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Logo_of_the_All-American_Girls_Professional_Baseball_League.svg/150px-Logo_of_the_All-American_Girls_Professional_Baseball_League.svg.png)
- The four teamAll-American Girls Professional Baseball League(AAGPBL), the first and last professional baseball league with women players, made its debut, with theSouth Bend Blue Sox(Indiana) beating theRockford Peaches(Illinois), 1–0. In the game with the two Wisconsin teamsKenosha Shamrocksbeat theRacine Belles,8–6.[89][90]
- Born:
- James Chaney,African-American civil rights worker, inMeridian, Mississippi(killed 1964)
- Gale Sayers,African-American NFL running back and Hall of Famer, inWichita, Kansas(died 2020)
May 31, 1943 (Monday)
[edit]- The "Zoot Suit Riots"erupted between military personnel and Mexican American youths in East Los Angeles.[91]
- The German submarineU-440was sunk west of Cape Ortegal by aShort Sunderlandaircraft ofNo. 201 Squadron RAF,and theU-563was depth charged and sunk in the Bay of Biscay by British and Australian aircraft.[citation needed]
- Born:
- Joe Namath,American NFL quarterback and Hall of Famer, inBeaver Falls, Pennsylvania
- Sharon Gless,American TV actress (Cagney & Lacey), inLos Angeles,California
- Died:Helmut Kapp,German Gestapo official, was killed by a partisan death squad in Poland
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