2 May 1941
- Sandstorms at Tobruk, Libya limited the offensive capabilities of German tanks on this date. 100 kilometers to the west, British gunboat HMS Ladybird bombarded Axis positions at Derna. ww2dbase [Siege of Tobruk | CPC]
- British ship Parracombe, with 21 crated Hurricane fighters on board for Malta, hit a mine and sank off Cape Bon, Tunisia. ww2dbase [CPC]
- At 0500 hours, during Muslim morning prayers, 33 British aircraft from RAF Habbaniya and 8 Wellington bombers from RAF Shaibah attacked the Iraqi artillery positions which had been threatening RAF Habbaniya for the past two days. Iraq troops responded by shelling RAF Habbaniya, killing 13 and wounding 29. Elsewhere, RAF aircraft attacked the Rashid airfield near Baghdad, Iraq, destroying 22 aircraft on the ground. The RAF lost 5 aircraft in Iraq on this date. ww2dbase [Campaigns in the Middle East | CPC]
- After sundown, German bombers attacked Liverpool, England, United Kingdom for the second consecutive night. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | CPC]
- British minesweeping trawler HMT Alberic and destroyer HMS St. Albans collided in Pentland Firth between the Orkney Islands and Britain. HMT Alberic sank with the loss of 13 crew. The HMS St. Albans sailed to Southampton, England, United Kingdom for repairs to her bow. ww2dbase [CPC]
- British aircraft sank German anti-submarine trawler Vp 808 off the island of Borkum near the Dutch-German border. ww2dbase [CPC]
- British destroyer HMS Jersey hit a mine and sank off Grand Harbour, Malta, killing 35 and wounding 48. ww2dbase [CPC]
- A German memorandum noted that the plan to remove large quantities of food out of Eastern Europe to feed German civilians and military personnel would likely result in the starvation of millions of Eastern Europeans especially through the winter. The plan would continue to be implemented, however. ww2dbase [CPC]
- Hans-Joachim Marseille was promoted to the rank of Unteroffizier while stationed in Libya. ww2dbase [Hans-Joachim Marseille | CPC]
- British Minister of Labour Ernest Bevin spoke on BBC about German plunder of French food. ww2dbase [Ernest Bevin | CPC]
- The British Royal Navy commissioned convoy escort ship HMS Lulworth, a former US Coast Guard Cutter, into service at New York, United States. She was manned by former crew members of battleship HMS Resolution, which was under repair in the US at the time. ww2dbase [New York | CPC]
Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis
Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you. Share this article with your friends: Stay updated with WW2DB: |
Search WW2DB
News
- » Autumn 2024 Fundraiser (7 Nov 2024)
- » Nobel Peace Prize for the Atomic Bomb Survivors Organization (11 Oct 2024)
- » Wreck of USS Stewart/DD-224 Found (2 Oct 2024)
- » WW2DB's 19th Anniversary (29 Dec 2023)
- » See all news
Random Photograph
Current Site Statistics
- » 1,150 biographies
- » 337 events
- » 43,914 timeline entries
- » 1,241 ships
- » 350 aircraft models
- » 207 vehicle models
- » 372 weapon models
- » 123 historical documents
- » 260 facilities
- » 470 book reviews
- » 28,533 photos
- » 432 maps
Famous WW2 Quote
"Goddam it, you'll never get the Purple Heart hiding in a foxhole! Follow me!"Captain Henry P. Jim Crowe, Guadalcanal, 13 Jan 1943
Support Us
Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!
Or, please support us by purchasing some WW2DB merchandise at TeeSpring, Thank you!