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On this day

The Dambusters Raid – 16th to 17th May 1943

On this day 68-years ago nineteen specially modified Lancaster bombers from 617 Squadron, The Royal Air Force attacked the Möhne, Eder and Sorpe dams in Germany. They dropped their famous “bouncing bombs” and breached the Möhne and Eder dams releasing about 330 million tons of water into the western Ruhr valley that spread a distance of around 50 miles (80km) from their source.

It was one of the most famous air operations of World War II, but the costs were high. Eight of the original nineteen Lancaster bombers were damaged or shot down. Of the 133 aircrew 53 were killed and three captured. On the ground almost 1,300 people were killed, including 749 Ukrainian prisoners of war based in a camp just below the Eder dam.

The mission has become popularly known as the “Dambusters Raid” and was immortalised in the 1955 film staring Richard Todd.

The end of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising – 16th May 1943

On this day 68-years ago the Germans crushed the poorly armed and supplied rising within the Jewish Ghetto of Warsaw. Some 13,000 Jews were killed in the ghetto during the uprising, including 6,000 that were burnt alive or died from smoke inhalation. Most of the remaining 50,000 Jewish residents were subsequently rounded up and sent to the concentration and extermination camps, in particular to Treblinka.

Napoleon Bonaparte enters Milan – 15th May 1797

On this day 215-years ago the 27-year old General Bonaparte entered Milan at the head of the fledgling Army of the French Republique during the French Revolutionary Wars.

The Netherlands surrenders – 14th May 1940

On 14th May 1940 the Luftwaffe bombed Rotterdam, during the German invasion of the Netherlands. The objective was to support the German troops fighting in the city, break Dutch resistance, and force the Dutch to capitulate. The Dutch General Staff knew that it did not have the resources to stop the German bombers and surrendered in order to prevent other cities from suffering the same fate. The Netherlands remained under German occupation until 1945, when the last Dutch territory was liberated.

The Battle of the Frezenburg Ridge – 8th to 13th May 1915

96-years ago today the struggle that was the Battle of the Frezenburg Ridge ground to a halt. After six-days of heavy fighting the German Imperial Army gained approximately 1,000 yards between Hooge and Louse Trap Farm in the quagmire of the Ypres Salient.

This was the third of the four battles that collective make up the Second Battle of Ypres during which gas was used for the first time in significant quantities on the Western Front. Overall the Second Battle of Ypres was to claim 70,000 British, Canadian and French, and 35,000 German casualties.

Axis Forces Surrender in North Africa – 12th May 1943

68-years ago the Axis forces fighting in North Africa surrendered. Over 275,000 experienced troops became prisoners of war and the stage was set for the invasion of Sicily.

London A Sea Of Flames – 10th/11th May 1941

70-years ago at 11:00 pm on 10th May 1941 the air raid sirens sounded as the bombs began to fall. They continued to rain down through the night and by the following morning, the face of London had been changed forever. Around 11,000 homes were destroyed, 1,486 Londoners lost their lives and bombs hit the Houses of Parliament, Waterloo Station, the British Museum and many more importat buildings. It was to be the worst night of the Blitz as the Luftwaffe launch its unprecedented bombing assault on the British Capital.

Germany Invades – 10th May 1940

71-years ago today the phoney war ended as Germany invaded Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. In response to appeals for reinforcements British and French troops moved across the Belgian frontier.

In Britain, Winston Churchill was appointed the British Prime Minister after Neville Chamberlain said he was stepping aside.

In Washington President Franklin D Roosevelt was if he thought Germany's invasion of the Low Countries would lead to US involvement in the war, to which he replied that it would not.

Channel Islands Liberated – 9th May 1945

67-years ago today the Channel Islands were liberated after five-years of German occupation.

Victory in Europe – 8th May 1945

67-years ago today, the Act of Military Surrender was ratified by the Government in Germany and the unconditional surrender of the Armed Forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich was formally accepted by the Allies marking the end of the war in Europe.

In the United Kingdom the population celebrated in the streets. Crowds gathered in the capital and in front of Buckingham Palace. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by Prime Minister Winston Churchill, appeared on the balcony of the Palace before the cheering crowds. Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret anonymously joined the crowds for the celebrations.

In America President Harry Truman dedicated the victory to the memory of his predecessor Franklin D Roosevelt who had died less than one month before. Massive celebrations took place across the country with huge gatherings in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and Washington.

Across the nations of the world that had been involved in the European war euphoria reigned. Hitler’s Nazi Germany had been crushed and Europe had been freed from its yoke.