Thursday, May 10, 2012

Day 984 May 11, 1942

At noon, British destroyers HMS Kipling, Jackal, Jervis and Lively, which are searching for an Italian convoy to Benghazi, are detected by German reconnaissance aircraft from Crete. At 2.30 PM, 14 Ju88 bombers attack, carrying two 500kg and two 250kg bombs each. HMS Lively is hit and sinks at 3.30 PM 120 miles North of Sidi Barrani, Egypt (76 killed). At dusk, another 7 Ju88s attack 60 miles North of Sidi Barrani, sinking HMS Kipling (25 killed) and setting HMS Jackal on fire (15 killed). HMS Jervis rescues 630 survivors from the 3 ships and takes the burning HMS Jackal in tow.

At Malta, Spitfires which arrived in Operation Bowery go into action during an axis bombing raid, shooting down 47 German aircraft and Italian CANT bombers (3 Spitfires shot down). This effectively ends daylight bombing of Malta.

In the Black Sea, Luftwaffe aircraft sink Soviet gunboat Rion and barge Anakriya killing 400 wounded troops being evacuated from the Crimea.

After floating for 4 days in the Coral Sea, the wreck of US oiler USS Neosho is located by Australian and American aircraft. At 1 PM, US destroyer USS Henley arrives and sinks USS Neosho with gunfire, after rescued the 123 survivors from Neosho and US destroyer USS Sims.

In the Atlantic 400 miles Northeast of Barbuda, U-502 sinks British MV Cape of Good Hope (carrying military supplies from USA to British 8th Army in Egypt). 1 lifeboat with 18 survivors lands at Tortola, Virgin Islands on 24 May. Another boat with 19 survivors lands after 18 days at Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.

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