What Happened in May 1941

"Citizen Kane" Is Released

Citizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film, and the first feature film directed by Orson Welles. It was nominated for Academy Awards in nine... Read more

First Bomb of the May Blitz of Liverpool Lands on Wallasey

The May Blitz on Merseyside was one of the last series of big raids on Britain before the German invasion of Russia. It involved 681 bombers in... Read more

Gross-Rosen Becomes Independent Concentration Camp

KL Gross-Rosen (Groß-Rosen) was a German concentration camp, located in Gross-Rosen, Lower Silesia (now Rogoźnica, Poland). It was located directly... Read more

Gerald Ford Opens Law Firm With Philip Buchen

Ford graduated from law school in 1941, and was admitted to the Michigan bar shortly there after. In May 1941, he opened a Grand Rapids law... Read more

Battle of South Shanxi

The Battle of South Shanxi (simplified Chinese: 晋南会战; traditional Chinese: 晉南會戰; pinyin: Jìn Nán Huìzhàn), also known as the Battle of Jinnan and... Read more

Germany Launches Airborne Attack on the Island of Crete

The Battle of Crete (German: Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta; Greek: Μάχη της Κρήτης) was a battle during World War II on the Greek island of Crete. The... Read more

British Forces Launch Naval Attack through the Kaso Strait

Admiral Andrew Cunningham, determined that no German troop transports should reach Crete, sent Admiral King's Force C (three cruisers and four... Read more

Allies Begin Retreat Southward Across Crete

Fighting against a constant supply of fresh enemy troops, the Allies began a series of retreats working southward across Crete. The 5th... Read more

Evacuations of Allied Forces from Crete Begins

Over four nights, 16,000 troops were evacuated to Egypt by ships including the light cruiser HMS Ajax. The majority of these troops embarked from... Read more