May 1941
20
Germans launch airborne assault against British-held Crete.
The German 7th Parachute Division suffers heavy casualties in the first major
airborne assault in history but gains a strong foothold on the Greek island.
24
German battleship Bismarck sinks Britain’s HMS Hood.
The Bismarck exchanges salvos with the Hood in the Denmark Strait, hitting
the battle cruiser’s magazine and killing all but three of its 1,500-man
crew.
27
British corner and sink the Bismarck. Its rudder
jammed by torpedoes, the giant battleship becomes a sitting duck for British
warships that close in and sink her west of Brest, France, with a loss of
close to 1,900 lives.
31
Crete falls. After forcing most of Crete’s defenders
to evacuate, German troops, reinforced by air, cut off the remaining British
elements and take more than 11,000 prisoners.
June 1941
22
Germany invades the Soviet Union. The German Army launches Operation
Barbarossa, a four-pronged surprise attack stretching more than 500
miles along the German-Russian frontier. Ignoring warnings of the assault,
the Soviets quickly find their forces encircled as some 150 German divisions
sweep across the border, capturing hundreds of thousands of prisoners. Despite
being hampered by obsolete tanks and planes, the Russians nevertheless fight
on, bolstered by a steady stream of reinforcements.
July 1941
24
Japan occupies French Indochina. Buoyed by a non-aggression pact
with the USSR in April, Japan pursues a more aggressive policy in Southeast
Asia. The area’s inviting resources prompt the Imperial Navy to occupy
southern Indochina and set up a joint protectorate with Vichy authorities
there. The actions trigger a total American trade embargo on Japan two days
later as the United States freezes Japanese assets in the U.S. Britain follows
suit soon thereafter.
8
German forces lay siege to Leningrad.
19
Kiev falls to Germans.