11 May 1941
  • German forces completed the occupation of the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea. ww2dbase [Balkans Campaign | TH]
  • British Brigadier Kingstone departed Haifa, Palestine with a column of horse cavalry and armored cars to reinforce RAF Habbaniya, Iraq. Meanwhile, the first 3 German Luftwaffe aircraft from Greece landed at Mosul, Iraq. ww2dbase [Campaigns in the Middle East | CPC]
  • The first combat mission by the RAF's new four-engine Halifax bombers failed to succeed when the bombers failed to find their French targets. ww2dbase [Halifax | AC]
  • Adolf Hitler summoned top Nazi Party officials to discuss how to handle Rudolf Heß's unauthorized flight to the United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Adolf Hitler | CPC]
Atlantic Ocean
  • German submarine U-103 sank British ship City of Shanghai with the last torpedo 750 miles southwest of Sierra Leone, French West Africa at 0130 hours after tracking her for 16 hours; 6 were killed, 67 survived. ww2dbase [CPC]
  • Alessandro Malaspina suffered a misfire in her torpedo No. 4 tube in the bow during a torpedo tube maintenance in the Atlantic Ocean, which damaged the tube opening. ww2dbase [Alessandro Malaspina | CPC]
  • Comandante Cappellini sighted fellow Italian submarine Luigi Torelli in the Atlantic Ocean at 1930 hours and exchanged recognition signals. ww2dbase [Luigi Torelli | Comandante Cappellini | CPC]
Ethiopia Germany Greenland
  • The US Coast Guard South Greenland Survey Expedition completed a survey of the future Bluie West Eight airfield site in Greenland. ww2dbase [Bluie West Eight | South Greenland | CPC]
United Kingdom
  • John Colville, secretary to Winston Churchill, observed great fires burning on the southern shore of River Thames in London, England, United Kingdom, result of the previous night's bombing. During the day, German Luftwaffe aircraft bombed RAF Feltwell in England. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | England | CPC]
Photo(s) dated 11 May 1941
Hitler Youth Hour of Commemoration in front of the Town Hall in Tomaszow, occupied Poland, 11 May 1941

11 May 1941 Interactive Map

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis




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Famous WW2 Quote
"With Germany arming at breakneck speed, England lost in a pacifist dream, France corrupt and torn by dissension, America remote and indifferent... do you not tremble for your children?"

Winston Churchill, 1935


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