3 May 1942
- Destroyer Yuzuki supported the invasion of Tulagi, Solomon Islands. ww2dbase [Yuzuki | CPC]
- Junyo was commissioned into service. ww2dbase [Junyo | CPC]
- Adolf Hitler spoke of his habit of keeping an irregular schedule to throw off any potential assassination attempts. ww2dbase [July Plot | CPC]
- German submarine U-455 sank British tanker British Workman 120 miles south of Cape race, Newfoundland at 0638 hours; 6 were killed, 47 survived. At 0824 hours, German submarine U-564 sank British ship Ocean Venus 12 miles off Cape Canaveral, Florida, United States; 5 were killed, 42 survived. At 1054 hours, U-109 sank Dutch ship Laertes also off Florida; 18 were killed, 48 survived. ww2dbase [Second Happy Time | CPC]
- German submarine U-506 sank Nicaraguan ship Sama 60 miles southwest of Miami, Florida, United States at 0812 hours; all 14 aboard survived. German submarine U-125 sank Dominican ship San Rafael with 1 torpedo and 32 rounds from the deck gun 50 miles west of Jamaica at 1723 hours; 1 was killed, 37 survived. ww2dbase [Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico Campaigns | CPC]
- USS Yorktown was dispatched toward Tulagi, Solomon Islands. ww2dbase [Yorktown (Yorktown-class) | CPC]
- Clifton Cates was made the commanding officer of 1st Marine Regiment. ww2dbase [Clifton Cates | CPC]
- Six He 111 aircraft of German Luftwaffe unit I./KG 26 from the airfield at Bardufoss, Norway attacked Allied convoy PQ-15 between North Cape and Bear Island (Bjørnøya), sinking ships Botavon (20 were killed), Jutland, and Cape Corso (all 50 aboard were killed) at 0127 hours; the convoy recorded 3 German aircraft shot down, but KG 26 records showed only 1 loss. At 2230 hours, another air attack came upon PQ-15, damaging the ship Cape Palliser while one Ju 88 aircraft was shot down; the arrival of Soviet Pe-3 aircraft drove off the rest of the German attackers. ww2dbase [Arctic Convoys | Barents Sea | CPC]
- Alpino Bagnolini sighted a Portuguese freighter in the Atlantic Ocean at 1050 hours; no actions were taken. ww2dbase [Alpino Bagnolini | CPC]
- Japanese 3rd Kure Special Landing Force captured Tulagi Island and Gavutu Island in the Solomon Islands. ww2dbase [Battle of Coral Sea | Tulagi | TH]
- Tenryu provided cover for the landings at Santa Isabel Island, Solomon Islands. ww2dbase [Tenryu | Santa Isabel Island | CPC]
- Having fought off the attack by the 1st Burma Division at Monywa, Burma, Japanese 33rd Infantry Division went on the offensive pushing 1st Burma Division back toward Alon. ww2dbase [Invasion of Burma | Monywa | CPC]
- 81 British bombers (43 Wellington, 20 Halifax, 13 Stirling, 5 Hampden) attacked Hamburg, Germany. The attack killed 77 civilians and wounded 243 at the cost of 5 bombers destroyed. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | Hamburg | CPC]
- Chester Nimitz departed Midway Atoll and returned to Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii. ww2dbase [Pearl Harbor Navy Base and Ford Island Naval Air Station | Chester Nimitz | Honolulu, Oahu | CPC]
- Nachi arrived at Akkeshi, Hokkaido, Japan. ww2dbase [Nachi | Akkeshi, Hokkaido | CPC]
- The Japanese continued to bombard Corregidor in the Philippine Islands by artillery and aircraft. ww2dbase [Invasion of the Philippine Islands | Corregidor, Cavite | CPC]
- USS Spearfish arrived at Corregidor, Philippine Islands and evacuated 27 military, nursing, and civilian personnel. This would be the last US Navy evacuation mission out of Corregidor before the surrender. ww2dbase [Spearfish | Corregidor, Cavite | CPC]
- USS Wasp departed Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom with 47 Spitfire fighters aboard, embarking on Operation Bowery aiming to resupply Malta. ww2dbase [Wasp (Wasp-class) | Glasgow, Scotland | CPC, DS]
- Robert Johnson began advanced flying training at Kelly Field, Texas, United States. ww2dbase [Robert Johnson | San Antonio, Texas | CPC]
3 May 1942 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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