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• Sparking a controversy that will last long after the war, Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess landed in Scotland, United Kingdom with a Bf 110 fighter in an attempt to dissuade Duke of Hamilton to introduce him to King George VI in order to broker peace between the United Kingdom and Germany. This mission was not authorized by Adolf Hitler. He landed 12 miles from the Duke's residence, broke his ankle, and was arrested by a farmer. He was taken into custody and remained so until his death. ww2dbase [Rudolf Heß | TH]
• A German rocket engine test reached the speed of 1,002 kilometers per hour. ww2dbase [CPC]
• German submarine U-556 attacked Allied convoy OB-318 between Greenland and Iceland, sinking British ship Empire Caribou (34 killed, 11 survived) and Belgian ship Gand (1 killed, 43 survived) and damaging British ship Aelybryn (1 killed). ww2dbase [CPC]
• German submarine U-110, captured by HMS Bulldog on the previous day, sank while being towed toward Iceland. Her Enigma cipher machine and code book, however, had already been retrieved by the British. ww2dbase [Enigma Code Broken | CPC]
• The 200th Beaufighter aircraft was completed. ww2dbase [Beaufighter | AC]
• Bulgaria established diplomatic relationship with the Japanese-sponsored puppet state of Manchukuo. ww2dbase [CPC]

• Alessandro Malaspina had been submerged and observing distant depth charge detonations since the previous date. Surfacing at 0233 hours, she saw no hostile ship, and departed the area with haste. ww2dbase [Alessandro Malaspina | CPC]
• Comandante Cappellini sighted a German submarine in the Atlantic Ocean at 1215 hours and exchanged recognition signals. ww2dbase [Comandante Cappellini | CPC]

• Indian troops marched out the Falagi Pass, which was captured on the previous day, toward the 11,400-foot Mount Gumsa east of Amba Alagi, Ethiopia. Italian troops who held Mount Gumsa would be withdrawn into Amba Alagi after sundown. ww2dbase [Invasion of Italian East Africa | Amba Alagi | CPC]

• RAF bombers conducted a raid on Hamburg, Germany. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | Hamburg | TH]
• British Lieutenant Anthony "Peter" Allan escaped the Oflag IV-C prisoner of war camp at Colditz Castle, Germany by hiding in a straw mattress that was being carried out of the camp by cooperative French laborers. ww2dbase [Colditz Castle | Colditz, Sachsen | CPC]

• Italian manufacturing firm Caproni delivered midget submarines CB-3, CB-4, CB-5, and CB-6 to the Italian Navy at La Spezia, Italy. ww2dbase [La Spezia, Liguria | CPC]

• British destroyers HMS Kelly, HMS Kipling, HMS Jackal, HMS Kashmir, and HMS Kelvin from Malta bombarded Benghazi, Libya at 1700 hours; German dive bombers fought back but caused no damage. After nightfall, also in Libya, British gunboat HMS Ladybird shelled Gazala 30 miles west of Tobruk. ww2dbase [Kelly | Siege of Tobruk | Benghazi | CPC]

• British Royal Navy Captain J. R. S Haines, carrying German Navy's June 1941 cipher setting information captured from German weather ship München three days prior, arrived at Bletchley Park in England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Enigma Code Broken | Bletchley Park | Milton Keynes, England | AC]

• Vice Admiral Toshio Shimazaki was named the Chief of Staff of the Mako naval port at Pescadores islands, Taiwan. ww2dbase [Mako Guard District | Mako, Hoko | CPC]

• German bombers mounted what would turn out to be the last major raid on London, England, United Kingdom. Low tide on the River Thames made firefighting difficult as it was harder to draw water, thus fires caused more damage than usual. The Houses of Parliament were among the buildings damaged during this night. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | CPC]

10 May 1941 Interactive Map