1. Giving them a large amount of detailed information about roads, railways and military facilities in Eire in the event of a German invasion.

2. Whenever a German aircraft or submarine was sighted in or over Irish territory, the Irish would broadcast the location of the intruder "in the clear" on radio frequencies the British monitored.

3. Allowed the RAF to fly over certain specified areas.

4. Did not protest overflights by RAF aircraft over the rest of the country.

5. Provided daily intelligence information to Britain.

6. Allowed the British Legation to keep two secret transmitters and a private telephone line to London and Belfast.

7. Routed all German and Italian official communications through Britain.

8. Allowed the British to install equipment that resulted in the decreased efficiency of the RTE, the Irish national radio service, so the Germans could not use it as a guide for bombing the UK.

9. Transferred seven Irish tankers to Britain.

10. Allied airmen who went down in Eire were quietly taken to the border and turned over to Allied officers in Ulster.

11. All German spies and military personnel who were captured were interned for the duration of the war.

GERMANY: Daily Keynote from the Reich Press Chief:

The special announcement about Crete should form your front-page story. Germany's is one of the boldest military strokes in world history and awakens the pride of the nation. It should be an occasion for emphatic political commentary. Above all, emphasize the contrast between Churchill's initial boastful remarks and the German reporting that began only when factual battle results could be truthfully reported.

FINLAND: Finnish military delegation, headed by Lt. Gen. Erik Heinrichs, travels to Germany. In the next two days they're engaged in negotiations with generals Jodl and Halder about the Finnish military dispositions in the event of a Russo-German war. While the Finns are not empowered to make any binding promises, it is understood that Finland shall prepare to go to war against Soviet Union.

Since the end of the Winter War in March 1940, Finland had looked for an opportunity to seek redress for one way or another. Initially it was feared that Soviets will attack at the first opportunity to finish conquering Finland, and especially in the summer and autumn of 1940 the situation looked very threatening. The Soviet diplomats began forcing issues by threats, and it looked like all the Soviets were looking for was an excuse. The Finnish intelligence detected Soviet troop movements near the border. But the invasion never came. It is possible that Stalin was waiting for the Germans to provide a diversion to draw world's attention away from Finland, namely in the form of a German invasion of Britain. It can perhaps be said that by defeating the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain, the RAF also saved the Finnish independence.

During the Winter War Germany had been very cool towards Finland, respecting the pact it had with Stalin. But in late 1940 the attitude began to change. Hitler had decided to go to war with the Soviet Union, and the Finns were in that case valuable allies. Germany began to sell arms to Finland, and soon began dropping hints about a possible change in the Russo-German relations. In the spring of 1941 the Fenno-German co-operation had become quite concrete, and German troops were streaming into northern Finland.

Around that time, in late spring 1941, Stalin's attitude towards Finland began to change. Threats were forgotten, and the Soviet Union became very accommodating in all deals. But by now it was already too late. Stalins actions had driven Finland firmly in the German camp.

GREECE: CRETE: The Allies are pushed back to Galatas as German forces build-up around Maleme. During the night Ramcke's forces break though to Oberst Heidrich at Galatos. The New Zealand defence line is smashed by Stuka dive bombers and the way to Chania is open.

ETHIOPIA: Soddu falls to the Allies.

CANADA: Corvettes HMCS Matapedia, Barrie and Dauphin arrived Halifax from builders.

U.S.A.: The U.S. Congress passes a bill authorizing the construction or acquisition of 550,000 tons of auxiliary vessels for use by the U.S. Navy.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The BISMARK joins battle; HMS Hood is destroyed and HMS Prince of Wales is forced to veer off after being badly hit.

Around 06.00 after firing two or three salvoes, BISMARK hits HMS Hood in her main magazine which blows up with only three survivors (picked up by the destroyer HMS Electra (Rich Pelvin)) and 1418 casualties. She sinks at 63 20N, 31 50W. Now it is HMS Prince of Wales turn to be the target. After being hit several times she turns away but not before damaging BISMARK and causing her to lose fuel oil to the sea. German Admiral Lutjens then decides to make for St. Nazaire in France and heads southwest and later south out of the Denmark Strait. The two RN cruisers, and for a while the damaged Prince of Wales, continue to shadow. Admiral Tovey hurries west with the rest of Home Fleet.

Fifteen Swordfish are armed with torpedoes and sent to delay the ship. HMS Sheffield is between Ark Royal and Bismark. The aircraft falsely identified the British cruiser as their target and fire torpedoes. The torpedoes are fitted with unreliable magnetic detonators, which cause  most to explode on contact with the water, while Sheffield evaded the rest. After realising his mistake, one of the pilots signalled 'Sorry for the Kipper' to Sheffield.

On return to the carrier, the Swordfishes are re-armed with contact-detonator warheads and launched at 19.15 hours for a second attack; locating and attacking Bismark just before sunset. Three torpedoes hit the battleship: two impacted forward of the engine rooms, while the third struck the port steering room and jams the rudder in a 15º port turn. Bismark is forced to sail in circles until the disabled rudder is reset to neutral, at which point she was sailing towards the British warships with almost no manoeuvring capability.

With Hood's loss, Force H (Admiral Somerville) with battlecruiser HMS Renown, carrier Ark Royal and cruiser HMS Sheffield is sailing north from Gibraltar. Battleship Ramillies, released from convoy escort duties, and Rodney, then to the west of Ireland, head towards BISMARK's expected track. Ramillies does not play a part in later operations.

At 18.00 BISMARK feints north towards her shadowers long enough to allow Prinz Eugen to get away. (The cruiser goes south, later refuels from a tanker and cruises for three days before reaching Brest on 1 June. There she joins the two battlecruisers under heavy RAF attack until the Channel dash of February 1942.)

Around midnight, southeast of Cape farewell, Swordfish from Admiral Tovey's HMS Victorious get one hit on BISMARK after she has resumed her southerly course. The damage is negligible.

U.S. Navy Patrol Squadron Fifty Two (VP-52) based at Naval Air Station (NAS) Argentia, Newfoundland, dispatches their eleven PBY-5 Catalinas in the face of strong gales to search for the German battleship BISMARK. 

Because of the weather, none of the aircraft are able to return to NAS Argentia and they land in Labrador, Quebec and other places in Newfoundland.

(Extra by Mark Horan) Force H is composed of::
HMS Renown (F): Captain Rhoderick Robert McGriggor, RN [later RA Sir, DSO, CB, KCB, GCB, MiD]

Flag of Vice-Admiral Sir James Fownes Somerville, KCB, DSO, MiD, RN (CinC “Force H”) [later Admiral KBE, GCB, GC]

HMS Ark Royal: Captain Loben Edward Harold Maund, MiD, RN [A/RA, DSC, MiDx3]

Commander Flying: Commander Henry Austin Traill, RN [later MiD, OBE, CBE]

807 Squadron, FAA [12 Fulmar I/II] Lieutenant-Commander James Sholto Douglas, RN (P-OC) [later Cdr.(A), DSO]

808 Squadron, FAA [11 Fulmar II] Lt. Alistair Thomas James Kindersley, RN (P-A/OC) [KiA 25/07/41]

810 Squadron, FAA [9 Swordfish I] Lieutenant-Commander Mervyn Johnstone, DSC, MiD, RN (P-OC)

818 Squadron, FAA [9 Swordfish I] Lieutenant-Commander Trevenen Penrose Coode, MiD, RN (P-OC) [KiA 25/01/43 as Cdr., DSO]

820 Squadron, FAA [9 Swordfish I] Lieutenant-Commander James Andrew Stewart-Moore, RN (O-OC)

HMS Sheffield: Captain Charles Arthur Aiskew Larcom, RN [later DSO, MiD] HMS Faulknor: Captain Anthony Fane de Salis, MiD, RN, Captain(D) 8th DF (OC 19/02/40) [later MBE(Civ), DSO, MiDx2]

HMS Foresight: Lieutenant-Commander Jocelyn Stuart Cambridge Salter, RN (OC 14/01/41) [later RA, OBE, DSO+bar, CB]

HMS Forester: Lieutenant-Commander Edward Bernard Tancock, DSC+bar, RN (OC 19/01/39) [later Cdr., MiD, OBE]

HMS Foxhound: Commander Geoffrey Handley Peters, DSC, RN [later A/Capt.]

HMS Fury: Lieutenant-Commander Terence Corin Robinson, RN (OC 06/07/40) [later Cdr., DSC, MiDx2]

HMS Hesperus: Lieutenant-Commander Arthur Andre Tait, MiD, RN (OC 02/41) [KiA HMS Harvester 11/03/43 as Cdr., DSO, MiDx3]

Awards in Brackets are those for actions in the chase. Dates in parenthesis are the dates that officer assumed command. Bracketed info shows later ranks and awards.

At 0356, the unescorted Marionga was hit in the stern by one torpedo from U-103 and sank by the stern within four minutes. The ship had been spotted at 1950 on 23 May, but the U-boat had to wait for attacking until darkness. The first two torpedoes fired at 0036 and 0154 missed.

SS Vulcain sunk by U-38 at 09.20N, 15.35W.