12 May 1942

UNITED KINGDOM: London: The man sent by the Warsaw Jews to tell the free world of Nazi genocide committed suicide today in London. Szmul Zygielboim left a letter in which he wrote: "I cannot live when the remnant of the Jewish people in Poland is being steadily annihilated ... By my death, I wish to express my vigorous protest against the apathy with which the world resigns itself to the slaughter." Zygielboim was a leading member of the Polish Jewish Social Democratic Party. After escaping to England in 1940 he spoke and broadcast frequently on Jewish suffering under the Nazis.

Three more U.S. Coast Guard Lake-class ships are transferred to the Royal Navy. USCGC Champlain (CGC-48) is renamed HMS Sennen, USCGC Sebago (CGC-51) is renamed HMS Walney, and USCGC Cayuga (CGC-54) is renamed HMS Tortland.

U.S.S.R.: A two-pronged Russian attack on Kharkov begins. Marshal Timoshenko is attempting to trap German forces against the Sea of Azov.

Tonight the Soviet high command is claiming that the Red Army has broken the German line after one of the biggest tank battles of the war.

Torrential rain continues to hamper operations but the Russians are pressing westwards after the fleeing Germans. They have captured a great quantity of munitions assembled immediately behind the front in readiness for Hitler's long-threatened summer campaign.

Marshal Timoshenko, conducting the Kharkov offensive, issued a rousing order to his soldiers before sending them into battle: "We have entered a new period of the war, the period of liberation of Soviet lands from the Hitlerite rabble.

"I hereby order the troops to begin the decisive offensive against our vilest enemy, the German fascist army, to exterminate its manpower and war materials and to hoist our glorious Soviet banner over the liberated cities and villages." The Russian soldiers, fighting with their unusual dogged courage, have obeyed him to the letter. But some of his staff feel that they are advancing too quickly and fear a German trap.

ARCTIC OCEAN: Soviet submarine "K-23" of the Polar fleet and White Sea Flotilla is sunk - by surface ASW ships UJ 1101, 1109 and 1110, they used 8,8 cm. guns afterwards came a German aircraft and sank it, close to cape Nordkin, Oks-fjord area. (Torstein and Sergey Anisimov)(69)

(Sergey Anisimov)(69)Polar Fleet and White Sea Flotilla: Shipping loss. SKR-29 "Brilliant" - by aviation at Jokanga (later raised)

POLAND: Auschwitz-Birkenau: The first mass-killing takes place. The victims are 1500 Polish Jews.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: The RAF shoots down 13 German troop-carrying aircraft off the North African coast.

CANADA: Corvette HMCS Moncton arrived Halifax from builder Saint John, New Brunswick.

At 0828, the unescorted Leto was hit by one torpedo from U-553 about eight miles north of Cape de la Madeleine. The torpedo struck in the engine room, wrecking the engine, killing eleven men (including the first engineer) and causing the ship to sink in a short time. In Quebec, the ship had taken four maritime officers as passengers on board. They were from the Dutch motor tanker Oscilla, which had been sunk by the Italian submarine Morosini on 16 Mar1942. One of them, the first mate, was rescued from a piece of wood but died later of hypothermia.

At 0552, the unescorted Nicoya was torpedoed by U-553 in the Gulf of St Lawrence south of Antipasti Island and sank following a coup de grâce at 0611. Five crewmembers and one gunner were lost. The master, 62 crewmembers, nine gunners and ten passengers landed at Fame Point Lighthouse, Gaspe Peninsula, New Brunswick.

U.S.A.: The 16-inch battleship USS Massachusetts is declared ready for operations. (William Enestvedt)

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarines sink two U.S. merchant tankers, the first off Louisiana and the second east of Barbados.

ASW trawler HMS Bedfordshire torpedoed and sunk by U-558 off Cape Lookout, North Carolina.

At 0355 and 0358, U-124 fired torpedoes at Convoy ONS-92 SE of Cape Farewell and hit Mount Parnes and Cristales. The Cristales was abandoned and later sunk by gunfire by corvette HMCS Shediac. The master, 64 crewmembers, seven gunners and ten passengers were rescued. 37 survivors, including seven passengers were picked up by the corvette and landed at St John's on 16 May. The remaining 45 survivors were picked up by USCGC Spencer and landed at Boston. An escort vessel later scuttled Mount Parnes.

At 0156, 0159 and 0206, U-124 fired torpedoes at Convoy ONS-92 SE of Cape Farewell and observed hits on three ships. At 0222, U-124 made a second attack and observed one hit amidships after 1 minute 56 seconds. Mohr claimed three ships totalling 16,100 tons sunk. However, only two ships were hit at the time of the first attack, the Empire Dell and Llanover. The master, Hugh MacKinnon, 38 crewmembers and seven passengers (RAF personnel) from Empire Dell were rescued. 25 survivors were picked up by corvette HMCS Shediac and landed at St John's on 17 May. 21 survivors were picked up by British rescue ship Bury and landed at St John's on 16 May. Two crewmembers were lost. The badly damaged Llanover was scuttled by corvette HMCS Arvida. The master, 39 crewmembers and six gunners were picked up by Bury and landed at St John's on 16 May.

Steam tanker Virginia sunk by U-507 at 28.53N, 89.29W.

At 0903, the unescorted Lise was first torpedoed by U-69 and then shelled. Twelve men were killed near the gun platform during the shelling and as it proved it fruitless to defend the ship, the crew got order to abandon ship. The master and the second mate jumped overboard and climbed into the gig that had been launched by the crew. At 1002, the tanker was hit by a coup de grâce amidships and sank. At daybreak the six men in the gig found a raft with seven men, while another lifeboat containing eight survivors searched for other survivors, but found none until daybreak, so they headed for land, reaching Carrizal in Columbia on 15 May. They went aboard the Norwegian merchant Washington Express and arrived at New York on 2 June. In the meantime, the master found that the gig was overloaded with all 13 men in it, so they decided to have a draw for a place in it. Five men had to go back to the raft and they later lost contact. On 13 May, the gig came near Curaçao and the men were rescued by the Dutch armed whaler Femern and taken ashore. A B-17 aircraft was sent out to look for the remaining survivors on the raft, but they were not found. On 31 May, another US aircraft located the raft in 14°38N/79°23W and directed the Dutch steam merchant Socrates to it, which picked up the survivors two hours later and landed them at Curaçao. On 7 June, the master, the five men from the raft and four others from the Lise left Curaçao on the Crijnssen for New York. The ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Straits of Yucatan on 10 June by U-504. All men from the Lise again survived being torpedoed. One Norwegian crewmen landed together with other survivors on the coast of Yucatan and was later flown to the USA. The Lebore picked up the master, eight crewmen and 40 others on 11 June, which was herself sunk by U-172 14 June. Again all nine Norwegians survived and abandoned ship on a raft. They were picked up two days later by USS Erie (PG 50) and taken to Cristobal. The first mate, Haugar Lyngås, later experienced a fourth torpedoing when Katy was torpedoed and sunk by U-857 23 Apr 1945.

SS Cocle sunk by U-94 at 52.37N, 29.13W.