14 May 1941
- The British RAF formed No. 121 Squadron, also known as the second Eagle Squadron. It was consisted of American volunteers. ww2dbase [CPC]
- Romania passed laws which required all adult Jews to become forced laborers. ww2dbase [CPC]
- Axis aircraft attempted to locate British troop concentrations near the Libyan-Egyptian border as a British offensive was suspected; none were found. ww2dbase [Operation Brevity | CPC]
- Battleship Bismarck and light cruiser Leipzig conducted exercises; the port side crane was damaged during the exercises. ww2dbase [Bismarck | CPC]
- Battleship Bismarck and light cruiser Leipzig conducted exercises. ww2dbase [Leipzig | CPC]
- A British Blenheim bomber flying reconnaissance over Syria spotted a German Ju 90 transport aircraft at the Vichy French airfield at Palmyra. The British government gave permission to attack, and RAF fighter soon attacked the airfield, damaging two He 111 bombers. ww2dbase [Campaigns in the Middle East | CPC]
- British cruiser HMS Dido departed Suda Bay, Crete, Greece and headed for Alexandria, Egypt with £7,000,000 worth of Greek gold aboard. She was escorted by destroyers HMS Stuart, HMS Vendetta, HMS Janus, and HMS Isis. ww2dbase [Balkans Campaign | CPC]
- German armed merchant cruiser Atlantis sank British ship Rabaul with shellfire 500 miles west of South Africa; 7 were killed, 51 were captured. ww2dbase [Atlantis | CPC]
- Victorious was commissioned into service. ww2dbase [Victorious | CPC]
- Lord Gort was appointed the Governor of Gibraltar. ww2dbase [John Vereker | CPC]
- Comandante Cappellini stopped French sailing ship Notre Dame Du Châtelet in the Atlantic Ocean at 1420 hours. After reviewing her papers, the Italians allowed the French ship to depart. ww2dbase [Comandante Cappellini | CPC]
- Morosini received new instructions, and changed course at 1100 hours according. At 1500 hours, she sighted British merchant ship Manchester Port in the Atlantic Ocean. The Italian submarine closed in, but was detected in return at 1645 hours, turning away to escape while broadcasting a distress signal. Morosini abandoned the chase as she was slower than the target. At 2110 hours, Morosini was ordered to return to the previous patrol area. ww2dbase [Morosini | CPC]
- 3,600 French Jews in Paris, France were arrested. ww2dbase [Discovery of Concentration Camps and the Holocaust | Paris | CPC]
- Kaga departed the drydocks at Sasebo, Japan. ww2dbase [Sasebo Naval Arsenal | Kaga | Sasebo, Nagasaki | CPC]
14 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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