28 May 1940 | World War II Database

28 May 1940

German submarine U-37 sank French liner Brazza 100 miles west of Cape Finisterre, Spain at 0924 hours, killing 79 crew and 300 passengers. 53 crew and 144 passengers were later rescued by French gunboat Enseigne Henry and British armed merchant cruiser HMS Cheshire. ww2dbase [CPC]
The National Defense Advisory Committee was established in the United States as a group of advisors for US President Roosevelt. Its membership included business and industry leaders such as William Knudsen, Edward Stettinius, and Sidney Hillman and academics such as economist Leon Henderson. ww2dbase [CPC]
American ambassador to France, William Bullitt, sent a telegram to the United States asking President Roosevelt to dispatch a cruiser to Bordeaux, France to bring weapons for the French police to quell a feared "Communist uprising" and to embark French and Belgian gold reserves. Heavy cruiser USS Vincennes would sortie from Hampton Roads, Virginia, United States with destroyers USS Truxtun and USS Simpson in response to the ambassador's request. ww2dbase [Vincennes | CPC]

Belgium

King Leopold III of Belgium officially surrendered unconditionally to Germany at 0400 hours; he made this decision without consulting his government nor the Allied nations. ww2dbase [Invasion of France and the Low Countries | TH]

China

Japanese bombers attacked Chongqing, China in multiple waves. ww2dbase [Bombing of Shanghai, Chongqing, and other Cities | Chongqing | CPC]

France

In France, 11,874 Allied personnel were evacuated from Dunkerque harbor and 5,930 from the nearby beaches; the latter was possible due to the arrival of many small fishing boats and pleasure craft. At Lille, seven German Divisions trapped the 40,000-strong French First Army. At Abbeville, the crew of French Char B1 Bis tank "Jeanne d'Arc" gallantly fought on against a German attack despite receiving 90 hits. Across the front lines, between eighty and ninety British prisoners of the 2nd Warwickshire Regiment, the Cheshire Regiment, and the Royal Artillery were murdered by members of No. 7 Company, 2nd Battalion SS Liebstandarte at Wormhoudt, France. ww2dbase [Invasion of France and the Low Countries | TH, AC]

Norway

Allied forces consisted of British, French, Norwegian, and Polish troops attacked Narvik, Norway across the Rombaksfjord and by land starting at 0015 hours. German aircraft did not arrived until 0430 hours, but they were able to force the Allied fleet to withdraw after damaging cruiser HMS Cairo (killing 10 and wounding 7). At 1200 hours, Allied troops captured the city. German troops withdrew to nearby hills. ww2dbase [Invasion of Denmark and Norway | Narvik | TH]

Photo(s) dated 28 May 1940

British trawler rescuing Allied troops escaping from Dunkirk, France, May 1940

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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