The following events occurred in May 1941:
May 1, 1941 (Thursday) The Orson Welles-directed drama film Citizen Kane had its world premiere at the Palace Theatre in New York City. The week-long May Blitz of Liverpool began. Fighting in western Ethiopia between the Italian and Belgian Congolese colonial forces was halted for six weeks due to the rainy season. Gross-Rosen became an independent concentration camp. The British Government created the Ministry of War Transport and made Frederick Leathers its first head. The "Mad Dog" trial ended after twenty days when the jury found the Esposito brothers guilty of two counts of murder after just one minute of deliberation. German submarine U-568 was commissioned. A new breakfast cereal by General Mills named Cheerioats was introduced. Its name would be changed to Cheerios in 1945. Born: Magne Thomassen, speed skater, in Melhus, Norway USSR holds a military parade on Red Square in Moscow with German officials Ernst August Köstring and Hans Krebs invited as guests
May 2, 1941 (Friday) The Anglo-Iraqi War began, starting with airstrikes centred around RAF Habbaniya. The Romanian government established the National Center for Romanianization, which was mainly tasked with expropriating Jewish properties and distributing them to Romanians. The British destroyer HMS Jersey struck a mine at Malta's Grand Harbour and sank.
May 3, 1941 (Saturday) Australian troops launched a counterattack at Tobruk, but it was repulsed by the Italians. The Province of Ljubljana was created when Italy annexed part of Slovenia including the city of Ljubljana. Whirlaway won the Kentucky Derby in a new Churchill Downs track record time of 2:01 2/5. German submarines U-205 and U-451 were commissioned. Born: Nona Gaprindashvili, chess player, in Zugdidi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union
May 4, 1941 (Sunday) The Battle of Amba Alagi began in East Africa. The third raid of the Belfast Blitz occurred overnight. British troops occupied the airport and docks of Basra. Adolf Hitler made an address to the Reichstag reviewing the Balkan campaign and declaring that the German Reich and its allies were superior to any conceivable coalition in the world. Born: Nickolas Ashford, R&B singer and one-half of Ashford & Simpson, in Fairfield, South Carolina (d. 2011) Died: William A. Welch, 72, American engineer and environmentalist
May 5, 1941 (Monday) Haile Selassie re-entered the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, exactly five years after it was occupied by Italian forces. May 5 is now celebrated in Ethiopia as Arbegnoch Qen, or Patriot's Day. The fourth and final raid of the Belfast Blitz took place overnight. Born: Alexander Ragulin, ice hockey player, in Moscow, USSR (d. 2004)
May 6, 1941 (Tuesday) Iraqi troops withdrew from the plateau overlooking RAF Habbaniya after taking 1,000 casualties. Greenock Blitz: The Luftwaffe bombed the town of Greenock, Scotland for the first of two consecutive nights. A trade agreement was concluded between Japan and French Indochina. The Allies began Operation Tiger, a convoy maneuver from Gibraltar to Alexandria. Sanski Most Revolt: The Serbian population near Sanski Most in Axis-occupied Yugoslavia began an uprising against the repression of the Ustaše regime. Born: Ivica Osim, footballer and manager, in Sarajevo, Kingdom of Yugoslavia (d. 2022) Died: Shūzō Kuki, 53, Japanese scholar and philosopher
May 7, 1941 (Wednesday) The Battle of South Shanxi began. Hull Blitz: German aircraft bombed the port city of Kingston upon Hull for the first of two consecutive nights. The British destroyer Hurricane was bombed and sunk during the Liverpool Blitz, but she would be repaired and returned to service in January 1942. The German weather ship München was captured near Iceland. Secret papers were found on board that improved the British understanding of the Enigma coding machines. Baseball star Hank Greenberg joined the U.S. Army. Born: Kinichi Hagimoto, comedian, in Tokyo, Japan Died: James George Frazer, 87, Scottish social anthropologist
May 8, 1941 (Thursday) Action of 8 May 1941: The German commerce raider Pinguin was sunk by the British heavy cruiser HMS Cornwall in the Indian Ocean off the Seychelles. British and Transjordanian forces began the Assault on Rutbah Fort. The Sanski Most Revolt was suppressed on its third day. The Nottingham Blitz took place overnight. German submarine U-569 was commissioned.