Today in World War II History—May 21, 1941
Friday, May 21, 2021 by Sarah Sundin
Map depicting the German assault on Crete, Greece, 20-31 May 1941 (US Military Academy map)
80 Years Ago—May 21, 1941: Neutral US freighter Robin Moor is sunk by German U-boat U-69 in the South Atlantic, the first US ship sunk in the Atlantic in WWII; the crew survives but spends over 2 weeks in lifeboats.
Germans attempt amphibious landings on Crete but are stopped by the Royal Navy.
In tests in Louisiana, the US Navy chooses a bow-ramp version of the Higgins boat to go into production as the Landing Craft, Vehicle and Personnel (LCVP).
Troops of Company E, 16th Infantry, US 1st Infantry Division approach Fox Green section of Omaha Beach in an LCVP landing craft, Normandy, 6 Jun 1944 (US National Archives: 195515)
