Today in World War II History—May 2, 1941

RAF airfield at Habbaniya, Iraq, 1941 (British Army photo)

85 Years Ago—May 2, 1941: British and Indian troops secure Basra, Iraq, from pro-Axis Iraqi forces.

Iraqis shell RAF airfield at Habbaniya in Iraq, and British start air strikes against Iraqi forces near RAF Habbaniya.

Mufti Amin al-Husseini in Baghdad declares jihad to drive “British infidels” from Iraq & Palestine.

First of 31 installments of The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis appears in weekly British religious magazine The Guardian.