Today in World War II History—May 5, 1943

US poster featuring the North American P-51B Mustang, WWII
80 Years Ago—May 5, 1943: In the continuing German attack on Allied North Atlantic convoy ONS-5, eleven Allied ships and one German U-boat are sunk.
Adm. Sir Charles Little is named Allied Naval Commander-in-Chief Expeditionary Force for Operation Overlord (D-day); he will be succeeded by Adm. Sir Bertram Ramsay in October 1943.
Japanese launch an offensive south of the Yangtze River toward Chongqing.
First flight of production-model North American P-51B Mustang (with a Packard-built Merlin engine), at Inglewood, CA.