May 11, 1941. Things airborne
On this day in 1941 France brokered a deal with Germany for the release of POWs who were World War One veterans, save for professional soldiers, in exchange for German use of Syrian airfields in the German effort to aid Iraq.
Martin 167F bomber at Aleppo after being captured by the British.
Many of those French soldiers would only have been in their late 30s and 40s, well within military age, but not young men either.
German aircraft flew in Iraq for the first time on this day as well, although the Iraqis were already losing ground.
Hitler received the news that his second in the Nazi Party, Rudolph Hess had flown to the United Kingdom. It came in the form of a letter from Hess. Hitler was shocked.
The Blitz, as we noted yesterday, was over.
