War Diaries (May 10) (nonfiction)

War Diary entries for May 10.

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Diaries

Elisabeth Jacoba van Van Lohuizen-van Wielink: May 10, 1940

Elisabeth Jacoba van Van Lohuizen-van Wielink.

Last night the roar of aircraft kept waking us up. First at around two o’clock, later at around four. The second time, I got up to take a look, but couldn’t see anything. I thought they might be German or English planes, heading for their enemies. I tried to sleep again. Though the noise never stopped, I was suddenly woken up by shouting.

At first, I thought it was the people working at the house next door, but then I heard Mies van Lohuizen suddenly say, ‘They can’t hear anything, I got up and heard, War! Can’t you hear those airplanes?’ I found it hard to believe, but woke up Cees, who immediately turned on the radio, and then we heard several messages from the air force. A moment I’ll never forget. I’d always assumed they would leave us alone. We had been neutral until the end, and good to the Germans. We heard shouting, too. For a minute, we felt like we were paralyzed, and my first thought was, poor soldiers, there will be bloodshed.

After we got dressed, we quickly packed what needed to go or be destroyed. Such as the alcohol, which definitely had to be taken. Most of it was sent a few weeks ago. The workmen, who were at home, were also asked to come. They were equally upset. War. We couldn’t believe it. Everything in nature was so beautiful, and that day in particular was sunny and bright.

—Elisabeth Jacoba van Van Lohuizen-van Wielink was a Dutch citizen who began keeping a diary immediately after the German invasion during the Second World War. She and ultimately wrote 941 pages. Her husband was a pharmacist and optician who owned a grocery store in Epe, near Apeldoorn.

• Dutch War Diaries @ NY Times

Frank Curry: May 10, 1942

Sunday May 10, 1942. Sharp alteration of course on emergency signal.

Six to eight German U-boats in pack formation, laying across our course, 300 miles ahead. Convoy W-8 under heavy attack to our north; they lost six ships last night Sunday, May 17, 1942. We lost ship on the far side during the night. Nothing we could do about it.

—Frank Curry (diary) - Curry was a sonar operator on HMCS Kamsack, searching for submarines as they escorted merchant ships across the Atlantic.

• https://www.cbc.ca/history/EPISCONTENTSE1EP14CH1PA2LE.html

In the News

Fiction cross-reference

• Gnomon algorithm
• Gnomon Chronicles

Nonfiction cross-reference

• Elisabeth Jacoba van Van Lohuizen-van Wielink (nonfiction)
• War (nonfiction)
• War Diaries (nonfiction)

External links

• Dutch War Diaries @ NY Times