During one month, the best pilots competed in the latest-generation 4v4 Jet format. Among dozens of teams, 8 managed to qualify for the FINAL phase of the tournament, and this long-awaited tournament is finally taking place! Will the EXOTIC team repeat the feat and retain their championship? Cheer for your favorite team and receive prizes throughout the event!

And this year, we’re honored to show you this event in collaboration with VIRPIL Controls, sponsoring the event and providing exceptional prizes.

Throughout the two weekends, you can receive awesome camouflages during match broadcasts.


Watch Air Superiority 2024 and receive:

• Night Stalker camouflage for the ZTZ 99A (up to 2 items)
  
• Legionary camouflage for the F-16ADF
  
• 50% Silver Lion Booster for 10 battles (up to 2 items)
  
• 50% Research Point Booster for 10 battles (up to 2 items)
  
• 1 Day of Premium Account (up to 2 items)

Watch the tournament and get Twitch Drops only on the official English, German, French and Russian War Thunder Esport channels!

During the 2 weekends of Twitch drops, you’ll be able to receive up to 9 items. Missed one prize from the stream? No worries, as you’re able to receive it during the next weekend, but you’ll need more stream watch time to get it. If you receive the camouflage multiple times, you’ll be able to exchange them for Warbonds.

VIRPIL Controls is a project created by passionate flight-sim enthusiasts looking to revolutionize the sim controller market. Since 2016 we have worked tirelessly with the community to bring highly versatile, high precision, exciting controllers to the market.

They have secured their position as a top choice for sim and professional pilots alike around the world! See you in the skies!

They offer exceptional prices for Air Superiority Tournament and by using code WTESPORT you get a reduction of up to (depending on the region) 10% on your next purchase! This code is valid for the duration of the Air Superiority event from May 10th until May 27th.

Just like last year, you’ll see exciting 4v4 battles in realistic battle mode! The line-up is made up of legendary aircraft of the latest generation that you can now find in games such as the famous F-15A, SU-27 or the Mirage 4000 and many others. On the battlefields of War Thunder, you’re going to see incredible plays and unexpected comebacks at top tier air battles, during a best of 9 games matches.

Qualified teams will use unique tactics in an effort to win Golden Eagles, Virpil Controls prize, and a unique skin coupon created for this tournament! And compete for the “Air Superiority 2024 Champion” title!

4 KIT (Main winning team players):

• VPC Constellation ALPHA Prime Grip [Right Hand][virpil-controls.eu]
  
• VPC WarBRD-D Base[virpil-controls.eu]
  
• VPC CDT-VMAX Throttle[virpil-controls.eu]
  
• VPC ACE Torq Pedals[virpil-controls.eu]
  
• VPC Universal Control Panel - #2[virpil-controls.eu]

+ 2 KIT ( reserve player ):

• VPC Constellation ALPHA Prime Grip [Right Hand][virpil-controls.eu]
  
• VPC WarBRD-D Base[virpil-controls.eu]

The pack Includes:

• "Flanking Snail" decal
  
• "Slick flanker" title
  
• 300 Golden Eagles

To keep up with all the events in the world of Esports in War Thunder, join our community on Discord! Starting today, we’ll be giving away premium bundles there:

• F-20A-Tigershark-Pack
  
• Tornado-IDS-WTD-61-Pack
  
• MiG-23ML-Pack
  
• Mirage-F1C-200-Pack

Tens of millions of people from multiple nations around the globe fought, demonstrated acts of bravery and sacrificed themselves for years to ensure that the war would come to an end. Their efforts and heroism were not in vain. It’s Victory Day, which means we’re celebrating its anniversary with several activities for you to participate in!

When: From May 8th until May 13th (11:00 GMT) play War Thunder and get rewards!

You can track the progress you’ve made for each task by going to your Nickname > Achievements > Victory Day.

We’ve prepared trophies with rewards from previous Victory Day events that can be found in the in-game Item Shop. Purchasing a trophy will give you Allied weapon decorations or decals that you don’t yet have. The decals are dedicated to three main Soviet military memorials: “Rear-Front”, “Motherland”, and “Warrior Liberator”. The decorations are: “Bren Mk II”, “ROKS-3”, “M1 Garand”, “SG-43” and “Maxim-Tokarev Machine Gun”, plus the “Matilda II” and “120-PM-38” for Bluewater fleet vehicles.


From May 6th until May 13th, you’ll find discounts on many packs, plus rare bundles with themed vehicles that are dedicated to Victory Day in the Gaijin.net Store. The larger “Weapons of Victory” bundle has received a particularly large discount. Additionally, the unique IS-2 “Revenge” tank can be temporarily purchased for Golden Eagles in-game!

Click here for the full details

From May 8th until May 20th, take part in the Legend of Victory event to earn yourself themed decals, a decoration and a vehicle. The grand vehicle reward is a personalized Yak-3 owned by Soviet Major Boris Eremin!

Collective farmer Ferapont Golovatov, together with his family, relatives and neighbors collected an amount of 100,000 rubles and transferred it to the Soviet Government in May 1944 for the construction of a personalized Yak-3 fighter with a dedicated inscription for Major Boris Eremin. Eremin flew this aircraft until the very end of the war and achieved 6 aerial victories.

Click here for the full details

Until May 12th, take part in any of the 14 tournaments in the Victory series! Festive decals and titles await you here, along with a total prize pool of 184,000 Golden Eagles. You can follow the tournament schedule and participate in them at tss.warthunder.com.

Let’s celebrate together!

When: From May 6th (11:00 GMT) until May 13th (11:00).

Bundles and standalone packs with a discount!

To celebrate Victory in Europe Day, we’re temporarily returning rare bundles with themed vehicles to the store! You can also find huge discounts for individual packs.

• Dolgushin's La-7 Pack;
  
• Golovachev's Yak-9M Pack;
  
• Prendergast`s Spitfire FR Mk.XIVe Pack;
  
• Plagis' Spitfire Mk. IXc Pack;
  
• Bostwick's P-47M-1-RE Thunderbolt Pack;
  
• Wetmore`s P-51D-10 Pack.

• A43 Black Prince Pack;
  
• M10 Achilles Pack;
  
• IS-2 Revenge for the Hero brother Pack;
  
• T-34-85E, 1945 Pack;
  
• M18 Black Cat Pack;
  
• М5А1 5th Canadian Armoured Division Pack.

• Dolgushin's La-7 Pack,
  
• Golovachev's Yak-9M Pack;
  
• Prendergast`s Spitfire FR Mk.XIVe Pack;
  
• Plagis' Spitfire Mk. IXc Pack;
  
• Bostwick's P-47M-1-RE Thunderbolt Pack;
  
• Wetmore`s P-51D-10 Pack;
  
• A43 Black Prince Pack;
  
• M10 Achilles Pack;
  
• IS-2 Revenge for the Hero brother Pack;
  
• T-34-85E, 1945 Pack;
  
• M18 Black Cat Pack;
  
• М5А1 5th Canadian Armored Division Pack.

The final price of the bundle will depend on whether you already have some of the packs or not. Be sure to login to the store to see your individual price!

These special packs can also be purchased separately in the store.

PlayStation and Xbox users will be able to purchase these packs and discounted bundles from their respective stores till the end of May.

• K9 VIDAR Pack
  
• King Tiger Pack
  
• IJN Yamashiro Pack
  
• T29 Pack
  
• Turm III Pack
  
• IS-6 Pack
  
• Mustang Pack
  
• Somua SM Pack
  
• Wyvern Pack
  
• Arkansas Pack
  
• Dora Pack
  
• Object 120 Pack
  
• M-51 Pack
  
• Japanese Starter Pack
  
• Chinese Starter Pack
  
• Tu-1 Pack
  
• Ezer Weizman's Spitfire Pack
  
• US Starter Pack
  
• German Beginner's Pack
  
• Prinz Eugen Pack
  
• HMS Iron Duke Pack
  
• Marat Pack
  
• British Starter Pack
  
• USSR Starter Pack
  
• Swedish Starter Pack
  
• French Starter Pack
  
• Italian Starter Pack
  
• VRCC Centauro Pack
  
• AV-8A Harrier Pack
  
• Rooikat 105 Pack
  
• Merkava Mk.2D Pack

Reminder that these packs are also available at a discount in the PlayStation™ Store until the 8th of May!

This special IS-2 is available for 7,480 Golden Eagles.

When: From May 6th (11:00 GMT) until May 13th (11:00).
Where: USSR > Army > Premium vehicles.

About this tank

• This is the IS-2 model 1944[wiki.warthunder.com]. It’s a slow tank that takes a long time to reload, but hits from its cannon deals devastating damage, even from longer distances thanks to its excellent armor penetration and post-pen damage. This particular IS-2 was driven by Mikhail Krasikov, whose younger brother Nikolai died in November 1944 and was posthumously awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union title. In memory of his brother, Mikhail painted the inscription “Revenge for the Hero brother” on the turret of the tank.

• VRCC Centauro Pack
  
• Prinz Eugen Pack
  
• HMS Iron Duke Pack
  
• AV-8A Harrier Pack
  
• Rooikat 105 Pack
  
• Merkava Mk.2D Pack

Thanks for your great screenshots last week! The lower ranks contain so many different designs as every nation experimented with which ideas were effective and feasible to produce in large quantities. The three most popular and three selected by us will get 300 GE. See the winners down below!


Create a stunning screenshot and submit it on the War Thunder Steam Community Hub with the tag #WTscreen118. You have time until the 10th of May to submit your screenshot.

After that date, 6 winners will be selected (3 of which will be the highest rated by the community and 3 selected by our judges), each of which receive a reward of 300GE.

• Your screenshot must include two or more player vehicles.
  
• You must add the #WTscreen118 tag (title cannot have any other text in it).
  
• Artists may only win by popular vote once per four screenshot competitions.

[/b]

Screenshots need to be compliant with the War Thunder rules.

You need to be the author of the screenshot.

Screenshot needs to be new. You cannot use those which have previously been published or used in other competitions.

We will only accept raw screenshots from the game. You cannot use any editing software nor any other visual enhancements (like Nvidia Ansel filters).

You can use filters and settings built into War Thunder.

You can use the replay functionality built into War Thunder.

Rewards will be delivered to the author's account within 14 working days.

[/list]


https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3233332190
https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3233310126
https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3233131005

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3233433292
https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3233650078
https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3234222177

Each winner will get 300GE! Congratulations and see you next week!

Today we’re presenting to you the Legend of Victory event, part of War Thunder’s new event cycle. Play air battles to earn yourself Eremin’s Yak-3 and other cool rewards!

When: From May 8th (11:00 GMT) until May 20th (11:00 GMT), earn mission points in Air Battles, unlock stages and receive rewards!

Vehicle History
This Yak-3 is a personalized aircraft with a dedicated inscription gifted to Major Boris Eremin by collective farmer Ferapont Golovatov in May 1944. During the difficult times of war, the family, relatives and neighbors of the peasant collected 100,000 rubles that were transferred to the Soviet government for the construction of the fighter. The Yak-3 was the second aircraft gifted to Eremin. In the winter of 1942, Ferapont Golovatov sponsored the construction of the Yak-1B fighter, in which Eremin scored 8 aerial victories. On his personal Yak-3, ace pilot Boris Eremin scored 6 aerial victories and celebrated victory over Germany in Prague. After the war, his plane was transferred to the exhibition of the Central House of Aviation, and after restoration in 1958 to the Yakovlev Design Bureau Museum. In 1991, the plane arrived to the United States, where it was located at the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica, California. It was only in 2014 when Eremin’s Yak-3 returned to his homeland in Russia, and is currently on display at the Vadim Zadorozhny Museum of Technology in Moscow.

In War Thunder, the Yak-3 is considered one of the best piston fighters for combat at low and medium altitudes. This aircraft is distinguished by excellent maneuverability characteristics, high acceleration and climb rates, and good energy retention when turning. Eremin’s Yak-3 is a modification of earlier production variants, armed with one 20 mm ShVAK cannon and a heavy machine gun, with all weapons installed in the nose, greatly helping with aiming. Due to its relatively small ammunition amount, the Yak-3 is best used for going after fighters, where it’s possible to utilize the maneuverability and speed of this aircraft successfully.


Among the rewards in the event is also this chest, where, when opened, brings the chance to receive one of the following items:

• 50,000 - 100,000 Silver Lions
  
• Silver Lion and Research Point boosters
  
• Random Wagers and Orders
  
• Universal Backups (1 - 3)
  
• A random camouflage for a vehicle you own
  
• 1 day of Premium Account

Each stage can be obtained for 35,000 mission points, where every new stage obtained will give you a new reward.

Please note: After finishing a stage, you need to collect the reward manually. To do this, click on your name in-game, go to “Legends of Victory: Eremin’s Yak-3” and click the “Get Reward” button.

You’re able to earn mission points in Air Battles at Rank III or above in Arcade, Realistic and Simulator Battles. The number of mission points to complete a stage depends on the game mode and the maximum Rank of the vehicle that you use in battle. There’s a multiplier for earning mission points, which is shown in the task description in-game.

You can also earn mission points by using event vehicles that are Rank I and II. Event vehicles that can be used have the name of the event that they were obtainable in on their stat card.

Stages change every two days at 11:00 GMT on May 10th, 12th, 14th, 16th and 18th.

• For 1 Stage: trophy with a random reward
  
• For 2 Stages: one of the decal rewards
  
• For 3 Stages: trophy with a random reward
  
• For 4 Stages: one of the decal rewards
  
• For 5 Stages: “Travel Gramophone” decoration
  
• For 6 Stages: non-tradable coupon for Eremin’s Yak-3

Unfinished stages can be purchased for Golden Eagles, but If you’re significantly close to completing a stage, its price will now be significantly reduced.

Let’s say you have earned 85% of the required mission points to complete a stage, then the price of purchasing this stage will be halved. If you’re near the finish line for a stage and are at 95% progress, then the price will be reduced by five times. For example, if you’ve scored 30,000 mission points, then the price for unlocking this stage will be 349 Golden Eagles. If you’ve scored 33,500 mission points, then you’ll only need to pay 139 Golden Eagles. Remember to keep this in mind if you cannot complete a stage on time!

When you complete 6 stages, you’ll receive a non-tradable coupon for Eremin’s Yak-3, where using it will immediately activate the vehicle onto your account. If you don’t want the vehicle and would like to sell the coupon on the Market, you’ll need the “Upgrade for coupon” item.

The “Upgrade for coupon” item can be earned in parallel with the stages throughout the event from May 8th (11:00 GMT) until May 20th (11:00 GMT) for 500,000 mission points.

After receiving the “Upgrade for coupon” item, you can convert a non-tradable coupon for the vehicle into a tradable one and sell it on the Market. The tradable coupon can be sold after 6 days from the moment it’s created.

To make a tradable coupon, select the “Coupon Eremin’s Yak-3 (USSR)” in your inventory and click the “Modify” button.

The “Upgrade for coupon” item is valid until 11:00 GMT on May 23rd. Until this time, you can use it or exchange it for War Bonds. Afterwards, it’ll disappear from your inventory.

You can track the progress of completing stages and receiving the “Upgrade for coupon” by clicking on your Nickname > Achievements > Legend of Victory. If you don’t manage to complete a stage on time or would like to purchase a stage, until May 23rd from the Achievements window, you can purchase each stage with Golden Eagles which will give you the corresponding rewards.

Welcome to the 7th edition of the War Thunder Steam Community Spotlight!

The War Thunder Steam Community Management Team have seen some of your awesome screenshots and artwork uploaded to the Steam Community Hub! Once again, we’ve collected our favorites and wanted to share them with all of you. Want more? Also check out the previous 6 editions for more cool content.

We have also picked our favorites from the below list to receive the special “Steam Snail” decal. Check Special > Snails > “Steam Snail” to see if you have it.

• First edition
  
• Second edition
  
• Third edition
  
• Fourth edition
  
• Fifth edition
  
• Sixth edition

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Here we have a really cool Luftwaffe Tornado IDS in 1/32 size! In the background is also the Tornado IDS MFG[wiki.warthunder.com] in the game. We really like the painted details on this model, great work here.

By kolobok228191[steamproxy.net]

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The B-17G Flying Fortress[wiki.warthunder.com] is a legendary WWII bomber that we’ve all come to know. What’s more legendary though is this fantastic pencil drawing of this aircraft. We’re a big fan of this drawing, keep up the good work!

By danidew[steamproxy.net]

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The same author from above has drawn an M1A2 Abrams[wiki.warthunder.com] with pencil! The details on the turret and overall drawing are really nice. Brilliant work yet again!

By danidew[steamproxy.net]

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An amazing drawing of the Elefant[wiki.warthunder.com]! This one was painted with a needle pen, colored lead and markers. Well done!

By 7[steamproxy.net]

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The F-14A[wiki.warthunder.com] model, with the same variant from the game in the background. This is in the tiny 1/144 size. Looks cool, nice!

By James Bond HUN[steamproxy.net]

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This is a drawing of the Tempest Mk.V[wiki.warthunder.com] intercepting a V1. Looks like it’s been knocked off course, this is a really good drawing here bringing out our imagination. Fantastic!

By The past is like smoke[steamproxy.net]

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We love this awesome drawing of the M1A1 Abrams[wiki.warthunder.com] and this model as well, all displayed in front of the vehicle in-game as well. We can tell you’re an Abrams fan!

By HAHaha[steamproxy.net]

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Here’s the premium T-80UD[wiki.warthunder.com] that we recently added in the Alpha Strike major update! A great model here, nice work!

By Дед оутcайдик[steamproxy.net]

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The cool Swedish Strf 9040C[wiki.warthunder.com]! This model features some weathering which also looks really good. And of course the in-game model in the background for comparison. Nice work!

By Havanaise2[steamproxy.net]

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Here we have an awesome drawing of our official wallpaper seen here[staticfiles.warthunder.com]. It really does look good, we’re a big fan of it, good job!

By 注肉水[steamproxy.net]

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The almighty Sturmtiger[wiki.warthunder.com] with its huge cannon. STURMTA! This drawing looks cool, we can’t wait to see the finished version!

By ThePolishCanadian[steamproxy.net]

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In the Air Superiority update, we released Volcano Valley for aircraft. It has volcanoes and beautiful landscapes, which is captured here in this really cool screenshot. Good work!

By Levi o Lusitano[steamproxy.net]

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The awesome Cromwell Mk.I[wiki.warthunder.com] on the Fire Arc map. A really good pencil drawing here, nice!

By Gybby3[steamproxy.net]

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The Leopard 2A7[wiki.warthunder.com] is a formidable tank, and this background here certainly spices up the screenshot. Very cool!

By GRIFON[steamproxy.net]

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Here’s 3 awesome aircraft drawn in a really cool style. We love this, good job!

By random_mesincuci[steamproxy.net]

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The small L3/33 CC[wiki.warthunder.com], with a pencil for scale. Nice!

By .Gasshik[steamproxy.net]

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An absolutely stunning drawing of the F-16C[wiki.warthunder.com], this looks amazing, nice!

By wayfaring_stranger_cn[steamproxy.net]

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A screenshot vs drawing comparison, great art that we’re a fan of!

By CorsaRoman[steamproxy.net]

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And last but not least, a very nice pencil drawing of the Zero[wiki.warthunder.com]! Perfect.

By Tilkidud[steamproxy.net]

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The wonderful work created by our community that we have shared has been posted to the War Thunder Community Hub — make sure you check it out and even share your own creations that we may feature here in the Community Spotlight! We look forward to seeing you next time!

Click here to view the Community Hub[steamproxy.net]

Dupleix was the fourth Suffren-class heavy cruiser in service with the French Navy. It was laid down in the fall of 1929 and put into service on May 1st 1932. At the beginning of World War II, Dupleix served near Dakar, hunting German ships and in June 1940 took part in the attack on Genoa and Vado Ligure. In November 1942, Dupleix was scuttled to avoid capture by the Germans.

This heavy cruiser is available for 6,090 Golden Eagles.

• Dupleix[wiki.warthunder.com] boasts enhanced armor that can protect important modules from high-explosive and semi-armor-piercing shells. In terms of weapons, this heavy cruiser is a true all-rounder. This is thanks to its powerful 203 mm main caliber guns, 4 x twin 90 mm mounts, torpedoes and a reconnaissance aircraft. Use this wide arsenal to emerge victorious in a wide variety of combat situations!

Japan celebrates four holidays in a row for this week! Showa Day, Constitution Day, Greenery Day and Children’s Day are celebrated from April 29th to May 5th, which is why this period is called Golden Week. We’re joining the celebrations!


This themed decal is available throughout the entirety of Golden Week!

“Golden Week 2024” decal

When: From April 29th (13:00 GMT) until May 6th (11:00 GMT).
Task: Play 3 battles using Japanese vehicles at rank III or higher to receive the Golden Week 2024 decal!

Additional details:

• You must use a minimum of rank III.
  
• Your activity must not be below 70%.
  
• You can complete the task in random battles, except for Enduring Confrontation missions, and [Assault] mode.
  
• Track your progress in the hangar by clicking Nickname → Achievements → Holidays → Golden Week.
  
• You can find the decal in the “Holidays” tab in the Customization menu.

In this month’s Pages of History, you’ll be at the center of events that took place in different theaters of war. Borneo, Italy, Africa and the final days of World War II in Europe: take part in battles with the vehicles corresponding to these historic battles and receive prizes. 


In the final stage of the War in Europe, the hoisting of the red flag over the Reichstag became a matter of Soviet national prestige. However, the building was turned into a fortress, which was defended by hundreds of Germans. On April 30th, 1945, under the cover of artillery, a detachment led by Lieutenant Semyon Sorokin broke into the building, captured one of the exits from the basements where the Germans were hiding from shelling, and quickly made their way to the roof, where they were the first to hoist the Victory Banner. For his courage, Sorokin was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

You can immediately purchase this profile icon for Golden Eagles until June 3rd, 11:30 GMT without completing tasks. To find it, go to your Nickname → Achievements → Pages of History.


Completing each individual task will give you a trophy with one of the following rewards:

• 20-50% RP booster for 3-10 battles;
  
• 20-50% SL booster for 3-10 battles;
  
• 3-5 universal backups;
  
• Premium account for 1 day;
  
• A random camouflage for ground vehicles (out of the selection of camouflages currently obtainable in game for completing tasks, or purchasing with Golden Eagles).

• Tasks are available from 11:00 GMT until 11:30 GMT on the final day of each task.
  
• Tasks can be completed in random battles except for “Assault” mode.

You can read a detailed description of which task is for which day and your overall progress by going to your Nickname → Achievements → Pages of History.

On May 1st, 1945, the battle for Tarakan Island, located near Borneo, began: oil production was live there, and the Allies planned to use it as a springboard for further air operations. Within a week, the Allies reached the city of Tarakan, the largest in the region, and a week later they captured it. The remnants of Japanese forces on the island continued to resist until mid-June.

After Japan's successful forays into the Indian Ocean, Britain began to fear the appearance of a Japanese military base in Madagascar, which at that time was controlled by the Axis-controlled Vichy regime. On May 5th, 1942, British troops landed on the island, but failed in a frontal attack on the Vichy positions, and the battle dragged on until November.

Germany waged full scale war in Europe, and its surrender ended it. The whole world rejoiced: the sky bloomed with fireworks, the people celebrated, and soldiers marched, not to battle, but in honor of a great Victory!

In May of 1944, Allied and Axis forces clashed in the final battle of Monte Cassino. The Gustav Line proved to be Germany's most resilient line of defense in central Italy: it held out for more than six months, and only after the success of Operation Diadem were the Allies able to advance on Rome.

By May 1943, Axis forces in North Africa were surrounded in Tunisia and deprived of supplies and the ability to evacuate. Hitler's decision to throw more forces into the North African front led to the fact that on May 13th, up to 300 thousand Italian and German soldiers were captured by the Allies.

From May 20th to May 31st, 1941, the battle for the island of Crete took place. It began with a German landing supported by the Italian navy and air force. This was the first major airborne operation in history, and despite heavy losses for the Germans, it ended in success: the Greek forces and the British garrison were destroyed.

The network of German fortifications in Italy following the Gustav Line was originally called the Hitler Line, but the Fuhrer personally ordered it to be renamed shortly before its fall to avoid reputational losses. And indeed: it took the Allies only four days after breaking through the Gustav Line to overcome the Senger Line.

The F-4 Phantom II supersonic two-seat fighter, developed by McDonnell Douglas, first took to the skies on May 27th, 1958. By the mid-1960s, it had occupied an important place in the US Air Force aircraft line-up, and by the end of its production in 1981, it had become the most produced American supersonic combat aircraft in history.