World War I: Manfred von Richthofen ("The Red Baron"), a flying ace of the German Luftstreitkräfte, wins his first aerial combat near Cambrai, France.

The Luftwaffe is re-formed.

Spanish Civil War: Guernica (or Gernika in Basque, Spain is bombed by German Luftwaffe.

The Wound Badge for Wehrmacht, SS, Kriegsmarine, and Luftwaffe soldiers is instituted. The final version of the Iron Cross is also instituted on this date.

World War II: First attack on British territory by the German Luftwaffe.

World War II: Rotterdam is bombed by the German Luftwaffe.

World War II: the old city centre of the Dutch town of Middelburg is bombed by the German Luftwaffe, to force the surrender of the Dutch armies in Zeeland.

World War II: The Luftwaffe bombs Paris.

World War II: sinking of the RMS Lancastria by the Luftwaffe near Saint-Nazaire, France.

World War II: The climax of the Battle of Britain, when the Royal Air Force shoots down large numbers of Luftwaffe aircraft.

Balham subway station disaster, in London, England, occurs during the Nazi Luftwaffe air raids on Great Britain.

World War II: In England, the city of Coventry is heavily bombed by German Luftwaffe bombers. Coventry Cathedral is almost completely destroyed.

World War II: In The Second Great Fire of London, the Luftwaffe fire-bombs London, killing almost 200 civilians.

World War II: The House of Commons in London is damaged by the Luftwaffe in an air raid.

The Municipal Theatre of Corfu is destroyed during an aerial bombardment by Luftwaffe.

World War II: The German ''Luftwaffe'' launches ''Unternehmen Bodenplatte'', a massive, but failed attempt to knock out Allied air power in northern Europe in a single blow.

World War II: Ratification in Berlin-Karlshorst of the German unconditional surrender of May 8 in Rheims, France, with the signatures of Marshal Georgy Zhukov for the Soviet Union, and for the Western Headquarters Sir Arthur Tedder, British Air Marshal and Eisenhower’s deputy, and for the German side of Colonel-General Hans-Jürgen Stumpff as the representative of the Luftwaffe, Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel as the Chief of Staff of OKW, and Admiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg as Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine.