Sarah Sundin's Blog, page 13

Today in World War II History—June 11, 1940 & 1945

Italian Val Dora battalion of the 5th Alpini Regiment in action in the Colle della Pelouse during the Italian invasion of France in June 1940 (public domain from the L’illustrazione italiana, 19 July 1942, via Wikimedia Commons)

85 Years Ago—June 11, 1940: Gen. Maxime Weygand decides to declare Paris an open city, although civilians aren’t informed for another two days.

Italian troops invade France along the Riviera and in the Alps, but do not advance.

Italian planes bomb Malta in the first of 3340 Axis air raids to the island over the next three years.

Britain orders the internment of all male Italians ages 17-70 who have resided in Britain under 20 years, including those who fled Mussolini’s regime.

80 Years Ago—June 11, 1945: Czechoslovakia begins expulsion of 3 million ethnic Germans.

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Today in World War II History—June 10, 1940 & 1945

Italian leader Benito Mussolini declaring war on France, from the Palazzo Venezia Balcony in Rome, 10 June 1940 (public domain via Wikimedia Commons)

85 Years Ago—June 10, 1940: In France, German troops cross the Seine, and British troops begin to evacuate from Le Havre and St. Valéry.

Italy declares war on England and France.

President Roosevelt makes first speech pledging aid to Britain, in his commencement speech at the University of Virginia, where his son, Franklin Jr., is receiving his degree.

Soldiers of the Australian 2/43rd Battalion on a landing vehicle at Labuan Island in Brunei Bay, 10 June 1945 (Australian War Memorial: 108852)

80 Years Ago—June 10, 1945: Australian troops land at Brunei on Japanese-occupied Borneo, an important port, and capture Labuan airfield.

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Today in World War II History—June 9, 1940 & 1945

Gen. George Patton acknowledging the cheers of the welcoming crowds in Los Angeles, California, 9 Jun 1945 (US National Archives: ARC 535941)

85 Years Ago—June 9, 1940: Norway officially surrenders to Germany.

French government begins to evacuate from Paris to Tours, as Germans take Rouen, Dieppe, Compiègne, and Beauvais.

80 Years Ago—June 9, 1945: Yugoslav partisans agree to withdraw from Austria and from Trieste, Italy.

On Luzon, US Sixth Army takes Bagabag, sealing off Japanese in the Cagayan Valley.

Los Angeles holds a parade for Generals George Patton and Jimmy Doolittle.

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Today in World War II History—June 8, 1940 & 1945

Scharnhorst firing her forward guns against HMS Glorious, 8 Jun 1940 (US Naval History and Heritage Command: NH 83981)

85 Years Ago—June 8, 1940: Off Norway, German battlecruisers Gneisenau & Scharnhorst sink British carrier HMS Glorious and destroyers HMS Ardent and HMS Acasta (1537 killed on 3 ships).

Parisian exodus to the countryside increases; by June 14, two-thirds of the population has fled.

Neptunium (Np), element 93, is discovered by Edwin McMillan & Philip Adelson at the University of California in Berkeley.

US passes Bald Eagle Protection Act, which prohibits taking, possession, and commerce of bald and golden eagles.

60-inch cyclotron at the University of California Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, Berkeley, in August 1939, used in the discovery of neptunium (US National Archives: 558594)

80 Years Ago—June 8, 1945: US & Australian Naval Task Group 74.3 bombards Brunei Bay on Borneo.

Jozef Tiso, former president of Slovak Republic, is arrested by US forces; he will be extradited to Czechoslovakia and executed in 1947 for collaborating with Germans and for war crimes.

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Today in World War II History—June 7, 1940 & 1945

Flying Officer Edgar “Cobber” Kain of RAF No. 73 Squadron, in the cockpit of his Hawker Hurricane Mark I at Rouvres, France, 1939-40 (Imperial War Museum: C 188)

85 Years Ago—June 7, 1940: King Haakon VII of Norway, his family, and his government evacuate from Norway to Britain as Germans advance.

RAF’s first ace of WWII, Flying Officer Edgar “Cobber” Kain of New Zealand (17 victories) is killed when buzzing an airfield in his Hurricane.

Eleven French bombers become the first Allied planes to bomb Berlin in the longest bombing mission to date (3000 km).

Disney character Daisy Duck debuts in cartoon “Mr. Duck Steps Out.”

King Haakon and the royal family of Norway returning to Oslo, Norway, on board HMS Norfolk, 7 June 1945 (Imperial War Museum: A 29155)

80 Years Ago—June 7, 1945: King Haakon VII of Norway and his family return to Oslo on their fifth anniversary of leaving Norway.

US Marines cut off Oroku Peninsula on Okinawa.

King George VI & Queen Elizabeth visit Guernsey and Jersey in recently liberated Channel Islands.

In Honolulu, Hawaii, the USO opens the Rainbow Club, for all races, with staff of all races.

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Today in World War II History—June 6, 1940 & 1945

German advance to the Seine River in France, June 4-12, 1940 (US Military Academy)

85 Years Ago—June 6, 1940: French begin to evacuate children from Paris as Germans advance.

Britain bans production of many household goods and bans radio ownership by German and Austrian citizens.

F6F Hellcats launching over the stern of carrier USS Hornet as the carrier steamed in reverse at 18.5 knots, avoiding the typhoon damage to the leading edge of the flight deck, 6 Jun 1945 (US Navy photo)

80 Years Ago—June 6, 1945: Despite damage from the previous day’s typhoon, US Navy Task Force 38 aircraft support ground troops at Okinawa and down 20 Japanese aircraft.

Japanese forces in southern China retreat to Kweilin.

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Today in World War II History—June 5, 1940 & 1945

Allied Control Council: Bernard Montgomery, Dwight Eisenhower, Georgi Zhukov, and Jean de Lattre de Tassigny in Berlin, Germany, 5 Jun 1945 (German Federal Archive: Bild 183-14059-0018)

85 Years Ago—June 5, 1940: Battle of France begins: Germans launch offensive southward in France.

Britain announces new emergency measures: strikes are banned, holidays are discouraged, and miners and farmers are not to leave jobs without government permission.

Battleship USS Indiana in a typhoon near Okinawa, 5 Jun 1945 (US National Archives: 80-G-342732)

80 Years Ago—June 5, 1945: Allied Control Council meets, agreeing on the partition of Germany and Berlin into four occupation zones (British, American, French, and Soviet).

Huge typhoon hits US Third Fleet off Okinawa, damaging 35 ships.

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Today in World War II History—June 4, 1940 & 1945

German military camera crew filming in Dunkirk, France shortly after the conquest, Jun 1940 (public domain via WW2 Database)

85 Years Ago—June 4, 1940: Germans take Dunkirk and 40,000 French POWs, but 300,000 British & French troops have been successfully evacuated.

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill gives famous speech: “We shall fight on the beaches…We shall never surrender.”

Poster for the US Office of Civilian Defense, WWII

80 Years Ago—June 4, 1945: US Marines land behind Japanese lines on Oroku Peninsula on Okinawa.

US Office of Civilian Defense is inactivated.

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Today in World War II History—June 3, 1940 & 1945

Amphibious tractors delivering US Marines and supplies on the beach of Iheya Shima, 3 Jun 1945 (US National Archives: 126988)

85 Years Ago—June 3, 1940: Two hundred German Luftwaffe bombers bomb Paris, France, killing 254.

Britain establishes night curfew for foreigners and stateless persons.

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill orders the formation of commando units to raid German-occupied Europe.

80 Years Ago—June 3, 1945: French troops leave Damascus, escorted by the British.

US Marines land on Iheya Shima in the Ryukyu Islands northwest of Okinawa.

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Today in World War II History—June 2, 1940 & 1945

US Navy TG 38.3 off Okinawa, May 1945. US Navy Curtiss SB2C-4 Helldiver dive bombers from carrier USS Essex. Background: battleship USS Washington, an Essex-class carrier, and an Independence-class light carrier (US Navy photo 1996.253.360)

85 Years Ago—June 2, 1940: US steamship President Roosevelt departs Galway, Ireland, with 720 US citizens.

US passenger liner Manhattan departs Genoa, Italy with 1905 US citizens.

80 Years Ago—June 2, 1945: US Naval Task Force 38 attacks kamikaze bases in southern Japan, forcing operations farther north in Japan.

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