This day in the war in Europe 65 years ago

[Njaco]

10 June 1944 Saturday
EASTERN FRONT: The Red Army has launched an offensive in massive strength against the Finns entrenched on the Karelian Isthmus, north of Leningrad. After forceful probing attacks yesterday, with artillery and air support in strength previously unknown in the Finnish front, the main offensive today strikes already weakened Finnish forces and achieves breakthrough at Valkeasaari, very southernmost part of the front. Elements of the 23rd Army captures Terijoki and Yalkena on the Karelian Isthmus. The Red Army has broken through the main defence line, and is advancing towards the rear. It advances some 15 kilometres (10 miles) today. The Finnish GHQ orders 4th Division (Maj. Gen. Aleksanteri Autti) and 3rd Brigade to move to the Isthmus from other parts of the Fenno-Soviet front, and plans of a counter-attack are being formed.

MEDITERRANEAN: Allied advances in Italy continue as The British 8th Army takes Pescara and Chieti. The New Zealand Division enters Avezzano. The Heaviest German air raid since 3 May occurs off Anzio against U.S. shipping off the beachhead. Minesweeper 'Symbol' (AM-123), tank landing ship LST-211, infantry landing craft LCI-41, and U.S. freighter 'Tarleton Brown' are all damaged by near-misses of bombs.

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches 550+ B-17s and B-24s to attack targets in Italy; B-17s hit a marshalling yard at Mestre and oil storage and marshalling yard at Porto Marghera; B-24s hit oil refinery at Trieste, an air depot at Ferrara and the town of Ancona.

P-51s and P-38s fly escort, and in Romania, strafe targets of opportunity between Bucharest and the Danube River and south of Craiova, and dive-bomb an oil refinery at Ploesti. During these raids the Romanian Air Force has its best day when the IAR-81Cs of Grup 6 Vanatori and the Me109Gs of Grup 9 Vanatori combine to claim 18 P-38s during a low-level raid, one of the targets of which was Grup 6 Vanatori's own airfield. There were 46 bomb-carrying P-38s escorted by another 48 flying fighter cover involved in the attack. Grup 6 Vanatori was already airborne when the raid struck their home field. They benefitted from ideal conditions, catching a group of P-38s at almost ground level during a strafing run on the airfield, and diving in from above and behind. The Romanians lost only one fighter from both groups combined in this extended fight. The USAAF reported 22 P-38s lost over Romania to all causes this day, so the Romanian claim to have shot fown 18 Lightnings may not be too far off the mark.

Germans of the 4.SS-Pol.Pz.Gren.Div. "Polizei", raze the village of Distomo, Greece and murder its inhabitants.

WESTERN FRONT: D-DAY +4: The Utah and Omaha beachheads are linked by a US armoured advance. An American unit on the road linking Omaha with Gold was surrounded by armed men who proved to be Poles, Serbs and Russians, whose German officers and NCO's had taken off. The men claimed that a squadron of White Russians, also drafted into the Wehrmacht, was waiting to surrender. The toughest resistance to the Americans is coming from the Germans defending the approaches to Cherbourg. Over 326,000 Allied soldiers and 54,000 vehicles have now been landed on the beaches. The huge concrete and steel "Mulberry" harbours are now being assembled on the Normandy beaches. Montgomery has come ashore to set up his tactical HQ in a chateau at Creully. He has ordered the second army to advance on Villers-Bocage and then Falaise, with the intention of enveloping Caen. A plan to drop the 1st Airborne Division behind Caen has been vetoed by Leigh-Mallory, who has little faith in parachute operations. After British Intelligence identified the HQ of Panzer Group West at La Caine, a bombing raid killed 17 German staff officers and wiped out all signalling equipment.

Allied forces cut road and rail links between Carentan and Cherbourg. The 327th Glider Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division crosses the Douvre River in Normandy in preparation for its attack on Carentan. Its direct support field artillery battalion, the 321st Glider Field Artillery Battalion crosses later in the day and fires its first rounds in support of the attack.

The British 7th Armoured and the German Panzer Lehr Division are engaged near Tilly-sur-Suelles. After four days, elements of the German Panzer Lehr Division attempt their first operational counterattack against the Allied beachhead in Normandy, but are unsuccessful in making any headway against the massed naval gun fire and tenacious defenses of the British 7th Armored Division.

The Canadians are grappling with the 12. SS 'Hitler Jugend' Panzerdivision on the approaches to Caen. This group of fanatical Hitler supporters is led by the 33-year-old SS Colonel Kurt "Panzer" Meyer, who is directing the operations of his tank force from the tower of Ardenne Abbey, outside Caen. He has sworn not to halt his men until they have driven the Allies into the sea. At one point during a night attack, the Canadian command post was surrounded; but then Meyer lost six Panzers and called off the action. The Canadians have been badly shaken, but they have defied Meyer's boasts.

The population of French village Oradour-sur-Glane, near Limoges, is murdered by a detachment of 2.SS Panzerdivision "Das Reich" commanded by SS Sturmbannführer Otto Dickmann. In all 642 civilians perish. The men are driven into barns and shot, the women and children are herded into the church, which is set on fire. One German officer is killed by masonry falling from the burning church where the women and children are incinerated alive. Those who escape the fire and smoke are machine-gunned. Only seven or eight of the villagers escape alive. A boy of eight ran away into the woods. A woman, Madame Rouffanche hid behind the high altar of the church, where she found a ladder, and jumped from a ten-foot-high window. The Limoges region is largely under Resistance control, but there are no Resistance fighters in Oradour. Dickmann is killed some weeks later fighting in Normandy.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies two missions. Mission 403: Bad weather restricts operations to northwestern France; 883 bombers and 1,491 fighter sorties are flown but 200+ bombers abort due to cloud conditions; one bomber and 24 fighters are lost. 507 B-17 Flying Fortresses are dispatched to Equihen (24 bomb), Hardelot (23 bomb), St Gabriel (26 bomb), Gael Airfield (36 bomb), Nantes/Bouguenais Airfield (55 bomb), Vannes Airfield (59 bomb), Berck (26 bomb), Merlimont Plage (39 bomb), and Toucquet-Paris-Plage (10 bomb). 257 B-24s are dispatched to Wimereau (23 bomb), Boulogne (34 bomb), Dreux Airfield (26 bomb), Evreux/Fauville Airfield (65 bomb) and Boulogne (13 bomb); 39 others hit Conches Airfield; one B-24 is lost. 119 B-24s are dispatched to Chateaudun Airfield (45 bomb) and Orleans/Bricy Airfield (66 bomb) .

US VIII Fighter Command missions during the day are: 405 P-38s fly sweep and escort; they claim 5-2-1 Luftwaffe aircraft. 3 P-47 Thunderbolts and 364 P-51 Mustangs provide escort for the bombers above; they claim 0-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; seven fighters are lost. 506 P-47s and 213 P-51s fly fighter-bomber missions against communications targets in the beachhead area; they claim 8-0-2 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 1-0-1 on the ground; 15 P-47s and two P-51 are lost.

The USAAF's Ninth Air Force in England dispatches 500+ B-26 Marauders and A-20 Havocs to bomb targets in the assault area including military concentrations, road and rail bridges and junctions, artillery batteries, marshalling yards and town areas; aircraft of 15+ fighter groups fly escort to bombers and transports, and bomb numerous targets in support of the ground assault, including rail facilities, roads, troop concentrations, artillery, and town areas.

432 RAF aircraft - 323 Lancasters, 90 Halifaxes, 19 Mosquitos - attacked railway targets at Achères, Dreux, Orléans and Versailles. All targets were believed to have been hit but few further details are available. 15 Lancasters and 3 Halifaxes lost. 32 Mosquitos to Berlin, 13 RCM sorties, 7 Serrate and 18 Intruder patrols, 30 aircraft minelaying off France on the flanks of the invasion area. 2 Mosquitos lost from the Berlin raid.

Destroyer 'Glennon' (DD-620) is sunk off Normandy by German shore battery; tank landing craft LCT-209 sinks after running aground off beachhead. U.S. freighter 'Charles Morgan' is damaged by bomb off UTAH Beach that kills 7 of the 64-man Army stevedore unit on board and one merchant crewman; there are no casualties among the 27-man Armed Guard. Fleet tug 'Kiowa' (ATF-72) takes on board the survivors. 'Charles Morgan', however, despite strenuous efforts to save her, is ultimately declared a total loss.

 

[Njaco]

11 June 1944 Sunday
ATLANTIC OCEAN: A 'Canso' patrol aircraft (Canadian version of the PBY-5A) from RCAF 162 Sqn attacked and sank 'U-980', KptLt. Hermann DAHMS, CO, in the North Sea. Although approximately 35 men were sighted in the water after that attack, there were no survivors from her crew of 52 men. The next day, the aircraft that sank 'U-980' was shot down while attacking another U-boat in the same general area. 'U-980' was on her first patrol at the time of her loss and had not sunk or damaged any ships.

Aircraft (VC 95) from escort carrier 'Croatan' (CVE-25) teams with destroyer escorts 'Frost '(DE-144), 'Huse' (DE-145), and 'Inch' (DE-146) sink German submarine 'U-490' midway between Flores Island and Flemish Cap.

EASTERN FRONT: 126 US Fifteenth Air Force B-17s and 60 P-51s depart Russian shuttle bases for Italy to complete the first FRANTIC operation. On the way 121 B-17s bomb the Focsani, Romania airfield; 1 B-l7 is lost.

Over 540 other B-17s and B-24s attack targets in Romaniaand Yugoslavia; the B-17s attack the Smederevo, Yugoslavia marshalling yard; the B-24s attack oil installations at Constanta and Giurpiu, Romania(both raids having fighter escorts); the AAF claims 60 aircraft destroyed during the days missions.

In Karelian Isthmus the battered Finnish 10th Division retreats to the second line of defence, the VT-line, by this evening. The greatly weakened and disorganized division is quickly withdrawn to rear to rest. On the left wing of the IV Corps, the 2nd Division is conducting a fighting withdrawal. As the troops of the embattled IV Corps withdraw, on the northern part of the front right wing of the III Corps is endangered. The Soviet High Command Stavka commends the Leningrad Front for its achievements and orders the 21st and 23rd armies to continue the offensive. The aim is to capture the city of Viipuri (Vyborg) by 20 June. Elsewhere the Finnish GHQ urgently requests Germans to rescind the ban on arms exports to Finland, imposed after the Finnish peace-feelers last spring.

MEDITERRANEAN: Advances continue in Italy as the US 5th Army captures Monte Fiascone and the British 8th Army fight for Cantalupo and Bagnoregio.

NORTH AMERICA: The battleship USS 'Missouri', built at New York (Brooklyn) Navy Yard, is commissioned.

UNITED KINGDOM: The Canadian-owned, British-registered merchantman 'Fort McPherson' (7,132 GRT) was damage by bombs from Luftwaffe aircraft in the English Channel. There was no loss of life in this incident. 'Fort McPherson' was later hit by a flying bomb while under repair from this attack.

WESTERN FRONT: D-DAY +5: The 101st Airborne Division succeeds in taking Carentan in Normandy. British forces continue to advance against heavy German resistance. The British 7th Armoured Division attacks Caen from the west, capturing Tilly-sur-Seulles. US battleships off Normandy provide gunfire support. German Army Group 'B' plans to;

"...replace the Panzer units [opposite the British and Canadians] with infantry divisions and transfer its Schwerpunkt to the Carentan-Montebourg area in order to avert the danger to Cherbourg."

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies two missions. Mission 405: Weather prevents operations against priority targets in Germany so the bombers attack targets in France; 1,055 bombers and 914 fighter sorties are flown; over 400 bombers abort or fail to bomb due to clouds and absence or malfunction of Pathfinders; three bombers and eight fighters are lost: 471 B-17s are dispatched to airfields at Beaumont-le-Roger (38 bomb), Bernay/St Martin (50 bomb) and Dinard/Pluertuit (37 bomb), and Toucquet-Paris-Plage (27 bomb), Merlimont Plage (34 bomb), Pontaubault Bridge (50 bomb) and Berck (36 bomb); 33 others hit Conches Airfield and four hit targets of opportunity; two B-17s are lost. 584 B-24s are dispatched to airfields at Cormeilles-en-Vexin (34 bomb), Beauvais/Nivelliers (27 bomb), Beaumont-sur-Oise (36 bomb) and Creil (19 bomb) and Vicomte-sur-Rance (19 bomb), Montford Bridge (18 bomb) and Blois/St Denis (41 bomb); 12 others hit Beauvais/Tille Airfield, seven hit Poix Airfield, 32 hit Montauban marshalling yard and 52 hit targets of opportunity; one B-24 is lost. 87 P-47 Thunderbolts and 144 P-51 Mustangs provide escort for the bombers without loss.

Other fighter missions are: 143 P-38s patrol the beachhead and claim 2-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft. 77 P-38s, 195 P-47s and 268 P-51s fly fighter-bomber missions against communications targets in northwestern France; the P-38s claim 3-2-5 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 0-0-1 on the ground; three P-38s, a P-47 and four P-51s are lost.

In morning operations, 129 B-26 Marauders and A-20 Havocs of the USAAF's Ninth Air Force in England bomb rail and road bridges and intersections, rail lines, oil tanks, artillery and town areas, in France; bad weather prevents afternoon operations; ten fighter groups fly escort and strafe and bomb bridges, railroads, gun emplacements, rail and road traffic and marshalling yards in support of ground troops.

329 RAF aircraft - 225 Lancasters, 86 Halifaxes, 18 Mosquitos - of Nos 1, 3, 4 and 8 Groups attacked railway targets at Évreux, Massey Palaiseau, Nantes and Tours. All of the raids appeared to be successful. 3 Lancasters and 1 Halifax - 1 aircraft from each raid - were lost. 33 Mosquitos to Berlin, 30 Serrate patrols, 13 Halifaxes minelaying on the flanks of the invasion coast. 2 Mosquitos lost from the Berlin raid.

German Admiral Karl Dönitz issues an order to submarine commanders:

"The invasion fleet is to be attacked with complete recklessness".

Off the invasion beaches, German torpedo boats S 130, S 144, S 146, S 150 and S 167 launch torpedo attacks on U.S. invasion shipping, sinking tank landing ship LST-496 and tug 'Partridge' (ATO-138), and damaging tank landing ship LST-538. German motor torpedo boat S 138 torpedoes and damages destroyer 'Nelson' (DD-623); infantry landing craft LCI-219 is sunk by aircraft.

 

[Njaco]

12 June 1944 Monday
ATLANTIC OCEAN: Frigate HMS 'Halsted' is torpedoed by the units of 9th Schnellboot Geschwader in the English Channel at Seine Bay and has her bows blown off, but is able to make port at Portsmouth astern under her own power. She is not repaired.

'U-490' sunk NW of the Azores in position 42.47N, 40.08W by depth charges from escort carrier USS 'Croatan', and depth charges from destroyer escorts USS 'Frost', 'Huse' and 'Inch'.

EASTERN FRONT: In Karelian Isthmus, the advancing Soviet units reach VT-line, the second Finnish line of defence. They start immediately probing the defences. The line is held by Gen. Laatikainen's IV Corps. After Gen. Sihvo's 10th Division was withdrawn to rear, the line here at the southern part of the front is defended by Gen. Pajari's 3rd Division and Gen. Melander's Cavalry Brigade (the Cavalry Brigade fought on foot, its name was an honorary appellation). Together they defend a stretch of line some 40 km (25 miles) wide. Gen. Martola's 2nd Division reaches the VT-line, after conducting a fighting withdrawal. On the northern part of the Isthmus front Gen. Siilasvuo's III Corps has so far been left in peace, but it has to transfer troops to defend it's endangered right flank. IV Corps's defences are focused around Kivennapa, where lies the attacker's shortest way to Viipuri. However, the Leningrad Front commander Gen. Govorov has received permission to act as he sees fit, and he immediately transfers the point of main effort. The attacking Red Army units now concentrate on the very southernmost part of the front, on the coastal road running along the northern shore of the Gulf of Finland, where the Finnish defences are the weakest.

The commander of the Finnish 3rd Brigade (which is on its way to the Karelian Isthmus) Col. Joose Hannula is killed in an aerial attack. He is succeeded by Col. Kai Savonjousi. Finnish AA-defences claim 15 enemy planes shot down.

GERMANY: 303 RAF aircraft - 286 Lancasters and 17 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 3 and 8 Groups - carried out the first raid of the new oil campaign; the target was the Nordstern synthetic-oil plant at Gelsenkirchen (the Germans called the plant Gelsenberg AG). 17 Lancasters were lost, 6.1 per cent of the Lancaster force. The attack opened with exceptional accuracy owing to good work by the Pathfinders and to improved versions of Oboe sets now available. Later phases of the bombing were spoiled by the clouds of smoke from the burning target and by a rogue target indicator which fell 10 miles short of the target and was bombed by 35 aircraft. A German industrial report shows that all production at the oil plant ceased, with a loss of 1,000 tons of aviation fuel a day for several weeks, as well as the loss of other fuels.

27 Mosquitos to Cologne, 3 RCM sorties, 39 Serrate and 13 Intruder patrols, 9 Halifaxes and 5 Stirlings minelaying off Brest and St Nazaire, 13 aircraft on Resistance operations. No aircraft lost.

MEDITERRANEAN: S class submarine HMS 'Sickle' is lost in the Mediterranean / Aegean Sea cause unknown. Last heard of on this date when they reported sighting a convoy in the Steno Channel. 'Sickle' is the last British submarine to be lost in the Mediterranean during WW2. There is one survivor from 'Sickle': Able Seaman Richard Blake, a member of the submarine's 3 inch gun crew who was blown over board on 4 June when 'Sickle' had engaged in gunfire with German patrol vessels GA76 and GA91. The submarine had to make an urgent dive to avoid further hits, and Blake was left in the water and picked up by the Germans to become a POW.

WESTERN FRONT: D-Day +6: The US 4th Division reaches Montebourg, Crisbecq and Azeville in Normandy. The V Corps reaches Bayeux Road. The battlefront in Normandy is now nearly 50 miles long with fighting going on for Montebourg, Crisbecq, Caumont, Foret de Cerisy, Bayeux, Tilly and Caen. The Allies have landed 326,000 troops and 54,000 vehicles since D-Day.

The German 17.SS Panzergrenaidier Division supported by paratroops launch a counterattack against the Americans at Carentan. The attack forces the US paratroops back several miles, but the town is held. As Allied forces take Carentan, Montgomery tells reporters;

"...we have won the battle of the beaches!"

The Canadian Queen's Own Rifles enter Les Mesnil-Patry, in France, but lose 17 of 19 tanks and many men.

German General der Artillerie Erich Marcks LXXXIV AK is killed at St-Lo/Perriers.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies two missions. Mission 407: With bad weather over top priority targets in Germany, 1,442 bombers are dispatched against airfields and landing grounds in northeastern France and rail and road bridges on the Brest Peninsula; 691 of 769 B-17s and 586 of 673 B-24s hit 16 airfields and six railroad bridges in the Rennes and St Nazaire area; they claim 1-1-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; six B-17s and two B-24s are lost Fighters fly 988 sorties the loss of 16 aircraft: 234 P-38 Lightnings, 80 P-47 Thunderbolts and 201 P-51 Mustangs fly escort, sweeps and patrols over the English Channel and in the Rennes area; they claim 20-0-8 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 1-0-0 on the ground; three P-38s, a P-47 and three P-51s are lost. 93 P-38s and 183 P-47s fly fighter-bomber missions against five railroad bridges in the Tours-Paris area; they claim 5-0-2 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 1-0-0 on the ground; a P-38 and eight P-47s are lost. 45 P-38s and 152 P-51s fly escort for Ninth Air Force A-20 Havocs and B-26 Marauders. Sixteen B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions.

The USAAF's Ninth Air Force in England dispatches 509 B-26s and A-20s to bomb marshalling yards, road and rail junctions, bridges, artillery, town areas, troop concentrations and various targets of opportunity in France; aircraft of 15+ fighter groups fly close and area support for bombers and bomb and strafe rail lines, gun batteries, bridges, fortifications, radar installation, tanks, ammunition dumps, town areas and strongpoints in the battle area.

671 RAF aircraft - 348 Halifaxes, 285 Lancasters, 38 Mosquitos - of Nos 4, 5, 6 and 8 Groups to attack communications, mostly railways, at Amiens/St Roch, Amiens/Longueau, Arras, Caen, Cambrai and Poitiers. (It is interesting to note that, with the exception of Caen, all of these targets were the sites of well-known battles of earlier wars and Caen was soon to be the scene of fierce fighting.) Bomber Command's records state that the Poitiers attack, by No 5 Group, was the most accurate of the night and that the 2 raids at Amiens and the raid at Arras were of reasonable accuracy. The target at Cambrai was hit but many bombs also fell in the town. The most scattered attack (also by No 5 Group) was at Caen. 23 aircraft - 17 Halifaxes and 6 Lancasters - were lost from these raids; all of these losses were from Nos 4 and 6 Groups.

A Canadian airman, Pilot Officer Andrew Charles Mynarski from Winnipeg, was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross for his bravery on the Cambrai raid. His Lancaster, of No 419 Squadron, was attacked by a night fighter and set on fire and the crew were ordered to abandon the aircraft. Mynarski was about to jump when he saw that the tail gunner was trapped in his turret and he went through fierce flames to help. The rear turret was so badly it jammed that it could not be freed and the trapped gunner eventually waved Mynarski away. By the time he left the aircraft, Mynarski's clothing and parachute were on fire and he died while being cared for by French civilians soon after he landed. The tail gunner was fortunate to survive the crash and his report on Mynarski's courage led to the award of the Victoria Cross. Pilot Officer Mynarski is buried in the small village cemetery at Meharicourt, east of Amiens.

 

[Njaco]

13 June 1944 Tuesday
ATLANTIC OCEAN: Whilst escorting a westbound Channel convoy, destroyer HMS 'Boadicea' is attacked by Ju 88 aircraft and struck by two torpedoes which caused her magazine to explode, and the ship to sink rapidly. There are 175 casualties, but 12 survivors.

Corvette HMCS 'Baddeck', attached to Western Approaches Command in Apr 1944, and engaged in escorting resupply shipping, was in the English Channel sailing to the landing zone when attacked, off Portsmouth, by E Boats, in a night action. After a wild engagement, the action was broken off.

'U-715' (Type VIIC) is sunk at 0930hrs northeast of the Faroes, in position 62.55N, 02.59W, by depth charges from a Canadian Canso aircraft (RCAF-Sqdn. 162/T). 35 dead, 15 survivors taken into captivity. 'U-715' was on her first patrol at the time of her loss and had not sunk or damaged any ships. 'U-715' was sighted while she was at periscope depth, a very significant feat of aerial observation. After being attacked she was forced to surface, whereupon the boat was abandoned. The patrol a/c then incautiously overflew the submarine before it was completely abandoned and was shot down. Three of her crewmembers died of exposure before air-sea rescue launches arrived to rescue the Canadian and German survivors.

'U-270' shot down an RAF 53 Sqn Fortress. No damage to the U-boat; the boat was heading to base after being damaged by an RAF 172 Sqn Wellington. 'U-634' shot down an RAF 228 Sqn Sunderland. 'U-564' shot down an RAF 228 Sqn Sunderland. Aircraft bombs sank 'U-564' the next day. 'U-480' shot down an RCAF 162 Sqn Catalina.

Unarmed U.S. fishing boat 'Lark' is shelled and machine- gunned by German submarine 'U-107' 32 miles off Cape Sable Light, 42°54'N, 65°25'W, and abandoned with the exception of the master and the cook. 'Lark' remains afloat as the U-boat leaves the scene, whereupon she rescues every man who had abandoned ship at the approach of the enemy submarine.

EASTERN FRONT: Stalin praises the D-Day landings extravagantly, saying:

"In the whole history of war there has never been such an undertaking."

The Finnish IV Corps is now grouped along VT-line, the second line of defence. The corps's right flank on the southernmost part of the front is fiercely attacked by the Red Army. The Finnish GHQ orders more construction troops to work on the VKT-line, the third line of defence, which is still largely exists only on paper.

An experimental A-4 [V-2] rocket crashes and the wreckage is recovered for study by the Swedish military. The Swedish government later transfers two tons of debris to England, reportedly in exchange for two squadrons of new tanks.

GERMANY: 8 RAF Mosquitos to Münchengladbach and 3 to Düren, 15 Serrate patrols, 8 Stirlings and 4 Lancasters minelaying off Brest and St Nazaire, 2 Halifaxes on Resistance operations. No aircraft lost.

At Erfurt, the first production Ta 154 A-1 was flown.

MEDITERRANEAN: Allied forces in Italy continue to advance taking Narni and Terni.

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches 560+ B-17s and B-24s, most with fighter escort, to attack targets in Germany and Italy; B-17s attack aircraft component plants at Munich/Allach; B-24s marshalling yards at Innsbruck and Munich, Germany and the industrial area at Porto Marghera, Italy; they claim 30+ Luftwaffe aircraft shot down; ten bombers are lost and several others are missing.

Siegfried Freytag, Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 77 and recently returned from wounds suffered over Sicily, gained his 100th victory.

UNITED KINGDOM: German commence Unternehmen "Rumpelkammer". At 0418 the first V-1 "buzz bomb" lands on England. Flying from a camouflaged ramp at Hesdon near the Pas de Calais, the bomb missed its intended target of the Tower Bridge and lands about 15 miles to the east. Of ten launched by the Germans, only four cross the Channel. But one of these kills six people in London. However, the LXV Armee Corps then orders the suspension of launchings until further notice. Expecting a far heavier attack, Lord Cherwell, Churchill's scientific advisor states;

"The mountain hath groaned and given forth a mouse!"

WESTERN FRONT: D-Day +7 : Gnr. J. T. Etherington and his 5.5" gun battery are landed at Sword Beach. An attack by elements of the 17.SS Panzerdivision and elements of the 6th Parachute Regiment [37th and 38th SS Panzergrenadier Regiments and the 17 SS Tank Battalion], at Carentan is held by defending troops. These troops were the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, two armor companies [Combat Command A, 2nd Armored Division] and a battalion of armored infantry.

Villers Bocage and Lt. Michael Wittman : The British 7th Armoured Div, after a brush with the enemy at Livry, pushed on to Villers-Bocage without opposition. Lt-Col Lord Cranley sent A Troop of his 4th County of London Yeomanry, together with a motor company of the 1st Battalion, the Rifle Brigade, up to Point 213, high ground east of the town. There was no sign of the enemy.The British 7th Armoured Div attacks toward Villers Bocage. Montgomery's attempt to outflank Caen by seizing Villers Bocage collapsed in confusion with heavy losses. He sent in 2 of his most experienced formations from the 8th Army, the 51st Highland and 7th Armoured Divisions. Meanwhile following a drive from Beauvais under repeated air attack, Lt. Michael Wittman led 6 Tigers of the 2nd Kompanie of sSSPzAbt 101 Heavy Tank Battalion out of the woods and along a sunken road into the village. His orders were to stop the advance of the 22nd Armoured Brigade of the British 7th Armoured Division from advancing through the township, and gaining the road to Caen. Wittman's company, hidden behind a hedgerow, spotted the British column. At about 8.00am, Wittman attacks the column on the main road, while the rest of his company (4 Tigers as one broke down) attacked the British forces around Hill 213. Soon after, Wittmann destroys a Sherman Firefly and Cromwell IV and heads south to attack the rest of the transport column. After knocking out 8 half-tracks, 4 Bren Carriers and two 6 pdr anti-tank guns, Wittmann reaches the crossroad to Tilly-sur-Seulles. At the crossroad, he destroys three Stuart tanks from a recon unit and reaches the outskirts of Villers-Bocage. Wittmann's Tiger was hit by a Sherman Firefly and he decides to turn back, Wittmann's Tiger was attacked by another Cromwell IV, which he destroyed. Back at the Tilly crossroad, British soldiers from 1st Rifle Brigade opened fire at Wittmann with their 6 pdr anti-tank gun, immobilizing his Tiger. Wittmann and his crew managed to escape on foot towards the Panzer Lehr positions near Orbois. The rest of his company at the Hill 213, destroyed the rest of A Squadron of the 4th County of London Yeomanry Regiment ("Sharpshooters") including 5 Cromwell IV and a Sherman Firefly, while capturing 30 men. During this short engagement, Wittmann's company destroyed 4 Sherman Firefly, 20 Cromwell, 3 Stuart, 3 M4 Sherman OP, 14 half-tracks, 16 Bren Carriers and 2 6 pdr anti-tank guns. Wittmann's attack was followed by another one by Tigers of Hptstrmführer Rolf Moebius' 1st Kompanie of sSSPzAbt 101 and Pzkpf IV tanks from Panzer Lehr but was repulsed by anti-tank guns from 22nd Armoured Brigade. With German reinforcements continuing to arrive, the surviving British forces were pulled out, covered by an artillery bombardment. Another attempt, supported by fighter-bombers, failed to dislodge the Germans.

Bad weather cancels US Eighth AF large-scale bombing of high priority targets in Germany and overcast bombing against tactical targets in northwestern France is undertaken: Mission 409: In the first mission of the day, cloud cover is less than anticipated and visual runs are made by 129 B-17s against Evreux/Fauville Airfield (37 bomb), Dreux Airfield (52 bomb) and St Andre de L'Eure (40 bomb); escort is provided by 101 P-51 Mustangs; they claim 4-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft. Mission 410: In the second mission, 112 B-17s and 260 B-24s are dispatched: 97 B-17s attack Beaumont-sur-Oise Airfield (41 bomb) and Beauvais/Nivelliers Airfield (56 bomb). 148 B-24s attack Dinard/Pleurtuit Airfield (ten bomb), Ploermel Bridge (26 bomb), Vannes Bride (19 bomb), Vicomte-sur-Rance Bridge (24 bomb), Montfort-sur-Meu Bridge (21 bomb), Porcaro Bridge (12 bomb) and 3 others hit targets of opportunity; two B-24s are lost. Escort for Mission 410 is provided by 12 P-38 Lightnings, 47 P-47 Thunderbolts and 174 P-51s; one P-51 is lost.

Other fighter sorties during the day are: 97 P-38s are dispatched on fighter-bomber missions; two P-38s are lost. 199 P-47s are dispatched to La Port Boulet (90 attack), Montlouis (24 attack), transport targets (33 attack) and Chinon (31 attack); they claim 2-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; one P-47 is lost. 35 P-51s fly escort for fighter bombers. 12 P-38s and 35 P-47s escort Ninth Air Force bombers. 62 of 64 P-38s fly patrol over the English Channel.

The USAAF's Ninth Air Force in England dispatches 397 B-26 Marauders and A-20 Havocs to bomb rail and road junctions, marshalling yards and fuel dumps in the assault areas of France; aircraft of nine fighter groups escort the bombers and attack bridges, marshalling yards, troop areas, rail and road traffic, gun emplacements, ammunition dumps and other targets.

Colonel Kurt Meyer is made commander of the 12.Panzerdivision 'Hitler Jugend' .

 

[Njaco]

14 June 1944 Wednesday
ATLANTIC OCEAN: 'U-547' attacked a small convoy, consisting of the 'Saint Basile' and the three ASW trawlers HMS 'Birdlip', 'Turcoman' and 'Inkpen' off Freetown and sank 'Birdlip' at 0136 with a Gnat and at 0256 hours the merchantman 'Saint Basile' was hit by one torpedo, broke in two and sank with the loss of six lives. The ship carried 38 crewmembers, five gunners and 21 Senegalese soldiers.

EASTERN FRONT: The Red Army breaks through the second Finnish line of defence, VT-line, in the Karelian Isthmus. The Finnish positions between Vammelsuu and Kuuterselkä, held by the Cavalry Brigade and 3rd Division of the IV Corps, are subjected to a massive 90-minute artillery and aerial bombardment, and the Soviet 109th Corps (Lt. Gen. Ivan Alferov) attacks at 8.30 am. The Cavalry Brigade manages to hold its positions, but to the north the 2nd Battalion of the Infantry Regiment 53 (3rd Division) is forced to leave its positions at Kuuterselkä. The Soviet forces advance to southwest, threatening to isolate the Cavalry Brigade, which, lacking AT-weapons, is forced to withdraw. To contain the situation, Battlegroup Puroma counter-attacks at 10.45 pm. Battlegroup is supported by three artillery battalions and the Junkers 88 bombers of the Aviation Regiment 4. Battlegroup Puroma manages to reach Kuuterselkä, destroying several tanks along the way. There Col. Puroma's battlegroup is locked in battle with the main forces of the Soviet 72nd Division (185th Tank Regiment, 351st Guards Heavy Assault Gun Regiment, 46th AT-Brigade and 119th Separate AT Battalion). The battle rages on into the morning of the 15th of June, by when Finns have lost five of their StuG IIIg's. More to the north, the 2nd Division of the IV Corps fights a battle of its own around Siiranmäki. At the center is Lt. Col. Adolf Ehrnrooth's Infantry Regiment 7, which has since yesterday repelled several Soviet attacks. The regiment is again today assaulted by strong Soviet forces, and the battle rages on for the whole day. But when the night falls, Lt. Col. Ehrnrooth's men have recaptured all the lost ground and caused severe losses to the enemy. The Battle of Siiranmäki, as it will be known, is one of the first signs that the Soviet offensive is not unstoppable.

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches 660+ B-17s and B-24s to attack targets in Czechoslovakia and Hungary; the B-17s attack oil refineries in Budapest, Hungary; the B-24s hit five oil targets, one at Parducice, Czechoslovakia and Petfurdo, Komarom, Osijek and Sisak, Hungary. P-38s, P-47s, and P-51s escort the bombers and P-38s strafe and dive-bomb the airfield at Kecskemet, Hungary.

MEDITERRANEAN: Advances by the British 8th Army and the US IV Corps continue.

UNITED KINGDOM: Admiral Moore takes command of the British Home Fleet.

F/L J. G. Musgrave shoots down the first V-1 flying bomb over the English Channel.

RAF Station Millfield, 881 RN Sqn Wildcat VI LCdr Digby Rex Bell COSH DSC RCNVR lost. Crashed while on course Drem, Scotland. UK.

WESTERN FRONT: D-Day +8: The British assault on Caen fails after a determined defence by the 2.Panzerdivision.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies two missions. Mission 412: Bad weather again covers all strategic targets in Germany except one in the extreme north; a major effort is directed against tactical objectives, mainly in France; 1,357 of 1,525 bombers dispatched hit the targets listed below; 14 bombers are lost: 502 B-17s are dispatched to hit airfields in France, i.e.,: Le Bourget (134 bomb), Coulommiers (24 bomb), Creil (25 bomb), Bretigny (69 bomb), Melun (50 bomb), Creil (66 bomb) and Etampes (69 bomb); they claim 0-5-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; eleven B-17s are lost. 466 B-24s are dispatched to hit airfields at Chateaudun (103 bomb), Orleans/Bricy (97 bomb), Eindhoven, the Netherlands (63 bomb) and Coxyde, Belgium (seven bomb); and 61 hit the Emmerich, Germany oil refinery, 50 hit Beauvois, 44 hit Domleger, twelve hit targets of opportunity and four hit the Normandy beaches. Of 191 B-24s, seven hit Ham-sur-Somme, 32 hit targets of opportunity, 52 hit Lille/Vendeville, 12 hit Calas Tres, 12 hit Denain Drousey, 39 hit Laon/Athies and 70 hit Chievres; two B-24s are lost. 351 B-17s are dispatched to hit targets in BELGIUM: 35 bomb St Trond Airfield, 95 hit Florennes Airfield, 52 bomb Le Culot and 61 attack Brussels/Melsbroek; one B-17 is lost. 7 of 15 B-24s hit the Ham-sur-Somme Bridge and five use Azon missiles against targets of opportunity Escort for the bomber missions is provided by 103 P-47 Thunderbolts; two P-47s lost. Twenty B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions during the night.

Other fighter missions are: 168 of 176 P-47s fly fighter-bomber missions against Luftwaffe HQ at Chantilly, France and Panzer columns; they claim 0-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft. 234 P-38 Lightnings, 178 P-47s and 171 P-51 Mustangs fly beachhead patrols and sweeps in front of the bomber force; they claim 4-1-7 Luftwaffe aircraft; three P-38s, a P-47 and a P-51 are lost.

The USAAF's Ninth Air Force in England dispatches 500+ B-26 Marauders and A-20 Havocs to attack rail communications southwest of Paris and highway communications centers south of the beachhead area; junctions, bridges, marshalling yards, gun emplacements and various defensive strongpoints are included; 15+ fighter groups fly escort and attack numerous ground targets, including rail lines running from southwest of Paris to the Rennes area, and highway traffic on the Cherbourg Peninsula and south of the beachhead area to the Loire River.

Having been warned about an impending attack on their supply ships to Normandy by an ULTRA intercept, RAF bombers obliterated the torpedo boat base at Le Havre, sinking all but one of the small craft. 221 Lancasters and 13 Mosquitos of No 1, 3, 5 and 8 Groups carried out Bomber Command's first daylight raid since the departure of No 2 Group at the end of May 1943. The objectives were the fast German motor-torpedo boats (E-boats) and other light naval forces harboured at Le Havre which were threatening Allied shipping off the Normandy beaches only 30 miles away. The raid took place in 2 waves, one during the evening and the second at dusk. Most of the aircraft in the first wave were from No 1 Group and in the second wave from No 3 Group. Pathfinder aircraft provided marking by their normal methods for both raids. No unexpected difficulties were encountered; the naval port area was accurately bombed by both waves with 1,230 tons of bombs and few E-boats remained undamaged. No 617 Squadron sent 22 Lancasters, each loaded with a 12,000lb Tallboy bomb, and 3 Mosquito marker aircraft to attack the concrete covered E-boat pens just before the first wave bombed. Several hits were scored on the pens and one bomb penetrated the roof. This raid was regarded as an experiment by Sir Arthur Harris, who was still reluctant to risk his squadrons to the dangers of daylight operations but both waves of the attack were escorted by Spitfires of 1No 1 Group and only 1 Lancaster was lost.

337 British heavy bombers attack German troops and vehicles at Aunay and Evreay. 223 Lancasters, 100 Halifaxes, 14 Mosquitos - of Nos 4, 5 and 8 Groups attacked German troop and vehicle positions at Aunay-sur-Odon and Évrecy, near Caen. These raids were prepared and executed in great haste, in response to an army report giving details of the presence of major German units. The weather was clear and both targets were successfully bombed. The target at Aunay, where the marking was shared by Nos 5 and 8 Groups, was particularly accurate. No aircraft were lost.

General De Gaulle arrives in Normandy. He takes the first steps to restore French civil government in liberated areas. On a platform in Bayeaux, decorated with the British, American and Canadian flags, he told his applauding audience:

"What the country expects of you is to keep up the fight."

De Gaulle also visited Isigny, so close to the front that dead bodies were still being dug out of the ruins. Bayeaux has already greeted Winston Churchill, who was here two days ago with Field Marshal Smuts.

 

[Njaco]

15 June 1944 Thursday
ATLANTIC OCEAN: Frigate HMS 'Blackwood' takes a hit from a Zaunkönig fired by 'U-674' (Oblt. zur See Hanskurt von Bremen). The explosion blows off her (sic) bows but she remains afloat and is taken in tow until foundering on the following day, 23 miles SE of Portland. There are 58 casualties. Subsequently assessed as a bottomed U-boat, a Canadian escort group engaged in A/S operations depth charge the wreck which sets off her own cargo of depth charges in a terrific explosion! Frigate HMS 'Mourne' takes a hit from a Zaunkönig fired by 'U-767' (Oblt. zur See der Reserve Walter Dankleff) which hits her forward and blows off her bows. She sank within a minute.

'U-987' sunk in the North Sea west of Narvik, in position 68.01N, 05.08W by torpedoes from submarine HMS 'Satyr'. 53 dead (all hands lost).

'U-860' sunk in the South Atlantic south of St Helena, in position 25.27S, 05.30W, by depth charges and rockets from 7 Avenger and Wildcat aircraft (Task Group 22.10) of the US escort carrier USS 'Solomons'. 42 dead and 20 survivors. Two Avengers were shot down in this battle.

EASTERN FRONT: This evening the Finnish GHQ decides to abandon the attempts to recapture the lost positions on the VT-line. Battlegroup Puroma's battle at Kuuterselkä goes on until this morning, when the IV Corps orders it to abandon its attempts to regain the VT-line. Battlegroup Puroma withdrew from battle. The three battalions of the Jäger Brigade present at the battle lost 627 men, 161 of them KIA or MIA. The Assault Gun Battalion lost five of its StuG IIIg's (more than half of its total losses of eight StuG IIIg's during the whole war) and 24 men, five of them killed (among the dead was Capt. Werner von Troil, CO of the 2nd Assault Gun Company). Russian sources admit the loss of 40 tanks at Kuuterselkä. Today is given the general order for the civilian population to evacuate the whole Karelian Isthmus. For the second and final time people are forced to leave their homes and become refugees. Karelians left their homes for the first time during and immediately after the Winter War, but many returned after the lost territories were re-conquered in summer and autumn of 1941.

GERMANY: The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies Mission 414: 1,361 bombers are dispatched in eight forces to bomb an oil refinery Germany and numerous tactical targets in France, including nine airfields, an aircraft plant, CROSSBOW (V-weapon) sites, eleven bridges, a marshalling yard, and various scattered targets; two B-17s are lost: Of 747 B-17s dispatched, 172 hit the Hannover/Misburg oil refinery, 16 hit Wilster, 16 hit Wesermunde, two hit the Hannover area and one hits Helgoland Island, Germany.

31 RAF Mosquitos to Gelsenkirchen, 13 Serrate and 21 Intruder patrols, 7 Stirlings and 4 Halifaxes minelaying off Channel ports. 1 Mosquito lost from the Gelsenkirchen raid.

JG 4 recieved a Stab flight when it was formed in Andbach from Stab./JG z.b.V. with Major Gerhard Schopfel appointed as Gruppenkommandeur.

MEDITERRANEAN: Motor torpedo boats PT-552, PT-558, and PT-559 sink German torpedo boats TA 26 (ex-Italian Navy 'Intrepido') and TA 30 (ex-Italian Navy 'Dragone') off the Italian coast between La Spezia and Genoa.

NORTH AMERICA: Northwest Air Command of the Royal Canadian Air Force is created.

UNITED KINGDOM: The second attack of V-1 flying bombs on England resulted in the launching of 224 of the bombs. 45 failed to launch properly and landed on their ramps, 40 more landed in the sea and 153 crossed the coast of England. The UK defenses destroyed 22 more bombs, about 50 fell on open ground far from London. But 73 landed on London causing much damage and destruction with casualties.

WESTERN FRONT: D-Day +9: Generals Montgomery and Bradley agree on Cherbourg as their next primary target. The US VII Corps liberates Quineville.

USAAF's Eighth Air Force Mission 414 cont.: 144 B-17s hit Bordeaux/Merignac Airfield, 71 hit Nantes railroad bridge north, 71 hit La Poissonniere rail viaduct, 70 hit Angouleme marshalling yard, 59 hit Beauvoir V-weapon site, 46 hit Nantes railroad bridge south, 12 hit Gael Airfield and ten hit a viaduct north of Nantes; two B-17s are lost. Of 614 B-24s dispatched to France, 89 hit Le Port Boulet railroad bridge, 61 hit Evreux/Fauville Airfield, 59 hit Tours-la-Frillerie, 54 hit Tours-La Rice railroad bridge, 46 hit Guyancourt Airfield, 45 hit Etampes/Modesir Airfield, 44 hit Cinq Mars bridge, 27 hit St Cyr, 21 hit Buc Airfield, 12 hit Tours-La Riche highway bridge, 12 hit Le Mans Airfield, 12 hit Orleans/Saran Airfield and eight hit targets of opportunity; 12 B-24s use Azon missiles against Etaples railroad bridge and seven others use the missiles against the Pecrone railroad bridge.

Fighter operations are: 96 P-38 Lightnings, 202 P-47 Thunderbolts and 211 P-51 Mustangs escort the bombers and claim 5-0-5 Luftwaffe aircraft; two P-38s and a P-51 are lost. 36 P-47s bomb Etaples, France; 1 P-47s is lost. 177 P-38s fly a fighter sweep in front of the bomber forces without loss.

The USAAF's Ninth Air Force in England dispatches 550+ B-26 Marauders and A-20 Havocs against fuel and ammunition dumps, rail and highway communications, and an armoured division HQ south of the bridgehead on the Douve River; 1,400+ fighters fly armed reconnaissance in the Valognes-Cherbourg area, the western part of the Cherbourg Peninsula, and along communications lines south to Loire; fighters also attack shipping between the Channel Islands and the Cherbourg Peninsula.

Weather cancels bombing operations of the USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy. P-51s and P-38s strafe La Jasse, Orange/Plan de Dieu, Orange/Caritat, Avignon/Chateau-Blanc and Avignon/Pujaut Airfields in France.

297 RAF aircraft - 155 Lancasters, 130 Halifaxes, 12 Mosquitos - of Nos 1, 4, 5, 6 and 8 Groups carried out attacks on German light naval vessels now gathering in Boulogne harbour. The tactics employed and the bombing results were similar to those at Le Havre the previous evening, although the visibility was not so clear. 1 Halifax lost. The only details from France are in a short civil report which describes this as the Worst raid of the war on Boulogne, with great destruction in the port and the surrounding areas.

227 RAF aircraft - 119 Lancasters, 99 Halifaxes, 9 Mosquitos - of Nos 4, 5 and 8 Groups attacked an ammunition dump at Fouillard and a fuel dump at Châtellerault. The raid at Fouillard, carried out by No 4 Group with Pathfinder marking, hit the north- western section of the target and the all-No 5 Group raid at Châtellerault destroyed 8 fuel sites out of 35 in the target area. No aircraft lost. 224 aircraft - 184 Lancasters, 30 Stirlings, 10 Mosquitos - of Nos 3 and 8 Groups attacked railway yards at Lens and Valenciennes. The raids took place in clear visibility and both targets were accurately bombed. 6 Lancasters were lost from the Lens raid and 5 Lancasters from Valenciennes.

 

[Njaco]

16 June 1944

WESTERN FRONT: D-Day +10: British forces in Normandy make slow but steady progress toward Caen against very heavy resistance. Meanwhile, US forces continue to drive west to cut the Cotentin Peninsula and isolate Cherbourg, capturing St. Saveur. US forces cross the River Douvre in Normandy. In order to secure favourable defensive positions the 101st conducted a few small actions. This continued on June 17. They were the last real combat for the division in Normandy. For the next two weeks until relieved by the 83rd Infantry Division the 101st held strong defensive positions to the south and southwest of Carentan.

King George VI of Great Britain visits troops in Normandy.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies two missions. Mission 416: 370 bombers, including 22 Pathfinders are dispatched to four airfields and four CROSSBOW (V-weapon) supply sites in France; one B-17 is lost: Of 146 B-17 Flying Fortresses, 38 bomb Laon/Athies Airfield, 38 hit Juvincourt Airfield, 18 hit railroad targets of opportunity and 17 hit Laon/Couvron Airfield; one B-17 is lost. 224 B-24 Liberators are dispatched to bomb airfields and CROSSBOW sites; B-24s attacking V-weapon supply sites are: 48 hit Renescure, 44 hit Sautrecourt, 43 hit Domleger and 21 hit Beauvoir; airfields attacked are: 17 hit Beauvais/Tille, 17 hit Authe and 12 hit St Andre de L'Eure.

US VIII Fighter Command missions for the day are: 165 P-38s, 88 P-47 Thunderbolts and 172 P-51 Mustangs escort the bombers above, they claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; no losses. 70 P-51s perform a sweep against stalled trains between Angouleme and Poitiers, dropping external fuel tanks on them and firing the tanks by strafing; the same tactics are used on trains in the marshalling yard at Saint-Pierre-d'Ecideuil; heavy damage is inflicted on both targets, including heavy troop casualties. 50 P-38s and 75 P-47s make fighter-bomber attacks on troops in the Arras-St Pol area; at St-Pol-sur-Ternoise a large number of railroad cars are burned by oil and phosphorus bombs and strafing attacks; other marshalling yards, a power station, railroad station, trains, barges, tanks, trucks, gun emplacements, AA tower and an armored vehicle are attacked; A total of about 400 railroad cars are attacked and about half of them set on fire. In general the fighter attacks are highly effective; three P-38s are lost.

Bad weather prevents bomber operations by the USAAF's Ninth Air Force based in England; 500+ fighters strafe and bomb rail lines, bridges and highway traffic on the Cherbourg Peninsula.

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches almost 600 bombers to attack targets in Austria and Czechoslovakia; B-17s attack the Kragan and Florisdorf oil refineries around Vienna; B-24s bomb the industrial area at Bratislava, Czechoslovakia and the Lobau and Schwechat oil refineries and Winterhafen oil depot in the Vienna area. Between 200 and 250 fighters attack the formations and 15 USAAF aircraft are shot down; the bombers and escorting fighters claim 70 aircraft destroyed.

405 RAF aircraft - 236 Lancasters, 149 Halifaxes, 20 Mosquitos - of Nos 1, 4, 5, 6 and 8 Groups commenced the new campaign against flying-bomb launching sites with raids on 4 sites in the Pas de Calais area. All targets were accurately marked by Oboe Mosquitos and successfully bombed. No aircraft lost.

The unescorted 'Columbine' was torpedoed and sunk by 'U-198' 25 miles NW of Cape Castle, South West Africa. The master, 19 crewmembers and six passengers were lost.

MEDITERRANEAN: The British X Corps liberate Spoleto, Italy.

EASTERN FRONT: Commander of the Isthmus Troops Lt. Gen. Karl Oesch gives orders for the III and IV Corps to withdraw to the third Finnish line of defence (VKT-line) while delaying the enemy. Marshal Mannerheim orders the Olonets Group (Lt. Gen. Paavo Talvela) on the Olonets Isthmus (between lakes Ladoga and Onega) and the II Corps (Maj. Gen. Einar Mäkinen) on the Maaselkä Isthmus (between Lake Onega and White Sea) to start withdrawing back towards the 1939 border. German supplies start again flowing to Finland. To strengthen the Finnish AT-defences, more than 10,000 Panzerfausts are transported by motor torpedo boats and aircraft. Luftwaffe units and Sturmgeschütz-Brigade 303 together with the 122th Infantry Division are on their way. Six Finnish VMV Patrol boats surprise four enemy G-5 type motor torpedo boats at Halli. One of them is sunk and another captured.

GERMANY: 321 RAF aircraft - 162 Halifaxes, 147 Lancasters, 12 Mosquitos - of Nos 1, 4, 6 and 8 Groups to attack the synthetic-oil plant at Sterkrade/Holten despite a poor weather forecast. The target was found to be covered by thick cloud and the Pathfinder markers quickly disappeared. The Main Force crews could do little but bomb on to the diminishing glow of the markers in the cloud. RAF photographic reconnaissance and German reports agree that most of the bombing was scattered, although some bombs did fall in the plant area, but with little effect upon production. Unfortunately, the route of the bomber stream passed near a German night-fighter beacon at Bocholt, only 30 miles from Sterkrade. The German controller had chosen this beacon as the holding point for his night fighters. Approximately 21 bombers were shot down by fighters and a further 10 by flak. 22 of the lost aircraft were Halifaxes, these losses being 13.6 percent of the 162 Halifaxes on the raid. No 77 Squadron, from Full Sutton near York, lost 7 of its 23 Halifaxes taking part in the raid. 25 Mosquitos and 1 Lancaster of No 8 Group to Berlin, 12 RCM sorties (the airborne Mandrel jamming screen was used for the first time on this night), 53 Serrate, Intruder and flying-bomb patrols, 8 Stirlings and 4 Halifaxes minelaying in the Frisians and off the Biscay coast. 1 Stirling RCM aircraft lost.

UNITED KINGDOM : From a total of 144 V-1 bombs sent across the English Channel, 21 were shot down by fighters or AA fire and 73 reached the London area. During the next 10 days, an average of 100 V-1 bombs fell on England every 24 hours.

 

[Njaco]

17 June 1944

UNITED KINGDOM: Germany's long-threatened pilot-less planes or flying bombs are now falling thick and fast on London and south-east England. They first arrived four days ago, but a full-scale attack was only announced yesterday by Herbert Morrison, who claimed that damage was "relatively small". No so: it is now becoming severe. According to figures issued at 6am today, 18 people have died and 166 have been injured in flying-bomb explosions since the first six casualties in Bethnal Green, in London, on 13 June. Yesterday 73 fell on Greater London, and today 24 people died in a single blast in a London pub. The damage can cover a quarter of a mile in radius, mainly by blast. Windows are shattered, and debris lacerates anyone upright in the vicinity. Many are buried alive. The most demoralizing factor is the moment when the engine cuts out. People stare in silence and then fling themselves flat to wait for the explosion. The V1s are being called "doodlebugs" or "buzz bombs" for the drone of their engines.

WESTERN FRONT: D-Day +11: The US 9th Division reaches the west coast of Normandy. US forces in Normandy succeed in capturing Barneville, cutting the Cotentin Peninsula, isolating the Germans to the north around Cherbourg. Hitler orders those doomed units to stand fast.

Rommel, Rundstedt and Hitler meet at Soissons in the underground bunker built for the Führer in 1940, when he talked of invading Britain. Hitler was pale and haggard; hunched on a stool, he fiddled with his glasses as Rommel said that the struggle was hopeless against Allied superiority in the air, at sea and on land. At least, Rommel argued, they should pull back out of range of the Allies' devastating naval guns. The Führer would have none of it. He blamed the two field marshals for the success of the Allied landings, and dismissed Rommel's complaints that fuel shortages and enemy fighter-bomber attacks ruled out a major German offensive. The Führer promised that the V-1's will force Britain out of the war. There were "masses of jet fighters" on the way to drive the enemy out of the sky. At this point, Hitler was interrupted by Allied planes passing overhead. And then, shortly after von Rundstedt and Rommel departed, Hitler was shaken by a huge explosion. One of his own V1s had misfired and hit the bunker roof.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies three missions against targets in France, primarily airfields; two B-17 Flying Fortresses are lost; fighters fly 1,027 sorties during the day and destroy 15 locomotives, train cars, trucks and other vehicles. Mission 418: 232 of 332 bombers attack targets in FRANCE: Of 174 B-17s, 52 hit Monchy-Breton Airfield, 31 hit a railroad bridge at Noyen, 18 hit Chateaudun Airfield and 18 hit Villiers/L'Eveque Airfield; two B-17s are lost; escort is provided by 43 P-38 Lightnings, 39 P-47 Thunderbolts and 90 P-51 Mustangs; they claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; one P-51 is lost. Of 158 B-24s, 28 hit Laval Airfield, 26 hit Guyancourt/Caudron Airfield, 18 hit Le Mans/Arnage Airfield, 17 hit Bretigny Airfield, 12 hit Brunnelles, one hit Melun Airfield, one hits Dreux, one hits St Valery and one hits a target of opportunity; escort is provided by 87 P-47s and 170 P-51s; they claim 2-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 3-0-0 on the ground.99 P-38s fly fighter-bomber missions against railroad bridges at Corbie and Peronne; four P-38s are lost.

Mission 419: Of 312 B-24s dispatched, 80 hit Angers Airfield, 75 hit Laval Airfield, 55 hit Tours Airfield, 38 hit Essay airstrip, 25 hit Lonray airstrip and one hits LeMans; one B-24 is lost; escort is provided by 122 P-47s and 148 P-51s; a P-51 is lost. 49 P-38s and 39 P-47s, escorted by 47 P-38s, make fighter-bomber attacks on Corbie-Peronne railroad bridges; two P-38s are lost.

317 RAF aircraft - 196 Lancasters, 90 Halifaxes, 19 Mosquitos, 12 Stirlings - of Nos 1, 3, 4 and 8 Groups attacked railway targets at Aulnoye, Montdidier and St Martin l'Hortier. 1 Lancaster was lost on the Montdidier raid. All targets were covered by cloud and the Master Bombers at Aulnoye and Montdidier ordered their forces to stop bombing after only 7 and 12 aircraft had bombed respectively. 87 aircraft of No 4 Group bombed their target at St Martin l'Hortier but no results were seen. 114 aircraft - 90 Halifaxes, 19 Lancasters, 5 Mosquitos - of 6 and 8 Groups bombed a site at Oisemont, near Abbeville. No results were observed and no aircraft were lost. 30 Mosquitos to Berlin and 4 to the Scholven/Buer oil plant, 10 RCM sorties, 54 Mosquitos on Serrate, Intruder and flying bomb patrols, 8 Stirlings and 4 Halifaxes minelaying in the Channel Islands, 12 Halifaxes on Resistance operations. No aircraft lost.

The USAAF's Ninth Air Force in England dispatches 265 B-26 Marauders to attack fuel dumps, a bridge and a railway line south of the battle area; 1,300+ fighters fly escort and top cover, and strafe and bomb troop concentrations, military vehicles, bridges, gun emplacements, tanks and other tactical targets.

'U-423' (Type VIIC) is sunk northeast of the Faroes, in position 63.06N, 02.05E, by depth charges from a Norwegian Catalina aircraft (Sqdn. 333/D). 53 dead (all crew lost).

Iceland declared full independence from Denmark and became a republic.

Agent "Arabel", Jan Pujol Garcia, was awarded the Iron Cross by Hitler, who stated he was his best agent in Britain. Garcia, of course, was instrumental in fooling the Germans into believing that the Normandy invasion was a diversion and the real assault would come in Belgium.

EASTERN FRONT: In the Karelian Isthmus the Finnish troops start their withdrawal to the third line of defence, VKT-line. They start a disorganized retreat, and units of the Armoured Division are sent to reinforce them. On the left flank of the IV Corps the 3rd Brigade and 4th Division are fighting in Summa, the famous battlefield of the Winter War. To the north, on the southern shore of Lake Ladoga Lt. Gen. Hjalmar Siilasvuo's III Corps has so far been spared the full fury of the Soviet offensive. Now it also starts to withdraw towards the VKT-line. Oberstleutnant Kurt Kuhlmey's Stukas and Fw 190's start arriving at the Immola airfield in southern Finland. The unit has been formed out of units in Lapland and Baltic region, and consists of 32 Stukas and 30 Fw 190 fighter-bombers.

MEDITERRANEAN: Allied task force (Rear Admiral Thomas H. Troubridge, RN), including U.S. naval vessels, lands the French 9th Colonial Division on island of Elba off Italy. U.S. Navy ships participating in the landings include 6 destroyers, 1 destroyer escort, 5 minesweepers, 15 motor minesweepers, 16 submarine chasers, 10 tank landing ships, 20 tank landing craft, and 19 infantry landing craft; one LCI(L) is damaged by shore battery fire. Four U.S. motor torpedo boats sink four German F- lighters loaded with German troops being evacuated from Elba.

 

[Njaco]

18 June 1944

UNITED KINGDOM: A flying bomb fell on the Guards Chapel at Wellington Barracks only yards from Buckingham Palace, during morning service today. The building was almost completely destroyed and 119 worshipers, half civilians, half servicemen, were killed. Another 102 were seriously injured.

'U-767' sunk in 230' of water in the English Channel, depth charged, 1 trapped gets out with Drager gear from bottom without an air lock, PoW.

SS 'Albert C Field' (1,764 GRT) Canadian Upper Lakes and St. Lawrence Transportation Co. bulk laker sunk by a torpedo in a dusk attack from a Luftwaffe JU-88 torpedo-bomber a/c, in the English Channel, position 50.28N, 001.46W. The ship was part of the twelve-ship Penarth, Wales, to Normandy beachhead convoy EBC-14. She was carrying a cargo of 2,500 tons of ammunition and 130 bags of US Army mail. The ship broke in half and sank quickly. Four crewmembers were lost from her 33 men. The British Western Isles-class armed trawler HMS 'HERSCHELL' rescued the survivors. The rescue was greatly assisted by the small red lights and whistles that had only recently been added to the standard life vests then in use.

GERMANY: The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies two missions. Mission 421: 1,378 bombers are dispatched to targets in Germany; eleven bombers are lost, ten to AA fire and one to unknown causes: Of 890 B-17s dispatched, 381 bomb Hamburg, 88 hit Hannover-Misburg oil refinery, 85 hit the Bremen area; 60 hit Hannover, 54 hit Hamburg-Eurotank oil refinery, 38 hit Hamburg-Ossag oil refinery, 36 hit Hamburg-Schindler oil refinery, 18 hit Bremen-Oslebshausen; 18 hit Hamburg-Ebano oil refinery and five hit targets of opportunity; seven B-17s are lost. Of 488 B-24s, 168 hit Hamburg, 107 bomb Bremerhaven, 58 attack the Watten V-weapon sites, France, 54 hit Brunsbuttel, 45 hit Stade Airfield, 28 hit Wesermunde, 13 hit Husum Airfield, nine hit Nordenham, eight hit Heligoland Airfield, five hit targets of opportunity and one hits Wrist marshalling yard; four B-24s are lost. Escort is provided by 198 P-38s, 172 P-47 Thunderbolts and 215 P-51 Mustangs.

The Me 163 unit, I./JG 400 reported eleven aircraft on strength, five operational.

WESTERN FRONT: D-Day +12: US First Army troops reach the west coast of the Cotentin Peninsula at Barneville, cutting off the German-held port of Cherbourg.

94 of 98 P-38s and 82 of 87 P-47s attack railroad bridges in the St Quentin area without loss. 47 P-51s make a sweep of the Dol de Bretagne area; three P-51s are lost).

US Eighth Air Force Mission 422: Nine B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER missions in France; a B-24 hits a tree at the drop zone.

In France, the USAAF's Ninth Air Force in England dispatches about 130 A-20 Havocs and B-26s to bomb fuel dumps at Foret d'Andaine and Conches and marshalling yards at Rennes and Meudon during the morning and NOBALL (V-weapon) targets in the afternoon; fighters, in addition to escort duty, continue strafing and bombing rail lines, troop concentrations, and highway traffic on the Cherbourg Peninsula.

In a period of bad flying weather, only 10 RAF Mosquitos could be sent to attack a large concrete flying-bomb storage building in the woods at Watten, near St Omer. 9 aircraft bombed but no details of the results are available. No aircraft lost. 5 Halifaxes and 2 Stirlings laid mines off Brest and St Malo.

The battered aircraft of II./JG 1 left the bomb damaged airfield at Essay and transferred to Semalle. The airfield was very small with no accomodations, forcing the pilots to camp out at a nearby cemetary.

EASTERN FRONT: Soviet attacks breech the Finnish Main Defence Line and they advance towards Viipuri. The 4th Division and 3rd Brigade were repelling Soviet attacks in old positions in Summa, the famous battlefield of the Winter War. Leningrad Front's successes against Finland are recognized by promotion of its commander Army General Leonid Govorov to Marshal of the Soviet Union, and commander of the 21st Army Lt. Gen. D. Gusev to Colonel General. Six German AF barges are ordered to protect transports in Koivisto area. Securing patrol boat VMV 17 is destroyed by Soviet warplanes in Koivisto at Tiurinsaari Island. Six men lost.

The Germans launch a six-day sweep against partisans near Lublin.

MEDITERRANEAN: The Allies capture Assisi.

In Italy, bad weather grounds medium and light bombers; fighter-bombers and fighters are restricted to patrols, mainly over the Piombino area and island of Elba, during which several gun positions, boats, and barges are hit.

 

[Njaco]

19 June 1944

WESTERN FRONT: D-Day +13: In France, elements of the American 79th Division enter Negraville, Gladeville, and Bois de la Brigue.

The worst storm for 40 years destroys the artificial "Mulberry" harbour off Omaha Beach. The massive storm hits the Normandy coast wrecking much of the prefabricated harbor facilities ("Mulberry") at St. Laurent. This port along with it's sister port in the British sector allowed the quick buildup of Allied forces and supplies. It's loss was a severe blow to the Allied advance. However, the advance toward Cherbourg continues as elements of the US 1st Army takes Montebourg and Valognes.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies morning and afternoon missions against targets in France. Mission 423: In the morning, 464 B-17s are dispatched against airfields in the Bordeaux area: 92 hit Cormes Ecluse, 84 hit Bordeaux/Merignac, 39 hit Cazaux, 34 hit Landes-de-Bussac, 12 hit Cabanac and three hit targets of opportunity; seven B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 88 P-38 Lightnings and 261 P-51 Mustangs; four P-38s and six P-51s are lost. Mission 424: In both morning and afternoon missions, 216 B-17s and 294 B-24s hit 35 V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais area; one B-24 is lost. 358th Bombardment Squadron, 303rd Bombardment Group, USAAF, based at Station 107 - Molesworth, Huntingdonshire, makes its first attack on occupied Europe with a mission to German V-1 launch sites in the Pas de Calais. Escort is provided by 196 P-38s, 122 P-47s and 48 P-51s; one P-38 group, after completing escort duty, dive-bombs and strafes transportation targets in northeastern France, destroying a locomotive and three barges.

The airfield at Cardonville, the first U.S. field in France, becomes operational; around 200 USAAF Ninth Air Force fighters carry out uneventful armed reconnaissance and patrols in the morning, and dive-bomb six NOBALL (V-weapon) targets in the afternoon.

After standing by for 3 days waiting for cloud over the Pas de Calais to clear, 19 Lancasters and 2 Mosquitos of No 617 Squadron, with 9 Mosquitos of No 8 Group providing preliminary marking, attacked the flying-bomb store, but the conditions were too difficult for accurate marking and the nearest Tallboy bomb was 50 yards from the concrete store.

The unescorted 'Garoet' (Master P. de Raadt) was hit by two torpedoes from 'U-181' and sank within minutes. Only a few men survived the sinking and at least one of them was questioned by the Germans. Five survivors were picked up by the British steam merchant 'Nirvana' and five others made landfall at Mauritius.

EASTERN FRONT: On the right flank of the Finnish IV Corps on the Karelian Isthmus, the 10th Division and Cavalry Brigade, reinforced by units from the Armored Division, have been able to consolidate their positions. But they are under heavy Soviet pressure, and get orders to start withdrawing towards Viipuri. The 10th Division and Cavalry Brigade are in bad shape. In the middle of the IV Corps's front the 3rd Brigade is withdrawn to reinforce the troops near Viipuri, leaving the 4th Division to defend alone the old battlefield of Summa.

Oberstleutnant Kurt Kuhlmey's planes are in action for the first time since their arrival at Immola. They claim 24 Soviet aircraft shot down, with losses of three. Eighteen Finnish Me-109s shoot down 6 Pe-2 and 2 Il-4 bombers as well as 3 P-39 and 2 La-5 fighters of their escort.

MEDITERRANEAN: Mountain fighters of the French Expeditionary Force have climbed to the highest point of the island of Napoleon's exile to raise the Tricouleur. Elba was taken by storm, the French troops landing by night and taking Porto Ferrario after a short and bloody battle. On the mainland, British troops are fighting for the road and rail junction of Perugia. Assisi fell earlier today. The British XIII Corps has reached the Albert Line which German troops have been ordered to defend "with tenacity" as their army withdraws to the Gothic Line.

The unescorted 'Pestel´ (Master S.N. Kushnarenko) was hit by two torpedoes from 'U-20' and sank at 22.20 hours after breaking in two off Trabzon. The Soviets reported that the ship was sunk within the territorial waters of Turkey, while her escort (eight SKA patrol boats) waited at the border of these waters to meet the vessel. The survivors were picked up by the patrol boats, but the master and 17 crew members were lost. The next morning, the U-boat took a rescue buoy from the ship aboard.

 

[Njaco]

20 June 1944

WESTERN FRONT: D-Day +14: US forces become entangled with the outer defences of Cherbourg. They continue to advance to within 5 miles of Cherbourg and make contact with the outer defenses of the fortified city.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies three missions. Mission 425: In the morning 1,548 bombers, in five forces, are dispatched to attack 14 strategic targets in northern Germany and V-weapon sites in France; 49 bombers are lost. 126 B-24 Liberators bomb V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais area; one B-24 is lost; escort is provided by 44 P-47 Thunderbolts; they claim 3-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; one P-47 is lost.

Mission 426: In the afternoon, 33 B-17s and 196 B-24s attack ten V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais area; one B-24 is lost; escort is provided by 72 P-47s and 40 P-51s. 25 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions in France.

About 370 B-26 Marauders and A-20 Havocs of the USAAF's Ninth Air Force bomb nine V-weapon sites and a coastal defence battery at Houlgate; 1,000+ fighters operating over frontline areas, the Cherbourg Peninsula, and south to Dreux, bomb and strafe rail lines, marshalling yards, bridges, troop concentrations and other targets.

17 RAF Lancasters and 3 Mosquitos of No 617 Squadron attempted to attack a large, concrete covered V-weapon site in a quarry at Wizernes, but the target was cloud-covered and no bombs were dropped.

Hitler orders that all available fighters be sent to France to help stop the Allied invasion.

GERMANY: Of 341 B-17 Flying Fortresses dispatched, 137 hit Fallersleben, 95 hit Magdeburg/Rothensee and 52 hit Konigsberg; they claim 2-0-6 Luftwaffe aircraft; six B-17s are lost. Of 191 B-24s, 169 hit Hannover/Misburg and three hit a target of opportunity; one B-24 is lost; escort is provided by 98 P-38 Lightnings, 86 P-47s and 38 P-51 Mustangs and 81 Ninth Air Force P-51s; they claim 10-1-10 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 8-0-3 on the ground; one P-38, one P-47 and one P-51 are lost. Of 512 B-17s dispatched, 107 hit Hamburg/Eurotank oil refinery, 60 hit Harburg/Ebano oil refinery, 54 hit Hamburg/Schliemanns oil refinery, 53 hit Harburg/Rhenania oil refinery, 53 hit Hamburg/Deut.Petr.AG, 50 hit Hamburg/Rhenania-Ossag oil refinery, 26 hit Hamburg/Schindler oil refinery, 12 hit Brunsbuttel canal lock and two hit targets of opportunity; seven B-17s are lost; escort is provided by 96 P-38s and 48 P-47s. Of 358 B-24s, 245 hit Politz, 71 bomb Ostermoor and 12 hit targets of opportunity; they claim 10-3-2 Luftwaffe aircraft; 34 B-24s are lost; escort is provided by 50 P-38s and 221 P-51s; they claim 28-1-9 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 5-0-9 on the ground; three P-38s are lost.

Colonel Count Claus von Stauffenberg, a conspirator in a plot by high-ranking army officers to stage a coup against Hitler, is appointed chief of staff to General Friedrich Fromm, so gaining access to Hitlers headquarters.

Major Wolfgang Schenk arrived at Lechfeld airbase to take over the training program designed to re-train ex-Kampfgeschwader pilots onto the Me 262, which at this time were only those pilots of 3./KG 51. Major Schenk only had a few Me 262s obtained from EKdo 262.

EASTERN FRONT: The Red Army captures Viipuri (Vyborg), the second largest city of pre-war Finland, and one of the main reasons Finland went to war in 1941. After the loss of Viipuri, it was Col. Kai Savonjousi's alertness that finally saved Finns from an even worse disaster. When he received the first news that the 20th Brigade was leaving the city, Col. Savonjousi, on his own initiative, sent troops to plug the gaping hole west of the city. On the next two days men of Col. Savonjousi's 10th Division repelled the first Soviet attempts to advance west from Viipuri. The first the Finnish GHQ hears of the loss of Viipuri, is when radio-intelligence captures a message from a Soviet tank commander, stating that he has just reached the center of the city. Col. Kemppi was later court-martialled, but cleared of all charges.

A heavy air attack to mine depot on Kirkonmaa Island sank two mine transporters and blow up the mine depot. About 600 mines and anti-sweeping devices were lost.

The Red Army masses 166 divisions and 5,000 tanks in Byelorussia, poised for Operation Bagration, a.k.a. the Belarusian Strategic Offensive Operation. The operation was named, by the Soviets, after Russian Gen. Petr Bagration, who died in the Battle of Borodino in September 1812, fighting against Napoleon's forces. Four Soviet Army fronts participated in the offensive – 1st, 2nd, 3rd Belarusian as well as 1st Baltic – numbering all in all 2.6-million troops, 26,000 artillery pieces, 5,200 tanks. The Soviet Air Force brought to bear some 153,000 combat sorties on the enemy which amounted to an air campaign unprecedented throughout the previous course of war.

Nazis began mass extermination of Jews at Auschwitz.

MEDITERRANEAN: British troops take Perugia.

In Italy, weather continues to hamper operations but 60+ medium bombers manage to attack rail targets between Genoa and La Spezia; fighter-bombers destroy several road bridges in the battle area and to the N, and damage several other road and rail bridges as the Allies' rapid advance slows down due to the enemy's ability to strengthen his position and form a delaying line across Italy to the S of the Gothic Line (Pisa-Rimini) where he is prepared to make a stand.

 

[Njaco]

21 June 1944

GERMANY: Operation 'Frantic': 145 of 163 US Eighth Air Force B-17s begin shuttle bombing missions (Operation FRANTIC) between the UK and bases in the USSR; 72 P-38 Lightnings, 38 P-47 Thunderbolts and 57 P-51 Mustangs escort the B-17s to the target (synthetic oil plant at Ruhland, Germany); 123 B-17s bomb the primary target, 21 bomb Elsteriverda and a lone B-17 bombs Riesa due to a bomb rack malfunction; after the attack, the supporting P-51s are relieved 50 miles (80 km) SE of Poznan, Poland by 65 other P-51s which are to accompany the B-17s to the USSR; 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Brest Litovsk, 20 to 30 Luftwaffe fighters attack the force; in the resulting battle a P-51 and six German fighters are destroyed; a B-17 is lost (to unknown causes) on the flight; 144 B-17s land in the USSR, 73 at Poltava, and the rest at Mirgorod; the 64 remaining P-51s land at Piryatin. During the night of 21/22 June the 73 B-17s which earlier landed at Poltava are attacked for two hours by an estimated 75 German bombers led by aircraft dropping flares; 47 B-17s are destroyed and most of the remainder severely damaged; heavy damage is also suffered by stores of fuel and ammunition.

Shortly before 22:00 hours a He 177 high-altitude recon plane overflew the Russian bases and despite AA fire from the defenders, noted the activity and disappeared into cloud.

This USAAF shuttle run is made in conjunction with a large-scale effort against targets in the Berlin area as follows: 456 B-17s attack Berlin; 12 other hit targets of opportunity; they claim 16-20-19 Luftwaffe aircraft; 16 B-17s are lost; escort is provided by 99 P-38s, 95 P-47s and 73 P-51s; they claim 4-0-3 Luftwaffe aircraft; one fighter is lost. Of 368 B-24s dispatched, 69 hit Genshagen, 52 hit Marienfelde, 47 hit Berlin, 40, hit Potsdam, 28 hit Niederschonweide, 23 hit Genshagen, 16 hit Rangsdorf, ten hit Trebbin, eight hit Selvig, eight hit Stendal, seven hit targets of opportunity in the Berlin area and one hits Bederekesa; they claim 13-3-3 Luftwaffe aircraft; 19 B-24s are lost; escort is provided by 148 P-38s, 147 P-47s and 116 P-51s; they claim 13-0-6 Luftwaffe aircraft; a P-51 is lost. Of 207 B-17s, 103 hit Berlin, 80 hit Basdorf and five hit targets of opportunity; nine B-17s are lost; escort is provided by 108 P-38s, 81 P-47s and 91 P-51s; a P-38, a P-47 and a P-51 are lost.

133 RAF Lancasters and 6 Mosquitos to attack the synthetic-oil plant at Wesseling; all the aircraft in this force were from No 5 Group except for 5 Lancasters provided by No 1 Group. The weather forecast for the target area (and for the attack on Scholven/Buer which took place at the same time) predicted clear conditions but the bombing force encountered 10/10ths low cloud. The planned No 5 Group low-level marking method could not be used and the reserve method, in which the Lancasters bombed on H2S, was used instead. German night fighters made contact with the bomber force and 37 Lancasters were lost, Nos 44, 49 and 619 Squadrons each losing 6 aircraft. The casualty rate represented 27.8 per cent of the Lancaster force. Post-raid reconnaissance showed that only slight damage was caused to the oil plant but a secret German report quoted in the British Official History records a 40 per cent production loss at Wesseling after this raid. It is possible that the loss was only of short duration. 123 Lancasters and 9 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 5 and 8 Groups (124 aircraft from No 5 Group) to attack the synthetic-oil plant at Scholven/Buer. 8 Lancasters lost. This target was also cloud-covered and the No 5 Group marking method could not be used, the Pathfinder aircraft present providing Oboe-based skymarking instead. Again there is a contradiction in reports on the effect of the bombing. Post-raid photographs appeared to show no new damage but the German secret reports indicate a 20 per cent production loss. 32 Mosquitos to Berlin, 41 Mosquito patrols, 13 Stirlings minelaying off Guernsey, St Malo and St Nazaire, 10 Halifaxes on Resistance operations. 1 Mosquito of No 100 Group lost.

WESTERN FRONT: D-Day +15: Whilst operating off the Normandy Sword beach area, destroyer HMS 'Fury' is mined and has to be taken in tow. However, she breaks free from her tow in bad weather, and is driven ashore where she becomes a constructive total loss.

US Eighth Air Force Mission 429: In the late afternoon, 31 B-24s bomb CROSSBOW (V-weapon) supply sites at Oisemont/Neuville and Saint-Martin-L'Hortier and 39 bomb a rocket site at Siracourt, France. AA fire shoots down a B-24; escort is provided by 99 P-47s, meeting no enemy aircraft, but a group strafes railroad and canal targets.

Mission 430: Five B-17s drop leaflets in France. 21 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions in France during the night.

The USAAF's Ninth Air Force dispatches 250+ B-26 Marauders and A-20 Havocs to bomb 13 V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais area of France. 700+ fighters escort Eighth Air Force bombers over Germany, bomb bridges south and west of Paris, and strafe rail and road traffic and communications centres north and west of Paris.

322 RAF aircraft - 165 Halifaxes, 142 Lancasters, 15 Mosquitos - 3, 6 and 8 Groups attacked 3 flying bomb sites. Because of cloud, 2 of the raids were abandoned after only 17 aircraft had bombed; the third target, at St Martin l'Hortier, was bombed through 10/10ths cloud. No aircraft lost. 3 Mosquitos of No 100 Group flew Ranger patrols and claimed an Me110 shot down. No Mosquitos lost.

EASTERN FRONT: General Krutikov's 7th Army begins new Russian attacks. The defenders are the Finnish VI Corps between Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega. The offensive begins with a massive artillery and aerial preparation at 7 am, and Gen. Krutikov's 12 division-strong army starts crossing the River Svir around noon. At the point of main effort Finnish delaying force consists of only one battalion (of the 5th Division), and it is soon forced to withdraw. Gen. Talvela orders the 5th Division to fight for every inch, but, faced by enemy many times superior in numbers, it has to start withdrawing towards the PSS-line. After the capture of Viipuri, Soviet forces on the Karelian Isthmus receive new orders. They are to reach the (north-south) level of Imatra-Lappeenranta by 28 June, and then continue towards the River Kymijoki.

The first German weapon shipments arrive in Finland.

Soviet troops land at Piisaari Island. Auxiliary gunboats Aunus and Viena with German AF barges are sent to attack Soviet units in Koivisto Sound. Aunus damaged by bombs. While covering these MTB Taisto 1 caught fire and explodes after gun and bomb hits from IL-2 planes south from Oritsaari Island. One man is lost and 3 wounded. The only operational total loss of the MTB fleet.

MEDITERRANEAN: The British 8th Army reaches the German Albert Line at Chiusi, west of Lake Trasimeno.

 

[Njaco]

22 June 1944

WESTERN FRONT: D-Day +16: A four-day storm in the English Channel ends, wrecking the Mulberry A harbor at Arromanches, with the loss of 800 ships sunk, damaged, or beached. The Mulberry B harbor is damaged, but repaired and incorporates surviving elements of Mulberry A.

A two hour air raid begins the final battle for Cherbourg in which 1,000 tons of bombs are dropped. The divisions of VII Corps then attack and meet fierce resistance. Around 600 B-26 Marauders and A-20 Havocs and 1,200+ fighters of the USAAF's Ninth Air Force fly missions during the day; the main effort consists of an attack on the tip of the Cherbourg Peninsula in support of the US VII Corps assault on the port of Cherbourg; beginning one hour before the ground attack and continuing until the attack begins fighters and fighter-bombers pound the whole area south of the city from low level; as the ground assault begins, B-26s and A-20s strike a series of strongpoints selected by the US First Army, forming a 55-minute aerial barrage moving north in advance of ground forces; later in the day B-26s attack marshalling yards, fuel dumps and a German headquarters; fighter-bombers fly armed reconnaissance over various railroads and bomb rail facilities, trains, road traffic and gun emplacements; 25 fighter-bombers are lost during the day's operations.

The Eighth Air Force in England flies four missions from England. Mission 431: In a morning mission 85 B-17s and 132 B-24 Liberators attack 12 CROSSBOW (V-weapon) installations in the Pas de Calais area; one B-17 is lost. Escort is provided by 165 P-47 Thunderbolts and 97 P-51 Mustangs; some of the support fighters strafe coastal defenses; a P-51 is lost. Mission 432: During the afternoon 797 bombers are dispatched to attack 22 targets in France and Belgium; nine bombers are lost: Of 319 B-17s dispatched, 76 hit Lille/Fimes marshalling yard, 69 hit Ghent/Maritime marshalling yard, 35 hit Rouen oil depot, 13 hit La Vaubaliers, 13 hit Furnes Airfield, 13 hit Tingry, 12 hit Abbeville, 12 hit a tank area north of Rouen, 12 hit Douai railroad, 11 hit Mazingarbe, ten hit Pont a Vendin and one hits Douai railroad; three B-17s are lost. Escort is provided by 108 P-47s; they claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft. Of 149 B-24s, 46 hit Guyancourt/Caudron Airfield, 43 hit St Cyr Airfield, 36 hit Buc Airfield, 13 hit targets of opportunity and five hit Tours/La Riche bridge; they claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft. Escort is provided by 187 P-38s and 36 P-47s; they claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; five P-38s are lost. Of 216 B-17s, 70 hit Nucourt V-weapon site, 38 hit Brie-Comte-Robert Sug, 33 hit Etampes Airfield, 11 hit Lieusant railroad, 11 hit Melun bridge and 11 hit Melun marshalling yard; they claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; four B-17s are lost. Of 113 B-24s, 101 hit an oil dump at Paris and one hits Dreux Airfield; two B-24s are lost. Escort is provided by 78 P-51s; three P-51s are lost. Nine B-24s use Azon glide bombs against the Samur Bridge; escort is provided by 41 P-51s. Ten B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions in France during the night.

234 RAF aircraft - 119 Lancasters, 102 Halifaxes, 13 Mosquitos - of Nos 1, 4, 5 and 8 Groups to special V-weapon sites and stores. The sites at Mimoyecques and Siracourt were accurately bombed by 1 and No 4 Group forces with Pathfinder marking but the No 617 Squadron force attacking Wizernes failed to find its target because of cloud and returned without dropping its bombs. 1 Halifax lost from the Siracourt raid.

221 RAF aircraft- 111 Lancasters, 100 Halifaxes, 10 Mosquitos - of Nos 1, 4 and 8 Groups attacked railway yards at Laon and Rheims. 4 Halifaxes lost from the Laon raid and 4 Lancasters from the Rheims raid. The bombing at both targets was successful.29 Mosquitos to Hamburg and 8 to Rouen, 15 RCM sorties, 35 Mosquito patrols, 6 Halifaxes and 4 Stirlings minelaying off French ports. No aircraft lost.

EASTERN FRONT: German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop arrives in Finland to negotiate about military aid to be given Finns to keep them in the war. The Red Army renews its offensive west of Viipuri. Soviet forces try to cross the narrow straits just west of the center of the city but are repelled by Finnish artillery fire. Maj. Gen. Alonzo Sundman's 17th Division relieves Col. Kai Savonjousi's 10th Division west of Viipuri.

Operation Bagration: The Red Army has chosen today, the third anniversary of the German invasion, to launch a massive assault on the Nazi forces occupying Byelorussia. It is called Operation Bagration, after the Czarist general who was mortally wounded fighting Napoleon at Boridino in 1812, and its object is nothing less than to destroy Hitler's Heeresruppe Mitte. Four Soviet fronts (1st, 2nd and 3rd Belarusian, and 1st Baltic) with 124 division, 1,700,000 men 2,700 tanks, 1,300 assault guns, 24,000 heavy artillery pieces, 2,300 rocket launchers, and 6,000 aircraft attack along a 450 mile front. German intelligence reports had given General von Busch, the commander of Heeresruppe Mitte, clear warning of the Russian buildup, but Hitler, relying on his "intuition", has been deceived by a Russian maskirova (disinformation) operation into believing that the Red Army was planning a double thrust in the south to the Romanian oilfields and Warsaw He was so sure that he had outguessed the Russians that he sent 48 infantry divisions and three Panzer divisions to Galicia, leaving von Busch's forces dangerously thin on the ground. The man and tanks he switched to the south have now been bypassed and are playing no part in the battle. The Red Army opened up with its customary overwhelming barrage from guns which were virtually wheel to wheel along the front. When the barrage lifted, hordes of T-34 tanks scurried towards the German defences, each followed by a tight group of infantry. Sturmoviks lurked overhead to pounce on strongpoints. The speed and punching power of the assault soon tore gaping holes in the attenuated German lines. General Bagramyan's First Baltic Front has made a double breakthrough against General Reinhardt's 3rd Panzer Army to isolate Vitebsk, and some 30,000 Germans are in danger of being surrounded.

The Luftwaffe made a devastating attack on Poltava airfield last night, killing 26 crewmen of the US Eighth Army Air Force, and destroying 47 and severely damaging 26 Flying Fortresses, which have landed here after attacking a German synthetic oil plant. They had flown on to Poltava, one of three airfields made available by the Russians. But they had been shadowed by a German plane, and later 75 He-111s and Ju88s attacked. A fuel dump containing over two million litres of fuel exploded and the aircraft burst into flames. Because of the attack on USAAF Eighth Air Force B-17s at Poltava, USSR, on yesterday's shuttle mission, the B-17s at Mirgorod and P-51s at Piryatin are moved farther east; they are to be returned to Mirgorod and Piryatin to be dispatched to bases in Italy as soon as the weather permits; the move is fortunate as German bombers strike both Piryatin and Mirgorod during the night of 22/23 June.

MEDITERRANEAN: Following 5 consecutive days of bad weather, the USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches 600+ B-17s and B-24s to bomb targets in northern Italy; B-17s hit marshalling yards at Fornova di Taro, Modena and Parma; B-24s hit six marshalling yards and two bridges in Italy, an automobile factory at Turin and an automobile depot at Chivasso; fighters fly 250+ sorties in support of the missions.

NORTH AMERICA: Washington: US President Roosevelt signs the "GI Bill". This will give a range of various benefits to returning veterans. Education and home loans are among the benefits included.

 

[Njaco]

23 June 1944

WESTERN FRONT: D-Day +17: Heavy fighting is reported in Normandy as US forces break into the German defenses. US VII Corps makes some progress against Cherbourg in Normandy. The British 5th Division takes St. Honorina, north-west of Caen.

The USAAF's Eighth Air Force in England flies two missions to France.Mission 435: At midday 110 B-17 Flying Fortresses and 102 B-24 Liberators attack 12 CROSSBOW (V-weapon) installations, damaging at least six of them. Fighter support is furnished by 141 P-51 Mustangs all of which afterward strafe transportation targets in the Paris area, destroying three locomotives, 100 pieces of rolling stock, and 14 motor vehicles; An exploding ammunition train causes a low-flying P-51 to crash, the only aircraft lost on the mission.Mission 436: During the late afternoon, 109 B-17s are dispatched to Nanteuil; 13 hit the primary and two hit targets of opportunity; the rest abort due to heavy cloud cover; one B-17 is lost. Of 219 B-24s dispatched to airfields in France, 113 hit Juvincourt, 46 hit Laon/Athies, 23 hit Coulommiers and one hits Soissons; six B-24s are lost. Escort is provided by 155 P-47 Thunderbolts and 83 P-51s; afterwards part of a P-47 group bombs and strafes a marshalling yard while the remainder of the group bombs and strafes a train carrying trucks and armored cars, destroying the locomotive, three trucks, and an armored car, and damaging 20 freight cars. 169 P-38 Lightnings fly fighter-bomber missions in the Paris area; two P-38s are lost. 21 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER mission during the night.

Bad weather prevents A-20 Havoc and B-26 Marauder missions by the USAAF's Ninth Air Force during the morning; in the afternoon 175+ B-26s and A-20s bomb seven V-weapon sites in France; around 630 fighters provide escort and also bomb and strafe rail and road traffic and communications centers; 200 C-47 Skytrains and C-53 Skytroopers fly supplies to the Continent.

412 RAF aircraft - 226 Lancasters, 164 Halifaxes, 22 Mosquitos - of Nos 3, 4, 6 and 8 Groups attacked 4 flying-bomb sites, which were all hit. 5 Lancasters lost. 203 Lancasters and 4 Mosquitos of No 1 and 5 Groups attacked railway yards at Limoges and Saintes. Both targets were bombed with great accuracy. 2 Lancasters of No 1 Group were lost from the Saintes raid. 32 Mosquitos to Bremen and 10 to a railway junction at Doves near Amiens, 14 RCM sorties, 27 Mosquito patrols, 12 aircraft minelaying off French ports. 1 Stirling lost from the minelaying force.

Cruiser HMS 'Scylla' runs over a German acoustic mine and sustains massive shock damage to her midships section and total loss of power. She is towed to Portsmouth but never repaired, and her shattered hull remained in the dockyard until 1950 when she was finally sold for breaking up.

Frigate HMS 'Nith' hit by a Mistel, a German composite aircraft. Suffered 10 dead and 26 wounded.

An Avenger torpedo bomber from the aircraft carrier USS 'Bogue' spot the Japanese submarine 'I-52' (3,000 tonnes and 108 metres long, the world's largest submarine) in its approach to the French port of Lorient. Lt Cmdr Jesse Taylor drops depth charges and an acoustic torpedo. Monitored aboard the aircraft, Taylor hears the torpedo detonate and metal grinding on metal as the 'I-52' falls 17,000 feet to the seabed. Commanded by Kameo Uno, 'I-52' was carrying 146 bars of gold bullion worth $30 million, along with 94 crew and 14 passengers. Other cargo included three tonnes of opium for medical use, as well as rubber, tin and tungsten.

MEDITERRANEAN: The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force dispatches 400+ B-17s and B-24s to attack oil targets in Romania; the B-17s hit oil refineries at Ploesti; the B-24s also hit oil refineries at Ploesti and oil storage at Guirgiu. 100+ US aircraft are shot down; the bombers and escorting fighters claim 30+ aircraft destroyed.

EASTERN FRONT: In Viipuri, the Red Army again tries to continue its offensive. After an artillery preparation starting last evening and lasting through the night, the Soviet troops cross the straits in assault boats and through the ruins of a railway bridge. Eleven Finnish artillery battalions and German Stukas bombard the Soviet troop-concentrations, and those Red Army soldiers able to reach the western bank are soon eliminated by the defenders. On the Maaselkä Isthmus, the Soviet troops of Gen. Gorolenko's 32nd Army break through the Finnish II Corps's defences at Karhumäki (Medvezhjegorsk).

German Sturmgeschütz-Brigade 303 (Ritterkreutzträger Hauptmann Friedrich Scherer) arrives Helsinki from Estonia. The Brigade has 31 StuG IIIg's, StuG IV's and StuH 42's. It's transferred to the region of Tali-Ihantala in Karelian Isthmus.

Generaloberst Eduard Dietl, commander of German forces in Norway and Finland, is killed when his Ju 52 transport crashes at Semmering, Germany. Dietl had been visiting Hitler to report on the situation in his front. It has been suspected that Dietl was in fact assassinated on orders from either Hitler or Himmler, but exactly why, has not been satisfactorily explained.

Soviet forces, under the direction of Marshals Zhukov and Vasilevsky, advance, shattering the forward German positions of General Busch's Heeresruppe Mitte. Breakthroughs of over 10 miles are noted for most of the attacking forces.

 

[Njaco]

24 June 1944

GERMANY: Of 340 B-17 Flying Fortresses, 213 hit oil industry targets in Bremen, 53 hit an aircraft factory at Westermunde and 40 attack Bremen; one B-17 is lost. Escort is provided by six fighter groups (185 P-38 Lightnings and 85 P-47 Thunderbolts); one group str afes an airfield and rail transport in the Munster and Hamm areas and claims 2-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground.

27 RAF Mosquitos to Berlin, 7 RCM sorties, 34 Mosquito patrols, 13 aircraft minelaying off French ports and in the Kattegat. 1 Mosquito lost from the Berlin raid.

WESTERN FRONT: D-Day +18: Nearly 750,000 Allied troops have landed in Normandy.

After capturing Carentan, American troops have raced across to Barneville to seal off the Cotentin Peninsula, and now the battle has begun for the key port of Cherbourg. General Schlieben, commanding at Cherbourg, doesn't believe that his forces can hold out much longer against the steady US pressure on his defending troops. He refuses to surrender at this time. In the meantime, his engineers are busy destroying the port's facilities.

407 B-24 Liberators are dispatched to France; 78 hit Conches Airfield, 45 hit Chateaudun Airfield, 45 hit Orleans/Bricy Airfield, 34 hit Toussus/Le Noble, 31 hit a fighter strip, 12 hit Pont Audmer, 11 hit Toussus/Paris and nine hit Dreux Airfield; two B-24s are lost. Escort is provided by 45 P-38s and 36 P-47s; a P-38 is lost; the fighters later fly strafing missions. 86 B-17s and 60 B-24s are dispatched to hit 12 CROSSBOW (V-weapon) sites in the Pas de Calais area but are prevented by overcast from bombing the sites, but 11 B-17s fly south and release bombs near the industrial area of Rouen; a B-17 is lost to AA fire. Escort is provided by 35 P-47s without loss. Of 74 B-17s dispatched to the Saumur bridge, 38 hit the primary and 36 hit Tours/La Riche Airfield without loss; escort is provided by 121 P-51 Mustangs who claim 4-0-2 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground.

US VIII AF Mission 439: During the afternoon 62 B-17s and 167 B-24s in two forces are dispatched to targets in France; two B-24s are lost; escort for the mission is provided by 71 P-47s and 50 P-51s without loss; 25 other P-51s fly a sweep of the Angers/LeMans area and claim 25-0-6 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground: Of 62 B-17s, 32 hit V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais area, 12 hit Holque electrical stations and 12 hit Saint-Pol-sur-Mer marshalling yards. Of 167 B-24s, 67 hit V-weapon sites in the Pas de Calais area, 14 hit the Abbeville power station, 12 hit Pont-a-Vendin and 12 hit the Tingry electrical station; two B-24s are lost.

The USAAF's Ninth Air Force dispatches 430+ B-26 Marauders and A-20 Havocs to attack targets in France, including four gun positions, three V-weapon sites, three fuel dumps, two marshalling yards, and a railroad bridge; 200+ transports fly supplies to the Continent; 11 fighter groups provide escort, attack fuel dumps, rail targets and bridges west of Paris and south of the Loire, and fly armed reconnaissance south of the Cherbourg Peninsula and southwest of Paris.

321 RAF aircraft - 200 Halifaxes, 106 Lancasters, 15 Mosquitos - of Nos 1, 4, 6 and 8 Groups attacked 3 flying bomb sites in clear weather conditions. All targets were accurately bombed; no aircraft lost. 16 Lancasters and 2 Mosquitos of No 617 Squadron bombed the Wizernes site and scored several hits with their Tallboy bombs. 1 Lancaster was shot down by flak, the first loss by the squadron for exactly 2 months.

739 RAF aircraft - 535 Lancasters, 165 Halifaxes, 39 Mosquitos - from all groups attacked 7 flying bomb sites, causing fresh damage at most of the targets. (The flying-bomb sites were now becoming so cratered by RAF, 8th Air Force and 2nd Tactical Air Force bombing that results for individual raids were becoming difficult to determine.) 22 Lancasters were lost from these raids; it was a clear, moonlit night and most of the bomber casualties were caused by German night fighters, often operating with the help of searchlights. It is not known why all of the casualties were Lancasters.

Destroyer HMS 'Swift' is mined (possibly acoustic) off Ouistreham which breaks her back. She later broke in half and sank. Location: English Channel, Seine Bay, Sword Beach area.

The Canadian-owned, British-registered merchantman 'Fort Norfolk' (7,131 GRT), struck a mine and sank off of the Normandy beaches in the English Channel. Eight crewmembers were lost in this incident.

HMCS 'Haida' (G63), Cdr. Harry George DE WOLF, DSO, RCN, CO, and HMS 'Eskimo' (G75), both Tribal-class destroyers, with a Czechoslovakian 'Liberator' 'O'patrol aircraft from Czech 311 Squadron, sank 'U-971', OLtzS. Walter ZEPLIEN, CO, in the English Channel north of Brest, in position 49-01N 05-35W. There was only one casualty from 'U-971's' crew of 53 men.

'U-1225' (Type IXC/40) is sunk northwest of Bergen, at position 63.00N, 00.50W, by depth charges from a Canadian Canso (Catalina) aircraft (RCAF-Sqdn 162/P). 56 dead (all crew lost). 'U-1225' is commanded by OLtzS. Ernst Sauerberg. 'U-1225' was a long-range Type IXC/40 submarine built by Deutsche Werft AG, at Hamburg. She was commissioned on 10 Nov 43. 'U-1225' was on her first patrol at the time of her loss and had not sunk or damaged any ships. OLtzS. Sauerberg was her only commanding officer. Flight Lieutenant David Hornell is shot down and killed in the battle. F/Lt. D.E. Hornell, was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his conduct during the attack and afterwards while awaiting rescue in the dinghy, which did not occur until the afternoon of the next day. Three of the eight aircrew died of exposure. Although approximately thirty members of the 'U-1225's' crew were also seen in the water after the attack, they all died of exposure and drowning.

UNITED KINGDOM: Allied leaders approve plans to resurrect Operation Anvil, the invasion of southern France.

EASTERN FRONT: In Olonets Isthmus the Red Army breaks through the defences of Finnish 15th Brigade this afternoon. The Finnish rear is also threatened by the Soviet invasion at Tuulos. Commander of the VI Corps Maj. Gen. Aarne Blick decides to leave the PSS-line and withdraw past the Tuulos bridgehead. In Maaselkä Isthmus the II Corps starts its withdrawal towards the Finnish border after the Soviet breakthrough at Karhumäki. The Red Army follows slowly, sticking to the few roads.

German 122nd Infantry Division arrives Helsinki and Hanko. It's transferred to western shore of the Bay of Viipuri. Commander of the German 122nd Infantry Division just arriving Finland was Generalmajor H. Breusing.

The strain on the German defenders is already evident on the second day of the Russian offensive. The Soviet offensive continues to roll forward with advances of 20-25 miles being common. Elements of 1st Baltic and 3rd Belarusian Fronts forces cut the Orsha-Vitebsk rail line and trap the German 53rd Corps (6 divisions). The Germans are ordered to conduct a breakout attack. 2nd Belarusian Front advances in strength on Mogilev.

MEDITERRANEAN: The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches 335 bombers to attack targets in Romania; B-17s attack the railroad bridge at Piatra; B-24s bomb the railroad repair depot at Craiova and oil refinery at Ploesti; 33 P-51s sweep the Ploesti-Bucharest area while other P-51s, P-38s, and P-47s fly 220+ sorties in support of the bombers; the bombers and fighters claim 20+ aircraft shot down; ten US aircraft are downed and several others are missing.

 

[Njaco]

25 June 1944

WESTERN FRONT: D-Day +19: US forces reach the outskirts of Cherbourg. The attack is reinforced with support from naval gunfire from 3 battleships, 4 cruisers and 11 destroyers. Meanwhile, the British 30th Corps launches "Operation Epsom", it's first set piece attack to take Caen. The attack is largely futile and results in heavy losses for the British. St. Honorina, north-west of Caen, falls to the British 5th Division.

Battery Hamburg (28 cm guns) on the northern shore of the Cotentin Peninsula (east of Cherbourg) duels with three USN battleships, the USS 'Arkansas', the USS 'Texas' and the USS 'Nevada', losing only one gun out of four in the storm of 5", 12" and 14" shells hurled at it. It scored several hits on the American ships, although the ammunition was defective and yielded a lot of duds, and, according to Samuel Eliot Morison, forced the American ships to violently manoeuvre to avoid being hit, so accurate was its firing. Like the St. Marcouf battery, it had to be reduced by ground assault.

The U.S. Eight Air Force flies two missions from bases in England:
Mission 441: During the morning 658 bombers are dispatched to hit targets in France; seven bombers are lost: Of 263 B-17s, 104 hit Francazal Airfield at Toulouse, 72 hit Blangnac Airfield at Toulouse, and 64 hit Montbartier oil depot; five B-17s are lost, one is damaged beyond repair and 114 damaged. Escort is provided by 46 P-38s, 36 P-47s and 146 P-51s; they claim 10-0-1Luftwaffe aircraft; one P-51 is lost. Of 258 B-24s, 43 hit targets of opportunity, 23 hit Beuvry, 18 hit Mazingarbe, 12 hit Aube-sur-Risle, 12 hit Doullens, 12 hit La Vaupalier, 12 hit Peronne Airfield, 11 hit St Maurice Airfield at Amiens, 11 hit Calais, 11 hit Tingry, 10 hit Abbeville, 10 hit Longuenesse Airfield at St Omer, 8 hit Boulogne, 8 hit Holque, 7 hit Nunque, 7 hit Pont-a-Vendin, 2 hit Chocques; one B-24 is lost, one is damaged beyond repair and 26 damaged. Escort is provided by 68 P-47s and 34 P-51s without loss. Of 137 B-24s, 59 hit St Avord Airfield and 48 hit Bourge Airfield; one B-24 is lost. Escort is provided by 102 P-38s and 44 P-47s; they claim 8-0-4 Luftwaffe aircraft without loss.

Mission 442: During the midday 463 bombers are dispatched to targets in France; six bombers are lost; escort is provided by 127 P-38s, 35 P-47s and 181 P-51s; they claim 4-0-3 Luftwaffe aircraft; one P-51 is lost. Of 274 B-24s, 63 hit Villacoublay air depot, 35 hit Bretigny Airfield and 11 hit Buc Airfield; five B-24s are lost, two damaged beyond repair and 104 damaged. Of 189 B-17s, 70 hit Soigny Bridge, 38 hit Sens Bridge, 28 hit Clamecy, 21 hit Auxerre Bridge, 21 hit Nanteuil, 20 hit Nogent, 18 hit Orly Airfield, 13 hit Romilly-sur-Seine, 12 hit Folous, 12 hit Mondesir Airfield at Etampes and three hit Orly marshalling yard; one B-17 is lost and 20 damaged. 41 of 43 P-47s fly a flight-bomber mission against Fauville landing ground at Evreux.

400+ USAAF Ninth Air Force B-26 Marauders and A-20 Havocs hit fuel dumps at Foret d'Andaine, Foret d'Ecouves, and Senonches, and rail bridges at Cherisy, Chartres, Oiseme and Epernon; 14 fighter groups send aircraft on escort, and on armed reconnaissance and dive bombing missions over the Chartres, Dreux, Argentan, Tours, and Orleans areas; transports fly supply and evacuation missions.

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force based in Italy dispatches 650+ bombers to attack targets in France; B-17s attack the marshalling yard and oil installations at Sete; B-24s bomb the industrial area at Sete, the marshalling yard at Avignon and harbor facilities at Toulon; fighters fly almost 200 sorties in support; one fighter group strafes targets along the Fiume, Italy-Senje, Yugoslavia road and at other points on the Istrian peninsula.

323 RAF aircraft - 202 Halifaxes, 106 Lancasters, 15 Mosquitos - of Nos 1, 4, 6 and No 8 Group attacked 3 flying bomb sites. The weather was clear and it was believed that all 3 raids were accurate. 2 Halifaxes of No 4 Group were lost from the raid on the Montorgueil site. No 617 Squadron sent 17 Lancasters, 2 Mosquitos and 1 Mustang to bomb the Siracourt flying-bomb store. The Mustang was flown by Wing Commander Cheshire and used as a low-level marker aircraft. The Mustang had only arrived at Woodhall Spa that afternoon, by courtesy of the Eighth Air Force, and this was Cheshire's first flight in it. The Lancasters scored 3 direct hits on the concrete store with Tallboy bombs and no aircraft were lost. Cheshire had to make his first landing in the unfamiliar Mustang when he returned to his home airfield after dark.

42 RAF Mosquitos of No 8 Group to bomb the Rheinpreussen synthetic-oil plant at Homberg/Meerbeck; photographs showed that no new damage was caused. No aircraft lost. 8 Mosquitos flew RCM sorties and 16 Mosquitos carried out Serrate patrols. No aircraft lost.

USAAF Major Urban L. (Ben) Drew of the 375th Squadron, 361st Fighter Group, based at Bottisham, Cambridgeshire, claims his first air victory over an Me-109 while flying a P-51.

Flt-Lt David Ernest Hornell (b.1910), RCAF, sank a U-boat which had shot up his sea-plane, then landed, ablaze on the water. He and the crew were picked up, but he died of exposure soon after. (Victoria Cross)

UNITED KINGDOM: 'U-269' (Type VIIC) Sunk in the Channel southeast of Torquay, in position 50.01N, 02.59W, by depth charges from the British frigate HMS 'Bickerton'. 12 dead, 39 survivors. (The wreck was located in 1951 during the search for the British submarine HMS 'Affray', which sank with all hands on 16 April, 1951 when her snorkel mast broke off near Alderney.)

Frigate HMS 'Goodson' takes a hit from a Zaunkönig fired by 'U-984' (Oberleutnant zur See Hans Sieder) . Her stern is blown off but she subsequently reached Portland in the tow of HMS 'Bligh'. After survey she was not repaired. Location: English Channel, SE Start Point.

EASTERN FRONT: After the Soviet failure to continue their offensive west from Viipuri, the Red Army concentrates its forces north-east of the city. Soviet artillery began to fire at the 3rd Brigade's positions, lasting for one and half hours. At 8 am. the Soviet 358th and 314th divisions began their assault, causing severe losses to the 3rd Brigade and forcing it back. But the main Soviet blow came at Tali against the 18th Division, between lakes Kärstilänjärvi (in west) and Leitimonjärvi (in east), delivered by the 30th Guards Corps. Finnish artillery fired on the advancing Soviet forces, but didn't noticeably slow them down. The Red Army had a clear way east of Lake Leitimonjärvi to reach the back of the I and II/IR 48. The Soviets exploited this hole in the Finnish defences fully. West of Lake Leitimonjärvi a Soviet force of about 20 tanks managed to get past the Finnish defences around noon without meeting resistance (there had been a mix-up with orders). They reached the Portinhoikka crossroads, and divided there, one force going north towards Ihantala, another north-west towards Juustila. The Armored Division was ordered to attack and drive the enemy from the crossroads. Maj. Heikki Mikkola, commander of the I battalion of the Panzer Brigade, started a counter-attack with the heavy company of his battalion from the direction of Juustila. With five tanks, one T-34-76, one KV-1, two T-28's and one T-50, it drove the enemy from the Portinhoikka crossroads, destroying four T-34-85's and ISU-152's and capturing two ISU-152's and one T-34-85 intact. This was indeed nothing short of miraculous, given that not one of the Finnish tanks had a main gun that could penetrate the front armor of the Soviet tanks! By 7 pm. the Portinhoikka crossroads were back in Finnish hands.

B-17s and P-51s are flown, at daybreak, from dispersal bases to Poltava and Mirgorod and loaded and fuelled with intentions of bombing the oil refinery at Drohobycz, Poland and proceed to base in Italy. Bad weather cancels the mission until the tomorrow. The aircraft return to dispersal bases for the night as precaution against air attacks.

The destruction of Heeresruppe Mitte continues as elements of 1st Baltic and 3rd Belarusian Fronts complete the encirclement of Vitebsk, 1st Belarusian Front crosses the Dvina River and begins operations to surround Bodruisk, while 2nd Belarusian Front takes Mogilev. The German 9. and 4.Armee are in disarray and making hasty retreats in front of the Soviet juggernaut.

MEDITERRANEAN: The advance in Italy comes to a halt as elements of the US 5th and British 8th Army hit the new German defensive position, The Albert Line, near Chiusi.

 

[Njaco]

26 June 1944

WESTERN FRONT: D-Day +20: This morning the Germans start to destroy all port facilities. Most of Cherbourg, except the area around the docks has been captured today by the US VII Corps, along with General Schlieben and Admiral Hennecke.

The US 22nd Infantry have been trying, unsuccessfully, to take the St. Marcouf battery on the Cotentin Peninsula. Its performance today leads to Major General Raymond O. Barton relieving the 22nd's CO, Colonel Hervey A. Tribolet, of his command. Tribolet, in an interview on 27 August, 1944, in Paris, with the Historical Office of ETOUSA, attributed the poor performance of the regiment to overconfidence stemming from the ease of the fighting on D-Day.

5,287 Allied soldiers have been killed since D-Day.

Operation EPSOM: British 8 Corps attacks to seize crossings over the River Odon. Bad weather prevents virtually all aircraft from taking off from England. However, 83 Group, RAF, based in Normandy flies 500 sorties despite a heavy ground mist and low ground cover.

Bad weather cancels all USAAF Ninth Air Force operations save a few fighter sorties which result in claims against a few military vehicles and three aircraft as US ground forces capture Cherbourg; three US fighters are lost.

The USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches 677 B-17s and B-24s to attack targets in the Vienna, Austria area, hitting an aircraft factory at Schwechat, marshalling yard at Vienna/Floridsdorf, and oil refineries at Korneuburg, Vienna/Floridsdorf, Moosbierbaum, Schwechat, Winterhafen, and Lobau; fighters fly 260+ sorties in support; an estimated 150 to 175 enemy fighters attack the formations; nearly 30 US aircraft (mostly bombers) are lost; US claims total 60+ enemy fighters.

'U-317' (Type VIIC/41 ) Sunk northeast of the Shetlands, at position 62.03N, 01.45E, by depth charges from a British Liberator aircraft (Sqdn. 86/N). 50 dead (all crew lost). 'U-771' shot down an RAF 86 Sqn Liberator north of the British Isles. Prior to this, the same aircraft had sunk 'U-317', which was lost with all hands.

'U-719' (Type VIIC) Sunk in the North Atlantic northwest of Ireland, at position 55.33N, 11.02E, by depth charges from the British destroyer HMS 'Bulldog'. 52 dead (all crew lost).

EASTERN FRONT: Battle of Tali-Ihantala: In the early morning hours, the Armored Division continues its counter-attack towards Tali west of Lake Leitimonjärvi. But the most ambitious counter-attack is the attempt to encircle the Soviet spearhead east of Lake Leitimonjärvi by cutting it at the base. If succesful, two Soviet divisions (the 46th Guards and 286th) would be encircled in a large pocket north of Lake Leitimonjärvi. The Finnish attacks were uncoordinated and ultimately too weak to attain the ambitious goal, and no reinforcements were available. In afternoon the Red Army begins to attack on both sides of Lake Leitimonjärvi, trying to recapture the Portinhoikka cross-roads and reach the road from Portihoikka to Ihantala. More to north, a Soviet force reaches the Portinhoikka-Ihantala road later in the evening, cutting the road behind the Finns in Portinhoikka. As reinforcements reached Ihantala, Finnish artillery was to become a truly destructive force in the later phases of the battle. Also the Red Air Force didn't have an undisputed control of the skies. Finnish bombers of Lt. Col. Birger Gabrielsson's Aviation Regiment 4 are active today bombing Soviet troop-concentrations, together with Oberstleutnant Kurt Kuhlmey's German Stukas. Elsewhere in the Karelian Isthmus, on Lt. Gen. Hjalmar Siilasvuo's III Corps's right flank, the Red Army tries to eliminate the bridgehead Maj. Gen. Armas-Eino Martola's 2nd Division has south of River Vuoksi at Vuosalmi. The Soviet attempts are repelled with the help of artillery.

The Red Army offensive continues as Vitebsk and Orsha fall to the 3rd Belarusian Front attacks. The German 53rd Corps at Vitebsk made an attempt to withdraw from the doomed position and lost 28,000 men in the effort. Mogilev fell to 2nd Belarusian Front. Meanwhile Bodruisk, defended by 40,000 Germans of the 41.Panzerkorps, was surrounded by 1st Belarusian Front. The first German reinforcements to the beleaguered Heeresruppe Mitte, the 5.Panzerdivision, began to trickle into Minsk. German General der Artillerie G. Pfeiffer VI AK is killed at Beresina.

72 US Eighth Air Force B-17s leave Poltava and Mirgorod, U.S.S.R., rendezvous with 55 P-51s from Piryatin, bomb the oil refinery and marshalling yard at Drohobycz, Poland (one returns to the USSR because of mechanical trouble), and then proceed to Italy; Fifteenth Air Force P-51s meet the formation 1 hour after the attack and escort the B-17s to Foggia; it is planned to return the B-17s to bases in the UK on 27 June but bad weather delays this move until 5 July.

MEDITERRANEAN: French troops push forward north of Radicofani and on their right flank the South African armoured units take Chiusi.

GERMANY: 35 RAF Mosquitos of No 8 Group attacked Göttingen with the intention of hitting railway workshops. The raid was carried out from medium altitude - 4,000 to 10,000ft - but the marker aircraft experienced difficulties in locating the target and bombing was scattered. 1 Mosquito lost. This may have been an experimental raid, to try out the No 8 Group Mosquitos a precision bombing role, but this type of operation was not repeated.

 

[Njaco]

27 June 1944

UNITED KINGDOM: Flower class corvette HMS 'Pink' is attacked by 'U-988' (Oberleutnant Erich Dobberstein). Damage was restricted to the loss of her propeller and shaft but after survey at Portsmouth it was decided that she was not worth repairing. Location: English Channel ENE of Barfleur at 29 48N 00 49W.

A B-24 on a training flight in England is shot down by an intruder.

A V1 lands on Victoria station, killing 14 people. Herbert Morrison, the home secretary and minister of home security, today told the war cabinet that in less than two weeks, since V1 attacks began, 1,600 people have been killed and 4,500 seriously wounded. The royal family are staying in London, though the King's tennis court was destroyed yesterday by a flying bomb.

WESTERN FRONT: D-Day +21: The capture of Cherbourg is completed by US VII Corps. This is the first major French city liberated. Operations to clear the harbour of obstructions and booby traps can now begin. In the battle for the port the Americans lost 1,800 dead and 15,000 wounded; they took 45,000 prisoners. Discipline among men of the US VII Corps broke down when they came across huge stores of champagne and brandy and proceeded to get drunk. The German commander, General von Schlieben, wanted to surrender two days ago.

"Among the troops defending the town," he reported to Rommel, "there are 2,000 wounded who cannot be treated. Is the sacrifice of the others still necessary?"

Rommel answered:

"In accordance with the Fuhrer's orders you are to hold out to the last round."

The British VIII Corps attacks east of Caen. Canadian forces take Hill 112, a dominant hill west of Caen, from the 12 SS Panzer Division, beginning ten days of vicious, no-quarter fighting.

The US Eighth Air Force flies two missions from England. Mission 443: 251 bombers and 191 fighters are dispatched to hit CROSSBOW (V-weapon) supply sites around Pas de Calais, Criel and Chantilly, France; 195 B-17s hit the Pas de Calais area, 12 B-24s hit targets of opportunity and 11 B-24s hit Criel Airfield; five B-24s are downed by AA fire, two B-24s are damaged beyond repair and 104 B-24s and eight B-17s are damaged. Escort is provided by 149 of 191 P-51s; they claim 6-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft and lose two; one P-51 is damaged; after completing the escort, the P-51s bomb and strafe targets of opportunity, including marshalling yards, bridges, railroads, transportation and airfield installations, and dispersal areas.

US VIII Fighter Command fighter-bomber missions: 46 P-38 Lightnings attack Connantre Airfield; three are lost. 36 P-47 THunderbolts bomb Villeneuve/Zertes Airfield claiming 10-0-8 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air . 32 P-51s attack Coulommiers Airfield and 246 others attack transport in the Paris area; they claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground.

16 B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER missions in France.

Bad weather precludes IX Bomber Command operations; 700+ fighters take part in various operations, most of them fly high cover over the assault areas and bomb and strafe rail and road traffic and communications centers.

104 RAF Halifaxes of No 4 Group with 5 Mosquitos and 2 Lancasters of the Pathfinders attacked the V-weapon site at Mimoyecques without loss. Bombing conditions were good and two large explosions were seen on the ground.

721 RAF aircraft - 477 Lancasters, 207 Halifaxes, 37 Mosquitos - attacked 6 flying bomb sites. All raids were believed to have been successful. 3 Lancasters lost. 214 Lancasters and 9 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 5 and 8 Groups attacked Vaires and Vitry railway yards. The No 8 Group raid on Vaires was particularly accurate; the Vitry yards were hit only at the western end. 4 Lancasters lost, 2 from each raid. 22 RCM sorties, 61 Mosquito patrols, 8 Halifaxes minelaying off Biscay ports, 14 Halifaxes on Resistance operations. 2 Mosquitos were lost but other Mosquitos claimed 6 German night fighters destroyed.

MEDITERRANEAN: The US Fifteenth Air Force dispatches around 300 bombers to attack targets in Hungary, Poland and Yugoslavia; B-17s bomb marshalling yards at Budapest, Hungary; B-24s hit marshalling yards at Brod, Yugoslavia and oil industry targets at Drohobycz, Poland; 75 to 90 enemy fighters attack the formations; three bombers are lost; the bombers and escorting fighters claim 30+ enemy planes shot down; 90 P-51s sweep Budapest area, claiming seven fighters destroyed.

EASTERN FRONT: Maj. Gen. Ruben Lagus's Armored Division continues its efforts to encircle the Soviet salient east of Lake Leitimonjärvi. Plan is to attack with Col. Albert Puroma's Jäger Brigade from west and Col. Sven Björkman's Detachment Björkman from east, while Col. V. Forsberg's battlegroup (IR 48's I and II battalions together with III/IR 13) attacks from north. Col. Puroma's jägers began their offensive at 3 pm. after seven artillery battalions had fired a preparation. Initally they advanced without problems, but then Maj. Leppänen's battlegroup met a strong enemy force, that stopped its advance for few hours. The battlegroup continued its offensive, and around 6 pm. reached Aniskala, about half-way to its final objective. There Battlegroup Hynninen's offensive was stopped by fierce enemy resistance. On Hynninen's left flank Jäger Battalion 2 was also stopped short of its objective. In Ihantala, Col. Forsberg's battlegroup, supported by German assault guns, succesfully cleared the Portinhoikka-Ihantala -road, but the already depleted forces suffered heavy losses in the process. East of the Soviet salient Col. Björkman's forces attacked in afternoon. But again fierce Soviet resistance frustrated the Finnish hopes of closing the pocket. The Soviet forces in the salient were still able to bring in reinforcements. The Finnish and German air units were busy trying to cut the bridges the Red Army engineers had built at Tali.

The Germans announce an agreement with the Finnish government to assist them against the Russians, since the Red Army has entered Finland.

The Red Army continues to drive in German positions along the front. 1st Belarusian Front begins reducing the pocket of the 41.Panzerkorps at Bodruisk while other columns drive toward the Berezina River.

 

[Njaco]

28 June 1944

WESTERN FRONT: D-Day +22: All of the Cotentin peninsula in Northern France is under US control. The US 9th Division prepares for the final attacks in the direction of Cap de la Hague, France. British troops cross the Odon near Mondrainville, west of Caen. The British conclude "Operation Epsom" as German resistance from the 1st and 2nd SS Panzer Corps proves too much for their forces to overcome at Caen.

485 B-17s attack targets in FRANCE: 72 hit Couvron Airfield at Laon, 64 hit Juvincourt Airfield, 60 hit Athies Airfield at Laon, 36 hit Fismes bridge, 28 hit Prouvy Airfield at Denain, 24 hit targets of opportunity, 20 hit Anizy le Chateau bridge, 19 hit Le Bourget Airfield at Paris and 18 hit the Dugny oil depot; one B-17s is lost, one damaged beyond repair and 99 damaged. Of 378 B-24s, 331 hit Saarbrucken marshalling yards, 11 hit Juzaine Airfield at Florennes and one hits Givet Bridge; one B-24 is lost and 125 damaged. Escort is provided by 188 P-38s, 169 P-47s and 231 P-51s; they claim 1-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; one P-47 and one P-51 are lost and two P-51s damaged beyond repair. About one-third of the escorting fighters afterward bomb and strafe transport targets, claiming three locomotives and an armored vehicle destroyed. 30 of 50 P-47s fly a fighter-bomber mission against La Perthe Airfield without loss. 18 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions in France.

103 RAF Halifaxes of No 4 Group with 5 Mosquitos and 2 Lancasters of the Pathfinders attacked the V-weapon site at Wizernes without loss. No report of the bombing results was filed. 2 Mosquitos flew uneventful Ranger patrols.

202 RAF Halifaxes of 4 and No 6 Groups with 28 Pathfinder Lancasters attacked railway yards at Blainville and Metz. Both targets were hit. 20 aircraft were lost, 11 Halifaxes of No 4 Group and 1 Lancaster from the Blainville raid and 7 Halifaxes of No 6 Group and 1 Lancaster from Metz. The combined loss rate was 8.7 per cent. 33 Mosquitos to Saarbrücken and 10 to Scholven/Buer oil plant, 21 RCM sorties, 35 Mosquito patrols, 8 Halifaxes and 4 Stirlings minelaying off Lorient and St Malo. No aircraft lost.

At 2130, the 'Maid of Orleans' in Convoy FXP-18 was torpedoed and sunk by 'U-988' SE of St Catherines Point, Isle of Wight. The ship had brought troops to the Normandy beachhead and was on her return trip. Five crewmembers were lost. The master, 72 crewmembers, 18 gunners and two passengers (Observer Corps personnel) were picked up by frigate HMS 'Hotham', destroyer HMS 'Eglinton' and British tug 'Empire Roger' and landed at Portsmouth.

U.S. freighter 'Charles W. Eliot' fouls two mines about four miles off Juno Beach, Normandy, and breaks in two; there are no fatalities among the crew (which includes a 31-man Armed Guard). Survivors are transferred to freighter 'George W. Woodward' and later tank landing craft LCT-527 for transportation to England. 'Charles W. Eliot' is subsequently written off as a total loss.

Philippe Henriot is shot at dawn. He and his wife had spent the night at the Ministry of Information in the rue Solférino, when members of the resistance, disguised as police, tricked the concierge and made their way in. Henriot, before the war an extreme right-wing deputy, was particularly hated for his propaganda broadcasts, denouncing the Resistance as "criminal assassins" and its leaders as "cowards".

A general strike begins in Copenhagen.

MEDITERRANEAN: The Fifteenth Air Force dispatches 229 B-24s to bomb marshalling yards and two oil refineries at Bucharest, Romania; 138 others hit Karlovo Airfield, Bulgaria; 40 fighters carry out a sweep over the Bucharest area while other fighters fly 230+ sorties in escort of the B-24s; 20+ enemy fighters are claimed shot down, mostly by the fighters during the sweep over Bucharest.

EASTERN FRONT: Col. Albert Puroma's Jäger Brigade starts at 12.45 am. one more attempt to cut from west the Soviet salient east of Lake Leitimonjärvi. After an artillery bombardment fired by eight artillery battalions. After advancing a short distance, the attack bogs down in fierce Soviet resistance. At 4 am. the attacking force withdraws back to its starting positions. Maj. Gen. Ruben Lagus now decides to use his reserve, Maj. V. Sarta's I/IR 50, in a final attempt to isolate the Soviet salient. Four artillery battalions fire a preparation, and the attack commences at 8.45 am, but manages to reach only the same level Jäger Brigade's attack had reached earlier the same morning. The I/IR 50 is ordered back to its starting positions. This was the last attempt to close the salient from west. On the eastern side of the Soviet salient Col. Sven Björkman's forces try to reach the Jäger Brigade in the early morning hours. Capt. Petäjä's Border Jäger Battalion 2 is again at the front of the attack, but cannot overcome the Soviet resistance. Now it's time for the Red Army to attack. Col. Björkman's men east and Col. Väinö Forsberg's men north of the salient are subjected to a fierce artillery and aerial bombardment, and the Soviet forces, supported by tanks, attack around 11 am. Col. Björkman's men are forced back, but prevent the enemy from achieving a breakthrough. In Col. Forsberg's sector the situation soon becomes critical. Forsberg's forces have suffered heavy losses in yesterday's counter-attacks, and are now unable to resist long. The enemy achieves a breakthrough, and around noon is only a kilometer from Ihantala. A Finnish counter-attack south from Ihantala starts at 6.30 pm. IR 12 is able to push the enemy back and stabilize the situation by midnight. But the enemy has broken out from the salient, and the Jäger Brigade, IR 50 and IR 30 are in danger of being isolated. Finnis fighter and AA-units claim 49 enemy aircraft shot down today around Tali-Ihantala.

Marshal Mannerheim nominates the first two men to receive the Mannerheim Cross, 2nd Class, for the second time. Both are fighter pilots. WO Ilmari Juutilainen (1914-99) will become the highest scoring Finnish fighter ace of the WWII with 94 1/6 kills. Capt. Hans Wind (1919-95) just today raises his score to 75, but is badly wounded, and spends the rest of the war in military hospitals.

The northern wing of the Russian advance reach Petrozavodsk. They also cross the Murmansk rail line to the north. Zakharov's troops capture Mogilev and cross the Dniepr in Belorussia. Elements of the German 41.Panzerkorps attempt a breakout at Bodruisk hitting a weak spot in the cordon, breaking through the Soviet ring, and getting 15,000 out of the pocket. Busch is dismissed by Hitler from the command of Heeresgruppe Mitte. Field Marshal Model is his replacement.

 

[Njaco]

29 June 1944

GERMANY: Of 179 B-17s, 81 bomb the synthetic oil plant at Bohlen and 61 strike an aircraft components factory at Wittenberg; four B-17s are lost and 111 damaged. Of 380 B-17s, 41 hit Heiterblick Airfield and 30 hit Taucha Airfield, both at Leipzig; 19 hit Leipzig; 18 hit Wittenberg; 15 hit Limbach;14 hit Quackenbruck; and two hit targets of opportunity; two B-17s are lost, one is damaged beyond repair and 76 damaged. Of 591 B-24s, 81 hit Magdeburg, 74 hit Oschersleben, 54 hit Bernburg, 47 hit Aschersleben, 46 hit Burg Airfield, 42 hit an aviation plant and the Volkswagen factory at Fallersleben, 35 hit targets of opportunity, 26 hit Stendal Airfield, 9 hit Gardelegen Airfield, 8 hit Oebisfelde/Kaltendorf, 8 hit Zerbst Airfield, and 4 hit Leopoldshall marshalling yard; nine B-24s are lost, three damaged beyond repair and 204 damaged. The missions above are escorted by 203 P-38s, 216 P-47 and 352 P-51s of the Eighth and Ninth Air Forces; they claim 34-0-9 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 16-0-8 on the ground; three P-51s are lost.

Von Rundstedt, Rommel, Sperrle and Kroncke attend a special "Fuhrer conference" at which Hitler does not allow them to tell him the true situation on the western front; instead he promises more V-weapons and jet fighters.

UNITED KINGDOM: 'U-988' (Type VIIC) which the previous day had sunk HMS 'Pink', is itself sunk in the English Channel west of Guernsey, at position 49.37N, 03.41W, by depth charges from the British destroyers HMS 'Essington', 'Duckworth', 'Domett' and 'Cooke'. 50 dead (all crew lost). (On 8 Sept, 1943 this boat had a collision with its sister ship 'U-983' in the Baltic Sea training waters, and 'U-983' sank with loss of 5 men.)

At 1528, 'U-984' fired a spread of two LUT torpedoes at Convoy EMC-17 about 30 miles south of St Catherine's point on the Isle of Wight. The first struck the 'Edward M. House' and the second the 'H.G. Blasdel'. Six minutes later, 'U-984' fired a single torpedo at one of the damaged ships and missed but struck the 'John A. Treutlen'. At 1543, a Gnat was fired which struck the 'James A. Farrell'. 'Edward M. House' was struck by one torpedo under the stern as she was proceeding as the third or fourth ship in the port column. The explosion threw up a column of water several hundred feet in the air, stove in the forepeak, flooded the #1 port and starboard deep tanks and buckled the shell plating and the collision bulkhead. The engines were stopped briefly during the damage was examined and then followed the convoy. One armed guard and one crewman were injured of the nine officers, 33 men, 28 armed guards (the ship was armed with two 3in and eight 20mm guns) and 587 troops on board. The ship continued to the Normandy beachhead, discharged her troops and equipment the same day and returned to the United Kingdom on 1 July. 'H.G. Blasdel' in station #12 was struck by the torpedo on the port side at the #5 hold. The explosion extensively damaged the interior of the ship. The ship was anchored to keep her from drifting into a minefield and to await tugs. None of the eight officers, 36 crewmen and 28 armed guards (the ship was armed with two 3in and eight 20mm guns) were lost, but 76 of the 436 soldiers on board died and 180 others were injured. 'James A. Farrell' was right behind the 'John A. Treutlen' in the port column and had to take a 40° turn to avoid a collision. Moments later a torpedo struck on the starboard side just forward of the stern post. A British tug towed the reboarded vessel to Spithead. 'John A. Treutlen' was struck by one torpedo on the port side between the #5 hold and the after peak tank and blew a large hole in the side. The next morning, the tug WSA-2 arrived and towed the vessel to Southampton, where she was beached.

The V-1 blitz on England continued unabated. On this day, one of the weapons hit the Strand, killing 198 people. Another of the random bombs hit a children's hospital in Kent killing 24 newborns. To date, 1,935 British civilians had been killed by the buzz bombs.

WESTERN FRONT: D-Day +23: The last fortifications at Cherbourg are surrendered allowing the Americans begin port clearing operations. The destruction by the Germans was immense and initial estimates indicated that it will be at least 3 weeks before any tonnage can be landed in the city. Meanwhile, the British use their heavy bomber force on the tactical battlefield (much to the chagrin of "Bomber" Harris in an attempt to obliterate the 2. and 9.SS Panzerdivisions at Villers-Bocage. The destruction is widespread, including some serious "friendly fire" losses. British 21st Army Group reports a total of 22,460 casualties since D-Day. There are 7,335 infantry replacements available.

286 RAF Lancasters and 19 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 5 and 8 Groups attacked 2 flying-bomb launching sites and a store. There was partial cloud cover over all the targets; some bombing was accurate but some was scattered. 5 aircraft - 3 Lancasters and 2 Mosquitos - lost, including the aircraft of the Master Bomber on the raid to the Siracourt site, Flight Lieutenant SEC Clarke of No 7 Squadron, but Clarke survived. 2 Mosquitos carried out Ranger patrols and 1 shot up an E-boat while flying back to England. No aircraft lost.

Four P-38s fly a fighter-bomber mission against shipping at Ijmuiden, the Netherlands without loss.

Almost 200 B-26 Marauders and A-20 Havocs of the USAAF's Ninth Air Force bomb gun batteries on Cap de la Hague, bridges and rail lines in the Rennes-Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcourt-Vitre areas, and rail bridge at Oissel; fighters fly armed reconnaissance and attack enemy aircraft, road and rail traffic, gun positions, bridges and other targets in wide areas throughout northwestern France.

EASTERN FRONT: Rokossovsky's forces take Bobruysk, Slutsk and Lyuban. They also cross the Berezina. Bobruisk, the last German bastion at the southern end of the smashed "Fatherland Line" in Byelorussia, has been stormed by the Red Army. As many as half of the 10,000 German soldiers were killed. The road is now clear for a pincer movement to enfold the Byelorussian capital of Minsk. As they reach their initial objectives for Operation Bagration, Red Army forces pause briefly to resupply and regroup. These latest successes, following the crossing of the Dnieper on a 75-mile front and the wiping out of the German garrison of Vitebsk, are celebrated in an order of the day addressed to Gen Konstantin Rokossovky. Arrested before the war on Stalin's orders, Rokossovsky is C-in-C of the First Byelorussian Front and planned this campaign, Operation Bagration. He has been rewarded today by promotion to marshal.

In an attempt to stop his advance Hitler has ordered that key towns such as Vitebsk, Mogilev and Polotsk be held as Feste Platze [firm positions] and defended to the last man and the last round. The result, as in Vitebsk, has been the sacrifice of units bypassed and then destroyed by the Russians.

Finnish troops leave Äänislinna (Petroskoi), the largest town occupied by Finns in Eastern Karelia. Since the Soviet forces broke free from the salient east of Lake Leitimonjärvi, Col. Albert Puroma's Jäger Brigade, Col. Martti Aho's IR 50 and Lt. Col. E. Polón's IR 30 have been in danger of being isolated. Now their task is to disengage from battle and withdraw to a new line. However, the Soviet forces press on, and Finns have to conduct a fighting withdrawal. After midnight the enemy tanks reach the Portinhoikka crossroads, but once again Maj. Heikki Mikkola pushes them back with a prompt counter-attack. Soviets stage another attempt at 7 am, but are slowed down by fierce resistance by the I and II battalions of the IR 50 supported by StuG IIIg's of the Armored Division. Finally the enemy is stopped a kilometer short of the crossroads. North of Lake Leitimonjärvi the Jäger Brigade, I/IR 50 and IR 30 (minus one battalion) still man the positions they had reached after the attempts to cut the Soviet salient yesterday. The newly arrived 6th Division continues this morning its offensive from Ihantala south along the Portinhoikka-Ihantala -road. It's able to conquer some ground, but is stopped by enemy artillery and air forces. The regiment repels several attacks by enemy tanks, destroying a number with the newly arrived German at-weapons, Panzerfausts and -schrecks. East of the Soviet salient Col. Sven Björkman's forces are subjected to a furious Soviet assault early in the morning. The Border Jäger Battalion 2 repels several attacks, even after the III/IR 48 on its right flank retreats at 10am. It valiently fights on alone for ten hours, holding the enemy and destroying several tanks. But the border jägers can't hold on alone for ever, and are forced to withdraw at 8 pm.