The British government releases a paper revealing the Lancastria tragedy. Recent estimates give nearly 5 000 dead. Official reports are still sealed the most likely reason unfortunately being so as to negate claims laid by survivors and their relatives against the British government. (Lawrence Patterson)

More information. and more...

Corvette HMS Crocus launched.

The meat ration is cut to 14 ounces per week (double for labourers); the artificial honey ration is raised in an attempt to compensate.

CZECHOSLOVAKIA: Unidentified aircraft bomb the town of Kassa (Kosice) in the easternmost part of what had been Czechoslovakia. Following the Germans dissolving the Czechoslovak state in March 1939, the Hungarians occupied this area. The aircraft have also shot up a passenger train, killing 37. The Hungarians have reported the total casualties to be over 300. (Mike Yaklich)

FINLAND: Finland announces a state of war with the Soviet Union. President Risto Ryti explains in a radio broadcast the reasons that have led to the new war and states that the USSR is the aggressor. (Mikko Härmeinen, 275)

Finnish vessels Vesihiisi and Iku-Turso in minelaying operations at Estonian coast.
 

U.S.S.R.: Hungarian Heinkel He 170s are used for the first time by the I Long-Range Reconnaissance Group in co-operation with the Luftwaffe.

The Soviet Army High Command announced:

Yesterday enemy troops pursued an offensive in the direction of Vilna and Baranovichi [White Russia]. In the course of the day sizeable Soviet aerial forces attacked the enemy units. Nevertheless a number of enemy armoured swarms succeeded in penetrating the Vilna and Oshmyany [White Russia] area. Thanks to the bitter resistance of our troops, enemy infantry units have been cut off from their armoured spearheads.

Kovno: The Wehrmacht High Command announces: [on 29 June]

...after two days of fighting the German panzer arm brought to a victorious end a massive armoured battle north of Kovno in which a number of Soviet divisions were encircled and destroyed. We captured more than 200 Soviet armoured cars, 29 of them of the heaviest type, over 150 heavy guns and hundreds of trucks.

Our armoured units and motorised divisions have pressed along both sides of the Bialystock troop pocket and reached the area around Minsk. We are about to achieve another great victory.

MOSCOW: Half an hour after Finland officially declares a state of war with the USSR, the Finnish embassy's door is closed from the outside. Next, the guard's weapons were taken. In the afternoon Finnish staff are told that evacuation will begin in an hour. They are allowed to take two suitcases.

Soviet submarine M-83 of the Baltic Fleet is sunk at Liepaja. (Scuttled at Libau)

M-101 is sunk by U-149 off Dago Island. (Mike Yared)(146 and 147)

ROMANIA: Major units of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet, including the cruiser VOROSHILOV and flotilla leaders (i.e. large destroyers) MOSKVA and KHARKOV, are repulsed in their attack upon the Romanian seaport of Constanta by accurate shellfire of the Royal Romanian Navy's coastal defence batteries (Gruparea de artilerie de coasta Constanta, comprised of six batteries ranging in size from 150mm and 120mm down to 75mm), in conjunction with fire from two Romanian naval destroyers (the Regina Maria and Marasti) along with the recently installed 28cm German coastal battery "Tirpitz."  Actual hits scored by defending batteries were, few in number, and the only probable hit being on the Moskva was actually credited to either Regina Maria or Marasti -- still, the Moskva was sunk as a result of this damage, with the added assistance of a mine which she struck while withdrawing from the action. (Greg Kelley)

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: Starting today HMS Ark Royal and then the HMS Ark Royal joined by HMS Victorious deliver Hurricanes to Malta. These two operations will last until the 30th of June. Some of the fighters are unable to make the launch due to equipment malfunctions.

SYRIA: Lt-Gen Lavarack orders 7 Aust Div (Maj-Gen Allen) to concentrate on coast for offensive into north Lebanon, to be reinforced by 17 Aust Bde (Brig Savige). 23 Brit Bde will relieve 7 Div units at Merdjayoun on the central axis. Maj-Gen Evetts (GOC 6 Brit Div) will command from Merdjayoun to Damascus. On the coast the Royal Navy shells French positions daily, particularly artillery positions at Abey. Nevertheless, the French artillery maintains a vigorous fire on the Australian infantry, firing concentrations of up to 200 shells at a time. Brig Plant pulls 21 Aust Bde back so as not to present an arty target, but orders vigorous patrolling in preparation for the Australian offensive to begin on 5 July. (Michael Alexander)

EGYPT: Dekheila: 805 RN Sqn, Brewster Buffalo aircraft AX813, Lt (A) Lloyd Kenneth KEITN DSC RNR of Calgary Alberta shot down and fatally wounded northwest of Sidi Barrani, Egypt, POW and later lost.
 

CANADA: Corvette HMCS Prescott commissioned
Corvette HMCS Timmins launched Esquimalt, British Columbia.

Corvette HMCS Rosthern arrived Halifax from builder Montreal, Province of Quebec.

Minesweepers HMCS Parrsborough and Rockhampton launched.

U.S.A.: In the final game of a three game series at Yankee Stadium in New York City, the St. Louis Browns send Elden Auker to the mound to face the Yankee's Marius Russo. As Russo later put it, "I was pitching a no-hitter into the seventh inning, but nobody cared. They cared only for one thing, to see Joe (DiMaggio) get a hit." And the hit came about thanks to some crafty managing by Yankee manager Joe McCarthy. 

The Yankees were leading the Browns 3-1, but Auker was giving DiMaggio trouble again. DiMaggio was 0-for-3, and because he was scheduled to bat fourth in the bottom of the eighth inning, there was a chance he might not get a last crack at Auker. Yankee first baseman Johnny Sturm opened the eighth inning by popping out, then third baseman Red Rolfe walked and here, McCarthy made sure DiMaggio got his at-bat. He instructed the powerful right fielder Tommy Henrich - who would hit 31 homers in 1941 - to bunt, therefore avoiding a possible inning-ending double play. Henrich sacrificed successfully, and up came DiMaggio. On the first pitch, he lined a double over third base. DiMaggio's hitting streak was now 38 games.

GERMANY: An RAF "1,000 plane Raid" targets Bremen, last night. Since the RAF must return its training squadrons to normal duty, this will be the last of these large raids at this time.

The RAF's third 1,000-bomber raid caused widespread devastation in Bremen last night. The Focke-Wulf aircraft works were badly hit and 27 acres of the business district were destroyed.

It was also the most costly of these raids so far for the RAF. A total of 48 aircraft out of 1,067 despatched failed to return. This 5% loss, combined with damage to many other machines, leads some observers to conclude that the price of saturation bombing is too high. That view is not shared by Bomber Command's freshly-knighted boss, Air Marshal Arthur Harris. On earlier raids (Cologne 1,047 aircraft and Essen 956) training and conversion units were needed to make up numbers, while Coastal Command was absent, thanks to naval opposition. Tonight, because Bremen is a submarine base, Coastal Command gave 102 bombers.

Dense cloud over the target area hindered accurate identification after a 500-mile flight, although the "Gee" blind-bombing equipment had its first major success and lead crews started accurate guiding fires. Moonlight reflecting off the clouds offered ideal conditions for enemy fighters, however.

Tonight's raid was also the last operation of the Avro Manchester. (Ric Pelvin)

The German government announces unrestricted submarine warfare off the U.S. east coast.

TERRITORY OF ALASKA: In the Aleutian Islands, five Eleventh Air Force B-24s drop incendiaries bombs on Kiska Harbor installations.

CANADA: Port operations craft ordered for RCN: HMC HC 140, HMC HC 141, HMC HC 182, HMC HC 203, HMC HC 184.

U.S.A.: The first Grumman XF6F-1 Hellcat prototype, BuNo 02981, makes its first flight at Bethpage, Long Island, New York.

Three 7th Air Force Consolidated LB-30 Liberators based at Hickam Field, Territory of Hawaii bomb installations on Wake Island. The raid takes place during the night of 26/27 June and is staged through Midway Island.

The Army Chief of Staff G-2 Section recommends the formation of a Board of Military Utilization of U.S. Citizens of Japanese Ancestry, to determine whether a Japanese American unit ought to be sent to fight in Europe. (Gene Hanson)

The Vice Chief of Naval Operations (VCNO) Vice-Admiral Frederick J. Horne does not completely agree with CINCPAC's March recommendations (SEE) in a letter today he says that a joint programme will hinder expedient implementation. He further states that because of this, the centre should exist "primarily [as] a naval center." (Mike Yared)(184, 185 and 186)

ATLANTIC OCEAN: At 0913, the unescorted Jagersfontein was hit by one of two torpedoes fired by U-107 about 500 miles west of Bermuda. The torpedo struck on the port side between #4 and #5 hold and destroyed the bulkhead. The cargo of cotton weakened the explosion. Distress signals were immediately sent and the master tried to reach Bermuda. The U-boat chased the ship on the surface but was forced to submerge by the after 105-mm gun of the vessel. But later her rudder jammed as the ship sank slowly by the stern and the engines broke down at 1215 hours. So the ship was abandoned by the 108 crewmembers, 14 gunners and 98 passengers (86 US Army officers and 12 civilians, among them women and children) in four lifeboats. At 1459, the U-boat fired a coup de grâce in 32°02N/54°53W (grid DE 1797) and sank the ship within minutes. In the lifeboats, they later saw a U-boat surfacing and searching for traces between the debris and they could heard them speaking German. Shortly afterward, the U-boat disappeared on a westerly course. One of the boats had a transmitter, which led the Swiss steam merchant St Cergue to them on 27 June. The same day, an American destroyer took the 86 officers and 14 gunners off the Swiss ship, which continued with the remaining survivors to Gibraltar, arriving on 7 July. An interesting story exists about this rescue: It is said that some days after the rescue, a German U-boat surfaced near the Swiss ship and passed before the bow. When passing the Germans shouted from the conning tower: Hallo Jagersfontein, Hallo Jagersfontein! and the U-boat disappeared.

At 2317, the unescorted Pedrinhas was hit by one torpedo from U-203 about 300 miles NE of Puerto Rico and sank after being shelled by the U-boat with 22 rounds from the deck gun. The neutral ship was attacked because it was armed with a 120-mm gun on the after deck.

At 0544, the unescorted Putney Hill was hit by one torpedo from U-203 about 450 miles ENE of Puerto Rico. The U-boat then sunk the ship with 53 rounds from the deck gun. Two crewmembers and one gunner were lost. The master, 29 crewmembers and five gunners were picked up after ten days by HMS Saxifrage and landed at San Juan, Puerto Rico.

UNITED KINGDOM: RAF Air Marshall Trafford L Leigh-Mallory is given responsibility for drafting air plans for the invasion of the Continent. His deputy is USAAF Brigadier General Haywood S Hansell, Jr.

US VIII Bomber Command Mission Number 68: 165 B-17s are dispatched against the Vilacoublay, France air depot; 12 hit the target while six hit the secondary target, Poissy Airfield, and 39 bomb Tricqueville Airfield; they claim 17-5-10 Luftwaffe aircraft; five B-17s are lost and 14 others are damaged. Five YB-40 escort bombers take off to accompany the B-17s but none are able to complete the attack.

FRANCE: Lille: Resistance fighters led by a British agent, Michael Trotobas, blow up a German locomotive plant.

GERMANY:

ARCTIC OCEAN: U-302 transferred a weather reporting troop to U-625.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: At 0955, the Toufic Allah was sunk by U-81 with 48 rounds from the deck gun 40 miles WSW of Beirut.

At 1410, the Nelly (approx. 80 tons) was sunk by U-81 with 30 rounds from the deck gun.

BLACK SEA: U-20 was attacked by an escort with depth charges. Due to heavy damage the boat had to return to base.

PACIFIC OCEAN: On 27 May, the submarine USS Runner (SS-275) departed Midway Island for the Kurile Island chain and waters off northern Japan. No report was heard from her. Captured Japanese records indicated that she sank the cargo ship Seinan Maru on 11 June in Tsugaru Strait off Hokaido, and the passenger-cargo ship Shinryu Maru on 26 June off Matsuwa Island, Kurile Islands. USS Runner was declared overdue and presumed lost in July 1943 and struck from the Navy list on 30 October 1943.

Kiska is also bombed by two US Navy Lockheed PV-1 Venturas based on Amchitka Island.

U.S.A.:

HMS Rodney (battleship) and HMS Roberts (monitor) with 3 cruisers bombard the area near Caen in support of British attacks.

Normandy: 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.

GERMANY: Obersalzberg: Hitler, forgetful and ill-looking, makes a confused and rambling speech to a group of leading industrialists.

FINLAND: 

Battle of Tali-Ihantala

After midnight commander of the Finnish IV Corps Lt. Gen. Taavetti Laatikainen reshapes the command-structure around Tali by subordinating Maj. Gen. Paavo Paalu's 18th Division to Maj. Gen. Ruben Lagus's Armored Division. However, Gen. Lagus protests that he lacks the means to coordinate such a force, and isn't well enough acquainted with the 18th Division's situation. Gen. Laatikainen modifies the order, stating that the 18th Division shall act in cooperation with the Armored Division. The Finnish command-structure at Tali remains confused, and it influences adversely the fighting today.

In the early morning hours, the Armored Division continues its counter-attack towards Tali west of Lake Leitimonjärvi. These operations were directed by commander of the Jäger Brigade Col. Albert Puroma. Jäger Battalion 3, reinforced by assault guns, reaches around 2 am. the approximate level where the III/IR 13 had been in defence the previous morning. It destroys or captures eight enemy tanks on its way. Later Soviet counter-attack forces it to retreat back to the level it had reached by previous midnight. Between 8 and 9 am. Jäger Battalions 4 and 5, reinforced by elements from Maj. Eric Åkerman's Assault Gun Battalion, settle into defence on the isthmus between lakes Kärstilänjärvi and Leitimonjärvi, while Jäger Battalion 3 withdraws to reserve around Portinhoikka.

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.

Maj. Erkki Kaukolahti's Jäger Battalion 2 starts its attack at 2 am. from west towards Talinmylly, while III/IR 48 attacks from north, and Separate Battalion 14 from east. At best Jäger Battalion 2 and Separate Battalion 14 are only 1 km from each other, but ultimately the counter-attack is stopped in morning by fierce Soviet resistance. The Finnish attacks were uncoordinated and ultimately too weak to attain the ambitious goal, and no reinforcements were available.

At 3.40 pm. commander of the Panzer Brigade Col. Sven Björkman is appointed CO of a detachment formed out of II/IR 13, Separate Battalion 14, III/48 and Maj. Martti Avela's recently arrived Border Jäger Battalion 2. The mission: to reach Talinmylly, and from there advance south-east along the north-eastern shore of Lake Leitimonjärvi to Marjamäki on the isthmus between lakes Leitimonjärvi and Repolanjärvi. It was to be supported by a platoon of T-26 -tanks, five StuG IIIg -assault guns and an AT-detachment.

Battlegroup Björkman starts from Ihantala towards Talinmylly at 5.15 pm. However, the attack is soon aborted because of developments elsewhere.

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. Around 3.30 pm. an enemy battalion manages to surprise Jäger Battalion 5 by attacking its rear from north of Lake Leitimonjärvi and drive it from its positions. Jäger Battalion 3 counter-attacks at 6 pm. and recaptures the lost positions.

More to north, a Soviet force reaches the Portinhoikka-Ihantala road later in the evening, cutting the road behind the Finns in Portinhoikka. Maj. Heikki Mikkola organizes a hasty force from an engineer company and one T-34-76 and six T-26 tanks that succesfully clear the road of enemy. But another Soviet force reaches the road at Nurmela, and remains there.

During today's fierce battles, Finns are supported by artillery fire that is growing in accuracy and effect. Thanks to the pioneer work of General of Artillery Vilho Nenonen, Finland had one of the most effective artillery fire-control systems of the day, and it is beginning to show. 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.

But Maj. Gen. Paavo Paalu's 18th Division is reaching the end of its tether. Its units, less than half-strength at the beginning of the battle, have worn further in today's fighting. This evening and next night, 18th Division is relieved by Maj. Gen. Kaarlo Heiskanen's fresh 11th Division. The 18th Division (minus its artillery, signals, supply and engineer units, which all stay on the battlefield) is taken to rear to rest and refit. Its commander also changes. Commander of the IV Corps Lt. Gen. Taavetti Laatikainen blames Gen. Paalu for today's failures, and he is replaced by Col. Gustaf Snellman. With hindsight one can observe that the failures today were largely due the strength and determination of the Soviet forces, and it didn't exactly help that Gen. Laatikainen chose to conduct the battle from his remote HQ without visiting the battlefield to get more up-to-date news.

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. This is the beginning of the Battle of Vuosalmi.

The Soviet Union replies, to the Finnish peace feeler through Sweden on the 21st, that only unconditional surrender is accepted. (Gene Hanson)

Finnish President Ryti makes an agreement with Ribbentrop, in which he declares that he will not start negotiating peace without acceptance from Germany. 

This is the so-called Ribbentrop-pact. Its importance lies in the fact that it was concluded personally, and thus was binding only as long as Ryti was in office. This was done intentionally by the Finns, who were already well aware that Germany was going to lose the war, but needed the German help to resist the Soviet offensive. 

Amplifying the above:

When the Soviet offensive began on 9 June, it was immediately obvious, that a way out of the war has to be found as soon as possible. President of the Republic Risto Ryti was in daily contact with Marshal Mannerheim and Minister of Defence General of Infantry Rudolf Walden to stay informed of the situation on the fronts.

On 15 June Ryti had asked Mannerheim to become Prime Minister of a new cabinet. Mannerheim refused, stating that he can't leave the duties of a Commander-in-Chief when the danger was the greatest. Two days later Ryti visited the GHQ, and told to Mannerheim he was ready to give up the presidency if Mannerheim took the post. Again Mannerheim refused.

The work to form a new cabinet that could better sue peace was hastened by Mannerheim, afraid that the front could collapse on any day. But then he stalled. The military situation was improving, and a new cabinet whose task was to make peace would endanger the German help flowing into country.

But on 21 June, day after the loss of Viipuri, President Ryti together with Foreign Minister Henrik Ramsay and Minister of Defence Gen. Walden attended a situation conference at the GHQ. Chief Quartermaster General Lt. Gen. Aksel Airo stated that the situation in the Karelian Isthmus was critical. It was possible the Red Army could break the Finnish resistance and advance into southern Finland. There were two options: peace at any cost, or help from Germany. Chief of General Staff General of Infantry Erik Heinrichs asked the German representative, General der Infanterie Waldemar Erfurth for six German divisions to man the Salpa-line (the request was dropped after the military situation stabilized). Earlier Sweden had rejected the Finnish plea for AT-weapons.

It was decided to contact the Soviet Union through Sweden. Finland stated it was willing to stop military operations, sever all relations with Germany and negotiate peace. But then came a surprising turn of events. On the afternoon of 22 June Finns were informed that the German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop would arrive Finland in few hours.

In the evening of 22 June Ribbetrop met with Ryti and Ramsay. He demanded that Finland won't conclude peace with the Soviet Union unless in agreement with Germany. Without such a treaty, no German help would be forthcoming. Finns faced a difficult decision. Finland was dependant on German deliveries of food and weapons. Finally Finns decided that the German demand was acceptable, if the agreement not to leave the war was made by President Ryti _personally_. It was a very important reservation. If Ryti took the responsibility of the agreement personally, it wouldn't bind his successor.

The decision was made far easier by the Soviet answer to the Finnish peace-feeler received on 23 June: 'Because Finns had on several occasions betrayed us, we want Finland to give out a statement signed by President and Foreign Minister, that Finland is ready to surrender and turn to the Soviet government asking for peace. If we receive such a statement from the Finnish government, Moscow is ready to receive a Finnish delegation.' In other words, the Soviet Union demanded unconditional surrender [*].

The choice was clear, and soon made. After long and hard negotiations with Ribbentrop, Germans were content with an agreement signed by President Ryti, and Ryti only. By signing the agreement not to make peace unless in agreement with Germany, Ryti was consciously sacrificing himself. It is one of the ironies of history, that Ryti had always been an anglophile by nature.

On 26 June Ryti sent a letter to Hitler, stating Finland had decided to wage war against the Soviet Union, until 'the threat presented by the Soviet Union to Finland has been removed'. Neither Ryti nor any cabinet appointed by him would seek peace with the Soviet Union.

Germans were happy, and the supplies kept flowing into Finland. But as soon as the military situation would permit, Mannerheim would become the President of the Republic, and make peace with better terms.

[*] Soviet apologists used to claim that this wasn't a demand for unconditional surrender, but the draft of the peace treaty Stalin planned to impose on Finland was found in the Russian archives in the 1990's. It would have granted the Soviet Union, among other things, right to station military forces in Finland as they saw fit, and total Soviet control of the Finnish economy. It would be extremely naive to think that it wouldn't have lead to a rapid sovietization.

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.

U.S.S.R.: The German line near Vitebsk is broken by the Russians. South of Vitebsk the Russians liberate Zhlobin a railroad center.

German General der Artillerie G. Pfeiffer VI AK is killed at Beresina. (138)(Russ Folsom)

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

The US 442nd RCT is assigned to the Fifth Army and in turn is attached to the 34th Division. The battle-tested 100th Infantry Battalion is attached to the 442nd RCT and the 442nd goes into combat near Belvedere.
Muranaga, Kiyoshi K., Pfc., 442nd Infantry is awarded the MOH, for actions at Suvereto (Posthumous).

CHINA: Japanese forces smash Chinese Tenth Army defences to capture Hengyang airfield from the US.

BURMA: Subadar Netrabahadur Thapa (b.1916), 5th Gurkha Rifles, led the defence of a hill post. With many of his men casualties, he fought with grenades and kukri until he was killed. (Victoria Cross)

Naik Agansing Rai (b.1920), 5th Gurkha Rifles, led his men in capturing two machine-gun nests and alone, wiped out a bunker. The Japanese fled, allowing another position to fall. (Victoria Cross)

PACIFIC OCEAN: FS-143 was reported in the Southwest Pacific area. She operated in New Guinea.

MARIANAS ISLANDS, SAIPAN: US naval forces force a small Japanese reinforcement convoy to turn away from Saipan and return to the Home Islands. Two infantry landing craft (gunboat) [LCI(G)] repel an attack by Japanese barges, come firing torpedoes, off Saipan. Both LCI(G)s are damaged.

Japanese aircraft continue their attacks against US sea and land forces. One torpedo aircraft strikes the boom of a US cargo ship at 2318 hours; the aircraft disintegrates but the torpedo falls and hits the ship's superstructure but it does not explode. Later that night, bombers drop antipersonnel mines on the Marine Observations Squadron Two (VMO-2) squadron area on Saipan; several Marines are wounded but the  mines cause no significant damage. The VMO-4 area is also struck killing three and wounding nine. Isley Field (formerly Aslito Airdrome) is attacked by Japanese ground troops with Molotov cocktails and one USAAF  Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is destroyed.

KURILE ISLANDS: US Navy Task Force 94 shells Kurabu Zaki, a Japanese Naval air base on Paramushiru Island, for 13 minutes. The naval vessels fire over 1,000 rounds of 5-inch (127 mm) shells at aircraft revetments, buildings and runways and destroy seven aircraft and damage 16 others. A thick fog masks the ships and aids in their withdrawal. Covering the withdrawal are 12 Eleventh Air Force B-25s which fly three 4-plane air cover missions.

CANADA: Corvette HMCS Peterborough arrived Halifax from builder Kingston, Ontario. Frigate HMCS Eastview arrived Halifax from builder Montreal, Ontario.

U.S.A.: At the Polo Grounds in New York City with over 50,000 fans looking on, the three New York major league baseball teams played against each other in a six inning three-team game (a team played consecutive innings against the other two teams then sat out an inning). The contest, which was played to raise money for war bonds, ended with the final score of Brooklyn Dodgers 5, New York Yankees 1, and New York Giants 0.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: 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-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) (Alex Gordon)

CHINA: Chinese troops recapture Liuchow airfield.

The US Twentieth Air Force dispatches 510 B-29s and 148 P-51s on nine missions against aircraft factories, light-metals industries and arsenals in southern Honshu and Shikoku; six B-29s and one P-51 are lost.

Mission 223: 64 B-29s hit the light metal industry at Osaka and four others hit alternate targets.

Mission 224: 109 B-29s attack the Osaka Arsenal; 3 others hit alternate targets; one B-29 is lost.

Mission 225: 31 B-29s hit the Kawasaki aircraft plant at Akashi and five others hit targets of opportunity; the 4,000-pound (1,814 kg) bombs are well-placed but the target has been almost destroyed in previous raids.

Missions 226 and 227: 58 B-29s attack the Nagoya Arsenal; six others hit alternate targets; one B-29 is lost.

Missions 228 and 231: 85 B-29s hit the Kawasaki aircraft plant at Kagamigahara; 23 others hit alternate targets; two B-29s are lost; every important building is knocked out.

Mission 229: 50 B-29s attack the Aichi aircraft plant at Eitoku and 14 others attack alternate targets; two B-29s are lost; the raid causes light damage.

Mission 230: 29 B-29s hit the light metal industry at Nagoya and two others hit targets of opportunity.

The B-29s claim 20 Japanese fighters destroyed. The Nagoya and Osaka missions are escorted by 148 P-51s; they claim 2-0-5 Japanese aircraft; one P-51 is lost.

Mission 232: During the night of 26/27 June, 33 B-29s attack the Utsube Oil Refinery at Yokkaichi, the top-priority petroleum target; one other B-29 hits an alternate target.

USN PB4Y-2 Privateers based on Okinawa continue mining operations off Korea.

SOUTH-WEST PACIFIC: US Navy underwater demolition teams (UDTs) continue removing obstacles at Balikpapan, Borneo in advance of the Australian landings on 1 July. The UDTs are covered by ten Landing Craft, Support (Large) [LCS(L)], eight Landing Craft, Infantry (Rocket) [LCI(R)] and six Landing Craft, Infantry (Gunboat) [LCI(G)].