10 Sqn. Six aircraft. Bad weather. One returned early, two bombed.

51 Sqn. Six aircraft. Bad weather. Two bombed.

102 Sqn. Ten aircraft to Emden. All bombed. Opposition heavy. One hit by Flak and ditched 38 miles from Cromer, crew rescued.

Luftwaffe raiders bomb Wales, Scotland and the south-west of England.

GREECE: Italian bombers hit two Greek naval vessels at Crete.

CANADA: Corvettes HMCS Rimouski and Pictou laid down.

Minesweepers HMS Taitam and Waglan laid down.

GERMANY: U-415 laid down.

U-160 launched.

U.S.S.R.: Moscow is raided by the Luftwaffe for the first time.

Moscow:

Britain and Russia are allies again after nearly 25 hostile years. Sir Stafford Cripps, the British ambassador to Moscow, Vyacheslav and Molotov, today signed a pact which promised that both countries would "render each other assistance and support of all kinds in the present war against Hitlerite Germany."

Stalin looked on, smiling as the two men signed the documents and the official blue ribbons and red wax seals were applied at a ceremony in the Kremlin. Then chocolates and glasses of Georgian champagne were handed round and Stalin, raising his glass, toasted Anglo-Russian co-operation for victory.

The pact, proposed by Churchill, goes further than an agreement to wage war against Hitler; it also commits both countries to an undertaking that "during this war they will neither negotiate nor conclude an armistice or treaty of peace except by mutual agreement."

Churchill has a long memory. It was Lenin's decision to make peace with Germany in 1918 that enabled the german to mount their last great and nearly successful offensive on the western front.

Lwow: The Nazis have posted photographs of Ukrainian nationalist prisoners slaughtered by the retreating Russians and captioned "Jewish killings." They are exploiting a local tradition of nationalism and anti-Semitism to recruit a local militia. Just two days after the Germans arrived, local people were massacring Jews in ' Aktion Petlura' a symbolic revenge for the killing of a Ukrainian by a Jews in Paris 15 years ago.

In Kovno, Lithuanian police have murdered over 3,000 Jews under German supervision, in Jassy Romanian troops killed over 200 Jews and crammed 5,000 into sealed cattle trucks. In Bialystock, the Nazi soldiers spent the first day of the occupation herding the city's Jews into their own blazing synagogue where they died..

PALESTINE: Acre: The first armistice between British and French forces since the Battle of Waterloo was initialled today in the light of a motor cycle headlight. The armistice, ending the fighting in Syria and Lebanon between the Vichy French and the Allies, come as Allied forces tighten their grip on Beirut. For Vichy's commander, General Dentz, it is virtually a surrender.

NORTH AFRICA: General Bastico replaces General Gariboldi as C-in-C of Axis forces in North Africa.

Later investigations reveal that the aircraft had participated in the Japanese attack on Dutch Harbor on 3 or 4 June and that an oil line had been severed by a bullet. Losing oil pressure, the pilot attempted to land in a high valley about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the beach. The pilot probably thought he was landing on hard ground and he made a normal wheels-down, flaps-down stall landing; actually, he was landing on soft, marshy ground. The "Zeke" skidded along for a short distance tearing away the landing gear and belly tank and damaging the flaps before it flipped over on its back. This action broke the pilot's neck and damaged the wing tips, vertical stabilizer and trailing edge of the rudder. The engine was half buried in knee-deep mud and water and the pilot's head and shoulders were submerged in water. The decomposed body of the pilot was removed and buried with simple military honors and a Christian ceremony. The Navy party realizes that they do not have the equipment to salvage the aircraft and word is sent back to Dutch Harbor to send heavy equipment.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarines sink two armed U.S. merchant vessels. U-84 sinks a freighter 20 miles (32.2 km) off Cardenas, Cuba and U-129 sinks a tanker in the Caribbean. In the latter sinking, the survivors are interrogated and then provided medical assistance and directions to the nearest land.

At 0022, the Cortona, dispersed from Convoy OS-33, was torpedoed and damaged by U-116 south of the Azores. Three minutes later, the ship was torpedoed by U-201, which sank her later with a coup de grâce. 29 crewmembers and two gunners were lost. The master, 18 crewmembers and four gunners in a lifeboat were picked up after ten days by destroyer HMS Pathfinder and landed at Londonderry.

At 0945, the Shaftesbury, dispersed from Convoy OS-33 on 11 July, was hit in the stern by two torpedoes from U-116 and sank after 15 minutes about 430 miles 115° from Las Palmas, Canary Islands. The master was taken prisoner by the U-boat, landed at Lorient on 23 August and was then taken to the POW camp Milag Nord. The second officer and 22 survivors were picked up on 23 July by Tuscan Star in 28°15N/22°15W, transferred to HMS Folkestone and landed at Freetown. The chief officer and 20 survivors made landfall at Villa Cisneros, Spanish Sahara and were later brought to Las Palmas.

At 0413, the Siris, dispersed from Convoy OS-33, was torpedoed by U-201 south of the Azores and sank at 0626 after the U-boat had fired 100 rounds from the deck gun at the vessel. One crewmember and two gunners were lost. The master, 46 crewmembers and five gunners were picked up after ten days by HMS Jonquil, transferred to HMS Ibis and landed at Milford Haven.

At 0147, the Port Hunter, dispersed from Convoy OS-33 on 11 July, was torpedoed by U-582 west of Madeira and disappeared after several heavy detonations, which were seen as flashes at the horizon by other ships of the convoy. The master, 68 crewmembers, 14 gunners and five passengers were lost. Three crewmembers sleeping on deck had been blown into the water and were later rescued by HMS Pelican. The master John Bentham Bradley had been in command of the Port Denison when she was bombed and sunk by a German aircraft on 26 Sep 1940.

CARIBBEAN SEA: SS Tachira sunk by at 18.15N, 81.45W. One killed.

UNITED KINGDOM: The birth rate in the United Kingdom reached its highest for 17 years in the first quarter of 1943, despite the fact that so many families have been parted by war service. The rate of 16.8 births per 1,000 of the population is equivalent to 684,000 births over a year. In 1940 and 1941 there was a marked drop in the birth rate compared with peacetime. The marriage rate has now sunk to its lowest since the war began. Deaths have also declined to below the 1939 figure.

Churchill today says "Propagate our language all over the world is best method. Harmonizes with my ideas for future of the world. This will be the English-speaking century." (William Ritchart)

GERMANY: U-865 launched.
 

ITALY: SICILY: British and US forces join up at Ragusa, having captured six airfields, the port of Syracuse and ten other towns.
Nearly 300 Lancasters of RAF Bomber Command attack Turin.

USAAF Ninth Air Force B-24s attack the harbor, ferry slip, and marshalling yard at Reggio di Calabria, and the ferry slip and railroad yards at Villa San Giovanni. Royal Air Force heavy bombers bomb Reggio di Calabria Airfield.

In Sicily during the night of 11/12 July, Northwest African Strategic Air Force Wellingtons pound Trapani, Marsala, Mazara del Vallo, and Montecorvino-Rovello Airfield and the Northwest African Air Force Troop Carrier Command drops paratroops in front of the forward lines in the battle area; more than 20 C-47 Skytrains fail to return from the mission. 

During the following day, B-17 Flying Fortresses hit Messina railroad bridges, medium and light bombers hit Gerbini satellite fields, Agrigento, Canicatti, and Milo Airfield. Fighters hit trucks, trains, troops, tanks, and other targets of opportunity during sweeps over Sicily. Northwest African Tactical Air Force fighters and light bombers hit Milo Airfield, Sicilian beaches, Termini harbor and town, Ninfa rail junction, several trains, numerous vehicles, and communications targets throughout Sicily. Northwest African Coastal Air Force aircraft fly convoy escort and carry out shipping strikes in Tyrrhenian Sea and west of Corsica and Sardinia.

The USAAF Ninth Air Force B-25 Mitchells hit Bo Rizzo Airfield while P-40s patrol over the Licata area. On the ground in Sicily, with bridgeheads firmly established by the end of day, British and US troops make contact at Ragusa.

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: U-409 sunk in the Mediterranean NE of Algiers, in position 37.12N, 04.00E, by depth charges from destroyer HMS Inconstant. 11 dead and 37 survivors.

U-561 sunk in the Straits of Messina, in position 38.16N, 15.39E, by torpedoes from HM MTB 81. 42 dead, 5 survivors.

Minesweeper USS Sentinel bombed and sunk by German aircraft off Licata, Sicily.

Italian submarine Bronzo was captured off Syracuse, Sicily by minesweepers HMS Seaham, Boston, Poole and Cromarty. Bronzo was commissioned into the RN as HMS P-714. On 29 January 1944 she was transferred to the Free French as Narval.

U.S.S.R.: The 4th Panzer Army fails in a final effort to advance toward Prokhorovka.

Army Group South is bogged down near Taganrog and Stalino. At the end of the day Hitler orders the Kursk battle be discontinued. This marks a concession by the Germans of the strategic initiative to the Soviets for the duration.

186 German tanks participate in a battle at Prochorovka. Three German tanks are lost, 235 Russian tanks are lost. (Peter Kilduff)(280)

Krasnagorsk: Germans in a PoW camp form a "National Committee for a Free Germany."

The Red Army launches a major counter-offensive at Orel.

TERRITORY OF ALASKA: ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: After refuelling 500 miles (805 km) southwest of Kiska  Island, Aleutian Islands and awaiting foggy weather, the Japanese task force tasked with evacuating the troops on Kiska gets underway. However, the fog lifts and the task force begins withdrawing to Paramushiru Island in the Kurile Islands.

U.S.A.: An Armed Forces All-Star team managed by Babe Ruth and featuring Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams play a fund-raising game against the Boston Braves in Boston, Massachusetts; the All Stars win on a Ted Williams' home run, 9-8.

Frigate USS Gloucester launched.

Submarines USS Pampanito and Picuda launched.

Destroyer USS O'Brien laid down.

CANADA: Minesweeper HMS Seabear (ex-HMS St Thomas) laid down Toronto, Ontario.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: A B-24 of the 1st Antisubmarine Squadron (Heavy), AAF Antisubmarine Command, based at Port Lyautey, French Morocco, sinks U-506 with 7 depth charges at 1550 hours local in the Atlantic west of Vigo, Spain at 42-30N 16-30W. The U-boat was located by 10cm radar which the Germans could not detect. About 15 men were seen in the water after the boat broke in two and the B-24 crew dropped a liferaft and a smoke flare to assist the survivors; 6 men were picked up from the sea by a British destroyer on 15 July, 3 days after the sinking.

90 miles off Recife Brazil U-185 was attacked by a USN VB-107 Liberator. The boat was not damaged much and reported the attack by radio, although the bomber crew believed the boat to have sustained serious blows.

At 0656, the unescorted and zigzagging African Star was hit by a torpedo from U-172, which struck the port side at the #4 hold. The explosion blew the hatch covers off the #4 and #5 holds, disabled the generator, the steering controls and the radio aerials. One armed guard was blown overboard and drowned. The engines were secured as the ship began to list to port, slowly settled and lost way. Eight officers, 48 men and 30 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5-in and one 3-in and eight 20-mm guns) left the ship in two lifeboats (one containing 45 men and the other 37) and a raft. At 0718, a second torpedo from U-172 struck the African Star on the starboard side between #4 and #5 holds. She broke in two and sank within one minute. Then U-172 surfaced about 1000 yards from the ship and took a few men on board. After questioning the men, the Germans gave directions to the nearest land and returned them to the boats. One lifeboat was equipped with an emergency transmitter and sent SOS, later aircraft spotted the boats and 37 hours after the attack the Brazilian destroyer Maranhao picked up the survivors and landed them at Rio de Janeiro. The master John George Waller was also master of the Challenger, which was sunk on 17 May 1942 by U-155.

Three Beaufighters attacked U-441. 10 men were killed and 13 more wounded, including most of the naval officers.

A torpedo explosion on board of U-709 killed 2 men and wounded another.

- Mission 468: 131 B-24s, escorted by by 144 Royal Air Force (RAF) Spitfires, are dispatched to bomb 10 CROSSBOW (V-weapon) sites in the Rouen, France area but abort because of a thick blanket of low cloud over the target area; no losses.

- Mission 469: 1,271 bombers and 803 fighters are dispatched to bomb Munich and Enstingen, Germany; 24 bombers are lost, 4 are damaged beyond repair and 297 are damaged. Escort is provided by 717 P-38 Lightnings, P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs; 1 P-38 is damaged beyond repair.

- Mission 470: During the night, 6 B-17s drop leaflets in France. 

The first two Gloster Meteor Mk I jets are delivered to No. 616 Squadron RAF based at Culmhead, Somerset. By the end of August, the squadron has transitioned from Vickers Supermarine Spitfire Mk. VIIs to Meteors becoming the first operational Allied jet fighters squadron.

FRANCE: The US forces capture Hill 92, just two miles east of St. Lo.

Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., son of President Theodore Roosevelt and assigned to the US First Army, dies of a heart attack in Normandy, France. He was 56. Roosevelt was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at Normandy on 6 June 1944. The citation for the medal reads, "Citation: for gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 6 June 1944, in France. After two verbal requests to accompany the leading assault elements in the Normandy invasion had been denied, Brigadier General Roosevelt's written request for this mission was approved and he landed with the first wave of the forces assaulting the enemy-held beaches. He repeatedly led groups from the beach, over the seawall and established them inland. His valor, courage, and presence in the very front of the attack and his complete unconcern at being under heavy fire inspired the troops to heights of enthusiasm and self-sacrifice. Although the enemy had the beach under constant direct fire, Brigadier General Roosevelt moved from one locality to another, rallying men around him, directed and personally led them against the enemy. Under his seasoned, precise, calm, and unfaltering leadership, assault troops reduced beach strong points and rapidly moved inland with minimum casualties. He thus contributed substantially to the successful establishment of the beachhead in France." The medal was posthumously awarded on 28 September 1944. (Jack McKillop and W. Jay Stone)

300+ USAAF Ninth Air Force A-20 Havocs and B-26 Marauders fly morning and afternoon missions against fuel dumps at Foret d'Andaine and Foret d'Ecouves, military concentrations at Foret de Cinglais, rail bridges at Merey, Cinq Mars-la-Pile, Saumur, Nantes, and Nogent-le-Roi, and other rail and road targets; fighters furnish escort, cover the battle area, and fly armed reconnaissance over wide areas, attacking rail lines south and west of Rambouillet, bridges and fuel dump in the Nantes vicinity, trains and military transport at Vitry-le-Francois, and grounded aircraft south of Chateaubriant, bridges at Craon, Le Mans, Pontorson, Mayenne, south of Rennes, north of Angers, and Tours, rail traffic south of Fougeres, and infantry and artillery positions near Periers.

ITALY: US air attacks against the bridges of the River Po begins. Operation MALLORY MAJOR conducted by Twelfth Air Force North American B-25 Mitchells and Martin B-26 Marauders against bridges spanning the Po River in Italy. The bridges were attacked on 12, 13, 14 and 15 July and was deemed a success and terminated on the 15th.

The Fifteenth Air Force in Italy dispatches 420+ B-24s to attack targets in southeastern France, scoring numerous hits on Nimes and Miramas marshalling yards and cutting rail lines at the Theoule-sur-Mer bridge and Var River bridge in Provence; around 50 enemy fighters oppose the missions; the bombers and escorting fighters claim 14 shot down; 7 AAF aircraft are lost.

U.S.S.R.: Idritsa falls to Yeremenko's troops.

POLAND: Auschwitz-Birkenau: The "family camp" of 12,500 Jews is closed down, and 4,000 of them are gassed.

BURMA: No. 84 Squadron flies the last RAF missions against the Japanese equipped with the Vultee Vengeance dive-bomber. (22)

PACIFIC: Seventh Air Force P-47s based on Saipan Island continue pre-invasion attacks on Tinian Island.

AUSTRALIA: MacArthur asks Australian General Blamey to produce a plan for the relief of six US Divisions in the Solomon Islands and New Guinea, so as to free these forces for operations in the Philippines. Blamey proposed to use six Australian militia brigades to relieve the six US divisions, and maintain 1st Australian Corps at full strength with three AIF divisions, for use in MacArthur’s offensives in PI. Some US officers saw this as a slur on US troops (i.e. that six Australian militia brigades should relieve six US divisions). However, it wasn’t: the Japanese forces in the Solomons and New Guinea were not aggressive and Blamey correctly assessed that large forces were not necessary to contain them. (Michael Alexander)

CANADA:

Tugs HMCS Gleneagle and Glenkeen laid down Kingston, Ontario.

HMC ML 116 commissioned.

Frigate HMCS Sussexvale launched Lauzon, Province of Quebec.

Frigate HMCS Thetford Mines arrived Bermuda for workups. (DS)

U.S.A.: Elements of V Amphibious Corps HQ form Fleet Marine Forces, Pacific. (Gordon Rottman)

Destroyer USS Ebert commissioned.

Minesweeper USS Pivot commissioned. (DS)

FRANCE: Paris: Concentration camp survivors carry a huge cross through the city in memory of French victims of Nazism.

GERMANY: Berlin: Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery, standing beneath the Brandenburg Gate in the heart of Berlin, today invested Marshal Georgi Zhukov with the Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath. Acting as the king's representative, Monty also invested Marshal Rokossovsky with the KCB and Generals Sokolovsky and Malinin with the KBE.

The King's Company of the Grenadier Guards formed the guard of honour, and tanks of the King's 8th Royal Irish Hussars were drawn up on either side. It was a proud occasion held in front of a banner proclaiming "Glory to the Soviet forces who planted the flag of victory over Berlin."

Under the supervision of the Royal Navy the surrendered units of the Kriegsmarine Minesweeping detachments (minensuchflottile) are disarmed and demilitarised and formed into the GM/SA or German minesweeping service. (Russell Folsom)

Generalfeldmarschall Wolfram von Richthofen dies in hospital of a brain tumour. (Peter Kilduff)

- Mission 263: 115 B-29s attack the Utsunomiya urban area destroying 0.94 sq mi (2.4 sq km), 34.2% of the city; 5 others hit alternate targets; 1 B-29 is lost.

- Mission 264: 123 B-29s hit the Ichinomiya urban area destroying 0.01 sq mi (0.03 sq km), 0.8% of the city area; 2 others hit alternate targets.

- Mission 265: 92 B-29s attack the Tsuruga urban area destroying 0.77 sq mi (2 sq km), 68% of the city; 2 others hit alternate targets.

- Mission 266: 123 B-29s hit the Uwajima urban area destroying 0.14 sq mi (0.36 sq km), 14% of the city; 1 other hits an alternate target.

- Mission 267: 53 B-29s attack the Kawasaki Petroleum Center destroying about 25% of the target; 2 B-29s are lost, 1 of them between Guam and Tinian

BONIN ISLANDS: Iwo Jima: The first B-29 runway has now been paved to its full length of 9,800 feet.

CANADA: Corvettes HMCS Napanee, Pictou, Halifax, Beauharnois and Strathroy paid off Sorel, Province of Quebec.

HMCS ML 080 and ML 100 paid off.

U.S.A.: Boston Braves' right fielder Tommy Holmes goes hitless ending his consecutive-game hitting streak at 37 which sets a National League record. This record will stand until Pete Rose surpasses it in 1978.

Top popular songs in the U.S. are 
(1) "Dream" by The Pied Pipers; 
(2) "The More I See You" by Dick Haymes; 
(3) "Bell Bottom Trousers" by Tony Pastor and his Orchestra with vocal by Ruth McCullough and Pastor; and 
(4) "Stars and Stripes on Iwo Jima" by Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys.

Submarine USS Remora launched.

2002:     U.S.A.: The death of William J. McLaughlin.  Born on June 23, 1920, Bill enlisted in the National Guard on June 16, 1941. He was part of the 182nd Infantry and shipped out of New York to New Caledonia as part of Task Force 6814 in January, 1942.  This unit became part of the Americal Division in May, 1942.

     He served in an artillery unit on Guadalcanal. Transferring to the 21st Reconnaissance Troop, he later served on Bougainville and in the Philippines reaching the rank of Staff Sergeant.  He was discharged from the Army on September 9, 1945 at Fort Devons.

     He attended Harvard on the GI Bill and pursued business interests in the Boston area. He and his wife Patricia raised 7 daughters and 1 son.