1920 — , June 15

• Europe: A new border treaty between Germany and Denmark gives northern Schleswig to Denmark.

1937 — , June 15

• Spain: Day 334 of 985 of the Spanish Civil War.

1938 — , June 15

• Germany: 1,500 previously-convicted Jews, including those with minor offenses such as traffic violations, are sent to concentration camps.
• USA: Congress passes the Fair Labor Standards Act, or FLSA, which is the nation's first effort at establishing a minimum hourly wage (US $0.25). It guarantees "time-and-a-half" for overtime in certain jobs, prohibits most employment of minors in "oppressive child labor" and sets a maximum number of weekly work hours at 44 hours.
• Spain: Day 699 of 985 of the Spanish Civil War. The Spanish Republican gunboat LAYA is sunk by Spanish Nationalist aircraft stationed at Valencia.
• CBI - China: Day 344 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
  • Day 5 of 139 of the Battle of Wuhan.

1939 — , June 15

• Ireland: Prime Minister Eamon de Valera declares the IRA, of which he and many of his cabinet had been members in former times, to be an unlawful organization.
• CBI - China: Day 709 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
  • Day 2 of 68 of the Battle of Tianjin.
• CBI - Mongolia: Day 36 of 129 of the Battle of Khalkhin Gol, a border dispute between the Soviet Union and Japan.

1940 — , June 15

• USA: President Roosevelt assures French PM Reynaud that US aid will be redoubled.
• Atlantic: German sub U-38 attacks an Allied convoy 60 miles west of the Isles of Scilly off of southwestern England, sinking the Norwegian tanker ITALIA and the Canadian ship ERIK BOYE.
• ETO - France: Day 37 of 44 of the Battle of France. Germans take Verdun as other troops penetrate the Maginot Line above Strasbourg. Some 30,600 British and Canadian troops begin evacuating from Cherbourg, Brest and St Malo.
• Germany: The Germans open Auschwitz concentration camp, which is also to provide a labor force of 100,000 for the I G Farben factory.
• Eastern Front: The Soviets announce their new Russo-German frontier agreement. The US refuses to recognize the Soviet occupation and their claims.
• Eastern Front: The USSR invades Lithuania and Latvia, where they kill or capture the border guards at Maslenki and Smaili. Lithuania immediately agrees to Soviet demands. The Soviet's lame excuse is that the Baltic states were conspiring against them.
• East Africa: Day 6 of 537 of Italy's East African campaign in the lands south of Egypt.
• PTO - Australia: The Communist Party of Australia is declared illegal.
• CBI - China: Day 1,075 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
  • Day 214 of 381 of the Battle of South Guangxi.
  • Day 46 of 49 of the Battle of Yichang.

1941 — , June 15

• USA: Alleged Japanese spy Toraichi Kono, who had been Charlie Chaplin's valet for 17 years, is arrested for attempting to illegally obtain national defense intelligence on behalf of the Japanese government, but the allegations are dropped in favor of attempts to deport him. But when the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, he will once again be taken into custody and will spend the remainder of the war years detained at various camps.
  Spotlight...

  

  Toraichi Kono and Charlie Chaplin

  All of Charlie Chaplin's friends knew Kono. He was the indispensable Japanese valet who watched over Charlie like a doting mother and who anguished when Charlie was indifferent to friends. He had been with the comedian for years, shielding him from annoyances of all kinds and making excuses when Charlie broke appointments.

  In this photo, they are in Japan, Kono's father having passed away a year ago, leaving him a comfortable inheritance. Charlie is along to see that Kono gets all the money that is due him.
• Eastern Front: German units begin moving into their start positions for the invasion of the Soviet Union. Likewise, the Soviets start moving their troops forward.
• Croatia: Croatia joins the Tripartite Pact
• MTO - Libya: Day 67 of 256 of the Siege of Tobruk. The British begin Operation BATTLEAXE to relieve Australian-held Tobruk and then advance on toward Derna. They quickly capture Fort Capuzzo and begin a siege at Halfaya Pass, but in doing so they lose half of their tanks.
• Middle East: Day 8 of 37 of the Battle for Syria and Lebanon. Indian and Free French troops attack Kissoué while 5 miles to the west, Vichy French troops are threatening to capture Quneitra.
• East Africa: Day 371 of 537 of Italy's East African campaign in the lands south of Egypt.
• CBI - China: Day 1,440 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.

1942 — , June 15

• Atlantic: Day 153 of 169 of Germany's Second "Happy Time," during which U-boats sink 609 Allied ships with little risk.
  • U-552 sinks 5 ships in the northern Atlantic.
• Russian Front - North: Day 281 of 872 of the Siege of Leningrad.
• Russian Front - North: Day 42 of 658 of the Siege of the Kholm Pocket.
• Russian Front - Center: Day 18 of 31 of Operation KREMLIN, a German diversion to trick the Soviets into thinking Moscow is their main objective instead of Stalingrad and the Caucasus.
• Russian Front - South: Day 229 of 248 of the Siege of Sevastopol, Crimean Peninsula. The Germans keep pressing their advance despite stiff resistance.
• MTO - Malta: Italian torpedo bombers attack a convoy heading to Malta, sinking the HMS BEDOUIN and three other ships. Another Allied convoy also heading to Malta is attacked a few times which ends up sinking four British warships in exchange for one. US HALPRO B-24s with escorting Beauforts attack the Italian fleet east of Malta. The B-24s damage a battleship and a cruiser while the Beauforts sink a cruiser.
• MTO - Libya: Day 21 of 27 of the Battle of Gazala. The German attack on the British 8th Army is repelled.
• East Africa: Day 42 of 186 of the Battle of Madagascar.
• CBI - China: Day 1,805 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
  • Day 32 of 124 of Japan's Zhejiang-Jiangxi Campaign, launched to punish anyone suspected of aiding the Doolittle raiders in China. Roughly 250,000 Chinese will be killed.
• PTO - Alaska: Day 9 of 435 of the Battle of Kiska, Aleutian Islands.
• PTO - Malaya: Day 117 of 357 of the Battle of Timor Island.

1943 — , June 15

• Germany: The world's first turbojet reconnaissance bomber, the Arado Ar 234V-1 Blitz (GK-IV), makes its maiden flight at Rheine.
• Russian Front - North: Day 646 of 872 of the Siege of Leningrad.
• Russian Front - North: Day 407 of 658 of the Siege of the Kholm Pocket.
• MTO - Italy: US 12th Air Force RAF Wellingtons night bomb four airfields in Sicily. During the day, US planes hit the same targets plus the airfield at Bo Rizzo and radio stations near Marsala.
• CBI - Burma: US 10th Air Force scores two direct hits on the bridge at Myitnge.
• CBI - China: Day 2,170 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
  • US 14th Air Force B-25s and P-40s support the Chinese ground troops by bombing positions at Owchihkow.
• PTO: Day 20 of 47 adrift in a raft for the survivors of B-24 GREEN HORNET that crashed 850 miles from Hawaii.
• PTO - Alaska: Day 374 of 435 of the Battle of Kiska, Aleutian Islands.
• PTO - Australia: The German raider MICHEL sinks 2 ships off the west coast.
• PTO - New Guinea: Day 55 of 148 of the 2nd Battle of Lae-Salamaua. US 5th and 13th Air Forces provide air support.
• PTO - Solomon Islands: US 13th Air Force hits the airfield on Ballale Island.

1944 — , June 15

• USA: Roosevelt outlines his plans for the post-war United Nations.
• Canada: In the Saskatchewan general election, the first socialist government in North America is voted into power.
• ETO - UK: Day 3 of 86 of the V-1 "Buzz Bomb" offensive on Britain.
• ETO - France: Day 10 of 49 of Operation OVERLORD, the Allied invasion of Normandy, France, known forever simply as D-Day.
• ETO - France: Day 10 of 62 of the Battle of Caen.
• ETO - France: Day 10 of 25 of the Battle of Cherbourg.
• ETO - Germany: US 8th Air Force B-17s bomb oil refineries in Germany.
• Russian Front - Finland: Day 6 of 11 of the Battle of Vyborg. Soviet troops beat up the Finnish secondary defense lines on the Karelian Isthmus.
• Russian Front - North: Day 135 of 191 of the Battle of the Narva Isthmus, Estonia. Both German and Soviet troops remain locked in their defensive positions.
• MTO - Italy: Day 11 of 16 of the Battle of the Trasimene Line (north of Rome). Allied Air Forces provide air support. The British push beyond Todi toward Perugia while the US moves into Grosseto.
• MTO - France: US 15th Air Force P-51s and P-38s attack several airfields in southern France.
• CBI - Burma: Day 103 of 166 of the UK's Operation THURSDAY. Monsoon season bogs down all operations.
• CBI - Burma: Day 98 of 147 of the Battle of Myitkyina. US 10th Air Force provides air support. Monsoon season bogs down all operations.
• CBI - Burma: Day 76 of 302 of the Chinese Salween Offensive. US 14th Air Force provides air support. Monsoon season bogs down all operations.
• CBI - China: Day 2,536 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
  • Day 60 of 259 of Japan's Operation ICHI-GO.
• CBI - India: Day 100 of 118 of the Battle of Imphal-Kohima.
• PTO - Japan: US 20th Air Force B-29s begin bombing Japan, hitting the Imperial Iron and Steel Works at Yawata. With the exception of the 11th Air Force's raids in the Kurile Islands, this is the first air attack on Japan since the Doolittle's raid in April of 1942.
• PTO - Mariana Islands: Day 1 of 25 of the Battle of Saipan. The US Marines meet strong opposition while landing on the island.
• PTO - New Guinea: Day 20 of 83 of the Battle of Biak. 5th Air Force provides air support.
• PTO - New Guinea: Day 184 of 597 of the Battle of New Britain. US 13th Air Force provides air support.
• PTO - New Guinea: Day 55 of 481 of the Battle of Western New Guinea. 5th Air Force provides air support.
• PTO - New Guinea: Day 2 of 80 of the Battle of Lone Tree Hill.
• PTO - Solomon Islands: Day 228 of 295 of the Battle of the Bougainville Islands. US 13th Air Force provides air support.

1945 — , June 15

• Holland: The General Dutch Youth League (ANJV) is founded in Amsterdam.
• CBI - China: Day 2,901 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
  • Day 76 of 91 of the Battle of Zhijiang. US 14th Air Force provides air support. Japanese troops continue pulling out of China.
• PTO - Borneo: Day 6 of 67 of the Battle of North Borneo.
• PTO - Dutch East Indies: Day 46 of 52 of the Battle of Tarakan Island.
• PTO - Japan: The USS FLYING FISH sinks ten small Japanese sail vessels with gunfire in the Sea of Japan and force another two to beach themselves to prevent sinking.
• PTO - Japan: US 20th Air Force B-29s drop incendiary bombs on the Osaka and Amagasaki urban areas, ending a month of large concentrated fire raids on large Japanese cities.
• PTO - Japan: Day 76 of 83 of the Battle of Okinawa.
• PTO - New Guinea: Day 536 of 597 of the Battle of New Britain. US 10th Air Force provides air support.
• PTO - New Guinea: Day 420 of 481 of the Battle of Western New Guinea. US 10th Air Force provides air support.
• PTO - Philippines: Day 238 of 299 of the 2nd Battle of the Philippines, aka the Liberation of the Philippines or the Philippines Campaign.
• PTO - Philippines: Day 183 of 244 of the Battle of Luzon. 5th Air Force provides air support.
• PTO - Philippines: Day 98 of 159 of the Battle of Mindanao Island. 5th Air Force provides air support.
• PTO - Philippines: Day 90 of 135 of the Battle of the Visayas region. US 5th and 7th Air Forces provide air support.