Spain: Day 338 of 985 of the Spanish Civil War. Spanish Nationalist forces enter Bilbao.
1938 — , June 19
Spain: Day 703 of 985 of the Spanish Civil War.
CBI - China: Day 348 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 9 of 139 of the Battle of Wuhan.
1939 — , June 19
Eastern Front: The German Army reports that thus far 168 officers have been infiltrated into Danzig in preparation of the upcoming invasion on the Eastern Front.
CBI - China: Day 713 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 6 of 68 of the Battle of Tianjin.
CBI - Mongolia: Day 40 of 129 of the Battle of Khalkhin Gol, a border dispute between the Soviet Union and Japan.
1940 — , June 19
UK: An "If The Invader Comes" leaflet is issued by Ministry of Information and distributed to all households throughout England, indicating "What To Do — and How To Do It." Among the instructions are "do not believe rumours and do not spread them," "stay put" and "use common sense."
Spotlight...
Closer view of the text...
Although a German invasion of England never happened, great care was taken after D-Day to inform local populations through leaflet dropping as to how they should act in order to better safeguard themselves and not interfere with the Allied advance. While quite successful in France, it was not so in Belgium and Holland, where citizens panicked and exacerbated the terrible situation just as they had done when Germany first stormed through in 1940.
UK: The British Jockey Club announces there will be no more racing until further notice.
ETO - UK: More than 100 German bombers make raids over Britain.
ETO - France: Day 41 of 44 of the Battle of France. Throughout the day, German troops reach the River Loire, advance on Lyons and capture Strasbourg, Brest, Tours and Cherbourg. The Germans invite the French to send a representative to discuss armistice terms. Meanwhile, more French ships reach British ports.
East Africa: Day 10 of 537 of Italy's East African campaign in the lands south of Egypt. The British destroyer HMS KAMDAHAR and anti-submarine trawler HMS MOONSTONE force the Italian sub GALILEO GALILEI to the surface in the Gulf of Aden and it surrenders.
PTO - New Zealand: In the Pacific west of New Zealand, the German warship ORION captures the Norwegian ship TROPIC SEA with a load of Australian wheat bound for the US.
CBI - China: Day 1,079 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 218 of 381 of the Battle of South Guangxi.
1941 — , June 19
Europe: US Consular officials in Germany and Italy are expelled in retaliation to a similar action by the US three days prior.
Eastern Front: The USSR orders a black-out of all major cities and towns near the border. However, they still do not allow their troops to take up battle positions, in spite of information given by two German deserters of an imminent attack.
MTO - Libya: Day 71 of 256 of the Siege of Tobruk.
Middle East: Day 12 of 37 of the Battle for Syria and Lebanon. The Vichy French troops hold off Free French troops at Qadim while the Indian 5th Infantry Brigade is surrounded at Mezze.
East Africa: Day 375 of 537 of Italy's East African campaign in the lands south of Egypt.
CBI - China: Day 1,444 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
1942 — , June 19
USA: Churchill and Roosevelt meet to discuss a number of conflicting offensive plans which might be launched against Germany in 1942. The main options discussed are the invasions at Dieppe, Cherbourg, Norway, and/or French North Africa.
Atlantic: Day 157 of 169 of Germany's Second "Happy Time," during which U-boats sink 609 Allied ships with little risk.
U-701 sinks a USS YP-389 patrol boat 5 miles off the coast of North Carolina in what becomes dubbed the Battle off Diamond Shoals.
Germany: German plans for their offensive to the Caucasus are captured by the Russians when a staff officer is shot down. For this blunder, Hitler imprisons one of his generals and his staff, but he makes no changes to the plans. Although the Soviets know these plans are authentic, they feel this is just a diversion for enemy troops heading to Moscow.
Russian Front - North: Day 285 of 872 of the Siege of Leningrad.
Russian Front - North: Day 46 of 658 of the Siege of the Kholm Pocket.
Russian Front - Center: Day 22 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 233 of 248 of the Siege of Sevastopol, Crimean Peninsula. The Germans keep pressing their advance despite stiff resistance.
MTO - Libya: Day 25 of 27 of the Battle of Gazala. Rommel launches a surprise attack from the southeast against Tobruk.
East Africa: Day 46 of 186 of the Battle of Madagascar.
CBI - China: Day 1,809 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 36 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 13 of 435 of the Battle of Kiska, Aleutian Islands.
PTO - Hawaii: Lt Edward "Butch" O'Hare, America's first fighter Ace of the war and first naval recipient of the Medal of Honor, is relocated to Maui to instruct other pilots in combat tactics, in keeping with US Navy policy to use its best combat pilots to train newer pilots, in contrast to Japan's practice of keeping their best pilots flying combat missions until they are killed.
[+] show related dates
Butch O'Hare related dates...
20 Feb 42: O'Hare becomes the first US fighter Ace of the war
26 Mar 42: O'Hare greeted as celebrity by reporters in Hawaii
21 Apr 42: O'Hare receives the Medal of Honor at White the House
25 Apr 42: O'Hare given a hero's parade in his hometown St Louis
19 Jun 42: O'Hare is relocated to Maui to instruct other pilots
31 Aug 43: O'Hare is awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
05 Oct 43: O'Hare is awarded a Gold Star in lieu of another DFC
26 Nov 43: O'Hare is shot down in combat, never to be found
09 Dec 43: Official word arrives from the PTO that O'Hare is MIA
27 Jan 45: US Navy launches the destroyer USS O'Hare in his honor
19 Sep 49: Chicago's airport is renamed O'Hare International
Related WWII Store items (Fighter Aces of WWII)...
Douglas Bader Reach for the Sky: The Story of Douglas Bader, Legless Ace of the Battle of Britain
George Beurling Malta Spitfire: The Diary of an Ace Fighter Pilot
Dick Bong Ace of Aces: The Story of Fighter Pilot Dick Bong
PTO - Malaya: Day 121 of 357 of the Battle of Timor Island.
PTO - New Guinea: US 5th Air Force bombs shipping and the Vunakanau Airfield at Rabaul.
1943 — , June 19
ETO - France: The RAF bombs the Schneider armaments factory at Le Creusot.
Germany: Goebbels declares Berlin to be Judenfrei (free of Jews).
Russian Front - North: Day 650 of 872 of the Siege of Leningrad.
Russian Front - North: Day 411 of 658 of the Siege of the Kholm Pocket.
MTO - Italy: US 9th Air Force attacks ferry and railroad yards at Villa San Giovanni, ferries in the Straits of Messina and the harbor of Reggio di Calabria.
MTO - Italy: US 12th Air Force RAF Wellingtons night bomb at Syracuse, Sicily.
CBI - China: Day 2,174 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
PTO: Day 24 of 47 adrift in a raft for the survivors of B-24 GREEN HORNET that crashed 850 miles from Hawaii.
PTO - Alaska: Day 378 of 435 of the Battle of Kiska, Aleutian Islands.
PTO - Gilbert Islands: US 13th Air Force bombs on Nauru Island at night.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 59 of 148 of the 2nd Battle of Lae-Salamaua. US 5th and 13th Air Forces provide air support.
1944 — , June 19
ETO - France: Day 14 of 49 of Operation OVERLORD, the Allied invasion of Normandy, France, known forever simply as D-Day. D-Day+13: Three days of violent storms in the English Channel wrecks the US Mulberry Harbor at Omaha Beach, but the British one holds up.
Spotlight...
Damaged Whale roadways after the fierce storm which destroyed the American Mulberry "A" harbor.
Mulberry related WWII Store items...
Code Name Mulberry: The Planning, Building and Operation of the Normandy Harbours
Dates related to Mother Nature...
12 Jan 40: 50 inches of frost is reported in Finland
13 Nov 41: Temperature on Russian Front drops to -80°F
18 Mar 44: Mount Vesuvius begins a six-day eruption
23 Mar 44: Mount Vesuvius' eruption slowly subsides
05 Jun 44: Rough seas in the English Channel postpone D-Day invasion
19 Jun 44: Channel storms begin, wreaking havoc on the Mulberries
23 Aug 44: B-24 crashes into school during violent thunderstorm
09 Dec 44: Patton's Weather Prayer circulated to the Third Army
05 Jun 45: 30 American ships damaged by typhoon near Okinawa
ETO - UK: Day 7 of 86 of the V-1 "Buzz Bomb" offensive on Britain. The Air Ministry releases the first official details of the V-1 rockets (range 150 miles, speed 300-350 mph, 2,000 lb bomb) as AA gunners start calling them Doodlebugs.
[+] show related dates
V-1 related dates...
12 Mar 44: Swedes investigate crashed V-1 from station 40 miles away
13 Jun 44: First V-1 Flying Bomb attack on England, 4 of 11 hit targets
16 Jun 44: V-1 offensive begins in earnest as 244 flying bombs strike England
19 Jun 44: Air Ministry releases the first official V-1 details
04 Aug 44: First RAF pilot destroys a V-1 flying bomb by tipping its wing
02 Sep 44: Allied advance forces V-1 rocket bases in France to cease
06 Sep 44: Battle of London ends after 80 days of V-1 rocket attacks
V-2 related dates...
20 Aug 41: Adolf Hitler authorizes the development of the V-2 missile
18 Mar 42: First A-4 rocket explodes during combustion chamber test
23 Mar 42: Von Braun's team launches first successful test of an A-4 rocket
22 Apr 43: A British Mosquito photographs German rockets at Peenemunde
27 Jun 43: British Chiefs of Staff circulate V-2 rocket report
28 Jun 43: RAF reconnaissance plane identifies Peenemunde V-2 launch site
13 Aug 43: Factory making V-2 parts bombed, setting program back
20 May 44: Polish underground captures, dismantles V-2 intact, sends to UK
08 Sep 44: First of over 3,000 German V-2 rockets hit Paris and London
27 Mar 45: The 1,115th and last V-2 rocket reaches England
02 May 45: Wernher von Braun surrenders in Austria to US troops
Rocket Man: Robert H Goddard and the Birth of the Space Age
[–] hide related dates
ETO - France: Day 14 of 62 of the Battle of Caen.
ETO - France: Day 14 of 25 of the Battle of Cherbourg.
ETO: US 8th and 9th Air Forces bomb V-1 rocket bases in France. Also at Cardonville, the first US fighter base in France becomes operational.
Russian Front - Finland: Day 10 of 11 of the Battle of Vyborg. Soviet troops keep pushing the Finnish troops backwards on the Karelian Isthmus.
Russian Front - North: Day 139 of 191 of the Battle of the Narva Isthmus, Estonia. Both German and Soviet troops remain locked in their defensive positions.
MTO - Italy: Day 15 of 16 of the Battle of the Trasimene Line (north of Rome). Allied Air Forces provide air support.
MTO - Italy: Day 4 of 34 of the Battle of Ancona.
CBI - Burma: Day 107 of 166 of the UK's Operation THURSDAY. Monsoon season bogs down all operations.
CBI - Burma: Day 102 of 147 of the Battle of Myitkyina. US 10th Air Force provides air support. Monsoon season bogs down all operations.
CBI - Burma: Day 80 of 302 of the Chinese Salween Offensive. US 14th Air Force provides air support. Monsoon season bogs down all operations.
CBI - China: Day 2,540 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 64 of 259 of Japan's Operation ICHI-GO.
CBI - India: Day 104 of 118 of the Battle of Imphal-Kohima.
PTO - Caroline Islands: US 7th Air Force bombs targets on Ponape Island and in the Truk Atoll.
PTO - Mariana Islands: Day 1 of 2 of the Naval Battle of the Philippine Sea. Also known as the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot this becomes a decisive US victory over the Japanese. During this, the Japanese will lose 220 planes while the US loses 10. Also, the Japanese carrier SHOKAKU is sunk by the USS CAVALLA.
PTO - Mariana Islands: Day 5 of 25 of the Battle of Saipan.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 24 of 83 of the Battle of Biak. 5th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 188 of 597 of the Battle of New Britain. US 13th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 59 of 481 of the Battle of Western New Guinea. 5th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 6 of 80 of the Battle of Lone Tree Hill.
PTO - Solomon Islands: Day 232 of 295 of the Battle of the Bougainville Islands. US 13th Air Force provides air support.
1945 — , June 19
USA: General Eisenhower receives a ticker tape parade in New York City.
[+] show related dates
Eisenhower related dates...
05 Dec 43: FDR chooses Eisenhower Supreme Allied Commander
CBI - China: Day 2,905 of 2,987 of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War.
Day 80 of 91 of the Battle of Zhijiang. US 14th Air Force provides air support. Japanese troops continue pulling out of China.
PTO - Alaska: US 11th Air Force: A B-24 flies the theater's longest mission, a 2,700-mile roundtrip lasting 15.5 hours and flying as far as Uruppu Island, Japan. It sinks a Japanese vessel and damages others found 25 miles southwest of Shimushu Bay, Shimushu Island, in the Kurile Islands.
PTO - Borneo: Day 10 of 67 of the Battle of North Borneo. The Australians are now in control of both sides of the Brunei Bay entrance.
PTO - Dutch East Indies: Day 50 of 52 of the Battle of Tarakan Island.
PTO - Japan: The US 20th Air Force begins firebombing 58 smaller Japanese cities. This night's targets are the urban areas of Toyohashi, Fukuoka and Shizuoka.
PTO - Japan: Day 80 of 83 of the Battle of Okinawa. The US Army captures Okinawa as mop-up begins.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 540 of 597 of the Battle of New Britain. US 10th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - New Guinea: Day 424 of 481 of the Battle of Western New Guinea. US 10th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - Philippines: Day 242 of 299 of the 2nd Battle of the Philippines, aka the Liberation of the Philippines or the Philippines Campaign.
PTO - Philippines: Day 187 of 244 of the Battle of Luzon. 5th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - Philippines: Day 102 of 159 of the Battle of Mindanao Island. 5th Air Force provides air support.
PTO - Philippines: Day 94 of 135 of the Battle of the Visayas region. US 5th and 7th Air Forces provide air support.
Day-By-Day listings for June 19 were last modified on Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Spotlight...
