June 1918

Saturday, June 1, 1918

• The Spanish flu epidemic became a pandemic, killing over 30 million people over the next six months.
• Battle of Belleau Wood – The U.S. Army 2nd Infantry Division deployed troops, including the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments, to hold Belleau Wood near the Marne River in France after the towns of Château-Thierry and Vaux fell to the Germans.
• Australian flying ace Roderic Dallas was killed while flying a solo mission over Liévin, France. Dallas was the highest-ranking Australian ace of the World War I, with his victories ranging from an official count of 39 to other sources claiming up to 51 victories.
• The first of two giant German Zeppelin-Staaken bombers lost to enemy action in World War I was shot down by anti-aircraft guns over the French lines.
• The Royal Air Force established air squadrons No. 159 No. 162, and No. 163.
• The Royal Air Force Temporary Nursing Service was established, receiving the prefix Princess Mary in 1923 when the British princess became the service's patron.
• Tails Up!, a musical revue starring Jack Buchanan, opened at the Comedy Theatre in London where it ran for 467 performances.
• The bimonthly newspaper El Caribe published its first edition in Roatán, Honduras.
• U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill to direct the United States Mint to create the Illinois Centennial half dollar, a commemorative fifty-cent piece depicting Abraham Lincoln.

  Sunday, June 2, 1918

• Battle of Belleau Wood – The first battalion of the 5th U.S. Marines forced a march over to plug a gap covering in the Allied line that the Germans opened up the day before.
• German submarine shelled, torpedoed or scuttled six American ships off the coast of New Jersey in what was referred to as "Black Sunday", including passenger ship which resulted in 13 deaths.
• The American Expeditionary Forces set up military hospitals in Bazoilles-sur-Meuse, France, when Hospital No. 116 designed to treat over 2,000 wounded American soldiers.
• Marion Davies produced and starred in her second feature film Cecilia of the Pink Roses, released through Select Pictures.
• Born: Kathryn Tucker Windham, American columnist, known for narrative columns for the Selma Times-Journal; as Kathryn Tucker, in Selma, Alabama, United States

  Monday, June 3, 1918

• Third Battle of the Aisne – Allied counterattacks halted the German advance at the Marne River. Allied casualties were massive at 127,000, including 98,000 French casualties and 29,000 British casualties. Germany suffered slightly more with 130,000 casualties.
• Battle of Belleau Wood – The first battalion of the 5th U.S. Marines held ground and inflicted heavy casualties on the attacking Germans, forcing them back to the village of Vaux. Captain Lloyd W. Williams was said to have famously responded to a general order to fall back with: "Retreat? Hell, we just got here!" He was killed in the battle on June 12 while waiting for the surviving Marines under his command to be evacuated by medics. For his bravery and sacrifice, Williams was posthumously awarded three Silver Stars and promoted to major.
• The British General Post Office increased postage rates to a penny halfpenny for ordinary letters, bringing an end to the Uniform Penny Post which had existed since 1840. The rate for postcards doubled from a halfpenny to a penny.
• The Distinguished Flying Cross was established as the official medal of the Royal Air Force. By the end of World War I, some 1,100 DFCs were awarded.
• Bjørnøen was established as a mining company operating on Bear Island, Norway. It became nationalized in 1932 under the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Norway.
• The sports club Holter was established in Nannestad, Norway with sections for football and handball.
• Born: Patrick Cargill, British actor, best known for the lead title role in British television sitcom Father, Dear Father; in Bexhill-on-Sea, England
• Died: Ramón Maximiliano Valdés, 50, Panamanian state leader, 7th President of Panama

  Tuesday, June 4, 1918

• The Ottoman Empire signed a treaty with Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, ending most of the fighting in the Caucasus region.
• Battle of Belleau Wood – U.S. Army Major General Omar Bundy took command of the 2nd Infantry Division as the U.S. Marines continued to repel German attacks over the next 48 hours.
• The French Army established the 503rd Combat Tank Regiment.
• The inaugural flight of the Dornier-Zeppelin, the first all-metal stressed-skin fighter to be tested, took place.
• Born: Johnny Klein, American drummer, lead percussionist on The Lawrence Welk Show and second cousin to Lawrence Welk; as John A. Klein, Jr., in Strasburg, North Dakota, United States
• Died:
• * Charles W. Fairbanks, 66, American state leader, 26th Vice President of the United States
• * Hāmiora Mangakāhia, 87–88, Māori leader, first Premier of Te Kotahitanga in New Zealand
• * David Lawrence Anderson, 55–56, American law enforcement officer and former outlaw known as "Billy Wilson", shot and killed in the line of duty

  Wednesday, June 5, 1918

• British armed boarding steamer HMS Snaefell was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea by German submarine, with all crew surviving.
• Douglas Campbell, the first American to become an ace while flying for an American-trained unit, scored his sixth and final victory. He was badly wounded during the flight and grounded from future combat missions.
• The Afrikaner Broederbond, a confidential cultural Afrikaner organisation, was founded in Johannesburg.

  Thursday, June 6, 1918

• Third Battle of the Aisne – German forces were within of Paris, forcing many civilians to flee and the French government to draw up plans to evacuate to Bordeaux. Casualties were high on both sides with 127,000 for the Allies and 130,000 for Germany.
• Battle of Goychay – Grigory Korganov, one of the Soviet commissars for Baku, issued an order for the Red Army to attack Ganja, Azerbaijan. This forced the Azerbaijani government to call on the Ottoman Empire for aide against the Soviet threat.
• Battle of Belleau Wood – The first battalion of the 5th U.S. Marines with French support launched an attack and captured the German defensive position Hill 142, at a cost of nine officers and 325 men. During German counterattacks, Gunnery Sergeant Ernest A. Janson held off a dozen German soldiers and became the first Marine to receive a Medal of Honor in World War I. The day was also marked in U.S. Marines historical lore as the day Gunnery Sergeant Daniel Daly was said to have shouted at his men to advance with the words: "Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?"
• Dutch hospital ship Koningin Regentes was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea by German submarine, killing seven crew.
• The Independent Air Force was established as a strategic bombing force separate from the Royal Air Force during World War I.
• The football club Sandviken was established in Sandviken, Sweden.
• Born:
• * Kenneth Connor, English comedian, known for his roles in the Carry On film series; in Islington, London, England
• * Edwin G. Krebs, American biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his research into the phosphorylation; in Lansing, Iowa, United States

  Friday, June 7, 1918

• Battle of Belleau Wood – The third battalions of the 5th and 6th U.S. Marines launched an assault on Belleau Wood where they gained a foothold in the forest, despite losing 31 officers and 1,056 men.
• The British colonial government in Nigeria arrested 70 chiefs of the Egba people as part of a crackdown on a general rebellion against direct taxation, forced labor laws, and other protests against the British authority.
• Died: Victor Duleep Singh, 51, Indian noble, last Maharaja of Lahore, Punjab, British India and the Sikh Empire, grandson of Ranjit Singh

  Saturday, June 8, 1918

• German Caucasus expedition – A force of 3,000 German soldiers were dispatched to the port city of Poti, Georgia to support the Ottoman Third Army in the South Caucasus region.
• Battle of Belleau Wood – American and German forces were locked into a stalemate at Belleau Wood.
• Action of Arsuf – British captured two key Ottoman observation positions over the Auju River in central Palestine, killing 217 and capturing another 300 Ottoman troops. The British had 62 men killed and 110 wounded.
• The counterrevolutionary government Committee of Members of the Constituent Assembly was established in Samara, Russia, during the city's occupation by the Czechoslovak Legion.
• The nova V603 Aquilae, the brightest observed since Kepler's Supernova of 1604, was discovered by amateur astronomer Zygmunt Laskowski and later confirmed by amateur astronomer Grace Cook.
• The South African financial services group Sanlam was established in Cape Town.
• A solar eclipse was observed by the United States Naval Observatory in Baker City, Oregon, and crossed the United States from Washington to Florida.
• Born:
• * Robert Preston, American actor, known for leading roles in both the stage and film versions of The Music Man, as well as roles in How the West Was Won, S.O.B. and Victor/Victoria; as Robert Preston Meservey, in Newton, Massachusetts, United States
• * George Edward Hughes, Irish-born New Zealand philosopher, known for works of logic and medieval philosophy, author of The Elements of Formal Logic; in Waterford, Ireland
• * Leonard Greene, American aviation engineer, known to invent over 200 patents related to aviation technology; in New York City, United States
• Died: Ben Brush, 24–25, American race horse, 1896 Kentucky Derby champion