June 1944

[June 1], 1944 (Thursday)

• The American submarine Herring was sunk by Japanese coastal batteries on Matua Island.
• British troops captured Frosinone, Italy.
• 60 men of the British 2nd Parachute Brigade began Operation Hasty, a mission behind German lines in Italy.
• Adolf Hitler dissolved the Abwehr and transferred its functions to the Reich Security Main Office under Heinrich Himmler.
• The BBC broadcast a coded message based on the Paul Verlaine poem Chanson d'automne to inform the French Resistance that the invasion of France was imminent. The Germans understood the intent of the message but failed to bring up sufficient forces.
• Two K-class blimps of the United States Navy completed the first transatlantic crossing by non-rigid airships, from the United States to French Morocco, in 80 hours.
• A general election was held in Cuba, in which Ramón Grau was elected president.
• José María Velasco Ibarra became President of Ecuador for the second time.
• Born: Robert Powell, actor, in Salford, Lancashire, England

  [June 2], 1944 (Friday)

• Allied forces overran the Caesar C line south of Rome. Adolf Hitler ordered Albert Kesselring to abandon the Italian capital.
• First mission of Operation Frantic: Frantic-Joe, shuttle raid from Italy to Russia by the 15th AF
• Representatives of the Soviet Union and Romania secretly met in Stockholm to discuss conditions for Romania's withdrawal from the war.
• The Soham rail disaster occurred in the small town of Soham, Cambridgeshire, England when the cargo of an ammunition train exploded and killed two people.
• Born: Marvin Hamlisch, composer and conductor, in New York City
• Died: Benoît Broutchoux, 64, French anarchist
• Zamalek beat Ahly team 6:0 in King's cup final games.

  [June 3], 1944 (Saturday)

• The Allies dropped 8,000 tons of bombs in a raid on German coastal positions around Boulogne.
• U.S. troops took Albano and Frascati on the outskirts of Rome, while Canadian forces took Anagni.
• Kesselring declared Rome an open city.
• German submarine U-477 was depth charged and sunk in the Norwegian Sea by a PBY Catalina of No. 162 Squadron RCAF.
• The Provisional Government of the French Republic was created, succeeding the French Committee of National Liberation as the provisional government of Free France.
• Bounding Home won the Belmont Stakes, depriving Pensive of the U.S. Triple Crown.
• Asperger syndrome was identified for the first time, in a paper by the Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger.
• Born: Edith McGuire, Olympic gold medalist sprinter, in Atlanta, Georgia

  [June 4], 1944 (Sunday)

• The Italian capital of Rome fell to the Allies. There was little fighting in the city itself as American tanks rolled along the Appian Way. The Germans ignored Hitler's order to blow up the Tiber bridges before retreating and the city's historic sites were left intact.
• Royal Air Force meteorologist Group Captain James Stagg recommended that Overlord be postponed one day from June 5 to the 6th because of bad weather. Dwight D. Eisenhower followed his advice and postponed D-Day by 24 hours.
• German submarine U-505 was captured off Río de Oro by ships of the U.S. Navy. The sub's codebooks, Enigma machine and other secret materials found on board would be of assistance to Allied codebreakers.
• Born: Michelle Phillips, singer, songwriter, actress and member of The Mamas & the Papas, in Long Beach, California

  [June 5], 1944 (Monday)

• Operation Forager: The United States Fifth Fleet left Pearl Harbor, sailing for the Marianas Islands.
• Operation Matterhorn began with the first B-29 Superfortress combat mission, the bombing of Bangkok, from airfields in India.
• The Battle of Anzio ended after 136 days in an Allied victory.
• Rome was declared an open city and was occupied by the United States Army.
• King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy transferred most of his remaining constitutional powers to his son Umberto.
• Pope Pius XII spoke to crowds at St. Peter's Basilica giving thanks to God and all belligerents for largely sparing Rome from destruction.
• U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a fireside chat on the fall of Rome. "The first of the Axis capitals is now in our hands," Roosevelt said. "One up and two to go!"
• The D-Day naval deceptions began. Allied ships and aircraft made deceptive movements in an attempt to deceive the Germans into believing that the Allied invasion force would land in the Calais region.
• Operation Tonga began at 10:56 p.m. when an Allied force of bombers, gliders and transport aircraft took off from RAF Tarrant Rushton to begin an airborne operation near the city of Caen.
• Born: Colm Wilkinson, singer and actor, in Drimnagh, Ireland
• Died: Józef Beck, 49, Polish foreign minister from 1932 to 1939; Riccardo Zandonai, 61, Italian composer

  [June 6], 1944 (Tuesday)

• D-Day: Operation Overlord commenced with the crossing of nearly 160,000 Allied troops over the English Channel to land on the beaches of Normandy, France.
• The battle for Pointe du Hoc resulted in Allied victory, while the Battle of Merville Gun Battery was fought to inconclusive result.
• The British executed the capture of the Caen canal and Orne river bridges. This resulted in the first Allied troops to land in Normandy. The same day, British forces also undertook Operation Houndsworth and Operation Mallard.
• The Norwegian destroyer Svenner was sunk off Sword Beach by a German torpedo boat, the only Allied ship to be sunk by German naval activity on D-Day.
• Stanley Hollis earned the only Victoria Cross to be awarded for D-Day.
• War photographer Robert Capa took The Magnificent Eleven D-Day photographs.
• Adolf Hitler was awoken at the Berghof around noon and informed of the Normandy landings. He displayed no outward signs of distress and appeared to be confident that the invasion would be repulsed.
• Winston Churchill announced the Normandy landings in an address to the House of Commons. "I cannot, of course, commit myself to any particular details," Churchill said. "Reports are coming in in rapid succession. So far the Commanders who are engaged report that everything is proceeding according to plan. And what a plan! This vast operation is undoubtedly the most complicated and difficult that has ever occurred ... Nothing that equipment, science or forethought could do has been neglected, and the whole process of opening this great new front will be pursued with the utmost resolution both by the commanders and by the United States and British Governments whom they serve."
• President Roosevelt went on national radio at night to address the nation about the Normandy invasion. The president's address took the form a prayer. It began: "Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity. Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith."
• On the Eastern Front, the First Jassy–Kishinev Offensive ended in Soviet failure.
• Operation Rösselsprung concluded. Although the activities of the Yugoslav Partisans were temporarily disrupted by the operation, it failed in its objective of capturing or killing Marshal Josip Broz Tito.
• Japanese destroyer Minazuki was sunk in the Sibutu Passage by the American submarine Harder.
• Born: Edgar Froese, artist and electronic musician, in Tilsit, East Prussia ; Bud Harrelson, major league baseball player, in Niles, California ; Phillip Allen Sharp, geneticist and molecular biologist, in Falmouth, Kentucky; Tommie Smith, track & field athlete and AFL wide receiver, in Clarksville, Texas
• Died: Jimmie W. Monteith, 26, U.S. Army officer and posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor ; John J. Pinder, Jr., 32, U.S. Army soldier and posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor

  [June 7], 1944 (Wednesday)

• The Battle of Bréville began.
• The British began Operation Perch, an attempt to encircle and capture the city of Caen.
• Operation Tonga ended in Allied tactical victory.
• Operation Hasty ended with less than half the original force returning safely to British lines.
• The Ardenne Abbey massacre begins. 11 Canadian POWs from The North Nova Scotia Highlanders and The Sherbrooke Fusilers are shot by members of the 12th SS Panzer Division.
• German submarine U-629 was sunk in the English Channel by a B-24 of No. 53 Squadron RAF.
• Japanese destroyer Hayanami became the second ship to be torpedoed and sunk in the Sibutu Passage by USS Harder in as many days.
• American destroyer Meredith struck a mine in the English Channel and was severely damaged. Salvage efforts would be abandoned on June 9 when Luftwaffe bombing broke the ship in two.
• Actress Judy Garland divorced her husband of three years, songwriter David Rose, on grounds of general cruelty.
• The USS Susan B. Anthony struck a mine and sank, all 2,689 people aboard were saved.

  [June 8], 1944 (Thursday)

• The Battle of Port-en-Bessin ended in Allied victory.
• Pietro Badoglio and the Italian government moved to Rome.
• A B-24 of No. 224 Squadron RAF sank German submarine U-373 in the Bay of Biscay and then sank U-441 only some 20 minutes later in the English Channel.
• Japanese destroyer Harasume was bombed and sunk northwest of Manokwari, New Guinea by a U.S. B-25 Mitchell.
• Japanese destroyer Kazagumo was torpedoed and sunk in Davao Gulf by the American submarine Hake.
• American destroyer escort USS Rich struck a mine and sank off Normandy.
• The war film Days of Glory starring Tamara Toumanova and Gregory Peck was released.
• The first Tallboy bomb was dropped.
• Born: Mark Belanger, baseball player, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts ; Don Grady, actor, composer and musician, in San Diego, California ; Marc Ouellet, Cardinal of the Catholic Church, in La Motte, Quebec, Canada; Boz Scaggs, musician, in Canton, Ohio