World war II chronology - June 1944

1 June 1944	German Colonel Claus Count von Stauffenberg is appointed Chief of Staff of the Replacement Army.
2 June 1944	Two British submarines, X20 and X23, leave the north of Scotland, destined for the British D-Day landing beaches. Their job is to mark the approaches for landing craft. 271 British bombers attack four coastal gun batteries in the Pas de Calais area of France. British bombers attack railway targets in Trappes, France. This is the final air attack of the Transportation Plan. Since beginning in early March, almost 9000 sorties were flown in 69 attacks, with a loss of 198 planes.
3 June 1944	Dwight Eisenhower briefs French general Charles de Gaulle on Operation Overlord, the first De Gaulle has heard of it. 135 British bombers attack coastal gun batteries at Wimereux and Calais in France.
4 June 1944	Dwight Eisenhower gives order to postpone the D-Day assault on Europe to June 6, due to bad weather. German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel leaves the coast of France, to see his wife and the führer. Formations of the US 5th Army seize the Tiber bridges, beginning the fall of Rome. Two companies of the 1st Regiment of the Special Service Force enter the city limits of Rome, Italy, making them the first Allied troops in Rome. In Italy, American forces take Rome. British Bomber Command makes heavy attacks on coastal batteries in France. Dwight Eisenhower and other high-ranking staff offers receive the latest weather report, anticipating a break in the storm over the English Channel. Dwight Eisenhower decides the Normandy operation should go forward for a landing on June 6.
5 June 1944	Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight Eisenhower approves the D-Day landing in Normandy, France, on June 6. Allied airborne troopers begin dressing for battle. American minesweeper USS Osprey hits a mine in the English Channel. (About an hour later, the ship is abandoned, and sinks.) 1047 British bombers drop over 5,000 tons of bombs on French coastal batteries. This is the heaviest bombing of any night to date. Nine of ten main batteries are knocked out by a combination of American and British air and naval bombardment. Operation Neptune commences, transporting Allied invasion troops and equipment from England to France. At 7016 ships, this is the largest armada ever in the history of warfare. BBC radio broadcasts a message directed at the French, telling them to listen for important instructions to follow soon. This alerts the Germans, but little is done. Aircraft carrying British Pathfinder forces take off from England.
6 June 1944	Pathfinders of the United States 101st Airborne Division begin parachute landing in Normandy to set up the Drop Zones for the following main force. Near the Orne Canal at Caen, France, a Horsa glider crash-lands with 28 men of D Company of the British 6th Airborne Division. They begin their task of taking a bridge crossing the canal. D Company of the British 6th Airborne Division completes securing a bridge over the Orne Canal, near Caen, France. The first of the British Pathfinders land in France. The 3rd and 5th Brigades of the British 6th Airborne Division begin landing east of Orne, to knock out the Merville battery. German Commanding Officer General Kraiss of the 352nd Division receives reports about paratroopers landing between Isigny and Carentan. Black-painted B-17 bombers take off from England, dropping leaflets over France warning civilians of an imminent bombardment. All planes return safely. 822 C-47 Dakota aircraft drop the 82nd and 101st Airborne divisions on Normandy, France. American gliders begin landing in Normandy. Six Canadian Bangor-class minesweepers clear a path to the coast of Normandy, for British forces. Ten Canadian Bangor-class minesweepers clear a path to the coast of Normandy, for American forces. German coastal radar in Normandy detect the Allied invasion fleet. Shore batteries are told to prepare for an invasion. E-boats and armed trawlers are ordered into battle. German General Kraiss orders the Kampfgruppe Meyer division to move from south of Bayeux to the Vire estuary, believing a large number of Allied paratroopers had landed there. The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion of the 6th Airborne Division begins attacks on Varaville. Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels is told of the Allied airborne landings. Kampfgruppe Meyer, near Bayeux, is ordered to a reported large airborne landing near Isigny. German Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt orders the 12th Panzer and Panzer Lehr divisions to move toward Caen, assuming there would be Allied sea landings on the Calvados and Cotentin coast. In France, the 9th Battalion of British 6th Airborne begins an assault of about 150 men against 200 Germans defending the Merville battery. It consists of four 75mm guns in four casemates on open ground. The Merville battery in France is taken by British 6th Airborne troops. British submarine X23 at Sword beach completes setting up an 18-foot mast with a green light, sending out radio signals and an underwater ping. The mast is to guide British landing craft. Allied bomber planes begin dropping their loads on the coast, with German antiaircraft gunners returning fire. German coastal guns begin firing on the US fleet. Allied warships begin returning fire on them. German E-boats torpedo and sink Norwegian destroyer Svenner. German General Kraiss orders the Kampfgruppe Meyer division to halt moving to the Vire estuary, and await further orders. Warships off Omaha beach commence 45 minutes of pounding beach defence targets. British Royal Navy cruisers and battleships begin firing on northern French coastal gun positions. Waves of American B-24 bombers drop about 1300 tons of bombs on Omaha beach defence targets, but completely miss targets, bombing too far inland. British Royal Navy destroyers begin firing on coastal gun positions. Naval ships protecting Omaha Beach cease fire, as landing craft approach the shore. Off Utah Beach, destroyer USS Corry strikes two mines and sinks. American battleship Texas ceases firing on Pointe-du-Hoc, as the Ranger force is scheduled to land at this time. The US 1st Army begins landing on beaches code-named "Utah" and "Omaha" from the Catentia Peninsula to north-west of Bayeux. 300 men of E Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry, 4th Division, US 1st Army, land at Utah Beach, the first company of the Allies to land. They land a mile south of their target, and encounter little opposition. Twenty-eight of 32 Dual-Drive tanks reach the beach. (By noon, the beach is cleared at a cost of six men killed, 39 wounded.) The first tanks come ashore at Omaha beach, between Pointe de la Percée and Port-en-Bessin. Company A of 116th Regiment of the US Ranger Force lands about 7-km west of the right flank of Omaha beach, below its target, Vierville. Most of the company is wiped out by intense German fire. Company C of the 2nd Battalion of US Ranger Force lands on the far western edge of Omaha beach. Only half of the 68 men reach the base of the cliff. L Company of 16th Division lands at Omaha Beach. Berlin radio reports landings in Normandy. Company D of 2nd Ranger Battalion begins landing at Point-du-Hoc. British tanks and 25-pounders on LCT landing craft begin firing on coastal gun positions. British air force planes drop 950 tons of bombs on Normandy beaches. The British 2nd Army under Lieutenant-General Sir Miles Dempsey begins landing on the beaches "Gold", "Juno", and "Sword", toward the River Orne. Units of the British 50th Division begin landing at Sword beach. (0730 hours) All British ships cease firing on the coast to allow landing craft to reach the shore. [54.534] German General Alfred Jodl informs Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt that the two divisions he ordered to the Calvados and Cotentin would not be moved until Adolf Hitler woke and gave the order. Rundstedt tells the two divisions to stop moving. (Hitler gives approval for them to move over eight hours later.) Company C of the 2nd Ranger Battalion reaches the crest of the cliff, likely the first assault unit to reach high ground on D-Day. (Throughout the day, they fight alone, killing 69 Germans at a cost of two Americans.) At the base of the cliff below Point-du-Hoc, the code message "Praise the Lord" is sent by radio to American Navy ships, indicating rangers have reached the top of the cliff. German General Kraiss orders one battalion of Kampfgruppe Meyer division to act as a reserve unit defending the Omaha Beach area. The British Underwater Demolition Team and Royal Engineers begin arriving on Gold Beach. Companies A and B of American 2nd Ranger Battalion land on Dog Green sector of Omaha Beach. 5th Ranger Battalion lands on Dog White sector of Omaha Beach. The 3rd Canadian Infantry Division with the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade and other troops from the Canadian Army begin landing on the Juno beach of Normandy, France. The Canadian 8th Brigade lands on Juno beach, quickly establishing a beachhead. German General Kraiss orders Kampfgruppe Meyer back from Isigny to Bayeux. (It will take them five hours to arrive.) Company A of the 1st Battalion of the Canadian Regina Rifle Regiment lands at Nan Green Beach, Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France. Company B of the 1st Battalion of the Canadian Regina Rifle Regiment lands at Nan Green Beach, Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France. Eleven men from E Company of the American 506th PIR successfully attack 50 Germans at a battery of 105-mm guns, knocking out four of the guns. Company C of the 1st Battalion of the Canadian Regina Rifle Regiment lands at Nan Green Beach, Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France. German General Kraiss orders two battalions of Kampfgruppe Meyer division to act as a reserve unit defending the Gold Beach area. Company C of the 1st Battalion of the Canadian Regina Rifle Regiment lands at Nan Green Beach, Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France. The Command group of the Canadian Regina Rifle Regiment lands at Nan Green Beach, Courseulles-sur-Mer, Normandy, France. American Rangers complete their mission of destroying 155-mm guns at Pointe-du-Hoc, making them the first American forces on D-Day to accomplish their mission. German Commander Colonel Oppeln of the 22nd Regiment of the German 21st Panzer Division is ordered to attack British airborne troops east of Orne, France. (They begin moving, but three hours later receive new orders.) The 12th Field Regiment of the Royal Canadian Artillery begins landing. In London, SHAEF releases a brief communiqué from General Dwight Eisenhower, announcing the invasion of Normandy. German General Kraiss reports American penetrations of the 352nd division at Omaha Beach. In Herrlingen, Germany, General Erwin Rommel receives news of the Normandy invasion. He immediately begins a long drive to La Roche-Guyon. The German garrison of Varaville surrenders. The American 18th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Division lands on Omaha Beach. The Canadian 8th Brigade takes Bernieres. The Canadian 9th Brigade lands on "Juno" beach. (By the end of the day, they advance to near the Carpiquet airfield.) The entire Canadian 3rd Division is ashore. German Commander Colonel Oppeln of the 22nd Regiment of the German 21st Panzer Division receives new orders to pass through Caen and attack into the gap between Canadian and British forces. American engineers on Omaha beach complete making exit E-1 open to vehicle traffic. The 12th SS Hitler Youth Division begins its advance on the Normandy battlefield. German General Kraiss reports to the 7th Army headquarters that the American assault had been pushed back into the sea, except at Colleville. Adolf Hitler orders V-1 attacks on London to begin. The 3rd British Division advances to three miles of Caen. The 22nd Regiment of the German 21st Panzer Division joins the 192nd Panzer Grenadier Regiment north of Caen. A group of British men of the 50th Division cross highway N-13, running from Caen to Cherbourg. This is the furthest penetration of any Allied unit during D-Day. American engineers complete a road path bypassing a guarded crossroad at St. Laurent. North of Caen, the 22nd Regiment of the German 21st Panzer Division and the 192nd Panzer Grenadier Regiment commence attacking a gap between British and Canadian forces, toward the sea. Adolf Hitler gives approval for Gerd von Rundstedt to move the 12th Panzer and Panzer Lehr divisions to Normandy. Rundstedt had wanted them moved over eleven hours earlier. An exit from the beach into Vierville is opened. German Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt demands that the Allied bridgehead be wiped out that evening. German General Alfred Jodl orders from OKW that all forces be put into battle. The 50th British Division advances to two miles of Bayeux. Kampfgruppe Meyer reaches Brazenville, south of Bayeux, intending to launch a counterattack. Instead, they defend themselves against British forces already in possession of the town. German General Kraiss reports to the 7th Army headquarters that Americans have infiltrated 352nd Division's strong points, but that only Colleville was in danger. The Canadian North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment secures St.-Aubin. One troop of Canadian 1st Hussar tanks crosses the Caen-Bayeux railway, making them the only Allied unit to reach their final objective on D-Day. German General Kraiss orders an engineer battalion to St.-Laurent to fight as infantry. For two minutes, American destroyer USS Harding fires 73 rounds on Colleville Church in France. American 1st Division Commanding Officer General Huebner lands on Easy Red sector of Omaha beach, and sets up his Command Post. The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion of the 6th Airborne Division takes Varaville. For two minutes, American destroyer USS Harding fires 60 rounds on Colleville Church and surrounding area in France. 64 Americans are killed from the naval fire. German soldiers of the 21st Panzer Division reach the beach between Canadian and British forces, and wait for tanks to arrive. Five of the arriving tanks are blown up within a few minutes, so they dig in on the defensive. The Canadian 8th Brigade takes Beny-sur-Mer on the main road to Caen. The German Panzer Lehr begins moving toward the Normandy battlefield. Over 1000 aircraft of British Bomber Command attack communications targets behind the Normandy battlefront. Over 90 km of Normandy coastline during the day, about 155,000 Allied troops landed, incurring 11,000 casualties (2500 dead). 69,000 British soldiers landed, with about 2,000 casualties. 14,000 Canadians landed, with about 1,000 casualties, of which 350 are dead. American casualties total about 3,200.   Double agent Juan Pujol in England tells the Germans that the Normandy assault is a feint for the main invasion to be in the Pas de Calais.
7 June 1944	In northern France, Canadian forces occupy the village of Buron, near Caen. In northern France, Canadian forces reach the village of Authie, about 2 km from Carpiquet. 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend shoots eight unarmed Canadian prisoners in Authie. The bodies are dragged on to the road and run over with tanks.
8 June 1944	A German guided bomb hits US destroyer Meredith. The ship has to be abandoned. The SS Panzergrenadier counterattacks at Putot-en-Bessin, France, attacking the Canadian 7th Brigade. 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend shoot at 40 Canadian prisoners in a field near Caen-Fontenay road, killing 35. British Bomber Command drops the first 12,000-pound "Tallboy" bomb, at the mouth of a tunnel near Saumur.
9 June 1944	The 10th Destroyer Flotilla of British, Polish, and Canadian warships sink German destroyer ZH-1 in the English Channel. The 10th Destroyer Flotilla of British, Polish, and Canadian warships force German destroyer Z-32 to run aground in the English Channel. American B-29 bombers arrive in China, to launch attacks on the Japanese mainland.
10 June 1944	In the town of Oradour-sur-Clone near Limoges, France, German SS units lock men in barns, women and children in a church, fire machine-guns on both, then set fire to them. About 1000 are killed; only six escape. This was done to deter the population from helping the Maquis.
11 June 1944	German Admiral Karl Dönitz issues an order to submarine commanders: "The invasion fleet is to be attacked with complete recklessness". American air attacks begin on Guam, Saipan, and Tinian in the Marianas Islands.
12 June 1944	The Canadian Queen's Own Rifles enter Les Mesnil-Patry, in France, but lose 17 of 19 tanks and many men. American forces make air attacks on Chichi Jima and Iwo Jima. Germany launches the first V-1 flying bombs against Britain. From 55 launch sites, seven are able to launch a total of ten flying bombs during the night, of which three reach England. One destroys a railway bridge. 286 British Lancaster and Mosquito bombers attack the Nordstern synthetic oil plant near Gelsenkirchen, Germany. They drop 1500 bombs, inflicting enormous damage, bringing fuel production to a halt. About 18 planes are shot down.
13 June 1944	Kurt Meyer is made commander of the 12th Panzer Division (Hitler Youth). A German A-4 rocket (V-2 rocket) test-fired from Peenemünde goes astray, exploding over a cornfield near Kalmar, Sweden, creating a 13-foot wide crater. (The Swedish government later transfers two tons of debris to England, reportedly in exchange for two squadrons of new tanks.)
14 June 1944	French General Charles de Gaulle debarks at Courseulles, France, ready to take control of a Provisional Government of France. 221 British Lancaster bombers attack Le Havre, France, killing about 1000 German sailors, and inflicting much damage to naval craft. This is Bomber Command's first major daylight raid since May 1943. 337 British heavy bombers attack German troops and vehicles at Aunay and Evreay.
15 June 1944	American forces begin landing on Saipan in the Marianas Islands in the Pacific Ocean. American B-29 Super Fortress bombers based in China begin bombing the Japanese home island of Northern Kyushu. Over 220 British bombers attack Boulogne, France. Combined with the previous day's attack on Le Havre, about 130 vessels are knocked out. Two planes are shot down. Portugal stops shipping wolfram ore to Germany. Wolfram ore is essential in producing armor-piercing shells. Northwest Air Command of the Royal Canadian Air Force is created.
16 June 1944	321 British bombers attack the synthetic oil plant at Sterkrade/Holten. Little damage is done. About 31 planes are shot down. British bombers attack four V-1 and V-2 rocket launch sites in the Pas de Calais.
17 June 1944	The 73rd German V-1 bomb reaches England.
18 June 1944	A German V-1 bomb hits the Wellington Barracks of the Royal Military Chapel in England, killing 63 servicemen, 58 civilians, and injuring 68. The neck of the Cotentin peninsula in Northern France is cut by US forces.
19 June 1944	The Battle of the Philippine Sea takes place, over two days. Allied ships sink three Japanese aircraft carriers, damage two more, and destroy 426 of 473 planes. In France, elements of the American 79th Division enter Negraville, Gladeville, and Bois de la Brigue.
22 June 1944	A four-day storm in the English Channel ends, wrecking the Mulberry A harbor at Arromanches, with the loss of 800 ships sunk, damaged, or beached. (The Mulberry B harbor is damaged, but repaied and incorporates surviving elements of Mulberry A.) The Japanese siege of Kohima is broken as British and Indian forces meet north of the town, opening the road to Imphal. General William Slim with the Indian 14th Army chases the Japanese back into Burma. By the end of the battle, 30,000 Japanese are killed, with a further 30,000 wounded. British and Indian casualties number 17,587. Soviet forces launch Operation Bagration, on German Army Group Centre. The Soviet force comprises about 1.2 million men, 166 rifle divisions, 2715 tanks, 24,000 guns, 5327 aircraft, and 700 heavy bombers. American air force bombers knock out 90% of German airplane fuel prooduction. Allied bombers attack Cherbourg, France.
24 June 1944	Allied leaders approve plans to resurrect Operation Anvil, the invasion of southern France. In the English Channel, Canadian, British, and Czech ships and planes sink German submarine U-971. Royal Canadian Air Force planes sinks German submarine U-1225. (Flight Lieutenant David Hornell is shot down and killed in the battle, posthumously receiving the Victoria Cross for his efforts.)
25 June 1944	The German general commanding the defences of Cherbourg surrenders, though he does not issue a cease-fire order.
26 June 1944	British forces in France east of Caen begin Operation Epsom, attempting to break through the German front line. (The operation is a failure.)
27 June 1944	The German garrison at Cherbourg destroys the port facilities and surrenders. 6000 soldiers are taken prisoner. (This is the first major French city liberated.)
28 June 1944	All of the Cotentin peninsula in Northern France is under US control.
30 June 1944	266 British bombers attack German panzer tanks at the Villers-Bocage road junction.