June 1943

June

• 04

  • The French Committee of National LiberationOn 3 June 1943 de Gaulle and Giraud set up the French Committee of National Liberation in Algiers – a joint authority for fighting France with two chairmen.
• 08

  • The evacuation of KiskaAfter Attu fell, Japan decided to withdraw the Kiska garrison. In June 1943 submarines took off over 800 men, but three were sunk and the effort was halted.
• 11

  • The capture of PantelleriaOn 11 June 1943, after a month of bombing, the Pantelleria garrison surrendered to the British; Lampedusa followed next day as the Allies pounded Sicily.
• 13

  • The raids on Kiel and BremenOn 13 June 1943 American B-17s bombed the U-boat yards at Kiel and Bremen. The Germans shot down 26 bombers, including 22 of the 76 sent to Kiel.
• 20

  • Operation BellicoseOn the night of 20–21 June 1943 RAF Lancasters bombed the Zeppelin works at Friedrichshafen and flew on to Algeria, also hitting planned V-2 production.
• 21

  • The landing at Segi PointOn 21 June 1943 marines of the 4th Raider Battalion landed at Segi Point, New Georgia, to save coastwatcher Donald Kennedy and the site for an airfield.
• 23

  • The landings on Woodlark and KiriwinaOn 23 June 1943 US advance parties landed on undefended Woodlark, and that night on Kiriwina. The main landings of 30 June gave airfields against Rabaul.
• 24

  • The raid on Elberfeld and the evacuation of the RuhrOn the night of 24–25 June 1943 the RAF destroyed Elberfeld, western Wuppertal, killing about 1,900. Women and children were moved out of Ruhr cities.
• 30

  • The landing on RendovaOn 30 June 1943 the Americans landed on Rendova opposite the Japanese airfield at Munda. Operation Cartwheel began; Turner’s flagship was sunk.
  • Arrest of General RoweckiOn 30 June 1943 the Gestapo arrested Home Army commander Gen. Stefan Rowecki “Grot” at 14 Spiska Street in Warsaw. Gen. Komorowski took over.