June 3rd, 1940 (MONDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: RAF Bomber Command: 4 Group (Whitley). Bombing - oil plants at Hamburg and Gelsenkirchen.10 Sqn. Eight aircraft to Hamburg. Heavy opposition. All bombed, one crashed on return.
51 Sqn. Eight aircraft to Hamburg. All bombed.
58 Sqn. Eight aircraft to Kamen. Four bombed primary, four bombed alternatives.
77 Sqn. Eleven aircraft to Gelsenkirchen. All bombed, one crashed on return.
102 Sqn. Eleven aircraft to Gelsenkirchen. Two returned early, nine bombed.
First service issue Blackburn Bothas are delivered to No. 1 OTU, Silloth, Cumberland
HMCS Fraser arrived Devonport for refit. One bank of torpedo tubes removed for Anti-Aircraft guns.
FRANCE:
Paris: 254 civilians are killed when 200 Luftwaffe bombers bombard the city.
Dunkirk: All British troops have left, and the French troops are pushed back to the Dunkirk-Furnes canal, only 1.25 miles from the sea. Because of the narrowness of the strip General Fagalde and Admiral Abrial agreed that tonight will be the last night for evacuating. During the last night, 50 ships take away 38,000 French troops.
The final cost of the northern campaign to France is:
24 infantry divisions; 13 of which were regular, and including 6 of the 7 motorised divisions.
3 light mechanised divisions.
2 light cavalry divisions
1 armoured division.
To which should be added 2 more armoured divisions (the 2 and 4) which were considerably depleted.
NORWEGIAN CAMPAIGN: The British carrier force arrives off Narvik, position 71.00 N, 12.56 E, at 1600, and commenced air operations immediately with Air Defensive Area (A.D.A.) patrols around the task force. Earlier sorties off Norway had established that the weather inshore, which seldom matched that at sea, was the overriding factor. With daylight no spanning virtually the entire 24 hours each day, Wells intended to ensure that his Squadrons knew the weather in advance before departure. Henceforth, Ark Royal would dispatch a single Swordfish inshore each day to verify the current weather before any fighter patrols or strike missions were dispatched.
The days activity saw ADA patrols depart at 1600 (two Swordfish of 820 Squadron), 1835 (two Swordfish of 820 Squadron), 2050 (one from 820 Squadron), and 2337 (one from 820 Squadron). The first weather flights left at 2050 and 2337. Having determined that the weather was acceptable, the first fighter patrol was flown off for Narvik at 2337, two Skuas of 800 Squadron under the newly returned (having spent several days in Norway and then getting back to Scapa, he had missed the ships second voyage off Norway) CO Capt. R. T. Partridge, RM. His wingman was forced to return immediately with a stuck undercarriage, so Partridge continued alone. He met no aerial opposition and returned safely.
Lt. "Fairy" Filmer, a section leader of 803 flies from Ark Royal to make an attack on German ships.
"As we neared Trondheim I was stunned to see the battlecruiser Scharnhorst was surrounded by a heavy cruiser and four destroyers," he remembered. "It was painfully evident that the firepower from the six naval ships, plus the land batteries, was going to be immense. The tracer bullets commenced rising well before we were within striking distance".
Despite the heavy flak Filmer completed his attack, but was jumped by two Me 110 fighters. Outgunned and out-manoeuvred, he ditched his aircraft to save his wounded observer, Midshipman Tony McKee, landing wheels-up on the fjord where they were picked up by Norwegians in a small boat. En route to hospital Filmer and McKee planned their escape to Sweden, but they were taken prisoner and flown to Germany.
Meanwhile, back in the Clyde, HMS Illustrious departed Devonport , Plymouth. She was destined to remain there until 21 June, at which point she departed for her shakedown cruise to the West Indies. Her commissioning deprived Coastal Command of three squadrons: 806 Squadron, still equipped with Skuas but expecting the imminent arrival of the first productions versions of the Fleets new 8-gun fighter, the Fulmar I. Also assigned were 815 and 819 Squadrons, each equipped with Swordfish TSRs. (Mark Horan)
CHINA: Chinese forces counter-attack, retaking Hsiangyang and capturing Tsaoyang.