London: The first Victoria Cross of the war has been awarded posthumously to Captain Bernard Warburton-Lee of the destroyer HMS Hardy in the raid on Narvik in April.

HMS Devonshire brings the King of Norway from Tromsø to Britain. The are destined for the river Clyde and sail without any escorts. (Alex Gordon)

Auxiliary Merchant Cruiser HMS Carinthia operating the Northern Patrol blockade duty is torpedoed by U-46 in the Atlantic NW of Ireland at 53 13N 10 40W. (Alex Gordon)(108)

FRANCE: Paris: A dull rumble can be heard north and east of Paris, the rumble of heavy guns. The broken glass from Paris’s first air raid four days ago still tinkles under the feet of the refugees moving east along the boulevards. The restaurants are empty, the Ritz deserted. For the third time in a lifetime, Paris prepares for a siege.

The air raid on 3 June came at lunchtime. Leaflets giving warnings, dropped by German planes the night before, caused near hysteria, but when the raid came it was an anti-climax - though 254 are reported dead. Paris’s anti-aircraft guns were ‘well-nourished’ as the French say, and the 200 planes kept too high to be accurate. There was no panic; the city seemed to accept its fate.

Somme: Learning from his experience of the previous days, Rommel avoids the "hedgehogs" and pushes south-west. In one day he covers 28 miles and reaches Forges-les-Eaux, only 25 miles from Rouen.

By the evening part of the French 10th Army was cut off on the Bresle and the Germans had made gap in the line, but the French still held the Avre at Moreuil, their second line at Montdidier to Noyon and both the Oise and the Aisne.

For the carriers, the moment of truth had arrived. With the Allied ground forces steadily being pulled out, the time was finally at hand when the RAF landing ground at Bardufoss had to be evacuated prior to its demolition. Since May 21 the Gladiators of 263 Squadron had provided the first semblance of air cover over the Allied troops. Then, on 26 May, 46 Squadrons Hurricanes had arrived with the providing the first modern Allied fighter planes in the theatre. For the prior 12 days the two Squadrons had done Yeoman service, basically winning control of the air. But now, the end of their gallant effort was in sight. As it stood, 46 Squadron was to destroy their aircraft before being evacuated, while 263 Squadron was to destroy the lame ducks and then fly their serviceable Gladiators (10) out to HMS Glorious.

At 0200, HMS Ark Royal in position 70.14 N, 16.14 W, she dispatched an A.D.A. patrol (one 810 Squadron Swordfish) as well as a fighter patrol to Risoy (two 800 Squadron Skuas led by Lt. K. V. V. Spurway, RN). This was followed, at 0435, by a weather flight (one Swordfish, 810 Squadron), another fighter patrol (three Skuas, Capt. R. T. Partridge, RM), and a three-plane bombing mission of 820 Squadron (with the usual 4 x 250 GP, 4 x 20 Cooper and 4 x 25 incendiary bombs each) led by CO Lt.Cdr. G. B. Hodgkinson, RN on the Flak positions at Hundallen. Weather forced the flight to seek an alternate target, and the trio opted to plaster the railway at Sildvik.

0540 saw the A.D.A. patrol relieved, this time with two Swordfish, one each ahead and astern of the task force. At 0800, another trio of Skuas set off for Risoy (800 Squadron, Lt. G. E. D. Finch-Noyes) At 0900 the A.D.A. patrol was relieved by a single 810 Squadron Swordfish, while another is dispatched to Bardufoss to communicate the Navys intentions for the evacuation. This is followed, at 0930, by another trio of fighters (800 Squadron, Lt. G. R. Callingham). They report the evacuation convoy is putting to sea.

At 1205, a relief A.D.A. patrol (single Swordfish, 820 Squadron) sets off. At 1350 this aircraft reports a snooper. Five minutes later, 803 Squadrons Lt. C. W. Peever, RN took a trio of Skuas aloft in pursuit, but by the time they got to altitude the German was gone. 

Meanwhile, the earlier communication with the RAF at Bardufoss had, more or less, stunned the naval staff. SL Kenneth B. B. Cross, RAF [later KCB, CBE, DSO, DFC], 46 Squadrons CO had sent back a message proposing that, instead of destroying his ten serviceable Hurricanes, his pilots be allowed to fly them out to the task force and try to land them aboard Glorious. Considering that fact that, to date, no Hurricane had ever been landed on a carrier, the pilots involved had never landed any aircraft on a carrier, and that, even if it were possible to land a properly navalized Hurricane on a carrier (and the Naval experts said is wasn't), his planes were not fitted with any arrestor gear!

At 1430, HMS Glorious dispatched 4 Swordfish to Bardufoss to lead the RAF planes back when the effort was made. Meanwhile, after due consideration was given to Cross request (and not to be out done by the junior service), the Navy agreed to let a section of Hurricanes fly out to Glorious and give it a go and, at 1615, Ark flew off another Swordfish to Bardufoss with the latest navigational dope, and permission for Cross to fly out.

At 1800, New Zealand FL Patric Geraint Jameson, RAF [later CB, DSO, DFC+bar] led his forlorn hope (FO Herbert Harold Knight, RAF, Sgt. Bernard Lester Taylor, RAF) aloft. Struggling to follow their slow Swordfish guide to the carrier, they arrived shortly before 1900. The three pilots was literally stunned at how small that floating matchbox looked on the sea. Not to be discredited in the attempt, Glorious worked up to 30 knots into the wind to give the maximum wind over the deck, her decks visibly pitching and rolling with the ship in the moderate  sea. Signalling an in flight emergency, Sgt. Taylor cut off Jameson in the pattern and became the first Hurricane to successfully land on a carrier. Following right behind, the other two landed safely as well. That accomplished, the Swordfish was sent back to Bardufoss to pass the word and deliver the plans for the upcoming embarkation. At the same time, 701 Squadrons Walrus amphibians, having flown out from Harstad, landed aboard Ark Royal.

The plan called for Arks Skuas would fly top cover for the effort. Once on station, the Swordfish of 823 Squadron would lead RAF boys back to the carriers, at which point the Gladiators were to embark first, and then the Hurricanes. At 2305, Ark commenced launching the fighter patrols, three sections of 800 Squadron, nine Skuas led by Capt. R. T. Partridge, RM (Narvik), Lt. G. E. D. Finch-Noyes, RN (Skaanland), and Lt. K. V. V. Spurway, RN (Bardufoss), and an A.D. A. patrol of two 810 Squadron Swordfish.

The (labour) government of Johan Nygaardsvold and the Norwegian Royals (King Haakon VII, Queen Maud) left Norway on the British cruiser HMS Devonshire. The exile government, which had not surrendered to the Germans, was given authorization by the national assembly of the country, [the 'StortIng'], to continue the fight from abroad if exile was the only choice. (Russ Fulsom)

ITALY: Italian ships are ordered to neutral ports.