June 28th, 1940 (FRIDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: London: The British government today gave its formal recognition to General Charles de Gaulle as leader, in exile, of the French nation.The move follows the formation by de Gaulle of a French National Committee in London on 23 June. Two days ago the general, who was under-secretary for national defence in the Reynaud administration which handed over to Petain, also announced the creation of a French volunteer legion in Britain and of a French centre for armament and scientific research. It is de Gaulle’s belief that the Petain government gave in too easily to the Germans, "before all means of resistance had been exhausted," as he said in a broadcast on 23 June.
He went on: "The French National Committee will take under its jurisdiction all French citizens at present on British territory, and will assume the direction of all military and administrative bodies which are now, or may be in the future in this country."
De Gaulle ended on a defiant note: "The war is not lost, the country is not dead, hope is not extinct. Vive la France!"
Pulborough, Sussex: Montgomery holds a commanders conference on the proposed invasion of Southern Ireland and seizure of Cork and Queenstown by the 3rd Division. The plan is shelved by the War Office, (along with the proposals to invade the Azores and Cape Verde Islands).
Channel Islands: Germany bombs Jersey and Guernsey.
RAF Coastal Command: First delivery of Blackburn Bothas to No. 608 Sqn. to replace Avro Ansons.
Steam trawler Castleton was reported missing in the Orkneys. The only U-boat operating in that area was U-102, which was lost during the patrol and did not report her successes.
Rescue tug HMS Hudson commissioned.
GERMANY: The first success of ‘helle Nachtjagd’ (night interception with searchlights) occurs when the crew of a Do17 succeed on their first operation in shooting down a bomber captured by the searchlights.
LUXEMBOURG: Gauleiter Gustav Simon assumes direct command of the civil administration of the former Grand Duchy. (Russell Folsom)
VATICAN CITY: The Pope offers to mediate for ‘a just and honourable peace.’
ROMANIA: Bucharest: The Soviet Union has forced the Rumanians to give up the rich provinces of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina. Throughout the day motorised units and tanks of the Red Army have been entering the areas. King Carol has ordered general mobilisation. This, however, is a move aimed not at Russia but at Romania’s smaller neighbours. The fear here is that Bulgaria and Hungary will take advantage of Romania’s weakness. Hungary has claims on Transylvania, and Bulgaria has already demanded the return of its former Black Sea territory, Dobruja.
MEDITERRANEAN SEA: As the Mediterranean Fleet 7th Cruiser Squadron covers convoy movements in the Eastern Mediterranean, three Italian destroyers carrying supplies between Taranto and Tobruk are encountered. In a running gun battle, 'Espero' is sunk by Australian cruiser HMAS Sydney to the southwest of Cape Matapan.
LIBYA: AIR MARSHAL ITALO BALBO,* commander-in-chief of the North African theatre, and also highest-ranking officer in the Italian Air Force (former Air Minister). Killed by "friendly fire" of Italian AA gunners while piloting his own plane, coming in for a landing at Tobruk. Balbo had the misfortune to be approaching a few minutes after a British air raid on Tobruk, and from the same direction in which the enemy planes had last been seen. Furthermore, his landing approach led him to come in low right over the old First World War cruiser San Giorgio, stationed in Tobruk as a floating harbour defence/AA battery. His plane was hit in the fuel tank by one or more 20mm shells, either from the San Giorgio or from a nearby land-based Navy AA battery, and crashed on the rocky headlands with no survivors. A second plane coming in behind him was flown by General Felice Porro, commander of the Italian air force units in North Africa (officially known as 5th Squadra), but he managed to land safely. (Michael F. Yaklich)
USA: The Alien Registration Act is passed by Congress. The Act requires the immediate registration of all aliens resident in the United States. (Drew Halevy)
The Grumman Model G-44 Widgeon, amphibian flies for the first time. It can accommodate a pilot and four passengers.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: At 0202, the unescorted Llanarth was torpedoed by U-30 about 220 miles SW of Ushant and sank after two hours and 30 minutes in 47°39N/10°17W. The master and 15 crewmembers were picked up by corvette HMS Gladiolus and landed at Plymouth. The chief officer and 18 crewmembers were rescued by a Spanish trawler and landed at San Sebastian.
U-25 encountered a British submarine in the North Atlantic, but neither boat attacked.