Yesterday Tomorrow

June 4th, 1942 (THURSDAY)

GERMANY: Cologne: All inhabitants, except key industrial workers, are being evacuated - or have fled - from the devastated city of Cologne following the 1,000-bomber raid by the RAF at the end of last month.

The evacuation is announced in Cologne's largest newspaper, Kölnischer Zeitung, along with a message from Hitler asking about the extent of the damage. The paper also reveals that the troops have been called in to deal with widespread looting. But across Germany as a whole the extent of the destruction in Cologne is being minimized by the press. People living outside the zones attacked by the RAF have no way of knowing the extent of the damage. Court Martial verdicts show that people spreading "ridiculous rumours" purporting to be truth are sentenced to death.

One significant effect of the latest RAF raid is the closing down of many big stores in the target areas because of the destruction of large quantities of supplies and the dangers of looting.

CZECHOSLOVAKIA: Prague: Heydrich lived for eight days. The Germans took over the whole second storey of the Prague hospital, barred it to Czechs and set up SS machine-gun posts. While German doctors fought to save Heydrich's life, SS and Gestapo agents swarmed through the city. Arrests and shootings were widespread, but the hunted men were being sheltered by resistance families and the Germans were still without a lead when Heydrich died, aged 38, of blood poisoning caused by infection from bomb splinters in his back.


FINLAND:
Mikko Härmeinen covers Field Marshal Mannerheim's 75th birthday.

Commander-in-Chief of the Finnish Defence Forces, Field Marshal Carl Gustav Emil Mannerheim celebrates his 75th birthday. The event is widely celebrated around Finland, despite Mannerheim's original wish to keep low profile and spend the day by visiting the soldiers in the front line. Mannerheim receives several delegations and is given the honorific title 'Suomen Marsalkka' (Marshal of Finland). The men of the field army receive a special ration of hard liquor.

     There has been some speculation as to who will be the German envoy to bring Hitler's best wishes to Mannerheim. The most common guess is the corpulent Reichmarschall Hermann Göring, who personally knows Mannerheim. But late on the 3rd of June Finns receive surprising news: Der Fuehrer himself will fly to Finland to personally congratulate Mannerheim.

     The news of Hitler's arrival is received with mixed feelings by the Finnish leadership. It is flattering that Hitler thinks Mannerheim and the Finns worth a visit (for example, Hitler never visited his Hungarian or Rumanian allies), but on the other hand it is feared that Hitler will use the occasion to make demands of greater Finnish contribution to the war. Since the end of 1941 the Finnish Army has adopted a defensive posture, and it is speculated that Hitler is going to demand Finns to attack Leningrad from north. Other source of consternation is that Hitler's visit will make Finland look like a German dependant, which would worsen the relations with the Western Allies.

     Despite these fears the Finns are relived to see a very polite and even a bit deferential man to arrive at the airfield in Immola with his Fw 200 'Condor'. President of the Republic Risto Ryti is there to receive Hitler, who brings with him a numerous retinue, among them Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel and the Reich Press Chief Otto Dietrich.

     From the airfield they go to meet Mannerheim, who holds the reception in a nearby railway car. As Mannerheim and Hitler salute and greet, observers note that Der Fuehrer seems to be somewhat taken aback by Mannerheim's presence. As a birthday gift, Hitler brings three Steyr-Daimler cars. Then they have a dinner, and both Mannerheim and Hitler hold short speeches. Afterwards they go to the lounge car where Hitler, Keitel, Mannerheim and Ryti have an informal discussion, which, unsurprisingly, is dominated by Hitler. He talks about the surprising strength of the Red Army, and his earlier conduct of war. He is very impressed by the Russian equipment and their resilience. [See the original post by Mikko in the archives for details on the other interesting comments.]

     After this informal discussion, President Ryti sees Hitler back to the airfield. On the way Ryti mentions the recent bombing of Cologne, and Hitler tells he is distressed by the bombings of historical German cities by the Allies: "With bleeding heart I had to give the order to retaliate by bombing similar [historically valuable] English cities, for example Canterbury." Before boarding his plane Hitler once more thanks Ryti for the Finnish participation to the war.

     Thus the unexpected guest is gone, and the Finnish leadership have a collective sigh of relief. During the whole time Hitler was very polite and considerate and didn't make any demands. It really seemed that he only came to congratulate Mannerheim.

ARCTIC OCEAN: Soviet Submarine "M-176"of the Polar fleet and White Sea Flotilla is sunk - mined, at Varanger-fjord. (Sergey Anisimov) (69)

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: (Mark Horan writes) The Beaufort Squadron (as number 39 is called in the Med at this time) has been rebuilding its strength since the disastrous 14 April mission. Thus far, operations of the two flights (the first operating Beaufort Is with the Taurus engine, the second operating Beaufort IIs with the Wasp engine) have been making single plane or sub-flight armed recce missions out of advance fields in Libya.

On this date, the new second flight leader, FL Reginald Patrick Mahoney Pat Gibbs DFC, RAF, age 26, is scheduled to make a early morning strike from LG.05 on an Italian convoy consisting of the mv Reginaldo Giuliani (6,837 BRT) and three escorts, DD Freccia, DE Pegaso, and TB Partenope. Gibbs schedules departure such that the sub-flight, flying in a scouting line, will reach the expected interception point at dawn, limiting the time that defending fighters can use to get off the ground in Libya. his range at dawn. Of the three scheduled aircraft, one is scrubbed with a balky engine. leaving two Beauforts for the job, Gibbs flying in AW337. Things go exactly as planned, Gibbs surprises the convoy approaching harbour, and slips his kipper into the merchant vessel, stopping her and causing a severe fire. She sinks later that morning. This is Gibbs first attack in the Mediterranean (having flown his first tour in the home islands) - it will not be his last!

LIBYA: The British Eighth Army launches a counter-offensive on Rommel's forces in the area known as the "Cauldron".

PACIFIC OCEAN: The Japanese attack Midway Island.

The Battle of Midway.
 

TERRITORY OF ALASKA: After attacking Dutch Harbor, Amaknak Island, Aleutian Islands yesterday, the Japanese task force heads for Adak Island, Aleutian Islands to support the Japanese landings on Attu and Kiska. However, a storm is encountered with heavy seas and Rear Admiral Kakaji Kakuta, the commander of Carrier Division Four, decides to turn back and attack Dutch Harbor again. It is rainy with a low-overcast limiting visibility and the two Japanese light aircraft carriers, HIJMS Junyo and HIJMS Ryujo, wait for it to clear. Finally, planes are dispatched to bomb Dutch Harbor in weather so poor that only the best pilots on the two ships were permitted to fly.

Reconnaissance aircraft are launched at 1154 hours local and the first strike, consisting of Eleven Aichi D3A Navy Type 99 Carrier Bombers, Allied Code Name "Val;" ten Mitsubishi A6M Navy Type 0 Carrier Fighters, Allied Code Name "Zeke;" and eight Nakajima B5N Navy Type 97 Carrier Attack Bombers, Allied Code Name "Kate," is launched in the late afternoon. The incoming aircraft are picked up on a radar station on Unalaska Island at 1740 hours local. The 21 Japanese aircraft strike Dutch Harbor beginning at 1800 hours and damage four new, steel oil tanks containing 22,000 barrels (3.5 million litres) of oil; hit the beached barracks ship SS North-western, and bomb a warehouse and a hangar. A second strike force of three horizontal bombers dropped their bombs at 1821 hours but all hit the harbour water and cause no damage. The third strike force attacks the naval magazine area on the south foot of Mount Ballyhoo at 1825 hours hitting 20mm antiaircraft sites and killing four sailors.

After the attack, the Eight "Vals" and "Zekes" from the carrier HIJMS Junyo, unaware of the USAAF's new fighter base at Otter Point on Umnak Island, rally at the west end of Umnak and are met by eight US Army Air Forces (USAAF) Curtiss P-40s from the Otter Point airfield at Fort Glenn on Umnak Island which shoot down two "Vals" and two "Zekes". US Army and Navy casualties during the two days are 43 killed and approximately 50 wounded.

One other plane from HIJMS Junyo fails to return, but all the aircraft from HIJMS Ryujo return to ship.

A Navy Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina of the USN's Patrol Squadron Forty Two (VP-42), sights the Japanese ships by radar and circles them for an hour radioing their position. The ships are attacked by PBYs and USAAF B-17s and B-26s but they score only near misses.

CANADA: Tug HMCS Nashwaak assigned to Halifax.

U.S.A.: USAAF 31st Fighter Group ground echelon and it's three component squadrons, the 307th, 308th and 309th Fighter Squadrons, depart the US in the Queen Elizabeth.

The motion picture "Mrs. Miniver" is released in the U.S. This war drama, directed by William Wyler and starring Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Dame May Whitty, Teresa Wright, Reginald Owen, Henry Wilcoxon and Peter Lawford, depicts the "Hollywoodized" experiences of a "middle-class" English family learning to cope with World War II. The film is nominated for twelve Academy Awards and wins six including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Garson) and Best Supporting Actress (Wright).

CARIBBEAN SEA: German U-boat operations continue as U-158 sinks a U.S. armed freighter in the Caribbean south of the Yucatan Channel.

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4 June 1942