20 June 1942

June 20th, 1942 (SATURDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: The first Hawker Typhoon operations begin with a sweep over France by Nos. 56 and 266 Squadrons of the RAF. (22)

Escort carrier HMS Searcher launched.

Destroyer HMS Wensleydale launched.

Corvette HMCS Lethbridge departed Londonderry for Halifax.

Frigate HMS Nene (later HMCS Nene) laid down, South Bank-on-Tees.

BELGIUM: Brussels: Disaster has overtaken the "Red Orchestra", the Soviet spy network in Belgium. Johann Wenzel, the network's radio operator, has been caught by the Abwehr. If forced to reveal secrets under the threat of torture or death, Wenzel could jeopardize several hundred Russian agents throughout Europe, including some working for government departments in Berlin.

Some German spymasters also favour using the system to feed disinformation to Wenzel's former controllers, who are so far unaware of his capture. Wenzel's arrest followed the destruction of the original "Red Orchestra" which was led by Leon Trepper, a skilled Soviet spy, in the suburbs of Brussels, traced by the Abwehr radio detection units in December 1941. The fault was in Moscow's, for the network was bombarded with so many requests for information that it had to use its radios for long periods, thus enabling the Germans to track the transmissions.

Trepper talked his way out of arrest by pretending to be a door-to-door salesman. He fled from Belgium, but the remnants of his organization were revived by a Finn named Yefremoff. His first need was for a radio operator, and he brought in Wenzel who had been operating in Holland. But Wenzel had been compromised by Rita Arnould, who was captured in the raid.

Armould was sucked dry of information by the Abwehr and then shot. Wenzel was now on the wanted list, and when the "Red Orchestra" started to broadcast again from Brussels the Germans knew whom to look for.

GERMANY: Two Swiss entomologists die in an unexplained road traffic accident on the autobahn near Heidelberg. The details are unclear and apparently were covered up, but it seems likely that Karl Roos and Gérard Défago came to Germany on a clandestine mission to share information on a tremendously effective new pesticide, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, also known as DDT. DDT offered crucial support for the Nazis' fight against the potato beetle, part of a broader strategy of national self-sufficiency in food production. In addition, Germans evidently feared that the Allies might use potato beetles as a weapon of biological warfare, and it is possible that the Swiss entomologists learned something that day about Germany's own plans for biological warfare. (Peter Kilduff)(245)

U-426, U-845 laid down.

U-224, U-446 commissioned.

U.S.S.R.: The Germans reach Sevastopol Harbour after heavy fighting.

Soviet submarine Shch-214 of the Black Sea Fleet is sunk by an Italian Torpedo boat off Cape Aitodor. (Mike Yared)(146 and 147)

MEDITERRANEAN SEA: RAF Beauforts operate.

NORTH AFRICA: Rommel begins his attack of Tobruk with heavy dive-bomber attacks. The ground forces advance quickly and will breach the main positions by afternoon. Evening finds German forces at the harbour.

NEW GUINEA: US 6th Army HQ is established at Milne Bay by General Krueger.

The 17th Australian Brigade successfully repels a Japanese attack in the area of Mubo.

TERRITORY OF ALASKA: ALEUTIAN ISLANDS: The 11th Air Force dispatches 7 B-24s, 1 B-17 and 1 LB-30 to bomb Kiska which is fogbound. Three aircraft abort and 3 bomb the target through the fog.
USS S-27 continues her adventure.

CANADA: British Columbia: The Japanese submarine HIJMS I-26, shells the Government Telegraph Station at Estevan Point on Vancouver Island, but misses the target. HMCS Moolock and Santa Maria dispatched to the area but no further contact reported. There was very little damage and no loss of life as a result of this incident. This was the only known time that Canadian territory was taken under enemy fire during World War II.

Frigate HMCS (ex-HMS) Nene laid down.

Minesweeper HMCS Lachine commissioned.

U.S.A.: The Air Corps Ferrying Command is redesignated Air Transport Command (ATC). ATC is tasked not only to deliver aircraft but the world-wide air transport of personnel, supplies and mail.

Major General James E. Chaney, Commanding General European Theater of Operations U.S. Army (ETOUSA), is recalled from the UK and will be replaced by Brigadier General Dwight D. Eisenhower. General George C. Marshall's letter of instruction to Eisenhower reveals a plan to integrate all US air units in the UK into the 8th Air Force. The broad objective of the USAAF in the ETO is to attain "air supremacy over Western Continental Europe" in preparation for a future invasion of the Continent.

"Sleepy Lagoon" by Harry James and his Orchestra reaches Number 1 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in the U.S. This song, which debuted on the charts on 25 April 1942, was charted for 18 weeks, was Number 1 for 4 weeks and was ranked Number 6 for the year 1942.

The first non-stop commercial flight across the Atlantic Ocean is completed by an American Export Air Lines Vought Sikorsky VS-44A flying boat. American Export flew between New York City and Foynes, Eire, under contract to the USN.

Destroyer USS Thatcher laid down.

CARIBBEAN SEA: German submarine U-128 sinks an armed U.S. merchant freighter 120 miles (193.1 km) southeast of Barbados.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: U-67 damaged SS Nortind.

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20 June 1942