June 8, 1940: Sinking of HMS Glorious (Norwegian Sea)
German battleship Scharnhorst firing her forward 283mm guns, during the engagement with the British aircraft carrier Glorious and her escorts, 8 June 1940. Photographed from the battleship Gneisenau. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph.
Battle Context: Operation Juno and Operation Alphabet
German naval forces, led by Admiral Wilhelm Marschall, executed Operation Juno to disrupt Allied evacuation convoys from Norway. The battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, accompanied by the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper and four destroyers (Karl Galster, Hans Lody, Hermann Schoemann, Erich Steinbrinck), targeted British shipping.
The British aircraft carrier HMS Glorious (commanded by Captain Guy D’Oyly-Hughes), escorted by destroyers HMS Ardent (Lieutenant Commander John F. Barker) and HMS Acasta (Commander Charles E. Glasfurd), was evacuating RAF aircraft as part of Operation Alphabet, the withdrawal from Norway after the fall of Narvik.
Engagement Details:
At 15:46, Scharnhorst’s lookout spotted smoke from Glorious, 450 km west of Harstad. Glorious, carrying 10 Gloster Gladiator biplanes and 8 Hawker Hurricane fighters of No. 46 Squadron RAF, was steaming at 17 knots without air patrols or radar.
Gneisenau opened fire on Ardent at 16:27, followed by Scharnhorst targeting Glorious at 16:30 from 24,000 meters. A shell from Scharnhorst hit Glorious’s flight deck, igniting a fire and preventing aircraft launches. Commander J.B. Heath, Glorious’s air officer, was ashore, possibly due to a dispute with D’Oyly-Hughes over attack orders.
Ardent and Acasta laid smoke screens and engaged. Ardent scored a 4.7-inch gun hit on Scharnhorst but sank at 17:25. Acasta’s torpedo, launched at 17:32, struck Scharnhorst, killing 48 and forcing her to withdraw. Acasta sank at 18:20. Glorious, hit repeatedly, sank at 18:10.
Key Personalities:
Captain Guy D’Oyly-Hughes: Criticized for Glorious’s lack of preparedness (no air patrol, no crow’s nest lookout). His decision to sail independently, possibly to court-martial Heath or prepare for Operation Paul (a rumoured plan to mine Swedish ports), remains debated.
Admiral Wilhelm Marschall: Led the German task force, capitalizing on surprise to devastate the British flotilla.
Lieutenant Commander John F. Barker and Commander Charles E. Glasfurd: Commanders of Ardent and Acasta, respectively, whose bravery in engaging superior forces earned posthumous Victoria Cross recommendations (not awarded).
Outcome:
Losses: 1,519 killed (1,207 from Glorious, 160 from Acasta, 152 from Ardent); only 40 survivors, rescued June 10 by Norwegian ships (Svalbard II and Borgund).
German Impact: Scharnhorst’s damage (14x6m hole, reduced speed) forced repairs, delaying further operations.
Controversy: The Royal Navy’s inquiry, sealed until 2041, fuels speculation about a cover-up regarding Glorious’s mission and D’Oyly-Hughes’s decisions.
June 8, 1941: Operation Exporter (Syria-Lebanon Campaign)
South-African built Marmon-Herrington Mk.II or early III in an unknown location in the Levant, June 1941
Battle Context:
Allied forces launched Operation Exporter to capture Vichy French-controlled Syria and Lebanon, preventing Axis use of the region. The invasion involved British 7th Division, Australian 7th Division (under Major General John Lavarack), Free French Forces (led by General Georges Catroux), and Indian troops against Vichy forces under General Henri Dentz.
Units and Actions:
The Australian 21st Brigade advanced along the coast toward Beirut, engaging Vichy troops at the Litani River. Free French 1st Free French Division targeted Damascus, while British 10th Indian Division moved toward Aleppo.
Initial clashes saw Vichy resistance with Renault R35 tanks and air support from Curtiss Hawk 75 fighters, countered by Allied Hurricane fighters of No. 3 Squadron RAAF.
Key Personalities:
General John Lavarack: Led Australian forces, coordinating coastal advances.
General Georges Catroux: Free French commander, later appointed Governor of Lebanon, pivotal in rallying Free French troops.
General Henri Dentz: Vichy commander, organized a stubborn defense but faced overwhelming Allied numbers.
Outcome:
The campaign began with slow progress due to Vichy resistance but set the stage for Allied control by July 1941.
June 8, 1942: Battle of Midway Aftermath and North Africa
Erwin Rommel, aka ‘the Desert Fox’, advancing with 15th Panzer near Tobruk
June 8, 1942: Battle of Midway Aftermath and North Africa
Pacific Theater: Post-Midway Consolidation
Following the U.S. victory at Midway (June 4–7), the U.S. Pacific Fleet, under Admiral Chester Nimitz, secured the initiative. The USS Enterprise (Carrier Task Force 16, Rear Admiral Raymond Spruance) and USS Hornet pursued retreating Japanese forces, including the crippled cruiser Mikuma, sunk on June 7.
On June 8, U.S. forces, including Marine Corps units, prepared for operations in the Solomon Islands, targeting New Georgia with 1st Marine Division under Major General Alexander Vandegrift.
North Africa: Rommel’s Advance
General Erwin Rommel’s Afrika Korps (Panzer Army Africa, including 15th and 21st Panzer Divisions) pressed toward Tobruk, engaging the British Eighth Army (under General Neil Ritchie) in the Western Desert Campaign. The 90th Light Division outmaneuvered the 2nd South African Division near Gazala.
Key Personalities:
Admiral Chester Nimitz: Oversaw U.S. Pacific strategy, capitalizing on Midway’s success.
General Erwin Rommel: The “Desert Fox,” whose tactical brilliance threatened British positions in North Africa.
Outcome:
Midway shifted Pacific momentum to the Allies; Rommel’s advance set up the fall of Tobruk (June 21, 1942).
June 8, 1943: Pacific and European Air Campaigns
PBY Catalina flying boat, unknown location in the Pacific
Pacific Theater: New Georgia Campaign Preparations
U.S. forces, including the 43rd Infantry Division and Marine Raiders (under Major General John H. Hester), prepared for the invasion of New Georgia, part of Operation Cartwheel. Reconnaissance by PBY Catalina aircraft targeted Japanese defences on Munda Point.
European Theater: Combined Bomber Offensive
The RAF’s Bomber Command (under Air Marshal Arthur Harris) and the U.S. Eighth Air Force (under Major General Ira Eaker) bombed Wilhelmshaven, targeting U-boat pens with Avro Lancaster and B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft. No. 617 Squadron RAF (the “Dambusters”) supported precision strikes.
Key Personalities:
Air Marshal Arthur Harris: Architect of RAF’s night bombing campaign.
Major General Ira Eaker: Led U.S. daylight precision bombing efforts.
Outcome:
Allied air raids disrupted German industry; New Georgia preparations advanced the island-hopping strategy.
June 8, 1944: Normandy Campaign (Post-D-Day)
Omaha Beach, Normandy, June 8 1944. The second soldier, looking at the camera, is believed to be Pvt. Vincent M. Killen, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd US Infantry Division. He was KIA on June 21 1944, aged 18, at Saint-Georges-d’Elle and is buried at the Normandy American cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer. He was born in Philadelphia.
Battle Context: Operation Overlord
Two days after D-Day, Allied forces, including the British 3rd Infantry Division and Canadian 3rd Infantry Division (under General Bernard Montgomery), expanded beachheads in Normandy. The U.S. 1st Infantry Division (under Major General Clarence Huebner) secured Omaha Beach against German 352nd Infantry Division.
Fierce fighting occurred around Caen, with the British 7th Armoured Division (the “Desert Rats”) engaging Panzergruppe West (under General Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg).
Key Personalities:
General Bernard Montgomery: Commanded Allied ground forces, focusing on capturing Caen.
General Erwin Rommel: Led German Army Group B, coordinating counterattacks with limited resources.
Outcome:
Allied forces secured footholds but faced delays at Caen, prolonging the Normandy campaign.
June 8, 1945: Pacific Theatre and Post-War Planning
Boeing B29A-45 Superfortress 44-61784 dropping incendiary bombs on Osaka (Note: Image from mission on 1st June 1945)
Pacific Theater: Okinawa Campaign
U.S. forces, including the 10th Army (under Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr.), continued the Battle of Okinawa, engaging Japanese 32nd Army (under Lieutenant General Mitsuru Ushijima). The 1st Marine Division and 77th Infantry Division advanced against fortified positions.
B-29 Superfortress bombers of the XXI Bomber Command (under Major General Curtis LeMay) intensified firebombing of Japanese cities, targeting Osaka.
Post-War Planning:
Allied leaders, including General Douglas MacArthur and Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, discussed occupation policies for Germany, implementing Yalta Conference agreements for dividing Berlin among the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division, British 7th Armoured Division, and Soviet forces.
Key Personalities:
General Curtis LeMay: Oversaw devastating air raids on Japan.
General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr.: Led U.S. forces in Okinawa (later killed on June 18, 1945).
Outcome:
Okinawa’s high casualties foreshadowed the cost of invading Japan; post-war planning shaped Europe’s future.
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Each day in World War II – 8th June
June 8, 1940: Sinking of HMS Glorious (Norwegian Sea)
June 8, 1941: Operation Exporter (Syria-Lebanon Campaign)
June 8, 1942: Battle of Midway Aftermath and North Africa
June 8, 1942: Battle of Midway Aftermath and North Africa
June 8, 1943: Pacific and European Air Campaigns
June 8, 1944: Normandy Campaign (Post-D-Day)
June 8, 1945: Pacific Theatre and Post-War Planning