June 10, 1940: Italy Declares War and Norway Campaign Ends
Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini in Munich, unknown date. Image taken from Eva Braun’s photo album which was seized by US forces. US National Archives.
Battle Context: Italy Enters the War
Italy, under Benito Mussolini, officially declared war on France and Britain, aligning with Nazi Germany. This expanded the Axis powers, opening new fronts in the Mediterranean and North Africa.
Italian forces, including the Italian 1st Army (under General Pietro Maletti), prepared for invasions of southern France and British-held Egypt, though no major engagements occurred on this date.
Norway Campaign: Final Evacuations
The Allied Operation Alphabet evacuation from Norway completed, with the last British and French troops, including the 24th Guards Brigade (under Brigadier William Fraser) and French 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade, departing Narvik. German Mountain Corps Norway (under General Eduard Dietl) secured full control, supported by Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers from Sturzkampfgeschwader 1.
Survivors from the June 8 sinking of HMS Glorious, HMS Ardent, and HMS Acasta were rescued by Norwegian vessels Svalbard II and Borgund, with 40 survivors (out of 1,519) enduring two days in freezing waters.
Key Personalities:
Benito Mussolini: Italian dictator whose war declaration escalated the conflict, straining Italy’s unprepared military.
General Eduard Dietl: Consolidated German victory in Norway, securing strategic Atlantic bases.
Outcome:
Italy’s entry broadened the war, while Germany’s control of Norway strengthened its Atlantic strategy. The Glorious disaster underscored Royal Navy vulnerabilities.
June 10, 1941: Syria-Lebanon Campaign (Operation Exporter)
Australian troops at a captured airfield in Syria in 1941 with captured Morane-Saulnier MS.406 fighters
Battle Context:
The Allied Operation Exporter continued against Vichy French forces in Syria and Lebanon. British 7th Division, Australian 7th Division (under Major General John Lavarack), Free French 1st Division (under General Paul Legentilhomme), and 5th Indian Brigade pressed forward against Vichy troops led by General Henri Dentz.
Units and Actions:
Australian 21st Brigade captured key positions near Sidon, engaging Vichy 22nd Algerian Tirailleurs at the Litani River. Free French 1st Marine Infantry Battalion advanced toward Damascus, clashing with Vichy 6th Foreign Legion.
Allied air support from No. 3 Squadron RAAF (Hawker Hurricanes) countered Vichy Morane-Saulnier MS.406 fighters, while HMS Ajax provided naval gunfire support along the coast.
Key Personalities:
Major General John Lavarack: Led Australian forces, overcoming Vichy resistance in rugged terrain.
General Henri Dentz: Coordinated Vichy defenses, delaying Allied advances despite limited resources.
Outcome:
Allies gained ground, setting the stage for capturing Damascus (June 21), securing the Middle East against Axis influence.
June 10, 1942: Pacific and North Africa Developments
SS officer standing over the bodies of all 173 men executed at in the garden at Horak Farm un Lidici with mattresses placed against the wall to prevent bullet ricochet. Photographer unknown.
Pacific Theater: Post-Midway Preparations
Following the Battle of Midway, the U.S. Pacific Fleet (under Admiral Chester Nimitz) continued regrouping. Task Force 16 (USS Enterprise, USS Hornet, under Rear Admiral Raymond Spruance) prepared for the Guadalcanal Campaign, with PBY Catalina aircraft scouting Japanese positions in the Solomon Islands.
The 1st Marine Division (under Major General Alexander Vandegrift) trained for landings on Guadalcanal, planned for August 1942.
North Africa: Gazala Line and Lidice Massacre
General Erwin Rommel’s Afrika Korps (15th Panzer Division, 90th Light Division) intensified assaults on the British Eighth Army (under General Neil Ritchie) at the Gazala Line, targeting 1st South African Division and 50th (Northumbrian) Division near Knightsbridge.
In occupied Czechoslovakia, the Nazis razed the village of Lidice in retaliation for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich (May 27). The SS Sicherheitsdienst, under Horst Böhme, executed 173 men, deported women and children, and destroyed the village.
Key Personalities:
Outcome: U.S. preparations bolstered Pacific offensives; Rommel’s advance pressured Allied forces; Lidice became a symbol of Nazi atrocities.
June 10, 1943: Combined Bomber Offensive and Pacific Planning
Lockheed P-38 in flight (Source unknown, image from 1944)
European Theatre: Air Raids
RAF Bomber Command (under Air Marshal Arthur Harris) and U.S. Eighth Air Force (under Major General Ira Eaker) continued the Combined Bomber Offensive. No. 5 Group RAF (Avro Lancasters) bombed Düsseldorf, while 384th Bomb Group (B-17 Flying Fortresses) targeted Bremen’s U-boat yards.
Pacific Theatre: New Georgia Campaign
U.S. forces, including 43rd Infantry Division (under Major General John H. Hester) and 4th Marine Raider Battalion, finalized plans for the New Georgia invasion (launched June 30). P-38 Lightning fighters of 347th Fighter Group conducted patrols over the Solomon Islands.
Key Personalities:
Air Marshal Arthur Harris: Intensified RAF night bombing to cripple German industry.
Major General John H. Hester: Oversaw preparations for the Solomon Islands campaign.
Outcome:
Allied air raids disrupted German production; New Georgia planning advanced the island-hopping strategy.
June 10, 1944: Normandy Campaign and Oradour-sur-Glane Massacre
Roger Godfrin, sole survivor of the Oradour-sur-Glane massacre
Battle Context: Operation Overlord
Four days after D-Day, Allied forces expanded Normandy beachheads. The British 50th (Northumbrian) Division and Canadian 3rd Infantry Division (under General Bernard Montgomery) battled German 12th SS Panzer Division near Caen. The U.S. 1st Infantry Division (under Major General Clarence Huebner) secured Omaha Beach against German 352nd Infantry Division.
The U.S. 101st Airborne Division fought to link Utah and Omaha beaches, engaging 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division at Carentan.
Units and Actions:
British 7th Armoured Division clashed with Panzergruppe West (under General Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg) near Tilly-sur-Seulles. Allied air support from RAF 2nd Tactical Air Force (Supermarine Spitfires) and U.S. Ninth Air Force (P-47 Thunderbolts) targeted German armor.
In France, the 2nd SS Panzer Division “Das Reich” (under SS-Sturmbannführer Adolf Diekmann) massacred 642 civilians, who they’d locked inside a church and then set on fire, in Oradour-sur-Glane, a reprisal for French Resistance activity, destroying the village.
Key Personalities:
General Bernard Montgomery: Led Allied efforts to capture Caen, facing stiff resistance.
General Erwin Rommel: Directed German Army Group B, coordinating counterattacks.
SS-Sturmbannführer Adolf Diekmann: Ordered the Oradour massacre, later killed in combat.
Outcome:
Allies strengthened Normandy positions but struggled at Caen; Oradour became a stark symbol of Nazi brutality.
June 10, 1945: Pacific Theatre and Occupation Planning
Australian forces landing on Labuan Island supported by Matilda II tank, 10 June 1945
June 10, 1945: Pacific Theatre and Occupation Planning
Pacific Theatre: Battle of Okinawa
The U.S. 10th Army (under Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr.) pressed the Battle of Okinawa against Japanese 32nd Army (under Lieutenant General Mitsuru Ushijima). The 6th Marine Division and 96th Infantry Division captured key positions on the Oroku Peninsula.
B-29 Superfortress bombers of XXI Bomber Command (under Major General Curtis LeMay) continued firebombing Japanese cities, targeting Tokyo.
Post-War Planning:
Allied leaders, including General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Marshal Georgy Zhukov, finalized Germany’s occupation, assigning Berlin sectors to the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division, British 7th Armoured Division, and Soviet 8th Guards Army, per Yalta Conference agreements.
Pacific Theatre: Borneo Campaign
Elements of Australian 24th Brigade land on Labuan Island in North Borneo, following a heavy naval bombardment and air support from Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers.
Key Personalities:
Major General Curtis LeMay: Led air raids to weaken Japanese resistance.
Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr.: Commanded U.S. forces in Okinawa, facing high casualties.
Brigadier Selwyn Porter: Commanded Australian troops landing at Labuan Island.
Outcome:
Okinawa’s costly campaign foreshadowed challenges of invading Japan; occupation plans shaped post-war Europe.
Australian forces went on to secure Labuan by 21 June 1945 inflicting heavy losses on the Japanese. The island was later developed as an significant base.
Each Day in World War II – 10th June
June 10, 1940: Italy Declares War and Norway Campaign Ends
June 10, 1941: Syria-Lebanon Campaign (Operation Exporter)
June 10, 1942: Pacific and North Africa Developments
June 10, 1943: Combined Bomber Offensive and Pacific Planning
June 10, 1944: Normandy Campaign and Oradour-sur-Glane Massacre
June 10, 1945: Pacific Theatre and Occupation Planning
June 10, 1945: Pacific Theatre and Occupation Planning