Each Day in World War II – 12th June

June 12, 1940: Italian Operations and Collapse in France

• Battle Context: Italian Mediterranean Campaign
  • Following Italy’s declaration of war on June 10, the Italian Regia Aeronautica escalated air raids on British targets. Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 bombers from 36th Stormo attacked Malta’s Grand Harbour, intensifying the Siege of Malta to disrupt Allied supply lines in the Mediterranean.
  • Italian ground forces, including the Italian 10th Army (under General Rodolfo Graziani), prepared for operations in North Africa against British forces in Egypt, though no significant ground engagements occurred on this date other than 62 Italians taken prisoner whilst skirmishing.
  • British aircraft bomb Genoa and Turin for the first time causing little damage.
• Battle Context: Battle for France
  • British 152nd and 153rd Brigades and French 9th Corp, who had been cut off from possible rescue from Le Havre by advancing Germans, surrender to Rommel. They’d hoped to be evacuated by a night but the flotilla, although assembled, couldn’t complete the operation due to heavy fog. Major General Victor Fortune was taken prisoner along with approximately 11,000 men. The prisoners are later force marched into captivity in Germany.
• Key Personalities:
  • Benito Mussolini: Italian dictator whose war declaration expanded Axis operations, despite Italy’s military limitations.
  • Major General Fortune: British prisoner who was later knighted by King George VI for his work looking after his men’s welfare whilst in captivity.
• Outcome:
  • Italian air raids marked the start of Mediterranean hostilities; Germany’s Norwegian occupation strengthened its strategic position.

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June 12, 1941: Syria-Lebanon Campaign (Operation Exporter)

• Battle Context:
  • The Allied Operation Exporter against Vichy French-controlled Syria and Lebanon advanced. 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 forces under General Henri Dentz.
• Units and Actions:
  • Australian 25th Brigade captured Merdjayoun, engaging Vichy 17th Senegalese Tirailleurs in close-quarters combat. Free French 1st Marine Infantry Battalion clashed with Vichy 6th Foreign Legion near Kissoué, advancing toward Damascus.
  • Allied air support from No. 3 Squadron RAAF (Hawker Hurricanes) neutralized Vichy Dewoitine D.520 fighters, while HMS Coventry provided naval gunfire support along the coast.
• Key Personalities:
  • Major General John Lavarack: Led Australian forces, navigating fortified Vichy positions.
  • General Henri Dentz: Organized Vichy defenses, delaying Allies despite being outnumbered.
• Outcome:
  • Allied advances set the stage for capturing Damascus (June 21), securing the Middle East for the Allies.

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June 12, 1942: Pacific Planning, North Africa and Anne Frank

• Pacific Theatre: Guadalcanal Preparations
  • Following the Battle of Midway, the U.S. Pacific Fleet (under Admiral Chester Nimitz) planned the Guadalcanal Campaign. Task Force 16 (USS Enterprise, USS Hornet, under Rear Admiral Raymond Spruance) refitted at Pearl Harbour, while 1st Marine Division (under Major General Alexander Vandegrift) prepared for August landings.
  • PBY Catalina aircraft of VP-44 Squadron conducted reconnaissance over Japanese-held Guadalcanal and Tulagi.
• North Africa: Gazala Line and Bir Hakeim
  • 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. The British 201St Guards Brigade was being forced out of the Knightsbridge box and although 29 Indian Infantry repulsed an attach on the El Adem position, to their left 2nd and 4th Armoured were pushed back 3.7 miles and left their damaged tanks on the battlefield.
• Europe: Anne Frank, receives an autograph book bound with red and white checked cloth and small lock on the front. She would use this as her diary and named it ‘kitty’
• Key Personalities:
  • Admiral Chester Nimitz: Leveraged Midway’s success to plan Pacific offensives.
  • General Erwin Rommel: Outmaneuvered Allied forces, nearing Tobruk’s capture.
  • General Pierre Koenig: Led Free French defense at Bir Hakeim, disrupting Rommel’s advance.
• Outcome:
  • U.S. preparations advanced Pacific strategy; Empire forces are under heavy pressure in North Africa.

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June 12, 1943: Air Raids and New Georgia Buildup

• European Theatre: Combined Bomber Offensive
  • RAF Bomber Command (under Air Marshal Arthur Harris) and U.S. Eighth Air Force (under Major General Ira Eaker) targeted German industry. No. 4 Group RAF (Handley Page Halifax bombers) struck Essen, while 94th Bomb Group (B-17 Flying Fortresses) hit Kiel’s U-boat facilities.
• 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 339th Fighter Squadron escorted reconnaissance missions over Munda Point.
• Key Personalities:
  • Air Marshal Arthur Harris: Drove RAF night bombing to cripple German production.
  • Major General John H. Hester: Oversaw Solomon Islands campaign preparations.
• Outcome:
  • Allied air raids weakened German infrastructure; New Georgia planning progressed the island-hopping campaign.

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June 12, 1944: Normandy Campaign and V-1 Campaign Begins

• Battle Context: Operation Overlord
  • Six days after D-Day, Allied forces expanded Normandy beachheads. The British 3rd Infantry Division and Canadian 3rd Infantry Division (under General Bernard Montgomery) fought German 12th SS Panzer Division near Caen. The U.S. 29th Infantry Division (under Major General Charles Gerhardt) advanced toward St. Lô against German 352nd Infantry Division.
  • The U.S. 101st Airborne Division secured Carentan, linking Utah and Omaha beaches, against 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division.
  • British 7th Armoured Division clashed with Panzergruppe West (under General Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg) at Villers-Bocage, facing Panther and Tiger I tanks against Cromwell tanks. Allied air support from RAF 2nd Tactical Air Force (Hawker Typhoon fighters) and U.S. Ninth Air Force (P-47 Thunderbolts) targeted German armor.
  • Germany launched its first V-1 flying bombs from Flak-Regiment 155 (W) in Pas-de-Calais, targeting London, initiating the V-1 campaign. None of the nine missiles launched today reach England.
• European Theatre: The Germans, as part of the Holocaust, murder almost all of the Jews in the Brzezany Ghetto and work camp in Eastern Poland.
• Key Personalities:
  • General Bernard Montgomery: Led Allied efforts to capture Caen, facing strong resistance.
  • General Erwin Rommel: Coordinated German defenses, limited by Allied air superiority.
  • Lieutenant Colonel Robert G. Cole: Led a bayonet charge through a smokescreen under German fire to secure a key position in the Carentan assault. He is awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery and leadership.
• Outcome:
  • Allies consolidated Normandy gains but struggled at Caen; V-1 attacks introduced a new German weapon

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June 12, 1945: Pacific Theatre, Borneo Campaign, and Occupation Planning

• Pacific Theatre: Battle of Okinawa
  • The U.S. 10th Army (under Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr.) advanced in the Battle of Okinawa against Japanese 32nd Army (under Lieutenant General Mitsuru Ushijima). The 1st Marine Division and 96th Infantry Division captured key ridges on the Kiyan Peninsula, facing kamikaze attacks from A6M Zero fighters.
  • B-29 Superfortress bombers of XXI Bomber Command (under Major General Curtis LeMay) firebombed Kobe, targeting Japanese industrial centers.
• Borneo Campaign: Operation Oboe
  • The Allied Operation Oboe, part of the Borneo Campaign, continued after the June 10 invasion of Labuan Island. Australian 9th Division (under Major General George Wootten) and 24th Brigade secured Labuan, engaging Japanese 37th Army remnants (under Lieutenant General Masao Baba).
  • Australian 2/43rd Battalion and 2/11th Commando Squadron consolidated control of Labuan’s airfield, supported by RAAF No. 76 Squadron (P-40 Kittyhawk fighters) and naval gunfire from HMAS Shropshire.
• Post-War Planning:
  • Allied leaders, including General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Marshal Georgy Zhukov, implemented 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.
• Key Personalities:
  • Major General Curtis LeMay: Led air raids to weaken Japanese infrastructure and morale.
  • Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr.: Commanded U.S. forces in Okinawa, enduring high casualties.
  • Major General George Wootten: Directed Australian operations in Borneo, securing strategic oilfields.
  • Lieutenant General Masao Baba: Led Japanese resistance in Borneo, heavily outnumbered.
• Outcome:
  • Okinawa’s costly campaign underscored challenges of invading Japan; Borneo operations secured vital resources; occupation plans shaped post-war Europe.

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