Posted on 6/20/2010, 10:46:37 PM by Homer_J_Simpson
Winston S. Churchill, Their Finest Hour
Fighting May Go On – 2-3
Plot to Seize Canada is Laid to Fascists – 3
England is Raided – 4-5
Osborn Finds Youth Merely Confused – 5
Britain Will Send Children Overseas – 6
Harvard Seniors Boo ’15 Speaker Urging ‘Go Out and Do Job Again’ – 7
The Texts of the Day’s War Communiques – 8-9
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1940/jun40/f20jun40.htm
Germans capture Lyons, Vichy
Thursday, June 20, 1940 www.onwar.com
On the Western Front... Lyons and Vichy are captured.
In the Norwegian Sea... The German battle cruiser Gneisenau is seriously damaged in a torpedo attack by the British submarine Clyde off Trondheim.
In France... The French delegation sets out for the armistice talks which are to be held at Compiegne in the same railroad carriage and on the same site as the negotiations which ended World War I.
In Washington... President Roosevelt strengthens his Cabinet by bringing in two prominent Republicans. Henry Stimson becomes Secretary for War and Frank Knox becomes Secretary for the Navy. Stimson is strongly against America’s isolationist tradition and will be a champion of Lend-Lease.
In Tallin... Estonia meets Soviet demands for a new government and territorial adjustments.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.etherington/month/thismonth/20.htm
June 20th, 1940
UNITED KINGDOM:
A heavily escorted convoy arrives in Britain with Australian and New Zealand troops, after setting out in early May.
RAF Bomber Command: 4 Group (Whitley). Bombing - industrial targets - marshalling yards.
10 Sqn. Eight aircraft to marshalling yards Hamm. Seven bombed.
51 Sqn. Nine aircraft to marshalling yards Hamm. Eight got off, seven bombed.
58 Sqn. Seven aircraft to industrial plant Essen. Six bombed; explosion and fires in target area. One FTR.
77 Sqn. Seven aircraft to industrial plant Ludwigshaven. One returned early. Six bombed. Opposition severe.
102 Sqn. Eight aircraft to industrial plant Ludwigshaven. Two returned early, one damaged by Flak and force landed at Manston.
London: In spite of Britain’s defeats, most of its Empire remains loyal to the motherland. Canada, Australia and New Zealand are sending it troops. In East Africa, a key test of the Empire’s loyalty, Sudanese, Somalians, Kenyans and South Africans are fighting the Italians in Ethiopia. Ironically, the highest proportion in terms of population, of new volunteers comes from Eire, part of the Commonwealth although no longer part of the Empire, with a neutral and apparently anti-British government. In India, however, the Hindus and the Congress Party seem “above” the war. In Egypt, some nationalists see Britain’s difficulty as Egypt’s opportunity.
Minesweeping trawler HMS Acacia commissioned.
Submarine HMS Tigris commissioned.
Corvette HMS Cyclamen launched.
Tug HMS Fresco launched. (Dave Shirlaw)
FRANCE: The government asks Italy for armistice terms.
Lyons and Vichy in central France are captured by the Germans.
The French armistice delegation leaves Bordeaux for Tours.
The Italians take up the offensive with an army of 32 divisions, of which 19 were in the first echelon. French General Olry defends with 3 divisions and some light defence works on the crests of hills.
GERMANY: U-127, U-164 laid down. (Dave Shirlaw)
SPAIN: U-29 refuelled from the German supply ship Bessel in Vigo. (Dave Shirlaw)
MEDITERRANEAN SEA: Italian submarine ‘Diamante’ is sunk by submarine HMS Parthian off Tobruk.
Italian submarines ‘Provana’ is sunk by a French sloop off Oran and ‘Argonauta’ and ‘Rubino’ by RAF Sunderlands.
Most of the Italian submarines lost in the first 3 weeks or so of Italian participation in hostilities, were located as a result of British code-breaking successes. (Brooks Rowlet)
GULF of ADEN: The Italian submarine GALLILEO torpedoes and sinks a British tanker. But it was immediately counterattacked by a Royal Navy destroyer, and subjected to a severe depth charging that sprung some of its hull plates. The GALLILEO was able at length to crawl away submerged, but in addition to this damage it was also manifesting another serious problem. The vessel’s air conditioning system was malfunctioning badly, with the result that toxic gasses were being vented into the crew spaces. This was not yet too dangerous providing that the sub was able to surface at short intervals and ventilate the boat. But barely an hour after surfacing following the destroyer’s teeth-rattling attack, the GALLILEO was sent down again by the appearance of a ship, presumed hostile, on the horizon. Even worse, the sub was forced to spend most of the next two days submerged as well, due to the strong British air and sea patrols. (Mike Yaklich)
LIBYA: Italo Balbo writes to Marshall Badoglio,
“Our light tanks, already old and armed only with machineguns, are completely outclassed. The machineguns of the British armored cars pepper them with bullets which pierce their armor easily. We have no armored cars. Our antitank defenses are largely a matter of make-do: our modern weapons lack adequate ammunition. Thus the conflict has taken on the character of steel against flesh…” The British, badly outnumbered but highly mechanized, had surprisingly seized the initiative from the start, mainly via their armored car patrols, which raided on the Italian side of the frontier with impunity. Balbo wrote of “infernal armored cars, which run over all types of ground at fifty kilometers per hour”
(i.e., over 30 mph).
Balbo is given a provisional go-ahead for his project to invade Egypt. (Mike Yaklich)
JAPAN: Tokyo: Japan today took advantage of the fall of France by warning the French administration in Indochina that it must stop helping the Chinese Nationalist government in Chungking immediately.
The protest was delivered by Japan’s foreign minister, Mr. Tani, to the French ambassador. He was warned that France’s governor in Indochina must stop the transit of war materials across the Chinese border or face severe repercussions. At the same time Japan has formally asked Germany and Italy to preserve the status quo in Indochina.
Reports that Japanese forces are massing on Hainan island have increased fears that Japan is about to invade the French colony. French and British ships have been told not to call at Indochinese ports.
CANADA: Minesweepers HMCS Clayoquot and Quatsino laid down Prince Rupert, British Columbia.
Armed Yacht HMCS Elk (ex US yacht Arcadia/KFZL) commissioned. (Dave Shirlaw)
U.S.A.: Henry Stimson becomes Secretary for War and Frank Knox becomes Secretary of the Navy in a US cabinet shuffle. President Roosevelt has brought these prominent Republicans on board to strengthen his Cabinet.
The radio gossip columnist Jimmy Fiddler states that the movies should not be used ‘to rouse people of this country to a blind war fever.’ (Jack McKillop)
The heavy cruiser USS Vincennes (CA-44) and two destroyers, arrive at the New York Navy Yard from French Morocco with the gold reserves of the Bank of France (all 200 tons) to be deposited in U.S. banks. (Jack McKillop)
ATLANTIC OCEAN: As the damaged ‘Scharnhorst’ heads for Germany, ‘Gneisenau’ makes a feint towards Iceland. 40 miles northwest of the island of Halten near Trondheim, Norway she is torpedoed and damaged by submarine HMS Clyde. Both ships are out of action until the end of the year. Gneisenau has to return to Trondheim for repairs.
U-30 sunk SS Otterpool in Convoy HGF-34.
U-38 sank SS Tilia Gorthon.
U-48 sank SS Moordrecht.
Dutch submarine O-13 is torpedoed in error by Polish Wilk. Both were on passage to their patrol areas. (Dave Shirlaw)
Mr. Karro just passed away in April 2010. He served in the Army Air Force during the war and became VP of Smith Barney after the war. He donated several million to the University of Iowa.
"" Roy G. Karro
WWII veteran of the U.S. Air Corps (Bronze Star for work with the 93rd Bombardment Group of the 8th AF in the E. T. O.). Age 91, passed away on April 17, 2010 peacefully at home in Livonia.
Retired from Solomon, Smith & Barney in 1999. 1942 University of Iowa graduate and passionate Hawkeye sports fan. Life member of the University of Iowa Alumni Association. University of Iowa Foundation Presidents Club Gold member. A philanthropist, assisting with and contributing to various charities- especially athletic programs, scholarship funds and fund raising for the University of Iowa to which he made contributions for 44 consecutive years. Contributions include the commissioning of the bronze bust of Coach Hayden Frye. The establishment of the Jim Zabel Scholarship Fund for broadcast journalism. The University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame, Roy G. Karro Building.
Born August 10, 1918 in New York, NY to Tyyne and Gustav Karro of Finland. Roy is preceded in death by his loving parents and his loving wife of 42 years Mae Harrison Karro. He is survived by many beloved cousins: Stanley Karro, Helvi Larson, Leila Judd and all of their children. Roy’s godchild Leslie Skowronek. Roy is also survived by his dear companion and caregiver Linda Renich, her sons Ray Page, John Page, and Ric Renich. His many friends in the U.S., Canada and Finland. Great friends Bob and Peggy Mull and family, Don and Marilyn Suchy.
Special thanks to the caregivers over these past 7 years. Roy will be missed by his faithful dogs, Baby, Lady and grand-dog Coco. World traveler Roy Karro will be deeply missed by all who knew him.
Arrangements by the Harry J. Will Funeral Home, Livonia. Interment Roseland Park Cemetery in Berkley, MI.""
http://worldwar2daybyday.blogspot.com/
Day 294 June 20, 1940
While the Italian Army mass 32 divisions in 2 armies on the French border, the French sue for peace. However, Mussolini is determined to take French territory to bargain for colonies in North Africa.
Operation Ariel. 9,000 Polish soldiers are evacuated from Bayonne aboard the Polish ships Batory and Sobieksi.
U-30, U-38, U-48 & U-122 each sink 1 merchant vessel (carrying wheat, iron ore, coal and fuel oil) around the British Isles and in Bay of Biscay (61 lives lost and 68 survivors). http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/371.html
http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/370.html
http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/369.html
http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/368.html
To provide a diversion for damaged battleship Scharnhorst to return to Keil for repairs, German battleship Gneisenau and cruiser Admiral Hipper depart Trondheim for operations near Iceland. 80 miles Northwest of Trondheim, Gneisenau is hit by a torpedo of the British submarine HMS Clyde and returns to Trondheim for repairs.
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