Air Operations, Europe

During the night 70 German bombers raid eastern England; 11 are killed at Cambridge. There are similar raids on most nights until the end of the month. Total German losses over England during this period is 11 bombers. Evacuation of the last RAF squadrons from France is completed. The RAF bomb Hamburg and Bremen.

Atlantic

• All French and Allied shipping is evacuated from Brest and the naval installations and the harbor works are destroyed. The new French battleship Richelieu leaves Brest for Dakar where it arrives June 23. The uncompleted battleship Jean Bart is towed out of St Nazaire, is fueled under German air attack and sails under half-power for Casablanca. It arrives on June 22.
• The French troopship Champlain (28,100 t) is crippled by a mine in the Bay of Biscay. It is finally sunk by U-65 on June 21.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The German minesweeper M-5 and the Swedish steamer Sonja (1828t) are sunk on mines laid by the British submarine Porpoise on the 14th off Fro Havet. 12 crewmen are lost from the Sonja, the 9 are rescued by the Norwegian steamer Inger.
• U-28 sinks the Finnish steamer Sarmatia (2417t) southwest of Ireland. The entire crew of 23 is rescued.

Britain, Home Front

Churchill delivers his memorable speech in the face of adversity: "Let us brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will say, 'This was their finest hour'."

Prime Minister Churchill makes his 'their finest hour' speech.(Complete speech)

Churchill's 'Finest Hour' Speech

Diplomatic Relations

• Hitler and Mussolini meet again at Munich to work out a common policy towards France and divide up the spoils. Il Duce is disappointed that Italy's colonial empire is not to be expanded as Hitler permits the French to retain far more territory and independence than Mussolini desired.

  Mussolini and Hitler in Munich

• Bulgaria demands the area of Dobruja from Rumania.

France, Politics

French Foreign Minister Paul Baudouin and Adm François Darlan, French Minister of Marine Affairs, assure the American chargé d'affaires and the British ambassador, Sir Ronald Campbell, that the fleet will be evacuated or scuttled rather that let it fall into enemy hands.

Gen de Gaulle, as yet comparatively unknown to the majority of his countrymen, broadcasts from London urging the French to fight on, saying because it is a world war in which the Battle of France represents only one episode. He, therefore, invites the French living in England to get in contact with him to continue the struggle. This appeal does not arouse any great enthusiasm.

June 18, 1940 is the day that General Charles De Gaulle made the speech on the BBC from London that began French resistance to Nazi occupation. It is a great speech that is still recalled in France and in all places where the great events of World War II are remembered.

De Gaulle speaking on the BBC

Gen Paul Louis Legentilhomme, the French CO in Somaliland, declares for de Gaulle.

German Raiders

The German armed merchant cruiser Orion captures Norwegian steamer Tropic Sea near New Zealand. The Tropic Sea is sent back to France as a prize and is scuttled on 3 September 1940 as she arrives off Bordeaux when she is intercepted by British submarine Truant. At the time of her loss, the Tropic Sea had 24 four crew from the British steamer Haxby which had been intercepted by Orion on 24 April.

Mediterranean

The Italian steamer Reno (1002t) sinks on a mine 11 miles off Arcona in the Adriatic.

North Africa

Gen Auguste Noguès, commander of French forces in North Africa cables Weygand that his forces are anxious to fight. Noguès is expecting new Dewoitine D520 fighters, the still-intact French navy, and large shipments of US equipment.

Tasman Sea

The British liner Niagara (13,400 t), carrying 2.25 Million Pounds worth of gold, is mined and sunk off Auckland, New Zealand. The gold, however, is salvaged from a record depth of 135 m in 7 weeks. All 254 passengers and crew are rescued.

Western Front

The German advance continues inexorable. The 7th Pzr Div takes Cherbourg, 5th Pzr Brest. Among the other towns captured are Le Mans, Briare, Le Creusot, Belfort, Dijon and Colmar. All large French towns are to be surrendered without resistance. Civil administrators and military forces are to await the arrival of the Germans.

30,600 British and Allied troops are evacuated from Cherbourg. The French battleship Courbet gives covering fire.[MORE]