Air Operations, Europe

• 12 Bostons attack the Le Havre power station but the bombs miss the target area. 2 Mosquitos take pictures of the Bremen area to assess damage. 2 other Mosquitos are sent to Essen but turn back. There are no losses.
• 29 Wellingtons and 10 Halifaxes lay mines off Lorient and St Nazaire and in the Frisians without any loss.

Air Operations, Libya

During the night, HALPRO B-24s attack the harbor area at Tobruk.

Air Operations, Pacific

During the night 3 VII Bomber Command LB-30s based in Hawaii and staging through Midway attack Wake Island.

CBI

Brig-Gen Earl L. Naiden takes command of the 10th Air Force, replacing Gen Brereton who departs for the Middle East.

Eastern Front

The German 6th Army under Gen Friedrich von Paulus wins a major victory at Kharkov on the Donetz River. In the south Army Group South takes Rostov-on-Don.

Operation FRIDERICUS II is brought to a successful conclustion, 38th and 9th Armies having lose more than 40,000 captured. This defeat conbined FRIDERICUS I and the Izyum debacle leaves the Southwest Front a mere shell.

At Sevastopol, the 11th Army begins to attack the inner defense ring. Manstein plans to launch an attack across Severnaya Bay with elements of the LIV Corps, placing units in the Soviet rear and bringing about the collapse of the final defenses without need for large-scale frontal assaults. At the same time, the XXX Corps will attack the Soviets holding the Sapun heights. The fighting has inflicted heavy casualties upon the Black Sea Fleet as it tries to reinforce the garrison. The last supply vessels leave the port, loaded with wounded soldiers, for the Kuban. no more supplies or reinforcements will arrive in Sevastopol as the Stavka finally writes the garrison off.

The Stavka summons Golikov to Moscow to inform him that his front will begin its offensive toward Orel on July 5. Golikov considers his forces inadequate for the task, the bulk of his armor having been lost in the fighting at Izyum.

North Africa

The Afrika Korps has about 60 tanks and the Italian Littorio Div about 40 more. The British have about 200 tanks in operation at this moment and have several fresh formations in position around Mersa Matruh. Despite this imbalance of forces in the late evening the Axis forces attack south of Mersa Matruh.

As a reward for his victories in North Africa, Rommel is promoted to Field Marshal.[MORE]