Air Operations, Europe

There is a night raid on Weston-super-Mare, Somerset. There is serious fire damage.

55 Wellingtons, 39 Halifaxes, 26 Stirlings and 24 Lancasters are sent to Bremen. 119 planes bomb blindly through the cloud cover after obtaining Gee fixes. It is believed the results were successful. Reports from Bremen indicate that 2 industrial targets that were hit in the larger raid are hit again - the Atlas Werke and the Korff refinery. Several smaller firms and dockside warehouses are also hit. A hospital and an unrecorded number of houses are also hit. 7 people are killed and 80 are injured. 9 planes are lost including 4 Wellingtons, 2 Halifaxes, 2 Lancasters and 1 Stirling.

In minor operations, 15 planes lay mines off St Nazaire and Verdon and 6 Halifaxes make leaflet flights. There are no losses.

Air Operations, New Guinea

22nd Medium Bomb Group B-26s attack Lae and Salamaua.

Allied Planning

Southwest Pacific Supreme Commander Gen MacArthur reveals his plan, codenamed Tulsa II, for the recapture of New Britain, New Ireland and the Admiralty Islands.

Arctic

The convoy PQ-17 leaves Reykjavik for Archangel. There are 36 freighters and a tanker. The close escort consists of 6 destroyers and 13 smaller ships. The 35 ships of QP-13 have also left Murmansk and Archangel on their return journey.

Argentina

President Jaime Ortiz resigns because of failing eyesight. He is succeeded by Dr Ramón S. Castillo.

Battle of the Atlantic

• The unarmed US freighter Polybius (7041t) is torpedoed by U-128 losing 10 crewmen in the attack. The 34 survivors are rescued over the next 3 days the Dutch steamship Dracos, the British steamship Clarona and an unidentified Allied ship.
• The US freighter Potlatch (6085t) is torpedoed by U-153 losing 6 crewmen in the attack. 33 of the crew survive along with 16 Armed Guard sailors.

Diplomatic Relations

Britain provides a credit of $100 million to the Soviets for the purchase of British arms.

Eastern Front

The Germans establish several bridgeheads over the Don. A gap is being opened in the Russian lines in the central sector. In the northern sector the Germans have also regained the initiative, held for a long time by the Russians.

The Russian destroyer Tashkent evacuates 2,300 wounded and civilians from Sevastopol. She is bombed repeatedly en route to Novorossisk, but transfers her passengers and reaches port before sinking.

The VIII Air Corps is removed from the Crimea and moved north to aid the offensive in the Ukraine. With Case BLUE due to begin on June 28 an eerie lull settles over the southern sectors.

To ward off the German ttack, the Soviets deployed the Bryansk Front with 169,000 men in 12 rifle divisions, 4 rifle brigades, 2 tank corps and 4 independent tank brigades. The Southwest Front, even after its defeat at Kharkov, has 610,000 men between 33 rifle and 6 cavalry divisions, 6 rifle brigades, 4 tank corps, 3 motor rifle brigades and 10 tank brigades, while the South Front has 522,500 men in its 23 rifle divisions, 4 rifle brigades and 6 tank brigades. The fronts also deploy a combined total of 3,470 tanks, over 2,300 being T-34 and KV models that can outperform and outgun their German counterparts.

North Africa

The Allied forces around Mersa Matruh at first fight back strongly against the German attacks. At 7:00p.m. the 90th Light Div reaches the coast at the Ras Hawala height, 25 miles east of Mersa Matruh. Later in the day the Allied forces are compelled to withdraw.[MORE]

New Zealand's 27 (Machine Gun) Battalion at Minqar Qaim, 27 June 1942

Pacific

The US submarine Nautilus (SS-168) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese auxiliary minesweeper Musashi Maru (227t) east of Nojimazaki, Japan.

Secret War

The FBI announces the arrest of the 8 German saboteurs who had been landed by submarine on Long Island and on the Florida coast.

Wake Island

US aircraft bomb Japanese positions on Wake Island.