Air Operations, AleutiansA total of 7 28th Composite Bomb Group B-24s, 8 B-25s, 12 343rd Fighter Group P-40s, and 2 F-5s attack Kiska and Little Kiska throughout the day. [ | ]Air Operations, BismarcksMore than 20 V Bomber Command B-17s and B-24s attack the airfields in the Rabaul area. [ | ]Air Operations, CBICHINA
Air Operations, Europe700 Russian bombers raid the airfields west of Kursk. 19 planes are lost. RAF BOMBER COMMANDEvening Ops:
Air Operations, New Guinea
Air Operations, Solomons
Eastern FrontHitler is pressing for the launching of Operation CITADEL, the penetration of the Kursk salient and annihilation of the Russian forces in it. The attack is to be delivered by the 9th Army from the north and the 4th Panzer Army from the south. Both armies will be equipped with the greatest possible number of tanks, if necessary taking them from other sectors of the front.
Germany, PlanningIn an appreciation of the military situation, the German High Command expects the Allies to land in Sardinia and Corsica. It discounts the possibility of a Sicilian operation and a prolonged campaign up the Italian peninsula. [ | ]PacificThe US submarine chaser PC-487 sinks the Japanese submarine I-9 in the Aleutian Islands area. [ | ]Stragegic BombingThe Joint Chiefs of Staff issue the Pointblank Directive to the commanders of British and American heavy bomber forces in Europe. It sets out formal instructions for the priorities and aims of the bomber offensive which will last until D-Day. The instruction mostly reflect American thinking on presicion attacks on specific target systems with particular reference to the German aircraft industry. There is also some mention of attacks to damage civilian morale. The leaders of the US Air Forces and Air Marshal Harris are all able to read into the directive permission to continue their favored types of operations. There will be little coordination between the British and American forces. The American daylight precision attacks will not come near achieving their objectives until the advent of the Mustang escort fighter and British night area bombing will also have disappointing results. German industrial production will prove to be astonishingly resilient and the morale of the workers will not suffer notably despite the damage to their homes. It is being discovered in Germany that factories that seem badly hit will often be untouched in their vital machinery and that once the rubble is cleared production can be resumed almost immediately. |
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[June 9th - June 11th] |