Air Operations, Europe

• 503 aircraft are sent to Bochum. Included in the total are 323 Lancasters, 167 Halifaxes and 11 Mosquitos.
• The raid takes place over a completely cloud-covered target, but accurate Oboe skymarking enable the Main Force to cause severe damage in the center of the city.
• 14 Lancasters and 10 Halifaxes are lost.

Aerial recce picture of Bochum after the raid of 12/13 June.

Damage in Bochum

• 34 Wellingtons lay mines in the Frisians, off Lorient and St Nazaire.
• There are no losses.
• There is a heavy night raid on Plymouth. It will be repeated on August 11 and November 15.

While on fighter sweeps involving 140 4th, 56th, and 78th Fighter Group P-47s, a 56th Fighter Group P-47 downs an FW-190 over Ypres.

Following the start of scheduled day-long attacks by NAAF and 9th Air Force fighters and bombers, the Italian garrison surrenders to avoid further bombardment, and a British Army infantry company is landed to take possession of the island.

52nd Fighter Group Spitfires down 3 FW-190s during a morning action over the island.

Air Operations, Mediterranean

Allied bombing continues without respite hitting Catania and Palermo, Sicily, causing many casualties and serious damage.

Air Operations, New Guinea

• V Bomber Command B-24s attack Kaimana and Nabire and 1 B-25 attacks barges in Langemak Bay.
• 49th Fighter Group P-38s down 2 Ki-43 'Oscar' fighters over Bena Bena at 0930 hours.

Air Operations, Pacific

The US kill-to-loss ration widens, as 31 Japanese bombers are downed for a loss of only 6 US fighters.

Air Operations, Sicily

NASAF B-26s attack the Bocca di Falco, Castel Vetrano, and Trapani/Milo Airdromes.

Air Operations, Solomons

An estimated 50 A6M Zeros attacking Allied facilities and shipping at Guadalcanal are thwarted by 91 AirSols fighters. XIII Fighter Command fighters down 8 Zeros over or near the Russell Islands at 1030 hours, VF-11 F4Fs down 14 Zeros over the Russell Islands at 1025 hours, and VMF-121 F4Fs down 6 Zeros between the Russell Islands and Guadalcanal at 1100 hours. 6 AirSols fighters are lost with 2 of their pilots.

Atlantic

The US submarine R-12 sinks off Key West due to unknown causes.

31 Squadron Beaufort Strikes Taberfane Seaplane Base on Aru Island southwest of New Guinea 12 June 1943 (Photo: AWM P01160-001)

Air Strike on Aru Island

Battle of the Atlantic

The German submarine U-118 is sunk by aircraft (VC-9) from the US escort carrier Bogue (CVE-9) in the mid-Atlantic area.

U-118

U-118 under attack by aircraft from USS Bogue (CVE-9) 12 June 1943.

U-118 Under Air Attack

LtJG Fryatt's depth charges straddle U-118. Splashes from his turret guns can be seen as the Avenger pulls away after the attack. Two crewmen can be seen seeking shelter behind the conning tower. U-118 is trailing oil after previous attacks by LtJG Stearns and LtJG Fowler.

Depth Charges Straddle U-118

Mediterranean

• King George VI arrives in Tripoli to visit the troops and congratulate them on victory. He visits Malta on June 20.
• The island of Lampedusa surrenders unconditionally at 5:30p.m. to the Allies. Sgt Stanley Cohen of the RAF makes a forced landing there and the Italian garrison surrenders to him. Like Pantelleria it has been heavily bombarded.

Solomons

There is major air battle near Guadalcanal in which the attacking Japanese forces lose 31 aircraft to 6 of the Allies. This is only one of a series of such encounters about this time.