Air Operations, Bismarcks

One V Bomber Command B-24 attacks the Cape Gloucester airfield on New Britain.

Air Operations, CBI

• 23rd Fighter Group P-40s strafe warehouses and a train near Chiochiang and a train near Nanchang.

• 23rd Fighter Group P-40s strafe road traffic near Hanoi.

Air Operations, East Indies

V Bomber Command B-24s attack Boela in the Molucca Islands.

Air Operations, Europe

• 4 Mosquitos are sent to Berlin and 3 to Cologne and the Ruhr without a loss.

French pilots from the squadron 'Normandie-Niemen' who fought against the Germans on the Russian Front. In the background, the Yak-1B. June 17, 1943.

French Pilots Fighting on the Russian Front

Air Operations, Gilberts

During the night, 4 VII Bomber Command B-24s based at Funafuti mount individual attacks against targets in Tarawa Atoll at two-hour intervals. These attacks are a diversion for a photo-reconnaissance mission by Funafuti-based B-24s to Mille Atoll and other areas of the Marshall Islands.

Air Operations, New Guinea

V Bomber Command B-24s attack Sorong and B-25s attack Madang and Salamaua.

Air Operations, Sicily

IX Bomber Command B-24s attack the airdromes at Biscari and Comiso, putting the latter out of commission.

Air Operations, Solomons

A VF-26 F4F downs a G4M 'Betty' bomber near over a US Navy convoy near San Cristobal Island at 1100 hours.

Britain, Policy

The BBC warns civilians to evacuate the vicinity of factories working for Germany. Similar warnings will be broadcast to Belgian, Dutch and Hungarian civilians later.

China

Gen Stilwell informs Chiang Kai-shek about the decisions made at the Trident Conference relating to the proposed Far East strategy.

Mediterranean

Over the next week Force 'H', including the reconstructed Valiant and Warspite, is transferred from Scapa Flow to Oran and Alexandria in preparation for Operation HUSKY.

C-47 Skytrain pulling a glider during tow training at Oujda, French Morocco, June 17, 1943, less than a month before the invasion of Sicily.

C-47 Training with a Glider

Pacific

• The disguised raider Michel sinks another Norwegian ship west of Australia.
• The US submarine Drum (SS-228) attacks a Japanese convoy sinking the transport Myoko Maru (5087t) about 175 miles east-northeast of Kavieng, New Ireland.

At 07.33 hours on 17 June 1943, the Yoma (Capt George Patterson) in convoy GTX-2 was hit by one of two torpedoes from U-81 and sank after about eight hours, northwest of Derna. The ship carried 134 officers and 994 ratings of the British Army and 22 officers and 643 ratings of the Free French Navy.

The Yoma