Tuesday 16 June 1942
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| Focke Wulf Fw 190A 3.JG2 Yellow 13 Josef Heinzeller WNr 325 France June 16 1942. |
Eastern Front: As 16 June 1942 begins in Crimea, General Manstein's 11th Army is still blocked on the approaches to Sevastopol. However, there are glimmers of hope for the Wehrmacht in the northern axis of attack. The main remaining obstacle there is the Soviet Maxim Gorky fort. At dawn, 27 Stukas from II./StG 77 attack, and then the 132nd Division breaks through the decimated Soviet line and takes the fort in a stunningly swift attack. The Soviet holdouts, unwilling to accept defeat, do as others before they have done at Kerch, Brest-Litovsk, and elsewhere and retreat to underground galleries rather than surrender. They hold out until the 20th.
This begins a general crumbling of the entire Soviet line. Using heavy artillery and remote-controlled Goliath tracked bombs and Nebelwerfer rockets, the 22nd, and 24th Infantry Divisions capture the nearby forts named Molotov, Schishkova, Volga, and Siberia.
Soviet commander Petrov is horrified. he rushes the newly arrived 138th Naval Brigade to the breach, and this is the only thing that prevents the Germans from reaching Severnaya Bay on the 16th. But now the Soviets are badly outnumbered in the sector - the Brigade only has 2600 men - and the path into the port is now open for the Germans.
German III Panzer Corps of Field Marshal von Bock's and General Paulus' Sixth Army completes Operation Wilhelm, a small preliminary offensive across the Burluk River begun on 10 June. It meets up with VIII Corps near Belyy Kolodez. While the firstsuccessful preliminary operations sete stage for Case Blau, Wilhelm does not live up to expectations because the jaws of the pincer movement are too shallow. This allows most of the Soviet defenders of the 28th Army to escape to the east. The Germans count 24,800 prisoners.
The German Sixth Army and First Panzer Army are now preparing for Operation Fridericus II, a similar operation slightly to the south toward Gorokhvatka on the Oskol River northeast of Izyum. It is scheduled to begin on the 17th, but Hitler is still vacationing at the Berghof, and the generals kind of assume it will be forgotten about. Hitler, however, is sending messages that he wants it done anyway, so preparations are underway to begin it on the 22nd - which is uncomfortably close to the planned start date for Blau, which was to be ready to start beginning on the 23rd.
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| Deportation of Jewish residents of the mining town of Lazy, Poland (near Katowice) on 16 June 1942. They are destined for Auschwitz or, for a few, to labor camps in Bedzin and Sosnowiec (as the photo caption shows). Yad Vashem Photo Archives 757/1. |
Notwithstanding Eleventh Army's contention that the assault had little chance of success in the absence of infantry reinforcements, the enemy's situation at Sevastopol seems to deteriorate progressively. Good gains in the southern sector. Sixth Army is regrouping preparatory to Fridericus II. They are quite short on infantry. Romanian participation is rather embarrassing.
He also notes that General Belov's partisan force "has again broken out," which is "Nothing that we could brag about!" The Germans have a certain admiration for Belov, who has evaded multiple attempts to catch him.
Battle of the Baltic: Soviet submarine ShCh-317 torpedoes and sinks Finnish 2513-ton freighter Argo in the Gulf of Finland between Bogskär and Utö, Finland. There are nine deaths.
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| Lt. Chester Namola a few days before his death on 16 June 1942. he had previously survived another crash landing on 28 March 1942, but today his luck runs out. There is a plaque dedicated to him at the Berridale State School in Australia, the site of that previous crash landing. |
Battle of the Pacific: Japanese forces near Middleton Island, 75 nautical miles (139 km) south of Cordova, Alaska, destroy 5094-ton U.S. freighter Coldbrook. It is unclear what happens to her, either outright sunk or beached and written off.
27 Japanese Zero A6M2 fighters of the Tainan Kokutai make a sweep over Port Moresby, accompanied by an equal number of B4M ("Betty") bombers. 32 P-39 and P-400 (export version) Aircobras of the 39th and 40th Fighter Squadrons rise to the bait. A wild dogfight ensues, during which the Japanese Zeros shoot down four Aircobras and heavily damage two others (the Japanese pilots claim 17 victories) while losing none themselves (some sources say they lose two bombers and two fighters). One Allied pilot (Lt. Chester Namola) is lost (officially MIA) and the three others return to duty.
B-26 bombers of the 22nd BG and B-17s of the 19th BG bomb Lae, while B-25s of the 3rd BG attack Salamaua. The target is airfields, and good results are achieved. One escorting P-39 is lost.
European Air Operations: The mid-war lull continues with no major operations.
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| U-455 returns to Saint-Nazaire, France after its third wartime patrol, 16 June 1942, during which it sunk 13,908 tons of shipping (two British freighters, British Workman and Geo H. Jones, off the coast of Canada). As is customary, the commander (Kptlt. Hans-Heinrich Giessler) is presented with a bouquet of flowers. Waiting for the submarine would be mothers, wives, girlfriends, etc. (Kramer, Federal Archives Bild 101II-MW-6435-38A). |
Battle of the Atlantic: U-87 (Kptlt. Joachim Berger), on its third patrol out of St. Nazaire, torpedoes and sinks 5896-ton U.S. passenger ship Cherokee northeast of Cape Cod and Provincetown, Massachusetts, using two torpedoes. There are 86 deaths and 83 survivors, who are rescued by USCGC Escanaba and freighter Norlago.
U-87 gets a second victim, 8402-ton UK freighter Port Nicholson, in the same general vicinity 30 nautical miles (56 km) east of Provincetown. This is an "accidental" sinking because Berger was firing at another ship and missed - but the errant torpedo apparently hit this ship. The Port Nicholson and Cherokee are part of Convoy XB 25. Carrying automobile parts and military stores, the Port Nicholson is a major loss. It sits in 700 feet (210 m) of water. There are six deaths and 85 survivors.
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| Somewhat embarrassingly, one of the crew of U-455 falls into the water as it sails into port in front of the crowd of onlookers, the brass band, and top naval brass on 16 June 1942 (Kramer, Federal Archive, Bild 101II-MW-6435-34A). |
U-126 (Kptlt. Ernst Bauer), on its fourth patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 6997-ton U.S. freighter Arkansan 70 nautical miles (130 km) west of Grenada in the Caribbean. The freighter crew was alert and spotted the surfaced U-boat at 02:30. Almost immediately, however, a torpedo hit, and the ship sinks in 20 minutes. There are four deaths and 36 survivors, who are picked up by USS Pastores.
U-126 gets a second victim when it torpedoes and sinks 6062-ton U.S. freighter Kahuku west of Grenada. There are 17 dead and 92 survivors, who are picked up by USS Opal, USS YP-63, and Venezuelan freighter Minataora.
U-67 (Kptlt. Günther Müller-Stöckheim), on its fourth patrol out of Lorient, torpedoes and sinks 2220-ton Nicaraguan freighter Managua southeast of Key West in the Strait of Florida. The torpedo is spotted about 300 feet away but there is nothing the crew can do. The U-boat approaches a lifeboat, takes two men aboard to question them, and then returns the men and departs. All 25 aboard survive when the two lifeboats make landfall in Cuba and Pigeon Key.
U-161 (Kptlt. Albrecht Achilles), on its third patrol out of Lorient, comes across Dominican Republic 30-ton sailing vessel Nueva Altagracia northeast of Curacao and shells and sinks it. All eight crew survive because the U-boat takes them (and their cargo of fresh fruits and chickens) aboard and releases the crew to another Dominican sailing vessel they encounter, the Comercio.
Royal Navy trawler 294-ton HMT Tranquil sinks after colliding with freighter Deal east of the town of Deal in "The Downs."
German 2449-ton freighter Plus hits a mine and sinks in the Weser River.
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| HMAS Nestor sitting low in the water with bomb damage prior to being scuttled south of Crete, 16 June 1942 (Australian War Memorial 301085) |
Battle of the Mediterranean: The British disaster that is Operation Vigorous is heading back toward Alexandria in tatters, but before it reaches safety it suffers another crushing loss. U-205 (Korvettenkapitän Franz-Georg Reschke) torpedoes and sinks the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Hermione south of Crete. The cruiser quickly capsizes, with 88 dead and about 400 survivors.
Air attacks (unclear if by Stukas or the Italians) during the evening of the 15th crippled the Australian destroyer HMAS Nestor. While under tow on the 16th, the ship settles too low in the order and the tow line breaks twice - due to fears of enemy action, it must be scuttled. Built by a Scottish shipbuilding company on the Clyde, Nestor never sees Australia, the only major HMAS warship with that claim.
After this, Operation Julius (the combined convoy operation from both ends of the Mediterranean to Malta) is over. Only two of six freighters sailing from Gibraltar as part of Operation Harpoon have made it to Malta, while none from Operation Vigorous sailing from Alexandria have made it. The shattered remnants reach port in the evening. While quickly forgotten like a bad dream by the British, it is the greatest victory of the war for the Italian Navy. Admiral Harwood writes today that "We are outnumbered both in surface ships and Air Force and very gallant endeavor of all concerned cannot make up for...the deficiency." He later blames the loss on insufficient RAF support.
Polish Navy destroyer OPR Kujawiak hits a mine near Malta and sinks. There are 13 deaths and 147 survivors.
On land, the German advance toward Tobruk is achieving its objectives. Today, it forces British defenders at Point 187 to evacuate and puts two other defensive positions at El Adem and Sidi Rezegh under extreme pressure. This is the last line of defense before the port itself.
South African Major John Frost, the highest-scoring ace of the SAAF with 15 victories (some South Africans flying with the RAF have more), goes missing after being shot down while escorting Douglas Bostons near Bir Hakeim. He may have fallen victim to Luftwaffe ace Hans-Joachim Marseille, who is credited with 6 victories during the day, or Günter Steinhausen with 4 victories today. Frost and his plane have never been found.
US Military: Congress authorizes an increase in the number of US Navy airships to 200. These are used primarily for coastal reconnaissance and convoy protection, and sometimes for tasks such as the one that delivered important supplies to the ships heading for Japan during the Doolittle Raid in April 1942.
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| Unangan people from the Pribilof Islands travel to Southeast Alaska aboard the USAT Delarof, 15-16 June 1942. These evacuations to internment camps are "for their own protection." (Image titled “nara_80_g_12163”: National Archives and Records Administration, NARA-80-G-12163). |
US Government: Executive Order 9181 is published in the Federal Register today. It provides for the administration of federal government services in Alaska, specifically the establishment of the Alaska War Council to be headed by the Governor. EO 9181 orders that military leaders "to the fullest extent possible, give consideration to civilian needs and problems arising from the war situation in Alaska." It is obvious from the text that the military now has the final say over policy in Alaska.
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| The crew of U-455 assembled for its return to port, 16 June 1942 (Kramer, Federal Archive Image 101II-MW-6434-27). |
American Homefront: Universal Pictures releases "Eagle Squadron," a standard patriotic offering for the time based on a story by C.S. Forester (of Horatio Hornblower fame). The film, directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Robert Stack, Diana Barrymore, and John Loder, is a big success. Alan Hale Jr. (later star of "Gilligan's Island"), who enters the U.S. Coast Guard around this time, appears in a small role.
Giacomo Agostini is born in Brescia, Italy. He becomes a top motorcycle racer, with 122 Grand Prix wins and 15 World Championship titles in the 1960s and 1970s. He appears to be retired as of this writing.
Eddie Levert is born in Bessemer, Alabama. He becomes the lead vocalist of the singing group The O'Jays and currently still performs with that group.
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| A German patrol vessel at sea off St. Nazaire, 16 June 1942 (Kramer, Federal Archive Picture 101II-MW-6435-04A). |
