Diary June 11, 1940

War Diary, 06-1940, Diary WW2, Year 1940 / 1 minute of reading

German motorcyclist messangers — German motorcyclist messengers check their maps for the way to Paris.

Diary for Tuesday, June 11, 1940:

France

German vanguards approach Pontoise, thereby threatening Paris from the northwest.

Sea War

Mediterranean: British Mediterranean Fleet and French cruiser squadron sweep Eastern Mediterranean and Aegean for Italian shipping. British cruisers bombard Tobruk and cruiser Calypso is sunk south of Crete by Italian submarine.

Air War

First RAF bombing raids on Italian airfields in Libya and East Africa cause great damage (3 British aircraft lost). Two Italian raids on Malta; 35 civilians, 6 British soldiers killed. 36 Whitleys (1 lost) bomb Turin and Genoa (night June 11-12) after refueling stop in Channel Islands. French authorities at Marseilles prevent Wellingtons from taking off to bomb targets in Northern Italy by blocking runway with trucks (they fear Italian ‘reprisal’ raids).

Politics

AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND AND SOUTH AFRICA DECLARE WAR ON ITALY.

Home Fronts

Britain: Attlee, Lord Privy Seal, denounces Mussolini’s declaration of war, comparing him with ‘the jackal’ which scents the possibility of getting some scraps from another beast’s kill !

About The Author

Kretaner

My name is Norman 'Kretaner' and since my childhood I am interested in history and strategy games. Later, I have learned programming and the development of computer games, and finally with the Internet, also web design. I'm in the fortunate position to combine all my interests with my work and to live on a place of my choice, on Crete. All information, figures, specifications and statistics used here had been compiled from a variety of sources and the large, over decades collected, library of the author about military history, WW2 and weapons.