Diary June 8, 1940

aircraft carrier Glorius
The aircraft carrier Glorius, with a deck-load ofHurricane and Gladiator fighters evacuated from Norway, was caught by the German battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and sunk by gunfire. Her sister ship Courageous was sunk soon after the outbreak of WW2 by two torpedoes from U-boat U-20 in the South-West Approaches, September 17, 1939.
Diary for Saturday, June 8, 1940:

Sea War

Carrier Glorious and escorting destroyers Acasta and Ardent sunk in desperate battle with Gneisenau and Scharnhorst south-west of Narvik. Acasta scores damaging torpedo hit on Scharnhorst. Casualties: British 1,515; German, 48. German Admiral Marschall is dismissed for putting Scharnhorst at risk and failing to carry out planned attack on Harstad (Operation Juno).

Norway

Evacuation of 24,000 Allied troops from Narvik and Harstad completed: 4-5,000 men evacuated per night since June 3-4. Port installations at Narvik rendered useless. King Haakon and Norwegian Government leave Tromso for England on British cruiser Devonshire.

France

Rommel advances 45 miles (ca. 72 km) and reaches river Seine.

See also: German Orders of Battle during the Battle of France, 8 June 1940

Air War

Captain Wuillame, of Groupe de Chasse (Fighter Group) I/2, flying a Morane-Saulnier MS406, claims three Me 109E in only 15 seconds over Somme sector.

Oval@3x 2

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