19 Jun 1915
  • Battleship Arizona was launched from Brooklyn Navy Yard, New York, United States.
    » In-depth article
  • Photos dated 19 Jun 1915
    The launching of Arizona, Brooklyn Navy Yard, New York, United States, 19 Jun 1915
19 Jun 1918
  • Maggiore Francesco Baracca, the leading Italian fighter ace of the war with 34 kills, was killed by Austrian ground fire over the Piave river in northeastern Italy.
19 Jun 1937
19 Jun 1939
  • The German Army reported that thus far 168 officers had been infiltrated into Danzig in prepration of action.
    » In-depth article
19 Jun 1940
  • Households in the United Kingdom received pamphlets with information on what to do in case of invasion.
  • French ships sought refuge in British ports.
  • The British Jockey Club announced that horse racing would cease until further notice.
  • Troops of the German 7th Panzer Division under Rommel shelled fortifications defending the port of Cherbourg, France; Cherbourg surrendered at 1700 hours. On the same day, the 5th Panzer Division captured Brest, but found the port facilities destroyed by Allied personnel who had already been evacuated. Along the coast, Operation Ariel continued, evacuating British, and Polish troops from Saint-Nazaire, La Pallice, Bayonne, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, and Gironde.
    » In-depth article
  • British destroyer HMS Kandahar and anti-submarine trawler HMS Moonstone forced Italian submarine Galileo Galilei to surface with depth charges in the Gulf of Aden. Galileo Galilei attempted to fight HMS Moonstone with her deck gun, and HMS Moonstone returned fire, killing the Italian captain. Galileo Galilei was captured and towed to Aden by HMS Kandahar and would be renamed X 2 and would be used for training purposes.
  • Lord Beaverbrook, the Minster of Aircraft Production, announced that British aircraft production had since 10 May 1940 exceeded losses from all causes.
    » In-depth article
  • Orion captured Norwegian ship Tropic Sea.
    » In-depth article
  • Photos dated 19 Jun 1940
    French refugees on a road near Gien, France, 19 Jun 1940
19 Jun 1941
  • The Soviet Union ordered black-outs in all cities along the border with Germany and the camouflaging of airfields, but still did not deploy for defense; the latter order, the camouflaging of airfields, would be scarcely commenced when the invasion took place.
    » In-depth article
  • US Consular officials in Germany and Italy were expelled in retaliation to a similar action by the US three days prior.
  • Indian and Free French troops launched a two-prong attack on Damascus in French Mandate of Syria and the Lebanon from the south. Elsewhere in the region, Vichy French troops held Free French troops at Qadim while the Indian 5th Infantry Brigade became surrounded at Mezze.
    » In-depth article
  • Egmont Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld was mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht bulletin of the headquarters of the German Wehrmacht.
    » In-depth article
19 Jun 1942
  • German submarine U-701 sank American patrol craft USS YP-389 5 miles off the North Carolina, United States coast at 0245 hours with the 88-millimeter and 20-millimeter guns, killing 6. The engagement was dubbed Battle off Diamond Shoals.
    » In-depth article
  • After a staff officer from 23.Panzer Division was shot down carrying complete plans for an offensive in the Caucasus, the commander and chief of staff of German XL Korps were imprisoned on Adolf Hitler's order. The offensive would be launched with no changes to the plan.
    » In-depth article
  • US Navy Vice Admiral Ghormley assumed command of the South Pacific Area at Auckland, New Zealand.
  • US PBY Catalina aircraft discovered 35 survivors from the sunken Japanese carrier Hiryu; USS Ballard was dispatched to rescue them.
    » In-depth article
    » Tabular Record of Movement
  • I-168 arrived at Yokosuka, Japan, took on fuel, and departed for Kure, Japan.
    » In-depth article
    » Tabular Record of Movement
  • Photos dated 19 Jun 1942
    Carrier Hosho in port in Japan, Jun 1942
19 Jun 1943
19 Jun 1944
  • The US Mulberry Harbor at Omaha Beach off Normandy, France was wrecked by a storm. By this date, however, the Allies had 20 divisions ashore in France, while the Germans fielded only 16 in the region.
    » In-depth article
  • US carrier aircraft won a decisive victory over their Japanese counterparts in the Mariana Islands, shooting down over 200 planes with only 20 losses in what became known as the Marianas Turkey Shoot, or, officially, Battle of the Philippine Sea.
    » In-depth article
  • At dawn, Shokaku launched 17 A6M fighters for combat air patrol duties. At 1100 hours, she recovered 10 fighters; while still recovering fighters, at 1122, she was hit by three torpedoes from USS Cavalla on the starboard side; two forward near the switchboard and generator room, one aft of amidships. Large fuel fires were ignited in the hangar and No. 1 boiler room went offline. Shokaku remained underway, but began to list to starboard. Counterflooding over-compensated, giving her a port list. Meanwhile flooding and heat of the fires forced shutting down of the boiler rooms. She continued to settle forward. Though damage control initially hoped to save her, the flooding forward and the fires intensify in the following hours. By 1210 hours she had come to a halt when fires detonate an aerial bomb on the hangar, setting off volatile gases from a cracked forward tank. Large induced explosions wrecked the carrier, and hope began to fade. The list to port and bow trim both increased. At 1350 hours, her strike planes returned, but were ordered away, having to be directed to Zuikaku and Taiho. At this time Captain Matsubara had ordered abandon ship and the crew mustered on the flight deck for flag lowering. However, before the evacuation can proceed far, the bow dipped under and water pours into No. 1 elevator well, causing the carrier to corkscew to port and up-end. She went down by the bow at 1401 hours, stern raised high. Between 1408 and 1411, four underwater explosions were registered. 58 officers, 830 petty officers and men, 376 members of Air Group 601, and 8 civilians were killed, totalling 1,272 deaths. Light cruiser Yahagi and destroyers Urakaze and Hatsuzuki rescued Captain Hiroshi Matsubara among 570 other survivors.
    » In-depth article
    » Tabular Record of Movement
  • Yamato fired Sanshiki-dan anti-aircraft shells in combat for the first time against incoming aircraft, but it was discovered that they were friendly.
    » In-depth article
    » Tabular Record of Movement
  • USS Guitarro arrived at Darwin, Australia.
    » In-depth article
  • Photos dated 19 Jun 1944
    Aircraft trails above Task Force 58 during the Battle of the Philippine Sea, 19 Jun 1944; photographed aboard light cruiser BirminghamUSS Bunker Hill nearly hit by a Japanese bomb during Battle of the Philippine Sea, 19 Jun 1944
19 Jun 1945
  • US Army captured Okinawa, Japan.
    » In-depth article
  • General Eisenhower received a ticker tape parade at New York City, New York, United States.
    » In-depth article
  • USS Tunny came across a Japanese cargo ship but was not able to attack due to shallow coastal waters.
    » In-depth article
  • USS Wake Island was detached from Task Group 32.1.
    » In-depth article
19 Jun 1947
  • Commander Oliver Bagby became the commanding officer of USS Charr.
    » In-depth article
19 Jun 1970

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis

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Random Photograph
Intrepid in the Philippine Sea, Nov 1944, with F6F Hellcat fighters on her flight deck
Intrepid in the Philippine Sea, Nov 1944, with F6F Hellcat fighters on her flight deck



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"No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. You win the war by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country!"

George Patton, 31 May 1944