3 Jun 1901
3 Jun 1909
3 Jun 1918
  • US President Wilson consented to the sending of US troops to Russia if circumstances made it imperative to do so.
  • The Japanese Government gave its approval to a plan for joint intervention in Siberia, Russia.
3 Jun 1930
  • General Jotaro Watanabe was named the commanding officer of the Taiwan Army.
3 Jun 1936
  • The British Air Ministry placed an order for 310 Spitfire fighters at £4,500 each.
    » In-depth article
  • Ira Eaker took off from New York, United States on an attempt of the blind flight across North America.
    » In-depth article
  • In Germany, General Walther Wever, Chief of Staff of the Luftwaffe, was killed when the Heinkel He 70 in which he was flying to Berlin crashed shortly after taking off from Dresden.
3 Jun 1937
  • Spanish Nationalist General Emilio Mola y Vidal was killed in an air crash and was replaced by General Fidel Dávila Arrondo.
    » In-depth article
  • Photos dated 3 Jun 1937
    Japanese Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe and his first cabinet, Tokyo, Japan, Jun 1937
3 Jun 1938
  • Seishiro Itagaki was appointed the War Minister of Japan.
    » In-depth article
  • Ludwig Beck sent a message to German Army chief Walther von Brauchitsch, noting his concern that an invasion of Czechoslovakia would trigger military reaction by the western powers, which would spell doom for Germany.
    » In-depth article
3 Jun 1939
  • Historical document written: No. 26: Message from Greiser to the Polish Commissioner-General
    » In-depth article
  • Photos dated 3 Jun 1939
    High school teacher Koichiro Toyama toasted by former students including War Minister Seishiro Itagaki (first from left) and Naval Minister Mitsumasa Yonai (first on right), Tokyo, Japan, 3 Jun 1939
3 Jun 1940
  • Luftwaffe bombed Paris, France, killing 254 civilians.
  • Churchill ordered the formation of commando units for raiding occupied Europe.
  • After nightfall, the Allies began to evacuate Narvik, Norway. Through the night and the following day's daybreak, British destroyers and Norwegian fishing boats ferried Allied personnel to six troops transports in various fjords nearby.
    » In-depth article
  • The last group of British troops at Dunkirk, France was evacuated before the break of dawn. At 1050 hours, Royal Navy Captain William Tennant signaled the completion of Operation Dynamo, but he was overruled by this superiors as there were still some French troops in Dunkirk. During the day, the British Admiralty acknowledged that 222 British naval vessels and 665 other craft were employed for the Dunkirk evacuation; 6 destroyers, 24 small armed vessels, and 226 other ships were lost. British ships returned to Dunkirk after night fall. By this time, German troops were only 2 miles away.
    » In-depth article
  • The British government banned aliens and stateless persons in Britain from leaving home between 2230 hours and 0600 hours.
  • French armed merchant cruiser Ville D'Oran, with 212 tons of gold from the French reserves, departed from Pauillac, France.
  • German submarine U-37 sank Finnish ship Snabb with the deck gun 300 miles west of Cape Finisterre, Spain, killing 1. Greek ship Kyriakoula rescued 20 survivors.
  • The Oak Leaves to the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross award was established in Germany.
  • Soviet troops began the preparation for the invasion of the Baltic States of Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania.
    » In-depth article
3 Jun 1941
  • The Attlee memorandum approved by 2,430,000 to 19,000 at Labour Party conference in Britain.
  • A German He 111 bomber encountered a British de Havilland Dragon aircraft en route back to France and shot it down. The aircraft turned out to be a civilian joy-riding aircraft from St Mary's island of the Isles of Scilly off the tip of southwestern England, United Kingdom. The pilot and all 5 passengers were killed.
  • British cruisers HMS Aurora and HMS Kenya attacked German tanker Belchen 80 miles southwest of Greenland as the tanker refueled submarine U-93. U-93 escaped, but Belchen was damaged by shellfire and a torpedo from Aurora; her crew scuttled the ship. 5 were killed during the attack; U-93 later returned and picked up 50 survivors. The attack on Belchen was enabled by Ultra intercepts. To the south, U-48 and U-75 attacked Allied convoy OB-327 950 miles west of Brest, France, sinking Dutch ship Eibergen (4 killed; 35 survived) and British tanker Inversuir (45 survived).
  • British passenger liner Mamari, modified to look like carrier HMS Hermes, was attacked by German aircraft off Cromer, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom. She became stuck on the wreck of tanker Ahamo while evading the attack. After sundown, German E-boats arrived and hit Mamari with torpedoes.
  • Before dawn, German bombers attacked Hull and Tweedmouth in England, United Kingdom in the early hours of the day.
    » In-depth article
3 Jun 1942
  • German submarine U-502 sank US freighter M. F. Elliott off the Florida Keys archipelago, Florida, United States, killing 13 of 45 aboard.
    » In-depth article
  • Nine Midway-based B-17 bombers attacked Japanese transports 600 miles west of the atoll, inflicting no damage; meanwhile, US Navy Task Forces 16 and 17 changed course in an attempt to gain a more favorable battle for the upcoming battle. On the Japanese side, submarines arrived to form a cordon to detect American warship movements from the Hawaii Islands toward Midway Atoll; they did not realize that the American carriers had already passed. Far to the north, aircraft from Japanese carriers Ryujo and Junyo bombed Dutch Harbor, Alaska; one of the Zero fighters sustained damage and unsuccessfully crash-landed on Akutan Island. In response, US Navy dispatched a task force of 5 cruisers and 4 destroyers to counter the Japanese attacks in the Aleutian Islands.
    » In-depth article
  • Battle of Gazala: German General Rommel sent French General Kœnig a hand-written note, urging the surrender of Bir Hakeim in Libya to avoid needless bloodshed: "To the troops of Bir Hakeim. Further resistance will only lead to pointless loss of life. You will suffer the same fate as the two Brigades which were at Got el Ualeg and which were exterminated the day before yesterday - we will cease fighting as soon as you show the white flag and come towards us unarmed". Kœnig ignored the request.
    » In-depth article
  • Joseph Stilwell arrived in Chongqing, China. Later on the same day, Stilwell met with Chiang Kaishek who urged for more Lend-Lease supplies; in the same meeting, Stilwell asked Chiang to purge the Chinese officer corps of those responsible for the recent poor performance in Burma.
    » In-depth article
  • Rear Admiral James L. Kauffman was named the commanding officer of the US Navy Gulf Sea Frontier.
  • A new British government plan for the coal industry was submitted to parliament in a White Paper, and Major Gwilym Lloyd George was appointed Minister of fuel, light and power.
  • I-168 circled Midway Atoll to provide weather data and other observations to the headquarters of the Combined Fleet.
    » In-depth article
    » Tabular Record of Movement
  • Light carrier Hosho sailed ahead of the Southern Force into the Midway area.
    » In-depth article
    » Tabular Record of Movement
  • USS S-35 spotted Japanese aircraft en route to raid Dutch Harbor, US Territory of Alaska.
    » In-depth article
  • Photos dated 3 Jun 1942
    Buildings in Dutch Harbor in flames after Japanese strike, 3 Jun 1942US Army Air Force B-17E bombers taking off from the airfield on Eastern Island, Midway Atoll, 3-4 Jun 1942Japanese Navy Flight Petty Officer Tadayoshi KogaJapanese Navy Flight Petty Officer Tadayoshi Koga
    See all photos dated 3 Jun 1942
3 Jun 1943
  • The first fruits of victory reach British shops in the form of Algerian wine.
  • German forces discovered 150 Jews hiding in a bunker in the Warsaw ghetto in Poland. They went on to destroy the bunker and killed all people within.
  • Operation Cottbus: German forces attacked partisans in Barysaw (Borisov), Byelorussia.
  • French Resistance saboteurs destroyed 300 tons of tires in the Michelin factory at Clermont-Ferrant.
    » In-depth article
  • Operation Toenails: The Allies invaded New Georgia, Solomon Islands.
    » In-depth article
  • The US South Pacific command published Operation Plan 14-43 for the capture of Japanese-held islands in the central Solomon Islands. US Navy Rear Admiral Richmond Turner was named the overall commanding officer, and the largest contingent under his command would be the US Army 43rd Division.
    » In-depth article
  • All Japanese resistance on Attu, Aleutian Islands ceased.
    » In-depth article
  • USS S-35 departed Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington, United States.
    » In-depth article
3 Jun 1944
  • Adolf Hitler authorized Feldmarschall Albert Kesselring to evacuate Rome, Italy, which was again declared an open city.
    » In-depth article
  • RAF aircraft conducted raids in the Pas-de-Calais and Cherbourg areas of France.
    » In-depth article
  • US XIII Bomber Command established its headquarters at Momote Airfield, Los Negros Island, Admiralty Islands.
  • Engineers at Curtiss-Wright published an internal memorandum noting the defects of the current generation of SB2C Helldiver aircraft (bell cranks might break during high speed dives) but the company failed to address the issue even for the aircraft built but not yet delivered to the US Navy. A number of aviators would be killed or injured due to this defect for the next month to come or perhaps longer due to this defect.
    » In-depth article
  • Louis Mountbatten received the latest orders from the Anglo-American combined chiefs; to his disappointment, there was not to be any amphibious operations in Burma, and instead focus was to be placed on China. Mountbatten would decide to disobey the orders and instead planned on ground offensives from India into Burma.
    » In-depth article
  • USS Cabrilla sank a Japanese coastal patrol boat with her deck gun off Borneo.
    » In-depth article
  • Photos dated 3 Jun 1944
    US troops preparing to board Horsa gliders for Normandy, France assault, England, United Kingdom, Jun 1944, photo 1 of 2US troops preparing to board Horsa gliders for Normandy, France assault, England, United Kingdom, Jun 1944, photo 2 of 2; note RAF markings recently painted over with USAAF markings
3 Jun 1945
  • French forces reluctantly left Damascus, French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon, leaving the British in control.
  • The US began preparing for the transit of 200,000 US troops from Europe to the Pacific via Marseilles, France.
  • American carrier aircraft of Task Force 38 attacked airfields in southern Kyushu, Japan for the second day in a row. On the same day, 7 Japanese ships were sunk or damaged by naval mines in Japanese waters.
    » In-depth article
  • US Marines landed on Iheya Jima, Ryukyu Islands, Japan.
  • Operation Kikusui No. 9 was launched off Okinawa, Japan, participated by about 20 Japanese Navy and 30 Japanese Army special attack and escorting aircraft.
    » In-depth article
  • Air Group 87 aircraft from USS Ticonderoga struck airfields on Kyushu, Japan in an attempt stop special attack aircraft from taking off.
    » In-depth article
  • USS Macabi departed Balboa, Panama Canal Zone.
    » In-depth article
  • USS Segundo sank a Japanese ship with her deck gun.
    » In-depth article
  • Photos dated 3 Jun 1945
    Amphibious tractors delivering US Marines and supplies on the beach of Ibeya, an island in the Ryukyu Islands northwest of Okinawa, 3 Jun 1945The Reichstag damaged by Allied bombing, Berlin, Germany, 3 Jun 1945A German civilian looks at a vast painting of Stalin on the Unter-den-Linden, Berlin, Germany, 3 Jun 1945
3 Jun 1946
3 Jun 1948
  • Newfoundland held a referendum to determine its future as an independent dominion, as a British colony, or as a part of Canada; the results were inconclusive.
3 Jun 1957
3 Jun 1958
  • USS Charr departed Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California, United States for San Diego.
    » In-depth article
3 Jun 1967
3 Jun 1971
  • Submarine Sea Robin was sold to North American Smelting Company, Wilmington, Delaware, United States for scrap.
    » In-depth article

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

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A US Navy sailor and a WAVES member gazing out over the beach at a Gulf of Mexico coast Naval Air Station, United States, circa 1945
A US Navy sailor and a WAVES member gazing out over the beach at a Gulf of Mexico coast Naval Air Station, United States, circa 1945



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