World War II Database

• Home
• » Events
• » WW2 Timeline
• » 8 Jun 1940

• French and Polish troops left dummies on the front lines to trick their German foes and fell back into Narvik, Norway for evacuation. British Group II troop transports took on the final 4,600 Allied troops and departed Narvik, escorted by carrier HMS Ark Royal, cruisers HMS Southampton and HMS Coventry, and 11 destroyers. German aircraft conducted nearly continuous attacks on the convoy, while German troops on land quickly realized the situation and moved into Narvik. ww2dbase [Invasion of Denmark and Norway | CPC]
• During Operation Juno, German cruiser Admiral Hipper sank British tanker Oil Pioneer and escorting armed trawler HMS Juniper; 20 were killed and 29 survivors were captured by the crew of Admiral Hipper. Admiral Hipper moved on to sink troop transport Orama; 19 were killed and 280 survivors were captured by German destroyers. When Admiral Hipper encountered hospital ship Atlantis, she allowed her to departed unsolicited. ww2dbase [Admiral Hipper | CPC]
• German 5th and 7th Panzer Divisions crossed the Seine River in France, and the troops of the 5th Panzer Division captured the city of Rouen. To the east, the 14th Panzer Corps broke through at Amiens, but the 16th Panzer Corps continued to be held down in Péronne by hedgehogs manned by troops of the French 7th Army. ww2dbase [Invasion of France and the Low Countries | CPC]
• HMS Cumberland was joined by HM Aircraft Carrier Hermes ww2dbase [Hermes | Cumberland | DS]

• During Operation Juno, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau opened fired on British carrier HMS Glorious and her escorts about 170 miles west of Narvik, Norway at 1630 hours, sinking destroyer HMS Ardent at 1720 hours (killing 151) and the carrier at 1910 hours (1,515 killed, 43 survived). ww2dbase [Gneisenau | Norwegian Sea | CPC]
• During Operation Juno, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau opened fired on British carrier HMS Glorious and her escorts about 170 miles west of Narvik, Norway at 1630 hours, sinking destroyer HMS Ardent at 1720 hours (killing 151) and the carrier at 1910 hours (1,515 killed, 43 survived). Scharnhorst suffered one torpedo hit by HMS Ardent. ww2dbase [Scharnhorst | Norwegian Sea | CPC]
• Captain Guy D'Oyly Huges of HMS Glorious failed to launch scouting aircraft as the carrier sailed for Britain, thus was caught unprepared by the arrival of Scharnhorst and Gneisenau (amidst Operation Juno) about 170 miles west of Narvik, Norway. Aircraft aboard Glorious could not be launched to participate in the battle due to flight deck damage. She was sunk by gunfire at 1910 hours. 1,474 naval officers and ratings and 41 RAF personnel were killed, 43 survived. ww2dbase [Glorious | Norwegian Sea | CPC]

• Emden arrived at Swinemünde, Germany. ww2dbase [Emden | Swinemünde, Pommern | CPC]

8 Jun 1940 Interactive Map