World War II As It Happened
A MaritimeQuest Daily Event Special Presentation
Monday, June 2, 1941
Day 641

June 2, 1941: Front page of the Manchester Evening News, Manchester, England.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)
 
Note the report in column 1: "Lindbergh Losing Ground"


June 2, 1941: Front page of The Daily Mail, Hull, England.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)
 
Note the photo at top center: "Bismarck's End"


June 2, 1941: Front page of the Birmingham Gazette, Birmingham, England.
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June 2, 1941: Front page of the Western Mail and South Wales News, Cardiff, Wales.
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Note the report in column 4: "Suicide of Hess's Friend in Norway"
(The false report from yesterday of Admiral Hermann Boehm's death continues to be published. There was of course no way for the press to know the truth. The report refers to General Admiral Hermann Boehm, who was commander of German naval forces Norway from Apr. 1940 until Mar. 1943 and said to have committed suicide after visit from Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler. Boehm survived the war and died in 1972.)


June 2, 1941: Front page of the Press and Journal, Aberdeen, Scotland.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)
 
Note the report in column 7: "Merchant Cruiser Sunk"
(HMS Salopian had been sunk by U-98 on May 13th. The Admiralty made the official announcement of the loss today, or last night (no date on the report) but the Germans reported this on May 15 and INS (International News Service) picked it up on the same day and reported it as a German "claim." However, the Germans did not name the ship in their report.)


June 2, 1941: Front page of The Examiner, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.
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Note the report in column 6: "U.S. Pilots To Resign To Fight In China"
(One of the first reports about what would become the American Volunteer Group (AVG) A.K.A. the Flying Tigers.)


June 2, 1941: Front page of The Sydney Sun, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
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June 2, 1941: Front page of The News, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
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Note the report in column 5: "Light On Death Of Admiral"
(Another report about the "suicide" of Admiral Boehm. In this report, the Daily Telegraph's diplomatic correspondent, makes up a story out of whole cloth. First, Admiral Boehm was not dead. He then tells his readers that Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler went to Norway, not like the other false reports claimed, before the Admiral's death, but because of the Admiral's death. He goes on to tie the flight of Rudolf Hess and Hitler's intentions against Russia to the Admiral's death. Someone with no information on any of these subjects, just writing anything that comes to mind. Today you might find him working for MSNBC or CNN, maybe even being Biden's. press secretary.)


June 2, 1941: Front page of The Lethbridge Herald, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
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June 2, 1941: Front page of The Winnipeg Tribune, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
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June 2, 1941: Front page of the Biddeford Daily Journal, Biddeford, Maine.
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June 2, 1941: Front page of The Evening Star, Washington, D.C.
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Note the report in column 4: "Britain Lost 45,000 In Battle of Crete, Gayda Declares"
(The Italian Fascist editor, Virginio Gayda, just made up a number out of whole cloth and put it out for the public to consume. The real number of British loses in Crete was just over 6,000 killed and 17,000 wounded. Gayda today, would be working alongside the Daily Telegraph's diplomatic correspondent at MSNBC or CNN, or maybe as Biden's press secretary.)


June 2, 1941: Front page of The Evening Gazette, Xenia, Ohio.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)
 
Note the report in column 5: "Death Rays Kill School Room Ills"
(The successful use of ultra violet light to kill germs in school rooms reported in the American Medical Association convention in Cleveland, Ohio.)


June 2, 1941: Front page of The Port Arthur News, Port Arthur, Texas.
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June 2, 1941: Front page of The Nevada State Journal, Reno, Nevada.
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June 2, 1941: Front page of the San Mateo Times, San Mateo, California.
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Page published June 2, 2022