World War II As It Happened
A MaritimeQuest Daily Event Special Presentation
Thursday, June 26, 1941
Day 665

June 26, 1941: Front page of the Manchester Evening News, Manchester, England.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)


June 26, 1941: Front page of The Daily Mail, Hull, England.
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Note the report in column 7: "Another Bismarck Supply Ship Sink"
(The report calls Elbe a "raider" but it was a blockade runner bound from Dalian, China to France with rubber and rare metals. The ship was attacked by aircraft from HMS Eagle and sank from a combination of bombs and the crew scuttling.)


June 26, 1941: Front page of the Birmingham Gazette, Birmingham, England.
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June 26, 1941: Front page of the Western Mail and South Wales News, Cardiff, Wales.
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June 26, 1941: Front page of the Press and Journal, Aberdeen, Scotland.
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June 26, 1941: Front page of The Examiner, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.
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June 26, 1941: Front page of The Sydney Sun, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
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June 26, 1941: Front page of The Telegraph, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)
 
Note the report in column 6: "Germans Say Japs Will Drop Matsuoka"
(This turned out to be was true. In July 1941 Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe, who was displeased with Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsuoka's recent conduct, especially towards the United States, resigned, the entire cabinet also resigned, this included Matsuoka. After the resignation, Konoe was again named as Prime Minister, but he named Teijiro Toyoda as Foreign Minister, thus removing Matsuoka from office permanently. Matsuoka never held office again, but was arrested by the Allies after the war. Before he could be tried on war crimes, he died in prison.)
Also note the report in column 6: "Cream Of Turkish Navy Drowned: Ship Torpedoed"
(The report gives the ship's name as Ridah, but they mention the ship is not listed in Lloyds. The actual name of the ship was Refah. It was built in England in 1901 and was 3,805 tons. Refah was sunk on June 20 by the Italian submarine Ondina. It was true that the majority of those killed were Turkish military. There were about 20-25 survivors.)
Also note the report in column 7: "Doctor Thinks Nazis May Have Used Gases in Crete"
(To the best of my knowledge only the Japanese used poison gas in combat in the Second World War.)


June 26, 1941: Front page of The Lethbridge Herald, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)
 
Note the report in column 3: "Huns Admit Cruiser Loss"
(The Germans admit the loss of the Hilfskreuzer [auxiliary cruiser] Pinguin to HMS Cornwall. They also state that the cruiser Admiral Scheer is in Germany. This time, everything the Germans claimed was true. Later in the report "an authoritative British source" admits that they know that Admiral Scheer has been in Germany since mid-April.)


June 26, 1941: Front page of The Winnipeg Tribune, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
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June 26, 1941: Front page of the Biddeford Daily Journal, Biddeford, Maine.
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June 26, 1941: Front page of The Evening Star, Washington, D.C.
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June 26, 1941: Front page of The Evening Gazette, Xenia, Ohio.
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Note the report in column 2: "Sink Two Cruisers"
(This time the Germans return to propaganda. No cruisers had been sunk, but a sloop, HMS Auckland, had.)


June 26, 1941: Front page of The Port Arthur News, Port Arthur, Texas.
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June 26, 1941: Front page of The Nevada State Journal, Reno, Nevada.
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June 26, 1941: Front page of the San Mateo Times, San Mateo, California.
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June 26, 1941: Front page of the Völkischer Beobachter, the official newspaper of the NSDAP.
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1. Unaufhaltsamer Vormarsch im Osten.
(Unstoppable advance in the east.)



   
Page published June 26, 2022