http://www.etherit.co.uk/month/5/19.htm
June 19th, 1945 (TUESDAY)
BELGIUM: King Leopold refuses to abdicate:
JAPAN: The USAAF’s XXI Bomber Command in the flies four missions, one mining and three incendiary missions against secondary cities, during the night of 19/20 June.
Mission 210: 136 B-29 Superfortresses hit the Toyohashi urban area destroying 1.7 square miles (4.40 square km).
Mission 211: 221 B-29s attack the Fukuoka urban area destroying 1.37 square miles (3.55 square km); two other B-29s attack alternate targets.
Mission 212: 123 B-29s attack the Shizuoka urban area destroying 2.25 square miles (5.83 square km); one other hits an alternate target; one B-29 is lost.
Mission 213: 28 B-29s mine Shimonoseki Strait and the waters at Niigata, Miyazu, and Maizuru.
The USN’s Patrol Bombing Squadron One Hundred Eighteen (VPB-118) flying PB4Y-2 Privateers lays mines north of Roka Do, Korea. After laying the mines, the aircraft strafe a ship in the area and all are damaged by AA fire.
PACIFIC OCEAN: U.S. submarines sink an auxiliary sailing vessel, a freighter and an army cargo ship and damage a freighter. U.S. aircraft sink a freighter while a merchant tanker is sunk by a mine.
In a coordinated shipping search, a USAAF Eleventh Air Force B-24 flies the theatre’s longest mission, a 2,700-mile (4,345 km) roundtrip lasting 15.5 hours and flying from the Aleutian Islands to Uruppu Island, Japan; turning north the B-24 bombs a small convoy 25 miles (40.2 km) southwest of Shimushu Bay, Shimushu Island, Kurile Islands.
CANADA: Corvettes HMCS Dawson, Wetaskiwin and Calgary paid off Sorel, Province of Quebec.
A/LCdr Eric Eversley Garratt Boak RCN awarded Distinguished Service Cross.
Tug HMCS Glendevon commissioned.
U.S.A.: San Francisco: Spain is banned from joining the United Nations as long as Franco is in power.
Millions of people in New York City turn out to cheer General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower, who is honoured with a parade.
Submarine USS Sabalo commissioned.
Busy day ahead for me but a brief note on General Buckner’s death.
According to an account in the book Marine Tank Battles in the Pacific the Marines had captured on Guam a really nice set of tripod mounted binoculars. The kind that a shore post might use for long range spotting. The binoculars were made of brightly polished brass and had been presented to the CO of the regiment.
Buckner was at the front at the CP of the regiment and using the brightly polished binoculars which were glinting in the sun.
I will try to post the exact story later tonight or in the morning.
Linkee to the book FWIW...
Regards
alfa6 ;>}