16 Jun 1942
  • The US Congress authorized the funding to increase the US Navy blimp fleet to 200 blimps. ww2dbase [CPC]
  • Tatsuta Maru arrived at Jaluit, Marshall islands, and departed for and arrived at Emidji on the same day. ww2dbase [Tatsuta Maru | CPC]
  • The Royal Canadian Air Force began operating Ventura aircraft. ww2dbase [Ventura | CPC]
  • German submarine U-87 attacked Allied convoy XB-25 25 miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, United States at 0417 hours, sinking British ship Port Nicholson (2 were killed, 85 survived) and US passenger liner Cherokee (86 were killed, 83 survived). ww2dbase [Second Happy Time | CPC]
  • German submarine U-126 sank US ship Arkansan at 0230 hours (4 were killed, 36 survived) and US ship Kahuku at 0320 hours (17 were killed, 46 survived) 70 miles west of Grenada. At 0400 hours, U-67 sank Nicaraguan ship Managua 50 miles north of Matanzas, Cuba; all 25 aboard survived. Elsewhere in the Caribbean Sea, U-161 stopped Dominican sailing boat Nueva Altagracia at 1410 hours, capturing her crew of 8 and her cargo of fruit, and scuttled the boat with charges. ww2dbase [Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico Campaigns | CPC]
  • Japanese Imperial Palace envoys visited Isoroku Yamamoto aboard battleship Yamato, bringing him the news that Emperor Showa understood losses (in regards to the devastation suffered at the Battle of Midway) were expected at a time of war and that the emperor was not overly concerned. ww2dbase [Battle of Midway and the Aleutian Islands | CPC]
  • ShCh-317 sank Finnish merchant ship Argo east of Stockholm, Sweden. Later on the same day, ShCh-317 attacked Swedish merchant ship Ulla (carrying survivors of Argo) but failed to cause any damage. ww2dbase [ShCh-317 | CPC]
  • ShCh-320 fired two torpedoes at German minesweeper depot ship MRS 12 west of Porkkala, Finland; both torpedoes missed. ww2dbase [ShCh-320 | CPC]
  • U-576 departed Saint-Nazaire, France, starting her fifth war patrol. ww2dbase [U-576 | Maizuru Naval Arsenal | Saint-Nazaire, Pays de la Loire | CPC]
Australian New Guinea
  • An Australia PBY Catalina aircraft arrived at Simberi, New Ireland to pick up coast watcher Cornelius Page, not knowing that Page had gone into hiding eight days prior in response to a Japanese raid. ww2dbase [Simberi, New Ireland | CPC]
Germany
  • 106 British bombers (40 Wellington, 39 Halifax, 15 Lancaster, and 12 Stirling) were launched to bomb Germany; 16 attacked Essen, 45 attacked Bonn, and others attacked other targets; 8 British bombers were lost on this night. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | CPC]
Hawaii Japan Libya
  • Axis troops attacked El Adem and Sidi Rezegh near Tobruk, Libya. ww2dbase [Battle of Gazala | El Adem | CPC]
  • Hans-Joachim Marseille shot down four P-40 fighters over El Adem, Libya between 1802 and 1813 hours, increasing his score to 95 kills. ww2dbase [Hans-Joachim Marseille | El Adem | CPC]
Marshall Islands
  • Kamoi arrived at Mili, Marshall Islands. ww2dbase [Kamoi | Mili | CPC]
Mediterranean Sea
  • German submarine U-205 sank British cruiser HMS Hermione, returning to Egypt from her duty escorting the Allied Vigorous convoy, 115 miles north of Sidi Barrani, Egypt at 0019 hours; 87 were killed, 440 survived. ww2dbase [Malta Campaign | CPC]
Pacific Ocean
  • While at sea, after sundown, USS S-27 received orders to sail to Kiska, US Territory of Alaska. ww2dbase [S-27 | CPC]
Russia
  • German aircraft and artillery pieces bombarded Fort Maxim Gorky at Sevastopol, Russia, silencing the fort's 12-inch guns. ww2dbase [Battle of Sevastopol | Sevastopol | CPC]
United Kingdom Photo(s) dated 16 Jun 1942
Major General Percy Hobart, commanding officer of UK 11th Armored Division, 16 Jun 1942Destroyer HMAS Nestor listing to port after being abandoned, morning of 16 Jun 1942Rear Admiral David Bagley, Commander Hawaiian Sea Frontier; Admiral Chester Nimitz; Army Major General Delos Emmons, Military Governor of Hawaii; and Rear Admiral Aubrey Fitch aboard USS Saratoga, 16 Jun 1942.

16 Jun 1942 Interactive Map

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




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