D-Day Diary - 4th week of June 1944

19 June 1944

The Great Storm. Mulberry A, the American port, is virtually destroyed, Mulberry B suffers considerable damage.

Start of the Battle of the Philippine Sea (the Marianas Turkey Shoot) damages the Japanese fleet.

21 June 1944

7 and 9 Royal Tank Regiments, 31st Tank Brigade, land in France

22 June 1944

Delayed landing of first elements of Guards Armoured Division near Courcelles.
Indian troops finally end the siege of Imphal.

23 June 1944

3rd (US) Armored Division lands on Omaha Beach.

24 June 1944.

Transport ship Derrycunihy with 43rd Reconnaissance Regiment aboard, detonates a pressure mine and sinks off Ouistreham. Roll call reveals 150 men wounded, 180 missing.
V1 Flying Bomb hits Guards Tank Brigade workshops near Charing in Kent; 51 men killed, 40 wounded.
US Infantry approach the line of forts defending Cherbourg.

25 June 1944

Allied naval task force from Portland, including US battleships USS Texas and USS Arkansas with British cruisers HMS Enterprise and HMS Glasgow bombard Cherbourg.
Operation Epsom, a five day attack in the direction of Caen now launched, having been postponed on account of the Great Storm that wrecked the Mulberry Harbours.
Operation Martlet, 49th Infantry Division attack Fontenay-le-Presnel.

26 June 1944

32nd Guards Brigade of Guards Armoured Division prepare to attack from Bayeux
German forces in Cherbourg dock area surrender to US Army
Panzer Lehr driven out of Fontenay-le-Presnel by 8th Armoured Brigade

27 June 1944

American forces capture Cherbourg.
British forces capture St Manvieu and Cheux.
Great efforts are being made by 15th (Scottish) Division and 31st Tank Brigade to reach bridges on the Odon river.
11th Armoured Division establish a bridgehead over the Odon.
German forces muster 140 tanks, including Tigers of 101 SS Panzer Abteilung to resist.
VI rocket hits Victoria Station, London, 14 killed.

28 June 1944

British tanks and infantry in action around Rauray. 11th Armoured Division, 23rd Hussars leading, makes its first assault on Hill 112.
15th (Scottish) Division supported by Churchill tanks of 7th Royal Tank Regiment advance through standing wheat near Le Mesnil-Patry.
Strong German counter-attacks threaten to disrupt the British advance so 11th Armoured Division is ordered to limit its progress.

29 June 1944

British forces withdraw from Hill 112.
Hitler holds a special 'Fuhrer Conference' at Berchtesgaden where Field Marshals Rommel and von Runstedt find that he is avoiding the issue where events in France are concerned.
Villers-Bocage reduced to rubble after attack by 250 Lancaster bombers.
11th Armoured Division heavily engaged with 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend near Eterville.
Montgomery signals end of Operation Epsom.

30 June 1944

1st SS Panzer Division counter-attack Rauray.
49th Infantry Division prepare to defend Rauray
9th US Infantry Division accepts surrender of German forces on Cap de la Hague.
VI rocket hits Bush House, London, 198 people killed

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