World War II Database

• Home
• » Events
• » WW2 Timeline
• » 1 Jun 1941

• A pro-British government was established in Iraq under Amir Abdul Illah, restoring the monarchy. ww2dbase [Campaigns in the Middle East | CPC]
• Before dawn, British cruiser HMS Phoebe, minelayer HMS Abdiel, and destroyers HMS Jackal, HMS Kimberley, and HMS Hotspur embarked 3,710 Allied troops at Sphakia, Crete, Greece and departed; the force would arrive safely at Alexandria, Egypt later on the same day. Anti-aircraft cruisers HMS Calcutta and HMS Coventry were dispatched from Alexandria to cover this force; HMS Calcutta was attacked by Axis aircraft, sinking at 0945 hours with 118 lost and 255 wounded. Although the Allied efforts had evacuated 16,511 men from Crete, 5,000 still remained; they would be surrendered by Australian Lieutenant Colonel Theo Walker by the end of the day, thus ending the German campaign on Crete. ww2dbase [Balkans Campaign | TH]
• Mildred Tuttle married David Axton and took her husband's last name. ww2dbase [Mildred Axton | CPC]
• German submarine U-105 sank the ship Scottish Monarch southwest of the Cape Verde Islands at 0052 hours; 1 was killed, 44 survived. ww2dbase [CPC]
• German submarine U-107 sank British ship Alfred Jones 140 miles off Freetown, Sierra Leone, British West Africa at 1409 hours; 14 were killed, 62 survived and rescued by British corvette HMS Marguerite. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Before dawn, German bombers attacked Merseyside, England, United Kingdom in the early hours of the day. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | CPC]
• In the Soviet Union, 793,500 conscripts were called up. ww2dbase [AC]
• HMS Edinburgh was ordered to patrol the Denmark Strait. ww2dbase [Edinburgh | CPC]
• Erich Müller was made the military governor of the Channel Islands, succeeding Rudolf von Schmettow. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Kurt Fricke was promoted to the rank of vice admiral. ww2dbase [Kurt Frike | CPC]
• Philippe Leclerc was promoted to the rank of colonel. ww2dbase [Philippe Leclerc | CPC]
• Peter Drummond was promoted to the rank of acting air marshal and was made Deputy Air Officer Commander-in-Chief of RAF Middle East. ww2dbase [Peter Drummond | CPC]

• German cruiser Prinz Eugen arrived in Brest, France to join battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau docked there for refits. ww2dbase [Prinz Eugen | Brest, Bretagne | AC]

• The US base at Chaguramas, Trinidad became operational. ww2dbase [Chaguramas | CPC]

• Clothing rationing was introduced in Britain. Everyone was allowed 66 clothing coupons a year; equivalent to about one complete outfit. A man's overcoat cost 16 coupons; a dress 11; a pair of pyjamas eight; a nightdress six; underpants four; a pair of stockings two; a handerchief could be had for half a coupon. ww2dbase [AC]

• USS R-14 arrived at Key West, Florida, United States. ww2dbase [R-14 | Key West, Florida | CPC]

1 Jun 1941 Interactive Map