12 Jun 1941
- Men of the US Naval Reserve were called to active duty. ww2dbase [CPC]
- British cruiser HMS Sheffield sank German tanker Friedrich Breme with shellfire in the Atlantic Ocean; 2 were killed 86 survived. ww2dbase [CPC]
- Indian and Free French forces under French General Paul Legentilhomme captured Deraa, Sheikh Meskine, and Ezraa in southwestern French Mandate of Syria and the Lebanon, but were held up Kissoué. ww2dbase [Campaigns in the Middle East | CPC]
- British submarine HMS Taku sank Italian ship Silvio Scaroni 70 miles west of Benghazi, Libya; Italian torpedo boats Pallade and Polluce counterattacked without success. ww2dbase [CPC]
- British submarine HMS Torbay sank Italian schooner Gesue E Maria off the island of Skiros, Greece. ww2dbase [CPC]
- Dutch submarine O.24 sank Italian tanker Fianona and auxiliary patrol ship Carloforte 10 miles north of the island of Elba, Italy. ww2dbase [CPC]
- German submarine U-48 sank British ship Empire Dew in the North Atlantic; 23 were killed, 18 survived. ww2dbase [CPC]
- German submarine U-371 sank British ship Silverpalm in the North Atlantic, killing the entire crew of 68. ww2dbase [CPC]
- German submarine U-558 sank British ship Susan Mærsk (all 24 aboard killed) and Norwegian tanker Ranella (all 29 aboard survived) in the North Atlantic. ww2dbase [CPC]
- German submarine U-552 sank British ship Chinese Prince west of Ireland; 45 were killed 19 survived. ww2dbase [CPC]
- German heavy cruiser Lützow, light cruiser Emden, light cruiser Leipzig, and destroyers passed through the Kattegat between Denmark and Sweden. ww2dbase [Deutschland | CPC]
- The South African Air Force embarked on its first combat mission in North Africa. ww2dbase [CPC]
- Maggiore Baracca departed Bordeaux, France at 0904 hours and arrived at Le Verdon-sur-Mer, France mid-day; she then returned to Bordeaux at 1947 hours. ww2dbase [Maggiore Baracca | Bordeaux, Aquitaine | CPC]
- A three-day conference of SS men of SS-Gruppenführer rank began at the SS castle of Schloß Wewelsburg in Büren, Germany. ww2dbase [Schloß Wewelsburg | Büren, Westfalen-Nord | CPC]
- HMS Rodney arrived at Boston Navy Yard in Massachusetts, United States to commence a refit. She would remain in Boston for one month. Many crewmembers stayed with local Boston families during the refit. ww2dbase [Boston Navy Yard | Rodney | Boston, Massachusetts | DS]
12 Jun 1941 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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