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• USS Cod was commissioned into service. ww2dbase [Cod | CPC]
• Himmler ordered the liquidation of all Jewish ghettos in all Soviet territories controlled by Germany. On the same day, the Lvov Ghetto in Poland was liquidated; 10,000 to 20,000 Jews were massacred. ww2dbase [Heinrich Himmler | CPC]
• RAF bombers attacked Krefeld in the Ruhr region of Germany. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | TH]
• Dudley Morton was awarded the Navy Cross. ww2dbase [Dudley Morton | CPC]
• USS Hoe sank a Japanese ship, hitting her with 3 out of 4 torpedoes fired. ww2dbase [Hoe | CPC]
• Engstrom was commissioned into service. ww2dbase [Engstrom | CPC]
• USS Scorpion arrived off Takarajima, Tokara Islands, Ryukyu Islands, Japan. ww2dbase [Scorpion | CPC]
• Orde Wingate arrived in Delhi, India and met with various British officers. ww2dbase [Orde Wingate | CPC]
• Takeo Takagi was named the commanding officer of the Japanese Navy 6th Fleet, which was centered around submarines. ww2dbase [Takeo Takagi | CPC]
• Chuichi Nagumo was named the commanding officer of the Kure Naval District. ww2dbase [Chuichi Nagumo | CPC]
• Katori was made the flagship of Vice Admiral Takeo Takagi, the new commanding officer of the Japanese Sixth Fleet. ww2dbase [Katori | CPC]

• In Operation Toenails, US 4th Marine Raider Battalion was dispatched to Segi, New Georgia to assist coast watchers in the area who were threatened by a Japanese advance. ww2dbase [Solomon Islands Campaign | Segi, New Georgia | TH, CPC]

• Ryuho, Yukikaze, Naka, and Yugure arrived at Truk, Caroline Islands. Yugure would begin a period of maintenance and refitting at Truk. ww2dbase [Yukikaze | Yugure | Ryuho | Naka | Truk | CPC]

• Gabriel Puaux was made the Resident-General of French Morocco, replacing Charles Hippolyte Noguès. ww2dbase [CPC]

• USS Whale arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii. ww2dbase [Pearl Harbor Navy Base and Ford Island Naval Air Station | Whale | Pearl Harbor, Oahu | CPC]

• Kamikaze departed Ominato, Aomori Prefecture, Japan for patrols in the Tsugaru Strait area. ww2dbase [Kamikaze | Ominato, Aomori | CPC]

• 170 miles northwest of the Japanese base at Truk, submarine USS Spearfish detected a formation of 11 to 13 Japanese warships, including the carriers Ryuho, Unyo, and Chuyo, battleships Kongo and Haruna, cruiser Kumano, plus destroyers. The task force steamed directly over Spearfish and when the submarine was in the middle of the formation, she fired four torpedoes at the lead carrier but missed. While setting up for a shot at the second carrier, Spearfish was forced to go deep by an approaching cruiser on a collision course. The Japanese task force arrived safely at Truk later that same day without ever detecting Spearfish's presence. ww2dbase [Naka | Spearfish | Yukikaze | Ryuho | Yugure | Kumano | Haruna | Kongo | Chuyo | Unyo | DS]

• USS Luce was commissioned into service with Commander Donald C. Varian in command. ww2dbase [Luce | CPC]
• The US Supreme Court upheld the original 1942 verdict against Minoru Yasui. ww2dbase [Minoru Yasui | Internment of Japanese-Americans and Japanese-Canadians | Washington | CPC]

21 Jun 1943 Interactive Map