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• German troops crossed the Oskel River to take Kupyansk in Ukraine, which was to be used as a jump-off point for their summer offensive. ww2dbase [TH]
• Italian troops of Brescia Division and Trento Division reached Mersa Matruh, Egypt in the afternoon, engaging in fighting against the Indian 10th Infantry Division. To the south, German tanks and infantry moved toward Minqar Qaim. ww2dbase [Battle of Mersa Matruh | CPC]
• The Grumman XF6F-3 Hellcat prototype made its maiden flight. It went on to be, arguably, the most significant Allied carrier fighter of the war. ww2dbase [F6F Hellcat | AC]
• US Marine Corps Major General Alexander Vandegrift received word that Guadalcanal-Tulagi landings in the Solomon Islands were being planned. ww2dbase [Guadalcanal Campaign | CPC]
• Aleksandr Vasilevsky was named the Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet armed forces. ww2dbase [Aleksandr Vasilevsky | CPC]
• Vichy French ship Quand Meme struck a mine and sank in the Bay of Biscay; the mine was deployed by Free French submarine Rubis on 5 Jun 1942 ww2dbase [CPC]
• German submarine U-203 sank British ship Putney Hill with a torpedo and her deck gun 450 miles northeast of Puerto Rico at 0544 hours; 3 were killed, 35 survived. US ship Manuela, damaged by German submarine U-153 on the previous day, foundered and sank in the morning while under tow by US Coast Guard ship CG-252. At 0913 hours, U-107 damaged Dutch ship Jagersfontein with a torpedo 500 miles west of Bermuda; Jagersfontein would sink at 1215 hours; all 220 aboard survived. At 2317 hours, U-203 struck again, sinking Brazillian ship Pedrinhas with a torpedo and her deck gun 300 miles northeast of Puerto Rico; all 48 aboard survived. ww2dbase [Second Happy Time | CPC]
• Returning from a raid an Australian Catalina flying-boat of No. 11 Squadron RAAF was shot at by a US Navy Wildcat fighter whilst approaching Havannah Harbour at Efate, Espiritu Santo. The American pilot had been alerted to lookout for an unidentified aircraft and had mistaken the red centres of the RAAF roundels for the markings on Japanese aircraft. Fortunately the Catalina aircraft was not badly damaged in the attack and alighted safely. This incident led to the RAAF replainting their roundels with white centres on all aircraft. ww2dbase [AC]
• After repairs at HM Dockyard Chatham, Sheerness, England, United Kingdom, HMS Cumberland became part of Home Fleet cover with HM Battleship Duke of York, US Navy Battleship USS Washington, HM Cruiser Negeria and screen of 14 RN/USN destroyers for passage of Russian Convoy PQ17. ww2dbase [Duke of York | Cumberland | Washington | DS]

• Morosini, in the Altantic Ocean at 0003 hours, received word from fellow Italian submarine Giuseppe Finzi that Finzi had 313 tons of fuel, and would meet with Morosini at sea on 29 Jun 1942; the actual meeting would be delayed until 1 Jul 1942. ww2dbase [Giuseppe Finzi | Morosini | CPC]

• Italian midget submarine CB-4 recorded attacking and sinking Soviet submarine ShCh-207 in the Black Sea off Yalta, Ukraine; Soviet records revealed that the only submarine lost in the region that day was ShCh-203. ww2dbase [CPC]

• USS S-44 reported extremely poor weather north of Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. ww2dbase [S-44 | Savo Sound | CPC]

• The Italians were able to step up their air attacks on Malta by transferring aircraft from Libya to Sicily, Italy. ww2dbase [Malta Campaign | Sicilia | TH]

• Japanese hospital ship Hikawa Maru departed Kure, Japan for her fourth voyage for the Japanese Navy. ww2dbase [Hikawa Maru | Kure, Hiroshima | CPC]
• I-168 arrived at Sasebo, Japan for repairs. ww2dbase [I-68/I-168 | Sasebo Naval Arsenal | Sasebo, Nagasaki | CPC]
• Naka entered drydock at Maizuru, Japan. ww2dbase [Maizuru Naval Arsenal | Naka | Maizuru, Kyoto | CPC]

• German troops reached the northern shore of Severnaya Bay near Sevastopol, Russia. To the east of the city, positions held by troops of Soviet 386th Rifle Division were bombarded by German aircraft. As defeat appeared to be imminent, Soviet submarines D-6 and A-1 were scuttled in the harbor of Sevastopol to prevent capture. ww2dbase [Battle of Sevastopol | Sevastopol | CPC]
• German Ju 88 dive bombers sank Soviet destroyer Bezuprechny (320 were killed) and submarine S-32 (all 45 aboard were killed) 30 miles southeast of Sevastopol, Russia. ww2dbase [Sevastopol | CPC]

• German bombers attacked Norwich, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Norwich, England | CPC]

26 Jun 1942 Interactive Map