A Jewish couple during World War II. Jews in many locations were required to display the Star of David on their clothing.
By: Phil Kohn. Dedicated to the memory of his father, GM3 Walter Kohn, U.S. Navy Armed Guard, USNR, and all men and women who have answered the country’s call in time of need. Phil can be contacted at ww2remembered@yahoo.com.
On May 29, 1942, Jews in Occupied France are ordered to wear a yellow Star of David on their clothing. In Ukraine, German forces complete the encirclement of 250,000 Red Army soldiers west of the Donets River. Singer Bing Crosby records the Irving Berlin song “White Christmas” for Decca Records. Released at Christmastime, it goes on to become the best-selling single record ever, reaching sales of over 100 million copies worldwide. In New York, the biographical musical “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” starring James Cagney as songwriter and entertainer George M. Cohan premieres. Instead of selling tickets, Warner Brothers sells War Bonds as the price of admission to the premiere.
After only three days of hasty repairs, the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown departs Pearl Harbor on May 30 to join the carrier USS Enterprise for the next battle, impending near Midway Island.
The British Royal Air Force on May 31 conducts a 1,000-bomber raid on Cologne, Germany. The British drop 1,455 tons of bombs in 90 minutes. Some 13,000 homes are destroyed, around 500 people are killed, and over 45,000 are made homeless. In Australia, three Japanese mini-submarines penetrate Sydney harbor and sink a military support ship. Although all the Japanese vessels are sunk, concern grows among the populace about a possible Japanese invasion.
On June 1, 1942, the first reports arrive in the West about toxic gas being used to kill Jews that had been sent “to the East” by the Nazis. In North Africa, Rommel, having lost nearly 30% of his tanks in hard fighting, cancels his plans to turn to the north toward Tobruk from Bir Hakeim, Libya. Instead, he focuses his forces against the British 150th Infantry Brigade at Sidi Muftah, in the middle of the Gazala Line. The area becomes known as “The Cauldron.” In Ukraine, Hitler visits Army Group South headquarters at Poltava to confirm plans for the upcoming summer offensive.
The RAF conducts another 1,000-bomber raid over Germany on June 2. This time, the target is the industrial town of Essen. In Ukraine, the huge German 31.5-inch siege gun “Schwerer Gustav (Heavy Gustav)” and 619 other artillery pieces begin a five-day bombardment of Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula. The Ukrainian city is defended by 106,000 Soviet soldiers, sailors and marines, 600 guns, 100 mortars, 38 tanks and 55 aircraft. Facing them are 204,000 troops of the German 11th Army, 670 guns, 450 mortars, 720 tanks and 200 aircraft.
The Japanese launch a carrier-based air raid on June 3 against U.S. Army and Navy facilities at Dutch Harbor, on Amaknak Island, Alaska, in the Aleutians. The British government announces that it will be nationalizing the U.K.’s coal mines and its milk industry. British commandos conduct an overnight raid on a radar facility at Plage-Ste-Cécile, in northern France, but a stiff German defense foils the operation.
On June 4, U.S. naval forces engage the Imperial Japanese Navy off Midway Island in what comes to be known as the Battle of Midway, the most decisive naval engagement of the war. The Japanese lose four aircraft carriers — half of their carrier fleet — which hamstrings Japanese ability to mount offensive naval engagements in the future. The U.S. loses one carrier — USS Yorktown — and one destroyer. In Prague, Czechoslovakia, Reinhard Heydrich, Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia, and one of the architects of the “Final Solution to the Jewish Question,” dies of wounds suffered in an assassination attempt in Prague on May 27. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer releases the romantic war drama “Mrs. Miniver,” which will go on to win six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (William Wyler), Best Actress (Greer Garson) and Best Supporting Actress (Theresa Wright).
