Dashed left edge = started before June 1941 ·
Dashed right edge = ongoing beyond June 1941
Events in June 1941 15
1859 – 1941Wilhelm II (1859-1941)Died 4 June 1941, aged 82Wilhelm II was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia, and he abdicated at the end of the First World War. He died in exile at Doorn in the German-occupied Netherlands.
1859 – 1941Wilhelm IIThe Last KaiserHis expansionist policies led Germany into World War I and resulted in the end of the German monarchy.
1860 – 1941Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860-1941)Died 29 June 1941, aged 80Ignacy Jan Paderewski was a celebrated Polish concert pianist and composer. In 1919 he served as Prime Minister of newly independent Poland, and he died in New York.
1884 – 1941Hugh Walpole (1884-1941)Died 1 June 1941, aged 57Hugh Walpole was a popular English novelist known for Mr Perrin and Mr Traill and The Herries Chronicle. He died at his home in the Lake District.
1903 – 1941Lou Gehrig (1903-1941)Died 2 June 1941, aged 37Lou Gehrig was a New York Yankees first baseman who played 2,130 consecutive games. He died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which became widely known by his name.
1941Battle of CreteThe first mainly airborne invasion in historyGerman paratroopers and glider troops landed on Crete and, despite very heavy losses, took Maleme airfield and then the island. Allied forces were evacuated by sea, and the losses convinced Hitler not to mount another large airborne operation.
1941Naval Enigma brokenThe Atlantic convoysHut 8 begins reading German naval Enigma consistently. Convoy routing around U-boat wolfpacks becomes possible, and shipping losses fall sharply. Estimates of how much the war was shortened by Bletchley vary from two to four years, and nobody outside the site knows any of it is happening.
1941 – 2021Charlie WattsThe Rolling Stones' drummer for 58 yearsCharlie Watts (June 2, 1941 – August 24, 2021) was the drummer and a co-founder of the Rolling Stones. Known for his understated jazz-influenced style, he was the heartbeat of the band for 58 years. He died peacefully in London on August 24, 2021, aged 80.
1941Chongqing air-raid shelter disasterHundreds suffocate during a Japanese bombing raidDuring a Japanese air raid on the wartime capital Chongqing, a stampede and a failed ventilation system in a crowded tunnel shelter killed large numbers of civilians. Estimates of the dead range from about 1,000 to several thousand.
1941Syria-Lebanon campaignAllied forces take Vichy French LevantBritish, Australian, Indian and Free French forces invaded Syria and Lebanon to stop Germany using Vichy airfields there. The campaign ended with the Armistice of Saint Jean d'Acre.
1941June deportation from the Baltic statesSoviet authorities deport tens of thousandsSoviet security forces deported tens of thousands of Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians to Siberia and Central Asia in a single operation. The day is marked as a day of mourning in all three Baltic states.
1941Germany invades Soviet UnionOperation Barbarossa — largest land invasion in historyGermany launched Operation Barbarossa on June 22, 1941, invading the Soviet Union with 3.8 million troops — the largest military operation in history. Hitler expected a quick victory but the campaign became a prolonged war of attrition.
1941Executive Order 8802Roosevelt bans racial discrimination in defence industriesUnder pressure from A. Philip Randolph's planned March on Washington, Roosevelt banned discrimination in the defence industry and federal employment. The order created the Fair Employment Practice Committee.
1941 – 1996Krzysztof Kieślowski (1941-1996)Died 13 March 1996, aged 54Krzysztof Kieślowski was a Polish film director acclaimed for the "Three Colors" trilogy and "The Decalogue," works noted for their moral seriousness and visual precision. He announced his retirement from filmmaking shortly before his death from a heart attack. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential European directors of his era.
1941Iași pogromRomanian and German forces murder over 13,000 JewsRomanian authorities, soldiers and German troops killed Jews in the streets of Iași and on sealed "death trains". More than 13,000 people died.