Western Front
French Army Mutinies: New French C-in-C Petain’s CoS Debeney informs Haig that, due to mutinies, French Army can give only minimal support in planned Allied offensive.
Haig decides to attack a key sector immediately and so distract Germans from French; Messines offensive already scheduled for June 7 fits the bill.
Western Front: Victoria Cross is awarded to Captain W.A. 'Billy' Bishop of No.60 Squadron, a Canadian serving in the Royal Flying Corps, for his one-man raid on Estourmel airfield near Cambrai in France in a Nieuport (B1566). Canadian ace Captain Bishop flies dawn raid on German airfield near Cambrai, and claims to have destroyed 3 Albatros fighters that rise to engage; returns to base in bullet-riddled Nieuport figher (Victoria Cross award on August 11).
Ed Note: there is a lot of controversy surrounding this mission. Since he flew it as a solo mission, (although he did seek a wingman for it), there are those that claim he made the whole incident up. A careful search of German records seems to indicate that there was no such raid on any German Jäger (fighter) unit on this date. However, Bishop did return with his plane shot full of holes, so something happened.
In his account, he states that the airfield he originally selected was completely socked in by overcast & fog: so he was forced to an alternative target. It is likely that the alternate target was either a two-seater unit’s airfield, or that of a temporary airfield of a ferry unit replacing single-seater fighters, and that otherwise, Bishop’s claim of being able to destroy three German aircraft while they were taking-off is accurate. Examination of German records for the Artillerie- and Aufklärungs- (artillery-spotting and reconnaissance) units, and Jagdstaffel 20’s (the ferry unit) in the area does support claims of German losses for this date.
Canadian ace Billy Bishop in front of his Nieuport 17 fighter:
https://i2.wp.com/ww2-weapons.com/w...uport.jpg?ssl=1
Flanders: Royal Flying Corps Second Army aircraft destroy 32 aircraft for loss of 18 (until June 7).
American nurses attached to the No. 12 General Hospital to the BEF at Rouen: © IWM (Q 2337):
https://twitter.com/CenturyAgoToday...7356288/photo/1
Field Marshall von Hindenburg (accurately) reports to Kaiser Wilhelm that the British and French spring offensives have failed.
British artillery is active at Wytschaete and Ypres sectors in Belgium as it prepares for another offensive.
German attack captures around 1000 yards of French trenches west of CHemin-des-Dames, along with around 200 French prisoners.
Naval and Overseas Operations
Britain claims its shipping losses were the lightest last month since the resumption of German unrestricted submarine warfare.
Eastern Mediterranean: British transport
Cameronian (63 men lost) sunk 50 miles off Alexandria.
Political, etc
Russia: The Petrograd Soviet takes control over the Kronstadt naval base in defiance of the Russian Provisional Government.
Belgium: Dutch government gives 12,000 tons of grain to German-occupied Belgium as aid.
United States: President Wilson issues a proclamation warning Americans who flee the country to avoid the draft will face punishment.
In the past 8 days, 383 people have been killed in the Midwest and Southeast U.S. by tornadoes.
Brazil: Brazil takes control over 46 German ships interned in its ports, as Brazil abandons its neutrality in the war.