What Happened on June 6

War Desk

1944 — Allied Armies Storm Normandy Beaches

Nearly 160,000 troops cross the Channel as a 1,200-plane airborne assault and more than 5,000 vessels support the landings.

LONDON, June 6 — Allied armies landed on the coast of Normandy before dawn today, opening Operation Overlord, the largest amphibious assault in the history of warfare. Nearly 160,000 troops crossed the English Channel under the command of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, headed by American General Dwight D. Eisenhower.

British General Bernard Montgomery directs the 21st Army Group, which comprises all land forces in the invasion. The Allies struck at five beach sectors: Americans at Utah and Omaha, British at Sword and Gold, and Canadians at Juno. A 1,200-plane airborne assault preceded the seaborne landings, and more than 5,000 vessels took part in the crossing.

First reports say the Allies have failed to meet all first-day objectives, with German resistance stiff at several points. The attack nonetheless proceeds along the whole front, and reinforcements continue to land under fire. Military observers note that success here would open a second front in western Europe, relieving pressure on the Soviet armies in the east.

The invasion has been long expected, and the German command has prepared coastal defenses of reinforced concrete and wire. Allied air supremacy has hammered rail lines and bridges inland to isolate the battlefield.

• Operation Overlord launched on 6 June 1944 with a 1,200-plane airborne assault and more than 5,000 vessels.
• Nearly 160,000 troops crossed the English Channel on 6 June, and over two million Allied troops were in France by end of August.
• American General Dwight D. Eisenhower commanded Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force for the invasion.
• British General Bernard Montgomery commanded the 21st Army Group, comprising all land forces in Operation Overlord.
• Allies landed at five beach sectors: Americans at Utah and Omaha, British at Sword and Gold, Canadians at Juno.

International Desk

1985 — Mengele Remains Identified in Brazil Exhumation

Dental records and forensic examination in 1985 identified the exhumed skeleton as Josef Mengele, who drowned in 1979 after fleeing to Argentina in 1949 and later to Paraguay in 1959 and Brazil in 1960.

EMBU DAS ARTES, Brazil — The skeleton lay in a shallow grave under the name Wolfgang Gerhard, but the teeth and bones told another story. Forensic experts announced today that the remains exhumed here are those of Josef Mengele, the Nazi physician who conducted human experiments on inmates at Auschwitz.

The identification, confirmed by dental records and other forensic examination in 1985, closes a worldwide search that spanned three decades. Mengele, who escaped Europe after the war, drowned in 1979 after suffering a stroke while swimming off the coast of Bertioga, Brazil.

He was buried under the false name of Wolfgang Gerhard, and the grave went unnoticed for years. Investigators acting on a tip exhumed the body and matched it against wartime records.

Mengele fled to Argentina in July 1949, then moved to Paraguay in 1959 and Brazil in 1960. He lived under assumed identities, evading capture by Israeli agents and Nazi hunters. Known as the "Angel of Death" at Auschwitz, he selected victims for the gas chambers and performed painful experiments without anesthesia.

German and Israeli authorities have been notified, and the identification was made public at a news conference.

• Mengele's remains were disinterred and positively identified by forensic examination in 1985.
• Mengele drowned in 1979 after suffering a stroke while swimming off the coast of Bertioga, Brazil.
• He was buried under the false name of Wolfgang Gerhard before his exhumation.
• Mengele fled to Argentina in July 1949, then to Paraguay in 1959 and Brazil in 1960.

Court Gazette

1674 — Shivaji Crowned First Chhatrapati at Raigad Fort

Maratha leader takes sovereign title after years of war against Bijapur and Mughal power, defying Brahmin opposition to his rule.

The Maratha people, long subject to the Bijapur Sultanate and the Mughal Empire, now have a king of their own. Shivaji, who led the resistance that won their freedom, was formally crowned the first Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire today at Raigad Fort, in a ceremony of great splendor and significance.

The coronation proceeds despite opposition from local Brahmins, who had objected to the elevation. Shivaji, undeterred, took the throne as sovereign of his realm, establishing a rule that will govern the Maratha lands.

His administration and armed forces draw upon people of all castes and religions, including Muslims and Europeans, a policy that sets his court apart. The new Chhatrapati has built a navy and forts, and his realm now stands as a power to be reckoned with.

The ceremony at Raigad, a mountain stronghold, was attended by thousands, and the new king received homage from his chiefs and nobles.

• Shivaji was formally crowned the Chhatrapati of his realm at Raigad Fort in 1674.
• Shivaji was crowned as king despite opposition from local Brahmins.
• Shivaji employed people of all castes and religions, including Muslims and Europeans, in his administration and armed forces.

Science Notes

1912 — Volcano Erupts in Alaska, Largest of Century

Rated 6 on the volcanic explosivity index, Novarupta expelled between 3.1 and 3.6 cubic miles of ash over 60 hours.

In the annals of natural violence, the eruption that began today on the Alaska Peninsula will stand as the greatest of the century. The volcano, named Novarupta, has blown with a force rated 6 on the volcanic explosivity index, expelling between 3.1 and 3.6 cubic miles of ash over 60 hours.

• The 1912 Novarupta eruption was rated a 6 on the volcanic explosivity index, the largest of the 20th century.
• It began on June 6, 1912, and lasted 60 hours, expelling 3.1 to 3.6 cubic miles of ash.
• The amount of ash expelled was 30 times that of the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.
• Only the 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption and the 1902 Santa María eruption were of comparable magnitude.
• The erupted magma of rhyolite, dacite, and andesite produced over 4.1 cubic miles of air fall tuff.

Malaysian Affairs

1976 — Sabah Chief Minister Dies in Plane Crash

Tun Fuad Stephens, nine others killed near Kota Kinabalu

KOTA KINABALU, June 6 — Tun Fuad Stephens, Chief Minister of Sabah, was killed today when his plane crashed near Kota Kinabalu International Airport. Also dead is Datuk Peter Mojuntin and nine others. Tun Fuad's 24-year-old son, Johari Stephens, a trainee pilot, rode in the co-pilot seat.

• The crash occurred on June 6, 1976, in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, killing Sabah Chief Minister Tun Fuad Stephens and Datuk Peter Mojuntin.
• Tun Fuad's 24-year-old son, Johari Stephens, a trainee pilot, rode in the co-pilot seat on the ill-fated flight.
• The GAF N-22B Nomad aircraft circled and approached from the north due to an inbound Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737.
• A full investigation led by Colonel Osman Saman was launched, but the Australian report remained classified as of 2020.
• The crash created five vacant Sabah state assembly seats, leading to by-elections on July 31, 1976.

Medical Intelligence

1822 — St. Martin's Wound Opens Path to Digestion Science

A musket ball wound on June 6 exposes a voyageur's stomach to medical study.

MACKINAC ISLAND, June 6 — In a singular case, a musket ball has laid open the stomach of a Canadian voyageur, Alexis St. Martin, offering physicians a rare window. The accidental close-range discharge, which occurred today, left a hole healing into a fistula aperture.

• On June 6, 1822, St-Martin was accidentally shot with a musket at close range at the fur trading post on Mackinac Island.
• The musket shot left a hole through his side that healed to form a fistula aperture into his stomach.
• Alexis St-Martin was a Canadian voyageur who participated in digestion experiments.
• American Army physician William Beaumont conducted experiments on St-Martin's digestion from 1822 to 1833.

National Desk

1971 — Airwest Jet, Marine Phantom Collide; 50 Dead Near Duarte

All 49 aboard DC-9 and F-4 pilot perish; radar officer survives

DUARTE, June 6 — A Hughes Airwest DC-9 and a U.S. Marine Corps F-4B Phantom collided in midair over the San Gabriel Mountains at about 15,150 feet, killing all 49 persons aboard the airliner and the fighter's pilot. The only survivor, the F-4's radar intercept officer, ejected and parachuted to safety. The collision occurred on Flight 706's route near Duarte. The National Transportation Safety Board reported that the F-4B had an inoperative transponder and degraded radar, yet its pilot had received permission to fly. Investigators said an additional ten feet of clearance would have averted the disaster. The crash prompted the U.S. Armed Forces to reduce military flights under visual flight rules in civilian air corridors.

• All 49 aboard the DC-9 and the F-4 pilot were killed; the F-4 radar intercept officer ejected and survived.
• The collision occurred at about 15,150 feet over the San Gabriel Mountains near Duarte, California.
• The F-4B had an inoperative transponder and degraded radar, yet its pilot received permission to fly.
• The NTSB determined that an additional ten feet of clearance would have averted the collision.
• The crash prompted the U.S. Armed Forces to reduce military aircraft flying under visual flight rules in civilian air corridors.

War Report

2017 — SDF Launches Final Assault on Raqqa

Great Battle begins, aiming to capture Islamic State's de facto capital

RAQQA, June 6 — The Syrian Democratic Forces opened the Second Battle of Raqqa, the final phase of the campaign against the Islamic State's de facto capital. Supported by airstrikes and ground troops from the US-led coalition, the operation is named the 'Great Battle.'

• The SDF launched the battle on 6 June 2017, supported by airstrikes and ground troops from the US-led coalition.
• The operation was named the 'Great Battle' by the SDF and concluded on 17 October 2017 with the capture of Raqqa.
• Out of a pre-war population of 300,000, some 270,000 people fled Raqqa, and about 80% of the city was destroyed.
• As many as 500 US special forces operated on the ground in northern Syria in support of the Raqqa campaign.
• By 24 June, the SDF completely encircled and besieged Raqqa city, trapping about 4,000 ISIL militants.