U.S. Aggression In Balkans Continues; Also Midway

FRI 5 JUN 1942
Europe
U.S. declares war on Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania.

Pacific
Battle of Midway continues as TF 16 (Rear Admiral Raymond A. Spruance) pursues Japanese fleet, now without its central core of carriers, westward, while efforts proceed to try and salvage the crippled carrier Yorktown (CV-5). Motor torpedo boats from Midway fail to locate "burning Japanese carrier" located by Midway-based planes.

Japanese carrier Akagi, damaged on 4 June, is scuttled by destroyers Nowaki, Arashi, and Hagikaze, 30°30'N, 179°08'W; carrier Hiryu, likewise damaged on 4 June, is scuttled by destroyers Kazegumo and Yugumo, 31°38'N, 178°51'W. Heavy cruisers Mogami and Mikuma are damaged in collision while turning to avoid shadowing submarine Tambor (SS-198), while retiring from Midway (see 6 June).

Planes from Japanese carriers Ryujo and Junyo reprise their attack on installations at Dutch Harbor, Alaska.

Japanese Attu Occupation Force (Rear Admiral Omori Sentaro) occupies Attu, Aleutians, without opposition.

Caribbean
U.S. tanker L.J. Drake is sunk with all hands (35 merchant seamen and a six-man Armed Guard) by German submarine U-68 at 17°30'N, 68°20'W, one day's steaming from Aruba, N.W.I.

Atlantic
Unarmed U.S. freighter Delfina is torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-172 at 22°22'N, 67°08'W; four crewmen perish. Submarine chaser PC-67 rescues 12 survivors from two rafts; the remainder (15 men in a lifeboat) reach the port of Montecristi, Dominican Republic.

Eight survivors from U.S. fishing boat Ben and Josephine and six from Aeolus, their craft sunk by German submarine U-432 on 3 June, reach Mt. Desert Coast Guard Light Station.

Europe
Operation HARPOON, the resupply of Malta, commences as convoy WS 19Z (Force X) sails from the Clyde; two of the five freighters, U.S. motorship Chant and Dutch Tanimbar have Navy Armed Guard crews on board (see 12 June).