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WWII On This Day: June 21

What happened on June 21 during World War II? This date brings together 4 events from 1940, 1942 and 1945, with period photographs and links to the full operations documented across WW2 Theatres.

1940
Hitler and senior German leaders at the 1918 armistice carriage at Compiègne on 21 June 1940 before the terms were presented.
Hitler and senior German leaders at the 1918 armistice carriage at Compiègne on 21 June 1940 before the terms were presented. Bundesarchiv Bild 183-M1112-500 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE Source
Battle of France 1940

German armistice terms are presented at Compiègne

The French delegation led by General Charles Huntziger arrived at Compiègne on 21 June and entered the railway carriage associated with the 1918 armistice. Hitler attended the opening stage before leaving negotiations to Wilhelm Keitel and the German delegation. The setting turned the military settlement into a deliberately staged reversal of the First World War armistice ceremony. The French representatives received terms covering occupation, demobilisation, prisoners, administration and the fleet. Negotiations continued into 22 June while the French government considered the conditions from Bordeaux.

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1942
Captured British Matilda tank used by Axis forces around Tobruk; Bundesarchiv records the photograph as 21 June 1942.
Captured British Matilda tank used by Axis forces around Tobruk; Bundesarchiv records the photograph as 21 June 1942. Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1971-044-66 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE Source
Gazala and the Fall of Tobruk

Klopper surrenders Tobruk and about 33,000 troops are taken

The Tobruk garrison surrendered on the morning of 21 June after the German–Italian breakthrough of the previous day. About 33,000 Commonwealth and Allied soldiers were captured, including much of the South African 2nd Division and British and Indian units. Prisoner totals vary between official accounts and the date boundaries used. The Bundesarchiv records a captured British Matilda tank in Axis use around Tobruk on 21 June. It documents the immediate aftermath and captured equipment, not the surrender negotiations themselves.

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British and Commonwealth prisoners near Tobruk photographed in June 1942. The Bundesarchiv does not specify 21 June; this is a period photograph of the defeat and ensuing captivity, not an exact-day surrender scene.
British and Commonwealth prisoners near Tobruk photographed in June 1942. The Bundesarchiv does not specify 21 June; this is a period photograph of the defeat and ensuing captivity, not an exact-day surrender scene. Koch / Bundesarchiv Bild 183-B21459 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE Source
Gazala and the Fall of Tobruk

Prisoners gather as the port and stores pass into Axis hands

Captured troops were gathered near Tobruk while German and Italian forces took over large military stores, fuel and transport. The defeat deprived the Allies of the port and gave Rommel a temporary material advantage as he prepared to advance toward the Egyptian frontier. A German federal archive photograph by Koch shows British and Commonwealth prisoners near Tobruk in June 1942. It is linked as a period photograph associated with the defeat; the archive does not establish 21 June as its exact exposure date.

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1945
Refugees wait for transport in Berlin, 21 June 1945. The Federal Archive catalogues the image as summer 1945; the Commons record records this day.
Refugees wait for transport in Berlin, 21 June 1945. The Federal Archive catalogues the image as summer 1945; the Commons record records this day. Unknown photographer / Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1977-124-30 · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE Source
Refugees, Expulsion and Postwar Displacement

Refugees wait for transport in Berlin

A Bundesarchiv photograph dated 21 June 1945 shows refugees waiting to be transported from Berlin. The city was receiving displaced people and returning evacuees while the occupation powers struggled with food provision, housing and movement between zones. The image records a particular group in Berlin on a particular day. It does not identify every person’s place of origin or prove that all were part of one organised expulsion transport.

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