The ammunition magazine of the Mutsu exploded during very hot weather while the ship was anchored at Hashirajima. The explosion killed 1,222 people, only one of whom was not a crew member of the ship.
The ship had been built in 1918 and had largely spent the war as a training ship. The Japanese Navy investigated the explosion and concluded, while physical examination was still ongoing, that the ship had been sabotaged by a disgruntled seaman. In reality, its aft magazine may have exploded due to environmental conditions.
The Battle of Porta commenced in central Greece between the Italian Army and the Greek People's Liberation Army. It was the first time the latter fought a conventional battle.
Sarah Sundin notes on her blog:
Today in World War II History—June 8, 1943: US begins the “Victory Home” campaign to encourage conservation, scrap collection, war bond purchases, and other patriotic wartime activities.
William J. Calley, who would be convicted for his role in the My Lai Massacre during the Vietnam War was born on this day. He remains alive at age 79.
Calley would only serve three years under house arrest for the crime.
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