Tuesday, June 22, 1943. Race Riots in Detroit, Cruxhaven bombed,

Today in World War II History—June 22, 1943: In Detroit race riot, 24 Blacks & 9 whites are killed, 800 wounded (75% of the wounded are Black), 1800 arrested (80% Black); governor requests federal troops.

From Sarah Sundin's blog. 

It's worth recalling that the Detroit riots came hard on the heels of the Zoot Suit Riots.  The US was obviously not doing well with race relations in the heat of the war, or perhaps more properly the heated economy, mass movement of people, and the induction of huge numbers of men into the service were bringing the nation's race problems to a head.

The U.S. Army Air Force bombed Cuxhaven, the second heaviest raid of the war to date by the US, losing 16 aircraft. This compared favorably to the June 11, raid, in which it had lost 85.

A large exhibit of captured German equipment was held in Gorky Park.

Sunday, June 13, 1943. Bose arrives in Japan.

Indian revolutionary Subhas Chandra Bose, whom we've discussed on these pages before, arrived in Japan after traveling via U-boot and then by Japanese Imperial Navy submarine. The transfer of Bose en route is the only such example to occur between two nations of a civilian during World War Two.

Bose with the crew of the Japanese I-9.

The Zoot Suit Riots came to an end.  Amazingly, in spite of their damage so the American social fabric, and to the Zoot Suit itself, nobody was severely physically injured in the episode.

U.S. Army Air Force General Nathan Bedford Forrest III, age 38, when the bomber he was riding in as an observer was shot down over Kiel. He was the great-grandson of the famous and controversial Confederate General of the same name.

He was a West Point graduate from the class of 1928, and had been in the cavalry branch, but only for a year, before transferring to the Air Corps.  His father had been a businessman and a Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan.

Thursday, June 3, 1943. Zoot Suit Riots, Comité Français de Libération Nationale, Pocket Protectors,

This is the 80th anniversary of the start of the Los Angeles' Zoot Suit Riots. They'd continue through the 8th.

With tensions dating back for months, the event saw an outbreak of white servicemen attack Hispanic Angelinos wearing Zoot Suits, in part for revenge over an incident that had occurred several days prior, but largely due to racist animosity.

The initial confrontation on June 3 was between a party of sailors and Zoot Suiters, which isn't surprising given the injury of  a sailor several days prior.  As the attacks grew the servicemen were supported by the press and the Los Angeles city council announced efforts to curb the manufacture of clothing in excess of wartime regulations, thought to be part of the problem as it was part of the excuse.  By the 8th, the attacks had spread from Hispanic districts to African American ones, where Zoot Suits were also popular.

Arrested Angelinos.

On the 8th, the Department of the Navy declared Los Angeles off limits and confined servicemen to their barracks.

The Battle of West Hubei, which had gone on for about a month, ended in a  Chinese tactical victory, although Chinese losses exceeded Japanese ones, and there is some evidence that the Japanese used the battle as a battlefield training exercise.

The French Committee of National Liberation,  Comité Français de Libération Nationale, was formed with those senior officers of the former Vichy command in North Africa and the Free French who had been technically in rebellion against Vichy, in Algiers.  It had a committee leadership at this point, although by November DeGaulle would be the leader.

The pocket protector was patented on this day.