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Post by ChefEd on Aug 20, 2023 20:35:41 GMT
Significant highlights during the conflict.
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Post by ChefEd on Aug 20, 2023 20:41:20 GMT
SEPTEMBER 19391 SEP | | Germany invades Poland. | 3 SEP | | British ultimatum to Germany expires, effectively the beginning of the war in Europe | 3 SEP | | SS Athenia sunk off the Irish coast | 4 SEP | | British aircraft attack German ships in the Heligoland Bight | 6 SEP | | South Africa declares war against Germany | 7 SEP | | British convoys begin | 10 SEP | | Canada declares war against Germany The first major units of the B.E.F. land in France | 16 SEP | | Polish government refuses request for their surrender | 17 SEP | | Soviet troops enter Poland British aircraft carrier Courageous sunk by submarine | 25 SEP | | Germany introduces food rationing | 30 SEP | | Graf Spee sinks its first merchant ship |
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Post by ChefEd on Aug 20, 2023 20:46:57 GMT
OCTOBER 19393 OCT | | Last significant units of the Polish military surrender | 14 OCT | | British battleship Royal Oak is sunk at Scapa Flow by a German submarine | 19 OCT | | Germany officially annexes Western Poland into the Reich. First Jewish ghetto established in Lublin. |
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Post by ChefEd on Aug 20, 2023 20:48:51 GMT
NOVEMBER 19398 NOV | | Two members of British Intelligence, MI6, are captured by the Germans, leading to the capture of many British agents in Eastern Europe | 23 NOV | | German raider Scharnhorst sinks British armed merchant cruiser Rawalpindi. Scharnhorst and Gneisenau retreat to their base. | 30 NOV | | Russo-Finnish War resumes |
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Post by ChefEd on Aug 20, 2023 21:39:34 GMT
DECEMBER 19394 DEC | | British battleship Nelson damaged by a mine | 8 DEC | | Finnish army halts Soviet advances in the north | 12-15 DEC | | Finnish troops gain major successes against the Soviet invasion | 13 DEC | | Battle of the River Plate: German pocket battleship Graf Spee is damaged in battle against British naval units. Graf Spee retreats to Montevideo, Uruguay | 17 DEC | | Graf Spee is scuttled to prevent capture | 23 DEC | | Canadian troops begin to arrive in Britain | 27 DEC | | First Indian troops arrive in Britain Soviet forces begin to suffer heavily against Finnish assaults | 28 DEC | | Meat rationing begins in Britain |
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Post by ChefEd on Aug 20, 2023 21:44:06 GMT
JANUARY 1940JAN | | Russo-Finnish War continues with back and forth actions | 1 JAN | | Kriegsmarine down to 32 operational submarines | 8 JAN | | Bacon, butter and sugar are rationed in Britain | 11 JAN | | France begins rationing of meat | 29 JAN | | Soviets open to negotiating with the Finns to end the conflict |
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Post by ChefEd on Aug 20, 2023 21:45:30 GMT
FEBRUARY 194011 FEB | | Soviet Union and Germany expand their trade and economics agreement | 14 FEB | | Britain announces all merchantmen will now be armed. | 15 FEB | | In response, Germany declares all such vessels will be considered warships. | 16 FEB | | British destroyer Cossack retrieves British prisoners from German ship Altmark, while in Norwegian waters. | 17 FEB | | Soviets take last of Mannerheim Line | 21 FEB | | Concentration camp at Auschwitz begins construction |
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Post by ChefEd on Aug 20, 2023 21:46:38 GMT
MARCH 19402 MAR | | The Soviet Union begins major offensives against Finland. | 13 MAR | | Soviet-Finnish conflict ends, with concessions to the Soviet Union. | 16 MAR | | Luftwaffe attack against Scapa Flow naval base. | 18 MAR | | Hitler and Mussolini meet at the Brenner Pass. Mussolini states his willingness to join Germany against Britain and France. | 20 MAR | | French Prime Minister Daladier resigns | 30 MAR | | Japanese puppet government established in Nanking | 31 MAR | | German armed merchant raider Atlantis sets sail on first cruise. |
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Post by ChefEd on Aug 27, 2023 12:19:33 GMT
APRIL 19403 APR | | Churchill appointed Chair of the of the Ministerial Defense committee | 7 APR | | German ships begin sailing for the invasion of Norway British ships set sail for Norway to mine waters against German invasion | 8 APR | | British and German naval ships skirmish. British military fails to comprehend the significance of the increased German naval activity and fail to act. | 9 APR | | Germany invades Denmark, Copenhagen falls in 12 hours German invasion of Norway begin | 10 APR | | Norwegian government and royal family evacuate Oslo. Quisling is installed to lead the puppet government | 10-14 APR | | German and British naval forces clash numerous times. German Kriegsmarine lose numerous ships, others damaged, but does not affect the land battles. | 15 APR | | Quisling resigns as head of the puppet government | 15-19 APR | | British forces begin landing in Norway | 20-30 APR | | German forces continue their advances, while British and Norwegian troops fight valiantly but ineffectively. | 28 APR | | Additional French troops arrive in Norway |
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Post by ChefEd on Sept 2, 2023 18:52:16 GMT
MAY 1940MAY | | Britain closes Mediterranean to normal British merchant shipping. These merchantmen must now sail an additional 20,000 miles around the Cape of Good Hope. | 7-8 MAY | | Prime Minister Chamberlain resigns Germany begins its invasion of Western Europe British forces land in Iceland | 11 MAY | | Fort Eben Emael falls British and French forces land in Aruba and Curaçao | 13 MAY | | German forces cross the Meuse River Allied forces advance on Narvik | 14 MAY | | Britain begins forming the Home Defense Force | 15 MAY | | Dutch army capitulates Air Marshall Dowding argues against sending further British air units to the continent Churchill begins his “letter writing” campaign to Roosevelt, requesting aid | 11-19 MAY | | Allied forces have, for the most part, been in a constant stage of retreat, before the advancing German army. | 19 MAY | | Evacuation of the BEF is first raised | 20 MAY | | Advancing German forces have reached the French coast, at Abbeville | 22 MAY | | Parliament passes the Emergency Powers Act | 24 MAY | | Allied forces have decided to exit Norway | 26 MAY | | British forces are retreating to Dunkirk Orders to commence Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of the BEF from Dunkirk, have been issued. | 27 MAY | | 8,000 British soldiers evacuated from Dunkirk | 28 MAY | | Belgium capitulates 17,800 men evacuated from Dunkirk | 27-28 MAY | | Narvik is recaptured by the Allies | 29 MAY | | 47,310 men evacuated from Dunkirk, French troops among them | 30 MAY | | 53,823 men evacuated from Dunkirk | 31 MAY | | 61,014 men evacuated from Dunkirk President Roosevelt introduces a “Billion Dollar” defense program |
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Post by ChefEd on Sept 6, 2023 13:35:38 GMT
JUNE 19401-30 JUN | | Battle of Britain continues, with frequent Luftwaffe attacks on Channel shipping | 1 JUN | | Dunkirk: British forces evacuated | 8 JUN | | Norway: British forces evacuated German raiders Scharnhorst and Gneisenau begin operating in Norwegian waters | 9 JUN | | Norway ceases military operations against German forces | 10 JUN | | Benito Mussolini has Italy declare war against Britain and France | 11 JUN | | Axis forces begin air operations against Malta and North Africa | 14 JUN | | Paris falls to the German army | 18 JUN | | RAF bombs Hamburg, Germany | 22 JUN | | Baltic States come under Soviet control France signs Armistice with Germany | 30 JUN | | German forces begin to occupy the Channel Islands |
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Post by ChefEd on Sept 16, 2023 20:34:56 GMT
JULY 1940 1-31 JUL | | Luftwaffe continues its attacks on Channel shipping | 3 JUL | | British forces inter French naval vessels anchored at Portsmouth and Plymouth. British naval forces attack the French fleet at Mers-el-Kebir. | 4JUL | | Italian forces invade Sudan Rumania aligns with Nazi Germany | 6 JUL | | British naval air forces again attack Mers-el-Kebir | 7 JUL | | French naval forces in Alexandria Harbor demobilize | 7-8 JUL | | British naval forces attack French ships at Dakar and Casablanca | 9 JUL | | British and Italian naval forces clash, with the Italian forces withdrawing | 13 JUL | | Italian forces invade Kenya | 15 JUL | | Baltic States formally join the Soviet Union | 16 JUL | | Japan, General Tojo becomes Minister of War | 19 JUL | | Italian and Australian naval forces clash, with the Italian forces withdrawing | 28 JUL | | South Atlantic, German auxiliary cruiser clashes with British armed merchantman, with British withdrawing |
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Post by ChefEd on Sept 22, 2023 11:50:31 GMT
AUGUST 19401-31 AUG | | Luftwaffe maintains its pressure on Channel shipping | 2 AUG | | British naval forces attack Italian base at Cagliari, Sardinia | 3 AUG | | Italian troops invade British Somaliland | 10 AUG | | British forces announce plans to abandon Tientsin Province China, including Shanghai | 11 AUG | | Luftwaffe attacks on Weymouth and Portland | 12 AUG | | Luftwaffe units attack multiple RAF airfields and radar stations. | 13 AUG | | Adlertag (Eagle Day) commences, beginning the all-out German air offensive against Britain and the RAF. | 16 AUG | | RAF units attack Italian industry in Turin and Milan | 17 AUG | | British air and naval units attack Italian ships and facilities in Bardia and Fort Capuzzo | 24 AUG | | German bombers, in a night raid, carelessly drop bombs on South London | 25 AUG | | German bombers attack Birmingham RAF conducts night bombing raid on Berlin, in response to attack on London. | 28 AUG | | Luftwaffe bombers attack Liverpool, in a night raid | 31 AUG | | The Luftwaffe continues its month-long concentration of attacks against RAF airfields. |
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Post by ChefEd on Sept 29, 2023 12:27:09 GMT
SEPTEMBER 1940 1-30 SEP | | German E-Boats begin major operations against Allied shipping | 1-6 SEP | | Luftwaffe night raids continue against British cities Luftwaffe continues its attacks on RAF airfields and support facilities | 7 SEP | | Luftwaffe sends major daylight raid against London, mostly ignoring RAF facilities. The “Blitz” has begun. | 11 SEP | | Luftwaffe continues its daylight raids against London. Buckingham Palace is bombed, with no casualties. | 13 SEP | | Italian forces begin an assault on the Egyptian frontier | 14 SEP | | Luftwaffe day and night raids continue against London | 15 SEP | | Luftwaffe send two heavy daylight raids against London. They suffer heavy losses. As time would tell, this would be the last major effort against London. | 16 SEP | | Italian forces capture Sidi Barrani | 16 SEP | | British naval forces attack Benghazi | 19 SEP | | German invasion forces aimed at Britain begin to disperse, to be assigned to other tasks. | 20-22 SEP | | Convoy HX-72 losses 12 ships | 21 SEP | | The “Blitz” continues, Underground stations are now authorized for use as bomb shelters. | 22 SEP | | Japanese troops enter Indochina | 23 SEP | | RAF conducts night bombing raid on Berlin | 23-25 SEP | | Free French forces, supported by British forces, attempt to sway Vichy Dakar to join the Free French. Conflict ensues, with Free French forces withdrawing. | 24-25 SEP | | Vichy Air Forces attack Gibraltar | 25 SEP | | Quisling becomes leader of Norway | 26 SEP | | US imposes embargo on the Empire of Japan, barring all iron and steel. | 27 SEP | | Germany, Italy, and Japan sign the Tripartite Pact, effectively creating the Axis Powers. |
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Post by ChefEd on Oct 7, 2023 12:49:17 GMT
OCTOBER 19401-31 OCT | | Allies lose 443,000 tons of shipping, 352,400 to U-Boots, The Battle of Britain continues. | 6 OCT | | German troops enter Romania, to bolster that government (and protect the oil fields). | 7 OCT | | Germany requires all Jews in France to register with authorities. | 9-20 OCT | | 11 German U-Boots sink 39 Allied merchantmen. | 9 OCT | | Churchill becomes head of the Conservative Party. | 11 OCT | | Luftwaffe bombs Liverpool | 11-12 OCT | | Two Italian destroyers are damaged and two sunk while attacking the British light cruiser Ajax. | 12 OCT | | Germany postpones Operation Seelöwe, eventually cancelling it. | 16 OCT | | The United States begins registration for the draft. | 18 OCT | | Burman Road reopens. Vichy France begins enactment of anti-Semitic laws | 20 OCT | | Italian planes, attacking from East Africa, bomb oil facilities in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. | 20-21 OCT | | The Italians lose one destroyer when attacking a British convoy on the Red Sea. | 26 OCT | | The Empress of Britain (42,000 tons) is damaged by a bomb attack. | 28 OCT | | Italian forces cross the Albanian frontier invading Greece. The damaged Empress of Britain is sunk by torpedoes from U-32. | 29 OCT | | The United States begins conscription. | 31 OCT | | The Battle of Britain is unofficially over. |
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