1940
British unemployment falls to 973,000, lowest figure since 1920.
British troops land at Harstad in the Lofoten Islands, opposite Narvik.
Quisling government resigns in Oslo and a ‘Administrative Council’ takes control.
Germans appoint a council to run the Norwegian government.
Off Narvik, British destroyers Brazen and Fearless sink U-49; documents about the Enigma machine float to the surface and are captured by the British
1941
The Germans take Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.
The Luftwaffe bombs Belfast, Northern Ireland, killing 758.
Igor Sikorsky flies first official rotor helicopter flight, of a Vought-Sikorsky VS-300 in Stratford, CT; flight lasts over one hour.
1942
During its darkest hours, the Malta is awarded the George Cross for “heroism and devotion” by King George VI. This was in recognition of the way in which the Maltese people had stood up to more than 2,000 bombing raids and constant shortages over the past twelve month
The French resistance attacks the German HQ at Arras with hand grenades.
1943
General Omar Bradley takes command of US II Corps; Patton relieved to prepare for invasion of Sicily.
1944
The Red Army recaptures Tarnopol in the southern Ukraine.
1945
The 3rd Ukrainian front occupies Radkesburg during its offensive against the industrial area of Mahrisch-Ostrau in Moravia. The 2nd Ukrainian front attacks towards Brno in Czechoslovakia.
British troops liberate Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp and free approximately 40,000 prisoners. It is reported that “both inside and outside the huts was a carpet of dead bodies, human excreta, rags and filth.”
The Canadian First Army reaches the coast in northern Holland and captures Arnhem in the South. The US First Army captures Leuna and Merseburg in Saxony, while the French First Army captures Kehl and Offenburg on the upper Rhine.