WWII History

1940 Heavy fighting is reported at the outskirts to Viipuri, as the Red Army continues its attempt to capture the city. This prompts the Finns to seek an immediate armistice, which the Russians refuse. Therefore the Finnish delegation in Moscow is instructed to sue for peace. 1941 The US Senate passes the ‘Lend Lease’ bill […]

1936 Hitler sends German troops into the Rhineland, breaking the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Pact. [youtube width=”640″ height=”385″ video_id=”SpxdYTNkbe4″] 1941 British and Commonwealth troops begin to arrive in Greece. German Jews ordered into forced labour. U-47, commanded by top ace Gunther Prien, hero of Scapa Flow, is sunk by the British Destroyer HMS

1940 Hitler changes his plans for the invasion of the west. At a military conference in Berlin, he decides to adopt the plan put forward by Gerd von Rundstedt and his former chief of staff, Erich von Manstein, for the Ardennes option. Code-named ‘Fall Sichelschnitt’, it called for the attack against the Low Countries to

1940 Italian collier ship seized by Allies. 1941 The Royal Navy begins escorting British and Commonwealth troop convoys from Egypt to Greece. 1942 German reconnaissance planes locate the British convoy PQ-12 bound for Murmansk. General Sir Harold Alexander arrives at Rangoon to take over command of Burma Army from Lieutenant General Hutton. Wavell had given

1941 Hitler increases the pressure on Yugoslavia to join the Tripartite pact by inviting Prince Paul, the regent, to Berchtesgaden. Hitler demands that he allows German troops to pass through Yugoslavia for an attack on Greece. In return, the port of Salonika and part of Macedonia will be ceded to Yugoslavia. On the northern Norwegian

1940 The Russian launch a massive offensive and bring Viipuri under direct attack. This brings home to the Finns the fact that they cannot resist for must longer against the overwhelming force that the Russians are now deploying. Italy protests to Britain over proposed ban on Italian imports of German coal. 1941 Moscow denounces the

1940 British India liner Domala bombed in English Channel, killing 100 people. 1941 The German Twelfth Army moves into Bulgaria. Great Britain breaks off diplomatic relations with Bulgaria. Germans occupy Bulgaria on way to invade Greece. The RAF launches a heavy raid against Cologne. 1942 Churchill declares that the Tirpitz is ‘the most important naval

1940 The US Under Secretary of State, Sumner Welles arrives in Berlin at the start of a peace tour of the belligerent countries. The Soviet Unions peace ultimatum to Finland expires. 1941 Bulgaria finally joins the Tripartite pact after the discovery of a planned pro-British coup. Italian civilian rations are halved in order to allow