WWII History

1940 The British stun the French and Norwegians by deciding to evacuate southern Norway. 1941 The Italian fortress of Dessie, south of Amba Alagi is captured by South African forces. 1942 The RAF again attacks Rostok, this time with 128 aircraft. The Luftwaffe again raid Bath. Cunningham is forced to order the withdrawal of the […]

1940 Allied forces withdraw from Lillehammer in central Norway. New evacuation scheme introduced in Britain as a Ministry of Health survey shows that only 8% of eligible children have been registered; 19% of parents refused to do so; 73% did not bother to reply. 1941 Roosevelt announces an indefinite extension of US Atlantic patrols. German

1940 Commons approves trade agreement with Spain, first since Spanish Civil War. French reinforcements arrive at Aandalesnes. British troops forced to withdraw north of Trondheim after sharp fighting. Norwegian troops attack the Germans south of Narvik, but are beaten back. Germans appoint Josef Terboven as Reich Commissar of Norway. 1941 German forces in Greece break

1940 Budget Day raises taxes on beer by 1d, whiskey up 1/9d (9p) and postage up 1d. Estimates of the 1940 war expenditure as £2,000 million criticized by MPs for being too low. 1941 King George II of Greece and his government are flown to Crete by the RAF. The German build up for Operation

1940 Inter-Allied Supreme War Council meets in Paris; Poland and Norway represented. 1942 Fuhrer Directive 41 rolls off the mimeograph machines in Rastenberg and the Wehrmacht has its marching orders for 1942. Leningrad is to finally be captured, but that’s a secondary objective. The big plan is in the South, which involves 2nd Army and

1940 British and German troops engage in heavy fighting at Lillehammer, Norway. First US military casualty of WWII—Army Air Force observer Capt. Robert Losey killed by German bombing at Dombås, Norway. 1941 The Greek Army surrenders to the 1st SS Leibstandarte Division. Its commander, Sepp Dietrich accepts this, without referring to his superiors. All Greek

1889 Adolf Hitler, the Nazi dictator of Germany who led his country into World War II and was responsible for persecuting millions of Jews, was born. 1940 Danish Army demobilized. 1941 British forces in Greece retreat from Mt. Olympus. King George II heads new Greek government. Greek forces in Albania surrender. Luftwaffe launches raid on

1940 ‘State of Siege’ is extended to the whole of Netherlands. The first clash between British and German troops in Norway, at Verdal north of Trondheim 1941 Luftwaffe sends 712 bombers to London, 449 killed, including 34 firemen, the largest single loss of firefighters in British history. British women ages 20-30 are conscripted for war