WWII History

1940 Reports of Lancastria disaster released in London after Churchill’s ban on the news lifted. Neutral French liner Meknes, taking 1,100 French sailors back to France, sunk by German E-boat 572: 400 killed. Red Cross estimates 5.5 million refugees in Vichy France. 1941 The U.S. government denounces Japanese actions in Indochina. US imposes a crude […]

1940 Chancellor of the Exchequer Sir Kingsley Wood announces third War Budget: income lax up 1d to 8s 6d in the £, beer up 1d a pint, purchase tax introduced for first time at 33% on luxuries, war expenditure for the next year estimated at £3,470,000,000. Secretary of War announces that Local Defense Volunteers to

1939 Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini sign “Pact of Steel” forming the Axis powers. 1940 British cipher experts at Bletchley Park break the Luftwaffe Enigma code. Britain officially rejects Hitler’s “peace offer.” Britain establishes Special Operations Executive (SOE) under Hugh Dalton to support resistance groups in Nazi-occupied Europe. The XIX Panzerkorps (Guderian) strikes from Abbeville

1940 Czech government-in-exile established in London under Dr. Benes. Hitler orders preliminary planning for invasion of Russia. Romania forced by Germany to give Dobruja province to Bulgaria. 1941 FDR asks Congress to extend the draft. US starts national aluminum salvage drive. France accepts Japan’s demand for military control of Indochina. In occupied Poland near Lublin,

1940 Luftwaffe night-fighters (Me 110s) first shoot down a British plane. President Roosevelt signs the ‘Two Ocean Navy Expansion Act’. This was the first step in preparing America for war against either Germany or Japan, or both. British claim 40 Luftwaffe planes down in a week; British civilian casualty figures for last month announced: 336

1940 General Sir Alan Brooke takes over from Ironside as C-in-C, Home Forces. Ironside becomes a Field Marshal. Hitler makes triumphant speech to Reichstag: accuses Allies of war mongering and appeals ‘for the last time to reason’. The Italian Cruiser, Bartolomeo Colleoni is sunk off Cape Spada, near Crete by HMAS Sydney. 1941 BBC announces

1940 Prince Konoye forms new Japanese Cabinet with Army and Navy nominees. 1941 The Japanese foreign minister, Yosuke Matsuoka is replaced by a moderate. New Japanese Cabinet has four generals and three admirals. US Army Air Force opens bases in Iceland to patrol convoy routes in North Atlantic. US Secretary of Navy Frank Knox approves

1940 The German Army presents its plan for the invasion of Britain. Six divisions are to land between Ramsgate and Bexhill in the southeast corner of England, four will land between Brighton and the Isle of Wight and three on the Dorset coast. Two Airborne division’s will also be deployed, with follow up forces including

1940 Hitler issues Directive No.16, orders for the planning of ‘Operation Sealion‘, the invasion of Britain. Twenty divisions are earmarked for the invasion, but the Luftwaffe must gain air superiority first. All plans are to be ready by mid-August. Destroyer Imogen sinks in Pentland Firth after collision in fog by the British light cruiser HMS

1940 Unemployment in Britain up 60,431 in June to 827,266, but still down half a million on June 1939. Home Office bans fireworks, kite and balloon flying. RAF reduces pilot training from three months to one month. The rector of Old Bolingbroke, England, is sentenced to 4 weeks prison for ringing a church bell. Britain