|
5
Jan |
Hore-Belisha,
Britain's Minister of War, is dismissed. |
|
8
Jan |
Food rationing
(butter, bacon and sugar) begins in Britain. |
|
1
Feb |
Major Russian
offensive against Finland starts during the
Winter War. |
|
14
Feb |
Britain announces
that merchant ships in the North Sea would be
armed. |
|
15
Feb |
Germany announces
that all British merchant ships would be classed
as warships. |
|
17
Feb |
Britain makes plans
to evacuate 400,000 children to rural areas. |
|
13 March
|
Treaty of Moscow
ends the Winter War. |
 |
|
20
March |
Daladier's
government in France is overthrown in Paris;
Reynaud becomes the new premier. |
|
8
April |
Royal Navy starts
laying mines in Norwegian waters. |
|
9
April |
Germany invades
Denmark and Norway. The war in the west starts
and the 'Phoney War' ends. |
|
10
May |
Germany invades
Holland, Belgium and Luxemburg. Churchill
replaces Neville Chamberlain as British Prime
Minister. |
|
11
May |
Churchill gives
Bomber Command permission to bomb Berlin. |
|
13
May |
France is attacked
at Sedan. |
|
14
May |
The British
government launches the Local Defence
Volunteers, later known as the Home Guard
(Dads Army). The Luftwaffe attack Rotterdam,
causing 30,000 civilian casualties. |
|
15
May |
Rommel's
tanks clash with French tanks at Philippeville
in the first major tank battle of the war.
Reinhardt's German tanks advance 37 miles to the
west of the Meuse. Holland surrenders. |
|
18
May |
General Kleist's
German armour captures St Quentin, half-way
between the English Channel and Sedan. Antwerp
surrenders. |
|
19
May |
General Weygand is
appointed Supreme Commander of all Allied forces
in France. |
|
20
May |
German tanks reached
Abbeville, cutting off Allied forces to the
north. |
|
21
May |
Allied forces launch
counter-attack on Arras. |
|
24
May |
Hitler orders a halt
to the advance of German armour. |
|
26
May |
British and French
troops trapped at Dunkirk, a full-scale
evacuation begins – Operation Dynamo. |
|
28
May |
Belgium surrenders
to the Germans. |
|
4
June |
The evacuation from
Dunkirk ends.
As
well as destroyers and large ships, the famous
'little ships of Dunkirk' - around 700 small
boats, fishing boats, paddle steamers, pleasure
craft and lifeboats, crewed by civilians - were
employed to help evacuate the troops.
Listen now to JB
Priestley talking about the evacuation of Dunkirk (right): |
|
|
5
June |
Germany launches
major offensive against the French Army at the
Somme. |
|
7
June |
Rommel's VII
Panzer Division advances to Forges-les-Eaux - 37
miles in two days. |
|
8
June |
French troops
withdraw from the Somme. |
|
10
June |
Mussolini declares
war on France. |
|
11
June |
Paris threatened by
the speed of the German advance, the city is
declared an "open city". Churchill, de Gaule,
Eden and Pétain meet at Briare to discuss the
situation. |
|
13
June |
French troops
abandon Paris. |
|
14
June |
German troops enter
Paris. |
|
16
June |
Raynaud's cabinet,
in Bordeaux, is ousted by Pétain. |
|
17
June |
Pétain broadcasts to
the French people urging them to stop fighting,
he also asks the Germans for the terms of an
armistice. |
|
18
June |
Famous appeal by
Charles de Gaulle, leader of the Free French
Forces, in support of the French Resistance to
the German Occupation.
The RAF attack
Hamburg and Bremen.
Listen now to the
Prime Minister Winston Churchill as he rallies
the nation for the struggle to come (right): |
|
|
20
June |
Italy launches an
offensive on the Alpine front. |
|
21
June |
A French delegation
meets Hitler at Rethonde. |
|
22
June |
France surrenders
and is split into two. The north is governed by
the Germans and the south becomes known as Vichy
France under the control of Pétain. |
|
16
July |
Plans for the
invasion of Britain - Operation Sealion, were
issued by Hitler - known as 'Directive 16,
Preparations for the Landing Operation against
England'. |
|
1
Aug |
Hitler instigates
the Battle of Britain, ordering that victory
should be "as soon as possible". |
|
5
Aug |
The Battle of
Britain begins. |
 |
|
13
Aug |
'Eagle Day' - the
German Luftwaffe launches 1,485 sorties against
Britain. The Luftwaffe looses 45 planes and the
RAF 13. |
|
15
Aug |
Germany launches its
most intense attack on Britain - 1,790 sorties.
The Luftwaffe looses 75 planes and the RAF 34.
The Greek cruiser "Helle" is torpedoed and sunk
- the Italians are blamed. |
|
20
Aug |
Italy announces the
total blockade of Britain's Mediterranean and
African territories. |
|
24
Aug |
Central London is
attacked for the first time by the Luftwaffe. |
|
25
Aug |
The RAF launches its
first attack on Berlin. |
|
3
Sept |
The Anglo-American
Lend-Lease Agreement is signed. |
|
7
Sept |
The Blitz of London
begins with 300 German bombers escorted by 600
fighter planes.
These night-time
raids were designed to be so frightening that
they would lower Britain’s morale and resolve.
Listen now to cab
driver Harry Anderson as he recalls a meeting
with a woman during the London Blitz (right): |
|
|
13
Sept |
Italy invades Egypt. |
|
15
Sept |
The RAF claim to
have shot down 183 German planes during the day. |
|
17
Sept |
Hitler announces
that Operation Sealion will be postponed "until
further notice". |
|
28
Sept |
The Battle of
Britain ends. |
|
12
Oct |
Operation Sealion is
formally cancelled as Hitler directs his
attention towards Russia. |
|
28
Oct |
Italy attacks
Greece. |
|
11
Nov |
The RAF attack the
Italian Navy at Taranto and destroy three
battleships. |
|
14
Nov |
Coventry is bombed. |
|
22
Nov |
The Italian IX Army
is defeated by the Greeks at Koritsa. |
|
9
Dec |
"Operation Compass"
- starts the first British offensive in the
Western Desert. An Italian army is cut off at
Sidi Barrani. |
|
11
Dec |
The British capture
Sidi Barrani. |