__ jr, > --—
War’s Big Moments From Blitz to Invasion
Pertinent Dates
Tell Story Of
World At ^ar
1939
Sept. 1: Germany invades Po
land. annexes Danzig.
Sept. 2: France mobilizes. Italy
proclaims neutrality.
Sept. 3 Britain and France de
clare war on Germany. Nazis
bomb Warsaw.
Sept. 4: New Zealand and Aus
tralia declare war on Germany.!
United States proclaims neutral
ity. Fighting begins in front of
Maginot line.
Sept. 10: Canada declares war
on Germany.
Sept. 17. Russian troops strike
partition Poland.
Sept. 27.—Warsaw surrenders.
Sept. 28: Germans and Russians
parittion Poland.
Nov. 4: President Roosevelt
sign neutrality law, repeating
arms embargo.
Nov. 8: Bomb wrecks Munich
beer hall just after Hitler leaves.
Nov. 30: Russia invades Fin
land.
Dec. 17: German pocket battle
ship Admiral Graf Spee scuttled
outside Mon4evideo harbor after
battle with three British cruisers.
1940
Jan. 16: President Roosevelt
recommends further financial aid
to Finland.
Jan. 20: Winston Churchill,
first lord of the Bri4ish admiralty,
warns Europe’s neutrals to join
the Allies.
Feb. 2: Finland still resisting
fiercely, asks Russia for an “hon
orable peace.”
March 11: Britain discloses she
and France ready to aid Finland
if requested.
March 12: Moscow announces
treaty ending Russo-Finnish war.
March 20: Daladier resigns as
French Premier and is succeeded
by Paul Reynaud, his Finance
Minister.
April 4: Churchill given gen
eral supervision over all units of
Britain’s military and naval
strength.
April 9: Germany invades Nor
way and Denmark, Denmark giv
ing in but Norway declaring war.
April 15: British land troops in
Norway.
May 2: Prime Minister Cham
berlain admits the Allies have
given up fight for southern and
cen’ral Norway.
May 10: Hitler, announcing
“The hour has come,” sends his
troops into Belgium, the Nether
lands and Luxembourg while
Nazi planes bomb northern
France, Winston Churchill suc
ceeds Chamberlain as British
Prime Minister.
May 14: Dutch army capitu
lates. Allied troops battle Ger
mans on Meuse front in Belgium.
May 19: General Maxine Wey
gand replaces Gamelin as Allied
generailssimo.
May 28: King Leopold orders
British Flee Dunkerque
the surrender of his Belgian
forces exposing British flank.
May 29: Under heavy German
attack, 400,000 British soldiers
begin to escape from Dunkerque.
Allies capture Narvik in Norway.
June 3: German planes bomb
Paris.
June 4: Allies bomb Munich,
Frankfort and the Ruhr.
June 10: Britain announces
evacuation of Norway. Paris gov
ernment leaves as Germans strike
to within 35 miles of city. Italy
declares war on Britain and
France.
June 14: Germans march into
Paris.
June 17: Marshal Henri Petain
becomes premier and announces
French surrender. Great Britain
says she will fight alone.
June 20: French armistice with
Germany signed at Compiegne.
June 24: French armistice with
Italy signed.
June 28: Russia occupies Bessa
rabia in Romania.
July 5: Pe'ain severs relations
with Great Britain after British
navy attacks French warships at
Oran.
July 14: Estonia, Latvia and
Lithuania annexed by Russia.
July 19: Hitler offers Britain
“las* chance” for peace. Britain
says “no”.
Aug. 4: German air force be
gins heavy attack on Britain.
Aug. 6: Italians invade British
Somaliland.
Aug. 12: Five hundred German
planes raid Britain.
Aug. 19: British withdraw from
Somaliland.
Aug. 20: Britain disclosed agree
ment to leave naval and air
bases in western hemisphere to
'he United States.
Aug. 30: Romania forced by
Germany to yield half of Transyl
vania to Hungary.
Aug. 31: RAF bombers hit cen
ter of Berlin for first time.
Sept .3: President Roosevelt
announces trade of 50 over-age
destroyers to Britain for navy and
air base leases in wes'ern Atlan
tic.
Sept. 6:—King Carl abdicates
Romanian throne in favor of son.
Sept. 7: Heavy night raids on
London begin.
Sep.t 16: President Roosevelt
signs Selective Service act.
Sept. 27: Japan joins the Axis,
signing 10-year-tri-partite pact in
Berlin.
Oct. 3 : Neville Chamberlain
resigns from Churchill’s cabinet,
pleading poor health.
Oct. 4: Hitler and Mussolini
meet at Brenner pass. Japanese
Premier says U. S. must accept
Axis order or face war.
Oct. 8:U. S. orders citizens to
leave the Orient. German troops
enter Romania.
Oct. 18: British disclose repulse
of German invasion attempt on
Sept. 16.
Oct. 27: Italy invades Greece.
Nov. 9: Chamberlain dies.
Nov. 14: British dig for 1.000
dead and wounded after raid on
Coventry.
Nov. 17: Greeks rout Italians
along 100-mile front.
Nov .20: Hungary joins Axis.
Nov. 24: Slovakia follows Hun
gary and Romania into Axis al
liance.
Dec. 12.—Britain reports Italy’s
invasion armies in headlong re
treat from Egypt; 20,000 prison
ers taken.
1941
| Jan. 3: Ireland raided by Ger
man bombers.
Jan. 10 :Germany and Russia
sign new friendship pact.
March 1: Bulgaria signs Axis
pact; German troops march in.
March 10: British troops leave
Alexandria for Greece.
March 11: President Roosevelt
J signs lend-lease bill.
March 25 Yugoslavia joins
Rome-Berlin-Tokyo alliance
March 27. Military coup ousts
Yugoslav government which
signed Axis pact; 17-year-oid Pe
ter enthroned as king.
March 30: U. S seizes Axis
ships in ports.
Atlantic Charter Meeting
April 6: Germany a‘tacks Yugo
slavia and Greece.
April 17: Germany announces
surrender of Yugoslav army
April 18: Premier KorizLs of
Greece commits suicide.
April 27: Germans take Athens.
May 10: Rudolf Hess, Hitler
aide, lands by parachute m Scot
land.
May 20: Germans attack Crete
in first air-borne action.
May 31: British withdraw f-om
Crete.
June 14: President Roosevelt
freezes Axis credits in U. S.
June 16: LT. S. doses all Ger
man consulates.
June 22: Germany, Italy and
Romania declare war on Russia
June 25: Finland enters war
against Russia
July 7: American naval forces
land in Iceland.
July 13: Br.taln and Russia
pledge join* action against Ger
! many.
i July 24: Japanese trocfps move
| into French Indo-Chi.na.
U. S. Troops Reach Ireland
-•
July 25: U. S. and Britain freeze
Japanese credits.
July 26: Japan freezes U. S.
British credits. Roosevelt calls
Philippine military forces into
U. S. service.
Aug. 14: Rumored Roosevelt
Churchill sea conference confirm
ed by announcement of eight
point program later known as
Atlantic Charter.
Aug. 25: British and Russian
troops invade Iran.
Oct. 19: State of se:ge declared
in Moscow.
Nov. 24: Russians begin coun
ter-offensive west of Rostov.
Dec. 7: Japanese attack Peart
Harbor.
Dec. 8: U. S. declares war. Japs
attack Midway.
Dec. 10: Japanese land in Phil
ippines. British iose Battleship
Prince of Wales and Battle Cruis
er Repulse off Malaya.
D£c. 11: U. S. declares war on
Germany and Italy after earlier
Axis declarations. Japanese Bat
tleship Haruna sunk by U. S.
Army airmen. Japanese landing
forces attack Wake.
Dec. 12: Guam occupied. U. S.
Navy takes over French ships in
U. S.. including Normandie.
Dec. 16: Germans retreating
along entire eastern front. z
(Continued on Page 10)
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