Wednesday 4 December 1940

A DC-3 being prepared for shipment to England, 4 December 1940. The RAF designation for DC-3s is Dakota, and they are often used for transport throughout the war (Smithsonian).

Italian/Greek Campaign: The Greeks continue to advance on 4 December 1940, and Mussolini has had enough. He fires Marshal Pietro Badoglio, who has been Chief of Staff (Capo di Stato Maggiore Generale) since 1925, who "resigns." He is replaced by Ugo Cavallero, who in turn is replaced as Deputy Chief of the Supreme General Staff by General Alfredo Guzzoni. Mussolini also fires the governor of the Italian Dodecanese, Cesare Maria De Vecchi, and Admiral Cavagnari either today or within a few days.

In Albania, the Greek 2nd Division completes the capture of Suhë Pass, and the 8th Division captures Kakavia Pass when the Italians withdraw during the night. The 8th Division has taken 1500 Italians prisoner and captured numerous artillery pieces and 30 tanks, which the Italians have found ineffective in the steep terrain.

Greek II Army Corps captures Përmet ten miles across the border in southern Albania, while the Italians abandon Argyrokastro in southwest Albania. Greek III Corps is now in full possession of the Kamia Mountain. The advances mean that the Greeks now occupy a continuous line from the port of Saranda to Pogradec on Ohrid Lake.

The Greeks are advancing on the left side of the line, but they still lag the more advanced troops on the right side. By order of Commander-in-chief Papagos, those troops on the right are waiting for the rest of the Greek forces in the south to catch up. While their advance appears to be going quickly, the weather is foul and the Greek troops are on foot grinding through the snow and slush. They are advancing steadily, but slowly. The choice by the Italians to invade at the onset of winter is now working in their favor - but in a way that wasn't part of the plan.

The RAF based near Athens is in action over Albania, claiming eight victories.

European Air Operations: During the day, the Germans raid Dover. After dark, the Luftwaffe sends 62 bombers against Birmingham, England. They drop 77 tons of high explosives and 184 incendiary bombs. London also receives some attention.

RAF Bomber Command attacks Antwerp, Calais, Turin, and targets around Dusseldorf.

The reality of US Army life: metal shelters for soldiers and construction workers in Columbus, Georgia near Fort Benning. The tin shacks went for $10 per month - or, you could rent a tent space for $2 per week. December 1940. (Source: Marion Post Wolcott/LC-USF34-056461 via Library of Congress).

Battle of the Atlantic: U-37 (Kptlt. Asmus Nicolai Clausen) torpedoes and sinks 1513-ton Swedish freighter Daphne southwest of Gibraltar. There are 18 deaths. The Daphne is a straggler from Convoy OG-46.

U-52 (Kptlt. Helmut Möhlmann) claims to have torpedoed and sunk a freighter in the Northwest Approaches off Ireland, but it is unclear what, if any, ship it sank. Most accounts discount this claim, Möhlmann may have sunk a derelict already claimed by another means.

Royal Navy 1927-ton freighter HMS Empire Seaman is sunk intentionally as a blockship at Scapa Flow, East Weddel Sound. Some accounts place this sinking on 30 June 1940.

Belgian 145-ton fishing trawler Helene hits a mine and sinks in the English Channel off Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire. That area has been recently mined.

Norwegian 2669-ton iron ore freighter Skogheim runs aground near Songvår Lighthouse, Søgne, Vest-Agder whilst on a voyage from Kirkenes to Emden and is a total write-off. Everybody aboard survives. The ship is later salvaged.

Convoy OB 254 departs from Liverpool, Convoy Fn 350 departs from Southend, Convoy FS 353 departs from Methil, Convoy FS 351 is detained in port, Convoy BS 10 departs from Suez.

U-552 (Kplt. Erich Topp), a Type VIIC boat, is commissioned. Topp is the former commander of U-57, which sank following a collision with a Norwegian vessel on 3 September 1940. He already has six victims under his belt in U-57. We shall be hearing quite a bit more about Topp and U-552.

US destroyer USS Eberle (Lt. Commander Edward R. Gardner, Jr.) is commissioned.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Operation Compass, the projected British attack on Italian positions in Egypt, is only days away. British Major General Richard O'Connor, Commander of the Western Desert Army, who prefers to lead from the front (unlike many British Generals), transfers his headquarters to an advance location where he can better supervise the offensive. Leading from the front is a two-edged sword: it provides certain benefits such as inspiring the troops, but it also exposes the commander to danger.

At Malta, Royal Navy submarine HMS Upright (Lt J E Brooks RN) arrives. It is the first of three U class submarines assigned to Malta. The commander notes that the sub is not fit for long patrols due to the inability to carry sufficient provisions, and the long trip from Gibraltar, which included a patrol off Palermo, Sicily, taxed the crew.

The Germans begin their penetration into the Mediterranean by instituting Fliegerkorps X at Taormina, Sicily.

Battle of the Pacific: Captured Norwegian freighter Ole Jacob arrives safely in Kobe, Japan. This ship was captured by raider Pinguin and carries extremely sensitive documents from the British War Cabinet that were taken from sunk freighter Automedon. Some historians believe that these documents are critical to the Japanese decision to attack the British and Americans in December 1941. The prize crew hands the Top Secret documents (which the British have no idea have been captured) to the German ambassador, who gives one copy to the Japanese government and sends another by courier to Berlin via the Trans-Siberian Railroad. This has been an exceedingly competently handled operation by the Germans - they sank the Automedon before it could get off any messages, have the British crew safely secured, and briskly got the information to a safe haven. In the long run, though, the information will prove to be a double-edged sword for the Axis.

Italian/German Relations: Mussolini is in the midst of a crisis of confidence about his troops' situation in Albania. He orders his Ambassador to Germany, Dino Alfieri (who generally has little to do because Hitler and Mussolini usually communicate through each other or their foreign ministers), to meet with Hitler and plead for assistance there.

New England skiers, 4 December 1940.

Anglo/Turkish Relations: Turkey joins Spain and other neutral countries in wringing concessions from both sides as they play a very dangerous game in strategic areas. The British sign a trade agreement with Turkey calculated to keep that country from drifting toward the Axis. Hitler, meanwhile, always has his eye on Turkey because it controls the Dardanelles, and his focus will become only sharper the closer his forces draw to it - and past it.

Romania: The Antonescu government begins to regain control of the country after the recent re-burial of the founder of the Iron Guard, which inspired massive unrest.

German Military: Adolf Hitler meets with Abwehr boss Admiral Canaris. They discuss the prospects for Operation Felix, the subjugation of Gibraltar. Any attack, they conclude, requires Spanish cooperation and perhaps assistance.

US Military: F4F-3 Wildcats enter service with VF-41. They still have some problems with a poor cockpit layout, as pilots can easily confuse the flap settings with the fuel valve. The F4F already serves with the RAF in England as the Martlet due to previous purchases by the Anglo-French Purchasing Board before the fall of France..

US Navy Grumman F4F-3/3A Wildcats based on the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, 1941.

US Government: Admiral William D. Leahy, USN (retired), the Governor of Puerto Rico, resigns. He has been offered the vacant post of Ambassador to France.

British Government: The Admiralty releases figures showing that shipping losses for the month ending 24 November were 323,157 tons.

Winston Churchill, as usual, sides with the Admiralty against the RAF in a dispute over control of the U-boat war.

British Homefront: The supply situation in England isn't getting any better, but Minister of Food Lord Woolton announces that the inmates', er, population's rations of sugar and tea will be increased - temporarily - by four and two ounces, respectively for Christmas.

American Homefront: At 17:48, a new twin-engine DC-3A of United Air Lines crashes while landing at Midway Airport, Chicago. The plane is on a standard flight from LaGuardia Airport (still called New York Municipal Airport and/or LaGuardia Field), which has only been in operation for a year. The FAA determines that the plane stalled during its approach because the pilot chose the wrong runway, one that was too short for his aircraft and thus required him to throttle back the plane's speed until it passed the stall point. Seven passengers and all three crew perish. LaGuardia, incidentally, remains a very tough airport for landings.

Future History: Gary Gilmore is born in McCarney, Texas. He will go on to become one of the most notorious murderers in American history, gaining notoriety for (successfully) demanding the death penalty. His execution in 1977 will mark the return of the death penalty (under new guidelines) in the US for the first time in a decade, a practice that continues.

Singer Freddy Cannon is born in Revere, Massachusetts. His hits will include "Tallahassee Lassie," "Way Down Yonder In New Orleans," and "Palisades Park." Cannon continues to perform and occasionally still puts out records.

Workers put the finishing touches on some cars in Detroit, 4 December 1940.

December 1940

December 1, 1940: Wiking Division Forms
December 2, 1940: Convoy HX 90 Destruction
December 3, 1940: Greeks Advancing
December 4, 1940: Italian Command Shakeup
December 5, 1940: Thor Strikes Hard
December 6, 1940: Hitler's Cousin Gassed
December 7, 1940: Storms At Sea
December 8, 1940: Freighter Idarwald Seized
December 9, 1940: Operation Compass Begins
December 10, 1940: Operation Attila Planned
December 11, 1940: Rhein Wrecked
December 12, 1940: Operation Fritz
December 13, 1940: Operation Marita Planned
December 14, 1940: Plutonium Discovered
December 15, 1940: Napoleon II Returns
December 16, 1940: Operation Abigail Rachel
December 17, 1940: Garden Hoses and War
December 18, 1940: Barbarossa Directive
December 19, 1940: Risto Ryti Takes Over
December 20, 1940: Liverpool Blitz, Captain America
December 21, 1940: Moral Aggression
December 22, 1940: Manchester Blitz
December 23, 1940: Hitler at Cap Gris Nez
December 24, 1940: Hitler at Abbeville
December 25, 1940: Hipper's Great Escape
December 26, 1940: Scheer's Happy Rendezvous
December 27, 1940: Komet Shells Nauru
December 28, 1940: Sorge Spills
December 29, 1940: Arsenal of Democracy
December 30, 1940: London Devastated
December 31 1940: Roosevelt's Decent Proposal

2020

Friday 15 November 1940

The Warsaw ghetto blocking a major thoroughfare. — US Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Dwight D. Eisenhower Library.

Italian/Greek Campaign: The Greek offensive gathers steam on 15 November 1940. Advancing through the valley of the Devoll River (also Devoli River), the Greeks continue to make progress against light resistance. Advances are swift around Mount Morava. The Greek 8th Infantry Division attacks in the Kalamas and Negrades sectors, the Greek 1st Infantry Division attacks in the Pindos sector, while the Greek 9th, 10th and 15th Infantry Division attacks in the Koritsa sector.

European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe's Operation Moonlight Sonata, a massive air attack against the industrial city of Coventry, concludes in the early morning hours. Aside from the devastation to the city, it is a major propaganda coup for the German news services. The Reich media coins and uses the verb "Coventrate" for the destruction of British cities, as in, "We will Coventrate all of England."

After dark, the Luftwaffe launches another major raid, this time against London with 358 bombers.

RAF Bomber Command sends 67 Wellington, Whitley and Hampden bombers against Hamburg.

Feldwebel Karl Hier of JG 76 is shot down and killed by Spitfires over London. He had 15 victories.

A couple at their destroyed Coventry home, 15 November 1940.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-65 (K.Kapt. Hans-Gerrit von Stockhausen), on an extended fifth patrol near Freetown, Sierra Leone, torpedoes and sinks 5,168-ton British steam merchant vessel Kohinur. There are 68 survivors and 17 men perish.

The survivors of the Kohinur are picked up by 7,614-ton Norwegian tanker Havbør. However, U-65 then torpedoes and sinks the Havbør, too. The Havbør's oil spreads over the water and catches fire, incinerating men struggling in the water. In this sinking, 31 men from the Kohinur and 28 men of the Havbør perish. The tanker takes seven hours to sink, and only four men survive. Accounts of the number of men saved and lost on these two ships vary greatly, as things get confused when two ships go down near each other.

The Luftwaffe attacks Convoy FN 34. It bombs and badly damages 263-ton Royal Navy trawler HMT Dungeness in the North Sea off Haisborough, Norfolk. The ship remains afloat but is written off.

In the same attack, the Luftwaffe also bombs and sinks 712-ton British coaster Blue Galleon. There are three deaths.

Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condors (1,/KG 40) operating out over the Atlantic sea lanes attack Convoy SL 53. They bomb and sink 9333-ton British passenger ship Apapa west of Achill Head, County Mayo, Ireland. There are 24-28 deaths, while 230 people survive. The ship is carrying £19,188 worth of gold.

British 297-ton coaster Amenity hits a mine and sinks in the North Sea off Spurn Head, Yorkshire. All seven men on board survive.

British 102-ton tug Guardsman hits a mine and sinks off North Foreland. There are two deaths.

British 143-ton coaster Penryn collides with another ship in the Liverpool approaches and sinks.

United States destroyer USS Plunkett is on Neutrality Patrol off Tampico and observes German freighter Orinoco and tanker Phrygia as they begin to leave the area to return to Germany.

Convoy FN 335 departs from Southend, Convoy FS 336 departs from Methil, Convoy AN 7 departs from Alexandria and Port Said (bound for Piraeus).

Royal Navy corvette HMS Delphinium (K 77, Commander Robert L. Spalding) is commissioned.

United States submarine USS Trout (SS 202, Lt. Commander Frank Wesley Fenno, Jr.) is commissioned.

Cleanup and fire-dousing have only begun at Coventry on 15 November 1940.

Battle of the Mediterranean:  A large convoy of nine Greek troopships departs from Suda Bay, bound for Salonika. They are escorted by four cruisers and other ships in Operation Barbarity.

The Italians send a strafing mission against Mersa Matruh with 25 CR 42 biplane fighters.

Force H, split up into Forces A and B, departs from Gibraltar on Operation White. This is a convoy to fly Hurricanes to Malta.

At Malta, the government warns the public not to send postcards abroad with pictures of Malta that might be useful to the Italians.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: German raider Pinguin rendezvouses with converted minelayer Passat at their prearranged meeting spot several hundred miles west of Australia. Both ships have completed extensive minelaying operations off Australia.

Commonwealth Day, Quezon City, November 15, 1940. From the Manila Bulletin microfilm of the University of the Philippines Main Library.

German/Italian Relations: General Keitel and Marshal Badoglio conclude their talks at Innsbruck. Badoglio promises that the Italian offensive in Albania will be resumed in mid-February with 20 divisions. However, no further advance in Egypt is contemplated.

Japanese Military: Isoroku Yamamoto, considered an expert on the US military, is promoted to the rank of Admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy. Hiroaki Abe takes charge of Japanese Navy Destroyer Squadron. Vice Admiral Teruhisa Komatsu takes command of the Ryojun Military Port at the port formerly known as Port Arthur. Rear Admiral Shigeki Ando becomes chief of staff of the Chinkai Guard District in southern Korea.

Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier Ryujo returns to service after repairs. The Ryujo joins the 3rd Carrier Division of the 1st Fleet. The Ryujo has sixteen A5M4 fighters and eighteen B5N1 carrier attack planes. The aircraft carrier Akagi is posted to the Yokosuka Naval District. Japanese cruiser Tenryū undergoes repairs to her boilers and upgrading her armament. Captain Yuji Takahashi takes command.

US Military: US flying boats begin patrol operations from Bermuda. These are new bases obtained from the British in the destroyers-for-bases deal.

Heavy cruiser USS Louisville arrives in Santos, Brazil as part of its "Show the Flag" operation.

Gabon: Free French leader Charles de Gaulle arrives in Libreville and makes a personal appeal to the captives of the battles of Libreville and Port Gentil. Very few respond positively, and the men are sent to become POWs at Brazzaville, French Congo. The French now focus on Libya. Gabon is the first territory controlled by the Free French.

Holocaust: The Germans seal off the Warsaw Ghetto. It contains 400,000 Jews in a very restricted space. While there are numerous dates that are available as the "start" of the Warsaw Ghetto, this is when it actually becomes a walled prison.

"Popeye the Sailor with Poopdeck Pappy #89."

American Homefront: "One Night in the Tropics" is released. It stars comedians Abbott and Costello, who have a successful radio show.

"Three Men From Texas" starring William Boyd as Hopalong Cassidy premieres today.

"Popeye the Sailor with Poopdeck Pappy #89" premieres today.

Future History: Robert Cavalli is born in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. He becomes a leader in the fashion industry, making his breakthrough by inventing and patenting a printing procedure on leather. He remains a powerful force in the fashion industry.

Samuel Waterston is born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He becomes a stage actor and makes his film debut in 1965. After starring in many popular films, Waterston becomes a popular regular on television series Law & Order from 1994-2010. Waterston continues to act and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
November 1940

November 1, 1940: Hitler Irate
November 2, 1940: U-31 Sunk - Again
November 3, 1940: Kretschmer's Master Class
November 4, 1940: Spain Absorbs Tangier
November 5, 1940: Jervis Bay Meets Admiral Scheer
November 6, 1940: San Demetrio Incident
November 7, 1940: Galloping Gertie
November 8, 1940: Italian Shakeup in Greece
November 9, 1940: Dutch Fascists March
November 10, 1940: Fala and Doc Strange
November 11, 1940: Taranto Raid
November 12, 1940: Molotov Takes Berlin
November 13, 1940: Molotov Foils Hitler
November 14, 1940: Moonlight Sonata
November 15, 1940: Warsaw Ghetto Sealed
November 16, 1940: France Keeps Battleships
November 17, 1940: Malta Hurricane Disaster
November 18, 1940: Hitler Berates Ciano
November 19, 1940: Birmingham Devastated
November 20, 1940: Hungary Joins Axis
November 21, 1940: Dies White Paper
November 22, 1940: Italians Take Korçë
November 23, 1940: U-Boat Bonanza!
November 24, 1940: Slovakia Joins In
November 25, 1940: Molotov's Demands
November 26, 1940: Bananas Be Gone
November 27, 1940: Cape Spartivento Battle
November 28, 1940: Wick Perishes
November 29, 1940: Trouble in Indochina
November 30, 1940: Lucy and Desi Marry

2020

Thursday 14 November 1940

Civilians recover after the 14 November 1940 bombing of Coventry.

Italian/Greek Campaign: The Greeks open their first major offensive of the war on 14 November 1940. Known as the Battle of Morava-Ivan, the battle is launched by the Greek 9th, 10th and 15th Divisions in III Corps (Lieutenant-General Georgios Tsolakoglou). They are opposed by the Italian XXVI Corps, composed of the Parma, Piemonte and Venezia Divisions. Both sides have reinforcements handy. The objective is the capture of the Korçë plateau, which is strategically important because it provides a route into central Albania via the Devoll River Valley.

The Greeks launch the attack early in the morning and achieve surprise, not using artillery. The Greeks make good gains on the first day across the Albanian border. Some claim this represents the first Axis land defeat of the war, but that is a bit melodramatic, as the Germans were pushed back here and there during the invasions of France and Norway, too.

The British continue ferrying troops to Piraeus using four cruisers from Alexandria. Many of these are in support of the new RAF presence there, led by Air Vice-Marshal John H. D'Albiac.

German reconnaissance photos of Coventry after the attack soon appear in Axis publications.

European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe mounts one of the most controversial, long-remembered and devastating raids of World War II. Operation Moonlight Sonata (Mondscheinsonate) is the climax of a rather late decision by the Luftwaffe to target Coventry. Whereas the Germans began targeting cities such as London, Liverpool, and Bristol early in the campaign, Coventry has not become a prime target until much later. Coventry is an industrial city, with numerous factories such as a Daimler plant, nine aircraft factories, and two naval ordnance stores. Thus, it has military value and is not just a "terror target" like most of London.
The British have prior warning of the attack. A downed Luftwaffe airman reveals under interrogation several days previously that a "massive attack" on Coventry by "moonlight" is planned "between 15-20 November." The attack will include "every Luftwaffe plane." Winston Churchill (alone) apparently has advance warning of the attack from Ultra intercepts as well. Thus, the attack is not a big surprise - except for the people actually bombed, killed and wounded.

The increasing intensity of raids has caused a large fraction of Coventry residents to abandon the city at night and find lodgings in the countryside. This proves wise, as this entirely rational fear keeps the number of deaths and casualties due to Moonlight Sonata much lower than it would be otherwise. Anti-aircraft defenses have been concentrated in London and other larger targets, and only 24 3.7 inch and 12 40 mm Bofors guns - insufficient to disrupt a major attack - are available in Coventry. Fortunately, there are few casualties in shelters.

Some 400-515 Luftwaffe bombers from Field Marshal Sperrle's Luftwaffe 3, guided by 13 special Heinkel He 111 radar-equipped bombers of KG 100, begin the attack not long after sunset at 19:20. The KG 100 bombers are guided by X-Gerät radio beams that the British have not yet figured out how to disrupt. The bombs rack up successes early, with the Coventry Cathedral ablaze in less than an hour. Hit by numerous bombs, the cathedral soon is a wreck, a roofless shell which becomes the symbol of the attack. The bombing intensifies until midnight and then tapers off as daylight approaches.

There are well over 500 deaths (nobody knows precisely), over 1000 other casualties, and destroys over 4300 homes. German Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels coins the word "coventriert" ("Coventried") to describe the utter devastation (as in, "Next, Southhampton will be Coventried!"). The use of pathfinder bombers is validated, and also the use of blockbuster bombs mixed with massive numbers of incendiaries.

The controversial aspect of the raid arises from the belief that the British could have vastly reduced the number of casualties due to their foreknowledge of the attack. In fact, the author of the book that revealed the Ultra secret in 1974, "The Ultra Secret," Group Captain F. W. Winterbotham, tacitly blamed Churchill for the deaths because Churchill (supposedly) refused to authorize precautionary measures lest the war-winning Ultra secret is revealed. There are vociferous and highly credentialed people on both sides of that argument - the deniers claim that Churchill actually had limited knowledge from Ultra of the operation and did not know that Coventry was the target (other military intelligence besides Ultra, however, did pinpoint Coventry). The "avoidable tragedy" due to Churchill's supposed silence and inaction has become part of the lore of the event and, to some extent, the common view about Operation Moonlight Sonata.

The RAF, for its part, does make use of the non-Ultra intelligence about Operation Moonlight Sonata. It has been mounting Operation Cold Water. This is an attempt to disrupt the coming Luftwaffe attack by taking concrete steps. Operation Cold Water, initiated at 03:00 on 11 November due to military intelligence, includes:

• monitoring German radio
• interfering with the Luftwaffe radio navigational beams
• patrolling over Luftwaffe airfields
• attacking the KG-100 airfields
• attacking the German navigational beam transmitters near Cherbourg
• mounting a massive counter-raid against "a selected city in Germany"
• maximum night fighters and anti-aircraft defenses.

These countermeasures, while perhaps appropriate from an abstract, intellectual perspective, do nothing to diminish the actual Luftwaffe raid. The RAF puts up 121 night fighters, but they do not score any victories because most are concentrated around London.

RAF Bomber Command, as part of these countermeasures, raids Berlin and other targets with 82 bombers. It suffers unusually heavy casualties, losing 13 bombers.

During the day, the RAF had more success, dispersing an attack by 30 Junkers Ju 87 Stukas over Dover. The RAF loses a Hurricane and a Spitfire.

Greek gunners during the Battle of Morava-Ivan.

Battle of the Atlantic: There is poor weather around the British Isles at sea, causing heavy swells.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks British 1216-ton freighter St. Catherine off Aberdeen. There are 15 deaths (14 crew, one passenger). Some accounts place this on the 13th, so we put it on that date's page, too - but it only sank once. ;)

The Luftwaffe damages 4960-ton British freighter Fishpool, then is towed to harbor by corvette HMS Gardenia.

British 92 ton drifter The Boys founders in the Downs due to heavy seas.

Royal Navy minelayers HMS Teviotbank and Plover lay minefield BS 46 in the North Sea. The Luftwaffe notices these minelaying operations and attacks the Teviotbank, but it is undamaged.

The Royal Navy attempts to refloat sunken destroyer HMS Fame, but the weather is bad and the destroyer is too damaged, so the operation is unsuccessful.

Convoy FN 334 departs from Southend, Convoy FS 335 departs from Methil, Convoys HX 87 (16 merchantmen) and HX 88 depart from Halifax.

Battle of the Mediterranean: The Royal Navy ships that participated in Operations Judgement and Coats make port in Alexandria. Aircraft carrier HMS Argus arrives in Gibraltar for Operation White.

An air attack on Alexandria damages 8299-ton Egyptian freighter Zamzam.

In Malta, improved radio direction finder (RDF) equipment brought on the recent convoy from Alexandria significantly improves the RAF's ability to spot Italian air attacks.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: German raider Atlantis has been refueling from 6750-ton Norwegian tanker Teddy since capturing it on 8 November. Today, the German crew has no further use for the tanker and scuttles it.

Street damage in Coventry.

German/Soviet Relations: Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov departs from Berlin by train around noontime. He has made clear to the Germans that the USSR continues to focus on Europe and not elsewhere, as the Germans would prefer. The Germans view the meeting as a complete and utter failure. Molotov goes back to Moscow with the intention of following through with some written proposals, but at this point the whole exercise is pointless.

German/Italian Relations: German Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, chief of OKW, meets at Innsbruck with his opposite number in the Italian military, Marshal Pietro Badoglio. Badoglio, who has been chief of staff since 1925, knows the Italian military inside and out, and he makes clear to Keitel that the Italians in Egypt would advance no further. In addition, he has no plans to occupy southern Greece. These talks continue on the 15th.

German Government: Admiral Raeder confers with Hitler. He recommends postponing an invasion of the Soviet Union until the Kriegsmarine blockade of Great Britain diminishes its strength. Hitler, however, is of the opposite view: that destroying the Soviet Union will diminish Great Britain's strength. Hitler sees the USSR as easy prey.

Canada: The first graduates from the Imperial training scheme in Canada begin to embark on passage to Great Britain.

Singapore: Air Marshal Brooke-Popham arrives in Singapore. He is the new British Commander in Chief for the Far East.

German Homefront: The government makes it legal to consume dog meat.

British Homefront: Neville Chamberlain's funeral is held at Westminster Abbey, with Churchill giving the eulogy.

American Homefront: In New York City, The Queens-Midtown Tunnel opens to traffic. It remains in operation today, connecting Long Island to Manhattan.

Searchlights at the star-studded Los Angeles premiere of Charlie Chaplin's "The Great Dictator" at Carthay Circle on 14 November 1940. The film earlier had its world premiere in New York on 15 October. There are searchlights beaming bright around the world... for vastly different reasons relating to the film's theme.

November 1940

November 1, 1940: Hitler Irate
November 2, 1940: U-31 Sunk - Again
November 3, 1940: Kretschmer's Master Class
November 4, 1940: Spain Absorbs Tangier
November 5, 1940: Jervis Bay Meets Admiral Scheer
November 6, 1940: San Demetrio Incident
November 7, 1940: Galloping Gertie
November 8, 1940: Italian Shakeup in Greece
November 9, 1940: Dutch Fascists March
November 10, 1940: Fala and Doc Strange
November 11, 1940: Taranto Raid
November 12, 1940: Molotov Takes Berlin
November 13, 1940: Molotov Foils Hitler
November 14, 1940: Moonlight Sonata
November 15, 1940: Warsaw Ghetto Sealed
November 16, 1940: France Keeps Battleships
November 17, 1940: Malta Hurricane Disaster
November 18, 1940: Hitler Berates Ciano
November 19, 1940: Birmingham Devastated
November 20, 1940: Hungary Joins Axis
November 21, 1940: Dies White Paper
November 22, 1940: Italians Take Korçë
November 23, 1940: U-Boat Bonanza!
November 24, 1940: Slovakia Joins In
November 25, 1940: Molotov's Demands
November 26, 1940: Bananas Be Gone
November 27, 1940: Cape Spartivento Battle
November 28, 1940: Wick Perishes
November 29, 1940: Trouble in Indochina
November 30, 1940: Lucy and Desi Marry

2020

Monday 24 June 1940

Italy's Army chief Marshal Rodolfo Graziani on the cover of the 24 June 1940 Life magazine.

Franco/Italian Relations: General Huntziger and Marshal Badoglio sign an armistice agreement at Villa Olgiata in the Roman suburbs at 07:15 on 24 June 1940, to take effect early on the 25th. The terms reflect the reality that Italy, the "victor," is actually the weaker party. The parties establish demilitarized zones along both their European and African borders, with French troops to be evacuated from those zones within 10 days and all French naval and air bases in the Mediterranean to be demilitarized within 15 days. There are no big territorial changes or indemnities.

The whole Franco/Italian Armistice accomplishes virtually nothing useful. France never had threatened Italian colonies or the country itself, and France under German domination is becoming virtually an ally of the Axis powers anyway. The armistice, if anything, is simply a welcome by Italy to France into the Axis fold - although Gallic motivations in this area remain quite murky.

It is unfair to say that the entire border war was a "comic opera" and silly; many people died in the naval and air attacks during the short conflict. There also is the not-so-minor detail that Italy and Great Britain remain at war. That conflict shows no signs of ending any time soon even though that war, at least at first, will only be carried out in the two nations' colonies and at sea. This "loose end" from Mussolini's "piling on" of the Battle of France continues to fester.

Western Front: The British commandos, still styled No. 11 Independent Company, launch their first raid during the night in the Boulogne area. Operation Collar sends 115 men across the Channel to land on beaches at Neufchâtel-Hardelot, Stella Plage, Berck, and Le Touquet. It is almost a live-fire war game exercise because the men get ashore around 02:00 on the 25th and do little but muddle about on the beaches without accomplishing anything of note. There is a brief firefight with a German patrol at Stella Plage and the killing of two unfortunate German sentries at Le Touquet who are in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The landing does provide useful practice on beach landings. It allows the fine-tuning of things like ship-to-air communication (the RAF, uninformed about Operation Collar, almost attacks the landing craft before being warned off) and ship-to-shore coordination (one of the landing parties returns to the beach and finds its ride home is gone, but they get off later).

The British Ministry of Information quickly puts out a communique that quietly overstates the actual minimal result of the entire operation for propaganda purposes. The German high command does notice the incident and puts out its own propaganda that the commandos "acted outside the Geneva convention." The whole incident does feed into Hitler's paranoia about the danger of British naval landings all along the lengthy coastline now occupied by the Wehrmacht, which affects decisions about the Atlantic Wall.

The Italian offense on the Riviera ends after having occupied 5 miles of territory at the cost of an estimated 5,000 casualties. Foreign Minister Count Ciano notes in his diary, "We sent men to useless deaths two days before the armistice. If we go on like this, bitter disappointments await."
The French military headquarters at Bordeaux issues its final military communique about the war with Germany, announcing that the Wehrmacht had occupied Angoulême and Aix-les-Bains. "The military phase of the war of 1939-1940 is over." The government does not disclose where the new government will be located but does say it won't be in German-occupied Paris. The Germans announce that they have reached La Rochelle and Rochefort. The panzers continue down the Rhone Valley.

Operation Ariel continues at St. Jean de Luz. There still are numerous troops from the Polish, Belgian and other Allied armed forces wishing to be taken off.

Admiral Darlan reiterates his orders that French warships are not to surrender to the Germans. The main problem in controlling the French Navy is that it is dispersed not just at multiple European ports, but also at Dakar (French West Africa), Alexandria (Egypt), Casablanca (Morocco), Algiers and Mers-el-Kébir (Algeria) and Plymouth & Portsmouth (England) - and also at ports overseas. The British, particularly Prime Minister Winston Churchill, remain deeply skeptical about the ability and long-term willingness of the French to fulfill this promise.

The 24 June 1940 New York Times highlights the diplomatic split between the British and French.

European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe raids the southeast and southwest regions of England.

RAF Bomber Command sends 103 planes against German targets during the night.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-47 (Kapitänleutnant Günther Prien) stops 1,885-ton Panamanian freighter Cathrine in the eastern Atlantic and, after disembarking the crew, sinks it by gunfire. All 19 aboard survive after Prien gives the men food and red wine.

Italian torpedo boats sink Royal Navy submarine HMS Grampus off Syracuse.

Kriegsmarine S-boots (fast torpedo boats) are active in the English Channel and sink British ships Kingfisher and Albuera.

Convoy OA 173G departs from Southend, Convoy OB 173 departs from Liverpool, Convoy HG Z departs from Gibraltar.

British corvette HMS Geranium (K 16, Lt. Alan Foxall) is commissioned.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: British sloop HMS Falmouth sinks Italian submarine Luigi Galvani in the Gulf of Oman. The Galvani had just sunk a British ship on the 23rd. The British make the interception based upon documents retrieved from the Italian submarine Galilei captured on 19 June 1940.
North Africa: The RAF attacks Asmara Aerodrome and Biri el Boggi in Eritrea. RAF bombers also attack Italian positions around Bir el Gubi. French bombers make their last attack of the war in Libya.

Georges Mandel arrives in French Morocco aboard the Massilia and tries to rally the local authorities to continue the war. He is accompanied by only 25 other deputies and one senator, and the locals do not recognize his "authority," continuing to recognize the existing government.

China: Japan, having closed off the Allied supply route to China via French Indochina (Vietnam), demands that the British stop using the Burma Road over the Himalayas and the port of Hong Kong to supply Chiang Kai-shek's military.

In the Battle of South Kwangsi, the Japanese 22nd Army captures Peichianghsu. This puts them astride the strategic Nanning - Lungtou highway.

USS Enterprise (CV-6) at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, California (USA), 24 June 1940. Shown are 65 planes on deck, including: 16 Grumman F3F-3 fighters; 18 Curtiss SBC-3 Helldivers; 15 Northrop BT-1s; and 16 Douglas TBD-1 Devastators. Official U.S. Navy photo 80-G-185303 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command

US Navy: Charles Edison resigns as Secretary of the Navy. Lewis Compton, Assistant Secretary of the Navy since February 9, 1940, becomes Acting Secretary. Edison wants to become Governor of New Jersey.

Rear Admiral Charles A. Blakely replaces Rear Admiral Joseph R. Defrees as Commandant, Eleventh Naval District and Commandant Naval Operating Base, San Diego, California.

US Government: President Roosevelt issues a secret order to FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover to infiltrate Central and South American governments to gauge their degree of German sympathies.

Holocaust: Dr. Nahum Goldmann of the World Jewish Congress warns that a German victory would mean the deaths of 6 million Jews. He advocates a "defense program" staffed by Jewish people.

French Homefront: The Germans impose various restrictions over the 60% portion of the country they occupy. Among other things, civilians are banned from owning radios or telephones without a license, and there is a 19:00 curfew.

American Homefront: The Republican National Convention opens in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is scheduled to nominate Wendell Willkie of Indiana for President and Senator Charles McNary of Oregon for Vice-President.

Nahum Goldmann predicts on 24 June 1940 that six million people of the Jewish faith will lose their lives during the war.

June 1940

June 1, 1940: Devastation at Dunkirk
June 2, 1940: Hitler Visits France
June 3, 1940: Operation Paula
June 4, 1940: We Shall Fight
June 5, 1940: Fall Rot
June 6, 1940: Weygand Line Crumbling
June 7, 1940: British Evacuating Narvik
June 8, 1940: Operation Juno
June 9, 1940: Norway Capitulates
June 10, 1940: Mussolini Throws Down
June 11, 1940: Paris an Open City
June 12, 1940: Rommel at St. Valery
June 13, 1940: France Goes Alone
June 14, 1940: Paris Falls
June 15, 1940: Soviets Scoop Up Lithuania
June 16, 1940: Enter Pétain
June 17, 1940: The Lancastria Sinks
June 18, 1940: A Day of Leaders
June 19, 1940: U-boats Run Wild
June 20, 1940: Pétain Wilts
June 21, 1940: Hitler's Happiest Day
June 22, 1940: France Is Done
June 23, 1940: Hitler in Paris
June 24, 1940: Six Million Jews
June 25, 1940: German Celebrations
June 26, 1940: USSR Being Belligerent
June 27, 1940: Malta in Peril
June 28, 1940: Channel Islands Bombed
June 29, 1940: Gandhi Insists on Independence
June 30, 1940: Channel Islands Occupied

2020

Thursday 6 June 1940

Foredeck of the Scharnhorst, following a minesweeper. It is at sea off Norway along with sister-ship Gneisenau.

Western Front: The Germans on 6 June 1940 continue pressing their bid to break into the heart of France. On most parts of the Weygand Line, the French continue to have success at repelling the German attacks under Fall Rot.

The French line is in the most peril along the Somme between Amiens and the sea. There, XVI Panzer Corps of the 4th Army makes the largest gains in the entire offensive. General Erwin Rommel's 7th "Ghost" Panzer Division sidesteps the effective French artillery at Amiens and breaks through to the west of that city, advancing 20 miles between Abbeville and Amiens. This illustrates one of the inherent weaknesses of the "hedgehog" theory of defense, as there is no "line" to cross, but instead simply places to avoid. The 5th Panzer Division also makes good gains.

The 51st Highland Division at Saint-Valery-sur-Somme at the mouth of the Somme is in deep trouble, but it has the good fortune of being the closest portion of the line to England.. RAF Bomber command supports it with a raid of 38 bombers.

Further east, between Amiens and Peronne, von Kleist's Panzer Group is held. To the east of Kleist's troops, Panzer Group Guderian seize bridgeheads across the Aisne.

The French 10th Army, 7th Army, and 6th Armies are withdrawing under pressure. The French are using their 75mm field guns as anti-tank artillery, just as the Wehrmacht uses its 88 mm anti-aircraft guns in the same role. Firing at panzers over open sights is a dangerous occupation, but even the best panzers are susceptible to direct hits.

About 109,000 French troops evacuated to Great Britain pursuant to Operation Dynamo demand to be sent back to France to defend their country.

A short-barreled Panzer IV in France, May/June 1940 (Eckert, National Archive).

European Air Operations: The French send 21 LeO-451 bombers against German panzers at Chaulnes.

The RAF Bomber Command sends 24 bombers to attack Hamburg and other German targets during the night, and 41 aircraft to attack German lines of communication for the troops at the front.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-46 (Oberleutnant zur See Engelbert Endrass) torpedoes British 20,277-ton armed merchant cruiser (converted liner) HMS Carinthia west of Galway Bay, Ireland at 01:13. The Carinthia is in bad shape but remains afloat at day's end.

German minesweeper M-11 hits a mine and sinks off of Norway.

British ship Harcalo hits a mine and sinks in the English Channel near Dover.

German raider Atlantis is back in the south Atlantic, disguised as Dutch freighter MV Abbekerk. It stops and captures 7,230-ton Norwegian freighter Tirranna. Five of the crew perish. The ship is taken as a prize but retained in the area due to a lack of fuel.

Norwegian submarine B.3 departs from Harstad for Tromso but experiences an explosion which cripples it. The submarine lays up in Gavlfjord near Tromso.

German raider Thor sails toward the Atlantic for a mission.

The Italian Navy begins laying mines.

Norway: The Royal Navy continues evacuating troops from Narvik, some 5,200 today from Harstad. The aircraft carrier HMS Glorious is approaching to recover the RAF aircraft at Bardufoss - which will eliminate Allied air cover.

German Military: The Germans are discriminating amongst their Belgian prisoners of war depending upon their language. Flemish prisoners are released, while French speakers are sent to German POW camps.

French Government: Prime Minister Paul Reynaud warns his Cabinet that he may withdraw the government to French possessions in North Africa to continue the struggle, if necessary.

British Government: The new British Ambassador to Moscow is Sir Stafford Cripps, well known for his socialist views.

Italy: Mussolini - with the King's assent - orders long-time military Chief of Staff Pietro Badoglio to prepare for war with France and Great Britain.

China: At the Battle of Tsaoyang-Ichang, the Japanese 11th Army captures Chingmen, Shihlipu, and Shihhuichiao.

Japanese bombers launch another attack on Chiang Kai-shek's capital, Chungking.

German troops advancing across the Somme on 6 June 1940.

June 1940

June 1, 1940: Devastation at Dunkirk
June 2, 1940: Hitler Visits France
June 3, 1940: Operation Paula
June 4, 1940: We Shall Fight
June 5, 1940: Fall Rot
June 6, 1940: Weygand Line Crumbling
June 7, 1940: British Evacuating Narvik
June 8, 1940: Operation Juno
June 9, 1940: Norway Capitulates
June 10, 1940: Mussolini Throws Down
June 11, 1940: Paris an Open City
June 12, 1940: Rommel at St. Valery
June 13, 1940: France Goes Alone
June 14, 1940: Paris Falls
June 15, 1940: Soviets Scoop Up Lithuania
June 16, 1940: Enter Pétain
June 17, 1940: The Lancastria Sinks
June 18, 1940: A Day of Leaders
June 19, 1940: U-boats Run Wild
June 20, 1940: Pétain Wilts
June 21, 1940: Hitler's Happiest Day
June 22, 1940: France Is Done
June 23, 1940: Hitler in Paris
June 24, 1940: Six Million Jews
June 25, 1940: German Celebrations
June 26, 1940: USSR Being Belligerent
June 27, 1940: Malta in Peril
June 28, 1940: Channel Islands Bombed
June 29, 1940: Gandhi Insists on Independence
June 30, 1940: Channel Islands Occupied

2020

Sunday 26 May 1940

Geoffrey Dalton Stephenson's Supermarine Spitfire MK1 N3200, being inspected by Germans, after it was shot down on a beach at Sangatte, near Calais on May 26, 1940. He wound up a POW at Colditz.

Western Front: Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of the BEF from the Continent, is authorized on 26 May 1940 to proceed in the evening by the British War Cabinet. Admiral Bertram Ramsey, in charge of Royal Navy forces at Dover, takes command of the operation.

Vice-Marshal Keith Park, commander of RAF No. 11 Group in southeast England, allocates 16 fighter squadrons to establish air supremacy over Dunkirk at one time, with others held in reserve.

Hitler ends the "stop order," authorizing "armored groups and infantry divisions in direction Tournai-Dunkirk."

The 10th Panzer Division attack on Calais continues, and it is clear that the end of the battle is approaching. General Guderian has given the division until the afternoon to capture the port or he will pull the division and leave its destruction to the Luftwaffe - which would be a huge slap in the face to the division. Thus, the German attacks are rabid and unrelenting.

At first light, fifteen small Royal Navy vessels arrive towing boats for an evacuation - though no evacuation has been ordered. In fact, one of the ships delivers a message to the commanding officer, Brigadier Nicholson, to continue fighting. Unlike 24 hours previously, Nicholson is worn out and sees clearly the direction in which the battle is heading. He reports that the Germans are in the north end of town and he has no more tanks or other basic necessities.

The German bombardment also begins at around the same time, 05:00. The completion of the capture of nearby Boulogne has freed additional artillery for Calais, doubling General Schaal's firepower. There also are mass Stuka attacks, followed by armored attacks. The Allied line finally breaks around 13:30, when Bastion 11 manned by French volunteers out of ammunition, falls. That sets in motion the final Allied collapse, and the Germans are soon across the defensive canals and in the city streets. The commander of the British forces, Brigadier Claude Nicholson, surrenders at 16:00. The Germans take 3500 prisoners, and only 200 wounded escape on the boats. With Calais having fallen, the panzers immediately turn and head toward Dunkirk.

German Sixth Army continues pressing against the Belgian troops holding the northern side of the Allied line. The BEF has to send reinforcements to prevent a breakthrough. It is clear that the Belgian Army - an irreplaceable part of the defensive perimeter - is on its last legs. The Belgians and British reinforcements struggle to hold Izegem, Nevele, and Ronsele, while the elite Chasseurs Ardennais stand like a rock. The Belgian reserves go into battle, and auxiliary troops are formed in the rear. The Belgians flood the canals to serve as tank traps. The Belgians tell the French at noon that "the Army has nearly reached the limits of its endurance."

The British fall back on Dunkirk without asking permission or even informing their allies. It is particularly noticeable around Lille, where it opens a gap in the line otherwise manned by the Belgians and French on either side. The Belgians are forced to fall further back themselves, while the French 1st Army essentially becomes encircled.

The British withdrawal and the Belgian weakness becomes a virtuous cycle - for the Wehrmacht. It becomes apparent by 18:00 that the British are pulling back on the Lille-Ypres sector. Meanwhile, Belgian morale plunges. King Leopold, informed of all of these movements, prepares to move his headquarters to Middelkerke. He is running out of territory to command.

The Germans attack between Courtrai and Valenciennes.

The French recapture some of the German bridgeheads over the Somme - but not all of them.

A British Cruiser Mk IV tank under repair, Blangy-sur-Ternoise. 26 May 1940.

Battle of the Atlantic: The RAF sinks four ships to block the entrance to Zeebrugge Harbour.

U-13 and U-48 leave Kiel to take up positions around the British Isles.

Convoy OA 155G departs from Southend, Convoy OB 155 departs from Liverpool. Australian/New Zealand troop convoy US 3 arrives at Cape Town.

European Air Operations: Fierce air battles continue over the Channel Ports. The Stukas pound Calais with 200 Stuka sorties.

The Luftwaffe aids the German 10th Panzer Division in Calais with attacks on Calais Citadel.

The RAF attacks railway marshaling yards in the Rhineland during the night.

Norway: Colonel Gubbins, knowing that further defense is pointless due to Operation Alphabet, withdraws his defensive line to the ferry port of Rognan. The Irish Guard makes a fighting withdrawal, leaving behind (destroying) supplies. At the port, they take ferries across the fjord - just barely leaving ahead of the Germans when the ferry breaks down. He receives air cover from a new RAF base at Bodø, which is the first RAF presence in the vicinity.

The Luftwaffe sinks British anti-aircraft cruiser Curlew (D 42, Captain Basil C. B. Brooke) in Lavangsfjord, Ofotfjord near Narvik. Nine crew perish. The Curlew had been especially helpful because it possessed the only radar in the area.

Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Glorious ferries Hurricanes of No. 46 Squadron to Skaanland near Narvik. The runway is sod, but Hawker Hurricanes are sturdy planes.

The Luftwaffe continues its gradual reinforcement of General Dietl's force in Narvik, bringing in 81 men of the 1st Fallschirmjaeger Regiment.

Anglo/Belgian Relations: Prime Minister Churchill meets with Belgian Prime Minister Pierlot and Foreign Minister Spaak.

Anglo/French Relations: French Prime Minister Paul Reynaud visits Churchill in London.

Italy: Mussolini meets with Army Chief of Staff Pietro Badoglio and Air Marshal Italo Balbo in Rome to discuss his growing urge to join the Axis conflict. Badoglio states that Italy is unprepared for any conflict and illustrates this by pointing out that the army does not even have enough shirts. Mussolini replies:

History cannot be reckoned by the number of shirts.

He explains that he needs "a few thousand dead" to be able to hold his head high at the peace table. Mussolini orders Badoglio to prepare his forces for an invasion of France on 5 June 1940.

German Military: Admiral Otto Schniewind, Chief of Staff of the Seekriegsleitung (Maritime Warfare Command), reaches a conclusion: "Evacuation of (BEF) troops without equipment …. is conceivable by means of large numbers of smaller vessels …. even from the open coast."

British Military: General Sir Edmund Ironside becomes Commander-in-chief of the Home Forces. Sir John Greer Dill replaces Ironside as Chief of the Imperial General Staff. While done politely, and with Ironside putting the best positive spin about it in his diary, there is an element of scapegoating for the disastrous course of the battle on the Continent. In addition, Ironside has proven undiplomatic with the French.

French Military: General Maxime Weygand issues Ordre Général d' Operation No. 1184 3/FT:

The battle on which the fate of the country depends will be fought without any idea of retreat, on the line which we hold today.

US/Latin American Relations: The US minister in Uruguay, Edwin Wilson, follows up on his previous report of undue German influence within the Uruguayan government. He reports by telegram to Secretary of State Cordell Hull that the Uruguayan government has had its police searching the homes and businesses of German nationals. Wilson states that the police are using "rough methods" and that tension is arising between the two governments as a result.

American Homefront: President Roosevelt gives his fireside chat "On National Defense." He emphasizes that the US has become more secure since his inauguration, and emphasizes:

There is nothing in our present emergency to justify a retreat from any of our social objectives.

German Homefront: Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, 33, son of Wilhelm, German Crown Prince, perishes of wounds sustained in France.

British Homefront: A national day of prayer for the troops is held in the UK. Westminster Abbey is packed.

A British officer examines a knocked-out German 88 mm anti-aircraft gun, May 26-29, 1940.

May 1940

May 1, 1940: British Leave Åndalsnes
May 2, 1940: British Depart Namsos
May 3, 1940: Many Norwegians Surrendering
May 4, 1940: Bader Returns
May 5, 1940: HMS Seal Survives
May 6, 1940: Allies Focus on Narvik
May 7, 1940: In The Name of God, Go!
May 8, 1940: Exit Chamberlain
May 9, 1940: Enter Churchill
May 10, 1940: Fall Gelb
May 11, 1940: Eben Emael Surrenders
May 12, 1940: Germans at Sedan
May 13, 1940: Rommel at Work
May 14, 1940: German Breakout in France
May 15, 1940: Holland Surrenders
May 16, 1940: Dash to the Channel
May 17, 1940: Germans Take Brussels
May 18, 1940: Germans Take Antwerp
May 19, 1940: Failed French Counterattack
May 20, 1940: Panzers on the Coast
May 21, 1940: Battle of Arras
May 22, 1940: Attacking Channel Ports
May 23, 1940: British Evacuate Boulogne
May 24, 1940: Hitler's Stop Order
May 25, 1940: Belgian Defenses Creaking
May 26, 1940: Operation Dynamo
May 27, 1940: King Leopold Surrenders 
May 28, 1940: The Allies Take Narvik
May 29, 1940: Lille Falls
May 30, 1940: Operation Fish
May 31, 1940: Peak Day for Dynamo

2020