Tuesday 23 April 1940

French General Georges and Lord Gort inspect a BEF 8-inch Mk VIII howitzer at Bethune, France, 23 April 1940. Most likely that is the 1st Heavy Regiment, Royal Artillery.

Norway: The Allied Supreme War Council continues meeting in Paris on 23 April 1940. They focus on capturing Trondheim, when British troops are retreating on two separate Norwegian fronts. The British are being cagey about Operation Hammer, the direct attack on Trondheim, which they know is a dead letter but the French still think has a chance to succeed.

Norway Army Operations: In the evening, the British 15th Brigade arrives at Molde and Andalsnes. Its mission is to support the 148th Brigade, which is under heavy pressure to the south.

At Tretten Gorge on the road north from Lillehammer, the German 196th Infantry Division continues attacking the British 148th Infantry Brigade, inflicting heavy casualties. German artillery is active all morning. The British are trying desperately to hold the river road, but the German panzers are decisive. Three of them break through the British line at 13:00. Mountain troops have scaled the 2165-foot cliff to bypass the British river road defenses. They circle around at at 18:00 begin attacking the British line from the rear.

The British can't hold out and withdraw from Tretten Gorge at 19:00, bombed and strafed on the narrow river road in the Gudbrandsal. Casualties are immense: the British have lost 705 killed, wounded and captured. Only 309 remain fighting. At one point, they take refuge in a railway tunnel and a British officer comments: "700 of us and a bloody train - we're almost suffocating. "We've been stuck here all day with Germans bombing us. One direct hit on the tunnel and we're done for. The train has to keep up steam - choking."

Northeast of Trondheim, the British 146th Infantry Brigade is falling back from Steinkjer under fierce Germans pressure toward its base at Namsos. So far, General de Wiart's troops have lost 19 dead, 42 wounded and 96 missing.

At Hegra Fortress, the Germans continue standing back and lobbing occasional mortar shells at the fort, with Luftwaffe attacks from the nearby airport. Today a few shells destroy one of the fortress' two 7.5 cm positional guns, one of the fortress' command towers and the waterline. The defenders are losing effective ways to strike back.

The Germans are spreading out from Stavanger.  At Ogna southeast of Stavanger, the Germans capture the vital bridge, trapping hundreds of troops. The Germans in the area accept the surrender of 1,700 Norwegian troops of the Norwegian 8th Infantry Regiment.

The Polish Podhale Brigade (Chasseurs du Nord) begins moving to Norway.

General Georges of the French Army and Lord Gort inspect the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers at Bethune,  France, 23 April 1940.

European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe raided the British Home Fleet at Scapa Flow during the night, causing little damage.

The Luftwaffe attacks the British positions at Andalsnes.

The RAF raided Fornebu and Kjeller airports at Oslo, and also Aalborg in northern Denmark for the third night.

The Luftwaffe sent a sweep of Bf 109s over Luxembourg which was met by Hurricanes. No losses on either side.

Battle of the Atlantic: British ship Lolworth hits a mine and sinks in the North Sea.

Kriegsmarine minesweeper M-1302 hits a mine and sinks.

Royal Navy submarine Tetrarch sinks Kriegsmarine vessel UJ-B.

The RAF sends 26 planes on a minelaying operation during the night.

Convoy SL 29 departs from Freetown.

British minesweeping trawler HMS Mangrove (A.E. Johnson) is commissioned.

BEF: The British 46th Infantry Division moves to France.

US/Canadian Relations: President Roosevelt meets with Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King in Warm Springs, Georgia.

British Government: Chancellor of the Exchequer John Simon announces a new war budget (classified, of course) which means higher taxes:

• income tax raised to 7s 6d per £;
• higher duties imposed on tobacco and matches, beer and spirits;
• higher postal fees;
• higher telegraph and telephone rates;
• new purchase tax on the way.

The objective is to raise an additional £2bn for the war, an unheard-of figure.

Sir Stafford Cripps returns to London after his visits to the USSR, India, and China.

Australia: Coal miners have been on strike since early March, and Prime Minister Menzies reminds them that there's a war on. He states that he may resort to force to reopen the mines.

April 1940

April 1, 1940: Weserubung is a Go
April 2, 1940: British Subs On Alert
April 3, 1940: Churchill Consolidates Power
April 4, 1940: Missed the Bus
April 5, 1940: Mig-1 First Flight
April 6, 1940: Troops Sailing to Norway
April 7, 1940: Fleets At Sea
April 8, 1940: HMS Glowworm and Admiral Hipper
April 9, 1940: Invasion of Norway
April 10, 1940: First Battle of Narvik
April 11, 1940: Britain Takes the Faroes
April 12, 1940: Germans Consolidate in Norway
April 13, 1940: 2d Battle of Narvik
April 14, 1940: Battle of Dombås
April 15, 1940: British in Norway
April 16, 1940: Germans Cut Norway in Half
April 17, 1940: Trondheim the Target
April 18, 1940: Norway Declares War
April 19, 1940: Dombås Battle Ends
April 20, 1940: Germans Advancing in Norway
April 21, 1940: First US Military Casualty
April 22, 1940: First British Military Contact with Germans
April 23, 1940: British Retreating in Norway
April 24, 1940: British Bombard Narvik
April 25, 1940: Norwegian Air Battles
April 26, 1940: Norwegian Gold
April 27, 1940: Allies to Evacuate Norway
April 28, 1940: Prepared Piano
April 29, 1940: British at Bodo
April 30, 1940: Clacton-on-Sea Heinkel

2019

Monday 22 April 1940

April 22, 1940, is considered the first day of real combat between the British and Germans. There apparently is some disagreement as to whether the first action took place at Steinkjer on 21 April, or in the Gudbrandsdal north of Lillehammer on 22 April.

Norway: The Supreme Allied War Council meets in Paris on 22 April 1940 and degenerates into a political scuffle between Prime Minister Paul Reynaud and former Prime Minister Daladier. The leaders are out of touch with events on the ground and engage in wishful thinking about advancing on Oslo to route the Germans.

Norway Army Operations: The German 196th Division advancing north from Oslo captures Lillehammer and advances further up the Gudbrandsdal. The British 148th Brigade sent down to block them is forced to retreat again. They try to dig in at Faaberg, North of Lillehammer, but the German mountain troops prove that training is important when they scale the 2,165-foot Balbergkamp to sidestep the British down on the road. The British, outflanked, then retreat another 20 miles and set up a blocking position at Tretten Gorge, a narrow chokepoint in the Gudbrandsdal defile.

The 196th Division is advancing on Trondheim from the south, while the German 359th Infantry Division pushes south from Trondheim to meet them.

The German 181st Infantry Division and 3rd Mountain Division troops at Steinkjer are putting pressure on General de Wiart's 146th Territorial Brigade. There is fierce fighting at Vist between The Lincolnshire Regiment and King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry Regiment, defending at Krogs farm, and the German 138th Mountain Regiment. In the evening, the British begin a fighting withdrawal back to the main base at Namsos. The Luftwaffe is completely crushing his base at Namsos and the British supply lines to de Wiart's troops to the south.

The German 69th Infantry troops at Bergen begin pushing east.

Norway Naval Operations: Aircraft carrier HMS Glorious departs from Scapa Flow ferrying 18 Gloster Gladiators of No. 263 Squadron for use in Norway. The Gladiators are not converted for carrier takeoffs and landings.

Norway Air Operations: The Luftwaffe bombs the British base at Namsos again. The RAF also is in operation over Norway, but they are bombers from England.

European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe bombs Scapa Flow and lays mines along the British coast.

French reconnaissance aircraft fly over Prague on 22-23 April.

Battle of the Atlantic: Two Lockheed Hudsons spot U-43 on the surface in the North Sea and drop bombs. The U-boat receives a few nicks and carries on.

Convoy OA 134 departs from Southend, Convoy OG 27F forms at Gibraltar, and Convoy HX 37 departs from Halifax.

British corvette HMS Clarkia (Lt. Commander Frederick J. G. Jones) is commissioned.

North Africa: The newly arrived New Zealand Division conducts training exercises near El Saff.

Denmark: The Germans order the Danish army disbanded and confiscate its weapons.

British Military: Three vice chiefs of staff are appointed: John Dill as Vice Chief of the General Staff; Tom Phillips, Vice Chief of the Naval Staff; and Vice-Chief of the Air Staff Sir Richard Edmund Charles Peirse. Air Marshal William Sholto Douglas is named Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, and General Percival becomes Assistant Chief of the Imperial General Staff at the War Office.

US Navy: Rear Admiral Joseph Taussig, commandant of the Fifth Naval District at Norfolk, Virginia, testifies before a joint House-Senate committee on Pacific fortifications. He predicts that war with Japan is inevitable. The US Navy officially reprimands him and repudiates his testimony.

Holocaust: Germans and Poles are forbidden from entering the Jewish Ghetto of Lodz.

Lodz Ghetto "No Entry" posting: "In accordance with the police ordinance of April 8, 1940, all Poles and Germans are forbidden from entering the Ghetto Area"  (Schmitt, Federal Archive).

April 1940

April 1, 1940: Weserubung is a Go
April 2, 1940: British Subs On Alert
April 3, 1940: Churchill Consolidates Power
April 4, 1940: Missed the Bus
April 5, 1940: Mig-1 First Flight
April 6, 1940: Troops Sailing to Norway
April 7, 1940: Fleets At Sea
April 8, 1940: HMS Glowworm and Admiral Hipper
April 9, 1940: Invasion of Norway
April 10, 1940: First Battle of Narvik
April 11, 1940: Britain Takes the Faroes
April 12, 1940: Germans Consolidate in Norway
April 13, 1940: 2d Battle of Narvik
April 14, 1940: Battle of Dombås
April 15, 1940: British in Norway
April 16, 1940: Germans Cut Norway in Half
April 17, 1940: Trondheim the Target
April 18, 1940: Norway Declares War
April 19, 1940: Dombås Battle Ends
April 20, 1940: Germans Advancing in Norway
April 21, 1940: First US Military Casualty
April 22, 1940: First British Military Contact with Germans
April 23, 1940: British Retreating in Norway
April 24, 1940: British Bombard Narvik
April 25, 1940: Norwegian Air Battles
April 26, 1940: Norwegian Gold
April 27, 1940: Allies to Evacuate Norway
April 28, 1940: Prepared Piano
April 29, 1940: British at Bodo
April 30, 1940: Clacton-on-Sea Heinkel

2019

Saturday 30 March 1940

The "P" badge that Polish workers in Germany must wear.

European Air Operations: The Anglo-French Supreme War Council on 30 March 1940 is still considering bombing the Soviet oil fields of Baku upon the outbreak of hostilities, though they have passed on French Prime Minister's recommendation that it be done now. Its code name is Operation Pike, and its aim is to collapse the Soviet oil industry. The plan as developing would be to bomb the oil fields in Baku, Batum, and Grozny from bases in Iran, Turkey and Syria under "Western Air Plan 106."

The Soviets have some inkling about all this, perhaps from spies within one or both of the Allied governments. The Soviet authorities of the Soviet Transcaucasian Military District are conducting desk exercises on how to respond to such an attack. The plan is to start a counter-offensive toward Erzurum and Tebriz.

Plan Pike, while somewhat far-fetched and lacking political backing, is not complete fantasy. Today, as a test, a British reconnaissance plane - painted in civilian colors - flies from Iraq to the Soviet oil fields on the Absheron Peninsula and takes photographs. It attracts no Soviet notice.

Along the Swiss border, both Germany and France now have spotlights set up marking the Swiss border in order to avoid the accidental bombing of neutral Swiss towns. It is a rare example of wartime cooperation by opposing sides.

Battle of the Atlantic: Convoy SL 26 departs from Freetown.

 U-122 (Korvettenkapitän Hans-Günther Looff) is commissioned.

French Government: French Minister of Defense Édouard Daladier is not in agreement with Operation Royal Marine, Winston Churchill's pet plan to mine the Rhine River. He persuades the French war cabinet to reject the operation. The British respond by threatening to suspend Operation Wilfred, the mining of Norwegian coastal waters.

British Government: British Shipping Minister  Sir John Gilmour, 2nd Baronet passes away at age 63.

First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill warns neutrals about the course of the war, which he expects to intensify.

The Ministry of Agriculture reports that the effort to bring more land into cultivation has resulted in 1,370,000 extra acres of tillage had been plowed, versus the overall target of 2,000,000 acres.

Turkey: The Turkish government shuts down Turkische Post, a German newspaper, in Istanbul.

China: The Japanese establish their puppet Chinese government in Nanking. Ching-wei, a former colleague and rival of Chiang Kai-shek with a long history in Nationalist politics, leads the government as President of the Executive Yuan and Chairman of the National Government. Such governments rarely have any power at all and generally, are ignored by foreign governments. They are used as propaganda devices until they are no longer needed, then discarded. The government's official name is Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China. The Japanese have been under severe military pressure since the opening of the Chinese Winter Offensive in late December, and feel this might help stabilize their reign.

The guiding principles of the new government are the Three Principles of pan-Asianism, anti-Communism, and opposition to Chiang Kai-shek. Ching-wei is in contact with the German and Italian governments and is interesting in joining the Tripartite Pact between Japan, Germany, and Italy, also known as the Axis.

On the battlefield, the Japanese at Wuyuan begin to retreat under pressure. The city does not yet switch hands. The Chinese 8th War Area attacks around Patzepu, Hsishantzu, Hsichiao, and Manko. The Chinese claim they have killed 3400 Imperial Japanese Army troops, but the Japanese respond that they actually have lost only 13 troops while killing 1500 Chinese.

There are Japanese air attacks on Chinn, Yushan, Shangjao, and Yingtanchen.

In a sign of the sacrifices being made by the Japanese people due to the China invasion, Japanese Prime Minister Mitsumasa Yonai visits children whose fathers have perished in China.

German Homefront: The Nazis are - as always - concerned with racial purity. There are 300,000 Polish workers in German factories. This causes concern about possible "mixing." From now on, they are required to wear a "P" badge or face 6-weeks imprisonment. While not the same as the Yellow Star of David being forced upon Jews in Poland, it is an attempt to reinforce the Poles' second-class status.

American Homefront: "When You Wish Upon a Star" by Ray Eberle & Glenn Miller, featured in the current Walt Disney animated film "Pinocchio," has the top spot in "Your Hit Parade." The film itself is lauded by critics but is encountering resistance at the box office.

Future History: Jerry Lucas is born in Middletown, Ohio. He becomes a key player on the championship New York Knicks basketball teams of the early 1970s and later becomes a memory education expert.

Prime Minister Mitsumasa Yonai visits children whose fathers have perished during the Japanese invasion of China.

March 1940

March 1, 1940: Soviet Breakthroughs Past Viipuri
March 2, 1940: Soviets Swarm West in Finland
March 3, 1940: Soviets Across Gulf of Viipuri
March 4, 1940: USSR Apologizes to Sweden
March 5, 1940: Katyn Forest Massacre Approved
March 6, 1940: Finns Head to Moscow
March 7, 1940: The Coal Ships Affair
March 8, 1940: Peace Talks Begin in Moscow
March 9, 1940: Soviets Harden Peace Terms
March 10, 1940: Germany Draws Closer to Italy
March 11, 1940: Winter War Peace Terms Finalized
March 12, 1940: War is Over (If You Want It)
March 13, 1940: Winter War Ends
March 14, 1940: Evacuating Karelia
March 15, 1940: The Bletchley Bombe
March 16, 1940: First British Civilian Killed
March 17, 1940: Enter Dr. Todt
March 18, 1940: Mussolini To Join the War
March 19, 1940: Daladier Resigns
March 20, 1940: Soviets Occupy Hango Naval Base
March 21, 1940: Paul Reynaud Leads France
March 22, 1940: Night Fighters Arise!
March 24, 1940: French Consider Alternatives
March 25, 1940: Reynaud Proposes Action
March 26, 1940: C-46 First Flight
March 27, 1940: Himmler Authorizes Auschwitz Construction
March 28, 1940: Allies Ponder Invading Norway
March 29, 1940: Soviets Prefer Neutrality
March 30, 1940: Allied Uncertainty
March 31, 1940: The Tiger Cage

2019

Thursday 28 March 1940

Armed merchant cruiser HMS Transylvania.

Battle of the Atlantic: The 4,007-ton German freighter Mimi Horn is scuttled by its crew on 28 March 1940 after being intercepted in the Denmark Strait by the armed merchant cruiser HMS Transylvania.

Norwegian freighter SS Burgos hits a mine and sinks 30 miles west of Skegness, England. The crew survives and is rescued by sloop HMS Pelican.

Convoy OA 119 departs from Southend, Convoy HG 24 departs from Gibraltar.

Battle of the Pacific: British warships stop Soviet ore ships Selenga and Vladimir Mayakovski and order them to Hong Kong.

Allied Air Operations: Overnight, the RAF sent reconnaissance flights over northwest Germany. Three aircraft of the New Zealand No. 75 Squadron take part in the flights for the first time. Three aircraft never return. One bomber makes a forced landing in Holland after being attacked by Dutch fighters.

Two Dornier Do 17 Luftwaffe aircraft make a sweep over the North Sea but make no successful attacks. Coastal Command intercepts them and scored hits on one, while also one RAF plane is damaged.

Allied Supreme War Council: The Supreme War Council meets for the sixth time in London. There is a new leader for the French, new Prime Minister Paul Reynaud. Reynaud's suggestions regarding attacking Soviet oil fields and shipping are rejected, though they will be "studied."

The leaders reach the same conclusion that they had in World War I, namely that neither country will conclude any armistice or other cessation of hostilities without mutual consent. They also decide to mine Norwegian territorial waters to disrupt German iron ore shipments from Sweden via Narvik (Operation Wilfred). A further plan to drop mines in the Rhine River (Operation Royal Marine) at the same time is approved pending approval by the French War Committee. Churchill, whose pet idea this Rhine operation is, says, "It will cause the utmost consternation."

The Council also make a tentative decision to send an expeditionary military force to Norway should the Germans appear to be ready to invade. The Council sets a projected date of 5 April 1940.

While an Allied landing in Norway would have been legal under the League of Nations resolutions pertaining to the Winter War, that authorization now is gone due to the Moscow Peace Treaty. An Allied invasion would be a hostile incursion on a neutral nation's territory, just as would a German invasion. Norway has given no indication that it would accept foreign troops of any nation on its soil. Churchill, though, sees an added benefit from throwing a spanner in the works: "No people are more completely upset when their plans miscarry than the Germans. They cannot improvise."

The Germans, of course, are thinking along identical lines, and their planned invasion has been set for roughly the same time. First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill hopes to provoke the Germans into some rash action with the mining of Norwegian waters, thus justifying Allied "protection" of Norway and Sweden. This would cripple the German war effort, which is based upon Swedish iron ores shipped through Norway.

Propaganda: The issue of German propaganda is on everybody's mind. Churchill notes that "Reynaud spoke of the impact of German propaganda on French morale. The radio blares each night..."

British Government: The Foreign Office calls six ambassadors from southern and central Europe back to London for consultations.

US Government: Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles meets in Washington, D.C. with President Roosevelt following his discussions with European leaders.

Finland: While Finland lost territory during the Winter War in the Moscow Peace Treaty, the country is full of pride for the outstanding showing of its military against an overpowering opponent. Finnish ski soldiers march in Helsinki in a parade, complete with their reindeer.

China: In the Battle of Wuyuan, the Chinese 8th War Area continues attacking around Patzepu, Hsishantzu, Hsichiao, and Mankosu.

Holocaust: 1,600 Jewish refugees fleeing the Germans arrive in Palestine after a journey that took six months. UK troops intern them for illegal entry.

The New Zealand (No. 75) Squadron in 1942.

March 1940

March 1, 1940: Soviet Breakthroughs Past Viipuri
March 2, 1940: Soviets Swarm West in Finland
March 3, 1940: Soviets Across Gulf of Viipuri
March 4, 1940: USSR Apologizes to Sweden
March 5, 1940: Katyn Forest Massacre Approved
March 6, 1940: Finns Head to Moscow
March 7, 1940: The Coal Ships Affair
March 8, 1940: Peace Talks Begin in Moscow
March 9, 1940: Soviets Harden Peace Terms
March 10, 1940: Germany Draws Closer to Italy
March 11, 1940: Winter War Peace Terms Finalized
March 12, 1940: War is Over (If You Want It)
March 13, 1940: Winter War Ends
March 14, 1940: Evacuating Karelia
March 15, 1940: The Bletchley Bombe
March 16, 1940: First British Civilian Killed
March 17, 1940: Enter Dr. Todt
March 18, 1940: Mussolini To Join the War
March 19, 1940: Daladier Resigns
March 20, 1940: Soviets Occupy Hango Naval Base
March 21, 1940: Paul Reynaud Leads France
March 22, 1940: Night Fighters Arise!
March 24, 1940: French Consider Alternatives
March 25, 1940: Reynaud Proposes Action
March 26, 1940: C-46 First Flight
March 27, 1940: Himmler Authorizes Auschwitz Construction
March 28, 1940: Allies Ponder Invading Norway
March 29, 1940: Soviets Prefer Neutrality
March 30, 1940: Allied Uncertainty
March 31, 1940: The Tiger Cage

2019

Wednesday 27 March 1940

Labour Front leader Robert Ley and his wife, Inge, with Hitler. Ley recently had been supplanted by Fritz Todt as the ultimate Reich labor boss but retained his position. He was noted for drunkenness and corruption, but Hitler reportedly had a thing for Inge.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-22 (Kapitänleutnant Karl-Heinrich Jenisch) has not been responding to standard checks for the past week and is reported lost as of 27 March 1940. All hands are listed as lost, the cause is ascribed to a mine or depth-charge attack in the North Sea.

Convoy OA 118 departs from Scotland, Convoy OB 118 departs from Liverpool.
European Air Operations: There are battles across the Maginot Line. The Luftwaffe loses 5-7 Bf 109s according to the RAF.

The RAF attacks German shipping in the North Sea without a result.

Western Front: The French and Germans exchange perfunctory artillery fire in the Vosges forest and the Saar. The New York Times editorializes: "PARIS: Thoughtful observers here do not expect any change on the Western Front for a long time to come."

British Government: The Supreme War Council is to meet on 28 March, so the British War Council takes up French Prime Minister Paul Reynaud's proposal that the Allies attack the Soviet oil fields at Baku and Soviet shipping in the Black Sea. The decision is unanimous to oppose this plan and to continue the policy of avoiding direct conflict with the Soviet Union. The true purpose of Reynaud's proposal is perhaps indicated by the fact that it is leaked to the press, which the British find highly objectionable for such sensitive matters. The British, or at least Winston Churchill, consider this to have been done for domestic political purposes. The British tell General Gamelin and his colleagues of this decision at a preliminary meeting.

British Propaganda: An editorial in the Daily Mail notes the massive head start by the Nazis, led by Dr. Goebbels, in propaganda and urges effective British propaganda in response. While the British, particularly Churchill, have engaged in some very subtle propaganda during occasional speeches, the Nazis have been broadcasting nightly.

Finland: The government is reshuffled; Risto Ryti stays in charge.

New Zealand: The new Primes Minister of New Zealand is Peter Fraser, replacing Michael Savage who passes away today while in office.

China: The Japanese retain possession of Wuyuan, but local Chinese forces continue to pressure them. The Chinese 8th War Area attacks around Patzepu, Hsishantzu, Hsichiao, and Manko.

German Homefront: Robert Ley, long-time boss of the Nazi Labour Front and a close Hitler crony notes today that war "is a blessing, as women love fighters." His tall, blonde wife, Inge, is a close friend of Hitler, and some wonder just how close.

Holocaust: Heinrich Himmler authorizes the construction of a concentration camp at Auschwitz near Kraków, Poland. The site is convenient because it has served as an Austrian and later Polish Army barracks and a camp for transient workers. There already are 16 buildings on the site in various states of disrepair. Himmler has a vague idea of housing political prisoners there.

Ad on the 27 March 1940 NY Times: "When you insult your stomach, apologize" with the waters of French spa town Vichy. It is fair to say that almost nobody in the US has ever heard of Vichy, and may not even realize it is a town.

March 1940

March 1, 1940: Soviet Breakthroughs Past Viipuri
March 2, 1940: Soviets Swarm West in Finland
March 3, 1940: Soviets Across Gulf of Viipuri
March 4, 1940: USSR Apologizes to Sweden
March 5, 1940: Katyn Forest Massacre Approved
March 6, 1940: Finns Head to Moscow
March 7, 1940: The Coal Ships Affair
March 8, 1940: Peace Talks Begin in Moscow
March 9, 1940: Soviets Harden Peace Terms
March 10, 1940: Germany Draws Closer to Italy
March 11, 1940: Winter War Peace Terms Finalized
March 12, 1940: War is Over (If You Want It)
March 13, 1940: Winter War Ends
March 14, 1940: Evacuating Karelia
March 15, 1940: The Bletchley Bombe
March 16, 1940: First British Civilian Killed
March 17, 1940: Enter Dr. Todt
March 18, 1940: Mussolini To Join the War
March 19, 1940: Daladier Resigns
March 20, 1940: Soviets Occupy Hango Naval Base
March 21, 1940: Paul Reynaud Leads France
March 22, 1940: Night Fighters Arise!
March 24, 1940: French Consider Alternatives
March 25, 1940: Reynaud Proposes Action
March 26, 1940: C-46 First Flight
March 27, 1940: Himmler Authorizes Auschwitz Construction
March 28, 1940: Allies Ponder Invading Norway
March 29, 1940: Soviets Prefer Neutrality
March 30, 1940: Allied Uncertainty
March 31, 1940: The Tiger Cage

2019

Wednesday 7 February 1940

The Munster, sunk on 7 February 1940.

Winter War: On 7 February 1940, The British newspapers somehow get ahold of the Allied Supreme War Council's plan to send troops to Finland. This news is not taken completely positively by the Finns, who disapprove of a plan by the French and British to land their troops at Petsamo. Relations with Norway and Sweden, who have not consented to the use of their territory, and certainly not the occupation of it, become more complicated. The plan does, though, receive widespread public support.

Winter War Army Operations: The Red Army continues hammering the Mannerheim Line at Summa. There is no breakthrough, but the Soviets are making small penetrations into the defenses and drawing in Finnish reserves.

Winter War Air Operations: The Finnish government now believes that every town in Finland has been bombed by Soviet planes.

Battle of the Atlantic: At 06:00, the 4,305-ton Irish passenger/mail ship M/V Munster (45 crew, 190 passengers, Master William James Paisley) hits a mine en route to Liverpool and sinks a few miles from there in the Irish Sea. The mine was laid on 6 January 1940 by U-30 in the Queens Channel. All crew and passengers survive when a nearby steamer, SS Ringwall, picks them up.

The Kriegsmarine lays a defensive minefield off Borkum.

Convoy OA 87 departs from Southend, OB 86 departs from Liverpool, OB 87 departs from Liverpool, and HX 19 departs from Halifax.

Western Front: Paris accuses the Germans of executing two Americans in Poland.

Anglo/French Relations: Generals Weygand and Wavell being four days of planning in Cairo.

Anglo/Italian Relations: Mussolini exercises his veto of arms sales to the UK. He usually tries to appear as neutral as possible, so this comes as a bit of shock, especially considering that the British Purchasing Commission led by Lord Hardwick had just placed a large order for Italian fighter planes (Caproni-Reggiane Re.2000 Falco I).

Terrorism: The British execute two IRA men, Peter Barnes and James Richards, at Winston Green Prison, Birmingham. They were sentenced on 11 December 1939 for planting the bombs that murdered 5 people at Coventry on 25 August 1939. The two men become martyrs for the IRA.

China: At the Battle of South Kwangsi, the Japanese continue attacking Wuning.

In the "Shangtung Operation," the Japanese 21st Infantry Division, 32nd ID, and 5th Independent Mixed Brigade occupy the Shangtung Peninsula.

Sailors exercising on HMAS Hobart, 7 February 1940.

February 1940

February 3, 1940: Soviets Capture a Bunker
February 4, 1940: Peace Talks in Stockholm
February 5, 1940: Allies to Invade Norway
February 6, 1940: Careless Talk Costs Lives
February 7, 1940: IRA Terrorists Executed
February 8, 1940: Spies!
February 9, 1940: The Welles Mission
February 10, 1940: Confiscation of Jewish Goods
February 11, 1940: Soviets Attack Mannerheim Line
February 12, 1940: Breaches In Mannerheim Line
February 13, 1940: Soviets Inching Forward in Finland
February 14, 1940: Soviets Batter Mannerheim Line
February 15, 1940: Finns Retreat
February 16, 1940: Altmark Incident
February 17, 1940: Manstein and Hitler Discuss Fall Gelb
February 18, 1940: Operation Nordmark
February 19, 1940: King Gustav Says No
February 20, 1940: Falkenhorst Commands Weserubung
February 21, 1940: Radar Advances
February 22, 1940: Friendly Fire
February 23, 1940: Soviets Present Their Demands
February 24, 1940: Fall Gelb Revised
February 25, 1940: Mr. Welles Comes to Visit
February 26, 1940: Battle of Honkaniemi
February 27, 1940: Finns Retreat Again
February 28, 1940: Overseas Volunteers Help Finland
February 29, 1940: Finns Accept Soviet Terms In Principle

2019

Monday 5 February 1940

U-41 (on left) was a German type IX U-boat of World War II. She was commissioned on April 22, 1939, with Kapitänleutnant Gustav-Adolf Mugler in command. U-41 conducted three patrols and was sunk by depth charges from HMS Antelope on February 5, 1940. All hands were lost.

Winter War Army Operations: On 5 February 1940, Soviet 7th and 13th Armies continue attacking the Mannerheim Line. The Soviets are not advancing, but they are not trying yet. For now, they are weakening the Finnish Mannerheim line in aid of a breakthrough at a later point.

Winter War Air Operations: Soviet air raids continue. The monastery of Valamo on Lake Ladoga is among the places hit, as well as churches.

Winter War Peace Talks: Secret peace talks continue between the Finnish Foreign Minister and Madame Kollontai, the Soviet ambassador to Sweden.

Battle of the Atlantic:  U-41 (Kapitänleutnant Gustav-Adolf Mugler) torpedoes Dutch tanker Ceronia which is damaged but makes it to port. It then sinks British freighter SS Beaverburn 150 miles south of Ireland. There are 76 survivors and one crew perishes

U-41 then attacks Convoy OA-84 south of Ireland without success. Instead, U-41 itself is sunk by depth charges by the destroyer HMS Antelope. Antelope's Captain, Lt. Commander White, wins the DSO for this first sinking by a solitary destroyer. There are no survivors of the U-boat.

US freighter Exford is detained by the British at Gibraltar.

Convoy OA 86 departs from Southend, Convoy SL 19F departs from Freetown.

Supreme Allied War Council: The fifth meeting takes place in Paris. A decision is taken to intervene in the Winter War first by sending aircraft and guns to Finland. The tentative plan thereafter is to stage landings at Narvik and other ports about 20 March 1940. After that, the troops would proceed by rail through Sweden to Finland. The Allied troops not only would seize the Norwegian iron ore mines, but also secure the Swedish mines.

This assumes Swedish and Norwegian acquiescence in the plan. Germany, of course, is making similar plans, but they are not relying on the kindness of anyone. The Allied plan makes little sense, envisioning using only two divisions (against the entire Soviet army) that do not even exist yet or would have to be diverted from the BEF in France. It appears calculated more to suppress Norwegian and Swedish iron ore delivers to Germany and to coerce Norway to the Allied side than to aid Finland.

British Chief of Staff General Sir Edmund Ironside writes afterward that everyone is "purring with pleasure" at this chance to go into action. BEF Chief of Staff General Henry Pownall, though, is not so pleased, writing in his own diary:

“For five months we have been struggling to make fit for action in the Spring a force that was dangerously under-equipped and untrained. There were signs that we were getting some reasonable way to our goal. If this business [the invasion of Norway] goes through, we shall be cut by 30%. Of all the harebrained projects I have heard of, this is the most foolish.”

Dutch Military: Commander-in-chief Izaak Reynders resigns effective on 6 February 1940. He is replaced by General Henri Winkelman. Reynders was disgraced by his intemperate reaction to the Mechelen Incident. The reason given is the lack of government support for increased defense expenditures.

British Military: General Percival becomes commander of 43rd Infantry Division.

US Government: The US Maritime Commission announces that Britain and France, in great need of shipping, are purchasing 113,000 tonnes of American cargo ships.

China: In the Battle of South Kwangsi, the Japanese attack Wuning.

The Under-Secretary of State for Air, Captain H H Balfour, questions an Air Commodore about 250-lb GP bombs, which are about to be loaded into a Bristol Blenheim Mark IV of the Advanced Air Striking Force on an airfield in France (Imperial War Museum, official photographer SA Devon).

February 1940

February 1, 1940: Second Battle of Summa
February 2, 1940: Soviet Assaults at Summa February 3, 1940: Soviets Capture a Bunker
February 4, 1940: Peace Talks in Stockholm
February 5, 1940: Allies to Invade Norway
February 6, 1940: Careless Talk Costs Lives
February 7, 1940: IRA Terrorists Executed
February 8, 1940: Spies!
February 9, 1940: The Welles Mission
February 10, 1940: Confiscation of Jewish Goods
February 11, 1940: Soviets Attack Mannerheim Line
February 12, 1940: Breaches In Mannerheim Line
February 13, 1940: Soviets Inching Forward in Finland
February 14, 1940: Soviets Batter Mannerheim Line
February 15, 1940: Finns Retreat
February 16, 1940: Altmark Incident
February 17, 1940: Manstein and Hitler Discuss Fall Gelb
February 18, 1940: Operation Nordmark
February 19, 1940: King Gustav Says No
February 20, 1940: Falkenhorst Commands Weserubung
February 21, 1940: Radar Advances
February 22, 1940: Friendly Fire
February 23, 1940: Soviets Present Their Demands
February 24, 1940: Fall Gelb Revised
February 25, 1940: Mr. Welles Comes to Visit
February 26, 1940: Battle of Honkaniemi
February 27, 1940: Finns Retreat Again
February 28, 1940: Overseas Volunteers Help Finland
February 29, 1940: Finns Accept Soviet Terms In Principle

2019