Europe on World War II 1939-1945

World War II Begins

Sep 1, 1939

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/timeline/bulge/ Employing blitzkrieg, Germany invades Poland. Polish military forces are unprepared for the ferocity of Germany's attack

Warsaw and Poland surrenders

Sep 1, 1939

http://www.pbs.org/thewar/at_war_timeline_1939.htm
-Warsaw, Poland, surrenders to German forces. Poland is partitioned by Germany and Russia.

Governments of Britain and France deliver ultimatums

Sep 2, 1939

http://www.secondworldwarhistory.com/germany-ww2-events-timeline.asp
-The governments of Britain and France deliver their ultimatums to German officials in regards to the German invasion of Poland.

Britain and France declares war on Germany

Sep 3, 1939

http://sp.uconn.edu/~wwwcoh/TIMELINE.HTM
-Britain declares war on Germany at 11 am, France declares war on Germany six hours later.

Athenia is targeted and sunk

Sep 3, 1939

http://www.secondworldwarhistory.com/germany-ww2-events-timeline.asp
-British passenger liner, Athenia, is targeted and sunk by a German U-boat resulting the loss of 112 people.

East Prussia and Reich and the RAFs

Sep 4, 1939

http://www.nationalww2museum.org/history/final/interactive_timeline.html
-German armies re-establish the land connection between East Prussia and the Reich that was severed by the 1919 Versailles Treaty. Also on this day: British RAF attacks on German vessels.

British Broadcasting on WWII

Sep 7, 1939

http://www.nationalww2museum.org/history/final/interactive_timeline.html
-The BBC commences daily radio broadcasts in Polish.

The British Expeditionary

Sep 9, 1939

Advance elements of the British expeditionary force arrive in France ;Chamberlain's cabinet plans for a three year war.

Hitler Calls for Another Invasion

Sep 9, 1939

Hitler issues an order for an invasion of France and the Low Countries.

Soviet forces invade Poland

Sep 17, 1939

The Soviets invade Poland from the east on the pretext of protecting Poland's ByeloRussian and Ukrainian population.

Wehrmacht and Red Army

Sep 18, 1939

The Wehrmacht and Red Army stage a joint parade in Brest-Litovsk, Poland.

British Casualty List

Sep 19, 1939

First Britain casualty list is published.

Germany and Russia on Poland

Sep 22, 1939

Germany and Russia agree on partition of Poland. 217,000 Polish troops surrender to Soviet Army at Lvov.

German Special Task Force

Sep 24, 1939

German Special Task Forces execute 800 Polish intellectuals.

The Luftwaffe

Sep 25, 1939

The Luftwaffe bomb Warsaw with 420 planes. Civilian deaths in Warsaw reach 40,000.

Hitler Declares Victory

Oct 6, 1939

Hitler declares victory over Poland, calls for peace with Britain and France.

Hitler Calls for Another Invasion

Oct 9, 1939

Hitler issues orders for an invasion for France and the Low Countries.

German U-boats attack another passenger liner

Oct 14, 1939

German U-boats sink HMS Royal Oak at anchor in Scapa flow, killing 883.

German Air Raid

Oct 16, 1939

First German has occurred on British isles.

Soviet Union Gets Expelled

Nov 14, 1939

The Soviet Union is expelled from the League of Nations for its aggression against Finland.

Germany Invades

May 10, 1940

Germany invades Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg. Because of the failure of his appeasement policies, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigns. Forming a coalition government, Winston Churchill replaces him. Standing alone, Churchill soon began conferring with U.S. president Franklin Roosevelt for the aid of the British cause.

Italy Declares War

Jun 11, 1940

Italy declares war against the Allies, Great Britain, France, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, India and South Africa declare war on Italy. General Hering, the military governor of Paris, declares the French capital an open city to prevent its destruction.

The End of the Yugoslav Nation

Jul 8, 1941

Germany and Italy declare the end of the Yugoslav nation.

Russians Go on the Offensive

Nov 19, 1942

The Russians launch a major counter-offensive at Stalingrad. It would end with the annihilation of the German 6th army.

German Generals Surrender

Jan 31, 1943

17 German Generals surrender to the Soviets at Stalingrad

Soviet Army

Jul 12, 1943

The Soviet Army launches a counterattack against the Germans in Russia.

The Big Three

Nov 28, 1943

The Teheran Conference between the Big Three: Churchill, FDR, and Joseph Stalin, of the Soviet Union.

Allies

Jan 22, 1944

Allied landings south of Rome in Azio.

V-J Day

Aug 15, 1945

V-J Day.