WW2 in the European theatre Timeline

  • Nazi Germany invades Denmark and Norway

    On the 9th of April of the year 1940, German warships arrived at Norwegian porta, deploying thousands of troops. At the same moment they were also occupying Copenhagem and other Danish cities. Both countries, Norway and Denmark, thought they would not be able to fight off a German invasion, so they surrendered, adding to Germany’s list of conquered territories, which started with Poland.
  • A war-time coalition government is established under Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Nazi Germany invades Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands:

    On May 10th, 1940, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigns and Winston Churchill accedes to office. Whilst this was happening, Hitler started attacking Western Europe, more specifically focusing on Belgium and the Netherlands.
  • Nazi Germany invades France:

    After conquering the Low Countries, Belgium and the Netherlands, Germnay started expanding even more to the West. The Nazi troops arrived in Paris on the 12th of May of 1940. Due to their use of advanced technological developments and military techniques, Germany was also able to make the French government surrender.
  • Evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk:

    The non-stop advance of the German army forced Allied troops into a situation where they found themselves stuck in the beaches of Dunkirk with no help whatsoever, all escape routes had been cut off. It was on the 26th of May, 1940 that Winston Churchill, with his decision to use “Operation Dynamo”, was able to save more than 330, 000 allie troops who were stranded in those beaches.
  • Norway surrenders to Nazi Germany:

    Two months after Norway was invaded by the Germans was when they finally decide to surrender. The Norwegian troops were forced out of the country and the King, together with members of the government, fled to Britain.
  • France signs terms of armistice with Nazi Germany

    On June 21 an armistice was signed with the Germans. Often referred as the Surrender of France, the armistice provided for the maintenance of a quasi-sovereign French state and for the division of the country into an occupied zone.
  • German U-boats attack merchant ships in the Atlantic

    On the 1th of July of the year 1940, a contest between Western Allies and the Axis power (particularly Germany) for the control of the Atlantic sea routes. This conflict was named “Battle of the Atlantic” and had three direct objectives; blockade of the Axis powers in Europe, security of Allied sea movements, and freedom to project military power across the seas. On the other hand, the Axis hoped to frustrate Allied use of the Atlantic to wage war.
  • USSR established control over Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia

    On July 3th of 1940, the URSS (Sovietic Union) occupied the Baltic states involving the military occupation of the three Baltic states; Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
  • Battle of Britain begins and continues to 31st October

    On the 10th of July of 1940 the first battle fought solely in the air broke down between Britain’s Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe. Pilots and support crews on both sides took to the skies and battled for control of airspace over Great Britain, Germany and the English Channel. During the combat Luftwaffe hoped to conquer Britain easily, but the RAF proved a formidable enemy.
  • The ‘Blitz’ of Britain begins

    The Blitz was the an intense bombing campaign undertaken by Nazi Germany against the United Kingdom during World War II, that happened on 7th of September of the year 1940.
  • The Tripartite Pact is signed between the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy and Japan)

    The Tripartite Pact was the culmination of a series of agreements between Germany, Japan, and Italy. Tripartite Pact, agreement concluded by Germany, Italy, and Japan on September 27, 1940, one year after the start of World War II. It created a defense alliance between the countries and was largely intended to deter the United States from entering the conflict.
  • Italy invades Greece

    On October 29, 1940, Mussolini’s army, already occupying Albania, invades Greece in what will prove to be a disastrous military campaign for the Duce’s forces. Everyone was caught off-guard, including his ally, Adolf Hitler,