France timeline
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Munich Agreement
The Munich Agreement was an agreement regarding the Sudetenland, which were areas along borders of Czechoslovakia, mainly inhabited by Czech... Read more
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Hitler renounces the Anglo-German Naval Agreement
The Anglo-German Naval Agreement (A.G.N.A) of June 18, 1935 was a bilateral agreement between the United Kingdom and German Reich regulating the... Read more
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France Launches Saar Offensive
French patrols cross the frontier into Germany near Saarbrucken, marking the beginning of the Saar offensive. A total of 11 divisions advance along... Read more
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Anglo French Supreme War Council, Where it was Decided to Halt Saar Offensive
On September 12, the Anglo French Supreme War Council gathered for the first time at Abbeville in France. It was decided that all offensive actions... Read more
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Von Manstein Formulates the Manstein Plan to Invade France After Rejection of Halder Plan
Von Manstein, chief of staff of Army Group A, had originally formulated his plan in October 1939 in Koblenz on instigation of his superior General... Read more
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Britain Refuses Hitler's Offer of Peace
On 10 October 1939, the British refused Hitler's offer of peace; on 12 October the French did the same. Franz Halder, the chief of staff of the... Read more
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The Mechelen Incident
The Mechelen Incident of 10 January 1940, also known as the Mechelen affair, was an event during the Phoney War. A German aircraft with an officer... Read more
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Adolf Hitler Approves the Manstein Plan
Adolf Hitler gave his approval to the Manstein Plan on 17th February, 1940, but it was not activated until the 10th May, when the Luftwaffe bombed... Read more
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The Norwegian Campaign - first Allied confrontation with Nazi forces
The Norwegian Campaign was the name used by the Allies – United Kingdom and France – for their first direct land confrontation with the military... Read more
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German Forces Occupy Luxembourg
Germany initiated Fall Gelb on the evening prior to and the night of 10 May. During the late evening of 9 May, German forces occupied Luxembourg.... Read more
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Battle for The Hague
Although the German troops managed to capture the three airfields, they failed in their primary objective of taking the city of Hague and forcing... Read more
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Nazi German Forces Begin Operation Fall Gelb with Attack on the Netherlands
On the morning of 10 May 1940 the Dutch awoke to the sound of aircraft engines roaring in the sky. Nazi Germany had commenced operation Fall Gelb... Read more
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British Royal Air Force French Armée de l'Air Attack German-Held Maastricht
On the morning of 12 May, in response to Belgian pressure and necessity, the Royal Air Force and the Armée de l'Air undertook several air attacks... Read more
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General Winkelman Orders Destruction of Dutch Bridges and Oil Reserves to Prevent German Advance
In the afternoon General Winkelman received information about armoured forces advancing in the Langstraat region, on the road between... Read more
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Dutch Cabinet of Ministers Flees the Netherlands Amidst German Invasion
In the early morning of 13 May General Winkelman, advising the Dutch government, considered the general situation to be critical. On land the Dutch... Read more
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Germans Cross Meuse River into France at Sedan
At Sedan the Meuse Line consisted of a strong defensive belt, six kilometres deep according to the modern principles of zone defence on slopes... Read more
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German Air Force Decimates Rotterdam
The paratroopers enjoyed more success in Rotterdam and areas near the critical Moerdijk bridges. Dutch troops bitterly contested Dordrecht, another... Read more
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Dutch Army Surrenders to Germany Despite Continued Fighting in Parts of the Netherlands
At 05:00 on 15 May a German messenger reached The Hague, inviting Winkelman to Rijsoord for a meeting with von Küchler, to negotiate the articles... Read more
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German Army Group A Breaks Defenses at Sedan
On the morning of 15 May German Army Group A broke the defences at Sedan and was now free to "dash" to the English Channel. The Allies now... Read more
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German Occupation of the Netherlands Officially Begins
I looked out of the open window, over a large area of Amsterdam, over all the roofs and on to the horizon, which was such a pale blue that it was... Read more
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French Prime Minister Paul Reynaud Replaces Maurice Gamelin with Maxime Weygand, Following Failure to Contain German Offensive
On the morning of 20 May, Maurice Gamelin ordered the armies trapped in Belgium and northern France to fight their way south and link up with... Read more
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Battle of Arras (1940)
During the afternoon of 21 May, the attack by the 50th Division and the 1st Tank Brigade was progressing south from Arras. This was to be the only... Read more
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Battle of Dunkirk Begins
The story of the Battle of Dunkirk is one of heroic courage amidst untold tragedy. In the year 1940, at a time when World War II was in full rage,... Read more
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British Begin Evacuating Allied Soldiers from Dunkirk Evacuation, (Operation Dynamo)
Due to war-time censorship and the desire to keep up the morale of the nation, the full extent of the unfolding "disaster" around Dunkirk was not... Read more
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Italy Launches Invasion of France
On 20 June, the Italian campaign began and, on 21 June, troops of the Italian Royal Army crossed the French border in three places The Italians... Read more