World War 2 timeline
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Battle of Kock (1939)
On 30 September, the commander of 10th Army, Walther von Reichenau, ordered his staff to plan the destruction of a large Polish force which was... Read more
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Germany Directly Annexes Western Poland and the Former Free City of Danzig
On 8 October, Germany directly annexed western Poland and the former Free City of Danzig and placed the remaining block of territory under... 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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German U-47 sinks British battleship HMS Royal Oak
HMS Royal Oak (pennant number 08) was a Revenge-class battleship of the British Royal Navy, torpedoed at anchor by the German submarine U-47 on 14... Read more
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Finland and Soviet Union Hold Negotiations to Resolve Border Dispute
On 5 October 1939, the Soviet Union invited a Finnish delegation to Moscow for negotiations. J.K. Paasikivi, the Finnish ambassador to Sweden, was... Read more
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Chinese Nationalist Army Begins Disastrous Winter Offensive Against Japanese Forces
The 1939–40 Winter Offensive was one of the major engagements between the National Revolutionary Army and Imperial Japanese Army during the Second... Read more
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The Shelling of Mainila
Seven shots were fired, and their fall was detected by three Finnish observation posts. These witnesses estimated that the shells detonated... Read more
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Soviet Union Launches Invasion of Finland
On 30 November, Soviet forces invaded Finland with 21 divisions, totaling some 450,000 men, and bombed Helsinki. Later the Finnish statesman J.K.... Read more
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Soviet Union Forms Puppet Government Intended to Rule Finland
On 1 December, the Soviet Union formed a puppet government intended to rule Finland once the war was over. Called the Finnish Democratic Republic,... Read more
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Battle of Tolvajärvi
The Battle of Tolvajärvi ['tol.va.jær.vi] was fought on 12 December 1939 between Finland and the Soviet Union. It was the first large victory for... Read more
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Soviet Union is Expelled from the League of Nations
At the start of the Winter War, Finland brought up the matter of the Soviet invasion before the League of Nations. The League expelled the Soviet... Read more
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Soviet Tanks Advance on Finnish Village of Summa
The Battle of Summa was fought between the Soviet Union and Finland, in two phases, first in December 1939 and then in February 1940. It was part... Read more
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Battle of Kunlun Pass
The Battle of Kunlun Pass (simplified Chinese: 昆仑关战役; traditional Chinese: 崑崙關戰役; pinyin: Kūnlúnguān Zhànyì) was a series of struggles between... Read more
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Heavy Fighting Along the Raate Road as Finns Break Soviet 44th Rifle Division
The Battle of Raate Road was fought during the Winter War between the Soviet Union and Finland in January, 1940, as a part of the Battle of... 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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Meeting Between President Franklin Roosevelt and Historic Peace Churches
The Historic Peace Churches met with President Franklin Roosevelt in order to discuss conscientious objection in the event of another war. The 1940... Read more
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Soviets Launch All-Out Offensive on Karelian Isthmus
Although the Karelian Isthmus front was less active in December than in January, the Soviets began increasing bombardments, wearing down the... Read more
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Japanese Occupy Wuyuan
On 3 and 4 Feb, Wuyuan and Linhe were taken successively. On 20 Mar, Chinese General Fu Zuoyi's 35th Corps, the New 31st Division, and a regiment... 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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Soviet Politburo Members Sign Order to Execute 25,700 Polish Prisoners
On 5 March, 1940, pursuant to a note to Stalin from Beria, the members of the Soviet Politburo — Stalin, Vyacheslav Molotov, Kliment Voroshilov and... Read more
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Signing of the Moscow Peace Treaty Between Finland and the Soviet Union
The Moscow Peace Treaty was signed by Finland and the Soviet Union on March 12, 1940, and the ratifications were exchanged on March 21. It marked... Read more
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Soviets Begin Month-long Murder of Polish Prisoners, Known as the Katyn Massacre
After 3 April, 1940, at least 22,436 POWs and prisoners were executed: 15,131 POWs (most or all of them from the three camps) and at least 7,305... 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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Greek Forces Withdraw to Pindus to Fight Pitched Battle against Italian Invaders
The position of the Greek First Army, still fighting in Albania, was seriously jeopardized by the rapid advance of the XL Panzer Corps via... 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