World War 2 timeline
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Battle of Vevi (1941)
The Klidi Pass is between 100 metres (0.062 mi) and 500 metres (0.31 mi) wide, a winding defile, with steep, rocky and treeless sides up to 1,000... Read more
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Belgrade is Captured by German Forces
Since three separate attack forces were converging on Belgrade simultaneously, the Army High Command was not immediately able to determine which... Read more
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Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact Is Signed
The Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact was signed between Russia and Japan two years after the war between Russia and Japan at the Manchurian and... Read more
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Belfast Blitz
William Joyce (known as "Lord Haw-Haw") announced in radio broadcasts from Hamburg that there will be “Easter eggs for Belfast”. On Easter... Read more
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Yugoslav Air Forces Evacuate King Petar II and Members of Government to Greece
On 6 April, Luftwaffe dive-bombers and ground-attack fighters destroyed 26 of the Yugoslav Dorniers in the initial assault on their airfields, but... Read more
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The English City of Plymouth Sustains Heavy Bombing from German Luftwaffe in the 'April Raids'
Unknown to the people of Plymouth at the beginning of April 1941, the Plymouth Blitz had three more nights to run. After the air raids of the... Read more
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Official Surrender of Greek Forces in Albania to Axis Powers
On April 20, the commander of the Greek forces in Albania, General Georgios Tsolakoglou, realized the hopelessness of the situation and offered to... Read more
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Battle of Thermopylae (1941)
The Battle of Thermopylae during World War II occurred in 1941 following the retreat from the Olympus and Servia passes. British Commonwealth... Read more
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Athens Falls to Axis Powers
Few Greeks cooperated with the Nazis and most chose either the path of passive acceptance or active resistance. Active Greek resistance started... Read more
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First Bomb of the May Blitz of Liverpool Lands on Wallasey
The May Blitz on Merseyside was one of the last series of big raids on Britain before the German invasion of Russia. It involved 681 bombers in... Read more
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Battle of South Shanxi
The Battle of South Shanxi (simplified Chinese: 晋南会战; traditional Chinese: 晉南會戰; pinyin: Jìn Nán Huìzhàn), also known as the Battle of Jinnan and... Read more
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Allies Begin Retreat Southward Across Crete
Fighting against a constant supply of fresh enemy troops, the Allies began a series of retreats working southward across Crete. The 5th... Read more
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Evacuations of Allied Forces from Crete Begins
Over four nights, 16,000 troops were evacuated to Egypt by ships including the light cruiser HMS Ajax. The majority of these troops embarked from... Read more
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Island of Crete Surrenders to Germany
Of course, General you know that after Crete we shall never do another Airborne operation. The parachute arm is one that relies entirely on... Read more
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German Forces Completely Destroy Cretan Village of Kandanos as Reprisal for Popular Resistance
The Razing of Kandanos (Greek: Καταστροφή της Καντάνου) or the Holocaust of Kandanos (Greek: Ολοκαύτωμα της Καντάνου) refers to the complete... Read more
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Battle of Białystok–Minsk
The Battle of Białystok–Minsk was a German strategic operation conducted by the Army Group Centre during penetration of the Soviet border region... Read more
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Operation Barbarossa Begins
Operation Barbarossa (German: Unternehmen Barbarossa) was the code name for Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that... Read more
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Battle of Raseiniai
The Battle of Raseiniai (23–27 June 1941) was a tank battle fought between the elements of the 4th Panzer Army and two Soviet Mechanized Corps in... Read more
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Battle of Brody (1941)
The Battle of Brody (other names in use include Battle of Dubna, Battle of Dubno, Battle of Rovne, Battle of Rovne-Brody) was a tank battle fought... Read more
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Battle of Smolensk (1941)
The Battle of Smolensk was a successful encirclement operation by Army Group Centre's 2nd Panzer Army led by Heinz Guderian and the 3rd Panzer Army... Read more
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Battle of Uman
The "Battle of Uman" (July 15 – August 8, 1941) was an English name given to the German encirclement of the 6th (General Lieutenant I.N.... Read more
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Battle of Kiev (1941)
The Battle of Kiev was the German name for the operation that resulted in a very large encirclement of Soviet troops in the vicinity of Kiev during... Read more
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All Jews in Reich and Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia ordered to wear Star of David
A Star of David, often yellow-colored, was used by the Nazis during the Holocaust as a method of identifying Jews. After the German invasion of... Read more
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Second Battle of Changsha
In Sep 1941, more than 120,000 Japanese troops embarked on the second attempt to take the Chinese city of Changsha. The first engagement took place... Read more
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Siege of Leningrad Begins
By September 8, 1941 German forces had largely surrounded the city, cutting off all supply routes to Leningrad and its suburbs. Unable to press... Read more