Year 1940

On this day in 1940 First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

In September 1938 British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain met with Hitler at his Mountain top retreat. Hitler said he would invade Czechoslovakia unless Britain supported his plans to take Sudetenland (an area of Czechoslovakia around its border with Germany and full of German loyalists). Chamberlain discussed the situation with French leader, Edouard Daladier, and they met with Hitler on the 29^th of September 1938 to sign the Munich Agreement. This Agreement said that Britain and France would support Germany’s take over of Sudetenland on the understanding that Germany makes no more attempts of expanding its borders. Chamberlain claimed that the move would promote “peace in our time” but once Hitler was given Sudetenland he continued on to take the whole of Czechoslovakia and would continue to take many more European countries. On this day in 1940 Chamberlain lost a vote of confidence in the House of Commons and subsequently resigned. His replacement was Winston Churchill, who took over at a time when many European Nations had been forced to surrender (including the other “Allied Nations”, France and Poland) and Britain stood alone in Europe against the Axis powers (Germany, Russia, Italy and Japan (Japan joined a few months later on the 27^th of September 1940) with only commonwealth members (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Newfoundland and South Africa) giving military support.

Churchill proved to be the strong leader required to fight Axis powers determined that Britain would never surrender. Initially Russia was part of the Axis powers but after Hitler invaded the Soviet Union on the 22^nd of June 1941 Stalin switched sides and began to repel the German advance. On the 8^th of December 194 the United States were attacked by Japan and they too declared war on the Axis Powers.

On this day in 1940 Dutch forces surrendered to Nazi Germany.

On the 10^th of May 1940, the German invasion of the Netherlands began overwhelming the Dutch army and forcing a considerable amount of the troops to surrender. But to ensure total surrender on the 14^th of May 1940 Hitler ordered the bombardment of Rotterdam by the Luftwaffe. 900 civilians died and many thousands were left homeless.  Hitler threatened more bombings of major cities unless the Netherlands surrendered and on this day in 1940, the Netherlands surrendered to Nazi Germany.

On this day in 1940, during the Battle of France (10^th of May – 22^nd of June 1940), the Luftwaffe bombed Paris killing 254 people, mainly civilians.

Despite France being all but conquered by Germany, with the British expeditionary forces sent to help in the defence making a strategic retreat at Dunkirk, the Luftwaffe bombed Paris to drive home the defeat of France and put fear into the hearts of French civilians. Of the 254 dead, 195 were civilians and the remaining 195 were French soldiers. In addition, a total of 652 were injured with 545 of these civilians and 107 soldiers.

In retaliation, Allied warplanes bombed Munich, Frankfort-on-Main and Ruhr the following day but with much fewer casualties reported by the Germans.

On this day in 1940, the Evacuation of Allied forces at Dunkirk ended.

On the 10^th of May 1940, Hitler began his lightning invasion of the Low Countries on his journey towards taking France. This became known as the Battle of France and would continue until the 22^nd of June when German forces would be triumphant and force France to sign an Armistice, to be carved up by the Axis Powers. In an attempt to aid French forces, Great Britain sent in many troops including the British Expeditionary Force (BEF).

In his first public speech to the Nation (on the 19^th of May 1940) Prime Minister Winston Churchill had to give the grim news that the Germans had broken through French defences were pushing forward. He also announced that he had formed a coalition government to wage war on Germany until victory.

With the Germans pressing forward Churchill had a recognisance plane fly over Paris to assess the situation. He ordered that they retreat to Dunkirk to avoid the capture of the British Expeditionary Forces by the approaching German Army.

Between the 23^rd and 26^th of May 1940, 4,000 British and French troops held Calais in what became known as the Siege or Battle of Calais. Despite being outnumbered by at least 3 to 1 and against superior artillery the 4,000 troops ignored offers to surrender and fought to the last, holding back German forces for three days. Of these 4,000 only 33 were recovered uninjured.

Herman Goering had assured Hitler that the Luftwaffe would be able to take out the Allied forces at Dunkirk. Therefore Hitler ordered his troops to pull back and continue the invasion of Belgium and France. On the 26^th of May King Leopold III of Belgium surrendered and German troops once again began to attack Dunkirk.

Prime Minister Winston Churchill addressed the nation with British and French forces being driven back and surrounded. He called upon all those with boats to aid in evacuating the Allied forces. Hundreds of civilians came forward, some in fishing boats, to help the navy. The Evacuation effort was known as Operation Dynamo and began on the 26^th of May 1940 with the enormous task of evacuating almost half a million Allied troops. The mission seemed impossible and it was assumed only a handful would survive.

By the 4^th of June, a total of 335,000 Allied troops (198,000 British and 137,000 French) were rescued before the Germans finally broke through to Dunkirk and ended the evacuation.

In 1940, Italy declared war on France and England.

Benito Mussolini was the founder of the Italian Nationalist Party, (Fasci di Combattimento) who became Prime Minister of Italy on the 31^st of October 1922 due to fears of Communist growth in the country. By the 24^th of December 1925, Mussolini used secret police to destroy all opposition and become the first fascist dictator of Europe. As leader of the German Nationalist Party with similar aspirations, Hitler became a fan of Mussolini and when he also came to power the two leaders signed a non-military alliance with Germany. Advances of Germany and Italy on other nations in Europe and Africa were highly opposed by both Britain and France leading to the prospect of War.

On the 22^nd of May 1939 Hitler and Mussolini signed the Pact of Steel which was aimed mainly against the British and French threat and assured that either nation would come to the other's aid if war were declared.

When Germany began its invasion of Poland between 1 September 1939 – 6^th of October 1939 Great Britain and France were preparing for possible warfare. On the morning of the 3^rd of September 1939 the British Ambassador to Germany, Neville Henderson, handed a communiqué to the German government stating that unless Germany gave a response declaring that they would withdraw from Poland then both Great Britain and France would be in a state of war with Germany. When the response didn’t materialise Prime Minister Neville Chamberlin addressed the UK and informed them that they were now at war with Germany.

Hitler expected Mussolini to declare war on Britain and France in response but the declaration didn’t come. Then on this day when Germany had conquered much of Europe and was in the final stages of conquering France (Battle of France 10^th May – 22^nd of June 1940), Mussolini finally declared war on France and Britain. "First they were too cowardly to take part. Now they are in a hurry so that they can share in the spoils," remarked Hitler.

In 1940 the evacuation of French citizens and allied troops continued in Operation Ariel as France prepared to surrender.

With the German troops occupying 70% of France and the newly appointed French Prime Minister, Marshal Henri Petain, preparing to sign an armistice with the Nazis, British soldiers evacuate many French civilians and Allied soldiers. The French General, Charles de Gaulle, had already fled to England, where he made an announcement to his countrymen, requesting they continue resisting German occupation. Meanwhile, British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, reassured the citizens of the United Kingdom that whatever happened in France, they would continue to resist invasion and defeat the enemy.

After the mass evacuation at Dunkirk on the 4^th of June 1940, where 335,000 Allied troops (198,000 British and 137,000 French) were evacuated to Britain, Winston Churchill was not ready to give up on France. Soon after the 52^nd Division and 1^st Canadian Division were sent back to France to continue the fight and help the remaining, outnumbered, French forces.

By the 14^th of June, it had become apparent that the Allied effort against the Nazi invasion of France was ineffective and the head of British troops in France, General Alan Brooke, contacted Churchill and requested permission to start evacuating Allied troops once more. Churchill agreed and Operation Aerial began on the 15^th of June 1940. By the end of the operation, 191,870 Allied soldiers (British, Canadian, French, Polish, Belgian and Czech soldiers) were rescued as well as civilians, and military equipment. Added to those saved at Dunkirk brought the total amount of evacuated Allied soldiers from the invading Nazi forces in France to 526,870.

Unfortunately, a German bombing raid sank the Ocean Liner Lancastria killing 3,000 of the 5,800 Allied soldiers and French civilians aboard on this day in 1940.

In 1940 France signed an Armistice with Nazi Germany ending the Battle for France.

On the 10^th of May 1940 Hitler began his invasion of Western Europe and onto the Low countries in a campaign known as The Battle of France. In the early hours of the Morning Hitler gave his orders to German forces via radio. The code word “Danzig” announced by Hitler over the radio begins the first phase of the attack, “Operation Fall Gelb” (or case yellow), the invasion of Western Europe. First, the Luftwaffe began bombing raids which was quickly followed by German parachute regiments dropping in and taking key positions such as bridges and roads. Within an hour German forces enter Holland, Belgium and Luxemburg and by lunchtime, Luxemburg surrendered to Nazi Germany. On the first day of the attacks, the King of the United Kingdom asked Winston Churchill to take Neville Chamberlin’s place as Prime Minister.  Over the next few days, British and Belgian bombers attempt to slow down the advancing German forces but without much success. On the 14^th of May the Luftwaffe bombed Rotterdam in Holland, killing 30,000 civilians and the following day Holland surrendered while their King escaped to England. Also on the 15^th of May, the French armoured division encounters German Panzers in Phillipeville, Holland but later that evening French troops are ordered to withdraw from Belgium.

On the 23^rd of May, the French city of Boulogne falls to German forces while Calais comes under siege. Between the 23^rd and 26^th of May 1940, 4,000 British and French troops held Calais in what became known as the Siege or Battle of Calais. Despite being outnumbered by at least 3 to 1 and against superior artillery the 4,000 troops ignored offers to surrender and fought to the last, holding back German forces for three days. Of these 4,000 only 33 were recovered uninjured.

With Belgium surrendering to Germany on the 28^th of May, Hitler’s plan is all but complete. On the 3^rd of June, the Luftwaffe bombed Paris to drive home the defeat of France and put fear into the hearts of French civilians.

With British and French forces being driven back and surrounded, Prime Minister Winston Churchill addressed the nation and called upon all those who had boats to aid in the evacuation of the Allied forces. Hundreds of civilians came forward, some in fishing boats, to help the navy. The Evacuation effort was known as Operation Dynamo and began on the 26^th of May 1940 with the enormous task of evacuating almost half a million Allied troops. The mission seemed impossible and it was assumed only a handful would survive.

By the 4^th of June, a total of 335,000 Allied troops (198,000 British and 137,000 French) were rescued before the Germans finally broke through to Dunkirk and ended the evacuation.

On the 10^th of June 1940, after Germany had conquered much of Europe and was in the final stages of conquering France, Mussolini's Italy finally declared war on France and Britain. "First they were too cowardly to take part. Now they are in a hurry so that they can share in the spoils," remarked Hitler.

The fall of Paris on the 14^th of June disrupted coordination of French troops and by the 17^th of June, Marshal Phillipe Pétain requested an armistice with Germany.

The Second Armistice at Compiegne was signed on the 22^nd of June officially ending the Battle of France. France was then divided into sections with Germany controlling the north and west of the country, Italy was given a small zone in the southeast while a new French Government, led by Marshal Pétain, controlled the Zone Libre or unoccupied zone.

French General, Charles de Gaulle, escaped to England on the 17^th of June from where he led the Free French Government in exile.

In 1940 as part of “Operation Catapult” the Battle of Mers-el-Kébir took place.

When the Battle of France ended on the 25^th of May 1940 Germany now occupied France and the United Kingdom only had the might of its navy between them and a Nazi invasion. With the French Armistice signed Germany now controlled much of the French military hardware.

Great Britain wanted to remove the possibility of the Germans using French naval vessels against the Royal Navy despite French Admiral Francois Darlan’s reassurance that the Armistice prohibited the Germans from using the French Fleet. The armistice actually required the French Navy to return their ships to port where they would be disarmed by the Germans but not used in any way. This was little comfort to the British government because Germany had proven time and again that it didn’t value such agreements, including in the invasion of Czechoslovakia. The Allied agreement stated that neither country could surrender to Germany without notifying the ally. When France made it known to the British Government of their intent to surrender to Germany, Britain strongly requested that the French naval fleet sail to British ports to prevent them from falling into enemy hands. Many of the French Naval fleet did indeed sail to Britain but a larger fleet sailed to the Algerian port of Mers-el-Kébir.

 On the 3^rd of July, The French ships in the British ports were immediately boarded and taken by the British naval officers to prevent any agreement between the French and Germans being acted on.

On the same day, the British Vice-Admiral James Somerville and his naval fleet arrived at the Algerian port to deliver an ultimatum with four choices to the French Admiral Marcel-Bruno Gensoul stationed there.

1. The French fleet should join the British Fleet and continue to fight the enemy.
2. Sail to British ports with a reduced crew that will be sent home at the earliest convenience.

(If either of these options is chosen then your ships would be repaired and returned to you at the end of the war. And Britain would pay compensation for any damage sustained)

1. To have the fleet disarmed at Oran under the supervision of the British.
2. Scuttle the ships where they are.

If the Admiral refused these options then Somerville was under direct orders to attack and destroy the French fleet within six hours of delivering the Ultimatum. Admiral Gensoul refused all the options given to him by the British officer and he refused to meet with a British representative to discuss the issue. He did however make it known that French vessels would not take any action against the British fleet unless provoked. Reluctant to open fire on an allied naval force the British offered another option to the French fleet. They could sail for the US where they would be safe from German influence and they would be returned after the war. This option too was rejected by Admiral Gensoul who sent a message to French Fleet Admiral Darling informing him of the situation, but for whatever reason Gensoul only informed Darling of the British intention to sink the ships within six hours and failed to pass on any of the other options given by the British. Admiral Darling reacted by ordering all available French vessels to set sail for the port and aid the Admiral against any British attack.

The British intercepted this communication and informed Somerville of the approaching French vessels. Somerville had no choice but to open fire on the French fleet. They returned fire but to little effect. By the end of the Battle of Mers-el-Kébir the following day 1,297 French sailors died while Britain lost just two airmen that were shot down while laying sea mines to prevent escape. Relations between Britain and France were very strained after Operation Catapult and France even attempted to retaliate by bombing British ships at Gibraltar but with little effect. Germany enjoyed the opportunity for propaganda created by the situation.

As early as December of 1940 Germany began to plan Operation Anton with the intention of taking control of the Vichy French government and all the remaining French Naval vessels to be used against the Allies. In November 1942 Germany and Italy did indeed break the Armistice Agreement and occupy the French Vichy government. On the 27^th of November 1942 French naval officers scuttled many battleships to avoid German capture. Some of the French vessels were captured by the Axis powers but Allied bombing raids prevented their use in the war.

In 1940 the Battle of Britain began.

On the 18^th of June 1940 newly appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Winston Churchill gave a speech stating that "... the Battle of France is over. The Battle of Britain is about to begin". On the 22^nd of June, France signed an Armistice with Germany leaving Britain as the only remaining Allied threat in Europe. Hitler was planning an invasion of Britain, but the invasion would not come from the sea due to Britain's superior Royal Navy. But Hitler did have the Luftwaffe, the most powerful Air Force in the world.

On the 28^th of June 1919 the “Treaty of Versailles”, signed at the end of World War I, ordered Germany to disarm and forbade them from having military forces including an air force. However, Germany continued training its pilots using civilian training schools as a cover. Later in 1924, Germany became more daring and aided by Russia they began training in a secret airfield in Lipetsk using larger military aircraft. Shortly after Adolf Hitler came to power as chancellor on the 30^th January 1933 he ordered the large-scale production of military aircraft and training of pilots under the command of Herman Goering. The Luftwaffe was created on the 15^th of May 1933 and thanks to huge financial support within three years the secret air force soon became the largest and most powerful air force in the world.

 The Royal Air Force was the first independent air force in the world, formed on the 1^st of April 1918. After World War I the Royal Air Force also became the largest air force in the world but this title would not remain for long. When the strength of the Luftwaffe was demonstrated in 1939 and war was imminent the United Kingdom began large-scale production of its air force. The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan started on the 17^th of December 1939, training pilots in Canada, Australia New Zealand, South Africa and the UK for aerial warfare and strategic bombing. Pilots from all these countries and more would soon be available to fight within their air force or part of the RAF.

Despite the increased preparations the RAF were numerically inferior to the Luftwaffe and previous fighting in the Battle for France signalled the Luftwaffe’s superiority of the skies. On the 10^th of July 1940, the Luftwaffe began an aerial bombardment of British ships in the Channel marking the start of the Battle of Britain. Shortly after the Luftwaffe began to attack coastal shorelines until the 12^th of August 1940 when their focus was turned to the RAF, airfields and radar bases. The Luftwaffe’s pilots favoured their Messerschmitt BF 109E (Me 109) for aerial combat believing them to have superior manoeuvrability, while RAF pilots preferred the Spitfire which could out manoeuvre the Me 109 with a smaller turning circular and superior weaponry (the Spitfire had 8 machine guns compared to the Me 109’s 2 machine guns and two cannons).

Goering was concerned and surprised with the losses to the Luftwaffe during these raids and on the 4^th of September he changed tactics once more with bombing raids of the major cities. These raids continued with the hope of destroying British infrastructure and morale. On the 15^th of September, the Luftwaffe sent out its largest fleet of 1,120 aircraft with the hope of initiating a large-scale attack on the RAF and hopefully annihilating them once and for all. As the 500 bombers approached their target London with their 620 fighter escort, the 620 RAF fighters engaged the invaders and the largest aerial battle in history ensued over the city of London. The RAF proved to be the superior force inflicting far more damage on the enemy despite fewer numbers. Hitler realised that aerial superiority over Britain would not be possible and therefore “Operation Sea Lion”, the invasion of Britain, never came to pass.

In the battle of Britain the RAF had 1,960 aircraft with 2,936 pilots and of these 595 were non-British pilots. The foreign Allied pilots that aided in the battle of Britain included 145 Polish, 127 New Zealanders, 112 Canadians, 88 Czechoslovakians, 32 Australians, 28 Belgians, 25 South Africans, 13 French, 10 Irish, 7 from the US, 3 Rhodesians, 1 Jamaican and 1 Palestinian. Thanks to the efforts made by these allies and the 2,341 British pilots Hitler lost the Battle of Britain which ended on the 31^st of October 1940.

During the Battle on the 20^th of August 1940, Churchill gave a speech to the House of Commons, declaring that “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed to so many by so few”.

In 1940 the Vichy Government was established in France during the NAZI occupation of World War II.

As the Battle of France raged the French government were regularly meeting to discuss the situation. In one camp was Philippe Petain who argued for an Armistice with Germany and in another was Brigadier General Charles de Gaulle who led a successful battle against the invading German forces and was dead against the notion of surrender. Charles de Gaulle wanted the French Government to move to French Territories in North Africa from where they could coordinate French forces to continue the fight against the enemy. The French Premier Paul Reynaud was considering both suggestions but Petain strongly argued against the idea of leaving France and their people to the Germans. Reynaud was leaning on the side of an Armistice to save what little of France he could. As per the Entente Cordiale agreement either country had to discuss a possible surrender with their ally. A further agreement between Reynaud and Chamberlin in March 1940 both leaders agreed that neither would seek separate peace with Germany. So British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was also part of many discussions on the matter. Initially, Churchill was dead against any form of surrender and threatened action against French ports to ensure Britain’s safety but as the fighting went on and as Reynaud’s growing belief in the armistice, Churchill’s opinion changed. He contacted French President Albert Lebrun and Churchill gave France its blessing on the understanding that the French fleet flee to British ports preventing the use of French naval ships by Germany. He also offered a British-Franco Union and while Reynaud and some of the other ministers agreed with the terms set out by Churchill Petain and other ministers disagreed. Premier Reynaud handed the President his resignation in frustration and suggested Petain take his place. On the 14^th of June 1940, President Lebrun made 84-year-old Petain Premier of France and the next day on the 15^th requested a cease-fire with Germany with the aim of an Armistice.

De Gaulle left for Britain the next day and on the 18^th he broadcast a message to his countrymen requesting that they continue to fight the German invaders. De Gaulle led the Free French Government in exile and coordinated attacks on French and British troops.

Reynaud was travelling by car in Southern France when he lost control and hit a tree. His wife was killed and Reynaud was taken to hospital. When he was discharged, Petain ordered his arrest and had him imprisoned. He was later handed off to the Germans by Petain.

Petain, under the agreement and supervision of the Germans, became the head of a French government that presided over part of southern France (known as the Unoccupied Zone) while the Germans controlled the North. The government was known as Vichy France and was eventually completely controlled by the Nazis on the 11^th of November 1942. Petain claimed the downfall of France was the blame of the French ministers in power at the time and so set up the Riom Trial. It was a propaganda exercise by Petain and the Vichy government that backfired. The Nazi party supported the trial which claimed that France had itself to blame by declaring war on Germany but the Ministers outwitted their accusers and the trial was seen for the farce it was.

In 1940 the evacuation of French citizens and allied troops continued in Operation Ariel as France prepared to surrender.

With the German troops occupying 70% of France and the newly appointed French Prime Minister, Marshal Henri Petain, preparing to sign an armistice with the Nazis, British soldiers evacuate many French civilians and Allied soldiers. The French General, Charles de Gaulle, had already fled to England, where he made an announcement to his countrymen, requesting they continue resisting German occupation. Meanwhile, British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, reassured the citizens of the United Kingdom that whatever happened in France, they would continue to resist invasion and defeat the enemy.

After the mass evacuation at Dunkirk on the 4^th of June 1940, where 335,000 Allied troops (198,000 British and 137,000 French) were evacuated to Britain, Winston Churchill was not ready to give up on France. Soon after the 52^nd Division and 1^st Canadian Division were sent back to France to continue the fight and help the remaining, outnumbered, French forces.

By the 14^th of June, it had become apparent that the Allied effort against the Nazi invasion of France was ineffective and the head of British troops in France, General Alan Brooke, contacted Churchill and requested permission to start evacuating Allied troops once more. Churchill agreed and Operation Aerial began on the 15^th of June 1940. By the end of the operation, 191,870 Allied soldiers (British, Canadian, French, Polish, Belgian and Czech soldiers) were rescued as well as civilians, and military equipment. Added to those saved at Dunkirk brought the total amount of evacuated Allied soldiers from the invading Nazi forces in France to 526,870.

Unfortunately, a German bombing raid sank the Ocean Liner Lancastria killing 3,000 of the 5,800 Allied soldiers and French civilians aboard on this day in 1940.

In 1940 the evacuation of French citizens and allied troops continued in Operation Ariel as France prepared to surrender.

With the German troops occupying 70% of France and the newly appointed French Prime Minister, Marshal Henri Petain, preparing to sign an armistice with the Nazis, British soldiers evacuate many French civilians and Allied soldiers. The French General, Charles de Gaulle, had already fled to England, where he made an announcement to his countrymen, requesting they continue resisting German occupation. Meanwhile, British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, reassured the citizens of the United Kingdom that whatever happened in France, they would continue to resist invasion and defeat the enemy.

After the mass evacuation at Dunkirk on the 4^th of June 1940, where 335,000 Allied troops (198,000 British and 137,000 French) were evacuated to Britain, Winston Churchill was not ready to give up on France. Soon after the 52^nd Division and 1^st Canadian Division were sent back to France to continue the fight and help the remaining, outnumbered, French forces.

By the 14^th of June, it had become apparent that the Allied effort against the Nazi invasion of France was ineffective and the head of British troops in France, General Alan Brooke, contacted Churchill and requested permission to start evacuating Allied troops once more. Churchill agreed and Operation Aerial began on the 15^th of June 1940. By the end of the operation, 191,870 Allied soldiers (British, Canadian, French, Polish, Belgian and Czech soldiers) were rescued as well as civilians, and military equipment. Added to those saved at Dunkirk brought the total amount of evacuated Allied soldiers from the invading Nazi forces in France to 526,870.

Unfortunately, a German bombing raid sank the Ocean Liner Lancastria killing 3,000 of the 5,800 Allied soldiers and French civilians aboard on this day in 1940.