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Detailed Timeline of
European History
World War II (1939 - 1945)
Go to European History Interactive Map Effect of World War II on Each Country
(Timeline Continued Below)
Germany Conquers Denmark (Apr. 9, 1940): Knowing the Allies (UK & France) were considering occupation of the Scandinavian nations, or a naval blockade in the area at the very least, Germany decided to strike first to retain a strategic advantage. The Nazi army encountered brief resistance before Denmark surrendered before the first day of battle ended, knowing that its army was no match for the Germans. German Conquest of Low Countries (Netherlands, Belgium & Luxembourg) by May 15, 1940. Germany Conquers Norway (June 10, 1940): The real prize for Germany in Scandinavia was Norway. It provided ports for its Atlantic Ocean naval campaigns, and allowed Germany to secure shipments of iron-ore from Sweden, which the Allies desired to blockade. Germany needed the iron-ore to fuel its war and industrial machine. Capturing Norway proved to be Germany's most difficult conquest since the war began, especially with the Allied troops provided in support of the Norwegians. However, the Nazi army proved too powerful, effecting Norway's surrender after about one month of fighting. With Norway and Denmark occupied, Sweden and Finland were essentially controlled by default.
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German-controlled puppet state of Vichy France set up in Southern France after surrender to Germany (June, 1940).
Further Understanding:
Racial Discrimination: Both were forced to comply with Nazi
anti-Jewish policies, as well as detaining and executing other
non-desirables such as homosexuals, the handicapped, political
dissenters and other ethnic groups. Save as much as 70% on select National Geographic merchandise!
USSR Invasion and Occupation of Baltic Nations (June 15, 1940): The USSR invades Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. In 1939, the Soviets forced each of these Baltic nations to permit USSR military bases inside their borders. In 1940, the Soviets took the next step toward complete control. Each nation determined that it was best to peacefully surrender, rather than resist and suffer heavy loss of life against a vastly superior USSR Red Army. The Soviets deported large numbers of citizens of each nation to Siberia to work in slave camps. Upon fully occupying each of the three Baltic nations, the USSR supported the overthrow of their respective governments, replaced by Soviet-controlled communist regimes in each case.
Battle of Britain Ends with Decisive UK Victory (July-Oct, 1940): Now that Germany had captured Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France, its next object was to force the United Kingdom to surrender. Hitler's strategy in doing so was to launch a major offensive into Britain, by first breaking down their air defense through a relentless air force bombing campaign. Germany then planned to follow up with an amphibious invasion after crippling UK's air defense. However, the British air force decisively defeated the German air force (Luftwaffe). In spite of their victory, the UK suffered more than 27,000 in civilian casualties during the air force campaign. Save up to 85% on over 1300 magazines at BlueDolphin.com
Japan and Italy Join Germany in Axis Agreement (Sept. 27, 1940): The three powers officially enter into a military alliance, referred to as the Axis Powers, to oppose the Allied Powers. Their purpose is to support the economic and general welfare of participating nations through all levers possible, particularly through military support. Their larger objective is to change the traditional power of balance established after WWI, which favored western powers such as the UK, France and the USA. Japan had already been at war with China since 1937, so their entrance into the Axis Powers dovetailed into the Sino-Japanese War. Hungary and Romania would join the Axis Powers in WWII in November. Hungary was promised territorial gains by the Axis Powers, while Romania was seeking support against the Soviet Union, which had captured Moldova from them, and threatened the country as a whole.
Note: Italian Ambition. Since unification in 1860, Italy desired to reassert itself as the pre-eminent Mediterranean power, reminiscent of the Roman Empire. This ambition was intensified with the rise of Mussolini and his Fascist Party during the Interwar Period. Greece was viewed as an important part of this objective. After the start of WWII, Mussolini became jealous of Hiter's rapid conquests, triggering his eagerness to match the Nazi expansion. This led to the demand upon Greece to submit to Italian control in 1940. However, the Italian military proved much less adept compared to its German counterparts, unable to capture Greece until receiving support from Germany in 1941. (Timeline Continued Below)
Note: Jewish Ghettos Established by Nazis. Nazis begin to establish Jewish Ghettos throughout the areas it controlled in Europe (forcing conquered nations to comply), as the first stepping stone in its plan to rid the world of the Jews. The ghettos were restricted areas reserved for Jews and other undesirables (such as Gypsies, homosexuals, etc.). All Jews and other undesirables were ordered to these ghettos, where they resided until being assigned to concentration or death camps for slave labor or extermination. Axis Powers Gain Strong Advantage in Battle of the Atlantic (1940): Now that Germany controlled all of the coastal territory of Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium and all of France's Atlantic coast lines, they were able to deploy vessels much more effectively into the Atlantic. German vessels and submarines (U-boats) managed to sink a large number of Allied ships, gaining the advantage in the Atlantic.
African Theater
(1940): Save 20% off and Free Shipping on Select Language Learning Software
Effect of World War II on Each Country Go to European History Interactive Map
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End of Winter War Between USSR and
Finland (Mar. 12, 1940): Date of peace
treaty ending war. By February, both Finland and the USSR were eager to
sign a peace treaty to end the war. The Finns, who had defended
themselves admirably, had nearly exhausted their ammunitions, while the
Soviets were eager to end what had turned out to be an embarrassing war.
World opinion was largely in favor of Finland, as it was seen as a
malicious invasion on the part of the USSR. Even worse, the Soviets were
outperformed, suffering over 126,000 casualties against the much smaller
army. The USSR demanded the region of Korelia (SE Finland), which was
ceded by Finland.
Germany Conquers France
(May 10 - June 25, 1940): Hitler's
ultimate plan was to expand east at the expense of the USSR. He
attempted to establish a peace treaty with France and the UK to
recognize German conquests and annexations in Central Europe, to enable
Germany to recharge before invading the USSR. When the Allies refused,
Hitler knew he would have to quickly conquer France, through the Low
Countries (Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg), to remove France as a
combatant, isolating the UK to carry the Allied cause, and hopefully
forcing a peace treaty. The German army quickly defeated the Low
Countries, with its vastly superior numbers and equipment. France was
also overpowered, as Paris was captured on June 5, precipitating
France's official surrender a few weeks later. The Germans directly
occupied and administered Northern France, while the reconstituted
French government was established in Vichy to the south, referred to as
"Vichy France", a wartime puppet state under Nazi control.
USSR Takes Moldova from Romania
(June 28, 1940): The USSR crosses the
border to take possession of Bessarabia (eastern half of modern
Moldova). When drafting the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact in 1939,
both sides agreed to assign Bessarabia to the USSR sphere of control, as
it had traditionally been passed back and forth between Romania and
Russia, and the USSR viewed it as rightfully theirs. In 1940, the USSR
gave an ultimatum to Romania that the territory must be ceded to the
USSR. Romania knew it could not withstand a Soviet invasion, and that
there was no outside relief available to it. It accepted the ultimatum,
on the terms that ethnic Romanians could leave peacefully. The Soviets
agreed, but did not hold up their end of the bargain, committing
atrocities against fleeing Romanians. Furthermore, the USSR took
advantage of the situation, staking out more territory to the west,
beyond Bessarabia, the basis for the soon-to-be Moldovan Soviet
Socialist Republic, and the modern Moldova.
British Attack Free French Forces in
Algeria (July
3, 1940): After France fell into German hands, the overseas
French armed forces (Free French) vowed to continue fighting against the
Axis Powers. The UK was concerned that the French naval fleet based at
the French colony of Algeria would also surrender to Nazi Germany.
Despite assurances from the Free French that this would not be the case,
the UK demanded that the fleet be handed over to the British Royal Navy.
When the Free French refused, the British attacked. The invasion lasted
one day, resulting in the loss of 1297 Free French lives, four
destroyers and considerable additional damage. Relations would be
strained between the UK and the Free French Forces for a couple of more
years.
Italy's Unsuccessful Invasion of Greece
(Oct. 28, 1940): Italy invaded Greece
after Greece rejects demand for Italian occupation. The Greek military
successfully defended its country from the assault, while gaining the
southern quarter of Albania by the end of the year. This would force the
Germany army to assist Italian troops, bringing Greece under Axis
Occupation in 1941, but at the cost of diverting significant Axis
resources away from other battle zones.
