Day-by-Day Timeline of Events
Wednesday, January 10th, 1940
A German plane carrying two officers and the German invasion plans of Western Europe scheduled for January 17th mistakenly lands in Belgium. This forces Hitler to push the invasion back.
Saturday, February 24th, 1940
Following General von Manstein's recommendation, the German invasion plans of Western Europe are revised to send armored forces through the "impassable" Ardennes Forest.
Friday, May 31st, 1940
The U.S. government commits millions to a new defense program aimed at modernizing and strengthening the current force.
Monday, July 6th, 1942
The Soviet city of Voronezh falls to the German Army.
Wednesday, November 10th, 1943
The combined force of US Army and Marine Corps troops numbering 35,000 personnel heads towards Betio on the Tarawa Atoll.
Saturday, November 13th, 1943
US Navy warplanes and warships begin the bombardment of Japanese positions at Makin and Tarawa in preparation for the planned amphibious assaults.
Saturday, November 20th, 1943
US Navy warplanes and warships conclude their bombardment of Japanese positions.
Saturday, November 20th, 1943
At 9:10AM, the first US Marine soldiers make it ashore at Betio during the initial amphibious landings. Nearly half are cut down in low waters by the waiting Japanese defenders.
Saturday, November 20th, 1943
US tanks and armored vehicles finally make it ashore and strengthen the US Marine presence on the beaches.
Saturday, November 20th, 1943
By the end of the first day of operations, some three US Marine battalions have made it onto the beaches.
Sunday, November 21st, 1943
Another US amphibious landing, this consisting of both Army and Marine elements, makes it to the shores on Makin.
Sunday, November 21st, 1943
US forces at Makin kill some 800 defending Japanese soldiers, leaving just a lone survivor.
Sunday, November 21st, 1943
US forces officially take Makin and give the "Makin Taken" signal.
Sunday, November 21st, 1943
US forces take Apamama after the suicide of its 22-strong Japanese garrison.
Sunday, November 21st, 1943
US forces continue their progress against the Gilberts though a dogged Japanese resistance makes for slow progress.
Monday, November 22nd, 1943
By 8PM on this date, US forces lay claim to portions of the Gilberts at its east and central regions.
Monday, November 22nd, 1943
By night time hours, the Japanese enact a counter-attack against US forces, hoping to regain lost ground and take their invaders by surprise.
Tuesday, November 23rd, 1943
The Japanese assault is repelled with a tremendous loss of life for the IJA. The dead number some 500 personnel in hours of fighting.
Tuesday, November 23rd, 1943
The final Japanese defenders at Betio capitulate.
Tuesday, November 23rd, 1943
With the fall of Betio, the Gilbert Islands are now under control of US forces.
Friday, July 7th, 1944
After heavy bombing by British Royal Air Force elements, British and Canadian army forces regroup and begin their offensive to take Caen from the Germans.
Saturday, July 1st, 1944
Plans by the Polish Army are laid out for a resistance and uprising in the Capital City of Warsaw against their German overseers.
Saturday, December 16th, 1944
The German Army launch their Ardennes offensive against elements of the American US VIII located between Aachen and Bastogne.
Thursday, July 13th, 1944
A combined British and Canadian force is stopped outside of Caen by a determined German defense.
Sunday, September 17th, 1944
Operation Market Garden is activated. Parachute landings take place at Eindhoven, Veghel, Grave and Oosterbeek.
Saturday, July 1st, 1944
Lieutenant-General Komorowski heads up the resistance plans as Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Home Army in Warsaw.
Saturday, December 16th, 1944
Initial progress on the assault is good for the Germans, however, the US 2nd and 99th Divisions hold fast at Elsenborn and Malmedy.
Tuesday, July 18th, 1944
US Army forces seize complete control of the town of St. Lo on the Contentin peninsula. Control of this strategic zone now allows for larger, prepared and controlled Allied offensives towards inland France.
Sunday, September 17th, 1944
The US 101st Airborne Division landing at Eindhoven and Veghel are successful in their capturing of bridges.
Wednesday, July 26th, 1944
The Polish government, in exile since the fall of their country to the invading Germans, communicates with the British government for help in staging the uprising.
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Saturday, December 16th, 1944
Bad weather soon sets in over the Ardennes region, limiting Allied air support to counter the German advances.
Tuesday, July 18th, 1944
The British and Canadian launch Operation Goodwood against Caen. British armored elements are brought to bear against the dug-in and prepared Germans. The goal is to take all of Caen before focusing on Falaise.
Sunday, September 17th, 1944
The US 82nd Airborne Division landing at Grave is successful in capturing its target bridge.
Thursday, July 27th, 1944
The British government promises what it can and this emerges in the form of scattered air drops of weapons and supplies.
Sunday, December 17th, 1944
Allied prisoners of war are executed in cold blood by elements of the 6th SS Panzer Army. Some 87 prisoners are killed where they stand on direct orders from German Colonel Joachim Peiper.
Thursday, July 20th, 1944
While the British 2nd Army and 2nd Canadian Division can now lay claim to Caen, they fall short of advancement against Falaise. As such, Operation Goodwood is stopped.
Sunday, September 17th, 1944
British paratroopers landing at Arnhem run straight into the 9th and 10th SS Panzer Divisions who are in the area ungoing refitting. The bridge at Arnhem is captured by British forces but the group is quickly cut off from help by the Germans.
Monday, July 31st, 1944
Soviet Army forces close in on German defenders in Warsaw.
Sunday, December 17th, 1944
The town of Stavelot is lost to the invading German Army.
Monday, July 24th, 1944
American forces enact Operation Cobra, this stemming from control of the Contentin peninsula. The goal is to smash through the German defenses and create a road through the Avranches, exposing inland France to future Allied assaults.
Monday, September 18th, 1944
The British XXX Corps fights its way through a dedicated German resistance up the main artery road leading to Eindhoven. They finally unite with the 101st Airborne forces having landed at Eindhoven and Veghel.
Tuesday, August 1st, 1944
Three Soviet Army Fronts converge on the outskirts of Warsaw, prompting Polish General Komorowski to greenlight the uprising.
Tuesday, December 19th, 1944
By this date, two components making up the US 106th Division at the Schnee Eiffel region are surrounded by the Germans.
Sunday, July 30th, 1944
US Army forces reach Avranches and lay control the region.
Tuesday, September 19th, 1944
The British XXX Corps officially unites with the US 82nd Airborne Division forces having landed at Grave.
Tuesday, August 1st, 1944
Roughly 30,000 Poles and scattered firearms make up the beginning of the Warsaw Uprising.
Tuesday, December 19th, 1944
Some 6,000 Allied troops surrender to the encircling German Army at Schnee Eiffel.
Sunday, July 30th, 1944
The German 7th Army attempts a counter-attack at Avranches but the Americans manage to hold their ground.
Wednesday, September 20th, 1944
The US 82nd Airborne, backed by the British XXX Corps, take the bridge over the Waal River at Nijmegen.
Tuesday, August 1st, 1944
Uprisings begin across the Polish capital of Warsaw.
Tuesday, December 19th, 1944
Along the Ardennes line, US forces reform into intense defensive lines and some forces eventually mount counter attacks against the invading Germans.
Tuesday, August 1st, 1944
US General George S. Patton and his 3rd Army manage their way through Avranches towards Liore and Brittany.
Wednesday, September 20th, 1944
British XXX Corps is delayed a full day from reaching beleagured paratrooper forces at Arnhem.
Tuesday, August 1st, 1944
Upon hearing of news of the Polish uprising, an infuriated Adolph Hitler swears punishment and commits more of his troops within the Capital limits.
Tuesday, December 19th, 1944
The town of Stavelot is recaptured by the Allies.
Thursday, September 21st, 1944
British paratroopers at Arnhem give up control of their bridge against a stronger German foe and instead concentrate on surviving by utilizing the town of Arnhem itself as a defense.
Friday, August 4th, 1944
Realizing their chances of victory are slim against well-trained and well-armed Germans, Polish Authorities once again ask the Allies - including the Soviets - for assistance in maintaining the uprising.
Tuesday, December 19th, 1944
Allied generals agree to commit elements of the Saar Front against the southern flanks of the German advance, this in the area between Bastogne and Echternach.
Monday, August 7th, 1944
A determined German counter-attack takes Mortain and heads towards Avranches before being stopped. Allied airstrikes and artillery stall the German advance.
Thursday, September 21st, 1944
British XXX Corps is slowed down once more, this time by German anti-tank forces and artillery emplacements north of Nijmegen and along the route to Arnhem.
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Thursday, August 10th, 1944
German Army forces continue to relocate to Warsaw in an attempt to quell the Polish uprising.
Wednesday, December 20th, 1944
By this date, the 101st Airborne Division at Bastogne is completely encircled by the German XLVII Panzer Corps.
Monday, August 7th, 1944
The 1st Canadian Army supports Allied elements just south of Caen, making their way towards Falaise.
Friday, September 22nd, 1944
Elements of the Polish Parachute Brigade, delayed multiple times from earlier participation in the operation, finally land south of Arnhem. Their mission is to reinforce the battered British 1st Airborne Division.
Friday, August 11th, 1944
Sensing complete destruction of Warsaw and its people, the Pope himself appeals to the Allies for help.
Wednesday, December 20th, 1944
The US 10th and 19th Armored Divisions are completely encircled by the German advance.
Tuesday, August 8th, 1944
US General Omar Bradley talks with British General Benard Law Montgomery about a plan to encircle some 21 divsions of Germans in the Falaise-Argentan pocket. Montgomery likes what he hears and give the plan the green light.
Monday, September 25th, 1944
Remaining elements of the British 1st Airborne Division out of Arnhem make their way across the Neder Rijn River in retreat. They intend on meeting up with XXX Corps still making their way to the area.
Sunday, August 20th, 1944
German Army soldiers now number some 21,300 personnel in Warsaw.
Friday, August 11th, 1944
The Red Army finds themselves some 12 miles outside of Warsaw proper, having advanced into the Polish suburbs.
Wednesday, December 20th, 1944
British General Montgomery is charged with heading up the progress along the north line of defense while American General Bradley is given command of the south.
Tuesday, August 8th, 1944
General Patton reaches Le Mans and then heads north to Argentan.
Monday, September 25th, 1944
At Arnhem, some 6,000 Allied soldiers are taken prison by the Germans. A further 1,000 lay dead from the fighting.
Wednesday, August 16th, 1944
Sensing his own political interests and conquests, Soviet leader Josef Stalin rejects a direct call for aid for the Poles.
Friday, December 22nd, 1944
As the German advance continues, supply lines are stretched to the limit and flanks become over exposed prompting German General Rundstedt to ask Hitler to halt the advance - Hitler refuses.
Sunday, August 13th, 1944
Patton's 3rd Army arrives at Argentan.
Wednesday, September 27th, 1944
Despite valliant actions, the Polish Parachute Brigade is forced to surrender at Arnhem.
Sunday, August 20th, 1944
The swift and thorough German response has divided the Polish resistance into three distinct groups, all cut off from one another.
Saturday, December 23rd, 1944
The foul weather over the Ardennes begins to clear.
Monday, August 14th, 1944
Elements of Patton's 3rd Army are sent from Falaise to the east towards Chartres and in the direction of Paris proper.
Wednesday, September 27th, 1944
South of Arnhem, Allied forces continue to hold their gains. Over the next few months, some 3,500 casualties will be counted.
Sunday, August 20th, 1944
The German Army begins their final push to crush the Polish response.
Saturday, December 23rd, 1944
2,000 Allied air sorties are launched in improving skies against the Germans on the ground.
Wednesday, August 16th, 1944
After seven days of continuous and bitter fighting, Canadian Army forces reach Falaise.
Friday, August 25th, 1944
SS Obergruppenfuhrer Erich von dem Bach-Zelweski details the final German push.
Saturday, December 23rd, 1944
Supplies are dropped from Allied transport planes to the beleagured forces held up at Bastogne.
Wednesday, August 16th, 1944
German forces in Falaise are given the okay from Hitler to retreat to a more favorable position. The encirclement of German forces prompts the action from High Command.
Friday, August 25th, 1944
The Germans begin their counter-offensive against the remaining Pole units.
Saturday, December 23rd, 1944
Allied ground attack fighters target and destroy German ground vehicles and troop concentrations. Without air support of their own, there is little that the Germans can do in response.
Wednesday, August 16th, 1944
The American 3rd Army reaches Chartres.
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Saturday, September 16th, 1944
Pressured by the Americans and British, Stalin gives in - just a little - and delivers a meager air drop of arms consisting of just fifty pistols and a pair of machine guns.
Monday, December 25th, 1944
After achieving 60 miles of territory - the farthest march of the German Ardennes Offensive - the 2nd Panzer Division under Lieutenant-General von Lauchert is stopped by a combined force of British and American armor made up of the British 29th Armored Brigade and the American 2nd Armored Division.
Saturday, August 19th, 1944
At Mantes Grassicourt, a division of the American XV Corps manages to cross the Seine River.
Saturday, September 16th, 1944
Polish Army units fighting alongside the Soviet Army make a dash to support their comrades in Warsaw, this against the orders of Soviet High Command.
Monday, December 25th, 1944
German losses on Christmas Day include 3,500 infantrymen and 400 vehicles, 81 of these being tanks.
Sunday, August 20th, 1944
The Falaise pocket is finally closed by the Allies. American and Canadian forces meet to complete the encirclement. German forces in Normandy are now trapped.
Sunday, September 17th, 1944
Under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Zygmunt Berling, the 1st Polish Army forces engage the Germans in Warsaw but are ultimately driven back in retreat.
Tuesday, December 26th, 1944
The American 4th Armored Division makes its way to the beleagured 101st Airborne forces at Bastogne and the situation at the village is stabilized.
Tuesday, August 22nd, 1944
After some additional fighting that results in a further 10,000 German soldiers killed, the trapped elements of the German Army at Normandy surrender to the Allies. In all, some 50,000 soldiers of the German Army are taken prisoner.
Monday, September 18th, 1944
American B-17 bombers land at Poltava, now under Soviet control, to refuel. Onboard are arms and supplies meant for the Polish resistance.
Thursday, December 28th, 1944
Hitler orders a halt to the advance - but no retreat - leaving his exposed and tired units at the mercy of the replenished Allied forces across the Ardennes Front.
Friday, August 25th, 1944
The Allies reach the French capital of Paris.
Monday, September 18th, 1944
Josef Stalin refuses further Allied use of his forward airfields to resupply the Polish insurgents.
Friday, August 25th, 1944
Paris is liberated by the arriving Allies.
Thursday, September 21st, 1944
For his actions in disobeying Soviet Army orders, Berling is stripped of his army command.
Friday, August 25th, 1944
Patton and his 3rd Army continue their march and setup critical strategic bridgeheads over the Seine River at Elbeuf and Louviers.
Monday, September 25th, 1944
American air drops deliver their much-needed cargo to the Polish resistance below. However, the drop zones are in firm German control and supplies are captured soon after landing.
Monday, October 2nd, 1944
Polish General Komorowski, sensing total defeat imminent, orders his Polish insurgents to surrender to the Germans.
Saturday, August 26th, 1944
Brigadier-General Charles de Gaulle, leader of the Free French forces, leads a contingent of Allied troops on a march down the Champs Elysees to a thunderous reception by liberated French citizens.
Tuesday, October 3rd, 1944
Polish military forces all surrender to the German Army, ending the valliant uprising.
Tuesday, October 31st, 1944
Some 250,000 Polish civilians and soldiers of Warsaw will meet their end through execution or deportation to Nazi concentration camps as a result of the Warsaw uprising.
Saturday, January 6th, 1945
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the west coordinates via telegram with Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in the east on launching a combined January offensive. Churchill plans on the 20th as the target date.
Sunday, January 7th, 1945
Stalin moves the offensive launch date forward to January 12th.
Friday, January 12th, 1945
The Red Army enacts a massive offensive against German foes along the East Front. His targets are German Army Group A and Army Group Center located in East Prussia and Poland. The battle line is a long running front from the Lithuanian coast down to the Balkans region.
Friday, January 12th, 1945
The Red Army offensive is spear-headed by the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Belorussian Fronts as well as the 1st Baltic Front joined by the 1st Ukrainian Front.
Sunday, January 14th, 1945
Initial thrusts by the Soviet Army prove positive against the German defense.
Tuesday, January 16th, 1945
Adolf Hitler reorders his forces, weakening key areas of defense, to attempt a flanking manuever against the Red Army near Poznan.
Wednesday, January 17th, 1945
The Polish capital city of Warsaw officially falls to the advancing Soviet Army.
Wednesday, January 17th, 1945
Soviet forces engage German foes in East Prussia with gains being made towards Danzig and Konigsberg.
Saturday, January 20th, 1945
Hitler orders his 6th SS Panzer Army out of the Ardennes forrest on the West Front towards Budapest, Hungary in the east.
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Monday, January 22nd, 1945
Soviet General Konev and his 1st Ukranian Front cross the Oder River at Steinau.
Thursday, January 25th, 1945
Hitler reorganizes his forces under the new names of Army Group North, Army Group Center and Army Group Vistula.
Thursday, February 1st, 1945
German forces at Kustrin derail any further Soviet advance towards Berlin. General Zhukov's 1st Belorussian Front is halted.
Saturday, February 3rd, 1945
General Zhukov and his 1st Belorussian Front combine forces with General Konev's 1st Ukrainian Front along the Oder River near Kustrin.
Saturday, February 3rd, 1945
The Soviet front lines total some 50 miles along the Oder River by this time.
Monday, February 5th, 1945
Soviet Army forces begin to cross the Oder River into Germany.
Thursday, February 15th, 1945
The German city of Breslau is surrounded by Soviet troops.
Thursday, February 22nd, 1945
Poznan falls to the Soviet Army after the defending German troops surrender.
Saturday, February 24th, 1945
General Konev's 1st Ukranian Front claims Lower Silesia.
Friday, March 16th, 1945
From Hungary, Soviet Army groups begin their offensive into Austria along the Danube River. The target is Vienna.
Saturday, March 31st, 1945
The Soviet Front gains tremendous ground since the start of the offensive back in January. Forces are a mere 50 miles from Berlin.
Saturday, March 31st, 1945
Preparations for the final battle of Berlin are made.
Monday, January 1st, 1945
Weeks of fighting see German forces destroyed, taken prisoner or sent packing as the Allies regroup and respond.
Wednesday, February 7th, 1945
By this date, all of the German gains of the Ardennes Offensive have been erased.
Wednesday, February 7th, 1945
The German loss of life is a staggering 82,000 men, matched only by the 77,000 casualties suffered by the American Army.
Thursday, August 31st, 1939
Adolf Hitler provides the final orders for the invasion of Poland.
Friday, September 1st, 1939
German airborne elements begin bombardment of Polish defensive targets. At 6:00 AM, 50 German divisions making up Army Group North and Army Group South flood into Poland. Army Group South's mission is the capture of the Polish capital of Warsaw.
Sunday, September 3rd, 1939
Britain declares war on Germany leading British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain to arrange a war cabinet.
Wednesday, September 6th, 1939
German forces advance beyond Lodz.
Wednesday, September 6th, 1939
German forces take Krakow.
Thursday, September 7th, 1939
French forces begin light fighting against German elements near Saarbrucken.
Friday, September 8th, 1939
The German Tenth Army reaches the Warsaw perimeter.
Friday, September 8th, 1939
The German Fourteenth Army arrives near Przemysl.
Friday, September 8th, 1939
General Guderian's tank force reaches the Bug River just east of the Polish capital.
Friday, September 8th, 1939
German ground forces arrive at the outskirts of the Polish capital of Warsaw, covering an astounding 200 miles in a single week.
Saturday, September 9th, 1939
Polish Poznan army units launch a counter-offensive against the German army at Kutno on the Bzura.
Monday, September 10th, 1939
General Lord Gort and his British Expeditionary Force begin to arrive on French soil.
Sunday, September 10th, 1939
Polish forces at the Modline fortress some 20 miles north of Warsaw fall under siege to the German Army.
Wednesday, September 13th, 1939
French Prime Minister Edouard Daladier begins setting up his war cabinet.
Sunday, September 17th, 1939
Soviet army elements begin their invasion of Poland from the east. Attacks occur near Vilnius and Bialystok.
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Sunday, September 17th, 1939
Polish resistance at the Bzura River north of Lodz finally surrender to the Germans. Some 170,000 Polish prisoners are taken captive.
Monday, September 18th, 1939
The Polish city of Vilnius falls to the Soviet army.
Monday, September 18th, 1939
The Polish government flees to Romania and is held. A government-in-exile is hastily arranged.
Tuesday, September 19th, 1939
German and Soviet army elements finally meet one another in Poland at Brest-Litovsk.
Friday, September 22nd, 1939
The Polish city of Bialystok falls to the Soviet Army.
Friday, September 22nd, 1939
The Polish City of Lwow falls to the Soviet Army.
Wednesday, September 27th, 1939
The Polish capital of Warsaw officially falls.
Thursday, September 28th, 1939
Polish forces fighting it out at the Modline fortress officially surrender.
Friday, September 29th, 1939
The German-Soviet Boundary Friendship Treaty is signed between German representative von Ribbentrop and Soviet representative Molotov. Poland is divided into a western zone under German control and an eastern zone under Soviet control.
Monday, October 2nd, 1939
The last valiant gap of Polish resistance - numbering some 4,500 soldiers under the command of Admiral Unruh - north of Danzig on the Polwysep Helski peninsula falls to the Germans.
Thursday, November 30th, 1939
Five Soviet armies cross into Finland, beginning the Winter War.
Friday, December 1st, 1939
The Soviet Union installs a Finnish-Soviet puppet government in Terijoki to be led by Otto Kuusinen.
Tuesday, December 5th, 1939
After some initial advances, the Soviet Army if forced to stop by the Finnish defenses at the Mannerheim Line.
Saturday, December 9th, 1939
As the Finnish winter worsens, Soviet attacks on Helsinki stall.
Saturday, December 9th, 1939
The Soviet 44th and 163rd Divisions take the Finnish town of Soumussalmi.
Friday, December 15th, 1939
The deteriorating conditions of a Finnish winter protect Helsinki from additional Soviet attacks.
Friday, December 15th, 1939
The Mannerheim Line holds as Soviet Army elements are kept at bay.
Friday, December 15th, 1939
Valliant Finnish forces repel the Soviet Army out of Soumussalmi, retaking the town.
Friday, December 15th, 1939
The Soviet 14th Army takes Petsamo.
Friday, December 15th, 1939
Finnish defenders keep the town of Nautsi from falling under Soviet control.
Sunday, December 17th - December 31st, 1939
Finnish Army elements cross into Soviet Karelia, unleashing hell on the Russian 44th and 163rd Divisions. Some 27,000 Russian soldiers are killed.
Saturday, December 23rd, 1939
7,500 Canadian soldiers arrive in Britain.
Tuesday, January 2nd, 1940
A new Soviet offensive on the Karelian isthmus fails.
Sunday, January 7th, 1940
Stalin appoints a new commander to oversee the Winter War - General Semyon Timoshenko.
Sunday, January 28th, 1940
Finnish ground forces recover territory from the Soviet 54th Division at Kuhmo.
Thursday, February 1st, 1940
The Soviets enact a new offensive against Finnish positions along the Mannerheim Line, beginning with artillery attack accounting for some 300,000 shells.
Sunday, February 11th - February 17th, 1940
The Soviet Army breaks through the defenses at the Mannerheim Line at Summa. Finnish Army units retreat.
Friday, February 23rd, 1940
The Soviet government delivers terms of surrender to the Finnish government, claiming the Karelian isthmus and Lake Lagoda as their own. The Finns are required to defend the Soviet Union from the north if the empire is attacked.
Tuesday, March 5th, 1940
Finland responds to the Soviet surrender overture with negotiations.
Tuesday, March 12th, 1940
After months of fighting and countless lives lost on both sides, the Finnish government officially accepts the surrender terms of the Russian proposal in an internal vote numbering 145 to 3.
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Friday, May 10th, 1940
German airborne elements land across Belgium and Holland in advance of ground forces, capturing key bridges and routes.
Friday, May 10th, 1940
German paratroopers land in The Hague and Rotterdam.
Friday, May 10th, 1940
89 German paratroopers land and take the Belgium fortress of Eben Emael with its garrison of 2,000 soldiers.
Saturday, May 11th, 1940
British and French army forces begin defensive preparations in Belgium in an effort to stave off the German advance. A long line of strategic defenses is contructed.
Tuesday, May 14th, 1940
Facing light opposition, German Panzer Corps XV, XLI and XIX are free to set up three key bridge-heads covering Dinant, Montherme and Sedan.
Tuesday, May 14th, 1940
Panzer Corps XV and XIX break through the Allied defenses at Sedan, allowing German forces to completely bypass the formidable defenses at the French Maginot Line.
Wednesday, May 15th, 1940
German Panzer Corps cross into the north of France.
Wednesday, May 15th, 1940
After periods of heavy bombing all across Rotterdam, the Dutch surrender to the Germans.
Friday, May 17th - May 18th, 1940
Antwerp falls to the German Army.
Friday, May 17th - May 18th, 1940
Brussels falls to the German Army.
Friday, May 17th - May 18th, 1940
Allied forces are in full retreat of the Germans, making their way towards the French coastline.
Monday, May 20th, 1940
Sensing a catastrophic loss in the making, Winston Churchill orders preparation of vessels to evacuate the British Expeditionary Forces from northern France.
Monday, May 20th, 1940
Compounding battlefield losses across France and the Low Countries force a change at the helm - General Maxime Weygand replaces General Maurice-Gustave Gamelin as supreme Allied commander.
Tuesday, May 21st, 1940
An Allied counterattack against the German Army near Arras ends in failure as the attack is itself countered by another advancing German land force.
Friday, May 24th, 1940
In a stunning move, Hitler orders his forces not to cross the Lens-Bethune-St Omer-Gravelines line, allowing the retreating Allied forces more time to reach the French coast.
Friday, May 24th, 1940
German Luftwaffe bombers hammer Allied defensive positions in and around the French port city of Dunkirk.
Saturday, May 25th, 1940
The German Army takes Boulogne.
Saturday, May 25th, 1940
More and more retreating Allied units arrive at the French port city of Dunkirk.
Sunday, May 26th, 1940
Hitler orders his army forces towards Dunkirk for the final blow to the Allied cause.
Sunday, May 26th, 1940
Operation Dynamo - the all-out evacuation of Allied forces from Dunkirk - officially begins at 6:57 PM.
Tuesday, May 28th, 1940
With the fight gone out of them, the Belgian Army surrenders to the German 6th and 18th armies. Their actions, however, supply the evacuating Allies with much-needed time.
Tuesday, May 28th, 1940
King Leopold of Belgium orders his army to surrender to the Germans. By this time, his government has already relocated to Paris, France.
Tuesday, May 28th, 1940
Belgium falls to Germany in just 18 days.
Tuesday, May 28th, 1940
With Belgium out of the way, German Army elements begin making their way towards the French coastline in an attempt to completely eliminate Allied forces for good.
Tuesday, May 28th, 1940
By the end of this day, some 25,473 British soldiers have been evacuated from France.
Wednesday, May 29th, 1940
Another 47,000 British troops are evacuated from Dunkirk.
Thursday, May 30th, 1940
6,000 French soldiers join some 120,000 total Allied soldiers evacuated from Dunkirk on this day.
Friday, May 31st, 1940
Over 150,000 Allied soldiers (including some 15,000 French) arrive in Britain.
Saturday, June 1st, 1940
Defense of the outlying region near Dunkirk now passes to French XVI Corps.
Tuesday, June 4th, 1940
German Luftwaffe bombers cease bombardment of Dunkirk.
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Tuesday, June 4th, 1940
Operation Dynamo - the evacuation of Allied forces at Dunkirk - officially ends. 338,326 total soldiers are saved including 113,000 French troops.
Tuesday, June 4th, 1940
Some 40,000 French soldiers are taken prisoner by Germany at the fall of Dunkirk.
Sunday, September 1st - September 30th, 1940
Italian forces, led by Marshal Graziani invade Egypt. During the month, the Italian army sets up a series of six defensive positions south of occupied Sidi Barrani known simply as Nibeiwa, Tummar East, Tummar West, North Sofafi, East Sofafi and West Sofafi.
Monday, October 28th, 1940
An Italian force of 70,000 soldiers invades Greece.
Sunday, November 10th, 1940
The Italian invasion force is in full retreat, repelled by a combined Greek resistance and RAF effort after just two weeks.
Tuesday, November 26th, 1940
The construction of a ghetto in the Polish capital of Warsaw is begun in an effort to corral the local Jewish populations.
Friday, December 6th - December 8th, 1940
The Western Desert Force in Egypt, under the command of Major-General Richard O'Connor, set up pre-assault positions. The force includes 36,000 total men from the 7th Armored Division, 4th Indian Division and the New Zealand Division. They set up their initial position southeast of the Italian fort at Nibeiwa.
Sunday, December 8th - December 9th, 1940
Aircraft of the Royal Navy are put into action against Italian forces dug in at Maktila and Barrani. Bombers are sent in to soften targets for the initial ground assault.
Monday, December 9th, 1940
Operation Compass is officially launched.
Monday, December 9th, 1940
The British 7th Armored Division launches attacks on the Italian camps positioned near Sofafi and Rabia and makes its way toward the critical ocean-side road near Buqbug.
Monday, December 9th, 1940
The British 7th Tank Regiment, along with the 4th Indian Division, attack Italian positions at Tummar West and Nibeiwa.
Tuesday, December 10th, 1940
The Italian camps at Tummar East fall to the Allies.
Tuesday, December 10th, 1940
Italian forces stationed at Sidi Barrani are all but surrounded by the Allies.
Tuesday, December 10th, 1940
Selby Force has removed the Italian 1st Libyan Division out of Maktila.
Tuesday, December 10th, 1940
Selby Force sets its eyes on Sidi Barrani.
Tuesday, December 10th, 1940
The Italian XXI Corps is in full retreat.
Tuesday, December 10th, 1940
Some 38,000 Italian soldiers are taken prisoner by the Allies.
Wednesday, December 11th, 1940
Royal Navy bombers begin attacks on Italian-held Sollum.
Wednesday, December 11th, 1940
The Italian Catanzaro Division is captured, delivering another 30,000 Italian prisoners of war.
Wednesday, January 15th, 1941
The Australian Army begins actions against the Italians in Libya.
Wednesday, January 22nd, 1941
The Allies take Tobruk, a key port city vital to North Africa operations.
Wednesday, January 22nd, 1941
Operation Compass is effectively over, netting some 130,000 total Italian prisoners.
Wednesday, January 29th, 1941
British forces take on Italian positions in Kenya.
Wednesday, February 19th - February 23rd, 1941
Allied authorities meet in Cairo, Egypt to review the situation in Greece. It is agree upon to commit some 100,000 British soldiers to the fighting.
Sunday, March 9th, 1941
The Italians launch a new offensive in Greece to recover lost ground.
Tuesday, March 11th, 1941
President Roosevelt signs the Lend-Lease Act into law allowing the United States government to militarily support - with delayed payments - any and all allies when U.S. interests are threatened.
Monday, March 24th, 1941
German forces drive the British from El Agheila in Libya.
Monday, March 24th, 1941
Rommel begins his attack near El Agheila.
Thursday, March 27th, 1941
The Italians are forced by the British to retreat during the Battle of Keren in Eritrea.
Sunday, March 31st, 1941
Recent unrest in Yugoslavia forces the Germans to draw up plans of the invasion of Yugoslavia by way of Directive Number 25.
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Tuesday, April 1st, 1941
Italian-held Asmara falls to the British.
Monday, April 1st - April 18th, 1941
Internal unrest in Iraq leads to an overthrow of the pro-British government. The new government aligns itself with the Axis.
Wednesday, April 2nd, 1941
Rommel's forces reach Agedabia.
Saturday, April 5th, 1941
The number of British troops having arrived in Greece numbers 58,000.
Sunday, April 6th, 1941
Operation Marita - the dual Germany invasion of Greece and Yugoslavia - is put into action. Twenty-four total divisions are involved, including some 1200 tanks.
Sunday, April 6th, 1941
Rommel reaches Mechili.
Monday, April 7th, 1941
Rommel reaches Derna.
Wednesday, April 9th, 1941
The German 12th Army encircles and defeats the Greek defensive line known as the "Metaxas Line".
Wednesday, April 9th, 1941
The German Army moves on and captures the strategic port city of Salonika.
Thursday, April 10th - April 16th, 1941
Three divisions of British, Australian and New Zealand troops at the Aliakmon Line in the Vermion Mountains are defeated.
Saturday, April 12th, 1941
Vermion Line Allied troops are now redeployed to defensive positions around Mount Olympus.
Saturday, April 12th, 1941
German forces launching from Romania, Austria, Hungary and Bulgaria along with an Italian contigent from Albania capture and secure the Yugoslavian capital of Belgrade.
Monday, April 14th, 1941
The German Army destroys Yugoslavian forces at Monistar Gap, clearing a path into Greece. Greece units fighting in Albania are effectively cut off.
Wednesday, April 16th, 1941
Allied forces in Greece are in full retreat at the request of Greek General Alexander Papagos who sees value is less fighting to save his country from total destruction. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill accepts the request.
Thursday, April 17th, 1941
Yugoslavian leadership, along with the army, surrenders to the Germans.
Friday, April 18th, 1941
In an effort to safeguard its vital oil supply chain, British forces arrive in Iraq.
Sunday, April 20th, 1941
The Greek Army surrenders to the Germans and Italians.
Friday, April 25th, 1941
Fuhrer Directive No.28 is issued by Adolf Hitler, calling for the invasion of the island of Crete through Operation Mercury led by General Kurt Student.
Saturday, April 26th, 1941
German airborne elements attempt to capture the bridge over the Corinth Canal in an attempt to encircle the retreating allies. The bridge is lost in the attack while the Allies have already moved on.
Sunday, April 27th - April 30th, 1941
Operation Demon is activated, covering the evacuation of some 51,000 Allied troops from southern Greece via the Royal Navy.
Sunday, April 27th, 1941
Axis forces officially occupy Athens, effectively signaling the end of Greek resistance.
Thursday, April 30th, 1942
Spring over Russia brings about seasonal rains turning once solid and dependable ground into a muddy nightmare for both armies. As such, offensives are limited or stalled altogether.
Thursday, April 30th, 1942
German Army forces partially regroup and recover from the constant barrage of Soviet offensives.
Thursday, April 30th, 1942
By this time, over 1 million German soldiers have been killed in action since the start of Operation Barbarossa.
Thursday, May 15th, 1941
The British launch Operation Brevity against Rommel's dug-in forces, making little progress against the prepared defenders.
Tuesday, May 20th, 1941
Operation Mercury is officially launched.
Tuesday, May 20th, 1941
The first day of the German invasion of Crete sees little progress as many strategic positions are not under German control yet.
Wednesday, May 21st, 1941
A German offensive against Heraklion is pushed away by at least 8,000 dug-in Allied soldiers.
Wednesday, May 21st, 1941
German Army troops making their way to Crete via the sea are intercepted and pummeled by elements of the Royal Navy. Just 60 of these German soldiers live to see another day.
Thursday, May 22nd, 1941
New Zealand troops are repelled from an attempt to retake the airfield at Maleme from the Germans.
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Tuesday, May 27th, 1941
The German Army takes Heraklion and her all-important airfield.
Tuesday, May 27th, 1941
Allied forces retreat to defensive positions at Galatas.
Wednesday, May 28th, 1941
Heraklion in the north and Sphakia in the south of Crete will serve as major evacuation junctions for the Allies.
Wednesday, May 28th, 1941
The evacuation order is given by Major-General Freyberg for the gradual withdrawel of Allied troops from the island of Crete.
Friday, May 30th, 1941
The brave defense of Rethymnon by Australian soldiers finally falters under intense pressure from the German Army.
Saturday, May 31st, 1941
By this date, Crete is firmly entrenched under German rule.
Tuesday, July 1st, 1941
Panzergruppe 2 and Panzergruppe 3 cross the Berezina River west of Minsk, heading towards Smolensk and Vitebsk.
Thursday, July 3rd, 1941
Panzergruppe 2 and Panzergruppe 3 now form up as part of General Gunther von Kluge's 4th Panzer Army.
Wednesday, July 9th, 1941
Soviet defenses at Brest-Litovsk, Bialystok, Volkovysk, Gorodishche and Minsk fall to the invading German Army.
Wednesday, July 9th, 1941
Panzergruppe 3 continues north to Vitebsk.
Wednesday, July 9th, 1941
Gurderian's army moves south towards Mogliev.
Thursday, July 10th, 1941
Guderian's forces cross the Dniepr River 50 miles outside of Smolensk.
Sunday, July 13th, 1941
Defenses across Smolensk are prepared under the direction of the Soviet 16th Army.
Sunday, July 13th, 1941
The Soviet 19th Army makes its way into Smolensk.
Sunday, July 13th, 1941
The Soviet 20th Army arrives in Smolensk.
Wednesday, July 16th, 1941
Smolensk falls to the German 29th Motorized Division.
Wednesday, July 16th, 1941
Panzergruppe 3 heads towards Yartsevo.
Wednesday, July 16th, 1941
Marshal Timoshenko and his 4th and 13th Armies near the Sohz River counterattack the Germans at Smolensk.
Thursday, July 17th, 1941
The German Army begins to tighten the noose around the encircled Soviet forces numbering some 25 divisions.
Saturday, July 19th, 1941
A German High Command directive calls for the army to complete the destruction of Soviet forces around Smolensk and then head south to tackle forces in Kiev instead of marching on Moscow herself - this decision is viewed as the turning point to Germany's defeat in Russia.
Sunday, June 22nd, 1941
Operation Barbossa is put into effect - the German invasion of the Soviet Union.
Tuesday, July 22nd, 1941
The Soviet counterattack at Smolensk is driven back by Guderian's forces.
Tuesday, July 22nd, 1941
The German Army begins to encircled in Soviet Army pockets held up outside of Smolensk, Vitebsk and Mogilev.
Tuesday, July 22nd, 1941
A Soviet offensive meant to break the German stranglehold fails due to poor coordination.
Thursday, July 24th, 1941
The German encirclement of Soviet forces is completed.
Sunday, June 29th, 1941
General Guderian's Panzergruppe 2 meets General Hoth's Panzergruppe 3 in Minsk.
Sunday, June 29th, 1941
Russian army forces are encirlced at key cities across the Soviet Union.
Tuesday, August 5th, 1941
The Soviet defense of Smolensk is obliterated and falls taking with it the end of the Soviet 16th and 20th Armies.
Tuesday, August 5th, 1941
300,000 Soviet prisoners, 3,200 tanks and 3,100 artillery guns are captured by the Germans at Smolensk.
Tuesday, August 5th, 1941
The drive on Smolensk nets a total of 600,000 Russian prisoners of war, 5,700 tanks and 4,600 artillery pieces.
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Monday, September 1st, 1941
German Army elements begin the shelling of Leningrad.
Monday, September 15th, 1941
The Soviet fortress at Shlusselburg southeast of Leningrad falls to the Germans.
Monday, September 15th, 1941
The Germans now control the southern end of Leningrad, cutting its citizens off from the rest of the Soviet Union.
Monday, September 15th, 1941
Finnish forces, siding with the Germans, now control the Karelian isthmus, covering Leningrad from both sides.
Thursday, September 25th, 1941
The Crimea finds itself cutoff from the rest of the Soviet Union by German Army forces made up of German Army Group South.
Friday, September 26th - November 26th, 1941
Over the course of two months, Soviet Major-General I.Y. Pretov and his band of 32,000 Independent Maritime Army soldiers set up a vast network of defenses at the fortress in Sevastopol. The defense consists of three well-defended rings.
Wednesday, October 1st - December 31st, 1941
As rations begin to run out in the encircled city of Leningrad, its citizens begin to starve.
Sunday, November 9th, 1941
The Germans take the supply line route of Tikhvin, located east of Schlusselburg.
Sunday, November 16th, 1941
By this date, Lieutenant-General von Manstein and his German 11th Army take most of Crimea with the exception of Sevastapol.
Friday, December 5th, 1941
The Soviets launch a full-scale counter-attack along a 500-mile front encompassing 19 Russian armies against Field Marshal von Bock's German Army Group Centre near Moscow.
Saturday, December 6th, 1941
No fewer than 17 German motorized divisions retreat from the Soviet advance.
Saturday, December 6th, 1941
The Soviet 31st Army cuts 12 miles into the German lines.
Sunday, December 7th, 1941
In conjunction with the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Wake Island is assaulted by a Japanese invasion force all its own - this under the command of Rear-Admiral Kajioka Sadamichi.
Tuesday, December 9th - December 13th, 1941
General Guderian's Panzergruppe 2 is cut off from General Kluge's 4th Army.
Wednesday, December 10th, 1941
The Soviets retake the town of Tikhvin.
Wednesday, December 10th, 1941
The Soviet supply route is restarted across frozen Lake Lagoda.
Tuesday, December 16th, 1941
Amid the mounting pressures and expectations of his superiors back in Germany, Field Marshal von Bock requests reassignment away from Army Group Centre.
Wednesday, December 17th, 1941
Lieutenant-General von Manstein launches a major offensive against the Soviet soldiers holed up in the Sevastopol fortress.
Wednesday, December 17th, 1941
Field Marshal von Kluge is tapped to replace Field Marshal von Bock as leader of Army Group Centre.
Tuesday, December 23rd, 1941
Despite an out-numbered yet heroic resistance on the part of American forces, Wake Island falls to the Japanese.
Friday, December 26th, 1941
Manstein's offensive gains substantial ground, piercing the first two Soviet defensive rings.
Friday, December 26th, 1941
Soviet naval forces land army troops near Kerch.
Sunday, December 28th, 1941
More Soviet forces land near Kerch via amphibious transports, bolstering Red Army power in the area.
Sunday, December 28th, 1941
In the face of growing Soviet Army opposition, von Manstein calls off his offensive on Sevastopol.
Thursday, January 1st - July 31st, 1942
Some 800,000 of Leningrad's citizens are evacuated through the frozen passage above Lake Lagoda.
Thursday, January 1st - January 31st, 1942
Over the course of the month, three Soviet armies, under the command of Major-General D.T. Kozlov, are called to the newly created "Crimea Front".
Wednesday, January 7th, 1942
With progress over the Germans being made on several fronts, Soviet forces launch another offensive to try and encircle Army Group Centre.
Wednesday, January 7th, 1942
Along the Volkhov Front to the south of Novgorod, the Soviets launch a major offensive.
Sunday, January 11th, 1942
Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaya, falls to the invading Japanese 5th Division.
Sunday, January 11th, 1942
Three Japanese amphibious forces take on the Dutch East Indies.
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Thursday, January 15th, 1942
Japanese forces invade Burma beginning their assault at Victoria Point.
Monday, January 19th, 1942
The Japanese Army makes short work of the light British defenses, covering some 230 miles in reaching Tavoy.
Friday, January 23rd, 1942
The American defensive lines finally break.
Sunday, January 25th, 1942
The Soviet movement begins losing steam after consecutive weeks of fighting. Man and machine are beginning to show their limitations.
Monday, February 2nd, 1942
Adolph Hitler approves of the order for retreat for German forces at Rostov.
Thursday, February 5th, 1942
Rostov is officially abandoned by General Manstein's forces.
Friday, February 6th, 1942
German General Manstein meets with Hitler and proposes a new German counter-attack against the Russians.
Sunday, February 8th, 1942
The Soviet Army officially retakes the Russian city of Kursk.
Thursday, February 12th, 1942
German Army Group Don is renamed Army Group South.
Thursday, February 12th, 1942
German Army Group B is renamed Army Group Center.
Saturday, February 14th, 1942
Russian General Vatutin and his South-West Front army reach the city of Kharkov.
Saturday, February 14th - February 18th, 1942
Street fighting begins between the German I SS Panzer Corps and the Russian 3rd Tank Army and 40th Army forces in Kharkov.
Saturday, February 14th, 1942
By this time, the Japanese have captured Borneo, Celebes and Sarawak.
Sunday, February 15th, 1942
Singapore eventually falls to the might of the Japanese assault resulting in the capture of some 60,000 Allied prisoners against the cost of 2,000 Japanese soldiers.
Tuesday, February 17th, 1942
Adolph Hitler meets with General Manstein to plan a German counter-offensive.
Wednesday, February 18th, 1942
German forces are officially driven from the Russian city of Kharkov.
Friday, February 20th, 1942
The Germans unleash their counterattack using the 4th Panzer Amry, 1st Panzer Army and the II SS Panzer Corps.
Saturday, February 28th, 1942
The Germans recapture lost ground and push elements of the Russian Army back. The German army reaches as far in as the River Donets while General Vatutin's forces are surrounded.
Sunday, March 1st - April 30th, 1942
Hitler and his commanders flesh out Operation Blue - in invasion of the oil-rich, Russian-held Caucasus.
Sunday, March 1st - March 30th, 1942
The Soviet offensive near Novgorod is stopped by German ground and air elements.
Sunday, March 1st - March 30th, 1942
The whole Soviet 2nd Shock Army is lost near Novgorod.
Saturday, March 7th, 1942
German General Hoth and his 4th Panzer Army form up and launch an offensive against the Voronezh Front near Kharkov.
Sunday, March 8th, 1942
Rangoon, Burma falls to the Japanese.
Sunday, March 8th, 1942
The British Burma Army escapes anhilation in Burma.
Thursday, March 12th, 1942
Street fighting throughout Kharkov erupts once more as German forces enter Kharkov.
Saturday, March 14th, 1942
The 4th Panzer Army surrounds the city of Kharkov.
Wednesday, March 18th, 1942
The Germans complete the retaking of Kharkov.
Wednesday, March 18th - March 26th, 1942
The Soviets and Germans both dig in within and around the city of Kharkov, preparing to fight another day.
Wednesday, April 1st - May 31st, 1942
Over a two month period, German forces are resupplied and strengthened before a major offensive - Operation Bustard - to remove the Soviets from the Kerch peninsula. Among the resupply deliveries are 33 massive artillery pieces meant to destroy the Soviet defensive works at the fort in Sevastopol.
Sunday, April 5th, 1942
Hitler issues the official Fuhrer Directive for Operation Blue.
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Thursday, April 9th, 1942
American forces fighting on the Bataan Peninsula finally surrender to the Japanese.
Sunday, May 3rd, 1942
Forces of the Imperial Japanese Army land at Tulagi of the Solomons island group. Subsequent develop ensures a base of operations for Japanese logistics in the region.
Monday, May 4th, 1942
The Japanese invasion force leaves Rabaul, New Britain, heading towards Port Moresby, New Guinea.
Tuesday, May 5th, 1942
The Japanese enact an offensive to take Corregidor Island, a strategic point providing access to Manila Bay.
Wednesday, May 6th, 1942
Corregidor Island falls to the Japanese, giving the invaders control over Manila Bay.
Thursday, May 7th, 1942
The Allies spot the Japanese Covering Group escorting the invasion force.
Thursday, May 7th, 1942
The Japanese invasion of Port Moresby is called off.
Friday, May 8th, 1942
Operation Blue begins.
Friday, May 8th, 1942
German General Manstein leads his 11th Army onto the Kerch Peninsula towards the city of Sevastopol.
Friday, May 8th, 1942
Lieutenant-General von Manstein launches his assault.
Friday, May 8th, 1942
The Japanese invasion force heads back to New Britain.
Tuesday, May 12th, 1942
Soviet ground forces launch a pre-emptive offensive against German-held Kharkov.
Tuesday, May 12th, 1942
German forces enact Operation Fridericus and attempt to take Izyum.
Friday, May 15th, 1942
Manstein's offensive results in the taking of the Kerch peninsula from the Soviets.
Friday, May 15th, 1942
Sevastopol is cutt off from the rest of the Soviet Union by German Army elements.
Friday, May 15th, 1942
Manstein begins planning his next major offensive to take Sevastopol - this becomes Operation Sturgeon.
Friday, May 15th, 1942
Burma falls to the Japanese.
Wednesday, May 20th, 1942
The 2nd Canadian Infantry Division begins training for Operation Rutter on the Isle of Wight.
Tuesday, May 26th, 1942
Group Cruewell, made up of the Italian X and XI Corps, launches an assault on the northern portion of the Gazala Line in an attempt to divert Allied forces from the real attack coming from the south.
Tuesday, May 26th, 1942
Rommel begins his offense against the Gazala Line, made up of some 50 miles of British defenses.
Tuesday, May 26th, 1942
Beginning at 7:00PM, the German 90th Infantry Division, the 15th and 21st Panzer Divisions and the Italian XX Corps under Rommel launch their offensive along the southern portion of the Gazala Line.
Wednesday, May 27th, 1942
German forces south of Bir Hacheim make progress and begin to move northwards.
Wednesday, May 27th, 1942
The 1st Free French Brigade at Bir Hacheim holds off the German progress.
Thursday, May 28th, 1942
While trying to take Sidra Ridge, German Panzer force casaulties begin to mount significantly.
Sunday, May 31st, 1942
As the Allied defense along the Gazala line holds, Rommel is forced to change tactics, now concentrating his forces against the British 150th Brigade near Sidi Muftah.
Sunday, May 31st, 1942
Rommel orders his forces to begin defensive preparations across a 10 mile stretch.
Monday, June 1st, 1942
Nearly 30% of German tanks have been lost in Rommel's offensive.
Monday, June 1st - June 3rd, 1942
A German pocket develops near Sidi Muftah.
Tuesday, June 2nd, 1942
600 German artillery guns open fire on Sevastopol.
Wednesday, June 3rd, 1942
The Northern Task Force begins its operation to take the Aleutian Island chain and divert USN forces to the region.
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Friday, June 5th, 1942
The Allies attempt an offensive to drive the German pocket back from Sidi Muftah and fail. 230 Allied tanks are lost in the attack.
Saturday, June 6th, 1942
The British 150th Brigade is utterly destroyed under the German assault, resulting in 4,000 British prisoners of war.
Saturday, June 6th, 1942
The German Luftwaffe is called in to bomb Sevastopol.
Saturday, June 6th, 1942
The island of Kiska is taken by Japanese forces.
Sunday, June 7th, 1942
The German artillery guns cease fire on Sevastopol. The bombardment on the Soviets has spanned five days.
Sunday, June 7th, 1942
The German 11th Army begins their assault on Sevastopol from the north at 2:30AM.
Sunday, June 7th, 1942
The island of Attu is taken by Japanese forces.
Wednesday, June 10th, 1942
The 1st Free French Brigade at Bir Hacheim can hold no more and retreat under the mounting German pressure.
Thursday, June 11th, 1942
The German Army breaks out of their pocket near Sidi Muftah.
Thursday, June 11th, 1942
German forces breaking out near Sidi Muftah target the British 7th Armored Division near El Adem.
