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1940

World War II Timeline

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March 12, 1940: Finland surrenders to the USSR, ending the brief Russo-Finnish war that began when the Soviets invaded Finland on November 30, 1939.
April 9, 1940: Denmark surrenders to Germany. Germany invades Norway.
May 10, 1940: Winston Churchill becomes the new Prime Minister of Britain, replacing Chamberlain. Germany invades the Netherlands (Holland); it surrenders four days later. Germany invades Belgium.
May 26, 1940: Operation Dynamo begins, the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk on the Belgian coast.
May 28, 1940: Belgium surrenders to Germany.
June 10, 1940: Norway surrenders to Germany. Italy declares war on Britain and France.
June 14, 1940: German troops enter Paris.
June 18, 1940: The USSR invades the Baltic states.
June 22, 1940: France surrenders to Germany.
June 30, 1940: Germany invades the Channel Islands. This will be the only part of Britain to be occupied by the Germans.
July 3, 1940: The British sink the French fleet at Oran.
July 10, 1940: The Battle of Britain begins. Germany bombs Britain, and the British defend themselves from the air in what Winston Churchill would call their "finest hour."
August 3, 1940: Italy invades British Somaliland, marking the beginning of World War II in Africa.
September 13, 1940: Italy invades Egypt.
September 27, 1940: Germany, Italy, and Japan sign the Tripartite Pact, making Japan part of the Axis.
October 7, 1940: Germany invades Romania.
October 28, 1940: Italy invades Greece, but fails to conquer it.
October 31, 1940: The Battle of Britain ends. The powerful German Luftwaffe fails to crush British morale.
November 14, 1940: Greece repels the Italian invasion.
November 20, 1940: Hungary and Romania sign the Tripartite Pact, becoming part of the Axis.
December 3, 1940: Greece invades Italian-held Albania.
December 11, 1940: British troops capture the Egyptian cities of Sidi Barrani (December 11) and Sollum (December 17) from the Italians.