- April 4
- General Olof Thörnell, commander of Swedish forces, issues a report to government, stating that Sweden should prepare to participate in a war against the Soviet Union, for the sake of Finland, Sweden's future position, and prestige in northern Europe. [7]
- German troops conquer Banghazi. [1]
- April 6
- (early) Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union sign a treaty of friendship, providing for "amicable relations" in the event of foreign attack. [10]
- (0500 hours) The first wave of German Stuka bombers cross into Yugoslavia, beginning a three-day bombardment of Belgrade. [10]
- German forces invade Greece. [10]
- British General Gambier-Parry is caught in North Africa. [1]
- German bombardment on Piraeus (munitions ship explodes). [1]
- Italian-held Addis Ababa capitulates to British and Ethiopian forces. [1]
- April 7
- British Generals O'Connor and Neame are captured in North Africa. [1]
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- April 9
- The US signs agreement with an ambassador for the Danish king to assume temporary responsibility for the defence of Greenland. [1071.144]
- April 10
- German troops conquer Libyan county Cyrenaica. [1]
- In Washington, USA, a treaty is signed with the Danish government for the US to take over protection of Greenland. [10]
- April 11
- Germany blitzes Conventry, England. [1]
- Jewish Weekly newspaper taken control of by Germans. [1]
- German occupiers in Netherlands confiscate Jewish assets. [1]
- April 12
- Vichy France's head of government Admiral Darlan consults with Adolf Hitler. [1]
- April 13
- Heavy German assault on Tobruk. [1]
- The Yugoslav capital of Belgrade is occupied by German forces. [10]
- Japan and the Soviet Union sign a five-year non-aggression pact. [10]
- April 14
- First massive German raid in Paris, France, 3,600 Jews rounded up. [1]
- King Peter leaves Yugoslavia. [1]
- April 15
- First helicopter flight of one hour duration, Stratford, Connecticut. [1]
- April 16
- Little Theater at Adelphi Strand closes. [1]
- April 17
- Yugoslavia signs an armistice with Germany. [10]
- British troops land in Iraq. [1]
- Office of Price Administration established (to handle rationing). [1]
- April 18
- Alexander Korysis, Prime Minister of Greece, commits suicide. [1]
- April 19
- Bulgarian troops invade Macedonia. [1]
- Milk is rationed in Holland. [1]
- April 20
- 100 German bombers attack Athens, Greece. [1]
- April 23
- Greece surrenders to Italy. [10]
- April 24
- The Greek government surrenders to Germany. [10]
- British army begins evacuation of Greece. [1]
- Dutch Prince Bernhard becomes a British Royal Air Force pilot. [1]
- April 25
- Operation Merkur: Adolf Hitler orders conquest of Crete. [1]
- April 26
- Potatoes rationed in Holland. [1]
- April 27
- German troops occupy Athens, Greece. [1]
- April 28
- Last British troops in Greece surrender. [1]
- April 30
- Spread of Judaism begins in Croatia. [1]
- May 1
- German assault on Tobruk. [1]
- May 2
- Martin Bormann succeeds Rudolf Hess as Adolf Hitler's deputy. [1]
- German-occupied Netherlands lays off Jewish journalists. [1]
- May 3
- German air raid on Liverpool, England. [1]
- May 5
- Two Fokker airplane employees flee German-occupied Netherlands to England. [1]
- Haile Selassie returns to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to reclaim his throne. [10]
- Pulitzer prize awarded to Robert E Sherwood (There shall be no night). [1]
- May 6
- Josef Stalin becomes premier of Russia. [1]
- May 7
- British House of Commons votes for Winston Churchill (477-3). [1]
- French Deputy Premier Jean Darlan concludes a secret treaty with Germany, allowing German arms shipments across Syria to Iraq. [10]
- May 8
- German Q-ship Pinguin sinks in Indian Ocean. [1]
- HMS Bulldog captures German submarine U-110 off Iceland. An Enigma encoding machine is captured, and captain Fritz-Julius Lemp (responsible for sinking passenger liner Athenia at start of war) is taken prisoner. [10]
- May 9
- A peace treaty is signed between Vichy France and Siam, granting large areas of Cambodia and Laos to Siam. [10]
- English Army breaks German spy codes. [1]
- May 10
- (1745 hours) Rudolf Hess, Adolf Hitler's deputy, leaves Augsburg in a specially modified Messerschmitt-110, flies through the weakest section of British coastal radar, over an RAF base twice with no response, misses his landing spot and bails out over a farm south of Glasgow, breaks an ankle, and is captured by a farmer with a pitchfork. (Some evidence suggests that Hitler sent Hess to a pre-arranged meeting to negotiate peace in the west, before an attack could be launched against the Soviet Union.) [10] [861.44] [868.18]
- England's House of Commons and Holborn Theater destroyed in a blitz. [1]
- Dutch Queen Wilhelmina on Radio Orange warns against treason. [1]
- May 11
- First German Messerschmidt 109F plane shot down above England. [1]
- May 12
- British convoy marches into Alexandria. [1]
- May 13
- Martin Bormann is named head of Nazi Party Chancellery in Germany. [1]
- Trial against resistance fighter comte d'Estienne d'Orves begins. [1]
- May 14
- 3,600 Parisian Jews arrested. [1]
- May 15
- First British turbojet flies. [1]
- British attack Halfaya-pass and Fort Capuzzo in Egypt and Libya. [1]
- German occupiers in Netherlands forbid Jewish music. [1]
- May 16
- Italian army under Aosta surrenders to Britain at Amba Alagi, Ethiopia. [1]
- Last great German air attack on Great Britain (Birmingham). [1]
- Germans forbid Dutch Organization of Actors (NOT). [1]
- May 18
- Italian army under General Aosta surrenders to Britain in Ethiopia. [1]
- May 19
- German occupiers in Holland forbid bicycle taxis. [1]
- New German battleship Bismarck leaves Gdynia, Poland. [1]
- Soviet NKGB agent Richard Sorge in Japan warns Josef Stalin that nine German armies with 150 divisions are preparing for war with the Soviet Union. Stalin rejects the credibility of the information. [10]
- May 20
- Former Dutch Prime Minister Colijn says Netherlands Indies not ready for independence. [1]
- (just after dawn) Operation Mercury is launched, as German gliders and 7th Airborne Division paratroopers land near principal airports on Crete, with the mission of securing them for transport of 5th Division troops. Many gliders crash, and many paratroopers are shot in the air. [10]
- May 21
- First US ship sunk by a German submarine (SS Robin Moore). [1]
- German airforce occupies airport at Maleme, Crete. [1]
- May 22
- British troops attack Baghdad, Iraq. [1]
- May 24
- (0601 hours) The fifth shot from German battleship Bismarck hits the British battleship Hood, penetrating the deck to the main ammunition magazine and exploding, destroying the ship. Only three of a crew of 1422 survive. [10]
- May 25
- 5,000 drown in a storm at Ganges Delta region in India. [1]
- May 26
- Ark Royal airplane sights German battleship Bismarck. [1]
- German occupiers in Netherlands begin youth labor. [1]
- British Swordfish planes launch torpedo attacks on the Bismarck. Two hits are scored, one knocking out the steering gear, jamming the rudder at 15 degrees to port. Another torpedo strikes amidships, doing little damage. [10]
- May 27
- Allied troops begin evacuating Crete. [1]
- US President Franklin Roosevelt proclaimes an "unlimited national emergency" due to Germany's sinking of Robin Moor. [1]
- (1040 hours) German battleship Bismarck sinks, in the North Atlantic near France, either from British shells and torpedoes, or from the German sailors scuttling it. 115 survive from a crew of over 2200. [10] [129]
- May 28
- British army begins evacuation of Crete. [1]
- May 30
- First anti-semitic measures in Serbia. [1]
- English Army enters Baghdad, chasing pro-German coup government. [1]
- Germans capture Crete. [1]
- May 31
- British troops vacate Crete. [1]
- German occupiers of Netherlands forbid Jews access to beach and swimming pools. [1]
- May (month)
- 41 German submarines sunk this month (325,000 ton). [1]
- June 1
- Germany bans all Catholic publications. [1]
- Evacuation of Crete ends; the remaining 9,000 British and 1,000 Greek soldiers surrender. Total losses of manpower in the fight for the island: British army 12,000; navy 2,000; Greek 5,000; German 6,000. [10]
- June 18
- Turkey and Germany sign a Treaty of Non-Aggression. [10]
- June 22
- (0316 hours) Germany launches Operation Barbarossa, invading the Soviet Union along an 1100-mile front, with three million soldiers, the largest invasion in history. Army Group Center, commanded by Fedor von Bock, attacks north of the Pripet Marshes from Brest-Litovsk. Army Group North, commanded by Wilhelm von Leeb, attacks through Baltic states heading to Leningrad. Army Group South, commanded by Gerd von Rundstedt, attacks south of Pripet Marshes toward Kiev. In the south, the 11th Army of Romanians and Germans attack across the Pruth River into Bessarabia. German planes begin bombing and strafing Soviet airfields. By the end of the day, 1200 Russian aircraft are destroyed. [10]
- Finland invades Karelia. [1]
- June 26
- Finland enters war against Russia. [1]
- June 29
- Vichy Government of France breaks diplomatic relations with Soviet Union. [968.34]
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