03-1940

Diary for Sunday, March 31, 1940: Home Fronts Britain: A large proportion of people evacuated from cities in September 1939 have now drifted back home; only 300,000 schoolchildren, out of […]

Diary for Saturday, March 30, 1940: Home Fronts Britain: Sir John Gilmour, Minister of Shipping, dies aged 63.

Diary for Friday, March 29, 1940: Air War Capitan Antoine de Saint-Exupery flies first recce sortie over West Germany in the Bloch 174 (max. speed 530 km/hour). Air Marshal Portal

Diary for Thursday, March 28, 1940: Sea War Pacific: Russian cargo ships Selenga and Vladimir Mayakovski (carrying metallic ores to Vladivostok for trans-shipment to Germany) ordered to Hong Kong by

Diary for Wednesday, March 27, 1940: Western Front Phony War continues: French and German artillery exchange fire in Saar and Vosges sectors.

Diary for Tuesday, March 26, 1940: Western Front British 51st (Highland) Division takes over section of French front in Saar region. Home Fronts Canada: General Election. Liberals win 178 seats,

Diary for Monday, March 25, 1940: Home Fronts Germany: British PoWs forbidden by British Government to broadcast for the enemy.

Diary for Sunday, March 24, 1940: Western Front French and German patrols active at various points.

Diary for Saturday, March 23, 1940: Sea War British Malaya Force formed to shadow 17 German merchant ships trapped in Dutch East Indies ports.

Diary for Friday, March 22, 1940: Air War RAF bombers on recce/leaflet dropping operations over the Ruhr and northwest Germany have first encounters with German night fighters. Hampden slightly damaged

Diary for Thursday, March 21, 1940: Home Fronts France: PAUL REYNAUD FORMS NEW GOVERNMENT. Daladier appointed Minister of War. Sea War First German merchant ship (Heddernheim) sunk by British submarine

Diary for Wednesday, March 20, 1940: Home Front France: Prime Minister DALADIER RESIGNS, following severe criticism of his Finland policy. Germany: Dr. Todt appointed Minister of Armaments and War Supplies.

Diary for Tuesday, March 19, 1940: Air War 50 RAF bombers (1 lost) attack Sylt seaplane base, northwest Germany (night March 19-20) in reprisal for Scapa Flow raid of March

Diary for Monday, March 18, 1940: Politics Mussolini meets Hitler at Brenner in Austro-Italian Alps (their first meeting since Munich, 1938). Mussolini declares readiness to join war against Britain and

Diary for Sunday, March 17, 1940: Sea War Atlantic: Shipping losses for week ending March 17 are 3 British, 1 French, 4 neutral, 3 German.