Year 1940

Diary for Friday, May 10, 1940: Western Front GERMANS INVADE HOLLAND, BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG without warning (Operation Gelb = Yellow ) employing 77 divisions (including 10 Panzer and 2 airborne)

Diary for Thursday, May 9, 1940: Western Front At noon Hitler orders ‘Gelb’ offensive to begin at 5.35 a.m. on May 10. At 9 a.m. code word ‘Danzig’ transmitted to

Diary for Wednesday, May 8, 1940: Home Fronts Britain: Norway Debate concluded. Severe criticism of Chamberlain by Lloyd George: ‘the Prime Minister….has appealed for sacrifice….he should sacrifice the Seals of

Diary for Tuesday, May 7, 1940: Home Fronts Britain: NORWAY DEBATE begins in House of Commons. Chamberlain defends Conservative Governments strategy. He comes under fierce attack from Admiral Keyes and

Diary for Monday, May 6, 1940: Norway Norwegian troops fight back in Roeros-Stoeren sector (eastern central Norway). Norwegian gold reserve (£33 millions) safe in London. Secret War The Pope tells

Diary for Sunday, May 5, 1940: Norway French Foreign Legionnaires and Polish troops land at Harstad (near Narvik) and Tromso (north of Narvik). Secret War Captain Hermann Goertz, of the

Diary for Saturday, May 4, 1940: Norway British troops land at Mo, south of Narvik. Sea War Polish destroyer Grom bombed and sunk off Narvik. Secret War Papal Nuncio warns

Diary for Friday, May 3, 1940: Norway Surrender of Norwegian forces in Trondheim area. Western Front Hitler postpones Gelb offensive from May 5 to May 6 (further postponements on May

Diary for Thursday, May 2, 1940: Norway Evacuation of Namsos: British and French troops leave ruined town night May 2-3. Ju 87 Stukas attack May 3, sinking French destroyers Afridi

Diary for Wednesday, May 1, 1940: Norway British troops evacuated from Alesund. Germans counter-attack near Narvik (and on May 2); attack repulsed. German forces link up between Oslo and Bergen.

Diary for Tuesday, April 30, 1940: Norway British commence evacuation of Andalsnes, Molde and Alesund (completed night May 1-2). German columns from Oslo and Trondheim link up in central Norway.

Diary for Monday, April 29, 1940: Air War Empire Air Training Scheme: training of pilots and air crews begins at schools in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Norway British troops

Diary for Sunday, April 28, 1940: Sea War Atlantic: Liner Queen Mary (81,200 t) arrives at Cape Town after record-breaking 12-day voyage from New York.

Diary for Saturday, April 27, 1940: Occupied countries Norway: Terboven appointed Reichskommissar for Norway (formerly Gauleiter of Essen). Politics Germany officially at war with Norway. Ribbentrop attempts to justify German