Our game begins on 25 August 1939, with Europe on the cusp of war.
Recent Events
- January
- Spanish Nationalists capture Barcelona
- On his 6th anniversary of coming to power, Hitler's Reichstag speech predicts the annihilation of the Jews in Europe if 'international finance Jewry' should torment another world war.
- Chamberlain declares that a German attack on France would be viewed as an attack on Britain
- February
- The German battleship Bismarck is launched at Hamburg
- German Jews ordered to hand over all their valuables to the state with no compensation
- Britain and France formally recognise Francoist Spain
- March
- Cardinal Pacelli becomes Pope Pius XII
- Czechoslovakian president dismisses Slovakian PM, who flees to Vienna and requests German protection, while Czech troops occupy Bratislava
- Hungarians occupy Ruthenia, Slovakia declares independence from Czechoslovakia
- Hitler declares Protectorate of Bohemia & Moravia, Ruthenia declares independence as Carpatho-Ukraine.
- Chamberlain declares the 1938 Munich agreement as 'no-longer binding', and later declares that Britain will oppose 'any German effort to dominate the world'.
- German troops occupy Bohemia & Moravia, and Hitler visits Prague
- German troops occupy Presov in Slovakia, as Hungarian troops occupy the Ruthenian capital Khust
- London conference on Palestine fails with lack of common ground between Arabs & Jews
- French parliament votes to give government dictatorial powers - accelerated rearmament and partial mobilisation of receivers follows
- Ribbentrop issues ultimatum to Lithuania for return of Memel, subsequently Lithuania signs treaty with Germany.
- US recalls its ambassador from Berlin
- Britain and France propose forming a united front with Poland and USSR against Germany, but the Poles reject the initiative.
- Hitler demands the return of Danzig to Germany and a corridor to link it to East Prussia. The Poles reject this and talks break down. Poles threaten war if Germany should attempt to change Danzig's status unilaterally.
- Memel annexed by Germany, Hitler visits to rapturous welcome.
- UK declares willingness to fight any German move on the Netherlands, Belgium or Switzerland
- Hungarian troops enter Slovakia.
- Germany & Romania sign economic treaty
- Nationalists launch final offensive in Spain and capture Madrid after a 3-year siege
- Rome issues ultimatum to Albania to accept Italian occupation
- Chamberlain announced Anglo-French war guarantee to Poland in the event of a German attack in House of Commons speech.
- April
- The German Battleship Tirpitz is launched at Wilhelmshaven.
- Franco announces victory in civil war and is recognised by the United States
- Hungary & Slovakia sign peace treaty
- Albanian government rejects Italian ultimatum
- Italians invade Albania on Good Friday, Albanian royal family flees to Greece with good reserves.
- Hungary withdraws from the League of Nations
- Albania falls, and parliament votes in favour of union with Italy
- Anglo-French war guarantees issued to Romania and Greece
- USSR proposed 10-year alliance with France and UK - rejected by the UK.
- Limited conscription announced in UK
- Hitler repudiates 1935 Anglo-German naval agreement and 1934 German-Polish non-aggression pact in Reichstag speech. Offers renewed terms over Danzig.
- May
- Slovakia deprives 30,000 Jews of citizenship
- Poland rejects Hitler's new terms in negotiations over Danzig
- Spain withdraws from the League of Nations
- Clashes on the Manchurian/Mongolian border between Japanese and Soviet supported forces.
- Britain & Turkey sign mutual assistance treaty
- Hitler inspects the Siegfried Line at Aachen
- Ravensbrück concentration camp opens for women prisoners
- Sweden, Norway and Finland reject Germany non-aggression pacts
- London announces plans for Palestinian independence within 10 years - Jews and Arabs to take part in government.
- Germany and Italy sign ten-year 'pact of steel' for mutual support in the event of war, and invite Japan to join the alliance.
- General Zhukov ordered to Mongolian-Manchurian border.
- Soviet-Mongolian forces defeat Japanese troops each of the Khalkhin-Gol
- Germany and Denmark sign a non-aggression pact.
- Celebrations in Hamburg for 5,000 Germans returning from combat in Spain
- June
- HMS Thetis, Royal Navy Submarine, sinks on sea trials off Liverpool, 99 killed.
- Danzig Senate president complains over sharp increase in number of Polish customs officials in city since May
- Germany signs non-aggression pacts with Latvia and Estonia.
- Japanese troops blockade British concession at Tientsin, China, for harbouring fugitives
- French submarine Phenix sinks off Indochina, 71 killed
- Goebbels tells Danzig crowd that reunification with the Reich is inevitable
- Bomb explosion in Haifa market kills 18 Arabs
- Japanese erect barricade around the British concession in Tientsin.
- Danzig Senate sets up SS Home Guard unit.
- France and Turkey sign mutual assistance treaty
- Japanese 2nd Air Brigade attacks Soviet airbase in Mongolia without permission
- Halifax declares in London speech that Britain will fight any new act of aggression in Europe
- Italy extends restrictions on Jews.
- July
- Ongoing warfare at Khalkhin-Gol - Zhukov launches counter offensive, subsequently given command of 1st Army Group and given operational freedom.
- Chamberlain reaffirms British support for Poland in the event of war with Germany
- Italy recalls its ambassador from London
- British troops going in French Bastille Day parade
- British Union of Fascists leader Oswald Mosley calls for UK hands-off policy in Eastern Europe in London meeting with 20,000 attending
- RAF Bombers make return flight from London to Marseilles to demonstrate British AirPower
- General Wavell appointed British C-in-C for Middle-East
- Poles announce economic reprisals against Danzig firms
- Chamberlain informs parliament of agreement with Japan on security of forces in China.
- Japanese offensive at Khalkin-Gol halted after failure to break Soviet lines, Canton river closed to foreign shipping for two weeks.
- US government renounces 1911 trade agreement with Japan
- 5 bombs explode in England, killing one person.
- UK parliament approves bill to summarily deport suspected IRA members. 19 deported immediately.
- UK & France announce coming talks in Moscow on alliance with USSR.
- August
- 5 - Warsaw warns Danzig not to interfere with Polish customs officials
- 5 - Firing squad executes 13 young women socialists in Madrid
- 7 - Danzig refuses to recognise untrained Polish officials as customs guards.
- 8 - Air defence tests in UK featuring 1,300 RAF warplanes
- 9 - Polish ambassador in Berlin warned about interference in the internal affairs of Danzig
- 10 - Poles declare willingness to fight Germans on Danzig issue
- 10/11 - Trial blackouts for half of England and London in the event of war
- 11/12 - Italian FM Ciano meets Ribbentrop in Salzburg and Hitler in Berghof
- 15 - Norwegian freighter sunk by mine off the mouth of the Tyne, 9 crew killed.
- 15 - 13 Stuka's crash in air display at Neuhammer, crews killed
- 20 - Soviets commence offensive at Khalkin-Gol
- 20 - British hand over Chinese fugitives to Japanese to end Tientsin stand-off
- 21 - German heavy cruiser Admiral Graf Spee sails from Wilhelmshaven.
- 21 - Hitler orders military mobilisation
- 24 - 10-year non-aggression pact between Germany & the USSR announced
- 24 - German heavy cruiser Deutschland sails from Wilhelmshaven.
- 24 - UK parliament approves emergency powers bill and reservists are recalled back to active duty.
No comments:
Post a Comment