THREE YEARS OF WAR

Evening Star, Issue 24289, 2 September 1942, Page 3

THREE YEARS OF WAR

1839 September 3.—lnvasion of Poland, despite Allies’ warning, caused .Britain and j Prance io be ar war with Germany. September 12, —Arrival of British troops in .Prance. September 27. —Warsaw surrenders. October 19. —Angio-Tnrkisli pact signed. November 28.--Russia invades Finland. I'ccembor 13. —Achilles takes pari in Hattie of River Piate. 1940 March 12.—Finland makes Treaty of Peace. April 9. Hermans occupy Denmark and seise Norwegian ports. April 15—Britisn forces landed in Norway. May 10.—Germans invade Holland and Belgium, May :I.—National Government formed under Mr Churchill. May 14. —Dutch commander-in-chicf orders "cessation of lighting. May 28. —King Leopo.d of Belgium surrenders with Ills army. British Army in Belgium successfully evacuated at Dunkirk. Great losses of equipment. May 29.—British withdrawal from Norway. June 10.—Italy declares war. June 16.—Marshal Pctain forms new French Government. June 18.—Mass a;r raids on Britain begin. June 23.—French Government signs armistice, July 3.—British Government demands handing over of French fleet on certain conditions. Most of ships were handed over peacefully, and those at Oran, which refused to surrender, were taken bv force by a British squadron. August 19.—British withdrawal from Somaliland. September 27.—Ten years' military pad: signed between Germany, Italy, and Japan. October 28.—Italy attacked Greece. Disastrous campaign. Hungary, Ru-. mania, and Slovakia joined Axis. December 7.—British, including New Zealanders, took Sidi Barrani. 1941 February 7—Capture of Benghazi put flic whole of Oyrenaica into British hands. March I.—Bulgaria joined Axis. March 11.—U.S.A. passed Lease and Lend Bill, pledging Britain all aid short of March* 1 17.—Recapture of Berbcra, capital of British Somaliland. March 27.—British naval victory of Matapan, in Mediterranean. April 3. —British evacuate Benghazi. April s.—Addis Ababa captured. April 5.- —Germany declares war against Yugoslavia and Greece. April 7.—lmperial, Australian, and New Zealand forces announced to be m April B.—British take Massawa. Germans and Italians recover Derna. April 9. —Germans, pushing through \ugoslavia by dint of heavier equipment, enter Salonika. Croatia proclaimed an independent Stale. Hungarians and Bulgarians join in attack on Yugoslavia. April 15.—Announced Japan had made nonaggression treaty with Russia. May 3. —Imperial and Anzac forces complete evacuation of Greece. May 12.—Hess flies to Scotland. Made prisoner of war. May 20.—Germans began air landings in Crete. British and New Zealanders forced to evacuate after a week’s fighting. June B.—British and Free French forces invade Syria to offset infiltrations of Germans, whom Vichy had allowed to establish air bases. June 22. —Germany declared war on Russia. Rumania and Finland allied themselves with Germany. Offensives begun against Leningrad, Moscow, and Kiev. Heavy British air campaign commenced against concentration points in Germany and German-occupied countries, while Britain receives respite. July 12. —Britain and Russia sign an agreement for mutual war assistance, and against the conclusion of a separate peace. July 15.—Convention signed terminating hostilities in Syria. July 26.—Vichy Government signed' an "agreement allowing Japan naval and other bases in liido-China. August 12.—Churchill and Roosevelt, meeting on the warship Prince of Wales, off the Maine coast, discussed war problems and issued an eight-point I charier of conditions that should underlie the future peace. August 24. —British troops enter Iran from south and Russians from north as a result of German infiltration. September 23. —Germans took Kiev. October 16. —Rumanians and Germans took Odessa. October 29. —Germans look Kharkov, the “ Birmingham of Russia.” November 19.—General advance begun by British troops in Cyrenaica. November 23.—Bardia recaptured by British. December 1. —Russian counter-offensive began. Germans in general retreat. December 7, —State of war declared against Finland, Rumania, and Hungary. December 7.—Japanese air squadrons treacherously attack Pearl Harbour, doing heavy damage, and Japanese forces attacked Hongkong, Malaya, Thailand, Guam, the Philippine Islands, and Wake Island. The Thailand Government agreed after five hours’ fighting to allow a passage through its country. ’ . . December B.—America and Great Britain declared war on Japan. December 11.—America declares war on Germany and Italy. December 24.—British occupy Benghazi. December 25.—Hongkong fell. 1842 January 2.—Brilisli recaptured Bardia. Recaptured Solium January 12. January 29.—Germans recaptured Benghazi. Recaptured Derna February 3. February 15.—Fall of Singapore. Pa leanbang (Sumatra) occupied by Japanese, March 7.—British troops evacuated Rangoon. Batavia occupied by Japanese. March -18.—Reported that Japanese invasive force concentrated off New Guinea had suffered heavy naval losses in series of actions with American ond Allied air forces. April 10.—American Army in Balan (Philippines) surrenders to Japan. April 18. —American bombers from an undisclosed base bombed Tokio and Japanese industrial, cities. May I.—Mandalay evacuated. May s.—British forces landed in Madagascar to protect Indian Ocean rouies. Naval base of Diego Suarez captured. May 6.—Corrcgidor (Manila Bay) surrenders to Japanese.

May 7 and 8. —Battle of Coral Sea. American and Australian naval forces inflicted heavy losses on Japanese, frustrating for llic lime being any attempt to invade North Queensland. May B.—Germans launched an offensive against Kerch Peninsula, Crimea. At same lime Timoshenko began counteroffensive higher up the front, driving at Kharkov. May 23.—Russians evacuated Kerch Peninsula. May 26.—Russo-Brilish Treaty signed for alliance in the war and collaboration and mutual assistance against any other attack thereafter. Similar treaty signed between Russia and America. May 27.—Rommel began offensive in Libya. May 23. —Mexico dee.arod war against Germany, Italy, and Japan. May 30.-1,000 bombers dropped 3,000 tons of bombs on Cologne, precursor of move vigorous air campaign for relief of Russia. June 4. —Battle of Midway Island. Americans land-based planes did heavy damage to a Japanese fleet, destroying at least two aircraft, carriers. June 21.—Tobruk captured by Rommel. Juno 29. —Mersa Mutrub captured. July 3.—Sebastopol evacuated. July 8. —German strategy had developed into a powerful offensive in the direction of Voronezh, designed to capture that great grain centre, cut off the southern portion of Timoshenko's army, and reach the Caucasus oil. July 10.—Some German units across the Don. July 27.-—Rostov fell. August 7. —Forces of the United States Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean areas, assisted by units from the South-west Pacific area, launched offensive operations in Hie Solomons nnd recovered important liases, including the fine harbour of Tulagi. August 19.—Canadian, British, American, and Fighting French troops, protected by aircraft and including tanks, landed at Dieppe, destroyed military works, and withdrew after"nine hours. August 22.—Brazil declared war against Germany and Italy.