Chronology of WWII

1939
September 1st - Germany invades Poland.
September 3rd - Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand declare war on Germany.
September 10th - Canada declares war on Germany.
September 17th - Soviet Union invades eastern Poland.
September 27th - Surrender of Warsaw.
November 30th - Soviet Union invades Finland.

1940
March 12th - Finland signs peace treaty with Soviet Union.
April 9th - Germany begins occupation of Denmark and invades Norway.
May 10th - Germany invades Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg.
May 10th - British Prime Minister, Chamberlain, resigns, replaced by Churchill.
May 15th - Holland surrenders to Germany.
May 26th - Evacuation of British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk.
May 27th - Belgium surrenders to Germany.
June 10th - Capitulation of Norway.
June 10th - Italy declares war on Britain and France.
June 14th - German army enters Paris.
June 18th - Soviets invade Baltic states.
June 22nd - France signs armistice with Germany.
June 30th - Germany begins occupation of Channel Islands.
July 10th - Start of Battle of Britain.
July 11th - Petain becomes head of French Vichy Government.
August 3rd - Italy begins occupation of British Somaliland.
September 13th - Italy invades Egypt.
September 27th - Germany, Italy and Japan sign Tripartite Pact.
October 7th - German army moves into Rumania.
October 28th - Italy invades Greece.
November 14th - Greek army repels Italians back into Albania.
November 22nd - Italian 9th Army defeated by Greeks.
December 11th - British capture Sidi Barrani, Egypt, from Italians.
December 17th - British recapture Sollum, Egypt.

1941
January 5th - Australians capture Bardia, Libya.
January 22nd - British and Australians capture Torbruk.
February 6th - British and Australians capture Benghazi.
February 25th - British capture Mogadishu, Italian Somaliland.
March 1st - Bulgaria joins Axis.
March 25th - Yugoslavia signs Tripartite Pact.
March 27th - Yogoslav government overthrown - leaves Pact.
March 30th - German Afrika Korps begins offensive in N. Africa.
April 4th - Germans capture Benghazi.
April 6th - Germany invades Yugoslavia and Greece.
April 10th - Germans take Zagreb.
April 12th - Germans occupy Belgrade.
April 13th - Soviets and Japanese sign neutrality pact.
April 17th - Yugoslav army surrenders to Germans.
April 22nd - Germans capture Thessalonika.
April 27th - Germans capture Athens.
April 28th - Germans take Sollum.
May 15th - British re-capture Sollum and Halfaya.
May 20th - German airborne invasion of Crete.
May 31st - British forces in Crete defeated.
June 8th - Allied forces invade Syria.
June 22nd - Operation Barbarossa - Germany invades Soviet Union.
June 22nd - Italy and Rumania declare war on Soviets.
June 23rd - Hungary and Slovakia declare war on Soviets.
June 26th - Finland declares war on Soviets.
June 28th - German Army captures Minsk.
July 15th - Germans capture Smolensk.
August 16th - Germans capture Novogrod.
September 5th - German army occupies Estonia.
September 15th - Siege of Leningrad starts.
September 19th - Kiev captured by Germans.
October 16th - Soviet Union moves government to Kuibyshev.
October 24th - Kharkov falls to Germans.
November 3rd - Germans capture Kursk.
November 22nd - Germans captue Rostov.
November 25th - Germans attack Moscow.
December 5th - Germans halt attack on Moscow.
December 7th - Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour.
December 7th - Japanese declare war on USA.
December 7th - Japanese invade Siam and Malaya.
December 8th - Allies (except Soviets) declare war on Japan.
December 11th - Germany declares war on USA.
December 25th - Japanese capture Hong Kong.
December 25th - British Re-capture Benghazi.

1942
January 2nd - Japanese capture Manila.
January 11th - British re-take Sollum.
January 11th - Japanese take Kuala Lumpur.
January 13th - Soviets recapture Kiev.
February 15th - Singapore falls to Japanese.
March 8th - Japanese enter Rangoon.
May 6th - British capture Madagascar.
May 6th - Surrender of all US forces on Phillipines.
May 28th - Germans defeat Soviets at Kharkov.
June 4th - Battle of Midway - 4 Japanese carriers sunk.
July 3rd - Sevastopol falls to Germans.
August 22nd - Brazil declares war on Germany and Italy.
October 23rd - Battle of El Alamein begins.
November 8th - Operation Torch begins - Allies invade NW Africa.

1943
January 14th - Casablanca Conference begins - Roosevelt demands "Unconditional Surrender".
January 28th - British 8th Army captures Tripoli.
January 31st - German surrender at Stalingrad.
February 8th - Soviets re-capture Kursk.
February 14th - Soviets re-capture Rostov.
February 16th - Soviets re-capture Kharkov.
March 15th - German Army re-takes Kharkov.
May 12th - Surrender of Axis forces in North Africa.
July 10th - Operation Husky - Allied landings in Sicily.
July 25th - Mussolini's Italian Fascist government overthrown.
July 26th - Marshal Badoglio declares martial law in Italy.
August 23rd - Soviets re-capture Kharkov.
September 3rd - Italy signs armistice.
September 10th - Germans occupy Rome.
September 23rd - Mussolini declares Fascist government in Northern Italy.
September 25th - Soviets re-take Smolensk.
October 13th - Official Italian Government declares war on Germany.
November 6th - Soviets re-capture Kiev.

1944
January 6th - Soviets advance into Poland.
January 22nd - Allied landings in Anzio.
January 27th - End of siege of Leningrad.
March 19th - Hungary occupied by German Army.
April 10th - Soviets capture Odessa.
May 9th - Sevastopol falls to Soviets.
June 4th - Rome captured by Allies.
June 6th - Operation Neptune/Overlord - Allied invasion of Normandy.
June 27th - US Army captures Cherbourg.
July 3rd - Soviets re-capture Minsk.
July 7th - Japanese defeat on Saipan.
July 9th - Allies capture Caen.
July 20th - German assassination attempt on Hitler fails.
July 21st - US landings on Guam.
July 25th - Beginning of Operation Cobra - Allied breakout from Normandy.
July 28th - Soviets take Brest-Litovsk.
August 4th - Allies liberate Florence.
August 15th - Operation Anvil - Allied landings in South of France.
August 25th - Allies liberate Paris.
August 28th - Liberation of Marseilles/Toulon.
August 30th - Germans abandon Bulgaria.
August 31st - Soviets capture Bucharest.
September 2nd - Pisa liberated.
September 3rd - Antwerp/Brussels liberated.
September 5th - Soviets declare war on Bulgaria.
September 12th - Le Havre liberated.
September 17th - Operation Market Garden - failed airborne assault in Holland.
September 22nd - Boulogne liberated.
September 26th - Estonia occupied by Soviets.
September 28th - Liberation of Calais.
October 1st - Soviets enter Yugoslavia.
October 4th - Allies land in Greece.
October 14th - Athens liberated.
October 20th - Liberation of Belgrade.
October 21st - Allies capture Aachen.
October 23rd - Soviets enter East Prussia.
November 4th - Surrender of Axis forces in Greece.
November 24th - French capture Strasbourg.
December 16th - German attack through Ardennes - Battle of the Bulge begins.
December 26th - US troops hold Bastogne - Ardennes offensive stalls.

1945
January 1st - Germans withdraw from Ardennes.
January 16th - German Ardennes "Bulge" eliminated.
January 17th - Soviets capture Warsaw.
January 26th - Japanese retreat to Chinese coast.
January 26th - Soviets liberate Auschwitz.
February 2nd - Trier captured by Allies.
February 4th - Manila falls to Allies.
February 17th - Koblenz falls to Allies.
February 19th - Japanese evacuate Mandalay.
February 19th - US landings on Iwo Jima.
February 20th - Saarbrucken captured by Allies.
February 23rd - Poznan falls to Soviets.
February 20th - Danzig captured by Soviets.
April 1st - US invades Okinawa.
April 10th - Hanover falls to Allies.
April 11th - Soviets and Yugoslavs sign treaty.
April 12th - US President Roosevelt dies - Truman becomes President.
April 13th - Soviets capture Vienna.
April 15th - Allies capture Arnhem.
April 23rd - Soviets enter Berlin.
April 20th - Nuremburg falls to Allies.
April 28th - Mussolini captured by partisans and executed.
April 30th - Hitler commits suicide.
May 2nd - German forces in Italy surrender.
May 4th - German forces in Holland, Denmark and N W Germany surrender.
May 5th - Ceasefire on Western Front.
May 7th - German unconditional surrender.
May 8th - VE Day declared.
May 9th - Soviets occupy Prague.
May 9th - Liberation of Channel Islands.
June 10th - Australians invade Borneo.
June 22nd - US forces capture Okinawa.
August 6th - Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
August 8th - Soviets declare war on Japan.
August 9th - Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki.
August 14th - Japanese surrender.
August 15th - VJ Day declared.
September 5th - British land in Singapore.
September 7th - Japanese surrender Shanghai.
September 9th - Surrender of remaining Japanese forces in China.
September 13th - Japanese surrender in Burma.
September 16th - Japanese surrender in Hong Kong.

 

I don't know where that came from. In Jan 1944 the Soviets were still deep into Russian territory east of Minsk around the Vitebsk mark line. Poland wasn't reached until the summer of 1944 after Operation Bagration.

Also in Jan/ Feb/ March/ April 1944 huge battles for western Ukraine took place in the Zhitomir/ Berdichev area, Cherkassy-Korsun area, Uman, Vinnitsa, Kemenets-Podolsk area, Ternapol, Kowel and points in between. The battles were on a much larger scale than the likes of Anzio etc but hardly get a mention in the west. The whole winter battles from mid Dec 1943 until mid April 1944 were some of the bitterest fighting of the war and definately the most interesting to study from the point of view of armoured warfare. The Panzerwaffe lost 2,500 tanks and SPGs etc while the Soviets lost around 7,500 during this period.

Apart from that Mutant Poodle, you have done an excellent job. Nice one. Great post.

 

I think MP is right, in january 1944, soviet troops crossed polish border.
This was in southern Poland, in Lwow area.However they did not advance much further till june.

 

Couple notes about finland:
1940
March 12th - Finland signs peace treaty with Soviet Union. <-- True, but war ended next day, March 13th.

1941
June 26th - Finland declares war on Soviets. <-- After Soviets bomb Helsinki.

December 6th - Britain declares war on Finland. Nice independencedaypresent.

1944
June 9th - Soviets start major attack at Finland.

September 4th - Armistice bethween Finland and Soviet.

September 15th - War of Lapland begins.

1945
April 23th - Last German troops left Finland

April 25th - War in Lapland was declared to end.

 

Ooops! Forgot the Web Link, sorry. Will edit the chrono later!

Hold on, I don't take credit for this work. I seem to have lost the link to this page. All I did was a cut and paste from the actual site, sorry if anyone thought I had this much time on my hands.

All I did was reorganize the content to fit on the screen.

 

Lvov was known as Lemberg to the Germans. I don't know of battles around this area in January 1944. In Jan 1944 the Soviets were still around the Berdichev/ Shepetovka/ Vinnitsa area some 200 miles to the east and fighting to squeez the Cherkassy-Korsun pocket.

Battles around Ternopol ( 50 miles to the south east of Lvov) and Brody didn't occur until March/ April 1944. I don't know of anything around that area until this time span of March/ April 1944.

However, I have shamefully totally overlooked the fact that both the Polish and even Rumanian borders spread hundreds of miles further east into present day Ukraine than they do now so the Polish border reached in Jan 1944 is well within the Ukraine today and it isn't part of Poland anymore. I guess the Polish border in 1944 was near to the Berdichev/ Shepetovka area and battles most certainly took place there in Jan 1944. According to one map of that timespan I have the Polish border actually reached as far east in some places as a line due south of the Minsk 'mark' and the Rumanian border reached well beyond Odessa which again is obviously well within the Ukraine border these days.

I was looking at borders as they are now and most sources and works on the eastern front refer to the borders as they are now, hence the confusion. Apologies for trying to be a smart arse Castelot and Mutant Poodle. I will think properly before I butt in next time.:cry:

 

A little comment about the Ardennes offensive, my specialty:

December 26 was actually the date on which the ring around Bastogne was broken by 4th Armoured division supported by 80th infantry. The siege of the city was not lifted yet; this didn't happen until January 5th or thereabouts. It was just that resupply of the 101st airborne was possible from Dec 26th. This event wasn't the actual turning point of the Ardennes offensive, either; two days earlier the German vanguard had screeched to a halt on a distance of 3 miles from the Meuse bridge of Dinant, out of fuel. A day later, 2nd Armoured division rammed into them from the north, destroying two thirds of the German 2nd Panzer division which had penetrated furthest. Thus Germany's last hope of reaching the Meuse river was crushed, and the bulge-shaped penetration of the American front had lost its function.

The Germans withdrew only 6th SS Panzer Army from the Ardennes, on January 5th, to reinforce the German forces in Hungary for the oncoming offensive at lake Balaton; the rest of the forces engaged were never withdrawn from the region until utterly depleted. Some never left, because of course huge masses of Allied divisions had to be contained from turning the offensive the other way around and into Germany. So I don't know where the date mentioned above actually came from.

On January 18, 3rd and 1st US armies met at Houffalize, thus halving the size of the Bulge, but the delay in doing so had given all German units west of the village time to withdraw back east. No units were captured by finishing this move.

The Bulge was entirely cleared, the front line restored to its position as it had been on the morning of December 16th and the Ardennes offensive erased from the maps, on January 27th 1945.

 

Nice, but you forgot at least two dates according to the Slovak uprising. 29th august 1944-the beginning and the 27th october-the transition of the resistance to a partisan movement. Another interesting date is 17th september 1944 the landing of the 1st Czechoslovak fighter regiment on the insurgent airfield in Zolna.

 

Actually, it would be nice to mention the Uprising in Warsaw Ghetto in 1943 as well as the Warsaw Uprising in 1944. Both, og course of no military, but large political importance.
The Uprising in Ghetto was a desperate attempt to attract the world opinion to the fate of European Jews. Nobody had any illusions as to the final result of the fight. The Ghetto was by then almost empty, the majority of its population having been transported to death camps.

The 1944 uprising has shown for all to see what kind of plans Stalin had conc. Poland. The uprising lasted, al in all, 63 days. It was an undertaking of the Polish Government in London. Its goal was to push the Germans out of Warsaw and to install the Polish Government there instead.
The Soviet forces were nearby, on the other side of Vistula river, watching the Uprising. Stalin refused to help it in any way.
The western Allies tried to drop some supplies on numerous occasions. Stalin was asked to allow transport planes to land and tank, but the answer was always "Nyet". He wanted the Uprising to fall and then take Warsaw himself.
After the fall of the Uprising, all insurgents were granted POW status by the Germans. All civilians were ordered out of the city. Afterwards, on Hitler´s specific order, the city was completely demolished with explosives (ca. 90% of houses were destroyed).

One can say that the destruction of Warsaw was the last "joint venture" of Stalin and Hitler.

 

small techincality

France declared war on the 4th september 1939.

 

some more points

no mention of the batlle of stalingrad or the battle of kursk?

jan 13th 1942 soviets recapture kiev i assume is an error?

feb 20th 1945 soviets capture danzig (actually surrender 31st march 1945).

 

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Don't think so.
France declared war on Germany on 3rd september 5 p.m.

 

You forgot a lot of major pacific battles, such as Battle of the Coral Sea Battle of the Bismark Sea invasion of tarawa and many other invasions and battles.

 

A little comment: USSR did not invade the Baltic states. These states were blackmailed to allow the entrance of Soviet troops without fight. What followed was a brutal occupation and "anschluss" of these states in the Soviet Union (excl. the Memel area which became German).