Year 1940

Diary for Saturday, June 8, 1940: Sea War Carrier Glorious and escorting destroyers Acasta and Ardent sunk in desperate battle with Gneisenau and Scharnhorst south-west of Narvik. Acasta scores damaging […]

Diary for Friday, June 7, 1940: France Rommel advances 30 miles (ca. 48 km) to Forges-Ies-Eaux, north of Rouen. Air War French Naval Air Force attempts token bombing raid on

Diary for Thursday, June 6, 1940: France Despite strong French resistance, Rommel breaks through west of Amiens and advances 20 miles (ca. 32 km). Air War 21 LeO-451 bombers (11

Diary for Wednesday, June 5, 1940: Western Front BATTLE OF FRANCE BEGINS – Operation Rot (Red): 119 German divisions (with 10 armored) against 65 French divisions (3 armored, 3 mechanized

Diary for Tuesday, June 4, 1940: Western Front Germans capture Dunkirk, taking 40,000 French prisoners (rearguard plus many stragglers), and great quantities of abandoned British equipment, inc. 2,472 guns, 84,427

Diary for Monday, June 3, 1940: Sea War Last evacuation ships leave Dunkirk (night June 3-4). Dunkirk Evacuation: Total evacuated: 338,226 men inc. about 120,000 French and Belgians; 861 ships

Diary for Sunday, June 2, 1940: Sea War 26,200 troops evacuated from Dunkirk; destroyers Malcolm and Sabre damaged (night June 2-3). Air War Further German raids on Lyons and Rhone

Diary for Saturday, June 1, 1940: Sea War 64,400 troops evacuated from Dunkirk. Destroyers Keith (flagship), Basilisk and Havant, French destroyer Foudroyant and large transport Scotia bombed and sunk. Fife

Diary for Friday, May 31, 1940: Western Front French 1st Army surrenders in Lille sector after 4-day siege. BEF withdraws from Belgian sector of Dunkirk pocket (night May 31-June 1).

Diary for Thursday, May 30, 1940: Sea War 53,800 troops evacuated from Dunkirk. French destroyer Bourrasque sunk by artillery fire and mine damage; three British destroyers damaged by bombing. Three

Diary for Wednesday, May 29, 1940: Air War Two elite units of Junkers Ju 88 bombers join assault on Dunkirk. Squadron of RAF Defiant two-seat fighters claim 37 ‘kills’ over

Diary for Tuesday, May 28, 1940: Norway NARVIK CAPTURED by French Foreign Legion and Norwegians. Sea War 17,800 troops evacuated from Dunkirk; destroyer Windsor damaged by bombs; small steamer sunk

Diary for Monday, May 27, 1940: Western Front Guderian is permitted, by his superiors, to continue the advance from river Aa towards Dunkirk, employing motorized infantry (tanks to be held

Diary for Sunday, May 26, 1940: Sea War DUNKIRK EVACUATION (Operation Dynamo) begins. Zeebrugge harbor sabotaged by Royal Navy; 4 block ships sunk. Air War Spitfire Mk Is destroy 6

Diary for Saturday, May 25, 1940: Western Front BEF despatch two divisions to block the gap between Menin and Ypres. Germans capture 5,000 British and French troops at Boulogne. British

Diary for Thursday, May 24, 1940: Western Front German infantry storm old Citadel, Boulogne. Guderian seals off Calais pocket. HITLER AND RUNDSTEDT HALT PANZER CORPS at Gravelines, southwest of Dunkirk.

Diary for Thursday, May 23, 1940: Western Front Germans cross river Scheldt at Oudenarde. BEF in Belgium put on half-rations following loss of supply depots. Sea War Six British destroyers

Diary for Wednesday, May 22, 1940: Air War RAF bomb German communications and dumps on river Meuse near Namur and north of river Aisne. Attempted raid on Leipzig power station

Diary for Tuesday, May 21, 1940: Western Front British and French armor counter-attack Rommel’s 7th Panzer division at Arras. After initial success attacks fail and end May 23. Germans besiege

Diary for Monday, May 20, 1940: Western Front Guderian’s 1st and 2nd Panzer divisions race to the Channel Coast, despite gallant but ineffectual resistance by troops from British 12th and