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The Reich, after months of build-up, invades Poland, thus inciting WW2. -
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German forces seize the city, the Poles are in full retreat.
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French forces advance eight miles into the heavily mined Warndt Forest -
Soviet forces will link up with their German counterparts by the nineteenth at Brest-Litovsk
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Japanese forces assault Changsha, but are repulsed by their Chinese opponents.
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The policy allows the Allies to purchase American goods, provided they take responsibility for transport and pay in full.
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The Soviet Union occupies the Baltics.
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Polish forces finally surrender in Warsaw. Large portions of the nation's army will retreat south through the Romanian bulwark. -
The Treaty divides Central and Eastern Europe into spheres of influence. -
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Japan assaults South Guangxi, and though succeeding in defeating the Chinese locally, suffer heavily casualties and fail to take the Kunlun Pass.
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Commander-in-Chief of the German Navy Grossadmiral Erich Raeder orders his U-boats to sink without warning all Allied merchant ships.
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The Soviets blame the Finns for the incident, giving them pretext for an invasion.
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The Allies debate the Dyle Plan, Albert Canal Line and Escault Plan
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The Graf Spee, hounded into port by British forces, is scuttled in order to save its crew. -
A German Messerschmitt Bf.108 crashes in Belgium, with the plans for Fall Gelb captured intact. Belgium and the Netherlands both begin rapid rearmament and mobilisation, though the latter is cancelled after the dates of the invasion pass.
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Much to the protests of Oslo and Berlin, the Royal Navy begins mining operations off the Norwegian coast. -
The British destroyer, the Cossack, boards a German ship transporting British PoWs. Berlin no longer believes that Norwegian neutrality is sustainable -
In response to rising tensions, Norway begins full mobilisation. -
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Anglo-French forces land at Bergen, Trondheim and Stavanger. -
German forces seize key airbases in Denmark, they will later occupy the rest of the country. -
The Norwegian battery in the Drøbak Sound sinks the German Heavy Cruiser, the Blucher. -
Finland signs a peace treaty with the Soviet Union after resisting for many months, bolstered by Franco-British shipments of equipment. -
Japanese forces strike west against their Chinese counterparts. Results are mixed, though the Chinese are forced back.
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Chamberlain, in desperately poor health, resigns. Largely popular in the United Kingdom after the victory in the Battle for France, his successor would be heavily debated among the Conservative Party. -
Soviet forces occupy Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina with no Romanian resistance. -
German troops strike west, attempting to bypass the Maginot Line by striking the weaker Belgian and Dutch defences. -
French, British, Dutch, Swedish and Norwegian scientists begin coordinated research on a nuclear bomb. -
The overstretched Luftwaffe embark on a massive strategic bombing campaign against the Netherlands but suffer heavy losses after being intercepted by the RAF. -
Chinese Communists launch a large-scale offensive against the Japanese, though they suffer heavy casualties, the engagements somewhat repair KMT-CCP relations.
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Italy invades Yugoslavia in conjunction with Bulgaria, encountering weak resistance. Romania, Hungary and the Reich will later seize portions of the nation. -
Italian forces seized the city of Zagreb after brief fighting. The Kingdom of Croatia is proclaimed by the locals. -
Brutal street fighting is fought for Sarajevo, as the Yugoslavs fight tooth and nail for the historic city. The Italians eventually encircle it, and force a surrender. -
Italian and Bulgarian forces seize the city of Belgrade, smashing the remaining Serbian units. Partisan fighting will continue for many more months. As the city falls, German troops advance and seize northeastern Slovakia. -
Japanese forces launch an offensive against the Chinese in Central Hubei. The Japanese suffer over twelve thousand casualties. They had hoped to strike a decisive blow to Chinese morale coinciding with the establishment of the Wang Jingwei regime. The opposite occured.
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After close to a month of negotiation, Italian, Romanian, Hungarian and Bulgarian forces partition Yugoslavia. -
Three hundred allied aircraft strike the city of Mannheim Germany. The attack is deemed unsuccessful as most of the bombs do not hit the city centre, lessons however have been learnt.
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Japanese forces attempted to force back their Chinese counterparts in South Henan, however they are outflanked and take heavy casualties.
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The policy supplied the allied nations of the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Sweden and the British Dominions with vital aid in food, oil and material. -
Chinese forces hold their defensive lines at Shanggao, capturing significant amounts of military equipment. -
Golden Square Arab Nationalists, with German assistance, attempt to seize power in Baghdad. However, the coup fails due to a lack of Italian support and the appearance of German weakness. -
Nationalist forces are crushed in South Shanxi by superior Japanese opponents, a breakout fails due to a lack of Communist aid.
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The Bismarck begins its sortie into the Atlantic to disrupt allied shipping. -
The Bismarck and the Prinz Eugen clash with an Anglo-French force off Denmark. The Bismarck sinks HMS Hood, the pride of the Royal Navy, but its Heavy Cruiser escort the Prinz Eugen is sunk by the Prince of Wales. -
After being hounded by French and British Atlantic assets, the Bismarck is finally sunk by a British force off the Western Approaches. -
The first thousand bomber raid takes place against Germany. It is deemed a success and future raids are approved. The raid shall inspire the 'Area Bombing' campaigns. -
Chinese forces again repulse a Japanese attempt at taking Changsha -
IJN forces wreak havoc upon the USN in Pearl Harbour. -
Japanese forces invade Hong Kong from the mainland, encountering a small Anglo-Canadian force. -
Japanese forces invade the Philippines. -
Japanese forces land in French Indochina, encountering stauncher resistance than initially expected. -
British taskforce sallies out to attempt to disrupt landings in Southern Indochina and Bangkok, retreat after being discovered by spotter aircraft. Japanese Naval Aviation sinks Renown. -
The Thai government, after witnessing the British debacle in the Gulf of Thailand, joins the Japanese war effort as Japanese forces land in Bangkok. -
Raj forces seize the Thai ports of Singora and Patani. -
Japanese forces seize the island of Borneo from the weak Anglo-Dutch forces there, who have largely been withdrawn for the defence of Malaya and Java. -
With Soviet forces massing across the Eastern Front, and the spectre of American reinforcement of the Western front, the Germans launch a decapitation strike east. The strike is largely successful, catching the Soviets unawares and forcing them to retreat. -
In response to the German invasion, the United States extends lend-lease to the Soviet Union.
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After a long resistance, largely due to the contested nature of the air war, Anglo-Canadian forces that are unable to breakout to the north, surrender. -
Britain demands access to key railways across Iran to supply lend-lease to the Soviet Union. The demand is tantamount to occupation. Iran accepts and officially declares war on the Axis powers weeks later.
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As the Germans strike east, the Allies make their mouth south to liberate the remainder of Scandinavia. -
American forces withdraw to the Bataan peninsula, fighting a long and brutish defence against the Japanese.
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Swedish and French forces recapture the Swedish capital from their German opposition. OKW begins to consider withdrawal from the north. -
Japanese forces land at Kota Bharu, Patani and Singora whilst the Thais cross the border. With surprise, they destroy numerous Indian formations and drive the Imperial units south. -
The 'Big Five' (later six) Allied powers formalise the declaration of the United Nations. In it they call for the eradication of Hitlerism, drawing the conclusion that the regimes of Japan and Germany are largely indistinguishable. -
French forces are driven into the hinterlands, the Raj or China. Resistance among the remaining colonial forces is still widespread. -
In the aftermath of the Doolittle Raid, the Japanese launch an all-out offensive against the Chinese in order to remove potential Anglo-American air bases. Though the campaign succeeds, losses are heavy, and it is becoming increasingly evident that vast swathes of supplies from the Burma and Ledo Roads are having an effect on the Chinese Army. -
Japanese forces seize the Celebes, casualties among paratroopers are high as the Royal Australian Airforce interdict Japanese flights. -
ABDA forces and the IJN engage in the Java Sea in the largest Battleship on Battleship engagement since the Battle of Jutland. Much like Jutland, the result is tactically indecisive and strategically vital, as the Japanese are unable to breakthrough and seize Java. -
The last remaining organised American units are crushed at Bataan. MacArthur declares he will return. -
American and Filipino Prisoners of War are forcibly transferred by the IJA to PoW camps. The march is characterised by wanton brutality, disease and starvation.
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Japanese forces land across the isle of New Guinea, engaging a litany of Dutch and Australian forces. They quickly overrun most of the north but are halted when Australian and American reinforcements arrive. -
American bombers strike the Japanese mainland. Damage is largely unsubstantial, though the Japanese High Command is deeply affected. -
The IJA is halted by a hastily assembled Anglo-ANZAC-Indian defence. -
Japanese and British destroyer flotillas clash in the battle of the Singapore Strait, as the Japanese make one last desperate throw for control over south east Asia. The fighting is desperate, and the madness and bravery of destroyer captains from either side are noted. The battle ends in a British victory as the Japanese are forced to retreat. -
The IJN is defeated by the USN at the Battle of Midway, suffering the devastating loss of two fleet carriers whilst merely inflicting the loss of one upon the Americans. -
The IJN takes revenge for its loss at Midway, striking south and defeating an American force in the battle of the Bismarck Sea. The IJN manages to sink a fleet carrier, the Hornet, for no loss of their own. -
In reaction to the clear demonstration of the superiority of naval aviation during the Battle of Midway, the Royal Navy - now receiving a much larger share of production due to the war in the Far East - assembles the Future Building Committee to decide upon future naval estimates. It is decided to embark on an expansive and ambitious project of carrier building. -
Japanese forces land on the island of New Britain, engaging American and Australian forces in brutish jungle fighting on the isle. -
German forces reach their further extent east, being halted by the Red Army after capturing Minsk, Riga and Vinnytsia.
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The IJN and the USN once more clash in the Bismarck, with the Americans this time triumphing over their Japanese counterparts, sinking a fleet carrier and two battleships. -
Japanese forces seize the city after a long drawn out battle -
Supported by the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy units, Swedish marines and a small Danish contingent seize the isle of Bornholm. -
Anglo-Indian forces meet and check their Japanese counterparts in the battle of Prome, forcing them to retreat south towards Rangoon. -
Japanese forces are finally routed from New Britain. The majority manage to safely retreat due to the fighting efforts of the Japanese Battleship squadrons and the alleged dithering of Fletcher, for which he shall be reassigned to the Aleutians. Those who do not manage to retreat, fight to the death. -
British-Indian forces strike back against the Japanese after their disaster at Prome from sea and land, recapturing the city and reopening the vital Burma Road to the Chinese. -
Small skirmishes result in heavy fighting between Japanese and Chinese forces. Heavy losses on both sides, tactical draw.
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With further ANZAC, American, and notably South African, forces reinforce the isle of Guinea, a large offensive is launched across the isle, pushing the Japanese back to the northwest. -
Entrenched Japanese-Thai forces stop the British advance in Burma in its tracks, securing the Thai hinterlands. -
Japanese and Chinese forces engage in what ends up to be another stalemate in Western Hubei.
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Dutch marines seize the isle Sedjaka, clearing out a small Japanese garrison.
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Orde Wingate's Chindits are formed after the Battle of Bago, and begin disrupting Japanese communications and supply lines. Their effectiveness varies, and their casualties are high. -
Seeing the inevitable destruction of Germany, and desperate to secure a hold on Central Europe and gain a seat at the table, Mussolini directs Italy to war against their former soon-to-be ally and their Romanian client. -
With the declaration of war upon Germany by Italy, Greece and Turkey, surrounded on all sides by Allied powers and sympathetic to their cause, declare war upon Germany also.
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The USN strikes north against the Japanese fortress of Truk, but is hammered by the remaining scarce assets of the IJN. -
Anglo-Dutch forces launch an invasion of Borneo, liberating much of the south of the isle before getting bogged down in jungle fighting with their Japanese opponents. -
With German forces surrendering en-masse to the Italians in order to avoid the fate of capture by the Soviets, the Italian advance through Italy is far easier than initially expected. Yet it would be Soviet forces to make their way to the heart of Central Europe and capture it a mere day before the fall of Berlin. -
After long and gruelling street fighting, the USSR captures the city of Berlin. Adolf Hitler commits suicide. -
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Japanese forces assault the city of Changde, yet newly modernised Chinese forces force them back, aided by air support from the USAF. -
Royal Marines seize the island fortress of Penang.
