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The age of conscription is increased to 27 in the United Kingdom
The age of conscription is increased to 27 in the United Kingdom, thus adding two million potential conscripts for military service.
source: World War Two Database
Image Credit: Brookshaw, Drake & Debenham, Doreen (artist), Vincent Brooks, Day and Son Ltd, London WC2 (printer), H.M.S.O. & Ministry of Labour & National Service (publishers/sponsors).
Art.IWM PST 13964 -
German aircraft bomb RAF Coastal Command at Sullom Voe in the Shetland Islands
German aircraft bomb RAF Coastal Command at Sullom Voe in the Shetland Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom damaging light cruiser HMS Coventry and ground facilities with the loss of one Ju 88 bomber.
source: World War Two Database -
HMS Mauritius is commissioned into service
HMS Mauritius was a Crown Colony-class light cruiser, of the Fiji sub-class. Although she was commissioned into British Royal Navy service in 1940, corrosion problems in the fire main caused by the internal degaussing system, caused her to undergo a series of refits at Simonstown in South Africa, Singapore, and Plymouth in Britain.
source: World War Two Database -
Cryptologists at the Government Code and Cypher School, Bletchley Park decipher the German Enigma code
British cryptologists at the Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park decipher the German Enigma code with the help of Polish experts. On 25 Jul 1939, the Poles offered the British and French their understanding of the decryption process. This knowledge sharing allowed the British to quickly setup a decryption effort that eventually came to be known under the code name "ULTRA".
source and image credit: World War Two Database -
Polish cryptographers in Paris crack the German air force's Enigma codes.
Polish cryptographers in Paris, France crack the German air force's Enigma codes, making it possible to intercept and read, all the Luftwaffe's secret transmissions.
source and image courtesy World War Two Databse -
The first enemy aircraft to crash in England is a Heinkel He 111 aircraft shot down near Whitby, North Yorkshire
The first enemy aircraft to crash in England is a Heinkel He 111 aircraft shot down near Whitby, North Yorkshire by Flight Lieutenant Peter Townsend flying a Hurricane fighter of 43 Squadron.
source: World War Two Database -
The Altmark is found by Hudson aircraft of No.233 Squadron RAF in Jøssingfjord, Norway.
Following the discovery, HMS Cossack captured the Altmark and rescued 299 British prisoners of war aboard.
source and image credit: World War Two Database -
Passenger liner Queen Elizabeth sails for New York.
As the Queen Elizabeth sails for New York British agents release false information regarding the final destination being Southampton. German intelligence apparently pick up this information as Luftwaffe aircraft bomb Southampton on the date when the Queen Elizabeth is falsely said to arrive.
source and image courtesy World War Two Database -
HMS Eagle suffers an accidental bomb explosion while off the Nicobar Islands
HMS Eagle sufferS an accidental bomb explosion while off the Nicobar Islands, killing 14 and damaging many aircraft.
source: World War Two Database -
German Ju 88 dive bombers bomb the Royal Navy Home Fleet base at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands
32 Ju 88 dive bombers bomb the Royal Navy Home Fleet base at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands. HMS Norfolk is hit with one bomb, blowing a hole below the water line and killing 6. James Isbister became the first British civilian to be killed by a German bomb when his house in the nearby village of Bridge of Waithe is hit.
source: World War Two Database
Image Credit: Gunnery Officer Paul S Schmalenbach Navy Photos -
RAF aircraft conduct a photo reconnaissance mission over Kiel, Germany
RAF aircraft conduct a photo reconnaissance mission over Kiel, Germany to monitor preparations for the German invasion of Norway. German Kriegsmarine's Marine Gruppe 1 departed Cuxhaven, Germany for Narvik, Norway with 2,000 soldiers on 10 destroyers escorted by battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau.
source: World War Two Database -
King Haakon of Norway appeals to his people to resist, the Germans warn that any civilians aiding the British will be rounded up and shot.
During this time King Haakon of Norway is credited with maintaining a unified Norwegian front against the Germans. His first act of defiance is a staunch refusal of the German demands to form a puppet government in Norway. Then, under his inspirations, Norwegian resistance tie down divisions of German troops, depriving Germany the use of thousands of soldiers.
source and image courtesy World War Two Database -
3,000 troops of the British 15th Brigade engage 8,500 troops of the German 196th Division at the village of Kvam in Norway.
3,000 troops of the British 15th Brigade engage 8,500 troops of the German 196th Division at the village of Kvam in Norway, 55 kilometers south of Dombås; despite German numerical advantage and being supported by dive bombers, the British troops held ground and stopped the German advance.
source World War Two Database
Image courtesy wikipedia -
Norwegian troops in Lillehammer surrender
Norwegian troops in Lillehammer surrender. En route to Åndalsnes, Norway for evacuation, the train carrying troops of the British 15th Brigade crashes into a bomb crater at 0115 hours, killing 8 and wounding 30; the surviving troops march 17 miles through deep snow, arriving at Åndalsnes at 0900 hours.
source: World War Two Database -
Germany invades the Allied nation of France and the neutral Low Countries
In France, Luftwaffe aircraft destroy many French aircraft on the ground. German tanks cross into neutral Luxembourg with relative ease, reaching the edge of the Ardennes Forest.
source:World War Two Database -
James 'Ginger' Lacey shoots down an He111, Bf109 and an Me110 over Sedan, France.
James 'Ginger' Lacey was called up at the outbreak of war and in May 1940 with No. 501 (County of Gloucester) Squadron (an Auxiliary Air Force unit) went to France with the Advanced Air Striking Force. He went on to become one of the RAF's highest-scoring fighter pilots.
source: World War Two Database -
HMS Effingham departs Harstad, Norway with 1,020 troops, 10 Bren Gun Carriers, and 130 tons of supplies on board for Bodø, Norway
HMS Effingham departs Harstad, Norway with 1,020 troops, 10 Bren Gun Carriers, and 130 tons of supplies on board for Bodø, Norway. En route, she hit the southern edge of the Faksen Shoal off Bodø, Norway and is seriously damaged.
source World War Two Database -
Troops of the German 3rd SS Panzer Totenkopf Division, massacre 97 British prisoners of war.
Troops of the German 3rd SS Panzer Totenkopf Division, commanded by Hauptsturmführer Fritz Knöchlein, massacre 97 British prisoners of war at the village of Le Paradis in France. Two survivors of the massacre would later provide testimony during post-war war crimes trials against Knöchlein.
source and Image courtesy Mémoires de Guerre and World War Two Database -
Germany begins the second phase of the invasion of France, Fall Rot
Germany begins the second phase of the invasion of France, Fall Rot. 130 infantry divisions and 10 armored divisions attack and cross the Somme and Aisne Rivers. 66 French divisions attempt to hold the Weygand Line.
source: World War Two Database -
French Admiral François Darlan, Commander-in-Chief of the French Navy, assures Winston Churchill that there will be no question of surrendering French naval ships.
French Admiral François Darlan, Commander-in-Chief of the French Navy, assures British Prime Minister Winston Churchill that there would be no question of surrendering French naval ships. He further asserts that orders would be given to scuttle the ships, if such a danger were to exist.
source and image courtesy World War Two Database -
British Parliament meet in secret to discuss plans for a potential German Invasion.
The British Parliament meet in a secret joint session to discuss the defense against a potential German invasion.
source C.Peter Chan Image courtesy The Independent -
Malta receives its first strike aircraft
Malta receives its first strike aircraft with the arrival and creation of No. 830 Squadron with Fairey Swordfish Mk.1 aircraft; they are left behind by HMS Argus when she departs for the Mediterranean Sea.
sourceWorld War Two Database -
British bombers attack German heavy cruiser Lützow in dock at Kiel, Germany
British bombers attack German heavy cruiser Lützow in dock at Kiel, Germany. Lützow, under repair for extensive torpedo damage to her stern caused by HMS Spearfish on 11 Apr 1940, was hit by a bomb that failed to detonate.
source World War Two Database -
A large German aerial formation attacks one of the eight British convoys in the English Channel
A large German aerial formation attacks one of the eight British convoys in the English Channel; the target convoy was code named Bread, escorted by 6 Hurricane fighters.
source: World War Two Database
