Last British troops evacuated from Dunkirk, French troops continue to fight
The Dunkirk evacuations were drawing to a close on this day. With the Germans advanced, and…
Battle of Taipale ends in victory for Finland
On this day, the Battle of Taipale ended in a defeat for the Soviet Red Army and victory for…
Royal Navy starts laying mines along east coast of Britain
In efforts to protect Britain, the British Royal Navy began laying a defensive sea mine…
King George VI marks first Christmas of war with speech to nation
The King of the United Kingdom, George VI, gave his regular Christmas speech on this day. As…
Pope makes appeal for peace
On this day, Pope Pius XII gave a speech appealing for worldwide peace and the right of all…
IRA raid Irish ammunition storage fort
At 8pm on this day, the IRA raided Phoenix Park Magazine Fort, Ireland's largest…
Britain states it has seized total of 870,000 tonnes of goods destined for Germany
The British government stated on this day that, since the start of the war, it had seized…
Soviet Red Army commander recommends halting invasion of Finland
On this day, the Soviet forces invaded Finland halted large-scale operations upon encountering…
Hans Langsdorff, captain of scuttled Graf Spee, kills himself
The former captain of the warship Admiral Graf Spee, Hans Langsdorff, killed himself on this…
German liner captain sinks his ship rather than surrender
Whilst a Royal Navy warship, and a neutral US warship, looked on, a German liner was scuttled…
