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…
RAF suffers big losses in disastrous daylight raid over Germany
On this day, the RAF lost 15 out of 22 bomber aircraft sent over Germany in an aborted and…
Captain of Graf Spee destroys ship rather than surrender
The captain of the German heavy cruiser Admiral Graf Spee, Hans Wilhelm Langsdorff, scuttled…
Skilful Finland halts Soviet invasion
The outnumbered army of Finland has managed to stop the invasion by the Soviet Union. Using a…
Hitler renames warship to avoid national embarrassment
Hitler ordered the renaming of the German warship Deutschland on this day, fearing the loss of…
League of Nations expels Soviet Union over invasion of Finland
On this day, the League of Nations voted to expel the Soviet Union for invaded Finland. The…
German warship Graf Spee battles Royal Navy in Battle of River Plate
The Kriegsmarine heavy cruiser Admiral Graf Spee fought an intensive battle with three Royal…
Royal Navy destroyer sunk by British battleship
On this day, the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Duchess was sunk after colliding with the battleship…
Barrage balloons raised above London
With the war well into the fourth month, Britain today winched the first protective barrage…
First convoy of Canadian troops depart for Britain
On this day, the first vessels carrying Canadian troops bound for Britain set off from…
First British soldier killed in war
On this day, the first British solider to die during the war lost his life. He would be the…
US Government protests Britain’s tactic of seizing German goods
The administration of President Roosevelt today sent a diplomatic note protesting the British…
Soviets capture Finnish village of Suomussalmi
The Winter War continued on this day, with Soviet forces advancing further into Finnish…
Battle of Taipale begins in Winter War
On this day, what would become known as the Battle of Taipale commenced. It commenced with an…
Multiple European nations declare neutrality in Winter War
A number of European nations declared their neutrality towards the Soviet invasion of Finland…
HMS Salmon sinks U-36
On this day, a British vessel became the first Allied submarine to successfully attack and…
Finland appeals to League of Nations for help
On this day, Finland reached out to the League of Nations, requested help in the face of the…
Soviet Red Army captures strategic port in Finland
The forces of the Soviet Union captured a strategic port in Finland. The capture of Petsamo…
Finland replaces Prime Minister as fighting with Soviet Union continues
The Prime Minister of Finland replaced on this day in response to the country's response…
Soviet Union invades Finland
On this day, the Soviet Union launched an invasion of neighbouring Finland. The invasion…
U-boat sunk in North Sea, all crew survive
A German u-boat was sunk by British destroyers on this day. The British ships remained in the…
Soviet Union cancels non-aggression treaty with Finland
On this day, the Soviet Union cancelled its non-aggression treaty with Finland, in an…
Finland denies shelling Soviet Union, suggesting it was an accident
The shelling of the Soviet town of Mainila, secretly carried out by Soviet forces, continued…