This page relates to the year 1940 Gregorian Calendrier.

Events

Second world war

  • February 1940

    • - 5: The interallied Supreme council, which brings together French and British ministers, adopts a plan of unloading in Norway with an aim of supporting the Finnish forces.
    • - 12: The Soviet Union and the Germany sign a trade agreement to counter the Franco-British maritime blockade.
    • - 23: The Allies set up the blockade of the North Atlantic to prevent the convoying by the Scandinavian ore Germans.
    • - 24: Development of the Plane yellow ( Fall Gelb ) of offensive on the face of the West.

  • March 1940

    • - 5: The members of the Politburo sign the order of execution of the Massacre of Katyń.
    • - 12: Peace treaty enters the Finland and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union receives the territories of the Karelia and the port of Vyborg, as well as other strategic and economic advantages.
    • - 27: Himmler decides the construction of the camp of Auschwitz.

  • April 1940

    • - 7: Countryside of Norway.
    • - 9: The Denmark and the Norway are invaded by the Germany; rendering of the Denmark. Resistance is important in Norway.
      • In Norway, Vidkun Quisling tries to be essential on the capacity but does not receive the support of the Germans. Apolitical a “Administrative counsel”, composed of senior officials, is set up by the Supreme court, replaced by a “national government”, directed by Quisling, this time with the downstream of the Germans (1942).
    • - 14: Franco-British unloading in several Norwegian ports, in particular Narvik.
    • - 24: Joseph Terboven is named police chief of Reich in Norway.

  • May 1940 .

    • - 2: The king Haakon VII of Norway share in exile in Great Britain.
    • - 5: A Norwegian government in exile is formed with London.
    • - 10: German offensive in the West against the Netherlands, the Belgium, the Luxembourg and the France.
    • Of the French and British troops penetrates in Belgium.
    • - 13: The queen Wilhelmine of the Netherlands and the government of the Netherlands arrive at London.
    • - 15: The Netherlands, invaded by the German , capitulate.
    • - 19: Bombardment of the town of Amiens by bombers German causing a fire, this one is poked by a strong wind and devastation during 5 days the center town of the west towards the east, 6000 buildings are destroyed, the cathedral is saved.
    • - 20: Opening of the concentration camps of Auschwitz, in Poland.
    • - 24: Anglo-French defeat of the troops in Flanders. Evacuation of Dunkirk (fine the June 4th).
    • - 28: The king Léopold III of Belgium sign unconditional surrender of the Belgian army. The government of Hubert Pierlot, taken refuge in France, decides to continue the fight.
    • - 29: Arthur Seyss-Inquart becomes police chief of Reich to the Netherlands.

  • June 1940 .

    • - 4: End of the evacuation of the folded up allied forces with Dunkirk.
    • - 7: End of the evacuation of the French troops which had unloaded with Narvik.
    • - 10: the Italy declares the war in France and Great Britain, in spite of the opposition of the opinion, the king and Ciano.
    • - 15: the Soviets occupy the Estonia, the Latvia and the Lithuania. After elections controlled by the Red Army , of the Communist regimes is set up and the eliminated opponents.
    • - 16: the General de Gaulle, on mission in London, dictates with Paul Reynaud, on the telephone, the text of the proposal of Jean Monnet of fusion of France and the the United Kingdom.
    • - 16 (evening): Paul Reynaud is dislocated of its functions, Philippe Pétain is named chief of the French government.
    • - 17: the Germans set up a total blockade of the the United Kingdom.
    • - 18: the General de Gaulle lance her Call of June 18th , urging the French to continue the fight and founds a French government in exile.
“ Struck down today by the mechanical force, we will be able to overcome in the future by a higher mechanical force. The destiny of the world is there. ”
    • - 22: Signature of the armistice enters France and the Nazi Germany, in the Wagon of the armistice in the clearing of Rethondes. Churchill denounces it at once.
    • - 27: The Général de Gaulle takes the title of Chef of the French Free S . Ultimatum addressed by the Soviet Union to the Romania, forced to yield the Bessarabia, taken in Russia in 1918, as well as the Bucovine of North.

  • July 1940 - Hitler proposes peace with the British government which refuses

    • - 3: Battle of Seas-el-Kebir, the British ships bombard the French fleet.
    • - 4: Rupture of the diplomatic relations between France of Vichy and Great Britain. London decides to set up a blockade of France and French colonies.

  • August 1940

    • - - 8: The Baltic States (Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia) become republics of the Soviet Union by decrees of the Supreme Soviet. The Western democratic countries refuse to recognize the legality of the Soviet annexation, carried out in agreement with the Pacte Molotov-Ribbentrop.
    • - 5: Battle of England (fine in 1941).
    • - 15: The Greek cruiser Elli is torpedoed by a submarine not indentifié (Italian) in the port of Tinos, at the time of the great annual pilgrimage. It is the prelude to the Italian attack.
    • - 28: First night bombardment on London, then first bombardment on Berlin in counterpart.
    • - 31: Meet Tizard – Vannevar Bush.

  • October 1940

    • - 2: The Germans order the construction of a wall around the Ghetto of Warsaw. The inhabitants will not be able to leave there any more without a pass.
    • - 8: Ghost of the mission bearing his name in the United States, Henry Tizard finds his station removed.
    • - 12: Failure of the Battle of England. Hitler gives up the project of invasion of Great Britain, the Luftwaffe not having managed to dominate the British airspace.
    • - 23: Interview of Hendaye between Hitler and Free. 50  000 volunteers of Azul division leave to fight at the sides of German on the Russian face.
    • - 28: The Italians attack the Greece. They essuient a series of reverse (November-December). Meanwhile, the British launch a counter-offensive in Libya.
    • - 30: Pétain announces the Collaboration France with the Germany.

  • November 1940

    • - 3: The British unload in Crete to support the Greeks against Italy.
    • - 20: The Hungary and the Romania adhere to the tripartite pact.
  • December 1940 - 18: Hitler fixes the plans of the Opération Barbarossa against the the USSR.

Europe

  • January 23rd: In Paris, the type-setter Ignacy Jan Paderewski is elected president of the Polish government in exile.
  • April 24th: The Finnish Olympic committee informs the CIO which it gives up organizing the plays planned for July 1940.
  • May 17th: Signature of the Legal settlement by the Portugal. The influence of the Church in teaching is reinforced. Recognition of the church wedding (the divorce civilly remains possible for the married couples). Exemptions of military service for the clerks, exemptions tax for the incomes of the Church, exemption of the preliminary censure for the catholic publications ( Ace Novidades , Radio-Rebirth). The hospitals, asylums and old people's homes concern the Church.
  • June 25th: The president of the Swiss Confederation, Marcel Golaz Pintail, makes a radiophonic speech. Discussed, it will be shown sympathy towards the Germany.
  • June:
    • the Central committee of Czech interior Resistance formed at the beginning of 1940 manages to come into contact with London, where Edvard Beneš takes again the title of president and form a government in exile with Jan Masaryk and Mgr Sramek.
    • After the French defeat, Franco gives up neutrality to place the Spain in non-belligerency.
  • July 25th: The general Henri Guisan, commander-in-chief of the Swiss armed forces pronounces his Report/ratio of the Grütli (or Rütli) in front of 300 high-graded Swiss army. He organizes the defense of the country and announces his will of resistance, as well moral as military in the event of invasion by the Germany.

  • In spite of its neutrality, the Sweden is forced to accept the passage of German leave trains on his territory (1940 and 1941).

British Isles

  • January 4th: The Irish Parliament grants the full powerss to Eamon de Valera to fight against the Terrorisme.
  • January 8th: Rationing with the the United Kingdom, in particular on the Butter, the Sugar and meat.
  • January 17th: Cold wave on Western Europe. The the Thames freezes for the first time since more than one half-century.
  • February 28th: The steamer Queen Mary installs for her first crossing of the Atlantic.
  • May 10th, the United Kingdom: In spite of the responsibility for Churchill in the failure of the Countryside of Norway, Chamberlain is summoned to resign until in its own party. Winston Churchill replaces it with the head of a government of National union
  • May 13rd, the United Kingdom: Winston Churchill, presenting its government in front of the House of Commons, states to have to offer only “efforts, blood, sweat and tears”.
  • June: The volunteers for local defense count 1,5 million participants. The Times mentions “the Spirit of Dunkirk”, feeling of fraternization between the social classes vis-a-vis the adversity.
  • Of the June 30th to the August 3rd, manpower of RAF pass from 587 to 708 hunters.
  • August 5th: Beginning of the Blitz: Great Britain is subjected to intense air raids (23  000 civilian victims).
  • December 22nd, the United Kingdom: Anthony Eden takes the wallet of the Foreign affairs and succeeds Lord Halifax, appointed ambassador with Washington.
.
  • Of 1940 with 1942, the German submarines run for more than 15 million tons of vessels of goods in the Atlantic. That is not enough to subject England to a total blockade.
  • Freezing of the rents at the rate of 1939 for all the duration of the conflict.
  • massive Displacement of the population of the cities towards the campaigns: 60 million people changes address between 1939 and 1945.

France

See also: 1940 in France

Romania

  • May 27th: The Nazi Germany and the Romania sign an oil agreement envisaging the delivery of three million tons at a low price of a third to those of the worldwide market.
  • June: The Romania aligns its interior policy on that of the powers of the Axe. affirming to defend the Rumanian oil reservoirs against British attacks, the German army occupies the Romania, whose pipelines are vital for the provisioning of Reich.
  • June 23rd: the King of Romania Carol II of Romania constitutes a cabinet pro-German whose new chief of the Garde of iron, Horia Sima, is member.
  • the June 27th, the Soviet Union, in agreement with the Germany, occupies the Bessarabia and the north of the Bucovine.
  • the July 4th, the king entrusts the capacity to Ion Gigurtu, favorable to the Axis, which impose a sole party, the Party of the Nation.
  • July 11th: The Romania withdraws SDN.
  • the August 30th, following the Second arbitration of Vienna, under the pressure of Germany and Italy, the Romania is forced to yield the Transylvania to the Hungary, that is to say 43  590 km ² and 2  185  500 inhabitants.
  • September 3rd: The general Ion Antonescu, becomes Prime Minister of Romania.
  • the September 7th, the Dobroudja is returned to the Bulgaria following the Accords of Craiova. These losses of territories cause the anger of the Rumanian population and cause the abdication of the king, in favor of his son, Michel, under the pressure of the general Ion Antonescu, in favor of Germany (September 6th).
  • September 14th: Popular riots turn to the massacre. Ion Antonescu institutes a dictatorship (1940-1944). It takes the function of Conducator (Guide of the State) and proclaims Romania “State national legionary”. The Garde of iron takes the name of “Movement legionary” and its chief Horia Sima becomes vice-president of the government.
  • October 10th: A German military mission made up of 20.000 enters on the territory of the Romania.
  • November 20th: Romania adheres to the Axe Rome-Berlin and the tripartite Pacte.
  • In November, the legionaries massacre 60 prisoners of the prison of Jivala, ministers, prefects and generals who in 1939 had prevailed against the Garde of iron.
  • the November 27th, the historian Nicolae Iorga, former minister, is put at died in the forest of Strejnicu. The public opinion is shocked and Antonescu made known its disapproval.

Switzerland

Africa

  • Expulsion of the Italians of Somalia, Erythrée and Ethiopia (1940 - 1941). The Italians rest on the Ethiopian hostile ones with the return of the Négus, the such Ras Hailu and the intellectual Afä-Warq, like on rebels and gangsters who benefit from the engagements to devote themselves to raids and to sow a disorder which slowed down the advance of the Allies. Those encircle Ethiopia of all shares, the British by Somalies and cutting the access to the sea, the South-African ones by the Kenya and the troops of the négus since the Sudan.

  • Violent one disorders with Nioro (Mali) caused by the partisans of the movement Moslem reformist hamallist. Sheik Hamallah Ben Mohamed Ben Omar (1886-1943), her founder, is stopped by the colonial authorities and is exiled with Montlucon, where he dies a few years later.
  • the Nigeria account five trade unions with 3  500 members; they will be 62 with 21  000 members in 1942.
  • Strike in the mines in Rhodesia of North.
  • the Secondary Course of Dakar becomes Lycée Van Vollenhoven.
  • Colonial Development and Welfare Act .
  • AOF provides 63  000 “Senegalese riflemen” engaged in the war in Europe.
  • Angola: 44  000 White for 3,6 million Blacks.

The Middle East & Arab world

  • Iraq: The March 21st, the Prime Minister Nuri have-Said resigns and enters a new government directed by Rashid Ali as a Foreign Minister. He refuses to break the diplomatic relations with the Italy in June, thus marking the independence of Iraq compared to Great Britain. After the French defeat, Iraq seeks an agreement with Germany. The Mufti of Jerusalem, taken refuge in Iraq, comes into contact with the Axis in summer. Berlin answers in a vague way.
  • Palestine: Arrived of Churchill at the capacity in May modifies the British policy in Palestine. Favorable to the Zionist cause, it is hostile with the White paper of 1939. But Eden, with the Foreign Office, defends the policy of the preceding government. Jewish immigration is limited like the Arab transfers of grounds. On the other hand, no transfer of being able is operated in favor of the Palestinian Arabs. The Zionists encourage the Juifs of Palestine to enlist in the British army and organize networks of clandestine immigration. The Arabs who engage are confined with non-combatant tasks.
  • Syria: The Syrian islamist politician rear-Rahman Abd Chahbandar is assassinated in June. The investigation makes carry the suspicions on Jamil Mardam Bey. In front of the risks of repression, the principal members of the national Bloc take refuge in Iraq. Only Quwwatli remains in Syria and comes into contact with the representatives of the Axis. When France crumbles in June, the French High-Commissioner in Syria Gabriel Puaux plans to continue the fight. The British impose nevertheless a blockade on the Syria and the Lebanon and encourage the first French Free S. the envoys of Vichy impose a purification of the executives suspected of gaullism. Puaux is recalled in November and is replaced by the general Henri Dentz.
  • the Egypt refuses to declare the war in Germany. Under the terms of the treaty of 1936, the State of siege is proclaimed and the British troops are spread in the country. The British obtain returns it of the chief of staff which is hostile for them. The June 10th, the Italy enters in war. The Egyptian assemblies vote the rupture of the diplomatic relations with Rome but refuse to engage of the troops against Italy. The first Italian offensive with the autumn (September 13rd) shows a failure.
  • 1  544  530 inhabitants in Palestine, of which 464  535 Jewish.

Asia & India

  • January 26th: The United States cancels the navigation and commercial treaty concluded with the Japan in 1911. Japan depends then on the United States for 90% of its requirements out of iron, 91% of its copper consumption and 60% of its oil supply.
  • February 22nd, Tibet: Establishment of new the Dalaï LAMA Tenzin Gyatso. Too much young person, it cannot prevent that the interior policy is again dominated by the quarrels of the regents.
  • February, Indonesia: Under the impulse of GAPI, Volksraad asks for the creation of a self government indonésien. In May, Holland is invaded. The Dutch government of London declares that one could not consider reforms before the end of the war (August 23rd), which is confirmed by the speech of the queen Wilhelmine of the May 10th 1941.
  • March 30th, China: Wang Tsing-wei constitutes with Nankin a government collaborationnist with Japan. Tchang Kaï-chek receives the assistance of the British by the Burma.
  • July 22nd, Japan: The prince Konoye form a government excluding all the political members of party. The general Tojo is Minister for the War.
  • September, India: Gandhi starts a program of limited civil disobedience: only designated volunteers must take share with the satyâgraha .
  • September-October: Occupation of the Tonkin by the Japanese. Fall of Lạng Sơn the September 22nd. The admiral Jean Decoux, private of combined helps, cannot to it be opposed and collaborates with the permission of Vichy.
  • December 23rd, China: Dissolution of the communist organizations on order of Tchang Kaï-chek.
  • September 27th: Tripartite pact enters the Japan, Italy and Germany directed against the United States and Great Britain.

  • Muhammad Ali Jinnah, president of the Moslem League request the partition of the India in two independent States.

  • Thailand: encouraged and supported by the Japan, the government Phibun request in France the territories which had been yielded to him in 1893 and during the following years.

Oceania & the Pacific

Americas

Canada

  • February 26th: arrival in England of the first body of Canadian aviators (429 men).
  • March 26th: William Lyon Mackenzie King (liberal) is deferred to the capacity.
  • April 25th: The Quebec grants the right to vote with the women.
  • June 21st: Introduction of the conscription, only for the defense of the Canadian territory.
  • June 26th: The Prime Minister Mackenzie King declares: “The government that I direct will not present of measurement of conscription of the Canadians for the service overseas”.
  • August 5th: Camillien Houde, mayor and deputy of Montreal, is stopped to be publicly opposite with the conscription. It is interned without lawsuit during four years.
  • August 17th: Agreement of Ogdensburg, defensive pact between the Canada and the the United States.

The United States

  • March 5th: A hurricane devastates the State of New York (the United States).
  • May: Creation of the Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies (White Committee).
  • June: 8,5 million unemployed. Ten million trade unionists.
  • At the end of May: The Congress grants 1,5 billion dollar of military appropriations additional to the government which had asked only for one billion it.
  • September 2nd: Agreement “base Destroyer S” with the the United Kingdom.
  • September:
    • the Congress votes for the first time an obligatory military service in times of peace.
    • First “embargoes” on exports bound for the Japan.
  • October: Inversion of the opinion in favor of an assistance in Great Britain.
  • November 5th: Re-election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (democratic) like chair the United States (54% of the voices against the republican Wendell Willkie).
  • Law Smith which takes again the provisions of the law on the espionage of 1917 concerning the speeches or the writings likely to encourage with the refusal to be useful in the armed forces.

Latin America

  • May 8th: Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia becomes president of Costa Rica (fine in 1944).
  • June: After the defeat of the France and Netherlands, to maintain neutrality adopted by the Foreign Ministers of the States American as of September-October 1939, the European colonies of the American continent are placed under the supervision of the American States to prevent that they do not fall under German control.
  • August 21st: Assassination of Leon Trotski with Coyoacán (Mexico City) on the order of Stalin, by an agent of the secret service of the Guépéou, Ramón Mercader (alias Jacques Mornard).
  • September 7th, Paraguay: The dictator Jose Estigarribia dies in an air crash and is replaced by the Minister for the war, the general Higinio Morínigo who assumes all the capacities throughout all war, with the support of Brazil and of the United States which wants to move away Paraguay from the influence of the Argentine remained neutral (end in 1948).
  • February 1st: Manual Ávila Camacho (Left revolutionary institutional|PRM) is elected president of the Republic of the Mexico (fine in 1946) against the candidate of the SIDE, Juan Andreu Almazán.

  • Constitution supporter of corporatism with the Paraguay.

  • the Brazil account 41 million inhabitants. 3  250  000 pupils attend the establishment of primary school education, secondary and superior. Since 1918, Brazil received 100  000 German emigrants of which 30  000 in the Rio Grande C Sul (18  000 are fixed at it definitively).

Chronologies sets of themes

Arts & culture

See also: 1940 with the cinema, 1940 in music, 1940 in literature, 1940 with the theater, 1940 as a cartoon, 1940 on television

Sciences & technology

1940 in science

Aeronautics

1940 in aeronautics

Railroads

1940 in the railroads

Sport

1940 in sport

Painting

Chilean the Roberto Matta exposes for the first time to New York in April.

Religion

Economy & Company

  • the Italy lack of raw materials (steel, oil), of financial reserves and stocks and depends on Germany. The army is equipped with rifles model 1891, of very few automatic weapons, gun of 75 and 100 taken in Austria after the First World War. The DCA is non-existent and the tanks are unsuited to the lightning war. Aviation misses modern apparatus and pilots. Only the navy is satisfactory (battleships, cruisers and submarines, but no aircraft carrier). The high command is convinced of unpreparedness for the war, but does not make know its reserves in Duce.

  • Since 1928, the extraction of coal in Soviet Union passed from 35 to 166 million tons, the electrical production from 5 to 48 billion kilowatt-hours and that of steel from 4 to 18 million tons.
  • active population of the the United States account 23% of farmers, 33% of workmen, 44% in the tertiary sector. Massive migration of Blacks of the South towards North in the years 1940. They pass from 2  360  000 with 4  600  000.
  • 5  200  000 radios in France.
  • the French Indo-China produced 70  000 tons of rubber (Southern of the Vietnam, Kampuchea). The French company of coal mining of the Tonkin extracts in 1940 approximately 1,8 million tons from anthracite.
  • About 1940-1950, one counts 50  000 Jewish with the Cairo, 25  000 with Alexandria, and approximately 15  000 others with Ismaïlia, Port-Saïd, Damanhour.
  • Increase in the quasi-general agricultural production in Africa during the Second world war.
  • Growth of the mining production during the Second world war in Gold Coast (Bauxite), with the Nigeria (tin), in Sierra Leone, South Africa, in the South-western African and both Rhodesia S.
  • Of 1940 with 1945, the North Africa, private of means of transport, sees emerging again wandering transport. The corn circulates with back of camel. This push undoubtedly contributed to repeat in the the Maghreb epidemics, of which the Typhus exanthematic.

Births in 1940

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Unknown dates:

Death in 1940

Beats-smg: 1940 Be-X-old: 1940 Map-bms: 1940 Simple: 1940 Zh-yue: 1940 年

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