Battlefront Finland Shelling of Mainila, Causus Belli of the Winter War.

 



NOTE OF M. MOLOTOV, COMMISSAR FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS,
HANDED ON 26thNOVEMBER, 1939, TO M.YRJO-KOSKINEN,
FINNISH MINISTER AT MOSCOW.
Monsieur le Ministre,
According to information received from the
headquarters of the Red Army, our troops posted on
the Carelian Isthmus, in the vicinity of the village of
Mainila, were the obiect today, 26th November, at
3.45 p.m., of unexpected artillery fire from Finnish
territory. In all, seven cannon-shots were fired, killing
three privates and one non-commissioned officer and
wounding seven privates and two men belonging to
the military command. The Soviet troops, who had
strict orders not to allow themselves to be provoked,
did not retaliate.

In bringing the foregoing to your knowledge, the
Soviet Government consider it desirable to stress the
fact that, during the recent negotiations with M.
Tanner and M. Paasikivi, they had directed their
attention to the danoer resultino from the
concentration of large regular forces in the
immediate proximity of the frontier near Leningrad. In
consequence of the provocative firing on Soviet
troops from Finnish territory, the Soviet Government
are obliged to declare now that the concentration of
Finnish troops in the vicinity of Leningrad, not only
constitutes a menace to Leningrad, but is, in fact, an
act hostile to the U.S.S.R. which has already resulted
in aggression against the Soviet troops and caused
casualties.

The Government of the U.S.S.R. have no intention of
exaggerating the importance of this revolting act
committed by troops belonging to the Finnish Army -
owing perhaps to a lack of proper guidance on the
part of their superiors - but they desire that revolting
acts of this nature shall not be committed in future.

In consequence, the Government of the U.S.S.R.,
while protesting energetically against what has
happened, propose that the Finnish Government
should, without delay, withdraw their troops on the
Carelian Isthmus from the frontier to a distance of
20-25 kilometres, and thus preclude all possibility of a
repetition of provocative acts.
Accept, M. le Ministre, the assurance of my high
consideration.

The battle of Coral Sea 04th May 1942

 

 The battle of Coral Sea was a four day
skirmish that spanned from May 04th, 1942 until May 08th
1942. The battle was marked as the first air and sea
battle in the history of warfare.

  The Japanese were seeking to take control of the Coral
Sea by capturing the Port Moresby in southeast New
Guinea. Luckily for the Allies, these plans were
intercepted.

  The Japanese began landing in the area on May 4th but
came under attack from fighter planes that were
launched off near by aircraft carriers. Air strikes from
both sides were fired but most missed their targets.
When the main forces traded air strikes, the Americans
lost the carrier Lexington and the Yorktown was
damaged. The Japanese suffered damage to their
carrier, Shokaku.

  Although both sides suffered damages to their carriers,
the battle left the Japanese without enough air support
to cover the ground attack resulting in an Allied victory.
In the end, the Allies lost 656 seaman while the
Japanese lost 966 seamen.

  The aftermath had an important impact on the battle of
Midway a month later, reducing the Japanese forces
availability.

The Rise of Germany

 

   The Nazi party came to power in Germany in January 1933, pledged to tear up the Treaty of Versailles which had drastically cut down the size of Germany. The country would be restored to its 'rightful' place as the most powerful in Europe and all those Germans living in areas outside the Reich would be incorporated into the 'Greater Germany'. The treaty had limited Germany's armed forces to a 100,000 man army, and no airforce. But under General Hans von Seeckt, the army was organized as a highly trained, professional framework for a much larger force which could one day be raised by conscription. Development of tanks and military aircraft went ahead under various disguises -- much of it undertaken in the Soviet Union  -- and civilian flying schools built up a pool of trained pilots. Thus in the spring of 1935, Hitler was able to announce that Germany repudiated the Treaty of Versailles, that she now had an air force, and that conscription would be introduced to bring the army up to 300,000 men.

  The Western democracies, Britain and France, made no effective protest and this convinced Hitler that they had lost the will to act decisively. In March 1936 he openly proved this by reoccupying the Rhineland -- against the advice of his generals who knew that the army was still under trained, under equipped, and far smaller than that of France.

German troops cross border during the annexation in March 1938

   In March 1938, with the apparent approval of the bulk of her population, Austria was annexed to the Reich.

Once again, Britain and France made no effort to prevent it. Despite warnings, their governments were determined to avoid war and preferred to give way to Hitler rather than run any risks. But in the autumn of 1938 the Fuhrer made his first overt move against independence state, when he demanded that the Sudetenland  - the western border of Czechoslovakia - with its 3,000,000 Germans should be annexed to the Reich, because its inhabitants were being maltreated by the native population. Czechoslovakia was a model democracy, prosperous and socially advanced, with large well equipped armed forces and defenses which would have proved a difficult opponent for the Germans. The government prepared to resist, but as Hitler had for
seen, under pressure from Britain and France an 'honorable' solution was found guaranteeing 'peace in our time'. The Sudetenland with all of the Czech frontier defenses was handed over to Germany. Hitler had removed a potentially difficult threat on his southern flank and was further convinced that nothing to fear from Britain and France. In March 1939 he completed the occupation of Czechoslovakia, but now at last the Western democracies had realized the true nature of his plans and begun to rearm. However, it would take time to redress the years of inactivity and the German forces were now more than equal in strength to their probable opponents. Hitler was ready to turn on his next victim -- Poland -- where the Danzig corridor cutting off East Prussia from the Reich presented an invited excuse for intervention.

Canada Remembers D-Day and the Battle of Normandy

Canadians took part in many hard struggles to help

the Allies to victory during the Second World War.

D-Day and the Battle of Normandy was one of the

best-known chapters of the entire conflict and our

service members would play an important role in this

pivotal campaign.

SETTING THE SCENE

Germany invaded much of Western Europe in the

spring of 1940, during the opening months of the

Second World War. A narrow stretch of sea, the

English Channel, was all that separated the surging

enemy forces from Great Britain, but the island nation

held firm. 'The conquered countries on the continent

would suffer greatly under a harsh occupation in the

years that Followed. An Allied raid on the French

coast at Dieppe in August 1942 would result in heavy

losses, especially for Canadian troops, but the Allies

would slowly turn the tide against the powerful

enemy war machine in North Africa, Italy, on the

Eastern Front, in the skies over Europe and on the

Atlantic Ocean. 'To win the war, however, Germany

would have to be defeated on the ground in Western

Europe and 1944 would be the year the Allies would

finally return and powerfully strike back.

The target for the Allied landing forces would be

the beaches of Normandy in France. Planning

and preparation for this immense undertaking,

codenamed Operation Overlord, began more than

a year earlier. Land, sea and air Forces trained

extensively and the necessary troops, ships, tanks,

supplies and other equipment were steadily amassed.

Misinformation was deliberately leaked to the

Germans to confuse them over where the landings

would actually take place. Huge portable docking

facilities, called “Mulberry harbours,” were prepared

for use by Allied transport ships to unload their

cargoes in France. Long flexible pipes, nicknamed

“PLU'TO" {pipe lines under the ocean), were designed

to Carry Fuel under the English Channel. The Allies

were ready but had to wait until the weather, tides

and phase of the moon were right in order to be able

to attack.

"FORTRESS EUROPE"

Successfully establishing a beachhead in occupied

France would be a huge challenge for the Allied

forces. The: Germans had turned the coast of Europe

from the Spanish border to Scandinavia into a

daunting series of defensive positions. Dubbed

"Fortress Europe” by Adolf Hitler, its shores were

studded with land mines, barbed wire, concrete

bunkers, artillery batteries, machine-gun nests, anti-

tank walls, and thousands of watchful enemy troops.

An Allied defeat on the beaches of Normandy would

have been disastrous as there was no way to safely

evacuate troops in large numbers, so huge casualties

would be inevitable. If the landings were successful,

however, our forces would finally gain that all-

important foothold in Western Europe and could

begin the liberation campaign after years of harsh

German occupation.

ON LAND, BY SEA AND IN THE AIR

Allied warplanes helped pave the way for the

Normandy landings. They undertook countless

missions attacking coastal defences and lines of

transport in occupied Europe in the months leading

up to Operation Overlord. Despite questionable

weather conditions, the Allied high command made

the decision to attack on June 6th, 1944—a date that

has become known in history as "D-Day.“ A massive

Allied force would Cross the English Channel,

heading for an 80-kilometre stretch of the Normandy

coast. There were five landing zones assigned to the

forces of different nations: Juno Beach [Canada];

Gold Beach {United Kingdom); Sword Beach [United

Kingdom and France); and Utah Beach and Omaha

Beach (United States).

Some 7,000 naval vessels of all types, including 284

major combat ships, took part in Operation Neptune

{as the sea-borne assault phase of the D-Day offensive

was codenamed. Destroyers and supporting craft of

the Royal Canadian Navy shelled German positions

onshore and cleared sea mines in the approaches to

the French beaches. Many Royal Canadian Air Force

planes were among the some 4,000 Allied bombers

and 3.700 fighters / fighter bombers that relentlessly

struck at shoreline defences, inland targets and enemy

squadrons that day.

More than 450 members of the 1st Canadian

Parachute Battalion jumped inland before dawn on

June 6th and were the first of our soldiers to engage

the enemy 011 D-Day. A Few hours later. some

14,000 Canadian troops from the 3rd Canadian

Infantry Division and the 2nd Canadian Armoured

Brigade — composed of military units from coast

to coast—would begin to come ashore at Juno

Beach. Their mission was to brave heavy fire to

establish a foothold along an eight kilometre stretch

of coastline fronting the villages of Saint Aubin

sur-Mer, Bernieres-sur-Mer, Courseulles-sur-Mer,

and Graye—sur—Mer. Our soldiers would then push

inland towards the city Caen, an important

communications and transport centre.

A HARD-WON VICTORY

Many Canadian soldiers were young and new to

battle, but our infantry and armoured troops would

be thrown into action against some of the best of

the German Forces in Normandy. The Canadians

successfully captured their shoreline positions at

Juno Beach and penetrated the farthest inland of any

of the some 155,000 Allied troops who had landed

on June 6th,1944, but D-Day was only the beginning

of the struggle to liberate France. Clashes in the days

that followed badly bloodied our soldiers and they

repeatedly found themselves pitted against the elite

l2th SS Panzer Division, manned by fanatical troops

under the command of ruthless and experienced

German officers. The first month of fighting was an

exercise in grim endurance for the Canadians as the

combat intensified and capturing Caen remained

elusive.

The Canadians would bend but not break; however,

the memory of the bitter fighting they encountered

in villages like Authie, Huron and Carpiquet would

haunt our Veterans foryears to comme. Our4 navy

and air force continued to support the campaign

as they kept the sea lanes clear of enemy shipping

and swept German warplanes from the skies over

Normandy, while also pounding countless ground

targets. Caen finally fell to British and Canadian

troops on July 9th-10th, but the fighting would continue

through the choking dust and intense summertime

heat in the countryside south of the city. Canadian

troops battled forward despite desperate struggles at

places like Verrieres Ridge, which our soldiers helped

capture only after multiple bloody attempts had

cost many hundreds of lives. with even more being

wounded.

With an American breakout against weakening

German troops in western Normandy coming in

early August, the stiff enemy defenses in France

finally began to collapse. As the German forces

began to stream eastward away from the surging

Allied lines, Canadian troops would be called on

to help close the so-called “Falaise Gap" in mid-

August to trap the retreating enemy units. It would

take repeated efforts on a chaotic battlefield, but the

pocket would finally be completely cut off‘ by August

21,st resulting in the taking of tens of thousands of

desperate German prisoners. On August 25th, I944,

Paris was liberated by the Allies, ofiicially bringing

the Normandy campaign to a close.

SACRIFICE

Victory in the Battle of Normandy came at a terrible

cost. The Canadians sufered the highest casualties

of any divisions in the British Army Group during

the campaign. Some 359 Canadian soldiers were

killed on D-Day alone. and a total of more than

5,000 of our men would die during the two-and-a-

half-months of fighting in Normandy. Most of these

fallen heroes lie buried in France in the beautiful

Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery and the

Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery.

Over 13,000 more of our soldiers were were wounded in

Normandy, with many suffering injuries to body and

mind that they would carry for the rest of their lives.

LEGACY

Normandy was the beginning of 11 months of hard

fighting in Northwest Europe. Canadians would also

go on to play an important role in bitter struggles

at places like the Scheldt, the Rhineland and the

Netherlands during the Allied offensives that would

eventually help defeat the Germans and see Victory

in Europe (\/E) Day declared on May 8th, I945.

Canada's impressive efforts in the Second World War

remain a point of great national pride, even many

decades later. The brave Canadians who came ashore

on D-Day and saw action in the Battle of Normandy

were among the more than one million men and

women from our country who served in the cause of

peace and freedom during the conflict. Sadly, over

45,000 of them would lose their lives.

CANADA REMEMBERS PROGRAM

The Canada Remembers Program of Veterans Affairs

Canada encourages all Canadians to learn about

the sacrifices and achievements made by those who

have served—and continue to serve— during times

of war and peace. As well it invites Canadians to

become involved in remembrance activities that will

help preserve their legacy for future generations

 

The Eastern Front Chronology 1941 -1945

 

                                                        Germans at the gates of Stalingrad

1941.

22nd June. Germany invades Italy and Romania declares war on the Soviet Union.

24th June. Germans take Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.

26th-27th June. Finland and Hungary declare war on the Soviet Union.

28th June. Minsk the capital of Belorussia, taken.

1st July. Riga, capital of Latvia taken.

8th July. Soviet West Front encircled south east of Minsk, 290.000 captured.

16th July. Germans take Kishinev, capital of Moldovia.

August.  Stalin appointed Supreme Commander in chief. Germans take 103,000 prisoners in Uman 'pocket'.

13th Aug. Siege of Odessa begins.

28th Aug. Talenn, capital of Estonia falls.

30th Aug. German cut rail routes out of  Leningrad.

8th Sept. Leningrad isolated except across Lake Ladoga.

10th Sept. Smolensk battle ends with Soviet retreat Zhukov takes command at Leningrad.

10th Sept Smolensk battle ends with Soviet retreat; Zhukov takes command in Leningrad.

16th Sept Germans encircle Soviet southwest front, claim 665,000 prisoners.

17th Sept. Compulsory military training increase for all Soviet males ahed 16 - 50.

19th Sept Germans take Kiev, seige of Leningrad (until 27th January 1944) begins, Germans launch Moscow offensive. (Typhoon).

October. Germans encircle Bryansk front, Stalin recalls Khukov to Moscow and he arrives on the 7th Oct.

7th Oct. Soviet west and reserve fronts encircled west of Vyazma.

8th Oct. Bryansk Front breaks out east, but 50,000 captured.

10th Oct. Zhukov appointed to command defence of Moscow.

13th Oct. Vyazma pocket liquidated; Germans claim 673,000 prisoners.

15th Oct. Decree on evacuating most of the government from Moscow. Rain, snow, mud, made the advance slow.

16th Oct. Last Odessa defenders evacuated by sea.

19th Oct. "State of siege" (martial law) proclaimed in Moscow.

25th Oct. Germans take Kharkov in the Crimea, Soviets retreat to Sevastopol.

30th Oct Siege of Sevastopol (until 4th July 1942) begins.

15th Nov. German Moscow offensive resumes.

17th Soviet counter offensive in south begins.

22nd Nov. First supplies to Leningrad over ice Lake of Ladoga.

23rd Nov. Germans reach a point less than 19 miles from Moscow. 31km.

29th Nov. Soviets retake Rostov-on-Don.

5th Dec. Soviet Moscow offensive begins; continues until 20th April.

19th Dec. Hitler dismisses 19 generals and appoints himself Army Commander in Chief.

25th Dec. Threat to encircle Moscow from the north eliminated; Kerch - Feodosia Soviet amphibious assault begins.

1942.

2nd Jan Kerch-Feodosia assault ends; advanced 60 miles.  100km.

7th Jan.  Battle of Moscow ends after advancing 60-150 miles.  100-240km.

8th Jan. Soviet general offensive begins; continues until 20th April.

3rd Feb. Germans encircle Soviet 33rd army at Yukhnov.

6th Feb. Germans IX army encircle 29th army near Rzhev.

20th Feb. Two German corps encircle at Demyansk; supqplied by air until relieved 21st-23rd April.

19th March. Soviet 2nd shock and 59th armies encircle in Volkhov 'pocket.'

17th April. Soviet 33rd army destroyed.

20th April. End of Soviel general offensive; Germans push back up to 200miles. 320km from Moscow.

3rd May. Soviets attempt to re-encircle Germans at Demyansk.

12th May. Soviet southwest front attacks towards kharkov.

16th May. Soviet Crimean front, less 176,000 casualties abandons all Crimea except Sevastopol.

23rd May. Germans 1st panzer army closes trap behind south west, front.

29th May. Battle of Kharkov ends, Soviet losses 230,000.

28th June. Army Group South begins summer offensive.

29th June. Encircled 2nd shock and 59th armies destroyed 33,000 captured.

8th July. Army group south begins advance along river Don.

12th July. Stalingrad front formed.

25th July. Battle of Caucasus begins.

28th July. Stalin's order 227, 'Not one step back.'

10th Aug. German VI army reaches Maikop oilfields.

23rd Aug. German VI army reaches north  Volg of Stalingrad.

26th Aug. Zhukov appointed deputy Supreme Commander.

12th Sept. Germans reach centre of Stalingrad.

20th Sept. Germans driven back across Caucasus mountain passes.

30th Sept. German advance along Caucasus west coast toward Tuapse.

9th Oct Red Army Political Commissioners replaced by 'Deputy Commanders for Political Matters.'

23rd Oct. Germans advance on Tuapse halted.

6th-12th Nov. Transcaucaus Front defeats last German attempt to reach Soviet oil fields.

11th Nov. Last German offensive in Stalingrad fails.

19th Nov. Southwest and Don Fronts Stalingrad launch Stalingrad counteroffensive's north pincer.

20th Nov. Stalingrad Front launches south pincer

23rd Nov. Pincers meet at Kalach, encircling twenty German and two Romanian divisions.

24th Nov. Kalinin front begins offensive ti prevent German transfers south.

12th Dec. German Stalingrad relief attempt begins.

16th Dec. Southwest and Voronezh Fronts attack on Middle Don; German Tuapse group defeated.

30th Dec. German Stalingrad relief force repulsed, Middle Don campaign ends. Italian VIII. Romanian III and Hungarian II armies defeated. Army Groups Don and A threaten in rear.

1943.

3rd Jan Army Group A begins withdrawal from Caucasus, except Taman Peninsula and Novorossiiska area.

8th Jan. Germans in Stalingrad reject surrender terms

10th Jan. Reduction of Stalingrad 'pocket' starts.

12th Jan. Attempt to lift seige of Leningrad begins.

18th Jan. Soviets clear south shore of Lake Ladoga and build railway along it to supply Leningrad.

24th Jan. Army Group A complete withdrawal from Caucasus.

30th Jan. South 'pocket' at Stalingrad surrenders; Field Marshall Paulus captured..

2nd Feb. All remaining forces in Stalingrad surrender.

16th Feb. Manstein lauches Kharkov counteroffensive.

15th March. Manstein retakes Kharkov, Soviet retreat 60-90 miles. 100-145km. To northern Donets river line.

8th April. Zhukov predicts German summer offensive and Kursk salient and recommends defense followed by counteroffensive.

12th April. Stalin accepts Zhukov's proposal

15th April. Hitler issues directive for 'Citadel' offensive against Kurst salient.

26th April. Soviets attack residual German forces in Caucasus.

5th July. Army group centre begins 'Citadel.'

10th July. Allied landings in Sicily create threat to Germany in the west.

12th July. Germans lose Prokhorouka tank battle - largest of war.

13th July. Hitler abandons 'Citadel' and orders several divisions to the west; Bryansk Central and West Fronts began Operation Kuruzov joined on by the 17th by south and southwest fronts, on the 22nd by Volkov and Leningrad Fronts.

27th July Southwest Front held after taking bridgeheads over over northern Donets.

2nd Aug. South Front offensive ended, small gains, heavy casualties.

3rd Aug. Voronezh Steppe and Southwest Fronts attack South of Sailenk.

7th Aug. Western and Kalinin Fronts attack on Smolensk sector.

13th Aug. Kalinin Front offensive temporary halted.

18th Aug. Operation Kutuzov ends after advances of up to 95 miles. 155km.

22nd Aug. Leningrad and Volkhov fronts end offensive with few gains.

23rd Kalinin front resumes offensive; Voronezh and Steppe fronts halt, after advancing of up to 90 miles. 145km.

25th Aug. Battle for Dnepr began on all five Fronts from central southwards.

6th Sept. West front halted after advancing 25 miles, (40 km).

9th Sept North Caucasus Front begins Novorossiisk-Tamon offensive.

22nd Sept. Voronezh front seizes Bukrin bridgehead over Dnepr south of Kiev; South and Southwest Fronts halt after advancing to 180 miles. 300km and liberating industrial Donbass.

30th Sept. Central Front halts after seizing several bridgeheads over Dnepr.

2nd Oct. Western and Kalinin Fronts end offensive after advancing 125-160 miles. 200-260km and beginning reconquest of Belorussia.

9th Oct. End of Novorossiisk-Taman operation. Germans expelled from Caucasus.

10th Oct. Voronezh Front forces seize Lyutezh bridgehead over Dnepr north of Kiev; South Front begins clearing lower Dnepr's east bank of Germans.

14th Oct. South Front offensive successfully concluded.

30th Oct. Stalin signals readiness to join war against Japan after victory in Europe.

31st Oct. 4th Ukrainian (ex-South) Front reaches northern approach to Crimea; Transcaucaus Front begins landing at Kerch, on eastern edge of Crimea.

3rd Nov. 1st Ukrainian (ex Voronezh) Front attacks to take Kiev.

6th Nov. Kiev taken.

13th Nov. Army group south pushes 1st Ukrainian back.

28th Nov. Tehran Conference of Allied leaders opens; ends on 1st December.

19th Dec. Germans pushes 2nd Ukrainian Front back 12 miles. (19km.)

22nd Dec. 1st Ukrainian Front stabilizes line after 25 miles retreat. (40km).

24th Dec. Offensive by 2nd Belorussian and all four Ukrainian fronts begins.

0000 Dec. Kalmyks deported for alleged collaboration.

1944.

14th Jan. Start of offensive to end seige of Leningrad.

27th Jan. Seige of Leningrad ends.

28th Jan. Around 70,000 Germans encircled at Korsun-Shevchenkovsky.

3rd Feb. Leningrad Front forces enter Estonia.

17th Feb. Korsun- Shevchenkovsky battle ends, roughly 50,000 Germans killed, and over 18,000 captured.

1st March. Leningrad offensive ends; Germans forced back over 130 miles. 210km.

28th March. 2nd Ukrainian front crosses river Prut into Romania.

0000 March The Chechens and Ingush deported for alleged collaboration with the Germans.

0000 April. The Balkans deported for alleged collaboration with the Germans.

8th April. 1st Ukrainian Front reaches Czechoslovakia and Romanian borders; the 4th Ukrainian Front and Independent Coastal Army attack in Crimea.

17th April. Offensive on Right Bank (of Dnepr) Ukraine ends after advances of almost 300 miles on the front. 480km on a front of 920 miles 1,0490km.

9th May. 4th Ukrainian Front takes Sevastopol.

10th June. Leningrad and Karelian Fronts start offensive against Finland.

23rd June. Main Soviet 'Bagration' offensive begins.

3rd July. Minsk liberated, about 100,000 Germans encircled.

13th July. 3rd Belorussian Front forces take Vilnius, capital of Lithuania.

28th July. 1st Belorussian Front reaches Vistula and nears Warsaw

1st Aug. 1st Belorussian Front seizes bridgeheads over Vistula north and south of Warsaw. Polish Home Army launches Warsaw rising.

7th Aug. 4th Ukrainian front enters Czechoslovakia.

23rd Aug. 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts encircle most of Army Group South Ukraine at Yassy-Kishinev.

24th Aug. Romania declares war on Germany.

28th Aug. 3rd Baltic Front reaches German East Prussia border.

29th Aug. Official conclusion of 'Bagration' and associated offensives; anti-German rising begins in Slovakia.

31st Aug. 2nd Ukrainian front enters Bucharest.

4th Sept. Finland breaks with Germany.

5th Sept. Cease-fire on Finnish front, Soviet union declares war on Bulgaria.
2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts reach Yugoslavia and Bulgarian borders

8th Sept. 3rd Ukrainian Front enters Bulgaria; anti-German rising begins there.

9th Sept. Bulgaria declares war on Germany; 4th Ukrainian front begins East Carpathians offensive.

14th Sept. Offensive by five fronts launch in Baltic area.

15th Sept. Soviet troops enter Sofia; Finland declares war on Germany.

20th Sept. 4th Ukrainian front enters Czechoslovakia, 2nd Ukrainian Hungry.

26th Sept. Leningrad front forces capture Tallinn, occupies all mainland Estonia, reaches Baltic coast, and isolates Army Group  North.

28th Sept. 3rd Ukrainian, Yugoslav and Bulgarian forces begin Belgrade offensive; 2nd and 4th Ukrainian Fronts begin Budapest offensive.

7th Oct. Karelin Front begins drive to Norway.

10th Oct. 1st Baltic front reaches coast and cuts army group North off from East Prussia.

11th Oct. Hungry signs preliminary armistice.

16th Oct. German backed coup in Hungry; army ordered to fight on.

20th Oct. 3rd Ukrainian front and Yugoslav forces take Belgrade.

22nd Oct. Karelian front enters Norway and liberaters Kirkenies.

27th Oct. 3rd Belorussian front enters East Prussia.

29th Oct. Karelian front halts and hands over to Norwegian resistance.

2nd Nov. 2nd Ukrainian front reaches southern approaches to Budapest.

9th Nov. 3rd Ukrainian front seizes bridgehead over Danube.

24th Nov. Baltic offensive ends army group north isolated in Kurland.

3rd Dec. Ukrainian attacks North Budapest.

26th Dec. 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts encircle Budapest.

31st Dec. Soviets enter western suburbs of Budapest.

1945

6th Jan. Churchill asks Stalin for for offensive to ease pressure on Allies in the Ardennes, Stalin brings Vistula-Oder operation forward by eight days.

12th Jan. 1st Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian Fronts open Vistula-Oder offensive.

[12th Jan. 1st Belorussian corps attacks in Hungary, reaches Danube south of Budapest on the 20th, but repulsed on the 27th, 2nd Ukrainian takes Pest (Budapest east of Danube).]

17th Jan. 1st Belorussian Front takes Warsaw.

18th Jan. IV SS Panzer Corps attacks in Hungary, reaches Danube south of Budapest on 20th, but repulsed on the 27th; 2nd Ukrainian takes Pest (Budapest east of Danube).

25th Jan. 2nd Belorussian front reaches Baltic coast [Frisches Haff] cutting army group centre's main supply or withdrawal routes.
1st Ukrainian front seizes Bridgehead across Oder.

28th Jan. 1st Baltic Front and Navy take Memel. (Klayeda).

31st Jan. 1st Belorussian Front seizes bridgehead over Oder north and south of Kuestrin.

3rd Feb. Vistula-Oder offensive ends, advance on Berlin to follow after removal of risk of flank attack from the north.

13th Feb. Budapest taken.

15th Feb. 1st Ukrainian Front crosses Neisse, encircling 40,000 Germans at Breslua.

16th Feb. Germans counter attack south east of Stettin gain 5-8miles. 8-13km.

18th Feb. Germans stop 4th Ukrainian West Carpathian offensive.

19 Feb. Germans stop 2nd Belorussian Front in East Prussia.

23rd Feb. 1st Belorussian front takes Poznan; Turkey declares war on Germany and Japan.

24th Feb. 1st Ukrainian front ends Lower Silesia campaign  -- heavy losses inflicted on IV Panzer and 17th armies, Neisse river crossed in wide fronts in Pomerania, 2nd Belorussian front attacks.

In Hungary VI SS Panzer army drives Soviets back over the Hron river.

4th March. 1st and 2nd Belorussian Front forces reach Baltic coast, cutting German Pomeranian forces in two.

6th March. Army group South attacks in Hungry

16th March. 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts counterattack in Hungary.

22nd March. Belorussian front widens bridgeheads over Oder.

26th March. 3rd Belorussian front wipes out encircled Germans at Frisches Haff.

30th March. 3rd Ukrainian front enters Austria

2nd April. 3rd Ukrainian Front on southern approach Vienna.

5th April. Soviet Union inform Japan that 1941 Neutrality pact will not be renewed.

6th April. 3rd Belorussian Front begins storm of Koerisgsberg: front falls on 9th April.

13th April. Vienna taken.

16th April. 1st and 2nd Belorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts open in Berlin suburbs.

30th April. Hitler commits suicide.

2nd May. Berlin garrison surrenders.

3rd May. 2nd Belorussian front meet British, 1st Belorussian, Americans  along Elbe, German forces in Bavaria and western Austria surrender to Americans.

5th May. Anti German up rising in Prague; Stalin orders 1st, 2nd, and 4th Ukrainian fronts to assist.

7th May. German high command representatives sign unconditional surrender at Eisenhower's HQ in Reims. Stalin insists on a signing in Berlin.

8th May. Surrender ceremony in Berlin. (Karlshorst).

9th May. Army group north surrenders in Kurlard.

11th May. Germans in Prauge surrender.

0000 June. The Crimean Tatars forcibly deported for alleged collaboration with the Germans.

17th July. Potsdam Conference of Allied leaders begins.

26th July. Potsdam Declaration by USA, Britain, and China demands Japan surrender unconditionally.
Stalin endorses demand.

30th July. Marshall Vasilevsky appointed Commander in Chief for campaign against Japan.

8th Aug. Soviet Union declares war on Japan and invades Manchuria, Korea, South Sakhalin and Kurile islands.

10th Aug. Japan accepts Potsdam Declaration and offers surrender provided Emperor retained.

14th Aug. Emperor of Japan proclaims surrender.

15th Aug. Anglo - American forces cease fire.

17th Aug. General Yamada commanding Kwantung army, ask Soviet terms.

19th Aug. Yamada unconditionally surrenders Kwantung army.

The beginning of the Cold War.


 

Operation Anthropoid May 1942

 

Planned by British special operations and supported by the Czechoslovak government-in-exile, the preparation for Heydrich’s assassination called Operation Anthropoid involved officers Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš as the major players. They were airlifted from Great Britain to Czechoslovakia along with seven other Czech soldiers in December of 1941. After scratching plans to kill Heydrich on a train and in his car in a forest, the plan was to attack him at a sharp turn in the Libeň district of Prague on his way from his home in Panenské Březany.

The assassination attempt

Gabčík and Kubiš were positioned at the tram stop near Bulovka Hospital where there was a bend in the road while their colleague Josef Valčík signaled with a mirror the arrival of Heydrich’s open-roofed Mercedes Benz. Gabčík jumped in front of the vehicle, but his sten gun jammed. Heydrich had his car stopped and tried to shoot Gabčík when Kubiš hurled a grenade. Although the bomb only hit the rear wheel of the car, Heydrich suffered a broken rib, ruptured diaphragm and splinters in his spleen, and Kubiš was injured as well. The explosion shattered the windows of a tram as shards of glass maimed passengers. Though severely injured, Heydrich tried to chase Gabčík but soon collapsed. The driver Klein raced after Kubiš, but his gun jammed, and the resistance fighter got away. Following Heydrich’s orders, Klein then set after Gabčík, who hid in a butcher’s shop. The owner, a Nazi sympathizer, revealed his hideout to Klein, who collided with Gabčík in the shop. The assassin injured the driver in the leg and scurried away to safety. The 38-year old Heydrich was taken to nearby Bulovka hospital where he died June 4 at 4:30 am.

The manhunt

The assassination triggered the greatest manhunt in the history of the Third Reich. The Gestapo knew they were on the hunt for parachutists due to an unused bomb with British parts and a British sub-machine-gun abandoned at the scene. The Nazis offered a reward of one million marks for the Czechs’ arrest. Martial law was proclaimed, and everyone over the age of 15 had to register with the police by May 30, or they would be shot. Evidence left at the scene was displayed in the window of Baťa shoe store on Wenceslas Square. Some 21,000 Germans searched over 36,000 houses but came up empty.
The battle at the Cyril and Methodius Church

After taking refuge with two Prague families, the assassins, along with five other paratroopers, hid in the Karel Boromějský Greek Orthodox Church in Prague’s New Town. Resistance fighter Karel Čurda betrayed them, and 700 German soldiers pounced upon the church. Three resistance fighters, including Kubiš, were killed in the prayer loft after a battle that lasted two hours, even though the Czechs only had pistols and the soldiers were armed with sub-machine guns and hand grenades. After a preacher revealed that the others were hiding in the crypt, the soldiers tried to seize the catacombs, flood the space and smoke out the assassins. Finally, after holding out for six hours, the four parachutists, including Gabčík, committed suicide.

German reprisals: Lidice and Ležáky

The Germans unleashed a severe retaliation. Hitler lashed out by murdering thousands of Jews. He wanted to kill 10,000 Czech political prisoners, but high-ranking Nazi and military commander Heinrich Himmler convinced him that they needed the Czechs to keep the Protectorate industrially productive. Still, more than 13,000 were arrested, and 5,000 were murdered in reprisals. Due to false information, the Nazis thought the assassins were hiding in Lidice, a village near Prague, and also found a radio resistance transmitter in Ležáky. The Germans took revenge on Lidice by killing all 199 men in the town, arresting the 195 women and sending them to Ravensbrück concentration camp and taking the 95 children, eight of whom were given to German families. Most of the children disappeared; in all probability they were gassed. Lidice was razed June 9, 1942, and the ruins were bulldozed. The revenge on Ležáky was a nightmare as well. All the adults were murdered while the children disappeared, except for two who were handed over to Nazi families. The town was razed.
The dissolution of the Munich Agreement and a highlight of Czechoslovak resistance

Czechoslovakia earned worldwide sympathy, and the Nazis’ revenge led to the dissolution of the Munich Agreement that had ceded the German-speaking Czech lands to the Third Reich. After the Allies would win the war, the region was to be returned to Czechoslovakia, the country’s supporters proclaimed. The only targeted killing of a high-ranking SS officer, the assassination of Heydrich proved to be an isolated event but also proved to be one of the highlights of resistance throughout Nazi-occupied Europe. Still, the repercussions were brutal and Heydrich’s death certainly did not make the German occupation less cruel.

Timeline D-Day Chronology

 CHRONOLOGY    D-Day 1944

 06th June: D-Day Landings. Allied Forces land on the northern coast of Normandy.

22th-21th June: Battle tor Cherbourg. The port is eventually captured but is so badly damaged as to be useless for some considerable time

03th July: US First Army begins to attack southwards towards St. Lo. The dense nature of the bocage country results in very slow progress and heavy casuaities.

8th-11th July: British and Canadians launch Operation Charnwood. They break into Caen but fail to clear the entire city.

17th July: Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. commander of Army Group B. is severely wounded  when his car is attacked by RAF ground-attack aircralt. Von Kluge takes over direct command of Army Group B.

18th July: Operation Goodwood begins. Caen is cleared but gains are limited. Goodwood does succeed in concentrating German attention on the British sector however.

18th July:  St Lo is finally taken by the Americans.

20th July: Hitler survives an attempted assassination at the "Wolf ‘s Lair". his forward command post in East Prussia. This intensifies Hitler's suspicion of the German  officer corps.

24th July: Carpet-bombing attack. scheduled to begin at 13.00hrs is cancelled. Some of the  aircraft do not get the message and carry out the attack. US 30th Division sufiers more than 150 casualties from bombs that drop short.

25 July                 
09.36.Hrs: P-47 fighter-bombers begin strafing runs and ground-attack missions  along the northern edge of the bomb zone. They are followed by more than 1,800 heavy bombers which carpet bomb an area 1000 yards long by 2.500 yards deep. The effect on Panzer Lehr Division is devastating. US troops suffer approximately600 casualties from bombs dropping short. including LT. Gen Lesley McNair, head of US Arrny Ground Forces.

11.00hrs: VII Corps begins ground assault but advance is held up by areas ol continued resistance. US forces only penetrate about a mile. 24.00hrs Town of Hebecrevon is finally taken.

26th July: Maj. Gen Collins of VII Corps orders his armored units to spearhead his advance. German defenses begin to collapse as CCB/3rd Armored Division and 1st infantry Division capture Marigny and 2nd Armored Division advances seven miles.

28th/29th July: German forces in the Ronoey pocket are largely destroyed while trying to break out.

30th July: Maj Gen John Woods 4th Armored Division seizes Avrranches.

31th July: Key bridge at Pontaubault captured without resistance by task force from 4th Armored Division.

01st August: First US army becarne 12th Army Group and Gen George Patton's Third Army is activated. 4th Armored Division halted by determined resistance at Rennes airport,

02nd August: Luftwaffe attempts to destroy bridge at Pontaubault in night attacks US guided missiles. The attacks fail.

03rd August: During the night the garrison oi Fiennes abandons the city.

05th August: CCA/4th Armored Division reaches Vannes on Ouiberon Bay.

05th  August: Initial attack by 83rd Division on St Malo

07th August: CCB/4th Armored Division reaches outskirts of Lorient.

Night of
06th/07th August:   Operation  the Gemran counterattack at Mortain. begins 2nd Bn., 120th US   infantry. surrounded on Hill 317. continue to call in artillery on  the German forces.

07th August: Attacks begin in earnestl on St Maio. Task Force A joins with 6th Armored Division on the outskirts of Brest. Garrison of Brest does not surrender until19th September.

08th August:  Patton's troops liberate Lo Mans. First Canadian Army launches Operation Totalize aimed at Falaise.

12th August:            In a daring night attack Leclerc's French 2nd Armored Division seize the bridges over the Fivar Sarthe.

13th August: Bradley orders Patton to direct his corps east rather than north into theArgentan-Falasie gap

14th August: St Malo is finally taken alter intense house-to-house fighting.

15th August: US Seventh Army lands on the southem coast or France near Marseilles.

16th August:  The Canadians finally take Falaise, leaving a gap of only 15 miles between the Allied spearheads. Hitler finally agrees to the withdrawal of German units in the  Falaise pocket. Patton's Third Army is on the outskirts of Chartres and Orleans.

17th August: Von Kluge is replaced by General Fieldmarschal Walter Model. Von Kluge commits suicide the next day. Citadel of St. Malo finally surrenders after direct   fire from 8-in. guns from a range of onlv 1.500 yards.

21st August: Falaise pocket is finally sealed. 10.000 German troops have been killed and 50.000 captured in the pocket. whilst 313 tanks have also been lost.

23rd  August: Hitler informs the commander of the Paris garrison. Dietrich von Cholchitz. that the city "must not fall into the hands of the enemy except as a field of ruins.

26th August:  French and US troops including Leclerc's 2nd Armored Division liberate Paris.