1941

World War II expands as Germany invades USSR and Japan attacks US fleet at Pearl Harbor. Germany invades and occupies Yugoslavia and Greece. Axis and Allies fight across North Africa. Germany conquers large parts of USSR and threatens Leningrad, Moscow and Sevastopol.

January 5.   Bardia, Libya:   British forces start a major offensive against Italians by capturing Bardia with 36,000 Italian prisoners and much war material.

January 7.   Tokyo:   Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto proposes "Operation Z" in a letter: (1) destroy US fleet at Pearl Harbor, but not invade US, (2) use several aircraft carriers, not battleships, (3) neutralize British fortresses at Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaya (4) conquer Philippines, (5) conquer Dutch East Indies. He threatens to resign if his plan is not accepted. It is.

January 15.   East Africa:   British forces begin an offensive against Italian forces. They capture Kassala in Sudan and enter Eritrea (Abyssinia) on January 19, capture Mogadiscio in Italian Somaliland on February 26, capture Neguelli in southern Ethiopia on March 22, and capture Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital on April 6. The last Italian troops surrender at Gonder on November 27 to leave Italian East Africa under UK control for the rest of WWII. Needing German support to retrieve these humiliating African defeats, Mussolini allows German forces into Italy on January 20. (Ethiopia was granted independence on January 23.)

January 22.   Tobruk, Libya:   British forces capture Tobruk, a major fortress and port through which Italian supplies are received. The British will continue with victories in Derna on January 24, Benghazi on February 7, and El Agheila on February 8. 114,000 Italians become POWs while British casualties are 3,000 since the beginning of the January 5 offensive.

January 27.   Tokyo:   Ambassador Joseph Grew warns US of Japanese plan to attack Pearl Harbor that he had learned from a Peruvian diplomat, but it is regarded as only a rumour by the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI).

February 8.   Bulgaria:   Bulgaria signs an agreement for military cooperation with Germany. This will allow German troops to concentrate along the Greek frontier for an eventual attack. Bulgaria will later become a member of the Axis.

March 5.     Adolph Hitler issues a directive "Cooperation with Japan" to persuade Japan to take action in the Far East to engage UK and US and thereby reduce their strengthing of UK forces.

March11.   Washington:   Congress passes the Lend-Lease Act by which President Roosevelt can provide economic and military support to countries whose defense was vital to the United States. UK was fighting the Axis powers alone and had exhausted most of its money. US now can send military supplies to UK and other countries. The first American Lend-Lease food shipments depart the U.S. on April 16 for UK. in Britain. Between April and December, the U.S. deliveres one million tons of food to the British. By the end of the war, the U.S. will extend $50 billion in aid to UK, Russia, and Latin America countries.

March 24.   Libya:   To salvage the Italian debacle in North Africa, the Germans dispatch General Erwin Rommel and the Deutsches Afrika Korps to reinforce the Italians in Libya. At the same time, the British High Command transfers 60,000 British troops from Libya to help defend Greece against German invasion, which weakens the British force. Axis forces launched an-offensive on April 3 and force the British army to retreat. The Germans regain Sollum and Bardia on April 14 and encircle Tobruk on April 20. German and Italian forces forces continue past Tobruk and will halt their offensive on the Egyptian frontier on May 29.^League

March 30.   Washington:   Pres. Roosevelt order the US Coast Guard seize German ships that sail into American ports. 65 ships are held in "protective custody".

April 2.   Washington:   Pres. Roosevelt transfers 10 Coast Guard cutters to British navy under terms of the Lend-Lease Act.

April 3.   Washington:   Pres. Roosevelt orders 3 battleships, 1 carrier, and 4 cruisers to Atlantic from Pacific Oceans to protect Lend-Lease convoys. The next day he allows British warships to be repaired in US.

April 3.   Iraq:   In an attempt to establish Iraq independence from its British mandate, Pro-German Rashid Ali topples the Iraq government in a coup. His request for German support brings a British army into Iraq on May 2. By June 4 political stability is established with a pro-British government. Germany thus if prevented form gaining control of this oil-rich region.

April 6.   Yugoslavia & Greece:   Germany invades Yugoslavia to secure the Axis control of the Balkans where Italy had been unable to establish control. German troops are from Germany, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria. Belgrade will be occupied on April 10 and the country capitulates on April 17. Yugoslavian partisans under Marshall Josip Broz Tito form to fight German occupation throughout World War II.

April 11.   Atlantic Ocean   USS Niblack drops 3 depth charges on a German submarine to begin the US undeclared war on Germany.

April 13.   Moscow:   USSR and Japan sign a treaty of neutrality to secure their borders by agreeing on a border between Mongolia and Manchukuo. It will remain in effect until USSR invades Manchukuo in 1945 as a western ally. The treaty will have the unintended consequence of allowing US Lend-Lease non-military supplies under Russian ships, such as food and clothing, to reach Russian Pacific ports from the US west coast throughout World War II without Japanese interference.

April 22.   Greece:   Greece surrenders to Germany. King George II flees to Crete to reform his government. 48,000 British troops are evacuated by the British navy to Crete on April 25, while 12,0900 become POWs. British weapons are abandoned. Greece surrenders to Italy on the next day.

May 20.   Crete:   German paratroopers invade Crete and control the island by June 1 to give Germany control of the eastern Mediterranean and eliminate UK from this control. Most surviving British troops are evacuated to Cyprus and Egypt.

June 6.   US ports:   US seizes 80 foreign merchant ships in US ports for lend-lease convoys.

June 8.   Syria:   Syrian nationalists with Vichy-France support attempt to gain control over French mandated Syria, but they are subdued by Free-French and British forces. Germany thereby fails to win control in the country.

June 14.   Washington:   To apply more economic pressure on Japan, US freezes Axis funds in US.

June 18.   Berlin:   Germany and Turkey sign a non-aggression treaty that keeps Turkey out of WWII and provides Germany with flank protection for its upcoming invasion of USSR.

June 22.   USSR:   Germany invades USSR in "blitzkrieg" fashion as it did in the west in 1940. Anticipating an early victory before winter over European Russia, "Operation Barbarossa"is launched by an Axis force of 3 groups of armies composed of 99 German divisions supported by units from Finland, Romania, Italy, Hungary, and Croatia along a 2,000-mile front. The Axis invasion force is 3 million men. Against these forces are arrayed Russian armies consisting of 2 million troops and 1 million reserves that are poorly led, trained and supplied. Stalin's directive that Russians must not retreat results in the capture of a million Russian soldiers early in the campaign, most of whom will die of exposure, starvation, overwork, executions, and disease in German POW camps. Russian citizens will die in large numbers because of the destroyed or confiscated food, clothing and shelter and murder by occupying troops and police. For the remainder of 1941, Axis forces will conquer vast USSR regions. As in other occupied countries, Jews in large numbers are imprisoned and exterminated by Nazi police forces. Russian partisans will form to disrupt Axis supply lines, although some Russians, such as Ukrainians, will regard the Germans as liberators and collaborate with them. Soon after the invasion, US and UK pledge their material support of USSR. During WWII, more people of all nations will die in USSR than in all other parts of the world engaged in the war.

June 24.   Washington:   To show its support of USSR against its new enemy, US extends lend-lease aid to USSR.

July 24.   Vichy, France:   Japan is permitted to have military control of French Indo-China with minimal French civilian control. Indo-China is an important area for later invasions of China, Burma, and the Dutch East Indies.

July 26.   Washington:   US and UK freeze all Japanese credits in response to the Japanese occupation of French Indo-China. This stops all American-Japanese trade. President Roosevelt places all armed forces in the Philippines under the control of United States and assigns General Douglas MacArthur the Commander-in-Chief in the Far East. US warns Japan that additional Japanese attempts to expand Japanese military control in the Far East will force US to take immediate steps to protect American rights and interests. Another warning will be given on August 17. Japan wil thereafter engage in internal debates over whether to make war with the west in order to achieve its objective of conquering the UK and Dutch colonies in Asia and the Pacific Ocean.

August 8 - October 16.   Odessa, USSR:   Romanian and German forces lay siege to Odessa. Most of the Soviet army will be evacuated on October 14 before the fall of the city on October 16. Small Soviet groups remain to harass Romanian, Italian, and German occupying troops.

August 9 - 12.   Argentia, Newfoundland:   Pres. Roosevelt and UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill meet in what will be called the Atlantic Charter Conference. Their military staffs coordinate strategies and the two heads of state issue the Atlantic Charter that describes proposed post-war relations among nations, such as no territorial aggrandizement, rights of peoples to freely choose their forms of government, improved trade, labor practices, social security, economic security, etc. It will provide the basis for establishing the United Nations after the war.

August 19.   Berlin:   Having advanced rapidly in USSR, Germany annexes all Ukraine west of the Dnieper (Dnipro) River except for the Odessa area, which is claimed by Romania.

August 24.   Iran:   Following the establishing of control over Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq, British and Soviet forces invade Iran and overthrow the pro-Axis government of Riza Shah. The British occupy the southern part of the country and oviet forces occupy the northern half. Iran will be strategically important to the Allies for its petroleum resources and as a conduit to ship Lend-Lease military supplies to the USSR from US via the Persian Gulf and connnecting roads and railroad called the "Persian Corridor" and (2). Again, Germany is shut out of this vital country. Riza Shah abdicates and is replaced by his son, Mohammed Riza Pahlavi on September 19.

September 4.   Leningad, USSR:   After conquering Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia, Axis forces comprising Army Group North begin the siege of Leningrad and (2) that will last until the Russian liberation in January, 1943. During that long period, the city's inhabitants will suffer greatly from bombardment, disease and starvation as Soviet forces defend the city's outskirts.

September 4.   Washington:   Recognizing its importance to ships plying between the 2 oceans, Pres. Roosevelt closes Panama Canal to Japanese ships.

October 1.   Moscow:   US, UK and USSR delegates sign the First Russian Protocol at the Three-Power Conference (First Moscow Conference) that began on September 29. US and UK will provide war materials to USSR in an effort to bolster the hard-pressed Soviet forces arrayed against Germany and its allies. Although set to expire in 9 months, it will be renewed so that supplies reach USSR via several routes for the duration of World War II.

October 18.   Tokyo:   Gen. Hideki Tojo becomes the new Japanese Prime Minister and Minister of War after Prince Fumumaro Konoye was forced to resign because he had lost the confidence of Emperor Hirohito who wanted to chance war with the West after earlier seeming to be pacifist. Hirohito will give his consent to war with the US and UK on November 2. This change represents the triumph of the militarists advocating war with the US and UK. As the most powerful man in Japan, Tojo will approve the attack on US at Pearl Harbor and direct Japanese military operations in WWII.

October 30.   Sevastopol, USSR:   After capturing Uman and Kiev, The German 11th Army of Army Group South besieges the garrison and naval base of Sevastopol. Fighting will last until a German victory is achieved on July 4, 1942.

November 1 - January 7.   Moscow:   Axis forces comprising Army Group Center attempt to capture Moscow, but fail by December 5. Temperatures drop precipitously and Axis forces suffer in their summer clothing. On December 5, Soviet forces begin a counteroffensive that drives Axis forces back, but is stopped by January 7, 1942.

November 6.   Washington:   Pres. Roosevelt extends $1 billion in lend-lease credit to USSR to purchase American supplies in accord with the First Russian Protocol.

November 17.   Washington:   In response to German U-boot attacks on American warships in the North Atlantic (the USS Kearney was torpedoed on October 17), Congress revises the restrictive clauses of the neutrality laws and authorizes the arming of U.S. merchant ships. In addition, American cargo ships are allowed to carry supplies to belligerent ports.

November 21-27.   Rostov, USSR:   After capturing Kiev in September and advancing to the Sea of Azov, Axis forces from Army Group South capture Rostov on November 21. Howevever, their lines were overextended, so Soviet forces begin a counter-offensive on November 27 that forced the Axis troops back to the Mius River at Taganrog for the first major withdrawal of German forces. Rostove will be the scene of future battles between Axis and Soviet forces.

November 24.   Dutch Guiana:   US sends troops to occupy Dutch Guiana to protect its resources and prevent Axis agents from using the country as a base of operations.

November 25.   Bulgaria:   After a period of neutrality, Bulgaria signs the Three-Power Treaty and becomes a member of the Axis.

November 27.   Washington:   After months of fruitless negotiations, US senior commanders warns UK and US military base commanders that a war with Japan is imminent. However, it is thought that the likely targets are the Philippines or Southeast Asia.

November 29.   Tokyo:   Gen. Hideki Tojo declares that US and UK influence must be eliminated from asian affairs. It will follow Adm. IsorokuYamamoto's plan for a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor to destroy the US fleet and thereby prevent it from hindering Japanese operation in Asia and the Pacific Ocean.

December 5 - January 5.   Moscow:   The Red Army attacks Axis forces across the Eastern Front to set back German forces in a winter that favors Russian troops, since German troops are poorly clothed. (Hitler assumed that USSR would be defeated well before the end of the year.) Germany now has to prepare for a long war against Russia. Further gains will be made next year.

December 7.   Pearl Harbor HI:   Following a long and thorough plan to eliminate the US threat to its merchant fleet carrying resources from its Pacific Ocean conquests, Japanese airplanes launched from aircraft carriers bomb and torpedo US ships and airplanes on Oahu island in Hawaii in a surprise attack. US is caught unprepared, losing 188 aircraft, 4 battleships, and other ships. 2,345 military and 57 civilians are killed. Many more are wounded. The Japanese do not destroy the 3 US aircraft carriers that are at sea. The military infrastructure is mostly left intact. Angered by the treachery, Americans want war and isolationism among Americans disappears. Adm. Husband Kimmel and Gen. Walter Short will soon be relieved of their commands at Pearl Harbor and retired. However, 9 subsequent investigations show that many mistakes were made at higher command levels.

December 8.   Washington DC:   Following Pres. Roosevelt's damnation of Japan, at his request the US Congress declares war on Japan. Japan declares war on UK and US that same day.

December 8.   Malay Peninsula & Thailand:   Japanese forces land in Malaya and Thailand and push British forces back into the island fortress of Singapore by February 1, 1942.

December 8.   Hong Kong, China:   Japanese forces invade the British possession Hong Kong. It surrenders on December 25.

December 10.   Luzon, Philippines:   American and Phillipino forces of this country are a threat to Japanese expansion into Southeast Asia and therefore have to be subdued. Therefore, after occupying Batan island north of Luzon on December 8, Japanese forces land in 5 areas on Luzon between December 10 and 24 when the Allies retreat to the Bataan Peninsula.

December 10.   Guam:   After being bombed since December 8, Japanese forces land on Guam, an American territory lightly occupied by a small American force of sailors and marines. They surrender that same day.

December 11.   Berlin & Rome:   Germany and Italy declare war on US in accord with the Axis Three-Power Treaty. US will now prepare for a war on 2 fronts, Europe against Germany and Italy, and Pacific Ocean against Japan.

December 11.   Libya:   After some German Afrika Korps are transferred to USSR, British forces launch their 2nd offensive against the Axis. They relieve Tobruk from Axis siege and reach Benghazi on December 25. They will end their offensive at El Agheila on January 18, 1942.

December 15.   Off Hainan Island:   After damaging several Japanese ships, USS Swordfish (SS-193) is the first US submarine to sink a Japanese ship, the cargo Atsutasan Maru off Hainan Island^Wiki. After many more victories, she will be lost in the Ryukyu Islands on January 12, 1945. Beginning with 21 submarines, by the end of WWII there will be 228 deployed submarines of which 52 with 3500 men will be lost. For the duration of the war, US submarines will have sailed 31,290 patrol days, sunk 1150 Japanese vessels of 4, 850,624 tonnage^Valor. Japan's war machine and home front will suffer as its loss of merchant ships by US subs will curb oil, food, iron, bauxite, and other resources from entering Japan. Poorly design torpedoes, inferior to those of Japanese and German subs, will prevent US subs from recording more victories. Less glamorous, but important in the war effort, are submarine use in reconnaissance and supply of material and troops.

December 20.   London:   UK declares war on Japan following its invasions of Malaya and Hong Kong.

December 22.   Washington:   UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill meets with US Pres. Roosevelt in the First Washington Conference. The two leaders reconfirm their joint strategy while their staffs work out Anglo-American strategies. They agree to concentrate their fight against the Axis in Europe while pursuing a policy of containment against Japan. The Allies are to focus on the Japanese after the victory in Europe or if increased Allied resources allow more actions against Japan.

December 23.   Wake Island:   The small force of American marine defenders surrender to a Japanese invasion force after being bombed several times and thwarting one landing. Lying in the center of the Pacific Ocean, Wake Island is of strategic importance to Japan.