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8th January 1940 - Conscription extended from 20 to 27
8th January 1940 - Rationing of Butter Sugar and Bacon begins
8th January 1940 - More britons killed on roads since blackout started than by enemy action
12th January 1940- Europe experiencing cold spell 50 degrees of frost in some places
16th January 1940 - Hitler orders postponement of his planned attack in the west until spring
31st January 1940 - Sir John Simon announces that food subsidies are running at £1000.00 per week
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3rd February 1940 - First German aircraft since first world war is shot down over England. A Heinkel 111 crashes near Whitby in Yorkshire. Shot down by Flight Lieutenant PW Townsend of 43 squadron flying a Hurricane.
4th February 1940 - The American Liner SS Manhattan is intercepted by the French Navy. Taken to Gibraltar where she was later released but before she departed, a large quantity of German mail sacks was seized.
5th February 1940 - The Governments of both the United Kingdom and France agree to provide military aid to Finland in its winter war with the Soviet Union.
6th February 1940 - New Regulations regarding the start of British summer time introduced. The BBC also issued with new reporting guidelines with regard to reporting losses in the ever growing threat from German U Boats.
6th February 1940 - one of the most famous Propaganda posters of the Second World War is released by the Ministry of Propaganda. Careless Talk Costs Lives.
10th February 1940 - The very first German Magnetic Mine is swept by with the us of a towed cable by HMS Salve and HMS Servitor off the East Coast of England.
12th February 1940 - A German U Boat U33 was spotted and by HMS Gleaner while minelaying in the Clyde. U33 dived but suffered damage and was forced to surface after a depth charge attack. The U Boat was not able to be scuttled in time and when the crew were searched after rescue the U boats telegraphist was found to have on him 3 rotors for the top secret Enigma machine. They were immediately sent to the British code-breakers at Bletchley Park who until that moment were totally unaware of their design.
15th February 1940 - The IRA were active on mainland Britain. Two bombs exploded in Birmingham. And after further searches by police five more were located. No loss of life or injury was caused other than minor damage.
18th February 1940 - After the attack and sinking of HMS Royal Oak by the German U Boat U47 in october 1939 , security at Scapa Flow is improved by the sinking of the SS llsenstien to act as a block-ship in the entrance where the U Boat entered Scapa Flow.
20th February 1940 - Twenty Vickers Wellington Bombers of RAF Bomber Command attack German Shipping in Heligoland.
Two Aircraft crash one of 38 Squadron in the North Sea and one on return to the UK.
21st February 1940 - The Cavity Magnetron.(The high powered vacuum which works microwaves) was tested at Birmingham university.The beginning of the microwave revolution.Later in the war it played a huge part in Airborne Radar equipment.
22nd February 1940 - An aircraft of 602 Squadron flown by Squadron Leader Douglas Farquhar takes the first gun camera film of the war while attacking a German Heinkel 111 bomber over Berwickshire.
23rd February 1940 - The Crews of HMS Exeter and HMS Ajax are proudly marched through london to the Guildhall to celebrate the actions that lead to the sinking of the German Pocket Battleship Admiral Graf Spee in the Battle of the River Plate.
24th February 1940 - The Prototype of Hawkers Typhoon flies for the first time piloted by Philip Lucas.
25th February 1940 - The first civilian casualties to die in the UK are caused during a training exercise after the crash of an RAF aircraft at Wallington in Surrey. The Trainee pilot was also killed.
25th February 1940 - The first of many Royal Canadian Airforce units arrives in the UK,
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1st March 1940 - A BBC survey reveals that two thirds of the Adult population of the United kingdom listen to the English language propaganda broadcasts made by Lord Haw-Haw.Who's programme "Germany Calling" is broadcast after the BBC nine o'clock news each night.That meant some 16 million people listening to BBC and some 6 million switching over to hear Lord Haw-haw.
British women are requested to wear light colored fabrics to economise on dye for the making of uniforms.
Hitler orders his Generals to start planning for the invasions of Denmark and Norway.
In Hollywood the 12th Academy awards take place. Winners include Vivienne Leigh and R Donat, for the film "Gone with Wind" which wins a total off 8 Oscars including one for Hattie McDaniel the first ever Black American to win an oscar.
2nd March 1940 - Soviet Russia begins attacks on the city of Vipuri Finland's second Largest City The worst attack of the war so far on a British Merchant ship occurs. The passenger Cargo Liner SS Domala was attacked by He111's of the Luftwaffe's KG26. 108 members of the crew and passengers are killed.
The Italian Government protests to the British Government about the Allied Blockade of its ports.
3rd March 1940 - The New passenger Liner Queen Elizabeth sets sail from the Clyde. it was only possible to achieve this as there were only two suitable high tides. Arriving in New York via Halifax it was to provide a sight for New Yorkers of four of the worlds greatest liners. The Mauretania, Normandie, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary. By wars end the two Queens would have transferred over a million serviceman overseas.
4th March 1940 - £100,000,000 raised so far for the British war effort through savings certificates and defence bonds.
5th March 1940 - Finland tells soviets that they will agree to their terms for ending its war.
6th March 1940 - A British patrol ship captures the German Woermann line ship Wahehe also the German HamburgAamerica line ship Troja is scuttled off the Dutch West Indies.
7th March 1940 - Secretary of State for Air, Sir Howard Kingsley announces the srength of the RAF had doubled over the last year.
8th March 1940 - The German cargo ship Hanover is intercepted off Dominica by HMS Dunedin and HMS Assiniboine. The liner had been set on fire by it,s crew but despite this she was towed to Jamaica.
The Public are made aware for the first time about the counter measures being taken to combat German magnetic mines. British scientists develop a method to reverse ships magnetic fields by 'degaussing' .
11th March 1940 - An RAF Blenheim of 82 Squadron flown by Squadron Leader Miles Villiers Delap attacks and sinks the German submarine U-31. The U-Boat sank with the loss of 58 men. Squadron Leader Delap is awarded the DFC for this action. Areas in Northern Scotland are designated training areas by the war office. Meat rationing is introduced this day into the Uk.
12th March 1940 - Finland signs peace treaty with the Soviet Union ending 105 days of War.
14th March 1940 - Hong Kong provides £1000,000 to the British Government for "War purpose ".
15th March - Release in the US of John Fords movie drama 'The Grapes of Wrath' starring Henry Fonda.
16th March - The Royal Navy base at Scapa Flow is attacked by the Luftwaffe causing Britains first civilian casualties.
Hitler and Mussolini meet at the Brenner pass in Austria, Mussolini guarantees Hitler that italy will enter the war on Germany's side at the first opportune moment.
19th March 1940 - The Admiralty announces that up to 13th March 1940 a total of 12,816 ships had been convoyed by the Royal Navy with the loss of 28 ships.
The RAF in retaliation for the attack on Scapa Flow attack the German sea plane base on Sylt Island.
2oth March 1940 - French General Gamelin orders that if Germany attacks, seven divisions should be ready to race through Belgium to the Dutch border.
21st March 1940 - Paul Reynard becomes Prime Minister of France.
22nd March 1940 - French intelligence reports that the Germans are studying routes from Sedan to Abbeville. They conclude that an attack through Belgium is imminent.
23rd March 1940 - In India the all India Moslem league call for a Muslim homeland.
25th March 1940 - Official instructions are issued to all British POW's not to take part any broadcasts for the enemy.
27th March 1940 - Himmler orders the construction of Auschwitz concentration camp at Katonice.
Intense aerial activity over the Maginot line in eastern France, the RAF claim 5 Messerchmitt fighters.
28th March 1940 - Britain and France agree that neither country would seek peace separately with Germany.
The decision to mine inshore passages off the Norwegian coast is made.
29th March 1940 - Dutch Naval Attaché warns the Danish authorities that Germany is planning to invade Denmark and Norway.
In the US boxer Joe Louis ko's Johnny Paycheck to retain the Heavyweight boxing title.
30th March 1940 - The minister of Agriculture announces some 1,370,000 additional acres of farmland out of a target of 2,000,000 have been ploughed.
31st March 1940 - The German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis sets sail from German waters on her first patrol. She went onto roam the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans sinking a total of 22 merchant ships with a total of 146,000 tons.
The first RAF raid on German soil takes place. Two Wellington bombers raided the city of Emden
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