United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]
Surnames/tags: World War II United Kingdom

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United Kingdom in World War II

The United Kingdom of Britain and Northern Ireland) declared war on Germany, Sept. 3, 1939, with Germany's invasion of Poland. Germany had annexed the Rhineland, Austria and Czechoslovakia. England was defending allies as well as its Empire. In 1931, Japan began to seize land in SE Asia. Under its dictator, Mussolini, Italy was flexing its muscles had an army marching into the Horn of Africa, 1935. World wide nations were enraged the world, but no one did anything. League of Nations, prior to United Nations was supposed to be maintaining peace. Result: Germany began the Blitzkrieg against England. This was a little more difficult due to the English Channel. (Blitzkrieg is a military term to disorganize the enemy and its country's economic organization with lightning effect.) Germany increased pressure upon England by bombing attacks, with an objective of Nazi German forcing Great Britain to agree to a peace settlement.

TIMELINE:

• Sept 3, 1939 -British cruse liner Athenia sunk by a German submarine (U boat) - killed 28 Americans. British start "defensive “convoy” strategy (ships' protection by naval vessels)

• Sept 10, 1939. Canada declares war on Germany.

• Sept 17, 1939 - British aircraft carrier, Courageous sunk by a German U boat.

• Oct 14, 1939 - U boat sails into one of Britain’s most secure harbours, Scapa Flow ( north of Scotland ) U boat sinks the British battleship Royal Oak ( 800 crew died).

• Oct 16, 1939 - German planes (Luftwaffe) bomb 2 British Cruisers in the Firth of Forth. (Edinburgh, Scotland)

• May 10, 1940 - Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister of Britain, responsible for Military.
• May 26, 1940 - June 4, Dunkirk - 500,000 troops are shipped Dunkirk, France to Kent, England.

• June 20 - Italians join the war, attack France.

• June 12, 1940 - Germans take Paris. Low Countries and France forces cannot defeat the Wehrmacht and the Luftwaffe.
• Rationing starts in the UK.

• German 'Blitzkrieg' overwhelms Belgium, Holland and France.

• British victory in Battle of Britain forces Hitler to postpone invasion plans.

Bombers.

• Holland and Belgium fall by the end of May

Air Raid Shelter.

• Battle of Britain, (July to September- air battles.) Germany lacked planes but had many pilots.
• With radar, RAF had narrow victory and maintained air superiority.
• Germany switched Blitz attacks from airfields and factories to the major cities.

• 1941 Hitler begins Operation Barbarossa - the invasion of Russia.
• 'Blitz' of Britain's cities continued throughout war, bombed Buckingham Palace, Coventry, and claimed some 40,000 civilian lives.

'

• Allies take Tobruk in North Africa, and resist German attacks.
• Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, and the US enters the war.
• Operation Barbarossa, - invasion of Russia, began on 22 June. Sebastopol fell at end of October.

1942

• First American troops arrived in England in January
• Moscow attacked at the end of the year.
• Germany suffers setbacks at Stalingrad and El Alamein.
• Atrocities to Jewish people at Auschwitz begins

1943

• Surrender at Stalingrad (defeat of Germany.
• Allied victory in North Africa, then invasion of Italy.
• Italy surrenders, but Germany takes over the battle.
• British and Indian forces fight Japanese in Burma.

1944

• Allies land at Anzio and bomb monastery at Monte Cassino.
• Soviet offensive gathers pace in Eastern Europe.

• D Day: The Allied invasion of France. Paris is liberated in August.

• Guam liberated by the US.

• Okinawa, and Iwo Jima bombed.

D-Day.

1945

• Auschwitz liberated by Soviet troops.

• Russians reach Berlin: Hitler commits suicide and Germany surrenders on 7 May.

• Atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan surrenders on 14 August, 1945.

GREAT BRITAIN DIVISIONS:

Stalin, Churchill & Roosevelt.

Africa:

"1st (African) Division – renamed 11th (African) Division

2nd (African) Division – renamed 12th (African) Division or "12th (East Africa) Division"

11th (East Africa) Division

81st (West Africa) Division

82nd (West Africa) Division

Anti- Aircraft Division

1st Anti-Aircraft Division

2nd Anti-Aircraft Division

3rd Anti-Aircraft Division

4th Anti-Aircraft Division

5th Anti-Aircraft Division

6th Anti-Aircraft Division

8th Anti-Aircraft Division

9th Anti-Aircraft Division

10th Anti-Aircraft Division

11th Anti-Aircraft Division

12th Anti-Aircraft Division

Airborne Division 1st Airborne Division, 6th airborne Division

Armoured

1st, 2nd, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 42nd, 79th Armoured Division

1st Cavalry

Infantry:

Guards Division

1st Infantry Division served in France

1st London Division (56th London Division)

2nd Infantry Division

2nd London Division became 47th Division

4th Infantry Division

5th Infantry Division served in France, NW Europe

6th Infantry Division

7th Infantry Division

8th Infantry Division.

9th (Highland) Infantry Division became 51st

12th (Eastern) Infantry Division

12th Division (SDF)

15th (Scottish) Infantry Division

18th Infantry Division

23rd (Northumbrian) Division

36th Infantry Division

38th (Welsh) Infantry Division

42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division (42nd Armoured Division)

43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division

44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division

45th Infantry Division, 46th Infantry Division- France, 49th (West Riding Infantry Division, 50th Northumbrian Infantry Division - Sicily, Normandy, 51st Highland Infantry Division, 52nd Lowland Division, 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division, 54th E Anglilan Infantry Division, 55th (West Lancashire Infantry Division , 56th London Infantry Division, 59th Staffordshire Infantry Division,61st Infantry Division, 66th Infantry Division, 70th Infantry Division , 76th Infantry Division, 77th Infantry Division, 78th Infantry Division, 80th Infantry Division

SOURCES

• BBC.co.uk - WW II summary
• Wikipedia - Battle of Britain
• History of England - World War II
• Wikipedia - History of the United Kingdom during World War II
• Wikipedia - British divisions in World War II
• www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-27299199 Scotland Deaths during World War II
• "The Civilian War Dead Roll of Honour 1939-1945" book is made up 66,375 fatalities in seven volumes. All arranged by county, then local government area. The original volumes are kept at St. George’s Chapel, found at the west end of Westminster Abbey, London, England.

Wikitree Resources:

• World War II Research Page

Profiles on WikiTree

• Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill KG PM