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Updated - 28 Jun 2008
Western Desert Battlefield Tours
I have started this page with a timeline of some of the events during the Second World War, then there will be some interesting information on various subjects covering the period of 1939 to 1945, as I will give a brief write up on D-Day, The End of the War, Conscription, The Home Guard, Air raid shelters, Evacuation, ID Cards, and Rationing, together with some great photo's, just click on them to view full size.
I have also placed a few interesting links at the bottom of this page.
I do hope that you find this page interesting and please try to spare a moment to sign our guestbook.
Many Thanks.
World War Two Timeline
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1 Sept 1939 |
Adolf Hitler invaded Poland |
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3 Sept 1939 |
Britain and France declared war on Germany. Neville Chamberlain broadcast the announcement that the country was at war. |
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April/May 1940 |
Hitler
invaded and occupied Denmark and Norway to safeguard supply
routes of Swedish ore and also to establish a Norwegian base
from which to break the British naval blockade on Germany. |
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13 May 1940 |
Neville
Chamberlain resigned after pressure from Labour members for a
more active prosecution of the war and Winston
Churchill became the new head of the wartime coalition
government. Chamberlain gave Churchill his unreserved support. |
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10 July - 31 October 1940
Battle of Britain |
The
Battle of Britain comprised four phases: |
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1941 |
German
and Italian troops attacked Yugoslavia, Greece and the island of
Crete. German field Marshall Erwin Rommel led the axis powers
back to North Africa. |
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22 June 1941 |
Adolf Hitler sent 3 million soldiers and 3,500 tanks into Russia. The Russians were taken by surprise as they had signed a treaty with Germany in 1939. Stalin immediately signed a mutual assistance treaty with Britain and launched an Eastern front battle that would claim 20 million casualties. |
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7 Dec 1941 |
The Japanese, who were already waging war against the Chinese, attacked the US pacific fleet at Pearl Harbour, Hawaii, as a preliminary to taking British, French and Dutch colonies in South East Asia. |
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8 Dec 1941 |
Britain
and the United States declared war on Japan. |
|
Feb 1942 |
The
Japanese captured Singapore from the British, taking some 60,000
prisoners. |
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June 1942 |
The
USA defeated the Japanese navy at the Battle of Midway. |
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23 Oct 1942 Battle of El Alamein |
Montgomery
attacked the German-Italian army in North Africa with a massive
bombardment followed by an armoured attack. He then proceeded to
chase the routed enemy some 1500 miles across the desert. |
|
Nov 1942 Battle of Stalingrad. |
The
Russians won their first victory against Germany. |
|
3 Sept 1943 - Italy surrenders |
Mussolini had been thrown out of office and the new government of Italy surrendered to the British and the USA. They then agreed to join the allies. The Germans took control of the Italian army, freed Mussolini from imprisonment and set him up as head of a puppet government in Northern Italy. This blocked any further allied advance through Italy. |
|
6 June 1944 - |
The
allies launched an attack on Germany's forces in Normandy,
Western France. Thousands of transports carried an invasion army
under the supreme command of general Eisenhower to the Normandy
beaches. |
|
25 Aug 1944 |
The
French capital of Paris was liberated from the Germans. |
|
8 Sept 1944 |
The first V2 flying bombs killed three people in London. |
|
Dec 1944 - |
Battle of the Bulge |
|
28 April 1945 |
Italian
partisans captured Mussolini and executed him. |
|
30 April 1945 |
Adolf
Hitler committed suicide in his bombproof shelter together with
his mistress, Eva Braun, who he had, at the last minute, made
his wife. |
|
2 May 1945 |
German
forces in Italy surrendered to the Allies. |
|
4 May 1945 |
German
forces in north west Germany, Holland and Denmark surrendered to
Montgomery. Admiral Donitz, whom Hitler had nominated as his
successor, tried to reach agreement to surrender to the Western
allies but to continue to fight the Russians. His request was
refused. |
|
8 May 1945 |
V.E. Day - Victory in Europe was celebrated |
|
5 July 1945 |
Winston
Churchill lost the election to Clement
Atlee's Labour Party. |
|
6 Aug 1945 |
The
US dropped an atomic bomb on the island of Hiroshima, as the Japanese
generals refused to surrender. |
|
8 Aug 1945 |
Russia declared war on Japan. |
|
9 Aug 1945 |
The
US dropped an atomic bomb on the island of Nagasaki. |
|
14 Aug 1945 |
The Japanese surrendered to the allies ending the second world war. |
|
2 Sept 1945 |
US General, Douglas MacArthur, formally ending the second world war. |
The Battle of Normandy D-Day
As midnight of 05 June approached, the first of 822 aircraft carrying parachutists or towing gliders, roared overhead to the Normandy landing zones. They were a fraction of the air armada of more than 10,000 aircraft that would support D-Day.
Shortly after midnight on 05 June 1944 the largest fleet ever assembled began the voyage across the English Channel. The armada consisted of 3,000 small landing craft, 71 large landing craft of various descriptions 9 battleships, 23 cruisers, 104 destroyers, and as well as troop transports, mine sweepers, and merchantmen, altogether nearly 5,000 ships of every type. The invasion convoys, carrying the combat teams of six infantry division, sailed on the night of June 5-6 from a dozen English ports. Fighter sweeps and standing air patrols were flown to prevent any German air activity over the channel ports and invasion area.
Originally planned to take place on 1 May 1944, the operation was postponed a month to allow time to gather more troops and equipment. The timing was important to allow for the right weather, a full moon, and tidal conditions, and the operation was put off yet again at the last minute for 24 hours because of bad weather.
Map showing English Channel D-Day
About 1,300 RAF planes were involved in the first wave of assaults then 1,000 American bombers took up the attack dropping bombs on targets in northern France.
Thousands of paratroops and glider-borne troops were also dropped behind enemy lines and the Allies penetrated several miles inland.
On D-Day, 6 June 1944, a total of 75,215 British and Canadian troops and 57,500 US troops landed on the beaches of Normandy in northern France at the start of a major offensive against the Germans. There were only 14 of the 58 German divisions in France facing the Allies. While there was stiff resistance at other beaches, Omaha was the only one where the success of the Allied mission was in serious doubt.
The success of the invasion was vital if Europe were to be liberated and the heroic events of the day have been rightly celebrated ever since. But D-Day was just the beginning of the battle for Normandy and three months' hard fighting lay ahead for the troops who landed on that day.
Approximately 3,000 Americans, British and Canadians were killed in the June 6th invasion of Normandy.
By 11 June the Allies had secured the Cotentin Peninsula beyond Cherbourg but progress continued slowly as the Germans put up fierce resistance. By the end of June the port of Cherbourg had been captured, and by the end of July the Americans had managed to sweep southwards into Brittany and towards the Loire.
At the beginning of August, the failure of the Mortain counter-attack, ordered by Hitler, hastened the rout of the German armies, which were now threatened with encirclement. They were partially wiped out in the Falaise Pocket at the end of the month, and those soldiers who escaped were left with no choice but to evacuate the rest of Normandy, cross the Seine and head back to Germany.
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D-Day Landings Lancaster Taking Off D-Day Landings
The End of The War
On the 8th of may 1945 The Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, officially announced the end of the war with Germany.
Huge
crowds, many dressed in red, white and blue, gathered outside Buckingham
Palace in London and were cheered as the King, Queen and two Princesses
came out onto the balcony.
Earlier tens of thousands of people had listened intently as the King's speech was relayed by loudspeaker to those who had gathered in Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square. In it he paid tribute to the men and women who had laid down their lives for victory as well as to all those who had "fought valiantly" on land, sea and in the air.
Mr
Churchill also said in his speech: "We may allow ourselves a brief
period of rejoicing; but let us not forget for a moment the toil and
efforts that lie ahead. Japan with all her treachery and greed, remains
unsubdued.
"We must now devote all our strength and resources to the completion of our task, both at home and abroad. Advance Britannia."
Later Mr Churchill was greeted by cheering crowds as he made his way to Whitehall and appeared on the flag-bedecked balcony of the Ministry of Health.
"God
bless you all," he said over the loudspeaker, which was greeted with
further cheering and waving from the crowd and a round of "For he's a
jolly good fellow".
A victory parade was held in London on 10 August 1945 when once again huge crowds of cheering, flag-waving crowds took to the streets.
Following the two atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the deaths of tens of thousands of people, Japan surrendered on 14 August 1945. Victory in Japan Day was celebrated on 15 August. It is also marked on 2 September, the day Japan signed an unconditional ceasefire.
Bombing Raids
On
7th September 1940 Hitler began his daily bombing campaign. London was the
main target but other major cities were also bombed. Casualties were high.
On the first day of bombing 430 people were killed and 1,600 badly
injured.
Within a few weeks the daily bombing raids had become nightly raids. Hitler decided to make the bombing raids at night to increase the 'fear factor' and also to make people weaker by not allowing them to sleep properly. People in London slept in underground stations for protection.
In November 1938, Chamberlain placed Sir John Anderson in charge of the ARP. He immediately commissioned the engineer, William Patterson, to design a small and cheap shelter that could be erected in people's gardens. Within a few months nearly one and a half million of these Anderson Shelters were distributed to people living in areas expected to be bombed.
These shelters were made from six curved sheets bolted together at the top, with steel plates at either end, and measuring 6ft 6in by 4ft 6in the shelter could accommodate six people. These shelters were half buried in the ground with earth heaped on top. The entrance was protected by a steel shield and an earthen blast wall.
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The Anderson Shelter Daily Express Newspaper Cutting
The government expected people to sleep in their Anderson shelters, as we got more night time bombings. Each night the wailing of the air raid sirens announced the approach of the German bombers and ensured that most people had time to take cover before the raid actually started.
The Anderson Shelters were dark and damp and people were reluctant to use them at night. In low-lying areas they tended to flood and sleeping was difficult as they did not keep out the sound of the bombings. Another problem was that the majority of people living in industrial areas did not have gardens where they could erect their shelters. There were public shelters in most towns.
The government tried to confuse the German bombers by enforcing a 'blackout'. Street lamps were switched off, car headlights had to be covered and people had to hang black material in their windows at night so that house lights could not be seen.
After May 1941, the bombing raids became less frequent as Hitler turned his attention to Russia. Nevertheless, the effects of the Blitz were devastating. 60,000 people lost their lives, 87,000 were seriously injured and 2 million homes were destroyed.
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London Bombing Safe after being Bombed Out
When the war began in September 1939 the government knew that large cities would be the target for German bombs and that casualties would be high. Evacuation was introduced to move school children, teachers, mothers with children under the age of five and disabled people out of the cities to the countryside where there was little risk of bombing raids.
Evacuation was voluntary and the government expected more than 3 million people to take advantage of the scheme. However, by the end of September 1939 only 1.5 million people had been evacuated and most of those returned to their homes when there were no bombing raids. When the Battle of Britain and the Blitz began in 1940, evacuation was re-introduced.
The children wore name tags and had to carry their gas mask as well as their belongings. After saying goodbye to their parents they travelled by train or by coach to their destination where they met the people who were to house them. Most of those evacuated had no idea what their life as an evacuee would be like nor when they would see their parents again.
Some of the children being evacuated from London
Every
person was given a ration book for food and had to register with a grocery
store. The grocery store was only given enough food for the people on
their list. When someone bought rationed food, the grocer stuck a sticker
in his or her ration book to show that that week's ration had been
purchased.
At first only butter, sugar and bacon was rationed. By the middle of 1940 all meat, eggs, cheese, jam, tea and milk was also rationed. Clothes were rationed from June 1941 due to a shortage of raw materials and also to allow the factories and workers to concentrate on producing weapons, aircraft and ammunition for the war.
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One Person's Weekly Food Allowance |
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| 4oz (113g) | Lard or Butter |
| 12oz (340g) | Sugar |
| 4oz (113g) | Bacon |
| 2 | Eggs |
| 6oz (170g) | Meat |
| 2oz (57g) | Tea |
Vegetables
were not rationed but were often in short supply. People who had gardens
were encouraged to plant vegetables instead of flowers. The government
called this 'Digging for Victory' and produced posters to persuade people
that they were helping to win the war by planting vegetables.
The
only fruit that was available was that grown in Britain e.g. apples,
pears, and strawberries. Bananas, oranges, peaches and other imported
fruit were not available at all.
Dried egg powder was available and was used to make scrambled eggs.
The War Women
I
know that some of my relatives worked in the munitions factories, others
worked in the factories producing
aircraft, weapons and other goods needed for the war effort. They worked
long hours and could earn as much as 40 shillings (£2.15) a week. This
was quite a good wage in the 1940s but was less than the men had been paid
for doing the same job.
The women who worked in the fields and on farms were known as Land Girls. They were given a uniform and had to live on the farms where they were sent to work. They worked long hours and the work was hard. Land Girls were paid 32 shillings (£1.60) per week.
The Home Guard
The Home Guard or Local Defence Volunteers (LDV) was formed in 1940 when there was a real risk that Hitler might invade Britain. The men that served in the Home Guard were all volunteers and were mostly those that were too old (over the age of 40) or too young (under the age of 18) to serve in the forces. They became known as 'Dad's Army'.
The
men were issued with a uniform and an armband with the letters LDV to show
that they were members of the Home Guard. Members of the public were asked
to donate any rifles, pistols or shotguns that they might have to provide
the Home Guard with weapons. Those that were not provided with weapons
made makeshift weapons from pieces of pipe or knives.
Most of the men had full time jobs and trained in the evenings. As well as preparing themselves to be ready to fight off a German invasion, the Home Guard also guarded buildings that had been bombed to prevent looting, helped to clear bomb damage, helped to rescue those trapped after an air raid, guarded factories and airfields, captured German airmen that had been shot down and set up roadblocks to check people's identity cards.
Everyone had to carry an identity card with them.
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ID Card Poster Copy of one of our relatives ID Card from 1943
Parliament passed the National Service (Armed Forces) Act, under which all men between 18 and 41 were made liable for conscription, at the start of the second world war. Single men were called up before married men.
The registration of all men in each age group in turn began on 21st October for those aged 20 to 23. By May 1940, registration had extended only as far as men aged 27 and did not reach those aged 40 until June 1941.
Provision was made in the legislation for people to object to military service on moral grounds. Of the first batch of men aged 20 to 23 and estimated 22 in every 1000 objected and went before local military tribunals. The tribunals varied greatly in their attitudes towards conscientious objection to military service and the proportions totally rejected ranged from 6 per cent to 41 per cent.
On 18th December 1941, the National Service Act was passed by Parliament. This legislation called up unmarried women aged between twenty and thirty. Later this was extended to married women, although pregnant women and mothers with young children were exempt from this work.
By the end of 1939 over one and a half million men had been recruited into the armed forces. Of these, 1,128,000 joined the British Army and the remainder were equally divided between the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force.
There was another kind of conscription for some, in that the government had power to ‘direct’ civilians to certain kinds of work, and to order ‘fire-watching’ in air raids. There was no formal provision for conscientious objection to these activities, and some people (including women) were prosecuted and even imprisoned for refusing to perform civilian work which they saw as part of the war, and others for refusing compulsory ‘fire-watching’.
In a different way from the aftermath of the First World War, conscription for men was continued fifteen years into ‘peacetime’, until 1960, adding some 10,000 objectors to the British total. These continued to be supported by the Central Board for Conscientious Objectors, set up in 1939 with advisory bureaux all over the country.
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Please make a visit to the following excellent WebSites -
Brilliant Site - A must to visit.
The intention on this site is to answer some "frequently asked questions" and to give an insight into certain aspects of World War One that are difficult or impossible to find elsewhere.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
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Western Desert Battlefield Tours Many Excellent Tours Please make a visit to this very informative website |
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Please note that all the information supplied on ‘Our Ward Family Website’ is for the purpose of
private study and research only and may NOT be used for commercial purposes.
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Copyright © 2004-2008 The Webmaster of Our Ward Family Web Site (Peter Ward). All rights reserved.