Events with tag - 1940

March 5, 1940

The Katyn Massacre

The Katyn massacre was a mass execution of approximately 22,000 Polish prisoners of war, mainly officers and members of intelligentsia, carried out by the Soviet NKVD in spring 1940. The decision to conduct the executions was made on March 5, 1940, by order of the Political Bureau of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks), signed by Stalin. The executions were carried out in Katyn, Kharkiv, and Kalinin between April and May 1940.

May 16, 1940

Operation AB

Operation AB (Extraordinary Pacification Operation) was a mass extermination action carried out by the Nazis in occupied Poland from May to July 1940. Its aim was to murder Polish intelligentsia and social elites. As a result of the operation, approximately 6,000 people were arrested, of whom over 3,500 were murdered in mass executions, mainly in Palmiry near Warsaw.

May 26, 1940

Dunkirk Evacuation

Operation Dynamo, known as the Dunkirk evacuation, was one of the most dramatic military operations of World War II. Between May 26 and June 4, 1940, a massive evacuation of 338,226 Allied soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk was carried out using both warships and civilian vessels. This operation was crucial for preserving British military potential and the further course of the war.

July 10, 1940

Battle of Britain

The Battle of Britain was a crucial aerial conflict of World War II that took place over British territory between July and October 1940. In this first military campaign conducted exclusively by air forces, the German Luftwaffe attempted to break the resistance of the British RAF, which was meant to pave the way for the planned invasion of the British Isles.

July 15, 1940

Polish Squadrons 302 and 303

In July and August 1940, two legendary Polish fighter squadrons were formed - 302 'Poznań' and 303 'Warszawa' Tadeusz Kościuszko Squadron, which played a crucial role in the Battle of Britain. Polish pilots demonstrated extraordinary combat effectiveness, courage, and dedication in defending British skies against the German Luftwaffe.

September 16, 1940

US Military Draft Act

The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 established America's first peacetime draft, requiring all men aged 21-45 to register for military service. This historic legislation transformed the U.S. military from 335,000 soldiers in 1939 to over 1.4 million by 1941.

September 16, 1940

US Military Draft in WW2

The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 established America's first peacetime military draft, requiring men aged 21-35 to register for service, eventually mobilizing over 10 million men for World War II.