WHAT ALL HAPPENED APRIL TO NOVEMBER 1940
Find out what all happened April to November 1940

World War II: sinking of the RMS Lancastria by the Luftwaffe near Saint-Nazaire, France. At least 3,000 are killed; Britain's worst maritime disaster. (17. June 1940)

Warsaw is awarded the Virtuti Militari. (9. November 1940)

World War II: Germany invades Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. (10. May 1940)

An Italian submarine torpedoes and sinks the Greek cruiser Elli at Tinos harbor during peacetime, marking the most serious Italian provocation prior to the outbreak of the Greco-Italian War in October. (15. August 1940)

World War II: The Battle of Gabon ends as Free French Forces take Libreville, Gabon, and all of French Equatorial Africa from Vichy France forces. (12. November 1940)

World War II: The German submarine U-9 sinks the French coastal submarine Doris near Den Helder. (9. May 1940)

World War II: Italian troops conquer Sidi Barrani. (16. September 1940)

Chad becomes the first French colony to join the Allies under the administration of Félix Éboué, France's first black colonial governor. (26. August 1940)

World War II: 13,000 British and French troops surrender to Major General Erwin Rommel at Saint-Valery-en-Caux. (12. June 1940)

World War II: Battle of Cape Spada – The Royal Navy and the Regia Marina clash; the Italian light cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni sinks, with 121 casualties. (19. July 1940)

World War II: Norwegian refugees form a government-in-exile in London (5. May 1940)

The Yermolayev Yer-2, a long-range Soviet medium bomber, has its first flight. (14. May 1940)

Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands flees her country to Great Britain after the German invasion. Princess Juliana takes her children to Canada for their safety. (13. May 1940)

World War II: At the Battle of Cape Spartivento, the Royal Navy engages the Regia Marina in the Mediterranean Sea. (27. November 1940)

The Second Vienna Award re-assigns the territory of Northern Transylvania from Romania to Hungary. (30. August 1940)

The Holocaust: The first prisoners arrive at a new concentration camp at Auschwitz. (20. May 1940)

World War II: After a brief lull in the Battle of France, the Germans renew the offensive against the remaining French divisions south of the River Somme in Operation Fall Rot ("Case Red"). (5. June 1940)

World War II: Vichy France regime is formally established. Philippe Pétain becomes Prime Minister of France. (11. July 1940)

World War II: Marshal Henri Philippe Pétain becomes Chief of State of Vichy France (Chef de l'État Français). (16. June 1940)

World War II: First day of Battle of Elaia–Kalamas between the Greeks and the Italians. (2. November 1940)