As Germany continued to plan its spring offensives, Hitler and Mussolini met on 18 March at the Brenner Pass in the Alps; Mussolini agreed to support Hitler’s imminent invasion of Western Europe when the time was right. Édouard Daladier resigned as Prime Minister of France on 19 March, following a vote of no confidence over… Read more »Read more

Meat rationing came into force on 11 March, joining butter and sugar which had been rationed since 8 January 1940. Unlike these other goods, meat was rationed by price (typically a shilling’s worth a week). On Wednesday 13 March the Finns finally signed the Moscow Peace Treaty, ending hostilities after three and a half months;… Read more »Read more

On Tuesday 5 March, facing defeat and with Soviet armies attacking the city of Viipuri and threatening Helsinki, the Finns finally entered into negotiations with Russia about ending the Winter War and Britain and France abandoned plans to send troops to their aid. Meanwhile, with spring just around the corner, it was evident that the… Read more »Read more

On Wednesday 28 February the Soviets launched another major offensive, attacking the Finns along the Mannerheim line. Viipuri, Finland’s second largest city, also came under attack, and the Finns prepared to come to terms. Meanwhile, Hitler directed his generals to start planning a German invasion of Denmark and Norway. Britain had now been at war… Read more »Read more

The Winter War entered its final stages when on Saturday 24 February the Russians launched an assault across the frozen Baltic close to Helsinki, outflanking the Finnish lines. The RAF embarked on a major 6-day operation this week, dropping leaflets over German towns and cities. The John O’Groat Journal reported the burial of the bodies… Read more »Read more

Britain issued a call for volunteers to fight against the Soviet invaders in Finland, but it was already too late: the Russian army had finally broken through the Mannerheim line on 15 February. Finnish forces retreated to a second line of defence, but it was now only a matter of time before this, too, was… Read more »Read more

On 11 February 140,000 Soviet troops attacked the Finnish Mannerheim Line, the start of an offensive that would ultimately break the Finnish defences. At the start of the week, Britain and France belatedly agreed an improbable plan to send over 100,000 troops to support Finland, but only if they could land at Narvik and be… Read more »Read more

On 1 February the Winter War entered its final phase when Russian forces launched a major offensive against the Finnish forces defending the Karelian Isthmus, putting them under severe pressure. On Wednesday this week came “probably the saddest scene in the history of the town” of Wick, with the mass burial of the bodies of… Read more »Read more

In Finland, Soviet forces were preparing for a major offensive against the Finnish defences along the Mannerheim Line. In the west, Germany began to finalise plans for an invasion of Denmark and Norway. Winter struck Caithness hard this week. Ice and snow froze the lade [or channel] bringing water to the harbour and blocking it,… Read more »Read more

After the cancellation of the planned German invasion in the west, the only fighting on land was that in Finland as the Finns continued to fight off the Soviet invaders. At sea, however, the war continued unabated. On 21 January a German U-boat sank HMS Exmouth while it was on convoy duty in the Moray… Read more »Read more