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The Royal Navy initiated a naval blockade of Germany on 4 September. Although Britain and France honoured these guarantees by declaring war two days after Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939, [6] and the dominions of the British Empire quickly followed suit, so little practical assistance was given to Poland, which was soon defeated, that in its early stages the war declared by ...
Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 brought many countries into the war. This event, and the declaration of war by France and Britain two days later, mark the beginning of World War II. After the declaration of war, Western Europe saw minimal land and air warfare, leading to this time period being termed the "Phoney War".
Germany and Britain fought each other from the British declaration of war, in September 1939, to the German surrender, in May 1945. [ 58 ] [ 59 ] The war continues to loom large in the British public memory.
1939-09-01: Germany: Poland: A: German attack began at 4:44 a.m., Berlin and Warsaw time. [2] [better source needed] [3] [4] Germany claimed that the attack was defensive, citing the Gleiwitz incident, which was actually a false flag attack. [5] Invasion: 1939-09-01 Slovakia: Poland: A: Invasion: 1939-09-03 United Kingdom Australia New Zealand ...
The military history of the United Kingdom in World War II covers the Second World War against the Axis powers, starting on 3 September 1939 with the declaration of war by the United Kingdom and France, followed by the UK's Dominions, Crown colonies and protectorates on Nazi Germany in response to the invasion of Poland by Germany.
23 January – "Dutch War Scare": Admiral Wilhelm Canaris of the Abwehr leaks misinformation to the effect that Germany plans to invade the Netherlands in February, with the aim of using Dutch airfields to launch a strategic bombing offensive against Britain. The "Dutch War Scare" leads to a major change in British policies towards Europe. [2]
2 September – Following the invasion of Poland, Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland) is annexed to Nazi Germany. 3 September – The United Kingdom, France, New Zealand and Australia declare war on Germany. 3 September – British liner SS Athenia becomes the first civilian casualty of the war when she is torpedoed and sunk by U-30 in the eastern ...
In March 1939, Britain and France formalized plans for how they would conduct war against Nazi Germany. Knowing their enemy would be more prepared and have land and air superiority, the Allies' strategy was to fight off any specific German aggressive actions, but to essentially maintain a defensive posture.