Battle of River Meuse
Reaches Anthee in Belgium
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1940 in Germany — Page 4
Explore 575 historical events and records for Germany in 1940.
Historical records for Germany in 1940
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 575 unique records.
575Unique records
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24Places on this page
May
Bombing of Rotterdam
The Dutch Army surrenders after the Bombing of Rotterdam by the Luftwaffe
Capture of Rotterdam
The Dutch Army surrenders after the Bombing of Rotterdam by the Luftwaffe
Capture of Sedan
Breaks through Sedan & reaches the Channel coast within 1 week
German Defensive Line
Withdraws toward mountain positions as Allied pressure increases.
Invasion of Belgium
Rommel arrives at the River Meuse near Dinant
Invasion of Belgium
The 7th Div is the 1st German unit to cross the River Meuse
Battle of River Meuse
Suports the German 6th Army in Flanders
Capture of Netherlands, The
The Dutch sign the document of capitulation
Invasion of Netherlands, The
The Dutch sign the document of capitulation
Result of Surrender of Netherlands
The Netherlands ends organised military resistance to Germany.
Sixth Army
Suports the German 6th Army in Flanders
Surrender of Netherlands
Holland surrenders to Germany
Battle of River Meuse
Advances as far as Avesnes
Capture of Clairfay
Rommel captures Clairfay on the Maginot Line
Capture of Ribemount
The XIX Corps captures Ribemount in Northern France on its way to the Channel Coast
Invasion of France
Writes in his diary, "the breakthrough is developing along completely classical lines"
Battle of Montcornet
Manages to fend off de Gaulles attempt to break off his supply lines
Battle of River Meuse
Ordered by Rundstedt to launch a "reconnaissance in force", undermines Hitler
Battle of River Meuse
Advances as far as Le Cateau
Capture of Landrecies
Captures the Landrecies bridge, a crossing point acros the River Sambre into France
Invasion of France
Wishes to reduce the 2 operational phases to 1. Claims there is little danger of an Allied attack on the northern flank of the "Bulge". Believes France can be broken in a single sweep to the south west
Invasion of France
Moves westward in the direction of the River Sambre
Invasion of France
Advances as far as the Channel Coast
Operation Yellow
Captures the Sambre Bridge at Berlimont & joins the 7th & 5th Panzers
Battle of Dunkirk
Reaches the Channel Coast
Capture of Abbeville
Guderains tanks break through to Abbeville
Capture of Cambrai
Rommel captures Cambrai, 12,000 enemy troops are taken
Chief of Staff
Appointed Chief of Staff of the Panzer Group comprising XIX, XXXIX & XLI Corps
Chief of Staff
Appointed Chief of Staff of the Panzer Group comprising XIX, XXXIX & XLI Corps
Manstein Plan
Leading panzer divisions reach the Channel near Abbeville
Battle of Abbeville
Races to the coast of the English Channel at Abbeville isolating the British Expeditionary Force, Belgian Army, and the French Army
Battle of Arras
Rommel engages the British with 88-mm anti-tank guns. 5 British Brigades stop the SS Totenkopf & manage to create a retreat to Dunkirk
Battle of Dunkirk
An Allied counter-attack briefly stops the Germans
British Expeditionary Force (BEF)
Races to the coast of the English Channel at Abbeville isolating the British Expeditionary Force, Belgian Army, and the French Army
Invasion of France
Races to the coast of the English Channel at Abbeville isolating the British Expeditionary Force, Belgian Army, and the French Army
Operation Yellow
Rommel reaches La Basee Canal but Hitler halts the Panzers advance on Dunkirk
Battle of Dunkirk
Drafts a "halt order" after concerns about the Allied counter-attack at Arras
Invasion of France
Rommel crosses the River Scarpe
Battle of Dunkirk
1st Panzer Division breaches the Aa Canal, 15 kilometers from Dunkirk
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.