Scharnhorst Action
Commands Scharnhorst during the sinking of HMS Glorious.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1940 in Germany — Page 7
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
7 of 15Page
22Named events on this page
11Named people on this page
11Places on this page
June
Invasion of France
Rommels 7th Panzer Div crosses the River Seine
Battle of France
Italy declares war on France and soon afterwards the French Government fled to the city of Bordeaux
Invasion of France
Italy declares war on France
Norway Secured
German control of Norway is secured after the campaign ends.
Operation Yellow
The operation is redirected at the Weygand line protecting the heart of France
Invasion of France
Rommels 7th Panzer Div reaches St Valery
Capture of Cherbourg
Captures Cherbourg, the last major operation carried out by the 7th in France in 1940
Operation Yellow
Captures Cherbourg, the last major operation carried out by the 7th in France in 1940
Battle of France
Frances capital of Paris is occupied
Battle of Maginot Line
Heinrici breaks through the Maginot Line
Capture of Paris
The Germans capture Paris
Invasion of France
Heinrici breaks through the Maginot Line
Maginot Line
The Maginot Line is penetrated at Saarbrucken
Operation Fall Rot
German forces occupy Paris unopposed
Siege of Paris
The Germans capture Paris
Capture of Langres
Captures the Plateau of Langres
Siege of Cherbourg
Rommels 7th Panzer Div reaches the Cotentin Peninsular to capture Cherbourg
Battle of France
Philippe Petain publicly announced France would ask for an armistice
Capture of Langres
Reaches the Swiss frontier, the campaign in the west reaches its final stage
Invasion of France
Philippe Petain publicly announced France would ask for an armistice
Capture of Cherbourg
Rommels 7th Panzer Div advances into Cherbourg
Major General
Appointed Major General
Major General
Appointed Major General
Armistice
Germany presents armistice terms to France
Capture of Cherbourg
Rommels 7th Panzer Div captures Cherbourg
Capture of Cherbourg
Rommels 7th Panzer Div enters Cherbourg
Siege of Cherbourg
Rommels 7th Panzer Div enters Cherbourg
Conference of Fuhrer
Plans for the defeat of Britain at the Fuhrer Conference
Invasion of Great Britain
Plans for the defeat of Britai at the Fuhrer Conference
Operation Sea Lion
Plans for the defeat of Britain at the Fuhrer Conference
Armistice
Signs the Armistice Treaty with France after disctating its terms
Armistice
Meets the demands of Army Group B by providing support over the Somme & the Seine. Helps secure an armistice with France
Battle of Britain
France surrenders to the Germans
Invasion of France
Advanced as far as the Swiss border when France surrenders
Invasion of France
An armistice is signed between France and Germany
Berlin Construction
Instructed by Hitler to rebuild Berlin by 1950, must surpass Paris
Invasion of Switzerland
Germany starts planning the invasion of Switzerland, the day France surrendered
Invasion of Switzerland
Captain Otto Wilhelm von Menges in OKH submitted a draft plan for the invasion
Peace
The Pope writes a letter to Hitler offering mediation for "a just & honorable peace"
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.