February 1940

Politics:

1st: The Netherlands declares war on the Allies

2nd: President Frederiksen's address to the nation:

My fellow Americans, and people of other nations listening around the world: It is with great sadness today that we learn of yet another increase in the intensity of fighting in Europe. The people of Holland's decision to join with the forces of Germany to throw out their erstwhile helpers means that more blood will be shed in this conflagaration that grows ever more violent with each passing day. While there are forces at work now that seem only to desire the spread of conflict across all of Europe, other nations strive daily to assure their continued sovereignty and safety from aggression. Recent steps have been taken by this administration to assist friends in Europe from becoming additional victims of this violence. Finland and Sweden have already been caught up in the turmoil, but at least they are looking towards the immediate prospect of peace with Russia. Romania, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, and Greece have all shown that they have the willpower and gumption to take a stand for peace through their recent actions. As the most powerful nation still neutral in the world, the United States remains committed to peace through strength, both here at home and abroad. Until such time as the dove reigns supreme in the world, the prayers of myself and all Americans go out to the innocent victims of the conflicts abroad, and we petition our heavenly Father that peace might not be far away.

As always, I am Your obedient servant, Matt Frederiksen, President, United States

A similar statement was made the same day by the French President.

3rd: Daily Sketch:

A team of assassins was apprehended in the Turkish capital yesterday evening, following the murder of several members of the Turkish general staff outside a meeting with President General Inonu. Six of the team were shot dead by Turkish police and other security forces, two remain at large and a further two were apprehended. Both took cyanide, but one capsule failed and the man is reportedly in Turkish custody. The men were carrying German pistols, but with valid Turkish indentification and Russian clothing.   A Turkish government representative reported that the captured man was still in interrogation, but that they would uncover his identity soon.

4th: Statement from the Turkish Home Ministry:

Investigations into the plot to assassinate the Turkish General Staff has revealed the identity of the two remaining fugitives that are still at large. A spokesman told the press that thousands of police have been mobilised to capture these two men. In addition, border police at crossing points in the north and northwestern parts of the country have also been ordered to prevent the escape of the allege killers. As the plot involves the military, the spokesman mentioned that Defence Minister, Mr Sukur, has requested that the supposed killers be handed over to the military after questioning by police. In a separate development, the Cabinet is expected to meet in an emergency session over this incident. Topics tabled for discussions were rumoured to include the response of the Turkish government against the mastermind. The military brasses were called to sit in to provide professional inputs should the mastermind turn out to be either Greece or Bulgaria.

8th: Radio Address from the Dutch Prime Minister:

People of the Netherlands,

Recent events have forced us to abandon our 110-year legacy of non-intervention and take an active role in the evolution of Europe. We have always been committed to peace, and that has not changed. But those who would destroy peace and take away our cherished freedom cannot be allowed a free hand.

The reality we are facing is one of Allied aggression, spreading violence, ardent fanaticism, and conspiracies to topple entire nations. The lawful German occupation of a belligerent Poland was used as an excuse for the vile French to annex Luxembourg and embark on a campaign to "finish what Foch started", and conquer Germany once and for all. The Belgians would have you think they are involved as a matter of principle, and with peace as the objective. Rather, the government of Belgium has sold the nation to the highest bidder. Recently released documents indicate that, prior to the outbreak of hostilities, Belgium approached Germany and offered to launch an unprovoked invasion of France and Holland, in exchange for territory in both of those nations. The peace-loving Germans of course refused, but the French government was evidently not so scrupulous. The Allies would portray themselves as the victims and the defenders of freedom, but now we see the true motivation of their corrupt governments: animalistic greed.

The Allied atrocities do not stop with Luxembourg, but encompass even their actions in battle. Fanatic commanders order poorly-trained and ill-equipped reservists to stand to the last man in dirty holes in the ground (the vaunted Eban Emael fortress) and then force them to literally run a gauntlet of Dutch machine-gun fire when it becomes clear that their comrades have deserted them. Over 12,000 Belgian soldiers were cut down in the panicked rout, and the survivors have run straight into yet another Axis encirclement. The French command, realizing that the war is nearly lost, is sending British and Belgian units on suicide missions to give their own army time to retreat to France. Just the other day, I witnessed a demonstration of the British A-13 cruiser tank - one of over 100 captured when a British armor brigade was abandoned by its French infantry support, ordered to stand fast by its French commanders, surrounded, and overrun by elite Dutch mechanised forces. France is not content with the ruin of Luxembourg, Germany, and Belgium - the French must take the United Kinggdom down with them. When this war is over, I have no doubt that the French will have fought to the last Englishman.

12th: Pravda, Finnish SSR:

The Finnish Parliament unilaterally requested admission into the Soviet Union yesterday.  The Soviet Representative to the Finnish parliament, Comrade Chukov, relayed the request to the Central Committee.  The Committee denied their request.  More time was needed to make sure that wish represented the true desire of the Finnish people.  The Finnish parliament then voted a second time to be admitted as a Soviet sovereign state.  Again the Central Committee declined.  A third vote was a personal appeal to Comrade Stalin.  Knowing the Finn's desire to be rid of capitalist exploiters and join a worker's paradise, Comrade Stalin bowed to the irresistible momentum coming from Helsinki and personally recommended Finland become a member of the USSR.  The Committee granted his request.  Finland followed in the glorious footsteps of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, who recently successfully petitioned for admission into the Union.  A popular expression of joy through out Finland followed Comrades Stalin's intervention.  "He truly is a savior to the working peoples of the world," exclaimed one citizen.  Thousands of other echoed this sentiment.

Washington D.C., 13th February

The people of the United States condemn the attack upon a sovereign nation's capital by the Soviet Union.  We call upon the leaders of the USSR to cease this destruction of another country, and to withdraw to borders more acceptable to the international community. The government of the United States also offers it services to mediate the dispute between the Soviet Union and her Scandinavian neighbors.

16th: Excerpt from a speech by the French Premier: "This is why we the peace loving people of France went to war with - and even invaded - Germany. We had to show that peaceful nations could not tolerate such unlimited aggression."

25th: Evening Dispatch:

Turkish police in Adana report that they have apprehended a man believed to be one of those who fled the scene of the attempt to assassinate President Inonu earlier this month. Tensions in the region remain high.

Manoeuvers:

7th: From a Press Statement by the French Groupement d'Armees du Nord:

After a week long fighting since the Betrayal of the Treacherous Dutchmen the Allies have seen both sufferings and glories. The Belgian nation is in grief after the loss of both Antwerpen and Brussels but the 16th Belgian infantry division defending the Eben Emael fortress showed heroic spirit. After having sustained several days of intensive attacks they broke out of the almost surrounded fortress wreacking havoack among its attackers and joined its brethern. The French North-African divisions have now arrived in Belgium and are now establising a firm defenseline running south and west of Brussels towards Charleroi and Dinant. The Belgian and French armies have now begun a slow retreat from German occupied territories. In the south heavy fighting has occurred near Mulhausen. General Lescanne supreme commander of the area has reported heavy losses inflicted upon the attackers while the defenseline has stood firm.

Pravda, 11th February

WORKERS LIBERATE HELSINKI!   After many weeks of hard fighting against the capitalist puppets, brave workers from 45th Rifle Division this afternoon raised the Red Flag above the former Finnish parliament in Helsinki. Reports from the front indicate bourgeoise resistance is melting away, with no significant enemy forces remaining in the Southern half of Finland.   To the north, after having completed the encirclement of 5th and 8th Swedish divisions, the hardy men of 7th Rifle Division were looking forward to carrying the revolution over the border. Private Anatoly Yakovlev was heard to exclaim "On to Stockholm! Long live Stalin!" as he hacked off three frostbitten fingers on his left hand.   Scandinavian propaganda leaflets left in captured trenches published laughable claims of Soviet casualties, which they placed in the region of 20,000 for the last two weeks. Pravda proudly reports the Politburo's official and accurate figure of 3,753. Enemy losses are believed to be substantially higher.

15th: Le Monde: Great victories in the West!

Général Lescanne commander of the 6iéme Armée has reported huge victories over the German army near Mulhouse. The Germans have been driven back from the territory they had defiled. Thousands of prisoners and equipment has been taken and the German armies have suffered a devastating blow. Now only a minor clean up operations are required to evict those barbarians from our territory. Especially has Colonel Charles de Gaulle proved as a brave and resourceful commander as he led the counterattack by the 2dé Divisione Légere Mechanique. Therefore he has been promoted to the rank of Général de brigader and given command of that division.

The Commander of Armée d'Air Gal d'Astier de La Vigerie has reported intense fighting over Belgium and that our brave fighter pilots have successfully destroyed many transport planes carrying paratroopers. Hundreds if not thousands of paratroopers were seen trying to save themselves as those transport planes were shot down – only to pummel down to their deaths as fire caught their parachutes.

Générals commander of the 1er Colonial Armée and Blanchard commanding the 1er Armée in west Belgium have reported very heavy fighting with many casualties on both sides but heroic counterattacks by our brave soldiers have kept the defence line intact and solid.

Especially hard was the fighting just within the French border near St. Quentin where thousands of enemy paratroopers landed in a desperate attempt at trying to break down our strong defences. However our great soldiers led by the great commander Colonel LeClerc of the 1er Division Infatiere Colonial mounted a fierce counterattack and killed and captured nearly all of the enemy paratroopers. Only a handful of German soldiers remain fighting but they are expected to capitulate with in the next 2 days. For his brave commanding Colonel LeClerc has been promoted to the rank of Général de brigade.

Preface to "The Dutch betrayal: a missed opportunity?" by Professor Turner, Pimlico Publishing 2008

Following the initial failure of the German armies to break the French attack into their homeland, Germany looked elsewhere for a way to break the Winter stalemate. She believed that she had found this chance in the new Dutch government. Prime Minister Tyler agreed to reverse the agreements made with France by his predecessors and make a formidable stab-in-the-back against the now fortified allied line. In the small hours of the morning on the 1st February Dutch troops forcefully interned the French division on their soil, and poured over the frontier into a near empty Belgium.

The initial results looked impressive. Forward elements of 1st Dutch Division reached the outskirts of Brussels on the first day, but the Belgian armoured division was refitting in the town and was quickly raised to respond to the attack, and the city did not fall until the morning of the 5th. Antwerp fell on the 3rd and Charleroi on the 4th. The advance drove the Allies into a panic, but more importantly crushed Belgian morale, as her army had been almost entirely in Germany when the attack came. The bulk of the Belgian armed forces surrendered on the 9th, leaving the Allied position in disarray, and the Axis triumphant.

The advantage, however, was being frittered away. The Dutch failed to exploit their gains as British brigades were sacrificed to stave off the advance whilst the French railed reserves into the sector. Most critically, only a handful of German divisions were moved to support the offensive, with most continuing with the same futile offensives that had been failing for two weeks already. Nevertheless, the Axis did continue to make minor gains. Dutch accepted the surrender of the Liege fortress on the 10th, Gent was taken on the 17th and Brugge on the following day. However this was small compensation for the overall failure of the offensive. The two airborne divisions dropped by the Luftwaffe over the border into France were too far from relief and were quickly pounced upon by fresh French reserves and destroyed.

Within three weeks of the betrayal, stalemate had returned. The Germans continued to make costly frontal assaults on the fortified French positions the same as they had done in January, whilst the exhausted Dutch Army was withdrawn from the line to lick its wounds. Although forcing the Belgian surrender was no doubt of some value, one cannot help but think that, with only three or four divisions in their path, the Axis could perhaps have swept all the way to Paris rather than contenting themselves with Brussels. Instead Germany was forced to make a negotiated peace with France.

Appendix II: approximate losses by nation, February 1940:

*Prior to the capitulation. Over a quarter of a million Belgian soldiers surrendered to Axis forces on 10th February.

29th: In the first half of February 1940 the Red Army succeeded in eliminating the remaining Scandinavian forces in Finland. The Finnish army was reduced to a handful of scattered units dependent on Sweden for support, whilst the Swedes themselves suffered a crippling 75,000 casualties. The Russians for their part took comparatively light losses, estimated at under 50,000. Soviet forces remain poised on the Swedish frontier, perhaps indicating a reluctance to offend international opinion any further.

Naval Encounters:

7th: Daily Sketch:

Following the escape of the German 'Pocket Battleship' Deutschland from Royal Naval forces which sank her sister, the Admiral Graf Spee in November, the Navy has planned and carried out a strike on the Norwegian Fjord which has harboured her and reportedly carried out repairs, in breach of her supposed neutrality. Just after dawn yesterday morning over two-hundred aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm made the daring attack and, struggling past strong enemy air cover, were able to find their target and sink it in harbour. Losses were heavy but an Admiralty spokesman reported that the Navy was pleased with the results of the raid, which comes as a welcome peice of good news with enemy forces advancing once again on the continent. The Norwegian Embassy issued this statement "This attack on neutral soil is yet another demonstration of the callously aggressive character of the British government. No doubt Norway is to be subject to the same treatment as Luxembourg". The Foriegn office declined to comment.

January 1940

March 1940

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