World war II timeline - March 1940

1 March 1940	Adolf Hitler issues a Directive for "Case Weser exercise". He orders preparations be made for the occupation of Denmark and Norway, to secure iron ore from Sweden, and provide naval and air bases for operations against England. The objective is to occupy by peaceful means, designed to protect the arms of the neutrality of the Northern countries. General Nickolaus von Falkenhorst is to be Commander of Group XXI in charge of the operation. The crossings into Denmark and Norway are to be simultaneous.
2 March 1940	A German plane drops bombs on liner Domala in the English Channel. Three hits are scored, killing 100 of 300 passengers.
3 March 1940	The Italian government directly protests to the British government about the allied blockade.
5 March 1940	The Finland Government decides to accept peace terms of the Soviet Union.
6 March 1940	A British patrol ship captures the German Woermann Line ship Wahehe. German Hamburg-America Line ship Troja is scutled off the Dutch West Indies.   Sweden refuses to allow Allied troops to Finland through Sweden.
11 March 1940	A British Bomber Command Blenheim bomber sinks a German submarine.
12 March 1940	In Finland, Soviet forces breach the Mannerheim Line. Finland and the Soviet Union conclude a peace treaty, the Treaty of Moscow. Finland retains independence but gives up the Karelian Isthmus, Viipuri, and a small band of land north of Lake Ladoga. The Soviets are granted a 30-year lease of Hangö for a naval base, and a right-of-way to Sweden.   The British War Cabinet approves a plan to send troops (destined for Finland) to Narvik, Norway, without advance permission, hoping the Scandinavians would cooperate once the operation is under way. (With the end to the conflict, the plan is scrapped.)   British Bomber Command moves to new headquarters at Walter's Ash, 20 miles from the temporary headquarters in Buckinghamshire. The location is henceforth know by its code-name, Southdown, with its postal address located five miles away. (The secrecy works, as the location is never bombed or threatened throughout the war.)  An American report on Navy Pacific bases declares Pearl Harbor of top importance, with Midway Islands second. Britain's code-breaking headquarters in Bletchley Park installs the first prototype German Enigma code-breaking machine, code named Victory.
16 March 1940	German bombers attack Scapa Flow. Some planes bomb the village of Bridge of Waith in Scotland, killing James Isbister, first British civilian killed in the war. The Argentine government issues a decree saying German men of the Graf Spee are to be divided into groups and moved away from Buenos Aires.
18 March 1940	Daladier loses a vote of confidence in the French parliament. Paul Reynaud forms a new government.
19 March 1940	In retaliation for the German air raid of Scapa Flow on March 16, British planes attack the German seaplane base at Hornum on Sylt island. Little damage is done. Adolf Hitler and Italian Premier Benito Mussolini meet at Brenner railway station for 2.5 hours.
20 March 1940	French General Maurice-Gustave Gamelin orders that if Germany attacks, seven divisions should race through Belgium to the Dutch border.
22 March 1940	In French counterintelligence, Colonel Paul Paillole reports that Germans had suddenly begun to study routes from Sedan to Abbeville. He concludes that an attack through Belgium toward the English Channel seemed imminent.
28 March 1940	The Anglo-French Supreme War Council meets for 6th time in London. They decide to mine the inshore passages of the Norwegian coast. After the meeting they declare that both governments would negotiate peace only by mutual agreement. Dutch military attaché Colonel Gijsbertus Sas informs Danish naval attaché Captain Frits Kjolsen that Germany is planning on invading Denmark and Norway.
31 March 1940	German armed merchant raider Atlantis leaves Germany.