26 Jan 1940
  • American minesweeper Quail arrived at Palmyra Atoll in the Pacific Ocean to construct a naval air station. ww2dbase [CPC]
  • Expiration of the US-Japan Trade Treaty of 1911. ww2dbase [CPC]
  • British Royal Navy ship Durham Castle, a recently acquired passenger ship, hit a mine laid by German submarine U-57 five days earlier on 21 Jan 1940, sinking 11 miles off of the northeastern coast of Scotland. ww2dbase [CPC]
United Kingdom
  • Believing that Germany would not be able to directly attack Britain, about half of the 750,000 children evacuated from London, England, United Kingdom since Sep 1939 had returned to their homes in the city. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
  • Roderick Carr was named the commanding officer of No. 61 Group RAF. ww2dbase [Roderick Carr | CPC]

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis




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U-40, circa 1940


Famous WW2 Quote
"With Germany arming at breakneck speed, England lost in a pacifist dream, France corrupt and torn by dissension, America remote and indifferent... do you not tremble for your children?"

Winston Churchill, 1935


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