1 Feb 1940
- Soviet artillery pieces fired 300,000 shells in the Summa sector of the Karelian Isthmus on this date at the start of a new Soviet offensive against the Finnish forces. ww2dbase [The Winter War | CPC]
- German submarine U-59 torpedoed and sank British coaler Ellen M. 20 miles east of Southwold, Suffolk, England, killing the entire crew of 9. ww2dbase [CPC]
- In Russia the noted stage director, Vsevolod Meyerhold, having been tortured into confessing that he was the leader of an anti-soviet Trotskyite, was convicted in camera, and was executed on the following day. ww2dbase [AC]
- The keel of refrigerated cargo ship Telemachus was laid down. ww2dbase [Activity | CPC]
- Arturo Riccardi was made Knight Grand Cordon of the Order of the Crown of Italy. ww2dbase [Arturo Riccardi | CPC]
- Hans-Joachim Marseille was awarded the Pilot's Badge. ww2dbase [Hans-Joachim Marseille | CPC]
- U-1 was transferred out of the German Navy Submarine School Flotilla. ww2dbase [U-1 | CPC]
- SS-Reichsführer Himmler ordered inspections of potential sites for a planned concentration camp. Among those inspected was the camp at Oswiecim, Poland, known in German as Auschwitz. ww2dbase [Discovery of Concentration Camps and the Holocaust | Auschwitz Concentration Camp | Oswiecim | CPC]
- The Swedish-owned 2,491-ton Fram, an old steam merchant launched in 1897, was lying at anchor at Rosehearty Buoy off Fraserburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom when, at 0043 hours, she was struck by a G7e torpedo fired from German submarine U-13 (Kapitänleutnant Max-Martin Schulte) and sunk. 9 of her crew were killed in the explosion, survivors were picked up by the K-class destroyer HMS Khartoum and the armed trawler HMS Viking Deeps. Svea Hannson, a 45-year-old stewardess was one of those killed when the neutral ship sank. ww2dbase [Fraserburgh, Scotland | HM]
- In Britain, the Admiralty took over the responsibility for the building and repair of merchant shipping and concluded an arrangement to buy old cargo ships from the United States. ww2dbase [AC]
- In the British House of Commons, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain declined to accept a suggestion by Herbert Morrison that a Minister of War Economy should be appointed on the grounds that such a post would do nothing which was not already being done. ww2dbase [Neville Chamberlain | London, England | AC]
- The keel of battleship Alabama was laid down at Norfolk Navy Yard, Virginia, United States. ww2dbase [Norfolk Navy Yard | Alabama | Portsmouth, Virginia | CPC]
- Harold George was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel and was made the commanding officer of 31st Pursuit Group. ww2dbase [Harold George | CPC]

1 Feb 1940 Interactive Map
Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you. Please help us spread the word: Stay updated with WW2DB: |
Search WW2DB
News
- » US Women's Army Corps "Six Triple Eight" Awarded with Congressional Gold Medal (30 Apr 2025)
- » Wreck of Soviet Submarine M-49 Found (10 Apr 2025)
- » Japanese Emperor Visited Iwoto (Iwo Jima) (8 Apr 2025)
- » Race, Holocaust, and African-American WW2 Histories Removed from the US Naval Academy Library (7 Apr 2025)
- » US Government Plans to Purge WW2 Information (17 Mar 2025)
- » See all news
Random Photograph
Mikazuki under attack by USAAF B-25 bombers, off Cape Gloucester, New Britain, 28 Jul 1943, photo 03 of 10Current Site Statistics
- » 1,167 biographies
- » 337 events
- » 44,612 timeline entries
- » 1,244 ships
- » 350 aircraft models
- » 207 vehicle models
- » 376 weapon models
- » 123 historical documents
- » 261 facilities
- » 470 book reviews
- » 28,514 photos
- » 365 maps
Famous WW2 Quote
"No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. You win the war by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country!"George Patton, 31 May 1944
Support Us

Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!

Or, please support us by purchasing some WW2DB merchandise at TeeSpring, Thank you!