11 Mar 1940
  • 5 Soviet tanks reached Tammisuo Station in northeast Viipuri, Finland while Finnish delegates in Moscow negotiated peace terms. At 1800 hours, the two sides came to an agreement that would be signed into a peace treaty on the following day. ww2dbase [The Winter War | CPC]
  • British and French governments dispatched troops to Sweden in an attempt to capture Swedish iron mines. Norway and Sweden made the statement that they would resist such an invasion. ww2dbase [CPC]
  • German submarine U-28 torpedoed and sank Dutch tanker Eulota 125 miles west of Quessant, France at 0317 hours. The ship broke in two but remained afloat until HMS Broke and HMS Wild Swan arrived to rescue the entire crew of 42. Eulota was scuttled upon completion of the rescue. ww2dbase [CPC]
  • Blenheim bombers of 82 Squadron, RAF Bomber Command attacked German submarine U-31, on sea trials, in Jade Bay near Wilhelmshaven. 2 of the 4 anti-submarine bombs hit U-31, killing all 58 (48 crew, 10 dock workers) on board. U-31 would later be refloated only to be sunk again, the only WW2 ship to suffer the misfortune of being sunk twice in the war. ww2dbase [CPC]
  • German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop met with Mussolini in Italy regarding German-Italian cooperation in the war. ww2dbase [Joachim von Ribbentrop | CPC]
Atlantic Ocean
  • The 2,325-ton Dutch steam merchant Amor struck a mine in the North Sea that had been laid by the German minelayer Schiff II/Ulm two days prior. The ship sank near to the West Hinder Light, Zeebrugge. There were no casualties among the crew of 33. ww2dbase [Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | North Sea | HM]
France
  • French battleship Bretagne and cruiser Algérié, escorted by destroyers Vauban, Aigle, Maille Breze, departed Toulon, France. Bretagne had onboard her 1,200 gold bars, while Algérié carried 1,179 gold bars; these gold bars totaled 147 tons in weight. These gold bars from the French gold reserves were bound for Halifax, Canada for safekeeping. ww2dbase [Bretagne | Toulon, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur | AC, HM]
United Kingdom
  • The 165-ton British trawler Halifax struck a mine after leaving Lowestoft, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom and sank 12 miles to the east south east of the port. There were no casualties. ww2dbase [Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | Lowestoft, England | HM]
  • The 163-ton British fishing vessel Aberdeen (LT123), whilst heading to the Cardigan Bay fishing grounds from Milford Haven in Wales, United Kingdom, was attacked by German aircraft. The bombs, all near misses, caused enough damage for the trawler to take on water. Eight of the ten crew lost their lives as the vessel sunk. ww2dbase [Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | Wales | HM]

11 Mar 1940 Interactive Map

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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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


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