12 Mar 1940
  • At 0900 hours, Finnish President Kyösti Kallio authorized his delegates in Moscow full powers to negotiate peace terms. Soviet representatives had drafted a document dated today, ready for the Finnish delegation to sign. The document called for Finland to give up 35,000 square kilometers of territory to Russia, which constituted about 10% of the country, including Salla, the Karelian Isthmus, and Ladoga Karelia, housing about 12% of the entire Finnish population. The Hanko Peninsula was also forced to be leased to the Soviets for 30 years for use as a military base. ww2dbase [The Winter War | TH]
  • Swedish offered Finland a defensive alliance, but it was too late to help Finland as it was about to surrender to the Soviet Union. ww2dbase [CPC]
  • A transport of 1,000 German Jews was forced to march through cold weather toward the Lublin Ghetto. 72 German Jews died of exposure. ww2dbase [CPC]
  • US Under Secretary for State Sumner Welles returned to the US from a fact finding mission, during which he met with one Pope, two Kings, one Führer, One Duce, and three Premieres. ww2dbase [CPC]
  • Adolf Hitler met with Colin Ross, whom Hitler considered to be his top adviser on the United States. Ross told Hitler that the United States, run by Jews, had imperialist tendencies in terms of foreign policy. Ross also advised Hitler that Franklin Roosevelt, who had come to power around the same time as Hitler, was jealous of Hitler's greater success thus was plotting with the Western Allies to defeat Germany. ww2dbase [Adolf Hitler | CPC]
  • German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop continued his meeting with Mussolini in Italy, setting up a conference between Hitler and Mussolini to be held some time on or after 19 Mar 1940. ww2dbase [Joachim von Ribbentrop | CPC]
Atlantic Ocean
  • HMS Sealion (Lieutenant Commander Benjamin Bryant, RN) was detected, hunted and depth charged by a German armed trawler in the North Sea about 25 nautical miles to the north-west of Heligoland. ww2dbase [Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | North Sea | HM]
Germany
  • Emden arrived at Swinemünde, Germany and joined Group 5 being organized for the invasion of Oslo, Norway. ww2dbase [Emden | Swinemünde, Pommern | CPC]
United Kingdom
  • 20,000 British troops embarked on transport ships at Rosyth, Scotland and waited for the order to sail to Norway, through which country they would march into Finland to aid in the war against Soviet Union as well as to secure iron mines in Sweden. ww2dbase [Rosyth, Scotland | TH]
  • The 3,745-ton British steam merchant Gardenia was en route from Casablanca, Morocco to Middlebourgh, England, United Kingdom, when she struck a mine and sank off Cromer, Norfolk, east coast of England. ww2dbase [Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | Cromer, England | HM]
United States
  • Henry Arnold received a warning from Franklin Roosevelt for having voiced complaints against policies set forth by Roosevelt's cabinet. ww2dbase [Henry Arnold | 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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Hiyo, circa 1940s


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