April 2 1940 The U.S. fleet sailed from west coast ports for Pacific maneuvers in the area of Hawaii
1941 British units began falling back in North Africa, abandoning Mersa Brega in the face of heavy German attacks. Mussolini told Matsuoka the U.S. was deliberately provoking war. Matsuooka also visited the Vatican and reported to Tokyo “The Pope took an utterly detatched attatude, free of any favoritism regarding the European war, and approached the question from the point of view of a general peace throughout the world”.
1942 U.S. Tenth Air Force planes flew their first missions in the C.B.I. theater, bombing Japanese fleet units in the Andaman Islands. Prome was abandoned by the British.
1943 A stalemate developed in Tunisia with both sides battered and unable to dislodge the opposing forces
1944 Units of the Second Ukrainian Front crossed into Rumania over the Prut River and occupied Gertza. Hitler continued to profess his belief in ultamate victory. The Russians have exhausted and divided their forces.
1945 Resistance on Okinowa remained light. The 49th Canadian Division advanced toward Arnhem from Nijmegen bridgehead. U.S. troops pushed into Munster. German troops offered strong opposition around Kassel. Martin Bormann issued a proclamation, which called for “Victory or death”. British Royal Marines and Commandos launched an offensive between the Comacchio lagoon and the Adratic Sea. Russian forces crashed through to within 50 miles of Berlin, but swirter progress was made toward Vienna.
Apil 1 1939 With Hitler in attendance Germany launched the battleship Tirpitz, then the biggest in the world at Wilhelmshaven, The 42,900-ton giant carried a crew of 2,500, had eight 15 inch guns and 86 anti-aircraft weapons. Tirpitz was properly called “the most feared ship afloat,” altering European naval strategy once war began.
April1 1933 Hitler ordered a one day nation wide boycott of all Jewish stores, doctors, and lawers in Germany. Other Nazi leaders began urging the expulsion of Jews from all schools and universities. The Nazi news paper Volkischer Beobachter said the boycott “is to be regarded merely as a dress rehearsal for a series of measures that will be carried out unless world opinion, which at the molment is against us,definitly changes”.
1936 April 1 Austria began plans for conscription, whether it was able to rearm or not. Vienna announced that military service was of “social value,for physical, moral, and patriotic education”. In fact, the Austrian government became fearfull of Germany’s military muscle-flexing.