1939

Preparation for war

In February, air raid shelters were distributed to homes particularly at risk of bombing if a war began. Low income households were given the shelters free of
charge.

In March, Hitler entered the Czech capital of Prague despite previous promises that he had no intentions on extending the German Empire further than the Sudetenland (occupied in 1938). Unlike previous territory advances, the invaded areas of Bohemia and Moravia were not home to an existing German population. The Nazis were not welcomed and many Czechs, especially Jews, fled the area. At the end of March, Britain and France publicly declared support for Poland, the next potential target for German expansion.

In April, the government announced a plan for the evacuation of children from vulnerable areas if war should begin (evacuation began in August as war seemed inevitable). At the end of April, conscription was approved and a national register was set up for all men aged 21 or more to be trained for military service.

War

On September 1, Germany invaded Poland and took control of the sea port of Danzig. The port was at the end of the Polish corridor, an extension of Poland established after the First World War to give access to the Baltic coast. The Germans headed for the capital, Warsaw, which was taken mid-month. On September 17, Russia joined the attack as a German ally (Russia had entered a non-aggression pact with Germany in August). Poland was shared by the aggressors, with Germany taking the West and Russian claiming the East.

Early in September, Britain demanded Germany stop the attack on Poland. Hitler refused to call off the invasion and on September 3 Britain and France declared war on Germany. Winston Churchill was made First Lord of the Admiralty, part of the war cabinet. Australia and New Zealand (independent British dominions) also declared war on Germany. America declared neutrality in the conflict.

In October, British troops were sent to France in great numbers to defend the country from German advances.

IRA bomb campaign

The Irish Republican Army (IRA) began a mainland bombing campaign targeting major cities, including London, Manchester and Coventry. The IRA demanded the withdrawal of British troops from Ireland.