Britain timeline
Some 340,000 British and French troops have by now been rescued from Dunkirk, but a million Allied soldiers are now prisoners of the Germans
Charles de Gaulle broadcasts to the French nation from London, declaring himself the leader of the Free French
The British government gives recognition to Charles de Gaulle as official leader of the Free French
Increased German U-boat activity after the fall of France launches the crucial Battle of the Atlantic
Hitler orders preparations for the invasion of England, under the codename Operation Sea Lion
The Battle of Britain reaches its most intense phase, with 1500 German planes involved in a single day's assault
The first German night-time bombing raid on London signals the start of the Blitz on British cities
The US government provides 50 destroyers to boost the British escort of convoys in the Atlantic
After the summer's losses in the air, Hitler orders the effective cancellation of operation Sea Lion, the planned invasion of Britain
Coventry suffers a raid of such intensity that the new technique becomes known as carpet bombing
The de Havilland Mosquito, a multi-purpose wooden aeroplane widely used by the RAF in World War II, makes its first flight
British aviator Amy Johnson is reported missing over the Thames estuary when flying on a mission for the Air Ministry
English composer Michael Tippett completes his oratorio A Child of our Time (not performed until 1944)
British author Rebecca West publishes an account of Yugoslavia, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon
Rudolf Hess, Hitler's deputy in the Nazi party, flies to Britain on a bizarre secret mission
A Gloster E.28/39 air frame becomes the first craft to fly with a Whittle jet engine
Germany's latest battleship, the Bismarck, is sunk in the Atlantic with the loss of nearly all her 2222 crew
Roosevelt and Churchill publish a joint Atlantic Charter, foreseeing a future free from 'Nazi tyranny'
The British aircraft carrier Ark Royal is sunk by a U-boat in the Mediterranean
A report by UK economist William Beveridge proposes a wide-ranging social security programme for postwar Britain
Leslie Howard directs and stars in The First of the Few, about the creator of the Spitfire, with music by William Walton
David Lean and Noel Coward create a classic wartime film, In Which We Serve about the crew of a naval destroyer
A rich hoard of Roman silver is unearthed near Mildenhall, in Suffolk
English children's author Enid Blyton introduces the Famous Five in Five on a Treasure Island
Arthur Harris is put in charge of British Bomber Command, and is later much criticized for his ruthless approach