Evening star., 1944-09-01
Anniversary Of War
Finds Nazi Armies
Near Total Defeat

NedI IOIdI UeIedI
The once mighty Wehrmacht
aided by the Luftwaffe, struck with
lightning swiftness at Poland five
years ago today, touching of a war
which since has engulfed the globe.
BY the summer of 1910 Denmark
Norway, the Lowlands and France
had been overrun in a new type OF
warfare that left the Allies stunned
When Japan struck at Pearl HarboI
on December Z, 1941, the war became
truly worldwide.
Now as the conflict enters its sixth
year, Germany is reaping the seeds
of destruction 1t sowed. Assailed on
three sides by the ever-increasing
might of the Allied armies, Germany
is fighting with its back almost to
its own walls, realizing only that un-
conditional surrender or annihila-
tion lie ahead. Japan, too, is on the
run in the Pacific as the Allied naval
and ground forces tighten the steel
circle about her homeland.
Marshall Anniversary Also.
Today is really a double anniver-
sary. It was on September l, 1899
that a brigadier general, almost un-
known to the public, was jumped
over the heads of more than 80 OF
his seniors to become a four-star
general and Chief of Staff of the
United States Army-George c.
Marshall.
The American general who has
done as much as any other single in
dividual to bring Germany to the
verge of defeat is at his desk in the
Pentagon, still Chief of Staff and
with victory in sight.
Here follows chronology of the
five years of war:
1899.
September 1-Germany attacks
Poland, annexes Danzig.
September 3-Britain and France
declare war on Germany; Nazis
bomb Warsaw.
September 17-Russian troops
strike into Eastern Poland.
September 27-Warsaw surren-
ders.
September 28-Germans and Rus
slams partition Poland.
November +President Roosevelt
signs neutrality law, repeating arms
embargo.
November 3O-Russia invades Fin
land.
March 12- Moscow announces
treaty ending Finnish War.
April 9-Germany attacks Den
mark and Norway
May 10-Germany attacks Low
Countries and France; Churchill
succeeds Chamberlain as Prime
Minister.
May 14-Dutch Army capitulates.
May 28-King Leopold orders the
surrender of Belgian forces.
May -Evacu Ia ton at Dun
kerque begins.
June 20-French armistice with
Germany signed at Compiegne.
August 8-Air battle of Britain
begins.
September 3-President 8 Roosevelt
announces destroyer-bases arrange
ment with Great Britain.
September 27- Japan formally
joins the Axis, signing a 10-year
pact in Berlin.
october 27-Italy invades Greece.
December 12-Britain reports Ital-
ian armies in headlong retreat from
Egypt.
194l.
April 6-Germany attacks Greece
and Yugoalsvia.
April l3-Soviet japanese non-
aggression pact.
June-Peak sinkings in battle of
the Atlantic.
June 22-Germany attacks U. S.
S. R.
July 24-Japan occupies Indo-
China by arrangement with Vichy.
August l4-Roosevelt and Church.
Ill draw up Atlantic charter
October Estate of siege declared
in Moscow
November 17-Bill signed permit
ting arming of American ships and
their entry into all combat zones.
November 24-United States oc-
cupation of Dutch Guiana an
nounced.
November 2s-Red Army reoccu-
pies Rostov.
December 7-Japanese attack
Pearl Harbor and other United
States installations in Pacific.
December 8-United States dec
laration of war against Japan.
December 11-United States de-
clares war on Germany and Italy
after earlier Axis declarations.
December 13-Guam captured by
japanese.
December 24-Wake Island cap
tured by japanese.
December 25-Hongkong surren-
dered to japanese.
1912.
January LIMITED Nations in.
dorse the Atlantic Charter and
promise to make no separate peace
January 2-Manila captured by
Japanese.
January 26-AEF lands In
Northern Ireland.
February 6-United States British
combined chiefs Of staff group
formed in Washington to CO.
ordinate war effort.
February o Pacific Council
formed in London to cooperate
with combined chiefs OF staff in
Washington.
March 4-Marcus Island raided
by United States task force.
March 17-Gen. Macarthur as
.