Sep: Germany invades Poland, prompting Britain and France to declare war. The Soviet Union invades from the east under a secret pact. Poland is quickly conquered and partitioned between the two totalitarian powers.
Oct: The Western Front enters the "Phoney War" with no major land combat. The Soviet Union forces the Baltic states to accept military bases. Tensions rise as Moscow makes aggressive territorial demands on Finland.
Nov: The Soviet Union launches an unprovoked invasion of Finland, starting the Winter War. Helsinki is bombed, and Red Army troops cross the border expecting a swift victory. Outnumbered Finnish forces mount a fiercely effective defense in the forests.
Dec: Finnish forces achieve stunning defensive victories, annihilating entire Soviet divisions. The League of Nations expels the USSR for its unprovoked aggression. At sea, the German pocket battleship *Admiral Graf Spee* is scuttled after the Battle of the River Plate.
Sep: The Second Sino-Japanese War rages into its third year as Japan launches a massive offensive to capture the strategic Chinese city of Changsha. Imperial forces utilize heavy artillery and chemical weapons to breach the defensive lines of the Nationalists. However, fierce Chinese resistance and cut supply lines ultimately force a chaotic Japanese retreat.
Oct: Following their victory at Changsha, Chinese Nationalist forces launch a widespread winter counter-offensive across the entire occupied territory. Japanese forces are caught off guard and pushed into a defensive posture along major rail lines and coastal hubs. Meanwhile, Japan tightens its naval blockade to choke off foreign supplies entering Chinese ports.
Nov: Japanese troops launch a successful amphibious landing in southern China, capturing Nanning and cutting off a vital international supply route from French Indochina. This operation triggers grueling, bloody combat for control of the strategic Kunlun Pass. Concurrently, Japan establishes a puppet government in occupied Nanjing to politically fracture Chinese resistance.
Dec: The Battle of Kunlun Pass reaches its climax as Chinese forces launch a fierce counter-attack to reclaim the mountain stronghold. Utilizing mechanized units, the Chinese inflict heavy casualties on the elite Japanese 5th Division and successfully retake the pass. Despite this local victory, the broader military landscape in China settles into a grinding, exhausted stalemate.
Sep: As war breaks out in Europe, the African continent remains technically at peace, though British and French colonial administrations immediately secure their borders. Egypt, bound by a defensive treaty with Britain, severs diplomatic relations with Germany and places its infrastructure on a war footing. The Italian colony of Libya remains quiet as Mussolini opts for a policy of non-belligerence.
Oct: British and French military commanders in North Africa hold joint conferences to coordinate the defense of the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean shipping lanes. Fortifications are reinforced along the Libyan-Egyptian border, where small British scouting units begin monitoring Italian outposts. Meanwhile, the Italian military in East Africa quietly amasses supplies, anticipating eventual conflict.
Nov: Tensions simmer along the desert borders as British armored car patrols conduct low-profile reconnaissance missions inside the Egyptian frontier. South African forces begin reinforcing British colonies in East Africa, establishing defensive positions in Kenya to guard against potential Italian aggression from Ethiopia. The French military strengthens its garrison in Tunisia, facing the Italian forces stationed in western Libya.
Dec: The year ends with North and East Africa locked in an uneasy standoff, with both sides avoiding overt provocations while aggressively building up logistical networks. Shipping convoys heavily reinforce the British Mediterranean Fleet based at Alexandria, ensuring the Suez Canal remains heavily defended. Mussolini continues to watch European events closely, delaying any military commitment in Africa.