April 1939

April

• 01

  • The end of the Spanish Civil WarOn 1 April 1939 Franco announced in his last communiqué that the war was over. Casado's coup had sunk the Republic, and the victors began their reckoning.
• 03

  • Key eventFall WeissOn 3 April 1939 the OKW chief Wilhelm Keitel issued the Case White directive. The Wehrmacht was to be ready to attack Poland at any time from 1 September.
• 04

  • The Hungarian–Slovak border agreementOn 4 April 1939 in Budapest Slovakia recognised a new border with Hungary, ceding the strip around Sobrance and Stakčín seized in the “Little War”.
• 07

  • Italy invades AlbaniaOn Good Friday, 7 April 1939, Italian troops landed in four Albanian ports. Zog I fled to Greece and the crown was given to Victor Emmanuel III.
• 14

  • Roosevelt's appeal to Hitler and MussoliniOn 14 April 1939 Roosevelt asked Hitler and Mussolini to pledge not to attack 31 named states. Hitler ridiculed the appeal in the Reichstag.
• 17

  • The Soviet proposal of an alliance with Britain and FranceOn 17 April 1939 Litvinov proposed to London and Paris a tripartite alliance against aggression. The talks dragged on until August and ended in failure.
• 28

  • Hitler renounces the naval agreement and the declaration with PolandOn 28 April 1939 Hitler announced in the Reichstag that he was ending the naval agreement with Britain and the 1934 non-aggression declaration with Poland.