Declarations of war during World War II

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This is a timeline of formal Declarations of War during World War II.

A Declaration of War is a formal act by which one nation goes to war against another. The
declaration is usually an act of delivering a performative speech (not to be confused with a mere
speech) or the presentation of a signed document by an authorized party of a national government
in order to create a state of war between two or more sovereign states. The official international
protocol for declaring war was defined in The Hague Peace Conference of 1907 (or Hague II).[1]
For the diplomatic maneuvering behind these events which led to hostilities between nations
during World War II, see the article entitled Diplomatic history of World War II.

List of war declarations

Below is a table showing the Outbreaks of Wars between Nations which occurred during World
War II. Indicated are the dates (during the immediate build-up to, or during the course of, World
War II), from which a de facto state of war existed between nations. The table shows both the Animated map of the European Theater of
"Initiator Nation(s)" and the nation at which the aggression was aimed, or "Targeted Nation(s)". war during WW II
Events listed include those in which there were simple diplomatic breaking of relations that did not
involve any physical attack, as well as those involving overt declarations or acts of aggression.[2]

Outbreaks of Wars between Nations during World War II

Table Legend: Concerning "Declaration of War: Type." A = Attack without prior, formal declaration of war; U = State of war arrived at through use of ultimatum;
W = Formal declaration of war made.
 Declaration
Targeted Nation
Date Initiator Nation(s) of War: Notes/Comments Document/Event
(s)
Type
1939-
Germany Poland A [3][4] German attack began at 4:44 am[3][5] Invasion
09-01
At 11 O'clock (am) British PM,
1939-
United Kingdom, France Germany U [3][4] Neville Chamberlain publicly Document
09-03
delivered his Ultimatum Speech.[4][6][7]

Australia
1939-
Australia, New Zealand Germany W[3][4]
09-03
New Zealand

1939-
South Africa Germany W[3][4] Declaration
09-06
1939-
09-10
Canada Germany W[3][4] Declaration

1939-
09-17
Soviet Union Poland A[3][4] Invasion

1939-
11-30
Soviet Union Finland A[3][4] First war between these nations. Invasion

1940-
04-09
Germany Denmark, Norway A[3] Invasion

Date of the German offensive in the Belgium

1940- Belgium,
05-10
Germany
Netherlands A/W[3][4] West, W from Belgium and the
Netherlands.[8] Netherlands

1940-
05-10
Germany Luxembourg A[4] Luxembourg

1940- France, United

06-10
Italy
Kingdom W[3][4] France and the UK

1940-
06-10
Canada Italy W[3] Declaration

South Africa
1940- South Africa, Australia, New [3]
Italy W Australia
06-11 Zealand
New Zealand

1940- [3]
France Italy Declaration
06-11
1940-
Italy Greece U[4] Italy invades Greece Invasion
10-28
1941-
Germany Greece W[3][4] Invasion
04-06
1941-
Germany, Bulgaria Yugoslavia A[3][4] Invasion
04-06
1941-
Italy, Hungary Yugoslavia A[4] Invasion
04-06
1941- A timed-declaration of war was given
Germany, Italy, Romania Soviet Union A[3][4] Invasion
06-22 by Germany at the time of the attack[9]
Finland recognized a state of war with
1941-
Finland Soviet Union W the Soviet Union; second war between Continuation War
06-25
these nations.
1941-
06-27
Hungary Soviet Union W[4] Invasion

1941-
12-06
United Kingdom Finland U[4] Declaration

1941-
United Kingdom Romania, Hungary U[4] Declaration
12-07
1941- Empire of Japan United States and A[3] W (Japanese point of view); A The
12-07 the British Empire "Western" (Attack on Pearl Harbor); Declaration
 Attack on Pearl
Harbor

Invasion of Malaya

Attack on
Singapore

Invasion of Hong
Kong

Canada
1941- Japan, Finland, [4]
Canada, Australia, New Zealand Australia
12-07 Romania, Hungary W
New Zealand

1941- Romania, Finland

United Kingdom W[4] Declaration
12-07 and Hungary
1941-
Panama Japan W[4] Declaration
12-07

American
declaration

British declaration

Australian
declaration

Cost Rican
declaration

Dominican
Republic's
United States, United Kingdom,
Australia, Costa Rica, Dominican declaration
1941- Japan
Republic, El Salvador,Guatemala, W[4]
12-08 Nazi Germany Salvadorian
Haiti, Honduras, The Netherlands,
New Zealand and Nicaragua declaration

Haitian declaration

Honduran
declaration

Dutch declaration

New Zealand's
declaration

Nicaraguan
declaration

1941- South African

South Africa Japan W[4]
12-08 declaration
Second Sino-
1941- Germany, Italy, China and Japan had been at war since Japanese war
China W[4]
12-08 Japan 1937
Declaration

Australian
declaration
1941-
12-09
Australia, New Zealand Japan W[4]
New Zealand's
declaration

1941- Germany, Italy United States W[3][4]

12-11 German
declaration

Italian declaration
 Germany
1941- [3]
United States Germany, Italy W
12-11 Italy

Japan rejected declaration of War.

Prime Minister Hideki Tj's answer
1941- was following: "We don't accept the
Poland's government-in-exile Japan W[3]
12-11 Polish declaration of war. The Poles,
fighting for their freedom, declared
war under the British pressure".

Romanian
declaration
1941- United States,
12-12
Romania, Bulgaria
United Kingdom W[4]
Bulgarian
declaration

British declaration

New Zealand's
1941- United Kingdom, New Zealand,
Bulgaria W[4] declaration
12-13 South Africa
South African
declaration

1941-
12-13
Hungary United States W[4] Declaration

1941- United States,

12-14
Croatia
United Kingdom W[4] Declaration

all countries at war

with the United
1941-
Czechoslovak government-in-exile States, United W Declaration
12-16
Kingdom, or the
Soviet Union
1941-
Albania United States W Declaration
12-17
1941- Bulgaria, Hungary
Nicaragua W Declaration
12-19 and Romania
1941-
Belgium Japan W Declaration
12-20
1942-
United Nations Axis powers W Declared during Arcadia Conference Declaration
01-01
1942-
Australia Bulgaria W Declaration
01-06

British declaration

New Zealand's
1942- United Kingdom, New Zealand,
Thailand W declaration
01-25 South Africa
South African
declaration

1942- Germany, Italy,

05-22
Mexico
Japan W[4] Declaration

1942-
Brazil Germany, Italy W Declaration
08-22
1943-
Bolivia Axis members W Declaration
04-02
1943-
Iran Germany W Declaration
09-09
Italy had changed side after the fall of
1943- [3] Mussolini. The Declaration of War
Italy Germany W Declaration
10-13 was given by Pietro Badoglio to the
[3]
German ambassador in Madrid.
1944-
Romania Germany, Hungary W Romania switched sides Declaration
08-25
1944- Soviet Union Bulgaria W Declaration
09-05
1944-
Bulgaria Germany W Bulgaria switched sides Declaration
09-08

Argentinean
declaration
1945-
Argentina, Paraguay Germany, Japan W
02-07
Paraguayan
declaration

1945-
Peru Germany, Japan W Declaration
02-12

Venezuelan
declaration
1945-
Venezuela, Uruguay Germany, Japan W
02-15
Uruguayan
declaration

1945-
San Marino Germany W Declaration
02-21
1945-
Turkey Germany, Japan W Declaration
02-23
1945-
Egypt Germany, Japan W Declaration
02-24
1945-
Syria, Lebanon Germany, Japan W Declaration
02-26
1945-
Saudi Arabia Japan W Declaration
04-01
1945-
Finland Germany W Finland switched sides Lapland War
04-03
1945-
Chile Japan W Declaration
04-11
1945-
Brazil Japan W Declaration
07-06
1945-
Italy Japan W Declaration
07-14
1945- Last outbreak of war during the entire
Soviet Union Japan W[3] Declaration
08-08 Second World War.

Common parade of German Wehrmacht
and Soviet Red Army on September 23,
1939 in Brest, Eastern Poland at the end
of the Poland Campaign. In the center is
Major General Heinz Guderian; and on
the right is Brigadier General Semyon
Krivoshein.
German paratroopers taking the Greek
island of Crete, May 1941.
Photograph from a Japanese plane of
Battleship Row at the beginning of the
surprise Attack on Pearl Harbor. The
explosion in the center is a torpedo
strike on the USS Oklahoma. Two
attacking Japanese planes can be seen:
one over the USS Neosho and one over
the Naval Yard.

Literature
Harman, Nicholas (1990). Dunkirk: the Necessary Myth. Jove. ISBN 978-0340517857.
 German White Book. All World Wars.
Hitler, Adolph (2012). The Great Tragedy: Germany's Declaration of War against the United States of America. ISBN 978-
1300127703.
Torrie, Julia S. (2010). "For Their Own Good": Civilian Evacuations in Germany and France, 1939-1945. Berghahn Books. ISBN 978-
1845457259.

References
1. On the Opening of Hostilities
(http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/hague03.asp); 1907; Yale
Law School Library; retrieved March 2014.
2. Note:In rare cases, war between two nations occurred twice, with an
intermittent period of peace. The list here does not include peace
treaties or periods of any armistices.
3. "2194 Days of War"; (1977); Salmaggi, C. & Pallasvini, A.; ISBN 91-
582-0426-1; per tables included. [Italian; American]
4. Timeline Data (http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?
q=cache:vhcQIGWT71oJ:worldatwar.net/timeline/other/diplomacy39-
45.html+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us.); World at War online;
retrieved February 2014.
5. On This Day
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/1/default.stm)
6. Note: Included in the speech: "...This morning, the British
Ambassador in Berlin handed the German Government a final note,
stating that unless we heard from them by 11 O'clock that they were
prepared at once to withdraw their troops from Poland a state of war
would exist between us. I have to tell you now that no such
undertaking has been received and that consequently this country is at
war with Germany..."
7. 1939: Britain and France declare war on Germany
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/3/newsid_3493000/3493279.
BBC
8. Swedish Encyklopedia; "Bonniers Lexikon" (Vol. 1); (c.1960s); table
in article by Andra Vrldskriget: The Second World War; Pp. 461-462.
9. "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich"; Shirer, William L

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