| September 33 | |
| 1918 |
November 6 |
Major General Tessmar, commander of the occupation forces, announces
the withdrawal of German troops from Luxembourg
|
|
November 18 |
General Pershing issues a proclamation announcing the imminent
passage of American troops through Luxembourg to begin the
occupation of the German Rhineland.
|
| 1919 |
January 1 |
Luxembourg’s customs union with Germany terminated
|
|
January 9 |
Republicans in the Chamber of Deputies organize a debate on the future of
the Duchy’s monarchy - Pro-Republican street demonstrations break-out
and French troops are sent to restore order
|
|
January 12 |
Grand Duchess Marie Adelaide, accused of pro-German sympathies during
the WWI occupation, abdicates under pressure from the Allied Powers
|
|
January 15 |
Wedding of Princess Charlotte to Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma
|
|
January 19 |
Princess Charlotte, sister of the former Grand Duchess Marie Adelaide
succeeds to the throne
|
|
May 15 |
Constitution amended - Powers of the Grand Duke limited to those conferred in
the Constitution - Sovereignty resides in the Nation - The Chamber of Deputies
represents the Nation - universal suffrage introduced
|
|
June 28 |
German treaty rights in Luxembourg renounced under Articles 40 & 41 of the
Versailles Treaty
|
|
September 28 |
National plebiscite - 66,811 voters favor retention of the monarchy under
Grand Duchess Charlotte, 16,885 favor establishing a republic. A second
question concerning the country’s economic future shows 160,135
Luxemburgers in favor of establishing an economic union with France
22,242 favor a union with Belgium.
|
| 1921 |
January 5 |
Birth of Prince Jean, first son of Grand Duchess Charlotte
|
|
July 2 |
Luxembourg and Belgium agree to 50 year customs and currency union
|
| 1922 |
May 1 |
Belgo-Luxembourg Economic Union takes effect
|
| 1923 |
May 27 |
National Memorial to Luxembourg soldiers who fought with the Allies in World
War I unveiled
|
| 1924 |
January 24 |
Former Grand Duchess Marie Adelaide dies in exile at age 29
|
| 1929 |
|
Luxembourg liberalizes its banking and securities laws in an effort to attract offshore investments.
|
| 1933 |
March |
Ausland branch of the NSDAP (Nazis) begins forming secret cells among
Reichsdeutsch (German nationals resident in Luxembourg) - membership not
open to Volksdeutsche or Luxembourgers
|
|
December |
Radio Luxembourg, a private French owned station, begins broadcasting
commercial English language programs. The station’s powerful transmitters
and choice of frequencies violate international agreements but the
Luxembourg authorities ignore protests from the BBC and the British Post
Office.
|
| 1935 |
Monthdd |
Economic crisis - The Duchy’s 7 steelmills shutdown 28 of their 47 furnaces
|
| 1936 |
|
Luxemburger National Partei formed - the party’s National Socialist ideology attracts few adherents
|
|
|
Albert Kreins forms Luxemburger Volksjugend modeled after the German Hitler Youth - the organization attracts only a handful of members
|
| 1938 |
September 30 |
The Grand Duchess issues a decree calling for the addition of a 300 man
company of volunteers to the Duchy’s armed forces
|
|
October 17 |
Legislation enacted to progressively reduce the work week to 40 hours for
those employed in dangerous and unhealthy industries
|
| 1939 |
February 24 |
The Company of Volunteers organized with 6 officers, 2 adjutants,
2 Sergeants Major, 12 Sergeants, 24 Corporals, 57 Privates First Class
and 200 Privates Second Class
|
|
August 29 |
Chamber of Deputies grants the Grand Duchess and her cabinet full
executive and legislative powers for the duration of the impending war.
|
|
September 15 |
Grand Ducal decree calls for the recruitment of 125 volunteer reservists
to augment the Company of Volunteers
|
| 1940 |
April 3 |
Government announces plans for emergency evacuation of Luxembourg City
|
|
May 9 |
Grand Duchess Charlotte, Prince Felix and their six children along with 4 of 5
cabinet ministers cross into France during the night
|
|
May 10 |
Germany invades Luxembourg - The Duchy’s 300 man army and 250 man
police force offer no resistance - Berlin accuses the Allies of planning to attack
the Reich through the Low Countries with the collaboration of the Belgian and
Dutch governments - Germany declares it has no intention of impairing
Luxembourg’s independence
|
|
May 13 |
Grand Duchess Charlotte, her consort Prince Felix and their six children arrive in
Paris
|
|
May 30 |
The Luxembourg legation in Paris announces the formation of a Luxembourg
Legion to fight along side the Allies and calls for the mobilization of all military
age Luxembourgers residing in France.
|
|
June |
The Grand Duchess and the Government in Exile leave France for Lisbon
|
|
July 25 |
Hitler appoints Gustav Simon, Gauleiter of the neighboring German district of
Coblenz - Trier, civil administrator of Luxembourg
|
|
July |
Volksdeutsche Bewegung movement formed under the leadership of Damian
Kratzenberg to lead Luxembourg "Home to the Reich". The VDB becomes the
Duchy’s only authorized political party and enrolls some 84,000 members most of
whom join to avoid being fired from their employment.
|
|
July |
Thirty founding members of the Luxemburger Volksjugend presented with the Hitler
Golden Youth Badge by Artur Axmann, leader of the German Hitler Youth
|
|
August |
Grand Duchess Charlotte arrives in London
|
|
August 6 |
German police takeover all police functions in the Duchy from the local
gendarmes - Simon decree makes German the official language of
government and education and requires its exclusive use in newspapers
and all other publications - French language schools closed - French and
Letzebuergesch (local dialect) banned.
|
|
August 14 |
Simon declares the Luxembourg Constitution void - references to the "Grand
Duchy" or "State of Luxembourg" in official documents prohibited
|
|
August 15 |
Belgo-Luxembourg Economic Union abrogated - Luxembourg incorporated
into the German customs area
|
|
August 26 |
Reichsmark currency introduced replacing the Luxembourg Franc
|
|
August 27 |
German currency and foreign exchange controls applied to Luxembourg
|
|
September 7 |
Anti-semitic Nuremburg laws applied to Jews living in Luxembourg by
decree
|
|
September 29 |
First mass rally of the Volksdeutcher Movement of Luxembourg - Simon
proclaims a "new order" for Luxembourg within the framework of the
Greater German Reich
|
|
October 4 |
Grand Duchess Charlotte lands in New York
|
|
October 23 |
Simon dissolves the Luxembourg Parliament and Council of State
|
|
November |
Grand Duchess Charlotte and Premier Dupong form a Government in Exile
headquartered in Montreal - Foreign Minister Joseph Bech and Labor &
Social Welfare Minister Peter Krier represent the Government in Exile in
London
|
| 1941 |
January |
Manual laborers required to join the Deutsches Arbeits Front or lose their jobs.
Young men and women of the classes of 1920 - ’26 required to enlist for
service in the Reichsarbeitsdienst.
|
|
September |
Jewish population interned in Funkbrunnen Concentration Camp near
Ulflingen
|
|
October 10 |
97% of Luxembourgers reject German nationality in a census conducted by
Gauleiter Simon
|
|
October 13 |
Ältestenrat der Juden (Jewish Council) reports 750 Jews remaining in
Luxembourg
|
|
October 15 |
Alfred Oppenheimer leader of the Jewish Council in Metz, France
appointed to lead the Luxembourg Jewish Council
|
|
October 16 |
324 Luxembourg Jews deported to the Lodz Ghetto in Poland
|
| 1942 |
March |
Simon authorizes seizure of property belonging to Luxembourgers other than
those he designates "friends of Germany"
|
|
August |
Germans begin conscription of Luxembourgers into the Wehrmacht
|
|
August 30 |
Luxembourg incorporated into the German Reich as the district of
Gau Mosselleland - Simon orders the call up of Luxembourgers in the classes
of 1920-’24 - A General Strike begins in Wiltz and Ettelbruck and quickly
spreads across the Duchy, Simon declares Martial Law, industrial workers
return to work under threat of execution,25 leaders executed, high school
students participating in the strike deported to Germany for a year
|
| 1943 |
March 6 |
Railway station revolts by Luxembourgers conscripted into the German Army
suppressed by machine gun fire
|
|
September 28 |
Last of 674 Jews expelled from Luxembourg deported to Poland - Simon
declares Luxembourg "judenrein" i.e. free of Jews
|
|
November |
Steelworkers strike to protest long hours and shipments to the Reich -
hundreds arrested
|
| 1944 |
March |
The Government in Exile signs an accord with the Belgian Government in Exile
and the Free French to raise a 69 man Luxembourg Artillery Battery under the
command of the 1st Belgian Liberation Brigade (also called the "Piron Brigade")
|
|
June 14 |
Grand Ducal decree suspends 1881 Luxembourg laws limiting the size of its
armed forces, calls for additional volunteers and allows conscription after the
country is liberated
|
|
August 6 |
The Luxembourg Battery lands in Normandy and takes part in the liberation of
France and Belgium
|
|
September |
46 additional Luxembourgers join the artillery battery in Belgium after
training in England
|
|
September 8 |
German troops withdraw from Luxembourg to positions behind the
Seigfried Line
|
|
September 9 |
Prince Felix and Crown Prince Jean enter Luxembourg with U.S. troops
|
|
September 11 |
American 1st Army under Major General Courtney Hodges enter
Luxembourg City - liberation of the Grand Duchy from German
occupation completed- Lt. Col. Edgar Jett placed in charge of
maintaining order and restoration of public services.
|
|
December 16 |
German armored units under General Gerd von Rundstedt launch a
counteroffensive in the Ardennes - northern third of the Duchy re-
occupied for most of the Battle of the Bulge.
|
|
December 19 |
U.S. 28th Division withdraws from Wiltz after delaying the German advance
on Bastogne for two days
|
|
December 21 |
American Third Army under General George S. Patton Jr. arrives in
Luxembourg - Patton’s army fights it way across the Duchy in a week and
lifts the German siege of U.S. 101st Airborne Division at Bastogne, Belgium.
|
|
December 25 |
Ettelbruck liberated by the U.S. Third Army
|
|
December 29 |
Luxembourg American Cemetery established at Hamm - finally resting
place for 5,076 Americans killed in the Battle of the Bulge
|
| 1945 |
January 18 |
U.S. 5th Armored Division completes night crossing of the River Sure near
Diekirch
|
|
January 28 |
Last German forces driven out of Luxembourg - Battle of the Bulge ends
|
|
March |
Compagnie de la Garde Grand-Ducale organized at the Saint Espirt barracks in
Luxembourg City
|
|
April 14 |
The Grand Duchess Charlotte returns to Luxembourg
|
|
April 30 |
Prince Felix visits surviving Luxembourgers at Dachau
|
|
July 4 |
Luxembourg ends conscription
|
|
August 10 |
Luxembourg ratifies the United Nations Charter
|
|
November |
Luxembourg Army begins participation in the occupation of Germany - Two
companies of Luxembourgers are stationed in the French Zone at Saarburg
and Bitburg
|
|
November 21 |
Elections for the Chamber of Deputies - Christian Socialist Party wins the
most seats but fails to win a majority - Premier Pierre Dupong forms a
coalition cabinet.
|
|
December 24 |
The remains of General George S. Patton Jr. interred at the Luxembourg
American Cemetery, Hamm
|
| 1946 |
July 15 |
Ministerial decree fixes strength of the Armed Forces at 2,159 men
|
|
August |
Albert Winghert, a Socialist school teacher and former Resistance leader,
arrested along with two associates for conspiring to overthrow the Government.
The conspirators were dissatisfied with the pace of efforts to remove suspected
Collaborators from public office. Premier Dupong dismisses the affair as a comic
opera.
|
|
September 12 |
Radio Luxembourg resumes commercial English language broadcasts
|
|
November 1 |
Hugues la Gallais, Luxembourg’s Minister to Washington, joins the Belgian
and Dutch ambassadors in requesting representation for the Benelux
countries in formulating a peace treaty with Germany
|
|
November 8 |
Luxembourg presents a claim for 235 square miles of German territory to
the Allied Council of Foreign Ministers
|
| 1948 |
January 1 |
BeNeLux customs union formed by Luxembourg, Belgium and the
Netherlands
|
| 1949 |
April 4 |
Luxembourg abandons neutrality and becomes a charter member of the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization
|
