Monday 4 March 1940

Äyräpää church, destroyed 4 March 1940.

Winter War: A League of Nations mission arrives in Helsinki on 4 March 1940 to investigate Finnish allegations of Soviet methods of warfare that are illegal. The deadline for Finland to appeal to the Allies for military assistance expires tomorrow.

Winter War Army Operations: The Soviets continue attacking across the Gulf of Viipuri. Their hold there is tenuous because should the ice melt before they consolidate the bridgehead with an overland advance, they would be stranded on the far shore of the Gulf with no hope of rescue. Soviet troops, meanwhile, try to scoot across the ice quickly around noon, but Finnish artillery and planes attack them relentlessly and cause heavy casualties.

Elsewhere along the front, the Finns dig in and prevent any further major advances. The Finns still hold the greater part of Viipuri despite Soviet inroads. The Soviets are focusing attacks to the east of the city, trying to bypass it on both sides.

The Vuoksi River sector flares up with fighting near Äyräpää church.

The Taipale sector is quiet.

In the far north, Soviet forces withdraw in the Petsamo sector. Under the current peace offer (which, while expired, remains the only one outstanding), Petsamo would be handed back to the Finns anyway.

Battle of the Atlantic: French 2,679-ton freighter S.N.A. sinks about 60 miles south of Milford Haven in the Irish sea after colliding with another freighter, the Thurston.

The Thurston, for its part, then falls prey to U-29 (Kapitänleutnant Otto Schuhart). The 3,072-ton ore carrier is torpedoed and sunk, with 4 survivors and 64 dead. Only 2 sailors (some sources say only 1) from the S.N.A. 1 survive both sinkings - extremely lucky men (or man). The survivors spend 11 hours on an overturned lifeboat. The Thurston carried 4500 tons of manganese ore.

U-29 continues its successful patrol by torpedoing and sinking 6,717-ton British freighter Pacific Reliance. All 53 survive. The Pacific Reliance had been dispersed from Convoy HX-19 and is carrying aircraft parts.

US freighter Exeter is released from detainment at Gibraltar after the British remove 155 sacks of mail destined for Germany, 95 sacks for Italy and 59 for Switzerland. The British do put 140 other sacks of mail previously seized from other freighter and permit the Exeter to sail on.

Convoy HG 21 departs from Gibraltar.

Soviet/Swedish Relations: The Soviet Union, which had denied bombing Pajala on 21 February, formally and belatedly apologizes for the incident. It is very rare for the USSR to ever apologize, so this indicates their interest in maintaining good relations with Sweden and thereby avoiding a larger Scandinavian war.

British Homefront: The Treasury announces that  £1,000,000 was raised in saving certificates and defense Bonds during the three days ending 1 March 1940.

The Home Office establishes that women would not be required over 60 hours a week in factories, and youth under 16 would not be required to work more than 48 hours. This is a reduction from the World War I 70 hours of work for women.

SS Thurston.

March 1940

March 1, 1940: Soviet Breakthroughs Past Viipuri
March 2, 1940: Soviets Swarm West in Finland
March 3, 1940: Soviets Across Gulf of Viipuri
March 4, 1940: USSR Apologizes to Sweden
March 5, 1940: Katyn Forest Massacre Approved
March 6, 1940: Finns Head to Moscow
March 7, 1940: The Coal Ships Affair
March 8, 1940: Peace Talks Begin in Moscow
March 9, 1940: Soviets Harden Peace Terms
March 10, 1940: Germany Draws Closer to Italy
March 11, 1940: Winter War Peace Terms Finalized
March 12, 1940: War is Over (If You Want It)
March 13, 1940: Winter War Ends
March 14, 1940: Evacuating Karelia
March 15, 1940: The Bletchley Bombe
March 16, 1940: First British Civilian Killed
March 17, 1940: Enter Dr. Todt
March 18, 1940: Mussolini To Join the War
March 19, 1940: Daladier Resigns
March 20, 1940: Soviets Occupy Hango Naval Base
March 21, 1940: Paul Reynaud Leads France
March 22, 1940: Night Fighters Arise!
March 24, 1940: French Consider Alternatives
March 25, 1940: Reynaud Proposes Action
March 26, 1940: C-46 First Flight
March 27, 1940: Himmler Authorizes Auschwitz Construction
March 28, 1940: Allies Ponder Invading Norway
March 29, 1940: Soviets Prefer Neutrality
March 30, 1940: Allied Uncertainty
March 31, 1940: The Tiger Cage

2019

Sunday 31 December 1939

Twenty-eight Russian planes flew over Jyväskylä and several residential buildings, the railway station and the plywood factory got hit. Air raid shelters were bombed causing 20 civilian deaths along with 25 civilians injured. Altogether 149 buildings were damaged. It was the second raid in two days. 31 December 1939.

Battle of the Atlantic: On 31 December 1939, it is time for some summing up.

For all of 1939, the totals are:

• Allied/Neutral ships lost: 225 ships, 767,358 tons
• U-boats lost: 9

For December 1939:

• 72 Allied ships 190,768 tons
• U-boats lost: 1

U-32 (Kapitänleutnant Paul Büchel) sinks the 959-ton British freighter Luna at 09:47 in the North Sea. The crew survives and is taken to Kopervik, Norway.

British freighter Box Hill hits a mine and sinks.

The German freighter Tacoma complies with the order of the Uruguayan government and moves its anchorage outside of Uruguayan waters.

The British release the US freighter Excalibur from detention at Gibraltar.

Winter War Army Operations: With Suomussalmi cleared, General Siilsavuo has his men scout out the Raate road from the parallel ice road he has had them build on Lake Voukki. They find that Soviet 44th Rifle Division is stationary and now stretches over 39 km back to the Soviet border. Captain Mäkinen of Group Kontula is blocking the road at the western end with just two machine companies, which the Soviets must believe is a far greater force because they have more than enough firepower to level the Finns there, including artillery. The Soviet armor is bunched up in front of this blockade but is immobile.

The commander of the Soviet 44th Rifle Divison, Kombrig Vinogradov, and his commissar Parhomenko both advance to the regimental headquarters (still on Soviet territory) from their position far behind the lines.

Winter War Air Operations: The Soviets once again bomb Viipuri, Helsinki and about ten other Finnish cities.

League of Nations: The British and French inform the League that they will be providing as much assistance to the Finns as they can. Many British volunteers have been sailing to Finland.

British Homefront: Also time for summing up.

For the war months September - December 1939:

• Road Deaths: 4,130
• Military Deaths (all causes): 2,511

The blackout has been murder on the highways. In addition, 15,626 people have registered as conscientious objectors.

In some rare acts of defiance, New Year's celebrants shine torches despite the blackout.

Canada: The second convoy of Canadian troops arrives at a west coast port.

German Homefront: Adolf Hitler gives a New Year's Proclamation, stating the British are "war-mongers and war-declarers" and that Germany's primary war aim is the defeat of "British tyranny.":

"We shall only talk of peace when we have won the war. The Jewish-capitalistic world will not survive the twentieth century."

He also talks about "the existence or non-existence of the German people," which strikes a somewhat equivocal tone that he has maintained since the beginning of the war.

Turkey: The death toll from the earthquake and other trauma keeps rising, this time to 30,000 people.

China: In the Chinese Winter Offensive, the Chinese East Route Force continues routing the Japanese 5th Infantry Division: it captures Kunlunkuan and Tienyin.

The River North Army of the Chinese 5th War Area retreats across the Han River.

The Japanese 21st Army advances to Yingteh against the Chinese 4th War Area.

The Chinese 2d War Area takes possession of Peishe.

Times Square, New Year's Eve 1939. "Gone With The Wind" is still the top film out and will be for some time.

December 14, 1939: Quisling Meets Hitler
December 15, 1939: Chinese Winter Offensive in High Gear
December 16, 1939: Battle of Summa
December 17, 1939: End of Admiral Graf Spee
December 18, 1939: Battle of Heligoland Bight
December 19, 1939: British Disarm Magnetic Mines
December 20, 1939: Finnish Counterattacks Continue
December 21, 1939: Finns Plan More Counterattacks
December 22, 1939: Enter Chuikov
December 23, 1939: Failed Finnish Counterattack
December 24, 1939: Soviets on the Run
December 25, 1939: Fresh Soviet Attacks
December 26, 1939: Vicious Battles at Kelja
December 27, 1939: Grinding Finnish Victories
December 28, 1939: Liberators
December 29, 1939: Finns Tighten the Noose
December 30, 1939: Finnish Booty
December 31, 1939: Planning More Soviet Destruction

January 1940

January 1, 1940: Finns Carve up the Soviets
January 2, 1940: Finnish Counterattacks Continue
January 3, 1940: Soviets Trapped
January 4, 1940: Soviet Breakout Attempts Fail
January 5, 1940: Dicing Up the Soviets
January 6, 1940: Soviet 44th Division Runs
January 7, 1940: Shakeup in Soviet High Command
January 8, 1940: Ratte Road Battle Ends
January 9, 1940: British Submarines in Peril
January 10, 1940: Mechelen Incident
January 11, 1940: Finns Surround More Soviets
January 12, 1940: New Soviet Attacks at Taipale
January 13, 1940: Fall Gelb Postponed
January 14, 1940: Japan's Government Falls
January 15, 1940: Soviets Prepare More Carefully
January 16, 1940: German Atrocities Uncovered
January 17, 1940: Bletchley Park in Action
January 18, 1940: New Hope for Allied Shipping
January 19, 1940: Finnish Attacks at Salla
January 20, 1940: Churchill Urges Cooperation
January 21, 1940: Asam Maru Incident
January 22, 1940: Dissension Within British Government
January 23, 1940: Dissension in South Africa
January 24, 1940: NKVD Blocking Detachments
January 25, 1940: Auschwitz Site Selected
January 26, 1940: Millionaire Bunker Destroyed
January 27, 1940: U-20 Sinks Four Ships
January 28, 1940: Softening Up the Finns
January 29, 1940: Moscow Willing to Talk
January 30, 1940: Hitler Throws Down the Gauntlet
January 31, 1940: Timoshenko Is Ready

2019

Saturday December 23 1939

Molotov cocktail.

Winter War: Today, 23 December 1939, is the Finnish Army's first attempt at a strategic offensive. It was pitched to Marshall Mannerheim only two days ago by General Öhqvist, who is in charge of the Karelian Isthmus. It is the first planned, set-piece offensive by the Finns.

Winter War Army Operations: At 06:30, four Finnish Divisions launch a major counterattack on the western side of the Karelian Isthmus in front of Viipuri. It is the most sensitive spot on the entire front, and both sides have their top firepower there.

The Soviets may not be very good on the offensive recently, but they show that tanks are excellent defensive weapons. After gaining no ground, General Öhqvist abruptly calls off the operation at 14:40. There are roughly 1300 deaths on both sides, which, for the Finns, is a disaster.

At Suomussalmi, the 9th Division launches an attack on the struggling 44th Division which is strung out on the Ratte road. The column had been moving ahead slowly, but with only two machine companies, Captain Mäkinen of the 9th Army forces the entire column, led by the 25th Rifle Regiment, to halt and dig in. It is like a gigantic traffic jam with all lanes blocked.

Winter War Air Operations: The Soviets bomb Helsinki again, but this time with leaflets which contained a message from the Soviet's puppet Finnish government.

Battle of the Atlantic: British repair ship Dolphin hits a mine and sinks off Blyth, Scotland. Everyone survives.

Minesweeping trawlers HMS Glen Albyn and HMS Promotive hit mines and sink in Loch Ewe, Scotland.

The British release US freighters Explorer and Oakwood from detention at Gibraltar.

German Government: Hitler tours the West Wall.

Ireland: The IRA steals 1.1 million rounds of small arms ammunition from the Irish Army's depot at Phoenix Park.

Romania: The government makes inquires to the Italian government for support against Soviet aggression.

League of Nations: The League is busy rounding up support for the Finns, one of the more effective things it has ever done.

United States/Latin American Relations: The US and 20 other nations in the Americas make a statement reaffirming their coastal water neutrality from belligerent actors inside the "security zone" at the River Platte. This message appears directed at the British.

China: The Japanese are launching counterattacks in most places:

• Japanese landings on the Yangtze River in Third War Area;
• Japanese 21st Army captures Tsotanhsu and Lungmen from Chinese 4th War Area;
• Chinese 5th War Area retreats across the Han River;

Chinese 8th War Area is still on the attack outside Patou. In addition, the Chinese are attacking the Japanese 5th Infantry Division around Kunlunkuan.

A Finnish modified Maxin 1910 machine gun used in an antiaircraft role.

December 14, 1939: Quisling Meets Hitler
December 15, 1939: Chinese Winter Offensive in High Gear
December 16, 1939: Battle of Summa
December 17, 1939: End of Admiral Graf Spee
December 18, 1939: Battle of Heligoland Bight
December 19, 1939: British Disarm Magnetic Mines
December 20, 1939: Finnish Counterattacks Continue
December 21, 1939: Finns Plan More Counterattacks
December 22, 1939: Enter Chuikov
December 23, 1939: Failed Finnish Counterattack
December 24, 1939: Soviets on the Run
December 25, 1939: Fresh Soviet Attacks
December 26, 1939: Vicious Battles at Kelja
December 27, 1939: Grinding Finnish Victories
December 28, 1939: Liberators
December 29, 1939: Finns Tighten the Noose
December 30, 1939: Finnish Booty
December 31, 1939: Planning More Soviet Destruction

2019

Sunday 17 December 1939

A Finnish soldier on the Kollaa front, 17 December 1939.

Battle of the Atlantic: On 17 December 1939, Captain Langsdorff must make a decision, and he does. The Admiral Graf Spee only has left a third of its ammunition, about as much as expended during the previous battle. It also has insufficient fuel left to return to Germany, with the prospect of being able to refuel while being chased by the British very unlikely. So, after consulting with his officers, at 6:15 p.m., Langsdorff sails slowly west out of Montevideo and scuttles the ship in neutral waters. It sits mostly submerged in 7 meters of water, blazing away.

Most of Langsdorff's crew transfers to the German freighter Tacoma. He and his 1,039-man crew wind up in detention in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The outcome is a huge propaganda victory for the British and First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill, but the sailors from Admiral Graf Spee survived. Churchill spins into rhetorical overdrive:

the outcome was "like a flash of light and colour on the scene, carrying with it an encouragement to all who are fighting, to ourselves, and to our Allies."

The Admiral Graf Spee had sunk 50,089 tons of shipping, nine ships. It also badly damaged a heavy cruiser and kept a large portion of the Allied fleets searching the South Atlantic for weeks. This deprived convoys further north of protection. The Altmark, its supply ship, remains free and heads back north to Germany, loaded with Allied prisoners.

U-59 (Oberleutnant zur See Harald Jürst) sinks the 1.245-ton Danish freighter Jaegerborg east of the Firth of Forth in Scotland. All eighteen crew perish.

U-59 also torpedoes and sinks the 1,214-ton Danish freighter Bogø. Of the 20-man crew, three survive.

British destroyers lay mine off the German coast.

The British at Gibraltar detain the US freighter Meanticut.

Admiral Graf Spee burning in the Platte River, 17 December 1939.

Winter War Army Operations: Soviet attacks continue at Summa. Soviet tanks continue attempting to penetrate the gap in the defenses in the nearby swamp. The Finnish infantry holds its ground and separates the Soviet tanks from their infantry support, then pick the tanks off with anti-tank guns and Molotov Cocktails primarily after dark.

The Soviet 163d Rifle Division remains surrounded at Suomussalmi. The relief force is reeling from Finnish counterattacks and is not trying to break through again. The Finnish strategy is to cut the elongated Soviet caravan on the Ratte road into separate pieces and then finish them off individually.

The Finns at Kollaa are counterattacking two Soviet divisions trapped on the coastal road. The Finns operating on skis can pick and choose their points of attack, while the Soviets are defending their immobile vehicles. The process is debilitating for both sides, but the Finns have turned the tables and are attacking the helpless Soviets.

Snipers are of huge importance in the woods. Finnish sniper Simo Häyhä, nicknamed "The White Death," is accumulating kills.

At Salla, the Soviets have split into two parts at a fork in the road. The Finns block the Soviet move on the southern road toward  Kemijärvi and put the weight of their effort on the north road. The Finns use these men to ambush the northern pincer moving toward Pelkosenniemi. The Soviet force on the north road, an infantry regiment a battalion, and a company of tanks, is outflanked and begins to retreat. A wild fight ensues.

League of Nations: The Soviets issue a long and entirely negative reply to the League of Nations resolution expelling it.

BEF: The first convoy of Canadian troops arrives in Liverpool, some 7,500 men of the 1st Canadian Division (Canadian Major-General McNaughton). It consists of five ocean liners.

China: The Chinese Winter Offensive continues. While the Chinese 3rd War Area attacks the 116th Infantry Regiment and captures Hsientao and Szekang, elsewhere the Japanese begin counter-attacking. The Japanese 5th Infantry Division attacks toward Lungchow, the 104th Infantry Division reaches Yuantan in Kwantung Province, and the Japanese counterattack the Chinese 2nd War Area.


December 14, 1939: Quisling Meets Hitler
December 15, 1939: Chinese Winter Offensive in High Gear
December 16, 1939: Battle of Summa
December 17, 1939: End of Admiral Graf Spee
December 18, 1939: Battle of Heligoland Bight
December 19, 1939: British Disarm Magnetic Mines
December 20, 1939: Finnish Counterattacks Continue
December 21, 1939: Finns Plan More Counterattacks
December 22, 1939: Enter Chuikov
December 23, 1939: Failed Finnish Counterattack
December 24, 1939: Soviets on the Run
December 25, 1939: Fresh Soviet Attacks
December 26, 1939: Vicious Battles at Kelja
December 27, 1939: Grinding Finnish Victories
December 28, 1939: Liberators
December 29, 1939: Finns Tighten the Noose
December 30, 1939: Finnish Booty
December 31, 1939: Planning More Soviet Destruction

2019

Thursday 14 December 1939

Honor Guard on the Admiral Graf Spee, December 14, 1939.

German Government: Hitler meets Vidkun Quisling on 14 December 1939. Admiral Reader, the originator of the idea of invading Norway, has convinced Adolf Hitler to meet Vidkun Quisling. Quisling is a minor Norwegian politician who is pro-German, pro-defense and also a huge anti-Semite. A friend of explorer Fridtjof Nansen, Quisling among other things had been made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to Britain in the Soviet Union (there are rumors he was a spy), given the Romanian Crown Order and also the Yugoslav Order of St. Sava for humanitarian efforts. More recently, he had become the "Fører" of his Nasjonal Samling, the Norwegian equivalent of the NSDAP. He has an awesome resume, particular with the kinds of international contacts that Hitler envies - the one catch is that he isn't very popular in Norway, seen as more of a quaint quack than a national leader.

At the Hitler meeting, Quisling is like a Hitler dream. He asks for help with a pro-German coup that would open the huge Norwegian coastline to the U-boat fleet and save them days of transit to their Atlantic stations. Thereafter, he - as leader of Norway - would help to broker an Anglo/German settlement. Hitler is polite and promises to fund Quisling's party, but he is enough of a realist to see many of Quisling's promises as puffery, "broker's talk." His financial and moral encouragement of Quisling does not dissuade Hitler in the slightest from continuing to plan the invasion of Norway, which is not really what Quisling has in mind, and in fact, encourages it. Basically, Hitler sees Quisling as a potentially useful tool for managing a conquered nation, while Quisling sees himself as a future potentate.

The main result of the meeting is that Hitler orders the OKW (military high command) to begin a preliminary study on invading Norway. The first operational name for the project is "Studie Nord." The eventual code name is Weserubung ("Weser Exercise," because it is planned for April 9, which is the little-known holiday "Weser River Day" in Germany).

Winter War Army Operations: In the far north, the Soviets begin a new offensive in the Petsamo region, the one area where they still have freedom of action.

Winter War Naval Operations: Soviet destroyers Gnevny and Grozyaschi shell Uto Island.

Battle of the Atlantic: German liner Columbus, perhaps emboldened by the successful return to Germany of the Bremen from Murmansk, slips out of Vera Cruz, Mexico to return to Germany. There is an involved situation wherein Australian cruiser HMAS Perth is shadowing the Columbus, while several American destroyers and the cruiser USS Vincennes (CA 44) are shadowing the Perth, much to the latter's annoyance.

The Columbus almost slips out unnoticed, but two US destroyers see it leave and tail it. German freighter Arauca also departs from Vera Cruz before Columbus, perhaps as a decoy. The US ships in pursuit openly broadcast the Columbus' position for anyone who might be interested.

Admiral Graf Spee is given 48 hours to leave Montevideo port or be seized by the government after Captain Langsdorff requests two weeks. The British through their naval attaché Henry McCall are all over the Uruguayans and force this decision, though the authorities give the ship an extra day more than required (or allowed) by international law. Commodore Harwood of Force G, meanwhile, is lurking outside the estuary - 120 miles wide - with his battered ships, pondering what might happen in another action against the pocket battleship.

British destroyer Kelly (Lord Mountbatten) is damaged by a mine off the Tyne. Freighter Inverlane hits a mine but is beached before sinking and is later re-floated.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Ursula sinks Kriegsmarine escort vessel F-9.

The British release US freighter Extavia from detention at Gibraltar.

Convoys OA 53 and OB 53 depart from Southend and Liverpool, respectively.

Kapitän zur See Hans W. Langsdorff at the funeral of his men. (Photo courtesy of Hugo R. Sochi, from the private collection of Delia S. Neumann wife of Matrosenobergefreiter Gustav Neumann, Division 3, Admiral Graf Spee)

European Air Operations: The RAF sends 42 planes, its largest force yet, to attack German harbors. The Luftwaffe has a successful day, shooting down 5 of the attacking bombers.

Western Front: Premier Daladier summarizes the results of the first three months of the year in a communiqué, stating that 2,100 French soldiers had lost their lives. He rather incongruously contrasts this with 2,975 road deaths in Great Britain during the same period - road deaths having increased dramatically due to the blackout.

League of Nations: The League expels the USSR, which doesn't really notice since it has been boycotting the League anyway. The reason is for violating (among other things) the UN charter the USSR signed in 1934. Furthermore, the League coordinates relief efforts for the Finns. With Italy, Germany, and Japan already having left the League for one reason or another, it is losing relevance.

China: The Chinese Winter Offensive continues. Chinese 40th Army and 27 Army surround Japanese 36 Infantry division at Changtze and Tunliu; River North Army crosses the Han River; 19th Army Group of Chinese 9th War Area beats off a Japanese counterattack by Japanese 33rd and 40th Infantry Divisions Yuchiafan, Lungkang, and Dafan.

American Homefront: Festivities are in full swing for the Atlanta premiere of "Gone With the Wind," attended by Clark Gable, Carole Lombard and most of the cast. There are extended festivities, including a costume ball and various parades, which all culminate on 15 December 1939. It is probably the most elaborate film premiere of all time.

Clark Gable and Carole Lombard flying to Atlanta for the premiere of Gable's film "Gone With The Wind" - the salary of which had enabled Gable to marry Lombard.

December 1939

December 1, 1939: Finland Fights for its Life
December 2, 1939: First RAF Bombs on Germany
December 3, 1939: Soviets Still Advancing in Finland
December 4, 1939: Molotov to Roosevelt - Mind Your Own Business
December 5, 1939: Prien Returns
December 6, 1939: Attacks on Mannerheim Line
December 7, 1939: Kollaa Holds!
December 8, 1939: Polish Pilots Return
December 9, 1939: First British BEF Fatality
December 10, 1939: The Soviets Capture Salla in Finland
December 11, 1939: Finns Make Their Move
December 12, 1939: Finnish Success in the Winter War
December 13, 1939: Battle of River Platte December 14, 1939: Quisling Meets Hitler
December 15, 1939: Chinese Winter Offensive in High Gear
December 16, 1939: Battle of Summa
December 17, 1939: End of Admiral Graf Spee
December 18, 1939: Battle of Heligoland Bight
December 19, 1939: British Disarm Magnetic Mines
December 20, 1939: Finnish Counterattacks Continue
December 21, 1939: Finns Plan More Counterattacks
December 22, 1939: Enter Chuikov
December 23, 1939: Failed Finnish Counterattack
December 24, 1939: Soviets on the Run
December 25, 1939: Fresh Soviet Attacks
December 26, 1939: Vicious Battles at Kelja
December 27, 1939: Grinding Finnish Victories
December 28, 1939: Liberators
December 29, 1939: Finns Tighten the Noose
December 30, 1939: Finnish Booty
December 31, 1939: Planning More Soviet Destruction

2019

Thursday 11 December 1939

A Soviet T-26 tank, model 1938 from the Suomussalmi battle. The tank remains today where it was left behind in 1939. It shows extensive battle damage.

Winter War Army Operations: The village of Suomussalmi is an inconsequential little place in the middle of endless forests. However, on 11 December 1939, it is the last stop on the road west before the terrain opens up and provides easy access to the coast. Thus, holding it is critical to the Finnish defense.
Colonel Siilasvuo at Suomussalmi with his motley assortment of units is ready to make his move. Departing from his blocking position across the lake from the village, he leaves only a skeleton force of two machinegun companies and a few machine-gun crews from the 4th Reserve Battalion on the southern bank of Haukpera Lake to block that direction. With the remainder of his small force, he marches back east through the woods past the Soviet forces.

He then tasks Battle Group Kontula to cut the Ratte road, which constitutes the only means of communication for the Soviets based in Suomussalmi. Not only does the Battle Group Kontula advance to block the road, but the Finns also destroy a convoy of six Soviet trucks carrying wounded to the Soviet rear.

Finnish Foreign Minister Rudolf Holsti speaking at the League of Nations General Assembly. Holsti is protesting the Soviet invasion of his country. Geneva, Switzerland, 11 December 1939.

The Soviets react slowly despite the fact the road is their lifeline. Their headquarters takes its time sending the 44th Rifle Division from the east in relief. Battle Group Kontula squares up and forms a defensive line facing east, waiting, but nothing is seen. With them blocking any Soviet relief, Siilasvuo takes the infantry companies from the 27th Infantry Regiment and the 4th Reserve Battalion and marches down the Ratte road to the west - straight toward the Soviet 759th Rifle Regiment in Suomussalmi. Simultaneously, he has other elements launch harassing attacks on the town from other directions to provide a distraction. Siilasvuo plans to surround the town and defeat the Soviets there, then turn his attention to other threats later. He is in complete control of the only escape route the trapped Soviets have. The Soviet forces in Suomussalmi are trapped.

To the north, the Finnish 16th detachment continues blocking the Soviet 662nd Regiment, the only other source of succor for the Soviets in Suomussalmi.

European Air Operations: A German barrage balloon drifts loose and falls in the Shetlands. Luftwaffe aircraft are spotted off the Yorkshire coast.

"Commander Jan Grudziński, the Commander of the Polish Navy submarine ORP Orzeł (Eagle), probably in one of the naval bases in Britain, 11 December 1939." Grudziński has just completed a daring escape with his crew from internment in Estonia, which caused diplomatic issues for the Estonian government. Orzel died about six months later during a patrol in the North Sea. © IWM (HU 128076).

Battle of the Atlantic: U-38 (Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Liebe) torpedoes and sinks 4,708 ton Greek freighter Garoufalia inside Norwegian territorial waters. Four lives are lost, 25 saved. The attack is observed and quickly turned into a propaganda coup by the Norwegians and British. This is a classic example of a military success turning into a political blunder.

Norwegian 2151-ton freighter Storfjeld is wrecked on the Seaton Rocks, north of Blyth. Casualties are not recorded.

The British release US freighter Azalea City from detention at London, while US freighter Steel Engineer is released from Gibraltar.

Convoy OA 51 departs from Southend and OB 51 departs from Liverpool.

League of Nations: Having deliberated the obvious for two days, the League of Nations sends Stalin a telegram telling him to cease hostilities in Finland and accept mediation.

"Body of U.S. Ambassador to Cuba arrives in Washington for burial. Washington, D.C., December 11, [1939]. High officials of the State Department were at the Navy Yard this morning to receive the body of J. Butler Wright, U.S. Ambassador to Cuba, as it arrived aboard the U.S. Cruiser Omaha. Ambassador Wright, who died in Cuba last week after an operation, will be buried in Washington Cathedral." Library of Congress  hec.27800.

Terrorism: Two IRA men, Barnes and Richards, are sentenced to death for planting the bomb in the Coventry explosion that killed five people on 25 August 1939.

Ireland: The Eire government plans for an army of 20,000 officers and men.

The Time magazine cover of 11 December 1939 features the recently deceased US Ambassador to Cuba, J. Butler Wright (Cover credit: Thomas D. McAvoy).

China: The Chinese 2nd War Area defeats the Japanese spoiling attacks around Wenhsi and Hsia Hsien.

Holocaust: In occupied Poland, Hans Frank decrees forced labor for all Jews.

Betty Grable on the cover of the 11 December 1939 Life magazine.

December 1939

December 1, 1939: Finland Fights for its Life
December 2, 1939: First RAF Bombs on Germany
December 3, 1939: Soviets Still Advancing in Finland
December 4, 1939: Molotov to Roosevelt - Mind Your Own Business
December 5, 1939: Prien Returns
December 6, 1939: Attacks on Mannerheim Line
December 7, 1939: Kollaa Holds!
December 8, 1939: Polish Pilots Return
December 9, 1939: First British BEF Fatality
December 10, 1939: The Soviets Capture Salla in Finland
December 11, 1939: Finns Make Their Move
December 12, 1939: Finnish Success in the Winter War
December 13, 1939: Battle of River Platte
December 14, 1939: Quisling Meets Hitler
December 15, 1939: Chinese Winter Offensive in High Gear
December 16, 1939: Battle of Summa
December 17, 1939: End of Admiral Graf Spee
December 18, 1939: Battle of Heligoland Bight
December 19, 1939: British Disarm Magnetic Mines
December 20, 1939: Finnish Counterattacks Continue
December 21, 1939: Finns Plan More Counterattacks
December 22, 1939: Enter Chuikov
December 23, 1939: Failed Finnish Counterattack
December 24, 1939: Soviets on the Run
December 25, 1939: Fresh Soviet Attacks
December 26, 1939: Vicious Battles at Kelja
December 27, 1939: Grinding Finnish Victories
December 28, 1939: Liberators
December 29, 1939: Finns Tighten the Noose
December 30, 1939: Finnish Booty
December 31, 1939: Planning More Soviet Destruction

2020

Sunday 10 December 1939

A Chinese Maxim M1910 machine gun team at Kunlun Pass, Guangxi, China during the Winter Offensive of the Second Sino-Japanese War in late 1939.

Winter War Army Operations: Soviet 9th Army (Chuikov) 122nd and 88th divisions capture at least part of Salla in the waist of the country on 10 December 1939. The tiny village itself has been burned down during the fighting on 9 December, but it is a key milestone on the road to the coast. The Soviet long-range objective is the port of Tornio by way of Rovaniemi, the latter of which Soviet plans call for taking in two weeks.

There are only so many useable east-west roads in this part of Finland, and this is the best one north of Suomussalmi. Reaching Tornio would split Finland in two and effectively decide the war. Even just taking Rovaniemi, which sits astride the only major north/south road east of the coast, would seriously damage Finnish prospects. Thus, the stakes are extremely high for the Finns, though the Soviets have multiple options - and all those options may be weighing on them.

Once in possession of Salla, Chuikov has a decision to make, because there is a fork in the road there. What he decides will have a big influence on future events.

The Soviet 7th Army is being shelled by Finnish coastal batteries on the island of Saarenpää. Soviet battleship Oktjabrskaja Revolutsija (October Revolution) attempts to destroy the Finnish batteries, but cannot hit them in dense winter fog. Other Finnish batteries on islands in the Gulf of Finland prevent Soviet naval forces from invading behind the Mannerheim Line to undermine it. The Finns may not have an overwhelming amount of ordnance, but what they do have is cleverly used.

 Elsewhere, operations are fairly quiet after a rough week.

Winter War Naval Operations: The Baltic is the one area where the Kriegsmarine and German merchant marine does not have to suffer the oppressive superiority of the Royal Navy. However, with the onset of the Winter War, now a loose cannon that cannot be avoided there is shooting randomly at everyone: the Soviet Navy. This places a further strain on German/Soviet relations in addition to everything else - and the Soviets never apologize for their mistakes.

Soviet submarine SC-323 sinks Estonian freighter Kassari.

Soviet submarine S-1 sinks the German SS Bolheim in the Gulf of Bothnia, apparently mistaking it for a Finnish ship.

Soviet submarine S-1.

Battle of the Atlantic: A Canadian troop convoy that includes five big passenger liners full of troops sets sail from Halifax. It has numerous escorts. It is convoy HXF 12. It is bound for Liverpool.

The Soviet government formally protests to the British government about its blockade.

U-20 (Kapitänleutnant Karl-Heinz Moehle) sinks 1,674-ton Norwegian freighter Føina north of Scotland. All eighteen crew perish.

The 4,815-ton British freighter Willowpool strikes a mine laid by a U-boat and sinks a few miles from the Newark Lightship in the English Channel. All 36 crew survive.

British freighter Ray of Hope is sunk by a mine.

German liner Bremen decides to risk Allied patrols and leaves Murmansk for Germany.

The British detain US freighter Steel Engineer at Gibraltar.

Convoy OA 50G departs from Southend, Convoy OB 50 departs from Liverpool, and Convoy SL 12 and SL 12F both depart from Freetown.

Finnish Government: The government makes an international appeal for aid, stating in part that the USSR had attacked it "without the slightest cause," and that "our position as the active outpost of western civilization gives us the right to expect the active resistance of other civilized nations."
US/Finnish Relations: The US government grants Finland a $10 million letter of credit for agricultural supplies. While the timing is quite interesting, it appears to be in gratitude for Finland paying off its Great War debt to the United States in full (unlike virtually everyone else).

Peace Talks: The League of Nations continues deliberating the Soviet attack on Finland.

Soviet battleship October Revolution in 1934.

December 14, 1939: Quisling Meets Hitler
December 15, 1939: Chinese Winter Offensive in High Gear
December 16, 1939: Battle of Summa
December 17, 1939: End of Admiral Graf Spee
December 18, 1939: Battle of Heligoland Bight
December 19, 1939: British Disarm Magnetic Mines
December 20, 1939: Finnish Counterattacks Continue
December 21, 1939: Finns Plan More Counterattacks
December 22, 1939: Enter Chuikov
December 23, 1939: Failed Finnish Counterattack
December 24, 1939: Soviets on the Run
December 25, 1939: Fresh Soviet Attacks
December 26, 1939: Vicious Battles at Kelja
December 27, 1939: Grinding Finnish Victories
December 28, 1939: Liberators
December 29, 1939: Finns Tighten the Noose
December 30, 1939: Finnish Booty
December 31, 1939: Planning More Soviet Destruction

2019

Saturday 9 December 1939

Colonel Hjalmar Siilasvuo (left) during the battle of Suomussalmi (colorized).

Winter War Army Operations: Colonel Hjalmar Siilasvuo is in command of the Finnish 9th Infantry Division in the Suomussalmi area on 9 December 1939. While successful so far, he is facing two Soviet rifle divisions (the 44th and 163rd) approaching from two different sides (north and east), each backed by tanks and artillery. Siilasvuo only has a scattering of infantry between the Soviet troops: 4th Reserve Battalion, 15th Detached Battalion, 16th Detached Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, Battle Group Kontula, and the 5th and 6th Ranger Groups. All together, Siilasvuo has maybe nine infantry companies - less than a division. The only saving grace is that some of the men are elite Border Guard Rangers, and every single man is fully committed to the cause. The risk is that the Red Army divisions will hook up and create an overpowering force.

Siilasvuo makes the classic textbook mistake of dividing his forces in the face of a superior enemy. His plan is to defeat them in detail. Siilasvuo decides that his first step is to cut the Raatte Road which is supplying the main Soviet forces in Suomussalmi from the east. He begins rearranging his troops and getting them into position. It will take a couple of days, but the Soviets are having a rough time in the forests and snow so there may be sufficient time to arrange things just right.

Elsewhere, the Finns are holding tough at the Kollaa River - there is a vicious night battle there - and Soviet gains in the far north are minimal.

Western Front: Corporal Thomas Priday of King’s Shropshire Light Infantry is killed while leading a patrol on the Western Front. He becomes the first British soldier (as opposed to sailor or airman) killed in World War II. Reportedly, he is a victim of "friendly fire," a term not yet invented.

King George V completes a five-day review of the front.

HMS Exeter.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-20 (Kapitänleutnant Karl-Heinz Moehle) torpedoes and sinks the 1,339-ton Danish freighter, Magnus, off Peterhead in Scotland. One man survives, eighteen perish.

U-48 (Kapitänleutnant Herbert Schultze) torpedoes and sinks 7,397-ton British tanker San Alberto off Cape Clear, Ireland. Everyone survives but one crewman.

German freighter Adolf Leonhardt is scuttled near the Cape of Good Hope to avoid capture by Royal Navy cruiser HMS Shropshire.

German tanker Nordmeer decides to make a run from Curacao to Spain despite Allied patrols.

The British detain U.S. freighter Explorer at Gibraltar.

Royal Navy Force G (light cruisers HMS Ajax and HMS Achilles, Commodore Henry Harwood) continues toward Montevideo on Harwood's hunch that the Admiral Graf Spee will head there next. He also orders HMS Exeter, just to the south at Port Stanley, Falkland Islands, to rendezvous there as well. Another heavy cruiser, HMS Cumberland, is also at Port Stanley but is unavailable.

The Germans commission auxiliary cruiser Orion.

Soviet Military: Dissatisfied with operations in the Winter War, the Kremlin (The chief of staff of the Red Army (Stavka), Boris Shaposhnikov) assumes more direct operational control of tactics from local commanders and strips Commander of the Leningrad Military District Kiril Meretskov of his overall command of the campaign. Meretskov is effectively demoted to the command of the Soviet 7th Army. It is the first official recognition by senior Soviet military leaders that something is going seriously wrong in Finland.

Peace Talks: The League of Nations meets as scheduled in Geneva to discuss the Soviet invasion of Finland. The US attends, the USSR does not.

Soviet Propaganda: Soviet news agency TASS releases a report claiming that the Germans are supplying Finland. This is very disquieting for the Germans, who are doing nothing of the kind and in fact, have allocated Finland to the Soviets per the terms of the Ribbentrop/Molotov Pact of 23 August 1939. Ironically, virtually everyone else in the world is aiding the Finns, including German ally Italy - but not the Reich.

Holocaust: Some 200 Jews out of 1800 survive a forced march through the winter snows from their homes in Hrubieszow and Chelm across the Bug River to their new home in Hans Frank's occupied Poland.


December 14, 1939: Quisling Meets Hitler
December 15, 1939: Chinese Winter Offensive in High Gear
December 16, 1939: Battle of Summa
December 17, 1939: End of Admiral Graf Spee
December 18, 1939: Battle of Heligoland Bight
December 19, 1939: British Disarm Magnetic Mines
December 20, 1939: Finnish Counterattacks Continue
December 21, 1939: Finns Plan More Counterattacks
December 22, 1939: Enter Chuikov
December 23, 1939: Failed Finnish Counterattack
December 24, 1939: Soviets on the Run
December 25, 1939: Fresh Soviet Attacks
December 26, 1939: Vicious Battles at Kelja
December 27, 1939: Grinding Finnish Victories
December 28, 1939: Liberators
December 29, 1939: Finns Tighten the Noose
December 30, 1939: Finnish Booty
December 31, 1939: Planning More Soviet Destruction

2019