Saturday 25 May 1940

Refugees in France, May/June 1940.

Western Front: The confusion of the German high command about halting operations with their decision of 24 May 1940 always becomes a point of discussion about the Battle of France and the evacuation of the BEF. This leads to the natural conclusion that "If only if" the Germans had been a little more clear-headed, they would have destroyed the BEF, invaded England, and we'd all be speaking/writing German.

However, these arguments always ignore concomitant massive confusion on the Allied side. If you are going to "smooth out" imperfection on one side, consider also the other side of the equation. French Commander-in-chief Weygand plans on 25 May 1940 a concentric attack on the panzer spearhead across northern France. However, to implement it, he requires British cooperation, and that is not forthcoming. BEF commander General John Vereker Lord Gort cancels his part of the pincer attack at 17:00, and this causes Weygand, in turn, to cancel the entire thing amidst recriminations.

In this instance, from a military perspective only, Lord Gort is absolutely correct: the plan has no hope of success with the forces available. However, in a larger sense, it shows the futility of divided command, lack of respect and cohesion between the allied forces, and complete mismanagement by all concerned of this desperate situation. Everybody has an opinion, everyone is sure they are right, and wars are lost when every opinion counts. You need assured command to win wars, not independent crusading barons.

Flowing from Lord Gort's decision is another, larger decision: it is time to implement Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of the BEF. This is a hugely cynical - but absolutely necessary - determination that the Belgian Army must be abandoned, along with what remains of Belgian territory, in order to protect England (and maybe what remains of France). War Minister Anthony Eden has assured Lord Gort that the resources will be available - but this is such a massive operation that it will strain even the Royal Navy's abilities.

The Belgians are not stupid: the immediately see which way things are going. The Belgian 5th and 17th regiments surrender their bridgehead at Meigem against orders. There is a report of an incident of "fragging," where soldiers shoot their own officer ordering them to stop their retreat.

However, not all of the troops in Belgium have given up. The Chasseurs Ardennais deploy to Vinkt and fight off the German 56th Infantry Division like lions.

Things become desperate in Belgium as the men won't fight and the German tanks can't be stopped. The BEF troops are fighting for time, time to evacuate, and they will try anything. An improvised anti-tank line of wagons is set up along the rail line from Ypres to Roeselare.

The BEF uses the day to reinforce the port defenses at Dunkirk.

On the German side, the Hitler stop order remains in place for Panzer Group Kleist. However, that does not mean there is no fighting in that sector, not by a long shot. General Guderian leads from the front, and he addresses his men: "I asked you to go without sleep for 48 hours. You have gone for 17 days!"

The 2d Panzer Division finishes mopping up at Boulogne. The last British troops under Major J.C. Windsor Lewis of the Welsh Guards surrender at 13:00. Altogether, the Germans take about 5,000 British and French troops into captivity at Boulogne, where all resistance is now ended.

The 10th Panzer Division assault on Calais continues. General Guderian has given it until 14:00 on 26 May to take the port, so fighting is intense. Vice-Admiral James Somerville makes the hazardous crossing to the port during the night and meets with the local commander, Brigadier Claude N. Nicholson. Nicholson is optimistic but says he needs continued supply. An assortment of Royal Navy warships continues giving offshore fire support.

 At dawn, the German bombardment resumes, and there is smoke and fire everywhere. Panzer General Schaal, sends a surrender demand to the mayor, André Gerschell, apparently for transmission to the military authorities. Nicholson, once he hears of it, refuses, then refuses another ultimatum in the afternoon. The Germans attempt a determined attack in the east which the 1st Rifle Brigade repulses at first at the Marck and Calais canals. Nicholson attempts a counterattack, which fails in the sand, and then the line at the canals falls. The troops on the east withdraw under fire through the city streets to the docks. The Germans also make progress in the southeast.

The wounded are piling up, and the defense is undermined by collaborators. The day ends with the British in control of only portions of the city, with some units already attempting to break out toward Dunkirk. Air attacks over the city is intense, with effective air cover by 605 Squadron and bombing missions by both sides. RAF claims to shoot down dozens of aircraft, including Ju 87 Stukas performing ground support missions.

The French launch an attack on Amiens that leaves them with part of the town.

In eastern France, French engineers are blowing up locks on the Rhine-Rhône canal in order to flood surrounding territory to block the panzers.

Canadian P/O Robert D "Jumbo" Grassick was sent with A Flight of No 242 Squadron RAF to Vitry-en-Artois on 14 May 1940, on attachment to No 607 Squadron RAF, moving to No 615 Squadron RAF at Abbeville 2 days later before returning to RAF Kenley on 19 May. The 23-year-old Canadian claimed 2 Me 109 fighters and a Ju 88 destroyed on 15 and 16 May and a Bf-109 over Dunkirk on 25, 29 and 31 May. Following his original unit to Le Mans on 12 June, he withdrew to RAF Coltishall 4 days later.

European Air Operations: The focus of operations by both sides is the Channel Ports, and there are savage air battles above Calais especially. The Luftwaffe sends in Stukas to pound the ground troops, and RAF fighters are there to defend. The RAF is operating exclusively from England now.

The Luftwaffe sinks Royal Navy destroyer Wessex off of Calais.

Royal Navy minesweeper Charles Boyes hits a mine in the North Sea and sinks.

The Luftwaffe drops mines off of southern England ports after dark.

Battle of the Atlantic: There is shore support by the Royal Navy at the Channel Ports. Destroyers HMS Grafton, Greyhound, Wessex, Wolfhound, Verity, and the Polish Okręt Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (ORP) Burza. Wessex is sunk during the day by the Luftwaffe.

Convoy OG 31F forms off Gibraltar.

British aircraft carrier Illustrious is commissioned.

Norway: The German 2d Mountain Division closes up on the improvised British defenses as it advances through the Saltdal. They attack on the east side of the river. The line holds through the day, but the Germans shift their attack to the west side and make some progress.

Colonel Gubbins is informed about Operation Alphabet, the plan to evacuate Norway. This means there is no longer a reason for fanatical resistance since he has to fall back to Bodø to be taken off anyway.

At Narvik, the gradual reinforcement of Narvik continues, as the Luftwaffe drops another 99 mountain troops (for many, their first jumps) to reinforce General Dietl.

The Luftwaffe bombs RN Fleet Air Arm depot ship Mashobra near Narvik and it ultimately sinks.

Military Intelligence: A German staff car is captured with plans to attack between Menin and Ypres with two corps.

Soviet/Lithuanian Relations: Soviet Foreign Commissar Vyacheslav Molotov accuses the Lithuanian government of "provocations" after several Soviet soldiers go missing in the country.

French Military: While the vast majority of France remains safe behind the deceptively secure Maginot Line, frustration within the government is reaching the boiling point. The French Army relieves 15 Generals of their commands.

Belgian Government: Belgian Prime Minister Pierlot is in London for consultations with Foreign Minister Spaak. This is in part a demonstration to King Leopold of where they think that he (and the rest of the government) should be.

US Military: The US Navy conducts landing practices at San Clemente Island, California.

French Homefront: There are refugees not only from northern France but also from the eastern portions of the country. Lille is largely abandoned, with entire families carrying whatever they can of their possessions. There continue to be reports of the Luftwaffe strafing refugee columns, which is a war crime under any definition.

British Homefront: The BEF is expending massive amounts of ammunition, so ammunition plants have around-the-clock shifts.

The world is burning in Europe, but it is business as usual in the US.

May 1940

May 1, 1940: British Leave Åndalsnes
May 2, 1940: British Depart Namsos
May 3, 1940: Many Norwegians Surrendering
May 4, 1940: Bader Returns
May 5, 1940: HMS Seal Survives
May 6, 1940: Allies Focus on Narvik
May 7, 1940: In The Name of God, Go!
May 8, 1940: Exit Chamberlain
May 9, 1940: Enter Churchill
May 10, 1940: Fall Gelb
May 11, 1940: Eben Emael Surrenders
May 12, 1940: Germans at Sedan
May 13, 1940: Rommel at Work
May 14, 1940: German Breakout in France
May 15, 1940: Holland Surrenders
May 16, 1940: Dash to the Channel
May 17, 1940: Germans Take Brussels
May 18, 1940: Germans Take Antwerp
May 19, 1940: Failed French Counterattack
May 20, 1940: Panzers on the Coast
May 21, 1940: Battle of Arras
May 22, 1940: Attacking Channel Ports
May 23, 1940: British Evacuate Boulogne
May 24, 1940: Hitler's Stop Order
May 25, 1940: Belgian Defenses Creaking
May 26, 1940: Operation Dynamo
May 27, 1940: King Leopold Surrenders 
May 28, 1940: The Allies Take Narvik
May 29, 1940: Lille Falls
May 30, 1940: Operation Fish
May 31, 1940: Peak Day for Dynamo

2020

Tuesday 26 March 1940

The Curtiss C-46 Commando flies for the first time on 26 March 1940.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-38 (Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Liebe) is 65 miles northwest of Noup Head, Orkneys on 26 March 1940 when its crew spots 3,794-ton Norwegian freighter Cometa. The Cometa is running with its lights on at night, generally signifying a neutral ship. Liebe stops the ship (apparently it stopped on its own after realizing the U-38 was there) and is told that HMS Kingston Peridot, a British trawler, had instructed it to go to Kirkwall, Scotland for the examination of its cargo. To that end, there is a Royal Navy officer and four ratings on board, which technically makes it a warship. Liebe instructs the crew to abandon ship, then sinks it at 02:20 with one torpedo, the ship breaking in two amidships. The forepart remains afloat, so Liebe sends it down with another torpedo. All 42 crew survive and are soon picked up a trawler, HMS Northern Sky.

U-21 (Wolf-Harro Stiebler) runs aground at Oldknuppen Island, Norway after a navigational error. The Norwegians intern the boat and tow it to Mandal, Norway, thence Kristiansand.

The Mauretania makes it to the Panama Canal without incident. She is on her way to Australia to be refitted.

Convoy OA 117 departs from Southend.

Western Front: The BEF takes on a little more responsibility as the 51st Highland Division sets up in the Saar region. They replace French soldiers in the line, which is a first.

Royal Navy: First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill has a flash of inspiration: "Memo: More backgammon sets on warships - quicker game than cards."

US Army Air Corps: The Curtiss C-46 Commando has its first flight. The new cargo plane has a "double bubble" design with two pressurized cabins. While the airlines are not interested in the plane, USAAC Chief of Staff General Henry “Hap” Arnold likes its potential as a cargo plane and places an initial order of 200.

Soviet Government: The Kremlin recalls its ambassador to France after French complaints about him. Soviet Ambassador to Paris Jakob Suritz sent Stalin a message congratulating for him his victory over "Anglo-French warmongers."

Soviet/German Relations: Hitler enjoys personal diplomacy - he will travel far and wide to meet a fellow dictator - and asks Stalin to meet to discuss their mutual border. The two have never met - Hitler has even met the British and French leaders - but Stalin declines to meet anyway.

Italian/Hungarian Relations: Count Pál János Ede Teleki, Prime Minister of Hungary, visits with Mussolini in Rome. Mussolini tells Teleki and Ciano, who attends the meeting, that Italy will join the Germans in the war at some point.

Canada: In the general elections, the Liberals under William Lyon Mackenzie King win 178 seats, the Conservatives take 39, and all other parties win 28.

New Zealand: The Labour Prime Minister, Michael Savage, passes away at age 68.

French Homefront: Prime Minister Reynaud broadcasts a speech to the public urging the nation to carry on a "total war" against the Germans. This is an old phrase from World War I.

British Homefront: Morale is high as the long Easter Weekend ends, with long queues at the train stations and an impromptu sing-a-long at Waterloo Station.

Wilhelm Solf, an Austrian undergraduate at Oxford University, is interned after he photographs a crashed RAF plane. As reported in the London Times, many citizens feel that the government is treating Germans caught in the country by the war harshly. This is buttressed by a newsreel being shown in cinemas which details the recent incident of an RAF bomber accidentally landing in Germany, the crew meeting with local farmers there on good terms, and then taking off again before being caught.

China: The Japanese, reinforced in recent days, recapture Wuyuan from the Chinese 8th War Area. The Chinese fall back to the banks of Fan-chi-chu and launch attacks at Xin'an, Xishanzui, Xixiaozhao, and Manko.

American Homefront: General Motors officially cancels the LaSalle nameplate in the Cadillac division. While LaSalles have sold reasonably well (often better than Cadillacs), the thinking apparently is that the company should focus on the more prestigious Cadillac brand. Production of LaSalles ceases in August. Final LaSalle designs are incorporated into new Cadillac models.

Future History: James Caan is born in the Bronx, New York. He becomes famous as a movie star in the '60s and '70s, most famously for his role in "The Godfather."

Nancy Pelosi is born in Baltimore, Maryland. She becomes the 52nd Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Many Curtiss C-46 Commando cargo planes became of tremendous use in the Burma theater of operations, where they supplied the Chinese over the "Hump" of the Himalayas. Many remain in service to this day, in the 21st Century. While never fully given its due in terms of public perceptions, the decidedly un-flashy C-46 is one of the most useful, dependable and enduring aircraft in aviation history.

The Cometa, sunk on 26 March 1940. Photo Courtesy of Library of Contemporary History, Stuttgart.

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

2021

Saturday 24 February 1940

The unarmed first prototype Typhoon P5212 fighter-bomber taken just before its first flight on 24 February 1940. The prototype has a small tail unit and a solid fairing behind the cockpit.

Winter War: The Soviets attempt some offensive action on the Karelian Isthmus, but heavy snow and fog prevent large-scale operations.

The Finnish cabinet, still considering the Soviet peace offer on 24 February 1940, engages in top-secret discussions with their British military representative about the possibility of an Anglo/French expeditionary force. British envoy to Finland Sir George Gordon Vereker makes the wild claim that 20-22,000 Allied soldiers will leave for Finland on March 15, provided the Finns make a formal request by March 5. Where Vereker comes up with this outlandish projection is unclear.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-63 (Oberleutnant zur See Günther Lorentz) torpedoes and sinks Swedish freighter Santos off Kirkwall, Orkney. The Santos is carrying 8 men from the Swedish freighter Liana, which was sunk on 16 February, and 6 of them perish. Altogether, including the men from the Liana, there are 31 who perish in the sinking and 12 who survive. U-63 was one of the U-boats which had accompanied the surface fleet in Operation Nordmark.

British freighters Royal Archer, Clan Morrison, and Jevington Court hits a mine and sinks in the North Sea.

The British at Malta detain US freighter Scottsburg for several hours, then release it.

Convoy OA 98GF departs from Southend, and OB 98 departs from Liverpool.

European Air Operations: The RAF conducts reconnaissance over Germany and Austria, with one aircraft making a forced landing in Belgium. It also carries out daylight reconnaissance over the Heligoland Bight and the German bases in northwest Germany.

German Military: The German high command - General von Rundstedt, Halder, Guderian - all come around to the von Manstein Plan for Fall Gelb. This first draft of the revised plan will see five panzer divisions and motorized divisions headed through the Ardennes Forest (von Rundstedt), north of the Maginot Line but south of the bulk of the BEF. The mobile divisions are to take bridges across the Meuse on the fly, with the assistance of paratroopers, and then race to the coast. There is still a "right hook" to the north (General von Bock), but its importance is vastly diminished and intended more as a decoy to make the BEF look north and away from the main effort. The plan is still subject to revision, but it is now much more along the lines that Manstein and Hitler wanted.

RAF: First flight of the Hawker Typhoon P5212 by Hawker test pilot Philip Lucas. It is another Sydney Camm design, he who had designed the Hawker Hurricane which is the fighter currently arming most RAF front-line squadrons.

German/Italian Relations: Germany and Italy sign a trade agreement by which the Germans will supply Italy with more coal, of which the Reich has ample supplies.

German Homefront: Hitler give a speech on one of the innumerable days that he makes the nation celebrate - this one is the 20th anniversary of the founding of the NSDAP Party (which he was not a member of at the time). He repeats the "stab in the back" thesis of the post-war years, with the slight twist that all that Germany needed at the time was someone like him in charge: "Germany would not have lost the last war if I had been Reichs chancellor in 1918." This, of course, ignores the huge battle losses and retreats of 1918, an empire on the verge of revolution (and actual revolution in places such as the navy), and many other aspects of historical reality.

British Homefront: Prime Minister Chamberlain seemingly takes the bait thrown in the water by Hitler's speech. He gives a speech in Birmingham in which he condemns Germany for its desire for "domination of the world," but also indicates a continued willingness to search for peace - but only with a different German government.

Scandinavia: The Foreign Ministers of Denmark, Norway and the other Scandinavian nations gather in Copenhagen. They cite "absolute neutrality" of Denmark, Norway and Sweden as their ultimate position. Not much is said about Finland, but the implication of "absolute neutrality" is very clear.

Hitler and von Manstein, principal architects of the final Fall Gelb plan.

February 1940

February 1, 1940: Second Battle of Summa
February 2, 1940: Soviet Assaults at Summa February 3, 1940: Soviets Capture a Bunker
February 4, 1940: Peace Talks in Stockholm
February 5, 1940: Allies to Invade Norway
February 6, 1940: Careless Talk Costs Lives
February 7, 1940: IRA Terrorists Executed
February 8, 1940: Spies!
February 9, 1940: The Welles Mission
February 10, 1940: Confiscation of Jewish Goods
February 11, 1940: Soviets Attack Mannerheim Line
February 12, 1940: Breaches In Mannerheim Line
February 13, 1940: Soviets Inching Forward in Finland
February 14, 1940: Soviets Batter Mannerheim Line
February 15, 1940: Finns Retreat
February 16, 1940: Altmark Incident
February 17, 1940: Manstein and Hitler Discuss Fall Gelb
February 18, 1940: Operation Nordmark
February 19, 1940: King Gustav Says No
February 20, 1940: Falkenhorst Commands Weserubung
February 21, 1940: Radar Advances
February 22, 1940: Friendly Fire
February 23, 1940: Soviets Present Their Demands
February 24, 1940: Fall Gelb Revised
February 25, 1940: Mr. Welles Comes to Visit
February 26, 1940: Battle of Honkaniemi
February 27, 1940: Finns Retreat Again
February 28, 1940: Overseas Volunteers Help Finland
February 29, 1940: Finns Accept Soviet Terms In Principle

2020

Wednesday 27 December 1939

Winter War: Soviet casualties to date are estimated to be 30,000. International aid continues to pour into Finland, and Britain and France ask the Swedes for permission to ship it in through their territory. The port of Narvik is a handy entry point due to the rail line that runs from it, through Sweden, directly to Helsinki.

Viipuri civilians are evacuated as Soviet shells from long-range artillery rain down and Soviet bombing missions continue.

Winter War Army Operations: Finnish troops in Group Talvela are pursuing the Soviet 75th Rifle Division and 139th Rifle Division to Lake Ruua in Soviet territory.

The Finnish troops around Suomussalmi receive two new regiments and go on the attack. The Ninth Division advances to within about 15 miles of the border and also advance on the village of Suomussalmi itself. The Soviet commander of the 163rd Rifle Division in the village, Kombrig Zelentsov, finally receives permission to evacuate the town. He prepares to sneak out the next morning.

General Siilasvuo decides to attack the Soviet 81st Mountain Rifle Regiment in Hulkoniemi. Four Finnish battalions break through the regiment's line. There is a wild scramble as the Soviets flee to their command post, and every man in the unit is defending his own square yard of ground. They and the 759th Rifle Regiment also receive permission to withdraw. Basically, all of the Soviet advance units in the area are bugging out, leaving the stranded "relief" force on the Ratte road, the 44th Rifle Division, in the lurch.

At Kelja, the Finns are counterattacking the Soviet beachhead relentlessly after receiving reinforcements from the Western Isthmus. Late in the day, with artillery support, they manage to infiltrate the sketchy Soviet positions along the shore of the frozen lake. After dark, the Finns clear out the entire beachhead. The Finns capture 12 anti-tank guns, 140 machine guns, 200 light machine guns and 1500 rifles, but their own losses in manpower are not insignificant. Troop transfers from elsewhere weaken the front because there is no manpower to spare anywhere. By expanding the board, even with horrendous losses, the Soviets are slowly draining the Finns of their scarce manpower. The Finns cannot win a battle of attrition.

The Soviets are still giving ground at Salla.

Soviet 13th Army swings into action at Taipale, launching attacks.

Winter War Air Operations: Soviet bombers drop more leaflets over Helsinki and bombs on other cities.

Battle of the Atlantic: The Royal Navy plans to seed a defensive minefield from Moray Firth to the Thames Estuary.

Convoy OA 61 departs from Southend, Convoy SL 14F departs from Freetown, Convoy HXF 14 departs from Halifax.

European Air Operations: Royal Air Force coastal command forces attack shipping, including two destroyers and eleven patrol vessels, in the North Sea, disabling a German patrol boat.

Western Front: Indian troops arrive in France to join the BEF.

British Government: The government announces that it seized just under 7,000 tons of contraband in the preceding week.

American Government: The State Department sends a "vigorous protest" to the Court of St. James regarding the seizure of American mail bound for the Continent by the British.

The US Consul General in Hamburg states that the German authorities there have released all but 7 neutral vessels previously seized. At one time, there were estimated to be about 125 ships there.

Turkey: An earthquake hits at Tokat, Samsun and Ordu. Some 8,000 people are estimated to have perished.

China: In the Battle of South Kwangsi, in the last gasps of the Winter Offensive, the Chinese are still attacking the Japanese 5th Infantry Division. At the Lien River, the Japanese 21st Army crosses against light resistance from the Chinese 4th War Area. A Japanese force also counterattacks the Chinese 5th War Area near Chunghsiang.

Holocaust: At Wawer, a Warsaw suburb, two Wehrmacht noncommissioned officers are killed by Poles. The Germans retaliate by hanging the bar owner and shooting 120 Poles at random.

Indians and Cypriots arrive in France to join the BEF.

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 5 November 1939

Von Brauchitsch and Hitler roughly around their 5 November 1939 meeting.

German Government: Army (Heer) Commander-in-chief Walter von Brauchitsch meets with Adolf Hitler at noon on 5 November 1939. It is a decisive moment in the history of the Third Reich.

Every senior commander in the Wehrmacht is certain that now is not the right moment to attack France (Operation "Fall Gelb") due to several reasons, including the weather and the state of the military. Von Brauchitsch's mission is to dissuade the Fuhrer from any offensive plans for the time being, and also, in a larger sense, re-establish the Army's traditional role in decision-making. Fall Gelb is still planned for 12 November, so there is no more time to waste. Von Brauchitsch drafts a memorandum for Hitler outlining his points, and also gives an oral presentation to emphasize the seriousness of the situation.

As the core of his argument, von Brauchitsch states that the infantry had lacked fighting spirit in Poland. The troops were undisciplined and there had been mutinies against officers. The army, he said, could not be relied upon without further training, which would require time.

Hitler is furious and explodes into a rage. As a former front-line soldier, he believes that he knows about soldier morale. As he later states, he believes the German soldier is the best in the world and of better character than the Generals. He does, however, keep the memorandum and read it later, calling it a "pack of lies." Hitler angrily dictates an order dismissing von Brauchitsch, but his aide General Keitel dissuades him from issuing it on the grounds that there is no suitable successor.

Von Brauchitsch does achieve his main goal. Fall Gelb is postponed again. The meeting, however, irreparably damages Hitler's relations with his Generals. He inherently sympathizes with the "grunts" and not the "swivel chair cowards," and this incident reawakens those dormant prejudices. He refers to the sorts of arguments made by von Brauchitsch, which he considers defeatist, as "the spirit of Zossen" (Heer headquarters south of Berlin). Von Brauchitsch later offers his resignation, but Hitler cools down and refuses it because he has established his authority and von Brauchitsch has been cowed - which makes him compliant. This is perhaps the first real illustration of Hitler's ability to completely destroy the self-confidence of an Army General.

Some accounts call von Brauchitsch the leader of the "Zossen conspiracy" and so forth. There indeed was wild talk behind the scenes - but there was throughout the war. These accounts state that von Brauchitsch went to the meeting with the objective of either getting the Fuhrer to agree with him or shooting/arresting him. However, since neither happened (at least at the meeting), those claims appear to be false or wishful thinking. There is no indication that a putsch was ever on von Brauchitsch's mind that day.

German Conspirators: In the only actual action taken by the "Zossen conspiracy," Colonel Hans Oster of the German Military Intelligence (the Abwehr) warns a Dutch military attaché in London, Colonel Sas, of Hitler's plans. Sas, in turn, informs the Belgian attaché. Hans Oster is considered a leader of the "opposition" by those in the know.

Battle of the Atlantic: Germany lodges a protest against the treatment of the detained prize crew and release of the City of Flint. The protest is rejected. The ship itself reaches Bergen to unload its cargo.

The British at Weymouth detain the US freighter Black Condor, while in the Orkneys they detain the Scanmail. They release the freighter Black Eagle.

The Kriegsmarine recalls the Deutschland from its raid in the North Atlantic.

Royal Navy aircraft carrier Ark Royal captures the German vessel Uhenfels.

British Government: Winston Churchill, in Paris, meets with Lord Gort, in charge of the BEF force.

Sweden: the Swedish government protests the German mining of waters only three miles from the Swedish coast.

Finland: Negotiations adjourn as the Finns consider their options.

Winston Churchill meets with Lord Gort in Paris, 5 November 1939.

November 1939

November 1, 1939: The Jet Flies Again
November 2, 1939: The Soviets Devour Poland
November 3, 1939: Amending the Neutrality Act
November 4, 1939: Roosevelt Signs Neutrality Laws
November 5, 1939: The Spirit of Zossen
November 6, 1939: First Dogfight
November 7, 1939: More Lies About SS Athenia
November 8, 1939: Hitler Almost Killed
November 9, 1939: The Venlo Incident
November 10, 1939: Dutch Panic
November 11, 1939: Poignant Armistice Day
November 12, 1939: Peace Efforts Made and Rejected
November 13, 1939: First Bombing of Great Britain
November 14, 1939: The Dyle Plan
November 15, 1939: Elser Confesses to the Bürgerbräukeller Bombing
November 16, 1939: Martial Law in Prague
November 17, 1939: International Students Day
November 18, 1939: Magnetic Mines
November 19, 1939: Walls Around the Warsaw Ghetto
November 20, 1939: First RN Submarine Victory
November 21, 1939: Salmon & Gluckstein on the Prowl
November 22, 1939: British Recover A Magnetic Mine
November 23, 1939: HMS Rawalpindi Sunk
November 24, 1939: Japanese Enter Nanning
November 25, 1939: The Olympics are a War Casualty
November 26, 1939: Soviets Stage an "Incident" at Mainila
November 27, 1939: German Marriage Becomes Perilous
November 28, 1939: Judenrats in Poland
November 29, 1939: The Soviets Prepare to Invade Finland
November 30, 1939: Winter War Begins

2019

Tuesday 17 October 1939

October 17, 1939: U-47 passing the cruiser Emden at Wilhelmshaven, Germany following the sinking of HMS Royal Oak. Kapitänleutnant Günther Prien "The Bull of Scapa Flow" can be seen on the conning tower.

European Air Operations: Just like the day before, on 17 October 1939 four Ju 88s raid Scapa Flow in mid-afternoon. This time, they badly damage (it must be beached at Ore Bay) the training ship HMS Iron Duke (former flagship of Admiral Jellicoe in World War I) for the loss of one plane. There is a second raid on the Orkney Islands by ten planes, with no hits of importance by either side. There is a battle over the English Channel that claims two Luftwaffe planes.

Battle of the Atlantic: Admiral Doenitz orders U-boats to attack all enemy merchant ships without warning on the ground that resistance was to be expected. This is due to Doenitz learning that British merchant ships are being armed and were giving information by radio to the Royal Navy and were under orders to attack U-boats on sight. [This is according to Doenitz's testimony at the Nuremberg trials following World War II.]

German destroyers advance to the mouth of the Humber Estuary in the North Sea and lay some mines.

Churchill appears in the House of Commons to explain the loss of the Royal Oak and explains that it was lying quietly at anchor when it was sunk in the middle of the night.

U-37 torpedoes and sinks 10,183-ton British passenger ship Yorkshire off the coast of Spain. There are 58 dead with 223 survivors.

U-46 torpedoes and sinks 7,028-ton British freighter City of Mandalay. Of the 80 crew members, two perish.

U-48 torpedoes and sinks 7,256-ton British freighter Clan Chisholm. Four of the 78 people on board perish.

Admiral Graf Spee is working in conjunction with the supply ship Altmark. It transfers the crew of the Huntsman to the Altmark and then sinks the Huntsman.

One of the developing problems of the convoy system is that U-boats are having an easy time with un-escorted convoys. The Yorkshire, the City of Mandalay and Clan Chisholm were all sailing in convoys that had no escorts.

US freighter Cranford is detained by British authorities, who release the Black Falcon.

Kapitänleutnant Günther Prien "The Bull of Scapa Flow" returns to Wilhelmshaven to an epic hero's welcome in U-47, saluted by the entire harbor for his sinking of the HMS Royal Oak.

Convoy OA 21 departs from Southend, while OB 21 departs from Liverpool. At Gibraltar, convoy OG 3 is forming. Convoy HX 5 departs from Halifax.

Western Front: There are two BEF corps at the front, and one has taken over a section of the front. The French report some infantry engagements, while the Germans claim there is "absolute quiet."

Turkey: Like Spain, Turkey is in control of a key naval chokepoint and otherwise is not very vulnerable by land attack. Both sides are courting Turkey, which is remaining neutral. Turkey announces today that it is breaking off negotiations with Moscow and that its negotiator, Foreign Minister Sarajoglu, is returning to Ankara. The holdup is that Turkey has certain deals with France and Britain with which a proposed agreement with Russia would conflict.

Switzerland: Immigrants are prohibited from engaging in political activities.

Finland: Marshall Mannerheim becomes Finnish Commander-in-chief, just like in World War I. Unlike then, though, he now has a real army to command. Finland is not yet at war, but Mannerheim's appointment shows that nobody is under any illusions about what is likely to happen.

Canada: General Andrew McNaughton is appointed commander of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division.

German Homefront: Reinhard Heydrich issues the so-called Settlement Edict: (Festsetzungserlaß) Romani may not leave their current place of residence.

Guenther Prien at Wilhelmshaven. He will be awarded the coveted Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuz (Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross) by Adolf Hitler only days later.

October 1939

October 1, 1939: Occupation of Warsaw
October 2, 1939: Hel Peninsula Falls
October 3, 1939: The Diamantis Incident
October 4, 1939: Otto Kretschmer Gets Rolling
October 5, 1939: Polish Resistance Ends
October 6, 1939: Hitler Peace Effort
October 7, 1939: The British Have Arrived
October 8, 1939: First RAF Kill from UK
October 9, 1939: "City of Flint" Incident
October 10, 1939: Lithuania Under Pressure
October 11, 1939: The Atomic Age Begins
October 12, 1939: England Rejects Hitler's Peace Offer
October 13, 1939: Charles Lindbergh Speaks Out
October 14 1939: Royal Oak Sunk
October 15, 1939: Cuban Rockets
October 16, 1939: First Aircraft Shot Down Over UK
October 17, 1939: Marshall Mannerheim Returns
October 18, 1939: Prien Receives His Award
October 19, 1939: Preliminary Plan for Fall Gelb
October 20, 1939: Hitler Grapples with the Jews
October 21, 1939: Hurricanes to the Rescue!
October 22, 1939: Goebbels Lies Through His Teeth
October 23, 1939: Norway the Center of Attention
October 24, 1939: German "Justice" Gets Rolling
October 25, 1939: Handley Page Halifax Bomber First Flies
October 26, 1939: Jozef Tiso Takes Slovakia
October 27, 1939: King Leopold Stands Firm
October 28, 1939 - First Luftwaffe Raid on Great Britain
October 29, 1939: Tinkering with Fall Gelb
October 30, 1939: Defective Torpedoes
October 31, 1939: Molotov Issues an Ultimatum

2019

Thursday 12 October 1939

Soviet troops entering Estonia, 12 October 1939.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-37 under the command of Kapitanleutnant Werner Hartmann torpedoes Greek merchant ship Aris west of Ireland on 12 October 1939. The Aris is an independent carrying ballast.

U-48 under Kplt Herbert Schultze torpedoes 14,115-ton French oil tanker Emile Miguet after stopping it with gunfire and disembarking the crew. It is part of convoy KJ-2.

U-48 also sinks 5202-ton British coaler Heronspool from convoy OB-17. Everyone survived. The Heronspool had fallen behind the convoy and thus in effect was an independent.

British authorities at Weymouth size more US mail destined for Holland, Belgium and Germany, this time from the Black Tern and the Dutch ship Zaandam.

Convoy SL 4F leaves from Freetown for Liverpool.

Western Front: The BEF under General Alan Brooke, 2nd Corps, now has fully occupied the line between the towns of Maulde and Halluin.

Finland: Finnish talks with Molotov begin in Moscow. Molotov demands territory north of Leningrad and some islands in the Gulf of Finland. He also wants control of the port of Hanko and some adjustments above the Arctic Circle. Many of these same points will be revisited in September 1944.

The American Ambassador to Moscow, Steinhardt, conveys President Roosevelt's wish to Molotov that the Soviets allow a full airing out of the Finnish position on boundaries.

British Government: PM Chamberlain and the House of Commons reject Hitler's latest peace offer of 6 October 1939. Chamberlain states that acceding to German desires for peace on the basis of the status quo would be to forgive Germany for its aggression. He adds that "the present German government" cannot be trusted.

A bill to restrain war profiteering is introduced.

German Government: Hitler ends his peace initiative for the time being. He also seeks to ramp up munitions production.

General Government of Poland: Hans Frank, who chairs the Academy of German Law, is appointed Governor-General (Gauleiter) of Poland. He will operate out of Wawel Castle in Kraków.

Frank will report to Heinrich Himmler. He has authority over rump Poland, the part not outright annexed to the Reich such as Danzig and the Polish corridor (and obviously not the part under Soviet control). This includes Warsaw, Lublin, Radom, and Krakow.

US Government: A House of Representatives Committee invites Leon Trotsky to testify about Josef Stalin. He accepts.

Estonia: Soviet forces begin arriving in Tallinn by rail, bound primarily for Saaremaa and Hiiumaa island, and around Haapsalu and Paldiski.

Palestine: All Jewish Immigration is halted.

Holocaust: Adolf Eichmann begins deporting Jews from occupied territories in Austria and Czechoslovakia (both now incorporated into the Reich) to occupied Poland.

Hans Frank, newly appointed Governor-General of Poland, must prepare to receive these deported people.

Future History: American avant-garde artist Carolee Schneemann is born.

A US Army M2A4 light tank being demonstrated in Maryland on 12 October 1939.

October 1939

October 1, 1939: Occupation of Warsaw
October 2, 1939: Hel Peninsula Falls
October 3, 1939: The Diamantis Incident
October 4, 1939: Otto Kretschmer Gets Rolling
October 5, 1939: Polish Resistance Ends
October 6, 1939: Hitler Peace Effort
October 7, 1939: The British Have Arrived
October 8, 1939: First RAF Kill from UK
October 9, 1939: "City of Flint" Incident
October 10, 1939: Lithuania Under Pressure
October 11, 1939: The Atomic Age Begins
October 12, 1939: England Rejects Hitler's Peace Offer
October 13, 1939: Charles Lindbergh Speaks Out
October 14 1939: Royal Oak Sunk
October 15, 1939: Cuban Rockets
October 16, 1939: First Aircraft Shot Down Over UK
October 17, 1939: Marshall Mannerheim Returns
October 18, 1939: Prien Receives His Award
October 19, 1939: Preliminary Plan for Fall Gelb
October 20, 1939: Hitler Grapples with the Jews
October 21, 1939: Hurricanes to the Rescue!
October 22, 1939: Goebbels Lies Through His Teeth
October 23, 1939: Norway the Center of Attention
October 24, 1939: German "Justice" Gets Rolling
October 25, 1939: Handley Page Halifax Bomber First Flies
October 26, 1939: Jozef Tiso Takes Slovakia
October 27, 1939: King Leopold Stands Firm
October 28, 1939 - First Luftwaffe Raid on Great Britain
October 29, 1939: Tinkering with Fall Gelb
October 30, 1939: Defective Torpedoes
October 31, 1939: Molotov Issues an Ultimatum

2019

Wednesday 11 October 1939

The Iroquois arrives in New York City, 11 October 1939.

Western Front: Heavy artillery duels and probing attacks on French outposts on 11 October 1939.

Battle of the Atlantic: The passenger liner Iroquois arrives in New York, accompanied by a coast guard cutter and two US destroyers. It thus arrives safely despite the Admiral Raeder warnings of a potential false-flag sinking.

The British detain the US freighter Sundance in London and the US freighter Black Tern at Weymouth. The British release the US freighter Black Gull.

Finland: Anti-aircraft and other defensive armament being installed in all large Finnish towns. Voluntary evacuations continue. Paasikivi arrives in Moscow.

Anglo-Soviet Relations: The British and Soviets sign a trade agreement. The Soviets will trade timber for rubber and Cornish tin.

Population Movements: Ethnic Germans are being "returned" to Germany from the Baltic states.

Polish Government: The Poles have set up a government-in-exile in Paris. Foreign Minister August Zaleski arrives in London for consultations with Lord Halifax.

British Government: Secretary of War Baron Leslie Hore-Belisha reports to the House of Commons on the state of the BEF.

In a by-election in Clackmannan and East Sterling, the Labour Party candidate receives 15,645 votes, the Pacifist candidate only 1,060.

British Military: The War Office increases weekly production of mustard gas from 310 to 1200 tons.

US Government: President Roosevelt attempts to intercede in the Soviet/Finnish negotiations, urging Soviet President Mikhail Kalinin to "make no demands on Finland which are inconsistent with the maintenance and development of amicable and peaceful relations between the two countries, and the independence of each."

Manhattan Project: FDR finally receives the Einstein–Szilárd letter from last August. He orders investigation into the technical possibility of an "atomic bomb."

German Homefront: There is an erroneous radio broadcast that the British government has fallen and the new government wishes to make peace. This leads to widespread rejoicing.

Future History: The passenger liner Iroquois will be acquired by the US Navy on 22 July 1940. The Navy will put it into service as a hospital ship at Ford Island, Honolulu, Hawaii, where it will be on 7 December 1941.

Albert Einstein and Leo Szilárd re-enact their August 1939 meeting about the letter the latter had drafted to President Roosevelt about the atomic bomb.

October 1939

October 1, 1939: Occupation of Warsaw
October 2, 1939: Hel Peninsula Falls
October 3, 1939: The Diamantis Incident
October 4, 1939: Otto Kretschmer Gets Rolling
October 5, 1939: Polish Resistance Ends
October 6, 1939: Hitler Peace Effort
October 7, 1939: The British Have Arrived
October 8, 1939: First RAF Kill from UK
October 9, 1939: "City of Flint" Incident
October 10, 1939: Lithuania Under Pressure
October 11, 1939: The Atomic Age Begins
October 12, 1939: England Rejects Hitler's Peace Offer
October 13, 1939: Charles Lindbergh Speaks Out
October 14 1939: Royal Oak Sunk
October 15, 1939: Cuban Rockets
October 16, 1939: First Aircraft Shot Down Over UK
October 17, 1939: Marshall Mannerheim Returns
October 18, 1939: Prien Receives His Award
October 19, 1939: Preliminary Plan for Fall Gelb
October 20, 1939: Hitler Grapples with the Jews
October 21, 1939: Hurricanes to the Rescue!
October 22, 1939: Goebbels Lies Through His Teeth
October 23, 1939: Norway the Center of Attention
October 24, 1939: German "Justice" Gets Rolling
October 25, 1939: Handley Page Halifax Bomber First Flies
October 26, 1939: Jozef Tiso Takes Slovakia
October 27, 1939: King Leopold Stands Firm
October 28, 1939 - First Luftwaffe Raid on Great Britain
October 29, 1939: Tinkering with Fall Gelb
October 30, 1939: Defective Torpedoes
October 31, 1939: Molotov Issues an Ultimatum

2019

Saturday 7 October 1939

The Ashlea, left, as seen from the Admiral Graf Spee. The captured Newton Beach is shown to the right.

Western Front: The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) completes its crossing to France on 6 October 1939. It has suffered no losses on the crossing during the month-long operation. The crossing involved:

• 161,000 troops;
• 24,000 vehicles, including tanks;
• 140,000 tons of supplies.

Some BEF forces already are manning sections of the front.

Artillery duels take place between the Moselle and Saar rivers, along with minor skirmishes.

Battle of the Atlantic: The Admiral Graf Spee stops and boards the 4,222-ton British freighter Ashlea in the South Atlantic. After transferring its crew to its captured British freighter Beech, the Graf Spee sinks the Ashlea.

The 6,873-ton Dutch freighter Binnendijk, carrying oil and other cargo, hits a mine laid by a U-boat and sinks in the English Channel. All 42 crew survive.

The Kriegsmarine sorties toward Norway to try to lure British ships into an ambush.

The British detain US freighter Black Heron at Weymouth.

Convoys OA 16G and 17 depart from Southend.

Convoys SL 4 departs from Freetown to Liverpool.

German Government: Hitler issues an order appointing Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler as the Reich Commissioner for the Consolidation of German Nationhood. This new position is intended to:

• Arrange the return to the Reich of the Volksdeutche and Auslandsdeutsche (Reichsdeutsche who live abroad)
• Prevent "harmful influence" of Germans by populations alien to the German Volkstum;
• Create newly populated areas settled by Germans, mostly by the returning Auslandsdeutsche.

This order is a key step in Himmler's gradual accumulation of more titles and executive positions in Germany than any other Hitler crony. In practical terms, the position will involve eliminating "inferior races" before they "contaminate" the Reich.

Hitler also issues a decree ordering Poles to be evicted from western Poland or face death.

Lithuania: The Lithuanian Foreign Minister returns to Moscow for more talks with Molotov.

Spain: Official establishment of the Spanish Air Force.

US Government: The US government grants official recognition to the Polish government-in-exile, currently located at Angers, France.

American Homefront: Game three of the World Series is won by the NY Yankees, 7-3, at Crosley Field in Cincinnati.

On 7 October 1939, the 48th Highlanders march from their home at the Armouries on University Avenue to in Toronto to the new army training camp on the Exhibition. Thousands line the street to watch. The Highlanders are accompanied by their full brass and pipe bands, and their mascot, Kinross, a Scottish staghound.

October 1939

October 1, 1939: Occupation of Warsaw
October 2, 1939: Hel Peninsula Falls
October 3, 1939: The Diamantis Incident
October 4, 1939: Otto Kretschmer Gets Rolling
October 5, 1939: Polish Resistance Ends
October 6, 1939: Hitler Peace Effort
October 7, 1939: The British Have Arrived
October 8, 1939: First RAF Kill from UK
October 9, 1939: "City of Flint" Incident
October 10, 1939: Lithuania Under Pressure
October 11, 1939: The Atomic Age Begins
October 12, 1939: England Rejects Hitler's Peace Offer
October 13, 1939: Charles Lindbergh Speaks Out
October 14 1939: Royal Oak Sunk
October 15, 1939: Cuban Rockets
October 16, 1939: First Aircraft Shot Down Over UK
October 17, 1939: Marshall Mannerheim Returns
October 18, 1939: Prien Receives His Award
October 19, 1939: Preliminary Plan for Fall Gelb
October 20, 1939: Hitler Grapples with the Jews
October 21, 1939: Hurricanes to the Rescue!
October 22, 1939: Goebbels Lies Through His Teeth
October 23, 1939: Norway the Center of Attention
October 24, 1939: German "Justice" Gets Rolling
October 25, 1939: Handley Page Halifax Bomber First Flies
October 26, 1939: Jozef Tiso Takes Slovakia
October 27, 1939: King Leopold Stands Firm
October 28, 1939 - First Luftwaffe Raid on Great Britain
October 29, 1939: Tinkering with Fall Gelb
October 30, 1939: Defective Torpedoes
October 31, 1939: Molotov Issues an Ultimatum

2019