Sunday 17 November 1940

A parade in Denmark in support of a fascist takeover of the country. This is a rally by the DNSAP (National Socialist Worker's Party of Denmark) at Rådhuspladsen on 17 November 1940. While the DNSAP is favored by Hitler, it does not play an actual role in the Danish government, which Hitler prefers to keep independent at this time. The DNSAP is always broadly unpopular with voters. A successor to the DNSAP exists in the 21st Century and occasionally fields candidates to run for local office (without success). Source: National Museum of Denmark.

Italian/Greek Campaign: The Greek counter-offensive continues on 17 November 1940, with moderate success all along the front. Greek III Corps, operating in the direction of Korçë, is reinforced with the 13th Division. The larger force is now called "K" Group of Divisions (OMK), under the overall command of Lieutenant-General Georgios Kosmas. While this force is moving forward, it is not making what one would call spectacular progress against the Italian 9th Army, but instead is grinding through each ridge and valley in the snow and mud. The Greeks are almost entirely on foot, which limits their advances and exploitation of breakthroughs (of which there are many).

The other sectors of the front are reasonably stable, with the Greeks on the attack. The Greek Liuba Detachment advances along the coast in the Thesprotia sector, while the 8th Infantry Division advances toward the Kalamas River. The Greek 2nd Infantry Division advances in the Negrades sector. Near Koritsa, the Greek 9th, 10th, and 15 Infantry Divisions make progress.

News of the World, 17 November 1940.

European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe raids Southampton with a heavy force of 150 bombers, and London with 49 bombers. The Italian Corpo Aereo Italiano chips in with an attack on Harwich by half a dozen bombers.

During the day, the RAF attacks invasion ports. After dark, RAF Bomber Command sends a raid against an oil installation in the Ruhr river valley at Gelsenkirchen, and also sends planes against the U-boat pens at Lorient and various Luftwaffe airfields. The RAF also bombs Hamburg for the second consecutive night, an attack which receives wide play in the London media as retaliation for the "murder raids" on Coventry.

The Luftwaffe loses two competent pilots in action today, Oblt. Eberhard Henrici, Staffelkapitän of 1./JG 26 (seven victories) and Roloff von Aspern of JG 54 (18 victories).

Adolf Galland of JG 26 gains three victories today, his 53rd, 54th, and 55th.

German night fighter pilot Egmont Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld scores his first victory during the night of 16/17 November (at 02:05), a Vickers Wellington bomber from RAF No. 115 Squadron. This also is his first encounter with the RAF. Some guys just "have it." The prince commands an independent night fighter commando unit based at Schiphol airport.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-137 (Kptlt. Herbert Wohlfarth), on its third patrol out of Lorient, is perfectly positioned today in the sea lanes several hundred miles west of County Donegal, Ireland. Yesterday, it sank a "romper," that is, a freighter which had outrun its convoy, Convoy HG 46, and thus was unprotected. Today, all that Wohlfarth must do is sit right where he is, and the convoy will come to him. And, sure enough, it does.

U-137 torpedoes and sinks 1044-ton British freighter Saint Germain, which is carrying pit props from Leixoes to Port Talbot. The attack is at 20:14, and the ship takes a day to sink. Everybody on board is saved and taken aboard escort HMS Mallow.

U-137 also torpedoes 1316-ton Swedish freighter Veronica, which is en route from Aguiles to Barrow, a bit later at 20:40. The Veronica is carrying a cargo of 1800 tons of ore and thus sinks quickly. There are only three survivors, while 17 perish. The survivors are fortunate to be picked up by a British fishing boat.

Royal Navy minelayer Teviotbank and destroyer HMS Icarus lay minefield BS 47.

Convoy WS.4B (Winston Special) departs from Liverpool. It is a major military convoy with numerous passenger liners converted to military purposes:

• Andes (25,689 tons)
• Duchess of Atholl (20,119 tons)
• Viceroy of India (19,267 tons)
• Otranto (20, 026 tons)
• Orcades (23, 456 tons)
• Strathallan (23,772 tons) 
• Strathaird (22,284 tons)
• Empress of Canada (21, 517 tons)
• Reina Del Pacifico ( 17,702 tons)
• Strathnaver (22,283 tons).

The Winston Special convoys are composed of infantry and weapons such as tanks and artillery, bound for the Middle East. While the cargo convoys across the Atlantic, of course, are of prime importance, these Winston Special convoys require extensive preparation and absorb much of the Royal Navy's resources.

Convoy OB 244 departs from Liverpool, Convoy FN 336 departs from Southend, Convoy FS 33 departs from Methil, Convoy HX 89 departs from Halifax. Convoy BHX 89 departs from Bermuda, but for some reason quickly returns there (perhaps due to weather).

One of the destinations of Winston Special (WS) convoys is Egypt, which is where this photo is taken on 17 November 1940. The British are unloading a cruiser tank sent from England. (AP Photo).

Battle of the Mediterranean: Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Argus releases a dozen Hurricanes and two Fleet Air Arm Blackburn Skuas to fly to Malta pursuant to Operation White. This is a repeat of successful Operation Hurry in August (though some planes were lost then, too). Unlike that earlier operation, though, this one goes disastrously wrong. The Argus releases the planes too early - as it turns out - and 8 of the 12 Hurricanes are lost.

The planes are sent off in two waves, each led by a Skua, and only four Hurricanes from the first wave and none from the second reach Malta. The Skua leading the first wave arrives safely at Malta, while the second gets lost (apparently after the Hurricanes all ditch) and crash-lands on Sicily.

A Short Sunderland flying boat sees two of the Hurricanes in the first wave ditch and lands to pick up a survivor. The Hurricane pilot, Sergeant R A Spyer (a very lucky man), reports that he simply ran out of fuel. There are many reasons why a plane can run out of fuel short of its destination - heavier headwinds than expected, for instance - but such things must be accounted for properly when lives are at stake. Launches must be timed with some margin of error. There is no reason to release convoy planes early due to potential enemy threats (and none seem to have been present, except in the minds of excuse-making historians). You can always reverse course and try again another time or show a little courage and simply sail forward for another six hours. In other words - it simply was a fatal mistake to send the Hurricanes off when it was done.

Overall, one must chalk up this disaster to poor RAF/RN staff work. This is one of those great tragedies that nobody remembers and only affects a relatively small group of people but is made all the more poignant from being so easily preventable. Somebody made a boneheaded error, sent these pilots off to die, and no trace of the missing planes or pilots is ever found. Nobody, apparently, ever is called to account for this disaster, either. The pilots simply vanish and soon the entire incident is swept under the rug. Imagine the ruckus if this happened in peacetime.

When you read accounts about how wonderful and perfect the Royal Navy was during the Second World War, remember this incident, too.

Separately, the RAF bombs Mogadishu in Italian Somaliland. The Italian Regia Aeronautica attacks Alexandria.

Hurricanes being ferried to Malta, 1941.

Spy Stuff: Around this date, MI5, the British Intelligence Service, figure out an ingenious way to use captured spy currency to fund its own operations. German spies often carry large sums of money whilst... spying. When captured, that is an awful lot of money to just go to waste (it sometimes must be used as evidence at trial, so cannot just be spent outright). It wasn't like in the 21st Century when global bankers just magically create money via keystrokes whenever they need for whatever purpose suits them - in those days, actual banknotes meant something.

So, the Bank of England and MI5 set up an arrangement whereby the intelligence service gives the bank the confiscated notes in exchange for new British banknotes that can be spent. The Bank of England then keeps the confiscated money somewhere in its vaults until such time as it is no longer conceivably needed for trial. In this fashion, MI5 funds some of its own operations. The British officer in charge of bringing the confiscated banknotes (and it was real currency, not forged, else the bank would not accept it - again, different days) to the bank is Lt. Col. W. E. Hinchley-Cooke, who requires joint approval for the deposits from another member of MI5, Squadron Leader Henry Arnold. Nowadays, there would be all sorts of issues about "oversight" and this and that with this sort of self-funding modus operandi, but again, things were different back in the day.

Do you want to see one of the guys who really win wars? You are looking at one, Lt. Col. W.E. Hinchley-Cooke of MI5.

British Military: RAF Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding is removed from his position. This has been brewing for months and is the end result of an internal power struggle within the RAF. Dowding has supported Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park, who has opposed the "Big Wing" tactic where time and effort is taken to assemble massive fighter formations rather than send squadrons into action piecemeal. Both tactics have advantages and drawbacks, but the Big Wing strategy is becoming much more practical with the recovery of the RAF from its summertime losses. Deputy Chief of the Air Staff Sholto Douglas takes Dowding's job, who is relegated to a staff position in the Ministry of Aircraft Production with responsibility for ordering American planes.

Basically, Dowding is being retired, though he will still have a desk and phone. Douglas, meanwhile, has been in a position to decide this political battle to his own advantage due to silent political backing within the Air Ministry. AVM Trafford Leigh-Mallory also has his eyes on Keith Park's job, which is more prestigious than his own. Without Dowding to run interference, that becomes much more likely. The power combination of Douglas/Leigh-Mallory has prevailed over that of Dowding/Park.

Hugh Dowding will remain a revered figure and be granted various honors which are richly deserved. Many take this change in leadership as an indication that the RAF will "lean toward France," as advocated by Marshal of the Royal Air Force Hugh Montague Trenchard and others. In reality, though, that process is gradual and has more to do with shifting Luftwaffe priorities than it does a conscious decision by the RAF.

Staff changes often happen in bunches to cloak what is really going on, and this is no exception. The RAF forms a new RAF Command for Army Cooperation. Its first chief is Air Marshal Arthur Barratt.
Free France: Charles de Gaulle, having appealed to the Vichy captives at Libreville to join his cause but had little success, returns to London. He remains under a cloud due to the disaster at Dakar.

China: The long-running Battle of South Kwangsi concludes. The Japanese 22nd Army engages in a scorched earth strategy and destroys Chinhsien before withdrawing to Hainan Island.

American Homefront: The Detroit News announces in a banner headline that "Detroit Expedition Ready To Blaze Auto-Trail To Cape Horn." A group led by a Detroit News employee heads out just before midnight in a stock 1941 Plymouth to drive south to the tip of South America. Experts who are familiar with the route caution that, for long stretches, no road exists, and that lines on the map may mean only that a highway is planned, not actually constructed. This is an obvious publicity stunt to sell papers and promote the city's car industry - back when Detroit still had industry.

The Shavano, a regular train (#315) from Salida to Gunnison, Colorado. German prisoners of war soon would be held in this general area. Near Mears Junction, Colorado, 17 November 1940. (Otto Perry).

November 1940

November 1, 1940: Hitler Irate
November 2, 1940: U-31 Sunk - Again
November 3, 1940: Kretschmer's Master Class
November 4, 1940: Spain Absorbs Tangier
November 5, 1940: Jervis Bay Meets Admiral Scheer
November 6, 1940: San Demetrio Incident
November 7, 1940: Galloping Gertie
November 8, 1940: Italian Shakeup in Greece
November 9, 1940: Dutch Fascists March
November 10, 1940: Fala and Doc Strange
November 11, 1940: Taranto Raid
November 12, 1940: Molotov Takes Berlin
November 13, 1940: Molotov Foils Hitler
November 14, 1940: Moonlight Sonata
November 15, 1940: Warsaw Ghetto Sealed
November 16, 1940: France Keeps Battleships
November 17, 1940: Malta Hurricane Disaster
November 18, 1940: Hitler Berates Ciano
November 19, 1940: Birmingham Devastated
November 20, 1940: Hungary Joins Axis
November 21, 1940: Dies White Paper
November 22, 1940: Italians Take Korçë
November 23, 1940: U-Boat Bonanza!
November 24, 1940: Slovakia Joins In
November 25, 1940: Molotov's Demands
November 26, 1940: Bananas Be Gone
November 27, 1940: Cape Spartivento Battle
November 28, 1940: Wick Perishes
November 29, 1940: Trouble in Indochina
November 30, 1940: Lucy and Desi Marry

2020

Friday 26 October 1940

North American Aviation’s prototype fighter, NA-73X, NX19998, at Mines Field, Los Angeles, California. (North American Aviation).

Battle of Britain: The weather continues to offer acceptable flying conditions today, so operations on both sides again are busy.

The day begins with the usual reconnaissance flights. Around 10:30 on 26 October 1940, a fighter-bomber (Jabo) sweep accomplishes little, though the Luftwaffe pilots down a Spitfire of 4,/JG53 near Biggin Hill. There also is an exchange of losses off the coast.

A little later, a large formation heads across from Boulogne. Per recent policy, there are patrolling Hurricanes who intercept. A massive dogfight erupts which extends all the way across the Channel. A pair of Hurricanes of No. 229 Squadron attack a Heinkel He 59 rescue plane - standing orders for the RAF - and are both shot down by Bf 109s. One of the pilots becomes a POW, a relative rarity for RAF fighter pilots at this stage of the war, the other perishes.

During the noon hour, Jabos raid Kent and Sussex. Once again, there is a major dogfight. The RAF takes the worst of this encounter, but there are only a few planes lost altogether.

After that, there are primarily only small raids and RAF Fighter Command does not bother with them. There is one major action over Kent in which JG 26 tangles with RAF No. 605 Squadron (Hurricanes) and No. 222 Squadron (Spitfires). Adolf Galland of JG26 claims his 46th victory, a handful behind leader Werner Molders.

Toward dusk at 18:00, a small raid on RAF Wick by two Heinkel He 111s kills three and wounds a dozen other civilians. It causes moderate damage to the airfield and demolishes several nearby houses. The raid is a bit unusual because the Heinkels pretend to be RAF planes, flashing proper recognition signals. Among other damage, a Hudson plane is destroyed and two others damaged.

At 18:30, a somewhat similar raid by a pair of Heinkels is made on RAF Lossiemouth. They destroy one Blenheim and damage two others. There are two dead and a dozen wounded. The planes fly so low that one of the Heinkels is destroyed by its own stick of bombs.

After dark, the weather takes a turn for the worse, but both sides continue operations. The fledgling RAF night fighter service has a bad night when two Hurricanes of RAF No. 151 Squadron crash for unknown reasons shortly after taking off.

London, Liverpool, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, and the Midlands take the brunt of the night attacks. While the raid on London is considered one of the longest of the Battle of Britain, the attack on Birmingham is particularly notable and effective. Bombs hit the center of the city and destroy a large area of important buildings. Several factories are completely flattened, and an unexploded bomb comes to rest on one of the station platforms at New Street (LMS). Large fires break out at Saffron Hill but are brought under control after maximum effort.

In London, mass transit is in trouble. The subway station at Victoria Station, St. Pancras, is demolished along with nearby portions of Victoria Station itself. More and more provincial buses are in town to replace buses lost in bomb craters and the like. Numerous other stations, such as Balham, are completely out of service. The underground is vital to the functioning of the city, but "lucky hits" slowly are making it difficult to use.

The Luftwaffe also continues its mining operations in the Thames Estuary. Mines have taken an increasing toll on smaller ships, though larger vessels have been lucky recently.

Overall, it is a fairly normal day in terms of losses. The Luftwaffe loses about 10 planes and the RAF roughly half as many.

A Swordfish from RAF No. 821 Squadron on a training flight crashes into Quendale Bay in the Shetlands, killing the three men on board.

RAF ace James Lacey scores a victory, shooting down a Bf 109.

European Air Operations: RAF Bomber Command launches a heavy raid on Berlin. It also attacks the ports of Hamburg, Cuxhaven, Flushing, Antwerp, and Bremen. Other targets include oil installations at Stettin, Leuna, and Cologne and various rail lines and airfields in northwest Europe.

Coastal Command attacks a power plant at Brest.

RAF Beauforts attack shipping in Sognefjord (Norway's largest fjord). They bomb and sinks 763-ton Norwegian freighter H.J. Kyvig. Five crew perish. Some sources place this incident on the 28th.

Empress of Britain (in naval gray) on fire and listing after being bombed. If you look closely, you can see the lifeboats being lowered.

Battle of the Atlantic: Royal Navy troopship (Canadian Pacific line) Empress of Britain, a 42,348-ton liner, is about 70 miles northwest of Aran Island, Ireland off the west coast and nearing its destination of Liverpool when it is spotted at about 09:20 by a German Focke-Wulf Fw 200C Condor long-range bomber of I./.KG 40, commanded by Oberleutnant Bernhard Jope. The Empress of Britain is a fast, modern liner, but fortunately, it only has few passengers on board for its size. Jope strafes the liner and drops two 250 kg bombs on it. The bombs start a fire, and the bulk of those on board (416 crew, 2 gunners, 205 passengers) quickly abandon ship and are picked up by nearby destroyers and trawlers.

The Luftwaffe meanwhile sends reconnaissance planes to review the Empress of Britain's situation and they conclude that because the passengers are abandoning ship and it is on fire, that it is sinking. The ship, however, is only disabled and listing but not sinking. As the day ends, the Royal Navy makes plans to tow the Empress of Britain to port. There are 25 crew and 20 passengers who die in the attack and all subsequent events.

The Empress of Britain is the largest Allied liner hit during the war. Liners, being fast, are difficult to attack. The bombing is big news in Germany. Berlin radio strongly implies that the liner has been sunk, but the Kriegsmarine vectors in U-boats just to make sure.

British 8053 ton tanker Dosinia hits a mine and sinks in Liverpool Bay near Southport, Lancashire. Everybody aboard survives.

Royal Navy 8053 ton destroyer HMS Delhi stops Vichy French freighter Albi off Western Africa. The crew of the Albi scuttles it.

Belgian freighter Katanga hits a mine in the River Mersey near the Bar Lightship and is damaged.

Swedish 6549 ton tanker Strombus hits a mine near Mumbles Light and sinks. Everybody aboard survives.

Swedish 9583 tanker Pegasus also hits a mine a couple of kilometers south of Bar Light Vessel, Mersey and is damaged.

Norwegian 6549 ton whale factory ship hits a mine in the Bristol Channel off Swansea and sinks. All 40 crew aboard survive.

Destroyer HMS Sikh hits a tug at Rosyth and suffers minor damage.

Convoy FN 320 departs from Southend, Convoy FS 320 departs from Methil.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Thunderbolt (N 25, Lt. Cecil B. Crouch) is commissioned.

Oberleutnant Bernhard Jope (center) after he bombs the Empress of Britain.

Battle of the Mediterranean: The Malta government long ago made hoarding illegal, but that hasn't stopped anyone. Police now are authorized to search houses for stockpiles. Petrol and silver are in short supply - both being hoarded - and buses only run a few hours a day. Nobody really knows where everything is heading, the German rapprochement with Romania, a key trading partner of Malta which heretofore has supplied much of its fuel, has created numerous problems on the island.

Battle of the Indian Ocean: German raider Atlantis, operating in the eastern Indian Ocean, transfers 216 POWs to captured Yugoslavian freighter Durmitor. The freighter then is sent toward Italian Somaliland with insufficient provisions for a large number of people on board. It is not a happy trip.

German Government: Adolf Hitler spends the entire day in Munich, his original power base, as he prepares for his meeting with Benito Mussolini in Florence on the 28th. Hitler, in fact, still maintains an apartment there (and will throughout the war). He stays in Munich until 18:00 on the 27th when his train heads south.

Commonwealth Relations: To coordinate Far Eastern defenses, representatives of Britain, Australia, and New Zealand meet in Singapore.

Soviet/Romanian Relations: Continuing its high-handed and predatory behavior to its neighbors, the Soviet Union occupies islands in the Danube Delta, contending that they are part of Bessarabia - which the USSR already has occupied.

Italian/Greek Relations: Italy has been making aggressive moves against Greece in recent years as part of an ancient rivalry that stretches back to the dawn of time. Today, Italy lodges a diplomatic protest against Greece alleging incursions across the Albanian border due to "anti-Italian bigotry." Italian forces in Albania are preparing for the invasion of Greece still scheduled for 28 October 1940.

Three Italian bombs attack Greek territory even though the countries are not yet at war.

German Military: Hubert Lanz, Chief of Staff for XVIII Corps, takes over command of the 1st Mountain Division. This division had been earmarked for Operation Felix, the capture of Gibraltar, but that mission essentially has been scrubbed due to Spain's unwillingness to join the war effort on the Axis side. The 1. Gebirgs-Division soon will head east, along with many other army units. Lanz is an interesting figure during the war, a stout, relentless soldier who leads many successful operations but also a covert opponent of the Hitler regime. That said, he certainly is no saint and is implicated in war crimes.

Vance Breese in the cockpit of the NA-73X after the first five-minute test flight, 26 October 1940. (North American Aviation).

US Military: Prototype NA-73X of the North American P-51 Mustang has its first flight, only 102 after the order was first placed. An all-aluminum design, test pilot Vance Breese reports that the plane handles during a five-minute flight well despite a heavy fuel load. It is heavily armed, with two .50 caliber Browning machine guns in the fuselage and four .30 inch Browning machine guns in the wings. Even fitted out with armament and everything else, the plane is 56 km/hour faster than the Spitfire V. The Allison engine, however, does not do well at altitude and soon shows other issues.

The US Marine Corps forms a Marine Parachute Detachment at the naval air station at Lakehurst, New Jersey.

A program for the Indiana-Northwestern game, 26 October 1940.

China: Japanese aircraft raid Loiwing (Leiyun), China. They cause extensive damage to the CAMCO factory which assembles CW-21 fighters from kits.

In the continuing Battle of South Kwangsi, Japanese army troops at Lungching and Pinghsiang are cut off and begin retreating to French Indochina.

British Homefront: The British government realizes some basic things about the homefront:

1. Many citizens love fish and chips;
2. Potatoes are one food item that people can grow at home fairly easily and thus are in fairly plentiful supply.
3. The daily fish catch is sufficient for present needs.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Food begins subsidizing the consumption of fish and chips.

American Homefront: US Secretary of State Cordell Hull makes a radio broadcast about the necessity of a strong defense. He states:

To have peace, we must have security. To have security, we must be strong … Essential to effective national defense are constant and skilful use of political and economic measures, possession of' military weapons, and continuous exercise of wisdom and of high moral qualities. We must have planes and tanks and ships and guns. We must have trained men. We must hold to the ideal of a world in which the rights of all nations are respected and each respects the rights of all; in which principles of law and order and justice and fair dealing prevail. Above all, we must be a united people - united in purpose, and in effort to create impregnable defense … Thus can we maintain our inheritance.

A game program for the 26 October 1940 football game between the Eagles and the Dodgers at Shibe Park.

October 1940
October 2, 1940: Hitler's Polish Plans
October 3, 1940: British Cabinet Shakeup
October 4, 1940: Brenner Pass Meeting
October 5, 1940: Mussolini Alters Strategy
October 6, 1940: Iron Guard Marches
October 7, 1940: McCollum Memo
October 8, 1940: Germans in Romania
October 9, 1940: John Lennon Arrives
October 10, 1940: Führer-Sofortprogramm
October 11, 1940: E-Boats Attack!
October 12, 1940: Sealion Cancelled
October 13, 1940: New World Order
October 14, 1940: Balham Tragedy
October 15, 1940: Mussolini Targets Greece
October 16, 1940: Japanese Seek Oil
October 17, 1940: RAF Shakeup
October 18, 1940: Convoy SC-7 Catastrophe
October 19, 1940: Convoy HX-79 Catastrophe
October 20, 1940: Convoy OB-229 Disaster
October 21, 1940: This Evil Man Hitler
October 22, 1940: Aktion Wagner-Burckel
October 23, 1940: Hitler at Hendaye
October 24, 1940: Hitler and Petain
October 25, 1940: Petain Woos Churchill
October 26, 1940: Empress of Britain Attack
October 27, 1940: Greece Rejects Italian Demands
October 28, 1940: Oxi Day
October 29, 1940: US Draft Begins
October 30, 1940: RAF Area Bombing Authorized
October 31, 1940: End of Battle of Britain

2020

Sunday 24 March 1940

A French destroyer of the L´Adroit class. One of these destroyers is sunk on 24 March 1940.

Battle of the Atlantic: La Railleuse, a French destroyer of the L´Adroit class, is leaving port in Casablanca, Morocco on 24 March 1940 when one of its own torpedoes accidentally explodes. The La Railleuse is destroyed, with 28 crewmen killed and 24 wounded.

Convoy OA 116 departs from Southend, Convoy OB 116 departs from Liverpool.
European Air Operations: The RAF carries out more night-time reconnaissance flights over northwest Germany. One plane is lost.

The Luftwaffe intercepts a French Potez 637 over Zweibrucken and shoots it down.

The RAF mounts another raid against the Hornum seaplane base on Sylt, but achieve little. The raids are good for public morale (and for PM Chamberlain keeping his job) but of almost no military consequence.

French Government: Prime Minister Reynaud's inner war cabinet is considering different alternatives for prosecuting the war but face roadblocks. There also is a certain amount of self-deception going on. For instance, they wish to focus on submarine attacks on Soviet shipping in the Black Sea - but France doesn't have a fleet of submarines. Another option is bombing Soviet oilfields at Baku - but their bombers cannot reach them. One option that is emphatically rejected and not under consideration is venturing beyond the Maginot Line and invading Germany because the Maginot Line is the country's security blanket. Basically, the French government is contemplating "panacea" operations that wouldn't involve very much bloodshed, and certainly no fighting on French soil.

Two British seamen work their Victory Garden at their training site as winter turns to spring, 24 March 1940. This is more the reality of warfare than bombs and bullets.

Terrorism: Members of the IRA rioting at Dartmoor Prison wish to prevent two of their number for being taken to trial for treason.

China: The Japanese continue battling to cross the Wu-chia River for the third day without success. Headquarters is sending more troops.

In the Battle of South Kwangsi, the Chinese 46th Army continues attacking the Japanese 22nd Army at Lingshan.

German Homefront: William Shirer, working in Berlin, is fascinated by the German mindset: "How patiently Germans stand in the rain for a tiny ration of candy!" Just wait about 10 years, William.
American Homefront: It is Easter weekend, and even rabbits can make a mess...

The cover of the New Yorker, 23 March 1940.

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

Friday 22 March 1940

Bf 110 night fighters.

European Air Operations: Handley Page Hampden bombers conduct a standard night reconnaissance and leaflet drop over the Ruhr industrial area and northwest Germany on 22 March 1940. For the first time, though, Luftwaffe Bf 110 Zerstorer (destroyer) night fighters come up to challenge the British. One bomber is damaged.

Along the Dutch border, a Hawker Hurricane tangles with Bf109s and crashes.

Battle of the Atlantic: The Luftwaffe conducts another sweep over the British east coast and attacks the Cromer Knoll lightship without scoring any hits.

The British freighter Loch Assater hits a mine and sinks.

Convoy SL 25 departs from Freetown.

Western Front: Journalist William Shirer, based in Berlin, writes in his diary that "Germany can now try to force the issue on the western front, but this is improbable."

Soviet Military: General Konstantin Rokossovsky, arrested in 1937 during the purges that ended the lives of many of his colleagues, is released from prison and rehabilitated. This is part of Stalin's pattern of imprisoning his top generals, torturing them, executing some, and somewhat arbitrarily restoring others to their former, or even more prominent, positions.

French Government: While new Prime Minister Paul Reynaud has kept former Prime Minister Edouard Daladier in the cabinet, they find that they cannot agree on a strategy. This also has implications for relations with the British.

Turkey: The government orders all Turkish freighters to return to Turkish waters ASAP.

Finland: The Soviets continue occupying the Finnish port of Hanko, which is theirs for 30 years under the Moscow Peace Treaty. They rename it Hangö. The official handover is at midnight on 22 March 1940.

Romania: King Carol II vows to defend his country's borders.

India: The Muslim League advocates splitting India into Muslim and Hindu countries. This is an idea that is highly controversial among other revolutionaries.

China: The Chinese 101st Division, having bagged Wuyuan on the 21st, move on to capture the strongpoint at Hsin-an-chen in order to cut the road along the Yellow River that leads to Wuyuan. The Japanese send 80 trucks full of troops from Dashetai via Siyitang to make a forced crossing of the Wu-chia River at Ta-Tsai-chu 10 km (6.2 mi) north of Wuyuan. This is a Muslim region with Chinese troops that are full of fervor.

In the Battle of South Kwangsi, the Chinese 46th Army attacks the Japanese 22nd Army at Lingshan.

British Homefront: Gerald Winter, a farmer from Sussex, is awarded an Empire Gallantry Medal for dragging an RAF pilot from a burning plane.

American Homefront: Popeye the Sailor -- Stealin Aint Honest # 78 March 22, 1940, is released. Popeye battles Bluto for a gold mine!

Future History: Haing S. Ngor is born in Los Angeles, California. He becomes famous in the 1984 film "The Killing Fields" (1984), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Thereafter, he continues acting and becomes an author.

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

Saturday 16 March 1940

HMS Norfolk.

European Air Operations: The Royal having recently returned to Scapa Flow, on 16 March 1940 the Luftwaffe decides to give it a welcoming home party. The heavy cruiser Norfolk is damaged during the attack by 32 Junkers Ju 88 bombers of KG 30. The bomb penetrated three decks before exploding, piercing the water line and killing 6 crew. The Norfolk will have to go to the Clyde for repairs but is still seaworthy.

There are 7 RN and 8 civilian casualties in a nearby village, the Bridge of Waithe, hit apparently by accident when a bomber fleeing the vicinity releases its bombs there to aid its escape. The raid is historic because it includes the first British civilian fatality of the war. The Luftwaffe loses either one or two aircraft (sources vary). The unlucky civilian is James Isbister, aged 27.

Luftwaffe Major Fritz Doensch, who was on the mission, comments: "It was a long flight, but we're used to that. 1 radio operator had a harmonica to keep us cheerful."

During the night, British reconnaissance planes operated over Poland and over the Heligoland Bight. RAF planes also stage a raid on Borkum in the Frisian Islands.

Battle of the Atlantic: British trawler HMS Maide strikes a mine and sinks. Six, including the commanding officer, lost.

The 4,512-ton Yugoslavian freighter Slava hits a mine in the Bristol Channel and sinks. There is one fatality, 33 survive. The mine was laid by U-29 on 2 March 1940.

Convoy OA 111 departs Southend, Convoy OB 110 departs Liverpool, Convoy OB 111 also departs Liverpool.

German Military: Hitler holds a conference involving senior Wehrmacht leaders.

A new decree establishes brothels for the troops - under medical supervision. The ostensible purpose is "to protect Wehrmacht members against health dangers." Jewish prostitutes are banned, but other working girls can avoid any police hassles by helping out the boys in uniform.
Argentina: The government transfers the Admiral Graf Spee crew to the interior and forbids them from wearing their uniforms.

Panama: The President of Panama, Augusto S. Boyd, lodges an official protest with the Court of St. James for aggressive British actions within the Latin American neutrality zone off the coast of Brazil. The incident involved the Wakama on 12 February 1940.

US Government: Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles is back in Rome, conferring again with the King, Mussolini, and Ciano after his visits to Berlin, Paris, and London. At this point, he appears to be acting as a mediator, which may make certain parties in other capitals uncomfortable. In any event, he is not accomplishing anything if that is his agenda.

British Home Front: The Admiralty offers cash prizes for information about enemy naval activities.

China: The Japanese attack the Chinese New 4th Division west of Linhe. While they are occupied there, the Chinese 35th Army of the 8th War Area moves east along the Wu-chia River toward Wuyuan. This is the opening of the Battle of Wuyuan.

In the continuing Battle of South Kwangsi, the 22nd Army captures Chiuchow and Luwu.

Future History: John F. Kennedy, the son of current US ambassador to the Court of St. James Joseph Kennedy, publishes his senior year thesis at Harvard. It covers the pre-war period of negotiation between England, France, and Germany. The thesis is later published as a book after some re-drafting, given a title taking off on Winston Churchill's 1938 classic "While England Slept." The book, "Why England Slept," is a financial success that enables future US President Kennedy to donate money to Plymouth England and also buy himself a Buick convertible. It looks at the Chamberlain policy of appeasement with sympathy. Chamberlain, of course, remains the PM, and it is only later that attitudes toward him and his policies harden.

"Modern Wonders' of 16 March 1940 explains why "We can't win wars without spiders." Modern wonders apparently include biplanes.

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

Thursday 14 March 1940

Viipuri Castle burning.

Winter War: With the Winter War over, the terms must be implemented beginning on 14 March 1940. The Finnish government begins evacuating 470,000 citizens from areas being ceded to the USSR in Karelia. Many evacuees burn their homes, villages and other property.

The Finns also evacuate Viipuri. Viipuri Castle is burning.

The Finnish negotiators return to Helsinki with the signed Moscow Peace Treaty. The Finnish Parliament begins debating ratification.

Lord Halifax requests return of British war matériel from the Finns. Finnish ambassador to the Court of St. James G.A. Gripenberg refuses, stating that Finland properly bought it.

UK General Pownall notes the cynical nature of the "aid" being offered to the Finns: "Of 4 or 5 division that were to be sent, not 1 was meant for Finland- maybe a brigade or 2. A most dishonest business"

Finnish sniper Simo Hayha awakens from a coma after being shot and learns that the war is over.

The Soviet rank and file are frustrated and angry at the war and its outcome. They are in no mood to celebrate. One Soviet soldier, Lt. Viktor Iskrov: "Finns walked out of their trenches with vodka bottles, shouting: 'Russkies, come drink with us!' But we just sat in our trench."

The New York Times contributes to the vitriol being launched at the Allied powers for the Finnish capitulation: "Once again a small nation relied on the help of the Western powers and paid dearly for her trust."

Battle of the Atlantic: Convoy SL 24 departs from Freetown.

European Air Operations: Three Heinkel 111s attack three fishing trawlers in the North Sea but fail to sink them.

German Homefront: Economic Czar Hermann Goering decrees that all items made of copper, bronze, nickel, and other useful metals be surrendered to the war effort. The pretext is to donate them as a gift to Hitler for his 51st birthday.

Polish Government-in-exile: The Poles publish a white paper that appears designed to cause dissension within the Axis. Among other tidbits, it reveals a 1935 discussion by Hermann Goering with Polish leader (at the time) Marshal Pilsudski in which Goering suggested a joint invasion of Ukraine. The Poles further claim they emphatically rejected the idea.

Australia: Prime Minister Menzies forms a new coalition cabinet.

Canada: The government establishes an "Inventions Board" to process "secret weapons" suggestions from the public.

Hong Kong: Hong Kong offers to contribute £100,000 to London for the construction of two minesweepers and four harbor defense boats.
China: In the continuing Battle of South Kwangsi, the Japanese 22nd Army counterattacks against the Chinese advancing on Nanning from the Yangshuo area.

German Homefront: No economy is too petty to be considered. The government urges the country's tea drinkers to save their used tea for recycling into artificial coffee.

American Homefront: Paramount releases "Road to Singapore," the first Bob Hope/Bing Crosby/Dorothy Lamour "Road" film.

Soviet soldiers examining a captured Finnish flag.

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

Tuesday 12 March 1940

U-50 crew on 12 March 1940. They went out on their next patrol and were sunk, 6 April 1940, in a North Sea minefield as they were returning home. Everybody in this picture was killed. (Federal Archive).

Winter War: At 09:00 on 12 March 1940, Finnish President Kyösti Kallio authorizes the peace delegation in Moscow to sign an agreement ending the war. There is no further negotiation, the Soviet terms have not changed throughout the meetings and agreement is a formality. The Finns meet with Molotov at 22:00 to formalize the document. They capitulate and sign the Moscow Peace Treaty around midnight on the 12th.

The Armistice goes into effect at 11:00 on 13 March. There is no ceasefire until that time. The treaty must be ratified within three days.

As demanded by the Soviets, the Finns give up the entire Karelian Isthmus where the bulk of the fighting took place and which contains their only defensive fortifications. The Finns lose all access to Lake Ladoga. They also surrender a long-term (30 years) lease on the naval base at Hango, a slice of the eastern portion of the country around battle-torn Salla, the major cities of Viipuri and Vuokis, and nearby towns of Sortavala and Käkisalmi. The surrendered territory is rich in natural resources, but more importantly, served as the only defensive buffer zone against the Soviet Union. As a consolation, they receive back the basically worthless port of Petsamo in the far north while the Soviets retain the nearby peninsula which is in a strategic location.

The end result is that Finland loses roughly 10% of the country, 35,000 square km. About 430,000 Finns are displaced, 12% of the population.

Kallio says:

This is the most awful document I have ever had to sign. May the hand wither which is forced to sign such a paper.

The Allies are hopelessly behind the curve. French Prime Minister Daladier still, on this final day, tells his Chamber of Deputies that an Anglo-French expeditionary force of 50,000 men is ready to go - all Finland has to do is ask. With the Moscow Peace Treaty signed, such a request will be a long time coming.

The Swedes add insult to injury by hinting that, finally, when it no longer matters, it might be open to a defensive alliance with Finland.

The British go even further. They actually load 20,000 men - five brigades - on ships at Rosyth in the Firth of Forth. The transports are ready to go to Trondheim, Bergen, and Stavanger. Another brigade is on alert at Scapa Flow to head to Narvik and occupy the key port there. The troops are odds and ends from the Home Army, mostly reservists hastily called up recently, ill-equipped and lacking in training and morale. The most organized troops are serving with the BEF on the continent and thus unavailable.

However, the British War Cabinet is uncertain about how to proceed. No agreement to a British military presence has been received from either Norway or Sweden, and such agreement would effectively violate their neutrality. Nobody knows what to expect, and how to handle armed opposition is up in the air. Prime Minister Chamberlain condemns the entire idea, but he is rapidly losing moral authority due to the deteriorating international situation that he helped create.

Winter War Army Operations: There is a blizzard in the southern and central sectors of Finland that halts most operations. The Soviet 7th Army continues assaulting Finnish defenses at Viipuri. There is fighting throughout the city's suburbs. The Finnish-American Legion, some 300 strong, reaches the city to help defend it.

Winter War Air Operations: The weather keeps most planes grounded. Before things close down, a Soviet Polikarpov I-16 "Ishak" fighter (the Finns call it Siipiorava ("Flying Squirrel")) wages a solitary battle against a lone Finnish anti-aircraft gunner located on a water tower at the city of Utti. The fighter makes numerous passes, obsessed with eliminating the gunner, but finally, the anti-aircraft gunner wins and shoots it down.

Battle of the Atlantic: Having been forced to abandon the key naval base at Scapa Flow due to the sinking of the Royal Oak, the British Home Fleet finally returns from temporary quarters at Rosyth and Loch Ewe. The harbor anti-aircraft defenses have been improved, the netting at the harbor entrances extended, and access to the entire region restricted to authorized personnel only.

British freighter Gardenia hits a mine and sinks.

The Kriegsmarine commissions U-99.

Convoy OB 108 departs from Liverpool, Convoy HG 22 departs from Gibraltar.

European Air Operations: Luftwaffe Heinkel He-111s make attacks along the English east coast, without result.

US Government: Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles, having met Mussolini, Hitler, Chamberlain, and Daladier, now meets with First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill. Churchill is in fine form, sitting by the fire smoking a 24-inch cigar, downing whiskey and soda. As Welles recounts later, "It was quite obvious that he had consumed a good many whiskeys before I arrived," and he exhibited "a cascade of oratory, brilliant and always effective, interlarded with considerable wit."

Republican primaries begin in New Hampshire. President Roosevelt still has not made a firm statement about whether he will pursue a third term.

Middle East: British General Wavell sets out to South Africa for consultations with Jan Smuts.

China: At the Battle of South Kwangsi, the Chinese 46th Army attacks the key Japanese base from the east.

Holocaust: The Germans ship Jews from Stettin in boxcars to Lublin. The victims are forced to march for 18 hours through a blizzard carrying all of their possessions. There are 72 deaths out of the thousand people.

Future History: Look Magazine has a six-page feature on a Yale Law School student who also was a partner in a New York modeling agency (he was a model himself) and an assistant coach on the Yale football team. The male model was Gerald Ford. He became the 38th President of the United States in 1974 upon the resignation of Richard Nixon.

Future US President Gerald Ford and his girlfriend/model Phyllis Brown, Look magazine, 12 March 1940. Ford works as a model while college.

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