Saturday 26 April 1941

Hitler in Maribor, 26 April 1941. With him are Martin Bormann and Otto Dietrich (Federal Archive).

Operation Marita: By 26 April 1941, the British are racing for the Greek ports to effect a complete evacuation from the Greek mainland, while the Germans are racing just as fast to stop them. It is another "Dunkirk" situation, and this time the Germans don't want to fail to trap their prey. The British Army stages a minor delaying operation at Thebes during the day as they fall back on Athens. The Germans press on toward Athens during the night.

German paratroopers (Fallschirmjäger) stage Operation Hannibal (there were other operations of the same name). This is a brilliant military operation, but like many other such efforts during World War II, it achieves less in military terms than its brilliant execution might imply.

The view of the Corinth bridge taken by a Fallschirmjager on the approach to the drop zone, 07:00 on 26 April 1941.

Colonel Sturm leads 52 parachute engineers (Fallschirmpioniere) under Leutnant Häffner in a daring drop in the region of the Corinth Canal on the Peloponnesos. The canal provides a handy place to stop the British retreat toward Patras and other ports on the Peloponnesos, and also a good place to stockpile fuel for the advancing panzers. Supported by the 1st and 2nd Battalions of Fallschirmjager Regiment 2 (FJR 2) under respectively Hauptmann Kroh and Hauptmann Pietzonka, the Fallschirmpioniere embark on 25 April in Plovdiv on 270 Junkers Ju 52s and in gliders. They stop to refuel in Larissa, and in at 05:00 on the 26th they take off for the mission. They drop at 07:00.

They seize the bridge over the Corinth Canal. The British, almost certainly informed of Operation Hannibal by Ultra intercepts, have artillery positioned and registered. The British manage an extremely lucky shot when a shell hits demolition charges that the Germans already have removed from the bridge and placed in a pile - but not actually taken off the bridge yet (a huge "rookie" error). The bridge, already in German hands, collapses into the Corinth Canal, preventing the Germans from bringing panzers across (once they arrive via Athens) until it can be replaced (which is not accomplished until the 28th). The fuel for the panzers, being brought to the Corinth Canal by a tanker, has to be re-routed to Piraeus and laboriously transferred into barrels which can be brought into the Peloponnesos. One British unit, the 4th New Zealand Brigade, is cut off east of the bridge, but it heads to Port Raphti on the Greek east coast for evacuation. The Germans only lose eight engineers in the operation, but the results barely even warrant that.

Fallschirmjäger on the bridge of Corinth, 26 April 1941. Everyone in this picture, including the photographer, perished moments after this shot from British artillery that destroyed the bridge - the camera with the exposed but undamaged film was found in the wreckage ("Time-Life Conquest of the Balkans").

The 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler ("LSSAH," still at brigade-size at this time) has been at the forefront of the German advance into Greece (Operation Marita), and today it embellishes its reputation as the most aggressive unit in the Wehrmacht. The LSSAH, racing down the west coast of the Greek mainland along the Pindus mountains from Ioannina, reaches the Gulf of Patras. At this point, all that stands between the German troops and cutting off the bulk of the retreating British/Imperial troops in the Gulf, as the key port of Patras lies just to the south.

General Sepp Dietrich orders the LSSAH to cross the gulf by any means necessary, so the LSSAH commandeers every fishing trawler and coaster that it can find and so that it can gains a foothold on the Peloponnesos in conjunction with paratrooper landings at Corinth. This process begins today and continues on the 27th. While this is a fantastic technical accomplishment that enhances the reputation of the "Blitzkrieg," the crossing achieves less than might appear because the LSSAH (and paratroopers) cannot bring panzers, artillery, and other heavy equipment with them. The British, meanwhile, are not dependent upon Patras and the other ports of the Peloponnesos and are evacuating many troops from the east coast of the mainland and points south. Wehrmacht troops advancing south through Athens, in fact, are only a day or two away from the LSSAH foothold.

Other German troops on the mainland reach Missolonghi. During the night, the British continue Operation Demon, the evacuation of mainland Greece. The British Army and Royal Navy stage a furious evacuation from Athens beaches and take off the 16th and 17th Brigades from Kalamata and the 1st Armored Brigade - minus its vehicles. In all, the British take off over 20,000 men during the night:

• 4300 men were evacuated from Nauplia
• 8300 men were evacuated from Raphtis and Raphina
• 8650 men were evacuated from Kalamata.

As part of Operation Demon, Royal Navy destroyer HMS Defender evacuates the crown jewels of Yugoslavia from Athens.

The Luftwaffe bombs and damages 4917-ton British freighter Scottish Prince north of Crete. The freighter makes it to Alexandria under escort.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks Greek torpedo boat Kydonia at Morea.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 1712-ton Greek freighter Maiotis in the Aegean. It is later raised by the Italians and taken to Trieste.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 6303-ton Greek freighter Maria Stathatou at Mylos.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 960-ton Greek freighter Zakynthos off Monemvasia.

The explosion of the bridge over the Corinth Canal, 26 April 1941.

European Air Operations: During the day, RAF Bomber Command attacks German shipping near Schiemonikoog and Vlieland with 25 aircraft. RAF Fighter Command stages a sweep over Boulogne. During the night, RAF Bomber Command sends 50 aircraft against Hamburg.

The Luftwaffe (KG 55) attacks Bristol and Liverpool (92 aircraft).

Luftwaffe pilot Wolfgang Falck, Kommodore of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1, attends a briefing in Hamburg (ironically bombed during the night). He learns about new airborne radar systems being developed, including the Morgenstern, Flensburg, and SN-2 (Lichtenstein) systems. The Nachtjagdfliegerdienst coincidentally scores its 100th night victory.

Another view of the explosion of the Corinth Bridge.

East African Campaign: The South African 1st Brigade takes Dessie in Abyssinia, East Africa. The South Africans bag 4,000 Italians who spend the rest of the war as POWs. Dessie, 130 miles south of Amba Alagi, is a key blocking position for the Italian holdouts in the mountains. The Indian 29th Infantry Brigade, meanwhile, reaches Amba Alagi today from the north.

Battle of the Atlantic: The US Neutrality Patrol now extends to the latitude line near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This frees up British escorts, who have had to move further and further west as U-boats and Kriegsmarine surface raiders extend their operations in that direction. US Navy aircraft carrier USS Wasp embarks from Hampton Roads along with support ships on a neutrality patrol in the Atlantic, the first time the US uses a carrier on Neutrality Patrol.

U-110 (Kptlt. Fritz-Julius Lemp) torpedoes and sinks 2564-ton British freighter Henri Mory in the Atlantic northwest of Achill Head, Ireland. There are 28 deaths and four survivors.

The Luftwaffe bombs and sinks 4648-ton British freighter Mountpark in the Northwest Approaches. There are six deaths.

Finnish 1172-ton freighter Lapponia hits a mine off Aalborg and sinks. It is later raised and repaired.

British 2217-ton collier Murdoch hits a sunken wreck and takes on water. It continues on but eventually sinks in the North Sea off Great Yarmouth at North Scroby Sand. The ship remains a navigation hazard throughout the war, remaining partially above water.

Convoy WS (Winston Special) 8A departs the Clyde. This includes several ships that will be included in the Tiger convoy past Gibraltar into the Mediterranean. The ships intended for Operation Tiger are:

• Clan Chattan
• Clan Campbell
• Clan Lamont
• Empire Song
• New Zealand Star.

Altogether, the ships carry 292 tanks for General Archibald Wavell's Middle East Command.

Convoy OG-60 departs from Liverpool.

Canadian corvettes HMCS Nanaimo (K-101, H. C. C. Daubney) and Rimouski (K-121, Lt. John W. Bonner) are commissioned.

Royal Navy sloop HMS Erne (U-03, Lt. Commander Henry M. Darell-Brown) is commissioned.

U-432 (Kptlt. Heinz-Otto Schultze) and U-81 (Oberleutnant zur See Friedrich Guggenberger) are commissioned.

Wreckage of the Corinth Bridge in the Corinth Canal. This blocked the canal, which the Germans needed, but they cleared it within days.

Battle of the Mediterranean: Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel retains a shaky grasp on Tobruk, where the Australians continue to hold out in large numbers. Rommel attempts to solidify his control over the vital port by sending three motorized columns of German and Italian troops from Group Herff from south of Sollum through Halfaya Pass on the border with Egypt. The Axis troops cross the border into Egypt after the British withdraw during the night, but don't advance much further at this time. Holding the pass enables Rommel to focus more on tightening his grip on Tobruk.

At Tobruk itself, the Australians stand firm, repelling German and Italian assaults and taking numerous prisoners. The Australians make some moves to widen their perimeter with tank and infantry advances, but the German artillery and panzers stop them cold. The German defense is aided by a sandstorm which "blew all day."

Prime Minister Winston Churchill sends a sharp cable to Commander of the British Mediterranean Fleet Admiral Andrew Cunningham. Churchill remarks to Cunningham that "you do not appreciate" British grand strategy in the Mediterranean (which is an odd thing to say to the man most responsible for implementing that strategy). Churchill further states that some of Cunningham's previous comments about strategy are "really not justified." There is a lecturing, churlish tone throughout the message which perhaps reflects the great difficulty the British forces in Greece are facing - an operation that was virtually solely Churchill's responsibility and which he ordered for political reasons against almost unanimous opposition in the military.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Upholder torpedoes and sinks German freighter Arta, which had been badly damaged in a destroyer action on the 16th and grounded on Kerkennah Bank off the coast of Tunisia.

Royal Navy gunboat HMS Ladybird bombards Gazala Airfield during the night, while gunboat HMS Aphis bombards the Italians in Halfaya Pass.

On the right is glider pilot Wilhelm Fulda. He was awarded the Ritterkreuz for his bravery at Corinth.

German Government: Adolf Hitler has been camped in his command train "Amerika" in Austria throughout Operation Marita. Today, he takes his train from a little station near Graz (Monichkirchen) into Yugoslavia. He disembarks and proceeds by motorcar to Maribor (in German, Marburg). Here, he states:

Make this land German again for me.

After a rapturous reception there (this is a pro-German province), Hitler gets back on his train and heads back to Graz for another happy welcome. Among other things, Hitler visits with his old history teacher, Professor Leopold Poetsch, who Hitler claims in "Mein Kampf" inspired his love of history.

Landing zones for Operation Hannibal. The operation went off without a hitch, with only one tiny flaw - the destruction of the bridge.

British Government: Visiting Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies lunches with former British Prime Minister Lloyd George at the latter's farm at Churt, Surrey. They agree that the government has numerous command deficiencies, such as that Churchill is "acting as the master strategist, without qualification" and that CIGS General John Dill is "timid as a hare." Basically, they take a dim view of Churchill and his appointments and policies.

One must observe that Menzies blows hot and cold on Churchill, and seems to blow the coldest when furthest away from him. About Hitler, however, Lloyd George is very complimentary, and (according to Menzies' diary) believes that "the Germans in their hearts like us much more than the French ever did." Naturally, this is the sort of attitude at this time that only an elder statesman could get away with, regardless of any merit it may hold.

Dutch Homeland: Potato rationing is instituted. Food supplies in The Netherlands will be stretched throughout the war - this is only the beginning.

The Luftwaffe's view of the Corinth Canal.

April 1941

April 1, 1941: Rommel Takes Brega
April 2, 1941:Rommel Takes Agedabia
April 3, 1941: Convoy SC-26 Destruction
April 4, 1941: Rommel Takes Benghazi
April 5, 1941: Rommel Rolling
April 6, 1941: Operation Marita
April 7, 1941: Rommel Takes Derna
April 8, 1941: Yugoslavia Crumbling
April 9, 1941: Thessaloniki Falls
April 10, 1941: USS Niblack Attacks
April 11, 1941: Good Friday Raid
April 12, 1941: Belgrade and Bardia Fall
April 13, 1941: Soviet-Japanese Pact
April 14, 1941: King Peter Leaves
April 15, 1941: Flying Tigers
April 16, 1941: Battle of Platamon
April 17, 1941: Yugoslavia Gone
April 18, 1941: Me 262 First Flight
April 19, 1941: London Smashed
April 20, 1941: Hitler's Best Birthday
April 21, 1941: Greek Army Surrenders
April 22, 1941: Pancevo Massacre
April 23, 1941: CAM Ships
April 24, 1941: Battle of Thermopylae
April 25, 1941: Operation Demon
April 26, 1941: Operation Hannibal
April 27, 1941: Athens Falls
April 28, 1941: Hitler Firm about Barbarossa
April 29, 1941: Mainland Greece Falls
April 30, 1941: Rommel Attacks

2020

Wednesday 8 May 1940

Hitler and Manstein talk it over.

British Government: The "Norway Debate" concludes on 8 May 1940. Liberal Party leader David Lloyd George, who had been Prime Minister during the First World War, bemoans "the worst strategic position this country has ever faced." He then strikes the fatal blow:

The Prime Minister….has appealed for sacrifice….he should sacrifice the Seals of Office !

Herbert Morrison, Labour MP, calls for a vote of no confidence. Chamberlain views the vote as perfunctory, saying,

At least I shall see who is with us and who is against us and I call upon my friends to support us in the lobby tonight. I have friends in this House.

The vote at 23:30 comes out in Prime Minister Chamberlain's favor, 281 - 200. However, Chamberlain loses 33 conservative members and the vote total is less than previous votes of support. It is an insufficient level of support for a Prime Minister. Accordingly, Chamberlain decides to resign after anguished late-night talks with First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill, who has been conspicuously absent as a target during the debate.

Prime Minister Chamberlain wins the vote but resigns anyway.

Western Front: Hitler postpones Fall Gelb, the invasion of France and the Low Countries, for one more day, to 10 May 1940.

The Germans claim that Dutch mobilization on 7 May 1940 is proof that the Allies intend to invade Holland.

William Shirer in Berlin has some advice for Associated Press on whether to transfer their Amsterdam correspondent to Norway: "The war will come to him, soon enough."

Norway: German troops are advancing north from Grong in the vicinity of Narvik against a Norwegian battalion. The Norwegians are falling back on Mosjøen, conducting demolitions. During the night, the British Nos. 4 and 5 Independent Companies (special forces) land at Mosjøen, which had been held by a small French detachment.

No. 1 Independent Company secures Mo i Rana, while No. 3 Independent Company proceeds to Bodø.

The Independent Companies are under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Colin Gubbins, who organized them. They are designed for raiding purposes, not land battles. Altogether, the Independent Companies form Scissors Force.

To the south of Narvik, Polish Podhale Brigade deploys.

Battle of the Atlantic: German raider Widder departs from Bergen.

Convoy OA 144 departs from Southend, Convoy OB 144 departs from Liverpool, Convoy HX 41 departs from Halifax.

Anglo/Polish Relations: A military agreement is signed.

Middle East: General Wavell and General Weygand meet in Beirut to discuss French plans regarding Crete and Milos in the event of an Italian declaration of War.

Belgium: The Belgian embassy in Brussels informs the government that German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop is preparing an ultimatum - which is a standard German prelude to invasion. In addition, the German OKW (military high command) already has given the final orders for the invasion.

Holocaust: Jews in German-occupied territory are now banned from restaurants, parks, museums, trains, owning land. They have a 5 pm curfew and must wear the Yellow Star of David, the "badge of shame." Chaim Kaplan comments, "My own eyes saw a `badge of shame': a yellow patch saying 'Jew.' I advise everyone add, next to 'Jew,' the words: My Pride.”
China: At the Battle of Tsaoyang-Ichang, there is a counterattack by 31st Army Group of Chinese 5th War Area which recaptures Tangho, while the Japanese 11th Army captures Hsinyeh and Tsaoyang.

The river gunboat USS Tutuila (PR 4) is damaged when she runs aground on a reef and becomes stranded while shifting her anchorage at Chungking, China.

Future History: Ricky Nelson is born in Teaneck, New Jersey. He becomes a television star in The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952–66) and is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 21 January 1981. He perishes in a plane crash on December 31, 1985.

Toni Tennille is born in Montgomery, Alabama. She becomes famous in the 1970s as the singer in Captain & Tennille.

Peter Benchley is born in Princeton, New Jersey. He becomes famous in the 1970s as the author of Jaws.

British, French and Polish soldiers on a British ship, 8 May 1940.

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

2019

Monday 18 March 1940

Hitler and Mussolini.

European Air Operations: KG 26 sends bombers over the North Sea on 18 March 1940, looking for targets. They find the Dutch trawler Protinus just off the Dutch coast, near Ijmuiden and bomb and strafe it. The Captain and first mate perish, and the remaining 10 crew abandon ship. They spend 6 days in the lifeboat, during which time two more crew perish, before being spotted by the British submarine HMS Unity.

A German plane crash-lands on the Danish Lolland Island. They are arrested after asking a farmer for food and interned.

German/Italian Relations: Hitler and Mussolini meet at the Brenner Pass station on the Austrian/Italian border, their first meeting since Munich. They confer in Mussolini's railway car parked in front of the frontier station for 2.5 hours.

Hitler makes it plain that he is ready to move in the West. Mussolini demurs on a request to join the war now, and suggests that Hitler wait a few months so that Italy can prepare itself, but Hitler refused to alter his plans. Mussolini promises to declare war on France "at the right time." Count Ciano confides to his diary that "The meeting is cordial, but a monologue. Hitler talks all the time, but is less agitated than usual."

Hitler, Mussolini, and Ciano meet at the Brenner Pass, where the Italian dictator agrees to join Germany's war against France and Britain (AP photo).

Battle of the Atlantic: Convoy OA 112 departs from Southend, Convoy OB 112 departs from Liverpool, Convoy OG 22 forms off Gibraltar, Convoy HX 28 departs from Halifax.

Royal Navy: Destroyer HMS Highlander (Commander William A. Dallmeyer) is commissioned.

British Government: Chancellor of the Exchequer Sir John Simon reports that the recent offering of 3% war bonds had been oversubscribed.

Former Prime Minister David Lloyd George, who knows all the major plays on both sides, takes a cynical attitude toward the current government: "Always too late. Too late for Czechoslovakia, for Poland, now for Finland. We never save them."

US Government: Sumner Welles meets the Pope. Pope Pius XII tells him that Italian public opinion is overwhelmingly against joining the war. However, he adds that if Italy were to join, there would be no rebellions for some time.

Norway: the Norwegian government lodges an official protest in Berlin regarding the recent German air attacks on Norwegian freighter Lysaker.

French Homefront: The French newspapers sharply question Prime Minister Daladier's failure to help Finland sufficiently before it capitulated.

British Homefront: Wartime austerity is wearing off, and women's fashions become elaborate and showy to match the improving mood. In London, a woman is fined £75 for "hoarding" after buying 140 weeks' ration of sugar. She drives away from court in a Rolls-Royce.

Pan Am Boeing S-307 Clipper Flying Cloud on March 18, 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

Tuesday 3 October 1939

U-35 featured on the cover of Life Magazine.

Battle of Poland: German units begin returning to the Reich on 3 October 1939. In particular, the German 10th Army heads toward the Western Front. Some 30 Divisions of the 53 originally committed will remain in Poland for the time being, including the 3rd, 8th, and 14th Armies.

Reviewing the situation between the Bug and Vistula rivers, General Otto now realizes that the Poles are not ready to surrender. He sends his entire division on an assault with the aim to split the Polish defenses. The Poles, on the other hand, decide to launch a flank attack on the Germans, the object to send the Germans back behind a nearby river (the river Wieprz). After heavy fighting, the Germans are stopped after making slight gains. The Polish counter-attack is stopped almost immediately. Otto decides to commit more forces late in the day, and that too is unsuccessful.

Western Front: The French end Operation Saar by completing their withdrawal from the Warndt Forest/Saarbrücken salient. The French claim to have occupied 154 square miles of German territory.

Elsewhere, the BEF mans a section of the Western Front.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-35 (Kptlt. Werner Lott) torpedoes the Greek ore freighter Diamantis. She is a legitimate target because, although neutral, she is carrying cargo for Great Britain. Lott, in an extraordinary act of kindness and at risk to himself, transports the crew to the Irish coast, where his U-boat is seen by civilians in Ventry onshore unloading the 28 Greek sailors. Lott later is later reprimanded by his commanders for jeopardizing his command, but also was featured on the cover of Life Magazine.

British Government: PM Chamberlain address the House for the fifth time about the war. He states:

“No mere assurance from the present German government could be accepted by us. For that government has too often proved in the past that their undertakings are worthless when it suits them that they shall be broken.”

House members are angry, and round on Lloyd George when he suggests that peace offers should at least be considered.

Turkey: Turkish Foreign Minister M. Sarajoglu remains in Moscow. A Turkish military mission arrives in London.

Lithuania: Foreign Minister M. Urbsy arrives in Moscow for talks with Molotov.

Future History: Lott and his crew from the U-35 survived the war because they were captured by British naval forces after he scuttled his boat on 29 November 1939. Once again, Lott was involved in a dramatically unusual humanitarian gesture, but this time on the receiving end: the attacking British ships stopped and sent lifeboats to pick up all the German sailors, one of the very few times that happened during World War II.

The event is not forgotten. On Saturday, 17 October 2009, a special day was set aside in Ventry, Ireland to commemorate the event. A memorial stone was unveiled and the German Ambassador attended.

The Diamantis (Photo Courtesy of Library of Contemporary History, Stuttgart).

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