Friday 16 February 1940

The Altmark in Norway.

Winter War: Sweden on 16 February 1940 rejects the Finnish request for rights of passage of foreign troops across its territory. It is a right assumed by the Allied Supreme War Council in its plans to cross over Swedish territory to Finland and also "protect" Swedish iron ore mines. This unexpected Swedish decision, however, does not cause the Allies to alter those plans.

Winter War Army Operations: The Finns admit in a communique that the Soviets have breached the Mannerheim Line in three places: east of Summa, and two between Muola Lake and Vuoksi River. This, of course, does not include the critical fact that the entire line now is in retreat to the V-Line.

The order to retreat came late on the 15th, and the units under the most pressure executed it immediately. Some units in better shape don't receive the order until this afternoon.

Finnish 9th Infantry Division, including Group Talvela, wipes out the remnants of the Siberian ski brigade "Dolin." There are 70 survivors of the unit out of the 1,800 skiers who initially crossed the frontier. The Siberians are/were well-equipped with automatic weapons, which the Finns can use.

Winter War Air Operations: The Finns bomb Soviet railway stations and tracks behind the lines. They also claim to have shot down 8 more Soviet planes.

Special Ops: Having spotted the Altmark a few days ago, the Admiralty, i.e., Winston Churchill, acts fast. It instructs the HMS Cossack to violate Norwegian neutrality and enter its territorial waters for the purposes of boarding the supply ship. The Altmark, crowded with 299 British prisoners from the ships sunk by the Admiral Graf Spee in the South Atlantic, believes that it is safe, but it is not.

Located in Joessing Fjord, Southwest Norway, Admiral Vian menaces the Altmark at around 22:00, which then runs aground. A British boarding party kills seven German sailors, wounds 11, and releases the prisoners from the hold. Captain Philip Vian becomes a national hero for this, and the incident enters British naval lore for truths, half-truths, and unproven and unlikely legends about the affair (such as that the boarding party actually used cutlasses, like pirates, to free the men).

The Norwegian escort - a torpedo boat - watches the whole affair but does not intervene. Technically, the prisoners should have been released upon entering neutral waters, so the Norwegian involvement is equivocal, but the Germans never notified them of the prisoners. This, actually, is something the British have done as well, such as when a British ship passed through the US Panama Canal with German prisoners, so they have no cause to complain, and don't. The Cossack leaves the Jøssingfjord just after midnight on 17 February with the 299 prisoners.

While the fate of the 299 sailors is important, so is the larger course of the war. The Germans observe the high-handed British attitude to Norwegian neutrality and speed up their own plans regarding the country. Naturally, the Germans make the dead into martyrs.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-14 (Oberleutnant zur See Herbert Wohlfarth) has a big day northeast of Scotland. They are all carrying coal from Britain to Denmark and Sweden.

First, around midnight, U-14 torpedoes and sinks 1,064-ton Danish freighter Rhone. There are 11 survivors, 9 perish.

Second, it torpedoes and sinks the 1,066-ton Danish freighter Sleipner. There are 28 survivors and 13 perish. The Sleipner had stopped to help the people from the Rhone.

Third, at 21:25, U-14 sinks the 1,526-ton Swedish freighter Osmed. There are 7 survivors and 13 perish.

Fourth, about ten minutes later, U-14 sinks 1,646-ton Swedish freighter Liana. There are eight survivors, 10 perish. The area is full of passing freighters and trawlers, so the survivors all get picked up fairly quickly.

The British authorities at Gibraltar detain the US freighter Excalibur for a few hours, then let it and the freighter Exermont, which has been detained since 14 February, proceed.


Convoy OA 93 GF departs from Southend. Convoy HX 20 departs from Halifax.

Royal Air Force: Royal Air Force Hurricanes and Spitfires are converting over to 100 octane fuel. This gives them a performance boost by increasing engine power by raising the boost to +12 lb/sq.in. Every little bit helps against the equally matched Bf 109s, though the Bf 109s as yet cannot make it to Great Britain. No. 602's Operations Record Book notes today that "100 octane fuel now in all aircraft."

Anglo/Soviet Relations: Sir Stafford Cripps, a well-known Marxist sympathizer who plays that role well in the British government, meets with Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov. This is a fascinating example of the British minding their diplomatic fences. On the one hand, they are openly supporting the Finns in their fight against the Soviets, but on the other, they are secretly attempting to learn if there is any room for accommodation with the Soviets.

British Homefront: The British authorities stage a crackdown on "steakeasies" (like "speakeasies" during Prohibition) which are unauthorized slaughterhouses circumventing the rationing process.

Flag-draped coffins containing German dead are brought ashore for burial after the Altmark Incident in Jossingfjord, Norway.

February 1940

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

2019

Friday 9 February 1940

A Heinkel He 111H-3 brought down by S/Ldr A. D. Farquhar in a Spitfire of No.602 Squadron on 9 February 1940 at Rhodes Farm, North Berwick Law, East Lothian, Scotland.

Winter War: In the Kremlin on 9 February 1940, the top Soviet leaderships give final approval to a full-scale offensive on the Karelian Isthmus to begin 11 February.

Winter War Army Operations: Soviet troops take a bunker near the village of Karhula, north of Marjapellonmäki (Hill 38) and hold it against fierce Finnish counterattacks.

Near Kuhmo, the Finnish 9th Division surrounds the Soviet 203rd Regiment, creating a "regimental motti."

Battle of the Atlantic: German destroyers Z3, Z4 and Z16 lay 110 mines in "The Shipwash" or "Wash." This is a busy sea lane in the North Sea east of Harwich, England. They do this during the night of 9/10 February.

The Luftwaffe sinks British freighters Fort Royal and Robert Brown off of Aberdeen, Scotland.

British 1500 ton freighter Chagres, carrying bananas, sinks ten miles from its destination at Liverpool after it hits a mine which had been laid by U-30 on 6 January 1940. Two lives are lost, 62 are picked up by HMS Loch Monteith.

The British freighter Agnes Ellen also sinks from unknown causes, likely by striking a mine.

The Dutch steamer Burgerdijk, carrying grain from the U.S. to Rotterdam, and the Norwegian steamer Silja, carrying salt from Gibraltar to Bergen, Norway, are both sunk by unknown U-boats today. All aboard the Silja perish.

British ships HMS Salve and HMS Servitor engage in minesweeping using the new technology which involves dragging long electrical cables to explode magnetic mines.

US freighter Scottsburg is released from British detention at Gibraltar.

Convoy OB 88 departs from Liverpool and HG 18 departs from Gibraltar.

European Air Operations: Luftwaffe attacks, especially on British shipping, are increasing. A Heinkel He 111 is shot down at North Berwick near the Firth of Forth, and there are other raids as far north as Peterhead.

Western Front: There are patrol clashes and artillery duels in the area between the Moselle and the Saar.

German Military: General von Manstein takes up his position as commander of German 33rd Corps. Hitler has heard about Manstein's innovative ideas regarding Fall Gelb and makes a point of meeting with him and discussing those ideas during a formal event accompanying the appointment.

US Government: President Roosevelt sends Sumner Welles, US Under-Secretary of State, to collect information about conditions in Europe. If possible, he is to work toward peace. The Welles Mission causes some consternation wherever he goes. Hitler, for instance, worries that Welles actually is intent on peeling Italy away from the Axis.
Turkey: The government dismisses 80 German technical advisors engaged in work in a munitions factory, a naval dockyard and in coalfields.

Ireland: A bill to allow detention of suspected IRA terrorists without trial becomes law.

Holocaust: Jews in Stettin and elsewhere are deported to the new Jewish Ghettos in Lublin. It is not much better in the Polish areas taken by the Soviet Union, as many Jews are deported to Siberia.

China: The Battle of South Kwangsi continues, with new Japanese 22nd Army headquarters established under General Seiichi Kuno to control forces around Nanning. He immediately orders 22nd Army forces around Pinyang and nearby locations to begin withdrawing south to Nanning. These formations are threatened by recent Chinese advances from the east.

American Homefront: "Pinocchio," Walt Disney's animated follow-up to "Snow White," opens to great reviews and good box office. Some audience members, though, are put off by some adult behavior by some of the boys portrayed in the film.

The North Berwick Heinkel being taken to an airfield on its own wheels for later reconstruction.

February 1940

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

2019

Thursday 8 February 1940

The bridge connecting the two separate sections of the Lodz Ghetto (Federal Archive).

Winter War: The Finnish government announces on 8 February 1940 that a Swedish brigade of 6,000 men is manning part of the line on the Salla front.

Winter War Army Operations: Attacks at Summa continue without much change aside from the gradual attrition of the Finnish defenders. Soviet tanks continue dragging armored sleds full of explosives that are detonated near Finnish fortifications.

At 10:15, the Soviets open an attack at Taipale. Two Soviet Divisions shell the Kirvesmäki Cape and attack across the River Taipale. The Soviets take two Finnish strongholds at Terenttilä at the extreme East end of the Mannerheim Line where the River Taipale empties into Lake Ladoga. Finnish casualties are extreme for them: 219 men, with 32 killed.

Further north, the Finnish 9th Division finishes its work around Kuhmo. It destroys the 1500 Soviet soldiers of the Soviet 54th Division that have been surrounded near Kuhmo in separate mottis (logs).

Winter War Peace Talks: Discussions continue in Stockholm, but the Soviets show no inclination to bargain. The Soviets require an island in the Gulf of Finland to serve as a Soviet naval base.

Western Front: Two French soldiers capture a German patrol in Forbach Woods.

Battle of the Atlantic: It is one of the quieter days of the war in the endless war on the high seas.

US freighter Scottsburg is detained by the British at Gibraltar.

Convoy OA 88GF departs from Southend.

Spies: Double agent William Sebold, a German native born in Mulheim, Germany, arrives in New York City as "Harry Sawyer." Sebold is a spy for the Reich, but in actuality is a double agent working for the FBI. He sets up a short-wave radio transmitter with FBI help and begins transmitting reports (prepared by the FBI) to Berlin.

Separately, the Paris police raid the Soviet Press Agency. They discover that it is being used as a cover for German propaganda.

Canada: The third contingent of Canadian soldiers arrives in England at a west coast port.

New Zealand: It is the 100th anniversary of the founding of New Zealand with the Anglo-Maori Treaty of Waitangi.

Palestine: Chaim Weizmann meets with President Roosevelt to discuss issues regarding the Jewish/Arab conflict in Palestine.

Holocaust: Orders are given for the establishment of a Jewish Ghetto in Lodz.

China: Japanese planes attack Mengzi. Three Chinese Hawk 75 fighters intercept them and a dogfight ensues for more than an hour, with one Chinese pilot, Yang Tzu-fan, injured after crash-landing.

The Shangtung Operation continues as the Japanese occupy the Shangtung Peninsula.

At the Battle of South Kwangsi, the Japanese capture Wuning north of Nanning after several days of battle.

Future History:  One of the soldiers captured in the Forbach Woods, Joseph Darnand, later heads the Vichy French secret police.

Double-agent William Sebold.

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

2019

Friday 2 February 1940

Starboard 10.5 cm/65 mounting on Admiral Graf Spee, with 2 cm mounting in the foreground. Photograph was taken on 2 February 1940 by Ensign Richard D. Sampson, USN. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 50959.

Winter War Army Operations: The Soviets on 2 February 1940 continue their massive bombardment of the Finnish Mannerheim Line, along with probing attacks all along the line. They send a special assault squad against the Millionaire bunker, which captures it. The Soviets affix a 50 kg explosive to the roof and blow a hole in the roof and wall. The squad then retreats back to Soviet lines, suffering 75% killed in action. The Finns then recapture the bunker temporarily.

Otherwise, the Soviet 7th and 13th Armies only mount demonstration attacks, not intended to capture ground but to soften the defenses.

Further north, the Finnish 9th Division maintains its grip on Soviet 54th Division near Kuhmo. A Siberian ski battalion under Colonel Vyatsheslav Dmitrievitsh Dolin attempts to make contact with the trapped men, who otherwise are completely forgotten by the Kremlin as the main effort shifts to the Karelian Isthmus.

Winter War Air Operations: The Soviets continue bombing Finnish cities, including Helsinki and Sortavala. The Finns claim to have shot down at least five Soviet planes.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-59 (Kapitänleutnant Harald Jürst) torpedoes and sinks 839-ton British tanker Creofield 20 miles East of Lowestoft, Suffolk, England. All 16 crew perish.

The U-59 also torpedoes and sinks 1,064-ton British freighter Portelet. There are 9 survivors and 2 perish.

British tanker Councillor hits a mine and sinks.

US light cruiser Helena, taking a shakedown cruise at Montevideo, Uruguay, sends a party to board the derelict Admiral Graf Spee and take photographs.

The French auxiliary patrol vessel FS Vaillant stops the US passenger liner Manhattan 25 miles south of Cape Vincent, Portugal. The Manhattan is ordered to proceed to Gibraltar.

Convoy OA 84 departs from Southend, while OB 84 departs from Liverpool.

Balkans: The Balkan Entente Conference officially begins. The ministers of Yugoslavia, Greece, Romania, and Turkey issue a statement expressing their desire for peace.

China: At the Battle of South Kwangsi, the Japanese capture Pinyang and Szelung and attack Wuning.

Port 10.5 cm/65 twin mounting on Admiral Graf Spee. At lower right is a 15 cm/55 mounting. The photograph was taken on 2 February 1940 by Ensign Richard D. Sampson, USN. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 50959.

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

2019

Tuesday 30 January 1940

Soviet artillery during the Winter War. Note the soldiers' dark uniforms.

Winter War: On 30 January 1940, Soviet losses in the Winter War are estimated at 200,000 men. The Soviet leadership, of course, did not contemplate nearly that many losses in the entire war, but the Finns have been fighting in a steadfast and crafty fashion.

The Soviets, however, have plenty of men to spare. They are continuing their meticulous preparations for an offensive on the Karelian Isthmus, with massive and unceasing artillery barrages. At Lähde, 10 km east of Summa, the artillery pounding is wrecking the Mannerheim Line.

The Kremlin has completely lost interest in its troops further north such as the 54th Rifle Division, which has been surrounded by Finnish 9th Division. Essentially, the divisions that began the war have been written off as losers that are now on their own. The war has become a battle of attrition which the Soviets know they cannot lose.

European Air Operations: Strong Luftwaffe raids along the British coast continue. A Heinkel He shots short down near the Northumbrian coast by RAF fighters. The Heinkels attack shipping in the Great Yarmouth roadstead. Operations on both sides are hampered by poor visibility.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-55 (Kapitänleutnant Werner Heidel), which has had an eventful patrol, attacks British convoy OA-80G 50 miles off Lands End at 07:00. First, U-55 sinks 5,026-ton British tanker SS Vaclite and evades British retribution (all 35 crew survive). After stalking the convoy some more, U-55 sinks 5,085 ton Greek freighter SS Keramiai. All 28 crew survive.

This time, however, Heidel has pressed his luck too far. British destroyers HMS Valmy, HMS Whitshed and French destroyers Valmy and Guépard, along with a Sunderland Short flying boat from No. 228 Squadron attack the U-boat. They damage the U-boat, and it surfaces long enough to allow its crew to escape. Kpt. Heidel, an aggressive (too aggressive) commander, goes down with the ship (perhaps while scuttling it personally), but everyone else, 41 of his crew, survives.

The Luftwaffe sinks British freighters Giralda, Highwave, Bancrest, and Voreda.

In a case of friendly fire, German torpedo boat Iltis sees a submarine 50 miles north of Wilhelmshaven and rams it. U-15 (Kapitänleutnant Peter Frahm) goes down with all 25 hands lost.

The British at Gibraltar release US freighter Cold Harbor.

The Baltimore News-Post, 30 January 1940.

German Government: As is his tradition, Hitler speaks on the anniversary of his accession to power in 1933. At the Berlin Sportpalast, he makes several sharp comments about British PM Chamberlain ("pious and Bible-believing") and Premier Daladier. "They started the war, and they will get all the war they want," he says. He also reiterates a point from his "Mein Kampf" that Germany still needs Lebensraum ("living space"), which can only come in the east. The war, he hints, is now going to become more of a strategic bombing campaign, saying it will be a "war of bombs." He is particularly contemptuous of Britain's "wonderful war aims."

Holocaust: The Reich's two main groups of victims receive attention today. Reinhard Heydrich orders more deportations of Jews from the Reich territory to the occupied rump Polish state at Lublin. Heinrich Himmler also authorizes the deportation of 30,000 Gypsies.

The Vaclite, sunk by U-55 on 30 January 1940.

January 1940

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

2019

Monday 29 January 1940

HMS Achilles steams past the wreck of the Admiral Graf Spee, 29 January 1940.

Winter War Army Operations: At 05:00 on 29 January 1940, the Finnish 9th Division attacks and ultimately encircles the Soviet 54th Division at Kuhmo. The Soviets had been moving forward slowly, but now the division is immobile. In any event, the division has no authority to retreat. Airdrops now are the Soviets' only means of supply. The Soviet government is turning its attention further south and leaving the operations above Lake Ladoga in abeyance.

Winter War Air Operations: The Soviets launch sharp air raids along the coastal towns on the Gulf of Bothnia. At Hango and Turku, two of their favorite targets, they cause extensive damage. At Hango, 50 perish and 200 are injured, whereas at Turku, 28 men perish and 46 are injured. In addition, the Soviet bombers, perhaps mistakenly, bomb the Red Cross hospital on the Karelian Isthmus, killing 23.

Winter War Peace Talks: The Soviets for the first time send a note to Alexandra Kollontai, their ambassador in Stockholm, for transmission to the Finnish government. The note indicates that they are willing to at least sit down with the Finnish government and talk about things:

The Soviet Union has no objection in principle to a possible agreement with the Ryti government.

This appears to end the Soviet pretense that their puppet government staffed by former Comintern members is the "legitimate" Finnish government, which nobody took seriously anyway. The Soviets are preparing a major offensive, so the sincerity of this offer is highly suspect - unless the Soviets consider it to be a prelude to surrender negotiations.


Battle of the Atlantic: The British Admiralty warns US ships not to enter the war zone previously established by President Roosevelt.

U-51 (Kapitänleutnant Dietrich Knorr) torpedoes and sinks 1,503-ton Norwegian freighter Eika south of Ireland out in the Atlantic at 15:00. Fourteen perish, 2 survive. Knorr states that he saw no neutral markings and that the ship was using a zig-zag pattern. At the last moment, he states, it aimed right at his U-boat and tried to ram it, so he had to sink it. The German Government sends the Norwegian Department of foreign affairs a note stating:

The circumstances leading to the torpedoing of the steamship Eika is a typical example of what the consequences can be for neutral ships when they do not pay heed to the German Government's repeated warnings against un-neutral or suspicious behaviour.

Knorr's account is disputed in all particulars. What is not disputed is that Knorr stops and carries the two survivors, Harald Støle (age 16) and Alfred Johansen, with him until returning to Bremerhaven. The two Norwegians ultimately get home after returning to port on 14 February and state they were treated well by the Captain and crew. There is a memorial in Stavern, Norway for the ship and its crew.

Luftwaffe Heinkel He 111 bombers sink two British merchant ships between the Shetlands and Kent, the Stanburn and the Leo Dawson (assumed to be the Luftwaffe). They also bomb the unarmed "East Dudgeon" lightship, killing seven of the eight-man crew when it capsizes near shore. There were other attacks on British shipping that damage and sink some smaller craft.

The British detain US freighter Exochorda at Gibraltar.

Convoy OA 82 departs from Southend, and Convoy OB 82 departs from Liverpool, while Convoy HG 17 departs from Gibraltar.

German Military: Admiral Raeder, who is leading the planning for Weserubung, declares the Friesian Islands as military security districts. All local inhabitants are removed.

German/Italian Relations: The Germans release Italian aircraft destined for Finland that they had detained.

French Homefront: Premier Daladier delivers another emotional speech in a national broadcast, stating: "Germany hopes to encompass our downfall by exploiting the weakness at home …" It is a common refrain from him, as he sees the internal enemy of communists working in conjunction with Stalin as a huge threat, perhaps even greater than the Germans.

Holocaust: The Polish Government-in-exile releases a report estimating that 18,000 Poles drawn from all segments of society have been executed in occupied Poland.

Future History: Katherine Ross is born today in Hollywood, California. She becomes famous in the 1960s as an actress in such films as "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." She remains active in the television/film industry as of 2016 in shows such as "Family Guy."

Lana Turner is the cynosure of all eyes today in Life Magazine.

January 1940

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

2019

Sunday 28 January 1940

A photo of men about to go on a road trip in Mikkeli. Note the battered, winter-camouflaged car in the endless ankle-deep snow.

Winter War Army Operations: At Lahde on 28 January 1940, the artillery of the 24th Corps Artillery Regiment, having destroyed the "Millionaire bunker" on the 27th, switches targets. The next most-prominent bunker is the "Poppius bunker." While not as elaborate as the other one, the Poppius bunker lies in the middle of the Finnish defenses of the Mannerheim Line and is/now was an anchor of the defense. The Soviets' two 152 mm guns open fire at 12:00, and they quickly destroy the bunker's western casemate, killing four men inside. The two bunkers remain usable, but their defensibility is impaired.

Nearby at Summa, the 7,000 shells/day artillery barrage continues, with an increase in tempo.

At Salla, small advance Soviet forces remain surrounded.

At Kuhmo, Group Talvela of the Finnish 9th Division attacks the Soviet 54th Division. It cuts the Soviets' lines of communications and splits the division into three different sections ("mottis"). The Soviet 23rd Division launches a relief attempt that makes some progress. The Finns destroy the Pieni-Kelivaara motti during the day, capturing 2 field guns, 2 antitank guns, 9 mortars, 9 machineguns, and 100 rifles. The West Lemetti motti, however, holds out, and the Finns continue attacking it.

Battle of the Atlantic: At 02:52, U-34 (Kapitänleutnant Wilhelm Rollmann) torpedoes 5,625-ton Greek freighter Eleni Stathatou 200 miles east of Isles of Scilly in the Atlantic Ocean. It takes two torpedoes, the first only damages the freighter; the second at 04:21 finishes her off. Those are U-34's last two torpedoes, so its patrol is over. Of the crew, 12 perish.

U-44 (Kapitänleutnant Ludwig Mathes) torpedoes and sinks with one torpedo 2,980 ton Greek coal carrier Flora west of Figuera la Foz, Portugal. All 25 crewmen perish.

The 1,487-ton British freighter Eston hits a mine laid by U-22 on 20 December 1939 in the Bristol Channel and sinks. All 18 crew perish.

The British at Gibraltar detain the US freighter Sarcoxic for several hours and then send it on its way. US freighter Waban also is temporarily detained, and the British seize an item of contraband and 34 items for further investigation.

Convoy OA 81 departs from Southend, Convoy SL 18F departs from Freetown, Convoy HXF 18 departs from Halifax.

British Homefront: The Director of Censorship has been preventing publication of the details of the severe winter weather. Today, though, it allows publication. It is the coldest winter since 1894, and both the River Thames (at Kingston and between Teddington and Sunbury) and Southampton Docks have frozen over. The sea has frozen over at various points on the coast as well. London's reservoirs have a foot of ice. At Buxton, there is 18°C (33°F) of frost. Of course, the rest of Europe is suffering, too.

King George announces that his court will not be held this year due to the war.

China: The Chinese 2d War Area captures Lucheng, while the Chinese 3rd War Area ceases active operations and reverts to the defensive.

Huntington Beach, California oil derricks, 28 January 1940.

January 1940

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

2019

Tuesday 23 January 1940

The Swedish Volunteer Corps fought with the Finns against the Red Army in the area of Salla, during the Winter War. A Bofors 37 mm AT gun is left standing as part of a memorial at the site.

Winter War: General Semyon Timoshenko, considered one of the "modern" Soviet Generals, on 23 January 1940 completely changes Meretskov's failed plan for the invasion of Finland. Meretskov had attempted to overwhelm the Finns by attacking all along the long border, but the terrain and weather had been too much for the Soviets to overcome. Timoshenko ends that strategy, stops the advances in the north and pinpoints the Mannerheim Line on the Karelian Isthmus as the focus of an overwhelming assault.

Winter War Army Operations: The Soviets mount another attack on the Finnish line at Taipale, but it is beaten back after hand-to-hand fighting in the trenches.

At Salla, many of the advanced Soviet troops have been pushed back to the town. A small, isolated force remains at Maerkaejaervi a few miles further down the road, but it is cut off. Supplies are being air-dropped to it.

Finnish 9th Division, the victors at Suomussalmi under (now General) Siilasvuo, arrive in Kuhmo. Their next mission is to attack the Soviet 54th Division. This is one of the divisions that Timoshenko's plan leaves without a purpose, and it is to receive no reinforcement and reduced priority. Basically, the Soviet division has been left to live or die on its own where it stands and using its own resources.

The Soviet 7,000 shell daily bombardment of Summa continues.

Battle of the Atlantic: One of Germany's most successful U-boat commanders, Joachim Schepke, gets two victories.

U-19 (Kapitänleutnant Joachim Schepke) torpedoes and sinks 1,598-ton Norwegian freighter Pluto off the southeast Scottish coast. All 22 crew survive, the ship had just left convoy HN-8 and was traveling further south unescorted. The attack is at 08:43.

U-19 quickly scores another kill, the 1,528-ton British freighter Baltanglia. It also had been in Convoy HN-8 and was traveling down the coast unescorted. All 28 crew survive and are picked up by local fishing boats. This attack is at 08:55, just a dozen minutes after the previous one. Schepke uses one torpedo on each ship.

Finnish 1,333-ton freighter Onto hits a mine laid by U-56 on 8 January 1940 and sinks near Smith's Lightvessel, Cross Sand. All 18 crew survive and are picked up by a British destroyer and a Greek freighter.

The British at Gibraltar release the two US freighters Excambion and Excellency that it has seized. The authorities confiscate 470 sacks of mail bound for Italy and Germany.

Britain and France jointly warn that they will attack German shipping encountered in the Pan-American neutral zone.
Convoy OA 78 GF departs from Southend.

Western Front: Performers sent to entertain the BEF troops report that the ENSA entertainment organization is in a "chaotic muddle." ENSA officials are told to report to the War Office.

South Africa: General Hertzog, leader of the opposition, delivers a speech to the South African Parliament in support of peace which is widely interpreted as pro-German. Jan Smuts immediately rebuts it.

Yugoslavia: Italian Foreign Minister Count Ciano and Ustaše leader Ante Pavelić discuss plans for an insurrection that would separate the province of Croatia from Yugoslavia. Italy considers the Balkans to be within its sphere of influence.

Japan: Japan lodges a formal protest over the British seizure of 21 German passengers on the Asama Maru on 21 January 1940.

Polish Government-in-exile: The Polish National Council meets in Paris for the first time instead of Anvers, with all Polish parties represented. Ignacy Paderewski is chosen as Speaker of the National Council of Poland, the Polish Parliament-in-exile.

British Homefront: The Government, alarmed at the sharp rise in road accidents due to the blackout (1200 killed in December alone), decides to take action: it lowers the speed limit in built-up areas during darkness from 30 mph to 20. The blackout continues despite the fact that there have been no Luftwaffe raids on British cities.

American Homefront: A monster snowstorm hits large portions of the eastern United States, and much worse than predicted. It is known as "the Great Snow of 1940." Women city workers in Richmond, Virginia (over 16 inches of snow) are told they can stay home, but male workers are still expected to show up because the Mayor can walk to work.

China: The Japanese 22nd Infantry Division is attacking toward Shaohsing against the 3rd Chinese War Area.

A reporter rides a mule during the Great Snow of 1940 in Baltimore, Maryland.

January 1940

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

2019

Sunday 7 January 1940

Abandoned Soviet tanks captured by the Finns.

Winter War: Finland now claims, on 7 January 1940, to have killed 50,000 Soviet troops since the start of the war.

Winter War Army Operations: The Soviet 44th Rifle Division on the Ratte road collapses. The western end of the column disintegrates, with the Soviet survivors fleeing aimlessly into the frozen woods which are hip-deep in the snow. At the destroyed Purasjoki Bridge crossing, the Finnish 9th Division maintains its roadblock. Facing eastward, other Finnish troops at Ratte on the border block any Soviet attempt at relief.

There are still scattered pockets of armed Soviet survivors back on the Ratte road, including unattended wounded.

The survivors are not greeted warmly on the Soviet side of the border. The 305th Rifle Regiment (Captain Chervyakov), the only relatively intact Soviet formation to make it back, is immediately ordered to man the border against the nearby Finns. Many the men no longer have rifles, and some 40% have no gloves or mittens.

There is no food at the border for the troops of the 44th Rifle Division that escaped. They had abandoned their own field kitchens and supplies to the Finns. The Soviets behind the lines do not believe in helping losers.

Battle of the Atlantic: The City Of Flint, now flying under the Finnish flag, departs from Narvik for Baltimore under its original captain, Joseph A. Gainard. He is awarded the Navy Cross for his actions during the ordeal.

Royal Navy submarine HMS Seahorse is sunk by Kriegsmarine minesweepers in the Heligoland Bight. This is in addition to the minesweepers' sinking of the HMS Undine the previous day.

British vessels 2888-ton Towneley and 5160-ton Cedrington Court hit mines and sink.

German freighter Konsul Horn, interned in Aruba, escapes. It disguises itself as a Soviet merchant freighter to evade US neutrality patrols.

The British at Gibraltar release the US passenger liner Manhattan.

Convoy 68 GF departs Southend, Convoy OB 68 departs Liverpool.

Western Front: There is artillery fire east of the Blies River (a tributary of the Saar).

Soviet Military: There is a major command shake-up. Marshal Voroshilov takes personal command of the Soviet armies in Finland, while General Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko takes over the 7th and 13th Armies in the Karelian Isthmus. This command is now named the Northwestern Front.

Finnish Homefront: The Finns have evacuated non-essential civilians from the major cities. there are 400,000 who have left home for safer towns.

British Homefront: First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill visits the BEF in France.

China: Chinese 5th War Area (31st Army Group) captures Huashan.

Italian submarine Tartantini, launched on 7 January 1940.

January 1940

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

2019