Thursday 21 March 1940

The crew of HMS Ursula in 1941.

Battle of the Atlantic: British submarine HMS Ursula sinks German freighter Heddernheim off the Danish coast on 21 March 1940. It is the first victory by a British submarine over a German ship during the war.

At 01:00, U-38 (Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Liebe) torpedoes and sink1,654-ton Danish freighter Algier about 15 miles northwest of Foula, Shetlands. There are 18 survivors and 5 crew perish. The Algier was carrying 11 Studebakers along with 302 tons of copper, 228 tons of tin, and 130 bottles of mercury. It was bound for Copenhagen.

Then, at 03:26, U-38 torpedoes and sinks 3,270-ton Danish freighter Christianborg. There are 24 survivors and one crew perishes.

Norwegian freighter Svinta sinks from unknown causes.

The Queen Mary departs from New York to an unpublished destination which turns out to be Sydney, Australia. It will be re-fitted as a troopship there.

Convoy OA 114 departs from Southend, Convoy OB 114 departs from Liverpool, Convoy HX 29 departs from Halifax, Convoy OG 23F forms at Gibraltar.

European Air Operations: A Sussex farmer, Gerald Winter, sees an RAF plane crash and risks his life to drag the pilot out of the burning plane.

German Military: German Labour battalions in the Todt Organization begin constructing bunkers along the "Ostwall," the border with the Soviet Union.

Applied Science: Sir Henry Tizard briefs the British Cabinet of research by two physicists at Birmingham University working on an atomic "super-bomb." He cautions that "It is quite conceivable that Germany is, in fact, developing this weapon." The government has appropriated funds to study this issue.

Three French cabinet ministers, Édouard Daladier, Georges Bonnet, and Paul Reynaud, 1940.

French Government: Paul Reynaud becomes the new Prime Minister, as 239 French Deputies vote in favor and 1 against. However, indicating once again the fractured sentiment, there are 300 abstentions.

Former PM Edouard Daladier becomes Minister of National Defense and War. Reynaud also will serve as his own Foreign Minister. There are three Socialists in the cabinet. There will be an inner war cabinet of nine members. Daladier still has widespread support, and Reynaud essentially is forced to have him in the cabinet. However, former Foreign Minister Georges Bonnet is excluded.

Turkey: There is a secret meeting between British and Turkish representatives.

China: The Chinese battle it out with the Japanese defenders of Wuyuan all day long, then finally capture the city at 16:00. The Japanese move north.

At the Battle of South Kwangsi, the Chinese 93rd Infantry Division crosses the Yung River and heads toward Tatang. This is an attack along the lines of communication of the Japanese 22d Army spearhead at Yungshun.

British Homefront: George Orwell writes a review of Hitler's "Mein Kampf" in which he concludes, "I would kill Hitler if I could, but I cannot dislike him."

American Homefront: Woody Guthrie makes his first recording for the Library of Congress.

Howard Hughes increases his stake in Transcontinental and Western Air, Inc. (T.W.A.), which he has been building since May 1939, to 30%. This gives Hughes a controlling share of T.W.A.

In this photo, taken between March 7 and 21, 1940, the "Normandie, "Queen Mary" and "Queen Elizabeth" sit in port. The "Mary" and the "Elizabeth" are painted wartime gray. The "Normandie" is slated to be painted gray, too.

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

Wednesday 6 March 1940

Finnish pilot Eino Luukkanen in front of his Fokker DXXI.

Winter War: The Finns waste no time on 6 March 1940 and compose a peace delegation to send to Moscow. It is led by Prime Minister Risto Ryti, and the delegation (including also J.K.J.K. Paasikivi, Rudolf Walden & Väinö Voionmaa) leaves for Moscow via Stockholm in the evening.

There is still no cease-fire. Molotov somewhat characteristically says, "Why stop the juggernaut now it is rolling?" Foreign Minister Väinö Tanner hedges his bets by asking Great Britain and France for an extension of the deadline for requesting military assistance. They give Finland until March 12, 1940, to make a formal request.

Winter War Army Operations: The Soviets slightly expand their bridgehead on the western shore of the Gulf of Viipuri. Finnish pilot Eino Luukkanen observes as he strafes 800 shells into them:

A column of men & horse is crossing the ice - a long black snake.

Battle of the Atlantic: The British seize the cargo of Italian ships carrying German coal.

The German crew of the 3,425-ton freighter Uruguay scuttles the ship rather than be captured by British heavy cruiser HMS Berwick (Captain Irving M. Palmer) off Iceland.

The Cunard White Star Liner Queen Elizabeth successfully completes the first leg of its transatlantic crossing, reaching Nova Scotia, and will continue on to New York.

The French launch battleship Jean Bart.

European Air Operations: The Luftwaffe attacks a lightship off the Norfolk coast and also a tanker, the Shelbrit II, off the northeast coast of Scotland.

Franco/Italian Relations: The French and Italians conclude an expanded trade agreement.

German/Romanian Relations: The two nations conclude a trade agreement in which Germany provides the Romanians with captured Polish weapons in exchange for (more) oil.

Dutch Military: A Dutch armored tug, BV3, enters Den Helder Naval Base just when Dutch submarine O11 is leaving the area. The two collide, and the submarine sinks. Three men perish. A film cameraman is aboard the submarine, and his footage appears in newsreel footage around the world.

Palestine: British members of Parliament protest the Land Transfers Regulations which have sparked protests, but the House defeats a motion of censure that they bring.

International Red Cross: The IRC is one of the very few reasonably impartial observers of the conflict. They report that fewer than 300 Germans, 300 French & 150 British prisoners of war have been taken in the 6 months of the war.

British Homefront: Farmers are encouraged to kill house sparrows because they eat seeling crops.

American Homefront: Robin, Batman's boy wonder, makes his first appearance in Detective Comics #38 (the cover date is April).

Willis Stargell is born in Earlsboro, Oklahoma. As Willie Stargell, he becomes famous in the 1970s as the cleanup hitter for the World Champion Pittsburgh Pirates.

HMS Berwick, August 1942.

March 1940

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

2019

Sunday 3 March 1940

Finnish artillery during the battle of Viipuri.

Winter War: The Finns on 3 March 1940 continue resisting the urge to convey their acceptance of the Soviet peace terms, which technically have expired. Finland’s Foreign Minister Väinö Tanner instead phones Sweden’s Foreign Minister Christian Günther and proposes an alliance between the two countries. Finland is ready to capitulate if the Soviets would drop their demand for the cession of Viipuri and Sortavala.

Winter War Army Operations: There is hand-to-hand fighting in the Viipuri suburbs. The Soviets capture the main railway station.

Marshal Mannerheim dishonorably discharges Major-General Kurt M. Wallenius from his position of coastal defense west of Viipuri. The Soviets have consolidated their bridgehead there, and Wallenius is said to be drinking heavily. Mannerheim vows never to re-employ Wallenius and removes him from the Defence Forces officer list. Lieutenant General Karl Lennart Oesch replaces Wallenius.

The fighting in Viipurinlahti Bay, Wallenius' command, is extremely dangerous to the Finnish strategic position, threatening a breakout to the Finnish industrial heartland. The Soviet 86th Motorized Rifle Division pushes across the frozen Gulf of Viipuri, taking the short route to the mainland. They take the island of Uuras and consolidate the beachhead on the western shore.

At Mikkeli, the Finnish HQ orders the staff of the army of the Isthmus to plan for a major withdrawal to the Virolahti-Kivijärvi-Saimaa-Hiitola line.

Winter War Air Operations: The Finns claim to have brought down 28 Soviet planes over the weekend.
Battle of the Atlantic: The crew of the 3,359-ton German freighter Arucas scuttles the ship rather than be captured by British heavy cruiser HMS York (Captain Reginald H. Portal) south of Iceland. Three crew perish.

British freighter Cato hits a mine and sinks in the Bristol Channel. The mine was laid on 2 March 1940 by U-29. There are 2 survivors, 13 perish.

Italy lodges a protest with the British about the blocking of German coal deliveries by sea.

The Luftwaffe takes First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill's bait and bombs Southampton, the wrong destination he previously leaked to the press for Queen Elizabeth. Not so good for the people of Southampton, perhaps, but Queen Elizabeth is safely on her way to New York.

Convoy OA 103GF departs from Southend, Convoy OB 103 departs from Liverpool.

European Air Operations: RAF bombers over-fly Berlin again. The Germans notice and anti-aircraft guns and fighters intervene, but all of the British planes return to base.

RAF sorties over the seaplane bases on the Friesian Islands are met with anti-aircraft fire.

Some Luftwaffe fighters over-fly Belgium and shoot down one Belgian fighter while damaging two others.

US Government: US Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles follows up his interview with Hitler by meeting with Hermann Goering at Carinhall and Rudolf Hess in Berlin. Goering adheres to the party line, but Welles thinks he has a slightly broader perspective than the other top Nazis and takes a relatively favorable impression. Welles then departs for Paris by train, stopping in Basel.

Terrorism: A mysterious bomb explodes in the Stockholm offices of communist newspaper Norrskensflamman. There are five dead.

American Homefront: Artie Shaw and His Orchestra (with an arrangement by William Grant Still) record "Frenesi" for Victor Records. Alberto Domínguez had composed "Frenesi for his marimba band - it means "frenzy" in Spanish. "Frenesi" will hit number one on the Billboard pop chart on December 21, 1940, and stay there for 13 weeks.

The good ship Queen Elizabeth in military drab gray.

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 2 March 1940

A Finnish patrol in Viipuri during the Winter War.

Winter War: France and Great Britain once again on 2 March 1940 ask Norway and Sweden for the right of passage to Finland, and again are refused. Finland still has not made a formal request for military assistance.

A Hungarian Volunteer Detached Battalion arrives at a Finnish training camp at Lapua. They have traveled through Europe posing as tourists going skiing. The trip took three weeks by train.

Canada authorizes volunteer participation in the Winter War. A unit of volunteer soldiers boards a ship bound for Finland.

Winter War Army Operations: The fluid battle that has developed on the Karelian Isthmus is not working out to the Finns' favor. Soviet troops enter the southern suburbs of Viipuri at Sainio, 5 miles south of the city along the coast, and Heinjoki River, 17 miles east of the town. They continue swarming west. Fires break out in Viipuri, which is being abandoned and destroyed.

The front at Taipale settles down, as the Soviets have had no success there and the prospects are better further south at Viipuri.

The Soviets capture the islands of Tuppuransaari and Teikarsaari after the former runs out of ammunition and a counterattack fails. The Soviets are now digging in on the mainland on the western shore of Viipurinlahti Bay. Finnish Major General Wallenius cannot dislodge them and is said to be drinking heavily.

At Kollaa, Soviet artillery begins at 06:30, followed by a large-scale, multiple-division assault. The Finnish trenches hold.

At Kuhmo, the Finnish defensive line at Kuusijoki is hit with 3,000 artillery shells, then a massive assault. The Soviets capture the Finns' forward positions.

Winter War Air Operations: Soviet bombers again try to bomb Helsinki, but Finnish fighters drive them off.

Winter War Peace Talks: Finland’s Foreign Minister Väinö Tanner informs the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee that the acceptance of the Soviet peace terms has not yet been communicated to them, and explains why. He has asked the Swedish Foreign Minister Christian Günther to hold off on transmitting the acceptance.

Battle of the Atlantic: The German crew of 6,201-ton freighter Wolfsburg scuttles the ship rather than have it captured by British heavy cruiser HMS Berwick (Captain Irving M. Palmer,) north of Iceland. There are 54 survivors picked up by the Berwick. The Wolfsburg was disguised as Norwegian ship Aust. The Berwick hurries the job of scuttling by sinking the ship with gunfire.

The German crew of the  6,530-ton German freighter Heidelberg scuttles the ship in the Windward Passage in the Caribbean Sea rather than be captured by the light cruiser HMS Dunedin. The Dunedin picks up 25 survivors and takes them to Jamaica. Heidelberg was one of the two ships that had left Aruba to run the blockade.

U-32 torpedoes and sinks 2,818-ton Swedish freighter Lagaholm.

U-17 torpedoes and sinks 695-ton Dutch freighter Rijnstroom.

British freighter Albano hits a mine and sinks.

Liner Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by destroyers HMS Mohawk, HMS Punjabi, HMS Fortune, and HMS Foxhound, heads out of the Clyde. While the cover story is that she is heading for Southampton, in reality, she is going to New York.

U-29 (Kapitänleutnant Otto Schuhart) lays mines in the Bristol Channel.

The British at Gibraltar detain the US passenger liner Manhattan. It is released later in the day after the British remove some 80 items of cargo.

European Air Operations: A RAF reconnaissance Supermarine Spitfire gets good photographs of the industrial Ruhr River valley industrial region. In addition, RAF bombers drop leaflets and parachute flares over Berlin.

The Luftwaffe continues searching for shipping targets. The British India passenger liner Domala is bombed by a Heinkel He 111H off the Isle of Wight, with 108 killed or missing of the 291 onboard after fires rage out of control. There are reports of machine-gunning of passengers in lifeboats. There are 183 survivors. A rescue ship, Dutch freighter Jong Willem, also is attacked while picking up 48 survivors.

The Luftwaffe also sinks the Dutch vessel Elzienna.

Convoy OA 102 departs from Southend, Convoy 102 departs from Liverpool, and Convoy HX 24 departs from Halifax.

US Government: Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles meets with Hitler in Berlin. Hitler tells him that, for Germany, "there is no other solution than a life-and-death struggle." Welles forms a favorable impression of Hitler's health and mind, of whom he says, "while his eyes were tired, they were clear."

Australian Military: Chief of the General Staff General Squires passes away.

British Homefront: Cambridge beats Oxford in the annual university boat race at Henley-on-Thames.

American Homefront: Cartoon character Elmer Fudd debuts in the Warner Bros. animated short "Elmer's Candid Camera."

Ruins of Viipuri, Finnish soldiers on the right.

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

Monday 26 February 1940

Soviet soldiers investigate a Finnish Vickers 6-ton tank.

Winter War: The Finns are preparing a new defensive line further west, the T Line, on 26 February 1940. Units already are being ordered to repair it.

Today is the Battle of Honkaniemi, the only Finnish tank attack of the Winter War.

Winter War Army Operations: Finns of the 23rd Division, II Corps have spent the night traveling to the little town of Heponotko, which is about 3 km from the train depot in Honkaniemi. By 04:00, they are in position. The 4th Armoured Company, composed of 13 Vickers 6-ton tanks, has traveled 50 km during the same time and meet them there 30 minutes later. During the journey, the 4th Armoured lost 5 of its 13 tanks due to engine failures and the like.

Captain I. Kunnas is in charge. He orders an artillery barrage and splits his remaining tanks between each flank. The artillery, though, aims short and hits the Finnish troops, causing 30 casualties.

The Finns advance, but are quickly stopped by the Soviet forces. The Finnish tanks prove completely ineffective, being targeted by much larger Soviet T-26 and T-28 tanks as well as 45 mm anti-tank guns. The Finnish tanks did make it to the Soviet line but were quickly knocked out there.

By 10:00, Captain Kunnas received orders to retreat. The Soviets reported to headquarters that they had destroyed six Finnish tanks with no losses to their own tank force.

Winter War Peace Talks: The Finnish Foreign Minister returns to Stockholm for more talks with Madame Kollontai.

Battle of the Atlantic: The 83,700-ton liner Queen Elizabeth departs Clydebank with minimal crew on a top-secret visit to Halifax, Nova Scotia and thence New York. She is one of the few ships to date fitted with a degaussing cable around her waterline to neutralize magnetic mines. Her greatest defense, though, her speed - large liners like her do not travel in convoys.

The British at Gibraltar detain US passenger liner Washington.

Convoy OB 99 departs from Liverpool, Convoy HX 23 departs from Halifax.

European Air Operations: Luftwaffe planes fly over Paris and attract anti-aircraft fire.

British Homefront: Due to naval bases being located in the north of Scotland, the British War Offices announces that commencing 1 March 1940, only those with special passes will be permitted north of the Caledonian Canal.

US Government: Sumner Welles visits with Mussolini and his son-in-law, Foreign Minister Count Galeazzo Ciano, in Rome.

US Military: The War Department creates the Air Defense Command as a component of the US First Army. Its mission is to defend the continental United States against attack.

A destroyed Finnish Vickers 6-ton tank; behind it is a Soviet T-26.

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

2020