Monday 5 February 1940

U-41 (on left) was a German type IX U-boat of World War II. She was commissioned on April 22, 1939, with Kapitänleutnant Gustav-Adolf Mugler in command. U-41 conducted three patrols and was sunk by depth charges from HMS Antelope on February 5, 1940. All hands were lost.

Winter War Army Operations: On 5 February 1940, Soviet 7th and 13th Armies continue attacking the Mannerheim Line. The Soviets are not advancing, but they are not trying yet. For now, they are weakening the Finnish Mannerheim line in aid of a breakthrough at a later point.

Winter War Air Operations: Soviet air raids continue. The monastery of Valamo on Lake Ladoga is among the places hit, as well as churches.

Winter War Peace Talks: Secret peace talks continue between the Finnish Foreign Minister and Madame Kollontai, the Soviet ambassador to Sweden.

Battle of the Atlantic:  U-41 (Kapitänleutnant Gustav-Adolf Mugler) torpedoes Dutch tanker Ceronia which is damaged but makes it to port. It then sinks British freighter SS Beaverburn 150 miles south of Ireland. There are 76 survivors and one crew perishes

U-41 then attacks Convoy OA-84 south of Ireland without success. Instead, U-41 itself is sunk by depth charges by the destroyer HMS Antelope. Antelope's Captain, Lt. Commander White, wins the DSO for this first sinking by a solitary destroyer. There are no survivors of the U-boat.

US freighter Exford is detained by the British at Gibraltar.

Convoy OA 86 departs from Southend, Convoy SL 19F departs from Freetown.

Supreme Allied War Council: The fifth meeting takes place in Paris. A decision is taken to intervene in the Winter War first by sending aircraft and guns to Finland. The tentative plan thereafter is to stage landings at Narvik and other ports about 20 March 1940. After that, the troops would proceed by rail through Sweden to Finland. The Allied troops not only would seize the Norwegian iron ore mines, but also secure the Swedish mines.

This assumes Swedish and Norwegian acquiescence in the plan. Germany, of course, is making similar plans, but they are not relying on the kindness of anyone. The Allied plan makes little sense, envisioning using only two divisions (against the entire Soviet army) that do not even exist yet or would have to be diverted from the BEF in France. It appears calculated more to suppress Norwegian and Swedish iron ore delivers to Germany and to coerce Norway to the Allied side than to aid Finland.

British Chief of Staff General Sir Edmund Ironside writes afterward that everyone is "purring with pleasure" at this chance to go into action. BEF Chief of Staff General Henry Pownall, though, is not so pleased, writing in his own diary:

“For five months we have been struggling to make fit for action in the Spring a force that was dangerously under-equipped and untrained. There were signs that we were getting some reasonable way to our goal. If this business [the invasion of Norway] goes through, we shall be cut by 30%. Of all the harebrained projects I have heard of, this is the most foolish.”

Dutch Military: Commander-in-chief Izaak Reynders resigns effective on 6 February 1940. He is replaced by General Henri Winkelman. Reynders was disgraced by his intemperate reaction to the Mechelen Incident. The reason given is the lack of government support for increased defense expenditures.

British Military: General Percival becomes commander of 43rd Infantry Division.

US Government: The US Maritime Commission announces that Britain and France, in great need of shipping, are purchasing 113,000 tonnes of American cargo ships.

China: In the Battle of South Kwangsi, the Japanese attack Wuning.

The Under-Secretary of State for Air, Captain H H Balfour, questions an Air Commodore about 250-lb GP bombs, which are about to be loaded into a Bristol Blenheim Mark IV of the Advanced Air Striking Force on an airfield in France (Imperial War Museum, official photographer SA Devon).

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

Sunday 4 February 1940

2nd East Yorkshire Regiment soldier in snow gear with camouflaged rifle, 4 February 1940.

Winter War: Reports surface on 4 February 1940 that the Germans are sending arms by sea to the Soviets at Petsamo (occupied by the Soviet 14th Army) and Murmansk.

Winter War Army Operations: The Soviet 7th Army advances on Summa Village in fierce fighting. The Finns are fighting fiercely in return from the woods while the Soviets consolidate their capture of Finnish bunkers. The Soviets still have not launched their main attack.

At Kuhmo, the Siberian ski battalion (Col. Dolin) has reached the trapped Soviet 54th Division. The Siberians counterattack the Finnish 9th Division. Elsewhere, Finnish IV Corps destroys the West Lemetti motti (log), capturing 4 field guns, 2 antitank guns, 1 mortar, 32 tanks, 6 machineguns, 120 rifles and 26 trucks. The official orders use the word "motti" for the first time.

Winter War Air Operations: Soviet bombers attack targets throughout Finland, including 141 towns, railways and harbors. Viipuri suffers terribly, with other attacks on Ekenaes and Rovaniemi. In Helsinki, 14 are killed and 179 injured. The Soviets drop about 6,800 bombs. Overall, there is a total of 193 casualties, mostly civilians. The Finns claim to have shot down 11 more Soviet planes.

Winter War Peace Efforts: The Finnish Foreign Minister travels to Stockholm for secret negotiations with Soviet ambassador Madame Kollontai.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-37 (Korvettenkapitän Werner Hartmann) torpedoes and sinks 1,365 ton Norwegian freighter Hop 100 miles south of the Shetland Islands at 04:17. All 17 crew perish.

U-37 continues on and at 21:25 torpedoes 4,330 ton British freighter Leo Dawson about 15 miles east of Bressay after missing with the first torpedo. All 35 on board perish.

The minesweeper Sphinx, bombed on the 3rd, sinks at 04:30 while under tow in rough seas. Five officers and 49 crew perish. It is the first Halcyon-class ship lost at sea.

The British confiscate 390 sacks of German mail from the US passenger liner Manhattan and then release her. American diplomatic pouches on board were not touched.

Convoy OB 85 departs from Liverpool, and Convoy HXF 19 departs from Halifax.

French Military: The French decorate RAF Flight Lt. R.V. Jeff with the Croix de Guerre.

Joseph Stalin with - and without - Nikolai Yezhov. Foreign Minister Molotov is on the left.

Soviet Government: Stalin has Nikolai Yezhov, his former head of the NKVD (later the KGB), executed for disloyalty. Not only is Yezhov executed, but Stalin orders him removed from all known photographs of him with Stalin in an early version of photoshopping. This incident and others like it perhaps informs George Orwell as he writes his classic "1984" later in the decade.

Balkans: The ministers meeting at Belgrade declare regional neutrality and solidarity.

China: At the First Battle of Wuyuan, the Japanese advance from the city and capture Linho from Chinese 8th War Area.

At the Battle of South Kwangsi, the Japanese capture Shanglin and attack Wuning, while the Chinese counterattack and capture Yungshun, which threatens Japanese lines of communication. The Chinese also attack around Pinyang.

HMS Sphinx after being bombed.

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

2016

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

Thursday 1 February 1940

Night artillery exchanges and air attacks at Summa, February 1940.

Winter War Army Operations: The Second Battle of Summa begins on 1 February 1940. Dispensing with any attempt at subtlety, the Soviet 7th Army dispatches an army of tanks, quite a few pulling armored infantry in sleds quickly dubbed "Molotov Coffins." They head directly at the center of the Mannerheim Line. It is a 12-mile stretch of open land, good tank terrain absent rivers and lakes, near Summa. Beyond is the key city of Viipuri, the ultimate objective.

The artillery barrage ramps up to 300,000 shells in 24 hours, more than has been fired at Summa since the start of the campaign. The 13th Army joins in, though the main effort is at the 7th Army. Together, the two Soviet armies have 14 divisions and six tank brigades, along with reserves filling the rest of the Karelian Isthmus.

Only regiment probing-style attacks are launched. The idea is to test the Finnish defenses, wear the Finns down and soften the defenses, not a breakthrough - yet.

New tank tactics also are tested. The tanks come in smaller numbers and with more infantry support, making them harder to destroy. A rarity in warfare up to this point, they also use tank flamethrowers. The Soviets escalate their artillery and air bombards, and attacks are screened with smoke. Unconcerned about losses, the Soviet Generals send their troops straight at the fortifications in dense masses in the distinctive attack known as à la russe.

The Finnish defense is complicated due to troop rotations they recently have made. The Finnish 2nd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment has been brought to the area of the attack. While capable troops, the 9th Infantry Regiment happens to be completely Swedish-speaking. This is not unusual in Finland - some 6% of all Finns speak Swedish - but it creates communications issues.

While the Mannerheim Line has been battered by weeks of artillery barrages, the ruins serve as effective firing positions. The Finns hold the line for the time being. This first day is just an appetizer.

Winter War Air Operations: Aside from supporting the attack at Summa, the Soviets bomb Rovaniemi and Kemi. The Finns have both aircraft now from several nations, including the Americans and the British. Swedish volunteers are flying off of a frozen lake at Kemi.

Battle of the Atlantic: US President Roosevelt writes to his friend, First Lord of the Admiralty, and informs him that the British policy of detaining US freighters was hurting Anglo/US relations. "The general feeling is," Roosevelt writes, "that the net benefit to your people and the French is hardly worth the definite annoyance caused to us."

U-13 (Max-Martin Schulte) torpedoes 2,491-ton Swedish freighter Fram at 13:43 while it is lying at anchor in Aberdour Bay, Scotland. There are 14 survivors, and 9 perish.

U-59 (Oberleutnant zur See Harald Jürst) torpedoes and sinks 498-ton British freighter Ellen M. 20 miles northeast of Lowestoft, England at 20:44. All 9 crew members perish.

The British at Gibraltar detain US freighter Exminster, and they release US freighter Exochorda.

Convoy OB 83 departs from Liverpool, SL 19 departs from Freetown and HG 17 departs from Gibraltar.

Balkan Relations: The foreign ministers of Yugoslavia, Turkey, Romania, and Greece meet Belgrade to discuss issues of mutual concern.

German Military: General Erich von Manstein, chief of staff to Army Group A, is transferred to command of German XXXVIII Korps. This is done by his superiors partly in an effort to get him away from the center of power, as his innovative ideas about Fall Gelb are not appreciated. However, Hitler has heard about them and is intrigued. The Generals' plan backfires when Hitler manages to meet with Manstein at a formal reception honoring his (and other Korps commanders') appointment, where the two chat about how to attack in the West.

British Military: General Claude Auchinleck takes command of IV Corps.

British Government: The Admiralty takes control of merchant shipbuilding and repair.

Japanese Government: The new government embarks upon a five-year rearmament program. It presents a record budget, with almost half devoted to the military.

The government also officially protests the British seizure of 21 German nationals from the Asama Maru Incident of 21 January 1940. It demands the return of the Germans.

British Homefront: The Lord Mayor's Red Cross and St. John's Fund passes the  £1,000,000 level.

China: Communist leader Mao Tse-tung issues an appeal to the American Government to stand firm in its opposition to Japanese aggression.

In the dwindling Winter Offensive, the Chinese 2d War Area halts operations and withdraws from the Japanese-held city of Changtze.

At the Battle of South Kwangsi, the Japanese attack Pinyang.

The Imperial Japanese Air Force attacks Chinese airfields near Chinhua, Yushan, and Chushien.

Holocaust: Italy, which largely keeps its distance from the German holocaust agenda, enacts its own Employment laws imposing constraints upon Jews.

Mao Tse-Tung.

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

Sunday 10 December 1939

A Chinese Maxim M1910 machine gun team at Kunlun Pass, Guangxi, China during the Winter Offensive of the Second Sino-Japanese War in late 1939.

Winter War Army Operations: Soviet 9th Army (Chuikov) 122nd and 88th divisions capture at least part of Salla in the waist of the country on 10 December 1939. The tiny village itself has been burned down during the fighting on 9 December, but it is a key milestone on the road to the coast. The Soviet long-range objective is the port of Tornio by way of Rovaniemi, the latter of which Soviet plans call for taking in two weeks.

There are only so many useable east-west roads in this part of Finland, and this is the best one north of Suomussalmi. Reaching Tornio would split Finland in two and effectively decide the war. Even just taking Rovaniemi, which sits astride the only major north/south road east of the coast, would seriously damage Finnish prospects. Thus, the stakes are extremely high for the Finns, though the Soviets have multiple options - and all those options may be weighing on them.

Once in possession of Salla, Chuikov has a decision to make, because there is a fork in the road there. What he decides will have a big influence on future events.

The Soviet 7th Army is being shelled by Finnish coastal batteries on the island of Saarenpää. Soviet battleship Oktjabrskaja Revolutsija (October Revolution) attempts to destroy the Finnish batteries, but cannot hit them in dense winter fog. Other Finnish batteries on islands in the Gulf of Finland prevent Soviet naval forces from invading behind the Mannerheim Line to undermine it. The Finns may not have an overwhelming amount of ordnance, but what they do have is cleverly used.

 Elsewhere, operations are fairly quiet after a rough week.

Winter War Naval Operations: The Baltic is the one area where the Kriegsmarine and German merchant marine does not have to suffer the oppressive superiority of the Royal Navy. However, with the onset of the Winter War, now a loose cannon that cannot be avoided there is shooting randomly at everyone: the Soviet Navy. This places a further strain on German/Soviet relations in addition to everything else - and the Soviets never apologize for their mistakes.

Soviet submarine SC-323 sinks Estonian freighter Kassari.

Soviet submarine S-1 sinks the German SS Bolheim in the Gulf of Bothnia, apparently mistaking it for a Finnish ship.

Soviet submarine S-1.

Battle of the Atlantic: A Canadian troop convoy that includes five big passenger liners full of troops sets sail from Halifax. It has numerous escorts. It is convoy HXF 12. It is bound for Liverpool.

The Soviet government formally protests to the British government about its blockade.

U-20 (Kapitänleutnant Karl-Heinz Moehle) sinks 1,674-ton Norwegian freighter Føina north of Scotland. All eighteen crew perish.

The 4,815-ton British freighter Willowpool strikes a mine laid by a U-boat and sinks a few miles from the Newark Lightship in the English Channel. All 36 crew survive.

British freighter Ray of Hope is sunk by a mine.

German liner Bremen decides to risk Allied patrols and leaves Murmansk for Germany.

The British detain US freighter Steel Engineer at Gibraltar.

Convoy OA 50G departs from Southend, Convoy OB 50 departs from Liverpool, and Convoy SL 12 and SL 12F both depart from Freetown.

Finnish Government: The government makes an international appeal for aid, stating in part that the USSR had attacked it "without the slightest cause," and that "our position as the active outpost of western civilization gives us the right to expect the active resistance of other civilized nations."
US/Finnish Relations: The US government grants Finland a $10 million letter of credit for agricultural supplies. While the timing is quite interesting, it appears to be in gratitude for Finland paying off its Great War debt to the United States in full (unlike virtually everyone else).

Peace Talks: The League of Nations continues deliberating the Soviet attack on Finland.

Soviet battleship October Revolution in 1934.

December 14, 1939: Quisling Meets Hitler
December 15, 1939: Chinese Winter Offensive in High Gear
December 16, 1939: Battle of Summa
December 17, 1939: End of Admiral Graf Spee
December 18, 1939: Battle of Heligoland Bight
December 19, 1939: British Disarm Magnetic Mines
December 20, 1939: Finnish Counterattacks Continue
December 21, 1939: Finns Plan More Counterattacks
December 22, 1939: Enter Chuikov
December 23, 1939: Failed Finnish Counterattack
December 24, 1939: Soviets on the Run
December 25, 1939: Fresh Soviet Attacks
December 26, 1939: Vicious Battles at Kelja
December 27, 1939: Grinding Finnish Victories
December 28, 1939: Liberators
December 29, 1939: Finns Tighten the Noose
December 30, 1939: Finnish Booty
December 31, 1939: Planning More Soviet Destruction

2019

Tuesday 5 December 1939

A Soviet tank column in the Finnish snow.

Winter War Army Campaign: The Finns claim to have destroyed 64 Soviet tanks and destroyed 24 planes in the previous two days. The Soviets, of course, have thousands more of each.
On the Karelian Isthmus north of Leningrad, the Soviet 7th Army reaches the Mannerheim Line, the main series of Finnish fortifications and obstacles. There are other projected lines to the rear, but this is their best hope of stopping the Soviets. It is garrisoned by the Finnish 2nd Corps.

The Finns are proving expert at handling the Soviet tanks. They separate the tanks from their supporting infantry, then destroy them piecemeal in close combat, often at night.


Winter War Air Campaign: Finnish bombers in the far north raid the Soviet airbase in Murmansk with incendiary bombs.

Battle of the Atlantic: British cruiser Ajax intercepts the German passenger liner Ussukuma off of Uruguay. The German crew scuttles the ship. The Ajax picks up 107 survivors.

U-47 (Kapitänleutnant Günther Prien) torpedoes and sinks British merchant ship Navasota. Thirty-seven crew perish, 45 are picked up by British ships in the convoy, OB-46. Prien, of course, is the hero of the U-boat fleet after sinking the HMS Royal Oak. He is operating now south of Ireland.

The British order the US freighter Exochorda to proceed to Marseilles to unload "contraband" (tin plate). The master refuses and remains in port.

British authorities at the Downs detain the US freighter Yaka.

Battle of the Pacific: Royal Navy cruiser Despatch, on neutrality patrol off Chile, captures the German freighter Dusseldorf.

German Government: The government announces that munitions output has doubled since the start of the war and is projected to double again in six months' time.

First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill goes before the House of Commons and makes a moral argument about the conduct of the war to date. He castigates the Germans for descending to "the lowest form of warfare that can be imagined." He uses as his example the use of Germans of first the gun, the torpedo, and now the mine as their primary weapons.

German/American Bund: Fritz Kuhn is sentenced to 2.5 to 5 years for larceny and forgery.

China: The Japanese continue their spoiling attacks against the Chinese winter offensive around Wenhsi and Hsia Hsien.

At the Battle of South Kwangsi, the Japanese realize they are simply chasing the Chinese into the endless hills without any purpose. They stop and dig in just north of Nanning.

A Soviet tank column in Finland. The tanks may not look very impressive by later standards, but the Finns had none at all. One can see how vulnerable a Soviet tank column was as they stayed on the roads between impenetrable Finnish forests.

December 1939

December 1, 1939: Finland Fights for its Life
December 2, 1939: First RAF Bombs on Germany
December 3, 1939: Soviets Still Advancing in Finland
December 4, 1939: Molotov to Roosevelt - Mind Your Own Business
December 5, 1939: Prien Returns
December 6, 1939: Attacks on Mannerheim Line
December 7, 1939: Kollaa Holds!
December 8, 1939: Polish Pilots Return
December 9, 1939: First British BEF Fatality
December 10, 1939: The Soviets Capture Salla in Finland
December 11, 1939: Finns Make Their Move
December 12, 1939: Finnish Success in the Winter War
December 13, 1939: Battle of River Platte December 14, 1939: Quisling Meets Hitler
December 15, 1939: Chinese Winter Offensive in High Gear
December 16, 1939: Battle of Summa
December 17, 1939: End of Admiral Graf Spee
December 18, 1939: Battle of Heligoland Bight
December 19, 1939: British Disarm Magnetic Mines
December 20, 1939: Finnish Counterattacks Continue
December 21, 1939: Finns Plan More Counterattacks
December 22, 1939: Enter Chuikov
December 23, 1939: Failed Finnish Counterattack
December 24, 1939: Soviets on the Run
December 25, 1939: Fresh Soviet Attacks
December 26, 1939: Vicious Battles at Kelja
December 27, 1939: Grinding Finnish Victories
December 28, 1939: Liberators
December 29, 1939: Finns Tighten the Noose
December 30, 1939: Finnish Booty
December 31, 1939: Planning More Soviet Destruction

2019

Friday December 1 1939

The Soviet bombing of civilian areas in Helsinki.

Winter War: On 1 December 1939, the Soviets bomb Helsinki again during the night, killing 80 people.

On the ground, the Soviet advance is slow. The Finns may be small in numbers, but they are big in heart. The Karelian Front is the scene of savage fighting. The Finns report capturing 1200 prisoners, destroying 19 tanks and shooting down at least 16 aircraft.

Winter War Army Operations: Soviet 7th and 8th Armies on either side of Lake Ladoga are advancing, but slowly. They are meeting unexpected strong resistance and are behind schedule. Soviet tanks are operating independently from the infantry. These occasionally penetrate the Finnish lines but are eventually neutralized.

North of Lake Ladoga, the advance Finnish forces near the border flee back to the Mannerheim Line. The Soviets are in hot pursuit, aided by naval forces on Lake Ladoga.

Soviet 14th Army in the far north accomplishes its prime objective and captures the prime port of Petsamo.

Winter War Naval Operations: The Finnish troops on Russaro Island beat back the Soviet cruiser Kirov that is bombarding it. The Soviet ship takes 17 dead and 30 wounded, while the Finns report no casualties. The Finns are armed with four massive 234 mm coastal guns there, and they are able to return fire at a range of 24 km to good effect.

Soviet gunboat Orangenbaum runs aground on a sandbar in Lake Ladoga, a notoriously treacherous lake for ships. It is accompanying other ships trying to shell Finnish shore batteries and land troops at Taipale behind the Mannerheim Line. The overall Soviet attack is unsuccessful.

The Soviet Navy lands troops on Someri Island and Narvi Island.

Scandinavia: There are widespread pro-Finnish demonstrations throughout the Nordic region. These nations live in perpetual fear of heavy-handed tactics such as the USSR is displaying, and now the nightmare is coming true.

A recruitment office for volunteers wishing to help the Finns opens in Stockholm.

Winter War Peace Talks: Molotov rejects requests to negotiate with the new Finnish government.

United States Government: President Roosevelt condemns the Soviet invasion of Finland. US Ambassador to the USSR Laurence B. Steinhardt states that in particular, the US objects to "the alleged bombardment of civilians in Finland by Soviet airmen."

Soviet Propaganda: The Soviets set up a puppet Finnish government (the Democratic Republic of Finland) just across the border in occupied Finland, at Terijoki. It is led by Finnish Communist Otto Kuusinen, who asks Finns to "overthrow the oppressor" in Helsinki.

The TASS news agency touts the Kuusinen government that the Soviets have installed: "The people already rose in various parts of the country and proclaimed the formation of a democratic republic. Part of the soldiers of Finland's army already have sided with the new government, backed by the people." In actuality, the entire Finnish Army is fighting with great skill and determination against the Soviet hordes.

Battle of the Atlantic: British freighter Dalryan hits a mine and sinks off the southeast coast of England. Norwegian freighter Realf is reported lost at sea.

U-21 (Kapitänleutnant Fritz Frauenheim) sinks 4,260-ton Finnish freighter Mercator off Buchan Ness, Scotland in the North Sea. One crew member perishes, 35 survive.

U-31 (Kapitänleutnant Johannes Habekost) sinks 1,277-ton Norwegian freighter Arcturus east of Scotland.

Convoy OA 44 departs from Southend.

Battle of the Pacific: The US sends six submarines to join the Asiatic Fleet in Pearl Harbor.

France: Premier Edouard Daladier addresses the French and British people (with simultaneous translation as usual). He states that it "has not been necessary to take an attitude of aggressive attack" due to the strength of the Maginot Line. He makes a point of blaming French communist leaders' subversion ("treating with foreign governments") for France's situation, stating that it constitutes "treason."

China: A major Chinese winter offensive, long-planned by Chiang Kai-shek, begins. It starts in north China. The Chinese 1st War Area (Honan and northern Anhwei, with 3rd Army Group and 36th Army Group) cuts the Lunghai Railway in three places (Lowang, Neihuang, and Lanfeng).

In the Battle of Kwangsi, the Japanese, pursuing the fleeing Chinese, capture Kaofengyi north of Nanning.

Edouard Daladier.

December 14, 1939: Quisling Meets Hitler
December 15, 1939: Chinese Winter Offensive in High Gear
December 16, 1939: Battle of Summa
December 17, 1939: End of Admiral Graf Spee
December 18, 1939: Battle of Heligoland Bight
December 19, 1939: British Disarm Magnetic Mines
December 20, 1939: Finnish Counterattacks Continue
December 21, 1939: Finns Plan More Counterattacks
December 22, 1939: Enter Chuikov
December 23, 1939: Failed Finnish Counterattack
December 24, 1939: Soviets on the Run
December 25, 1939: Fresh Soviet Attacks
December 26, 1939: Vicious Battles at Kelja
December 27, 1939: Grinding Finnish Victories
December 28, 1939: Liberators
December 29, 1939: Finns Tighten the Noose
December 30, 1939: Finnish Booty
December 31, 1939: Planning More Soviet Destruction

2019