Monday 12 February 1940

Finnish antitank barriers at Summa.

Winter War Peace Talks: The Soviet negotiators in Stockholm harden their position and demand more from the Finns due to the success of the Soviet offensive on the Karelian Isthmus.

The Finnish cabinet, meanwhile, agrees in secret that peace should be obtained if at all possible. The Finnish government appeals for direct aid from Sweden, which the Swedish government rejects.

Winter War Army Operations: The Soviet offensive against the Mannerheim Line on the Karelian Isthmus continues. At 05:00, The Soviet 255th Rifle Regiment leads an assault on the front near Summa. Soviet tanks drag explosives-laden armored sleds up to the Millionaire Fort at Lahde and destroy it, killing everyone inside. After capturing it, the Soviets hold it against all counterattacks.

On the Merkki sector, the Soviet 90th Rifle Division assaults a narrow front of 2.5 km. It is supported by massive artillery, including 48 152 mm guns, 20 122 mm guns, 37 76 mm guns and 24 45 mm guns. The main assault is on Hill 44.8, which is held by the 3d Battalion of Major Ruotsalo. The Soviets capture the Finnish trenches, and a night counter-attack fails to dislodge them. The Finns know that they must recapture their line or a major breakthrough will result.

At Taipale, the Soviets capture the Kirvesmäki stronghold and hold it against fierce counterattacks.

While there are breaches in the Mannerheim Line, the Soviets patiently work to expand their advantage.

Battle of the Atlantic: HMS Gleaner, a minesweeper sloop, sinks U-33 (Kapitänleutnant Hans-Wilhelm von Dresky) in the Firth of Clyde after catching it laying mines. The Gleaner forces U-33 to the surface after an extended depth charge attack, where the crew abandons ship. There are 17 survivors, while 25 perish (including von Dresky).

After rescuing the U-33's crew, one of them (Friedrich Kumpf) is found to have the three rotors for the Enigma machine in his pockets (he apparently forgot to throw them in the sea as regulations require). They are immediately sent to the Alan Turing's naval cryptanalysis section of Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park. Two of the rotors (VI and VII), while extremely valuable, are only used by the Kriegsmarine, so they are not universally helpful for solving the critical "Dolphin" key. Unbeknownst to the British, Chief Engineer Schilling also has rotors on his person, but he is not properly searched and he manages to throw them overboard later.

Hitler, Doenitz and von Dresky.

The U-33's mission had been a major priority for the Kriegsmarine. The hazards of laying mines in the Clyde were apparent to the Germans, but closing it down would have been a major success. Hitler himself is said to have ordered the mission, and Admiral Doenitz, in charge of U-boats, saw the U-33 off on its mission from Wilhelmshaven.

U-53 (K.Kapt. Harald Grosse) follows up its successful day on the 11th by sinking the Swedish SS Dalarö west of Scotland (captain drowns; there are 29 survivors picked up by Belgian trawler Jan de Waele).

U-26 (Heinz Scheringer) torpedoes and sinks Norwegian freighter Nidarholm west of Ireland. All 26 crew survive a night in the water.

Destroyer HMS Hasty captures one of the six German ships, the Morea, that left Vigo, Spain to get to Germany. Cruiser HMS Glasgow captures another, Herrlichkeit, off Tromso, Norway.

The crew of the 3,771-ton German freighter Wakama scuttles it (sets it afire) 12 miles off Cabo Frio, Brazil after being stopped by the heavy cruiser HMS Dorsetshire, whose spotter aircraft found it. The Dorsetshire picks up the 46 survivors.

Convoy OA 90G departs from Southend, Convoy HXF 20 departs from Halifax.

Egypt: General Freyberg's convoy, US 1, composed of New Zealand and Australian troops, reaches the Suez Canal. This heralds the arrival of the 4th brigade of the New Zealand Division.

British Homefront: With supplies down 40%, paper rationing is begun.

U-33.

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

Wednesday 31 January 1940

Maavoimat Latil M2Tl6 towing AA gun in Summer 1940. Note the red swastika on the rear of the vehicle – Finnish AA-troops used this as their symbol (as opposed to the blue swastika of the Ilmavoimat) (this appears to be a re-enactment).

Winter War: As of 31 January 1940, Marshal Timoshenko has been planning an assault on the very heart of the Mannerheim Line for most of the month. The Soviets have moved in 12 fresh divisions on the Karelian Isthmus alone. Opposite Summa, which Soviet artillery has been pounding with 7,000 shells per day for two weeks, he has assembled 400 heavy artillery pieces (200 mm or more). The Soviet rear is crowded with innumerable smaller artillery pieces, many of which cannot find a spot close enough to the front to be useful.

Soviet dispositions are aided by the lack of an effective Finnish bomber force, though that has been slightly remedied by the actions of a volunteer Swedish air group. Basically, the Soviets plan to swing an ax right at the heart of the Finnish defenses and then just keep going. To do it, they have brought a mass of men and weapons to overpower the crafty but thinly stretched Finnish forces and blast through the Mannerheim Line.

Winter War Air Operations: The Finns claim to have brought down 5 Soviet planes during a bombing raid on Rovaniemi in which at least 150 bombs were dropped.

Stalin likes to pick "significant" days for his intra-war offensives, and one is straight ahead: the first day of February.

Battle of the Atlantic: Totals of vessels lost in the Atlantic for January 1940 from all causes:

• 73 Allied ships
• 214,506 tons of shipping
• 2 U-boats.

Today, U-13 (Max-Martin Schulte) torpedoes and sinks 1,168 Norwegian freighter Start off of eastern Scotland just after 24:00. All 16 crew perish.

U-21 (Wolf-Harro Stiebler) torpedoes 1,353-ton Danish coal ship Vidar 100 miles east of the Moray Firth, Scotland. Sixteen people perish and there are 18 survivors. The ship remains afloat throughout the day before sinking the next morning. Stiebler has to fire three torpedoes because the first two malfunction and he loses a later "kill" later when another torpedo misfires.

At Gibraltar, the British detain US passenger liner Washington for a few hours before waving it on. They also detain US freighter Jomar and release US freighter Examelia.

Convoy OA 83 GF departs Southend, OG 16 forms at Gibraltar, and Convoy HX 18 departs from Halifax.

British Military: A British commission led by Lord Hardwick and Air Ministry representatives, which has been in Italy since December, issues an order to purchase (along with marine engines, armaments, and light reconnaissance bombers) 300 Caproni-Reggiane Re.2000 Falco I. The Director of Aircraft Contracts confirms the British order today. The Falco I is a modern fighter and largely a copy of the US Seversky P-35, but the Italian Air Force itself does not like it.

British Military: A Royal Commission issues the "Barlow Report" regarding the "Distribution of the Industrial Population." The main prescription for the future is to spread out manufacturing through the creation of new towns.

British Homefront: Prime Minister Winston Chamberlain makes a speech lauding the "rising might" of Great Britain.

US military: General Walter Krueger becomes commander of US IX Corps.

China: Chinese 5th War Area goes over to the defensive.

Future History: Stuart Margolin is born in Davenport, Iowa. He begins acting on US television in the early 1960s and becomes one of the top character actors of subsequent decades, often playing a somewhat nervous "streetwise" character. He also becomes a director, screenwriter, producer, and composer. Margolin wins two Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for playing Evelyn "Angel" Martin on "The Rockford Files" in 1979 and 1980. Stuart Margolin continues acting as of this writing in 2020.

Taking the whole David-vs.-Goliath theme one step further, here Finnish troops use a slingshot to hurl grenades at the Soviets.

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

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

Saturday 27 January 1940

The good ship Faro drifts ashore in Tarcliff Bay.

Winter War: General Siilasvuo's 9th Division completes its deployment opposite the Soviet 54th Mountain Division on 27 January 1940. His plan is a copy of his plan to destroy the 44th Rifle Division on the Ratte road. First, his men will destroy the Soviet division's lines of communication by using mobile ski groups. Then, his men will cut the column - stretched out on the road - into the "logs" that are easier to "burn." This has become known as the "motti" strategy.

The 7,000-shell bombardment of Summa continues for another day. It has now been a continuous rain of artillery shells for two weeks.

The final preparations are now being made for a massive Soviet offensive on the Karelian Isthmus. Comrade Stalin likes to begin his offensives on days that have some larger significance. The first of the month is the nearest one available.

Battle of the Atlantic: US freighter City of Flint arrives back in Baltimore after a historic journey that sparked repeated international incidents.

U-20 (Kapitänleutnant Harro von Klot-Heydenfeldt) goes on a wild U-boat spree, with four victories in a matter of hours. However, they are all small, empty, neutral steamers, so the effect is not as great as appears at first glance. Operating just to the east of the Orkneys, he sinks in order:

• 844 ton Norwegian SS Faro (8 men perish, 7 survive);
• 2,094 ton Danish SS Fredensborg (20 men perish);
• 2,319 ton SS England (20 men perish, one survivor);
• 1,591 ton Norwegian SS Hosanger (17 men perish, one survivor).

Klot-Heydenfeldt could have sparked wars with the neutrals by these sinkings. However, neither Norway nor Denmark is looking for a fight.

The winter waters are extremely rough on the survivors. The sole survivor of the Hosanger, Magnus Sandvik, is near death, and a crew member of the HMS Northern Reward must jump into the water to help him aboard. The Fredensborg and England are both torpedoed as they came to help the stricken Faro, which somewhat ironically does not itself sink but instead drifts ashore and was wrecked in Taracliff Bay, Deerness. The crew reboarded the Faro at one point, but her list drew the propeller out of the water, making her un-maneuverable. She then broke free of the anchor the crew set.

The British at Gibraltar detain the US freighter Cold Harbor.

Convoy OA 80G departs from Southend, and Convoy OB 80 departs from Liverpool.

German Military: Hitler okays the expanded Kriegsmarine plan for the invasion of Norway and orders preparations to begin, and the code name Weserubung is adopted - which suggests that Admiral Raeder already has the ultimate date in mind.

British Homefront: First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill, undaunted by the very mixed reviews to his previous radio address, takes to the broadcast waves again. At the Free Trade Hall in Manchester, he gives a pep talk to workers, stating: "each to our station. . . there is not a week, nor a day, nor an hour to be lost!" He almost sounds disappointed that England has not been bombed yet, which would spur the national effort.

South Africa: After five days of debate in Parliament, General Hertzog's peace resolution is defeated, 81-59. PM Jan Smuts says of Hertzog's arguments, "Goebbels could not have done it better."

China: Chinese 3rd War Area forces the Japanese 22nd Infantry Division to withdraw to Hsiao-shan.

The evening papers in Baltimore are full of news about the City of Flint.

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

Friday 26 January 1940

Pope Pius XII before the microphone in his study at Vatican City in Rome, 1940.

Winter War: Marshal Voroshilov, who has been directing the war from the Kremlin, is on his way to the Finnish front on 26 January 1940. It does not take a military genius for anyone in possession of this fact to figure out that something big is about to take place.

Winter War Army Operations: At Taipale, Finnish 7th Division calculates that it has suffered 816 men killed and 2020 men wounded since the beginning of the war. While huge for Finland, those figures are no doubt dwarfed by those of Soviet forces opposing it.

Group Talvela of Finnish 9th Division consolidates in Kuhmo and prepares to launch an assault on the Soviet 54th Infantry Division.

At Lahde, the two 152-mm guns (Lieutenant Grachev) of the 4th Battery, 402nd Howitzer Artillery Regiment, 24th Corps. Artillery Regiment fire opposite the Millionaire bunker opens up at 12:00, along with other artillery. A Finnish observation tower on the bunker (one of three) is blown up almost at once, and the central section is hit seconds later. Several rounds penetrate the bunker and explode inside. The bunker is a total write-off within minutes. The Soviet artillerymen, possessing a deep understanding of the Soviet system, immediately ask their superiors to sign a document attesting to their part in the destruction of the bunker.

At Summa, the daily 7,000 round artillery bombardment continues.

Battle of the Atlantic: HMS Durham Castle, an 8,240-ton special service vessel, hits a mine laid by U-57 and sinks on 21 January 11 miles northeast of Cromarty in the North Sea. A former passenger ship owned by Union-Castle Mail SS Co. before being requisitioned by the Admiralty, Durham Castle was being towed to Scapa Flow to serve as a store ship and floating barracks.

Convoy OG 16F forms at Gibraltar.

German/Vatican Relations: The German ambassador protests against the recent Vatican broadcasts about German atrocities in Poland.

French Homefront: "Radio Traitor" Paul Ferdonnet, broadcasting propaganda in French from Stuttgart, is tried in absentia by a military tribunal.

British Homefront: The government reports that the massive evacuation of London at the beginning of the war largely has reversed itself. Half of the 734,883 children evacuated, some 316,192, have returned to their homes in London as of 8 January 1940. It is not just the absence of air raids that caused them to return, but a growing feeling that the entire war with Germany has been completely avoided.

US/Japanese Relations: The US allows the US-Japanese Treaty of Navigation and Commerce to lapse due to the continuing Japanese invasion of China.

US Military: US Seabees begin building an airfield at Palmyra Island in the Line Islands (south of Hawaii).

Australia: Brisbane is suffering from an intense heatwave, with temperatures extending above 110 degrees Fahrenheit in many places in the state.

Holocaust: Hans Frank decrees that Jews in occupied Poland are no longer allowed to travel on trains. Limitations also are placed on Jewish worship.

China: The Chinese 3rd War Area attacks the Japanese 22nd Infantry Division west of Shaohsing.

The Royal Norfolk Regiment of the BEF man a trench in France. Hand grenades are being handed out to the soldiers behind them. 26 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

Thursday 25 January 1940

Pilot Officer John R "Jack" Urwin-Mann, who is posted to RAF No 253 Squadron based at Manston on 25 January 1940. DFC 26 November 1940.

Winter War: A British delegation of the National Council of Labour headed by Sir Walter Citrine sets off for Finland on 25 January 1940.

Winter War Army Operations: At Lahde, the Soviets have been scouting out Finnish positions. The Soviet 123rd Rifle Division (Col. Alyabushev) has built dugouts with stoves and engaged in a training program in preparation for a new offensive. The three regiments of the division are kept well back from the front, approximately 2 km, with company-strength forces to keep an eye on the Finns.

Alyabushev is a taskmaster who gets his men ready. Morale is high. New guns are brought up and put into position, so many that it is difficult to locate them all to the best advantage. The scouts capture some Finnish prisoners and also locate the key defensive features. One is the large "Millionaire bunker" on Tongue Hill, another the "Poppius bunker" in the center of the line. This is one of the best-fortified sections of the entire Mannerheim Line.

Two 152 mm guns are sited for the express purpose of destroying the Millionaire bunker. The Soviet troops have enough time and manpower to construct elaborate wooden casements for the guns. They are in position and ready for action by today, but there is some thick fog which cancels the opening of the assault until the weather clears.

At Summa, the 7,000-shell daily bombardment continues.

"Ski Troops Halt Mechanized Soviets." The Orange Leader (Orange, Tex.), Vol. 27, No. 21, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 25, 1940.

Winter War Naval Operations: The weather is extremely poor, enough so that a patrol of Kriegsmarine destroyers turns back to base.

Soviet planes sink Finnish freighter Notung in a bomb attack. The crew reports that the Soviets strafed the survivors in their lifeboat.

Battle of the Atlantic: There continues to be a rash of sinkings of neutral vessels, especially Norwegian ones. The British would dearly love for the Norwegians to join the fight, but they refuse to budge on their neutrality - though it is obvious they tilt toward the Allies.

U-14 (Oberleutnant zur See Herbert Wohlfarth) torpedoes and sinks 1,752-ton Norwegian freighter SS Biarritz. 36 miles northwest of Ymuiden. There is only time to launch a single lifeboat. There are 21 survivors, while 37 people perish (11 passengers, including some women, and 26 crew).

U-19 (Kapitänleutnant Joachim Schepke) continues its stellar patrol by torpedoing and sinking 4,434-ton Latvian freighter SS Everene (re-flagged as Belgian vessel Louvain) five miles off Longstone Lighthouse, Farne Islands at 09:12. There are 30 survivors, one perishes.

U-19 also torpedoes and sinks 1,300-ton Norwegian freighter SS Gudveig nearby at 09:30. There are eight survivors, ten perish. Schepke is proving adept at attacks in quick succession, which takes a bit of nerve due to the chances of being spotted and attacked himself.

U-44 (Kapitänleutnant Ludwig Mathes) torpedoes and sinks 2,769-ton French freighter SS Tourny at 04:11, 20 miles off Porto, Portugal. There are 9 survivors and 8 perish. U-44 sets up on another freighter in the same convoy (56-KS), but an escort vessel spots the U-boat and launches an unsuccessful depth-charge attack.

British destroyer HMS Exmoor is launched.

Convoy OA 79 departs from Southend, OB 79 departs from Liverpool.

Carole Lombard on the cover of Photoplay, January 1940.

European Air Operations: A RAF reconnaissance fails to return from a mission over northwest Germany.

Occupied Poland: The "Goering-Frank Circular" is issued. All occupied territory is to be fully exploited for the benefit of the Reich. This is a top-secret document that soon finds its way to the Polish government-in-exile.

A 1940 Lincoln Continental.

US Navy: US Navy icebreaker USS Bear (AG-29), constructed in 1874, advances further south into the Antarctic than any ship previously. She is commanded by Lieutenant Commander Richard H. Cruzen, fated to lead Operation Highjump in 1948. This is part of the 1939-1941 United States Antarctic Expedition led by Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd.

Canada: Lord Tweedsmuir announces that Parliament is dissolved for elections to be held on 28 March. The issue at hand is the thoroughness of war preparation.

Belgium: The Belgian Foreign Minister rejects the 20 January 1940 appeal by First Lord of the Admiralty for neutral countries to join the Allies.

Vivien Leigh on the cover of Paris Match, 25 January 1940.

Holocaust: The SS selects the village of  Oswiecim (Auschwitz) for the construction of a concentration camp.

China: Chinese 3rd War Area attacks the Japanese 22nd Infantry Division west of Shaohsing.

In the Battle of South Kwangsi, Japanese units from Nanning open an offensive in the direction of Pinyang.

Jimmy Stewart and Frank Morgan in "The Shop Around the Corner," released 25 January 1940.

American Homefront: "The Shop Around the Corner" starring Jimmy Stewart and directed by Ernst Lubitsch opens at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

The "Millionaire" bunker at Lahde.

Future History: Ian Watkin is born in Greymouth, New Zealand. He becomes an actor, getting his first film credits in the early 1970s. His first major role is as Dr. Ryder on New Zealand television series "Pukemanu," and he works steadily thereafter in minor roles on both television and film. He is perhaps best known for "Braindead" (1992) and "Sleeping Dogs" (1977). Fans of "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys might recognize Watkin from his various supporting roles in the series. Ian Watkin passes away in Australia on 18 May 2016.

Ricardo Costa is born in Peniche, Portugal. He becomes a filmmaker in the mid-1970s, producing a series of low-budget films that focus on Portugal.

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 21 January 1940

Germans being taken off the Asam Maru.

Winter War: The Soviet units on the Karelian Isthmus are using the month for training and reconnaissance of Finnish defenses. Starting from 10 Soviet rifle divisions, the number is growing to 23 during the month. More heavy artillery is brought in as well. The divisions are distributed between the 7th Army and the 13th Army. Seventh Army has 14 divisions, 13th Army has 9. Seventh Army is headed toward Vyborg, the key point on the Mannerheim Line.

Winter War Air Operations: On 21 January 1940, Finnish Blenheim bombers, piloted by foreign volunteers, raid the Soviet naval base at Kronstadt. There are similar raids on the Soviet air base south of Tallinn and other Soviet bases in Estonia.

The Soviets bomb Finnish port Oulu.

Winter War Army Operations: The Soviets continue their artillery bombardment of Summa. They are firing 7,000 shells every day to soften the Finnish line preparatory to a full-scale assault. Otherwise, the action is quiet as the weather is still frosty.

Lines of barbed-wire obstacles stretch across snow-covered fields near Menin in France, 21 January 1940 (Imperial War Museum).

Battle of the Atlantic: Italian liner Orazio catches on fire off Barcelona, apparently accidentally. French destroyers take off passengers, there are 104 deaths.

U-22 (Kapitänleutnant Karl-Heinrich Jenisch) sinks Royal Navy destroyer HMS Exmouth (Captain Richard Stoddart Benson) off Tarbett Ness in the Moray Firth. All 175-189 (sources vary) crewmen perish. Jensch first tried to get the British freighter Cyprian Prince that the Exmouth was escorting but missed.

U-22 also torpedoes and sinks 1,469-ton Danish tanker Tekla. Nine perish (four in the ship, five when a mast falls on their lifeboat) and nine survive.

U-22 gets the third success during the day, but this one is from a mine that the U-boat laid on 20 December 1939 near Blyth in north-central England. The 1,086-ton British Ferryhill freighter sinks. Nine perish and two survive.

U-55 (it is believed) sinks Swedish freighter Andalusia. All 21 crew are lost. U-55 never returned from its patrol.

British freighter Protesilaus hits a mine laid by a U-boat and sinks.

British cruiser HMS Liverpool stops Asama Maru, a Japanese liner, off Honshu (35 miles from Japan) and takes off 21 German passengers (of 51 total Germans on board). The Germans are sailor survivors of the German liner Columbus that was scuttled off the US east coast on 19 December 1939). They are returning to Germany by a circuitous route. The men are considered suitable for military service and are to be taken to Hong Kong to be interned. The Japanese government is irate and sends destroyers to intercept the HMS Liverpool, so it makes top speed to the British base.

US freighter Nishmaha is detained by the British at Gibraltar (again).

Convoy OA 77 departs from Southend, Convoy OB 77 departs from Liverpool, Convoy HG 16F departs from Gibraltar and Convoy OG 15 forms at sea off Gibraltar.

British Government: The Duke of Windsor (former heir to the throne) steps down ("takes leave") from his duties as a liaison between the BEF and the French government.

Anglo/French Relations: The British Ministry of Information gives 8 French war correspondents a tour of the War Office, the Admiralty, the Air Ministry, and other key spots.

Holland: The government announces that leave for the military will soon be restored.

Norway: The government announces that 28 Norwegian-flagged ships have been lost.

Vatican: The Pope, Pius XII, broadcasts to the US about German atrocities against priests in Poland.

China: Ching-wei, the puppet ruler over Japanese-occupied China from Nanking, denies the veracity of a published document that supposedly shows that he has given the Japanese complete economic and political dominion over China. Two former associates of his published the supposed agreement.

Future History: Jack Nicklaus is born in Columbus, Ohio. He becomes nationally famous as a golfer in the late 1950s for performing well as an amateur in major tournaments and becomes internationally famous in the 1960s as he dominates the golfing world. Nicklaus goes on to become what many people consider to be the greatest golfer of all time, winning 18 Major Championships as a regular touring pro and many more as an amateur and Senior golfer.

The "Golden Bear," golfer Jack Nicklaus, born on 21 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

Saturday 20 January 1940

Finnish 150 mm m1914 howitzers of Japanese origin, after being captured in Summa by the Soviets in February 1940.

Winter War: The weather remains frigid across Europe on 20 January 1940. London's temperature is the lowest recorded since 1881 at -11°C (-12.2° F) of frost.

Winter War Army Operations: The Soviet 122d Division at Maekaejaervi on the southern prong of the Soviet advance out of Salla attempts to make a stand against Finnish attacks. Soviet artillery bombardment of Summa continues.

The Soviet 18th Rifle Division has been encircled for a week north of Lake Ladoga. Soviet 60th Rifle Division attacks to relieve it.

Winter War Air Operations: Soviet bombers attack the ports of Turku and Hango and set massive fires with 75 incendiary and 150 explosive bombs. The Soviets also perform strafing missions.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-44 (Kapitänleutnant Ludwig Mathes) continues its successful patrol, torpedoing and sinking 5,329 ton Greek freighter Ekatontarchos Dracoulis west of Portugal. There are 6 lives lost, but there could have been more had Captain Mathes not held his fire as the crew took to the boats.

U-57 (Kapitänleutnant Claus Korth) torpedoes and sinks 1,328-ton Norwegian freighter Miranda 30 miles northwest of Peterhead in the North Sea. Three crew survive, fourteen perish. The survivors spend the night in the water before being picked up by a passing Antarctic exploration vessel, RRS Discovery II.

British 7,807 ton tanker Caroni River hits a mine laid by U-34 in Falmouth Bay, southwest England. All 43-55 crew survive (sources vary). The ship was on sea trials and was only carrying ballast.

US freighter Examelia is detained at Gibraltar but allowed to proceed later in the day.

Convoy OA 76 departs from Southend, Convoy OB 76 departs from Liverpool, Convoy SL 17F departs from Freetown, Convoy HXF 17 departs from Halifax.

European Air Operations: RAF bombers make a bombing run in the North Sea and are attacked by anti-aircraft guns from four Kriegsmarine patrol vessels. British planes suffer no damage.

Anglo/French Relations: Generals Weygand and Wavell meet in Beirut.

Argentina: President Roberto Marcelino Ortiz and minister of agriculture José Padilla issue a decree expanding Basque immigration from Spain and France.

German Government: Hitler orders the Wehrmacht's Fall Gelb pre-invasion countdown reduced from four days to 24 hours for security purposes. He also uses his intuition (and perhaps intercepts) to surmise that the British are thinking of invading Scandinavia (they are). Thus, he agrees with the Generals to put off Fall Gelb until the spring but begins thinking himself more seriously about invading Norway.

British Government: First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill broadcasts a speech made to Parliament aimed at neutral countries such as Holland and Belgium. He urges them to join France and Great Britain in fighting the Germans, comparing them to "crocodiles victims" who only hope to be eaten last.

He also has unusually harsh words for the Soviets. Previously, he has been quite circumspect about lumping them in with the Germans. However, this time he calls them "brutish" and compares "Germandom to Bolshevism" and finds both wanting.

The government releases some reconnaissance photographs taken over Germany.

US Government: The State Department protests at the detention practices of the British authorities in Gibraltar, who have been the most aggressive in the British system both in detentions and confiscations.

American Homefront: Three-alarm fire at the Central Christian Church in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Winston Churchill reading his prepared remarks, 20 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

Wednesday 17 January 1940

Finns inspecting Soviet booty, 17 January 1940.

Winter War: An anonymous individual comes up to the Finnish Minister in London, Mr. Gripenberg, on 17 January 1940, hands him £5,000, and walks away.

It is a brutal winter, so brutal that the waters between Sweden and Denmark are said to have frozen over. In Moscow, 79 degrees of frost are recorded. The mercury drops to −43°C (−45°F) on the Karelian Isthmus, −45°C (−49°F) further north in Summa. At noon it is −39°C (−38°F) in Taipale. Lake Lagoda freezes over completely. It is frosty across Europe, and it would have been a terrible day for Hitler's Fall Gelb. On the whole, it benefits the Finns, who have mastered the skill of staying warm while the Soviet soldiers often freeze to death, but everyone on both sides has a hard time with the brutal weather.

Winter War Army Operations: Finns take Kursu near Salla after driving the Soviets back about 12 miles.

The Soviets keep pounding away with their artillery at Summa.

Battle of the Atlantic: An unknown U-boat (or perhaps Soviet submarine) has a narrow escape. British submarine HMS Tribune spots a mystery sub in the Skagerrak Strait, fires six torpedoes, and all miss. Nobody knows what submarine it was.

In a convoluted attack, U-25 (Kapitänleutnant Viktor Schütze) torpedoes and sinks 4,751-ton British freighter Potzella north of Muckle Flugga Shetland Isles. All 36 crew perish. He had been firing at the Norwegian 1,140-ton steamer Enid, but the torpedo missed and Schütze then turned his attention to the Potzella. The Enid, though, sees the U-25 sink the Potzella and intervenes to pick up the men in the water. U-25 then surfaces and uses its deck gun on the Enid. The men of the Enid abandon ship and the U-25 then sinks their ship, too. The men of the Enid survive.

British 5,494 ton freighter Cairncross hits a mine west of Liverpool and sinks. All 48 crew survive. Cairncross was sailing with convoy OB-74. The mine had been laid by U-74 on 6 January 1940.

European Air Operations: The RAF sends Whitley bombers over Prague and Vienna to drop leaflets.

Spy Stuff: Polish cryptographers, having brought over two Enigma machines, succeed in decoding the Luftwaffe key of 28 October 1939. The ciphers are working at Poste de Commandement Bruno (Chateau de Vignolles at Gretz-Armainvillers, 40 km northeast of Paris) and Dilly Knox’s team at Government Code and Cypher School (Bletchley Park, England).

Anglo/American Relations: The British Foreign Office brushes off US protests about impounding US mail bound for the Continent, stating:

His Majesty's Government find themselves unable to share the views of the United States government that their [the British] action in examining neutral mail in British or neutral shipping is contrary to their obligations under international law.

The British at Gibraltar detain both the US passenger liner Manhattan and the US freighter Excambio.

Convoy OA 74 departs from Southend, Convoy OB 74 departs from Liverpool.

China: Japanese 21st Army retreats to Canton, and the Chinese 4th War Area lets them go and digs in about 50 miles north of there.

The 31st Army of the Chinese 5th War Area battles the Japanese near Wanchiatien, Chientingmiao, Lohanting, and Huashan.

Japanese forces around Yehchiachi and Lochiachi attack the 13th Infantry Division of the Chinese 5th War Area. The Chinese are under pressure with their backs to the Han River.

Kiel harbor, ca. 17 January 1940, KMS Scharnhorst in the background. It is not often that you can walk out to a pocket battleship.

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