Tuesday 26 March 1940

The Curtiss C-46 Commando flies for the first time on 26 March 1940.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-38 (Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Liebe) is 65 miles northwest of Noup Head, Orkneys on 26 March 1940 when its crew spots 3,794-ton Norwegian freighter Cometa. The Cometa is running with its lights on at night, generally signifying a neutral ship. Liebe stops the ship (apparently it stopped on its own after realizing the U-38 was there) and is told that HMS Kingston Peridot, a British trawler, had instructed it to go to Kirkwall, Scotland for the examination of its cargo. To that end, there is a Royal Navy officer and four ratings on board, which technically makes it a warship. Liebe instructs the crew to abandon ship, then sinks it at 02:20 with one torpedo, the ship breaking in two amidships. The forepart remains afloat, so Liebe sends it down with another torpedo. All 42 crew survive and are soon picked up a trawler, HMS Northern Sky.

U-21 (Wolf-Harro Stiebler) runs aground at Oldknuppen Island, Norway after a navigational error. The Norwegians intern the boat and tow it to Mandal, Norway, thence Kristiansand.

The Mauretania makes it to the Panama Canal without incident. She is on her way to Australia to be refitted.

Convoy OA 117 departs from Southend.

Western Front: The BEF takes on a little more responsibility as the 51st Highland Division sets up in the Saar region. They replace French soldiers in the line, which is a first.

Royal Navy: First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill has a flash of inspiration: "Memo: More backgammon sets on warships - quicker game than cards."

US Army Air Corps: The Curtiss C-46 Commando has its first flight. The new cargo plane has a "double bubble" design with two pressurized cabins. While the airlines are not interested in the plane, USAAC Chief of Staff General Henry “Hap” Arnold likes its potential as a cargo plane and places an initial order of 200.

Soviet Government: The Kremlin recalls its ambassador to France after French complaints about him. Soviet Ambassador to Paris Jakob Suritz sent Stalin a message congratulating for him his victory over "Anglo-French warmongers."

Soviet/German Relations: Hitler enjoys personal diplomacy - he will travel far and wide to meet a fellow dictator - and asks Stalin to meet to discuss their mutual border. The two have never met - Hitler has even met the British and French leaders - but Stalin declines to meet anyway.

Italian/Hungarian Relations: Count Pál János Ede Teleki, Prime Minister of Hungary, visits with Mussolini in Rome. Mussolini tells Teleki and Ciano, who attends the meeting, that Italy will join the Germans in the war at some point.

Canada: In the general elections, the Liberals under William Lyon Mackenzie King win 178 seats, the Conservatives take 39, and all other parties win 28.

New Zealand: The Labour Prime Minister, Michael Savage, passes away at age 68.

French Homefront: Prime Minister Reynaud broadcasts a speech to the public urging the nation to carry on a "total war" against the Germans. This is an old phrase from World War I.

British Homefront: Morale is high as the long Easter Weekend ends, with long queues at the train stations and an impromptu sing-a-long at Waterloo Station.

Wilhelm Solf, an Austrian undergraduate at Oxford University, is interned after he photographs a crashed RAF plane. As reported in the London Times, many citizens feel that the government is treating Germans caught in the country by the war harshly. This is buttressed by a newsreel being shown in cinemas which details the recent incident of an RAF bomber accidentally landing in Germany, the crew meeting with local farmers there on good terms, and then taking off again before being caught.

China: The Japanese, reinforced in recent days, recapture Wuyuan from the Chinese 8th War Area. The Chinese fall back to the banks of Fan-chi-chu and launch attacks at Xin'an, Xishanzui, Xixiaozhao, and Manko.

American Homefront: General Motors officially cancels the LaSalle nameplate in the Cadillac division. While LaSalles have sold reasonably well (often better than Cadillacs), the thinking apparently is that the company should focus on the more prestigious Cadillac brand. Production of LaSalles ceases in August. Final LaSalle designs are incorporated into new Cadillac models.

Future History: James Caan is born in the Bronx, New York. He becomes famous as a movie star in the '60s and '70s, most famously for his role in "The Godfather."

Nancy Pelosi is born in Baltimore, Maryland. She becomes the 52nd Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Many Curtiss C-46 Commando cargo planes became of tremendous use in the Burma theater of operations, where they supplied the Chinese over the "Hump" of the Himalayas. Many remain in service to this day, in the 21st Century. While never fully given its due in terms of public perceptions, the decidedly un-flashy C-46 is one of the most useful, dependable and enduring aircraft in aviation history.

The Cometa, sunk on 26 March 1940. Photo Courtesy of Library of Contemporary History, Stuttgart.

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

2021

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

Thursday 21 December 1939

A knocked-out Soviet T-28 tank at Summa, taken from a Finnish trench, 21 December 1939.

Winter War Ground Operations: Ground operations are at a tipping point on 21 December 1939. The Soviet impetus has been stopped - the original plan had been to be in Helsinki by now, Stalin's birthday. The Finns already have proven their mettle, but now is when they start moving toward actually eviscerating some of the over-extended and ill-prepared Soviet troops.

Finnish II Corp’s commander General Harald Öhqvist prepares a plan for his own commander, General Hugo Österman, for a counter-offensive on the Karelian Isthmus. Field Marshal Mannerheim has a good relationship with his subordinates and approves the plan.

Major General Paavo Talvela is counterattacking the Soviet 139th Rifle Division around Ägläjärvi, which is about 20 km from Tolvajärvi. The Soviets are giving ground. The Soviet 75th Rifle Division is not doing much to help its sister formation but is in contact with the Finns.

At Salla, the Soviet troops on the north fork are still under pressure and have been pushed back to Savukoski. The Soviets on the south fork are also under pressure but are less overstretched.

At Summa, the Soviet tank attacks continue to result in no lasting gains and are winding down. The field is littered with abandoned Soviet tanks. The Soviet infantry is refusing to participate in frontal assaults on the well dug-in Finnish soldiers.

At Suomossalmi, the Soviet 163rd and 44th Rifle Divisions are both trapped, the one in the town, the other stretched out along the road. Both are now to some extent dependent upon the other remaining in action, else the Finns can concentrate all their men on one of the units.

In the far north, the Soviet 14th Army once again advances to Nautsi, but then stops. The 14th Army can only become a strategic threat to Finland if it can advance south and take the key road junction of Rovaniemi and points further south, potentially hooking up with the Soviet 9th Army. The Finns are executing a form of guerilla warfare in the treeless, windy, endless dark, cutting supply lines and launching harassing attacks.

Another view of the knocked-out Soviet tank at Summa, 21 December 1939.

Winter War Air Operations: Soviet bombers raid Helsinki.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-21 (Kapitänleutnant Fritz Frauenheim) is positioned perfectly as the day begins. At 07:25 he torpedoes and sinks 1,352-ton Swedish freighter, Carl Henckel, off the Island of May, Scotland. Seven survive, ten perish. Around 10:00, he torpedoes and sinks 1,475-ton Swedish freighter Mars near the same spot. There is one survivor, 18 perish. Frauenheim is sparing with his torpedoes, using one on each freighter. The survivors spend a miserable day and night in the sea and are then picked up and taken to Kristiansand.

U-46 (Herbert Sohler) torpedoes and sinks 924-ton Norwegian freighter Rudolf northeast of Rattray Head, Scotland. All 15 crew survive.

British defense vessel HMS Bayonet strikes a mine in the Firth of Forth and sinks. Three perish.

USS Twiggs tails the British RFA tanker Patella in the Caribbean.

Captain Langsdorff is buried in Buenos Aires as his men from the Admiral Graf Spee go into internment there.

Convoy OG 11 forming at Gibraltar.

U-62 is commissioned.

European Air Operations: The RAF once again sends a mass of bombers to attack German shipping in the north sea, but they find nothing and, while returning, have two of their 42 number shot down by Supermarine Spitfires.

There also are some interceptions along the French border, but no engagements.

German/Soviet Relations: Hitler loves to celebrate other leaders' birthdays, and this is Joseph Stalin's 60th big day. He sends Stalin a telegram wishing him "good health and a happy future for the peoples of the friendly Soviet Union."

Stalin responds as a good Communist should: "To the Chancellor of the German Reich, A Hitler. The friendship of the peoples of Germany and the Soviet Union, cemented by blood, has every reason to be lasting and firm."

Hitler is working very hard to become "friendly" with Stalin. He has ulterior motives for this which will not be known until later.
German/Romanian Relations: The two countries sign an economic agreement. Germany is highly dependent upon Romanian oil.

French Government: The government releases a compendium of pre-war documents in the "Yellow Book." The British had done the same thing on 21 September 1939 in its "Blue Book."

Canada: The newly arrived Canadian 1st Division hold a parade at Aldershot.

Sweden: Swedish volunteers cross over to Finland to help in the Winter War.

China: The Winter Offensive continues. The Chinese retain the initiative but are getting bogged down now. The Chinese 3rd War Area raids Nanchang, the Chinese 8th War Area is fighting within Paotou, the Chinese 9th War Area is cutting Japanese lines of communications at Chingan, and there is fighting around Kunlunkuan.

The Japanese 5th Infantry Division takes Lungchow.

The funeral procession for Kapitän zur See Hans W. Langsdorff in Buenos Aires, 21 December 1939.

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

Wednesday 4 October 1939

Troops in action between the Bug and Vistula rivers, October 1939.

Battle of Poland: General von Wietersheim of the XIV Motorised Corps finally accepts on 4 October 1939 that the trapped Polish forces between the Bug and Vistula rivers will have to be subdued by force. He adds the 29th Motorised Infantry Division to the 13th Motorised Infantry Division and tells General Otto to get the job done. On the other side, General Kleeberg decides that his best tactic is to eliminate the two divisions one by one. He picks the 13th ID as his first victim.

The 13th ID attacks in the morning and advances until halted around noontime. The Poles adjust their forces to meet the German thrusts, and after much back-and-forth, the Poles hold their line.

In Berlin, Hitler issues an order to blow up the Royal Castle in Warsaw.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-35 lands in Ireland the 28 Greek crewmen that it saved after torpedoing their ship and then returns to patrol.

U-21 (Kapitänleutnant Otto Kretschmer) sinks the British merchant ship Glen Farg northeast of Scotland. One crew member dies and 16 are picked up by the HMS Firedrake. It is Kretschmer's first victory in three patrols. He allows the crew to disembark before sinking it.

British authorities release the US freighter Black Hawk from detention.

The U.S. Naval Attaché in Berlin reports that Grand Admiral Erich Raeder had informed him of a brewing "false flag" situation. The U.S. passenger liner Iroquois, that had sailed from Cobh, Ireland, with 566 American passengers on October 3, would be sunk (by the British) as she neared the east coast of the United States under "Athenia circumstances" to arouse anti-German feeling.

Convoy KJ 3 departs from Kingston for the UK.

Western Front: The Germans are quietly evacuating cities directly behind the Siegfried Line and militarizing them. Karlsruhe is the latest. Perhaps as cover for this operation, the Germans launch some minor attacks.

European Air Operations: No. 219 Squadron, a World War I unit, is re-formed at Catterick with Blenheim fighters to protect shipping.

Soviet Propaganda: Nikita Kruschev, the Secretary of the Ukrainian Communist Party, announces the "Communization" of Soviet-occupied Poland.

German/Soviet Diplomacy: There is back and forth between Ribbentrop and Molotov about the "Lithuania strip of territory." Ribbentrop is against the Soviet decision to cede this territory to Lithuania without his authorization.

German Government: Hitler issues a secret decree absolving all German military and police personnel of criminal liability for the period 1 September through 4 October. Any crimes committed, he explains, were compelled by "atrocities committed by the Poles."

Hitler orders the Reichstag to meet on that Friday, 6 October.

United States Government: The Department of the Interior issues a press release from the "Bureau of Biological Survey." It states that foreign supplies of furs are in grave danger of being cut off by the war and that this might cause certain American fur-producing animals to be "exterminated." It urges more effective "fur-animal conservation."

American Homefront: The NY Yankees beat the Cincinnati Reds, 2-1, at Yankee Stadium in Game 1 of the 1939 World Series.

Kapitänleutnant Otto Kretschmer ('Silent Otto") and his U-boat.

October 1939

October 1, 1939: Occupation of Warsaw
October 2, 1939: Hel Peninsula Falls
October 3, 1939: The Diamantis Incident
October 4, 1939: Otto Kretschmer Gets Rolling
October 5, 1939: Polish Resistance Ends
October 6, 1939: Hitler Peace Effort
October 7, 1939: The British Have Arrived
October 8, 1939: First RAF Kill from UK
October 9, 1939: "City of Flint" Incident
October 10, 1939: Lithuania Under Pressure
October 11, 1939: The Atomic Age Begins
October 12, 1939: England Rejects Hitler's Peace Offer
October 13, 1939: Charles Lindbergh Speaks Out
October 14 1939: Royal Oak Sunk
October 15, 1939: Cuban Rockets
October 16, 1939: First Aircraft Shot Down Over UK
October 17, 1939: Marshall Mannerheim Returns
October 18, 1939: Prien Receives His Award
October 19, 1939: Preliminary Plan for Fall Gelb
October 20, 1939: Hitler Grapples with the Jews
October 21, 1939: Hurricanes to the Rescue!
October 22, 1939: Goebbels Lies Through His Teeth
October 23, 1939: Norway the Center of Attention
October 24, 1939: German "Justice" Gets Rolling
October 25, 1939: Handley Page Halifax Bomber First Flies
October 26, 1939: Jozef Tiso Takes Slovakia
October 27, 1939: King Leopold Stands Firm
October 28, 1939 - First Luftwaffe Raid on Great Britain
October 29, 1939: Tinkering with Fall Gelb
October 30, 1939: Defective Torpedoes
October 31, 1939: Molotov Issues an Ultimatum

2019