Friday 22 September 1939

German and Soviet soldiers conversing, 22 September 1939.

Battle of Poland: German forces under the command of General Heinz Guderian (XIX Corps) were in possession of territory on the eastern side of the Bug River. Soviet forces now arrived to assume control of that area under the secret terms of the 23 August 1939 Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact. Kombrig (Commanding officer of the brigade) Semyon Moiseevich Krivoshein of the Soviet 29th Tank Brigade, who had crossed the Polish border on 17 September, reached Brest-Litovsk on the morning of 22 September. Krivoshein found the Germans looting the town, with Guderian himself ensconced there. The German apparently had been there for several days already.

A Wehrmacht soldier initiates peace talks with a Russian female soldier in Brest-Litovsk, Poland, 22 September 1939.

After some back-and-forth, Krivoshein visited Guderian at the latter's headquarters. Guderian acknowledged that he had to relinquish the town, but proposed to make the German departure a formal occasion, complete with a parade. Krivoshein was not very enthusiastic about the idea, having just completed a quick advance to reach the city and not wanting any extra hassles. However, Krivoshein agreed to supply a few token battalions to support the effort, along with a military band. The informal parade began at 16:00, complete with festive bunting. Both German and Soviet troops marched through hastily constructed "Victory Arches" before the two commanding officers.

Guderian and Krivoshein at the Brest-Litovsk parade.

Krivoshein later greatly downplayed the event in his memoirs and implied that the Soviet forces were merely present and not active participants. He recalled that he did not allow his troops to march with the German forces, who were rested and looked more presentable. However, it should be noted that subsequent events made downplaying any cooperation with the Germans a politically wise decision, and Soviet military historical works are notorious for their impeccable political hindsight.

Afterward, the German forces withdrew to the west bank of the Bug River as pre-ordained. The event has attracted much publicity in subsequent years due to the subsequent estrangement of the two forces. It is believed that the 22 September 1939 parade was the only such event that ever took place involving the two sides. Russian historians, in particular, are quick to minimize the event as being merely a "ceremonial departure" of the German forces, but the photographic record suggests that it was a bit more than that.

The Polish commander of Lwów hands it over to the Soviets.

Polish units of the 39th Infantry Division have been defending the village of Cześniki near Zamość. They have been holding off the German 27th Infantry Division and 4th Light Division. The 39th Infantry Division now is ordered to relieve Lwów and breaks through the German lines. With that city suddenly being surrendered, however, they are now on the move with nowhere to go.

"Honorary Colonel of the 12th Artillery Regiment" Generaloberst Werner Thomas Ludwig Freiherr von Fritsch is killed in Praga while "inspecting the front." He is picked off by either a sniper or a machine gun. Von Fritsch is believed to have voluntarily exposed himself to enemy fire due to his lingering disgrace over the false accusations of homosexuality used to depose him from his position as Commander in Chief of the Heer.

Western Front: The French claim to be approaching Zweibrücken in the Siegfried line. French radio also reports that the Wehrmacht has lost 150,000 men so far in the conflict. The actual figure is maybe 10% of that.

Battle of the Atlantic: The steamer Arkleside is torpedoed and sinks. A Grimsby trawler also is sunk.

Romanian Government: The government executes several members of the Iron Guard, including the assassins of the Romanian Prime Minister, in Bucharest.

Allied Supreme Command: In Hove, Sussex, the second meeting of the Allied Supreme War Council takes place between the British and French representatives. Nothing much is accomplished beyond issues of supply.

British Homefront: The Metropolitan Police Commission in London reports that road accidents have tripled so far in September. That is likely due to the blackout. The courts are clogged with blackout violations. Gasoline is rationed.

September 1939

September 1, 1939: Invasion of Poland
September 2, 1939: Danzig Annexed
September 3, 1939: France, Great Britain Declare War
September 4, 1939: First RAF Raid
September 5, 1939: The US Stays Out
September 6, 1939: Battle of Barking Creek
September 7, 1939: Polish HQ Bugs Out
September 8, 1939: War Crimes in Poland
September 9, 1939: The Empire Strikes Back
September 10, 1939: The Germans Break Out
September 11, 1939: Battle of Kałuszyn
September 12, 1939: The French Chicken Out
September 13, 1939: The Battle of Modlin
September 14, 1939: Germany Captures Gdynia
September 15, 1939: Warsaw Surrounded
September 16, 1939: Battle of Jaworów
September 17, 1939: Soviets Invade Poland
September 18, 1939: Lublin Falls
September 19, 1939: Germans, Soviets Hook Up
September 20, 1939: the Kraków Army Surrenders
September 21, 1939: Romania Convulses
September 22, 1939: Joint Soviet-German Military Parade
September 23, 1939: The Panama Conference
September 24, 1939: The Luftwaffe Bombs Warsaw
September 25, 1939: Black Monday for Warsaw
September 26, 1939: Warsaw on the Ropes
September 27, 1939: Hitler Decides to Invade France
September 28, 1939: Warsaw Capitulates
September 29, 1939: Modlin Fortress Falls
September 30, 1939: Graf Spee on the Loose

2020

Thursday 23 May 1940

Photographed by their commander, Erwin Rommel, in a Fieseler Storch, this shot shows the 7th Panzer Division, advancing from Arras toward Rouen. 23-24 May 1940.

Western Front: French Commander-in-chief General Weygand on 23 May 1940 comes up with a new plan. This one is to hold a pocket on the coast in Flanders indefinitely, the Réduit de Flandres. Theoretically, this could be supplied from Great Britain and hold out indefinitely. In reality, the Allies' grasp on the region already is extremely tenuous.

The Allies have been holding on the Scheldt River line, but today that cracks. The Germans cross the river and seize Allied supply depots. The BEF goes on half-rations as a result. Ghent falls to the German 18th Army.

General Guderian in charge of XIX Corps in the Channel Ports region is convinced that the only remaining threat is that the British BEF will manage to escape. He orders an immediate assault by the panzers on the fly without waiting for the infantry to catch up. The Allies send 18 French Latecoere seaplanes to bomb the bridges between the Somme and Boulogne to slow Guderian up. The entire scene is a picture of mass confusion, with units intermingled, enemy forces locked into an "embrace," and nobody quite sure where the front is.

The panzers of 2nd Panzer Division are pressing against Boulogne. At 10:00, it attacks from the south and forces the Irish Guards back into town. The Allies in the port have radio problems and lose communications with headquarters. They are told at noontime by an arriving destroyer, HMS Vimy, that they are expected to hold at all costs. However, by 18:00, the order comes to evacuate.

The Royal Navy sends six destroyers to take off as many men from Boulogne as possible. They lose two destroyers, both French, the Jaguar and Drage, but take off 4,360 men. There is a highly unusual land/naval confrontation between the German ground troops, with the Germans firing artillery and tank shells at the British ships. A Panzer IV and one of the destroyers gets into an odd exchange in which the panzer sinks the ship. The panzer crew gets the right to paint a rare "ship" kill on their turret. Overall, though, the British warships provide an extremely effective port defense as they complete the evacuation, though several of the Royal Navy ships are badly damaged. The captains of both HMS Keith and HMS Vimy are killed.

The German 1st Panzer Division is advancing up the Pihen-Les-Guînes road (the Omer road) toward Gravelines. Fierce local battles erupt between the British 3rd Royal Tank Regiment, the 30th Motor Brigade and the panzers, with the British troops forced back into Calais. The 1st Panzer Division, which would have occupied Calais if weakly defended, decides to bypass the port and continue on toward Gravelines/Dunkirk.

The 10th Panzer Division secures the high ground near Calais, while the British 30th Infantry Brigade arrives to help with the defense there. The entire area is a scene of massive confusion, with random British and German units often taking the same roads and one side or the other mistaking the enemy as being friendly forces. The Germans are within sight of Calais, but their line is not continuous, and formations on both sides pass through enemy lines here and there. Tanks of the 10th PD are able to bombard Calais from their position on the overlooking hills.

General Rommel's 7th Panzer Division has been sitting before Arras for three days, and his patience pays off. Early in the morning, Lord Gort issues an order for the British to evacuate the city. Lord Gort has no faith in French promises of counterattacks or strategies in the area. Rommel's panzers head west toward Rouen.

The French mount local attacks near Peronne and Amiens that accomplish little.

General Gaston Billotte, former commander of 1st Army Group, passes away. He has been in a coma since a car accident on 21 May.

European Air Operations: While the RAF fighters have almost all been withdrawn across the channel, they at least are operating from established bases and, at least temporarily, have an advantage along the coast.

Air operations over Boulogne are intense. RAF fighters are needed elsewhere, and the Luftwaffe has free reign over the port for most of the day. The RAF fighters finally arrive at 19:20.

The Luftwaffe bombs French destroyer Orage and sinks it.

The Luftwaffe catches French destroyer Jaguar, which has been damaged by Kriegsmarine S-boats and sinks it.

French destroyer Chacal is sunk at Boulogne by combined Luftwaffe and shore fire.

Norway: Colonel Gubbins has had enough of Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Byrnand Trappes-Lomax, the commander of the Scots Guards, believing him to be too interested in retreating. Gubbins relieves him during the afternoon. Gubbins orders the entire unit withdrawn to Bodø. The German mountain troops take the high ground overlooking the Viskisnoia River, Gubbins' proposed stop line, so he has to retreat further. Gubbins now tries to hold Fauske on the north side of the Skjerstadfjorden, which is a key intersection on the road north. While there is a lot of ground left to hold, the British are giving it up in a hurry.

The Luftwaffe continues its daily reinforcements of General Dietl's troops at Narvik, this time dropping 65 mountain troops by parachute from Junkers Ju 52 transport planes. For many of the men, it is their first parachute drop.

The 14 Gladiator Glosters of RAF No. 263 Squadron enter into operation from Bardufoss north of Narvik.

P/O John "Jack" Benzie of No 242 Squadron RAF, shown at RAF Coltishall in 1940. He is a 25-year-old Canadian who bails out wounded south of Dunkirk on 23 May 1940. He is KIA 7 September 1940.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-9 (Oberleutnant Zur See Wolfgang Lüth) at 12:54 torpedoes and sinks 3,256-ton Belgian freighter Sigurd Faulbaum (a captured German ship) off of Zeebrugge. The crew survives.

Convoy HG 31 departs from Gibraltar, Convoy SL 33 departs from Freetown.

The British commission destroyer HMS Harvester (H 19) ( Lt. Commander Mark Thornton).

Terrorism: The British arrest 76 IRA suspects in Northern Ireland.

Anglo/Irish Relations: Irish head of state Éamon de Valera informs the British that Ireland will result in a German invasion and will require British assistance if any landings take place.

Holocaust: The Germans turn their attention to the "Roma" peoples, the Gypsies. Mass round-ups begin, and they are sent to occupied Poland for internment in concentration camps.

British Homefront: The authorities arrest Sir Oswald Mosley, MP Captain Archibald Maule Ramsay, and dozens of others for being Fascist sympathizers, a crime under Defence Regulation 18B. Mosley is notorious for giving fascist speeches and being the leader of the British Union of Fascists, while Ramsay is associated with the Right Club, which opposes "organized Jewry." The Right Club is considered fertile ground for German spies.

The Crown approves the Treachery Act 1940.

German Homefront: German media applauds the British for implementing the Emergency Powers Act, noting that "At last England has seen sense and abandoned decadent democracy."

Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, featuring Frank Sinatra and the Pied Pipers, with Buddy Rich.

American Homefront: President Roosevelt wins the Vermont Democratic primary.

Frank Sinatra records "I'll Never Smile Again" (written by Ruth Lowe) with Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra, backing vocals by the Pied Pipers (including Jo Stafford). The single will become number one on Billboard's first "National List of Best Selling Retail Records" — the first official national music chart — on July 27, 1940. It will stay at the top spot for 12 weeks, until October 12, 1940. This is considered Sinatra's major breakthrough and begins his rise to legendary status.

Captured French soldiers of the 158eme Regiment d'Infanterie (43eme Division d'Infanterie) carry a wounded comrade past a damaged French 25mm Hotchkiss (SAL Mle 34) anti-tank gun positioned at a crossroads in the Belgian village of Thulin. 23 May 1940 (colorized).

May 1940

May 1, 1940: British Leave Åndalsnes
May 2, 1940: British Depart Namsos
May 3, 1940: Many Norwegians Surrendering
May 4, 1940: Bader Returns
May 5, 1940: HMS Seal Survives
May 6, 1940: Allies Focus on Narvik
May 7, 1940: In The Name of God, Go!
May 8, 1940: Exit Chamberlain
May 9, 1940: Enter Churchill
May 10, 1940: Fall Gelb
May 11, 1940: Eben Emael Surrenders
May 12, 1940: Germans at Sedan
May 13, 1940: Rommel at Work
May 14, 1940: German Breakout in France
May 15, 1940: Holland Surrenders
May 16, 1940: Dash to the Channel
May 17, 1940: Germans Take Brussels
May 18, 1940: Germans Take Antwerp
May 19, 1940: Failed French Counterattack
May 20, 1940: Panzers on the Coast
May 21, 1940: Battle of Arras
May 22, 1940: Attacking Channel Ports
May 23, 1940: British Evacuate Boulogne
May 24, 1940: Hitler's Stop Order
May 25, 1940: Belgian Defenses Creaking
May 26, 1940: Operation Dynamo
May 27, 1940: King Leopold Surrenders 
May 28, 1940: The Allies Take Narvik
May 29, 1940: Lille Falls
May 30, 1940: Operation Fish
May 31, 1940: Peak Day for Dynamo

2020

Wednesday 22 May 1940

Isle of Man ferry Mona Queen steams toward Boulogne on 22 May 1940, carrying Welsh and Irish Guards to reinforce the port defenses. It returned to England carrying 2,000 women and children (photo by Lt. Peter Kershaw RNVR).

Western Front: From the grand occupation of all of Holland and Belgium beginning on 10 May, the French and British in the Low Countries have now, on 22 May 1940, been pushed back into a shrinking perimeter north of Amiens and south of Antwerp. The main changes now are the steady compression of the eastern face of this "box," which is well west of Brussels, toward the sea.

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill flies to Paris (Vincennes) to hash out a strategy with the Anglo-French Supreme War Council. General Weygand advances the idea of cutting off the German spearhead at the Channel by launching concentric attacks from north and south. Everyone agrees that it is a good idea, but the mass of French forces remain behind the Maginot Line in the south. Deposed Commander-in-chief General Gamelin not only had proposed this plan but tried to implement it - and now more precious days have passed.

In the morning, the OKW orders Guderian's XIX Corps to head north, toward the isolated BEF and associated French forces. Reorienting the Axis of a major offensive is extremely difficult, and the Wehrmacht has to do it on the fly at the end of a long, tenuous supply network for its advanced troops.

The initial objectives are Boulogne (2nd Panzer Division) and Calais (1st Panzer Division), but this soon changes. The 10th Panzer Division is retained to guard the southern flank. Boulogne, Calais and Dunkirk collectively are referred to as the "Channel Ports."

British troops at Calais are under the protection of RAF fighters based in England, and the air battle begins at first light. Both sides take losses, but the RAF is able to attack the advancing panzers. The 1st Panzer (Generallautnant Friedrich Kirchner) and other formations get across the Authie River at 08:00. They meet only scattered resistance at Desvres, Samer, and near Boulogne. Guderian quickly tinkers with the plan and sends the 10th Panzer Division (Generalleutnant Ferdinand Schaal) toward Samer/Calais, and the 1st toward Dunkirk. The 10th Panzer has to stop to garrison Amiens until infantry units arrive.

The British at Boulogne have been reinforced by the 20th Guards Brigade and have had time to dig in. The 2nd Panzer Division (Generalleutnant Rudolf Veiel) is advancing in two columns makes steady progress toward Boulogne after brushing aside French 48th Infantry Regiment troops at Nesles. A panzer attack on the Boulogne perimeter at 17:00 is repulsed, and another at 19:00. Fighting continues into the night, with the Germans isolating some Irish Guards at 22:00. As the day concludes, 2d Panzer is attacking Welsh Guards positions along the coast.

General Rommel still stands before Arras, waiting for the infantry to aid his assault on the key town. He also is recuperating from the large British tank attack of the 21st, which gave him quite a fright.

The German 18th Army attacks the retreating Belgians near Eeklo. German 6th Army presses forward near Courtrai against the British 4th Infantry Division and 44th Infantry Division.

With the German spearheading turning north, the main front on the Somme/Oise/Aisne starts to solidify. The Belgian army retreats to the Lys River.

View of Rotterdam in May 1940 (Instytut Pamieci Narodowej).

European Air Operations: All the action is over the besieged Allied troops congregating near the Channel Ports. The action starts at 06:00, with 151 Squadron sending up Hawker Hurricanes, shooting down a Junkers Ju 88. No. 74 Squadron Spitfires also get a Junkers Ju 88 - both of the Junkers are from Lehrgeschwader 1 (LG 1). One Spitfire is lost. There also are some major dogfights over the area, with 54 Squadron and 92 Squadron mixing it up with JG 27 - both sides lose a couple of planes. The numbers become difficult to track, but both sides are taking roughly even losses.

RAF Bomber Command sends 59 planes to attack the advancing Wehrmacht spearhead.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-37 (Kapitänleutnant Victor Oehrn) sends four torpedoes at 9,494-ton British freighter Dunster Grange south of Ireland. When they all miss, it surfaces to use the deck gun. The Dunster Grange is armed, and when the U-boat surfaces, the British ship returns fire. The U-boat departs, and the Dunster Grange continues toward Liverpool.

Convoy OA 153 GF departs from Southend, Convoy OB 153 departs from Liverpool.

Norway: The British retreat from Mo i Rana north toward the British base at Bodø continues apace, and local commander Colonel Gubbins has difficulty trying to stop it. His plan is to man a defensive line at Storjord, 20 miles (32 km) south of the ferry stop at Rognan. His Scots Guards troops, though, under Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Byrnand Trappes-Lomax, are in motion toward the north and showing no signs of stopping. In fact, Trappes-Lomax is putting his men on requisitioned buses to make the trip faster and easier. The German 2d Mountain Division is hot on their heels. The bottom line is that the intended line at Storjord becomes a nullity and some other solution must be found.

The Luftwaffe continues its gradual reinforcement of General Dietl at Narvik, dropping off an additional 63 men there from seaplanes.

The Luftwaffe sinks Royal Navy anti-submarine trawler Melbourne near Narvik.

More RAF units depart from the Continent for England as their bases come closer to the front lines.

British Government: Parliament passes the Emergency Powers (Defence) Act 1940. While not quite martial law, it gives the government extensive new powers of citizens and property (banks, munitions production, wages, profits, work conditions).

Military Intelligence: Bletchley Park crack some Luftwaffe Enigma settings. Luftwaffe signals officers are notoriously lax about following even the simplest security protocols, whereas, say, Kriegsmarine signallers are much more rigorous.

War Crimes: The Soviet men who liquidated the Polish officers at Katyn Forest - 21,000 without a single escape! - are being given medals and cash awards. The Soviets are also busy deporting relatives to Siberia based on the "last letters" the deceased men were allowed to write,

Belgium: King Leopold has told General Weygand that the area still controlled by Allied troops only has enough food left for two weeks.

Romania: The government mobilizes the reserves.

Albania: Italian Foreign Minister Count Ciano arrives in Durres aboard the Italian Cruiser Garibaldi for an inspection tour.

Finland: In an early sign of Finlandization, the pro-Moscow Finland - Soviet Peace and Friendship Society forms.

Gibraltar: Non-essential personnel are being transported to French Morocco.

Australia: The government authorizes the formation of the 8th Infantry Division.

China: The Japanese aerial attacks on Chungking continue.

After returning late from a strafing run near Arras on 22 May 1940, F/O Roderick MS "Roddie" Rayner (pictured) and F/O Richard Lindsay "Dick" Glyde of No 87 Squadron RAF found their base at Merville in disarray. Carrying only what could be put in the plane, they evacuated to RAF Debden.

May 1940

May 1, 1940: British Leave Åndalsnes
May 2, 1940: British Depart Namsos
May 3, 1940: Many Norwegians Surrendering
May 4, 1940: Bader Returns
May 5, 1940: HMS Seal Survives
May 6, 1940: Allies Focus on Narvik
May 7, 1940: In The Name of God, Go!
May 8, 1940: Exit Chamberlain
May 9, 1940: Enter Churchill
May 10, 1940: Fall Gelb
May 11, 1940: Eben Emael Surrenders
May 12, 1940: Germans at Sedan
May 13, 1940: Rommel at Work
May 14, 1940: German Breakout in France
May 15, 1940: Holland Surrenders
May 16, 1940: Dash to the Channel
May 17, 1940: Germans Take Brussels
May 18, 1940: Germans Take Antwerp
May 19, 1940: Failed French Counterattack
May 20, 1940: Panzers on the Coast
May 21, 1940: Battle of Arras
May 22, 1940: Attacking Channel Ports
May 23, 1940: British Evacuate Boulogne
May 24, 1940: Hitler's Stop Order
May 25, 1940: Belgian Defenses Creaking
May 26, 1940: Operation Dynamo
May 27, 1940: King Leopold Surrenders 
May 28, 1940: The Allies Take Narvik
May 29, 1940: Lille Falls
May 30, 1940: Operation Fish
May 31, 1940: Peak Day for Dynamo

2020

Monday 20 May 1940

One of General Rommel's SdKfz 263 six-wheeled radio armored cars near Arras. A burnt-out SdKfz 231 eight-wheeled Armoured Car is in the background. 20 May 1940.

Western Front: General Guderian's XIX Corps panzers of the 1st and 2nd Panzer Divisions race westward on the morning of 20 May 1940 after having taken a few days to regroup. Amiens falls to 1st Panzer Division at 09:00, Abbeville to 2nd at 17:00 in the evening. A reconnaissance unit of 2d Panzer takes Noyelles-sur-Mer on the Somme Estuary at 20:00.

General Rommel's 7th Panzer Division also takes off at 01:40. He advances from Cambrai to the outskirts of Arras in six hours. Rommel pauses there to allow the infantry to catch up, as there are BEF forces in the town. He occupies Valenciennes just to the east of Arras. Rommel is performing an invaluable service to the Wehrmacht of protecting Guderian's northern flank.

The two divisions have advanced 240 miles in 11 days and now constitute a block against communications between France and the BEF and French/Belgian forces fighting in Belgium (French 1st Army, 7th Army, and 9th Army and British Expeditionary Force). They sweep aside the British 12th and 23rd (Territorial) divisions. Guderian has a corridor 20-miles wide. The infantry is lagging but on the way.

The Germans also capture Laon, which Brigadier General Charles de Gaulle has been using as a staging area for attacks by his 4th Armoured Division.

The Belgians retreat around Ghent and Eeklo.

The Newly appointed French Commander-in-chief Maxime Weygand cancels a planned counteroffensive planned by his predecessor, Maurice Gamelin. This thrust would have attempted to sever the German spearhead advancing toward the coast by a concentrated attack from the trapped BEF. Weygand then takes time to "assess the situation" (he has been in the Middle East), saying, "You will not be surprised if I cannot answer for victory."

The French have extensive forces along the border with France behind the Maginot Line. These include the 6th Army, 2nd Army, 3rd Army, 4th Army, 5th Army, and 8th Army. So far, they have had little to do as they basically get out-flanked on the north.

French Prime Minister Paul Reynaud meets with US Ambassador Bullitt and requests aid.

A captured Renault D2 tank in the Festё (Festieux) area just south of Laon. May 20, 1940.

European Air Operations: The RAF launches ineffectual attacks against the advancing panzers in the Arras-Cambrai sector. They send 47 planes during the day to attack around Arras, and 92 aircraft during the night.

The RAF launches a night raid on the Rotterdam oil storage tanks.

The RAF bombs German bridges and other communications at Dinant, Givet, and Charleville.

Luftwaffe fighter pilot Max-Hellmuth Ostermann scores his first victory.

Battle of the Atlantic: The British Admiralty begins drawing up plans for a possible evacuation of the BEF. The Admirals are looking at Dunkirk (Dunkerque) as a likely collection point, but there are still other options.

The Luftwaffe sinks British freighter Mavis at Calais and Royal Navy minesweeper Rifnes.

The Kriegsmarine has S-boats operating off the Belgian coast.

Convoy OA 152 departs from Southend, COnvoy OB 152 departs from Liverpool, Convoy HG 31F departs from Gibraltar, and Convoy HX 44 departs from Liverpool.

The British commission Minesweeping trawler HMS Olive (T 126) (G. C. C. Mileham).

Battle of the Pacific: German raider Atlantis has been sailing as the Japanese passenger freighter Kasii Maru. The German intelligence service intercepts a message from Ceylon to the Admiralty warning of a raider disguised as a Japanese ship. The captain of the Atlantis promptly switches the disguise to the Dutch freighter Abbekerk.

German/Romanian Relations: King Carol tells the German ambassador to Romania that it is time the countries worked more closely together.

Norway: The commander of the forces which have evacuated Mo i Rana, Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Byrnand Trappes-Lomax, has been retreating too far for the taste of his commanders, General Auchinleck and Colonel Gubbins. Gubbins believes that his retrograde movement has been disorganized, leaving behind units that have become stragglers. Gubbins orders Trappes-Lomax to stop retreating and square up against the German 2d Mountain Division, which is advancing toward Bodo.

The Luftwaffe drops another 16 men at Narvik to help Dietl's troops.

The Luftwaffe catches British ship Pembroke Coast at Harstad and sets it afire.

US Air Force: Igor Sikorsky gives the first public demonstration of the VS-300 helicopter which first flew in August 1939 at Vaught-Sikorsky in Stratford, Connecticut.

US Government: President Roosevelt sends a memorandum to Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles about the recent report from US Ambassador Wilson there about German sympathies within the government. "Is there some way in which the Minister of Uruguay in Washington and Mr. Wilson in Montevideo can get word to the Uruguayan Government that the United States is concerned...?" Welles promptly replies that the Uruguayan government says that it is investigating.

Japanese Government: The Japanese request raw materials from the Netherlands East Indies.

Middle East: British, French and Turkish military representatives hold conferences in Beirut. They discuss possible allied assistance to Turkey.

Holocaust: According to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, this is the day that the SS establishes Auschwitz Camp.

US Homefront: The US Supreme Court decides Cantwell v. Connecticut, 310 U.S. 296 (1940), a key First Amendment case. It extends free speech protections to the actions of the individual states.

Future History: Stan Mikita is born in Sokolče, Slovak Republic. He becomes famous as a center for the Chicago Black Hawks in the 1960s.

Sadaharu Oh is born in Sumida, Japan. He goes on to hold the world lifetime home run record, earned in the 1960s and 1970s with the Yomiuri Giants in the Nippon Professional League.

Igor Sikorsky preparing to give the public demonstration of his helicopter in Connecticut, 20 May 1940.

May 1940

May 1, 1940: British Leave Åndalsnes
May 2, 1940: British Depart Namsos
May 3, 1940: Many Norwegians Surrendering
May 4, 1940: Bader Returns
May 5, 1940: HMS Seal Survives
May 6, 1940: Allies Focus on Narvik
May 7, 1940: In The Name of God, Go!
May 8, 1940: Exit Chamberlain
May 9, 1940: Enter Churchill
May 10, 1940: Fall Gelb
May 11, 1940: Eben Emael Surrenders
May 12, 1940: Germans at Sedan
May 13, 1940: Rommel at Work
May 14, 1940: German Breakout in France
May 15, 1940: Holland Surrenders
May 16, 1940: Dash to the Channel
May 17, 1940: Germans Take Brussels
May 18, 1940: Germans Take Antwerp
May 19, 1940: Failed French Counterattack
May 20, 1940: Panzers on the Coast
May 21, 1940: Battle of Arras
May 22, 1940: Attacking Channel Ports
May 23, 1940: British Evacuate Boulogne
May 24, 1940: Hitler's Stop Order
May 25, 1940: Belgian Defenses Creaking
May 26, 1940: Operation Dynamo
May 27, 1940: King Leopold Surrenders 
May 28, 1940: The Allies Take Narvik
May 29, 1940: Lille Falls
May 30, 1940: Operation Fish
May 31, 1940: Peak Day for Dynamo

2020

Sunday 12 May 1940

German tanks in the Ardennes, May 1940 (Blucher Federal Archive).

Allied Headquarters: General Gamelin, the Commander-in-Chief of the French forces, has his headquarters at Vincennes on 12 May 1940. He has no radio and notes that he does not even have a radio - so he has "no idea" where the front lies.

German Headquarters: Heinz Guderian is in command of German XIX Armeekorps (as he was during the Polish campaign) at Sedan. He favors an aggressive stance and proposes enlarging his bridgehead across the Meuse (he has 3 intact bridges) to 20 km (12 miles) deep. His superior, General Ewald von Kleist, orders him to be more cautious and limit his penetration to 8 km (5 miles). Hitler is wary of the tanks outrunning the infantry and seems to envisage a static campaign with a definite, unchanging front forming - as in his own experiences during World War I.

Western Front: The Dutch are making valiant defensive efforts at key points, but overall are being pushed back into their Fortress Holland defensive zone between Rotterdam and Amsterdam.

The Germans advancing near Tilburg run into the French 7th Army and there is heavy fighting. The German advance continues.

The German Army Group A, led by Panzer Group Kleist, advances through the Ardennes and reaches Sedan without serious opposition. The column of military vehicles stretches back to the German border. This is the first German intrusion on French soil.

The French form up on the opposite bank with artillery support. The artillery shells Sedan during the night. The importance of Sedan is not the city itself, but the entry it provides to the heart of France. Its capture in 1870 essentially decided the Franco-Prussian war.

North of Sedan, the Germans are on the Meuse at Dinant. General Rommel's 7th Panzer Division is on the riverbank and he personally scouts out a way to cross it.

The Germans send a three-man scouting part to see if Fort Kornwerderzand at the Afsluitdijk is defended. The fort opens fire and kills two of the three men. The Germans decide to take the fort, beginning with Luftwaffe strikes.

The first tank battle of the campaign erupts between General René Prioux’s 2d French armored divisions (confusingly, Corps de Cavalerie) and the 3d and 4th Panzer Divisions at the Gembloux Gap. The 4th Panzer Division assaults toward Hannut, which protects the 6th Army's flank. They engage 25 French tanks and destroy 7 of them for no losses. The Germans probe toward Tirlemont, drawing Allied forces there while continuing toward Hannut. The French attempt a flank attack, which fails, and the German panzers run into a French strongpoint at Crehen.

The French are forced to retreat to Medorp after breaking out of an encirclement. They also abandon Hannut. In the evening, the Germans renew the attack and force the French strongpoint at Wansin to withdraw, but the rest of the French line holds. The outcome is a tentative French victory for having stopped the German advance, even if only temporarily. The French Somua S35 and Hotchkiss H35 tanks are good equipment, though they have their faults. They outclass the German Panzer Is and IIs, though the Panzer IIIs are more of a match.

The German 18th Army captures Eindhoven and continues pushing forward.

At Grebbeberg, the German 207th Infantry Division, supported by the SS Brigade Der Fuhrer, directly attacks the hill that dominates the defense. After an artillery barrage of several hours, the SS Brigade attacks. The SS men take an 18th Century fort, the Hoornwerk. This provides a wedge into the Dutch battle line, whose other guns cannot fire sideways. Dutch counterattacks fail. Obersturmbannführer (Lieutenant Colonel) Hilmar Wäckerle, contrary to orders, moves his battalion forward, penetrates the Dutch line, and gets surrounded - but holds on. The Dutch bring up reinforcements and plan a flank attack on the Germans. It is a confusing situation, but the Germans have the initiative - if they can rescue the impetuous Wäckerle.

German 6th Army pushes across the Albert Canal toward Gembloux.

The German 9th Panzer division is heading to the Moerdijk bridges over Hollands Diep estuary. They are still held by German paratroopers. These bridges, 10 miles south of Rotterdam, prevent the Allies from reinforcing Rotterdam.

The Allies have occupied the Dyle Line with the French 1st Army, 7th Army, 9th Army, and the British Expeditionary Force. The BEF is in position in Belgium.

The Allies hold a conference near Mons, including French Defense Minister Daladier, General Georges, General Billotte, British General Pownall, and Belgian King Leopold.

Fokker C.5RR 645 of III-2 LvR at Middenmeer after an emergency landing on 12 May 1940 (Photo: collection Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie).

European Air Operations: Fairey Battle light bombers of No. 12 Squadron attack the Veldwezelt bridge over the Albert Canal. The Germans have brought up anti-aircraft batteries to protect the bridge, which survives with damage.

The RAF sends 38 bombers over Hannut to support the defense of that town, losing 22, and the Arme de l'air sends over 18 new Breguet 693 bombers, losing 8. The Luftwaffe supports the ground operation there with 85 Bf 109s of JG 26, flying 340 sorties during the day. They claim 26 Allied planes for 4 of their own numbers. German anti-aircraft there also claims 25 planes.

The Allies send every available light bomber - some called from Hannut, which thereby loses air support - to attack the Meuse bridges at Sedan. They fail to make any hits and lose 44 percent of their number.

There are Luftwaffe air raids on Rotterdam, including incendiary bombs.

The Luftwaffe attacks and heavily damages Dutch gunboat Friso. It also performs minelaying operations in Belgian waters.

A French pilot, Capt. René Gavoille, reports miles-long Wehrmacht columns in the Ardennes. His superiors are dismissive, calling them "night phantoms." He has spotted Panzer Group Kleist and its 41,140 vehicles on narrow two-lane roads. When he takes off again and takes pictures, they call them "obvious fake tanks."

Adolph Galland, a veteran Luftwaffe ground-attack pilot from the Spanish Civil War, is now a fighter pilot and gains his first aerial victories of the war, destroying three Hurricanes.

Battle of the Atlantic: British ship Roek hits a mine and sinks in the North Sea.

Convoy OA 147 departs from Southend, Convoy OB 147 departs from Liverpool, Convoy HG 30F departs from Gibraltar, Convoy OG 29 forms at Gibraltar, and Convoy HX 42 departs from Halifax.

Norway: The British reinforce Mo i Rana with the British Scots Guards battalion from Harstad. The Germans have troops near Hamnesberget brought in by the seized Norwegian vessel Nord Norge, which the British have sunk (while empty).

Holland: The Dutch Crown Princess, her two daughters Irene and Beatrice, and Prince Bernharddeparts for the UK aboard destroyer HMS Codrington.

Spain: Francisco Franco reaffirms Spain's neutrality.

British Government: The new Chancellor of the Exchequer is Sir Kingsley Wood.

American Homefront: Shirley Temple cancels her film contract with 20th Century Fox and retires (temporarily) - at age 11.

German bicycle troops prepare to cross a river in Belgium by first removing their pants, 11/12 May, 1940.

May 1940

May 1, 1940: British Leave Åndalsnes
May 2, 1940: British Depart Namsos
May 3, 1940: Many Norwegians Surrendering
May 4, 1940: Bader Returns
May 5, 1940: HMS Seal Survives
May 6, 1940: Allies Focus on Narvik
May 7, 1940: In The Name of God, Go!
May 8, 1940: Exit Chamberlain
May 9, 1940: Enter Churchill
May 10, 1940: Fall Gelb
May 11, 1940: Eben Emael Surrenders
May 12, 1940: Germans at Sedan
May 13, 1940: Rommel at Work
May 14, 1940: German Breakout in France
May 15, 1940: Holland Surrenders
May 16, 1940: Dash to the Channel
May 17, 1940: Germans Take Brussels
May 18, 1940: Germans Take Antwerp
May 19, 1940: Failed French Counterattack
May 20, 1940: Panzers on the Coast
May 21, 1940: Battle of Arras
May 22, 1940: Attacking Channel Ports
May 23, 1940: British Evacuate Boulogne
May 24, 1940: Hitler's Stop Order
May 25, 1940: Belgian Defenses Creaking
May 26, 1940: Operation Dynamo
May 27, 1940: King Leopold Surrenders 
May 28, 1940: The Allies Take Narvik
May 29, 1940: Lille Falls
May 30, 1940: Operation Fish
May 31, 1940: Peak Day for Dynamo

2019

Saturday 16 September 1939

Steel-helmeted, uniformed Polish women march through the streets of Warsaw to aid in defense of their capital on September 16, 1939. They are not, however, armed. (AP Photo).

Battle of Poland: Polish forces break through German lines on 16 September 1939 in the forests north and west of the town of Janów. Six battalions get through to Janów despite determined defense by the German "Pemsel" combat group formed from the 1st Mountain Division. The Poles repel a counter-attack at Dobrostany. This concludes the Battle of Jaworów, which has been a tactical Polish victory.

The Luftwaffe bombs the Jewish quarter of Warsaw. The Poles in Warsaw are successfully repelling determined German ground attacks but are largely defenseless to air attack. General List's army is both investing Warsaw and heading north to link up with the rapidly approaching XIX of General Guderian.

European Air Operations: The Polish Air Force launches its final bombing raid.

Soviet Government: Moscow broadcasts that it will invade Poland the next day "to protect the Ukrainian and Belorussian minorities."

Western Front: French forces make some tentative movements in the Saar and are 12 miles east of Saarbrücken.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-27 (Kapitänleutnant Johannes Franz) torpedoes and sinks the trawler Rudyard Kipling. He stops to pick up the crew and keeps them for eight hours, giving them food and clothing, before releasing them in their lifeboats for the long row (9.3 km; 5.8 mi) to Ireland. U-27 so far has eluded destroyers HMS Fortune and HMS Faulknor, which know there is a U-boat in the vicinity and have been hunting it.

U-31 (Kptlt. Johannes Habekost) sinks an independent, the Aviemore, which is near convoy OB-4. Of the crew, 23 are lost and 11 are picked up by HMS Warwick. This marks the first successful attack on a ship within the convoy's sphere of protection, though technically the Aviemore is not a member of the convoy.

Belgian steamer Alex van Opstal is sunk by Luftwaffe mine or torpedo off Weymouth.

Other Allied losses for the day are Fanad Head, Davara, and Cheyenne. Some vessels are accounted for on other days for various reasons.

A large escorted convoy leaves Halifax, the first of three over the next week.

British Government: The Duke of Windsor, newly returned from France, is appointed a liaison to the French government.

Japanese/Soviet Relations: Pursuant to the agreement of the previous day, the battle of Khalkhin Gol formally ends.

War Crimes: Mass executions commence in Przemysl on the eve of the Jewish New Year. The liquidations occur at several places in the city outskirts: Lipowica, Pralkowce, Pikulice, at Przekopana, near the Wiar river and near the Jewish cemetery at Slowackiego Street. According to some estimates as many as 600 Jews in total are killed over the next few days.

American Homefront: The NY Yankees clinch their fourth straight American League Pennant, beating the Detroit Tigers 8-5. Their opponent in the World Series is yet to be determined.

On September 16, 1939, residents of London carrying gas mask containers (white boxes) walk along curbs widened and marked with stripes for civil defense purposes (AP Photo).

September 1939

September 1, 1939: Invasion of Poland
September 2, 1939: Danzig Annexed
September 3, 1939: France, Great Britain Declare War
September 4, 1939: First RAF Raid
September 5, 1939: The US Stays Out
September 6, 1939: Battle of Barking Creek
September 7, 1939: Polish HQ Bugs Out
September 8, 1939: War Crimes in Poland
September 9, 1939: The Empire Strikes Back
September 10, 1939: The Germans Break Out
September 11, 1939: Battle of Kałuszyn
September 12, 1939: The French Chicken Out
September 13, 1939: The Battle of Modlin
September 14, 1939: Germany Captures Gdynia
September 15, 1939: Warsaw Surrounded
September 16, 1939: Battle of Jaworów
September 17, 1939: Soviets Invade Poland
September 18, 1939: Lublin Falls
September 19, 1939: Germans, Soviets Hook Up
September 20, 1939: the Kraków Army Surrenders
September 21, 1939: Romania Convulses
September 22, 1939: Joint Soviet-German Military Parade
September 23, 1939: The Panama Conference
September 24, 1939: The Luftwaffe Bombs Warsaw
September 25, 1939: Black Monday for Warsaw
September 26, 1939: Warsaw on the Ropes
September 27, 1939: Hitler Decides to Invade France
September 28, 1939: Warsaw Capitulates
September 29, 1939: Modlin Fortress Falls
September 30, 1939: Graf Spee on the Loose

2019

Friday 15 September 1939

Jews being humiliated by Wehrmacht troops in Przemysl by shaving off their beards.

Battle of Poland: German radio reports on September 15, 1939, that Wehrmacht troops have surrounded Warsaw. The Third Army from Army Group North attacks Praga. The German forces attack on both sides of the Vistula. Polish forces defeat the German 23rd Infantry at Grochów with heavy Wehrmacht casualties. Polish Major General Juliusz Rómmel, in charge of the Warsaw Army and the Modlin Fortress,  rejects a surrender demand.

German troops occupy oil fields in Galicia.

Wehrmacht troops cross the East Prussian border.

Radio Warsaw claims that forces at Lwow have repulsed a German attack.

General Guderian's XIX Corps surrounds Brest-Litovsk.

Polish submarine Orzeł, which has been at sea, reaches Tallinn in Estonia and is interned at German request.

Western Front: Operation Saar continues without making any progress.

War at Sea: The first convoys from Kingston, Jamaica sets out for England.

Regular convoys also are sailing between Glasgow and London.

European Air Operations: Germany radio broadcasts propaganda interviews of British and New Zealand airmen downed during the Wilhelmshaven raid on 4 September 1939.

Polish Propaganda: Radio Warsaw denounces the Luftwaffe attacks on open towns.

British Home Front: The Ministry of Information announces the seizure of goods destined for Germany, including 28,000 tons of petroleum.

Motorists form long queues at gas stations due to prospective petrol rationing.

Romania: Resisting foreign pressure, the government announces that it will grant asylum to Polish civilians and intern Polish military as required by international law.

Australia: The cabinet authorizes a volunteer force of 20,000.

Palestine: Tensions ease in Palestine due to a recognition of a common danger to world peace.

War Crimes:  Einsatzkommando of the Sipo (Sicher­heitspolizei), begin arresting some of the 20,000 Jews in Przemysl and taking them out to be shot and buried in mass graves.

Japanese/Soviet Relations: As the Soviets desired when signing the Ribbentrop/Molotov Pact, Germany has pressured Japan into signing an armistice agreement ending the conflict in Manchukuo and Mongolia. That has the immediate consequence of formally ending the Khalkhin Gol incident. The talks were initiated by the Japanese cabinet.

Jackie Cochran with her record-setting Seversky.

US Aviation: Jackie Cochran sets a Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) World Speed Record flying a Seversky AP-7A, civil registration NX1384, over a 1,000-kilometer course, from Burbank to San Francisco and back to Burbank. Cochran averages 492.34 kilometers per hour (305.93 miles per hour). It is a specially built racer and is the same plane that won the 1938 Bendix Trophy.

American Homefront: Aviator Charles Lindbergh, who has visited Germany and reviewed the Luftwaffe, makes an America First speech that is broadcast across the country. He states (somewhat presciently) "We must either keep out of European wars entirely or stay in European affairs permanently." His ultimate desire is to keep the United States out of the developing European conflict.

Night view of the World's Fair, New York City, September 15, 1939. The international situation is detrimental to the fair's success (Library of Congress).

September 1939

September 1, 1939: Invasion of Poland
September 2, 1939: Danzig Annexed
September 3, 1939: France, Great Britain Declare War
September 4, 1939: First RAF Raid
September 5, 1939: The US Stays Out
September 6, 1939: Battle of Barking Creek
September 7, 1939: Polish HQ Bugs Out
September 8, 1939: War Crimes in Poland
September 9, 1939: The Empire Strikes Back
September 10, 1939: The Germans Break Out
September 11, 1939: Battle of Kałuszyn
September 12, 1939: The French Chicken Out
September 13, 1939: The Battle of Modlin
September 14, 1939: Germany Captures Gdynia
September 15, 1939: Warsaw Surrounded
September 16, 1939: Battle of Jaworów
September 17, 1939: Soviets Invade Poland
September 18, 1939: Lublin Falls
September 19, 1939: Germans, Soviets Hook Up
September 20, 1939: the Kraków Army Surrenders
September 21, 1939: Romania Convulses
September 22, 1939: Joint Soviet-German Military Parade
September 23, 1939: The Panama Conference
September 24, 1939: The Luftwaffe Bombs Warsaw
September 25, 1939: Black Monday for Warsaw
September 26, 1939: Warsaw on the Ropes
September 27, 1939: Hitler Decides to Invade France
September 28, 1939: Warsaw Capitulates
September 29, 1939: Modlin Fortress Falls
September 30, 1939: Graf Spee on the Loose

2020

Friday 8 September 1939

Heinz Guderian and his XIX Panzer Corps receive orders to advance to Brest-Litovsk, which is in the allocated Soviet zone (see the entry about Ribbentrop below). They are heading south along the line of the Bug River toward Wizna, the scene of fighting by the 10th Panzer Division and and "Lötzen" Brigade.

German troops of the 4th Panzer Division arrive at the Warsaw suburb of Ochota in the southeast. Polish General Czuma, in charge of the city, orders 100,000 civilians to begin digging anti-tank ditches. General Czuma broadcasts somewhat incongruously that "We shall fight to the last ditch!" The Germans claim to have entered Warsaw, which Polish radio denies. The Poles do, however, admit to some retreats in other areas. News reports around the world echo the German claim.

German troops begin attacking Gdynia.

Polish troops at the village of Wola Cyrusowa near Stryków make a stand. The Poles are the Polish Piotrków Operational Group under Gen. Wiktor Thommée, who has replaced a more senior officer who abandoned the army and left for Warsaw. The attacking German forces of the 10th Infantry Division and 24th Infantry Division are slowed, but not stopped.

Other troops of the 10th Infantry Division encircle some 60,000 Polish troops to the west of Radom, south of Warsaw.

German/Soviet Diplomacy: German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop notifies the Kremlin that German forces for tactical reasons will be impinging upon territories assigned to the Soviets under the August Ribbentrop/Molotov Pact.

Western Front: French forces continue advancing timidly in the Saar. The invading force includes some 600 tanks. The Germans have evacuated Saarbrücken of non-essential personnel. General Gamelin is suspicious of the absence of German defensive activity and fears an ambush. Wild rumors are spread by Paris radio that the Germans have rushed six divisions to defend the area. Concerned, Gamelin orders his forces to maintain distance from the Siegfried Line. He also cautiously orders his forces to plan for a withdrawal to the nearby Spicheren Heights in France in the event of an attack. The French remain close to the comforting Maginot Line. The Germans, meanwhile, are just watching the proceedings with scratch forces. Factories in Saarbrücken continue working.

There are rumors of food shortages along the Siegfried Line.

Air War, Western Front: Curtiss Hawk fighters of l'Armee de l'Air (French air force) meet  5 Bf 109 fighters. They file claims for 2 of the Messerschmitts.

The RAF launches another propaganda drop over Germany, the fourth of the war so far.

Rumors are spreading of transfers of French and British aircraft to Poland.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-38 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Liebe sinks the British steamer Manaar.

The British Ministry of Information releases a statement on the war at sea:

It is now palpably evident that Germany is prosecuting an unrestricted submarine campaign against merchant shipping as violent as that on which Germany embarked in 1917, and that the German submarine commanders have been given orders to sink merchant ships on sight and without warning. 

This, of course, is in direct contravention of the rules of submarine warfare which were unconditionally accepted by Germany in 1935, for all time and irrespective of the actions of any other Power. 

It is also quite clear that German submarines were on their stations on the ocean trade routes, with these orders, several days before war broke out.

The statement is correct in all particulars, as the U-boats were sent to sea on 15 August.

War Crimes: German troops entering  Bromberg (the German name for the Polish city of Bydgoszcz) claim to find hundreds of civilians slain by Polish snipers. This initiates the "Bloody Sunday" affair.

Meanwhile, in the village of Dąbrowa (near Ciepielów), Oberst Walter Wessel, acting commander of the German 15th Motorized Infantry Regiment, 29th Motorized Infantry Division, orders the execution of about 300 Polish POWs of the Polish 74th Infantry Regiment of Upper Silesia commanded by Major Józef Pelc. Wessel claims that they have been acting as partisans.

British Navy: The Admiralty expands the blockade of Germany. Three protected routes for convoys are established, two out of Liverpool and one from the Thames to the Atlantic. German ships overseas head for neutral ports for internment.

Polish/British Diplomacy: A Polish mission headed by General Novid-Neugebauer arrives in London.

German Homefront: Patients are "voluntarily" evacuated from hospitals to free up room for war casualties.

United States Government: President Roosevelt declares a limited national emergency and authorizes increases in the armed forces. A sum of $500,000 is authorized for the return of US citizens from the war zone. He reiterates the country's neutral status, and these measures are designed to protect it.

American Homefront: Bob Feller of the Cleveland Indians becomes the youngest pitcher to win 20 games in a season.

September 1939

September 1, 1939: Invasion of Poland
September 2, 1939: Danzig Annexed
September 3, 1939: France, Great Britain Declare War
September 4, 1939: First RAF Raid
September 5, 1939: The US Stays Out
September 6, 1939: Battle of Barking Creek
September 7, 1939: Polish HQ Bugs Out
September 8, 1939: War Crimes in Poland
September 9, 1939: The Empire Strikes Back
September 10, 1939: The Germans Break Out
September 11, 1939: Battle of Kałuszyn
September 12, 1939: The French Chicken Out
September 13, 1939: The Battle of Modlin
September 14, 1939: Germany Captures Gdynia
September 15, 1939: Warsaw Surrounded
September 16, 1939: Battle of Jaworów
September 17, 1939: Soviets Invade Poland
September 18, 1939: Lublin Falls
September 19, 1939: Germans, Soviets Hook Up
September 20, 1939: the Kraków Army Surrenders
September 21, 1939: Romania Convulses
September 22, 1939: Joint Soviet-German Military Parade
September 23, 1939: The Panama Conference
September 24, 1939: The Luftwaffe Bombs Warsaw
September 25, 1939: Black Monday for Warsaw
September 26, 1939: Warsaw on the Ropes
September 27, 1939: Hitler Decides to Invade France
September 28, 1939: Warsaw Capitulates
September 29, 1939: Modlin Fortress Falls
September 30, 1939: Graf Spee on the Loose

2021