This Day in the War in Europe: The Beginning

[parsifal]

25 December 1939
Known Losses
Collier EDENWOOD (UK 1167 grt), From the Admiralty war diary. Voyage, Seaham to Portsmouth. Was sunk in a
collision with HMS DERBYSHIRE on 25 December 1939. The Log book of HMS DERBYSHIRE records the time as 22.59 1/2 23rd Dec. DERBYSHIRE was undamaged.

[NO IMAGE LOCATED]

Steamer STANHOLME (UK 2473 grt) 24 (12 dead and 12 survivors); Cardiff - London : cargo of Coal: the ship was sunk in the Bristol Channel on a mine laid by U.33 on 5 November. The survivors picked up by a Norwegian steamer and landed at Barry.

Steamer LAPPEN (Nor 563 grt), en route Oslo to the Tyne, was lost after an internal explosion ten miles outside Brandasund, west of Bergen. The loss was later attributed to sabotage. The crew was landed at Bergen.

[NO IMAGE LOCATED]

Aux MSW trawler LOCH DOON (RN 534 grt) sunk eight miles east of Blyth on a mine laid by U.22 on the 22nd. There were no survivors - one officer and 14 ratings lost.

[NO IMAGE LOCATED]

TANGER (Ger 1742 grt) was sunk in a collision at Brunsbüttel

[NO IMAGE LOCATED]

Coastal Steamer TORWOOD(Nor 850 grt (est)): This ship was a wooden hull steam coaster but of relatively modern construction (either 1929 or 1935). Had a cargo of carbide when she struck a mine west of Karmoy, Norway. The crew was able to keep her afloat until the next morning, but then all 11 left the ship in 2 lifeboats, 4 in one, 7 in the other. Only the 7 survived, rescued by the Nowegian HILD and taken to Skudenes.
New image source: http://www.warsailors.com/norships/torwood.jpg

DKM War diary
Selected Extracts

UBOATS
Kriegstagebücher (KTB) - War Diary

Nothing to report.

At Sea 25 December 1939
U-30, U-46.
2 boats at sea.
OPERATIONS

Baltic
Finnish Coast Defence Ship Ilmarinen damaged by Soviet Land based Naval Air units with 1 KIA, 2 WIA

Northern Patrol
one cruiser was between the Orkneys and the Faroes, two cruisers and seven AMCs between the Faroes and Iceland, and one cruiser and one AMC in the Denmark Strait.

Of the ships engaged on Northern Patrol, CA BERWICK arrived in the Clyde for a period of rest and refit; CL CERES arrived at Scapa after patrol; CL DUNEDIN arrived at Scapa after her refit in the Clyde, and left for Northern Patrol; and AMC JERVIS BAY arrived at Portsmouth.

North Sea
DDs MAORI and AFRIDI departed Rosyth for the Clyde. Sub TRIDENT arrived at Rosyth after patrol.

The following submarines were on patrol in the Heligoland Bight and the North Sea: STURGEON which had departed from Blyth on the 17th and whose patrol ended on the 29th when she left the area to return, THISTLE which had departed from Rosyth on the 20th and was on patrol at entrance to Oslofjord, TRIUMPH from Rosyth on the 23rd, TRUANT from Rosyth on the 25th, SEALION from Harwich on the 12th, SNAPPER from Harwich on the 19th, UNITY from Blyth on the 21st, and L.23 from Blyth on the 17th to patrol in the area of Kristiansandfjord.

FS.59 departed the Tyne, escort DDs VALOROUS, VIVIEN and sloop BITTERN. After a sube was sighted by aircraft close to Spurn Point on the 25th, the three escorts were sent to investigate, and VALOROUS attacked a contact; two ASW trawlers were also searching in the area. The convoy arrived at Southend on the 27th.

Northern Waters
DDs ECHO and ELECTRA conducted an ASW Sweep off Rattray Head.

West Coast UK
BB REVENGE, escort DDs MOHAWK, MASHONA, KHARTOUM and KINGSTON, departed the Clyde and proceeded to Plymouth arriving at 1200 on 1 January for refitting, completed on 23 January. The escort DDs, less MASHONA, returned to the Clyde. MASHONA sailed to Chatham for repairs.

Channel
Sloop FLAMINGO attacked a submarine contact in the Knock Deep off the mouth of the Thames.

Western Approaches
Cdn TC.2 was in mid-Atlantic when Adm Forbes ordered the sortie of twelve Home Flt DDs to escort it through the Western Approaches and into the Clyde. DDs SOMALI, BEDOUIN, ESKIMO, MATABELE, MOHAWK, FEARLESS, FIREDRAKE, FURY, IMPERIAL and IMPULSIVE departed on the 25th and KINGSTON and KASHMIR on the 26th, all from Greenock and joined the convoy at sea on the 28th. On the 29th, DDs FAME and FORESIGHT conducted an ASW sweep off Ailsa Craig, after which, FAME arrived back in the Clyde on the 30th and FORESIGHT went to Loch Ewe. Also on the 29th, the Fr ships (BB DUNKERQUE and CL GLOIRE) were detached, escort DDs FEARLESS, FURY, FIREDRAKE and joined later in the morning by Fr Contre Torpilleur DDs MOGADOR, VOLTA, LE TRIOMPHANT, LE FANTASQUE, and LE TERRIBLE, which had departed Brest on the 26th. The DDs were detached before the French ships arrived at Brest on the 30th. On the 29th and 30th, convoy escort was supplemented by escort vessels PUFFIN, JASON, GLEANER and SHEARWATER.

At 0900/30th, TC.2 arrived safely in the Clyde escorted by BB REVENGE and DDs SOMALI, IMPERIAL, MOHAWK, KINGSTON, KASHMIR, MATABELE, BEDOUIN, FEARLESS, FURY, FAME and FIREDRAKE.

Med- Biscay
Sloop BIDEFORD arrived at Suez on her passage from the China Station to the UK. She left Port Said on the 30th for Malta escorting steamer ETTRICK. Off Malta on 1 January, destroyer VOYAGER relieved her and the steamer was taken to Marseilles. BIDEFORD arrived at Malta that day.

Indian Ocean
Fr CA SUFFREN and sloop SAVORGNAN DE BRAZZA began escorting three French troopships from Achin Head. British CVL GLORIOUS, DD BULLDOG and RAN CL HOBART departed Colombo on the 29th. They joined the convoy and escorted it to Cape Guardafui. GLORIOUS and BULLDOG proceeded on to Suez arriving on 9 January, while HOBART arrived back at Colombo on 10 January 1940.

 

[parsifal]

26 December 1939
Known Losses
Steamer GLUCKSBURG (Ger 2680 grt), had departed Cadiz on the 25th, was intercepted by DD WISHART off Chipiona Light ( Spain). She turned into Spanish waters pursued by WISHART which was warned off by Spanish gunboat LAURIA. However GLUCKSBURG went aground at San Luca de Barrameda and was lost; her hull broke up in the surf on 4 January 1940. The crew was picked up by Spanish fishing boat CUIDAD DE MELILLA.

DKM War diary
Selected Extracts

UBOATS
Kriegstagebücher (KTB) - War Diary

Radio Intelligence Service fixed the position of a convoy on the west coast of Portugal. U 46 informed.

At Sea 26 December 1939
U-30, U-46.
2 boats at sea.

OPERATIONS
Northern Patrol
One cruiser and one AMC were in the Denmark Strait, two cruisers and eight AMCs between the Faroes and Iceland, and two cruisers between the Faroes and the Orkneys. AMC CANTON departed the Clyde on Northern Patrol

North Sea
Sub TRIUMPH departed Rosyth on patrol on the 26th. In the Skagerrak 250 miles east of Rosyth, she struck a mine which left her badly damaged, unable to submerge and with 18 feet of her bow blown away. There were no casualties. Submarine TRUANT joined TRIUMPH to assist, while DDs EXMOUTH, ELECTRA, ESCAPADE, ENCOUNTER and ECHO were dispatched from Rosyth and joined TRIUMPH on the 27th. TRIUMPH and her escorts arrived safely off May Island in the Firth of Forth on the 28th. She was taken to Chatham for repairs lasting until 27 September 1940. On arrival at Rosyth, ELECTRA entered the dock at Rosyth for repairs and refit.

HMS THUNDERBOLT sister to the damaged TRIUMPH. Shot taken early 1941

DD JACKAL arrived in the Humber. Sub SEAHORSE departed Blyth on patrol. ORP Sub WILK departed Rosyth on patrol. FN.59 departed Southend, escort DD WOOLSTON and sloops FLEETWOOD and GRIMSBY. Convoy and escort arrived in the Tyne on the 28th.

Channel
After a sub was reported in the English Channel, DD MALCOLM and sloop FOXGLOVE carried out a Sweep of the area. Tkr ADELLEN (UK 7984 grt) was badly damaged on a mine 16 miles NE of North Foreland, but the vessel did not sink. She entered the Thames next morning for repair.

UK - France
Convoy SA.23 of two steamers departed Southampton, escorted by sloops FOXGLOVE and ROSEMARY, and arrived at Brest on the 27th.

SW Approaches
A submarine was reported sighted on the surface by DD VENETIA (this could only have been U-46, but the sighting is slightly different to the reported position of the Uboat that day) , escorting an outward bound convoy with DD VOLUNTEER. VENETIA made an attack on the contact 180 miles SW of Berehaven (Berehaven Harbour is located in Bantry Bay, West Cork. It was an RN Naval Base in Eire until abandoned in 1938). DDs WREN and WITCH in the area were advised of the sighting.

Central Atlantic
SL.14 departed Freetown escort sloop LEITH until 12 January. On 28 December, CVL HERMES, Fr CAs FOCH and DUPLEIX, and Fr DDs MILAN and CASSARD departed Freetown and joined the convoy on the 30th. On 10 January, convoy HG.14F was merged with SL.14. Sloop BIDEFORD joined on 10 January, and on the 11th, the convoys split with the northbound portion becoming SG.14B. On the same day, DDs WANDERER, WITCH and WARWICK joined SG.14B. LEITH arrived at Penarth for refitting on the 13th, while the convoy arrived on the 15th. There is no record of HERMES docking in the UK, I am usure of her whereabouts at that time, but suspect she diverted to Gib.

Med- Biscay
Sloop SCARBOROUGH departed Malta for UK for duty in Home Waters.

Indian Ocean
CL GLOUCESTER departed Mauritius and arrived at Port Victoria, Seychilles, on the 29th

 

[parsifal]

Great Information CR, but the format is to do each day as it comes by. We are still only at December 1939.

Id really like to extend an invite for anyone to contribute. Its hard to cover all the areas in the deatail it deserves. Doesnt matter if is just one isolated post, or fifty, So get your information and images ready and please feel encouraged to contribute. its my way of getting the facts out ther, and paying my respects to people i can never repay,m and for which there is a very great debt.

 

[Crimea_River]

Thanks CR but its 1939.

D'oh!!!! I'll be back in five years. Sorry!!!!!

 

[Wurger]

On the 27th December Nazi German invaders murdered without trial 107 dwellers of Wawer town near Warsaw. The murder was a collective responsibility for killing of two Nazi soldiers of the no. 539 Construction Battalion in Antoni Bartoszek's restaurant. The owner of the restaurant was severely beaten and hanged on doors of his pub without any judgement.

Graves of murdered Poles in 1939...

The graveyard in 60' ...

 

[parsifal]

27 December 1939
Known Reinforcements
Neutral
DD BAKU Project 38 Class (Leningrad class 2nd Gp)

BAKU was the lead ship of the Project 38 class, an improved design of the original Project 1 "Leningrad" Class. Inspired by the French Contre Torpilleurs, neither class were considered successful, suffering from endemic structural failures, machinery that did not deliver the expected power outputs and dangerous levels of top heaviness. Despite these serious flaws, Baku survived the war, not being decommissioned until 1963.

DKM War diary
Selected Extracts

UBOATS
Kriegstagebücher (KTB) - War Diary

Sailing of U 32 again delayed. Exhaust valve leaky.

Departures
Kiel: U-56, U-58

At Sea 27 December 1939
U-30, U-32, U-46, U-56, U-58.
5 boats at sea.

OPERATIONS

Northern Patrol
One cruiser and one AMC were in the Denmark Strait, two cruisers and AMCs between the Faroes and Iceland, and one cruiser between the Orkneys and the Faroes. CL MANCHESTER relieved sister ship SHEFFIELD on Northern Patrol.

North Sea
DD JACKAL escorted tanker BEDALE H (493grt) from Killingholm to Middlesborough, and sister ship JUNO joined later in the day. Sub TRIDENT departed Rosyth to establish a patrol off Murmansk to observe German activities from that port. OA.61 departed Southend escort DDs VESPER and VISCOUNT from the 27th to 29th, when they detached to join SL.14. DDs BROKE and ARDENT escorted the convoy from the 29th to 30th, when the convoy dispersed.

Northern Waters
BC HOOD and DDs MAORI, NUBIAN and AFRIDI departed the Clyde to relieve BB BARHAM and BC REPULSE on patrol NE of the Shetlands. AFRIDI and MAORI had just arrived in the Clyde that morning. DD ILEX joined the TG that evening after refuelling at Scapa.

Channel
DD WREN and WITCH were ordered to attack a submarine contact reported in the English Channel.

SW Approaches
DDs VENETIA and VOLUNTEER attacked a submarine contact in 49-58N, 12-56W.

Nth Atlantic
HXF.14 departed Halifax at 0900 escort by RCN DDs SAGUENAY and SKEENA, which detached on the 29th. The ocean escort was AMC ASCANIA, which left on 5 January. DD VERSATILE and sloop DEPTFORD from OB.64 joined HXF.14 from 5 to 8 January, when the convoy arrived at Liverpool.

Central Atlantic
SLF.14 departed Freetown escort AMC CARNARVON CASTLE until the 8 January. CVL HERMES accompanied the convoy on the 1st, and DDs ACASTA from the 4th to 8th, VESPER from the 8th to 9th, and WINDSOR from the 9th. The convoy arrived on the 11th.

CL ORION departed Kingston on patrol.

Sth Atlantic
Force K arrived at Montevideo. Since 18 November, the Force had been at sea almost constantly and ARK ROYAL had spent only 36 hours in port in that period, stretching for more than a month.
.
Far East/Pacific/Australia
CL BIRMINGHAM arrived at Hong Kong for repairs to her 17 December collision damage and to replace a propeller. She was undocked two days later and was able to depart on 3 January for her return to UK.

 

[parsifal]

28 December 1939
Known Losses

Naval Trawler BARBARA ROBERTSON (RN 325 grt): U.30 sank armed patrol trawler with gunfire, 35 miles NW of the Butt of Lewis in one rating was lost. DD ISIS was dispatched to assist, and guided to the area by British seaplanes. rescued the 16 survivors. She then went on to assist damaged BB BARHAM (see entry below)

BARBARA ROBERTSON was a Mersey Class Trawler of which the above (HMS FOYLE) is an example

Coastal Steamer HANNE (Den 1,080 grt): 17 (15 dead and 2 survivors): In Ballast: Copenhagen - Blyth. The cargo ship struck a mine and sank in the North Sea 1 nautical mile (1.9 km) east of Blyth, Northumberland
Photo originally from Danish Maritime Museum, Elsinore, used in Uboat Net

Trawler RESEARCHO (UK 258 grt) was lost in a minefield laid six miles SE by E of Flamborough Head by U.15 on 17 November. The entire crew was rescued. DD JACKAL later reported the trawler abandoned and still afloat 7½ miles east of Flamborough Head. The vessel was however a constructive total loss.

[NO IMAGE FOUND]

Coastal steamer WILPAS (Fn 775 grt) The coaster was torpedoed and sunk in the Gulf of Bothnia by ShCh-311 ( also known as SC 311) off Vaasa

Shch-311 was a Series V-bis-2 Shchuka of the Baltic Fleet

BB BARHAM, BC REPULSE, and DDs NUBIAN and ISIS were NW of Flannan Island when U.30 attacked. BARHAM was torpedoed at 1449 hours, and U.30 was able to escape the fierce counterattacks by the DDs. A and B shell rooms and magazines, and the pom-pom magazine were flooded and the forward bulkhead of the 6 inch magazine was leaking. Four ratings were killed.

REPULSE left her escort and proceeded at high speed, unaccompanied, into the Clyde arriving early on the 29th. DDs FAULKNOR and MASHONA departed Loch Ewe at 2300 to join the damaged BARHAM. Additionally, DD FOXHOUND departed Loch Ewe several hours later. After the submarine hunt FOXHOUND, FAULKNOR and ISIS were sent into Loch Ewe and DD NUBIAN joined the screen of BC HOOD. The patrol sloops of the 1st and 2nd Anti-Submarine Striking Forces departed the Clyde to assist. At 1404/29th, DDs INGLEFIELD and ICARUS attacked a submarine contact near BARHAM. Escorted by DDs FAME, ICARUS and IMOGEN, the damaged BARHAM was brought at 12 knots into the port of Liverpool at 2335/29th. She entered Gladstone Dock at 0245/30th for repairs which lasted until 1 July when she left for Scapa.

DKM War diary
Selected Extracts

UBOATS
Kriegstagebücher (KTB) - War Diary

U 32 at last ready towards evening. Sailed in accordance with Operations Order No. 16.

Departures
Wilhelmshaven: U-32

At Sea 28 December 1939
U-30, U-32, U-46, U-56, U-58.
5 boats at sea

OPERATIONS
Northern Patrol
One cruiser and one AMC were in the Denmark Strait, two cruisers and seven AMCs between the Faroes and Iceland, and one cruiser between the Orkneys and the Faroes. AMC MONTCLARE arrived in the Clyde and CL COLOMBO reached Scapa. CL CERES departed Scapa for Northern Patrol duties, and arrived back on 3 January.

North Sea
Sloops PELICAN, WESTON, HASTINGS after exercising in the Firth of Forth, escorted steamer CORDELIA (8190grt) to the Tyne. DDs INTREPID and IVANHOE of DesFlot 20 departed Portsmouth at 2330, and early on the 30th, laid minefield LA east of the Farne Islands in the North Sea. They were given close escort by six MTBs. OA.62 departed Southend escort sloop ENCHANTRESS and DD WINDSOR from the 28th to 30th. The convoy was then escorted by DDs WOLVERINE and VERITY from the 30th to 31st, when it dispersed.

FN.60 departed Southend, escort DDs VALOROUS, VIVIEN, BITTERN, and arrived in the Tyne on the 29th. FS.60 departed the Tyne, escorted by DD VEGA and sloops HASTINGS and PELICAN, which had departed Rosyth on the 27th to join. The convoy arrived at Southend on the 29th.

West Coast UK
OB.62 departed Liverpool escort DDs MACKAY, WARWICK and VIMY to the 31st, when they detached to the inbound convoy HX.13.

Channel
ASW trawler CAPE ARGONA (494grt) attacked a submarine contact 21 miles 114° from Flamborough Head.

UK - France

Central Atlantic
AMC MALOJA sighted a submarine in 44-28N, 13-00W. DD DELIGHT was advised. Sub SEVERN was at Freetown with a defect to the engine exhaust pipe. Repairs took 14 days.

Med- Biscay
OG.12 was formed from OA.60G and OB.60G totalling 44 ships. DDs VANESSA and AMAZON escorted OA.60G from the 26th to 28th, while WHITEHALL, WIVERN, VANOC and WHIRLWIND from OB.60G escorted OG.12 from the 28th to 29th. Fr DDs VALMY and CHEVALIER PAUL, which departed Brest on the 28th, escorted the convoy from 29 December to 4 January when it reached Gibraltar.

CL CALYPSO departed Gibraltar and arrived at Malta on the 31st for duty with the 3rd Cruiser Squadron.

 

[parsifal]

After more than 40 years of studying this war, i still have difficulty in understanding the brutality it brought out in people.

 

[Njaco]

27 December 1939 Wednesday
GERMANY: 'FALL GELB' is again postponed and rescheduled to take place between 9 and 14 January 1940.

The US Consul General in Hamburg states that the German authorities there have released all but 7 neutral vessels previously seized. At one time, there were estimated to be about 125 ships there.

NORTHERN EUROPE: In Finland, Soviet 4th division desperately tries to reinforce it's bridgehead on the Finnish side of the Suvanto River, at the Eastern end of the Karelian Isthmus. But the attempts were detected by Finnish forces, which attacked them with artillery and machine guns, killing many. Thousands of Soviet troops crossed the ice in bright moonlight and were punished by Finnish artillery and machinegun fire, leaving the ice "littered with piles of bodies". Finnish artillery shells the dug in Soviet troops on the bridgehead. Finnish 6th battalion attacks at 11.45 AM and clears the trenches in several hours of close combat. Battle of Kelja is over at 6 PM with 2000 Soviets dead. Finns have 400 dead and wounded but capture 6 anti-tank guns and hundreds of machineguns and rifles.

Elsewhere, in Suomussalmi, Finnish 9th division, supported by the newly-arrived four 1902 76-millimeter cannon and two Bofors 37-millimeter anti-tank guns, began to assault the encircled Soviet 163rd Division. Despite cold, hunger and poor leadership, the Soviet troops hold out in fierce hand to hand combat. 44th division hears the battle but again fails to march to the sound of the guns.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The Royal Navy plans to seed a defensive minefield from Moray Firth to the Thames Estuary.

Convoy OA 61 departs from Southend, Convoy SL 14F departs from Freetown, Convoy HXF 14 departs from Halifax.

Royal Air Force coastal command forces attack shipping, including two destroyers and eleven patrol vessels, in the North Sea, disabling a German patrol boat.

WESTERN FRONT: Indian troops arrive in France to join the BEF.

ASIA: In the Battle of South Kwangsi, in the last gasps of the Winter Offensive, the Chinese are still attacking the Japanese 5th Infantry Division. At the Lien River, the Japanese 21st Army crosses against light resistance from the Chinese 4th War Area. A Japanese force also counterattacks the Chinese 5th War Area near Chunghsiang.

.

 

[parsifal]

29 December 1939
Known Losses
Liner CABO SAN ANTONIO (Sp 12275 GRT): The cargo liner caught fire in the Atlantic Ocean 400 nautical miles (740 km) west of Conakry, French Guinea and was abandoned with the loss of five passengers. Survivors were rescued by a French ship. The vessel was subsequently scuttled by a French warship as she was a danger to navigation.

Steamer VENTA (Latvian 1886 grt) was seized in the Baltic by a German warship, and later renamed UNDINE for German use.
New Photo Source Cundall 1908

Built in 1908, and in British service known as the CUNDALL, sold in 1925 to the Latvian National carrier, renamed VENTA

Coastal Steamer NEPTUN (Ger 727 grt) was lost by stranding on the Swedish coast near Varberg in the Kattegat.
[NO IMAGE FOUND]

DKM War diary
Selected Extracts

UBOATS
Kriegstagebücher (KTB) - War Diary

U 30 reported an attack on a battleship of the Repulse class on the 28th northwest of the Herbrides. She fired 4 torpedoes and scored one probable hit. According to Radio Intelligence, this is "Barham". She could however, still make 12 knots and probably proceeded to the Clyde. Shortly after U 30 reported that she had sun

At Sea 29 December 1939
U-30, U-32, U-46, U-56, U-58.
5 boats at sea

OPERATIONS

Northern Patrol
One cruiser and one AMCs were in the Denmark Strait, two cruisers and seven AMCs between Iceland the Faroes, and one cruiser between the Faroes and the Orkneys. AMC DERBYSHIRE arrived in the Clyde.

North Sea
Sub L.23 arrived at Rosyth after patrol. She was supposed to go to Blyth, but that port was closed due to mining. She was able to proceed to Blyth next day and arrived on the 31st.Some sources suggest sub SEAHORSE, which departed Blyth on patrol on the 26th, was sunk on a mine on this date. However, it appears that the 7 January attack on a submarine was more likely the cause of SEAHORSE's loss (see entry for 7 January).

ON.6 of three British and three Finnish ships was due to depart Methil, but was held up until the next day. The convoy departed Methil on the 29th escort DDs EXMOUTH, ECLIPSE, ENCOUNTER, ESCAPADE and ORP sub ORZEL. ML RINGDOVE and British steamer HIGHLANDER (1216grt) left the convoy near Aberdeen and proceeded to Scapa. DD ECLIPSE and ASW trawler ARCTIC EXPLORER (501grt) also detached from the Convoy. Close cover was provided by CLs EDINBURGH and GLASGOW which departed Rosyth on the 30th. Heavy distant cover was supplied by BC HOOD and DDs MAORI, NUBIAN and AFRIDI operating southeast of the Faroes. DD ILEX after refuelling at Scapa joined the HOOD screen the next day. ON.6 arrived safely at Bergen on 1 January.

Nth Atlantic
HX.14 departed Halifax at 0900 escort RCN DDs SAGUENAY and SKEENA, which detached on the 30th. The DDs arrived back at Halifax on the 31st. CL EFFINGHAM and RN sub CACHALOT departed Halifax with HX.14 as the ocean escort, EFFINGHAM detaching on 9 January. DDs WHITSHED, WALKER, VIMY and ANTELOPE escorted the convoy from 9 to 12 January, when it arrived at Liverpool. On the convoy's arrival, the use of submarine escorts with HX convoys was suspended. EFFINGHAM reached Portsmouth on the 10th to refit, completed on 13 April 1940.

Central Atlantic
Steamer HIGHLAND PATRIOT (UK 14,172 grt) was attacked by Fr sub FRESNEL off the Canary Islands, believing her to be a German blockade runner. FRESNEL was driven off by gunfire and fortunately neither vessels was damaged.
.
Sth Atlantic
CL AJAX and CA DORSETSHIRE departed the Falklands for patrol off Rio de la Plata. DORSETSHIRE set off for Simonstown searching for German tanker ALTMARK en route, and arrived back at the Falklands on 18 January. Sister ship CUMBERLAND departed Port William, Falklands on the 29th for Simonstown, via Tristan da Cunha. She arrived at Simonstown on 11 January for docking and refit completed on 10 February, and was declared ready for sea on the 13th.

Med- Biscay
HGF.13 departed Gib with ten ships, escort DDs WISHART and ACTIVE from 29 December to 3 January, and WANDERER and VETERAN from convoy OGF.13 on 3 January. VETERAN was detached the same day, but WANDERER remained until the 5th when the convoy arrived.

Indian Ocean
Fr CA SUFFREN arrived at Trincomalee at 0200, and at 0950, departed with RN CV GLORIOUS and AMC CATHAY.

 

[Wurger]

The Winter 1939/1940 ... damaged Nazi German tanks and vehicles gathered at Świdnik airfield , Poland.

 

[Njaco]

28 December 1939 Thursday

ASIA: The Japanese bomb the Chinese military supply depot at Lanchow.

The Chinese 3rd War Area interdicts boat traffic on the Yangtze River.

Chinese 5th War Area takes Yuntankang. The Japanese are attacking it at Loyangtien, Tzepakang, Tuchungshan, and Hsuchiatien. Japanese troops take Changshoutien from it.

In the Battle of South Kwangsi, the Chinese are attacking the Japanese Fifth Infantry Division at Kunlunkuan.

GERMANY: The crews of I(J)./LG 2 transfer from Koln to Hage on the North Sea Coast.

The British lose a reconnaissance plane over northwest Germany during the night.

NORTHERN EUROPE: Joseph Stalin ordered the Soviet troops in Finland to hold position as his generals worked on a new offensive plan against the surprisingly resilient Finnish defenses. The Soviet troops enveloped within Finnish lines was thus abandoned and left to be eliminated by the Finnish forces. The Soviet invasion plans assumed the political and military collapse of Finland in 12 days but they have few gains to show after a month of fighting. Only 14th Army in Lapland has achieved its objectives. Stalin pragmatically and ruthlessly abandons Meretskov's plan and orders a 'temporary defensive posture' prior to concerted attacks on the Mannerheim Line. He similarly abandons the elements of the Red Army currently on the border from Lake Lagoda to Lapland. 14th Army and 9th Army (122 Div) held in Lapland, 9th Army (163 44 Div) trapped around Suomussalmi and 8th Army held North of Lake Lagoda are left to the mercy of the Finns. There is no plan to reinforce, resupply or evacuate them; retreat or surrender will be punished by death when they return to the Soviet Union. Comrade Zelentsov in Suomussalmi gathers his men of the 163rd Rifle Division together at dawn. The troops form a 4 kilometer-long column on the ice of Kiantajärvi lake and head away from the doomed village they have been defending for weeks. The two regiments, the 81st Mountain Rifles, and the 759th Rifle Regiment receive elaborate Red Air Force protection, and tanks assist on the ground. By evening, they have made good progress toward safety that lies 20 km to the northeast, taking with them 2000 men, 48 trucks, 20 field guns, and 6 tanks. Zelentsov's division actually has three regiments, the third being the 662nd Rifle Regiment. It remains back forming a defensive perimeter by the road, oblivious to the departure of the men it had been guarding. Regiment commander Sharov and commissar Podhomutov - both having equal authority - sneak out on their men and leave them to their fate, making their way together through the forest to safety. Virtually everyone they leave behind is annihilated. Both Sharov and Podhomutov are immediately arrested and executed in front of the few of their troops that also survived.

Aside from recapturing the village and eliminating a substantial Soviet formation, for the Finns it also is a huge strategic victory because now they can turn all of their attention to the stranded and immobile Soviet 44th Rifle Division on the Ratte road. The beleaguered division is stretched over 20 kilometers on what essentially is a rough logging road through deep forests. The division is oriented to proceed west to Suomussalmi, but now there is no need to go there. The division's only rational destination is where it came from, but the best troops are at the wrong end of the 20 kilometers. The division headquarters (kombrig Vinogradov and commissar Parkhomenko) is all the way back on the Soviet side of the border. Orders to the division: no retreat. Stalin essentially writes off the Soviet formations in Finland and prepares a completely new plan. The new mission for Soviet 8th, 9th and 14th Armies essentially is to stand their ground for as long as they can, with no permission to retreat and no plans to resupply or reinforce them. Soviet liquidation squads are ready for any commanders that return from the front without orders or success.

UNITED KINGDOM: The British Ministry of Food announced that sugar would be rationed from 8 Jan 1940 and meat from a date still to be fixed. The Minister of Food William Morrison said this would release foreign exchange and provide shipping space for the importation of armaments and raw materials.

SS 'Hanne' (1,080t) a Danish ship, struck a mine about 1 mile E of Blyth Pier and sank in shallow water with the loss of fifteen lives. She was built in 1905, her remains are in two pieces 30ft apart, the engines and boiler sections are very close to the surface.

Mines were washed up at Cowbar, Staithes and at a point ½ mile N of Runswick Bay.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German submarine U-30 sank British submarine trawler HMS "Barbara Robertson" in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, United Kingdom at 0400 hours, killing 1; the German submarine radioed Swedish merchant ship "Hispania" to pick up the survivors. Later on the same day, at 1545 hours, she spotted and damaged British battleship HMS "Barham" with one torpedo, killing 4; she was chased off by destroyers HMS "Isis" and HMS "Nubian". HMS "Barham" limps to dock in Liverpool but is out of action for 6 months for repairs.

Eight survivors (out of 43) of British freighter 'Navasota' torpedoed early in December, landed at Capetown.

Danish freighter 'Hanne' (2,473 tons) hits a mine and sinks just one mile off of Blyth Pier, Scotland. Fifteen crew perish and only two survive.

British fishing trawler 'Resercho' (258 tons) hits a mine and sinks southeast of Flamborough Head, England.

Convoy OA 62 departs from Scotland, OB 62 departs from Liverpool and OG 12 forms at Gibraltar.

EASTERN EUROPE: Nazi authorities announced that entire population (70,000) of Polish town of Kalisz were to be deported to make room for ethnic Germans "returned" from the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

NORTH AMERICA: First flight of the XB-24 Liberator at Lindbergh Field, San Diego.

.

 

[Wurger]

The U-30, a type VIIA U-boat in pre-war images ...

The Queen Elizabeth class battleship HMS Barham in pre-war pictures ...

 

[michaelmaltby]

Very graceful ship ....

 

[parsifal]

30 December 1939
Known Reinforcements
Axis
IJN Type A ASW Escort HACHIJO, IJN CVS NISSHIN

Neutral
Liuzzi Class Sub RM ALPINO BAGNOLINI

(precise commissioning date uncertain. This ship enjoyed early success when she sank RN CL CALYPSO, only to suffer the dubious honour of being the first significant casualty of the war for the REM herself when she was forced to surface and surrender on Juner 12 1940).

Allied
AMCs CARINTIA and COMORIN, Fr Elan Class MSW Commandant Delage
[NO IMAGE OF CARINTHIA]

Known Losses
Steamer TELMA (FN 2032 grt): The cargo ship struck some submerged ice and foundered in the Gulf of Bothnia off Oulu.

TELMA was an old ship, built in 1883 by Short Bros, and transferred to the Finnish state carrier in either 1925 or 1929

PC V-704 (DKM 350 grt (est)) The vorpostenboot struck a mine and sank

[NO IMAGE FOUND]

DKM War diary
Selected Extracts

UBOATS
Kriegstagebücher (KTB) - War Diary

U 25 will not sail for at least another day. There are still traces of oil. Enemy news service gave a description of the sinking of a German U-boat off the west coast of Spain. No date given. If this is not an old report, it can only refer to U 46, the last direct news of which was received on the 24th (weather report from west of Ireland). Several sighting reports of 28th and 29th appear to refer to this boat.

At Sea 30 December 1939
U-30, U-32, U-46, U-56, U-58.
5 boats at sea

OPERATIONS
Northern Patrol
Two cruisers were between the Orkneys and Faeroes, two cruisers and eight AMCs between the Faroes and Iceland, and one cruiser and one AMC in the Denmark Strait. AMC CORFU departed Portsmouth for the Clyde, while CA BERWICK, escort DD FORESIGHT, departed the Clyde on Northern Patrol, returning to Rosyth on 10 January. CL COLOMBO departed Scapa for Northern Patrol and arrived back on 6 January.

North Sea
Sub STURGEON returned to Blyth after her North Sea patrol. FN.61 departed Southend, escort DD VEGA and slops FLAMINGO and STORK, and arrived in the Tyne on the 31st. FS.61 departed the Tyne, escort sloops PELICAN, WESTON, HASTINGS, and arrived at Southend on the 31st.

Northern Waters
DDs ESCORT and ELECTRA departed Rosyth escorting base ship MANCHESTER CITY and steamer ASTRONOMER (UK 8401 grt) to Scapa. DDs FEARLESS and FURY escorted tkr ATHELEMPRESS (UK 8941 grt) to the oil storage facility on the Clyde. On the 31st, they were ordered to return to Scapa escorting tkr ARNDALE (UK 8296 grt) which departed the Clyde the same day.

West Coast UK
DD MASHONA put into Belfast with defects. ASW CUTTY SARK attacked a submarine contact 14 miles NW of Liverpool. DD WESSEX was sent to assist. ASW trawler ARSENAL (389grt) attacked a submarine contact 28 miles SSW of Calf of Man.

Sth Atlantic
CL ACHILLES departed the Falklands and joined light cruiser AJAX. On 3 January, they parted company and ACHILLES went to Buenos Aires and AJAX to Montevideo..

 

[Wurger]

Finnish tanker photographed standing next to a captured Soviet T-28 tank. This machine is one of the two captured by Finnish troops in December 1939, from the 20th Heavy Tank Brigade Kirov.

 

[parsifal]

29 December 1939 Friday
NORTH AMERICA: Consolidated Aircraft Corporation's chief test pilot, William B. ("Bill") Wheatley, made the first flight of the XB-24, 39-556, at San Diego, California. This airplane was the prototype of the B-24 Liberator bomber. The U.S. Army Air Corps had approached Consolidated to set up a second production line for Boeing's B-17 Flying Fortress four-engine heavy bomber. After looking at Boeing's Seattle operation, Consolidated chief executive Reuben H. Fleet told the Army that they could build a better, more modern bomber. Over 18,000 of these planes were built in six years for World War II, making this plane the most produced American military aircraft.

NORTHERN EUROPE: After being trapped and constantly attacked in Suomussalmi for 22 days, Soviet 163rd division evacuates on an ice road ice over Lake Kiantajärvi. 2000 men, 48 trucks, 20 field guns and 6 tanks head 20 km northeast towards their own lines in a 4 km long column. Finnish 9th Division overpower the remaining Soviets at Suomussalmi. They capture 11 tanks, 25 guns and 150 trucks. The Finns kill the stragglers in the town and send some men to pursue the ones who left on the ice. Soon the Finnish troops turn complete attention to the doomed Soviet 44th Rifle Division on the Ratte road leading into the town. Overnight, the Finns start to chase the slowly-moving column. The 44th Rifle Division could probably get away; at least large portions of it. However, its orders are to stay put.

Stalin endorses Chief of the Staff Shaposhnikov's plan for a massed attack on the Karelian Isthmus towards Viipuri and Helsinki. Commander of Kiev Military District Semyon Timoshenko volunteers to lead the new operation. Kirill Meretskov, his all-frontier plan having failed, is demoted from overall command to lead 7th Army on the Isthmus. Meretskov survives this humiliation and finds glory defending Leningrad and, ironically, fighting Germans in Finland. He will become a Marshal of the Soviet Union.

Finnish 'Suicide Company' of 250 picked ski troops first sent forward to attack railway, reported to have penetrated as far as Kandalasksha, an important Russian base on arm of White Sea. The Detachment of Finnish troops reached and damaged Lenningrad-Murmansk railways at three points.

Soviet troops at Salla, which have been under relentless Soviet pressure for weeks, are refusing to follow orders to perform what they consider to be suicide missions. This is not the first time this has happened during the Winter War.

The Finns lodge a diplomatic protest with the Estonian government about the presence there of Soviet destroyers. They are there pursuant to the recent Soviet/Estonian basing agreement.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: British Steamer 'Moortoft' reported sunk. British Trawler 'Resercho' sunk by mine in North Sea. British Trawler 'Adam' reported having been bombed and machine-gunned by German seaplanes.

Convoy HG 13F departs from Gibraltar, and HX 14 departs from Halifax.

UNITED KINGDOM: At 03.30 an explosion, probably a mine or a torpedo, damaged the sea wall and some property at Sandsend near Whitby. Apart from the sea wall and a house roof, the damage was mainly broken windows at the Sandsend Hotel and the Beach Hotel. There were no casualties.

GERMANY: Responding to Fritz Thyssen's critical comments about Hitler in Switzerland, the Reich police issue a warrant for Thyssen's arrest. Of course, it cannot be executed, as Thyssen is in Switzerland - for now.

.

 

[parsifal]

30 December 1939 Saturday

ASIA: In Hanoi, Chinese leader Chingwei signs an agreement with the Japanese. Chingwei is a former foreign minister of the Kuomintang who has left China because he lost a power battle with Chiang Kai-shek. Chingwei is convinced that the Nationalist Chinese cannot beat the Japanese, and thus he is agreeing to set up a rival Nationalist government under Japanese overlordship. He hopes to have the undisputed rule over China as a Japanese satrap after the Japanese win the war.

The Nationalist Chinese Air Force, which Claire Chennault has been working on, sends 40 fighters into the air over Liuchow. They encounter 13 Japanese Type 96 fighters. The Chinese apparently need more practice, because they lose 14 planes to none by the Japanese.

In the continuing Battle of South Kwangsi, the Japanese 5th Infantry Division escapes from Kunlunkuan during the night.

Japanese 21st Army captures Wongyuan in the Chinese 4th War Area.

WESTERN FRONT: Count Ciano, Italian Foreign Minister, tells Belgian Princess Marie-José to warn her brother King Léopold that Adolf Hitler would soon invade Belgium.

NORTHERN EUROPE: Battle of Suomussalmi ends. Finnish 9th division destroys the remnants of Soviet 163rd division retreating over the ice of Lake Kiantajärvi. A platoon led by Capt. Kuistio in 2 trucks (armed with 4 MGs, one twin anti-aircraft MG and various sub-MGs) harass the end of the Soviet column at the northern end of Lake Kiantajärvi, killing 500. Finnish artillery and Bristol Blenheim Mk I bombers blast Soviet troops, horses, trucks, guns and tanks through holes in the ice into the freezing water. An entire Soviet division is gone (estimated at 10-15,000 dead). Finnish casualties are 420 dead/missing and 600 wounded but they capture much valuable materiel. The total war booty from Suomussalmi brought back to headquarters is staggering for the poorly armed Finns: 625 Rifles, 33 LMG's, 19 MG's, 2 Anti-Aircraft-MG's (four barrels), 12 Anti-Tank guns, 27 Field and Anti-Aircraft-guns, 26 Tanks, 2 Armored cars, 350 Horses, 181 Trucks, 11 Tractors, 26 Field kitchens, 800,000 rounds of 7.62 mm rifle ammo, 9,000 artillery shells, a field hospital, and a bakery. (These figures are items that were counted and transported away from the front. In addition, hundreds of rifles, LMG's and MG's were taken into use immediately and thus never counted.) 9th division commander Colonel Siilasvuo turns his attention to Soviet 44th, stationary on the Raate road. After 6 days of inactivity, their engines are seized and gun-oil in the standard Red Army 1902 model Moisin-Nagant 7.62 mm rifles is frozen. Men and horses huddle for warmth.

Soviet General Stern has been brought west from the Soviet Far Eastern Army to direct operations north of Lake Ladoga.

Soviet bombers attack Hango and drop about 60 bombs.

Soviet battleship 'Oktyabrskaya Revolutsiya' and destroyers bombard Finnish shore batteries at Saarenpaa.

UNITED KINGDOM: In the Wardley District of Pelaw on Tyne, a trailing Barrage Balloon cable fouled certain feeders, and for a short time interrupted the electrical supply of the Monkton Coke Works and Jone's Brickworks.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: HM Submarine 'Seahorse' which had sailed from Blyth on the 26th December for a patrol in the Heligoland Bight, was sunk, presumably by German minesweepers.

In a distant echo of the 'Admiral Graf Spee' drama, the Uruguayan government gives the German freighter 'Tacoma' 24 hours to leave Montevideo. It believes the freighter was assisting the German pocket battleship (including embarking her crew after she was scuttled) and thus is a military vessel.

Convoy OA 63 GF departs from Southend, and Convoy OB 63 departs from Liverpool.

.

 

[parsifal]

31 December 1939
Known Losses
Trawler ADELINE(Be 43 grt):The fishing vessel was bombed and sunk in the North Sea off the Noordhinder Lightship.

[NO IMAGE FOUND]

MV BOX HILL(UK 5,677 grt) (Note:the ship was a shelter deck cargo steamship named GLENTWORTH built in 1920 by Hawthorn Leslie Co. in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England for R.S. Dalgliesh and Dalgliesh Steam Shipping Co. Ltd. After the Great Depression affected UK merchant shipping in the first years of the 1930s, Dalgliesh sold the ship to a company controlled by Counties Ship Management (an offshoot of the Rethymnis Kulukundis shipbroking company of London) who renamed her SS BOX HILL)

The ship sailed from St John, New Brunswick bound for Hull with a cargo of wheat. On New Year's Eve she was in the North Sea 9 nautical miles off the Humber lightship when she struck a German mine. The explosion broke her back and she sank almost immediately with 20 of her 32 crew lost. Survivors were rescued by DD IVANHOE and another ship.

Steamer LUNA (Nor 959 grt) crew unknown, casualties unknown , cargo General cargo, including rubber hose, zinc plates and hessian cloth enroute London - Trondheim; The neutral and unescorted LUNA was hit aft by one torpedo from U-32 and sank slowly by the stern. The Germans reported that the nationality markings were not visible in the dark. The crew was picked up by the Norwegian steam merchant Colombia and taken to Kopervik.

DKM War diary
Selected Extracts

UBOATS
Kriegstagebücher (KTB) - War Diary

U 25 sailed. Weather forecast indicates a very cold spell. The Kaiser Wilhelm Canal and the entrances to the Baltic may be expected to freeze up. If this is so, U-boat warfare will probably be affected.

At Sea 31 December 1939
U-30, U-32, U-46, U-56, U-58.
5 boats at sea

OPERATIONS

Northern Patrol
one cruiser was between the Orkneys and the Faroes, two cruisers and five AMCs between the Faeroes and Iceland, and one cruiser was in the Denmark Strait. CL COLOMBO departed Scapa and AMC DERBYSHIRE the Clyde, both for Northern Patrol, while CL DUNEDIN returned to Scapa .

North Sea
DD VIVIEN and sloops FLEETWOOD and BITTERN departed Rosyth for the Tyne to escort convoy FS.62, which had been due to leave the evening of the 31st, but was postponed until next day. Subs TRUANT departed from Rosyth and UNDINE from Blyth both on Nth Sea patrols.

Northern Waters
U.58 attacked a V W class DD of Convoy C off Kinnaird Head (off the aberdeen shire coast northern scotland).

West Coast UK
BB RODNEY, after repairing her rudder defect at Liverpool, departed dock on the 30th with DDs ICARUS and IMOGEN in attendance and rejoined the Home Flt at Greenock on the 31st. Adm Forbes re-hoisted his flag on her on 1 January 1940.

Channel
A/C reported a submarine seven miles south of Dover, DD BRAZEN proceeded to investigate.

SW Approaches
DDWALKER attacked a submarine contact 70 miles SW of Scillies. DD VIMY later joined to assist in the search.

Med- Biscay
CL CALEDON departed Malta on patrol duties. DD DARING departed Malta on the 27th and arrived at Gib on the 30th. On the 31st, sloop SCARBOROUGH, which had arrived from Malta on the 29th, dep Gibraltar escorting AMC DUNOTTAR CASTLE to Belfast with DARING in company. On 2 January off Cape Roca, DARING attacked a submarine contact. She reached Belfast on 7 January and Portsmouth on the 10th. CL ARETHUSA departed Malta. Calling at Gib on 3 January, she arrived at Portsmouth on the 6th, left again on the 26th and arrived at Scapa on the 29th for duty with the Home Flt. ARETHUSA and sister ship PENELOPE (which was at Malta and departed station on 5 January) in the Med, were relieved by CL CALEDON and CALYPSO which arrived at Malta from Home Waters on 28 and 31 December, respectively. DD DAINTY departed Malta for Gib for duty in the Sth Atlantic. Sister ships DIAMOND departed Malta on 7 January on the same duty, DEFENDER was prevented from sailing for the Sth Atlantic due to a perforated superheater on the 13th, and DECOY and DEFENDER were able to depart Malta after repairs on the 27th.

HG.13 of 30 ships departed Gib escort by ASW ARCTIC RANGER (493 grt) as local escort and Fr Contre Torpilleur DDs GUÉPARD and VERDUN from 31 December to 7 January. The Fr destroyers arrived at Brest on the 9th. DDs VANOC and VISCOUNT were with the convoy from the 7th to 10th, and VENETIA from convoy OG.13 and VOLUNTEER from SL.14 from the 8th to 10th, when the convoy arrived.

Indian Ocean
CL GLOUCESTER departed Port Victoria, Seychelles, for Colombo, arriving on 8 January for refitting, completed on the 22nd.

Miscellaneous

When 1939 ended, 120 days had elapsed since the declaration of war.

DDs SOMALI and BEDOUIN held the record for days at sea with 104 underway out of the 120. Following were DD HOTSPUR with 103 days, CL ORION on 102, CL PERTH, DDs MAORI and ISIS with 99, DD FIREDRAKE with 96, CL EMERALD with 95, CL DUNEDIN with 92 days, and CLs NEWCASTLE and SHEFFIELD with 88 days. Of DesFlot 19 in the Nore, DD CODRINGTON was underway 93 days, BASILISK for 89, BEAGLE for 86, BOREAS for 82, BRAZEN for 69, and BRILLIANT for 67. BB NELSON was at sea 74 days of the 93 days until she was mined.

 

[parsifal]

HM Submarine 'Seahorse' which had sailed from Blyth on the 26th December for a patrol in the Heligoland Bight, was sunk, presumably by German minesweepers.

This is certainly a possibility, but there is also some doubt as to her actual loss date and cause of loss. Two scenarios are thought the more likely.

On 26 December 1939 she sailed from Blyth for patrol off the east coast of Denmark. Four days later she shifted position to the entrance of the Elbe. She did not return on her due date of 9 January 1940. The British Admiralty at first thgought that she had been mined but German records, examined after the war, disprove this. The most likely cause of loss suggest she was the victim of the German First Minesweeper Flotilla which reported a sustained depth charge attack on an unidentified submarine on 7 January 1940.

If the sub was lost on the earlier date of 29 December, it was not to the German Minesweepers. On this date it is however possible that she was rammed and sunk by the German Sperrbrecher IV south east of Helgoland. which is entered as an event in the DKM war diary.
\
The most likley date of her loss is thought to be 7th January, at the hands of the German MSW depth charge attacks.