This Day in the War in Europe: The Beginning

[parsifal]

08 SEPTEMBER 1939
Reinforcements
Axis New Ships
DKM MSW M13

M13 was a Type M1935 MSW. . An efficient, but also expensive.

Losses
U.34 severely damaged tkr KENNEBEC (UK 5548 grt) 70 miles SW of the Bishops. She was scuttled by DD WOLVERINE when found to be beyond salvage and her crew rescued by Dutch steamer BREEDYK.

U.29 torpedoed tkr REGENT TIGER (UK 10,177 grt) 250 miles WSW of Cape Clear but she did not sink until the 10th i. The survivors were rescued by Belgian steamer JEAN JADOT
.

UBOATS
arrivals
Wilhelmshaven: U.3, U.14, U.17, U.36
Kiel: U.5, U.7, U.15, U.16, U.18, U.56 .

Departures
Swinemünde: U-18

At Sea 8 September
U-4, U-6, U-9, U-10, U-12, U-19, U-20, U-22, U-26, U-27 , U-28, U-29, U-30, U-32, U-33, U-34, U-36, U-37, U-38, U-39 , U-40, U-41, U-45, U-46, U-47, U-48, U-52, U-53, U-57, U-58, U-59.

31 boats at sea

U.26 laid a minefield off Portland on which three steamers were sunk.

Baltic
MV HELFRID BISSMARK (Ger 727 grt) sank in the Sound between Sjaelland and Sweden and HELGA SCHRODER (656grt) in the Baltic, both the victim of mines.

Sailing vessel OLIVE BANK (FN 2795 grt) sank on a mine in the North Sea, 105 miles SW of Bouvbjerg, Denmark. Fourteen crewmen were lost, with the survivors picked up by a Danish fishing boat and taken to Esbjerg.

North Sea .
Humber Force
CLs GLASGOW, SOUTHAMPTON and DDs JAVELIN, JERSEY, JERVIS, JUPITER left Rosyth to search for German shipping dep Rotterdam for Hamburg in operation GH, which was conducted during the night of the 8th/9th. No contact was made and the Humber Force arrived in the Humber on the 9th.

Convoy FS.2

Convoy FS.2 dep Methil for Southend and arrived on the 10th.

DD MATABELE was docked at Chatham from the 8th to 10th to replace two propellers damaged by grounding at Scapa on the 5th. She left on the 11th to return to Scapa.

Jan Van Amstel Class MSW WILLEM VAN EWIJK (RNeN 460 grt) was lost off Terschelling, raised after the Dutch surrender and put into DKM service for the remainder of the war

ML WILLEM VAN DER ZAAN damaged off Den Helder when they struck Dutch mines. In May 1940 the ship escaped to the UK

Two barrages of DKM mine barrage "Martha Gustav" were laid on the 8th by MLs COBRA and ROLAND, this time with DD FRIEDRICH IHN as escort. After the operation, the ships proceeded to Emden.

Northern Patrol - .
Adm Horton, CinC Northern Patrol could not coordinate the activities of his cruisers from a flagship at sea, he left CL EFFINGHAM and transferred his flag ashore at Kirkwall to new headquarters named HMS PYRAMUS. Rear Adm W F Wake-Walker OBE hoisted his flag in EFFINGHAM, as Rear Admiral Cru Sqn 12.


British Northern Waters
Home Flt - BCs HOOD, RENOWN, CLs BELFAST, EDINBURGH, and DDs FAME, FEARLESS, FORESTER dep Scapa for patrol between Iceland and the Faroes to reinforce the blockade. DD FURY which had dep Scapa on the 7th with the NELSON force joined the HOOD at sea on the 8th. This force returned to on the 12th, and as with the NELSON ships, found that poor visibility led to a lack of sightings. The CLs were detached for patrol duties, refuelled at Sullom Voe on the 15th and did not arrive back at Scapa until the 20th.

English Channel
A flying boat made two attacks on submarine contacts, one in Mounts Bay and one south of the Lizard. Two DDs dep Plymouth to investigate.

DD SHIKARI departed Portsmouth and arrived at Devonport the same day to begin rearming

On the 8th, the Milford Haven DDs detached and returned to Plymouth

DDs BLANCHE and BRILLIANT attacked a submarine contact five miles NNE of North Goodwin.

Southwestern Approaches
DDs JACKAL, JANUS, JUNO, DesDiv14, and DesFlot7 arrived at Devonport for escort duties in the Western Approaches. DD ECHO, also DesDiv14 arrived next day from Chatham. Escorting continued until 8 October when JACKAL and JANUS arrived back at Grimsby. JUNO, delayed by defects, docked at Devonport from 30 September to 14 October and did not arrive back in the command until 17 October when she reached Rosyth. ECHO, having been relieved by new destroyer JAGUAR in DesFlot7, was transferred to DesFlot12 and remained in the Western Approaches.

U52 attacked steamer CADILLAC , 180 miles SW of Cape Clear but not damaged.

British trawler STAUNTON (283grt) 75 miles west of Ushant took to their boats when approached by a U-boat, but it did not attack. American steamer AMERICAN FARMER (7430grt) assisted the crew.

U.48 sank steamer WINKLEIGH (5055grt) 500 miles west of Ushant . Her survivors were rescued by Dutch liner STATENDAM (28,291grt).

Med/Biscay
Gibraltar
CL GALATEA arrived at Gib.

Med Flt instituted contraband control patrols in the Aegean, the approaches to the Adriatic, and south of the Messina Strait.

Central and South Atlantic –
Fr Contre Torpilleur DDs LE CHEVALIER PAUL, TARTU, VAUQUELIN of DesDiv5 dep Casablanca for Dakar for escort duties. On the 13th, convoy Number 39 with steamers AURIGNY, KERQUELEN, KILISSI left Dakar, escort DesDiv5 and arrived at Casablanca on the 18th. VAUQUELIN, TARTU and CHEVALIER PAUL dep Casablanca on the 20th, 24th and 25th respectively, escorting different convoys to Marseilles.

Sth Africa - Ge MV HAGEN (5988grt) was seized at Durban by South African authorities, and renamed EMPIRE SUCCESS in British service.

Indian Ocean
CA CORNWALL arrived at Penang.

Australia Station
HMA DDs VAMPIRE and VOYAGER sailed from Port Philip to reinforce CL SYDNEY at Fremantle

The British Admiralty asked Australia to send a cruiser and five DDs for service beyond the Australia Station. The five DDs, HMA Ships VAMPIRE, VOYAGER, VENDETTA, WATERHEN and STUART (later to earn the name "Scrap iron Flotilla) were to be sent to Singapore for intensive training. The cruiser was not to proceed further west than Suez. Later, a request to send all of the ships to the Mediterranean was agreed to.

Other
In response to the war in Europe, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed a limited national emergency

 

[Njaco]

9 September 1939 Saturday
BATTLE of BZURA
POLAND: Over Ilza, a force of 150 Stukas and single-engined and twin-engined fighters mop up the last Polish units. At Warsaw in a prelude to an attack by the ground forces, 140 Stukas bomb the east bank of the Vistula River where gun batteries are pounding the German forces outside the city. But the attack is halted when the aircraft are needed to relieve the 8.Armee under attack by the Polish "Army of Posen" near the Bzura River.

The Battle of the Bzura, also known as Battle of Kutno to the Germans, began; it was to become the largest battle in the Poland campaign. Army Poznań under the command of Gen. Kutrzeba which had been bypassed on the German's quick drive toward Warsaw, counterattacked from the north against the flank of the German forces moving on Warsaw. The German IV Panzerdivision, part of the German XVI Panzerkorps, mounts an attack in the southeast suburbs of Warsaw but is beaten off. The German command believes that almost all the Polish forces have retired east of the Vistula River but in fact fresh units from the Poznan Army and part of the Pomorze Army have joined together around Kutno. About 10 Polish divisions are assembling in this area under the command of General Tadeusz Kutrzeba. The German advance halted in the face of the initial Polish success on the River Bzura. The German's superiority in tanks and aircraft, however, allowed them to regroup and stop Army Poznań's southward push. The counterattack turned into a battle of encirclement.

Slovak troops cease their advance into Poland, after occupying all former territory taken by Poland in 1920, 1928, and 1938.

Elsewhere, German forces captured Lodz and Radom. South of Radom, Stuka dive-bombers of Colonel Gunter Schwarzkopff's StG.77 finished off the great Polish attempt to cross the Vistula River, crushing the last pockets of resistance in conjunction with tanks;

"Wherever they went", reported one Stuka pilot after the action, "we came across throngs of Polish troops, against which our 110-lb fragmentation bombs were deadly. After that we went almost down to the deck firing our machine guns. The confusion was indescribable."

German Gestapo ordered all misbehaving Polish citizens to be arrested and placed in Dachau Concentration Camp in southern Germany.

After only two days at Gleiwitz, Hptm. Johannes Janke's I./JG 77 again moves to an airbase outside the Polish city of Krakow. The Polish airfield is full of bomb craters and the pilots and crews are forced to reside in tents on the base. In order to keep pace with advancing German 4.Armee, Major Trübenbach's I(J)./LG 2 moves forward to the airfield at Lauenburg. During a Freie jagd over the frontlines from their new airfield, the Gruppe shoots down four Polish PWS 26 biplane trainers, two of them by Uffz. Friedrich Geisshardt and Fw. Erwin Clausen, both future Experten.

WESTERN FRONT: French troops advance into the Warndt Forest across the German border and occupy 3 square miles of German territory. The French complete the capture of a German salient from Saarbruecken to Saarlautern, taking the villages of Karlsbrunn, Lauterbach, Ludweiler, Grossrosseln, and Saint Nikolaus. The action is widely viewed as having more propaganda than military purpose since the region, referred to by the French as "occupied Germany," is deserted, heavily mined and booby-trapped.

Belgian fighter planes attack two British bombers over Belgian territory. One Belgian plane is shot down, both British planes are forced to land. The British government apologizes for the incident.

The last of 13 RAF squadrons arrives in a move begun on 4 September to strengthen the British Expeditionary Force.

Ofw. Walter Grimmling of 1./JG 53, flying a Bf 109 "White 8", shoots down a Bloch 131 twin-engined bomber northeast of Saarbrucken, this being the first victory claim for JG 53. Lt. Wilhelm Hofmann of 3./JG 53 gets the second enemy plane destroyed when he shoots down a Bloch 200 in the same area in the afternoon.

The fighters of JGr 152 scores the Geschwader's first two kills when they shoot down two French Bloch 200's of GB II/31 near the Zweibrucken area. Hptm. Karl-Heinz Lessmann, Gruppenkommandeur of JGr 152, receives the Iron Cross Second Class for this action.

GERMANY: Adolf Hitler issues Directive No. 3 "for the Conduct of the War". Action will continue in Poland until it is safe to transfer forces to the Western border. No air attacks against England, no attacks of any kind against France.

The fighters of I./JG 20 are moved to Brandenburg-Briest for the defense of Berlin.

At a German munitions factory Luftwaffe General Hermann Göring threatens reprisals against Britain if the RAF bombs Germany and boasts that Berlin will never be subjected to enemy aerial attack. He says that;

"…the Polish Army will never emerge again from the German embrace….We will have our Nazism and the Russians their bolshevism, but we are both people who want peace and we are not going to be so silly as to smash each other's heads for Britain."

Ribbentrop invites the Soviets to advance to their new common frontier, the Narew, Vistula and San rivers (the Bug and Pissa would eventually replace the Vistula to avoid a divided Warsaw.

NORTH AMERICA: Canadian Parliament accepts the throne speech, and approves of immediate support to Great Britain and France in the war against Germany. All but one member vote in favor.

.

.

 

[parsifal]

09 September 1939
UBOATS

arrivals
Kiel, Germany: U-12 , U-22 , U-58

departures
Wilhelmshaven: U-17, U-21, U-23, U-31, U-35
Kiel: U.12, U.22, U.58

At Sea 9 September
U-4, U-6, U-9, U-10, U-19, U-20, U-21, U-23, U-26, U-27 , U-28, U-29, U-30, U-31, U-32, U-33, U-34, U-35, U-36, U-37, U-38, U-39 , U-40, U-41, U-45, U-46, U-47, U-48, U-52, U-53, U-57, U-59.

32 boats at sea

Baltic
Heligoland Bight

SS URSULA on patrol in the Heligoland Bight 35 miles NW of Borkum Island fired four torpedoes at U.35 and one more at 1933, but all missed. U.23, also in the area, reported being missed by three torpedoes at 1950 and U.21 reported sighting submarine URSULA.

Norwegian waters
German MV CLARE HUGO STINNES ran aground on Raftsund in the Lofotens, refloated on the 17th . Norwegian BALDUR also ran aground near Lister, but was later salved

ORP SS ZBIK laid 20 mines NE of Heisternest,, one of which accounted for DKM MSW M.85.

North Sea .
British East Coast
DDs made a number of depth charge attacks on contacts off Norfolk, starting with JERVIS and JUPITER at 1042, 40 miles west of Orfordness, JAVELIN and JERSEY at 1400, one mile west of Haisborough, JERSEY at 1453, 16 miles west of Cromer, and JUPITER 1510, 24 miles north of Cromer.

FN.2 dep Southend, and arrived at Methil on the 10th.

Dutch waters
Ne MV MARK (1514grt) sank on a mine

British Northern Waters
the Admiralty received reports that exaggerated the capability of German bombers and decided that for the time being, Scapa Flow was too vulnerable to air attack.

Netlayer GUARDIAN dep Scapa on the 9th to put down an anti-submarine net in Loch Ewe

UK-France convoys .
BEF - the first BEF convoy arrived in France and by 7 October, 161,000 men, 24,000 vehicles and 140,000 tons of stores had reached France. Troops and vehicles were convoyed from Southampton, tanks, guns, ammunition and stores from Newhaven and petrol from Poole and Fawley. Among the British MVs involved were ACHILLES, BELLEROPHON, EURYMEDON, GLENEARN. GLENSTRAE, LYCAON, MARON, RHESUS. GLOUCESTER CITY was among six fitted to carry ammunition.

English Channel
ML ADVENTURE and Aux ML HAMPTON and SHEPPERTON arrived at Dover for operations.

DD KEITH attacked a submarine contact near Wolf Rock
.
UK-outbound convoys
OA.2 sailed from Southend and DDs JACKAL, JANUS, JUNO from Devonport on the 9th to escort the convoy, but JUNO ret on the 10th. JACKAL and JANUS joined up on the 11th, the convoy dispersed on the 12th and the DDs returned to Devonport on the 13th.

OB.2 dep Liverpool on the 9th escort DDs VANQUISHER, WALKER, WINCHELSEA, but WINCHELSEA was soon detached to escort convoy OB.3 on the 11th.

Southwestern Approaches
CV COURAGEOUS with DDs KEMPENFELT, ARDENT, ECHO left Plymouth for ASW duties in the Western Approaches in Operation AS.2. At 1030/10th, COURAGEOUS' a/c attacked a sub contact 280 miles W by S of Ushant made another attack 270 miles west of Ushant. During these operations, a Swordfish of 822 Squadron was unable to locate the carrier at the end of its patrol on the 10th and lost with its crew, Lt W A H Playfair, Sub Lt (A) H A Wheatman, Naval Airman 1/c F Frizzel. COURAGEOUS arrived at Milford Haven late on the10th, dep on the 11th and all ships arrived back at Plymouth on the 14th.

U.48 unsuccessfully attacked MV JAMAICA PROGRESS SW of Ireland.

Med/Biscay
DD GRENVILLE made a submarine contact, but was relieved by DDs MOHAWK and SIKH so she could continue on to Malta.

DD WISHART attacked on a submarine contact off Gibraltar.

Blue 1 dep Alex and Port Said with twenty ships, escort DDs HARDY, HASTY, HEREWARD, HERO, HOSTILE and sloop ABERDEEN which all departed Port Said on the 9th. On reaching Gib on the 19th, the convoy was redesignated HG.1 for passage to England.

Indian Ocean
DD STRONGHOLD dep Plymouth on 26 August for duty with the China Force. She then dep Malta on the 2nd, Suez on the 6th, and reached Aden on this date, the 9th. Arriving at Bombay on the 13th, she dep on the 15th, reached Colombo on the 17th, left the 18th and arrived at Singapore on the 23rd.

CL GLOUCESTER dep Mombasa on patrol and arrived back on the 15th.

CL MANCHESTER dep Colombo on patrol and arrived back on the 14th.

China Station
CA DORSETSHIRE dep Shanghai and arrived at Hong Kong on the 18th.

Australia Station
HMA DD STUART, (CMDR H. Waller, RAN), received the following signal while exercising off Sydney; 'Submarine reported to have been sighted off Terrigal. Stuart to proceed with all despatch and investigate'. Asdic contact was made with a submerged object, and depth charges were dropped without positive results. HMA DD WATERHEN, (destroyer), continued the investigation next day, and slight oil slicks were observed. The bay was later dragged without result.
Following are (i) line drawing of STUART as constructed, (ii) VOYAGER and VAMPIRE in what I believe to be the drydock at malta, circa December 1939

HMA Stuart Section plans and HMA VAMPIRE VOYAGER in Malta Drydock

RaumBootes
Germany entered the war with 41 modern purpose MSW craft. They added two main categories, the seagoing types, or M Bootes, and the Coastal types, or Raum Bootes. In the Raum Bootes there were 9 subcategories, of which the 129 R41 class were built in the time period for this thread. I don't know the exact commissioning dates for these ships, but by April 1940, 12 new boats had been added to the 40 prewar already on strength. From September 1939 through to the end of March, about two per month were being added to the DKM OB.

Raumen is the German verb 'to clear or 'to remove', hence the Raumboot or R-boat type of coastal minesweeper. These craft were of such a useful size, however, that they also did duty as minelayers and, suitably rearmed, as escorts to convoys, in which guise they were involved in frequent brushes with British craft.

The original group, R1-16, was constructed in the early 1930s. Like the S-boats, they were built of wood on metal framing with round bilges. They were, however, of only 60-ton displacement and 26-m (85.3-ft) length. Propulsion was by twin-screw diesels for a modest 17 kts although one unit, R8, was fitted with Voith-Schnider cycloidal propellers, which made for great manoeuvrability at the cost of some speed. This experiment was deemed successful, and over 100 R-boats were eventually so fitted.

From R17 onwards dimensions were very similar to those of the S-boats, though with extra beam, and increased draught by virtue of their greater displacement. Even with progressively improved diesels, the average R-boat never much exceeded 20 kts and, when not actually involved in the minesweeping for which the type had been designed, was employed defensively. The exceptions were the dozen so-called GR-Boote (G for Geleit, or escort), R301-312, built to a stretched 41-m (134.5-ft) design displacing 175 tons. They had triplescrew propulsion for 24 kts and were fitted with a pair of torpedoes. Though used in something like the role for which the British employed MGBs, their firepower was little enhanced, and 88 more projected craft were cancelled

 

[parsifal]

10 September 1939
UBOATS
arrivals
Kiel: U-17

At Sea 10 September 1939
U-4, U-6, U-9, U-10, U-19, U-20, U-21, U-23, U-26, U-27, U-28, U-29, U-30, U-31, U-32, U-33, U-34, U-35, U-36, U-37, U-38, U-39 , U-40, U-41, U-45, U-46, U-47, U-48, U-52, U-53, U-57, U-59.

32 boats at sea.

Baltic
a small German fishing vessel was sunk on a mine off Trelleborg, S Sweden and the survivors rescued by another German trawler. I have no further details on this loss.

North Sea .
HMS Oxley (ex-HMAS Oxley) is sunk in error by HMS Triton. This was the first loss for the British submarine force. On the Montrose-Obrestad air patrol line, SW of Stavanger, TRITON sighted OXLEY. After repeated challenges to which OXLEY failed to respond, TRITON fired two torpedoes at 2100 believing her to be an enemy. One torpedo struck and sank OXLEY. Only the commanding officer Lt Cdr H.G. Bowerman and AB H S Gluckes survived. The casualties were Lt R P Coppinger, Lt FK Manley RNR, Sub Lt W H Palmer, Warrant Engineering Officer R W C Robertson and forty nine ratings. Lt Cdr Bowerman (Oxley CO) was not held at fault for the loss and assumed command of destroyer WALPOLE on 21 November.

British east coast
steamer GOODWOOD (2796grt) was sunk by a mine, one mile southeast of Flamborough Head, laid by U.15 on the 6th. One member of the crew was lost.

FS.3 dep Methil and arrived at Southend on the 12th.

Dutch waters
ML DDs ESK and EXPRESS dep Portsmouth early on the morning of the 10th and laid 120 mines that night in minefield AA off Terschelling before returning to Immingham. Next night, the 11th/12th, they laid field QQ in the Bight .

Carribbean
CL ORION arrived at Kingston.

Northern Patrol - .
CL EMERALD joins the Northern Patrol and arrived back at Scapa on the 17th.

British Northern Waters
DD FEARLESS at sea with BC HOOD was detached from the screen to investigate a merchant ship which proved to be Swedish.

UK-France convoys .
steamer MAGDAPUR (8641grt) sailing in ballast to Southampton to embark BEF equipment for France was sunk on the 10th off Orfordness by a mine laid by U.13 on the 4th. Six crew were lost.
(Source: Magdapur (British Steam merchant) - Ships hit by German U-boats during WWII - uboat.net)

MVs BRIGHTON, CANTERBURY, MAID OF ORLEANS, PARIS (in convoy, designation unknown) dep Southampton on the 9th and anchored in the Solent overnight before setting of with troops for Cherbourg. MAID OF ORLEANS was damaged in a minor collision with the escort at the start, but was able to continue.

MB.1 of six slow cargo ships dep Southampton escort DDs SARDONYX and two others (possibly VENOMOUS and WREN) from Portsmouth Command, arriving at at Brest on the 12th.

English Channel
CVL HERMES and DD ILEX, IMOGEN, ISIS dep Portland on ASW patrol, arriving at Plymouth on the 12th.

DD JACKAL attacked a submarine contact 10 miles S by W of the Needles, Isle of Wight.

Southwestern Approaches
Patrol Sloop (PC) PUFFIN (Kingfisher Class) attacked a submarine contact off Barmouth in Cardigan Bay. no result

Kingfisher class corvette , were armed with a single 4" gun, the other smaller AA were added at later refits. They were too lightly built to face the rigours of the North Atlantic.

Bay Of Biscay/Med
U.34 ship log records attackby an Allied a/c with a single bomb in the Bay, but no damage was done.

DDs COSSACK, MAORI, NUBIAN, ZULU dep Alex on the 4th and after a patrol off Crete reached Malta. Dep Malta on the 8th, they joined AB.2 (Green 1) on this date, the 10th. Sister ships AFRIDI, GURKHA, MOHAWK, SIKH sailed from Alex on the 11th for escort duties and returned on the 17th. AFRIDI, GURKHA, SIKH left again on the 19th and headed for Malta. These duties continued until 7 October when DesFlot4 was ordered to return to England.

Australia Station
HMA CAs AUSTRALIA, CANBERRA and CL ADELAIDE searched for suspected German minelayers off Gabo Island until the 13th.

HMAS Adelaide. she remained in Home waters for the war, due to her age

Pacific
RCN DDs FRASER and ST LAURENT, dep Vancouver on 31 August, passed through the Panama Canal en route to Halifax where they arrived on the 15th.

Ge MV TACOMA (8268grt) arrived at Talcuhuano, Chile to avoid RNZN CL ACHILLES on patrol off the west coast of Chile. There she joined steamers OSORNO (6951grt) which had arrived on the 1st and FRANKFORT (5522grt) on the 6th. ACHILLES made a 70 mile dash on this date to intercept LAHN (8498grt), but the German steamer escaped into territorial waters and later arrived at Talcuhuano on the 16th. Meanwhile, ACHILLES arrived at Valapariso late on the 10th.

 

[Wurger]

9 .IX. 1939 near Jeżowo and Przyłęk , the 30th Polish Infantry Division fought a futile battle against German troops trying to envelop the Polish unit.

A German tank destroyed during the battle.

 

[Lucky13]

Excellent work gentlemen!

 

[Njaco]

10 September 1939 Sunday

ATLANTIC OCEAN: The Battle of the Atlantic officially began. On the very same day the British Admiralty began organizing a convoy system, HMS "Oxley" became the first Royal Navy submarine to be lost in the war when she was either torpedoed or rammed in error off the Norwegian coast by another Royal Navy submarine. Only two of the fifty-three crew survived.

NORTH AMERICA: An article in the New York Times newspaper refers to the conflict in Poland as the "Second World War".

In Ottawa, Canada, the Governor-General of Canada, Lord Tweedsmuir, announces that Parliament has declared war on Germany, as of the start of the day. The US extends its embargo on arms shipments to Canada. The Canadians are the last of the great Dominions to declare war, however, the few days of hesitation permits the accelerated delivery from the US of large amounts of war goods which are now barred under American neutrality laws.

GERMANY: After seven nights of British flights dropping leaflets on Germany, the operation stops due to public criticism that Britain only dropped paper while Germany dropped bombs on Poland.

POLAND: German troops made a breakthrough near Kutno and Sandomierz in Poland. Polish armies are ordered to conduct a general retreat to defensive positions in the southeast. German forces broadcast a false news bulletin, announcing the fall of the capital on the same wavelength as Radio Warsaw. Meanwhile the battle at Bzura continues at Malachowicze where the Polish 17th Infantry Division is inflicting heavy strikes against the German 17.Infanterie-Abteilung.

In what was referred to as "Bloody Sunday" more than 70 German bombers took to the skies over Warsaw and pounded the city in over 17 bombing raids. Luftwaffe air attacks halt road and rail traffic in northern and eastern Poland, preventing the Polish army from reforming at Kielce. Near Piatek and Bielawy south of the Bzura River, Stukas and Henschel biplanes destroy bridges, tear up roads and wreck havoc on advancing columns of armour and troops. Bombers from KG 1, KG 26 and KG 4 also join in the destruction of the "Army of Posen". The Luftwaffe assists the German 10.Armee in breaking through to the Vistula during the 'Battle of the Radom Pocket'.

Uffz. Geisshardt of I(J)./LG 2 – the victor of the day before - is shot down by Polish PZL 11 fighters. After several hours in captivity he escapes during a Stuka raid and steals a horse reaching friendly lines five days later.

SS-Brigadeführer Wilhelm Fritz von Roettig became the first German general to die in World War II when he was Killed in Action at Opoczno, Poland at about 1415 hours.

WESTERN FRONT: In reply to insistent demands by the Polish Commander-in-Chief, Marshal Smigly-Rydz, the French Chief of the General Staff, General Gamelin, announces that more than half of his active divisions are in contact with the enemy on the northeast front and that he can do no more.

Uffz. Heinrich Bezner and Lt. Claus of 2./JG 53, led by Oblt. Rolf Pingel shoots down a French Mureaux 115 from Groupe 1/520.

The first major units of BEF begin to land in France. Field Marshal Lord Gort is in command. Small advance parties have been arriving since September 4th. In the first month 160,000 men, 24,000 vehicles and 140,000 tons of supplies are sent to France.

The 1st Staffel of JG 2 is transferred to the airfield at Lyck from the Gruppe airfield at Döberitz.

.

 

[Wurger]

And here a couple of shots more of the Polish Armoured Train no.13 "Gen. Sosnkowski" damaged by German Ju-87 Stuka on the 10th September 1939.

 

[Njaco]

11 September 1939 Monday
POLAND: The German forces cross the River San north and south of Przemysl, in southeast Poland. The battle on the Bzura continues but the leaders of German Heeresgruppe Sud, Rundstedt and his Chief of Staff, Manstein, are already beginning to assemble reinforcements for German 8.Armee. The Polish force at Radom is destroyed with the Germans capturing 60,000 men. The German capture of the industrial area of Upper Silesia is complete. The German Luftwaffe continues its relentless bombings of Polish cities and towns including Warsaw. Polish Commander-in-Chief Marshal Rydz-Smigly ordered that Warsaw is to be defended at all costs.

Polish forces are continuing their offensive advancing on Modlna, Pludwiny, Osse, Glowno. The German 10.Armee initially underestimated the Polish advance and quickly redirected the main force of the 4. and 10.Armees, and aircraft from Luftflotte IV towards the Bzura. German air superiority became quickly apparent as Polish movements were significantly disrupted.

Polish General Rudolph Prich has been given command of the Polish forces around Lwow. A plan of defense has recently been organized for the area and Polish units are now taking positions to defend the line of the San River spreading out nests of resistance along the Zolkiew - Rawa Ruska - Janow - Grodek Jagiellonski line.

A He 111 from Stab./KG 55 and flown by Oblt. Heinz Hofer crash lands between the lines at Przemysl, east of Krakow. The crew survives and is rescued by German troops.

UNITED KINGDOM: Air Vice Marshal Arthur Harris assumed command of British Royal Air Force Bomber Command's Lincolnshire-based No. 5 Group with his headquarters at St. Vincent's House in Grantham. No. 5 Group was the sole operator of the Handley-Page Hampden bomber with six Hampden squadrons available at the outbreak of war – RAF Nos. 44 and 50 Squadrons based at Waddington, 49 and 83 Squadrons based at Scampton, and 61 and 144 Squadrons at Hemswell. Harris would command the group for fourteen months before being appointed G. O. C. Bomber Command on 22 Feb 1942.

The British cabinet decides no further attempt to bomb Germany by air will be carried out. Meanwhile, plans for the federation of India are postponed indefinitely.

Churchill is beginning to exchange secret messages with President Roosevelt using the code name, "A Naval Person".

GERMANY: The British Ministry of Information announces the British Government would not conclude peace with a German Government headed by Adolf Hitler. Germany announces a counter blockade against Britain, saying that since:

"…..economic warfare was forced on her, Germany is not only able to resist every pressure of blockade and every form of British hunger warfare, but to reply to it with the same methods."

Cipher experts crack the British merchant ship code, identifying convoy meeting points.

WESTERN FRONT: France notifies the League of Nations that it is at war with Germany, as of 1700 hours September 3.

.

.

 

[parsifal]

11 September 1939
Axis New Ships
UJ1213

Allied New Ships
Nil
Neutral New ships
SU SS S1 (Serie IX)

UBOATS

arrivals

Kiel: U.53, U59

departures

Wilhelmshaven: U.13 (Korvette kapitan Karl Daublebsky von Eichhain)

At Sea 11 September

U-4, U-6, U-9, U-10, U-13, U-19, U-20, U-21, U-23, U-26, U-27 , U-28, U-29, U-30, U-31, U-32, U-33, U-34, U-35, U-36, U-37, U-38, U-39 , U-40, U-41, U-45, U-46, U-47, U-48, U-52, U-53, U-57

32 Boats at Sea.
Baltic

ORP SS WILK in the Baltic was ordered to England. She was sighted by DKM DD RICHARD BEITZEN on the 14th, but identified as Sd and left alone. WILK arrived on the 20th

North Sea .

U.4 (Kptlt Harro von Klot-Heydenfeldt) sighted an unknown British SS, but lost contact when she submerged to approach.

U.53 (Kptlt Harald Jürst) sights RN SS in the Kattegat near Samso

Humber Force

Cover for ML in the Channel area (see below) was given by CLs SOUTHAMPTON, GLASGOW and DDs JAVELIN, JERSEY, JERVIS, JUPITER , returning to the Humber 14th

British east coast

FN.3 dep Harwich on the 11th escort DD BROKE and sloops BITTERN and ENCHANTRESS. BROKE attacked a submarine contact 7 miles ENE of Orfordness and BITTERN, also escorting submarine OBERON in FN.3 made another attack on a contact off Cromer Knoll Light Vessel. DDs MATABELE and SOMALI joined in the latter attack. Then 14 miles east of Orfordness, BROKE made yet another, all this still on the 11th. BROKE's asdic set went out of action and required repair, and the convoy arrived at Methil on the 12th.

Northern Patrol - .

CL ENTERPRISE, to the Northern Patrol duty with the CruSqn12, replacing CLs CALYPSO CALEDON .

UK-France convoys .

CLs CERES and CARADOC dep Portland to cover a BEF troop convoy, and arrived at Plymouth on the 14th.

BC.1F of MVs FENELLA and TYNWALD dep Barry Roads escort DDs KEITH and VIVACIOUS, and arrived in the Loire on the 12th.

BC.1S MVs BARON MINTO, BELLEROPHON, TRELAWNY dep Bristol Channel at the same time and arrived in the Loire on the 13th.

Fr CV BÉARN dep Brest escort DDs FOUGUEUX, FRONDEUR, L'ADROIT, and arrived back on the 27th.

English Channel

DD BLANCHE made an ASW attack on a suspected UB contact five miles NNE of North Goodwins

Dover Straits

British ML began with a mine barrage GR laid across the Straits of Dover with a channel left open for Allied ship use off the Goodwins. Navigational markers were laid between the Goodwins and Dyck by survey ships FRANKLIN and SCOTT from 7 to 10 Sept.

The field was laid from the 11th to 16th between Galloper and North Hinder by ML ADVENTURE, coastal ML PLOVER and converted train ferries ML(aux) HAMPTON and SHEPPERTON. MS HARRIER, HUSSAR, SKIPJACK accompanied the force and CLA CAIRO and DesFlot19 (less BULLDOG in the Med) provided escort.
.
UK-outbound convoys

OA.3 of 3 ships and OA.3A with 12 ships, dep Southend. Escort DDs JUNO and AMAZON from Plymouth joined the convoys the same day. The convoys dispersed and JUNO returned to Plymouth on the 15th.

UK-out OB.3 - had dep Liverpool escort DDs MACKAY and WINCHELSEA until this date, the 11th when they joined convoy OB.2 (see following). On the 12th, escort for OB.3 was provided by DD VANESSA and sloop PC.74.

DDs VANQUISHER and WALKER, escorting convoy OB.2, collided at 2240, 200 miles SW of Cape Clear with both ships badly damaged. Initial reports indicated VANQUISHER, with 14 ratings killed, was probably sinking and WALKER was unseaworthy. Both ships did survive however.

CV COURAGEOUS and her DDs provided cover for the damaged DDs, with KEMPENFELT detached to assist at 0540/12th, rejoined COURAGEOUS at 1000, detached again at 1430 and returned to COURAGEOUS at 1730.

DDs MACKAY and WINCHELSEA of OB.3 (see above) then joined the convoy, and MACKAY attacked a submarine contact NW of Bardsey Island.

To assist the damaged DDs, tugs NEPTUNIA and SALVONIA dep Falmouth.

With WALKER in company, DD ARDENT took VANQUISHER in tow stern first on the 13th, arriving still under tow at Plymouth on the 14th, where she was under repair until 3 January.

WALKER arrived at Plymouth on the 14th, escort DDs IMPULSIVE and IVANHOE, and she repaired until 11 November.

MACKAY and WINCHELSEA arrived back at Liverpool on the 16th.

Southwestern Approaches

U.38 (Ace Heinrich Liebe) sank British tanker INVERLIFFEY (9456grt) 270 miles WSW of Land's End, whose crew was rescued by American steamer R G STEWART (9229 grt).

(Liebe Bio: Heinrich Liebe began his naval career in April 1927. Starting in 1931 he served on the line ship Schleswig- Holstein, then transferred in September 1935 to the newly formed U-boat force.

He was one of the few commanders with a long and solid pre-war U-boat experience. In October 1938 he commissioned U-38 and made a total of nine patrols with this boat. On his last patrol he sank eight ships with a total of 47,279 tons in the waters off Freetown, Africa. During this patrol he received the Oak Leaves cluster to the Knights Cross.

In July 1941 he left U-38 and served for three years a staff member in the OKM (Oberkommando der Kriegsmarine, German Navy High Command).

From August 1944 to the end of the war he served on the staff of the BdU (2. SKL, BdU op).

Med/Biscay

DD WRESTLER was slightly damaged in collision with Spanish MV NURIA R (2733grt) at Gib, dep on 16 December and arrived at Malta on the 19th for refitting and repair to the collision damage. She was under repair from 29 December to 6 March, leaving Malta on 9 March for Gib.

Med Flt - BBs WARSPITE, BARHAM, MALAYA, CAs DEVONSHIRE, SUSSEX, CLs ARETHUSA, PENELOPE, and DDs AFRIDI, GURKHA, MOHAWK, SIKH dep Alex for gunnery exercises. That evening, BARHAM and PENELOPE returned to Alex and CV GLORIOUS joined the fleet from Alex, when they proceeded to the west end of Crete to cover the passage of convoys GC.1 and Green 1.

Already at sea were DDs HASTY HARDY, HERO, HEREWARD, HOSTILE of DesFlot 2 from Port Said on the 9th to escort Blue 1. CA SHROPSHIRE arrived at Malta on the 11th, dep Malta that day for Gib, and arrived on the 13th with personnel for RAF No 202 Sdn. She left the same day and reached Marseilles on the 15th. CA SUSSEX arrived at Malta on the 13th for docking.

CL GALATEA had dep Alex on the 5th and arrived at Gib on the 8th assigned to escort troop convoy GC.1 . DDs GLOWWORM GREYHOUND GALLANT, GRAFTON, GRENVILLE of DesFlot1 arrived at Malta on the 7th (last three on the 10th) and dep on the 13th also escorting GC.1 and then Fr convoy L.2 to Alex. GRAFTON and GALLANT went on to Gib. DDs GARLAND, GIPSY, GRIFFIN, GRENADE dep Alex on the 10th, arriving at Malta on the 12th, and dep the next day as escorts to Green 1.

The heavy units of the Fleet patrolled to the west of Crete until 16 Sept to cover the convoys.

Central and South Atlantic –

German CS ADMIRAL GRAF SPEE and accompanying AO ALTMARK had a near encounter with CA CUMBERLAND, which was sighted by GRAF SPEE's aircraft only 30 miles away on an intercepting course. However, CUMBERLAND was en route from Freetown to Rio de Janiero and did not even sight the aircraft.

North Atlantic

Northwestern approaches

CV ARK ROYAL and DDs FAULKNOR, FIREDRAKE, FOXHOUND, FURY dep Scapa for an ASW patrol NW of Ireland. CVL HERMES was assigned to relieve ARK ROYAL with the Home Flt .

U.30 ((Kptlt.) Hans Cohausz) sank steamer BLAIRLOGIE (4425grt) west of Ireland Sub remained with the crew until American steamer AMERICAN SHIPPER (7430grt) was sighted The US ship rescued them.

MV FIRBY (4869grt) sunk by U-47 (Ace Gunther Prien) 300 miles WNW of Cape Wrath in 59‑40N, 13‑50W. The survivors were rescued by destroyer FEARLESS, detached from HOOD's screen.

(Prien bio: Günther Prien (nicknamed 'papa') joined the Reichsmarine in January 1931 after sailing some years on trade ships. After a year on the light cruiser Königsberg, he transferred in October 1935 to the U-boat force. In 1938 he was on U-26 under Kptlt. Hartmann patrolling in Spanish waters during the Civil War.

With his own boat U-47 he became famous for his 14 October, 1939 sinking of the British battleship HMS Royal Oak in the heavily defended British North Fleet main harbor at Scapa Flow. Churchill himself wrote about this outstanding feat of arms of a German U-boat commander. Prien was the first U-boat commander to win the Knights Cross.

During the next 18 months Prien proved that he was one of the best German commanders. On his sixth patrol in June 1940 he sank eight ships with a total of 51,483 tons. In convoy battles Prien often was the first who found the convoys and vectored in other boats.

For example, he took part in the convoy battle against HX-79, which he discovered and shadowed. U-47 brought in the other boats and sank four ships.

Admiral Dönitz suggested to Prien at that time that Prien should transfer to a training unit, but Prien decided to remain on his boat.

The death of Günther Prien

U-47 left Lorient (France) for her tenth patrol on 20 February, 1941. Just four days later they attacked convoy OB-290 and sank four ships with a total of 16,310 tons. The last radio message from U-47 was received in the morning of 7 March.

Günther Prien was killed when U-47 was lost with all hands (45 men) on 7 or 8 March, 1941

 

[Wurger]

Por. Hieronim Dudwal's PZL P-11C of the 113th Squadron captured by Germans in September 1939. The Squadron took part in defence of Warsaw. The rear, top part of the fusealge was replaced with an aluminium plate by a squadron maintence crew because of damages during struggling.

 

[Slam]

Brilliant work. Very informative.

 

[Bernhart]

recently there was new info that Canada declared war later as 2 of our ships were on the west coast, and wanted to go thru the Panama canal, something they couldn't do if they declared war because the US control and would not allow any warring nation thru as they were neutral

 

[parsifal]

At the risk of upsetting Chris, we need some specialists for the RAF, Italy, France, Greece and the neutrals. ive got a basic working knowledge, but I wouldn't like to do a day to day, hands get dirty type account for these nations.

Any volunteers?

 

[parsifal]

Wotjek, got a question from your last post. How many aircraft of the PAF did Germany capture and in general what was their fate. I know that a number were passed to Rumania, which I think were equipment-for-oil swaps, but were any retained for training or just scrapped?

Also, with regard to the p-24, I know there were none on strength 1-9-39, but weren't some on the factory floors and impressed as fighters as the battler progressed. I believe that as aircraft supplies began to dry up, the Poles returned some mothballed P-7s back into service as point defence aircraft

 

[Njaco]

12 September 1939 Tuesday
POLAND: The Poles start withdrawing from the Bzura area under heavy Luftwaffe air attacks. The Polish army west of the Vistula River is trapped in the Kutno and Radom pockets, and the capital of Warsaw is almost completely surrounded.

The 'Battle of the Radom Pocket' ends with the Polish forces becoming encircled by the German Army and surrendering 60,000 men and 130 guns. Some of List's troops are fighting near Lvov while others are moving north from their bridgeheads over the San. German motorized units under the command of Colonel Ferdinand Schorner captured the city of Sambor 66 kilometers from Lwow, and ordered his units to move on from there to break through the weak Polish defenses to capture Lwow. The assault group was composed of two motorized infantry companies and a battery of 150mm guns. The Germans outflanked the Poles and reached the outskirts of Lwow but suffered heavy casualties from Polish gunfire. Though numerically weaker, the Polish forces repelled the German advance with only three infantry platoons and two 75mm guns. The units soon received reinforcements and held their positions until dawn. Command of the city center was given to General Francisek Sikorski, a veteran of World War I, and the Polish-Bolshevik War. The General is the brother of General Wladyslaw Sikorski.

The German 3.Armee under General Georg Von Kuchler broke through Polish lines along the Narew River and veered southward in order to cut Warsaw off from the East. Polish cavalry units under the command of General Wladylaw Anders attempted a counter-offensive which had failed. After heavy fighting Anders ordered a retreat to new positions in the south. Other Polish units fighting in the area under General Juliusz Zulauf had to retreat as well and are heading towards Warsaw.

In the continuing battle of Bzura, the Poles have reached the Strykow-Ozorkow line. On the same day, General Tadeusz Kutrzeba was informed that Army Lodz had retreated to the stronghold Modlin Fortress. Upon hearing of this Kutrzeba stopped the offensive and tried to break through to Warsaw, through Sochaczew and Kampinos Forest.

The Polish army around Poznan, the one that was to have marched on Berlin, unexpectedly turns about and attempts to take the German 8.Armee in the flank. This is the start of the violent battle of the Bzura River. Polish troops push the German forces 12 miles south of Kutno and recapture Lowicz. In Gdynia, which is now called Gotenhafen by the German occupation, Poles have started evacuating the city. Luftwaffe planes bomb Krzemieniec (Kremenets) in eastern Poland, a declared open village where the diplomatic community from Warsaw has sought refuge.

Chancellor Hitler arrived in Poland yesterday to review military strategy and called on General Rundstedt to re-organize the German 8.Armee of Heeresgruppe Sud. In the first phase of the Battle of Bzura, the 30.Infanterie-Abteilung under the command of General Kurt Von Braisen, together with 8.Armee of General Blaskowitz, were destroyed by the Polish infantry. The Poles engaged the enemy in vicious hand-to-hand combat to re-capture every plot of ground. Over 1,500 German soldiers have been killed and wounded in action, and over 3,000 German troops were taken prisoner by the Polish infantry. Since the battle at Bzura began the Poles have been gaining considerable advantage but victory did not come easily.

The Soviet Government reports three German war planes in Polish colors shot down over the Minsk region of Russia, with German crewmen.

GERMANY: The official German News Bureau in East Silesia issues a special report saying that :

"Removal of the Polish Jewish population from the European domain would ... bring a solution of the Jewish question in Europe nearer.".

The German Foreign Minister, von Ribbentrop, demands that the Romanians not give asylum to Polish officials crossing the border and threatens military action in case of noncompliance.

WESTERN FRONT: French forces have now advanced about 5 miles (8 km) into Germany on a 15-mile (24 km) frontage in the Saarland region. The French claim that the action has forced the Germans to withdraw 6 divisions from Poland, although British observers express doubts. The advance places the front within half a mile of the Siegfried Line and a frontal assault on this defensive system is considered to be out of the question. General Gamelin calls an end to the Saar offensive.

The Anglo-French Supreme War Council meets for the first time at Abbeville. Meanwhile, a Czech army-in-exile is formed.

.

.

 

[parsifal]

12 September 1939
Axis New Ships
UJ1214 (Aux sub chaser)
Allied New Ships
RN DD JAGUAR

Fr MSW CHEVREUIL (Chamois Class)l

Neutral New ships
Nil
UBOATS

arrivals

Wilhelmshaven U.40 (Kptlt. Werner von Schmidt) .

departures

Kiel U.56 (Kptlt. Wilhelm Zahn)

At Sea 12 September

U-4, U-6, U-9, U-10, U-13, U-19, U-20, U-21, U-23, U-26, U-27 (+), U-28, U-29, U-30, U-31, U-32, U-33, U-34, U-35, U-36, U-37, U-38, U-39 (+), U-40, U-41, U-45, U-46, U-47, U-48, U-52, U-53, U-56, U-57.

33 boats at sea.

Baltic

DKM experimental ship OTTO BRAUN was damaged by a Polish coastal defense battery at Hela, she was later written off as a total loss (contemporary western reports incorrectly claim it was battleship SCHLESWIG HOLSTEIN).

Kattegat

DKM DD RICHARD BEITZEN and TB T.107 conducted an anti-shipping patrol in the Kattegat from the 12th to 14th,

North Sea .

U.13 on patrol in the central North Sea near Orfordness picked up four men from a downed German Do.18 aircraft.

East Coast
FS.4 dep Methil, escort DDs VALOROUS, WALLACE, WANDERER. WANDERER attacked a submarine contact near Inner Dowsing, and the convoy arrived at Southend on the 14th.

Sloop BITTERN attacked a submarine contact 18 miles off Flamborough.

Sloop ENCHANTRESS attacked a submarine contact off Flamborough Head.

Northern Waters

Home Flt
BB NELSON, BC REPULSE, and DDs SOMALI, BEDOUIN, MASHONA, PUNJABI, TARTAR (DesFlot 6) cleared Scapa for Loch Ewe.
NELSON, REPULSE, MASHONA and SOMALI arrived at Loch Ewe (the small port of Aultbrea, designated Port A for security reasons) at 0730/13th. BEDOUIN, PUNJABI, TARTAR were detached on ASW patrol, joined by ESKIMO which cleared Scapa on the 11th did not reach Loch Ewe until the 15th.

CL AURORA and SHEFFIELD dep for Sullom Voe, arriving on the 12th.

CL NEWCASTLE dep Plymouth on completion of refit, arrived at Scapa Flow on the 13th to work up and joined 18th CruSqn on the 15th.

Carribbean

CL ORION and CL PERTH (RAN) dep Kingston on patrol and ret 18th

Northern Patrol - .

CLs CALEDON and CALYPSO dep Scapa Flow for Northern Patrol, ret on the 19th.

UK-France convoys .

DB.1 of one fast steamer, escorted by DDs SCIMITAR and VANSITTART departed Southampton for Brest, arriving on the 13th.

Fr DD SIROCCO dep Brest escorting SS SIDI FERRUCH to Cherbourg, arriving on the 13th. SIROCCO returned the 16th.

English Channel

Dover Straits

DDs of Desflot 19 attacked a submarine contact near Kentish Knock.

DD BRAZEN's condenser problems were repaired at Chatham beginning on the 12th and completing on the 19th.

DD BRILLIANT struck the Dover breakwater on the 12th, docked at Dover for temp repairs then proceeded to Chatham, where she arrived on the 15th. Repairs complete on 16 October.
.
UK-outbound convoys

No reports

Southwestern Approaches

No Reports

Med/Biscay

Fr DDs BORDELAIS, L'ALCYON, TROMBE of the DesDiv8 cleared Marseilles escorting Convoy Number 14 to Oran, arriving on the 14th.

These ships were all of the L'Adroit Class of Destroyers. They were smaller and slower than the Contre Torpilleurs

Central and South Atlantic –

No Reports

North Atlantic

Northwestern approaches

CV ARK ROYAL a/c attacked a submarine 150 miles NW of Cape Wrath. DDs FAULKNOR and FIREDRAKE detached to search, but failed to make contact. DDs FAME and FORESTER were despatched to search the area. The DDs returned to Scapa later that day.

Central Atlantic

CL DURBAN dep Freetown for Capetown, arriving on the 28th to repair defects

Indian Ocean

CVL EAGLE dep Colombo on raider hunting duties for a week around Ceylon, the Maldives, and Seychilles

Pacific

CL ACHILLES (RNZN) arrived at Valparaiso for refuelling and then departed on the 13th on patrol.

T107 Class (DKM)

Dimensions) 71,10-72,50 m × 7,6 m × ~3 m

(Displacement) Max 697-753 t

(Armament) 2 × 8,8 cm L/35
4 × TT 45cm

(Propulsion) 2 Vulcan, AEG or Schichau turbines, 2 shafts, 15986-17109 shp

(Speed) 32,9-34,0 knots

(Range) 1050-1150 miles at 17 knots, ~490 miles at 29 knots

(Crew) 80-84

 

[Wurger]

Wotjek, got a question from your last post. How many aircraft of the PAF did Germany capture and in general what was their fate. I know that a number were passed to Rumania, which I think were equipment-for-oil swaps, but were any retained for training or just scrapped?

Also, with regard to the p-24, I know there were none on strength 1-9-39, but weren't some on the factory floors and impressed as fighters as the battler progressed. I believe that as aircraft supplies began to dry up, the Poles returned some mothballed P-7s back into service as point defence aircraft

The German sources say that about 350 Polish planes were captured including 63 unusable ones. But the number seems to be a little bit exaggerated. Most of them were civilian kites or not assembled fully in factories. Usually military planes were devastaing by maintenance crews if there wasn't any way to repair them or just there was a lack of fuel. This prevented against capturing by Germans. Taking that into consideration , not too many of Polish, serviceable military planes was captured. Most of these aircraft were derelicted and just scrapped. However a certain number of operational planes was used by Germans for training or recce flights. Also I don't think Romania received any of captured Polish planes from Germany. The majority of them was left there by Polish pilots who evacuated themself via Romania , Hungary etc.. to France. These were expropriated unrightfully. Of course the Romanian AF used Polish planes that had been bought in Poland before the war started.

The PZL P-24 wasn't provieded for being the main Polish fighter plane. The aircraft was designed because of French idea of attaching of an French Gnome-Rhone engine to the PZL P-11 and possible interest of the Armée de l'Air in a such plane. Also the P-24 was intendend for export only. The main Polish fighter machine for 1940-1944 was going to be PZL P-50 Hawk. The PZL factory made almost all ordred P-24s and sent them to their owners. The last , foreign order was the Bulgarian one ( in 1938 ) for 26 PZL P-24F. In July 1939, 22 of them were assembled and sent to Bulgaria although there was an idea to retain them in Poland because of the upcoming war. The rest of the Bulgarian planes was destroyed during an air raid on the PZL factory. Therefore none of P-24s was used during the September Campaign by Poles.
As far as the PZL P-7 is concerned.. the plane was still in service when the WW2 started. The 123rd, 151st and 162nd Squadrons and a couple of extemporaneous units were equipped with the type of the PZL fighter. Initailly these were used as fighter planes but later as the recce and liaison ones. Totally 70 of P-7s were used operationally. 40 P-7s were used by flying schools and 35 at technical maintenance and supply. 54 planes were lost ( 22 during struggling ). Several of P-7s was evacuated to Romania where were "pocketed". Russians collared about 20 P-7s.

 

[Wurger]

12.09.1939... Polish tankettes captured at Łomża Zambrów area.

the pic source ... the net.

 

[Augsburg Eagle]

That´s a great thread, I´m impressed