This Day in the War in Europe: The Beginning

A Soviet set of postage stamps issued for the commemoration of liberation of fraternal nations of West Belarus and Ukraine on the 17th September 1939.
What a falsehood...

17 Septeember 1939
Axis New Ships
None
Allied New Ships
None
Neutral New ships[/U
SU DD GROZYASCHIV GNEVNYI Class

U-53. Swordfish torpedo bombers from the British aircraft carrier HMS Courageous fired on the boat and forced her to dive. Some gunners who were left topside perished. Later that day HMS Courageous was sunk by U-29. U.53 attacked steamer KARIFISTAN (5193grt) at 1445, 280 miles WSW of Fastnet She was able to get off a radio report before being sunk by U.53. Six crewmen were lost and the survivors were picked up by American steamer AMERICAN FARMER

U-29. Following her sinking the British aircraft carrier HMS Courageous (see post #80) , British destroyers pursued U-29 for four hours, until they ran out of depth charges. The boat escaped with minor damage. U.29 left her patrol area for Wilhelmshaven for refuelling with only one torpedo left.

U-36. (Kapitän zur See Klaus Ewerth) British SS Seahorse fired a spread of three torpedoes at U-36, which had just stopped to question a neutral Danish steamer. The U-boat was lucky to escape harm, as one of the torpedoes passed directly underneath her (British claims are that there was one torp hit, but failed to explode). U.36 examined neutrals Norwegian steamers IRIS (1177grt) and ELDRID (1712grt), Swedish steamer NORMA (1287grt) and Danish steamer OSLO (1412grt) on the 17th.

U.32 (Fregattenkapitän Paul Büchel) laid mines in Bristol Channel, which sank two merchant ships.

(Paul Büchel joined the German Navy (Reichsmarine) in 1925. He began his U-boat training in May 1937. Upon completing the training in late August he took command of U-32.

During the second patrol of U-32, a mine-laying in Bristol Channel, during Sept 1939 Büchel sank 2 vessels by torpedoes and two large freighters were damaged in the otherwise unproductive minefield.

On completing the third patrol with U-32, a planned mine-laying in the dangerous waters of Firth of Clyde, on 22 Jan 1940 Chief of U-boats Dönitz was unhappy with Korvettenkapitän Paul Büchel's decision to abandon the intended destination just a few miles off and putting his 8 mines in deeper waters (where they did not explode). This mission had been designed to sink a capital ship with the new and powerful TMC mines. Dönitz wrote that the explanation from the commander had been "unconvincing" and the mission had been "a difficult one - too difficult for this commanding officer" (BdU War diary).

Büchel was thus relieved of command from U 32 on 11 Feb 1940 and served in several training staff positions until taking command of the larger U-860 on 12 August 1943. On 15 June 1944, 66 days into his first patrol, en route to the Far East as a Monsun boat, the boat was sunk by aircraft from the escort carrier USS Solomons. Büchel and 19 of his men survived but 42 died).

Norwegian Sea - German steamer CLARE HUGO STINNES I (5294grt) which had run aground on Raftsund on the 9th was refloated on this date and taken to Trondheim to offload her cargo on the 21st. With a damaged bottom, she remained at Trondheim until early October when she left for repairs at Tingvold arriving on 6 October. She underwent repairs until 7 April 1940, then left Tingvold for Ulvik in Hardangersfjord. This move did not save her during the Norwegian campaign as she was soon captured by Norwegian forces, but only until 20 April when she was recaptured by German naval forces.

U.41 captured Finnish merchant ships VEGA (1073grt) and SUOMEN POIKA (1099grt) in the North Sea and sent both ships back to Germany with prize crews.

North Western approaches - CV ARK ROYAL with DDs FURY, FORESTER, FORTUNE, FEARLESS dep Loch Ewe for her second anti-submarine patrol NW of Ireland. DDs SOMALI and MATABELE sailed ahead to search for a reported submarine in the area of Tory Island, later joined by DD FORTUNE.

On the 17th seven miles west of Tory Island, steamer BARON LOVAT (3395grt) was attacked by a submarine and ARK ROYAL's aircraft sent to search the area.

With the loss of CV COURAGEOUS , CV ARK ROYAL and escorts were ordered to return to Loch Ewe at 1400/18th. Still on the 18th, ARK ROYAL's aircraft sighted a submarine in the afternoon, which FURY unsuccessfully depth charged. along with the withdrawal of the remaining carrier Furious from Home waters, there were to be no British carriers actively engaged in ASW work in Home Waters for 3 years.

DDs SOMALI, MATABELE, FORTUNE rejoined the force at 1545/18th. SOMALI and MATABELE were again detached at 2047/18th to assist British trawler LORD MINTO which was under attack. ARK ROYAL arrived in harbour at 0950/19th.

northern waters - CA NORFOLK dep Scapa on patrol. Retg on the 20th, she was ordered to proceed through Fair Isle Channel, due to submarine activity in Pentland Firth and arrived back on the 21st.

BB NELSON dep Scapa unaccompanied, and arrived at Loch Ewe that evening.

DD MASHONA arrived at Scapa.

DD FAME dep Scapa escorting British tanker SAN ALBERTO (7397grt) to Invergordon. FAME arrived back at Scapa Flow on the 18th with tanker MONTENOL.

British west coast - PC.74, operating as decoy ship CHATGROVE, was damaged in a collision with British trawler TOM MOORE (194grt) at Liverpool. PC.74 was repaired at Liverpool completing on 4 October.

British east coast - sloops BITTERN and ENCHANTRESS, both escorting an east coast convoy, separately attacked submarine contacts off Flamborough Head.

Baltic - Polish SS SEP (Lt Cdr Salamon), with two compartments flooded and diving planes inoperative, arrived at Landsort, Sweden, for internment.

Dover Straits - patrol sloop KITTIWAKE struck a British mine at 1900 in the Goodwins-Ruytingen minefield two miles east of South Goodwin Light Vessel and only a few cables from minesweepers sinking shallow mines. She was badly damaged with one rating killed and four missing from the blast. Cdr E R Conder was blown off the bridge and later picked up by a trawler. MSW HARRIER took 39 crewmen on board and towed KITTIWAKE to Dover. On 7 October she was towed by tugs GONDIA and SIMLA to Sheerness and under repair until 18 January 1941.

English Channel - ML-cruiser ADVENTURE, escorted by DD BEAGLE, dep Dover ret Portsmouth.

UK-France convoys - DB.4 dep Southampton with troops and arrived at Brest on the 19th.

MB.4 dep Southampton with eight cargo ships carrying war materials and arrived at Brest on the 19th.

BC.1F of steamers FENELLA and TYNWALD departed Quiberon Bay escorted by DDs KEITH and VIVACIOUS. The convoy arrived at Barry Roads on the 19th.

BC.1S of steamers BARON MINTO, BELLEROPHON, and TRELAWNEY dep the Loire, escorted by DD ELECTRA and ESCORT. The convoy arrived in Bristol Channel on the 19th.

UK-out convoys - OA.6 departed Southend, while DDs JUNO and AMAZON dep Devonport to escort the convoy from the 17th to 20th. The destroyers ret to Devonport on the 21st.

OB.6 departed Liverpool escorted by destroyers WINCHELSEA and WALPOLE.

CLs CARADOC and CERES and DD KELLY investigating a possible submarine contact off Land's End received the COURAGEOUS SOS and sped to the scene to rescue survivors. INGLEFIELD arrived back at 2335.

American steamer COLLINGSWORTH (5101grt), steamer DIDO (3554grt), Dutch liner VEENDAM (15,450grt) rescued survivors from the lost CV. DIDO picked up 23 officers and 195 five ratings. The survivors were transferred from the merchant ships to INGLEFIELD and KELLY, and arrived at Devonport on the evening of 18 September. INTREPID escorted steamer DIDO to Liverpool. Cdr C W G M Woodhouse was rescued, but never recovered from his injuries and died on 27 July 1940 while attached to HMS DRAKE.

Southwestern approaches - DD ANTELOPE JACKAL attacked a submarine contact 15 miles SSW of Land's End. KELLY, 70 miles SW of Land's End made three further attacks on submarine contacts early on the 17th.

Spanish and Portuguese coasts - Fr super DDs LE FANTASQUE, LE TERRIBLE, L'AUDACIEUX patrolled off the Spanish coast from the 17th to 19th.

CL CAPETOWN dep Gibraltar as escort with SL.1 and arrived back on the 27th.

Med Flt - arrived back at Alexandria after covering Mediterranean convoys GC.1 and Green 1.

Indian Ocean - CL GLOUCESTER dep Mombasa and arrived at Aden on the 22nd.

...

Fantastic work lads!

German Intell advantages


In general, German performance in code breaking was weak due to the fragmentation of responsibility and specialized personnel. The Navy's B-Dienst was an exception to the rule, although its successes largely ended when the Allies began using more sophisticated encryption methods by 1943.


The B-Dienst, created in the early 1930s, had broken the most widely used British naval code by 1935. When war came in 1939, B-Dienst specialists had broken enough British naval codes that the Germans knew the positions of all British warships, and most of the merchant shipping fleet as well. They had further successes in the early stages of the war; the British were slow to change their codes. The B-Dienst could regularly read the British and Allied Merchants Ships (BAMS) code, which proved valuable for U-Boat warfare in the early phases of the Battle of the Atlantic. In February 1942, B-Dienst broke the code used for communication with many of the Atlantic convoys.

Before the US entered the War at the end of 1941, B-Dienst could also read several American codes. This changed after April 1942, when the US Navy changed their code systems; before that, however, the ability to read American message traffic contributed to the success of "Operation Paukenschlag" (Operation Drumbeat), the successful U-boat attacks off the American East Coast in early 1942.

In 1941, the US Navy refused, for security reasons, to equip the British Navy with their ECM Mark 1 encryption devices, so the British Admiralty introduced the "Naval Cypher No. 3" for Allied radio communication and convoy coordination in the Atlantic. The B-Dienst concentrated on deciphering the new code, and were finally successful in September 1942. From December 1942 to May 1943, 80 percent of the intercepted radio messages were read. However, only 10 percent of them were decrypted in time to take effective action. This appears to be more or less the situation for all of the preceding time as well....the germans had the ability to read more or less all the traffic, but because of the limited resources, could only act on a small fraction of that information. This was in stark contrast to the Allied efforts, who lavished vast resources in acting upon their available Intell.

The British "Naval Cypher No. 5" is also known to have been broken by the B-Dienst, as were various low-grade British Naval and Air codes, including COFOX, MEDOX, FOXO, LOXO, SYKO, Air Force code and Aircraft Movement code. The US "Hagelin" field cipher machine and the French "Anglp" code were also often read. In addition, B-Dienst cracked Soviet and Danish code systems.

Apart from the notable successes of the German navy's decryption services, there were also some results from the other institutions. For example, the Reichspost was able to descramble scrambled voice transmission of the transatlantic telephone connection between the USA and Great Britain. For this purpose, an interception and descrambling facility was built in Noordwijk, in occupied Holland. From 1940, the Mail Service's descrambling specialists intercepted and understood classified telephone conversation between President Roosevelt and the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. After the facility had to relocate to Germany in 1944, the interception potential decreased, so did the number of phone calls intercepted. This was not classic codebreaking since none was involved; instead it was the exploitation of knowledge about a sophisticated technology.

18 September 1939 Monday
POLAND: Soviet forces have advanced 100 km into Poland, meeting little resistance. The Russians reach Vilna and Brest-Litovsk in Poland, and meet with German forces. The Soviets report an advance along a 500-mile front, capturing thirteen additional towns and villages, including Stanislawow in Ukraine. A joint German-Soviet military commission meets to draft plans for partition. German forces capture Drohobycz in southern Poland, center of rich oil fields. Members of the Polish cipher bureau, with vital knowledge of the German Enigma code, flee the country and head for Paris.

More leaflets are dropped on Warsaw by Luftwaffe bombers. When this was ignored, the Germans began a general assault, which was again repelled by the Polish fighters. The German 3. and 10.Armees begin attacking Warsaw.

The Battle at Bzura has taken a deadly turn for the Poles. German troops started their drive towards the south along both banks of the Bzura River, supported by more than 300 aircraft and heavy artillery. German infantry have dug into positions on high ground along the Vistula's Right Bank giving them complete control of the region. Armed with howitzers, the Germans have been shelling Polish positions all day. Polish casualties are extremely high.

The Polish president, Moscicki, and the Commander in Chief, Rydz-Smigly, enter Romania and are interned. They leave behind messages telling their troops to fight on.

GERMANY: The He 111s of I./LG 3 are reformed as II./KG 1 with Major Benno Koch posted as Gruppenkommandeur. The bomber unit is based at Pinnow-Plathe.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: SS 'Kensington Court' is shelled and sunk by German U-32 submarine near the English coast. Before she sank, an SOS was sent out and 34 men jumped ship. Within minutes they were rescued by two RAF Sunderland flying boats.

WESTERN FRONT: In simultaneous announcements, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Iceland declare that they intend to continue trading with all belligerents to protect their economic existence.

..

18 September 1939
Axis New Ships
S-18-25 SBoote

Allied New Ships
None

Neutral New ships[/U
USN CL50 HELENA (Brooklyn Class)


Departures
Kiel U-7 (Kapitänleutnant Werner Heidel)

Returns:
Kiel: U-57 (Ace Korth*) Return from training duties
Wilhelmshaven: U-38 , U-40 (Kptlt. Werner von Schmidt)

U.35 and other U-boats in Northwestern approaches - U.35 sank British trawlers ARLITA (UK 326 grt) 22 miles WNW of St Kilda and Trawler LORD MINTO (UK 295 grt) off the Butt of Lewis, 30miles NW of St Kilda on the 18th. The survivors were picked up by British trawler NANCY HAGUE (299grt), which was in company and spared by the submarine to rescue the other two crews.

At 0409/19th, U.35 stopped trawler ALVIS (279 grt) 29 miles north of St Kilda. She was ordered to dismantle her radio and proceed to Fleetwood. .

At 0600/19th, trawler NEIL MACKAY (209grt) was chased by an unknown U-boat, 22 miles W by N of the Butt of Lewis.

These attacks put into motion a major anti-submarine operation by destroyers beginning on the 19th.

U.23 (Ace Otto Kretschmer** (Knights Cross)) laid mines in St Andrews Bay between Dundee and the Firth of Forth.

U.32 sank steamer KENSINGTON COURT (UK 4863 grt) with gunfire 70 miles SW of Fastnet. The submarine was attacked by British aircraft, but was not damaged. DD KELLY was dispatched to assist, but before arriving on the scene, the crew had been picked up by a Sunderland flying boat of RAF 204 Squadron.

* Kptlt Claus Korth began his naval career in April 1932. During his officer training he was one of the few survivors when the sailing school ship Niobe sank in a training accident. In March 1936 he joined in the U-boat force and received a solid pre-war training. In the autumn of 1937 he was I WO on U-37 for two months in Spanish waters during the civil war there.

In December 1938 he commissioned the Type IIC U-boat U-57. Her first successes were scored on her fourth patrol when she sank two ships. Outstanding was the sinking of the British tanker Gretafield of 10,191 tons in February 1940. Korth left the U-boat in June 1940 and commissioned U-93 in July of the same year.

On five patrols he sank eight ships with a total of 43,392 tons and in May 1941 received the Knights Cross. In October 1941 he left U-93 and became the 3rd Asto in the BdU org.

In June 1942 he became training officer in the 27th Flotilla. During the last year of war he was in the torpedo trial institution (TVA) Eckernförde. After the surrender Claus Korth spent six months in Allied captivity.

In 1955 he joined the Bundesmarine where he was for nearly four years the head of the torpedo trial station (Marine-Torpedo-Versuchsstation). He retired in 1970 with a rank of Kapitän zur See.


** Kptlt. Otto Kretschmer (Knights Cross)The greatest u-Boat ace of the war, before the 17-year-old Otto Kretschmer began his naval career he spent eight months in Exeter, England where he mastered the English language. Beginning in April 1930 he went through the usual officer training, spending three months on the sailing school ship Niobe and more than a year on the light cruiser Emden. He served on the light cruiser Köln starting in December 1934, and in January 1936 transferred to the U-boat force. Here he received a solid pre-war training as a U-boat officer. His first command was on U-35 and there he participated in a patrol in Spanish waters in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. In September 1937 he left U-35 and took over the Type II U-boat U-23. After the outbreak of the war he won his first successes with U-23 on some patrols in the North Sea in the area of the English and Scottish east coast.

In November 1939 he laid nine mines in Moray Firth, Scotland. The first great success for Otto Kretschmer was the sinking of the Danish tanker Danmark (10,517 tons) on 12 January 1940. Just over a month later he sank the British destroyer HMS Daring (1,375 tons).

He left U-23 in April 1940 and in the same month commissioned U-99. After two months of training U-99 left Kiel for her first patrol in June 1940. In the course of the next patrols Otto Kretschmer became famous on his U-99 for his night-time surface attacks against convoys, and there his motto "One torpedo ... one ship" was created! Especially notable was the sinking of three British Armed Merchant Cruisers, Laurentic (18,724 tons), Patroclus (11,314 tons) and Forfar (16,402 tons) in November 1940 with a total of more than 46,000 tons. At that time Silent Otto became the "tonnage king" among U-boat men, never to be dethroned.

On his last patrol he was also very successful and attacked 10 ships. He was captured after scuttling U-99 at 0343hrs on 17 March, 1941 (Schepke was lost in the same battle) south-east of Iceland in approximate position 61N, 12W after depth charge damage inflicted by the British DD WALKER. Kretschmer managed to surface his badly damaged boat and save 40 out of his 43-man crew (his chief engineer died) before the boat sank again for the last time.After his capture he spent more than six and a half years in British captivity. For more than four years he was held in Canada in Camp 30. In December 1947 he returned to Germany.

In 1955 Otto Kretschmer joined the Bundesmarine (postwar German navy), in 1957 becoming commander of the 1. Geleitgeschwader (1st Escort Squadron). In November 1958 he became commander of the Amphibische Streitkräfte (Amphibian Forces). Starting in 1962 he served in several staff positions before becoming Chief of Staff of the NATO Command COMNAVBALTAP in May 1965, a position he held for four years. He retired in September 1970 with a rank of Flotillenadmiral.

During a vacation during the summer of 1998 Otto Kretschmer died in hospital in Bavaria after an accident.



British nthn waters
CL AURORA, EDINBURGH, BELFAST, and SHEFFIELD dep Sullom Voe after refuelling and arrived at Scapa 20th.

Northern Patrol
CL CARDIFF departed Scapa on Northern Patrol duties, ret on the 22nd.

CLA CALCUTTA with DD FOXHOUND dep Scapa for patrol in Fair Isle Channel, stopping Danish steamer MAROCCO (1641grt) on the 18th and sending her into Kirkwall for inspection. At 2029/18th, FOXHOUND attacked a submarine contact east of the Orkneys and on the 20th detached to investigate another contact. During this hunt, FOXHOUND experienced a defect to her depth charge thrower and repaired at Scapa.


"C" Class Cruiser configured as a CLA

CL DELHI arrived at Scapa.

CL ENTERPRISE dep Scapa and arrived back on the 21st.

Convoy FS.7 departed Methil and arrived at Southend on the 20th.

DD JUPITER made an attack on U.21 off Dunbar, but no damage was done. The submarine was also attacked unsuccessfully by aircraft.

DDs EXPRESS and ESK arrived at the Humber after escorting convoys off Flamborough Head.

Convoy FN.7 dep Southend and arrived at Methil on the 20th.

North Sea
DD BOREAS on patrol was near missed by German bombing, but not damaged.

Baltic
Polish SS ORZEL, commanded by Lt Grudzinski, escaped internment at Tallinin and began a 16 day patrol in the Baltic before heading for England.

Polish submarine RYS, with damaged periscopes and low on fuel, arrived at Stavnas, Sweden, for internment.

English Channel
DD JAGUAR and VANOC attacked a submarine contact off St Albans Head, Dorset.

CL CERES and CARADOC dep Plymouth on escort duties and arrived back on the 20th.

DD VANOC attacked a submarine contact SW of Eddystone.

DD ISIS attacked a submarine contact 20 miles south of the Lizard, Cornwall.

UK-France convoys
BC.3S of 16 steamers including BARON GRAHAM, BARON MACLAY, NEW TEXAS (Cdre), and TREWORLAS dep Bristol Channel escorted by DDs MONTROSE, VENETIA, and VISCOUNT. The convoy safely arrived in the Loire on the 20th.

UK-Turkey
Polish DD BLYSKAWICA dep Liverpool with steamer CLAN MENZIES (7336grt) carrying military stores for Turkey. Both ships arrived at Gibraltar on the 22nd and continued on to Malta. From Malta on the 27th, the steamer proceeded to Istanbul and BLYSKAWICA returned to Plymouth, arriving on 1 October.

Southwestern approaches
DD INTREPID attacked a submarine contact 30 miles N by W of Land's End.

Gibraltar
DDs EXMOUTH, ENCOUNTER, ECLIPSE, ESCAPADE dep Gib to return to England after escorting convoy GC.1, and arrived at Plymouth on the 20th.

The French 2nd Battle Squadron PROVENCE, BRETAGNE, LORRAINE with four DDs (LE PALME, LE MARS, and TEMPÊTE of the DesDiv1, and one other - the other destroyers of the Squadron were with GC.1) dep Gibraltar to return to Oran.

Med
CLA COVENTRY dep Alex on patrol.

DDs DECOY, DEFENDER, DELIGHT, and DUCHESS arrived at Suez, passed through the Canal and arrived at Alex next day to join the Med Flt.

Central and South Atlantic
the French instituted a Canary Islands submarine patrol. SS ARGO and CENTAURE of SubDiv4 dep Casablanca on the 22nd to begin the patrol, followed in rotation by SS LE CENTAURE, ARGO, PASCAL, HENRI POINCARÉ, also of SubDiv4.

CL DANAE dep Simonstown on patrol and arrived back on the 21st.

19 September 1939 Tuesday
POLAND: Early this morning the first Soviet armoured tanks arrived in the eastern outskirts of the city of Lwow and the suburb of Lyczakow. After a brief battle the Soviets were pushed back by Polish gunfire. Since then Soviet forces have joined units of the German army and encircled the city during the night. Polish defense in the area consists of field fortifications and barricades constructed by local residents under the supervision of military engineers. General Sikorski has ordered a defense of the outer city rim as well as inner defenses. Early this morning, Soviet envoys arrived and started negotiations with Polish officers. Colonel Ivanov, commander of the Soviet tank brigade assured the Polish envoy, Colonel Bronislaw Rakowski that the Red Army entered Poland to help it fight the Germans and that his top priority was for Soviet units to enter Lwow. Following this ruse, the German commander then sent his envoy and demanded that the city be surrendered to Germany. When the General Sikorski refused he was informed that a general assault would begin on September 21st and the city taken by force.

The Soviet advance reaches the Hungarian frontier. Soviet Navy blockades Estonia's coast, claiming Polish and other submarines are hiding in neutral Baltic ports.

In the north Vilna (Wilno) is taken by the Soviets. Yesterday Polish troops received reports that Soviet forces were approaching rapidly from Oszmiana. Most were armoured scouts who clashed intermittently with Polish units. Polish Col. Okulicz-Kozaryn ordered his men to fall back towards the Lithuanian border and sent out the more experienced unit, the Korpus Ochrony Pogranicza. Although the first Soviet attack was repulsed by Polish infantry, Soviets easily advanced into the city and quickly surrounded it. They secured the airport, city, and Rasos Cemetery. This morning Polish units were defending the bridges in an attempt to delay the Soviet advance but their defense quickly collapsed. Soviet armored units are in control of the city and have been reinforced with infantry and cavalry. Reports indicate that Polish infantry units have dispersed, or have surrendered, their whereabouts unknown.

The Soviets link up with the Germans at Brest Litovsk, which is given up to the Soviets according to the provisions of the secret agreement of August 23, 1939. Initially it was called the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact but the title was changed to Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, about 30,000 Polish troops reach Warsaw after fighting their way out of Kutno. The Polish naval base of Gdynia falls to German forces.

German bombers being a continuing assault on Warsaw, initially striking utilities and other essential public facilities. Meanwhile, over 30,000 Polish troops reach Warsaw after fighting their way out of Kutno. In eastern Poland, German forces surround Lvov.

The battle of Bzura ends with the surrender of 100,000 officers and men of the defeated Polish Pomorze and Poznan armies (consisting of 19 Polish divisions) to German Heeresgruppe Sud.

Hitler makes a triumphal entry into the formerly free city of Danzig and makes a foreign policy speech that seems to offer conciliation with France and Britain, suggesting that the war could be concluded on the basis of the German territorial gains already achieved. He also swears that Danzig will be German forever and that Germany will fight to the bitter end, if necessary.

Hptm. Hannes Trautloft takes over as Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 20 from Major Siegfried Lehmann. Warsaw again sees leaflets dropped by the Luftwaffe.

WESTERN FRONT: The first British army corps lands in France. Just before dawn German infantry make an assault on French positions outside Saarbruken.

A couple of firsts for JG 53. Oblt. Schulze-Blanck of 4./JG 53 claims that Staffel's first victory of the war, a French Potez. Uffz. Dill of 3 Staffel is the first pilot of JG 53 to be killed in action when his plane crashes for unknown reasons.

...

A couple of pics more with the destroyed Panzer IV in I found via the net.

19 September 1939
Allied New Ships
FR MSW CHAMOIS (Chamois Class)


Neutral New ships
SU DD GBESHPOSHCHADNYI(?) GNEVNYI Class



UBOATS

To Kiel: U-10 , U-56 (Kptlt. Wilhelm Zahn)

Dep Wilhelmshaven U-4 (Kptlt. Hans-Wilhelm von Dresky)

At Sea 19 September

U-3, U-4, U-7, U-13, U-14, U-16, U-18, U-20, U-21, U-23, U-24, U-26, U-27 (lost this patrol), U-28, U-29 (returning), U-30 (returning), U-31, U-32, U-33, U-34, U-35, U-36, U-53.

23 boats at sea.

North Sea .

DD WANDERER attacked a submarine contact off Flamborough.

DD WALLACE attacked a submarine contact 10 miles east of Cromer Knoll.

Western Atlantic
UBOAT report in Neutrality Area off Nova Scotia, American DD LEARY (DD.158) dep Boston to search . After several hours of unsuccessful search, LEARY ret to Boston on the 20th.

Convoy HXF.1 dep Halifax at 1400 escorted by Cdn DDs FRASER and SAGUENAY, with cover provided by CAs BERWICK and YORK on the 19th and 20th. In the Western Approaches, the convoy was escorted on the 27th to 29th by DD AMAZON, which had escorted OA.9. Convoy HXF.1 arrived at Liverpool on the 29th.

Kingston, Jamaica-UK (KJF) convoys

Convoy KJ.1 dep Kingston escort CL ORION from the 19th to 22nd. In Home Waters, the convoy was escorted by DD VIVACIOUS from 10th to 11th October, when the convoy arrived.

CLs ORION and HMAS PERTH dep Kingston on patrol. ORION arrived back on the 23rd.


Line drawing of CL ORION, which a slightly different profile to the Perth

British northern waters
DDs FORESIGHT and FAME dep Scapa on patrol.
DDs FORTUNE, ESKIMO, TARTAR, PUNJABI departed Loch Ewe on patrol.

English Channel
DD VANOC attacked a sub contact 15 miles SW of Eddystone.

UK-France convoys .
MB.5 dep Southampton with six cargo ships, escort by DD ACHATES, SARDONYX, and ACHERON arrived at Brest on the 21st.

BC.3 F.of steamers FENELLA, ST JULIEN, and ULSTER PRINCE dep Bristol Channel and arrived at Quiberon Bay on the 20th. The convoy with the same ships dep Quiberon Bay on the 21st and arrived in Bristol Channel on the 22nd.

UK-outbound convoys
DDs JANUS ACASTA dep Plymouth on the 19th to escort OA7, consisting of 28 ships, which had left Southend on the 19th. They were joined on the 20th by DD ARDENT, the convoy dispersed on the 22nd and the destroyers returned to Plymouth.

OB.7 dep Liverpool, escorted by DD WHIRLWIND until the 20th. She was relieved by DD MACKAY as escort from the 20th to 22nd, and MACKAY by WARWICK escorted the convoy from 19 to 22 September.

Southwestern Approaches
RAF CC dropped bombs on a submarine contact 30 miles N by W of Land's End. DD INTREPID was sent to investigate.

DD INGLEFIELD and KELLY attacked a submarine contact 70 miles southeast of Fastnet. This was later determined to be the wreck of steamer KENSINGTON COURT (4863grt) sunk on the 18th.

Morrocco/Biscay
French unnumbered convoy of steamers MARRAKECH, KERGUELEN, KILISSI, KATIOLA dep Casablanca escorted by DDs BRESTOIS and FOUDROYANT. The convoy arrived at Bordeaux on the 23rd.

Im not able to give a fully detailed description of the day by day events for the RAF or land forces for the british empire, but i thought it appropriate to at least give a thumbnail description of what the RAF (and to an extent the army) was doing during this period. im sure that for the main events, chris and others have far better information than i, and Im very happy if they want to post on those events. but the war was so much more than just the big events, and even though i cant do a complete job, something is better than nothing

Chris, if this is not what you want, or youve already covered these event, please amend or delete as you would like

This information is mostly from the RAF and BC websites.

RAF - RAF Timeline 1939

3 Sep 1939 - A Bristol Blenheim of No. 139 Sqn, Wyton, carries out the RAF's first operational sortie of the war - photographic reconnaissance of the German naval base of Wilhelmshaven.

3/4 Sep 1939 - 10 Whitley bombers of Nos. 51 and 58 Sqns carry out the first RAF raid over Germany, dropping some 6 million leaflets over Hamburg, Bremen and the Ruhr - 10 Whitley bombers of Nos. 51 and 58 Sqns carry out the first RAF raid over Germany dropping some 6 million leaflets over Hamburg, Bremen and the Ruhr.

4 Sep 1939 - The RAF records its first losses of the war when five Wellingtons of No. 9 Sqn are shot down during a raid on German warships in the Elbe estuary

6 Sep 1939 - South Africa declares war on Germany. Also on this day is the Battle of Barking Creek, when a error in identification in the Chain Home Radar system led to RAF aircraft engaging each other over the Thames Estuary. Blenheims, Hurricanes and Spitfires, not physically unlike the German Ju 88 and Bf 109, reported seeing enemy aircraft and several claims were made.

10 Sep 1939 - The British Expeditionary Force (BEF), consisting of some 158,000 men, leaves for France. Canada joins the list of Commonwealth countries to declare war against Germany.

20 Sep 1939 - Sgt F Letchard, a gunner in a Fairey Battle, claims the first RAF victory of the war after claiming shooting down a German Bf 109 during a patrol near Aachen.

parsifal said:

...and even though i cant do a complete job, something is better than nothing

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You are doing an great job and I am following the timeline with great interest.

20 September 1939 Wednesday
POLAND: In a stunning turn of events, Polish armies in the city of Lwow find themselves trapped. German units that were positioned to the north and south of the city have suddenly withdrawn all their forces and in their place are now Soviet infantry. Reports indicate that many Poles have either been forcibly conscripted into the Red Army or have done so willingly. No confirmation has yet been received from the Polish Commanders.

Russians occupy Grodno, Poland, 90 miles southwest of Vilna in northeast Poland near the Lithuanian border. German and Russian troops meet at Upper Dniestr, cutting off Polish troops' escape to Romania. The remaining Polish troops at Gdynia surrender.

The Polish Armies of Poznan and Pomorze, which were defeated by German troops yesterday at Bzura, have reached the outskirts of Warsaw to provide reinforcements. Over 120,000 Polish troops have converged and broken through the German encirclement at Warsaw and Modlin. German units numbering over 175,000 soldiers were prepared for the assault. Casualties were high on both sides.

German Colonel General Walther von Brauchitsch informs the German Army that;

"…operations in Poland are completed".

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In twenty of days of war, German forces occupied 100,000 square miles of territory, capturing 400,000 prisoners.

I(J)./LG 2 is withdrawn from the Polish front due to decreasing aerial opposition. It returns to its bases at Garz.

WESTERN FRONT: In response to Hitler's so-called peace offerings, France and Britain proclaimed that they "will not permit a Hitler victory to condemn the world to slavery and to ruin all moral values and destroy liberty." Despite their concerted bravado, Britain and France have still not deterred Germany's drive for territorial expansion across Europe. With the exception of occasional military skirmishes along the Maginot Line, the Allied Front remains weak. Both Britain and France have promised to come to Poland's aid but have failed to take any action. The Polish government is concerned that Poland will follow the same fate as Czechoslovakia.

The Luftwaffe clashes with the British Advanced Air Striking Force for the first time. In a battle with Bf 109s of JGr 152, two out of three Fairey Battles of RAF No. 88 Squadron are shot down at the cost of one Messerschmitt. Oblt. Mölders, back from his injuries suffered on 8 September, starts his scoring by shooting down two French Hawk 75s of GC II/5 over Merzig.

Swiss anti-aircraft guns fire on two French warplanes near Basle.

UNITED KINGDOM: Meanwhile in the British House of Commons, the Conservative Government under Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain has come under heavy criticism from the Labour Party Opposition for his policy of appeasement and for failing to provide assistance for Poland's defence after the September 1st invasion by Germany.

NORTHERN EUROPE: The Finnish Government makes preparations to evacuate civilians from Helsingfors and other centers in case of emergency.

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The battle at Bzura river is over... the landscapeafter the battle ....

20 September 1939
Axis New Ships
DKM CA BLUCHER IJN A1 Class Sub I-10

Allied New Ships
None
Neutral New ships
USS DD HUGHES (410) (Sims Class)

UBOATS

To Kiel:

U-20

Dep Wilhelmshaven

U-15

At Sea 20 September

U-3, U-4, U-7, U-13, U-14, U-15, U-16, U-18, U-21, U-23, U-24, U-26, U-28, U-29 (returning), U-30 (returning), U-31, U-32, U-33, U-34, U-35, U-36, U-53 (returning). Only known returns are recorded....others may be returning as well.
22 boats at sea.

U-27 (Oberleutnant zur See Johannes Franz). Sunk 20 Sept 1939 approx 200nm west of Scotland, by depth charges from the British DDs FORTUNE and FORESTER. 38 survivors (no casualties).

North Sea .

SS STARFISH and STURGEON were withdrawn from patrol areas off the Norwegian coast which was meant to be patrolled by CC from the the outset of the war to . A/C now took over the patrol, starting with Hudson bombers on the 18th. SS SEAHORSE and TRITON remained on patrol for the time being off the Norwegian coast to intercept German merchant ships. The submarines were then deployed in the Heligoland Bight, off Jutland, and in the Skagerrak.

Polish SS WILK arrived at Rosyth from the Baltic, then departed for Scapa on the 21st, escorted by DD STURDY.

Convoy FS.8 departed Methil, and arrived at Southend on the 22nd.

Convoy FN.8 departed Southend, arrived at Methil on the 22nd.

British northern waters

Home Fleet - BBs NELSON and RODNEY, BCs HOOD and REPULSE, CV ARK ROYAL, and DDs FIREDRAKE, FORTUNE, TARTAR, PUNJABI dep Loch Ewe at 1915/20th. DD FAULKNOR, FOXHOUND, FURY, FEARLESS, FORESTER, FORESIGHT dep Scapa on the 20th and joined the arriving force.

(the RN reports on the sinking of U-27)

after U.35 sank British trawlers off the Butt of Lewis (see 18 Sep), an ASW hunt began on the 19th. DDs SOMALI, MATABELE, PUNJABI, TARTAR, ESKIMO of the DesFlot 6 and FAULKNOR, FORTUNE, FEARLESS, FIREDRAKE, FURY, FORESTER of the DesFlot 8 departed Loch Ewe on the 19th for the hunt. Two of these destroyers were employed on Fair Isle Channel patrol and the other two divs of DDs were off the Butt of Lewis.

FAME unsuccessfully attacked U.27 at 0100/20th, 10 miles WNW of Fair Isle. FORTUNE and FORESTER then sank U.27 at 0342 off the Butt of Lewis . FORTUNE, which was able to retrieve secret documents from the submarine before the submarine sank, FAULKNOR, and FURY rescued the entire crew of four officers and 34 ratings which were transferred to FEARLESS.


HMS Fortune (PN H-70 - Cdr. E.A. Gibbs, RN)


HMS Forester (PN H-74 Lt.Cdr. Edward Bernard Tancock, RN

FAULKNOR attacked another contact at 1112/20th, 20 miles NW of the Butt of Lewis.

FOXHOUND had problems with her depth charge thrower during the U.27 hunt and arrived at Scapa Flow on the 20th. The defects were repaired alongside CL AURORA.

FIREDRAKE attacked a submarine contact at 0945/21st, 312° from Dunnet Head, assisted by FORTUNE.

The fleet, joined at sea by DDs MATABELE, MASHONA, ESKIMO, BEDOUIN, arrived at Scapa for refuelling on the 21st. DDs FAME and SOMALI also arrived at Scapa on the 21st.

DDs FORESTER, FURY, FAULKNOR, and MASHONA again dep Scapa for further patrols.

English Channel

CVL HERMES dep Plymouth with DD KELLY on flying exercises ret to Plymouth and KELLY went on to Portland to join DD KINGSTON which was working up.

CL CARADOC dep Plymouth on escort duties and arrived back on the 21st.

UK-France convoys .

BC.2 of steamers CITY OF PRETORIA and HARMATTAN dep the Loire escorted by DDs MONTROSE and WAKEFUL, and safely arrived in Bristol Channel on the 22nd.

DB.5 dep Southampton with three personnel ships, escorted by DDs VANSITTART and SCIMITAR, and arrived at Brest on the 21st.

UK-outbound convoys

No reports

Southwestern Approaches

two Anson bombers attacked a submarine off Lundy Island. DDs WOLVERINE, WITHERINGTON, VOLUNTEER, VERITY dep Milford Haven at 0055/21st to hunt for the submarine as well.

Other CC a/c attacked a contact 40 miles WSW of the Scillies. DD ILEX was sent to investigate, but did not regain the contact.

Med/Biscay

CLs ARETHUSA and PENELOPE dep Alexandria for patrol south of the Otranto Straits. They refuelled at Malta on the 25th/26th, sailed on the 27th and patrolled Kithera Channel. They arrived back at Alexandria on the 30th.

Convoy Blue 2 dep Port Said with 10 merchant ships. DDs GREYHOUND, GLOWWORM and sloops FLEETWOOD and ABERDEEN escorted the convoy from the 20th to 30th, and were joined by French DD TROMBE and TB POMONE from the 26th to 29th.The convoy arrived at Gib on the 30th.

Central and South Atlantic –

convoy SLF.1 was escorted by CL NEPTUNE, dep Freetown on the 20th. The cruiser was detached on the 23rd and proceeded to Dakar. The convoy arrived at Liverpool on the 28th.

CA EXETER dep Montevideo to patrol off Rio de Janiero.

Indian Ocean

CVL EAGLE dep Colombo for a week of raider hunting in the Indian Ocean.

Australia Station

CMDR B. M. Long, LCDR E. Feldt, and LCDR R. B. A. Hunt, set up the organisation for the RAN's Coastwatcher Service.

The Iron Route

Upon the beginning of hostilities on 3 September 1939, Britain and France enacted a repeat of the blockade of Germany system used to great effect throughout the previous war. They were able to do this because they had vastly more powerful naval forces at their disposal than Germany, a country lacking in natural resources and heavily reliant on large scale imports of a wide range of goods. One important strategic material was iron. Germany required a steady supply of which was imperative in the creation of steel to sustain her war effort and general economy.

Prewar iron ore supplies to Germany (1938)

Source tons (in millions)

Germany 10
Sweden 9
Other 3
Total 22

Further German iron ore was of low grade quality and needed to be mixed with high grade material from other countries such as Sweden, which annually supplied her with 9 million tons: 7 million from Kiruna and Gällivare in Lapland and 2 million from the central Swedish ore fields north-west of Stockholm.

With the declaration of war and the start of the blockade, many of these foreign supplies were lost to Germany, and although she retained access to 3 million tons per annum from neutral Norway and Luxembourg, supplies from Morocco and Spain were lost to her, and so the remaining supplies from neutral Scandinavia became of crucial importance. Grand Admiral Raeder, head of the German navy, declared that it would be "utterly impossible to make war should the navy not be able to secure the supplies of iron-ore from Sweden". There is debate about the real extent of german dependence, and just how crucial the Scandinavian supplies were to Germany, but they were of considerable importance at minimum.

Britain, who itself imported large quantities of iron ore , was fully aware of the Swedish exports to Germany and through its system of Contraband Control was routinely stopping ships of all nations to ensure they were not delivering important supplies to the enemy. Germany considered the allied blockade illegal, and to counter it embarked upon a system of unrestricted submarine warfare (from the end of September 1939) whereby enemy and neutral ships could be attacked without warning. As a result, during the first nine months of the war a large number of neutral ships were sunk with considerable loss of life.

While the allies were keen to maintain the moral high ground and stressed at every opportunity the difference in impact between their approach compared to their enemy's, they were mindful that many neutral mariners relied upon the Germany trade for their livelihoods, and so during the opening stages of the war they were careful not to be too strict with non-combatant vessels for fear the blockade would alienate neutral nations into joining the war on the side of Germany.

From May to November, ore from the Northern region was shipped from the port of Lulea down the Gulf of Bothnia to the German north Baltic ports at Lubeck, Swinemunde, and Stettin. Outside these months, the Gulf of Bothnia froze over, severely restricting supplies, and although an alternate port was available at Oxelosund, south of Stockholm for the transport of iron ore from the mines in Bergslagen, this facility was unable to supply the full amount required by Germany, and in any case froze over from January to March each year. Luleå remained outside the reach of Royal Navy's patrols but it was estimated that when Luleå and the Baltic ports of Oxelösund and Gävle were open it could only supply around 8m tons per annum, whilst the southern ports might provide capacity for another 2-3 million tons. This was below the import levels being sought by Germany at the time who wanted roughly double those amounts .

This meant that during the winter months of the war, Germany had no choice than to transport the majority of its ore along the much further route down Norway's heavily indented Western coast from Narvik...the so called iron leads, if it wanted to retain current import levels.Agreement with the Soviets in 1939 went some way to finding an alternative to this problem. Germany also was promised under the secret accords with the Soviets, access and control over Lithuania in the baltic, which would have helped somewhat in the shortages of iron ore. As it turned out, in 1940, the Soviets reneged on this agreement, with disastrous long term consequences.

The port of Narvik, was open for iron ore shipments all year round. But the Atlantic coast of Norway also provided another extremely useful geological feature for Germany in her attempts to continue shipping the ore and beating the allied blockade.

Immediately offshore from Norway's western coast lies the Skjaergaard, a continuous chain of some 50,000 glacially formed skerries (small uninhabited islands) sea stacks and rocks running parallel to the shore. A partially hidden sea lane (which Churchill called the Norwegian Corridor) exists in the area between this rocky fringe and the coastal landmass proper. Inside this protected channel it is possible to navigate the entire 1,600 km length of the Norwegian coast from North Cape to Stavanger. Such coastlines, sometimes known as Leads — a rough English translation for the common Norwegian nautical term Ledene (shipping lane) are common around Scandinavia — Skjaergaard also exist along the Swedish and Finnish Baltic coasts and off Greenland.

The Germans made great use of the Norwegian Corridor to avoid the attention of the vigilant Royal Navy and RAF. In the winter of 1939–1940 a steady stream of their specially-constructed iron ore vessels made the long trip south from Narvik, sometimes within the three mile curtilage of neutral Norwegian territorial waters, sometimes just outside if the way appeared hazardous or the sea particularly turbulent. At the southernmost point the iron ore captains had to make a choice:

Follow the Skjaergaard around the coasts of Norway and Sweden, down through the Kattgat and finally into the north German N Baltic ports of Lubeck and Stettin. This route was safer because it brought them much closer to the protection of the German naval patrols and Luftwaffe air cover but involved hauling the very bulky and heavy iron ore the long way overland to the industrial centres on the overburdened German railway system
Leave the safety of the Skjaergaard and make a dash south across the Skagerrak, (the sea channel north of the Danish Jutland peninsula) and hurry down the west coast of Denmark to Hamburg and Bremen. This was the preferred route because it allowed the ore to be taken straight along the efficient inland waterways to the industrial heartlands of the Ruhr and the Rhineland where it could be processed. It was much more hazardous, putting the ships and their cargo at the mercy of allied submarines and patrolling destroyers of the Contraband Control. A number of German ships were sunk in this area.


From the beginning of the war, Winston Churchill expended considerable energies trying to persuade his colleagues in the British government to take action to stop the iron ore traffic. On 16 December 1939 he issued a memo to the cabinet:

It must be understood that an adequate supply of Swedish iron ore is vital to Germany…the effectual stoppage of the Norwegian ore supplies to Germany ranks as a major offensive operation of the war. No other measure is open to us for many months to come which gives so good a chance of abridging the waste and destruction of the conflict, or of perhaps preventing the vast slaughters which will attend the grapple of the main armies. The ore from Luleå (in the Baltic) is already stopped by the winter ice, which must not be broken by the Soviet ice-breaker, should the attempt be made. The ore from Narvik must be stopped by laying successively a series of small minefields in Norwegian territorial waters at the two or three suitable points on the coast, which will force the ships carrying ore to Germany to quit territorial waters and come on to the high seas, where, if German, they will be taken as prize, or, if neutral, subjected to our contraband control.

Although in late 1939 many of Churchill's cabinet colleagues agreed with the need to take action to disrupt the iron ore traffic, they decided against the use of mines. At the time negotiations into the British chartering of the entire Norwegian mercantile shipping fleet were at a delicate stage and the British Foreign Office made convincing arguments against breaking Norway's neutrality. In 1915 (during WWI) Britain had been forced to apologise to Norway for the violation of her territorial waters by British warships following the seizure of a German steamer inside the three mile limit. Near the end of WWI the British, Americans and French had induced the Norwegians to allow the Skjaergaard to be mined in order to prevent German ships and submarines from using their territorial waters as a way around the Great Northern Barrage, a massive minefield laid from Scotland to Norway as part of the earlier allied blockade strategy.

The Iron Route - Britian moves to mining of the Leads

Despite the ongoing diplomatic exchanges, Britain informed the Norwegians that the Skjaergaard was about to be mined in January 1940, but the plan was postponed following protests from both Norway and Sweden. Yet another diplomatic dispute over alleged abuse of Norway's territorial waters broke out in February 1940 between the respective governments of Britain, Norway and Germany following the Altmark Incident. A German tanker, attempting to return home via the cover of the Norwegian Corridor carrying British prisoners of war was spotted by British aircraft and pursued by destroyers, eventually being forced onto rocks.

On the evening of 21 March 1940 the British submarine HMS Ursula, (which had damaged the German cruiser Leipzig in Heligoland Bight the previous December) intercepted the German iron ore ship Hedderheim, en route from Narvik, and sank her eight miles off the coast of Denmark, although the crew were all saved. At the time it was seen as an early indication that Britain was at last taking steps to end the iron trade and over the next few days several other German ships were sunk at the entrance to the Baltic. Following reports that strong British destroyer and submarine forces were stationed in the Skagerrak, Berlin ordered all her ships along the iron ore route to port immediately.

By now it was clear to all concerned that the Phoney War was about to end. Antagonised by the German mining of their own waters with deadly new magnetic mines and a general concern that Germany was managing to overcome the worst effects of the blockade, the Supreme War Council met in London on 28 March 1940 to discuss an intensification of the economic warfare strategy. On the 3April authorisation was given to commence mining operations within the territorial limits of Norway.

21 September 1939 Thursday
POLAND: In Lwow, the situation for Polish fighters is hopeless. General Sikorski has decided to surrender to the Soviets. Though the Polish army reserves and war materiel are in good supply, the General stated that further defence of the city was pointless resulting in greater civilian casualties. Surrender talks with the Soviets will begin tomorrow.

German forces continue to bomb key areas of Warsaw today, closing in on pockets of resistance still held by Polish insurgents. The Armia Krajowa (Home Army) is firmly entrenched and show no signs of weakening, although urgent appeals are being made for ammunition and weapons.

Nazi authorities have conducted widespread arrests rounding up Jews from Danzig and cities throughout western Poland for deportation to central Poland. In a mandate named the Heydrich Plan, the German Chiefs of the Einstazgruppen of the Security Police have been given full authority to deal with the Jews in Occupied territories. While the first step of the Plan is currently underway, there are only inferences concerning the objectives of the Nazi regime, mentioning only that; "…the final aim will require extended periods of time."

EASTERN FRONT: In Bucharest, the Romanian Prime Minister Armand Calinescu has been assassinated by members of the Iron Guard, a fascist organization. The assassins blocked the path of his car with a wooden cart and shot the Prime Minister and his bodyguards. After a forced entry into the radio station they broadcast the announcement on air "The death sentence on Calinescu has been executed". In their attempt to escape they were shot where the Prime Minister had been gunned down moments earlier. Romanian Officials declared that the dead bodies of the gunmen are still lying in the street and will not be removed until tomorrow. In a communique sent by the Iron Guard, the assassination was in retaliation for the liberal policy of the Romanian government towards the Polish government and for accepting Polish military and civilian refugees.

NORTH AMERICA: In Washington President Roosevelt addressed a special joint session of Congress and urged that the provisions of the Neutrality Act preventing sales to belligerent countries be repealed immediately. He stated that;

"Our acts must be guided by one single hard-headed thought...keeping America out of this war." He argued that allowing arms to be sold on a "cash-and-carry basis" would be "better calculated than any other means to keep us out of the war."

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Newspaper reports in the US allege that senior officials of the Nazis including Goebbels and Hess have foreign investments worth over $12 million US.

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Russian BT tanks of the 24th Light Tank Brigade entering Lwow...




A Russian soldier and the PZL.23 Karaś nr 5 (44.211) of the 55th Squadron damaged at the Lwow-Skniłow airfield, September 1939.

21 September 1939
UBOATS

To Kiel:

U-23

Dep Wilhelmshaven

None

At Sea 21 September

U-3, U-4, U-7, U-13, U-14, U-15, U-16, U-18, U-21, U-24, U-26, U-28, U-29 (returning), U-30(returning), U-31, U-32, U-33, U-34, U-35, U-36, U-53(returning).

21 boats at sea.

North Sea .

DDs ESK and EXPRESS arrived at Invergordon from the Humber to escort tanker SAN ALBERTO (7397grt). They arrived at Scapa 21st.

CL CAIRO and DDs CODRINGTON, BEAGLE, BLANCHE, BOADICEA were involved in operation CL, a sweep towards Texel to intercept German merchant steamers. Following this operation, these ships covered convoy FN.9.


Western Atlantic

No reports

Kingston, Jamaica-UK (KJF) convoys

Baltic

KM aux AS vessel UJ.171 (trawler NETTELBECK) was wrecked in the Baltic. Casualties unknown

Northern Patrol - .

No Reports

British northern waters

No reports

English Channel

CL CERES dep Plymouth returns the same day.

UK-France convoys .

MB.6 of seven cargo ships, escort DDs ARROW, ANTHONY, SALADIN, dep Southampton, and arrived Brest on the 23rd.

BC.4F of steamer TYNWALD dep Barry in the Bristol Channel escort DDs ESCORT, ELECTRA, VIVACIOUS and arrived Quiberon Bay 23rd. Not long after sailing, ESCORT and WESSEX attacked a submarine contact 30 miles SW of Swansea. BC.4 departed Bristol Channel at the same time with steamers BARON KINNAIRD and CLAN MONROE and the two convoys arrived together.

UK-outbound convoys

DDs JANUS, JACKAL and Pol DD GROM dep Devonport to escort convoy OA.8, after it had dep Southend with 22 ships. JACKAL and GROM were with the convoy from the 21st to 24th, and JANUS from the 22nd to 24th, when the convoy dispersed. The DDs arrived back at Devonport on the 25th.

Convoy OB.8 departed Liverpool escort DDs VERSATILE and VIMY to the 24th.

Southwestern Approaches

U.35 torpedoed and damaged steamer TEAKWOOD (6014grt) from convoy OA.7 south of Land's End . The damaged ship was taken to Falmouth, escort by DD ARDENT. En route to Falmouth, DD VESPER relieved ARDENT which returned to the convoy. DD ECHO, which dep Plymouth on the 21st, with IMPERIAL and KEMPENFELT searched the area. No contact

Med/Biscay

during the night of 21st/22nd, Fr convoys L.1, escort by Contre Torpilleur DDs VAUTOUR and GERFAUT, and L.3, escort by Contre Torpilleur DDs GUEPARD and VERDUN, linked up 80 miles west of Malta.

French liner MARIETTE PACHA (12239grt) with L.3 involved in a collision. Her bow is damaged and she proceeded to Malta, escort by liner EL D'JEZAIR. French liner CHENONEAUX (14825grt) with L.1 also in collision and was towed to Malta by tug ROYSTER, arriving on the 23rd. Contre Torpilleur DDs VAUTOUR with L.3 and liner EL D'JEZAIR with L.1 also collided.

On the 28th, MARIETTE PACHA dep Malta escort by DDs HOSTILE, HERO, HEREWARD, HASTY for Marseilles. The DDs remained with the liner until the 30th, then returned to Malta, arriving 2 October. CHENONCEAUX was under repair at Malta for four months.

Central and South Atlantic –

Convoy SL.2 dep Freetown on 21st, escort by CL DESPATCH and DD HUNTER, but HUNTER was ordered to return to Freetown at 1500/21st. DESPATCH remained and then parted company at 0600/28th, arriving back on 2 October. The convoy reached Liverpool on 7 October.

During the night of 21st/22nd September, German Blockade runners CAP NORTE (13,615grt), TIJUCA (5918grt), and CURITYBA (4969grt) dep Pernambuco to return to Germany. They are not noticed as they depart

Indian Ocean

CL MANCHESTER arrived at Bombay

China Station

DD DIANA dep Hong Kong on the 21st, Singapore on the 25th, and Colombo on the 29th en route to the Medi Flt. She arrived at Suez on 11 October
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Australia Station

CL HMAS HOBART arrived at Sydney.

Pacific

Just before hostilieis, German steamer LEIPZIG (5898grt) dep Christobal just prior to CL HMAS PERTH arrived, and reached Guajaquil, Ecuador on 8 September. On the 20th, a short time before CL HMNZS ACHILLES arrived off the port, she left Guajaquil and arrived at Callao, Peru on the 21st. ACHILLES dep the same day.

other Events

Members of the Iron Guard, a Fascist organization, assassinated Premier Armand Calinescu of Romania. The assassination led to a series of cabinet crises in Romania until Jorge Tatarescu became the new Romanian prime minister on November 24th.

U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt called for a special session of Congress to revise the Neutrality Act of 1937 and repeal the arms embargo to Allied countries.