This Day in the War in Europe: The Beginning

[Njaco]

1 October 1939 Sunday
ASIA: Japanese 6th Division began to fall back from Changsha, Hunan Province, China across the Laodao River. The Japanese 11th Corps begins withdrawing from northern Hunan province, ending an abortive attempt to capture Changsha and the Tungting Lake area. The fighting is known as the first battle of Changsha and it is a major victory for the Chinese Nationalists led by Chiang Kai-shek.

Several senior officers of the Kwantung army, the Japanese army stationed in nominally independent state of Manchukuo (formerly Manchuria), have been dismissed in the wake of the agreement signed in Moscow, settling the border war with the USSR.

GERMANY: German Führer der U-Boote Karl Dönitz asks submarine commander Gunther Prien if he would make an attack on the British Royal Navy at Scapa Flow. Prien immediately replies that he will.

Several new Jagdgeschwader and Gruppen are formed. The fighter unit, JG 27 officially becomes a Luftwaffe Geschwader with Oblt. Max Ibel posted as Kommodore and Hptm. Helmut Riegel appointed as Gruppenkommandeur of I Gruppe. The unit is based at Münster-Handorf flying Bf 109Es on operations.

The second new fighter unit is Stab./JG 77 joining I. and II./JG 77 which were formed in May 1939. Based at Neumünster along with II./JG 77, Oblt. Eitel Roediger von Manteuffel is appointed as Kommodore of the group. The Bf 109 'Emil' is used by the unit for operations.

Another Gruppe, III./ JG 53 is formed, led by the now Hptm. Werner Mölders.

Walter Nowotny, destined for fame in the years to come, enlists in the Luftwaffe. Lt. Josef 'Pips' Priller is appointed Staffelkapitän of 6./JG 51.

The I./JG 2 gets a new Gruppenkommandeur when Hptm. Jürgen Roth is posted as the commander of the 'Richthofen' Geschwader in place of Oblt. Carl Vieck who left on 26 September to take Oblt. Max Ibel's place as Kommodore of JG 3 (whose crews and aircraft of the Stab./JG 3 move from Brandis to Münster-Handorf on this date).

The Zerstörer Geschwader II./ZG 26 led by Major Friedrich Vollbracht, moves its Bf 109Ds from Werl to Störmede and begin converting to twin-engined Bf 110s.

Theodore Osterkamp, the Kommodore of JG 51 is promoted to Oberst. Adolf Galland was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class medal and was promoted to the rank of Hauptmann.

POLAND: German troops enter Warsaw and begin disarming the Polish garrison (estimated to number 100,000 officers and men). Polish garrison, commanded by Admiral Unrug, on the Hela Peninsula surrenders after a gallant fight. As well as land attacks they have endured a considerable naval bombardment.

WESTERN FRONT: Hptm. Walter Adolph of JG 1 begins his scoring by shooting down an RAF recon Blenheim over Osnabruck.

Polish cryptologists arrive in France with a cargo of two Enigma machines.

UNITED KINGDOM: British men between the ages of 20-22 became eligible for conscription.

The first news of the German pocket-battleships, "Graf Spee" and "Deutschland", reaches the British Admiralty.

Winston Churchill makes his first radio broadcast of the war, saying the Soviet Union has "pursued a policy of cold self-interest" in Poland. He adds that; "

…we could have wished that the Russian armies should be standing on their present line as the friends and allies of Poland instead of invaders. But that the Russian armies should stand on this line was clearly necessary for the safety of Russia against the Nazi menace."

 

[Wurger]

The capitulation of Warsaw....

Polish arms gathered on Warsaw streets after the capitulation...

 

[Wurger]

The Nazi German troops entering Warsaw on the 1st October 1939 ... the monument seen in the fisrt image on the right is a monument of airmen commemorating Polish aviators.

 

[parsifal]

1 October

UBOATS

arrivals

Wilhelmshaven, U-19, U-21

departures

Wilhelmshaven, : U-23

At Sea 1 October

U-3, U-7, U-10, U-12 (+), U-13, U-15, U-16, U-20, U-23, U-31, U-35.
11 boats at sea

Baltic

DKM MSW M.85 of the 7th MSW Flotilla struck a mine NE Heisternest and sank. This mine was laid by ORP SS ZBIK on 9 September. 24 men on M.85 were lost. DKM MSW M 122 and some R Bootes rescued 47 survivors.

1916 type MSWs of the same type as M-85

Carribbean

CL ORION dep Kingston for patrol in the Curacao area.

Northern Patrol - .

CLs DIOMEDE and DUNEDIN, dep Scapa on 30 September, on Northern Patrol . CLs CARDIFF and DRAGON, dep Scapa on 28 September, were also on Northern Patrol.

British northern waters

CA SUFFOLK dep Portsmouth 29 September escort DD EXPRESS. The cruiser arrived at Scapa on the 1st to relieve CL EDINBURGH in CruSqn18. EDINBURGH was then attached to CruSqn2 of the Humber Force. CA NORFOLK arrived at Rosyth on the 3rd. After completing the replacement of a gun at Rosyth, both cruisers proceeded to the Med. NORFOLK dep Rosyth on the 7th and SUFFOLK dep Scapa on the 8th. En route in heavy weather on the 11th, NORFOLK's Walrus was washed off the catapult and lost and her catapult trolley badly damaged. Both cruisers arrived at Gib on the 12th and dep on the 14th. They arrived at Alex on the 18th.

BBs NELSON, RODNEY, BCs HOOD, REPULSE, CV ARK ROYAL, CL NEWCASTLE and DDs ASHANTI, MASHONA, MATABELE, SOMALI, FAME, FORESIGHT, FORTUNE and FIREDRAKE dep Scapa for Loch Ewe arrived on 2nd.

UK-France convoys .

DB.10 dep Southampton with two personnel ships, escorted by DDs ARROW and INTREPID, and arrived at Brest on the 2nd.

MB.10 dep Southampton with six cargo ships, escort DDs ACHERON and ACHATES, and arrived at Brest on the 2nd.

English Channel

OA.13 dep Southend escort DDs JACKAL and JANUS, and dispersed on the 4th.

CL CURLEW dep Portland for a work up at Scapa which was completed on the 21st.

DD ECLIPSE attacked a submarine contact in the Channel

BC.6F of steamers FENELLA, ST JULIEN, TYNWALD and ULSTER PRINCE dep the Loire without escort, and safely arrived in the Bristol Channel.

UK-outbound convoys

U.35 stopped Belgian steamer SUZON (2239grt). The ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 42 nautical miles north west of Ouessant, Finistère, France . The crew were rescued by HMS ACHERON

Dramatic shots of the u-35 sinking the SS Suzon

Southwestern Approaches

OB.13 dep Liverpool escort DDs VERSATILE and WARWICK to 4 October

Med/Biscay

CL GALATEA and DDs AFRIDI, GURKHA, MOHAWK and SIKH dep Alex on patrol duties. AFRIDI refuelled at Malta arriving on the 4th and dep on the 5th to return to patrol. SIKH arrived at Malta on the 5th, was found to have stripped a turbine and began long repairs there. MOHAWK refuelled at Malta, arriving on the 6th and dep on the 7th for Gib. GALATEA refuelled at Malta arriving on the 7th and departing the same day to return to patrol. AFRIDI and GURKHA refuelled at Malta arriving on the 7th and dep on the 10th for Gib.

DDs NUBIAN and ZULU attacked a submarine contact

At this time, French Med escort groups were as follows:

Fr DesDiv1 - VAUBAN, LION, AIGLE

VAUBAN and LION were Gueard Class and AIGLE was the lead ship of that class
Fr DesDiv 7 - VAUTOUR, GERFAUT, ALBATROS
Fr DesDiv 9 - MAILLÉ BRÉZÉ, KERSAINT, CASSARD

These ships were from the Vauquelin Class
Fr DesDiv 11 – ÉPERVIER, MILAN
Group G.1 - LA PALME, LE MARS, HMS GREYHOUND

LA PALME, LE MARS were from the L'Adroit Class
Group G.2 – TRAMONTANE, TORNADE, British GLOWWORM

TRAMONTANE, TORNADE, from the Bourasque class
Group G.3 - TIGRE, TEMPÊTE, TYPHON

In mid-October, DDs LE FORTUNE, SIMOUN, LA RAILLEUSE of DesDiv 3 arrived to reinforcet . At the beginning of November, the forces were redistributed.

Central and South Atlantic –

Orders to return to the Home Fleet were suspended for DDs HAVOCK and HOTSPUR of the South America Station and HYPERION and HUNTER of the Freetown Force. Due to the threat of raiders operating in the South Atlantic, they were ordered to remain on station and the remaining units of the DesFlot 2 in the Med were ordered to join them in the Sth Atlantic.

China Station

CA KENT dep Hong Kong, and arrived back on the 21st. She was docked on the 24th and was in dock until the end of the month.

 

[Crimea_River]

Appreciating everyone's work here. Great contributions.

 

[parsifal]

2 October
Reinforcements
Axis
SPERRBRECHER I II

These mine-exploding vessels sailed in front of other ships and cleared the way by detonating mines on their path. The Germans eventually empoyed more than 100 of them.They were vital ships for the Germans and generally successul
UBOATS

Grossadmiral Raeder removed prize restrictions for U-boats off French and British ports and further extended this new freedom of action to include all shipping as far west as 15W° on the 4th .

arrivals

Wilhelmshaven: U-31

departures

Kiel: U-18
Wilhelmshaven: U-21, U-22, U-42 (lost 12 days later)

At Sea 2 October

U-3, U-7, U-10, U-12 , U-13, U-15, U-16, U-18, U-20, U-22, U-23, U-35, U-42.

13 boats at sea.

DKM continued its survey of the approaches to Scapa assigning U.10 (west of the Orkneys), U.20 and U.23 (approaching the area) , and U.18 (dep Kiel for patrol in the area).

Baltic

BALTIC ( Fn) The schooner struck a mine and sank in the Kattegat.

ORP CZAJKA ( Pol): The MSW was scuttled at Hel, Poland. Refloated the next day, salvaged and repaired and entered DKM service as Westernplatte.

ORP KOMENDANT PILUDSKI ( Pol) The Filin-class guard ship was scuttled at Hel. She was later salvaged by the Germans and entered DKM service as Heisternest

ORP MEWA ( Pol) The MSW was scuttled at Hel. Later salvaged by the Germans and entered DKM service as Putzig.

ORP RYBITWA ( Pol): The MSW was scuttled at Hel. Later salvaged by the Germans and entered DKM service as Rixhoft.

ORP ZURAW ( Pol) The MSW was scuttled at Hel. She was refloated the next day, repaired and entered DKM service at Oxhoft

North Sea .

Submarine SEAHORSE reported a submarine contact off the Firth of Tay in

DDs KEITH and MONTROSE attacked a submarine contact

Steamer LINDISFARNE (1004grt) was challenged off Hook of Holland by Ne TB Z.7. In the ensuing confusion, the ships collided. Light damaged was sustained by LINDISFARNE and Z.7 was undamaged.

East Coast Britain

FN.15 dep Southend, and arrived at Methil on the 4th. There was no convoy FN.16.

FS.16 departed Methil, and arrived at Southend on the 4th.

Western Atlantic

CA YORK dep Halifax on escort duties, and arrived back on the 4th.

British northern waters

CLs EFFINGHAM, EMERALD, ENTERPRISE dep Scapa for Plymouth, where they arrived late on the 3rd. At Plymouth, EMERALD and ENTERPRISE embarked gold for transfer to Canada, while EFFINGHAM underwent repairs completed on the 9th.

E Class Cruisers
SS H.34 and MSW trawler EURYALUS (renamed HOVERFLY, 242grt) dep Scapa in an exercise together to see if trawlers could effectively patrol with submarines. The exercise proved ineffective.

UK-France convoys .

BC.6S with steamers ADJUTANT, BAHARISTAN, BARON KINNAIRD, BARON MINTO, BELLEROPHON (Commodore), BIELA, CARINGORM, CUSTODIAN, DALEMOOR, DIPLOMAT, GOLDFINCH, HARMATTAN, JACINTH, MERKLAND, SANDHILL and TELAWNY dep the Loire escort DDs VIVACIOUS, VISCOUNT, VANESSA, ELECTRA and ESCORT. arrived in Bristol Channel on the 3rd.

BC.7F of steamers BEN MY CHREE and LADY OF MANN dep the Loire without escort, and safely arrived in Barry Roads on the 3rd.

English Channel

French sloop AMIRAL MOUCHEZ, escorting French tanker LOT under tow, was missed by torpedoes near the Cotentin peninsula and counter-attacked at 2337.

Southwestern Approaches

SLF.3 departed Freetown unescorted and arrived at Liverpool on the 13th.

Med/Biscay

The first of the UK to Gibraltar convoys, OG.1, of 37 ships was formed from two convoys. CL CERES dep Plymouth on the 1st to escort OG.1 to Gib and act as convoy commodore. (1) OA.12G was escorted by CERES and DDs IMPERIAL and ISIS, (2) OB.12G was escorted by DDs ILEX and IMOGEN. The four destroyers were detached on the 3rd and joined convoy HG.1. On the 8th, the convoy was joined by DD VELOX from Gib, when, still escorted by CERES, it arrived at Gibraltar.

BB RAMILLIES, CL CAPETOWN, and DDs KEPPEL and WATCHMAN dep Gibraltar to join liner ATHLONE CASTLE and escort her to Freetown. After leaving harbour, RAMILLIES suffered condenser problems and ret to Gib with the DDs. CAPETOWN continued on for seven hours, then suffered rudder defects, but was able to meet the liner and take her back to Gibraltar, both arriving on the 3rd.

Central and South Atlantic –

The Admiralty received their first notice that a German raider was operating off Pernambuco when news of the sinking of the CLEMENT by CS ADMIRAL GRAF SPEE reached England. They responded with the immediate dispatch of CV ARK ROYAL and BC RENOWN to Freetown. ARK ROYAL and DDs ASHANTI and FORESIGHT dep Loch Ewe on the evening of the 2nd, while RENOWN and DDs TARTAR and BEDOUIN dep Scapa the same day, and joined at sea. Following their escort duties, the DDs ret to Scapa on the 4th (lacking range to operate effectively that far from home bases) . To relieve CV ARK ROYAL with the Home Flt, CVL FURIOUS, which was being used as a training aircraft carrier at Rosyth, was ordered to join the Home Fleet for operations at Loch Ewe. FURIOUS dep Rosyth on the 1st escort DDs JERVIS, JUPITER, JAGUAR and STURDY. On the 2nd, JERVIS and JAGUAR attacked a submarine contact off Bell Rock, River Tay.

Furioous spent most of her wartime service attached to the Home Flt. she was variously nicknamed "Curious, "Spurious" or sometimes "the covered wagon"

Initially 818 sqn was embarked from Oct 1939-May 1940, equipped with 9 Swordfish I, and 816 sqn from Oct 1939-Sept 1940 also with Swordfish I. Reports that 9 Skuas were embarked don't appear correct, the first fighter CAGs embarked were 801 sqn (with 9 Skua IIs) May 1940-Feb 1941, and 804 sqn (with 4 Sea Glads) May 1940

816 sqn was formed from training assets aboard HMS FURIOUS in October 1939 with 9 Swordfish

818 sqn was formed at Evanton as a tsr sqn with 9 Swordfish Is in Aug 1939, 2 months prior to the original planning due to the threat of war, where it embarked on CV ARK ROYAL. it was tranfered to FURIOUS Oct 1939 on activation of the latter as a front line carrier unit.

Fairey Swordfish 818 sqn HMS Furious, April 1940


At this time, the South America Station was composed of CAs EXETER and CUMBERLAND operating as a Hunter Force, and CL AJAX with DDs HOTSPUR and HAVOCK covering outbound shipping from Rio de Janiero. After a sweep in the area of Ascension Island, CUMBERLAND, CL NEPTUNE, and DDs HYPERION and HUNTER arrived at Freetown

Indian Ocean

CA CORNWALL dep Calcutta on escort duties to Singapore, and returned to Colombo, arriving on the 6th for docking.

China Station

Beginning 2 October the RN began a withdrawal of her River Patrol gunboats. Gunboats DRAGONFLY, GRASSHOPPER, APHIS, COCKCHAFER and LADYBIRD on the Yangtse were ordered to Singapore for duty as patrol boats and MSWs in a move to free manpower and ships for Europe. This freed the 2nd MSW Flot for transfer to the Mediterranean where they relieved the 3rd Flot, which in turn, transferred to Home Waters. The transfer also satisfied a Japanese government request of 5 September 1939 to remove these gunboats from Chinese territorial waters, by then a full war-zone, to prevent any more incidents such as those involving CRICKET, SCARAB and the bombing of the USS PANAY in December 1937. A full list of gunboat movements follows:

In late October, APHIS and LADYBIRD dep Shanghai for Hong Kong, arrived at Saigon on the 29th, but returned to Shanghai as guardships in November where they stayed until the end of 1939.

In December, TERN, PETEREL, GNAT were also withdrawn from the Yangtse to Shanghai.

At the end of 1939, COCKCHAFER was at Nanking, GNAT at the Kiangyin Barrier, SCARAB at Shanghai, APHIS and LADYBIRD at Singapore to convert, and DRAGONFLY and GRASSHOPPER at Singapore.

On 2 January 1940, SCARAB and CRICKET were also withdrawn.

With the completion of this movement, only FALCON remained at Chungking, CRICKET and PETEREL at Shanghai, and GANNET and SANDPIPER laid up in January 1940 at Chungking and Changsha, respectively.

COCKCHAFER and GNAT had gone to Singapore then to the East Indies, APHIS and LADYBIRD departed Singapore on 1 March for the Mediterranean, and DRAGONFLY, SCORPION, GRASSHOPPER, SCARAB, TERN were employed around Singapore.

ROBIN was used as a boom defence vessel at Hong Kong and MANTIS was laid up prior to disposal.

 

[Wurger]

On the 2nd October the battle of Kock began. It lasted until the 6th September. The Polish Polesie Independent Operational Group, led by General Franciszek Kleeberg, fought the German 14th Motorised Corps, led by General Gustav Anton von Wietersheim. It was the last battle fought during the September Campaigh 1939 by Polish Army.

German armoured vehicles destroyed during the battle... pic source... dws.org.pl ? Zobacz temat - Kock 1939 - nowe spojrzenie

General Kleeberg saying goodbye to his soldiers after the battle.

General Franciszek Kleeberg, commander of the Independent Operational Group "Polesie".

His latest film from captivityin in Oflag IVB in the Königstein fortress... He died on 5 April 1941 in a military hospital in the Weisser Hirsch and was buried in a cemetery in Neustadt. In 1969, General Franciszek Kleeberg ashes were brought to Poland and filed on October 5 at the war cemetery at Kock.

 

[Njaco]

2 October 1939 Monday

GERMANY: The German government advises the United States that all merchant ships in international waters will be subject to boarding by German naval forces to search for contraband.

The RAF makes its first nighttime leaflet raid on Berlin, telling of the private fortunes of the Nazi leaders. A total of 13 tons of leaflets have been printed for this mission.

NORTH AMERICA: US President Roosevelt has declared the Panama-American Security Zone to be in effect. This comes after the Inter-American Conference convened in Panama. Twenty-one nations of the Americas have agreed to set a security zone from 300 to 1,000 nautical miles off the American coast. Any hostile act would be interpreted as an act of war against that nation. Within this zone US naval ships will be escorting convoys bound for the United Kingdom.

POLAND: The last major battle in Poland begins near the town of Kock, 50 miles Southeast of Warsaw. About 18,000 Polish troops under General Franciszek Kleeberg have been harried by Guderian's Panzers for two weeks in a fighting retreat towards the Romanian bridgehead in Southeast Poland. On September 30, Kleeberg's light cavalry (Uhlan) captured the town of Kock from the Germans.

General Paul Otto (commander of the German XIII Motorisierte Infanterie-Division) is under orders from 10.Armee's General von Reichenau to destroy Polish force between the Bug and Vistula Rivers. Otto believes the Polish forces are demoralized to the point of surrender and sends a single German battalion to take them to a prisoner but the Poles mount a spirited counterattack, starting the Battle of Kock. Over the next 5 days, two German divisions (XXIX and XIII Motorisierte Infanterie-Division) numbering 30,000 men assault the Polish positions.

UNITED KINGDOM: Special tribunals begin to deal with an estimated 50,000 enemy aliens registered in the London area. About six hundred have been classed as "A" and are considered high security risks. They have been immediately interred by the British government for interrogation. Class B numbers approximately 6,500 and are doubtful cases, but are still subject to restrictions. The remainder are grouped in Class C, and do not constitute any danger. Most are Jewish refugees.

The Freighters "Ethan Allen" and "Ipswich" have been released from British custody. The US ships were intercepted and searched by British Naval authorities ten days ago for contraband. Cargo destined for Bremen and Hamburg have been seized but no information has been provided as to its contents.

Since September 18th the Polish Navy has been attached as auxiliary to the Royal Navy under British Admiralty and assigned a number of destroyers under a lease scheme: "The Garland", "Piorun", "Krakowiak", "Kujawiak", "Slazak", "Orkan", as well as three submarines ("Sokul", "Jastrab", and "Dzik"), 6 motor torpedo boats, and two cruisers ("Dragon" and "Conrad"). The Polish Navy has been serving in the theatre of operations ranging from escorting convoys in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean, action in the North, as well as special tasks.

WESTERN FRONT: A Franco-Czech agreement is signed providing for the raising of a Czech National Army in exile.

.

 

[parsifal]

Squadrons of HMS Ark Royal (1939-40)

800 Sqn

In 1939, 800 Sqn was flying primarily Blackburn B-24 Skuas and a few Blackburn Rocs from ARK ROYAL. The Sqn was transferred to Admiralty control on 24 May 1939, and soon thereafter assigned to the new carrier. In 1939, whilst embarked on the carrier her compement was 9 frontline aircraft. The Sqn had an additional 3 aircraft that generally remained shore based on a training mission ( in common with most other squadrons of the FAA)

Skuas preparing for launch 1939

810 Sqn

On the outbreak of war, the squadron was operating from HMS ARK ROYAL with 12 Swordfish on anti-submarine searches, unsuccessfully attacking a U-boat on 14 September 1939.

821 Sqn

821 Naval Air Sqn was a carrier based squadron formed on 3 April 1933 with the transferral and amalgamation of the Fairey III aircraft from 446 and half of 455 Flight (Fleet Spotter Reconnaissance) Flights RAF.

The Sqn was upgraded to use the Fairey Seal a/c, and then embarked aboard HMS COURAGEOUS in May 1933. The Abyssinian crisis in August 1935 caused the squadron to be briefly transferred to the Med, but it returned to the UK in February 1936. It then transferred its Seals to 822 Naval Air Sqn and received as replacements Blackburn Shark IIs, which it used to take up the role of Torpedo Spotter Reconnaissance (TSR). By September 1937 the Sharks had been replaced by Fairey Swordfish and the Sqn transferred to the new CV HMS ARK ROYALRoyal in November 1938. They sailed to the Med in spring 1939, and as war loomed they were finally transferred to Admiralty control on 24 May 1939.

Operating off ARK ROYAL the Sqn was co-responsible for the first allied U-boat kill of the war, when they sank U-39, after she had unsuccessfully tried to torpedo ARK ROYAL. The Sqn sailed with the carrier to the Sth Atlantic and Indian Ocean, searching for German shipping and commerce raider DKM GRAF SPEE.

Swordfish of 821 squadron in the colour scheme applied when serving on the COURAGEOUS

818 Sqn

818 Naval Air Sqn was formed in August 1939. It served on a number of the Navy's aircraft carriers during the Second World War, serving in most of the theatres of the war, before decommissioning at the end of the war

The sqn was initially equipped with 9 Fairey Swordfish Is, and then embarked on HMS ARK ROYAL at the navy's base at Scapa Flow. When ARK ROYAL was deployed to search for enemy shipping off Norway. 818 Squadron then transferred to HMS Furious. In April 1940, after the German invasion of Norway aircraft from the sqn attacked two German destroyers in Trondheim Fjord

820 Sqn

820 Naval Air Squadron was formed in April 1933 with the transferral of the Fairey III aircraft from 405 Flight Royal Air Force to the Fleet Air Arm. It has operated, with a number of brief gaps, up to the present day and continues in service, today flying out of RNAS Culdrose.

The squadron's first assignment on its formation was to provide spotter-reconnaissance duties for CV HMS COURAGEOUS. They were later re-equipped with Fairey Seals and Blackburn Sharks, eventually receiving Fairey Swordfish in autumn 1937.The Sqn was reassigned in November the following year to the new CV, HMS ARK ROYAL. The Sqn operated from here for the next 3 years, initially on ASW duties, but later as surface search and torpedo-attack aircraft. The Sqn went with ARK ROYAL to the Atlantic, and by April 1940 they were supporting allied operations during the Norwegian campaign, where they bombed Vaernes airfield

Aircraft of 820 Sqn photographed over ARK ROYAL just prior to outbreak of war

Profile of aircraft of 820 sqn

 

[parsifal]

3 October

UBOATS

arrivals

Kiel: U-3 , U-7 , U-13 , U-21 , U-22

departures

Kiel: U-46

At Sea 3 October

U-10, U-12 , U-15, U-16, U-18, U-20, U-23, U-35, U-42 , U-46.
10 boats at sea

Baltic

DKM DDs HERMANN SCHOEMANN, FRIEDRICH IHN, ERICH STEINBRINCK and TBs GREIF, FALKE and ALBATROS conducted anti-shipping patrols in the Kattegat and Skagerrak from the 3rd to 5th.

DD Hermann Schoemann Z7 and DD Erich Steinbrinck Z-15

TBs Albatros Class
North Sea .

East Coast Britain

CLAs CALCUTTA dep Grimsby on patrol and arrived back on the 4th, while CAIRO dep and arrived back later the same day.

FS.16 dep Methil, arriving at Southend on the 5th. There was no FN.16 convoy.

Western Atlantic

CA BERWICK arrived at Halifax.

UK-France convoys .

BC.8S dep Bristol Channel, escort DDs EXMOUTH (S.O.) and EXPRESS. The convoy was also escorted by Fr Contre Torpilleur DDs L'INDOMPTABLE, TRIOMPHANT and MALIN on the 4th and 5th, and arrived in the Loire on the 5th.

L'INDOMPTABLE, TRIOMPHANT and MALIN were ships of the Le Fantasque Class
SA.10 of one cargo ship dep Southampton, escort by DD ANTHONY, and reached Brest on the 4th.

English Channel

OA.14 of seven ships dep Southend escort DDs KELLY, KINGSTON, MONTROSE from the 3rd to 6th.

Southwestern Approaches

OB.14 dep Liverpool escort DDs VANOC and WHIRLWIND until the 5th

About 15.40 hours on 3 Oct 1939 the DIAMANTIS (Master Panagos Pateras) was hit by one torpedo from U-35 and sank 40 miles west of the Scilly Islands. She had been stopped in bad weather by the U-boat at 13.15 hours and the crew was ordered to abandon ship. After the first two G7a torpedoes fired exploded prematurely, a G7e torpedo was fired and worked correctly. Because the lifeboats were not suited for use in the bad weather, Lott decided to take all crew members aboard and landed them the next day in Dingle Bay, Ireland.

According to Panagos Pateras, master of the DIAMANTIS:

"When we were about 40 miles off Land's End on Tuesday the U-boat came to the surface about 1.30 p.m. The commander hailed us and we stopped. He then told us that he was going to sink the Diamantis. He did not ask for our papers.
He ordered us to abandon ship, but when he saw that the sea was so rough that our small boats could not possibly live in it he took us aboard the submarine. Four of us were taken across at a time, this necessitating seven trips as there were 28 of us. We were not allowed to take our belongings. When we got aboard the submarine three or four torpedoes were fired at our vessel and she sank in about 20 minutes.
Many of us were wet to the skin and the submarine's crew dried our clothes and gave us hot food and cigarettes.
Most of the members of my crew were able to sleep a little although all the time we were wishing that we were out of the submarine. The captain of the submarine spoke English and I was able to talk to him for short periods when he was off duty.
When we had been on board for about 34 hours we came to the surface off the Irish coast at about 5:30 yesterday evening. A collapsible boat was lowered and again seven trips were made to the shore. The submarine remained about 50 yards off the shore, which appeared to be deserted. Immediately the submarine had taken the boat aboard she submerged and that was the last we saw of her.
The crew waved good-bye to us. We were taken charge of by local policemen and the local people looked after us very well

U-35 was featured in the 16 October issue of "Life magazine"

In 1977, Lord Mountbatten wrote to Werner Lott:

"I should like to take the belated opportunity of congratulating you on your magnanimous behaviour when you landed the crew of the Greek ship, DIAMANTIS, in a remote bay In Ireland about the 4th October 1939, at considerable risk. Those were the days when the two navies behaved particularly well to each other and to others at sea during the war."

When the U35 returned to Germany in October 1939, the crew were celebrated, and Werner Lott was decorated with the Iron Cross. On its next mission, however, the U35 was sunk in the North Sea on November 29, 1939.

Damaged by depth charges, Lott brought the stricken vessel to the surface and ordered the crew to abandon ship. The commander of the pursuing British flotilla, Lord Louis Mountbatten, ordered that the German submariners should be picked up. It was only afterwards that he learned they were the crew of the U35.

Lott was in the cold water so long that he was too weak to hold on to the rope thrown to him, so the British took the extraordinary step of stopping and lowering a boat with men to lift him out of the sea. They did not usually stop to pick up the enemy in the water, so Lott was lucky, but then he really deserved that luck.

Some days later Lott got a chance to express his appreciation to Mountbatten. "I thanked him for the extraordinary efforts his destroyer made to pick us up," Lott recalled.

"That is how life is," Mountbatten replied. "You were extraordinary picking up the Greeks."

"I could not help thinking," Lott later wrote, "why are we fighting each other?"

All too often the gore and barbarity of war are remembered and the humanity is forgotten.

Med/Biscay

SO.19 escort AMC (Armed merchant Cruiser) ALCANTARA (22,209grt) and steamers ATHLONE CASTLE (25,564grt), EMPRESS OF AUSTRALIA (21,833grt) and FRANCONIA (20,175grt) arrived at Gibraltar. DDrs INGLEFIELD and IVANHOE arrived separately that day after being separated in heavy weather. From there, the convoy proceeded as Convoy Red 2 escort DDs GREYHOUND and GLOWWORM, later joined by sister ships GRENVILLE and GIPSY

CAs SUSSEX and SHROPSHIRE, dep Suez on the 3rd for the Red Sea. They reached Aden on the 6th and dep the same day for duty in the Indian Ocean, arriving at Simonstown on the 13th.

Central and South Atlantic –

CA CUMBERLAND and CL DESPATCH dep Freetown for South America, with DESPATCH arriving at Bermuda on the 15th for docking.

DDs GRENVILLE, GIPSY, GRENADE, GRIFFIN from Convoy Green 3 and DELIGHT and DECOY from other escort duties arrived at Malta. DELIGHT and DECOY dep the next day, while GRENADE and GRIFFIN left on the 5th to relieve DDs DUCHESS and DEFENDER escorting convoy Blue 3. DUCHESS and DEFENDER reached Malta on the 5th.

China Station

M/S HøEGH TRANSPORTER 4914 grt Struck British mine on Oct. 3-1939 and sank at the entrance to Singapore, when inward bound from Saigon,7.7 cables from Outer Shoal Beacon. 1 died.
Norwegian Merchant Fleet 1939-1945, Hø

 

[Njaco]

3 October 1939 Tuesday
ASIA: Seeing that the Japanese assault on Changsha, Hunan Province, China was beginning to falter, an order for general counter offensive was given. Chinese troops pushed Japanese troops to Jinjing and Fulinpu, while Chinese aircraft bombed the Japanese airfield at Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.

GERMANY: The night-fighting unit of ZG 26, 10(Nacht)./ZG 26, led by Oblt. Bernhard Mielke, transfer from Wunstorf to Oldenburg. The Staffel uses Ar 68Fs and Bf 109Ds for night operations.

Generalmajor Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen is appointed the commanding General of VIII Fliegerkorps.

British leaflet drops over Germany again halt, due to complaints from Belgium, Holland, and Denmark about airspace violations.

POLAND: The last significant units of the Polish army surrender near Luck. The Germans have taken 700,000 prisoners and the Soviets 200,000. Polish casualties have been severe. The Germans have lost 10,000 dead and 30,000 wounded. Many Poles have escaped and will gradually find their way to the west. Although tank units have played a notable part in the campaign, it is interesting to note that the contemporary German official appreciation lay more stress on the traditional-style infantry battles. The tank forces are seen at this stage, except by enthusiasts like Guderian, as little more than useful auxiliaries who can help the infantry do the real work. The first plans for the attack in the west will reflect this official attitude. Meanwhile, the German 10.Armee begins to redeploy from Poland to the west. The Red Army has begun dismantling the factories including the radio station for shipment back to the Soviet Union.

'Operation Tannenberg', the elimination of Polish intellectuals, activists, scholars, actors, former officers, and civic leaders by Reinhard Heydrich's SS-Einsatzgruppen, is in full swing. From mid-September to the end of October, 20,000 Polish civilians are killed in over 750 mass executions. This is the beginning of a ruthless slaughter of Polish civilians, particularly Jews. 6 million Poles will die between 1939 and 1945 (over 20% of Poland's population).

WESTERN FRONT: The British 1st Corps of the BEF take over responsibility for an appropriate section of the Franco-Belgian frontier. French forces complete their withdrawal from advanced positions in German territory (the Warndt Forest and the Saarbrucken Salient).

.

 

[parsifal]

4 October

UBOATS

arrivals

None

departures

Kiel: U-48
Wilhelmshaven: U-19

At Sea 4 October

U-10, U-12 , U-15, U-16, U-18, U-20, U-23, U-35, U-42 , U-46, U-48.
11 boats at sea.

Baltic

DKM DDs HERMANN SCHOEMANN, FRIEDRICH IHN, ERICH STEINBRINCK and TBs GREIF, FALKE, ALBATROS operated in the Skagerrak and Kattegat on contraband control duties. Sd steamers BRITT (1544grt) and MERCIA (1184grt) were taken in prize by German warships 12 miles south of Hano in the Baltic and taken to Rendsburg. They were renamed LEBA and TRAUTE FAULBAUM, respectively, for German service.

TBs involved in this operation were all from the Mowe class. These were launched 1926-28
Carribbean

KJ.3 dep Kingston escort CL ORION, which was relieved by CA BERWICK on the 8th, and later HMAS CL PERTH, both of which were relieved on the 15th by CL EFFINGHAM. PERTH then proceeded towards Bermuda, suffering weather damage in a hurricane en route , but arriving safely. CLs NEWCASTLE and GLASGOW joined the escort on the 22nd and remained until the 24th.

On the 22nd, Fr BC DUNKERQUE, CLs GEORGES LEYGUES, MONTCALM, and DDs L'INDOMPTABLE, LE MALIN and LE TRIOMPHANT dep Brest, with local escort by destroyers CYCLONE and MISTRAL. The battle group joined the convoy on the 24th, but later that day, the cruisers were detached to escort convoy HX.5. On the 25th, the BC and remaining DDs arrived back at Brest, again with local escort by CYCLONE and MISTRAL. The cruisers arrived back on the 28th, this time local escort was by destroyers MOGADOR and VOLTA.

DDs WOLVERINE and VERITY joined the escort on the 24th, GREYHOUND and GLOWWORM from the 25th to 26th, and VOLUNTEER and VERSATILE from convoy OB.23 on the 25th. KJ.3 arrived off southern Ireland on the 25th, with EFFINGHAM reaching Devonport on the 26th for boiler cleaning, and the convoy arriving on the 28th with WOLVERINE, VERITY, VOLUNTEER and VERSATILE

The Dunkerque class battlecruiser was a type of warship constructed for the French Navy in the 1930s.
The Dunkerques were designed to counter the German Deutschland class pocket battleships. Their main armament was two quadruple 330 mm turrets forward, with a 225 mm (8.9 in) thick armored belt. They were smaller, with a 26,500- to 27,300-ton standard displacement and a smaller main artillery caliber, than the battleships authorized by the Washington Naval Treaty, but their speed was 7 knots higher than all the battleships built from 1920 to 1937. When they were commissioned, only the last existing BCs of the Royal Navy and the IJN were their equals. Given their characteristics, they were alternatively classified as fast battleships, small battleships,battlecruisers,and even as "ships of the line" (Fr. navires de ligne).

Two ships, DUNKERQUE and SRASBOURG, were completed. Together they formed the 1ère Division de Ligne ("1st Division of the Line"), and saw service during the early years of WWII . While they never encountered the German pocket battleships they were designed to counter, they suffered the British attack of Mers-el-Kebir, and stayed under the Vichy authorities control until they were scuttled at Toulon in November 1942.

On 2 September 1939, the day after Germany invaded Poland, the Force de Raid sortied from Brest, since the Deutschland-class cruisers were reported to be operating in the Atlantic. After four days at sea, the squadron returned to Brest.In October, DUNKERQUE was assigned to Force L, along with CV BEARN and three cruisers; the squadron was based in Brest. The ships were tasked with hunting down the cruiser Admiral Graf Spee, and in this way formed the first modern Task Force in history.

On 25 November, Vice Admiral Gensoul ordered DUNKERQUE, the French 4th Cruiser Division, and the BC HOOD to intercept the DKM BCs SCHARNHORST and GNEISENAU, which had sunk the AMC RAWALPINDI on 23 November. While the German battleships attempted to break into the Atlantic, DUNKERQUE suffered bow damages in a huge North Atlantic tempest and had to be docked for repairs on 3 December. On 11 December, DUNKERQUE and Fr CL GLOIRE carried a shipment of part of the Banque de France's gold reserve to Canada. The ships arrived on 17 December and covered a troop convoy on the return voyage.After returning to Brest on 4 January 1940, DUNKERQUE underwent another period of maintenance, which lasted until 6 February. The ship then conducted sea trials and training maneuvers through March.

Photo of the Dunkerque

The other element of the Force Du Raid was the CV BEARN. The French had under construction a further carrier, the JOFFRE

British northern waters

The unescorted MV GLEN FARG (876 GRT) was hit by a G7a torpedo from U-23 about 60 miles south-southwest of Sumburgh Head. The ship had been spotted at 04.45 hours and was stopped with machine gun fire. The Germans re-opened fire when the radio was used and waited for the crew to abandon ship before sinking her with the torpedo. The survivors were picked up by HMS FIREDRAKE (H 79) (LtCdr S.H. Norris, RN) and landed at Kirkwall the next day

(NO IMAGE AVAILABLE).

DDs FEARLESS and FOXHOUND arrived at Scapa

SS SWORDFISH began a refit at Dundee completed on 12 February 1940, and arrived at Blyth on the 13th. The same day, she proceeded to Scapa via Rosyth to work up.

English Channel

Fr SS BÉVÉZIERS dep Cherbourg for Brest, escort Contre Torpilleur DD JAGUAR.

UK-outbound convoys

Med/Biscay

Gibraltar

DDs INGLEFIELD and IVANHOE dep Gib to return to Plymouth after escort duty with convoy SO.19.

Oran

Fr CAs ALGÉRIE, DUPLEIX and DDs MAILLÉ BRÉZÉ and VAUQUELIN dep Oran for Dakar, as part of the hunting groups searching for the DKM raiders arriving on the 14th.

CAs Algerie and Dupleix
Central and South Atlantic –

CL DURBAN dep Capetown for Simonstown, arriving on the 6th.

Indian Ocean

SS SEAL dep Aden arriving at Alexandria

China Station

CL BIRMINGHAM dep Singapore on patrol and arrived back on the 22nd.

Pacific

HMNZS CL LEANDER dep Wellington for Auckland.

 

[Njaco]

4 October 1939 Wednesday

ASIA: Chinese troops captured Miluo and Xinshi near Changsha, Hunan Province, China.

GERMANY: Hitler pardoned all German military personnel who had been involved in war crimes in Poland.

POLAND: Nikita Krushchev (Secretary of the Ukrainian Communist Party) announces the "Communisation" of eastern Poland. Vast numbers of Polish citizens have been arrested by the NKVD, falsely accused of committing "crimes against revolution" or for staging "counter-revolutionary activities." The Polish intelligentsia and military officers have been the prime targets. Between 230,000 and 450,000 Poles have been taken as prisoner, many of whom have been executed. Polish currency has been withdrawn from circulation without exchange for Russian roubles. All state-owned and private Polish property has been nationalized and re-distributed. All Poles in Soviet occupied territory are expected to consent to Soviet citizenship. Those who refused to comply have disappeared, their whereabouts unknown.

Soviet authorities have refused to allow the Red Cross to survey the conditions of Polish POWs on the grounds that Russia has not signed the 1929 Geneva Convention on the treatment of POWs and does not recognize the Hague Convention. According to Soviet authorities, the Polish POWs are not subject to the same Regulations for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, as they had been turned over to the NKVD by the Soviet military. They have been sentenced under the clauses of the Soviet Penal Code which include charges of treason and counter-revolution.

While the Battle of Kock continues in the middle of Poland, the German army mops up remaining pockets of resistance. Of most significance is the withdrawal of Polish troops, fighting German and Soviet forces in the South of Poland, to the Romanian Bridgehead.

At this stage, Romania provides substantial aid to the Poles, despite later alliances with Hitler and Stalin. Up to 120,000 Polish troops escape through neutral Romania and Hungary to France and Britain where they form the Polish Armed Forces in the West. This is larger than the armies of France and Britain, an embarrassing indication of their current lack of preparation. Ships from the Romanian Navy escort the shipment of 82,000 kg of gold from the port of Constanţa on the Black Sea to Western Europe, to prevent interception by Soviet Navy. The Romanian National Bank also hid the remaining treasury of the National Bank of Poland, totaling 3,057,450 kg, which was returned to Poland in September 1947.

.

 

[parsifal]

5 October
Allied reinforcements
AUX MSW HMAS TONGKOL

Starboard side view of the AUX MSW HMAS TONGKOL after conversion for naval service. A 12 pounder gun has been mounted forward. She retains her name on the bow and her identification letters (tk) are not painted up.
(NAVAL HISTORICAL COLLECTION)

UBOATS

arrivals

Kiel: U-16, U-19

departures

Wilhelmshaven: U-37

At Sea 5 October
U-10, U-12 , U-15, U-18, U-20, U-23, U-35, U-37, U-42, U-46, U-48.

11 boats at sea

North Sea .

SS SEAWOLF fired two torpedoes at DKM TB FALKE , but missed. The target was reported as a CL of the NÜRNBERG class.

Northern Patrol - .

CLs CALYPSO and CALEDON to Northern Patrol. CALYPSO ret Scapa on the 11th and CALEDON on the 13th.

British northern waters

Scapa

BBs NELSON, RODNEY, BCs HOOD, REPULSE, and CV FURIOUS escort DDs (?) dep Loch Ewe for Scapa

CL SHEFFIELD to Invergordon, arriving on the 6th. She was back at Scapa the same day.

UK-France convoys .

BC.7S of 17 steamers including NEW TEXAS (Commodore), dep Quiberon Bay escort DDs EXPRESS, ESK, ESCAPADE and ECLIPSE, and arrived safely in Barry Roads on the 8th.

English Channel

DD ECHO dep Plymouth to Dover on the 6th.

UK-outbound convoys

OA.15 of six ships dep Southend escort DD ANTELOPE from the 5th to 8th, when the convoy dispersed.

Survey ship FRANKLIN sights a sub 9 miles 310° from Calais High Light, DD BRAZEN carried out an unsuccessful search.

Southwestern Approaches

MV MARWARRI (8,063 tons) was damaged by a mine, laid on 17 September by U-32 3,5 miles 190° from Scarweather Light Vessel in the Bristol Channel. She was run aground in Mumbles Bay, salvaged the same month and towed to Swansea. Later repaired at Newport and eventually returned to service in February 1941.
Pic from Uboat Net

OB.15 dep Liverpool escort DDs WALPOLE and WINCHELSEA until the 8th.

Med/Biscay

Fr DDs CASSARD and KERSAINT arrived at Gib to exchange convoy escort duty with DDs GREYHOUND and GLOWWORM.

Steamers ALCANTARA (22,209grt) and FRANCONIA (20,75grt) of convoy Red 2 collided between Gib and Malta. The convoy proceeded to Malta where FRANCONIA was repaired completing on 14 November, while ALCANTARA after temporary repairs and escorted by DD GRIFFIN, was able to proceed on the 13th for Alex, arriving on the 16th. DD GRENVILLE continued with steamer EMPRESS OF AUSTRALIA, and DD GIPSY, no longer needed to escort ALCANTARA, headed for Alex.

HGF.2 dep Gib with liners CIRCASSIA (11,136grt) and DERBYSHIRE (11,660grt), and arrived at Liverpool on the 9th. Both liners were taken in hand for conversion to armed merchant cruisers (AMCs).

HG.2 of 13 ships dep Gib escort DDs DOUGLAS and VELOX. Ocean escort was provided by AMC ALAUNIA which sailed with the convoy from the 5th to 13th, when it arrived at Liverpool.

Central and South Atlantic –

DKM CS ADMIRAL GRAF SPEE captured MV NEWTON BEECH (UK 4651grt) in the South Atlantic. Langsdorf had intended to use her as an auxiliary supply ship, but she was shown to be too slow for this pourpose, and, after her cargo and crew were transferred, she was scuttled late on the 8th.
Picture by Michael Pocock MaritimeQuest - Main Page

Newton Beech sailing along with the Graf Spee between 5 and 8 Oct 39

North Atlantic

DKM CS DEUTSCHLAND sank steamer STONEGATE (UK 5044grt) east of Bermuda after the crew had been taken off. Later, when American steamer CITY OF FLINT was captured, STONEGATE's crew was transferred to her.
WRECKSITE, ORIGINALLY SUBMITTED BY Bateson John25/06/2010

CS DEUTSCHLAND AS SHE PRESENTED WHEN RENAMED lutzow

As a result of the sinkings by German surface raiders, the Admiralty ordered the organization of further Hunter Groups along the lines of the ARK ROYAL-RENOWN force.

BB RAMILLIES in the Med was ordered to join the North Atlantic Escort Force, dep Gib , escort DDs WISHART and VORTIGERN, but was recalled at 2233/6th to replace BB MALAYA, due to leave the Med. RAMILLIES, WISHART and VORTIGERN arrived back at Gib on the 8th. RAMILLES stayed in the Medi until November when she was transferred to the East Indies, serving with the 3rd Battle Squadron at Aden from November until May 1940.

CAs NORFOLK, SUFFOLK and CL EFFINGHAM were detached from the Home Fleet to operate in the Denmark Strait (at that time only GRAF SPEE had been identified. They were there to keep other raiders from going into the South Atlantic or returning to Germany). EFFINGHAM proceeded to Plymouth to repair defects, and left again on the 9th.

CLs COLOMBO and CERES of the CruSqn 11, previously attached to the Northern Atlantic Command at Gib and the Channel Force based at Portland respectively, replaced EFFINGHAM in the Northern Patrol. CruSqn 12, Northern Patrol was redesignated the CruSqn 11,

CAs NORFOLK and SUFFOLK proceeded to the Med, where they served in CruSqn 1 until arriving back in England on 11 November. They left Portsmouth on 16 and 18 November respectively, called at the Clyde, and were both on Northern Patrol on the 22nd.

 

[Njaco]

5 October 1939 Thursday

ATLANTIC OCEAN: German pocket-battleship "Admiral Graf Spee" sinks "Newton Beach" east of Ascension Island. Eight British and French hunting groups are formed to hunt for the "Graf Spee". At this stage the British and the French can afford to divert considerable forces to such a task. Meanwhile, the German pocket battleship "Deutschland" sinks the SS "Stonegate".

ASIA: In a downed aircraft, Chinese troops discovered General Yasuji Okamura's order calling off the offensive on Changsha, Hunan Province, China. Nearby, Chinese 23rd Division attacked a Japanese Navy anchorage at Yingtian (now Miluo), damaging several vessels.

EASTERN FRONT: The Soviets continue their moves to strengthen their position in the Baltic by asking the Finnish government for new talks on altering their boundaries. Meanwhile, a Soviet-Latvian Pact is signed, giving the USSR the use of sea and air bases in Latvia. This pact is the second in a series designed to ensure Soviet control of the Baltic.

GERMANY: In preparation for Hitler's planned announcement for the invasion of the Low Countries and France, the Luftwaffe regroups and renames its air divisions. Fliegerdivisionen become Fliegerkorps. General von Richthofen's command is renamed VIII Fliegerkorps. Along with this renaming is a bolstering of the fighter units within the border units. The pilots and crews of I(J)./LG 2 are moved from the east to Luftflotte 2 and those of I./JG 77 and JGr 102 are transferred to Luftflotte 3 on the western front.

The Nazi anti-Semitic weekly, 'Der Sturmer', publishes a "Hymm of Hate" calling England the "curse of the world."

NORTH AMERICA: Franklin Roosevelt spoke to Winston Churchill for the first time over the telephone. Roosevelt, who initiated the call, engaged Churchill in a discussion on the German attempt to attack American shipping as an attempt to sabotage British-American relations; such an effort would later found to be a mere rumor.

US Navy formed the Hawaiian Detachment and based it at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii. Joseph Rochefort arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii with the US Navy Scouting Force.

POLAND: Hitler tours the conquered capital of Warsaw, reviewing the victory parade, before returning to Berlin. Hitler warns that the same will happen to the cities of other countries that resist Germany.

Meanwhile, German Heeresgruppe Sud were still battling the Poles in the town of Kock. (Pronunciation: Kotsk ) The town is located 45km north of Lublin, and 120 km southeast of Warsaw between the Vistula and Bug Rivers. For the past three days German forces have been trying to encircle the Poles but fail. Polish units have consistently repelled all attacks. At 16:00 hours the last German advance began but after a hard fight they was forced to withdraw into the forest. Ground has been lost and regained repeatedly by both German and Polish forces. A Polish infantry regiment led attacks on a German unit using artillery support and the bayonet with which one of the Germans had attempted to fire against the Poles. It was successful: the German units tried to escape being chased by Polish infantry and cavalry. The Poles captured the Poznan village including a German artillery battery. The artillery later had to be destroyed when Polish cavalry was forced to withdraw under heavy fire from another German artillery battery. Despite initial gains made by the Polish infantry and cavalry they eventually were forced to withdraw to the south of the town of Kryzywda. They have retreated to Krakow and the Vistula River. From there they took the route from Warsaw to Sandomierz and then to Lublin.

WESTERN FRONT: An He 111P of 2(F)./122 reconnoitered the Moray Firth, but was driven off by Spitfires of the Royal Air Force's 72 Sqdn.

.

.

 

[Wurger]

The next shot of Hitler in Warsaw on the 5th October...

 

[parsifal]

6 October
Reinforcements
Axis
RaumBoote (unsure of the number)

Allied Reinforcements
AUX MSWs HMAS OLIVE CAM KOROWA

Aux MSW HMAS KOROWA, aerial port bow view. Was fitted with a bow mounted 12 pounder gun forward and MSW floats on the quarterdeck. Her identification letters (ko) are painted on her bow. Later fitted out also as an ASW trawler

Starboard bow view of the Aux MSW HMAS OLIVE CAM. She has been armed with a 12 pounder aa gun forward and two single 20 mm oerlikon aa guns aft. Note the minesweeping float on the quarterdeck and depth charges on the stern. Note her identification letters (oc) on the bows.

The RAN used these types of vessels extensively throughout the war, the most famous usage being the exploits of the HMA KRAIT sinking or incapacitating nearly 8 vessels in Singapore harbour in 1943

(NAVAL HISTORICAL COLLECTION)

UBOATS

arrivals

none

departures

None

At Sea 6 October

U-10, U-12, U-15, U-18, U-20, U-23, U-35, U-37, U-42 , U-46, U-48.
11 boats at sea.

North Sea .

FN.17 dep Southend and reached Methil on the 8th, while FS.17 dep Methil and arrived at Southend on the 8th.

Northern Patrol - .

CLs CARDIFF and DELHI dep Scapa for Northern Patrol, returning on the 13th. At this time, six cruisers were at sea on Northern Patrol.

CL CAPETOWN, due to be assigned to the Northern Patrol, left Gib for Malta at 1730/6th, and arriving on the 8th, commenced repairs which completed on the 21st.

UK-France convoys .

BC.9S of nine steamers, including BARON GRAHAM (Commodore), CERVANTES and TASSO, dep the Bristol Channel escort DDs WESSEX, VANESSA (SO), VENETIA and VISCOUNT, and safely arrived in the Loire on the 8th.

SA.11 of one steamer dep Southampton, escort by DD VIVACIOUS, arriving at Brest on the 7th.

English Channel

MV MAHRATTA The cargo ship was attached to Convoy HG.1, but ran aground on Fork Spit, Goodwin Sands, Kent and was wrecked. All crew were rescued
shipwrecks Archives - Urban Ghosts ? Urban Ghosts

Southwestern Approaches

MV LOCHGOIL struck a mine laid on 17 September by U-32 about five miles off Scarweather Light Vessel in the Bristol Channel. She was run aground in Mumbles Bay, salvaged on 28 November and repaired at Swansea.

The badly damaged vessel was taken over by the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT), rebuilt in 1940 as CAM ship EMPIRE ROWAN (9545 grt) and returned to service in July 1941. On 27 Mar 1943, the ship was in convoy KMS-11 and torpedoed by an Italian SM79 north of Philippeville. She was beached northwest of Bone and declared a total loss.
(Source including photo Photo from City of Vancouver Archives)

Med/Biscay

DD ICARUS dep Malta after completing her collision repairs, left Gib on the 8th and arrived at Plymouth on the 11th.

North Atlantic

USN DD BORIE (DD 215, ) off the north coast of St Thomas, Virgin Islands, reported a submarine on the surface, which submerged on her approach. It turned out to be one of the French submarines in the Caribbean.

Australia Station

The Australian Government agreed to the detachment of 2 cruisers and 5 destroyers of the RAN for service abroad. A proviso in the agreement stipulated that the ships were to be returned if a threat in the Far East developed.

To partially offset the loss of local forces the AMC HMAS KANIMBLA, (CAPT F. E. Getting, RAN), was commissioned. KANIMBLA was laid down in Harland Wolff Ltd, Belfast, Northern Ireland, for McIlwraith McEacharn Ltd of Melbourne, and launched on 15 December 1935. KANIMBLA was requisitioned for the RN on 5 September 1939, and fitted out at Garden Island Dockyard, Sydney. The ship was manned largely by Australian reservists.

KANIMBLA as she appeared in 1939. She is armed with seven 6 inch guns of which three can be seen forward on the forecastle and in the well deck. two of the three after guns can also be seen, immediately behind the superstructure and on the poop. unlike the forward guns the after guns are not shielded. a 3 inch aa gun is mounted abreast the funnel. windows at the corner and sides of her bridge structure have been plated in. range finders have been fitted fore and aft on her superstructure. she remains painted in her owners' colours.

(naval historical collection)

The Australian Government would subsequently lay down destroyers frigates and ASW sloops

 

[parsifal]

Canadian Navy (RCN or HMCS) in 1939

Canada's navy in September 1939 included only 3500 personnel, both regular force and reserve, and six ocean-going warships, the 'River' class destroyers His Majesty's Canadian Ships (HMCS) Fraser, Ottawa, Restigouche, Saguenay, St Laurent, and Skeena. A seventh 'River,' HMCS Assiniboine joined the fleet in October. All these ships were British built, Saguenay and Skeena according to special Canadian specifications. Destroyers were among the smallest full-fledged, ocean-going warships, but the 'River' class were thoroughly modern — fast and powerfully armed. In the early months of the war, the Canadian destroyers escorted the convoys, and also large Allied warships, within Canadian coastal waters.
Both British and Canadian authorities believed in 1939 that Canada's navy could expand on only a modest scale, and mainly for operations along the North American seaboard

the R.C.N, felt that it could perform a useful service by providing A.M.C.'s on its own account. An offer was accordingly made to convert the three Prince ships,
of which two belonged to the Canadian National Railways, on condition that twelve of the 6-inch guns which had been set aside for Admiralty A.M.C.'s might be used. The Admiralty, having decided not to ask Canada to fit out any more merchant cruisers for them, gladly presented the required guns, and by November 26 work had begun on the Prince Robert and Prince David.

In September 1939, the task of stiffening and defensively arming merchant ships which were going to continue their peace-time function of carrying passengers and freight, came under the direction of the Mercantile Equipment Officer who was at first on the staff of D.N.I, in his capacity as head of the Division which was taking charge of "Trade" matters. Two D.E.M.S." officers, as they were later called, were appointed, one for the Maritimes and the other for the west coast.

When war was seen to be imminent there was an immediate need to control merchant shipping. The naval control organization was therefore one of the first components of the Naval Service to begin functioning. On August 22, when the Admiralty informed N.S.H.Q. that they intended to warn officers selected for Naval Control Service duties to be ready to proceed to their posts, it was decided that the Canadian officers should receive a similar warning. Four days later an Order in Council directed the R.C.N, to take control of Canadian-registered ships and other merchant ships in Canadian ports
HMCS FRASER (FL 20513)

"River" class RCN DD HMCS Fraser. Other members of the class were similar

 

[Njaco]

6 October 1939 Friday

ASIA: Chinese forces repel Japanese forces to win the First Battle of Changsha. Over 40,000 Japanese troops are estimated to have died in the 11-day battle in which the Japanese expeditionary force suffers its first major setback against Chinese Nationalist forces since the fighting began 2 years ago. As well as heavy troop losses, the 120,000-strong Japanese force has also lost large quantities of arms as it was ambushed by Chinese troops defending Changsha, the capital of Hunan province.

GERMANY: In a major speech to the Reichstag, Hitler speaks of his desire for peace with Britain and France. Hitler says that up to now he has done nothing more than correct the unjust Versailles Treaty and that he has no war aims against France or Britain. He blames warmongers like Churchill for the present state of affairs and calls for a European conference to meet and resolve the few remaining differences. His warped logic implies that since Poland no longer exists, France and Britain have no need to go to war in Poland's defense.

A new unit, II./JG 51, is formed from I./JG 71 with Hptm. Ernst-Günther Burgaller posted as Gruppenkommandeur. The unit is based at Fürstenfeldbruck flying Bf 109Es.

The Bf 109Es of Major Hanns Trübenbach's I(Jagd)./LG 2 transfer from the base at Uetersen to the airfield at Neumünster.

POLAND: The last Polish troops cease fighting. The last remnants of the Polish Army, some 8,000 men of the Samodzielna Grupa Operacynja Polesie (Independent Operational Group Polesie), surrender to German forces at Kock, in southeastern Poland. At 10 AM, General Kleeberg surrenders his Polsie Independent Group, surrounded and out of ammunition and food. His captors, with peculiarly German logic, believe he should be shot for prolonging the fighting, since Warsaw has already fallen. He is imprisoned, isolated from other inmates, refused medical help and fed starvation food rations. He loses his sight and is given a dog. He loses the ability to walk and is allowed to make short walks with crutches. He dies a humiliating death for an honorable soldier, in prison, in April 1941.

German losses in Poland: about 8100 dead, 28,000 wounded, 5100 missing, 217 tanks destroyed, 564 planes destroyed or damaged beyond repair; Polish lost 433 aircraft.

WESTERN FRONT: The new policy of using observers to direct fighter interceptions by radio appears to work as Lt. Berthel of 2./JG 52 is directed to an Allied formation by radio and shoots down a French bomber, a LeO 45.

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[Wurger]

After the Battle at Kock.... the Polish soldiers of the Independent Operational Group Polesie going to the POW camp.