Chronology of World War II

Friday, September 1, 1939

In Poland... At 0445 hours German forces invade Poland without a declaration of war. The operation is code named Fall Weiss (Plan White). The Germans allot 52 divisions for the invasion (some 1.5 million men), including the 6 armored divisions and all their motorized units. Of the divisions left to defend against an Anglo-French front, only about 10 are regarded by the Germans as being fit for any kind of action. General Brauchitsch, the Commander-in-Chief of the German Army, is in command of the campaign. Bock leads Army Group North, consisting of the 4th Army (Kuchler) and 3rd Army (Kluge); Rundstedt leads Army Group South, consisting of 8th Army (Balskowitz), 10th Army (Reichenau) and 14th Army (List). Air support comes from two Air Fleets, commanded by Kesselring and Lohr, which have around 1,600 aircraft. Army Group South, advancing from Silesia, is to provide the main German attacks. The 8th Army on the left is to move toward Poznan, the principal thrust is to be delivered by 10th Army which is to advance in the center to the Vistula River between Warsaw and Sandomierz, while 14th Army on the right moves toward Krakow and the Carpathian flank. The 4th Army from East Prussia is to move south toward Warsaw and the line to the Bug River to the east; 3rd Army is to cross the Polish Corridor and join 4th Army in moving south. The Poles have 23 regular infantry divisions prepared with 7 more assembling, 1 weak armored division and an inadequate supply of artillery. They also have a considerable force of cavalry. The reserve units were only called up on August 30th and are not ready for combat. In the air, almost all the 500 Polish planes are obsolete and prove unable to blunt the impact of the German attack. During the day, the Luftwaffe launches air strikes on Warsaw, Lodz and Krakow. The Polish Commander in Chief, Marshal Rydz-Smigly, has deployed the stronger parts of his army in the northwestern half of the country, including large forces in the Poznan area and the Polish Corridor. He hopes to hold the Germans to only gradual gains. All along the front the superior training, equipment and strength of the Germans quickly brings them the advantage in the first battles. Many Polish units are overrun before their reinforcements from the reserve mobilization can arrive. At sea, as in the air, Polish technical inferiority leads to crushing early defeats. Three of the four Polish destroyers manage to leave for Britain before hostilities begin and later one submarine also escapes. On the first day the old pre-Dreadnought battleship, Schleswig-Holstein, bombards the Polish naval base at Westerplatte.

In Berlin... Officials claim that Polish army regulars started firing on Germans along the frontier and that the fire was returned beginning at 0445 hours. Hitler addresses the Reichstag during the day, declaring "I am determined to eliminate from the German frontiers the element of insecurity, the atmosphere which permanently resembles that of civil war."

From Warsaw... The Polish government appeals for British and French intervention under the terms of the Mutual Assistance Treaties.

In London... The British government demands a German withdrawal from Poland.

In Britain... Because of the fear of air attacks, the evacuation of young children from London and other supposedly vulnerable areas is begun. General mobilization is proclaimed. (The Royal Navy was mobilized on August 31st.) Air Raid Precautions (ARP) are introduced and a "blackout" enforced from sunset. British railways are taken under government control.

In Paris... The French government demands a German withdrawal from Poland.

In France... General mobilization and a "state of siege" (martial law) are proclaimed.

In Rome... The Italian government announces that it will not take any military initiative.

In the Soviet Union... The armed forces are mobilized and the draft age is lowered from 21 to 19.

In Washington... President Roosevelt calls for a ban on indiscriminate bombing of civilians and undefended towns.

In Oslo... The Norwegian government declares its neutrality.

In Bern... The Swiss government declares its neutrality.

In Helsinki... The Finnish government declares its neutrality.

Saturday, September 2, 1939

In Poland... Troops of German Army Group South (Rundstedt) troops are already over the Warta River in many places after rapid but expensive victories in the frontier battles. Krakow is now near the front line. In the north, 4th Army (Kluge) makes contact with the Third Army (Kuchler) from East Prussia. Two Polish divisions are destroyed while attempting to pull back through the Corridor. The Luftwaffe is spreading chaos in the Polish rear. The Polish regular troops have been stationed too far forward so the German advance is soon in their rear areas, preventing movement of reserves and completely dislocating any communication left unscathed by the repeated German air strikes in support of the ground forces. There are 6 air raids on Warsaw.

In London... Throughout the day there are frantic talks about how to oppose Germany. The British Parliament is openly opposed to the passive line that the Chamberlain government is taking and in the evening, the Cabinet decides to present an ultimatum to Germany. The National Service Act is passed, allowing for the conscription of all men aged 19-41.

In Paris... Deliberations on how to oppose the German invasion of Poland are held throughout the day. A French government decides to transmit an ultimatum to Germany. The government declares that it will fulfill its obligations to Poland.

In France... The British RAF Advanced Air Striking Force arrives. Some 10 bomber squadrons are involved in the deployment.

In Rome... Mussolini again declares Italian neutrality and calls for a 5-power peace conference.

In Berlin... The German government announces that Norwegian neutrality will be respected, provided that Britain and France do the same. Hitler rejects an offer to mediate the German-Polish dispute, made by Mussolini on August 31st and the proposal for a peace conference.

In Dublin... The Irish government declares its neutrality.

In Bern... The Swiss government orders a general mobilization.

Sunday, September 3, 1939

In London... The British ultimatum to Germany expires at 1100 hours and at 1115 hours, Chamberlain broadcasts to announce that the war has begun. Chamberlain forms a War Cabinet, which includes Churchill as First Lord of the Admiralty (which is signaled to all Royal Navy ships and installations with the message "Winston is back") and Eden as Secretary for the Dominions. Churchill and Eden have been the most prominent opponents of an appeasement policy. A Ministry of Economic Warfare is established. The British government also announces the implementation of a blockade of Germany. At 1135 hours, as if to confirm the state of war, there is an air-raid warning in London but it is a false alarm.

In Paris... In the afternoon, at 1700 hours, the French declare war before their ultimatum expires.

In Poland... The Polish Lodz Army is now in retreat after being beaten in the frontier battles with Army Group South. German 10th Army ( General Reichenau) forces have crossed the Warta River in some areas while 14th Army (General List) troops are converging on Krakow. The city of Czestochowa falls to German forces. Some Polish units penetrate into East Prussia but their position becomes untenable as German forces cut them off to the south. The Polish air force ceases to exist as an effective fighting element. In Warsaw, there are pro-British demonstrations.

In the North Atlantic... The British passenger liner, SS Athenia, is torpedoed off the northwest coast of Ireland en route to Canada by U-30 because it is mistakenly identified as an auxiliary cruiser. There are 112 dead including 28 American citizens, of some 1400 passengers including some 316 Americans. The German government is unaware of the action of the U-boat until later in the month. Britain believes that this is the start of unrestricted submarine warfare. At this time, 39 of the German fleet of 58 U-boats are at sea. Doenitz, the submarine chief, had hoped for a fleet of 300 before contemplating war with Britain.

In Britain... The 3-day evacuation of 1.5 million civilians from the larger cities to the country is completed.

Over Germany... During the night (September 3-4), British RAF aircraft drop 6 million leaflets on cities in northern Germany and the Ruhr in the first of a series of propaganda raids.

In Sydney... The Australian government declares war on Germany.

In Wellington... The government of New Zealand declares war on Germany.

In Brussels... The government of Belgium declares its neutrality. King Leopold III assumes command of the Belgium Army.

Monday, September 4, 1939

Over Germany... The first attacks by RAF Bomber Command go in against German warships in the Heligoland Bight with 29 Blenheim and Wellington bombers in a daylight raid. The Admiral Scheer is hit three times but the bombs do not explode. The cruiser Emden is damaged by wreckage of a shot-down Blenheim. Of the attacking aircraft, 7 are lost. There is no question at this stage of attacking targets in Germany.

In Poland... In the north, the Polish Modlin Army begins to retreat after putting up a stubborn defense around Mlawa. In the south, the German 10th Army (General Reichenau) forces have already advanced more than 50 miles. Over Lodz, German Me109 fighters reportedly destroy 11 Polish fighters and 3 bombers.

On the Western Front... There are reports of skirmishing in "No Man's Land" between the French Maginot Line and the German Siegfried Line.

In France... Advance elements of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) land from destroyers at Cherbourg.

In Britain... Prime Minister Chamberlain broadcasts to Germany, in German, explaining the British stand and denouncing the Nazi regime.

In Germany... In an article published in the official newspaper of the NSDAP, the Volkischer Beobachter, Goebbels claims that the sinking of the SS Athenia was arranged by Churchill to create an incident between Germany and the United States.

In Tokyo... The government of Japan declares its neutrality and notes that she will "concentrate her efforts on a settlement of the China affair."

Tuesday, September 5, 1939

In Poland... The German 10th and 14th Armies cross the Vistula River, breaking through the cordon of Polish armies. Polish rear guards and armed civilians offer determined resistance at Bydgoszcz, on the southern end of the Polish corridor, before yielding to the units of the German 3rd Corps. Germans troops find hundreds of German residents of the city massacred by the fleeing Poles. Such incidents are used to provide support for earlier claims by Hitler justifying the invasion. On entering Piotrkow, German forces set fire to the Jewish district. The Polish supreme command orders a general retreat behind the Vistula. Meanwhile, German bombers destroy the town of Sulejow, southwest of Warsaw.

In Britain... The Ministry of Information is formed.

In Washington... The United States government proclaims its neutrality.

In Pretoria... General Jan Christian Smuts is named prime minister of South Africa after the legislature defeats a proposal that the country declare its neutrality. Many South Africans of Dutch descent are sympathetic to German racial policies and are not disposed to aid the British war effort. Smuts replaces pro-German Prime Minister Herzog.

Wednesday, September 6, 1939

Over Britain... Two RAF Spitfires shoot down 2 RAF Hurricanes in error during the first air raid warning, which turns out to be false. The incident becomes known as the "Battle of Barking Creek."

In Poland... The German 10th Army (Reichenau) continues to lead the advance, having already penetrated to the east of Lodz. Armored spearheads of the German forces capture Tomaszow and Kielce, southwest of Warsaw. Krakow is taken by troops of the German 14th Army (List). The Polish government and supreme command leave Warsaw. The government is relocating to the region of Luck-Kremieniec, while the supreme command moves to Brzesko on the Bug River. The Polish supreme command issues orders for all Poles capable of fighting, in and out of uniform, to retire to the line of the Narew, Vistula and San rivers. Meanwhile, Hitler visits the headquarters of the German 19th Panzer Corps (Guderian), on the northeastern front.

In Pretoria... The government of South Africa, lead by Prime Minister Jan Christian Smuts, declares war on Germany.

In Madrid... The Spanish government, led by dictator General Franco, declares its neutrality. Franco also makes a secret pledge to support the Axis cause.

In Britain... The Royal Navy forms the Northern Patrol consisting of 8 cruisers. The first British eastern convoy sails.

In France... A 72-hour working week is introduced in the munitions industry.

In the Soviet Union... The German passenger liner, Bremen, (52,000 tonnes) arrives at Murmansk, in northern Russia, from New York.

In Baghdad... The Iraqi government breaks off diplomatic relations with Germany.

Thursday, September 7, 1939

On the Western Front... French patrols cross the frontier into Germany near Saarbrucken, marking the beginning of the Saar offensive. A total of 11 divisions advance along a 32 km frontage. There is negligible German opposition. The French mobilization is too slow and their tactical system too inflexible to permit any grander offensive operation. These gentle probes continue until September 17th when a larger advance is supposed to be made but is in fact cancelled because the Polish collapse makes it pointless.

In Poland... The Polish naval base at Westerplatte, a enclave in Danzig, surrenders after renewed German bombardment after being besieged since September 1st. The Polish command decides that it will be impossible to hold the line of the Narew River although the order to do so has only been in force for one day. The forces in the Narew area are to retire to the Bug River. The German Schleswig-Holstein begins daily bombardment of Hela, a Polish naval base.

In Berlin... Hitler meets with Admiral Erich Raeder, Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine, and orders that "in order not to provoke neutral countries, the United States in particular, it is forbidden to torpedo passenger steamers, even when sailing in convoy. Warfare against French merchant ships, attacks on French warships and mine laying off French ports is prohibited." The order is in response to the sinking of the Athenia.

In Germany... The death penalty is decreed for anyone "endangering the defensive power of the German people."

In London... General Viscount Gort, VC, is appointed to command the British Expeditionary Force.

In the North Atlantic... The first British Atlantic convoys set out. The convoy system has already been reintroduced on the East Coast. Although escorts can only be provided as far as 12.5 degrees west, they do provide effective protection against U-Boats. Many of the faster ships and some particularly slow ones do not sail in convoy at this stage or later in the war. During 1939, almost all U-Boat successes are from such "independents."

Friday, September 8, 1939

In Poland... The German 4th Panzer Division, spearheading the German 10th Army (Reichenau) reaches the Warsaw suburb of Ochota, in the southeast, late in the day (having advanced 225 km in 7 days). The Polish garrison commander in Warsaw, General Czuma, broadcasts a defiant Order of the Day: "We shall fight to the last ditch!" Some 100,000 Polish civilians in Warsaw are engaged in digging trenches on the city outskirts. Meanwhile, other elements of the German 10th Army are heavily engaged around Radom, only 60 miles south of Warsaw; about 60,000 Polish troops are encircled to the west of Radom. The German 14th Army (List) reaches the San River north and south of Przemysl. In the north, the German 19th Panzer Corps (Guderian) is attacking along the line of the Bug River to the east of Warsaw.

On the Western Front... A group of 5 Curtiss Hawk fighters of l'Armee de l'Air (French air force) engage 5 Me109 fighters and claim to shoot down 2 of the German planes.

In London... In response to what the British government declares to be German resort to unrestricted submarine warfare, the government announces a long-range blockade of Germany, broadening the original blockade announced on September 3rd. Also, the government revives the convoy system for merchant ships. Three protected routes are established, two from Liverpool and from the Thames to the Atlantic, one from the Thames and the Firth of Forth.

In Washington... Roosevelt proclaims a state of "limited national emergency," citing the war in Europe which "imposes on the United States certain duties with respect to the proper observance, safeguarding and enforcement" of its neutral status "and the strengthening of the national defense within the limits of peacetime authorizations." All US military forces are authorized to increase enlisted manpower strength and to recall reservists to active duty.

Saturday, September 9, 1939

In Poland... The German 4th Panzer Division, part of the German 16th Panzer Corps, mounts an attack in the southeast suburbs of Warsaw but is beaten off. The German command believes that almost all the Polish forces have retired east of the Vistula River but in fact fresh units from the Poznan Army and part of the Pomorze Army have joined together around Kutno. About 10 Polish divisions are assembling in this area under the command of General Tadeusz Kutrzeba. They now begin a counterattack over the Bzura River against the German 8th Army. The battles which follow will be the hardest fought of the campaign. Initially, the Poles gain some success.

On the Western Front... French troops advance into the Warndt Forest across the German border and occupy 3 square miles of German territory. The action is widely viewed as having more propaganda than military purpose since the region, referred to by the French as "occupied Germany," is deserted, heavily mined and booby-trapped.

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

From Moscow... Molotov prematurely congratulates the Germany for the "entry of German troops into Warsaw" and promises Soviet intervention "within the next few days."

From Berlin... Goring threatens reprisals against Britain if the RAF bombs Germany and boasts that Berlin will never be subjected to enemy aerial attack. He says that "the Polish Army will never emerge again from the German embrace." Ribbentrop invites the Soviets to advance to their new common frontier, the Narew, Vistula and San rivers (the Bug and Pissa would eventually replace the Vistula to avoid a divided Warsaw.

Sunday, September 10, 1939

In Poland... Polish armies are ordered to conduct a general retreat to defensive positions in the southeast. The Luftwaffe conducts 15 air raids on Warsaw. German forces broadcast a false news bulletin, announcing the fall of the capital on the same wavelength as Radio Warsaw.

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

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

In Ottawa... The government of Canada declares war on Germany. The Canadians are the last of the great Dominions to declare war, however, the few days of hesitation permits the accelerated delivery from the US of large amounts of war goods which are now barred under American neutrality laws.

In the North Sea... The British submarine Triton mistakenly torpedoes the British submarine Oxley.

Monday, September 11, 1939

In Berlin... Germany announces a counter blockade against Britain, saying that since "economic warfare was forced on her," Germany "is not only able to resist every pressure of blockade and every form of British hunger warfare, but to reply to it with the same methods."

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

In Poland... The German forces cross the River San north and south of Przemysl, in southeast Poland. The battle on the Bzura continues but the leaders of German Army Group South, Rundstedt and his Chief of Staff, Manstein, are already beginning to assemble reinforcements for German 8th Army. The Polish force at Radom is destroyed with the Germans capturing 60,000 men. The German capture of the industrial area of Upper Silesia is complete.

In Britain... Churchill begins correspondence with Roosevelt which he signs as "A Naval Person".

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

Tuesday, September 12, 1939

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

In Poland... Some of List's troops are fighting near Lvov while others are moving north from their bridgeheads over the San. The Polish army around Poznan, the one that was to have marched on Berlin, unexpectedly turns about and attempts to take the German 8th Army in the flank. This is the start of the violent battle of the Bzura River. Polish troops push the German forces 12 miles south of Kutno and recapture Lowicz. Gdynia is evacuated by the Poles. Luftwaffe planes bomb Krzemieniec (Kremenets) in eastern Poland, a declared open village where the diplomatic community from Warsaw has sought refuge.

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

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

In Britain... The home office opens an inquiry into blackout rules.

In the North Atlantic... The US Navy begins regular neutrality patrols along the entire length of the eastern seaboard and in the Caribbean.

Wednesday, September 13, 1939

From Berlin... The German Armed Forces High Command (OKW) announces that civilian targets in Poland are being bombed because civilians are involving themselves in the fighting.

In Poland... A small German infantry force begins to cross the Vistula just south of Warsaw. The Bzura battles are now going badly for the Polish forces. The heaviest fighting will be over by September 15th but some engagements will continue until the 19th. Although the Germans will take their largest single haul of 150,000 prisoners in this battle, by September 19th, units of two Polish brigades and elements of others will manage to escape to Warsaw.

From Warsaw... The US ambassador to Poland, Anthony J. Drexel Biddle, Jr., reports that German bombers are attacking the civilian population. He says "they are releasing bombs they carry even when they are in no doubt as to the identity of their objectives.

In Paris... The French Prime Minister, Edouard Daladier, forms a War Cabinet in which he is responsible for foreign affairs as well as retaining the portfolios of war and national defense. The former foreign minister, Georges Bonnet, is appointed Minister of Justice. Raoul Dautry is appointed Minister of Armaments and Georges Pernot is appointed Minister of Blockade, both are new portfolios related to the war effort. Daladier is keen to have a war cabinet that will enable France to put recent divisions aside and fight the war with a spirit of national unity.

In Algeria... The French cruiser La Tour d'Auvergne sinks from an accidental explosion at Casablanca.

Thursday, September 14, 1939

In Poland... German troops enter Gdynia (the only Polish seaport), west of Danzig. German forces attacking from East Prussia reach open country when they cross the Narew River near Modlin and sweep around Warsaw to begin the encirclement of the Polish capital. Lwow is cut off by German attacks. The German 19th Panzer Corps (Guderian) reaches Brest-Litovsk. Ethnic Ukrainians begin an uprising in Lwow and Stanislawow, attacking small Polish army units in the vicinity.

In Budapest... The Hungarian government refrains from declaring its neutrality on the grounds that it is not threatened by Hitler.

In the North Atlantic... Northwest of Ireland, the carrier, HMS Ark Royal, has a lucky escape from a German submarine, U-39, attack while engaged in an anti-submarine patrol. The U-boat is sunk by 3 British destroyers accompanying the carrier and 43 German crewmen are captured.

In the Soviet Union... The Communist Party official newspaper, Pravda, launches an anti-Polish propaganda campaign with a front-page article deploring the treatment of minorities in Poland.

Friday, September 15, 1939

In Moscow... An armistice agreement is signed between Japan and the USSR ending their four-month-old "Nomonhan Incident" consisting of protracted fighting on the borders of Manchukuo (Manchuria) and Mongolia. Both sides have been under pressure from Germany to settle the dispute since the signing of the German-Soviet non-aggression pact. Peace talks were initiated by the new Japanese cabinet, appointed two weeks ago, after Japan lost 17,000 troops in one battle.

In Poland... German troops are reducing the Polish Poznan Army encircled at Kutno. Brest-Litovsk, 120 miles east of Warsaw, is surrounded. The Warsaw military commander, Polish Major General Juliusz Rommel, refuses to discuss a surrender proposal form the Germans.

In Bucharest... The Romanian government grants asylum to Polish civilian refugees; military personnel are to be disarmed and interned.

In Germany... German radio broadcasts interviews with British and New Zealander aircrew captured during the Wilhelmshaven raid on September 4th.

In Britain... Motorists besiege petrol stations, although no date for rationing has been fixed yet.

In Canada... The first British trans-Atlantic convoy sets sail from Halifax, Nova Scotia. From now on all ships carrying vital supplies of Canadian wheat and US munitions are to travel in convoys scheduled and protected by the British and Canadian navies. The first convoy organized during the war sailed from Gibraltar on September 2nd. The vital Glasgow-Thames coastal trade is now moving in convoys as well.

Saturday, September 16, 1939

In Poland... Warsaw is now surrounded but a German ultimatum is rejected by the Polish garrison, led by General Czuma, and the civil population. The Poles have already fought off one German assault, inflicting heavy casualties. This day is also the eve of the Jewish New Year and Luftwaffe planes dive-bomb the Jewish quarter of the city. Part of List's army is still fighting west of Lvov while other units are advancing north to link with Guderian's forces, who are maintaining their attack along the Bug. Polish air force bombers make their final sorties.

In Moscow... The USSR informs the Poland that the Red Army will enter eastern Poland on September 17th "to protect the Ukrainian and Belorussian minorities."

In Britain... The Duke of Windsor is appointed a liaison officer with the French army.

In the North Atlantic.. In the first German U-boat attack on a North Atlantic convoy, U-31 sinks SS Aviemore. A major escorted convoy leaves Halifax, Nova Scotia, in Canada for Britain.

Sunday, September 17, 1939

In Poland... Soviet troops enter Poland. Naturally because of the German attack there is almost no defense in the east. The Soviets employ two army groups or Fronts. The Poles have only 18 battalions in the east of their country. Just before dawn, the Red Army invades along the entire 800-mile (1300 km) border. Poles are surprised and Soviet forces advance virtually unopposed. Meanwhile, the Polish government is fleeing towards the Romanian border, evacuating from the border town of Kuty -- the fifth and last temporary seat in the Polish provinces. All surviving Polish aircrew fly to Romania. In Warsaw, St. John's Cathedral is bombed during mass; the dead are buried in public parks because the cemeteries are full. Warsaw is now completely isolated as converging German forces of German Army Group North and Army Group South meet at Siedlce, in eastern Poland. Some 40,000 Polish prisoners have been captured by the Germans at Kutno and Brest-Litovsk is taken after a bitter 3-day battle. German are given a stop line because of the Soviet invasion in the east.

In Moscow... Soviet Commissar for Foreign Affairs, Molotov, announces that the USSR is invading to protect Ukrainian and Belorussian minorities in Poland. Soviet newspapers have been making claims of "brutal treatment" of national minorities in Poland, especially Ukrainians and Belorussians. The Soviet government promises to respect Finnish neutrality and recognizes Slovakia as an independent state.

In Athens... The Italian government assures the Greek government that it will take no military action against Greece even if Italy enters the war.

In the North Atlantic... The British aircraft carrier, HMS Courageous, is sunk by U-29 while on anti-submarine patrol off the southwest coast of Ireland. More than 500 men are killed (514 of 1200 crew members). After this second incident, carriers are withdrawn from such work. Courageous has been one of the most effective of the British carriers.

Monday, September 18, 1939

In Romania... 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.

In Poland... Soviet forces have advanced 100 km into Poland, meeting little resistance. The German 3rd and 10th armies begin attacking Warsaw. Members of the Polish cipher bureau, with vital knowledge of the German Enigma code, flee the country and head for Paris.

In Copenhagen, Helsinki, Oslo, Stockholm and Reykjavik... In simultaneous announcements, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Iceland declare that they intend to continue trading with all belligerents to protect their economic existence.

In Berlin... A week after making his first broadcast to Britain, the Irish ex-Mosleyite William Joyce is given a contract with German radio.

In the North Atlantic... SS Kensington Court is shelled and sunk by a German U-boat; 2 RAF Sunderland flying boats rescue 34 men.

Tuesday, September 19, 1939

In Danzig... Hitler makes a triumphal entry into the formerly free city 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.

In Poland... The Soviet advance reaches the Hungarian frontier. In the north Vilna (Wilno) is taken. 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. Meanwhile, about 30,000 Polish troops reach Warsaw after fighting their way out of Kutno. German bombers being a continuing assault on Warsaw, initially striking utilities and other essential public facilities. Also, 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). In eastern Poland, German forces surround Lvov.

In France... The first British army corps lands in France.

Wednesday, September 20, 1939

On the Western Front... For the first time, RAF and Luftwaffe aircraft engage when a flight of German Me109 fighters attack 3 Fairey Battle reconnaissance bombers over the Siegfried Line, over Aachen; 1 Me109 and 2 Battles are shot down.

From London... Britain and France vow to keep fighting in response to recent peace offerings by Hitler. They declare that the Allies "will not permit a Hitler victory to condemn the world to slavery and to ruin all moral values and destroy liberty." Meanwhile, the British Conservative Party government, under the leadership of Neville Chamberlain, is denounced by the Labour Party opposition, in the House of Commons, for failing to help Poland enough against the German and Soviet invaders.

Thursday, September 21, 1939

In Bucharest... The Romanian Prime Minister, Armand Calinescu, is murdered by members of the Iron Guard, a fascist organization. Assassins blocked the path of his car with a wooden cart and fired pistol shots into him and his bodyguards. The assailants then forcibly enter a radio station and broadcast that "the death sentence on Calinescu has been executed." They are later overpowered and shot to death at the location of their murder of the prime minister. A large crowd is present. Their bodies are left to lie there for the next 24 hours. The assassination is in apparent retaliation for the tolerant, even sympathetic, attitude of the Romanian government toward Poland, exemplified by the acceptance of Polish military and civilian refugees.

In Poland... German forces intensify the artillery bombardment of key points in Warsaw.

In Occupied Poland... Nazi occupation authorities initiate "The Heydrich Plan" which involves the deportation of 600,000 Jews from Danzig and western Poland to central Poland to be concentrated in urban ghettoes.

In Luxemburg... Radio Luxemburg closes down.

In London... The British government publishes its Blue Book of prewar diplomatic documents.

In Washington... President Roosevelt addresses a special joint session of Congress and urges the repeal of the Neutrality Act provisions embargoing arms sales to belligerent countries. "Our acts must be guided by one single hard-headed thought -- keeping America out of this war," the president said. Allowing arms to be sold on a cash-and-carry basis would be "better calculated than any other means to keep us out of war."

In the United States... Newspapers allege that senior Nazis, including Goebbels and Hess, have foreign investments worth over $12 million.

Friday, September 22, 1939

In Poland... Rapidly advancing Soviet troops capture Lvov and Bialystok. In Brest-Litovsk Soviet and German forces conduct a joint victory parade. Meanwhile, Colonel General von Fritsch, former German Army Commander in Chief and an outspoken opponent of the Nazis government, is killed by a Polish sniper outside Warsaw. Hitler visits the front, observing the shelling of the Warsaw suburb of Praga.

In Sussex... The second meeting of the Allied Supreme War Council takes place. Although the meeting is supposed to be secret, a large crowd gathers outside the building in which the Allied leaders meet. British Prime Minister Chamberlain, with Lord Halifax, the foreign secretary, and Lord Chatfield, the minister for coordination of defense meet French Primier Daladier, with General Gamelin, the Commander in Chief on the Western Front, Admiral Darlan, the Chief of the French Naval Staff, and M Dautry. A communique issued later states that the Allied leaders discussed supplies of munitions and

In Britain... Gasoline is rationed. Meanwhile, a report by the Metropolitan Police Commission in London indicates that road accidents have tripled in the three weeks since the blackout began. Also, courts are packed with cases of blackout violations.

Saturday, September 23, 1939

In Berlin... The German government issues a statement claiming that all organized fighting in Poland has ended. It states "The Polish Army of a million men has been defeated, captured, or routed. No single Polish active or reserve division escaped this fate. Only fractions of individual groups were able to avoid immediate destruction by fleeing into the swamps of eastern Poland. They succumbed there to Soviet troops. Of the entire Polish army only an insignificant remainder still is fighting at hopeless positions in Warsaw, in Modlin and on the Hela Peninsula."

In Germany... Wireless sets are confiscated from all Jews.

On the Western Front... German forces are reported to be counterattacking with no success.

In Rome... Mussolini restates the Italian intention to remain neutral unless attacked, following a policy to "strengthen our army in preparation for any eventualities and support every possible peace effort while working in silence." He also suggests that the "liquidation" of Poland presents an opportunity for a European peace settlement.

In Poland... In Warsaw, food supplies are running out although the determination to resist remains among the Polish garrison surrounded in the city.

In the North Atlantic... Two Finnish steamers carrying cellulose are sunk by German submarine forces.

In Panama... American states agree to a 300-mile (480 km) neutral zone off the coast of the the Americas.

In Tokyo... Admiral Nomura becomes foreign minister in General Abe's recently appointed government. Between now and their fall in January 1940, some conciliatory moves are made toward the United States. These are not reciprocated and this strengthens the beliefs and standing of the more bellicose Japanese politicians.

In Britain... Sigmund Freud, the famed Austrian psychoanalyst, dies at 83 years of age.

Sunday, September 24, 1939

In Poland... German forces isolate Modlin Fortress, north of Warsaw; reports from Warsaw suggest heavy casualties among those in the city including wounded in hospitals. Meanwhile, Soviet forces enter the Galician oilfields.

In the North Atlantic... German U-boats sink a Swedish steamer carrying timber and a British cargo ship.

In the United States... The American Farmer arrives in New York harbor with 29 survivors of the crew of the British steamer Kafristan, sunk by a German U-boat. Passengers and the master of the American Farmer said that while the survivors were still in their boats a British airplane swooped down on the German submarine, spraying its deck with machine gun fire and dropping bombs, one of which fell on the conning tower.

Over Germany... French bombers strike the German Zeppelin base at Friedrichshafen.

On the Western Front... French artillery fires on the German border.

Monday, September 25, 1939

In Poland... The Germans issue a second ultimatum to the Polish Warsaw garrison. Meanwhile, German forces step up their bombardment of Warsaw and add heavy air attacks to it. Some 400 Luftwaffe bombers and Stuka dive bombers make repeated sorties, starting significant fires. Hitler wishes to complete the conquest as soon as possible and since the garrison is fairly strong, it is necessary to force them to submit by terrorizing the civilian population. The bombing continues until the surrender.

In Germany... Bread and flour rationing is introduced. The distribution of food ration cards is completed.

In Berlin... Hitler issues his fourth war directive, ordering increased attacks on Allied shipping a swift conclusion to the war in Poland.

In the North Atlantic... After a near miss in an air attack, German propaganda claims that the British aircraft carrier Ark Royal has been sunk. This is the first of several such false claims during the coming months. The attack also marks the debut of the German Ju88 bomber.

Tuesday, September 26, 1939

In Poland... The German 8th Army, under the command of the German Army Commander in Chief, von Brauchitsch, joins the attack on Warsaw. There is a massive artillery bombardment of Warsaw, followed by a major German infantry assault, leaving the city center in flames. Poles recapture Mokotow Airport and 6 hastily rebuilt aircraft fly out during the night (September 26-27).

On the Western Front... French artillery fires on the forward defenses of the German Siegfried Line.

In France... The Communist Party is dissolved by a presidential decree. It is now also illegal to propagandize themes of the Third International. (French communists at this time are leaders of the antiwar movement.) Some of the communist leaders are interned.

In London... In the House of Commons, First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, claims that Britain is winning the U-boat war. He says that one tenth of the German submarine fleet was destroyed in the first two weeks of the war and that the losses are probably a quarter and perhaps a third by now.

Wednesday, September 27, 1939

In Poland... Warsaw surrenders after two days of intensive air and artillery bombardment. The siege has resulted in the deaths of some 2000 Polish soldiers and 10,000 civilians. A total of 40,000 people are believed to have been killed or injured. About one eighth of the buildings in the city have been destroyed. German forces take about 150,000 prisoners. General von Blaskowitz, who received the Polish surrender, allows the Polish officers to keep their swords and promises that the troops will only go into captivity for as long as it takes to "dispose of the necessary formalities." The terms of the capitulation provide for the immediate relief of the civilian population and the wounded.

In Berlin... Hitler tells his service chiefs that he plans to attack in the west as soon as possible and sets the date as November 12th. He has reached this decision entirely on his own. Army representative oppose the decision. Meanwhile, Hitler establishes the Reichssicherheitshauptamt [Reich Chief Security Office] (RSHA) under Reinhart Heydrich, who now heads the Gestapo, the Criminal Police (Kripo) and the Security Service (SD)

In London... Chancellor of the Exchequer Sir John Simon presents his first War Budget. Income tax is raised from 5/6d (25 1/2p) to 7/6d (37 1/2p) in the pound.

Thursday, September 28, 1939

In Poland... On of the last centers of Polish resistance, the fortress of Modlin, surrenders to the Germans after an 18-day siege. The 10 Polish divisions have been encircled in the city of Modlin, and the area of Kutno, since September 10th.

In Moscow... Talks between German foreign minister Ribbentrop and Stalin continue. Meanwhile, a Soviet-Estonian Pact is signed, giving the USSR the use of bases in Estonia. This pact is the first in a series designed to ensure Soviet control of the Baltic.

In the United States... The Foreign Relations Committee decides to submit the Neutrality Bill to the US Senate.

In London... The British Admiralty declares that "no British ship has been damaged nor any casualties incurred from German aircraft." The statement is in response to German radio reports of recent successes against British warships in the North Sea.

Friday, September 29, 1939

In Moscow... Germany and the USSR sign a boundary and friendship treaty. By its terms Poland is partitioned, giving Germany control over the area generally west of the Bug River. Germany receives nearly 73,000 square miles of Polish territory, the USSR, 78,000 square miles. While Soviet Union gets slightly more land, the Germans now control the majority of the population (some 22,000,000) and fifty percent of all Polish industry as well as substantial mining centers. All of Lithuania is transferred to the Soviet sphere of influence. An economic agreement is also signed which includes a Soviet promise to provide Germany with the entire oil output of the Dohowicz fields.

Over Germany... The RAF lost 5 Hampden bombers in a daylight raid on the Heligoland area. The raid was in two waves. In the first, 6 Hampdens attacked two German destroyers but did no damage; the second wave of 5 planes was wiped out.

In Britain... A national census is taken to obtain information on rationing and mobilization.

In London... In the House of Commons, Neville Chamberlain says that Britain and France went to war to stop Nazi aggression and nothing has changed that position. Chamberlain is believed to be referring to recent private contacts between German and British representatives that have suggested formal peace negotiations may begin.

In the United States... In New York city, Fritz Kuhn, the leader of the pro-Nazi German-American Bund, is imprisoned.

Saturday, September 30, 1939

In France... A Polish government in exile is formed. Raczkiewicz is the new president and General Wladyslaw Sikorski is the Prime Minister and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.

In the South Atlantic... Off Pernambuco, Brazil, the German pocket battleship Graf Spee sinks its first merchant ship, the British steamship Clement (commanded by Captain F. Harris). Before the battle of the River Plate, in December, Graf Spee will only sink 9 ships of 50,000 tons altogether.

In Romania... Polish President Ignace Moscicki, presently interned, resigns his post.

From Berlin... Germany notifies Britain that armed merchant ships will be sunk without warning. The decision is claimed to be based on incidents of British merchant ships attacking German submarines.

In London... The British cabinet authorizes poison gas shipments to France for use if the Germans begin using chemical weapons.