Chronology of World War II
Wednesday, November 1, 1939
In Berlin... Germany formally annexes western Poland, Danzig and the Polish Corridor. This adds the new districts of Posen, Greater East Prussia and Danzig West Prussia to the Third Reich.
In Moscow... The USSR formally annexes part of occupied eastern Poland and incorporates it into the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, following the results of plebiscites (possibly rigged) in which the majority of the inhabitants living in the territory reputedly favored annexation.
In Holland... The government proclaims a state of siege in frontier areas and flood zones.
In Switzerland... Contingency plans are laid in case of an invasion.
Thursday, November 2, 1939
In Moscow... Part of eastern Poland is incorporated into Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, following the results of a plebiscite in which the majority of the inhabitants living in the territory reputedly favored annexation. This completes the incorporation of all Polish territory occupied by the USSR.
In Berlin... Hitler recalls his ambassadors from Moscow and Rome for consultations.
In Britain... King George decorates 5 RAF pilots, leaders of a raid on the Kiel Canal.
Friday, November 3, 1939
In Moscow... Talks continue between the USSR and Finland on Soviet requests for an exchange of territory and border alterations. Finnish counterproposals were presented, stating it recognized Soviet security needs but that Finland has now gone as far as its "independence, security and neutrality permit." The Finns refuse to allow the Soviets a military base in Finland.
In Washington... The US Senate votes to lift the embargo on the export of arms to belligerents.
In Britain... After complaints from employers and trades unions, the blackout is reduced by an hour. It now runs from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise.
In Pretoria... The South African Prime Minister, General Smuts, promises to defend British colonies in Africa if required.
Saturday, November 4, 1939
In Washington... A modification of the neutrality legislation passes into law. Although by its terms the ban on American ships and civilians in clearly defined war zones is confirmed, it does provide for supply of arms to belligerents on a "cash and carry" basis. Such arms must be ordered from private companies, paid for up front and transported to the war zone in the in ships provided by the purchaser. British naval strength means that, as is intended, only the Allies will benefit from this. Within a few days both the British and the French establish purchasing missions in Washington.
In Oslo... The British naval attache in Norway receives an anonymous (by a "German scientist who wishes you well") report revealing secrets of German long-range rockets and radar -- the "Oslo Report." A prototype proximity mine fuse is also left on the windowsill, with the report.
In Britain... Rear-Admiral Hugh Sinclair, head ("C") of British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), dies of cancer. He is succeeded by his deputy, Colonel Stewart Menzies.
Sunday, November 5, 1939
In Berlin... After plotting with Halder and Beck to arrest Hitler, unless he relents on the plan for a western offensive, the Commander in Chief of the German Army, von Brauchitsch, meets Hitler to discuss the plans for an attack in the west. He argues very strongly that it should not take place as scheduled on November 12th because of weaknesses in the army. Hitler loses his temper during the meeting but is unconvinced by the arguments. Brauchitsch loses his nerve and returns to OKH (Army High Command) headquarters at Zossen, where the conspiracy collapses. Meanwhile, Colonel Hans Oster of the Abwehr (German Military Intelligence) -- one of the Zossen conspirators -- warns Colonel Sas, the Dutch military attache in Berlin, of the impending invasion of the Low Countries. Sas informs the Belgian military attache.
In Oslo... The German government lodges a protest against the release of the interned City of Flint and the German prize crew. The protest is rejected.
In Paris... Churchill, British First Lord of the Admiralty, visits the French Marine Headquarters.
In Moscow... Finnish-Soviet negotiations continue. The Finnish delegation reports to Helsinki and asks for further instructions.
Monday, November 6, 1939
On the Western Front... Nine French Hawk fighters shoot down 4 out of 27 German Me109 fighters over the Saar.
In Norway... The American cargo ship, City of Flint, is returned to her captain, Joseph H. Gainard in Haugesund. Since October 9th, the ship has journeyed under the command of a German prize crew from the Deutschland.
In Moscow... In a speech, Molotov says that the Soviet Union is committed to a policy of peace and blames the war on the forces of capitalism. Meanwhile, the Communist International issues a manifesto in which the German Government is classed with those of Britain and France as being hostile to the workers.
Tuesday, November 7, 1939
From Berlin... The planned German attack in the west is postponed because of bad weather. This initial postponement will be repeated another 14 times until January 16th, 1940.
In Occupied Poland... The edict ordering Jews in Warsaw into a ghetto is withdrawn. Meanwhile, deportation of Jews from western Poland begin.
In The Hague... Queen Wilhelmina of Holland (the Netherlands) and King Leopold III of Belgium issue an appeal for peace and offer to mediate between the combatants.
In London... A double agent, Paul Thummel, passes details of the planned German western offensive to the Czech government-in-exile.
Wednesday, November 8, 1939
In Germany... A bomb, concealed in a supporting pillar, explodes in the Burgerbraukeller in Munich (the famous beer hall of the 1923 Nazi putsch), 20 minutes after Hitler leaves, upon the conclusion of a vehement anti-British speech predicting a five year war. Eight persons are killed. The bomb is rumored to have been planted by the Nazis as an excuse for measures against what remains of the German opposition and as anti-British propaganda.
In the Occupied Poland... Hans Frank, Governor of the General Government, in that part of former Poland occupied by the Germans but not annexed, consolidates plans to transport 600,000 Jews and 400,000 Poles from the incorporated territories in the General Government. The operation is to begin December 1st.
In Holland... Reports of German movements on the Dutch border cause the government to widen the defensive flooding zone.
In Moscow... Finnish negotiators reject Soviet proposals for border revisions. The Finnish negotiators wish to accept some concessions but their government sees the Soviet attempts to bargain as a sign of weakness. Marshal Mannerheim opposes this view.
Thursday, November 9, 1939
In Holland... Two British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) officers, Major Richard Stevens and Captain S. Payne Best, are kidnapped by the Gestapo while attempting to contact members of the German resistance to the Nazis. The two British agents have been meeting with a "Major Schaemmle" who claims to represent German Army officers plotting to overthrow Hitler. (He is actually Walther Schellenberg, a Gestapo officer.) Their meetings have been at Venlo, 5 miles (8 km) from the German border. Today, they are to meet at a cafe a few yards from the border. Upon arriving, their car is hit by machinegun fire, they are overpowered by German security forces and forcibly taken across the border. Himmler ordered the kidnapping immediately after the Munich bombing incident. One of the officers is carrying a list of British agents with him and from this and other indiscretions as well as from their interrogation, the German authorities are able to arrest many British agents in former Czechoslovakia and other occupied territory. The Venlo Incident is a serious setback for British Intelligence. Both officers remain imprisoned until April 1945.
In Germany... The press and radio accuse Britain of organizing the attempted assassination of Hitler in Munich on November 8th.
In Helsinki... The government restates its position that Finland "cannot grant to a foreign military power military bases on her territory and within the confines of her frontiers."
In South Africa... An alleged Nazi plot by armed black shirts to sabotage vital industries in Johannesburg and Pretoria is revealed.
Friday, November 10, 1939
In Holland... The Dutch reinforce border troops, cancel all Army leave and prepare to flood the "inundation area" by opening sluice gates. These steps are reported to be precautions against invasion.
In Amsterdam... The US consulate advices Americans to leave the Netherlands.
On the Western Front... German forces conducted local probing attacks which were met with infantry and artillery fire. German reinforcements are reportedly moving up to the Siegfried Line.
In Paris... Commonwealth envoys, accompanied by British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden, meet the French Prime Minister, Daladier, and the Commander-in-Chief, General Gamelin.
In London... Prime Minister Chamberlain is suffering from gout.
Saturday, November 11, 1939
In Berlin... The Reich foreign ministry repeats earlier assurances that the neutrality of Holland and Belgium will be respected.
On the Western Front... There is limited activity by German patrols and artillery. The BEF holds Armistice Day services amid the great battlefields of the First World War.
In Britain... Queen Elizabeth broadcasts a message to the women of the Empire, from Buckingham Palace. She says women "have real and vital work to do" and assures women that they are "keeping the Home Front, which will have dangers of its own, stable and strong."
Sunday, November 12, 1939
In Germany... Hundreds of dissidents and Jews are arrested in the search for the Munich bombers. Meanwhile, ration cards for clothing are issued.
In London... British King George VI replies to the appeal for peace issued by Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and King Leopold of Belgium. Meanwhile, Churchill, First Lord of the Admiralty, says in a radio broadcast that if the British get through the winter without any serious setback, the first campaign of the war will have been won.
In Paris... French President Lebrun also responds negatively to the Belgian-Dutch mediation offer.
In France... The first ENSA (Entertainments National Service Association) concert is given for British and French troops in France, starring Maurice Chevalier and Gracie Fields.
In Holland... The Dutch and Belgian foreign ministers meet at Breda.
Monday, November 13, 1939
In Moscow... Finnish delegates, led by Paasikivi, leave for Helsinki after negotiations, over an exchange of territory and border revisions, break down. The Finns are especially unwilling to meet the Soviet demand for the cession of Hanko because it would give the USSR complete control over the Gulf of Finland and the most important part of the country. Meanwhile, in response to the breakdown of the talks, Stalin orders preparations for war against Finland.
In Britain... The HMS Blanche strikes a mine and is sunk off the Thames estuary. It is the first Royal Navy destroyer lost during the war.
In the Shetland Islands... German bombers drop bombs on British territory, for the first time, in a strike targeting naval vessels and flying boats. No significant damage is done. A rabbit is reported to have been killed.
In London... General Henry Crerar sets up the Canadian military headquarters.
In Bucharest... King Carol of Romania offers himself as a secret mediator between the British and French and the Germans.
Tuesday, November 14, 1939
On the Western Front... The British and French military commands (after secret, inconclusive discussions with the Belgians) agree to an immediate advance to the "Meuse-Antwerp Line," south and east of Brussels, in Belgium if the Germans invade. This agreement is referred to as "Plan D" (the "Dyle Plan").
In Berlin... Initial reaction to the offer of mediation made by Queen Wilhelmina and King Leopold is reported to be negative.
In Occupied Czechoslovakia... Police are reported to have broken up a Czech Fascist demonstration in Prague, 12 persons being injured.
In London... General Sikorski, the head of the Polish government-in-exile based in France, arrives.
Wednesday, November 15, 1939
In Occupied Czechoslovakia... There are large-scale demonstrations at the funeral of Jan Opletal, a medical student who was mortally wounded in Prague on October 28th. Police forces (possibly including elements of the Gestapo) make numerous arrests of Czech nationalist protesters. Casualty reports range from 12 injured to suggestions of summary executions.
In Berlin... German Foreign Minister, von Ribbentrop, formally rejects the offer of Belgium-Dutch mediation made by King Leopold and Queen Wilhelmina in meetings with official representatives. He states that as a result of the "blunt rejection" of the German peace appeal by Britain and France, the German government considers the matter closed.
In France... Three hours are added to the working week, making it 43 hours long.
In China... Japanese forces capture the port of Pakhoi.
In the Indian Ocean... The German pocket-battleship Admiral Graf Spee sinks the British tanker Africa Shell south of Madagascar.
Thursday, November 16, 1939
In Occupied Czechoslovakia... An uprising in Prague is quelled. German authorities declare martial law in Prague. There are reports of many arrests, shootings and deportations.
In Bucharest... An offer of mediation made by Romanian King Carol is rejected by both sides.
In Britain... The cost of living is reported to have risen 2.5 percent in October.
In Finland... The armed forces are mobilized as the talks over Soviet demands for an exchange of territory break down in acrimony. The Soviets are seeking to protect naval bases at Leningrad and Murmansk from possible attack by demanding cession of strategic Finnish territory and the lease of Finnish ports in exchange for land in the desolate swamps and forests of Karelia. The Finns refuse.
Friday, November 17, 1939
In London... At the third meeting of the Supreme Allied Council it endorses " Plan D," proposed by French General Gamelin (see May 10th, 1940). In case of a German attack through Belgium it is decided to defend a line from the Meuse River to Antwerp.
In France... A Czechoslovakian National Committee is established in Paris under the leadership of the former President of Czechoslovakia, Eduard Benes. The group is recognized by Britain and France in mid-December.
In Germany... The pocket battleship Deutschland arrives in Gdynia (in occupied Poland) after her Atlantic raiding cruise in which 2 ships were sunk.
In Occupied Czechoslovakia... SS forces occupy all universities (during the night of November 16-17) and 9 student leaders are executed; some 1200 are sent to concentration camps. This event becomes the basis for marking November 17th as "International Students Day."
Saturday, November 18, 1939
In Britain... German planes parachute magnetic mines into British coastal waters for the first time. Four merchant ships are sunk by magnetic mines off the eastern coast. Meanwhile, IRA activists detonate 4 small bombs in London business premises in Piccadilly.
In the North Sea... The Dutch liner Simon Bolivar is sunk by a German magnetic mine with 86 killed of about 400 passengers and crew aboard.
In Holland... Public opinion is outraged because the mine which sunk the Simon Bolivar was in a major traffic lane. International law requires notification of any such mine-laying.
Sunday, November 19, 1939
In Occupied Poland... The first barricades are erected around the Jewish quarter in Warsaw. In Occupied Czechoslovakia... Some 50,000 people are reportedly under arrest. Nazi authorities execute 3 more dissidents. In London... First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, proposes mining the Rhine, between Strasbourg and the Lauter River, using mine-laying aircraft. In China... The Nationalist government at Chungking orders a winter offensive against the Japanese.Monday, November 20, 1939
In Holland... A German airplane is shot down by Dutch aircraft.
From Berlin... Hitler issues a second directive for the attack on the west.
In Occupied Czechoslovakia... SS troops are reportedly in control of Prague.
In Britain... Luftwaffe planes start parachuting mines into the Thames estuary. Meanwhile, the minesweeper HMS Mastiff is blown up while attempting to recover a German magnetic mine in a fishing net.
Tuesday, November 21, 1939
In Britain... The brand-new British cruiser, Belfast, is seriously damaged by a German magnetic mine in the Firth of Forth. The destroyer Gypsy is sunk by a magnetic mine. The Japanese passenger liner Terukuni Maru is struck by a German mine as well, in the Thames estuary.
In London... Prime Minister Chamberlain announces that German merchant shipping will be seized in retaliation for indiscriminate mine warfare. All goods in Britain, earmarked for shipment to Germany, are confiscated.
In Bratislava... In a treaty signed with Germany, Slovakia is given 225 square miles of former Polish territory (which Poland had progressively annexed from Czechoslovakia in 1920, 1924 and 1938).
In the North Atlantic... The German battle cruisers Gneisenau and Scharnhorst begin a sortie.
Wednesday, November 22, 1939
In Britain... Towards evening, one of the first batches of German magnetic mines to be dropped by parachute, by a low-flying He111, lands on the mud flats at Shoeburyness, near the Thames Estuary and British authorities are immediately informed. Meanwhile, a national savings scheme is launched under the slogan "Lend to Defend the Right to be Free."
In London... Navicerts, warrants first issued in 1915 to neutral ships carrying cargos not harmful to the Allies, are reintroduced.
In Paris... The French government announces reprisals, similar to those announced by the British government, concerning the German use of mines.
In Bucharest... The Romanian cabinet resigns.
Thursday, November 23, 1939
In the North Atlantic... Between Iceland and the Faroes, the British armed merchant cruiser, Rawalpindi, armed with only four 6-inch guns, meets the German battle cruiser, Scharnhorst, and is blown out of the water, killing 265 crew. Scharnhorst has been sailing in the company of Gneisenau and because of this meeting they turn back from their raiding mission. They evade searches by many British ships during the next few days and return to base safely. Their escape is aided by the German ability to read many of the British naval codes.
In Britain... In the early morning hours, two Royal Engineers officers, mine experts, succeed in defusing a German magnetic mine stranded in the Shoeburyness mud flat and manage to recover it for study. It can therefore be examined to devise countermeasures. These mines have been in use since October 16th and already they have been responsible for the loss of 50,000 tons of shipping. Meanwhile, bacon and butter are rationed.
In France... The Polish government-in-exile is established at Angers, in the west.
In Berlin... In a speech before his senior generals, summoned to the Reich Chancellery, Hitler says that he has led the German people to great heights, while they have only shown a lack of faith. "I am irreplaceable," a frustrated Hitler states. "I shall attack France and England at the earliest moment. My decision is unchangeable."
In Cracow... Dr. Frank, governor of the Government General in Nazi occupied Poland, orders all Jews over the age of ten to wear armbands marked with the Star of David.
In Germany... Food rationing for pets is announced.
Friday, November 24, 1939
In China... Japanese forces enter the strategically important city of Nanning, despite fierce resistance by some 100,000 Chinese Nationalist troops. Loss of the city represents a setback for the Chinese winter offensive and the first Japanese victory since forces advanced west into Kwangsi province in a bid to break Chinese links with Indochina.
In Germany... The government takes in trust the property and financial interests of Fritz Thyssen -- the iron and steel magnate and a key supporter of Hitler in earlier years -- who fled to Switzerland in September 1939.
In London... The government of Belgium addresses a note to the British government concerning British reprisals against German mine-laying.
In Britain... On the Yorkshire coast, over 200 drifting mines wash ashore.
In the North Atlantic... Five survivors of the Dutch tanker Sliedrecht sunk by a U-boat, are picked up after 7 days in an open boat.
Saturday, November 25, 1939
In the Baltic Sea... German forces lay mines off the southwest coast of Sweden, inside the 4-mile limit of Swedish territorial waters.
In London... The governments of Italy, Japan, Denmark and Sweden make representations to the British Foreign Office regarding the policy of reprisals.
In Britain... After attempts to save New Forest ponies in the blackout by painting them like zebras, they are removed to safe pastures.
In Bucharest... A new Romanian cabinet is formed by Tatarescu. A smaller pro-German element is reported.
Sunday, November 26, 1939
In the Soviet Union... The Mainila incident takes place. Seven artillery shells are fired into the village of Mainila, killing 4 soldiers.
In Moscow... The Soviet government blames Finland for firing on Mainila and demands an immediate withdrawal of Finnish troops from the Karelian isthmus, near Leningrad. The government describes the presence of Finnish troops in the area as a "hostile act."
In the North Sea... The Polish line Pilsudski, on charter to the Royal Navy, is torpedoed and sunk; 10 die.
In Britain... The prime minister, Neville Chamberlain, makes his first radio broadcast of the war, saying that the British know the secret of the German magnetic mines and denouncing the indiscriminate laying of mines by German forces.
Monday, November 27, 1939
In Oslo... The Nobel Committee of the Norwegian parliament announces that no Nobel peace prize is to be awarded for 1939.
In Helsinki... The government of Finland denies charges of firing on Soviet territory, claiming that the artillery fire was from the Soviet side of the border. A mutual withdrawal of troops is suggested.
In Stockholm... The Swedish government protests the laying of mines within Swedish territorial waters by German forces.
In Germany... "Aryans" are given 12 months to divorce Jewish spouses.
In London... The British government orders the seizure of German exports on the high seas in reprisal for the magnetic mine campaign.
In China... Japanese forces complete the capture of Nanning, an important rail junction in the southwest.
Tuesday, November 28, 1939
In Moscow... The Soviet government renounces the non-aggression pact with Finland, signed in 1932. Claims of Finnish troops firing on Soviet forces around Leningrad are made. Meanwhile, orders are issued to the Red Army to invade Finland on November 30th.
In Helsinki... A Finnish investigation reveals that Soviet artillery fired the 7 shells at Mainila on November 26th. The Soviet government is informed.
In Occupied Poland... Dr. Frank orders the setting up of Judenrat (Jewish council) in each ghetto, to carry out Nazi orders.
In the Friesian Islands... RAF fighters attack Luftwaffe mine laying seaplanes at Borkum.
In London... The British government declares all German exports to be contraband.
In Moscow... The Soviet government breaks off diplomatic relations with Finland. Molotov warns that the Red Army must be prepared for any eventuality.
In Helsinki... The Finnish government offers to enter into renewed discussions over the territorial dispute, suggesting conciliation or arbitration, in accord with the non-aggression treaty.
In Britain... It is reported that the chancellor has received family jewels, gold and gifts from foreigners to help finance the war effort.
In Madrid... The Spanish government ratifies a friendship pact with Germany, including secret clauses allowing Germany to use Spanish ports and promising cooperation on police and propaganda.
In the North Atlantic... The German freighter Idarwild is sunk by the British warship Diomede off the coast of the United States. The USS Broome had been following the Idarwild until the British warship arrived. The Broome does not intervene in the destruction of the freighter. American behavior in this incident goes unchallenged by Berlin.
In Washington... Secretary of State, Cordell Hull, informs the press that the United States is prepared to mediate the dispute between Finland and the USSR.
In the United States... Fritz Kuhn, the leader of the German-American Bund, is found guilty of grand larceny and forgery.
Thursday, November 30, 1939
In Finland... The Winter War begins. Soviet forces invade Finland. Helsinki and Viipuri are bombed. The Finnish army can only muster about 150,000 men in 9 divisions, with a tenth being formed. There are also a number of smaller independent units but their reserves of manpower are small. They have little heavy equipment and virtually no tanks. They are handicapped here in having relied on their limited domestic arms production since late 1938 in their attempt to confirm their neutrality. There is an ammunition shortage. The air force has about 100 obsolete planes. These weaknesses are partly offset by the training and moral of the Finnish troops. There are also some fairly strong fortifications in this area but the system is by no means comprehensive. Field Marshal Mannerheim (aged 72) is appointed "Defender of Finland" and Commander-in-Chief. At the start of the invasion, the Soviets employ 26 divisions (not all at full strength), in four armies. Soviet divisions are larger, with artillery components three times as strong as their Finnish equivalents and accompanied by more tanks than the entire Finnish army possesses. Independent tank and artillery units provide additional support. The Soviet 7th Army, the strongest with 12 divisions, attacks the 5 Finnish divisions defending the Karelian Isthmus. The Soviet 8th Army advances in the area immediately north of Lake Ladoga, the Soviet 9th Army attacks from Soviet Karelia in the direction of the head of the Gulf of Bothnia and the Soviet 14th Army moves out from Murmansk in the far north. The strength of the Soviet forces is greater than expected by the Finns. However, the Soviets are not well prepared for winter conditions and the coordination between their infantry and other arms is not at all good. Their preparations have been rushed.
In Moscow... The Soviets announce that their action is in support of the Finnish People's Government whose existence is now announced. This Soviet sponsored government is led by Otto Kuusinen, an exile, who has long been a member of the Comintern.
In Germany... Statistics indicate 120,000 persons are unemployed.
Copyright © 2018 Ralph Zuljan