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Post by lordroel on Mar 24, 2019 15:42:06 GMT
Day 205 of World War II, March 24th 1940
Battle of the Atlantic
The La Railleuse, a French L'Adroit-class destroyer is leaving port in Casablanca, Morocco when one of its own torpedoes accidentally explodes. The La Railleuse is destroyed, with 28 crewmen killed and 24 wounded.
Convoy OA 116 departs from Southend, Convoy OB 116 departs from Liverpool.
Air War over Europe
The RAF carries out more night-time reconnaissance flights over northwest Germany. One plane is lost.
The Luftwaffe intercepts a French Potez 637 over Zweibrucken and shoots it down.
The RAF mounts another raid against the Hornum seaplane base on Sylt, but achieve little. The raids are good for public morale (and for PM Chamberlain keeping his job) but of almost no military consequence.
French Government
Prime Minister Reynaud's inner war cabinet is considering different alternatives for prosecuting the war. For instance, they focus on submarine attacks on Soviet shipping in the Black Sea - but France doesn't have many submarines. Another option is bombing Soviet oilfields at Baku - but their bombers cannot reach them. One option that is emphatically rejected and not under consideration is venturing beyond the Maginot Line and invading Germany because the Maginot Line is the country's security blanket. Basically, the French government is contemplating "panacea" operations that wouldn't involve very much bloodshed, and certainly no fighting on French soil.
Terrorism
Members of the IRA rioting at Dartmoor Prison wish to prevent two of their number for being taken to trial for treason.
China
The Japanese continue battling to cross the Wu-chia River for the third day without success. Headquarters is sending more troops.
In the Battle of South Kwangsi, the Chinese 46th Army continues attacking the Japanese 22nd Army at Lingshan.
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Post by lordroel on Mar 25, 2019 15:46:07 GMT
Day 206 of World War II, March 25th 1940
Battle of the Atlantic
U-57 (Kapitänleutnant Claus Korth) torpedoes and sinks 5,742-ton British freighter Daghestan at 20:11 on 25 March 1940 about 9 miles east of the Orkneys. There are 29 survivors and 3 perish. The Daghestan already had been damaged in Luftwaffe attacks while sailing with Convoy HN 20.
U-47 (K.Kapt. Günther Prien) sinks Danish freighter Britta 30 miles to the north of Scotland. There are 5 survivors, 13 perish.
The Admiralty decides to replace lightships bombed by the Germans with automatic light floats.
Convoy HG 24F departs from Gibraltar, Convoy OG 23 forms at Gibraltar, Convoy HX 30 departs from Halifax.
US Navy
The cruiser USS Augusta hits something underwater and suffers damage.
British Military
British POWs are instructed by official order not to broadcast for the Germans. This is due to the fact that Britons had been tuning in to German propaganda broadcasts to learn if their loved ones had been captured by recognizing their voices.
British Government
Foreign Minister Lord Halifax pledges the nation to protect Romanian neutrality, and adds pointedly that the Allies "will not shrink from war with the Soviet Union" to do so.
French Government
Having considered with his inner cabinet the Allies' options for the prosecution of the war, French Prime Minister Reynaud writes to the British government and proposes attacking Soviet shipping.
British Prime Minister Chamberlain instantly rejects the idea. One of the British government's consistent rules during the first six months of the war has been to alienate the Soviet Union as little as possible. Such attacks also would be of dubious value to the war effort. He concludes that Reynaud is just fishing for something to make him look good in public eyes during his first days as Prime Minister.
American Homefront
The US Supreme Court issues a ruling in Helvering v. Bruun, 309 U.S. 461 (1940), which holds that improvements to property made by a tenant are taxable to the landlord when the landlord repossesses the property.
British Homefront
The ration for butter is set to rise on 26 March 1940 to 1/2 pound per week.
China
The Japanese attacking along the Wuchia river at Ta-Tsai-chu 10 km (6.2 miles) north of Wuyuan receive 3,000 men in reinforcements in addition to the 600 with which they began the battle. With the support of artillery and air support, they finally cross the river after three previous days of futility against the Chinese 8th War Area.
In the Battle of South Kwangsi, the Chinese 46th Army captures Lingshan after several days of struggle. The Japanese retreat westward in the direction of Nanning.
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Post by lordroel on Mar 26, 2019 16:47:15 GMT
Day 207 of World War II, March 26th 1940
Battle of the Atlantic
U-38 stops Norwegian MV Cometa 65 miles northwest of Noup Head, Orkney Islands, and demands to see her papers. Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Liebe gives Cometa’s crew and passengers one hour to abandon ship. Cometa had previously been boarded by HMS Kingston Peridot; therefore, a Royal Navy officer and four naval ratings are aboard for the passage to Kirkwall, Orkneys. At 2.20 AM U-38 fires one torpedo and sinks Cometa but the crew of 31, 6 Swedish passengers and the 5 British sailors take to the lifeboats and are picked up by HMS Northern Sky.
U-21 runs aground off Oddknuppen Island near Ryvinga, southeast of Mandel. U-1 was ordered to assist, but was unable to locate her. U-22 was also ordered to assist, but she failed to respond to wT hails, suggesting she may already have been lost. The stranded U.21 was refloated by a German trawler and taken to Evjemoen in Mandalsfjord.
The Mauretania makes it to the Panama Canal without incident. She is on her way to Australia to be refitted.
Convoy OA 117 departs from Southend.
Western Front
The BEF takes on a little more responsibility as the 51st Highland Division sets up in the Saar region. They replace French soldiers in the line, which is a first.
Paris reported marked increase in air activity over Western Front, particularly in Saar and Vosges regions. French machines made reconnaissance flights far into enemy territory; German aircraft flew over Northern and Eastern France. The major engagement of the day occurs shortly after 1430 hours when fighters from III./JG 53 and RAF No. 73 Squadron clash again over the Saar. Fw. Arthur Weigelt claims a Hurricane for his first kill. Piloted by F/O Edgar James ‘Cobber’ Kain, who was shot down by Hptm. Werner Mölders on March 2, 1940 and had returned to operations, the Hurricane crashes near Saarbrücken. Hptm. Mölders claims his sixth victory a short time later, a Hurricane flown by F/O N. 'Fanny' Orton, though Mölders claims this as a French Morane 406. After the battle, three Messerschmitts from JG 53 are so badly damaged they crash land back at Trier airfield.
US Army Air Corps
The Curtiss C-46 Commando has its first flight. The new cargo plane has a "double bubble" design with two pressurized cabins. While the airlines are not interested in the plane, USAAC Chief of Staff General Henry “Hap” Arnold likes its potential as a cargo plane and places an initial order of 200.
Soviet Government
The Kremlin recalls its ambassador to France after French complaints about him. Soviet Ambassador to Paris Jakob Suritz sent Stalin a message congratulating for him his victory over "Anglo-French warmongers."
Soviet/German Relations
Hitler enjoys personal diplomacy - he will travel far and wide to meet a fellow dictator - and asks Stalin to meet to discuss their mutual border. The two have never met - Hitler has even met the British and French leaders - but Stalin declines to meet anyway.
Italian/Hungarian Relations
Count Pál János Ede Teleki, Prime Minister of Hungary, visits with Mussolini in Rome. Mussolini tells Teleki and Ciano, who attends the meeting, that Italy will join the Germans in the war at some point.
Canada
In the general elections, the Liberals under William Lyon Mackenzie King win 178 seats, the Conservatives take 39, and all other parties win 28.
French Homefront
Prime Minister Reynaud broadcasts a speech to the public urging the nation to carry on a "total war" against the Nazis. This is an old phrase from World War I.
British Homefront
Morale is high as the long Easter Weekend ends, with long queues at the train stations and an impromptu sing-a-long at Waterloo Station.
Wilhelm Solf, an Austrian undergraduate at Oxford University, is interned after he photographs a crashed RAF plane. As reported in the London Times, many citizens feel that the government is treating Germans caught in the country by the war harshly. This is buttressed by a newsreel being shown in cinemas which details the recent incident of an RAF bomber accidentally landing in Germany, the crew meeting with local farmers there on good terms, and then taking off again before being caught.
China
The Japanese, reinforced in recent days, recapture Wuyuan from the Chinese 8th War Area. The Chinese fall back to the banks of Fan-chi-chu and launch attacks at Xin'an, Xishanzui, Xixiaozhao, and Manko.
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Post by lordroel on Mar 27, 2019 16:26:13 GMT
Day 208 of World War II, March 27th 1940
Battle of the Atlantic
U-22 (Kapitänleutnant Karl-Heinrich Jenisch) has not been responding to standard checks for the past week and is reported lost as of 27 March 1940. All hands are listed as lost, the cause is ascribed to a mine or depth-charge attack in the North Sea.
Convoy OA 118 departs from Scotland, Convoy OB 118 departs from Liverpool.
Air War over Europe
There are battles across the Maginot Line. The Luftwaffe loses 5-7 Bf 109s according to the RAF.
The RAF attacks German shipping in the North Sea without result.
Western Front
The French and Germans exchange perfunctory artillery fire in the Vosges forest and the Saar. The New York Times editorializes: "PARIS: Thoughtful observers here do not expect any change on the Western Front for a long time to come."
British Government
The Supreme War Council is to meet on 28 March, so the British War Council takes up French Prime Minister Paul Reynaud's proposal that the Allies attack the Soviet oil fields at Baku and Soviet shipping in the Black Sea. The decision is unanimous to oppose this plan and to continue the policy of avoiding direct conflict with the Soviet Union. The true purpose of Reynaud's proposal is perhaps indicated by the fact that it is leaked to the press, which the British find highly objectionable for such sensitive matters. The British, or at least Winston Churchill, consider this to have been done for domestic political purposes. The British tell General Gamelin and his colleagues of this decision at a preliminary meeting.
British Propaganda
An editorial in the Daily Mail notes the massive head start by the Nazis, led by Dr. Goebbels, in propaganda and urges effective British propaganda in response. While the British, particularly Churchill, have engaged in some very subtle propaganda during occasional speeches, the Nazis have been broadcasting nightly.
Finland
The government is reshuffled; Risto Ryti stays in charge.
New Zealand
New Zealand Prime Minister Michael Savage died from cancer. Mr. Savage was the first Labour prime minister of New Zealand. Originally from Australia, he journeyed to New Zealand in 1907 where he became known as ‘Joe’. In the years leading up to World War Two, the prime minister expressed dislike of Britain’s love of pomp. He gave New Zealand a strong but sensible voice, leading at times to the nation taking different views of world events to Britain. But when war finally broke out last year, the prime minister eloquently expressed his nation’s determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with the British Empire.
China
The Japanese retain possession of Wuyuan, but local Chinese forces continue to pressure them. The Chinese 8th War Area attacks around Patzepu, Hsishantzu, Hsichiao, and Manko.
German Homefront
Robert Ley, long-time boss of the Nazi Labour Front and a close Hitler crony, finds that war "is a blessing, as women love fighters."
Holocaust
Heinrich Himmler authorizes construction of a concentration camp at Auschwitz near Kraków, Poland. The site is convenient because it has served as an Austrian and later Polish Army barracks and a camp for transient workers. There already are 16 buildings on the site in various states of disrepair. Himmler has a vague idea of housing political prisoners there.
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Post by lordroel on Mar 28, 2019 16:39:18 GMT
Day 209 of World War II, March 28th 1940
The Battle of the Atlantic
The armed merchant cruiser HMS Transylvania (F 56), commanded by Captain Francis N. Miles, intercepted the 4,007 ton German merchant Mimi Horn in the Denmark Strait. Before the German ship could be captured she was scuttled by her own crew.
British Government
Allied Supreme War Council meeting in London resolves that neither Britain nor France will make a separate peace with Germany. However, French ideas to attack Soviet shipping and oilfields are rejected to avoid bringing USSR into the war against the Allies. As a compromise to initiate some aggressive action, the Allies decide to lay mines in Norwegian coastal waters (Operation Wilfred) starting April 5. Churchill hopes to provoke a German response, legitimizing Allied “assistance” to Norway with the goal of interrupting Swedish iron ore shipments to Germany. The French agree in principle to Churchill’s plan to drop mines in the River Rhine (Operation Royal Marine) also starting on April 5, pending ratification by the French War Committee.
Western Front
During the night of March 27-28th, RAF carried out extensive reconnaissance flights over north-west Germany. Two planes failed to return. Three aircraft of New Zealand’s Squadron took part in such flights for first time.
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Post by lordroel on Mar 29, 2019 17:18:26 GMT
Day 210 of World War II, March 29th 1940
From World War II Realtime Instagram AccountSoviet Minister of Foreign Affairs Vjatsjeslav Molotov reviews the Winter War in Finland in front of the Supreme Soviet. In this speech, Molotov denounces the role that Great Britain and France played in it all. He fiercely states that the Soviet Union would never be ‘a weapon of the Anglo-Anglo-French Imperialists I their struggle for world hegemony’. Meanwhile, the British are, together with the French, quite seriously considering the bombing of the Soviet Baku oil fields ion the Caucasus, also known as Operation Pike. Several recon fights are conducted this week, as the Allies hope that depriving the Soviets of their oil will halt the Soviet and German war machine. With this in mind, Molotovs speech makes much more sense. He warns the Soviet that the British build up in the Levant might ‘reflect objectives antagonistic towards the Soviet Union’. In Molotovs rhetoric as well as in the Soviet press, Britain – more so than France, is framed as potential enemy number one. Check out: Operation Pike: Anglo-French plan to bomb the Soviet Union for more information. Check out: Report on the Foreign Policy of the Government by Molotov on March 29, 1940Battle of the Atlantic
Two freighters depart from Halifax on 29 March 1940 with cargoes of US warplanes. The two ships are specially escorted by French cruiser Algerie. Convoy OB 119 departs from Liverpool, Convoy OG 24F forms off Gibraltar. Admiralty announced that German bombers were again attempting to attack convoys in North Sea, but were driven off without doing any damage. One German raider was shot down in sea off coast off Northumberland. Air War over Europe
RAF fighters shoot down a Luftwaffe Bf 109, part of a larger formation, near Metz. Luftwaffe bombers make a sweep across the North Sea but make no successful attacks. French Military
French author Captain Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, an experienced pilot, makes the first reconnaissance flight over Germany in a Bloch 174 light bomber. British Military
Based upon the decisions taken at the Allied Supreme War Council on 28 March, the British General Staff begins furious planning. Plan R4 covers reaction to a German attempt to invade Norway. It provides that the British will: - Use the 1st Cruiser Squadron to land an infantry brigade at Navik and another battalion at Trondheim, both to come from Rosyth; - Other, regular transport ships will take a battalion to Stavanger and another to Bergen; - The RN ships will be screened by other RN ships but have no air cover whatsoever. The possibility that the Germans might arrive before the British, and in greater force, is not part of Plan R4. William Shirer, writing from Berlin, notes that "Germany can't stay in war without Swedish iron, shipped via Norway - which the UK may cut off." Royal Air force
Pilot Prince Alexander Obolensky, a famous rugby star, perishes during a crash-landing of his plane in East Anglia. Air Marshal Charles Portal is named the head of Bomber Command. There is a laudatory article in the UK magazine "Flight" saying that the new Supermarine Spitfire is "popular with pilots, dreaded by Germans." The Spitfire is only just now arriving in a few RAF front-line squadrons, the main defending RAF fighter is the Hawker Hurricane. Norwegian/German Relations
Everybody is confused by the Allied intentions towards Norway. Norwegian Foreign Minister Halvdan Koht sends a message to Berlin with a tacit message for the Germans: “The British apparently did not want to take upon themselves the responsibility for openly violating Norwegian territory and Norwegian territorial waters without cause, and for carrying out warlike operations in them.” The German Foreign Minister's representative in Oslo, Dr. Curt Breuer, comments on this assessment by Koht: “The future will show whether Foreign Minister Koht sees things quite right. It definitely appears, however, as I have frequently pointed out, that the British have no intentions of landing, but that they want to disturb shipping in Norwegian territorial waters perhaps, as Koht thinks, in order to provoke Germany. Of course, it is also possible that the British behavior of last week, which I have pointed out as well, will grow into more or less regular and increasing interference in territorial waters to attack our ore traffic off the Norwegian coast. .... The firm intention of Norway to maintain her neutrality and to insure that Norway's neutrality rules be respected can be accepted as a fact.”
Nobody outside of Oslo really cares too much about Norway's neutrality at this point. German Government
The German government released documents which it claims were seized during the invasion of Poland last year. The documents, called The White Papers, or as a collection called The White Book, suggest America has been involved in provoking war in Europe. The documents span a number of years, starting in 1938. In that year, the Polish Ambassador in Washington, Count Jerzy Potocki, apparently wrote to the Polish Foreign Secretary saying that Jewish organizations’ influence over the US government is growing. He also explained that Jewish propaganda is portraying Germany and Hitler in a negative light. The ambassador went on to claim that America is eager for war, and that the western powers are being encouraged to rearm by influential Jewish groups. Holocaust
Only Jewish doctors may now treat Jewish patients. Dr. Zygmunt Klukowsk in Poland ponders the obvious: "What do we do when there are no Jewish doctors? I had a difficult situation..." China The Chinese 8th War Army continues attacking around Patzepu, Hsishantzu, Hsichiao, and Manko.
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Post by lordroel on Mar 30, 2019 15:34:51 GMT
Day 211 of World War II, March 30th 1940
YouTube clip (Allies Plan to Hit the Nazis Where it Hurts)
Battle of the Atlantic
Convoy SL 26 departs from Freetown.
U-122 (Korvettenkapitän Hans-Günther Looff) is commissioned.
Air War over Europe
The Anglo-French Supreme War Council is still considering bombing the Soviet oil fields of Baku upon the outbreak of hostilities, though they have passed on French Prime Minister's recommendation that it be done now. Its code name is Operation Pike, and its aim is to collapse the Soviet oil industry. The plan as developing would be to bomb the oil fields in Baku, Batum and Grozny from bases in Iran, Turkey and Syria under "Western Air Plan 106."
The Soviets have some inkling about all this, perhaps from spies within one or both of the Allied governments. The Soviet authorities of the Soviet Transcaucasian Military District are conducting desk exercises on how to respond to such an attack. The plan is to start a counter-offensive toward Erzurum and Tebriz.
Plan Pike, while somewhat far-fetched and lacking political backing, is not complete fantasy. Today, as a test, a British reconnaissance plane - painted in civilian colors - flies from Iraq to the Soviet oil fields on the Absheron Peninsula and takes photographs. It attracts no Soviet notice.
Along the Swiss border, both Germany and France now have spotlights set up marking the Swiss border in order to avoid accidental bombing of neutral Swiss towns. It is a rare example of wartime cooperation by opposing sides.
French Government
French Minister of Defense Édouard Daladier is not in agreement with Operation Royal Marine, Winston Churchill's pet plan to mine the Rhine River. He persuades the French war cabinet to reject the operation. The British respond by threatening to suspend Operation Wilfred, the mining of Norwegian coastal waters.
British Government
British Shipping Minister Sir John Gilmour, 2nd Baronet passes away at age 63.
First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill warns neutrals about the course of the war, which he expects to intensify.
The Ministry of Agriculture reports that the effort to bring more land into cultivation has resulted in 1,370,000 extra acres of tillage had been plowed, versus the overall target of 2,000,000 acres.
Turkey
The Turkish government shuts down Turkische Post, a German newspaper, in Istanbul.
China
The Japanese establish their puppet Chinese government in Nanking. Wang Ching-wei, a former colleague and rival of Chiang Kai-shek with a long history in Nationalist politics, leads the government as President of the Executive Yuan and Chairman of the National Government. Such governments rarely have any power at all and generally, are ignored by foreign governments. They are used as propaganda devices until they are no longer needed, then discarded. The government's official name is Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China. The Japanese have been under severe military pressure since the opening of the Chinese Winter Offensive in late December, and feel this might help stabilize their reign.
The guiding principles of the new government are the Three Principles of pan-Asianism, anti-Communism, and opposition to Chiang Kai-shek. Wang is in contact with the German and Italian governments and is interesting in joining the Tripartite Pact between Japan, Germany, and Italy, also known as the Axis.
On the battlefield, the Japanese at Wuyuan begin to retreat under pressure. The city does not yet switch hands. The Chinese 8th War Area attacks around Patzepu, Hsishantzu, Hsichiao, and Manko. The Chinese claim they have killed 3400 Imperial Japanese Army troops, but the Japanese respond that they actually have lost only 13 troops while killing 1500 Chinese.
There are Japanese air attacks on Chinn, Yushan, Shangjao, and Yingtanchen.
In a sign of the sacrifices being made by the Japanese people due to the China invasion, Japanese Prime Minister Mitsumasa Yonai visits children whose fathers have perished in China.
German Homefront
The Nazis are - as always - concerned with racial purity. There are 300,000 Polish workers in German factories. This causes concern about possible "mixing." From now on, they are required to wear a "P" badge or face 6-weeks imprisonment. While not the same as the Yellow Star of David being forced upon Jews in Poland, it is an attempt to reinforce the Poles' second-class status.
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Post by lordroel on Mar 31, 2019 16:54:35 GMT
Day 212 of World War II, March 31st 1940
Battle of the Atlantic
The Atlantic: It was a quiet week to end March 1940 in the endless Battle of the Atlantic, with only one British ship, the SS Daghestan of 5,742 tons, lost. For the entire month of March 1940, losses are:
-45 Allied ships
-107,009 tons
-3 U-boats sunk.
The German armed merchant cruisers (Hilfskreuzer) Atlantis, Orion and Widder set out on 31 March 1940 from Kiel for extended solo missions. It is the first mission for the Atlantis. They will be resupplied at sea in the same fashion as happened with the Admiral Graf Spee. World War I-era battleship SMS Hessen acts as an icebreaker and escort for the first part of their journey. These ships are heavily armed and designed to appear as neutral vessels, complete with actual false flags.
In one of those odd incidents that happen in the real world but not in war games, Oberleutnant zur See Hans-Wilhelm Behrens somehow falls overboard from U-43 and drowns.
Convoy OA 120G departs from Scotland, and Convoy OB 120 departs from Liverpool, while Convoy HX 31 departs from Halifax.
Air War over Europe
Luftwaffe planes attack the Shetlands and the Orkneys, but drop no bombs. A Spitfire from Coastal Command patrolling the east coast of Suffolk damages a Dornier Do 17, which limps home. A Belgian fishing trawler fired upon a German bomber.
There also are interventions by Allied fighters over France. Hurricane fighters chase off a Dornier Do 17 at maximum altitude, 19,000 feet.
Luftwaffe Bf 109s intercept French Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 fighters. The MS 406 is France's best fighter. The Messerschmitts inflict heavy damage on the French fighters near Morhange.
Western Front
The British 44th Infantry Division begins shipping to France. The New York Times is cynical about the course of the war: "As 8th month of war begins, it seems likely April will be much like March, with no large-scale military operations." It illustrates the parochialism of American newspapers and US society in general, as the Finns and Chinese certainly would disagree that there have been no "large-scale military operations."
Anglo-French Relations: The French are not interested in mining the Rhine River, which is a favored project of the British. In return, the British call off the mining of the Norwegian territorial waters, Operation Wilfred. The two sides are annoyed with the other for not supporting their respective pet projects, and the interesting feature is that each nation only wants the project completed that the other would actually implement. Thus, the two separate operations have basically become quid pro quos for each other. Chamberlain explodes in frustration at the French unwillingness to implement Operation Royal Marine in the Rhine and tells Charles Corbin, the French ambassador, "No mines, no Narvik!"
Estonia
The Soviets have been occupying bases in Estonia per the agreement reached in 1939. Tallinn now reports that the Soviets are demanding immediate possession of Baltiski, which the Soviets have leased as of 1 May.
Finland
The Soviets waste no time incorporating the newly acquired territories in Finland into the Soviet construct. The Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic is created, with the territory including the Karelian Isthmus and the cities of Viipuri and Sortavala.
British Homefront
As noted previously, the British government has grown concerned about the increasing number of evacuated children and others who have returned to vulnerable cities over the past six months. While 1 million schoolchildren were evacuated in the days following 3 September 1939, only about 300,000 remain in country reception areas.
First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill gives a radio speech, "Dwelling in the Cage with the Tiger," the title being the dilemma of small neutral countries living with Germany nearby. The main thrust of the talk is aimed at the Dutch and the other neutral nations in the path of German expansionism. He castigates them for not joining the Allied war effort sooner:
It might have been a very short war, perhaps, indeed, there might have been no war, if all the neutral States, who share our conviction upon fundamental matters, and who openly or secretly sympathize with us, had stood together at one signal and in one line.
Churchill makes the point their attempt to coexist with the Nazis, in fact, is condemning them to servitude:
But the fact is that many of the smaller States of Europe are terrorized by Nazi violence and brutality into supplying Germany with the material of modern war, and this fact may condemn the whole world to a prolonged ordeal with grievous, unmeasured consequences in many lands.
Churchill broadly hints that the time for respecting international law has passed:
"There could be no justice if in a moral struggle the aggressor tramples down every sentiment of humanity, and if those who resist him remain entangled in the tatters of violated legal conventions."
It is a popular address, and Winston Churchill is one of the great orators of his time and any other time. When looked at closely, the speech betrays barely concealed cynicism about the futility of trying to find accommodation with the Reich. It also betrays a sense that the war is descending into unique savagery and lawlessness. One can liken his prescription to, fight fire with fire.
Separately, the British government institutes paper rationing for publishing and printing companies.
Italy
Mussolini has an audience with King Victor Emmanuel and informs him that Italy will ally with Germany and fight a "parallel" war against the Allies.
Iraq
Rashid Ali al-Gailani becomes Prime Minister. This is a pro-Axis change, as Ali is considered anti-British.
China: The Japanese complete their withdrawal from Wuyuan toward Anpei and Paotou. The Chinese 8th War Area does not occupy the city yet.
The new Japanese puppet government of China headed by Wang Ching-wei officially invites Japan to occupy China. Germany and Italy quickly recognize the new government.
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Post by lordroel on Apr 1, 2019 17:54:01 GMT
Day 213 of World War II, April 1st 1940
Battle of the Atlantic
The German armed merchant cruiser Atlantis disguises itself as the 5,114 Soviet fleet auxiliary Kim and, escorted by torpedo boats Leopard and Wolf along with U-37, bolts for the North Atlantic.
Convoy OA 121 departs from Southend, Convoy OB 121 departs from Liverpool.
HMS Rapid, a R class destroyer, is ordered today.
Air War over Europe
The RAF conducts an armed reconnaissance of the North Sea on 1 April 1940 and attacks enemy patrol boats. One aircraft does not return.
Luftwaffe Junkers Ju 88 bombers attack British ships. One is shot down.
While some of its planes already have gone on operations, today is the official establishment of No. 75 New Zealand Squadron of the RAF.
Western Front
There is heavy German artillery fire in the Saar region.
German Military
Hitler set the date of the Denmark and Norway invasion to be 9 Apr 1940. Hitler allocates 6 divisions (including specialist mountain infantry and paratroops) 20 light tanks and 3 experimental Neubaufahrzeug heavy tanks for Norway, plus 2 divisions for Denmark. Almost every available naval vessel will be used to transport or protect these troops. Luftwaffe will provide air support and chase off Royal Navy ships trying to intercede. This is in contrast to the small, mainly reserve, force the British intend to send to Norway without air cover.
Command changes occur among the front-line units. Oblt. Harry von Bülow-Bothkamp, Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 77 is appointed Kommodore of JG 2 in place of Oblt. Gerd von Massow. Hptm. Karl Hentschel is made Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 77 in place of Major von Bülow-Bothkamp. Major Friedrich Vollbracht, Gruppenkommandeur of II./ZG 26, is appointed Kommodore of the newly formed Stab./ZG 2. Hptm. Ralph von Rettberg is appointed Gruppenkommandeur of II./ZG 26 in his place.
Command promotions are also made at OKL. The Generalinspekteur der Jagdflieger and Generalluftzeugmeister Generalleutnant Ernst Udet is promoted to General der Flieger.
British Military
Almost alone among the senior British military, British Royal Navy Vice Admiral Max Horton (commanding Royal Navy home-based submarines) anticipates a German invasion of Norway. He orders 12 submarines (including 2 French and 1 Polish vessels) to patrol the southern North Sea and the seas around Denmark, to intercept warships from naval bases German coast.
French Government
A government decree authorizes construction of a massive navey of 53 warships: 2 battleships, 1 aircraft carrier, 3 cruisers, 27 destroyers and 20 submarines. Such a navy typically would take at least a decade or two to complete under favorable conditions.
The French Minister of Information Frossard arrives in London to consult with Sir John Reith, legendary former head of the BBC and Minister of Information in the Chamberlain government.
Norway
The Norwegian government receives a report from its ambassador in Berlin that a German invasion is imminent. The report is filed.
Berlin issues a statement that it will take "suitable countermeasures" if iron ore shipments flowing through Norway are interrupted.
Sweden
The Swedish government makes a presentation in the legislature (the Riksdag) regarding diplomatic steps taken in connection with the Winter War.
South Africa
The South African assembly passes a Jan Smuts War Measures Act 75-55. It provides for white troops to be sent to North Africa, while black troops serve as auxiliaries.
British Homefront
The Home Secretary appoints 12 regional advisory committees to review and reconsider the cases of aliens in England due to the war, the treatment of whom has been the subject of public outcry.
The British Broadcasting Corporation today estimated that more than 60% of all British wireless listeners tune in to Lord Haw Haw’s daily broadcast from Germany. It is estimated that 16 million Britons listen to the BBC 9 o’clock news on the radio each day, and 6 million then tune in to Lord Haw Haw’s broadcast immediately after.
China
Chinese 8th War Area guerilla forces and cavalry column occupy Wuyuan. The 11th Provisional Division recaptures Wu-pu-lang-kou. The Japanese continue retreating east.
In the Battle of South Kwangsi, the Japanese 22nd Army retains Nanning while the Chinese regroup.
German occupied Poland
Germany rejects a Vatican request to send humanitarian aid to Poland and for the placement of observers to oversee conditions there.
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Post by lordroel on Apr 2, 2019 14:55:33 GMT
Day 214 of World War II, April 2nd 1940From World War II Realtime Instagram Account
Adolf Hitler officially issues an order for the Wehrmacht to invade and occupy Denmark and Norway on 9 April 1940, 7 days from now. They are to execute the already prepared plans for operation Weserübung. Chief of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht General Wilhelm Keitel writes a letter for German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, for the first time informing him of the plans to invade Denmark and Norway. Ribbentrop is supposed to prepare and coordinate the diplomatic aspect – basically to think of excuses to justify the invasion. In the morning of the 3rd, Keitel will write to Ribbentrop once more, to ‘request that the number of persons participating in the preparations be restricted to the fewest possible.’ The mistrust in their own institutions is made very clear by the fact that Ribbentrop will not receive both these letters before the 7th of April, in fear of them falling in the wrong hands. The Germans do have some leaks in their bureaucratic system. For example, General Hans Oster, deputy of the German Military Intelligence Bureau (Abwehr) sent information about the planned invasion of the Netherlands to Bert Sas, the Dutch military attache in Berlin several times already. Air War over Europe
The Luftwaffe, with Operation Weserubung in the offing, begins to up its attacks on British North Sea infrastructure. It stages a raid on Scapa Flow at dusk, then attacks the lighthouses at Duncansby Head and Stroma Island. Little damage is done. Luftwaffe bombers attack convoys in the North Sea. Three Hurricanes tangle with Heinkel He 111s flying at wavetop level. RAF fighters engage nine Messerschmitt Bf 109s over the Western front. The Luftwaffe reportedly loses five fighters, two to the French. Battle of the Atlantic
U-38 (Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Liebe) torpedoes and sinks 1,540 ton Finnish freighter Signe at 00:21. All 19 crew perish. The Signe is a straggler from Convoy HN-23A and close enough for the convoy escort HMS Sikh to hear the explosion, but it can do nothing. Convoy OA 122 departs Southend, Convoy HG 25F departs Gibraltar, Convoy HX 32 departs Halifax. The Germans launch destroyer Z26. United States Navy in Pacific
The US Navy holds major maneuvers in Hawaiian waters. It is Fleet Problem XXI, and it posits two fleets of roughly equal size. One fleet is concentrated and the other dispersed. DIfferent types of engagements are practiced, including protecting convoys, seizing bases and fleet actions. Anglo/Danish Relations
Great Britain and Denmark sign a trade agreement. Netherlands Homefront
Netherlands Army units go on full alert along the German border - again. Romanian Homefront
Children 7-18, some 4 million of them, to be impressed into farmwork in order to maintain food exports to Germany. There are labor shortages due to recent increases in the military. French Homefront
After a brutal winter, the weather is beginning to turn warmer on the Continent. Author Eugen Weber writes "Paris has never looked more radiant!" However, he also notes that the city is locked down due to the war, with British soldiers everywhere and monuments surrounded by sandbags. British Homefront
Minister of Food Lord Woolton promises to keep food prices low (albeit via rationing) and encourages everyone to dig Victory Gardens: "Dig for victory!"
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Post by lordroel on Apr 3, 2019 14:05:02 GMT
Day 215 of World War II, April 3rd 1940From World War II Realtime Instagram AccountThe British cabinet approves Operation Wilfred. This is the brainchild of Winston Churchill, who has just become chairman of the Military Coordinating Committee in a reshuffle of Neville Chamberlain’s war ministry. Churchill has been trying to work out a way to get the Royal Navy on the offensive since the beginning of the war and this operation has occupied his mind for a long time. The plan is mine the channel between mainland Norway and her islands to stop the transport of iron ore from Sweden to Germany. Iron ore is vital to the German war economy, the country has few natural resources of its own and needs the material to produce steel. The idea is that the mined channel will force German ships to go into open waters where they can be easily intercepted by the Royal Navy. Britain knows that this operation will provoke a strong response from Germany so has approved a related operation called R4. This plan involves the military occupation of Southern Norway in case Germany responds with its own military action to make sure its shipping route stays open. All this would of course violate the neutrality of the Scandinavian countries, but Britain has already shown it is not really concerned about that with the Altmark affair. Wilfred and R4 are both high-risk operations and time may be running out for the Allies. As we know, Hitler approved plans yesterday for the invasion of Denmark and Norway. Is there enough time for Churchill’s plan to work? Operation Weserubung
Some of the Norwegian ports are several days' sail, so the first Kriegsmarine ships participating in the operation sail today, 3 April 1940. Almost nobody is told the destination, they could be invading England for all the grunts know. There are 11 task forces for the invasion, each directed at a different major city such as Oslo, Copenhagen and Trondheim. Two pocket battleships, 3 heavy and 4 light cruisers, 14 destroyers and 31 U-boats provide cover at sea, with constant Luftwaffe protection. Colonel Hans Oster of the Abwehr, a key figure in the resistance, informs contacts in the Vatican and Holland about Operation Weserubung. On the Allied side, there remains much sentiment for an Allied invasion of Norway. However, the inefficiencies of war by committee surface, as the French and British cannot agree on details or, in fact, a plan at all. Leaks to the British press also have given the public the impression that it is only the British who are interested in invading Norway, whereas there is no hint that the Germans have the same idea and are actually acting on it. The Times, in one of those later-awkward editorials, proclaims "All Scandinavia breathes easier today" because the threat of Allied or German military intervention "is largely over." Air War over Europe
Six Junkers Ju 88s attack a convoy in the North Sea without doing damage. Sunderland flying boats intercept them and shoot one Junkers down, and forces a second to make a crash-landing in Norway, where the crew is interned. The first Supermarine Spitfire is lost on home defense duties when it goes down while attacking a Heinkel He 111 off the Yorkshire coast. The Heinkel also crashes. There are battles along the border in France. Battle of the Atlantic
With U-boats pulled off normal patrols to support Operation Weserubung, there is little activity in the Battle of the Atlantic. Polish submarine Orzeł, now part of Royal Navy's 2nd Submarine Flotilla, under the command of Vice-Admiral Max Horton, leaves Rosyth to take up station off Kristiansand. Convoy OG 24 forms at Gibraltar. Royal Air Force
The RAF turns to an age-old solution to inform base of information from reconnaissance planes without breaking radio silence: homing pigeons. The RAF has a fleet of 500,000 homing pigeons to carry messages back to the UK. The homing pigeons are amazingly reliable and can fly through all sorts of whether and deliver the mail, though at times it takes a few days. British Government
Admiral of the Fleet Lord Chatfield, who is Minister for Co-ordination of Defense, resigns. A new committee headed by First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill will be composed of Service Ministers. This Military Coordinating Committee will replace Chatfield's role. General Sir Hugh Elles is appointed National ARP (civil defense) Controller, while Lord Woolton officially becomes the first Minister of Food. In all, there are 11 ministerial changes. The principal result of this re-shuffling is that Churchill's power expands to include control over some Army and Royal Air Force operations as well as just the Royal Navy - of which he retains complete control. War Crimes
Pursuant to the Politburo order of 5 March 1940, the Soviet NKVD begins executing captured Polish officers in the Katyn Forest and other places such as the Kalinin and Kharkiv prisons. Canada Alexander Cambridge, Earl of Athlone, replaces the deceased Lord Tweedsmuir (John Buchan) to become the 16th Governor-General of Canada. Luxembourg
The government provides all 300,000 residents with an evacuation plan in case of "emergency." China
The Chinese capture Xishanzui (Hsishantzu) as they pursue the Japanese retreating from Wuyuan, thus ending the Second Battle of Wuyuan. German Homefront
The Nazis discontinue old-age pensions first established by Bismarck, rationalizing that after final victory, the "plutocrats in Paris and London" will take care of that.
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Post by lordroel on Apr 4, 2019 15:05:55 GMT
Day 216 of World War II, April 4th 1940
From World War II Realtime Instagram Account
British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain makes a speech to the Conservative party at the Westminster Central Hall in London. He states that he is quit confident of victory against Nazi Germany. Additionally, he claims that his government has restored their strength by improving upon their initial weaknesses, indecisiveness and unpreparedness. He compares this to the German effort, causes the most notable part of his speech to be the part in which he claims that Hitler has ‘missed the bus’. Chamberlain states that ‘The result was that when war did break out German preparations were far ahead of our own, and it was natural then to expect that the enemy would take advantage of his initial superiority to make an endeavour to overwhelm us and France before we had time to make good our deficiencies. Is it not a very extraordinary thing that no such attempt was made? Whatever may be the reason—whether it was that Hitler thought he might get away with what he had got without fighting for it, or whether it was that after all the preparations were not sufficiently complete—however, one thing is certain: he missed the bus.’ As it seems, Chamberlain is quite confident that the British and French won’t be overwhelmed any longer. Now, in hindsight this might seem like a naive statement. However, at this point, the coming successes of the German Army are hard to predict. Yes, the Allies have some trouble in their organisation and defensive strategy, but the German plans are far from risk free, and do not in any way guarantee a smooth victory. Check out episode 27 of our World War Two YouTube series to learn more about the German plans for the Invasion of France. Operation Weserubung
German transports have set sail for the far reaches of Norway as Operation Weserubung, the German invasion of Denmark and Norway, begins. The date of the invasion is set for 9 April 1940. Battle of the Atlantic
Operations remain relatively quiet - too quiet - because the U-boats are aiding Operation Weserubung instead of attacking merchant ships. The Norwegian passenger liner "Mira" reaches Norway after its 107 passengers and crew have suffered numerous (failed) Luftwaffe attacks during its 6-day crossing. Convoy OA 123GF departs from Southend, Convoy OB 123 departs from Liverpool. Air War over Europe
The RAF sends up bombers to attack German destroyers at the Jade estuary at Wilhelmshaven. RAF Sunderland flying boats encounter six Stukas (Ju 87) over the North Sea. They shoot one down and force another to crash-land in Norway. Western Front
It is raining heavily all along the front, so little action. Royal Navy
Admiral Horton continues sending his submarines to patrol on the likeliest routes from Germany to Norway. HMS Snapper departs today from Harwich to the Skagerrak. Horner also commands allied submarines, so he sends French subs Amazone and Antelope from Harwich to patrol the Frisian Islands and Heligoland. First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill is flummoxed by the French intransigence about cooperating with mining activities in the Rhine (Operation Royal Marine). He flies to Paris and makes a decision: "[Operation] Wilfred should go forward notwithstanding the French refusal of Royal Marine (mining of the Rhine)." The British War Cabinet concurs. German/Italian Relations
Hitler authorizes staff talks between the OKW (military high command) and Italian Commando Supremo. French Government
The Minister of Marine reports that the French Navy has destroyed 23 U-boats during the conflict. In actual fact, the number is well below a dozen, and none of those were due to the French Navy. The government sentences 34 French communists to five years in prison. Eighty others receive 4-year suspended sentences. The charge is illegally attempting to reorganize the banned Communist Party. It is now illegal, subject to the death penalty for treason, to read or spread communist or anti-war propaganda. British Government
The Chancellor of the Exchequer announces that the government has set up a special trading corporation backed by the Treasury to foster economic penetration of the Balkans, which trade Germany dominates. Soviet Government
The NKVD reports to Molotov: out of the 22,000 Polish officers, 395 are "of value" and thus should be spared. The rest should be liquidated per the Politburo's decision of 5 March 1940. The way to get on the "of value" is to be an informer in one of the camps, or to have some foreign connection that would make their sudden absence noticed abroad. German Homefront
Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering broadcasts an appeal to the nation's young to behave with decency and morality "not only in the light of day but also in the blackout." ChinaThe Chinese 8th War Area, having recovered Wuyuan and other objectives, changes to the defensive. The Winter Offensive is now for all intents and purposes over. It was a huge success, bringing down the Japanese government and sending Japanese forces reeling. Summary of the Chinese Winter Offensive: - Japanese military casualties: 50,000. - Chinese military casualties: 150,000. - Chinese civilian casualties: unknown.
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Post by lordroel on Apr 5, 2019 14:43:48 GMT
Day 217 of World War II, April 5th 1940Operation Weserubung
Operation Wilfred, the British mining of Norwegian territorial waters, gets underway when British minelayers set out at 06:30. British battlecruiser HMS Renown, destroyers HMS Inglefield, Ilex, Imogen, Isis, Greyhound, Glowworm, Hyperion, Hero & minelayer HMS Teviotbank depart Scapa Flow to mine the Norwegian coast. German warships are on their way to Norway, many carrying armed troops. They are disguised as UK vessels, including actual false flags and manning their radio sets with English speakers who identify themselves as "British ship." Numerous persons sympathetic to the Allies have learned of Operation Weserubung and try to warn the Norwegian/Danish governments and/or the Allies. The Norwegian ambassador in Berlin warns both his own government and Copenhagen. The British also receive quite specific warnings, including the key information that Narvik is on the docket. Danish Ambassador in Berlin Herluf Zahle sends a memorandum to his Foreign Minister dated 5 April 1940 and marked "strictly confidential" which notes that there is "disturbing circumstantial evidence" of German war preparations aimed at the neutral Danish and Norwegian states. The British and French hand Norway and Sweden diplomatic notes containing "admonitions" that the Allies will take the steps necessary to deprive the Germans of Norwegian resources regardless of whether Oslo approves. This obviously is related to Operation Wilfred, but the Norwegians misinterpret this to imply that the Allies - not the Germans - are about to invade. Battle of the Atlantic
It is another quiet day on the Atlantic as the U-boat fleet has been re-oriented to protect Kriegsmarine transports around Norway. British submarine HMS Spearfish departs from Blyth to join the ring of British and allied submarines around Norway. Convoy HG 25 departs from Gibraltar. Soviet Military
First flight of the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-1 at the Khodynka Aerodrome in Moscow with chief test pilot Arkadij Ekatov at the controls. Photo: The first experimental I-200.
 British Military
General Ironside, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, echoes Prime Minister Chamberlain's "missed the bus" speech of 4 April at a press conference: "Thank goodness Germany didn't attack in the first 7 months of the war - we've now made a fine army." He also gives some unsolicited advice: "German army must do something, or its morale will crack. I believe the great silence is worse to the Germans than anything else." Swedish Military
The Swedish Anti-Profanity League donates 1500 signs for barracks, which state: "Don't curse. Cursing proves a lack of culture." Anglo/French Relations
Georges Monnet, the French Minister of Blockade, arrives in London for talks with the British Minister of Economic Warfare, Ronald Cross. Soviet Occupied Poland
The Katyn Forest Massacre by Soviet troops against Polish officers is under way. Polish officers leaving prisons believe that they are being taken home to Poland. Instead they are taken by train and bus to the Katyn Forest at bayonet point. Some prisoners are killed in their cells and then their corpses are taken to the forest. The corpses are stacked like wood, feet to head, until they fill each van. About 1,000 are killed on the first day, over 20,000 left. Pits are dug, and the corpses are thrown into them. British Homefront
Captured German merchant ship Uhenfels, renamed renamed Empire Ability, is brought up the river Thames. It was captured in November 1939.
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Post by lordroel on Apr 6, 2019 17:01:28 GMT
Day 218 of World War II, April 6th 1940YouTube clip (Germans and British make their way to the North)Operation Weserubung
The main German invasion force embarks for Norway. - Kriegsmarine Marine Gruppe 1 departs from Cuxhaven for Narvik (10 destroyers carrying 2000 troops, plus battleships Scharnhorst & Gneisenau); - Kriegsmarine Marine Gruppe 2 departs from Wesermünde for Trondheim (cruiser Admiral Hipper & 4 destroyers carrying 1700 troops). - The Operation Wilfred minelaying squadron is approaching the Norwegian coast between Trondheim and Narvik. Destroyer HMS Glowworm loses a crewman overboard and stops to find him in heavy seas. It gets separated from the main squadron. German warships are being used as fast transports. Admiral Hipper carries 1,700 Mountain Troops to Trondheim. Photo: Heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper embarking German troops for the invasion of Norway, April 6th 1940
 Troopship Nordmark sails into the Atlantic to wait off the coast of Norway. During the night, a sea transport squadron leaves from Stettin with 15 steamers. In is taking 3,900 troops, 742 horses, 942 armoured vehicles. It is headed for Oslo. Battle of the Atlantic
U-1 (Korvettenkapitän Jürgen Deecke) is missing and presumed lost as of this date. The leading theory is that it struck a British mine in Field No. 7. All hands are lost. U-50 (Kapitänleutnant Max-Hermann Bauer) strikes a mine and sinks in the North Sea north of the Terschelling. All 44 crew perish. U-59 (Kapitänleutnant Harald Jürst) torpedoes and sinks 2,118 ton Norwegian freighter Navarra 20 miles north of Scotland at 03:16. There are 14 survivors, picked up by Norwegian freighter Atlas, and 12 perish, six when their lifeboat capsizes. German auxiliary cruiser Orion leaves Germany under the command of Korvettenkapitän (later Fregattenkapitän) Kurt Weyher. She is disguised as a neutral freighter and headed to the Indian Ocean. British submarines HMS Truant and Seal depart from Rosyth, while HMS Tarpon heads for the Heligoland Bight. All are patrolling for German ships which are thought to be headed for Norway. British corvette HMS Gladiolus (Lt. Commander Harry M. C. Sanders) is commissioned. Convoy OA 124 departs from Southend, Convoy OB 124 departs from Liverpool, Convoy OG 25F forms at Gibraltar, Convoy HX 33 departs from Halifax. Air War over Europe
"Operation Nickel," the leaflet campaign against the Reich, concludes. Begun on the first day of the war, Operation Nickel dropped 65 million leaflets and propaganda disguised as "newspapers" since 3 September 1940. The operation has received some public disdain as that "inglorious confetti war." A French fighter squadron downs two Dornier Do 17 fast bombers over the Western Front. British Military
The French idea to bomb the Soviet oil fields remains alive at the highest Allied levels. Aerial photos recently taken of the fields arrive in London as the Generals decide whether to proceed with the operation. This is a "panacea" mission: "This will decide the entire course of the war." The tentative plan is to bomb 122 Soviet oil refineries over the course of 45 days. Soviet Occupied Poland
The executions of Polish officers continues. Polish prisoners are taken to certain locations to be killed. At Kalinin Prison, they kill 390 on the first day, 250 today. The NKVD executioners find that they must pace themselves, the pace of killings is too great. German occupied Poland
The persecution of Jews in Poland now extends to those in the provinces of Bohemia and Moravia (former Czechoslovakia). Jews are herded into synagogues as collection points, then put on trucks that will take them to Poland. German Homefront
"Feuertaufe" ("Baptism of Fire") premieres in Berlin. Hermann Goering attends. The film glorifies the Luftwaffe attacks on Poland. Its theme song is "Bombs Over England," which has the pungent line, "We drive the British lion to the last deciding battle.…" The government recalls all 1, 2, 5 & 10 pfenning coins, which contain scarce and valuable copper and bronze. The replacement coins are made of plentiful zinc. British Homefront
The Ministry of Food announces that the new rationing slogan is "The Kitchen Front."
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Post by lordroel on Apr 7, 2019 16:52:21 GMT
Day 219 of World War II, April 7th 1940
Operation Weserubung
Things get in motion, with the bulk of the fleet sailing. It is a standard Wehrmacht everything-that-can-float-goes operation, including school squadrons and unarmed trawlers and tugs.
The Kriegsmarine has tight control over the entire operation, which is divided into two commands: Marine Group Command East and Marine Group Command West, divided at the Skagerrak. Vice Admiral Lütjens covers the entire operation with the pocket battleships Scharnhorst (Kpt.z.S. Hoffmann) and Gneisenau (Kpt.z.S. Netzbandt). Gneisenau and Scharnhorst are scheduled to proceed from the operation into the Atlantic to raid merchant shipping.
The covering forces are divided up as follows:
- Warship Group 1 (Narvik): Commodore Bonte with the destroyers Wilhelm Heidkamp, Georg Thiele, Wolfgang Zenker, Bernd von Arnim, Erich Giese , Erich Koellner , Diether von Roeder, Hans Lüdemann, Hermann Künne and Anton Schmitt.
- Warship Group 2 (Trondheim): Kpt.z.S. Heye on the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper and the destroyers Paul Jacobi, Theodor Riedel, Bruno Heinemann and Friedrich Eckoldt .
- Warship Group 3 (Bergen): Rear Admiral Schmundt with the light cruisers Köln (Kpt.zS Kratzenberg) and Konigsberg (Kpt . Z . S. Ruhfus), the artillery training ship Bremse (FKpt. Förschner), the torpedo boats Leopard and Wolf, speedboat Begleitschiff Carl Peters with the S - boats S 19 , S 21 , S 22 , S 23 and S 24 and the auxiliary ships ship 9 / Koblenz and ship 18 / Old country. When approaching Stavanger, S 19 and S 21 collide, with the former heavily damaged.
- Warship Group 4 (Kristiansand South and Arendal): Kpt.z.S. Rieve on the light cruiser Karlsruhe, with the T - boats Luchs , Griffin, Eagle and speedboat Begleitschiff Tsingtao and S - boats S 9 , S 14 , S 16 , S 30 , S 31 , S 32 , S 33rd.
- Warship Group 5 (Oslo): Rear Admiral Kummetz with the heavy cruisers Blücher (Kpt.zS Woldag) and Lutzow (Kpt.zS Thiele), the light cruiser Emden (Kpt.zS Lange), the T - boats Albatross, Condor and Gull, the 1st Minesweeper Group (Kptlt. Forstmann) with R 17, R 18, R 19, R 20, R 21, R 22, R 23, R 24 and whale boats 7 and 8.
- Warship Group 6 (Egersund): KKpt Thoma (Captain of the 2nd Minesweeping flotilla) with the Minesweeping boats M 1 , M 2 , M 9 and M13.
- Warship Group 7 (Nyborg and Korsor): Kpt.z.S. Kleikamp on the battleship Schleswig - Holstein and the experimental boats Claus von Bevern, Nautilus, Pelikan, van Campinas (4541 BRT) and Cordoba (4611 BRT), 2 tugs and the B.S.O. - School Flotilla (FKpt . Dannenberg) with 6 trawlers.
- Warship Group 8 (Copenhagen): KKpt Schröder on the minelayer Hansestadt Danzig and the icebreaker Stettin, passing through the Belt of boats of 13 Vp. flotilla (Kptlt Fischer).
- Warship Group 9 (Middelfart and Beltbrücke): Kpt z p Leissner (FdV East) on the steamer Rugard (1358 BRT) , and the M - boats M 157, Otto Braun, Arkona, the R - boats R 6 and R 7, the outposts boats V 102 and V 103, the submarine hunter UJ 172 and the Navy tugs Passat and Monsoon.
- Warship Group 10 (Esbjerg and Nordby on Fanoe): Commodore Ruge (FdM West) with leading boat Queen Louise (F 6) , the M - boats M 4 , M 20 , M 84 , M 102 , the 12th Minensuchflottille (KKpt Marguth) M 1201 M 1202 M 1203 M 1204 M 1205 M 1206 M 1207 M 1208 (large trawlers) and the 2nd Räumbootflottille (KKpt . von Kamptz) with R 25 , R 26 , R 27 , R 28, R 29, R 30, R 31 and R 32.
- Warship Group 11 (Tyborön, the Limfjord): KKpt Berger (head of the 4th Minesweeping Flotilla) with M 61, M 89, M 110, M 111, M 134 and M 136 and the 3rd Minesweeping Flotilla directed from the escort ship (previously Kptlt Sexton) Groeben, with the R-boats R 33, R 34, R 35, R 36, R 37, R 38, R 39, R 40th
In Danish waters, there is coverage from the old Battleship Silesia (Kpt.z.S. Horstmann), which has sailed from Kiel.
U-boat coverage also is heavy. The Submarine Group (management of individual boats is handled directly by B.d.U. Rear Admiral Doenitz):
1 (West Fjord): U-25, U-46, U-51, U-64, U-65
2 (Trondheim): U-30, U-34
3 (Bergen): U-9, U-14, U-56, U-60, U-62
4 (Stavanger): U-1, U-4
5 (East Shetland): U-47, U-48, U-49, U-50, U-52, U-37 (later)
6 ( Pentland Firth): U-13 , U-19 , U-57, U-58 , U-59
8 (Lindesnes): U-2 , U-3 , U-5 , U-6
9 (Shetland Orkney): U-7, U-10
The U-boat operation turns into a failure with few successes due to torpedo failures. It is not yet understood that northern waters (higher latitudes) cause problems with torpedo depth control and their magnetic exploding processes. Operation Weserubung at least exposes the problem so that it can be corrected.
The transports carry three divisions, including the elite 3rd Mountain Division. There are three divisions allocated for a second wave.
Air support is provided by 500 transport planes, over 300 bombers and 100 fighters. The success of Luftwaffe coverage hinges upon quickly taking forward airfields in northern Denmark and Norway (Stavanger, for instance, is a major air base).
Battle of the Atlantic
The British are fairly clueless about the entire operation (except for some guesswork) until a British reconnaissance Hudson of 220 Squadron spots the German fleet (part of Marine Group 1) heading north at 13:25. Part of the fleet is in action already, to conduct Operation Wilfred, the mining of the Norwegian territorial waters.
However, once the Kriegsmarine fleet movement is seen, the Royal Navy springs into action. The problem, though, is that it misreads the situation as a massive attempt by the Kriegsmarine to sail into the Atlantic, not invade Norway. The British Fleet thus heads in the wrong direction, and the Home Fleet also feels it has more time than it does to intercept the Kriegsmarine ships. It leaves late in the day, not realizing that instead of heading towards them, the German ships will turn north and head away from them.
- Scapa Flow: At 21:15, Admiral Forbes, Commander-in-chief of the Home Fleet, sails from Scapa Flow with the battleships Rodney and Valiant, the battlecruiser Repulse, cruisers Sheffield and Penelope, and destroyers Somali, Matabele, Mashona, Bedouin, Punjabi, Eskimo, Kimberley, Kelvin, Kashmir and Jupiter. They are followed later by the French French cruiser Emile Bertin (Rear Admiral. Derrien) and the destroyers Maillé-Brézé and Tartu.
- Rosyth: Vice Admiral Edward Collins of the 1st Cruiser Squadron leaves in the afternoon with the cruisers Arethusa, Galatea and the destroyers Codrington, Griffin, Electra and Escapade. Several of the ships have been on convoy duty. Polish ships Blyskawica, Burza and Grom also sortie.
Among the effects of the British intelligence failure is that Collins at Rosyth disembarks the expeditionary troops that were allocated for Norway so that he can engage in this "sea battle." This makes the British unable to quickly land troops in response to the Wehrmacht landings.
Some convoys are recalled, as their escorts are needed and they will be denuded of protection, including HN 24 and ON 25. Admiral Layton, in command of ON 25, sends the cruisers Manchester, Southampton and the destroyers Janus, Javelin, Grenade and Eclipse to support the Home Fleet.
British submarines HMS Shark and Seawolf depart from Harwich to patrol off the Dutch coast. HMS Clyde and Thistle depart from Scapa Flow to patrol off Norway.
Convoy SL 27 departs from Freetown for Liverpool.
Air War over Europe
Luftwaffe patrols have increased over the Western front, perhaps to divert attention away from Scandinavia. The RAF reports downing five Bf 109s.
A flight of Bf 109s encounters RAF fighters over the North Sea and downs two RAF planes, losing one of their own.
During the afternoon, after the sighting by the Hudson, the RAF sends 12 Blenheims and 24 Wellingtons to attack the German fleet heading to Norway, but they make no hits.
US Navy
While the British and German fleets are on a collision course, the only US Navy activity is an attempt by destroyer USS Twiggs to tow the Norwegian freighter Spind off of some rocks about six miles from Cape San Antonio. However, it fails, while salvage tug Warbler comes along and manages the job.
Separately, USS J. Fred Talbott leaves the Panama Canal Zone on a humanitarian mission. It has a rendezvous at sea with Japanese passenger liner Arimasan Maru to help a passenger in trouble. The destroyer transfers its medical officer to the Japanese ship and then returns to base.
German occupied Poland
The Hans Frank government expels all foreigners, including the International Red Cross.
China
The Japanese puppet government in Nanking announces conscription of all men 19 and older. It will begin in the new year.
French Homefront
A wreck is discovered at Rouen from the 1790s, with high hopes that it is a pirate ship. However, nothing of value is found inside.
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