A German destroyer and troop transport ship sail up through the melting ice of the Trondheimfjord and land mountain troops at Verdal and Kirknessvag, on the flank of General de Wiart’s 146th Brigade which retreats back to Vist. British and Norwegian base at Steinkjer is bombed into the ground, worsening 146th Brigade’s position.
Further South, Morgan’s 148th Brigade joins Norwegian positions around Lake Mjøsa which are being pummeled by German heavy artillery and 8 He111 bombers. However, 148th Brigade is swept up in retreat before they have dug in (or in some instances even arrived at the front). They set out at midnight on a 14 mile march over hilly, snow-bound lanes back to Lillehammer.
U-26 sinks British MV Cedarbank in supply convoy AP-1 (carrying motor transports, AA guns, ammunition and 75 tons of rations for 148th Brigade) 50 miles northwest of Ålesund, Norway (15 lives lost). 30 survivors are picked up by destroyer HMS Javelin and landed at Ålesund.
First American military casualty of WWII. Air attaché to American embassies in the Nordic countries, Captain Robert M. Losey, is killed observing Luftwaffe bombing attack on Dombås railway junction from the safety of a tunnel. http://www.afsa.org/fsj/dec03/cleverley.pdf
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Day 233 April 20, 1940
At 2.50 AM, Morgan’s 148th Brigade arrives in Lillehammer by train from Åndalsnes and moves South towards rapidly-crumbling Norwegian defensive positions either side of Lake Mjøsa.
The Allies lack of anti-aircraft guns and absence of air cover is exposed when Luftwaffe bombing obliterates Namsos, destroying supplies & equipment piled up on the single stone wharf. http://www.flickr.com/photos/30353421@N06/3218093191 http://www.flickr.com/photos/bangsundeveloped/3218094771/in/set-72157607833868488/
To provide some air support, RAF 263 Squadron flies 18 Gloster Gladiator biplanes (under Squadron Leader John Donaldson) to Scapa Flow, where Fleet Air Arm pilots land them on the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._263_Squadron_RAF
British War Cabinet cancels direct landings at Trondheim (Operation Hammer) fearing naval losses to German air attack and coastal batteries. However, they do not inform the Norwegians or French (or the British commanders on the flanks of Trondheim). General de Wiart’s 146th Brigade maintains dangerously exposed positions on Trondheimfjord to support the landings.
The Allies lack of anti-aircraft guns and absence of air cover is exposed when Luftwaffe bombing obliterates Namsos, destroying supplies & equipment piled up on the single stone wharf. http://www.flickr.com/photos/30353421@N06/3218093191 http://www.flickr.com/photos/bangsundeveloped/3218094771/in/set-72157607833868488/
To provide some air support, RAF 263 Squadron flies 18 Gloster Gladiator biplanes (under Squadron Leader John Donaldson) to Scapa Flow, where Fleet Air Arm pilots land them on the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._263_Squadron_RAF
British War Cabinet cancels direct landings at Trondheim (Operation Hammer) fearing naval losses to German air attack and coastal batteries. However, they do not inform the Norwegians or French (or the British commanders on the flanks of Trondheim). General de Wiart’s 146th Brigade maintains dangerously exposed positions on Trondheimfjord to support the landings.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Day 232 April 19, 1940
General de Wiart’s 146th Brigade joins Norwegian forces at Steinkjer, at the Northern end of the Trondheimfjord, and also pushes forward 10 km to Verdal. They are met by German 138th Gebirgsjäger Regiment, advancing North from Trondheim. This is the first engagement between British and German land forces.
Further South, Brigadier Morgan meets Norwegian General Ruge, at Ruge’s HQ in Øyer, near Lillehammer. German 196th Division takes the towns of Hamar and Elverum only 50 miles South. Morgan is persuaded to abandon his orders to move on Trondheim and instead instructs 148th Brigade to advance from Åndalsnes, 200 miles Southeast down the Gudbrandsdal to reinforce Ruge’s troops blocking the German advance from Oslo.
Overnight, 3 battalions of French Chasseurs Alpins (mountain infantry) arrive at Namsos, to reinforce 146th Brigade, but their skis, mules, trucks and anti-aircraft guns do not. When their skis do arrive, they lack straps and are useless.
3 prototype Neubaufahrzeug heavy tanks (35 tons, three turrets with 75 mm main and 37 mm secondary gun) arrive in Oslo and are paraded through the streets to intimidate the locals, before joining the drive to Trondheim.
The Fallschirmjägers at Dombås surrender, surrounded, outnumbered, out of ammunition and bombarded by a railway howitzer. Of 185 that parachuted in, only 45 survive. Oberleutnant Schmidt has remained in command despite serious wounds to the hip & stomach. He will survive and receive the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 24 May.
Further South, Brigadier Morgan meets Norwegian General Ruge, at Ruge’s HQ in Øyer, near Lillehammer. German 196th Division takes the towns of Hamar and Elverum only 50 miles South. Morgan is persuaded to abandon his orders to move on Trondheim and instead instructs 148th Brigade to advance from Åndalsnes, 200 miles Southeast down the Gudbrandsdal to reinforce Ruge’s troops blocking the German advance from Oslo.
Overnight, 3 battalions of French Chasseurs Alpins (mountain infantry) arrive at Namsos, to reinforce 146th Brigade, but their skis, mules, trucks and anti-aircraft guns do not. When their skis do arrive, they lack straps and are useless.
3 prototype Neubaufahrzeug heavy tanks (35 tons, three turrets with 75 mm main and 37 mm secondary gun) arrive in Oslo and are paraded through the streets to intimidate the locals, before joining the drive to Trondheim.
The Fallschirmjägers at Dombås surrender, surrounded, outnumbered, out of ammunition and bombarded by a railway howitzer. Of 185 that parachuted in, only 45 survive. Oberleutnant Schmidt has remained in command despite serious wounds to the hip & stomach. He will survive and receive the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 24 May.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Day 231 April 18, 1940
German 181st infantry division begins reinforcing Trondheim, arriving in numerous transport planes, one conventional transport ship and 2 submarines operating as undersea troop transports.
British 148th Brigade under Brigadier Morgan arrives in Åndalsnes overnight with orders to advance 150 miles Northeast to Trondheim. However, Morgan has also received opposite instructions (directly from Chief of the Imperial General Staff General Ironside) to support the Norwegian troops currently to the Southeast defending the Gudbrandsdal and Østerdal valleys leading up from Oslo.
German troops moving North out of Oslo are held up by Norwegian forces in the village of Bagn in the district of Valdres, approximately midway between Oslo and Bergen. http://hem.fyristorg.com/robertm/norge/history_section.html
Operation Hammer, the proposed landings at Trondheim, suffers a further setback. Brigadier Berney-Ficklin is put in charge but he is injured when his plane crashes en route to embark at Scapa Flow.
British submarine HMS Sterlet disappears, either sunk by German anti-submarine trawlers UJ-125, UJ-126 and UJ-128 or striking a mine.
British 148th Brigade under Brigadier Morgan arrives in Åndalsnes overnight with orders to advance 150 miles Northeast to Trondheim. However, Morgan has also received opposite instructions (directly from Chief of the Imperial General Staff General Ironside) to support the Norwegian troops currently to the Southeast defending the Gudbrandsdal and Østerdal valleys leading up from Oslo.
German troops moving North out of Oslo are held up by Norwegian forces in the village of Bagn in the district of Valdres, approximately midway between Oslo and Bergen. http://hem.fyristorg.com/robertm/norge/history_section.html
Operation Hammer, the proposed landings at Trondheim, suffers a further setback. Brigadier Berney-Ficklin is put in charge but he is injured when his plane crashes en route to embark at Scapa Flow.
British submarine HMS Sterlet disappears, either sunk by German anti-submarine trawlers UJ-125, UJ-126 and UJ-128 or striking a mine.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Day 230 April 17, 1940
Before dawn, cruiser HMS Suffolk shells German airbase at Sola Air Station, Stavanger, attempting to disrupt German air superiority over Norway. However, Suffolk’s Walrus seaplane, used to illuminate the airfield with flares & call in fire, is shot down. The shelling is inaccurate & does little damage, destroying only 4 German aircraft. Suffolk is bombed for 7 hours by German Ju88s & hit twice, reaching Scapa Flow the next morning nearly sinking (she will be out of action until February 1941).
British War Cabinet approves direct troop landings at Trondheim after naval bombardment of the coastal batteries (Operation Hammer), to be supported by land attacks from Namsos in the North and Åndalsnes in the South. General Hotblack is put in charge of Hammer but suffers a stroke the same day.
At 5.33 PM, U-13 sinks British steamer SS Swainby with one torpedo 25 miles north of Shetland Islands. 38 crew members make land in lifeboats at Nor Wick Bay, Shetlands.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Day 229 April 16, 1940
General Mackesy lands 24th Brigade at Harstat, 37 miles North of Narvik. These regular Army troops are equipped for peaceful landings, not for offensive actions against German troops, & they will remain here while reserve troops see action around Trondheim. Lack of preparation characterizes all Allied landings in Norway.
British 148th Territorial (reserve) Brigade under the command of Brigadier Harold Morgan has been waiting for 2 days at Rosyth, on cruisers HMS Galatea & Arethusa and a transport ship destined for Namsos. They are ordered to Åndalsnes instead, to form a southern pincer for the advance on Trondheim. They disembark & board cruisers HMS Carlisle & Curacoa, losing anti-aircraft guns, ammunition & half a battalion (due to lack of space on the cruisers). They do manage to keep their now-useless maps of Namsos.
British 15th Brigade is en route to Norway, having been withdrawn from British Expeditionary Force (they left France on April 15).
Torpedo duel between U-3 and British submarine HMS Porpoise 10 miles southwest of Egersund, Norway. Neither sub is damaged.
British 148th Territorial (reserve) Brigade under the command of Brigadier Harold Morgan has been waiting for 2 days at Rosyth, on cruisers HMS Galatea & Arethusa and a transport ship destined for Namsos. They are ordered to Åndalsnes instead, to form a southern pincer for the advance on Trondheim. They disembark & board cruisers HMS Carlisle & Curacoa, losing anti-aircraft guns, ammunition & half a battalion (due to lack of space on the cruisers). They do manage to keep their now-useless maps of Namsos.
British 15th Brigade is en route to Norway, having been withdrawn from British Expeditionary Force (they left France on April 15).
Torpedo duel between U-3 and British submarine HMS Porpoise 10 miles southwest of Egersund, Norway. Neither sub is damaged.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Day 228 April 15, 1940
British 146th Territorial Brigade (a reserve formation) begins arriving at Namsos, North of Trondheim, coming under the energetic command of the much-decorated one-eyed one-handed WWI veteran General Carton de Wiart VC DSO. General de Wiart is made aware of German air superiority when his Short Sunderland flying boat is attacked by a German fighter on landing (his aide is wounded and invalided home). He immediately orders 146th to advance South towards Trondheim.
Major-General Pierse Joseph Mackesy (in charge of land forces at Narvik) is not convinced to land troops directly at Narvik, despite the enthusiasm of naval commanders Vice-Admiral Whitworth and Admiral of the Fleet William Henry Dudley Boyle, Earl of Cork and Orrery. General Mackesy’s force has been cut in half, leaving only 24th Brigade which is not armed to make opposed landings and, in any case, much of its equipment has been diverted to Namsos on ships carrying 146th Brigade. Narvik is under several feet of snow, has poor facilities for an amphibious landing and is defended by an unknown number of German troops. Mackesy is unwilling to subject the Norwegian inhabitants to the naval bombardment his colleagues advocate to remove the Germans from the town. Therefore, he elects to land his troops at safer locations North of Narvik and wait for the snow to melt.
Depth charges from British destroyers HMS Fearless and Brazen sink U-49 near Narvik (1 dead, 41 taken prisoner).
Major-General Pierse Joseph Mackesy (in charge of land forces at Narvik) is not convinced to land troops directly at Narvik, despite the enthusiasm of naval commanders Vice-Admiral Whitworth and Admiral of the Fleet William Henry Dudley Boyle, Earl of Cork and Orrery. General Mackesy’s force has been cut in half, leaving only 24th Brigade which is not armed to make opposed landings and, in any case, much of its equipment has been diverted to Namsos on ships carrying 146th Brigade. Narvik is under several feet of snow, has poor facilities for an amphibious landing and is defended by an unknown number of German troops. Mackesy is unwilling to subject the Norwegian inhabitants to the naval bombardment his colleagues advocate to remove the Germans from the town. Therefore, he elects to land his troops at safer locations North of Narvik and wait for the snow to melt.
Depth charges from British destroyers HMS Fearless and Brazen sink U-49 near Narvik (1 dead, 41 taken prisoner).
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Day 227 April 14, 1940
Vice-Admiral Whitworth’s naïve opinion that landing will be easy, diverts troops away from Narvik. British 146th Territorial Brigade (having left the Clyde on April 11 in transport ships bound for Narvik) is sent South to Namsos for an attack on Trondheim. Sadly, their artillery, anti-aircraft guns & commanding officer continue on to Narvik. To prepare for 146th Brigade’s arrival at Namsos, cruisers HMS Sheffield & Glasgow (patrolling off Trondheim) put ashore an advance party of 350 Royal Marines– the first landing of British forces in Norway.
At dusk in foul weather, Oberleutnant Herbert Schmidt & 185 Fallschirmjägers (paratroops, 7th Flieger Division) parachute on the rail & road junction at Dombås, right into Norwegian Infantry Regiment 11’s basecamp. Most are killed or captured & Schmidt is severely wounded but about 65 survive. They blow up the rail line & occupy farmhouses overlooking Dombås, hampering Norwegian mobilization for several days.
British submarine HMS Sterlet torpedoes the German gunnery training ship and minelayer Brummer in the Skagerrak. Brummer sinks the next day. http://german-navy.de/kriegsmarine/ships/training/brummer/history.html
At dusk in foul weather, Oberleutnant Herbert Schmidt & 185 Fallschirmjägers (paratroops, 7th Flieger Division) parachute on the rail & road junction at Dombås, right into Norwegian Infantry Regiment 11’s basecamp. Most are killed or captured & Schmidt is severely wounded but about 65 survive. They blow up the rail line & occupy farmhouses overlooking Dombås, hampering Norwegian mobilization for several days.
British submarine HMS Sterlet torpedoes the German gunnery training ship and minelayer Brummer in the Skagerrak. Brummer sinks the next day. http://german-navy.de/kriegsmarine/ships/training/brummer/history.html
Day 226 April 13, 1940
2nd Battle of Narvik. British battleship HMS Warspite & 9 destroyers, under Vice-Admiral William Jock Whitworth, enter Ototfjord to destroy the remaining German flotilla at Narvik. A Fairey Swordfish launched from Warspite bombs & sinks U-64 (8 dead, 38 survivors make a free ascent to the surface). Germans lose 8 destroyers; 3 are sunk (100 dead) & 5 scuttled, out of fuel or ammunition. 2600 sailors survive & join General Dietl’s forces in the defense of Narvik. German destroyers shell but do not sink HMS Punjabi (14 dead, 28 wounded) & HMS Cossack, which runs aground (9 dead, 21 wounded). HMS Eskimo’s bow is blown off by a German torpedo but she does not sink. Whitworth signals London that the Germans are beaten & Narvik can be taken with a single Brigade. http://www.battleguide.net/Narvik.htm
The 38 survivors from U-64 are rescued by German mountain troops. Out of respect, the crew will adopt the Edelweiss as the emblem for their new submarine U-124 when they are reassigned in June 1940. http://www.uboat.net/special/emblems/u124.html
Norwegian Cruiser-minelayer HNoMS Frøya, protecting the fortress of Agdenes at Trondheim, is damaged by German warships and beached. U-34 administers a coup de grâce to prevent salvage.
British War Cabinet dithers between landings at Trondheim, to help secure southern Norway from German advance, and the original strategic goal of Narvik to interfere with Swedish iron ore traffic. Churchill presciently warns of “the grave danger that we should find ourselves committed to a number of ineffectual operations along the Norwegian coast, none of which would succeed”.
The 38 survivors from U-64 are rescued by German mountain troops. Out of respect, the crew will adopt the Edelweiss as the emblem for their new submarine U-124 when they are reassigned in June 1940. http://www.uboat.net/special/emblems/u124.html
Norwegian Cruiser-minelayer HNoMS Frøya, protecting the fortress of Agdenes at Trondheim, is damaged by German warships and beached. U-34 administers a coup de grâce to prevent salvage.
British War Cabinet dithers between landings at Trondheim, to help secure southern Norway from German advance, and the original strategic goal of Narvik to interfere with Swedish iron ore traffic. Churchill presciently warns of “the grave danger that we should find ourselves committed to a number of ineffectual operations along the Norwegian coast, none of which would succeed”.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Day 225 April 12, 1940
Norwegian artillery Major Hans Holtermann and 250 volunteers start reactivating the old fort at Ingstadkleiva near Trondheim, which will become known as Hegra Fortress. The fort has mothballed artillery (four 10.5 cm and two 7.5 cm in half-turrets and 4 Krupp m/1887 field guns) and plenty of ammunition. A German Major requests the fort’s surrender but Holtermann refuses.
Luftwaffe chief Generalfeldmarschall Hermann Göring forms Luftflotte 5, under his second in command Generaloberst Erhard Milch in Hamburg, to coordinate an expanding role in Norway. Luftwaffe duties include air defenses, airlifts and offensive strikes against Norwegian defenders and the Royal Navy. Milch will move his headquarters to Oslo to be closer to the action.
At 9.42 AM, U-37 sinks British steamer SS Stancliffe (carrying 7200 tons of iron ore) with 1 torpedo 45 miles northeast of Shetland Islands (21 lives were lost). 16 crew make land in the lifeboat at Haroldswick, Unst Island.
Luftwaffe chief Generalfeldmarschall Hermann Göring forms Luftflotte 5, under his second in command Generaloberst Erhard Milch in Hamburg, to coordinate an expanding role in Norway. Luftwaffe duties include air defenses, airlifts and offensive strikes against Norwegian defenders and the Royal Navy. Milch will move his headquarters to Oslo to be closer to the action.
At 9.42 AM, U-37 sinks British steamer SS Stancliffe (carrying 7200 tons of iron ore) with 1 torpedo 45 miles northeast of Shetland Islands (21 lives were lost). 16 crew make land in the lifeboat at Haroldswick, Unst Island.
Day 224 April 11, 1940
British Vice-Admiral Horton’s submarine deployment pays off again. HMS Spearfish, patrolling in the Kattegat, encounters the already-damaged German cruiser Lützow returning from Oslo just after midnight. Spearfish fires a spread of 6 torpedoes then runs, not realizing that Lützow is unescorted. 1 torpedo hits Lützow nearly ripping off her stern. Lützow is towed back to Kiel but is out of action until repairs are complete in June 1941.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_101II-MN-1038-06,_Kiel,_Schwerer_Kreuzer_%22L%C3%BCtzow%22.jpg
German success depends on reducing Norwegian Army resistance in southern Norway. The key is to link up their forces at Oslo and Trondheim via the long parallel mountain defiles. German 196th Division under General Richard Pellengahr moves North from Oslo up the Gudbrandsdal and Østerdal valleys with air support, brushing aside improvised Norwegian roadblocks.
General Kristian Laake is removed from command of the Norwegian Army for being defeatist and failing to mobilize his troops. He is replaced with General Otto Ruge. http://www.generals.dk/general/Laake/Kristian_Kristiansen/Norway.html
http://www.generals.dk/general/Ruge/Otto/Norway.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_101II-MN-1038-06,_Kiel,_Schwerer_Kreuzer_%22L%C3%BCtzow%22.jpg
German success depends on reducing Norwegian Army resistance in southern Norway. The key is to link up their forces at Oslo and Trondheim via the long parallel mountain defiles. German 196th Division under General Richard Pellengahr moves North from Oslo up the Gudbrandsdal and Østerdal valleys with air support, brushing aside improvised Norwegian roadblocks.
General Kristian Laake is removed from command of the Norwegian Army for being defeatist and failing to mobilize his troops. He is replaced with General Otto Ruge. http://www.generals.dk/general/Laake/Kristian_Kristiansen/Norway.html
http://www.generals.dk/general/Ruge/Otto/Norway.html
Friday, April 9, 2010
Day 223 April 10, 1940
1st Battle of Narvik. At dawn in heavy snow, 5 British destroyers under Captain Bernard Warburton-Lee enter Ototfjord & surprise the German flotilla at Narvik (10 destroyers, plus supply and cargo ships). German destroyers Wilhelm Heidkamp & Anton Schmidt are sunk, four more are damaged & 11 merchant ships in the harbor are also sunk. HMS Hardy is destroyed by shellfire & beached. HMS Hunter is torpedoed & sinks. HMS Hotspur is badly damaged by a torpedo. The British withdraw but are not chased by the Germans who are low on fuel. On the way out of the fjord, HMS Havock sinks German supply ship Rauenfels containing the artillery, anti-aircraft guns & ammunition for Generalleutnant Eduard Dietl’s 138th Gebirgsjäger Regiment at Narvik.
Both naval commanders at Narvik die in the engagement and are decorated. British Captain Bernard Armitage Warburton Warburton-Lee is killed by a direct hit to HMS Hardy's bridge. He will be posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross and, in 1942, the Norwegian War Cross. Commander of the German destroyer flotilla at Narvik Commodore Friedrich Bonte is killed when his flagship, destroyer Z21 Wilhelm Heidkamp, is torpedoed and explodes. Bonte will be posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/1940NorwayCampaign.jpg
Coming out of the rising sun at 7.30 AM, 16 Skua fighter/bombers of British Fleet Air Arm 800 & 803 Squadrons divebomb German cruiser Königsberg in Bergen harbor (at the absolute limit of their range from Hatson airfield, Orkney Islands). Königsberg is hit with three 500 pound bombs (18 killed, 23 wounded) and sinks 2 hours later. German transport ship SS Barenfels is also damaged. 1 Skua malfunctions and crashes (2 aircrew lost). http://freespace.virgin.net/john.dell/sinking_of_the_konigsberg.htm
U-4 sinks HMS Thistle at 2.13 AM (all 53 hands lost) at Stavanger. HMS Tarpon fires torpedoes at Q-ship Schiff 40/Schürbek but is sunk by depth charges 50 mile off the Danish coast (another 53 crew lost).
Battle of the Atlantic. U-37 fires 5 torpedoes and sinks Swedish motor tanker Sveaborg at 2.15 AM 10 miles North of Faroe Isles (5 dead, 29 survivors). At 3.23 AM, Norwegian MV Tosca stops to assist the burning Sveaborg and is sunk by 1 torpedo from U-37 (2 dead, 32 survivors). Survivors from both ships are picked up by British armed boarding vessel HMS Northern Chief and landed in Kirkwall.
Both naval commanders at Narvik die in the engagement and are decorated. British Captain Bernard Armitage Warburton Warburton-Lee is killed by a direct hit to HMS Hardy's bridge. He will be posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross and, in 1942, the Norwegian War Cross. Commander of the German destroyer flotilla at Narvik Commodore Friedrich Bonte is killed when his flagship, destroyer Z21 Wilhelm Heidkamp, is torpedoed and explodes. Bonte will be posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/1940NorwayCampaign.jpg
Coming out of the rising sun at 7.30 AM, 16 Skua fighter/bombers of British Fleet Air Arm 800 & 803 Squadrons divebomb German cruiser Königsberg in Bergen harbor (at the absolute limit of their range from Hatson airfield, Orkney Islands). Königsberg is hit with three 500 pound bombs (18 killed, 23 wounded) and sinks 2 hours later. German transport ship SS Barenfels is also damaged. 1 Skua malfunctions and crashes (2 aircrew lost). http://freespace.virgin.net/john.dell/sinking_of_the_konigsberg.htm
U-4 sinks HMS Thistle at 2.13 AM (all 53 hands lost) at Stavanger. HMS Tarpon fires torpedoes at Q-ship Schiff 40/Schürbek but is sunk by depth charges 50 mile off the Danish coast (another 53 crew lost).
Battle of the Atlantic. U-37 fires 5 torpedoes and sinks Swedish motor tanker Sveaborg at 2.15 AM 10 miles North of Faroe Isles (5 dead, 29 survivors). At 3.23 AM, Norwegian MV Tosca stops to assist the burning Sveaborg and is sunk by 1 torpedo from U-37 (2 dead, 32 survivors). Survivors from both ships are picked up by British armed boarding vessel HMS Northern Chief and landed in Kirkwall.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Day 222 April 9, 1940
At 5 AM, Germany invades Denmark & Norway. Denmark is taken by surprise & surrenders immediately after unopposed landings in Copenhagen & threats of bombing.
Germans warships land troops at 4 main points in Norway. At Narvik, German destroyers sink Norwegian coastal cruisers Eidsvold & Norge (276 lives lost, 98 survivors). Trondheim is captured easily as the Germans sail past the coastal batteries (pretending to be British warships). At Bergen, Kvarven Fort’s batteries damage cruiser Königsberg & minelayer Bremse. At Oslo, Oscarsborg Fortress’ batteries & shore torpedoes sink German cruiser Blücher in the Oslofjord (830 dead, 1370 swim ashore) and cruiser Lützow is also shelled but escapes. The delayed landing of troops allows Norway’s Royal Family, Government and gold reserves to escape Oslo at 8.30 AM. Oslo is captured later in the day by German troops airlifted into Fornebu Airport. Stavanger and Sola Airfield are also taken by German paratroops.
The shipment of Norway’s gold reserve from Oslo on the morning of 9 April 1940 consisted of 818 cases weighing 40 kilos each, 685 cases weighing 25 kilos each and 39 kegs weighing 80 kilos each. The total shipment weighed 53 tonnes whereas the gold bars weighed about 48.8 tonnes. http://www.dokpro.uio.no/umk_eng/blanding/gullbehold.html
Naval action around Norway.
At dawn, British cruiser HMS Renown spots German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau heading West, having deposited Marine Gruppe 1 at Narvik. Renown fires first and scores 3 hits on Gneisenau. HMS Renown is hit twice before the German ships use their superior speed to escape. All ships survive the encounter. The westward course of the German battleships further convinces the Admiralty that the Kriegsmarine is attempting to breakout into the Atlantic Ocean.
Afternoon, Luftwaffe searches for Royal Navy ships, finding the Home Fleet and 1st Cruiser Squadron that are still searching for the Kriegsmarine’s “Atlantic breakout”. At 2 PM, Ju 88s and He 111s bomb battleship HMS Rodney and destroyer HMS Gurkha off Bergen. HMS Rodney is damaged by a 500 kg bomb that penetrates her deck but does not explode. HMS Gurkha is hit (15 dead) and eventually sinks at 4 PM after cruiser HMS Aurora picks up 190 survivors. 4 Ju 88s are shot down.
At 5 PM, British submarine HMS Thistle misses U-4 with a spread of four torpedoes trying to sneak into Stavanger.
Vice-Admiral Horton’s hunch pays off and his submarines are in position to attack German warships. At 7.57 PM, HMS Truant is patrolling in the Skagerrak and torpedoes German cruiser Karlsruhe. Karlsruhe does not sink and is finished off at 9.50 PM by the German torpedo boat Greif. Meanwhile, French submarine Sybille (under Horton’s command) departs Harwich to patrol the south North Sea, West of Denmark.
Germans warships land troops at 4 main points in Norway. At Narvik, German destroyers sink Norwegian coastal cruisers Eidsvold & Norge (276 lives lost, 98 survivors). Trondheim is captured easily as the Germans sail past the coastal batteries (pretending to be British warships). At Bergen, Kvarven Fort’s batteries damage cruiser Königsberg & minelayer Bremse. At Oslo, Oscarsborg Fortress’ batteries & shore torpedoes sink German cruiser Blücher in the Oslofjord (830 dead, 1370 swim ashore) and cruiser Lützow is also shelled but escapes. The delayed landing of troops allows Norway’s Royal Family, Government and gold reserves to escape Oslo at 8.30 AM. Oslo is captured later in the day by German troops airlifted into Fornebu Airport. Stavanger and Sola Airfield are also taken by German paratroops.
The shipment of Norway’s gold reserve from Oslo on the morning of 9 April 1940 consisted of 818 cases weighing 40 kilos each, 685 cases weighing 25 kilos each and 39 kegs weighing 80 kilos each. The total shipment weighed 53 tonnes whereas the gold bars weighed about 48.8 tonnes. http://www.dokpro.uio.no/umk_eng/blanding/gullbehold.html
Naval action around Norway.
At dawn, British cruiser HMS Renown spots German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau heading West, having deposited Marine Gruppe 1 at Narvik. Renown fires first and scores 3 hits on Gneisenau. HMS Renown is hit twice before the German ships use their superior speed to escape. All ships survive the encounter. The westward course of the German battleships further convinces the Admiralty that the Kriegsmarine is attempting to breakout into the Atlantic Ocean.
Afternoon, Luftwaffe searches for Royal Navy ships, finding the Home Fleet and 1st Cruiser Squadron that are still searching for the Kriegsmarine’s “Atlantic breakout”. At 2 PM, Ju 88s and He 111s bomb battleship HMS Rodney and destroyer HMS Gurkha off Bergen. HMS Rodney is damaged by a 500 kg bomb that penetrates her deck but does not explode. HMS Gurkha is hit (15 dead) and eventually sinks at 4 PM after cruiser HMS Aurora picks up 190 survivors. 4 Ju 88s are shot down.
At 5 PM, British submarine HMS Thistle misses U-4 with a spread of four torpedoes trying to sneak into Stavanger.
Vice-Admiral Horton’s hunch pays off and his submarines are in position to attack German warships. At 7.57 PM, HMS Truant is patrolling in the Skagerrak and torpedoes German cruiser Karlsruhe. Karlsruhe does not sink and is finished off at 9.50 PM by the German torpedo boat Greif. Meanwhile, French submarine Sybille (under Horton’s command) departs Harwich to patrol the south North Sea, West of Denmark.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Day 221 April 8, 1940
After midnight, Marine Gruppe 3 departs Wilhelmshaven for Bergen (cruisers Königsberg & Köln, transport Karl Peters, minelayer Bremse & 5 torpedo-boats carrying 1900 troops). At dawn, Marine Gruppe 4 & 6 depart Cuxhaven carrying 1250 troops for the South coast of Norway; Marine Gruppe 5 leaves Wilhelmshaven Swinemünde for Oslo (cruisers Blücher, Lützow and Emden, 8 minesweepers & 3 torpedo-boats carrying 2000 troops) At 5 AM, British destroyers HMS Esk, Icarus, Impulsive & Ivanhoe lay mines in the Vestfjord, gateway to Narvik. At 6 AM, the Allies inform Norway of this action, to prevent passage of ships “carrying war contraband”.
At 8 AM, British destroyer HMS Glowworm encounters Marine Gruppe 1 heading to Trondheim. Glowworm is badly damaged by 8-inch shells from German cruiser Admiral Hipper, engaging the much heavier ship in close battle. Glowworm rams Admiral Hipper causing major damage & then sinks (118 lives lost, 31 taken prisoner by Admiral Hipper). Lieutenant-Commander Gerard Broadmead Roope, commanding HMS Glowworm, drowns after helping survivors put on lifejackets. He will be posthumously awarded the first Victoria Cross of WWII for his aggressive actions, in part due to the testimony of his adversary, Captain Hellmuth Heye of the Admiral Hipper, who wrote to the British authorities via the Red Cross giving a statement of Commander Roope’s courage. http://navalwarfare.blogspot.com/2009/06/hms-glowworm-h92.html
Only Vice-Admiral Max Horton commanding home-based submarines (alone among Royal Navy brass) correctly perceives German intentions to invade Norway. He deploys 6 more submarines to intercept ships sailing from German naval bases. HMS Ursula, Triad and Sterlet leave port to patrol the Skagerrak between Denmark and Norway. At noon, Polish submarine Orzeł (part of Horton's 2nd Submarine Flotilla, already on patrol in the Skagerrak) sinks German troop transport Rio de Janeiro. German troops rescued by Norwegian ships confess they are en route to Bergen. However, British minelaying dominates Norwegian thinking and they are not prepared for invasion by Germany. http://www.historynet.com/the-polish-submarine-orzel-july-96-world-war-ii-feature.htm/2
At 8 AM, British destroyer HMS Glowworm encounters Marine Gruppe 1 heading to Trondheim. Glowworm is badly damaged by 8-inch shells from German cruiser Admiral Hipper, engaging the much heavier ship in close battle. Glowworm rams Admiral Hipper causing major damage & then sinks (118 lives lost, 31 taken prisoner by Admiral Hipper). Lieutenant-Commander Gerard Broadmead Roope, commanding HMS Glowworm, drowns after helping survivors put on lifejackets. He will be posthumously awarded the first Victoria Cross of WWII for his aggressive actions, in part due to the testimony of his adversary, Captain Hellmuth Heye of the Admiral Hipper, who wrote to the British authorities via the Red Cross giving a statement of Commander Roope’s courage. http://navalwarfare.blogspot.com/2009/06/hms-glowworm-h92.html
Only Vice-Admiral Max Horton commanding home-based submarines (alone among Royal Navy brass) correctly perceives German intentions to invade Norway. He deploys 6 more submarines to intercept ships sailing from German naval bases. HMS Ursula, Triad and Sterlet leave port to patrol the Skagerrak between Denmark and Norway. At noon, Polish submarine Orzeł (part of Horton's 2nd Submarine Flotilla, already on patrol in the Skagerrak) sinks German troop transport Rio de Janeiro. German troops rescued by Norwegian ships confess they are en route to Bergen. However, British minelaying dominates Norwegian thinking and they are not prepared for invasion by Germany. http://www.historynet.com/the-polish-submarine-orzel-july-96-world-war-ii-feature.htm/2
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Day 220 April 7, 1940
At 1.25 PM, RAF Hudson reconnaissance plane of 220 Squadron reports a German cruiser and 6 destroyers (part of Marine Gruppe 1) heading North. 12 Blenheims and 24 Wellingtons bombers are called in and bomb the ships unsuccessfully. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Hudson
The British response is a disaster. The Admiralty assumes German surface raiders are breaking out into the Atlantic (ignoring the possibility of coastal landings in Norway) and prepares to engage the German fleet in the open sea. Royal Navy’s Home Fleet (battleships Rodney & Valiant, battlecruiser Repulse, 2 cruisers & 10 destroyers) delays leaving Scapa Flow until 9.15 PM and misses the chance to intercept the troop-laden German warships. In addition, 1st Cruiser Squadron at Rosyth disembarks troops to engage in the ‘sea battle’, losing the opportunity for rapid landings in response to the German invasion.
British submarines HMS Shark & HMS Seawolf leave Harwich naval base to patrol off Dutch coast and HMS Clyde & HMS Thistle depart Scapa Flow to patrol the coast of Norway. http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3426.html
The British response is a disaster. The Admiralty assumes German surface raiders are breaking out into the Atlantic (ignoring the possibility of coastal landings in Norway) and prepares to engage the German fleet in the open sea. Royal Navy’s Home Fleet (battleships Rodney & Valiant, battlecruiser Repulse, 2 cruisers & 10 destroyers) delays leaving Scapa Flow until 9.15 PM and misses the chance to intercept the troop-laden German warships. In addition, 1st Cruiser Squadron at Rosyth disembarks troops to engage in the ‘sea battle’, losing the opportunity for rapid landings in response to the German invasion.
British submarines HMS Shark & HMS Seawolf leave Harwich naval base to patrol off Dutch coast and HMS Clyde & HMS Thistle depart Scapa Flow to patrol the coast of Norway. http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3426.html
Monday, April 5, 2010
Day 219 April 6, 1940
At 3.16 AM, U-59 sinks Norwegian steamer SS Navarra with 1 torpedo 20 miles off the Scottish coast. Six die in the explosion and another 6 when their lifeboat capsizes. 14 survivors in one lifeboat are picked up by Finnish steamer Atlas and landed at Kirkwall, Orkney Islands.
British submarines HMS Truant & Seal depart Rosyth naval dockyard, Scotland, for the Norwegian coast. HMS Tarpon is ordered to patrol the German coast near Heligoland Bight.
After dark, Marine Gruppe 1 departs Cuxhaven for Narvik (10 destroyers carrying 2000 troops, plus battleships Scharnhorst & Gneisenau). Marine Gruppe 2 departs Wesermünde for Trondheim (cruiser Admiral Hipper & 4 destroyers carrying 1700 troops). In the North Sea between Narvik & Trondheim, British destroyer HMS Glowworm stops to rescue a crewman lost overboard in heavy seas & loses sight of HMS Renown and the minelaying squadron. http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/4394.html
U-1 disappears in the North Sea, probably lost to a British mine (all 24 hands lost).
British submarines HMS Truant & Seal depart Rosyth naval dockyard, Scotland, for the Norwegian coast. HMS Tarpon is ordered to patrol the German coast near Heligoland Bight.
After dark, Marine Gruppe 1 departs Cuxhaven for Narvik (10 destroyers carrying 2000 troops, plus battleships Scharnhorst & Gneisenau). Marine Gruppe 2 departs Wesermünde for Trondheim (cruiser Admiral Hipper & 4 destroyers carrying 1700 troops). In the North Sea between Narvik & Trondheim, British destroyer HMS Glowworm stops to rescue a crewman lost overboard in heavy seas & loses sight of HMS Renown and the minelaying squadron. http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/4394.html
U-1 disappears in the North Sea, probably lost to a British mine (all 24 hands lost).
Day 218 April 5, 1940
The French government is informed that Britain will go ahead with Operation Wilfred (mining the coast of Norway) without Operation Royal Marine (mining the River Rhine). Even Chamberlain believes the Allies have seized the initiative, crowing that “Hitler missed the bus” – words that he will come to regret. Allies deliver diplomatic notes (“admonitions”) to Norway and Sweden warning of actions to hinder German trade with these countries. Norwegians are now convinced of an Allied invasion and forget about Germany.
At 6.30 PM, 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.
Norwegian ambassador in Berlin warns of German plans to invade Denmark and parts of Southern Norway. The British also receive intelligence reports that Germany will soon invade Norway, including landings at Narvik. These warnings are ignored.
British submarine HMS Spearfish leaves Blyth for the Danish coast. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCiBP8f5xVo
At 6.30 PM, 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.
Norwegian ambassador in Berlin warns of German plans to invade Denmark and parts of Southern Norway. The British also receive intelligence reports that Germany will soon invade Norway, including landings at Narvik. These warnings are ignored.
British submarine HMS Spearfish leaves Blyth for the Danish coast. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCiBP8f5xVo
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Day 217 April 4, 1940
British submarine HMS Snapper departs Harwich naval base for the Skagerrak, between Denmark and Norway. French submarines Amazone and Antiope, also under the command of British Vice-Admiral Max Horton, leave Harwich to patrol the Frisian Islands and Heligoland.
Churchill is dismayed by the general lack of Allied action, and French political feuding in particular, leading to inactivity in Norway. He flies to Paris to assess the situation and resurrect his plan to lay mines in Norwegian coastal waters (Operation Wilfred). He concludes that “Wilfred should go forward notwithstanding the French refusal of Royal Marine (mining of the Rhine)”. British War cabinet is informed and agrees with his assessment.
British newspapers report concentrations of troops in German ports. This seems to go unnoticed by the military.
Churchill is dismayed by the general lack of Allied action, and French political feuding in particular, leading to inactivity in Norway. He flies to Paris to assess the situation and resurrect his plan to lay mines in Norwegian coastal waters (Operation Wilfred). He concludes that “Wilfred should go forward notwithstanding the French refusal of Royal Marine (mining of the Rhine)”. British War cabinet is informed and agrees with his assessment.
British newspapers report concentrations of troops in German ports. This seems to go unnoticed by the military.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Day 216 April 3, 1940
First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill becomes chairman of the Military Coordinating Committee, giving him some oversight of the Army and RAF as well as naval matters.
Public statements by Churchill & Chamberlain and leaks in the British & French newspapers alert Norway to the likelihood of Allied operations in her waters. However, the Allies have lost the initiative, debating strategy at the cabinet level and bickering over priorities. In contrast, Hitler has no strategic allies or democratic processes to contend with. He plans for the invasion of Denmark & Norway to be swiftly followed by an offensive against France and the Low Countries; a devastating one-two punch.
Polish submarine Orzeł (part of Royal Navy's 2nd Submarine Flotilla, under the command of Vice-Admiral Max Horton), leaves Rosyth to patrol the Norwegian coast off Kristiansand. http://www.dutchsubmarines.com/export/export_orzel.htm
Public statements by Churchill & Chamberlain and leaks in the British & French newspapers alert Norway to the likelihood of Allied operations in her waters. However, the Allies have lost the initiative, debating strategy at the cabinet level and bickering over priorities. In contrast, Hitler has no strategic allies or democratic processes to contend with. He plans for the invasion of Denmark & Norway to be swiftly followed by an offensive against France and the Low Countries; a devastating one-two punch.
Polish submarine Orzeł (part of Royal Navy's 2nd Submarine Flotilla, under the command of Vice-Admiral Max Horton), leaves Rosyth to patrol the Norwegian coast off Kristiansand. http://www.dutchsubmarines.com/export/export_orzel.htm
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Day 215 April 2, 1940
At 00.21 hours, U-38 sinks Finnish steamer SS Signe, a straggler from convoy HN-23A (all 19 hands lost). Destroyer HMS Sikh, escorting convoy HN-23A, hears the explosion and searches for survivors. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/305.html http://www.hmscavalier.org.uk/G82/
British submarines start taking up positions to execute Vice-Admiral Horton’s plan to intercept German warships leaving naval bases at Heligoland Bight, Kiel, Wilhelmshaven, Cuxhaven & Swinemünde. He correctly guesses that they will be bound for Norway. HMS Unity departs Blyth submarine base, Northumberland, to patrol Heligoland Bight. HMS Sunfish departs Harwich naval base for the Kattegat, between Denmark and Sweden.
British submarines start taking up positions to execute Vice-Admiral Horton’s plan to intercept German warships leaving naval bases at Heligoland Bight, Kiel, Wilhelmshaven, Cuxhaven & Swinemünde. He correctly guesses that they will be bound for Norway. HMS Unity departs Blyth submarine base, Northumberland, to patrol Heligoland Bight. HMS Sunfish departs Harwich naval base for the Kattegat, between Denmark and Sweden.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Day 214 April 1, 1940
The invasion of Denmark and Norway is set for April 9. 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.
Almost alone among the senior British military, 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. HMS Sealion is the first to leave, departing Harwich naval base for the Kattegat, East of Denmark.
Almost alone among the senior British military, 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. HMS Sealion is the first to leave, departing Harwich naval base for the Kattegat, East of Denmark.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Day 213 March 31, 1940
Following French backtracking on mining the River Rhine (due to their fear of German reprisal bombings), British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain calls off mining the Norwegian coast planned for April 5. Chamberlain tells the French ambassador in London Charles Corbin “No mines, no Narvik!” This act of bravado leads to a delay which will prove to be costly.
German armed merchant cruisers (Hilfskreuzer) Atlantis, Orion and Widder depart from Kiel, with WWI battleship SMS Hessen acting as an icebreaker, for operations against Allied shipping. Atlantis will prove the most successful German commerce raider, sailing 100,000 miles and sinking 22 ships (over 140,000 tons) in a voyage lasting 602 days (until November 22, 1941). http://www.bismarck-class.dk/hilfskreuzer/atlantis.html
Oberleutnant zur See Hans-Wilhelm Behrens falls overboard from U-43 and drowns in the Atlantic.
German armed merchant cruisers (Hilfskreuzer) Atlantis, Orion and Widder depart from Kiel, with WWI battleship SMS Hessen acting as an icebreaker, for operations against Allied shipping. Atlantis will prove the most successful German commerce raider, sailing 100,000 miles and sinking 22 ships (over 140,000 tons) in a voyage lasting 602 days (until November 22, 1941). http://www.bismarck-class.dk/hilfskreuzer/atlantis.html
Oberleutnant zur See Hans-Wilhelm Behrens falls overboard from U-43 and drowns in the Atlantic.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Day 212 March 30, 1940
To foil Prime Minister Reynaud’s aggressive plans, French Minister of Defense Édouard Daladier (and ex-PM) persuades the French War Committee not to ratify British plans to lay mines in the River Rhine (Operation Royal Marine). The British respond by threatening to suspend the laying of mines in Norwegian coastal waters (Operation Wilfred).
Japan, under pressure to hold onto conquered territories in China, establishes a puppet government for China under the leadership of Wang Jingwei. The Government of National Salvation of the collaborationist "Republic of China", based in Nanking, is based on the Three Principles of pan-Asianism, anti-Communism, and opposition to Chiang Kai-shek. Wang will maintain contact with German and Italian officials, an attempt to link China with The Tripartite Pact between Japan, Germany and Italy.
Japan, under pressure to hold onto conquered territories in China, establishes a puppet government for China under the leadership of Wang Jingwei. The Government of National Salvation of the collaborationist "Republic of China", based in Nanking, is based on the Three Principles of pan-Asianism, anti-Communism, and opposition to Chiang Kai-shek. Wang will maintain contact with German and Italian officials, an attempt to link China with The Tripartite Pact between Japan, Germany and Italy.
Day 211 March 29, 1940
Following the decision to mine Norwegian waters, British General Staff hastily devises Plan R4 to react to German intervention. 1st Cruiser Squadron will deliver 1 infantry brigade to Narvik & 1 battalion to Trondheim from Rosyth. A battalion each will go to Stavanger & Bergen on slower transport ships. All are lightly-eqipped with no heavy artillery or tanks. They will be screened by Royal Navy ships but receive no air cover from either RAF or carrier-based aircraft. Purely reactive in nature, R4 naïvely assumes Allied troops will arrive before the Germans. In contrast, Germans intend to land 2 full divisions with full naval & air cover, quickly followed by 4 more complete with artillery & tanks, in an intricate but carefully-planned feat of combined arms.
Armed merchant cruiser HMS Transylvania intercepts German freighter Mimi Horn (en route from Curacao, Dutch Caribbean) between Iceland & Greenland. Mimi Horn is scuttled & Transylvania picks up all 41 crew. http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3332.html
Armed merchant cruiser HMS Transylvania intercepts German freighter Mimi Horn (en route from Curacao, Dutch Caribbean) between Iceland & Greenland. Mimi Horn is scuttled & Transylvania picks up all 41 crew. http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3332.html
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Day 210 March 28, 1940
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.
Norwegian steamer SS Burgos hits a German mine and sinks 30 miles West of Skegness, England. Egret class sloop HMS Pelican rescues the crew. http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?2805
Norwegian steamer SS Burgos hits a German mine and sinks 30 miles West of Skegness, England. Egret class sloop HMS Pelican rescues the crew. http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?2805
Day 209 March 27, 1940
To prepare for Supreme War Council meeting on March 28, the British War Cabinet debates Paul Reynaud’s note suggesting attacks on Soviet oilfields at Baku and shipping in the Black Sea. They unanimously reject the idea of any attacks on USSR, to avoid conflict with the Soviets in addition to Germany. The British position is communicated to General Gamelin and the other French Chiefs of Staff at a preliminary meeting. Reports of these deliberations by the French news agency Havas, apparently from official French sources, further infuriate the British and alert Germany to possible Allied intentions.
U-22 goes missing in the North Sea probably lost to a mine (all 27 hands lost).
U-22 goes missing in the North Sea probably lost to a mine (all 27 hands lost).
Day 208 March 26, 1940
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.
http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/304.html
http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/304.html
Day 207 March 25, 1940
French PM Reynaud writes to British War Cabinet, proposing various courses of action such as Churchill’s idea to mine Norwegian coastal waters or attacking Soviet shipping and oil production. Chamberlain is horrified at the idea of any attacks on USSR, assessing Reynaud as desperate to do something to justify his new role.
At 5.40 AM, U-47 sinks Danish steamer Britta 30 miles North of Scotland (13 lives lost). 5 survivors are picked up by Danish steamer Nancy and landed at Swansea, Wales. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/302.html
At 8.11 PM, U-57 sinks British steam tanker Daghestan (7600 tons crude oil) 9 miles east of Orkney Islands (3 lives lost). 29 survivors are picked up by armed anti-submarine trawlers HMS Northern Wave & HMS Brontes and landed at Lyness, Orkneys. Daghestan is being escorted to to Sullom Voe after being damaged in German air attacks on convoy HN20.
British government forbids captured servicemen from participating in propaganda radio broadcasts for the enemy.
At 5.40 AM, U-47 sinks Danish steamer Britta 30 miles North of Scotland (13 lives lost). 5 survivors are picked up by Danish steamer Nancy and landed at Swansea, Wales. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/302.html
At 8.11 PM, U-57 sinks British steam tanker Daghestan (7600 tons crude oil) 9 miles east of Orkney Islands (3 lives lost). 29 survivors are picked up by armed anti-submarine trawlers HMS Northern Wave & HMS Brontes and landed at Lyness, Orkneys. Daghestan is being escorted to to Sullom Voe after being damaged in German air attacks on convoy HN20.
British government forbids captured servicemen from participating in propaganda radio broadcasts for the enemy.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Day 206 March 24, 1940
Following the Finnish capitulation, the Allies lose focus on Scandinavia and their plans diverge. The British attend to shoring up their air defenses following the bombing of Scapa Flow on March 16. Paul Reynaud’s new French government considers anything that will not involve fighting on French soil, including submarine attacks on Soviet shipping in the Black Sea or bombing Soviet oilfields at Baku on the Caspian Sea to deprive USSR and Germany of oil.
A torpedo accidentally explodes as French destroyer La Railleuse is leaving port in Casablanca. La Railleuse is destroyed and 28 crewmen are killed with 24 wounded.
A torpedo accidentally explodes as French destroyer La Railleuse is leaving port in Casablanca. La Railleuse is destroyed and 28 crewmen are killed with 24 wounded.
Day 205 March 23, 1940
The British Malaya Force is formed to watch German merchant ships in Dutch East Indies, including destroyers HMS Stronghold and HMS Tenedos, cruisers HMS HMS Dauntless, HMS Danae and HMS Durban, sloop HMS Falmouth and submarines HMS Perseus and HMS Rainbow.
At 11.30 PM, a British submarine (either HMS Truant or HMS Trident) intercepts German merchant Edmund Hugo Stinnes IV, en route to Copenhagen, and fires five warning shots 6 miles off the West coast of Denmark. As expected, the steamer heads for shore and is scuttled. The submarine applies a coup de grâce with two torpedoes to prevent salvage.
http://home.cogeco.ca/~gchalcraft/sm/truant.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Trident_(N52)
At 11.30 PM, a British submarine (either HMS Truant or HMS Trident) intercepts German merchant Edmund Hugo Stinnes IV, en route to Copenhagen, and fires five warning shots 6 miles off the West coast of Denmark. As expected, the steamer heads for shore and is scuttled. The submarine applies a coup de grâce with two torpedoes to prevent salvage.
http://home.cogeco.ca/~gchalcraft/sm/truant.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Trident_(N52)
Day 204 March 22, 1940
French Prime Minister Paul Reynaud keeps his predecessor Édouard Daladier as Minister of War. Due to their opposite political views and personal animosity, Reynaud and Daladier cannot agree or cooperate on any plan, which hampers French war planning and especially complicates the alliance with the British.
Soviet Union begins the occupation the Finnish port of Hanko and the rest of the Hanko peninsula, under the lease agreed in the Moscow Peace Treaty of March 12/13. The area is renamed Hangö by the Soviets. http://www.saunalahti.fi/ility/Bengtskar/Bengtskar.html
Soviet Union begins the occupation the Finnish port of Hanko and the rest of the Hanko peninsula, under the lease agreed in the Moscow Peace Treaty of March 12/13. The area is renamed Hangö by the Soviets. http://www.saunalahti.fi/ility/Bengtskar/Bengtskar.html
Day 203 March 21, 1940
The French the Chamber of Deputies elects Paul Reynaud as Prime Minister and he forms a new government.
At 1 AM, U-38 sinks neutral Danish MV Algier (from New York to Copenhagen, carrying 302 tons of copper, 228 tons of tin, 130 bottles of mercury and 11 Studebaker motor cars) 15 miles north of Shetland Islands (4 crew and 1 passenger lost). 18 survivors in a lifeboat are picked up by British trawler Manx King and landed at Scalloway. At 3.26 AM, Danish SS Christiansborg (carrying 4107 tons of maize from USA) is also torpedoed by U-38 but does not sink (1 dead). 24 survivors are rescued from stricken Christiansborg by British armed boarding vessel HMS Discovery II and taken to Kirkwall.
http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/301.html
At 1 AM, U-38 sinks neutral Danish MV Algier (from New York to Copenhagen, carrying 302 tons of copper, 228 tons of tin, 130 bottles of mercury and 11 Studebaker motor cars) 15 miles north of Shetland Islands (4 crew and 1 passenger lost). 18 survivors in a lifeboat are picked up by British trawler Manx King and landed at Scalloway. At 3.26 AM, Danish SS Christiansborg (carrying 4107 tons of maize from USA) is also torpedoed by U-38 but does not sink (1 dead). 24 survivors are rescued from stricken Christiansborg by British armed boarding vessel HMS Discovery II and taken to Kirkwall.
http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/301.html
Friday, March 19, 2010
Day 202 March 20, 1940
Battle of the Atlantic. Developing a taste for small fry, U-19 sinks two more unescorted Danish steamers in the Moray Firth, Scotland. SS Viking is sunk at 5 AM (15 dead, 2 survivors) and SS Bothal is sunk at 5.15 (15 lives lost, 5 survivors).
U-22 departs Wilhelmshaven and is lost shortly thereafter (all 27 hands lost), failing to respond to orders on March 22, 26, 27.
Off the coast of Holland, British bombers sink the converted steamer Altenfels now known as German Sperrbrecher 12 (path-clearing ship, designed to detonate minefields).
http://www.german-navy.de/kriegsmarine/ships/minehunter/sperrbrecher/index.html
U-22 departs Wilhelmshaven and is lost shortly thereafter (all 27 hands lost), failing to respond to orders on March 22, 26, 27.
Off the coast of Holland, British bombers sink the converted steamer Altenfels now known as German Sperrbrecher 12 (path-clearing ship, designed to detonate minefields).
http://www.german-navy.de/kriegsmarine/ships/minehunter/sperrbrecher/index.html
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Day 201 March 19, 1940
The British House of Commons debates ineffectual support for Finland in the Winter War. Chamberlain’s weak leadership is heavily criticized but he survives; however, French Prime Minister Daladier resigns after a vote of no confidence.
Overnight, 8 Armstrong Whitworth Whitleys of 10 Squadron No.4 Group RAF Bomber Command, carrying 1,500 lb mixed bomb loads, drop the first Allied bombs on Germany. They attack Hornum seaplane base, in response to German bombing of Home Fleet in Scapa Flow on March 16.
At 3 AM, destroyer HMS Jervis collides with Swedish steamer Tor northeast of Blyth. Jervis is extensively damaged (2 killed, 15 missing) and will be out of action until July 1940.
U-19 sinks two small, neutral Danish steamers in the Moray Firth, Scotland. At 10.21 PM, SS Minsk, 11 lives lost, 9 survivors picked up by British destroyer HMS Esk. At 10.37 PM, SS Charkow, all 20 hands lost. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/295.html
http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/296.html
Overnight, 8 Armstrong Whitworth Whitleys of 10 Squadron No.4 Group RAF Bomber Command, carrying 1,500 lb mixed bomb loads, drop the first Allied bombs on Germany. They attack Hornum seaplane base, in response to German bombing of Home Fleet in Scapa Flow on March 16.
At 3 AM, destroyer HMS Jervis collides with Swedish steamer Tor northeast of Blyth. Jervis is extensively damaged (2 killed, 15 missing) and will be out of action until July 1940.
U-19 sinks two small, neutral Danish steamers in the Moray Firth, Scotland. At 10.21 PM, SS Minsk, 11 lives lost, 9 survivors picked up by British destroyer HMS Esk. At 10.37 PM, SS Charkow, all 20 hands lost. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/295.html
http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/296.html
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Day 200 March 18, 1940
Mussolini and Hitler meet in the Brenner Pass at the Austrian-Italian border to reaffirm their pact of Steel. Mussolini makes vague promises to enter the war on the side of Germany "at an opportune moment", believing that Hitler is overoptimistic in his plans for dominance in Europe. Things will move faster than he thinks.
The British and French public and newspapers clamour for explanations for the failure to help Finland in the Winter War. The French government of Édouard Daladier comes under particular criticism for the lack of action in Finland, as well as Poland and on the German border.
German bombers of KG26 bomb and strafe Dutch trawler Protinus off the Dutch coast, near Ijmuiden (the captain and first mate are killed). 10 crewmembers abandon ship in a lifeboat but 2 more die at sea. After 6 days in the open boat, the remaining 8 crew will be rescued by British submarine HMS Unity and landed on the East coast of Scotland.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Day 199 March 17, 1940
British Admiralty admits the vulnerability of the Home Fleet in Scapa Flow to air attack, after yesterday’s air raid, and orders the fleet to sea during the next moonlight period on March 19 to 26. Predicting this move, German submarines U-57, U-19, U-21 and U-22 begin moving into position to attack British ships leaving Scapa Flow.
At 11.25 PM, U-38 sinks Danish MV Argentina (carrying general cargo from Copenhagen to South America, via Las palmas, Spain) with one torpedo east of Shetland Islands, Scotland, en route to South America. All 33 hands on board are lost.
http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/294.html
At 11.25 PM, U-38 sinks Danish MV Argentina (carrying general cargo from Copenhagen to South America, via Las palmas, Spain) with one torpedo east of Shetland Islands, Scotland, en route to South America. All 33 hands on board are lost.
http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/294.html
Day 198 March 16, 1940
Yugoslavian steamer Slava hits a mine laid by U-29 on March 2 and sinks in the Bristol Channel (1 life lost, 33 survivors).
At 8 PM, 32 Junkers Ju 88s dive bombers of KG30 attack the Royal Navy Home Fleet in Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands. Cruiser HMS Norfolk is hit with one bomb that passes through the upper, main & lower decks and explodes, blowing a hole below the water line (6 lives lost). James Isbister (age 27) is killed by bombs dropped on the village of “Bridge of Waithe” on the shore of Scapa Flow, becoming the first British civilian death on land. There will be many more.
Despite the damage, HMS Norfolk will leave Scapa Flow under her own steam on March 19 for repairs in the Clyde until June 14.
At 8 PM, 32 Junkers Ju 88s dive bombers of KG30 attack the Royal Navy Home Fleet in Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands. Cruiser HMS Norfolk is hit with one bomb that passes through the upper, main & lower decks and explodes, blowing a hole below the water line (6 lives lost). James Isbister (age 27) is killed by bombs dropped on the village of “Bridge of Waithe” on the shore of Scapa Flow, becoming the first British civilian death on land. There will be many more.
Despite the damage, HMS Norfolk will leave Scapa Flow under her own steam on March 19 for repairs in the Clyde until June 14.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Day 197 March 15, 1940
Alan Turing’s development of the Polish "cryptologic bomb" yields the British Bombe at Government Code and Cypher School, Bletchley Park, England. The first working Bombe (named "Victory"), manufactured by the British Tabulating Machine Company at Letchworth, Hertfordshire, goes operational decrypting daily settings on the German Enigma machines.
The Finnish Parliament ratifies the Moscow Peace Treaty by 145 votes to 3 (52 abstentions, including Prime Minister Voionmaa who is traveling from Moscow and can not vote).
Emphasizing the global nature of the growing conflict, Royal Navy armed merchant cruiser HMS Kanimbla (a converted Australian passenger ship) impounds Soviet steamer Vladimir Mayakovsky carrying American copper to Germany in the Sea of Japan. She will be taken to Hong Kong, handed over to the French and sailed to Saigon, Vietnam arriving on 1 April. http://www.navy.gov.au/w/index.php/HMAS_Kanimbla_%28I%29
At 7.30 AM in the Bay of Bengal near the Nicobar Islands, British aircraft carrier HMS Eagle is damaged when a 250 pound bomb explodes in the bomb room in an operational mishap (14 lives lost). HMS Eagle will be repaired and refitted in Singapore, leaving 9 May for the Mediterranean.
The Finnish Parliament ratifies the Moscow Peace Treaty by 145 votes to 3 (52 abstentions, including Prime Minister Voionmaa who is traveling from Moscow and can not vote).
Emphasizing the global nature of the growing conflict, Royal Navy armed merchant cruiser HMS Kanimbla (a converted Australian passenger ship) impounds Soviet steamer Vladimir Mayakovsky carrying American copper to Germany in the Sea of Japan. She will be taken to Hong Kong, handed over to the French and sailed to Saigon, Vietnam arriving on 1 April. http://www.navy.gov.au/w/index.php/HMAS_Kanimbla_%28I%29
At 7.30 AM in the Bay of Bengal near the Nicobar Islands, British aircraft carrier HMS Eagle is damaged when a 250 pound bomb explodes in the bomb room in an operational mishap (14 lives lost). HMS Eagle will be repaired and refitted in Singapore, leaving 9 May for the Mediterranean.
Day 196 March 14, 1940
The Finnish Parliament meets to debate ratification of Moscow Peace Treaty.
Over 450,000 Finnish civilians start leaving their homes in Karelia and the Salla region, after these territories are ceded to USSR in The Moscow Peace Treaty. They will all be gone within 12 days, leaving only burned villages for the Soviets. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Evacuees_from_East-Finland.jpg
In the aftermath of the Finnish surrender, British Foreign Minister Lord Halifax asks to get back the small amounts of war materiel sent to Finland. The Finnish ambassador to London, G.A. Gripenberg, reminds Halifax that Finland bought everything and intends to hang on to it. Halifax drops the matter.
Over 450,000 Finnish civilians start leaving their homes in Karelia and the Salla region, after these territories are ceded to USSR in The Moscow Peace Treaty. They will all be gone within 12 days, leaving only burned villages for the Soviets. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Evacuees_from_East-Finland.jpg
In the aftermath of the Finnish surrender, British Foreign Minister Lord Halifax asks to get back the small amounts of war materiel sent to Finland. The Finnish ambassador to London, G.A. Gripenberg, reminds Halifax that Finland bought everything and intends to hang on to it. Halifax drops the matter.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Day 195 March 13, 1940
The Winter War is over after 105 days. At 2 AM in Moscow, 1 AM in Finland, Finnish and Soviet delegates sign the Moscow Peace Treaty (documents are dated March 12, having been prepared by the Soviets the day before). However, the ceasefire is not scheduled until 11 AM Finnish time. In a vengeful act to punish the beaten and humiliated Finns, Red Army gunners shell the Finnish lines all morning, emptying their magazines as much as possible.
Finns lose 26,662 killed & 41,692 wounded. Civilian casualties are 892 dead & 1,856 wounded. 65 seamen die in the Finnish merchant fleet. http://www.winterwar.com/War%27sEnd/casualti_FinDailyD.htm
Soviet losses are 126,875 dead & 264,908 wounded, plus unknown numbers killed by NKVD behind Soviet lines and hospitalized with frostbite and other illnesses.
The Allies are robbed by the Finnish collapse of any pretext to move into Norway and Sweden. British troops march off the transport ships without having left port. The Allies do not abandon their ambition for action in Scandinavia. Churchill understands the importance of Norway to both sides and writes to British Foreign Minister Lord Halifax “Whether they [the Germans] have some positive plan of their own [for Norway]… I cannot tell. It would seem to me astonishing if they have not”.
[Footnote: The Finns kept remarkable records of their casualties, so these numbers are reliable. USSR on the other hand had no reliable records, so their casualty figure are at best SWAG (scientific wild-assed guess). Official Soviet estimates of casualties range from 200,000 killed and wounded (Molotov, just after the Winter War) to 1 million (in Nikita Khrushchev’s memoirs he states that 1.5 million Red soldiers went into Finland and only half a million came out). Neither of these figures is correct and the answer is somewhere in the middle.
The Gulf of Finland islands & the lands in Karelia (Isthmus and areas surrounding Lake Ladoga) and at Salla, given up by Finland in 1940, continue to be Soviet territory to this day. However, USSR formally renounced its lease on the Hanko Peninsula in the Paris peace treaty of 1947.]
Finns lose 26,662 killed & 41,692 wounded. Civilian casualties are 892 dead & 1,856 wounded. 65 seamen die in the Finnish merchant fleet. http://www.winterwar.com/War%27sEnd/casualti_FinDailyD.htm
Soviet losses are 126,875 dead & 264,908 wounded, plus unknown numbers killed by NKVD behind Soviet lines and hospitalized with frostbite and other illnesses.
The Allies are robbed by the Finnish collapse of any pretext to move into Norway and Sweden. British troops march off the transport ships without having left port. The Allies do not abandon their ambition for action in Scandinavia. Churchill understands the importance of Norway to both sides and writes to British Foreign Minister Lord Halifax “Whether they [the Germans] have some positive plan of their own [for Norway]… I cannot tell. It would seem to me astonishing if they have not”.
[Footnote: The Finns kept remarkable records of their casualties, so these numbers are reliable. USSR on the other hand had no reliable records, so their casualty figure are at best SWAG (scientific wild-assed guess). Official Soviet estimates of casualties range from 200,000 killed and wounded (Molotov, just after the Winter War) to 1 million (in Nikita Khrushchev’s memoirs he states that 1.5 million Red soldiers went into Finland and only half a million came out). Neither of these figures is correct and the answer is somewhere in the middle.
The Gulf of Finland islands & the lands in Karelia (Isthmus and areas surrounding Lake Ladoga) and at Salla, given up by Finland in 1940, continue to be Soviet territory to this day. However, USSR formally renounced its lease on the Hanko Peninsula in the Paris peace treaty of 1947.]
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Day 194 March 12, 1940
At 9 AM, Finnish President Kyösti Kallio gives his delegates in Moscow full powers to negotiate peace terms, effectively conceding to Soviet demands. Finland loses 35,000 square kiometers (about 10% of the country), giving up Salla in Lapland plus the entire Karelian Isthmus and Ladoga Karelia (the area surrounding Lake Ladoga). As this includes the city of Viipuri & the towns of Sortavala and Käkisalmi, over 430,000 Karelian Finns are displaced (about 12 % of the population). In addition, Soviets lease Hanko peninsula as a naval base for 30 years. Kallio notes "This is the most awful document I have ever had to sign. May the hand wither which is forced to sign such a paper." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hugo_Sundstr%C3%B6m_-_Kallio_with_Mannerheim.jpg
Finnish military collapse around Viipuri continues. A little late to help, Sweden offers to begin talks on a defensive alliance with Finland.
The British embark about 20,000 troops on transport ships to land in Norway. The main force of 5 brigades boards troop transports at Rosyth in the Firth of Forth, Scotland, to land at Tronheim, Bergen and Stavanger. At Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands, the landing force intended for Narvik is a single brigade, which is at odds with the strategic aims of pushing through Narvik to the Swedish iron ore mines at Gällivare. The troops are an incoherent force pulled from various units held in reserve in England (10 divisions of the main British army are in France with the BEF) and many are poorly trained reservists. In addition the whole force is wildly under-equipped with little or no artillery or anti-aircraft guns.
The ships do not depart, however, awaiting orders to begin the operation, while the British War Cabinet debates operational plans (especially how to deal with Norwegian or Swedish armed opposition to the landings and subsequent troop movements through their countries). British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain is still against the whole operation, particularly armed conflict with the neutral Scandinavian countries should they not welcome the British and French intervention.
Finnish military collapse around Viipuri continues. A little late to help, Sweden offers to begin talks on a defensive alliance with Finland.
The British embark about 20,000 troops on transport ships to land in Norway. The main force of 5 brigades boards troop transports at Rosyth in the Firth of Forth, Scotland, to land at Tronheim, Bergen and Stavanger. At Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands, the landing force intended for Narvik is a single brigade, which is at odds with the strategic aims of pushing through Narvik to the Swedish iron ore mines at Gällivare. The troops are an incoherent force pulled from various units held in reserve in England (10 divisions of the main British army are in France with the BEF) and many are poorly trained reservists. In addition the whole force is wildly under-equipped with little or no artillery or anti-aircraft guns.
The ships do not depart, however, awaiting orders to begin the operation, while the British War Cabinet debates operational plans (especially how to deal with Norwegian or Swedish armed opposition to the landings and subsequent troop movements through their countries). British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain is still against the whole operation, particularly armed conflict with the neutral Scandinavian countries should they not welcome the British and French intervention.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Day 193 March 11, 1940
The Soviet noose tightens around Viipuri, with fighting in many suburbs. 5 Soviet tanks reach Tammisuo station in northeast Viipuri. At 6 PM, Finnish delegates in Moscow meet for final talks at the Kremlin and agree to Soviet terms to end the Winter War. The Finnish public is told for the first time about the Moscow peace talks.
British and French governments, under public pressure to do something to aid Finland, decide to send troops into Scandinavia to capture Swedish iron mines before a Soviet-Finnish peace robs them of an excuse. The Allies hope for cooperation from Norway and Sweden, despite repeated statements that they will resist. The question of whether, or how, to respond to Norwegian or Swedish armed resistance is left unanswered.
An Italian volunteer in the Finnish Air Force, Diego Manzochi is killed when his plane runs out of fuel. He had flown his own Fiat fighter to Finland in Dec 1939.
At 3.17 AM, U-28 hits Dutch tanker Eulota with 1 torpedo 125 miles west of Quessant, France. Eulota breaks in two and catches fire but she does not sink. All 42 crew abandon ship after the torpedo hits but reboard. British destroyers HMS Broke and Wild Swan pick up the survivors and scuttle Eulota. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/293.html
On sea trials in Jade Bay near Wilhelmshaven submarine base, U-31 is sighted by a British Bristol Blenheim of 82 squadron (RAF Bomber Command) which drops 4 antisubmarine bombs, scoring 2 hits (58 lives lost, all 48 crew and 10 dock workers). Interestingly, U-31 will be refloated later in March and sunk again by depth charges from HMS Antelope on Nov 2 1940, becoming the only German submarine to sink twice in WWII.
British and French governments, under public pressure to do something to aid Finland, decide to send troops into Scandinavia to capture Swedish iron mines before a Soviet-Finnish peace robs them of an excuse. The Allies hope for cooperation from Norway and Sweden, despite repeated statements that they will resist. The question of whether, or how, to respond to Norwegian or Swedish armed resistance is left unanswered.
An Italian volunteer in the Finnish Air Force, Diego Manzochi is killed when his plane runs out of fuel. He had flown his own Fiat fighter to Finland in Dec 1939.
At 3.17 AM, U-28 hits Dutch tanker Eulota with 1 torpedo 125 miles west of Quessant, France. Eulota breaks in two and catches fire but she does not sink. All 42 crew abandon ship after the torpedo hits but reboard. British destroyers HMS Broke and Wild Swan pick up the survivors and scuttle Eulota. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/293.html
On sea trials in Jade Bay near Wilhelmshaven submarine base, U-31 is sighted by a British Bristol Blenheim of 82 squadron (RAF Bomber Command) which drops 4 antisubmarine bombs, scoring 2 hits (58 lives lost, all 48 crew and 10 dock workers). Interestingly, U-31 will be refloated later in March and sunk again by depth charges from HMS Antelope on Nov 2 1940, becoming the only German submarine to sink twice in WWII.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Day 192 March 10, 1940
Finnish negotiators Ryti, Paasikivi, Walden & Voionmaa in Moscow again meet Molotov, Zdanov & Vasilevski at the Kremlin for 2 hours. The Finns try to revise the peace terms but to no avail. The Soviets will change ‘not a single comma’, according to Finnish Prime Minister Ryti. Meanwhile, Red Army closes in around Viiprui, Finland’s second city and gateway to the capital, Helsinki.
German Foreign Minister von Ribbentrop meets Mussolini in Italy. He informs Mussolini of Hitler’s plan to invade France (although not in great detail) and assures him of a swift victory, hoping for an Italian commitment to join the war with Germany. Mussolini is not convinced and, knowing that his forces are not ready to fight a modern war, prefers to sit on the sidelines and await the result. Mussolini promises only to intervene as soon as possible.
German Foreign Minister von Ribbentrop meets Mussolini in Italy. He informs Mussolini of Hitler’s plan to invade France (although not in great detail) and assures him of a swift victory, hoping for an Italian commitment to join the war with Germany. Mussolini is not convinced and, knowing that his forces are not ready to fight a modern war, prefers to sit on the sidelines and await the result. Mussolini promises only to intervene as soon as possible.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Day 191 March 9, 1940
Finland. Soviets take Tali village on the outskirts, almost surrounding Viipuri. Red Army is in control of the Western shore of Viipuri Bay & most of the islands. However, Finnish aircraft strafe Soviet troops on the ice and shoot down 3 Soviet fighters. In the evening, Finnish Government in Helsinki considers Soviet peace demands including Lake Ladoga and Salla district in Lapland. Commander-in-Chief Mannerheim suggests there is no alternative to surrender.
British release the Italian coal ships detained on 7 March, on the eve of German Foreign Minister von Ribbentrop’s visit to Rome. Italy can continue to import German coal only via an overland route. This British concession attempts to prevent further Italian/German alliance.
Battle of the Atlantic. U-14 sinks 3 British steamers 5 miles off the Belgian coast near Zeebrugge. At 5.42 AM, SS Borthwick is sunk with 1 torpedo. All 21 crew are picked up by Dutch pilot Loodsboot No.9 and landed at Flushing, Holland the next day. At 11.30 PM, U-14 hits SS Abbotsford with 1 torpedo. Another British steamer SS Akeld turns around to help but is torpedoed and sinks (all 12 hands lost). At 11.55 PM, U-14 finishes off SS Abbotsford with a second torpedo (all 19 hands lost).
http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/291.html
U-38 spots 6 trawlers (with lights on, indicating neutrality) 10 miles North of Aran Island, Ireland. From 200m, U-38 fires a warning shot from its deck gun at 9.13 PM. Irish trawler Leukos is hit and sinks (all 11 hands lost). http://www.irishseamensrelativesassociation.org/leukos_crew.htm
At 11.17 PM, U-28 sinks neutral Greek steamer P. Margaronis with 1 torpedo (all 30 hands lost), 125 miles West of Brest, France. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/292.html
British release the Italian coal ships detained on 7 March, on the eve of German Foreign Minister von Ribbentrop’s visit to Rome. Italy can continue to import German coal only via an overland route. This British concession attempts to prevent further Italian/German alliance.
Battle of the Atlantic. U-14 sinks 3 British steamers 5 miles off the Belgian coast near Zeebrugge. At 5.42 AM, SS Borthwick is sunk with 1 torpedo. All 21 crew are picked up by Dutch pilot Loodsboot No.9 and landed at Flushing, Holland the next day. At 11.30 PM, U-14 hits SS Abbotsford with 1 torpedo. Another British steamer SS Akeld turns around to help but is torpedoed and sinks (all 12 hands lost). At 11.55 PM, U-14 finishes off SS Abbotsford with a second torpedo (all 19 hands lost).
http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/291.html
U-38 spots 6 trawlers (with lights on, indicating neutrality) 10 miles North of Aran Island, Ireland. From 200m, U-38 fires a warning shot from its deck gun at 9.13 PM. Irish trawler Leukos is hit and sinks (all 11 hands lost). http://www.irishseamensrelativesassociation.org/leukos_crew.htm
At 11.17 PM, U-28 sinks neutral Greek steamer P. Margaronis with 1 torpedo (all 30 hands lost), 125 miles West of Brest, France. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/292.html
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Day 190 March 8, 1940
Finland. Red Army closes in on Viipuri, with fighting in the suburb of Tali. They capture more islands in Viipurinlahti Bay. Finnish delegates in Moscow begin negotiations in the evening with Molotov, Zdanov and General Vasilevski but not Stalin, to their disappointment. Finns ask for a ceasefire during negotiations. The Soviets know that they are about to take Viipuri and refuse, preferring to negotiate from a position of strength.
British steamer Counsellor (command ship of HX-22 convoy’s commodore Rear Admiral Franklin) strikes a mine in Liverpool Bay, England. The Admiral, his 7 naval staff and all 70 crew are picked up by destroyer HMS Walpole and landed at Liverpool. These mines laid on 6 Jan by U-30 have claimed 6 ships (total 33,000 tons). http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/287.html
British cruiser HMS Dunedin & Canadian destroyer HMCS Assiniboine capture German steamer SS Hanover near Jamaica. Hannover will be converted into escort aircraft carrier HMS Audacity.
British steamer Counsellor (command ship of HX-22 convoy’s commodore Rear Admiral Franklin) strikes a mine in Liverpool Bay, England. The Admiral, his 7 naval staff and all 70 crew are picked up by destroyer HMS Walpole and landed at Liverpool. These mines laid on 6 Jan by U-30 have claimed 6 ships (total 33,000 tons). http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/287.html
British cruiser HMS Dunedin & Canadian destroyer HMCS Assiniboine capture German steamer SS Hanover near Jamaica. Hannover will be converted into escort aircraft carrier HMS Audacity.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Day 189 March 7, 1940
Finland. Fighting continues around Viipuri. Red Army breaks through the last defensive line in several places, threatening Finland’s second city. Juho Kusti Paasikivi returns to Moscow in defeat (having led the failed Dec 1939 territorial negotiations with Molotov & Stalin). Finnish Prime Minister Ryti, Paasikivi, Rudolf Walden & Väinö Voionmaa arrive in Moscow in the evening (via Stockholm) to discuss peace terms with the Soviets.
Britain detains 9 Italian ships carrying German coal through the English Channel from Rotterdam. They are held at The Downs, off Deal, Kent, while the British government decides what to do next. Four more colliers on their way from Rotterdam will also be impounded. Coal-starved Italy believes this is a crude attempt to force a ‘coal for arms’ deal with the British who are in need of weaponry.
Hitler allocates 8 divisions to the invasion of Norway and Denmark.
Britain detains 9 Italian ships carrying German coal through the English Channel from Rotterdam. They are held at The Downs, off Deal, Kent, while the British government decides what to do next. Four more colliers on their way from Rotterdam will also be impounded. Coal-starved Italy believes this is a crude attempt to force a ‘coal for arms’ deal with the British who are in need of weaponry.
Hitler allocates 8 divisions to the invasion of Norway and Denmark.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Day 188 March 6, 1940
In a propaganda disaster, Dutch submarines O9, 10 & 11 are filmed leaving Den Helder Naval Base when armored tug BV3 enters the harbor & collides with O11. A film cameraman & 26 crew escape as O11 sinks but 3 men die trapped in flooded forward torpedo room & battery room/crew's quarters. The incident is shown on newsreels. http://www.dutchsubmarines.com/boats/boat_o11.htm
Finland. Fighting continues South, East and West of Viipuri, including on frozen Viipuri Bay. Foreign Minister Tanner asks if the Allies offer of military assistance still stands. The Allies demand a formal request from Finland by March 12. In addition, Paasikivi leaves for Moscow in the evening, with the other peace delegates Prime Minister Risto Ryti, Rudolf Walden & Väinö Voionmaa, to negotiate an armistice with the Soviets.
Cruiser HMS Berwick intercepts and boards German freighter Uruguay northeast of Iceland. However, Uruguay’s crew sets her on fire so she is unsalvageable and Berwick sinks her with gunfire. http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/1174.html
Finland. Fighting continues South, East and West of Viipuri, including on frozen Viipuri Bay. Foreign Minister Tanner asks if the Allies offer of military assistance still stands. The Allies demand a formal request from Finland by March 12. In addition, Paasikivi leaves for Moscow in the evening, with the other peace delegates Prime Minister Risto Ryti, Rudolf Walden & Väinö Voionmaa, to negotiate an armistice with the Soviets.
Cruiser HMS Berwick intercepts and boards German freighter Uruguay northeast of Iceland. However, Uruguay’s crew sets her on fire so she is unsalvageable and Berwick sinks her with gunfire. http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/1174.html
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Day 187 March 5, 1940
USSR has about 15,000 Polish officers held in 3 POW camps in western Belarus & Ukraine. Stalin & the Politburo decide to murder the officers & other Polish prisoners, fearing anti-Soviet resistance if they are released and declaring them “enemies of the Soviet Union”. The Polish officers at Kozelsk camp are shot & buried in a forest near the village of Katyn. The whole episode becomes known as Katyn massacre. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Katyn_-_decision_of_massacre_p1.jpg
Finland. Red Army controls Viipuri Bay despite taking heavy losses from strafing by Finnish aircraft and shelling. They capture more islands and push inland on the Western shore. Clearly with the upper hand, USSR renews its peace offer on the same harsh terms that expired March 1. Finnish Government accepts defeat, its defenses crumbing, and decides to open peace talks.
At 9 PM, U-17 torpedoes Dutch steamer SS Grutto 20 miles from the Belgian coast. Grutto sinks in 6 minutes (all 18 hands lost). http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/285.html
Finland. Red Army controls Viipuri Bay despite taking heavy losses from strafing by Finnish aircraft and shelling. They capture more islands and push inland on the Western shore. Clearly with the upper hand, USSR renews its peace offer on the same harsh terms that expired March 1. Finnish Government accepts defeat, its defenses crumbing, and decides to open peace talks.
At 9 PM, U-17 torpedoes Dutch steamer SS Grutto 20 miles from the Belgian coast. Grutto sinks in 6 minutes (all 18 hands lost). http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/285.html
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Day 186 March 4, 1940
At midnight 30 miles North of Land’s End England, French steamer S.N.A.1 sinks after colliding with British SS Thurston, which rescues her crew of 30. However, U-29 sinks Thurston (cargo 4500 tons of manganese) at 5.23 AM (64 lives lost). 3 of Thurston’s crew are rescued by British SS Moyle. Only 1 French sailor survives both sinkings, rescued by a trawler after 11 hours on an overturned lifeboat. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/283.html
U-29 also sinks British MV Pacific Reliance (carrying aircraft parts from USA) at 12.39 PM. All 53 crew are picked up by British merchant Macville and landed at Newlyn, Cornwall. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/284.html
Finland. There is continued fighting around Viipuri, particularly on the Vuoksi River near Äyräpää church. At noon Soviet troops and tanks reinforce the beachhead on the western shore of Viipuri Bay but Finnish artillery and planes take a heavy toll of Red Army soldiers advancing on the ice.
U-29 also sinks British MV Pacific Reliance (carrying aircraft parts from USA) at 12.39 PM. All 53 crew are picked up by British merchant Macville and landed at Newlyn, Cornwall. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/284.html
Finland. There is continued fighting around Viipuri, particularly on the Vuoksi River near Äyräpää church. At noon Soviet troops and tanks reinforce the beachhead on the western shore of Viipuri Bay but Finnish artillery and planes take a heavy toll of Red Army soldiers advancing on the ice.
Day 185 March 3, 1940
Churchill’s disinformation pays off. Luftwaffe bombs Southampton when liner Queen Elizabeth is due to arrive. Instead she is headed West to USA.
Finland. Soviet troops continue attacking across frozen Viipuri Bay. They reinforce the beachhead on the Western shore of the bay and take another island, Uuras. Finnish Commander-in-Chief dishonorably discharges General Wallenius who has failed to organize a defense of Viipuri Bay (he lost his nerve and remained drunk at HQ). He appoints Lieutenant-General Lennart Oesch to replace Wallenius in command of the Coastal Group to defend Viipuri from the ice. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baryshevo,_Leningrad_Oblast
Cruiser HMS York stops German steamer Arucas, 50 miles South of Iceland. The crew scuttles Arucas (3 lives lost). York rescues 39 survivors who will be landed at Kirkwall, Scotland on March 10.
U-29 lays mines in Bristol Channel; British steamer SS Cato hits one and sinks (13 lives lost). 2 survivors are rescued by minesweeper HMS Akita.
Finland. Soviet troops continue attacking across frozen Viipuri Bay. They reinforce the beachhead on the Western shore of the bay and take another island, Uuras. Finnish Commander-in-Chief dishonorably discharges General Wallenius who has failed to organize a defense of Viipuri Bay (he lost his nerve and remained drunk at HQ). He appoints Lieutenant-General Lennart Oesch to replace Wallenius in command of the Coastal Group to defend Viipuri from the ice. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baryshevo,_Leningrad_Oblast
Cruiser HMS York stops German steamer Arucas, 50 miles South of Iceland. The crew scuttles Arucas (3 lives lost). York rescues 39 survivors who will be landed at Kirkwall, Scotland on March 10.
U-29 lays mines in Bristol Channel; British steamer SS Cato hits one and sinks (13 lives lost). 2 survivors are rescued by minesweeper HMS Akita.
Day 184 March 2, 1940
Finland. Soviets attack the city of Viipuri from the South & East and also across the ice of Viipuri Bay, again reaching the western shore. However, they are slaughtered by shelling until the coastal batteries at Tuppuransaari run out of ammunition. The islands of Tuppuransaari and Teikarsaari are taken by the Soviets.
Britain and France request Sweden and Norway to allow passage of Allied troops going to Finland. The Allies still expect a formal request for assistance from Finland.
After traveling 3 weeks by train officially classified as "tourists going to ski-camp", Hungarian Volunteer Detached Battalion arrives in Finland at a training center in Lapua. They learn winter warfare and to ski. However, Soviet/Finnish peace treaty will be signed before they see action. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_support_in_the_Winter_War#Hungary
Liner Queen Elizabeth leaves the Clyde allegedly going to Southampton escorted by destroyers HMS Mohawk, Punjabi, Fortune & Foxhound; in reality she heads to New York.
Battle of the Atlantic. A Heinkel 111H bombs British liner Domala and machineguns survivors escaping by lifeboat (108 lives lost, 183 survivors). The Dutch ship Jong Willem rescues 48 of the survivors and is also attacked.
Cruiser HMS Berwick stops German steamer Wolfsburg, disguised as Norwegian ship Aust, North of Iceland. Wolfsburg is scuttled and Berwick picks up 54 crew, finally sinking Wolfsburg with gunfire.
German steamer Heidelberg which left Aruba Feb 29 is intercepted by British cruiser HMS Dunedin 60 miles west. She is scuttled and Dunedin picks up 25 crew. The crews of Heidelberg and Troja will be detained in a British internment camp in Jamaica.
Britain and France request Sweden and Norway to allow passage of Allied troops going to Finland. The Allies still expect a formal request for assistance from Finland.
After traveling 3 weeks by train officially classified as "tourists going to ski-camp", Hungarian Volunteer Detached Battalion arrives in Finland at a training center in Lapua. They learn winter warfare and to ski. However, Soviet/Finnish peace treaty will be signed before they see action. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_support_in_the_Winter_War#Hungary
Liner Queen Elizabeth leaves the Clyde allegedly going to Southampton escorted by destroyers HMS Mohawk, Punjabi, Fortune & Foxhound; in reality she heads to New York.
Battle of the Atlantic. A Heinkel 111H bombs British liner Domala and machineguns survivors escaping by lifeboat (108 lives lost, 183 survivors). The Dutch ship Jong Willem rescues 48 of the survivors and is also attacked.
Cruiser HMS Berwick stops German steamer Wolfsburg, disguised as Norwegian ship Aust, North of Iceland. Wolfsburg is scuttled and Berwick picks up 54 crew, finally sinking Wolfsburg with gunfire.
German steamer Heidelberg which left Aruba Feb 29 is intercepted by British cruiser HMS Dunedin 60 miles west. She is scuttled and Dunedin picks up 25 crew. The crews of Heidelberg and Troja will be detained in a British internment camp in Jamaica.
Day 183 March 1, 1940
Finland. USSR’s Feb 23 peace offer expires; Finns hold out for more Allied offers of assistance. Finnish ambassadors in London and Paris ask for 100 bombers and 50,000 troops. Illustrating the discord among the Allies, the French promise these assets while Britain realistically notes that these are not available. Red Army is now only 6 km from Viipuri and cuts several main roads into the city, overtaking retreating Finnish defenders. Major-General Wallenius transfers from Lapland to command a new Coastal Group defending Viipuri from attacks across the ice. He panics at the sight of the defenses and goes off to get drunk. Further North, Lieutenant-Colonel Magnus Dyrssen, commander of the Swedish volunteer battalion which took over the Salla front on 28 Feb, is killed by shellfire.
Battle of the Atlantic. Heinkel 111s bomb and sink Norwegian D/S Vestfoss (cargo of coal) 10 miles East of the Orkneys. All 19 crew are rescued from the lifeboats by trawler Star of Liberty. p://www.warsailors.com/singleships/vestfos.html At 3.15 AM, U-20 stops Italian steamer SS Mirella with 1 torpedo in the English Channel (cargo of coal). U-20 returns and sinks her at 9.14 PM (1 dead, 29 survivors).
Battle of the Atlantic. Heinkel 111s bomb and sink Norwegian D/S Vestfoss (cargo of coal) 10 miles East of the Orkneys. All 19 crew are rescued from the lifeboats by trawler Star of Liberty. p://www.warsailors.com/singleships/vestfos.html At 3.15 AM, U-20 stops Italian steamer SS Mirella with 1 torpedo in the English Channel (cargo of coal). U-20 returns and sinks her at 9.14 PM (1 dead, 29 survivors).
Day 182 February 29, 1940
Finns mount a fighting retreat as Red Army continues its offensive up Karelian Isthmus towards Viipuri. In addition, Soviets attempt to outflank Viipuri by crossing frozen Gulf of Finland. They come ashore 15 miles West of Viipuri but cannot reinforce the beachhead and are repelled by the Finns. However, Soviets capture Teikari Island.
Finns overrun East Lemetti Motti at 4 AM (3100 Soviet dead) capturing 5 field guns, 1 antitank gun, 71 tanks, 12 armored cars, 6 antiaircraft machineguns, 206 trucks & 70 machineguns.
Battle of the Atlantic. U-20 sinks Italian steamer SS Maria Rosa with 1 torpedo in the English Channel (12 dead, 17 survivors).
German steamers Heidelberg & Troja leave Aruba, Dutch Caribbean, after dark trying to evade Allied naval vessels. Troja is intercepted 10 miles out by British cruiser HMS Despatch. Following standing orders to prevent capture of merchant ships, Troja’s crew sets fires & abandons ship. Troja sinks next day.
http://willemsubmerged.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!4E8A7BFDA153F305!259.entry
Finns overrun East Lemetti Motti at 4 AM (3100 Soviet dead) capturing 5 field guns, 1 antitank gun, 71 tanks, 12 armored cars, 6 antiaircraft machineguns, 206 trucks & 70 machineguns.
Battle of the Atlantic. U-20 sinks Italian steamer SS Maria Rosa with 1 torpedo in the English Channel (12 dead, 17 survivors).
German steamers Heidelberg & Troja leave Aruba, Dutch Caribbean, after dark trying to evade Allied naval vessels. Troja is intercepted 10 miles out by British cruiser HMS Despatch. Following standing orders to prevent capture of merchant ships, Troja’s crew sets fires & abandons ship. Troja sinks next day.
http://willemsubmerged.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!4E8A7BFDA153F305!259.entry
Day 181 February 28, 1940
At 0.45 AM, Soviet High Command permits 34th Tank Brigade to retreat from East Lemetti Motti. The Finns allow about 2750 Soviet troops including sick and wounded to escape on foot - about 1000 make the Red Army lines to the South (250 die en route), but all 1500 men moving East are hunted down and annihilated by Finns on skis. Finnish attacks continue overnight on the motti, which is notable for the large number of Soviet tanks (about 100 many of which are dug in as fixed artillery).
http://www.winterwar.com/Tactics/mottis.htm
Further North, Swedish Volunteer Corps (Svenska Frivilligkåren) takes over front line duty at Märkäjärvi in Salla. Although officially non-belligerent, 8,402 Swedes, 1,010 Danes and 895 Norwegians volunteer go to Finland. They will lose 28 dead, 50 wounded and 140 invalids with frostbite.
Allies again promise to send troops to Finland and urge Finland to legitimise their actions with a formal appeal for assistance.
British battleship HMS Duke of York is launched, although she will not be commissioned for active service until 4 November 1941. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Duke_of_York_(17)
http://www.winterwar.com/Tactics/mottis.htm
Further North, Swedish Volunteer Corps (Svenska Frivilligkåren) takes over front line duty at Märkäjärvi in Salla. Although officially non-belligerent, 8,402 Swedes, 1,010 Danes and 895 Norwegians volunteer go to Finland. They will lose 28 dead, 50 wounded and 140 invalids with frostbite.
Allies again promise to send troops to Finland and urge Finland to legitimise their actions with a formal appeal for assistance.
British battleship HMS Duke of York is launched, although she will not be commissioned for active service until 4 November 1941. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Duke_of_York_(17)
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Day 180 February 27, 1940
A bleak day for Finland. Red Army continues its general offensive towards Viipuri with the intention of crushing the withering Finnish resistance in a pincer movement including an assault across frozen Viipuri bay to encircle the city. At 7 PM, commander of the Finnish Army of the Isthmus, Lieutenant-General Erik Heinrichs orders withdrawal from defensive positions in the V-line. An orderly retreat towards Viipuri begins.
Finnish government begs for assistance from its Scandinavian allies, but Norway and Sweden reaffirm their neutrality in fear of Soviet reprisals.
300 Finnish children are evacuated to Stockholm, Sweden.
Finnish government begs for assistance from its Scandinavian allies, but Norway and Sweden reaffirm their neutrality in fear of Soviet reprisals.
300 Finnish children are evacuated to Stockholm, Sweden.
Day 179 February 26, 1940
Finland. Red Army renews its offensive towards Viipuri. Finnish 23rd Division counterattacks with 8 Vickers Mark E light tanks (Battle of Honkaniemi, the only Finnish tank attack). They destroy 3 Soviet tanks but all 8 Finnish tanks break down or are destroyed and the Finns withdraw. http://www.winterwar.com/Battles/Naykkijaervi.htm
Newly-constructed British liner Queen Elizabeth leaves Clydeside on the Spring tide. Due to her weight, today is one of only two tides this year high enough to float her from dock. Churchill worries that Germany will attempt to sink her. He establishes an elaborate ruse to convince German spies that she is going to Southampton for final fitting. Instead she will head across the Atlantic to New York, where she will remain for 8 months before going to Singapore for refitting as a troopship. During the course of the war she will sail 500,000 miles and carry more than 750,000 troops from Australia and America to various theatres. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Queen_Elizabeth#Maiden_voyage
Newly-constructed British liner Queen Elizabeth leaves Clydeside on the Spring tide. Due to her weight, today is one of only two tides this year high enough to float her from dock. Churchill worries that Germany will attempt to sink her. He establishes an elaborate ruse to convince German spies that she is going to Southampton for final fitting. Instead she will head across the Atlantic to New York, where she will remain for 8 months before going to Singapore for refitting as a troopship. During the course of the war she will sail 500,000 miles and carry more than 750,000 troops from Australia and America to various theatres. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Queen_Elizabeth#Maiden_voyage
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Day 178 February 25, 1940
At 7.55 AM, British submarine HMS Narwhal (escorting convoy HN-14 from Bergen, Norway to Methil, Scotland) sights U-63 on the surface, which then dives to avoid attack. Destroyers HMS Escapade, Escort, Inglefield & Imogen hunt U-63 for 2 hours, eventually forcing U-63 to the surface with depth charges at 9.50. U-63 is scuttled 100 miles East of Wick, Scotland (1 life lost). 24 survivors are picked up by HMS Inglefield & Imogen and landed at Leith, Scotland on Feb 27. The crew members are taken prisoner and survive the war as POWs. http://www.warsailors.com/convoys/hn14.html
No. 110 Army Co-operation (Auxiliary) Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force, which departed Halifax, Nova Scotia on 15 February, arrives in Britain.
No. 110 Army Co-operation (Auxiliary) Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force, which departed Halifax, Nova Scotia on 15 February, arrives in Britain.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Day 177 February 24, 1940
Copenhagen. Norwegian, Danish and Swedish foreign ministers reassert their neutrality. They make a joint declaration not to assist Finland and refuse to allow foreign troops access through their territory. However, British envoy to Finland Sir George Gordon Vereker indicates 20-22,000 Allied soldiers will leave for Finland on March 15, provided the Finns make a formal request by March 5.
At 9 PM, U-63 sinks Swedish MV Santos 70 miles East of the Orkneys (31 lives lost including 6 survivors from SS Liana, rescued by Santos on 16 Feb). Next day, 12 survivors including 2 from Liana will be taken to the Scottish mainland by destroyer HMS Gallant. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/277.html
First flight of Hawker Typhoon prototype, P5212, by Hawker's test pilot Philip Lucas.
At 9 PM, U-63 sinks Swedish MV Santos 70 miles East of the Orkneys (31 lives lost including 6 survivors from SS Liana, rescued by Santos on 16 Feb). Next day, 12 survivors including 2 from Liana will be taken to the Scottish mainland by destroyer HMS Gallant. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/277.html
First flight of Hawker Typhoon prototype, P5212, by Hawker's test pilot Philip Lucas.
Day 176 February 23, 1940
Soviets fear the imminent arrival of foreign aid or troops in Finland. They scale back the Summa offensive towards Viipuri and offer peace terms to Finland. USSR demands the entire Karelian Isthmus (including Viipuri, Finland’s second largest city) and the areas surrounding Lake Ladoga, as well as the islands in the Gulf of Finland and a 30-year lease on the Hanko Peninsula (at the mouth of the Gulf of Finland); they will evacuate Petsamo region in the North of Finland in return. The Soviet offer will expire on march 1.
Increasing the pressure on the Finns, Sweden announces it will not intervene in the conflict or even allow Allied troops to pass through Swedish territory. Strangely, this does not lead to a change in Allied planning to support Finland by just that route.
U-53 is sunk by depth charges from British destroyer HMS Gurkha in the North Sea, 25 miles South of the Faroe Islands (all 42 hands lost).
Increasing the pressure on the Finns, Sweden announces it will not intervene in the conflict or even allow Allied troops to pass through Swedish territory. Strangely, this does not lead to a change in Allied planning to support Finland by just that route.
U-53 is sunk by depth charges from British destroyer HMS Gurkha in the North Sea, 25 miles South of the Faroe Islands (all 42 hands lost).
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Day 175 February 22, 1940
The Gulf of Finland is frozen solid. Soviet 43rd Division attacks with trucks and tanks across the ice and captures Lasisaari and Koivisto islands. Finns spike the guns of the coastal battery on Koivisto before withdrawing across Viipuri Bay.
Operation Wikinger. Without informing the Luftwaffe, 6 German destroyers sortie into the North Sea through a narrow lane between minefields, to disrupt scouting of German warships by British fishing boats. In the moonlight, Heinkel 111s from 4/KG26 mistake the destroyers for Allied ships and bomb the rear of the convoy. At 7.45 PM, destroyer Z1 Leberecht Maas is hit by two bombs and sinks (282 lives lost, 60 survivors). Destroyer Z3 Max Schultz takes evasive action, hits a mine and sinks with her crew of 308. http://www.german-navy.de/kriegsmarine/articles/feature4.html
U-50 sinks British tanker SS British Endeavour 125 miles west of Vigo, Spain (5 lives lost). 32 crew members are picked up by British steamer SS Bodnant and landed on the Portuguese island of Maderia.
http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/274.html
Operation Wikinger. Without informing the Luftwaffe, 6 German destroyers sortie into the North Sea through a narrow lane between minefields, to disrupt scouting of German warships by British fishing boats. In the moonlight, Heinkel 111s from 4/KG26 mistake the destroyers for Allied ships and bomb the rear of the convoy. At 7.45 PM, destroyer Z1 Leberecht Maas is hit by two bombs and sinks (282 lives lost, 60 survivors). Destroyer Z3 Max Schultz takes evasive action, hits a mine and sinks with her crew of 308. http://www.german-navy.de/kriegsmarine/articles/feature4.html
U-50 sinks British tanker SS British Endeavour 125 miles west of Vigo, Spain (5 lives lost). 32 crew members are picked up by British steamer SS Bodnant and landed on the Portuguese island of Maderia.
http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/274.html
Day 174 February 21, 1940
Hitler gives command of the invasion of Norway, now named Operation Weserübung, to Generalleutnant von Falkenhorst & demands a plan by 5 PM. Demonstrating the speed and flexibility of the German military, von Falkenhorst buys a Baedeker tourist guide to Norway. Working from maps in the book, he has draft operational plans ready for Hitler’s approval at 5.
At 3 AM, U-50 sinks Dutch SS Tara (carrying grain to Rotterdam) with 3 torpedoes 50 miles southwest of Cape Finisterre, Spain. The entire crew takes to the lifeboats. They either land on the Spanish coast or are picked up by Spanish trawler Milin. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/272.html
At 6.09 PM, British steamer SS Loch Maddy is hit by U-57 and abandoned 25 miles southeast of Wick, Scotland (4 lives lost). She will be sunk by U-23 on 22 Feb. 35 survivors are picked up by destroyer HMS Diana and landed at Scapa Flow.
Finland. Finnish V-line on the Karelian Isthmus continues to crumble. Soviet forces penetrate towards Viipuri.
At 3 AM, U-50 sinks Dutch SS Tara (carrying grain to Rotterdam) with 3 torpedoes 50 miles southwest of Cape Finisterre, Spain. The entire crew takes to the lifeboats. They either land on the Spanish coast or are picked up by Spanish trawler Milin. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/272.html
At 6.09 PM, British steamer SS Loch Maddy is hit by U-57 and abandoned 25 miles southeast of Wick, Scotland (4 lives lost). She will be sunk by U-23 on 22 Feb. 35 survivors are picked up by destroyer HMS Diana and landed at Scapa Flow.
Finland. Finnish V-line on the Karelian Isthmus continues to crumble. Soviet forces penetrate towards Viipuri.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Day 173 February 20, 1940
War comes to the waters of the Americas. 75 miles southwest of Halifax, Nova Scotia, U-96 sinks British MV Empire Seal at midnight (carrying steel from USA to Belfast, 1 dead, 56 survivors picked up by the British CAM ship Empire Flame and landed at Halifax) and neutral American MV Lake Osweya at 04.53 (en route to Iceland, all 39 lives lost). In the Caribbean, U-129 sinks Norwegian SS Nordvangen at 4 AM 25 miles east of Trinidad (all 24 dead) & U-156 hits American SS Delplata with 3 torpedoes at 11.31 AM 60 miles west of Martinique. All 53 crew abandon ship and are picked up the next day by USS Lapwing, which scuttles Delpata with gunfire after finding her unsalvageable. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/1353.html
U-54 goes missing in North Sea (all 41 hands lost), probably lost to mine barrages laid by the British destroyers HMS Ivanhoe and HMS Intrepid in early Jan 1940.
Finland, Soviets tanks dragging troops on armoured sleds penetrate the Finnish V-line as far as 1 km in places.
U-54 goes missing in North Sea (all 41 hands lost), probably lost to mine barrages laid by the British destroyers HMS Ivanhoe and HMS Intrepid in early Jan 1940.
Finland, Soviets tanks dragging troops on armoured sleds penetrate the Finnish V-line as far as 1 km in places.
Day 172 February 19, 1940
Kapitänleutnant Otto Kretschmer’s rampage in U-23 continues, after sinking HMS Daring yesterday. At 4.05 AM, British steamer SS Tiberton, carrying iron ore from Norway, is hit with 1 torpedo east of the Orkney Islands, Scotland. She sinks in 30 seconds with all 33 crew. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/271.html
Finland. In a repeat of the battles of late Dec 1939, a Soviet division attacks across the ice of frozen Lake Suvanto (in the Taipale sector, near Lake Lagoda on the Eastern end of the Karelian Isthmus). Again, Finnish defenders punish the Soviets with concentrated artillery fire, leaving 700-1,000 dead on the ice.
Alarmed by the Altmark incident on Feb 16, Hitler increases the pace of planning for the invasion of Norway and Denmark.
Finland. In a repeat of the battles of late Dec 1939, a Soviet division attacks across the ice of frozen Lake Suvanto (in the Taipale sector, near Lake Lagoda on the Eastern end of the Karelian Isthmus). Again, Finnish defenders punish the Soviets with concentrated artillery fire, leaving 700-1,000 dead on the ice.
Alarmed by the Altmark incident on Feb 16, Hitler increases the pace of planning for the invasion of Norway and Denmark.
Day 171 February 18, 1940
On Hitler’s orders, General Halder reluctantly incorporates Von Manstein’s thrust through the Ardennes Forest into his plans to invade France. Von Manstein, Hitler and even Halder will ultimately take credit for the move.
Finland. Finns destroy the 'regimental motti' north of Lake Ladoga & capture 32 field guns, 30 antitank guns, 1 mortar, 20 tanks, 15 machineguns, 25 trucks & 32 field kitchens. Soviets losses; 1,000 dead, 250 taken prisoner. 166 Finnish troops die in the battle. On the Karelian Isthmus, Soviet tanks break the V-line in two places.
Despite being at war only with France, Britain & the Commonwealth, German U-boats sink 6 merchant vessels from France, Spain, Greece, Panama, Holland & Norway (coal, grain and general cargo, 21,000 tons, 40 lives lost). In addition, U-23 sinks British destroyer HMS Daring with two torpedoes, escorting convoy HN-12 40 miles east of the Orkney Islands, Scotland (156 lives lost, 4-15 survivors reported).
http://www.axfordsabode.org.uk/darfo102.htm
Finland. Finns destroy the 'regimental motti' north of Lake Ladoga & capture 32 field guns, 30 antitank guns, 1 mortar, 20 tanks, 15 machineguns, 25 trucks & 32 field kitchens. Soviets losses; 1,000 dead, 250 taken prisoner. 166 Finnish troops die in the battle. On the Karelian Isthmus, Soviet tanks break the V-line in two places.
Despite being at war only with France, Britain & the Commonwealth, German U-boats sink 6 merchant vessels from France, Spain, Greece, Panama, Holland & Norway (coal, grain and general cargo, 21,000 tons, 40 lives lost). In addition, U-23 sinks British destroyer HMS Daring with two torpedoes, escorting convoy HN-12 40 miles east of the Orkney Islands, Scotland (156 lives lost, 4-15 survivors reported).
http://www.axfordsabode.org.uk/darfo102.htm
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Day 170 February 17, 1940
Hitler learns of the Manstein plan. Protocol dictates that new corps commanders dine with the Führer. Hitler's aide-de-camp Colonel Schmundt arranges for Hitler to hear Von Manstein’s proposal. Hitler, searching for an alternative to Halder’s lame thrust into Belgium, is impressed and notes similarities with his own ideas.
Finland. The Finns are no match for Soviet tanks in the open snow and fall back to the V-line. The Soviet attack again grinds to a halt on prepared defensive positions.
Battle of the Atlantic. At 2 AM, U-10 sinks Norwegian SS Kvernaas off the Dutch coast. All 20 crew abandon ship in two lifeboats and are picked up by Dutch SS Oranjepolder.
At 4 PM, U-37 sinks British SS Pyrrhus 75 miles west of La Coruña, Spain (8 lives lost). 77 survivors are picked up by British merchants Uskside & Sinnington Court and landed at Gibraltar. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/263.html
At 8.36 PM, U-48 sinks Finnish SS Wilja south of Bishop Rock. All 27 crew are picked up by Dutch steamer Maasdam and taken to Havanna, Cuba.
http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/262.html
Finland. The Finns are no match for Soviet tanks in the open snow and fall back to the V-line. The Soviet attack again grinds to a halt on prepared defensive positions.
Battle of the Atlantic. At 2 AM, U-10 sinks Norwegian SS Kvernaas off the Dutch coast. All 20 crew abandon ship in two lifeboats and are picked up by Dutch SS Oranjepolder.
At 4 PM, U-37 sinks British SS Pyrrhus 75 miles west of La Coruña, Spain (8 lives lost). 77 survivors are picked up by British merchants Uskside & Sinnington Court and landed at Gibraltar. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/263.html
At 8.36 PM, U-48 sinks Finnish SS Wilja south of Bishop Rock. All 27 crew are picked up by Dutch steamer Maasdam and taken to Havanna, Cuba.
http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/262.html
Day 169 February 16, 1940
A Lockheed Hudson of No.233 Squadron locates Graf Spee’s support ship the Altmark (suspected of carrying prisoners captured by Graf Spee) in Josing Fjord, Norway. Captain Vian commanding destroyer HNS Cossack intercepts Altmark, which is escorted by Norwegian torpedoboats. Nonetheless, Churchill personally orders Vian to stop Altmark and board her to free the prisoners. 4 German sailors are killed and 5 wounded as 299 prisoners are released. Hitler is convinced the Allied will not respect Norwegian neutrality to send aid to Finland, despite Norway’s repeated protests, and steps up his plans for a Scandinavian invasion.
Finland. Following Mannerheim’s order yesterday to abandon the main defensive line, Finnish troops receive the order to withdraw to intermediate V-line positions at 3.45 PM. Near village of Kuhmo, Finnish 9th division wipes out the remnants of Soviet “Dolin” ski brigade capturing numerous automatic weapons. Of 1,800 Soviets that skied into Finland, there are only 70 survivors.
U-14 sinks 4 neutral ships carrying coal from Britain to Denmark and Sweden.
Around midnight, Danish SS Rhone is hit first (9 dead) then Danish SS Sleipner (13 dead), which stops to help. Sleipner launches her lifeboats with 30 survivors picking up 11 more from Rhone. After 9-12 hours afloat, all 41 survivors are rescued by Swedish trawler Standard and British destroyer HMS Kipling.
At 9.25 PM, U-14 sinks two Swedish coal ships. SS Osmed sinks after being hit with 1 torpedo 20 miles north of Kinnaird Head, (13 dead). 7 survivors were picked up by the British trawler Loch Hope. 10 minutes later, SS Liana is also sunk with 1 torpedo (10 lives lost). 2 survivors are also picked up trawler Loch Hope. 8 others are rescued by Swedish steamer SS Santos. It is a brief reprise for these Jonahs, as Santos will be sunk on 24 February with the loss of six men from SS Liana.
http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ship.html?shipID=253
Finland. Following Mannerheim’s order yesterday to abandon the main defensive line, Finnish troops receive the order to withdraw to intermediate V-line positions at 3.45 PM. Near village of Kuhmo, Finnish 9th division wipes out the remnants of Soviet “Dolin” ski brigade capturing numerous automatic weapons. Of 1,800 Soviets that skied into Finland, there are only 70 survivors.
U-14 sinks 4 neutral ships carrying coal from Britain to Denmark and Sweden.
Around midnight, Danish SS Rhone is hit first (9 dead) then Danish SS Sleipner (13 dead), which stops to help. Sleipner launches her lifeboats with 30 survivors picking up 11 more from Rhone. After 9-12 hours afloat, all 41 survivors are rescued by Swedish trawler Standard and British destroyer HMS Kipling.
At 9.25 PM, U-14 sinks two Swedish coal ships. SS Osmed sinks after being hit with 1 torpedo 20 miles north of Kinnaird Head, (13 dead). 7 survivors were picked up by the British trawler Loch Hope. 10 minutes later, SS Liana is also sunk with 1 torpedo (10 lives lost). 2 survivors are also picked up trawler Loch Hope. 8 others are rescued by Swedish steamer SS Santos. It is a brief reprise for these Jonahs, as Santos will be sunk on 24 February with the loss of six men from SS Liana.
http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ship.html?shipID=253
Monday, February 15, 2010
Day 168 February 15, 1940
Generalmajor Rommel takes command of 7th Panzer Division. After providing Hitler's personal protection in Poland, Rommel sought a divisional command. After rejecting a specialized mountain division (Rommel’s forte in WWI), he lobbies hard for a Panzer division. With Hitler's tacit support he is given 7th Panzer.
Finland: Finnish Commander-in-Chief decides to abandon his Mannerheim Line. At 8 PM, he orders II Army Corps to withdraw to intermediate defensive positions (the “V-line”) on the Isthmus.
North of Lake Ladoga, Finns destroy the motti around Lavajärvi village taking 2 tanks, 5 field guns, 2 antitank guns, 8 trucks, 3 machineguns, 4 field kitchens, numerous rifles and ammunition. Finnish 9th division surrounds Soviets “Dolin” ski brigade (Colonel Dolin is already dead; his brigade is reduced to 800 men).
Neutral shipping suffers the German blockade of Britain. 4 steam merchant (carrying ore, oil cake, oil and fruit) are sunk for a total of 16,600 tons.
At 02.07, U-50 sinks Danish SS Maryland, carrying oil cake, west of Scotland (all 34 hands lost). http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/256.html
At 05.45, U-37 sinks Danish SS Aase carrying Spanish fruit to Bristol (15 lives lost). 1 survivor is picked up by HMS Verity on 17 Feb.
At 08.37, U-26 sinks Norwegian SS Steinstad 75 miles west of Aran Island, Ireland (13 dead). A lifeboat with 11 survivors makes landfall at Arranmore Island on 20 Feb.
At 14.00, U-48 sinks Dutch tanker MV Den Haag (11800 tons of oil) 150 miles west of Ouessant (26 dead). The U-boat had spotted the tanker about five hours earlier, but waited to evade a flying boat. 13 survivors in one lifeboat are picked up by British MV Glenorchy. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/257.html
Finland: Finnish Commander-in-Chief decides to abandon his Mannerheim Line. At 8 PM, he orders II Army Corps to withdraw to intermediate defensive positions (the “V-line”) on the Isthmus.
North of Lake Ladoga, Finns destroy the motti around Lavajärvi village taking 2 tanks, 5 field guns, 2 antitank guns, 8 trucks, 3 machineguns, 4 field kitchens, numerous rifles and ammunition. Finnish 9th division surrounds Soviets “Dolin” ski brigade (Colonel Dolin is already dead; his brigade is reduced to 800 men).
Neutral shipping suffers the German blockade of Britain. 4 steam merchant (carrying ore, oil cake, oil and fruit) are sunk for a total of 16,600 tons.
At 02.07, U-50 sinks Danish SS Maryland, carrying oil cake, west of Scotland (all 34 hands lost). http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/256.html
At 05.45, U-37 sinks Danish SS Aase carrying Spanish fruit to Bristol (15 lives lost). 1 survivor is picked up by HMS Verity on 17 Feb.
At 08.37, U-26 sinks Norwegian SS Steinstad 75 miles west of Aran Island, Ireland (13 dead). A lifeboat with 11 survivors makes landfall at Arranmore Island on 20 Feb.
At 14.00, U-48 sinks Dutch tanker MV Den Haag (11800 tons of oil) 150 miles west of Ouessant (26 dead). The U-boat had spotted the tanker about five hours earlier, but waited to evade a flying boat. 13 survivors in one lifeboat are picked up by British MV Glenorchy. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/257.html
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Day 167 February 14, 1940
Finland. Finnish troops start pulling out of the Lähde sector of the Mannerheim line, withdrawing to rearguard positions and leaving a gap in the Line 2-3 km wide and 6 km deep. Kirvesmäki stronghold on the Taipale River changes hands for the fourth time in 3 days. Soviets attack with artillery, aircraft and tanks; they retake the Kirvesmäki stronghold. Finns are out of reserves and cannot mount a counterattack.
Graf Spee’s supply ship Altmark, after waiting in the South Atlantic for several weeks, reaches Norwegian territorial waters off Trondheim. Altmark's Captain Heinrich Dau intends to remain in Norwegian neutral waters and avoid attack by the British.
Battle of the Atlantic. German U-boats exact a heavy toll on merchant ships carrying food and fuel in British waters, sinking 4 steam merchant for a total of 29,000 tons.
1.35 AM, U-57 hits British tanker SS Gretafield (13000 tons of fuel oil) with 1 torpedo (10 dead) 20 miles east of Wick, Scotland. Gretafield drifts ashore burning. 31 survivors are picked up by armed trawlers HMS Peggy Nutten & Strathalladale. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/251.html
5 AM, U-53 sinks Danish SS Martin Goldschmidt west of Ireland (15 dead, 5 survivors picked up by Norwegian SS Berto). http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/249.html
8 AM, U-26 sinks British steamer Langleeford (6800 tons of wheat) 70 miles northwest of Fastnet, Ireland (4 lives lost). The Germans question the survivors, give them food & dressings and set them on course to Ireland. 30 survivors make landfall at Ross, Co. Clare. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/250.html
5 PM, U-48 sinks British merchant SS Sultan Star (9000 tons of food) 200 miles west of Land’s End (1 dead). Destroyers HMS Whitshed, Vesper and Acasta drop 22 depth charges but U-48 escapes undamaged. 72 survivors in lifeboats and picked up by HMS Whitshed and landed at Plymouth the next day. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/252.html
Graf Spee’s supply ship Altmark, after waiting in the South Atlantic for several weeks, reaches Norwegian territorial waters off Trondheim. Altmark's Captain Heinrich Dau intends to remain in Norwegian neutral waters and avoid attack by the British.
Battle of the Atlantic. German U-boats exact a heavy toll on merchant ships carrying food and fuel in British waters, sinking 4 steam merchant for a total of 29,000 tons.
1.35 AM, U-57 hits British tanker SS Gretafield (13000 tons of fuel oil) with 1 torpedo (10 dead) 20 miles east of Wick, Scotland. Gretafield drifts ashore burning. 31 survivors are picked up by armed trawlers HMS Peggy Nutten & Strathalladale. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/251.html
5 AM, U-53 sinks Danish SS Martin Goldschmidt west of Ireland (15 dead, 5 survivors picked up by Norwegian SS Berto). http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/249.html
8 AM, U-26 sinks British steamer Langleeford (6800 tons of wheat) 70 miles northwest of Fastnet, Ireland (4 lives lost). The Germans question the survivors, give them food & dressings and set them on course to Ireland. 30 survivors make landfall at Ross, Co. Clare. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/250.html
5 PM, U-48 sinks British merchant SS Sultan Star (9000 tons of food) 200 miles west of Land’s End (1 dead). Destroyers HMS Whitshed, Vesper and Acasta drop 22 depth charges but U-48 escapes undamaged. 72 survivors in lifeboats and picked up by HMS Whitshed and landed at Plymouth the next day. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/252.html
Friday, February 12, 2010
Day 166 February 13, 1940
Battle of the Atlantic. At 2 AM, U-50 fires several torpedoes at Norwegian tanker Albert L. Ellsworth (all miss) then departs. The crew panic and abandon ship in lifeboats and rafts. However, 2 survivors from MV Snestad (rescued Feb 11 by Albert L. Ellsworth) drown in the scramble. 42 men reboard Ellsworth at dawn and continue on to Bergen. U-25 missed Norwegian SS Chastine Mærsk with the last 2 torpedoes overnight but, at dawn, sinks her with the deck gun in the North Sea. All 30 crew are rescued by Norwegian SS Hilda. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/248.html
U-53 sinks Swedish SS Norna west of Ireland (18 lives lost).
Karelian Isthmus. Finns try to retake the lost main defensive line in the Lähde sector but are pushed back by Soviet tanks. Instead, Red Army enlarges its breakthrough but still does not mount a decisive thrust. Finnish troops retake the Kirvesmäki stronghold on the River Taipale, overrun by Soviet troops yesterday.
In Sweden, Finnish Foreign Minister Tanner asks Swedish Government to send troops to Finland. The Swedes declines, being too concerned with Allied plans to ‘aid Finland’ via the Swedish iron ore fields and likely German intervention to prevent this.
U-53 sinks Swedish SS Norna west of Ireland (18 lives lost).
Karelian Isthmus. Finns try to retake the lost main defensive line in the Lähde sector but are pushed back by Soviet tanks. Instead, Red Army enlarges its breakthrough but still does not mount a decisive thrust. Finnish troops retake the Kirvesmäki stronghold on the River Taipale, overrun by Soviet troops yesterday.
In Sweden, Finnish Foreign Minister Tanner asks Swedish Government to send troops to Finland. The Swedes declines, being too concerned with Allied plans to ‘aid Finland’ via the Swedish iron ore fields and likely German intervention to prevent this.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Day 165 February 12, 1940
Finland. 5 AM, Soviet tanks drag explosive-laden sleds up to the Million Fort which is destroyed, killing everyone inside. The Mannerheim Line is truly breached but Soviet 7th Army does not pour through. Soviets capture the Kirvesmäki stronghold in Taipale and resist Finnish attempts to retake it. This is the beginning of the end for the Finns.
U-33 & Kapitänleutnant von Dresky’s inglorious war ends. At 2.50 AM, Royal Navy minesweeper HMS Gleaner locates U-33 laying mines in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, and drops depth charges. U-33 is badly damaged and forced to the surface at 5.22 AM and then sinks rapidly (25 lives lost, including von Dresky). Despite orders to remove the rotors from the secret Enigma code machine and throw them into the sea, one man among the 17 survivors has 3 rotors in his pockets. These are sent to Alan Turing’s naval cryptanalysis section of Government Code and Cypher School (2 of the rotors are only used by the Kriegsmarine). http://www.mikekemble.com/ww2/u33.html
Battle of the Atlantic. U-53 sinks Swedish SS Dalarö west of Scotland (captain lost, 29 survivors picked up by Belgian trawler Jan de Waele). U-26 sinks Norwegian Nidarholm west of Ireland (all 25 crew picked up 10 hours later by the Norwegian SS Berto).
British also enforce their blockade of Germany. Royal Navy destroyer HMS Hasty intercepts and captures German blockade runner SS, 300 miles west of Porto, Portugal. Morea is en route from Vigo, Spain to Germany, cargo unknown. 12 miles off Cabo Frio, Brazil, aircraft from British cruiser HMS Dorsetshire spot German freighter SS Wakama. HMS Dorsetshire stops Wakama but her crew set her on fire, so that Wakama will not fall into British hands, and take to the lifeboats. 46 survivors are picked up by HMS Dorsetshire.
U-33 & Kapitänleutnant von Dresky’s inglorious war ends. At 2.50 AM, Royal Navy minesweeper HMS Gleaner locates U-33 laying mines in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, and drops depth charges. U-33 is badly damaged and forced to the surface at 5.22 AM and then sinks rapidly (25 lives lost, including von Dresky). Despite orders to remove the rotors from the secret Enigma code machine and throw them into the sea, one man among the 17 survivors has 3 rotors in his pockets. These are sent to Alan Turing’s naval cryptanalysis section of Government Code and Cypher School (2 of the rotors are only used by the Kriegsmarine). http://www.mikekemble.com/ww2/u33.html
Battle of the Atlantic. U-53 sinks Swedish SS Dalarö west of Scotland (captain lost, 29 survivors picked up by Belgian trawler Jan de Waele). U-26 sinks Norwegian Nidarholm west of Ireland (all 25 crew picked up 10 hours later by the Norwegian SS Berto).
British also enforce their blockade of Germany. Royal Navy destroyer HMS Hasty intercepts and captures German blockade runner SS, 300 miles west of Porto, Portugal. Morea is en route from Vigo, Spain to Germany, cargo unknown. 12 miles off Cabo Frio, Brazil, aircraft from British cruiser HMS Dorsetshire spot German freighter SS Wakama. HMS Dorsetshire stops Wakama but her crew set her on fire, so that Wakama will not fall into British hands, and take to the lifeboats. 46 survivors are picked up by HMS Dorsetshire.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Day 164 February 11, 1940
With the Mannerheim Line weakening, Timoshenko opens his main attack. 9.30 – noon massive artillery barrage (heard 100 miles away), then 120,000 Soviet troops attack into the 12 mile Summa gap. 123rd division penetrates the Lähde sector and 245th Rifle Regiment under Colonel Rosly takes Fort Poppius at 1.30 PM by parking armored cars in front of the machinegun ports. Finns try to plug the gap but are cut down by Soviet tanks. Strangely, Soviets do not send in reinforcements to exploit this gap. Fighting goes on around Million Fort all night. http://www.mannerheim-line.com/summa/summa20000eng.jpg
North Sea. U-53 sinks Norwegian MV Snestad with 2 torpedoes (all 36 crew rescued by Norwegian tanker Albert L. Ellsworth) and damages British tanker MV Imperial Transport (2 lives lost). U-9 sinks Estonian SS Linda (1 dead). U-50 sinks Swedish SS Orania 65 miles (14 lives lost). 10 survivors are rescued the next day by HMS Faulknor. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/243.html
http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/242.html
U-37 sinks British trawler Togimo off Milford Haven with the deck gun (1 dead).
North Sea. U-53 sinks Norwegian MV Snestad with 2 torpedoes (all 36 crew rescued by Norwegian tanker Albert L. Ellsworth) and damages British tanker MV Imperial Transport (2 lives lost). U-9 sinks Estonian SS Linda (1 dead). U-50 sinks Swedish SS Orania 65 miles (14 lives lost). 10 survivors are rescued the next day by HMS Faulknor. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/243.html
http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/242.html
U-37 sinks British trawler Togimo off Milford Haven with the deck gun (1 dead).
Day 163 February 10, 1940
Finland. A crack opens in the Mannerheim Line. Red Army attacks again across the Karelian Isthmus from Summa to Taipale. The Mannerheim Line holds in most places but the Soviets wade across the Munasuo swamp and through several rows of barbed wire to achieve a breakthrough in the swampy but poorly fortified Merkki sector.
Two wooden British ships HMS Salve and HMS Servitor successfully sweep for magnetic mines on the sea bed, dragging a long charged electrical cable which detonates the mines in their wake.
From 5-7 PM, U-48 stops, inspects and then sinks Dutch steamer Burgerdijk (carrying grain from USA to Rotterdam) 40 miles from Land’s End, England. The crew and passengers abandon ship in lifeboats and are picked up 12 hours later by Dutch steamer Edam and taken to England. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/239.html
At 9 PM, U-37 sinks Nowegian steamer Silja (carrying salt from Gibraltar to Bergen) with 1 torpedo southwest of Ireland (all 16 lives lost).
Two wooden British ships HMS Salve and HMS Servitor successfully sweep for magnetic mines on the sea bed, dragging a long charged electrical cable which detonates the mines in their wake.
From 5-7 PM, U-48 stops, inspects and then sinks Dutch steamer Burgerdijk (carrying grain from USA to Rotterdam) 40 miles from Land’s End, England. The crew and passengers abandon ship in lifeboats and are picked up 12 hours later by Dutch steamer Edam and taken to England. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/239.html
At 9 PM, U-37 sinks Nowegian steamer Silja (carrying salt from Gibraltar to Bergen) with 1 torpedo southwest of Ireland (all 16 lives lost).
Monday, February 8, 2010
Day 162 February 9, 1940
Finland. Mannerheim Line starts to crack in the Summa sector. Soviet troops take a bunker near the village of Karhula, north of Marjapellonmäki (Hill 38). Finns are unable to retake the position despite bringing up reserves. North of Lake Ladoga, Finnish troops surround Soviet JR 203 creating the 'regimental motti'.
German destroyers Z3, Z4 and Z16 lay 110 mines in The Shipwash, a busy sea lane in the North Sea east of Harwich, England. Mines laid near Liverpool by U-30 on Jan 6 claim another victim. British steamer SS Chagres (1500 tons Cameroonian bananas) sinks 10 miles from her destination (2 lives lost). 62 crew members are taken to Liverpool by anti-submarine trawler HMS Loch Montreith.
Germany. OKH Chief of Staff Halder tires of von Manstein’s criticism of Case Yellow, his invasion plan for France, Belgium and Holland. Halder promotes Manstein to command an army corps garrisoning Poland, well away from planning forthcoming campaigns.
German destroyers Z3, Z4 and Z16 lay 110 mines in The Shipwash, a busy sea lane in the North Sea east of Harwich, England. Mines laid near Liverpool by U-30 on Jan 6 claim another victim. British steamer SS Chagres (1500 tons Cameroonian bananas) sinks 10 miles from her destination (2 lives lost). 62 crew members are taken to Liverpool by anti-submarine trawler HMS Loch Montreith.
Germany. OKH Chief of Staff Halder tires of von Manstein’s criticism of Case Yellow, his invasion plan for France, Belgium and Holland. Halder promotes Manstein to command an army corps garrisoning Poland, well away from planning forthcoming campaigns.
Day 161 February 8, 1940
Finland. To spur diplomatic moves towards peace, USSR asks Finland to choose an island in the Gulf of Finland to give up as a Soviet military base. To press home their case for a settlement, Soviets continue their daily shelling and aerial bombing of Mannerheim Line fortifications and launch attacks around Summa with tanks pulling armored sleds. The sleds contain explosives to be dragged up to the Finnish concrete bunkers and detonated.
In addition, at 10.15 AM, two Soviet divisions shell the Kirvesmäki Cape and attack across the River Taipale which has been quiet for a week. They take two Finnish strongholds at Terenttilä at the extreme East end of the Mannerheim Line where the River Taipale empties into Lake Ladoga (Finnish casualties 219 men, with 32 killed).
There is no relief for the Soviet divisions abandoned North of Lake Ladoga by Timoshenko’s plan. Finnish 9th division annihilates 1500 Soviet soldiers in mottis from 54th division around Kuhmo.
In addition, at 10.15 AM, two Soviet divisions shell the Kirvesmäki Cape and attack across the River Taipale which has been quiet for a week. They take two Finnish strongholds at Terenttilä at the extreme East end of the Mannerheim Line where the River Taipale empties into Lake Ladoga (Finnish casualties 219 men, with 32 killed).
There is no relief for the Soviet divisions abandoned North of Lake Ladoga by Timoshenko’s plan. Finnish 9th division annihilates 1500 Soviet soldiers in mottis from 54th division around Kuhmo.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Day 160 February 7, 1940
With alarming lack of security, British and French newspapers publish Allied Supreme War Council’s decision to send aid to Finland. Naturally, this raises Finnish expectations of reinforcement, alarms Norway and Sweden (both reaffirm their neutrality) and further alerts Germany to threats to vital Swedish iron ore supplies. However, popular support for action to save Finland grows in Britain and especially France.
Finland. Red Army attacks the Summa gap for the 7th consecutive day. The daily artillery bombardment and tank/infantry attacks, followed by Finnish counterattacks, weakens the Mannerheim Line fortifications, exhausts the defenders and sucks in the Finnish reserves.
At 6 AM, Belfast-Liverpool ferry MV Munster (carrying general cargo, 45 crew, 190 passengers) hits a mine (laid Jan 6 by U-30) and sinks a few miles from Liverpool. Everyone on board is taken to Liverpool by British steamer SS Ringwall.
http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/236.html
Finland. Red Army attacks the Summa gap for the 7th consecutive day. The daily artillery bombardment and tank/infantry attacks, followed by Finnish counterattacks, weakens the Mannerheim Line fortifications, exhausts the defenders and sucks in the Finnish reserves.
At 6 AM, Belfast-Liverpool ferry MV Munster (carrying general cargo, 45 crew, 190 passengers) hits a mine (laid Jan 6 by U-30) and sinks a few miles from Liverpool. Everyone on board is taken to Liverpool by British steamer SS Ringwall.
http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/236.html
Friday, February 5, 2010
Day 159 February 6, 1940
Finland. Soviet shelling of the Mannerheim Line fortifications continues on the Karelian Isthmus, but probing infantry and tank attacks are restricted to Summa village and Marjapellonmäki in the nearby Karhula sector (Hill 38). http://www.mannerheim-line.com/hill38.htm Further North, above Lake Ladoga, Finnish 9th division completes the encirclement Soviet 54th division and start cutting it into mottis.
Estonian steamer Anu hits a mine and sinks 30 miles East of its destination of Dundee, Scotland (en route from Gothenburg via Aberdeen). The captain, his wife and four crew drown and the cook later dies of burns. This minefield in the mouth of River Tay was laid on Dec 12 1939 by U-13 and also caused damage to British steamer SS City of Marseilles on Jan 6 1940 (1 life lost).
In Britain, the iconic "Careless Talk Costs Lives" slogan debuts, designed to prevent war gossip. http://www.fulltable.com/VTS/aoi/f/fougasse/fp.htm
Estonian steamer Anu hits a mine and sinks 30 miles East of its destination of Dundee, Scotland (en route from Gothenburg via Aberdeen). The captain, his wife and four crew drown and the cook later dies of burns. This minefield in the mouth of River Tay was laid on Dec 12 1939 by U-13 and also caused damage to British steamer SS City of Marseilles on Jan 6 1940 (1 life lost).
In Britain, the iconic "Careless Talk Costs Lives" slogan debuts, designed to prevent war gossip. http://www.fulltable.com/VTS/aoi/f/fougasse/fp.htm
Day 158 February 5, 1940
U-41 damages Dutch tanker Ceronia (3.30 AM, no casualties) and sinks British SS Beaverburn 150 miles south of Ireland (1.10 PM, 1 killed, 76 crew rescued by British tanker Narragansett and landed at Falmouth). http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/234.html However, U-41 is sunk with depth charges by HMS Antelope (all 49 hands lost). Antelope's Captain, Lt. Cdr. White wins the DSO for the first U-boat sinking by a lone destroyer.
Allied Supreme War Council meets in Paris. France enthusiastic agrees to send British troops to Finland via landings at Narvik, seizing Swedish iron ore mines and the port of Luleå en route, despite the declared neutrality of Norway and Sweden! However, the operation is assigned only 2 British divisions, which only exist on paper and will have to be diverted from BEF in France. British Chief of Staff General Sir Edmund Ironside notes in his diary “everyone purring with pleasure”, unaware of detailed German plans to invade Norway with much larger forces.
BEF’s Chief of Staff General Henry Pownall is furious, recording in his diary “For five months we have been struggling to make fit for action in the Spring a force that was dangerously under-equipped and untrained. There were signs that we were getting some reasonable way to our goal. If this business [the invasion of Norway] goes through, we shall be cut by 30%. Of all the harebrained projects I have heard of, this is the most foolish.”
Allied Supreme War Council meets in Paris. France enthusiastic agrees to send British troops to Finland via landings at Narvik, seizing Swedish iron ore mines and the port of Luleå en route, despite the declared neutrality of Norway and Sweden! However, the operation is assigned only 2 British divisions, which only exist on paper and will have to be diverted from BEF in France. British Chief of Staff General Sir Edmund Ironside notes in his diary “everyone purring with pleasure”, unaware of detailed German plans to invade Norway with much larger forces.
BEF’s Chief of Staff General Henry Pownall is furious, recording in his diary “For five months we have been struggling to make fit for action in the Spring a force that was dangerously under-equipped and untrained. There were signs that we were getting some reasonable way to our goal. If this business [the invasion of Norway] goes through, we shall be cut by 30%. Of all the harebrained projects I have heard of, this is the most foolish.”
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Day 157 February 4, 1940
Finland. Consistent with Timoshenko’s small unit tactics, Soviet artillery, aircraft and tanks bombard Finnish positions in the Summa gap but Red infantry only advance on Summa village. Above Lake Lagoda, Colonel Dolin’s Siberian ski battalion arrives near the village of Kuhmo and counterattacks Finnish 9th division. After a week of pressure, Finnish IV Corps completes the destruction of West Lemetti motti, capturing 4 field guns, 2 antitank guns, 1 mortar, 32 tanks, 6 machineguns, 120 rifles and 26 trucks. Orders for the attack are notable for the first official use of the term “motti”.
At 4.17 AM, U-37 torpedoes Norwegian steamer SS Hop 100 miles South of the Shetland Islands (all 17 hands lost). About the same time 100 further miles South in the mouth of Moray Firth, HMS Sphinx finally sinks in heavy seas after being damaged by bombs on Feb 3.
At 9.25 PM, U-37 sinks British steamer SS Leo Dawson 15 miles east of Bressay, Shetlands, after missing with the first torpedo (all 35 hands lost).
At 4.17 AM, U-37 torpedoes Norwegian steamer SS Hop 100 miles South of the Shetland Islands (all 17 hands lost). About the same time 100 further miles South in the mouth of Moray Firth, HMS Sphinx finally sinks in heavy seas after being damaged by bombs on Feb 3.
At 9.25 PM, U-37 sinks British steamer SS Leo Dawson 15 miles east of Bressay, Shetlands, after missing with the first torpedo (all 35 hands lost).
Day 156 February 3, 1940
British minesweepers HMS Sphinx, Speedwell and Skipjack, sweeping the mouth of Moray Firth, are attacked by German bombers. About 9.30 AM, a bomb destroys the aft deck of HMS Sphinx, killing many below decks as well as the Captain on the bridge. Sphinx is crippled but not taking water, so the crew remains on board as she is taken in tow by HMS Speedwell. However, Sphinx capsizes and sinks in very heavy seas 19 hours later. Frigate HMS Boreas, summoned along with other Royal Navy vessels to provide assistance, rescues crewmembers from the foundering ship and from the sea but a total 54 lives are lost. http://www.halcyon-class.co.uk/sphinx/hms_sphinx.htm
http://www.halcyon-class.co.uk/sphinx/wreck_details.htm
At 9.36 AM, U-58 spends 13 hours and 3 torpedoes chasing and sinking tiny Estonian vessel SS Reet in the North Sea halfway between Stavanger, Norway & Aberdeen, Scotland (18 lives lost).
At 2.32 PM, U-25 torpedoes and sinks British steamer SS Armanistan 100 mile West of Lisbon, Portugal. The entire crew is rescued by Spanish vessel SS Monte Abril and landed on the Spanish island of Tenerife off the West coast of Africa.
http://www.halcyon-class.co.uk/sphinx/wreck_details.htm
At 9.36 AM, U-58 spends 13 hours and 3 torpedoes chasing and sinking tiny Estonian vessel SS Reet in the North Sea halfway between Stavanger, Norway & Aberdeen, Scotland (18 lives lost).
At 2.32 PM, U-25 torpedoes and sinks British steamer SS Armanistan 100 mile West of Lisbon, Portugal. The entire crew is rescued by Spanish vessel SS Monte Abril and landed on the Spanish island of Tenerife off the West coast of Africa.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Day 155 February 2, 1940
U-59 sinks British steamers SS Creofield (6.24 AM, all 9 lives lost) and SS Portelet (8.40 PM, 2 lives lost) with 1 torpedo each, 20 miles East of Lowestoft, Suffolk, England. 9 survivors from Portelet are picked up by the Finnish steamer SS Oscar Midling and landed 100 miles North at Immingham, England.
http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/226.html
Finland. Soviet shelling, aerial bombing and small unit combined infantry/armour attacks continue on the Karelian Isthmus, designed to wear down the Finnish defenders rather than penetrate the fortified defensive line. Further North, above Lake Lagoda, Finnish 9th division continues to surround Soviet 54th division near Kuhmo. In a rare example of reinforcing the trapped Red Army units, Siberian ski battalion under Colonel Vyatsheslav Dmitrievitsh Dolin is sent in to help 54th division.
http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/226.html
Finland. Soviet shelling, aerial bombing and small unit combined infantry/armour attacks continue on the Karelian Isthmus, designed to wear down the Finnish defenders rather than penetrate the fortified defensive line. Further North, above Lake Lagoda, Finnish 9th division continues to surround Soviet 54th division near Kuhmo. In a rare example of reinforcing the trapped Red Army units, Siberian ski battalion under Colonel Vyatsheslav Dmitrievitsh Dolin is sent in to help 54th division.
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