16-Oct-39: Germans Announce End of Polish Campaign, Even as a Few Polish Troops Hold Out; Fighting Flares Along Western Front; Royal Navy Experiences Another Surprise Attack
Today is 16-Oct-1939, the 46th day of World War II; there are 2,147 days left in the conflict.
Germany’s Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW – High Command of the Wehrmacht/Armed Forces) issues a communique that the Polish Campaign is officially ended, although a few regular Polish troops continue to offer token resistance in remote areas. This part of the announcement is confirmed in Paris when the Polish embassy there announces that Polish troops continue to hold out against both German and Soviet invaders in Suwalki, in the Carpathian Mountains, as well as in the Pripet Marshes at Bialowieza.
The German’s focus has in the meantime turned completely towards the west. Along the Moselle River, German troops advance along a four-mile front; they are met with French artillery fire and retreat. Later in the day, German troops attack along a 20-mile front east of the Saar River. French “covering forces” retreat in what is described as a pre-planned move. Over the next two days, the German Heer will push French troops out of the territory they had gained during the French Saar offensive last month. While the Allies claim the Germans suffered 5,000 casualties in the two operations, in fact there are few losses on either side.
On top of the shocking sinking of HMS Royal Oak two days before, the British Royal Navy suffers another surprise attack, this time in the Firth of Forth at Rosyth. The German Luftwaffe sends nine of its new Ju-88 dive-bombers to attack ships at anchor. HMS Southampton is penetrated by an unexploded bomb; the crew of the destroyer HMS Mohawk experiences losses; and the HMS Edinburgh is also damaged. Eventually, British Royal Air Force Spitfire fighters arrive to chase off the Germans; the pilots are part-timers, members of Glasgow and Edinburgh Auxilliary Air Force squadrons.
In Berlin, the German Kriegsmarine issues slightly modified attack orders for its warships and Unterseeboot fleets. The new order states: “All merchant ships definitely recognized as enemy ones (British and French) can be torpedoed without warning. Passenger steamers in convoy can be torpedoed a short while after notice has been given of the intention to do so.”