14-Nov-39: Allies Meet Secretly with Belgians; Dyle Plan Accepted; Dutch, Belgian Royal Peace Offers Rejected by Germany; Prague Demonstration Violently Suppressed; Sikorski Arrives in London
Today is 14-Nov-1939, the 45th day of World War II; there are 2,118 days left in the conflict.
Allied military commanders on the Western Front meet secretly with Belgian military commanders in mostly inconclusive meetings, but there is agreement that British and French troops should immediately advance to a position known as the “Meuse-Antwerp Line,” southeast of Brussels, if the Germans invade. The secret agreement is referred to as the “Dyle Plan” or “Plan D” after the Dyle River.
After negative responses are recorded in Paris and London to a previous joint offer of peace negotiations given by Netherlands Queen Wilhelmina and Belgian King Leopold II, it is noted in Berlin that the Germans are also responding in the negative. The war will continue.
In Prague, police violently disperse a Czech Fascist Party demonstration injuring 12 marchers.
Polish President-in-Exile General Wojtech Sikorski, having been based in France since the German invasion of his country, arrives in London for an official visit.
22-Oct-39: 22-Oct-39: Dr. Goebbels Claims Churchill Lies; Allies Leave Ankara After Successful Pact Inked; Soviets Conduct Elections in Formerly Polish Territories; Western Front Artillery Duels Continue in Rain
Today is 22-Oct-1939, the 52nd day of World War II; there are 2,141 days left in the conflict.
War news is mostly quiet today. German Minister of Propaganda and Enlightenment Dr. Josef Goebbels uses a radio broadcast to attack British First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill. Churchill is a liar, he claims.
After the conclusion of successful talks and a pact with the Turks, British General Archibald Wavell and French General Maxime Weygand depart in triumph from Ankara.
In India, which is still a part of the British Empire, the independence-minded Congress Party declares that it will not support the war effort and condemns the imperialism of the Empire.
The Soviet Union conducts elections in the newly won territories of the western Ukraine and western Belorussia, which had formerly belonged to Poland.
The Germans and French continue to conduct sporadic artillery duels along their common border; due to heavy recent rains, the no-man’s land along the front has been turned into a sea of mud.
21-Oct-39: Four of Nine Heinkel He-115 Seaplanes Downed; Ethnic Germans Repatriated from Italy; General Gamelin Won’t Attack Germans, He Says
Today is 21-Oct-1939, the 51st day of World War II; there are 2,142 days left in the conflict.
Over the North Sea, the British Royal Air Force and German Luftwaffe engage during an attack by the latter on a British ship convoy. The British ships and planes escape unscathed, but the Germans are not as fortunate; four out of nine of the Heinkel He-115 seaplanes are downed by the RAF.
Further out in the North Atlantic, a French Force de Raide, which includes the then-fastest destroyers on the oceans, spends over a week escorting a large convoy of ships during the crossing. It also intercepts a hostile German Kriegsmarine ship.
In yet another in a series of such arrangements, the Germans and Italians ink an agreement which provides for the transfer of more ethnic Germans back into the Third Reich, this time in the South Tyrol (which formerly belonged to Austria.
Along the Western Front on the continent, French and German artillery units exchange sporadic fire during a heavy downpour, while in Paris, Allied Commander-in-Chief General Maurice Gamelin indicates that he does not intend to attack the Germans across the Siegfried Line. Instead, he will wait until the Wehrmacht attacks in force, then withdraw France’s troops to behind the “impregnable” Maginot Line, thus halting the attack.
19-Oct-39: German OKH Presents Plan for Fall Gelb, the Invasion of France; Turks Ink Treaty With Allies; Brits Note Increase in Road Fatalities Due to Blackout
Today is 19-Oct-1939, the 49th day of World War II; there are 2,144 days left in the conflict.
German Reichskanzler Adolf Hitler’s Führer-Anweisung N°6, Directive No. 6, was issued on 9-Oct, directing the Army to prepare for an invasion of France through the Low Countries as soon as possible. Today, General Franz Halder, Chief of Staff of Oberkommado des Heeres, the High Command of the Army, hands Hitler OKH’s plan for the execution of the Führer’s order. Called Aufmarschanweisung N°1, Fall Gelb, or “Deployment Instruction No. 1, Case Yellow,” the main features of the plan call for the German left wing to fight a holding action on the French border facing the Maginot Line, while the main attack will be thrust through the middle of Belgium towards the French border. The plan also calls for a simultaneous invasion of Holland.
The plan seems, at first glance, to mirror the World War I Schlieffen Plan, which called for a sweeping envelopment action through Belgium and down the coast of the English Channel, wrapping around Paris and destroying the French Army. The German Army’s failure to execute the plan fully in 1914 (its right wing swung to the north of Paris instead of south) ended ultimately in stalemate and defeat on the Western Front in 1918.
Fall Gelb actually differs from the Schlieffen Plan, however. Gelb is based on an unimpressive, conventional frontal attack which would sacrifice an estimated 500,000 German soldiers in order to push the Allies back only as far as the Somme River. Gelb estimates that the Heer’s strength would thus be exhausted and would only be recovered in 1942, at which time the main attack against France could begin. Hitler is reportedly “disappointed and unimpressed” by the initial plan, to say the least. He will act immediately and decisively to change Gelb.
In Ankara, Turkey, after a day of talks between the British General Archibald Wavell, commander of British troops in the Middle East, and French General Maxime Weygand, former chief of staff, the “Ango-French-Turkish Treaty of Mutual Assistance” is inked by all parties. During the term of the 15-year treaty, the Turks undertake to aid the Allies if war begins in the Mediterranean as long as said aid does not bring Turkey into conflict with the Soviet Union. In exchange, the French give Ankara control of the disputed Sanjak of Alexandretta (the province of Hatay) in French Syria. The Syrians protest that the cession is illegal and the dispute over the province will continue even into the 21st Century.
Back in England, near the town of Whitby, North Yorkshire, two German Luftwaffe airmen are discovered after they drift ashore in a collapsible dinghy. They had been shot down over the North Sea two days previously.
The British Ministry of Transport notes that the wartime blackout, not enemy action, accounts for the most casualties so far; fatalities in road accidents increased from 617 in August, the last month of peace, to 1130 in September, the first full wartime month when the blackout was imposed, a 55% increase.
18-Oct-39: Nordic Leaders Have Conference in Stockholm; Germans Attempt Another Scapa Flow Attack; British, French Meet in Ankara, Turkey
Today is 18-Oct-1939, the 48th day of World War II; there are 2,145 days left in the conflict.
British General Archibald Wavell, the commander of British troops in the Middle East, and French General Maxime Weygand, the former chief of staff, fly into Ankara, Turkey, for consultations with the Turkish General Staff. The Germans respond by recalling their ambassador, former Chancellor Franz von Papen, for consultation in Berlin.
In Scotland, German Luftwaffe bombers again attempt an attack on the British Royal Navy base at Scapa Flow, but this time are engaged by anti-aircraft defenses and no bombs are reported dropped.
At the same time in London, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain announces that a total of eight German aircraft have been downed; this announcement is followed by a claim by First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill that a third of the German Kriegsmarine’s Unterseeboot fleet has been sunk. Neither offers proof to back up their claims, which are dismissed by the German Ministry of Propaganda and Enlightenment and in broadcasts on Deutscher Rundfunk, German radio.
In a meeting in Stockholm proposed earlier in the month, Finnish President Kyösti Kallio meets with the King Christian X of Denmark, King Haakon VII of Norway and King Gustaf V of Sweden confer about the Soviet demands revisions of the Finnish-Soviet border. King Gustaf reports that German Reichskanzler Adolf Hitler sent assurances to Sweden that Germany would remain strictly neutral if a war were to break out between the Soviet Union and Finland; at the same time, Hitler “strongly” advised the Swedes follow the same policy.
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt sent a telegram to the assembled Nordic heads of state, expressing solidarity in the cause of neutrality and peace:
“October 18, 1939
“His Majesty Gustav, King of Sweden, Stockholm.
“The Conference of the Nordic States convened by Your Majesty in Stockholm will be followed with deep interest by the Government and the people of the United States.
“Under the circumstances which exist this Government joins with the Governments of the other American Republics in expressing its support of the principles of neutrality and order under law for which the nations represented at the Stockholm Conference have, throughout their history, taken a consistent stand.
“Franklin D. Roosevelt”
King Gustav himself replied almost immediately to the president with a telegram of his own:
“Stockholm,October 18, 1939
“The President:
“On behalf of the heads of the Nordic States assembled in Stockholm I wish to convey you the expression of our warm and sincere appreciation of the message of sympathy which you have addressed to us. In our endeavors to manifest our firm resolve to pursue a neutral policy based on international law and order we have felt it as a precious support and encouragement to receive this message which has been warmly greeted by our peoples.
“Gustav R..”
At the conclusion of the conference, a communique was broadcast by the Swedish News Agency (Tidningarnas Telegrambyrå). The text of the communique stated:
“The kings of Denmark and Iceland, of Norway and of Sweden along with the president of the Republic of Finland got together in a meeting in Stockholm on the 18th to 19th of October 1939.
“At the meeting the general situation was first scrutinized from the viewpoint of each country. Special focus was given to difficulties that in the present serious international situation might be met as to retaining the right of self-determination in matters of neutrality, the principle the countries so often have pointed out and also confirmed in their neutrality declarations when the war broke out. It was stated in one voice that the governments are resolute and determined, working in close cooperation, to maintain their full neutrality. They intend to let their approach to the future questions be steered by what is needed to enforce this neutral status of complete self-determination. They demand that their right to this opinion, laying on the basis of friendly relations with other countries, will be respected by all parties.
“By reminding of the declaration, given by the Nordic kings during the Great War at the meeting of the Danish, Norwegian and Swedish governments in 1917 in Oslo, which stated that despite of what length or whatever form the war might take, friendly and confidential relations between governments should be maintained, the present meeting unanimously accepted that Denmark and Iceland, Finland, Norway and Sweden should conduct in the present crisis the same, successfully and in close cooperation carried out policy, as in the war of 1914-1918.
“The meeting also discussed the difficulties met by neutral states in commerce and shipping as consequences of the actions of the warring states. It was unanimously stated that on this matter the principles remain to be hold in line with the Copenhagen communique of 19th of September 1939, by maintaining usual commercial relations to all directions and mutually supporting the secure procurement of necessities.
“Likewise, unanimity prevailed over carrying out cooperation within the Oslo group and other neutral states for taking care of common interests.
In connection of the meeting the king of Sweden received cabled expressions of sympathy from the heads of states of neutral countries in America. These already publicized messages will be highly appreciated in the Nordic countries. The governments represented in the meeting have found in them valuable support in their efforts for the benefit of peace and international law.
“The Nordic governments remind of willingness to work for purposes of reconciliation. Already before breaking out of war this was expresses when their heads of state joined [Belgian] King Leopold’s appeal for peace. This willingness remains unchanged. They will with the greatest pleasure greet every sign showing that understanding between the warring parties is possible and that prospects can be seen to any contribution of neutral states in finding peace and security to all nations.”
11-Oct-39: British Increase Mustard Gas Production; Finns Continue Military Preparations; Albert Einstein’s Letter Regarding Nuclear Bombs Reaches Roosevelt
Today is 11-Oct-1939, the 41st day of World War II; there are 2,152 days left in the conflict.
In London, the British War Office orders an increase in the weekly production of mustard gas from 310 to 1,200 tons. British Secretary of War Leslie Hore-Belisha announces that the country now has a total of 158,000 troops on the ground in France.
Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax meet with Polish government-in-exile Foreign Minister August Zaleski. And the British and Soviet governments ink a trade agreement which provides for the exchange of Soviet timber for rubber and Cornish tin.
A mistaken German radio report is aired stating that the British government has fallen and that an armistice has been reached; for awhile, Germans joyfully celebrate until the news is corrected.
Further north, the Finns continue their preparations for Soviet military aggression by mounting machine guns and anti-aircraft artillery in some of the largest Finnish cities.
United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt notes the Finnish preparations, which have been going on all week, and sends a personal appeal to Soviet President Mikhail Kalinin urging the Soviets to “make no demands on Finland which are inconsistent with the maintenance and development of amicable and peaceful relations between the two countries, and the independence of each.”
Behind the scenes in the White House, the president receives a remarkable an historic letter from scientist Albert Einstein.
The Germans had successfully split the uranium atom the previous December; this plus continued German aggression led some physicists (including Leo Szilard and Eugene Wigner) to fear that the Germans might be working on an atomic bomb. However, Szilard and Wigner had no influence or contacts with anyone in the American government. In July 1939, they found someone who did: Albert Einstein. Szilard will claim that Einstein said the possibility of a chain reaction “never occurred” to him, but he grasped the idea very quickly.
A month later, after further consolations, Szilard wrote a letter to President Roosevelt on behalf of Einstein, with Einstein’s signature attached. The letter finally reaches Roosevelt on 11-Oct, delivered by Roosevelt’s friend Alexander Sachs. Einstein would later acknowledge his full responsibility for the consequences of the letter and call it “the greatest mistake” of his life.
The letter to the president states:
“Sir:
“Some recent work by E. Fermi and L. Szilard, which has been communicated to me in manuscript, leads me to expect that the element uranium may be turned into a new and important source of energy in the immediate future. Certain aspects of the situation which has arisen seem to call for watchfulness and, if necessary, quick action on the part of the Administration. I believe therefore that it is my duty to bring to your attention the following facts and recommendations:
“In the course of the last four months it has been made probable through the work of Joliot in France as well as Fermi and Szilard in America — that it may become possible to set up a nuclear chain reaction in a large mass of uranium,by which vast amounts of power and large quantities of new radium-like elements would be generated. Now it appears almost certain that this could be achieved in the immediate future.
“This new phenomenon would also lead to the construction of bombs, and it is conceivable — though much less certain — that extremely powerful bombs of a new type may thus be constructed. A single bomb of this type, carried by boat and exploded in a port, might very well destroy the whole port together with some of the surrounding territory. However, such bombs might very well prove to be too heavy for transportation by air.
“The United States has only very poor ores of uranium in moderate quantities. There is some good ore in Canada and the former Czechoslovakia. while the most important source of uranium is Belgian Congo.
“In view of the situation you may think it desirable to have more permanent contact maintained between the Administration and the group of physicists working on chain reactions in America. One possible way of achieving this might be for you to entrust with this task a person who has your confidence and who could perhaps serve in an inofficial capacity. His task might comprise the following:
“a) to approach Government Departments, keep them informed of the further development, and put forward recommendations for Government action, giving particular attention to the problem of securing a supply of uranium ore for the United States;
“b) to speed up the experimental work,which is at present being carried on within the limits of the budgets of University laboratories, by providing funds, if such funds be required, through his contacts with private persons who are willing to make contributions for this cause, and perhaps also by obtaining the co-operation of industrial laboratories which have the necessary equipment.
“I understand that Germany has actually stopped the sale of uranium from the Czechoslovakian mines which she has taken over. That she should have taken such early action might perhaps be understood on the ground that the son of the German Under-Secretary of State, von Weizsäcker, is attached to the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institut in Berlin where some of the American work on uranium is now being repeated.
“Yours very truly,
“(Albert Einstein)”
After reading the letter, the president will go on to form the Briggs Committee, which will begin the study of uranium chain reactions. The letter itself may be considered the start of a chain reaction of its own, which will culminate in the twin nuclear annihilations of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki almost six years later, with further consequences for mankind far into the future.