World War II in real time

[lordroel]

Day 157 of World War II, February 4th 1940

Battle of the Atlantic

U-37 (Korvettenkapitän Werner Hartmann) torpedoes and sinks 1,365 ton Norwegian freighter Hop 100 miles south of the Shetland Islands at 04:17. All 17 crew perish.

U-37 continues on and at 21:25 torpedoes 4,330 ton British freighter Leo Dawson about 15 miles east of Bressay after missing with the first torpedo. All 35 on board perish.

The minesweeper Sphinx, bombed on the 3rd, sinks at 04:30 while under tow in rough seas. Five officers and 49 crew perish. It is the first Halcyon-class ship lost at sea.

The British confiscate 390 sacks of German mail from the US passenger liner Manhattan and then release her. American diplomatic pouches on board were not touched.

Convoy OB 85 departs from Liverpool, and Convoy HXF 19 departs from Halifax.

French Military

The French decorate RAF Flight Lt. R.V. Jeff with the Croix de Guerre.

Soviet Government

Stalin has Nikolai Yezhov, his former head of the NKVD (later the KGB), executed for disloyalty. Not only is Yezhov executed, but Stalin orders him removed from all known photographs of him with Stalin in an early version of photoshopping. This incident and others like it perhaps informs George Orwell as he writes his classic "1984" later in the decade.

Balkan

The ministers meeting at Belgrade declare regional neutrality and solidarity.

China

At the First Battle of Wuyuan, the Japanese advance from the city and capture Linho from Chinese 8th War Area.

At the Battle of South Kwangsi, the Japanese capture Shanglin and attack Wuning, while the Chinese counterattack and capture Yungshun, which threatens Japanese lines of communication. The Chinese also attack around Pinyang.

[lordroel]

Day 158 of World War II, February 5th 1940

Battle of the Atlantic

U-41 (Kapitänleutnant Gustav-Adolf Mugler) torpedoes Dutch tanker Ceronia, which is damaged but makes it to port. It then sinks British freighter SS Beaverburn 150 miles south of Ireland. There are 76 survivors and one crew perishes

U-41 then attacks Convoy OA-84 south of Ireland without success. Instead, U-41 itself is sunk by depth charges by destroyer HMS Antelope. Antelope's Captain, Lt. Commander White, wins the DSO for this first sinking by a solitary destroyer. There are no survivors of the U-boat.

US freighter Exford is detained by the British at Gibraltar.

Convoy OA 86 departs from Southend, Convoy SL 19F departs from Freetown.

Supreme Allied War Council

The fifth meeting takes place in Paris. A decision is taken to intervene in the Winter War first by sending aircraft and guns to Finland. The tentative plan thereafter is to stage landings at Narvik and other ports about 20 March 1940. After that, the troops would proceed by rail through Sweden to Finland. The Allied troops not only would seize the Norwegian iron ore mines, but also secure the Swedish mines.

This assumes Swedish and Norwegian acquiescence in the plan. Germany, of course, is making similar plans, but they are not relying on the kindness of anyone. The Allied plan makes little sense, envisioning using only two divisions (against the entire Soviet army) which do not even exist yet or would have to be diverted from the BEF in France. It appears calculated more to suppress Norwegian and Swedish iron ore delivers to Germany and coerce Norway to the Allied side than to aid Finland.

British Chief of Staff General Sir Edmund Ironside writes afterwards that everyone is "purring with pleasure" at this chance to go into action. BEF Chief of Staff General Henry Pownall, though, is not so pleased, writing in his own 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.”

Dutch Military

Commander-in-chief Izaak Reynders resigns effective on 6 February 1940. He is replaced by General Henri Winkelman. Reynders was disgraced by his intemperate reaction to the Mechelen Incident. The reason given is the lack of government support for increased defense expenditures.

Photo: Henri Gerard Winkelman (1876-1952) a Dutch military officer who served as Commander-in-chief of the Armed forces of the Netherlands from February 5th 1940 till May 15th 1940.



US Government

The US Maritime Commission announces that Britain and France, in great need of shipping, are purchasing 113,000 tonnes of American cargo ships.

China

In the Battle of South Kwangsi, the Japanese attack Wuning.

[lordroel]

Day 159 of World War II, February 6th 1940

Battle of the Atlantic

The government publishes notes exchanged between Japan and the UK regarding the 21 January 1940 Asama Maru incident as a White Paper.

The 1,421 ton Estonian freighter Anu hits a mine 30 miles from its destination and sinks. The mine had been laid by U-13 on 12 December 1939 near the entrance to the River Tay. Seven crew perish, including the Captain, his wife, and the cook.

German freighter Konsul Horn completes a successful dash across the Atlantic from Aruba to Norway begun on 7 January 1940, either avoiding US Neutrality Patrols or successfully convincing them that it was a neutral vessel.

Convoy HG 18F departs from Gibraltar and Convoy OG 17 forms at Gibraltar.

British Government

The Admiralty, concerned about the impression in the public that the U-boats are winning, imposes strict restrictions on BBC reporting of ship sinkings. For instance, small ships may only be mentioned once in a single broadcast. Larger ships may be mentioned in consecutive bulletins.

Dutch Military

General Henri Winkelman comes out of retirement to command Dutch military forces upon the resignation of General Reynders.

British Homefront

A nationwide campaign to quell careless war gossip is launched, with the slogan "Careless Talk Costs Lives."

Terrorism

Four people are injured when parcel bombs planted by IRA terrorists explode in Euston Station, London.

China

At the Battle of South Kwangsi, the Japanese are attacking Wuning.

[lordroel]

Day 160 of World War II, February 7th 1940

Battle of the Atlantic

At 06:00, the 4,305 ton Irish passenger/mail ship M/V Munster (45 crew, 190 passengers, Master William James Paisley) hits a mine en route to Liverpool and sinks a few miles from there in the Irish Sea. The mine was laid on 6 January 1940 by U-30 in the Queens Channel. All crew and passengers survive when a nearby steamer, SS Ringwall, picks them up.

The Kriegsmarine lays a defensive minefield off Borkum.

Convoy OA 87 departs from Southend, OB 86 departs from Liverpool, OB 87 departs from Liverpool, and HX 19 departs from Halifax.

Western Front

Paris accuses the Germans of executing two Americans in Poland.

Anglo/French Relations

Generals Weygand and Wavell being four days of planning in Cairo.

Anglo/Italian Relations

Mussolini exercises his veto of arms sales to the UK. He usually tries to appear as neutral as possible, so this comes as a bit of shock, especially considering that the British Purchasing Commission led by Lord Hardwick had just placed a large order for Italian fighter planes (Caproni-Reggiane Re.2000 Falco I).

Terrorism

The British execute two IRA men, Peter Barnes and James Richards, at Winston Green Prison, Birmingham. They were sentenced on 11 December 1939 for planting the bombs that murdered 5 people at Coventry on 25 August 1939. The two men become martyrs for the IRA.

China

At the Battle of South Kwangsi, the Japanese continue attacking Wuning.

In the "Shangtung Operation," the Japanese 21st Infantry Division, 32nd ID, and 5th Independent Mixed Brigade occupy the Shangtung Peninsula.

[lordroel]

Day 161 of World War II, February 8th 1940

Western Front

Two French soldiers capture a German patrol in Forbach Woods.

Battle of the Atlantic

It is one of the quieter days of the war in the endless war on the high seas.

US freighter Scottsburg is detained by the British at Gibraltar.

Convoy OA 88GF departs from Southend.

Spies

Double agent William Sebold, a German native born in Mulheim, Germany, arrives in the New York City as "Harry Sawyer." Sebold is a spy for the Reich, but in actuality is a double agent working for the FBI. He sets up a short-wave radio transmitter with FBI help and begins transmitting reports (prepared by the FBI) to Berlin.

Separately, the Paris police raid the Soviet Press Agency. They discover that it is being used as a cover for Nazi propaganda.

Canada

The third contingent of Canadian soldiers arrives in England at a west coast port.

German occupied Poland

Friedrich Ubelhor, the governor of the Kalisz-Lodz District, issued the order to establish the Lodz ghetto. The original plan was to set up the ghetto in one day, in actuality, it took weeks. Jews from throughout the city were ordered to move into the sectioned off area, only bringing what they could hurriedly pack within just a few minutes.

China

Japanese planes attack Mengzi. Three Chinese Hawk 75 fighters intercept them and a dogfight ensue for more than an hour, with one Chinese pilot, Yang Tzu-fan, injured after crash-landing.

The Shangtung Operation continues as the Japanese occupy the Shangtung Peninsula.

At the Battle of South Kwangsi, the Japanese capture Wuning north of Nanning after several days of battle.

[lordroel]

Day 162 of World War II, February 9th 1940



Battle of the Atlantic

German destroyers Z3, Z4 and Z16 lay 110 mines in "The Shipwash" or "Wash." This is a busy sea lane in the North Sea east of Harwich, England. They do this during the night of 9/10 February.

The Lufwaffe sinks British freighters Fort Royal and Robert Brown off of Aberdeen, Scotland.

British 1500 ton freighter Chagres, carrying bananas, sinks ten miles from its destination at Liverpool after it hits a mine which had been laid by U-30 on 6 January 1940. Two lives are lost, 62 are picked up by HMS Loch Montreith.

The British freighter Agnes Ellen also sinks from unknown causes, likely by striking a mine.

Dutch steamer Burgerdijk, carrying grain from the U.S. to Rotterdam, and the Norwegian steamer Silja, carrying salt from Gibraltar to Bergen, Norway, are sunk by unknown U-boats. All aboard the Silja perish.

British ships HMS Salve and HMS Servitor engage in minesweeping using the new technology which involves dragging long electrical cables to explode magnetic mines.

US freighter Scottsburg is released from British detention at Gibraltar.

Convoy OB 88 departs from Liverpool and HG 18 departs from Gibraltar.

Air War over Europe

Luftwaffe attacks, especially on British shipping, are increasing. A Heinkel He 111 is shot down at North Berwick near the Firth of Forth, and there are other raids as far north as Peterhead.

Photo:The German Heinkel He 111 that was shot down at North Berwick near the Firth of Forth, the German planes rear gunner Uffz F, Wieners was injured from gun fire from the Spitfire and was taken to RAF Drem, where he died of his injuries.



Western Front

There are patrol clashes and artillery duels in the area between the Moselle and the Saar.

German Military

General von Manstein takes up his position as commander of German 33rd Corps. Hitler has heard about Manstein's innovative ideas regarding Fall Gelb and makes a point of meeting with him and discussing those ideas during a formal event accompanying the appointment.

US Government

President Roosevelt sends Sumner Welles, US Under-Secretary of State, to collect information about conditions in Europe. If possible, he is to work toward peace. The Welles Mission causes some consternation wherever he goes. Hitler, for instance, worries that Welles actually is intent on peeling Italy away from the Axis.

Separately, President Roosevelt addresses the American Youth Congress. The 4,400 AYC demonstrators oppose any war in Europe. Roosevelt tells them the US will support Finland in its fight against the Soviet Union.

British Government

First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill broadcasts a speech warning Bulgaria not to join the Axis (the Tripartite Pact of Germany, Japan and Italy).

Turkey

The government dismisses 80 German technical advisors engaged in work in a munitions factory, a naval dockyard and in coalfields.

Ireland

A bill to allow detention of suspected IRA terrorists without trail become law.

German occupied Poland

Jews in Stettin and elsewhere are deported to the new Jewish Ghettos in Lublin. It is not much better in the Polish areas taken by the Soviet Union, as many Jews are deported to Siberia.

China

The Battle of South Kwangsi continues, with new Japanese 22nd Army headquarters established under General Seiichi Kuno to control forces around Nanning. He immediately orders 22nd Army forces around Pinyang and nearby locations to begin withdrawing south to Nanning. These formations are threatened by recent Chinese advances from the east.

[stevep]

   One small quibble with this last one. The Wash is actually the square of shallow water that bites into eastern England just north of East Anglia. It doesn't have any significant port or shipping. Its also about 100 miles north of Harwich, which is on the southern edge of E Anglia. See The_Wash, for more details. For reference the small town I grew up in is about half way between Peterborough and Spalding on the close up of the region about a quarter of the way down the article.

   It might be that a similar name has been used in the past for the Harwich area, which is part of the Thames estuary or simply that the writers of the list have confused the two.

   I have noticed that a large proportion of the sinkings by subs are to the east or north of Britain and hence not really a Battle of the Atlantic and how short ranged the German forces were before they developed better U boats and gained control of France.  Also that a lot of it seems to be pretty indiscriminate involving neutral ships and at least sometimes sailing solely between neutral ports, such as with the Burgerdijk in today's entry.

[lordroel]

Feb 9, 2019 17:04:42 GMT stevep said:

   One small quibble with this last one. The Wash is actually the square of shallow water that bites into eastern England just north of East Anglia. It doesn't have any significant port or shipping. Its also about 100 miles north of Harwich, which is on the southern edge of E Anglia. See The_Wash, for more details. For reference the small town I grew up in is about half way between Peterborough and Spalding on the close up of the region about a quarter of the way down the article.

   It might be that a similar name has been used in the past for the Harwich area, which is part of the Thames estuary or simply that the writers of the list have confused the two.

   I have noticed that a large proportion of the sinkings by subs are to the east or north of Britain and hence not really a Battle of the Atlantic and how short ranged the German forces were before they developed better U boats and gained control of France.  Also that a lot of it seems to be pretty indiscriminate involving neutral ships and at least sometimes sailing solely between neutral ports, such as with the Burgerdijk in today's entry.

I used this website for the downed He 111.

The North Berwick Heinkel

Well i could call it the Battle of the North Sea but in a couple of months it will become known as the Battle of the Atlantic, also it is a term everybody knows.

[stevep]

Feb 9, 2019 17:30:27 GMT lordroel said:

Feb 9, 2019 17:04:42 GMT stevep said:

   One small quibble with this last one. The Wash is actually the square of shallow water that bites into eastern England just north of East Anglia. It doesn't have any significant port or shipping. Its also about 100 miles north of Harwich, which is on the southern edge of E Anglia. See The_Wash, for more details. For reference the small town I grew up in is about half way between Peterborough and Spalding on the close up of the region about a quarter of the way down the article.

   It might be that a similar name has been used in the past for the Harwich area, which is part of the Thames estuary or simply that the writers of the list have confused the two.

   I have noticed that a large proportion of the sinkings by subs are to the east or north of Britain and hence not really a Battle of the Atlantic and how short ranged the German forces were before they developed better U boats and gained control of France.  Also that a lot of it seems to be pretty indiscriminate involving neutral ships and at least sometimes sailing solely between neutral ports, such as with the Burgerdijk in today's entry.

I used this website for the downed He 111.

The North Berwick Heinkel

Well i could call it the Battle of the North Sea but in a couple of months it will become known as the Battle of the Atlantic, also it is a term everybody knows.

  Lordroel

  I'm actually talking about the section about:

German destroyers Z3, Z4 and Z16 lay 110 mines in "The Shipwash" or "Wash." This is a busy sea lane in the North Sea east of Harwich, England. They do this during the night of 9/10 February.

  not the Hinkel which is at Berwick on the border wkith Scotland.

  Are you actually producing this yourself?  Must be an hell of an effort as was assuming you were forwarding it from somewhere else.  Very much hat's off to you.

  Yes shortly it will be the battle of the Atlantic but just seemed ironic as to how close to the UK the action was at the time and often to the east of it. Of course that's no longer an option once all those neutral states start coming under new ownership fortunately not for that long.

[lordroel]

Feb 9, 2019 22:59:47 GMT stevep said:

  Are you actually producing this yourself?  Must be an hell of an effort as was assuming you were forwarding it from somewhere else.  Very much hat's off to you.

O heavens no, i use several websites who track World War II by day and then add ore change stuff before i post it here.

[lordroel]

Day 163 of World War II, February 10th 1940

Battle of the Atlantic

Four German freighers leave Vigo, Spain to run the Allied blockade.

U-48 (Kapitänleutnant (Kptlt.) Herbert Schultze) stops Dutch freighter Burgerdijk 40 miles off Land's End, England. It then sinks the ship. All of the crew survives after spending the night in a lifeboat.

British wooden minesweepers HMS Salve and HMS Servitor are using the new electrified cable which they drag behind to explode magnetic mines. They have their first success today when they explode a mine on a sunken lightship.

The British detain US freighter West Chatala at Gibraltar for a few hours, then release her.

Convoy OA 89 departs Southend, OB 89 departs Liverpool, and SL 20 departs Freetown.

Luftwaffe

Adolf Galland, a veteran of the Spanish Civil War who has flown ground attack planes, is transferred at his request to fighters with JG 27.

Holland

The Dutch government announces the decision to build 3 battlecruisers (with technical assistance from Italy) for the defense of the Dutch East Indies. 

Sweden

The government protests to Moscow about the sinking of the Swedish freighter Wirgo by Soviet bombers on 5 February 1940.

Soviet Homefront

Stepan Bandera becomes the leader of his group of the Ukrainian National Movement (OUN-B) in Krakow. Their goal is creation of an independent Ukrainian state.

United States

In Washington DC, United States, President Franklin Roosevelt confronted a booing demonstration of 4,446 members of the American Youth Congress who had marched up Constitutional Avenue with banners condemning the prospect of the US being drawn into an imperialistic war. Angrily he told the demonstrators that American sympathy is overwhelmingly in support of Finnish efforts to stave off invasion, and warned them not to pass resolutions on subjects of which they have no complete knowledge.

Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia

The Reichsprotektor of Bohemia-Movavia (former Czechoslovakia), Baron von Neurath, imposes new restrictions on Jewish commerce. He orders the closing of Jewish-owned textile, clothing and leather-goods stores. He also orders the sale of jewelry, gold, silver, platinum and art owned by Jews.

China

The Shangtung Operation continues. Japanese 21st Infantry Division, 32nd Infantry Division, and 5th Independent Mixed Brigade continue occupying the Shangtung peninsula.

[lordroel]

Day 164 of World War II, February 11th 1940

From World War II Realtime Instagram Account

Germany and the USSR sign a new trade agreement to replace the one of August 1939. They agree to deliver to each other raw goods, worth of 640-660 million Reichsmark over the next two years, though other sources estimate that amount to be even higher.

The Soviets will deliver mainly oil, cotton, phosphates, chrome ore, iron, platinum and lumber. The USSR promises to try as hard as it could to buy everything from other countries - which banned Germany from their trade market. Germany on the other hand, would deliver mainly coal and special deliveries of military equipment and ‘secret military weapons, together with plans and specifications’. This caused Germany to have to juggle both their export production and the needs of their own army.

This agreement makes Germany rely on the Soviet Union even more than before. Their shortages still aren’t fully resolved in this deal, and the Germans have to export raw materials and finished products that they could very well use for their own war effort. Additionally, being dependent on Soviet Russia is something that Hitler does not like at all. Yet, this agreement is very important for Germany. One of its key points is that Germany can now transport goods (especially soybeans and rubber from Manchuria and Japan) via Soviet railroads, allowing Germany to trade with the Far East as well as the Middle East, bypassing the British Blockade.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-53 (Korvettenkapitän Harald Grosse) torpedoes 8,022 ton British tanker Imperial Transport off Butt of Lewis in the Atlantic. All 51 survive. The ship remains afloat but abandoned for the time being.

At 11:00, U-53 also sinks 4,114 ton Norwegian MV Snestad. Two perish, 34 crew survive - the two who perish do so in the water during the rescue operation. Grosse waits for the crew to abandon ship, then fires a finishing shot torpedo.

U-53 also attacked the Albert L. Ellsworth at the same spot a few hours later. The ship was rescuing the men from the Snestad. Grosse fired a torpedo which detonated prematurely but looked like it had hit. The men of the freighter abandoned it in a great rush. Grosse then fired another torpedo to finish off the freighter, but it also was a dud. A third torpedo ran underneath the ship and exploded beyond. Grosse then thought the ship was finished and left. However, the ship remained afloat, and the survivors re-boarded it the next morning. The ship was completely intact, so they resumed their voyage to Bergen and arrived there safely.

U-9 (Kptlt. Ludwig Mathes) torpedoes and sinks Estonian freighter SS Linda. One crew perishes.

U-50 (Kptlt. Max-Hermann Bauer) torpedoes and sinks Swedish freighter SS Orania. Fourteen crew perish, 10 survivors are picked up by HMS Faulknor after a night in the water.

U-37 (K.Kapt. Werner Hartmann) uses its deck gun to sink British trawler Togimo off Milford Haven. One crew member perishes.

Convoy OG 18F forms at Gibraltar.

China

In the Battle of South Kwangsi, the Japanese 22nd Army force that took Wuning withdraws toward Nanning.

[lordroel]

Day 165 of World War II, February 12th 1940

Battle of the Atlantic

HMS Gleaner, a minesweeper sloop, sinks U-33 (Kapitänleutnant Hans-Wilhelm von Dresky) in the Firth of Clyde after catching it laying mines. The Gleaner forces U-33 to the surface after an extended depth charge attack, where the crew abandons ship. There are 17 survivors, while 25 perish (including von Dresky).

After rescuing the U-33's crew, one of them (Friedrich Kumpf) is found to have the three rotors for the Enigma machine in his pockets (he apparently forgot to throw them in the sea as regulations require). They are immediately sent to the Alan Turing's naval cryptanalysis section of Government Code and Cypher School at Bletcheley Park. Two of the rotors (VI and VII), while extremely valuable, are only used by the Kriegsmarine, so are not universally helpful for solving the critical "Dolphin" key. Unbeknownst to the British, Chief Engineer Schilling also has rotors on his person, but he is not properly searched and he manages to throw them overboard later.

The U-33's mission had been a major priority for the Kriegsmarine. The hazards of laying mines in the Clyde were apparent to the Germans, but closing it down would have been a major success. Hitler himself is said to have ordered the mission, and Admiral Doenitz, in charge of U-boats, saw the U-33 off on its mission from Wilhelmshaven.

U-53 (K.Kapt. Harald Grosse) follows up its successful day on the 11th by sinking the Swedish SS Dalarö west of Scotland (captain drowns; there are 29 survivors picked up by Belgian trawler Jan de Waele).

U-26 (Heinz Scheringer) torpedoes and sinks Norwegian freighter Nidarholm west of Ireland. All 26 crew survive a night in the water.

Destroyer HMS Hasty captures one of the six German ships, the Morea, that left Vigo, Spain to get to Germany. Cruiser HMS Glasgow captures another, Herrlichkeit, off Tromso, Norway.

The crew of the 3,771 ton German freighter Wakama scuttles it (sets it afire) 12 miles off Cabo Frio, Brazil after being stopped by heavy cruiser HMS Dorsetshire, whose spotter aircraft found it. The Dorsetshire picks up the 46 survivors.

Convoy OA 90G departs from Southend, Convoy HXF 20 departs from Halifax.

Egypt

General Freyberg's convoy, US 1, of New Zealand and Australian troops reaches the Suez Canal, with the arrival of the 4th brigade of the New Zealand Division.

British Homefront

With supplies down 40%, paper rationing is begun.

[lordroel]

Day 166 of World War II, February 13th 1940

Battle of the Atlantic

British cruiser HMS Dorsetshire intercepts the German blockade runner Wakama near Rio de Janeiro. The Wakama's crew scuttles it. The Brazilian government protests against British operations off its coast.

U-54 (K.Kapt. Günter Kutschmann) sinks in a British minefield approximately this date. The reason for her disappearance remains officially unknown, but part of one of her torpedoes was recovered by a German patrol boat on 14 March 1940. The minefield had been laid by the Royal Navy destroyers HMS Ivanhoe and Intrepid in early January 1940.

U-25 (Kapitän zur See Viktor Schütze) sinks Norwegian freighter SS Chastine Mærsk with its deck gun at dawn after not sinking it with two defective torpedoes the previous evening. The U-boat chased the ship on the surface all night long. All 30 crew survive.

U-53 (K.Kapt. Harald Grosse) sinks Swedish freighter SS Norna west of Ireland. 18 lives are lost.

The German freighter Wolfsburg also is scuttled by its crew off the coast of Brazil.

British freighter British Triumph is sunk by mine.

US freighter Exford is released from detention at Gibraltar.

Convoy OA 91 departs from Southend, Convoy OB 90 departs from Liverpool, and Convoy OB 91 departs from Liverpool.

British Government

A Labour Party bill to nationalize all forms of inland and coastal transport is defeated in the House of Commons. The government does impose strict control over the railway network, but allows it to remain in private hands.

Germany Military 

German General Alfred Jodl records in his diary that due to the loss of plans, Adolf Hitler changed the main invasion point farther south, in the direction of Sedan, to capture a large group of Allies in Belgium.

Hptm. Joachim Schlichting, the Geschwaderadjutant of JG 27 assumes his new position as Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 1 in place of Major Bernhard Woldenga. Hptm. Schlichting was appointed to the position on 1 February, his twenty-sixth birthday. His Staffelkapitäns with the Gruppe are Oblt. Wilhelm Balthasar with 1./JG 1, Oblt. Walter Adolph of 2./JG 1 and Oblt. Max Dobislav of 3./JG 1.

China 

Three Hawk 75 fighters of the Chinese 18th Squadron intercepted 27 Japanese bombers en route to bomb the bridge on the Xi River near Xiaolongtan, Yunnan, China. One bomber was claimed to be destroyed.

YouTube clip (Elmer Davis And The News)

[lordroel]

Day 167 of World War II, February 14th 1940

From World War II Realtime Instagram Account

The Germans declare that they are in their right to torpedo any neutral ships. They say so after torpedoing a Dutch America-Holland line ship called the Burgerdijk, which was transporting non-contraband goods on the 10th. It was however close to the British coast and thus was, according to the Germans, susceptible to being sunk.

The Burgerdijk was sailing from New York to Rotterdam when, close to the British coast, it was stopped by a German U-Boat. Its captain invited a Dutch officer aboard, and demanded to see their papers. When the officer brought those, the German commander was no longer interested to see them and declared that he was about to sink the ship. The Dutch crew got 30 minutes to evacuate and send a s.o.s signal.

While the Germans didn’t really have any compelling arguments to justify the sinking, they warned that they would to the same to other Neutral – including American, ships. However, the Americans weren’t too worried that their trade fleet was in big danger. After all, it was the unlimited submarine warfare policy that the Germans deployed in the First World War that was one of the reasons why the United States joined the Allied forces when it did.

Battle of the Atlantic

A Hudson of Coastal Command spots the German supply ship Altmark making a run for Germany in Norwegian waters. The Altmark was the supplier for the Admiral Graf Spee and has the British prisoners that it took on board. It is near Trondheim and Captain Heinrich Dau believes that he is safe in Norwegian territorial waters.

U-57 (Oblt.z.S. Claus Korth) torpedoes large British tanker SS Gretafield 20 miles east of Wick, Scotland at 01:35. There are 31 survivors, 10 perish. The Gretafield drifts ashore burning out of control.

U-53 (K.Kapt. Harald Grosse) torpedoes and sinks Danish freighter S Martin Goldschmidt west of Ireland at 05:00. There are 5 survivors, 15 perish.

U-26 (Heinz Scheringer) torpedoes and sinks British wheat freighter Langleeford (Master H. Thompson) 70 miles northwest of Fastnet, Ireland. There are 30 survivors, 4 perish. The Germans give the survivors some rum, cigarettes, bread and bandages and point them in the direction of Ireland. The boat makes landfall at Ross, County Clare.

At 17:00, U-48 (Kptlt. Herbert Schultze) sinks the British food freighter SS Sultan Star some 200 miles from Land's End, England. The ship is part of a convoy, and destroyers HMS Whitshed, Vesper and Acasta drop 22 depth charges to no purpose. There are 72 survivors picked up by the Whitshed.

US passenger liner Manhattan is detained at Gibraltar for a few hours, then allowed to proceed. The US freighter Exermont is detained as well.

Convoy HG 19F departs from Gibraltar, and Convoy SL 20F departs from Freetown.

Terrorism

The IRA plants five bombs in Birmingham. Two shops are damaged in the explosions.

British Government

First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill announces that all merchant ships are to be armed due to U-boat attacks.