November 10, 1939: Dutch Panic

Friday 10 November 1939

Hans Oster.

Western Front: Two German infantry attacks on 10 November 1939. Not in force, more probing in nature. Reinforcements are moving in behind the Siegfried Line.

European Air Operations: There are German flights over eastern and northern France. The RAF downs a flying boat off the east coast, while another plane escapes.

Battle of the Atlantic: The French release US freighter Exeter.

German liner New York, which had been holed up in Murmansk, finishes a dash down the Norwegian coast and makes it to Kiel.

Convoy OA 33 departs from Southend, Convoy OB 33 departs from Liverpool, and Convoy HX 8 departs from Halifax.

Holland: Spooked on 10 November 1939 by the Venlo Incident, which violated Dutch sovereignty, the Dutch increase their precautions against invasion. This includes some precautionary flooding, canceling army leave and similar measures. The US consulate in Amsterdam warns US citizens to leave Holland.

Since Hans Oster's leaks contained out-of-date information pinning the date of the German invasion to 12 November, the Dutch are scrambling as the day approaches. The Venlo Incident - entirely unrelated to Fall Gelb - fed into the paranoia. This is a typical example of solid military intelligence leading to wasted effort and perhaps ultimately a "boy who cried wolf" situation later due to a change in planning by the other side.

France: There is a meeting between top officials of France and the British commonwealth, including among others British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden and French Prime Minister Daladier. Delegates from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and India

British Government: Prime Minister Chamberlain reports that he has gout, thus explaining his absence from the Paris commonwealth meeting.

USS Ranger (CV-4) with her stacks down and Devastator torpedo bombers. She was engaged in Neutrality Patrols, operating out of Bermuda. November 10, 1939.

November 1939

November 1, 1939: The Jet Flies Again
November 2, 1939: The Soviets Devour Poland
November 3, 1939: Amending the Neutrality Act
November 4, 1939: Roosevelt Signs Neutrality Laws
November 5, 1939: The Spirit of Zossen
November 6, 1939: First Dogfight
November 7, 1939: More Lies About SS Athenia
November 8, 1939: Hitler Almost Killed
November 9, 1939: The Venlo Incident
November 10, 1939: Dutch Panic
November 11, 1939: Poignant Armistice Day
November 12, 1939: Peace Efforts Made and Rejected
November 13, 1939: First Bombing of Great Britain
November 14, 1939: The Dyle Plan
November 15, 1939: Elser Confesses to the Bürgerbräukeller Bombing
November 16, 1939: Martial Law in Prague
November 17, 1939: International Students Day
November 18, 1939: Magnetic Mines
November 19, 1939: Walls Around the Warsaw Ghetto
November 20, 1939: First RN Submarine Victory
November 21, 1939: Salmon & Gluckstein on the Prowl
November 22, 1939: British Recover A Magnetic Mine
November 23, 1939: HMS Rawalpindi Sunk
November 24, 1939: Japanese Enter Nanning
November 25, 1939: The Olympics are a War Casualty
November 26, 1939: Soviets Stage an "Incident" at Mainila
November 27, 1939: German Marriage Becomes Perilous
November 28, 1939: Judenrats in Poland
November 29, 1939: The Soviets Prepare to Invade Finland
November 30, 1939: Winter War Begins

2019