Friday 13 October 1939

Charles Lindbergh at an America First rally.

Western Front: Activity along the line dies down on 13 October 1939. The French destroy three Rhine bridges. Skirmishes east of the Moselle River.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-40 (Kapitänleutnant Wolfgang Barten) hits a mine in the English Channel and sinks. There are three survivors and 45 fatalities.

U-48 (Kapitänleutnant Herbert Schultze) sinks the 6,903 ton Louisiane. It is a straggler from OB-17.

U-42 (Kapitänleutnant Rolf Dau) damages 4,803-ton British ship Stonepool of Convoy OB-17 by gunfire south of Ireland. The Stonepool returns fire. The U-boat, in turn, is sunk by destroyers.

The British detain US freighters Iberville and Oakman.

Convoy OA-19 departs from Scotland. OB-19 departs from Liverpool. HG-3 departs from Gibraltar for Liverpool.

Sweden: The King invites the heads of the States of Denmark, Norway and Finland for a conference in Stockholm.

Lebanon: The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin, escapes from French custody dressed as a woman.

American Homefront: Charles Lindbergh broadcasts again for the America First organization. He faults Canada for bringing the western hemisphere into the European war. He calls for fascist and communist influence in the United States to be "stamped out." He also somewhat presciently argues that British and French colonies in the Americas should be given to the United States to cover war debts.

As a recent Gallup poll showed, Lindbergh's position is incredibly popular with the American public. In general, they do not want to get involved in a European war.

British Homefront: Two trains collide in Bletchley. Three people die. Some blame the blackout.

American Homefront: Alfred Hitchcock movie "Jamaica Inn" is released, starring Charles Laughton. It is about an orphan who learns that her guardians are pirates and bandits.

Alfred Hitchcock's film "Jamaica Inn" is released on 13 October 1939.

October 1939

October 1, 1939: Occupation of Warsaw
October 2, 1939: Hel Peninsula Falls
October 3, 1939: The Diamantis Incident
October 4, 1939: Otto Kretschmer Gets Rolling
October 5, 1939: Polish Resistance Ends
October 6, 1939: Hitler Peace Effort
October 7, 1939: The British Have Arrived
October 8, 1939: First RAF Kill from UK
October 9, 1939: "City of Flint" Incident
October 10, 1939: Lithuania Under Pressure
October 11, 1939: The Atomic Age Begins
October 12, 1939: England Rejects Hitler's Peace Offer
October 13, 1939: Charles Lindbergh Speaks Out
October 14 1939: Royal Oak Sunk
October 15, 1939: Cuban Rockets
October 16, 1939: First Aircraft Shot Down Over UK
October 17, 1939: Marshall Mannerheim Returns
October 18, 1939: Prien Receives His Award
October 19, 1939: Preliminary Plan for Fall Gelb
October 20, 1939: Hitler Grapples with the Jews
October 21, 1939: Hurricanes to the Rescue!
October 22, 1939: Goebbels Lies Through His Teeth
October 23, 1939: Norway the Center of Attention
October 24, 1939: German "Justice" Gets Rolling
October 25, 1939: Handley Page Halifax Bomber First Flies
October 26, 1939: Jozef Tiso Takes Slovakia
October 27, 1939: King Leopold Stands Firm
October 28, 1939 - First Luftwaffe Raid on Great Britain
October 29, 1939: Tinkering with Fall Gelb
October 30, 1939: Defective Torpedoes
October 31, 1939: Molotov Issues an Ultimatum

2019