Wednesday 20 September 1939

German and Soviet troops in Brest-Litovsk (Ehlert, Federal Archive).

Battle of Poland: The Polish Kraków Army (Armia Kraków) surrenders after the First Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski on 20 September 1939. It has been the largest tank battle of the campaign. Units from other Polish armies are located nearby and remain active.

The Germans claim to have taken 105,000 Polish prisoners so far.

The Soviets reach Lwow, which the surrounding Germans hand over to them.

Soviet tanks of the 27th Armoured Brigade of the 15th Armoured Corps approach Grodno. They attempt to seize the city by crossing the bridge over the Niemen River but are repulsed. They regroup for an attack in the morning.

Battle of the Atlantic: U-27 is tracked down after several recent successes that have alerted the Royal Navy to its presence. HMS Fortune rams the U-boat after three torpedoes launched at it and the accompanying HMS Faulknor explodes prematurely. All of the 38 U-boat crew members survive. Kapitänleutnant Johannes Franz later alerts the Kriegsmarine BDU (U-boat high command) of the defective torpedoes by managing to send Berlin a coded message from his POW camp.

Battle of the Atlantic: HMS Kittiwake, a Kingfisher class patrol vessel, strikes a British mine in the Straits of Dover. Five men are lost.

European Air Operations: Three RAF Fairey Battle Reconnaissance bombers meet a squadron of Bf-109s over the Siegfried Line near Aachen, Germany. The RAF loses two Battles and the Luftwaffe loses a Messerschmidt.

German Navy: The heavy cruiser Blücher is commissioned.

Resistance: A revolt breaks out in former Czechoslovakia (now incorporated into the Greater German Reich).

Peace Negotiations: The British and French categorically reject the peace offering by Hitler made in Danzig.

British Politics: The Labour Party attacks the Conservative government of Neville Chamberlain in the House of Commons for the conduct of the war.

Czechoslovakia: the revolt in former Czechoslovakia continues. The Germans are applying their usual measures to suppress it.

British Government: The government announces that it has seized £500,000 in good destined for Germany during the week.

Canada: The cabinet decides to raise 20,000 for an expeditionary force to supplement the BEF.

Australia: The government gives the British the personnel of four bomber squadrons and two squadrons of two-seat fighters.

Germany Homefront: Jews are ordered to surrender all radios.

American Homefront: There are newspaper reports detailing the alleged overseas fortunes totaling $33 million of German leaders.

Joe Louis mounts a successful defense of his world heavyweight boxing title against Bob Pastor at Detroit's Briggs Stadium.

Soviet and German troops sharing stories.

September 1939

September 1, 1939: Invasion of Poland
September 2, 1939: Danzig Annexed
September 3, 1939: France, Great Britain Declare War
September 4, 1939: First RAF Raid
September 5, 1939: The US Stays Out
September 6, 1939: Battle of Barking Creek
September 7, 1939: Polish HQ Bugs Out
September 8, 1939: War Crimes in Poland
September 9, 1939: The Empire Strikes Back
September 10, 1939: The Germans Break Out
September 11, 1939: Battle of Kałuszyn
September 12, 1939: The French Chicken Out
September 13, 1939: The Battle of Modlin
September 14, 1939: Germany Captures Gdynia
September 15, 1939: Warsaw Surrounded
September 16, 1939: Battle of Jaworów
September 17, 1939: Soviets Invade Poland
September 18, 1939: Lublin Falls
September 19, 1939: Germans, Soviets Hook Up
September 20, 1939: the Kraków Army Surrenders
September 21, 1939: Romania Convulses
September 22, 1939: Joint Soviet-German Military Parade
September 23, 1939: The Panama Conference
September 24, 1939: The Luftwaffe Bombs Warsaw
September 25, 1939: Black Monday for Warsaw
September 26, 1939: Warsaw on the Ropes
September 27, 1939: Hitler Decides to Invade France
September 28, 1939: Warsaw Capitulates
September 29, 1939: Modlin Fortress Falls
September 30, 1939: Graf Spee on the Loose

2019